Smokey Avocado & Chic Pea Mash

Smokey Avocado & Chic Pea Mash

 

Photography by Rainbow Chef copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

Hello everyone, hoping you’re having a fabulous week so far, in the UK we still have that heat wave going on and it just gets hotter by the day! Although I certainly am not complaining as I have been able to sit and work on my various projects in the garden which is always lovely. 

Now, the hot weather always makes me steer towards cold meals (naturally), I don’t wanna be near an oven for too long and so I thought I would share with you all another very quick and very scrummy recipe that is yet again, very versatile!

Citrusy, cool and smooth, this Avocado and Chic Pea Mash makes a great filling for sandwiches and wraps OR even as a refreshing dip to be scooped up with tortilla chips AND even as a salad dressing!

Enough chit chat let’s start!

What Will I Need?

 

Hot Plate OR Non-stick Frying Pan

Mortar & Pestle

Food Processor OR Blender

Grater

Lemon Juicer (if you have one)

Spatula OR Spoon

Medium Size Sterilised Glass Jar OR Air-tight Plastic storage container

Ingredients

1 x Medium very ripe Avocado

½ Tin Chic Peas drained and rinsed clean

½ tsp.Cumin Seeds OR Ground Cumin

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

Zest Half Unwaxed Lemon finely grated

1-2tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ tsp. Fresh Ground Sea Salt

Method

1. Toast the cumin seeds on a high heat until they let of a strong aroma (about 30 seconds). Then grind down in a Mortar & Pestle to form a powder.
2. Place all the ingredients into a food processor fitted with an ‘S’ blade OR blender and blitz until smooth (about 1-2 minutes) being sure to scrape down the sizes of the bowl with a spatula OR spoon to ensure all the mixture is well combined.
3. Place in a sterilised glass jar OR Air tight plastic container and keep refrigerated. This will keep for 5 days (if you can bear to stop eating it!).

Nice-cream Bananza! Lemon Vanilla & Chocolate Peanut Delight

Nice-Cream Bananza!

Lemon Vanilla Banana Nice-Cream

&

Chocolate and Peanut Delight 

Photography by Rainbow Chef Copyright © 2018

Welcome back everyone! What have you been up to? Lots of home cooking and baking I hope! I do apologise profusely for not posting any recipes for quite some time, I have been super duper busy with…well. A LOT of exciting projects, as well as life in general.

So right now we have a heat wave in the UK, It’s SUPER DUPER SIZZLING!!! With temperatures soaring to highs of 30 degrees Celsius (which is roasting for us!).

Now as much as I do love the sun, the heat is getting to me and so I have used this as the perfect excuse to share with you all a really simple summer recipe that is bound to cool you down know end. It’s super versatile to, you can add absolutely anything you like to it, from tart berries to nut butters, chocolate chips, toasted nuts and seeds, spices and more!   

Refreshing, sweet and citrusy, this Banana Lemon Nice-cream is packed full of flavour and also surprisingly healthy; it doesn’t require any added sugars as it uses Bananas at their healthiest stage (when they’re basically crawling out of their skins!) where all the fruits natural sugars are released. Banana Nice-cream is the perfect summer cooler to enjoy on its own and works beautifully as an accompanying addition to a pastry based desserts, as it’s wonderfully light in texture.

Banana & Vanilla Nice-Cream

What Will I Need?

Food Processor OR Blender

Freezer Safe Plastic Container

Spatula

Ingredients

3 Frozen and Chopped Very ripe large Bananas

Zest of 1 x Lemon

2 tsp. vanilla Extract

Method

1. Place all the ingredients into the bowl of your Food Processor OR Blender and blitz until smooth; you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients have completely blended.
2. Using your spatula, Place the smooth Banana mixture into a Freezer Safe Plastic Container and let freeze for about 2 hours. 

Serve & Enjoy!

That’s all there is to it!

Banana, Chocolate and Peanut Delight Nice-Cream 

Photography by Rainbow Chef Copyright © 2018

Naughty but nice, my Banana, Chocolate and peanut Delight Nice-Cream certainly doesn’t compromise on flavour.

Rich, fudgy and decadent; this  version of the recipe is a MUST!

What will I need?

Medium Cooking Pan

Measuring Jug

Food Processor OR Blender

Freezer Safe Plastic Container

Spatula OR Metal Dessert Spoon

Ingredients

3 Frozen and Chopped Very ripe large Bananas

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

3 tbsp. Carob Powder

1/3 Cup Dates Roughly Chopped

2 Tbsp. Ra Cacoa Powder

¼ tsp. Fresh Ground Sea Salt

3 tbsp. Palm Oil Free crunch Peanut Butter

1 tbsp. Toasted Peanuts roughly chopped

Method

1. Place your Dates into a medium size cooking pan and cover with cold water, then bring to a boil before turning down to a medium heat. Let bubble for about 5 minutes until all the dates are really soft and gooey.
2. Stir in the Raw Cacao powder until very well combined then with a potato masher, mash the date and Cacao mixture to form a rough puree. Set aside to let cool.
3. Place the Frozen Banana, Vanilla Extract and Carob Powder into a food processor OR Blender and blitz until completely smooth (be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula OR spoon in-between the blending process).
4. Place the Carob Banana Mixture into a Freezer Safe Container.

 For the next stage you will need to clean out the bowl of your Food processor/Blender.

1. Place the date and Cacao mixture along with the Sea Salt into your Food Processor/Blender; blend until completely smooth.
2. Place spoonful’s of the Cacao date mixture and 3tbsp. of the Crunchy Peanut Butter in with the Banana Carob mixture and swirl together using a Pallet Knife OR metal dessert spoon.
3. Scatter the top with the Toasted chopped Peanuts before placing back into the freezer for 2 hours before serving.

That’s it! Enjoy   

No Added Sugar Nutty Banana & Chocolate Chip Flapjack Recipe

No Added Sugar Nutty Banana & Chocolate Chip Flapjack

Photography by Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved.

Hello and welcome back! So since my last post, the ‘Beast from the East’ (episode of unwanted snow and freezingness) has thankfully depleted and we are now experiencing (slightly) more spring-like temperatures at long last!

The cold spell was the perfect excuse to get my bake on because let’s face It; I needed all the warmth I could get as I feel the cold most terribly! Anyway-as always, I like to bake up one of my all-time favourite treats particularly in the colder month, FLAPJACK!! This is familiar to many here in the UK but perhaps not to those of you across the pond. In a nutshell, Flapjack is a medley of rolled oats bound in melted butter and sugar and then baked and cut up into wedges or bars, a chewy Caramel oat slice. However this traditional baked delight has been experimented and modified over the years with different flavours and exciting additional ingredients including dried fruits, nuts and spices all of which I myself have tried and tested. I was flicking through one of my recipe mags recently when I came across s couple of energy bar ideas which got me excited; a light bulb moment! Although I barely had any of the ingredients the one thing I did have plenty of was Bananas and a few Walnuts and Almond Okara (the pulp left over from making Almond Milk-yup I make my own!) which is what I am about to share with you now.

Not only are my super simple version of the humble Flapjack Sweet and chewy, but they are also much much healthier as they require no added sugar, butters or oils as the Banana does all the work; they are also packed with fibre, healthy fats and protein which come from the nuts.

What Will I Need?

Food Processor, Blender OR Potato masher if you don’t have a fancy gadget

1 X Large Mixing Bowl

20cm Non-Stick baking tin (preferably spring form) round OR Square and lines with Baking Parchment (NOT Greaseproof Paper as it WILL stick!).

Measuring scales

Measuring Spoons

Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

2 X Medium-Large Ripe Bananas (the riper the better as more natural are released as apposed to being starchy)

100g Rolled Oats

¼ tsp. Sea Salt

75g Almond Okara (OR Ground Almonds)

75g Ground Walnuts (OR finely chopped)

50g non-dairy Chocolate roughly chopped (I recommend 85% cacao) OR non-dairy chocolate chips 

50g Sultanas OR Raisins

  

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees fan assisted (180 degrees gas).
2. Place the Bananas in a food Processor OR Blender and pule until smooth OR in a spate bowl, mash into a puree then set aside.
3. Place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl; then with a spatula, scrape the Banana Puree in with the oat mixture.
4. With a wooden Spoon, mix all the ingredients together until well combined then transfer to the prepared cake tin.
5. Let Bake for about 25 minutes OR until the edges are golden.
6. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: You may need to add a few extra oats if you end up with quite a lot of Banana Puree; you want a nice thick mixture that is like a wet cookie dough consistency.

Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days (best eaten in 2 days)

Can be frozen for up to one month.

TIP! You can swap the additional dry ingredients (fruit, chocolate chips and nuts for other preferred options i.e. pecans, cashews, sunflower Seeds, pumpkin seeds, Flax meal OR a mixture of them all etc).

Add 1 tsp. cinnamon OR other preferred sweet spices for additional flavour.

Add citrus zests for an even fruiter taste sensation!

Are you Gluten intolerant? Swap rolled oats for gluten Free Oats

Perfect for adding why-free protein powder for an extra Protein kick!

Serving Suggestions

Perfect with a cuppa. Perfect for healthy lunch box additions that double up as a sweet treat, kids are sure to love them!

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this recipe. Have fun, have a play around with different ingredients to create the perfect healthy treat for you!

Mushroom Spaghetti Bolognaise In a Tomato & Spinach Sauce

Mushroom Spaghetti Bolognaise

In a Tomato & Spinach Sauce

Photography by Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved 

So Spring is practically looming, in-fact it’s just around the corner, a time when the birds should be chirping, the Sunshine should be gracing us with it’s presence and overall a much more pleasant temperature right? NAHHHHH forget about that because guess what? It’s SNOWING! Yes you heard me right, Mother nature has decided to lay a huge white carpet over the country along with a few blizzards and vast depleting temperatures for a week chucked in for extra measure, and it looks like it’s here to stay for a few more days yet. I was sceptical that my area would even get a smidgen of the white stuff since what with living in a river valley; we tend to miss out (thankfully) but not this time! For the forecasted ‘Beast of the East’ has swept across the UK causing much unwanted disruption.

Above: My Garden! (well and the Hubster's too!)

Anyway, to lighten the mood, it’s Fridaaaayyyy HURRAH! At this point of the week, the fridge is looking, a little bit sparse to say the least; with the exception of a few pieces of veg lying around awaiting to be transformed into something exciting and scrummy; I always have a good supply of store cupboard essentials to hand though so it's all good on that front.

It dawned on me the other week that the one thing that I haven’t made for a good few years now is one of the most classic Italian dishes of all time, that has crept its way into homes; restaurants and bistro’s far and wide, and is certainly an incredibly popular dish here in Britain; Spaghetti Bolognaise!  Traditionally this dish is comprised of minced protein in a beautifully rich tangy Tomato sauce brimming with fresh Italian herbs and served on a bed of Spaghetti Pasta. As always, I like to experiment and come up with my own take on traditional recipe concepts and this is indeed no exception.  Now I may not be in Italy and have a shed load of ingredients left to hand, but I certainly can bring the flavours to the dinner table my style!

Tangy, rich and comforting (perfect for this cold snap), I use a collection of earthy Chestnut Mushrooms, sweet Carrots and subtle Courgette to bring you my Mushroom Spaghetti Bolognaise in a Tomato and Spinach Sauce.

  

What Will I Need?

Medium Saucepan

Food Processor OR Blender

Non-stick Frying Pan

Wooden Spoon

Large Saucepan

Sharp Chopping Knives

Measuring Spoons

Colander

Ingredients

For the Mushroom Mince

200g Chestnut OR Closed Cup Mushrooms OR a mixture of both

2 x Small carrots peeled and roughly chopped

¼ Medium Courgette roughly chopped

1 Medium Red onion Sliced

½ Tbsp. Olive Oil

Splash cold water

½ Tsp. Sea Salt

½ Tsp. fresh Ground Black Pepper

Tomato sauce

1 x 400g Tin Plum Tomatoes in Natural Juice

1 tbsp. tomato Puree

1 x large handful Baby Spinach Leaves

2 Large cloves Garlic

1 Tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 Dairy and Egg Free Vegetable Stock Cube

2 Tbsp. Mixed Italian Seasoning OR half pack Fresh Basil roughly chopped

½ Tomato can fresh water

Whole Wheat Egg-free Spaghetti to serve

Parmesan

2 tbsp. Nutritional yeast

1 tsp. Sesame Seeds

Pinch Sea Salt

Method

For the Mushroom Mince

1. Add all the Mushroom Mince ingredients EXCEPT for the Red Onion blitz for about 10 seconds, you don’t want the vegetables to be cut too fine nor do you want a puree, just a course texture.

         Set to one side.

         Meanwhile…

For the Tomato sauce

1. Rinse out your Food Processor then add all of the Tomato sauce ingredients; blitz until smooth.
2. Bring Tomato and Spinach mixture to the boil then turn down to a simmer until the liquid has reduced by about ¼ (add a little water if it becomes too thick but not too much, it should coat the back of a wooden spoon). Set to one side

Next...

1. Heat the Olive Oil and water in a non-stick frying pan on a medium temperature, then add the Red Onion, Salt and Black Pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the Mushroom Mince and cook until just tender.
2. Add the Tomato Sauce that you prepared earlier to the Mushroom Mince, mix well and simmer until piping hot, adjust the seasoning to taste (you want a nice silky mixture, if it becomes a little too thick, just add a little water).

For the Spaghetti

1. Follow the instructions on the back of the pack, my Whole Wheat Spaghetti takes 12 minutes, you want a slight bite to the Pasta, be careful not to overcook your Pasta as mushy Bolognaise isn’t pleasant at all!
2. Drain the cooked Spaghetti, and then serve onto plates. With a spoon, create a well in the centre of the Spaghetti to then serve the Mushroom mince into (that’s my little TIP! To prevent a messy meal with Tomato Sauce all over the place, works a treat believe me).

Lastly…

To make the “Parmesan”, pop all the ingredients into a food Processor and pulse into a course powder. Sprinkle over the top of the finished dish.

That’s it, enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Not a Spaghetti lover? Simply swap for your favourite Pasta OR Dairy-free Garlic Bread OR even a Jacket Potato! I also like to serve mine with a little simple Salad and light dressing of Lemon Juice, a little Sea Salt and Freshly ground Black Pepper.