Monthly Archives: July 2015

Chocolate Orange Sweet Potato Brownies

Posted in Sweet Treats by

Choc orange brownies

This recipe almost defeated me.  I tried it so many times and I was never happy with the outcome for a number of reasons; too sweet, not sweet enough, didn’t rise, not gooey enough – I honestly thought I’d need to admit defeat and forget about it.

Thankfully a couple of weeks ago I had one last go and altered the recipe yet again and these delicious brownies were the result.  At first I thought I’d had another disaster as they didn’t seem to set but I left them on the side to cool and they firmed up but still retained their gooey-ness.  I had to taste test three in a row just to be sure I had finally got it right!!

I’ve since made the recipe a couple of more times and all were successful.  Once you take the brownies out of the oven and allow to cool, when you slice them they will still be gooey, however, once you set them aside they’ll firm up further.

Chocolate orange brownies

Makes approximately 9 brownies.

Ingredients

-1 cup mashed sweet potato (approx. 1 medium sweet potato)

-1 cup ground almonds

-2 tsp. baking powder

-1 egg, beaten

-1/2 cup cacao powder

-3 Tbsp. honey

-zest of 1 large orange

-2 Tbsp. chopped dairy free dark chocolate

How To Make

Pre-heat oven to 180C/355F.  Line a small baking dish with oiled parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine all the ingredients until fully combined.

Pour batter into prepared baking dish and top with broken chocolate pieces if using.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top starts hardening.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Once cool, slice in to squares (they will still be gooey at this stage) and set aside to firm up further.

Enjoy warm or cold.

These keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy 🙂

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Thai Spiced Courgette & Quinoa Cakes

Posted in Main Dish by

Thai spiced quinoa cakes

This was a recipe that came together when I hadn’t been to the shops for groceries and used whatever was left in my fridge, which wasn’t a lot!!  A courgette and some left over quinoa didn’t really give me a lot of ideas then I found some Thai green curry paste in my cupboard and these little beauties were born!

I’ve tried this recipe with an egg as a binder but I didn’t like the texture it created so I’ve omitted that and much happier with the final result.  I used 3 teaspoons of curry paste as I love some spice and heat but you can start with a couple of teaspoons and see how you like it.  You could use homemade curry paste but for convenience I use a good quality jar of paste.

To save time you can miss out the step of browning the patties first and just put them straight in the oven to bake.

These are delicious hot or cold so great to make ahead to take for packed lunches or on picnics.

Makes 6

Ingredients

-2 cups cooked quinoa (approx 1/2 cup uncooked)

-1 cup grated courgette (approx 1 small courgette)

-2 to 3 tsp. Thai green curry paste

-3 tsp. coconut cream

-2 spring onions, finely chopped

-scant 1/2 cup brown rice flour

-2 tsp. coconut oil/olive oil

How To Make

Pre-heat oven to 180C/355F.  Line a baking sheet with oiled baking parchment.

Place all the ingredients except the oil in a bowl and mix fully until combined.

Take some mixture (slightly larger than golf ball) and roll between palms then squash down to a patty.  Continue to do this until all mixture is used.

Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and warm the oil.  Once the oil is warm place the patties in the pan and cook for a few minutes each side until browned.  You may need to do this in batches.  Place browned patties on the prepared baking sheet.

Cook the cakes in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.

These cakes store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Thai spiced quinoa cakes2

Enjoy 🙂

Berry & Spinach Smoothie

Posted in Juices & Smoothies by

Berry & spinach smoothie2

This post is very short as I’m super busy with my studies but I wanted to share this smoothie recipe with you.

I’ve just discovered an amazing coconut milk by Rude Health (I’m already a fan of their rice and almond milk) and it is amazing, just reminds me of being somewhere exotic…not a rainy Scotland!

Serves 1

Ingredients

-1 cup mixed berries (I used strawberries, blueberries & blackberries)

-1 cup coconut milk or almond milk

-2 cups baby spinach

-1 Tbsp. chia seeds

-1 small banana or half an avocado

-handful of ice

Berry & spinach smoothie

How To Make

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy 🙂

Carrot Cake Balls

Posted in Sweet Treats by

carrot cake balls

My favourite cake of all time is carrot cake with lemon drizzle coming a very close second.  Both my grandmothers made wonderful cakes and whenever I visited either of them I usually made a beeline straight for the cake tin to see what was available.

I, unfortunately, did not get the ‘baking’ gene.  I have had many baking disasters but I’ll keep trying and I’m sure one day I’ll figure it out!

These carrot cake balls are very more-ish but they do have a high sugar content due to the dates so they really are meant for a treat.

I’ve made them a number of times now and varied the dried spices and this recipe works the best.  I roll some of the balls in desiccated coconut just to add another texture and flavour but you don’t have to.  The balls are quite sticky but once they’ve been in the fridge they firm up nicely.

Ingredients

-1 large carrot or smaller carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

-1/2 cup walnuts

-1/2 cup cashews

-1 cup medjool dates, stones removed

-1 Tbsp. chia seeds

-1/4 tsp. ground ginger

-1 heaped tsp. ground cinnamon

-1/4 tsp. all spice

-1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)

How To Make

Place all ingredients except coconut in a food processor and blend until thoroughly blended.

If using the coconut place in a dish.

Take the blade out of the food processor bowl and using a tablespoon, scoop mixture out and roll between your palms in to a ball.  Roll in coconut if using.  Continue doing this until all the mixture is used up.

Place the balls on a plate and place in the fridge to firm up.

These keep well in an airtight container in the fridge.

carrot cake balls2

Enjoy 🙂