Raspberry and Blueberry Overnight Oats Layered with Yoghurt and Banana

 

Ingredients (serves one)

for the overnight oats - 

- 1/3 plain porridge oats

- 1 tbsp flaxseed (optional)

- 1 tbsp ground almonds (optional)

- 1 tbsp yoghurt

- 3 tbsp water

- 2/3 tbsp milk

- 1 tsp linseeds

- 1 tsp flaked almonds

- a pinch of walnuts

- 6 fresh or frozen raspberries

- 6 fresh or frozen blueberries

- 1 tsp golden syrup

for the topping -

- 1 banana, chopped

- 2 tbsp yoghurt

1. Place all the dry ingredients into a jam jar, then pour in the yoghurt, water and milk. Mix thoroughly with a spoon and put in the fridge overnight.

2. In the morning, layer up the overnight oats with banana and yoghurt.

http://instagram.com/p/Z46DiHOkkD/

Homemade Fish and Vegetable Coconut Curry with Turmeric Rice - Dairy Free!

I haven't used coconut milk in a curry for a very long time, I forgot how good it was! This is a very easy recipe, and great because it's dairy free. Don't forget the mango chutney to serve.

Ingredients (serves 2)

for the curry -

- vegetable oil

- 1 onion, sliced

- 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or crushed

- 1/2 a courgette, sliced

- 2/3 can of coconut milk

- 4 cardamon pods, seeds removed and crushed

- 8 coriander seeds, crushed

- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 1 tsp coriander powder

- 1 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp tomato puree

- 1 tsp korma paste

- 1 tsp smooth peanut butter
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

- a pinch of chilli flakes, or half a fresh chilli if you have one

- a handful of spinach

- 1 salmon fillet

- 10 frozen king prawns, thawed in warm water

- pepper

for the rice -

- vegetable oil

- 1/2 cup basmati rice

- 1/2 a small onion, sliced

- 1 tsp turmeric

- 1 tsp curry powder

- 4 whole cardamon pods

- 6 coriander seeds, crushed

- enough boiling water to cover the rice

1. Start by making the curry. Fry the onion and garlic in a little vegetable oil for a minute and then add the courgette, all the spices, tomato puree, korma paste, peanut butter and coconut milk. 

2. After 5 minutes of cooking the curry, turn the heat down to medium and begin making the rice. Keep an eye on the curry, as it might need a dash of water. 

3. In a small frying pan, fry the onion in some oil and then add all the other ingredients. Place a lid on top (do not remove it), turn the heat right down and cook for 8 minutes.

4. When the rice has been simmering for four minutes, add the salmon to the curry. The skin of the fish should peel off easily after a minute or so. Mash the salmon into the curry, then finally put in the prawns and spinach. Cook for a further few minutes, by which time the rice should be ready. 

http://instagram.com/p/Z54UE5OkgM/

Raspberry and Blueberry Overnight Oats

Preparing your jar the night before means you can have a relaxed, no faff breakfast. You can eat it cold straight form the jar or place the mixture in a bowl and heat it up in the microwave.

Ingredients (serves one, fills a small jam jar)

1/3 plain porridge oats

1 tbsp flaxseed (optional)

1 tsp flaked almonds

1 tsp linseeds

1 tbsp plain or fruity yoghurt

5 frozen or fresh raspberries

10 frozen or fresh blueberries

1 tsbp golden syrup

3 tbsp water

2/3 tbsp milk

1. Mix all the ingredients into a suitable jam jar.

2. Place the jar in the fridge for a couple of hours, or overnight. 

It should look something like this...

http://instagram.com/p/Z2qWGNOkvQ/

Basil, Spinach and Almond Pesto

Ingredients (fills one ramekin)

21g basil leaves

40g almonds

15 g spinach leaves (one handful)

1 cloves of garlic

40g good quality olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

50g cheddar cheese, grated

salt and pepper

1. Start by grinding the almonds with a hand blender (or in a food processor) and then add the basil, spinach, garlic, oil and lemon juice. 

2. Finally mix in the grated cheese and season well. 

http://instagram.com/p/Z2oG11Oktb/

Incredible Easy Butternut Squash and Chilli Soup with Philadelphia Swirls

This is a dead simple recipe that I came up with, and it tastes delicious! 

Ingredients (serves 4 or 6 as starters)

for the soup -

1 small butternut squash (500g), peeled and chopped into small chunks

1 red onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or chopped finely

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

2 sticks of celery, chopped

1/2 chicken stock cube and 1 vegetable stock cube

enough boiling water to cover the vegetables

for the topping - 

1 tsp philadelphia cheese mixed with 1 tsp milk or 1 tsp cream

a few mint leaves, chopped (optional)

1. Start by frying the onion in a little vegetable oil for a couple of minutes in a large saucepan, then add the chilli and garlic. You can decide whether to save some of this to place on top of the soup when it's cooked.

2. Next, put all the other ingredients for the soup into the pan, and cover the vegetables with boiling water (roughly filling half of a large saucepan). Place a lid on top and cook on a very low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the butternut squash is soft.

3. Finally, wait for the soup to cool down before placing it in a mixer or blending it with a hand blender. (I left my soup out overnight before blending, which I think helped intensify the flavour).

4. Serve the soup with the philadelphia/milk swirl, or cream, and top with the chopped mint. I found that the mint complimented the butternut squash and next time I will add more mint.

Bruschetta and Philadelphia Nibbles

Sadly I can't claim this recipe as my own. My wonderful friend Florence Clark makes these ten times better than me. They are so easy, but still sophisticated and delicious.

Ingredients (makes about 60 nibbles)

for the topping - 

300g of philadelphia cheese

100g basil, chopped

6-8 tomatoes, finely chopped (less tomato juice is better)

1/2 red onion, chopped finely

2 small cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped

1 tbsp good quality olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

for the base -

2 large french baguettes, sliced quite thinly

olive oil to drizzle (I used vegetable oil, student luxuries)

1. Start by pre heating the oven to 200°c. 

2. While the oven is warming, cut up the baguettes and arrange the slices face down on baking trays. Drizzle with oil and place in the oven (once it is warm) for roughly 8 minutes, until golden and crispy.

3. Add all the topping ingredients, apart from the philadelphia, to a bowl and mix thoroughly. 

4. Once the baguettes are cooked, leave them to cool before spreading with philadelphia cheese. Then top with the tomato mixture to make a delicious bruschetta nibble to munch on.

You can also make bigger versions of these nibbles on ciabatta bread to eat as an open sandwich. 

Or spice up your salad using the tomato topping.

Prune Overnight Oats

If you'd prefer to try the cold version of my prune porridge, try this! Unfortunately, I had run out of flax seed, so this can be made with or without it.

Ingredients (fills one jam jar, serves one)

for the overnight oats -

1/3 plain porridge oats

1 tbsp flax seed (optional)

1 tsp flaked almonds

1 tsp linseeds

1 1/2 tbsp plain yoghurt

4 tinned prunes and 3 tbsp juice from the tin

2 tbsp water

the rest milk (roughly 2-4 tbsp)

for the layered glass -

1 banana

2 tbsp yoghurt

1. Place all these ingredients, apart from the milk in a suitable jam jar. Mix thoroughly, mashing up the prunes, and gradually add the milk until a slightly running consistency occurs.

2. Put the jar in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours.

3. Remove the jar from the fridge and pick a suitable glass to do the layering. Spoon one heaped tbsp of porridge into the glass, followed by chopped banana and a spoon of yoghurt. Continue this a few times to produce a glass of goodness to wake you up in the morning.

Delicious Prune Porridge

Tinned prunes are the best, and can be used in a large array of dishes. This is an easy porridge recipe that will cost no more than 50p per helping, and does not contain any sugar! 

Ingredients (serves one)

40g plain porridge oats

4 tbsp tinned prune juice

2 tbsp water

the rest milk (to just cover the oats)

5 tinned prunes and a little more prune juice

2 tbsp yoghurt

1. Place the porridge oats, water and prune juice in a bowl, then gradually add the milk until it just covers the oats. Add more milk if you like your porridge runny.

2. Put the bowl in the microwave, or pour it into a saucepan on the hob, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring half way. 

3. When the porridge is ready, remove it from the microwave and add the yoghurt and prunes - simple. No need for sugar or sweetener, as the prunes and juice contain lots of natural goodness.

Sweet Minced Beef

If you're bored of bolognese, this sweet, curry inspired dish is the one for you. I opted for the easy option of serving this with boiled rice, but it works better with coriander couscous. 

Ingredients (serves four)

for the sweet beef - 

1 tbsp groundnut oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

500g beef or lamb mince 

3 tsp curry powder

1/2 green chilli, chopped

2 tbsp mango chutney

2 tbsp tomato puree

10 cherry tomatoes, chopped

100ml chicken or vegetable stock

       8 dried apricots, chopped

   50g sultanas or raisins

pepper

for the couscous - 

couscous (roughly 280g - see instructions)

240ml chicken or vegetable stock

1 small handful of coriander, finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp good quality olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the groundnut oil for a few minutes and then add the meat and start to brown it, stirring constantly. 

2. Next, stir in the curry powder, tomatoes, tomato puree and chutney. Cook for a few minutes and then add the stock, followed by the apricots and raisins. Season with salt and pepper and let the dish simmer gently for 20-30 minutes.

3. When the lamb has been cooking for 20 minutes, start to make the couscous. Place the couscous in a clear bowl and just about cover it with stock. Leave it for around 4 minutes with a lid or plate on top, and then fluff it up with a fork. Next add the chopped coriander (if using), lemon juice, sugar and oil, and season well.

Raspberry and Fig Overnight Oats

Ingredients (fills one jam jar, serves one)

1/3 plain porridge oats

1 tbsp flaxseed

1 tbsp ground almonds

1 1/2 tbsp yoghurt

3 tbsp water

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp linseeds

1 tsp flaked almonds

1 fresh fig, skin removed and chopped into 4

6 fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tsp raspberry or blackberry jam

a drizzle of golden syrup to serve

1. Place all the dry ingredients into a jam jar, then pour in the yoghurt, water and milk. Mix thoroughly with a spoon so it resembles something like this. 

2. Place the jar in the fridge overnight or for a couple of hours. If you're in a hurry, eat it straight out of the jar in the morning, or spoon it into a bowl, decorating it with banana and golden syrup.

YUM!

Easy Cabbage Soup

This is another recipe using tinned potatoes, they are great! I didn't have a lot in my fridge, so decided to make something with my large cabbage. It just shows that experimental cooking is easy and cheap.

Ingredients (serves 4 as starters)

half a cabbage, finely sliced roughly

4 tinned new potatoes, chopped in half

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 onion, sliced

half a carrot, peeled and chopped

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

2 pinches of dried thyme

1 vegetable stock cube and 1 chicken stock cube in 1.5L of boiling water

half a chilli, sliced

a pinch chilli flakes

pepper (the stock has enough salt)

1. Start by frying the onion and garlic in a little vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Then add the cabbage, carrot and celery, and stir for a few minutes.

2. Pour in everything else, including the potatoes, and cook the soup on a medium/low heat with a lid on for 15-20 minutes.

3. You can now decide whether to eat the soup as it is (as a broth) or use a hand blender to thicken it up.

Naughty Easy Chocolate Cupcakes with Butter Icing

This recipe is sadly not my own, it's taken from TheCakeRecipe website, have a look here: http://www.thecakerecipe.co.uk/easy-chocolate-cupcakes/ 

Ingredients (makes 20 cupcakes)

for the cupcakes - 

125g caster sugar

125g unsalted butter

100g self raising flour

25g cocoa powder (I used Green and Blacks)

2 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

2/3 tbsp milk (the recipe said 1tbsp but that wasn't enough)

for the butter icing -

125g unsalted butter

250g icing sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder mixed with 2 tsp hot water

1. Heat the oven to 160°c. Arrange the cupcake cases on baking trays ready to place in the oven when the mixture is done.

2. Cream together the butter and the sugar in an electric mixer, and then add the eggs one at a time. 

3. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder into the egg mixture and fold it in.

4. Add the milk and vanilla essence and stir gently.

5. Once everything is fully mixed, spoon it into the cupcake cases so they are two thirds full. 

6. Bake the cupcakes for 15 minutes. Take them out and leave them to cool on a wire rack.

7. While the cupcakes are cooling, you can make the butter icing. Cream the butter in the electric mixer and then gradually sieve in the icing sugar. Finally, add the cocoa powder and scrape down the sides with a spatula, then fully mix the icing. 

8. Decorate the cupcakes with the yummy icing and top with something sweet.

Selling my goodies to help raise money for our Graduate exhibition 'Fleece'. At The Bargehouse, London from 12-18th July. Open to all.