TWININGS - Guilt Free Banana, Date and 'Fudge Melts Green Tea' Flapjacks

Who doesn’t love a delicious batch of flapjacks? With this recipe, there is no compromise, as it happens to be dairy, gluten and sugar free! I have teamed up with Twinings this month and will be doing some healthy tea recipes for their blog. The recipes can be found here: http://www.twinings.co.uk/blog.

The Fudge Melts Green Tea helps bring out the gooey, sweet flavours of the dates and lessons the amount of vegetable oil used, making this a super healthy recipe for all to enjoy.

Ingredients (makes 12 square pieces)

- 180g gluten-free oats

- 175g chopped dates *these don’t have to be fancy Medjool dates!*

- 2 very ripe bananas

- 1 Twinings ‘Fudge Melts Green Tea’ Bag

- 60ml vegetable oil

- 1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Start by turning your oven to 175°c. It should be nice and hot by the time you put the flapjack batch in.

2. Boil the kettle and get a mug ready to brew your tea bag. While the kettle is boiling, start mashing the bananas in a large bowl, until they are runny and completely mashed. *It is important to use over-ripe bananas so that they mash easily and give moisture to the mixture.*

3. Once the kettle is boiled, fill your cup of tea like normal and leave the bag to brew for a few minutes. Take in all those beautiful smells of fudge and green tea!

4. Add the vegetable oil to the bowl with the mashed bananas, and then spoon in 6 tbsp of infused tea (60g if using weighing scales).

5. Next stir in the oats, vanilla essence, and chopped dates. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so that the oats absorb the oil and tea.

6. Place the flapjack mix into a suitable greased baking dish (a square or rectangular baking tin or glass dish should suffice) and flatten it down with a fork.

7. Cook the flapjacks for 30 minutes, until nice and golden. Remove them from the oven and leave them to rest for 10 minutes before tucking in.

Starting off #MeatFreeWeek with Aubergine, Sweet Potato and Spinach Coconut Curry

Curries are my favourite things to cook as you can pretty much whack anything in and they're bound to taste good! They're also very simple and cost effective when you have all the spices and bits stocked up in the cupboard, as well as being much healthier than buying pre-made sauces. My essential spices for curries are coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cardamon pods, turmeric, paprika and curry powder. I tend to keep chillies in the freezer so that they're available when I needed and don't bother to defrost them. The sweet potato can always be swapped for butternut squash, and the aubergine can be changed to courgette - and the good thing about curries is it doesn't matter what vegetables you use. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

- 1 aubergine, sliced into similar sized chunks

- 3 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into pieces (a little smaller than the aubergine) with their skins on 

- 2 handfuls of spinach

- 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

- 1/2 thumb of grated fresh ginger (optional)

- a big dash of white wine * Probably very unusual in a curry, but I like using it. Red and rose is also fine *

- 400g tin of coconut milk

- 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced with or without seeds depending on taste

- 2 tsp mango chutney

- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

- 4 cardamon pods, seeds removed and shells discarded

- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

- 1/2 coriander powder

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 tsp coriander powder

- 1/2 tsp curry powder

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)

- a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

1. Start by cooking the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a pan with a little vegetable oil or coconut oil. 

2. Once the onion starts to brown, pour in the dash of wine - which should sizzle. Then add the sweet potato and aubergine. Stir frequently for a few minutes and don't let the vegetables burn.

3. Once the wine has evaporated away (after a few minutes - no need to count though), add the tin of coconut milk and chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. 

4. Boil the kettle and fill the empty coconut tin with 1/2 water and the stock cube. Put aside for a few minutes. 

5. Let the vegetables cook on a medium heat for around 5 minutes, and then add the stock from the tin. * Don't worry if the stock cube hasn't completely dissolved, it should continue to dissolve in the pan * Continue to cook your curry for a further 5 minutes.

6. Whilst the veg is cooking, in a saucepan, add a little vegetable/sunflower oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds which should spit a little and start to crack. In a pestle and mortar, grind the cardamon and coriander seeds together until crushed. Add these in with the mustard seeds for 20 seconds or so. Then pour the seeds into your curry, along with all the other curry spices and the mango chutney. * I don't usually measure my spices, I just dash a bit in - so don't be afraid to do the same! *

7. Let the curry cook for a further 10-15 minutes without a lid, to let the juices boil down, until the sweet potato is ready. Taste is and see if it needs more of anything. If it isn't spicy enough for you, add some chilli flakes, if something is missing, maybe add some chopped coriander, more mango chutney or curry powder. 

8. Finally, put in the spinach and finish the dish off for a few minutes, stirring frequently. 

* Serve with rice, yoghurt, or flat bread. If you're feeling adventurous, you could poach some white fish in turmeric and cardamon pod water for around 4 minutes...works a treat! *

Dairy-Free Carrot, Cinnamon and Walnut Cake

This was a perfect dinner party dessert last week, a recipe that never fails! Sunflower oil is used instead of butter, which helps keep the cake moist and light. It's delicious served with a yoghurt topping, for those that can eat dairy, or simply dusted with icing sugar or cinnamon.

Ingredients (serves 8)

- 6oz (170g) caster or light brown sugar

- 6oz (170g) sunflower or vegetable oil

- 3 eggs

- 5.4oz (153g) plain flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/3 tsp baking powder

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 12oz (340g) grated carrot, roughly 2 1/2 large carrots

- 1oz (28g) walnut pieces (or more!) 

* I didn't use raisins this time, but you can add a handful if you feel like it *

1. Heat the oven to 170°c.

2. Mix the sugar and the oil in a bowl and then add the eggs one at a time. * Don't worry if the mixture curdles a bit *

3. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into another bowl and mix well. Fold the flour mix into the egg mix and stir until combined.

4. Then stir in the grated carrots and walnuts into the cake mix (and raisins if using) and place in a suitable round cake tin with a removable base. 

5. Cook the cake at 170°c for 25 minutes and then turn the heat down to 160°c and cook for a further 20/25 minutes.

6. When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and leave it to cool for around 10 minutes (otherwise it will deflate in size). Then gently scrape around the sides with a spatular to remove it from the edge. 

* Sieve some icing sugar or grated cinnamon on top for decoration *

Sardine Pate and Herby Pitta Bites

It's super easy and quick to make your own dips, and your friends always appreciate the effort. I tried making this pate for the first time, and it's great. Packed with Omega 3 from the sardines, however the fish isn't too overpowering. Accompanied with these delicious and quick herb pitta bites, any dip or pate will taste scrumptious. 

Sardine and Thyme Pate (Serves 8-10)

- 3 x 45g tin of sardines in olive oil (oil and bones get involved)

- 140g unsalted butter, softened

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 2 tsp fresh or dried thyme leaves

- juice of half a lemon

- 2 tsp grated lemon zest

- salt and pepper

1. Simply blitz everything in a food processor until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

Herby Pitta Bites (serves 4)

- 3 wholewheat pittas, cut through the centre to make thin pittas

- rapeseed or olive oil

- mixed herbs such as basil, thyme and rosemary

- salt and pepper

1. Firstly set the grill to medium/high and let it heat up for 10 minutes. 

2. Place the pittas on a flat oven tray, drizzle them with oil, and sprinkle with the mixed herbs. Season well before putting them under the grill for around 10 minutes. Occasionally check that they aren't burning.

3. When they are nicely browned, remove them from the oven and cut them roughly. They can be eaten hot or cold.

These are a great accompaniment for any dip.

January Seville Marmalade

I have always relied on my mum to make delicious marmalade, but I thought it was about time I attempted my own. It's safe to say now that it's not as easy as it looks! Don't expect it to be the same process as other jams, it's a tedious and long journey...but so worth it in the end. If it's your first time (like me), don't rush it, or the marmalade won't set properly. I'm not going to lie, that's what happened to this batch - it wasn't fun! I will now cherish every pot of homemade marmalade like it's gold. I owe this post to my wonderful mother for teaching me the ways of marmalade making.

Ingredients (makes roughly 6 odd sized jars)

- 1kg seville oranges

- 3 large lemons (100g each)

- 2.3kg cold water (equal quantity of water to fruit)

- 2.6kg granulated sugar (double the quantity of fruit)

- 6-8 suitable jam jars, clean and hot

- jam jar wax discs

- cellophane jam pot covers and elastic bands or jam jar lids

1. Start by turning on the oven to 130°c for your clean jam jars later. Place the oranges and lemons into a large pressure cooker (preferably stainless steel). Cover the fruit with the measured water and place on the hob on a high heat with the lid on. When the steam vent starts spinning round, turn the heat down to very low and simmer for 10 minutes. Take it off the heat after 10 minutes and spoon out the fruit, preserving the citrus flavoured water.

2. Now for the tedious process of dealing with the fruit. Start by cutting each piece of fruit in half and spooning out the middle. Put the middle pulp into a sieve on top of a measuring jug or bowl and place the skins aside into another bowl. Gradually pulverize the pulp through the sieve using a spoon, until you've got all the juice out, and then throw away the contents of the sieve. Continue this process until you have dealt with all the fruit.

3. Before you go any further, you need to put your clean jam jars (N.B. these can be made clean in the dishwasher) in the preheated oven to warm up. It's time to cut up the fruit skins into small pieces or to your desired size. Some people use a mixer to cut up their orange peel, but mum has always advised me to do it by hand.

4. Measure out the fruit pulp and top it up with the fruity water until it measures the right amount (equal quantity of water to original fruit - in this case 2.3kg).

5. Pour the pulp, fruit water, orange peel pieces and sugar back into your large pressure cooker. Heat the ingredients slowly on a low heat (without the lid) until the sugar is dissolved, and then turn the heat to full. 

6. Cook the marmalade on high, stirring frequently so that it doesn't stick to the bottom, for about 20-25 minutes after it starts bubbling. Make sure you don't try to take it off before it's set, otherwise you'll have to re-cook it all! To see if it's properly set, stick a wooden spoon in and lift it up so you can see it drip. The very last drip should start to drip but rest half dropped. You should be able to waggle the spoon without the half drip dropping off. The marmalade should also be darker in colour than at the beginning. If you're like my uncle, who likes his marmalade very dark, just cook it for longer.

7. Take the jam jars out of the oven, and remember to be wary, as they're very hot! Carefully pour your marmalade into a plastic measuring jug so it's easy to pour into the jam jars. Make sure you do this slowly, or it might splatter everywhere. 

8. Now you can pour the marmalade into the hot jam jars. Make sure you fill each jar to the top, otherwise it'll go off rather quickly. It's inevitably going to spill a bit, so have a wet cloth nearby to clean the jar sides. 

9. It is important to cover your marmalade jars as soon as possible. Place suitable sized wax discs on top of the marmalade. If you're using jam jar lids, make sure they are clean and dry, and screw them on tightly. If you're using cellophane jam pot covers, wet them one at a time, individually with a cloth before stretching them over each jar. Use a rubber band to secure them and pull the cellophane tight to form a flat lid. 

You can either leave your marmalade pretty and natural, cover the lids with round pieces of material, or make special labels.

Dairy-Free Carrot Cake

I've made this cake a few times and it's super scrumptious. Usually I top it with a yoghurt glaze but I wanted my dairy-intolerant friend to be able to eat it. This is a tweaked version of a recipe my mum found.

Ingredients (serves 8-10)

for the cake -

- 6oz caster sugar

- 6oz vegetable oil

- 3 eggs

- 5.4 oz plain flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/3 tsp baking powder

- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

- 12oz grated carrot, roughly 3 large carrots

- 1oz walnuts (or more!)

for the icing - 

- half cup thick soya yoghurt or Total yoghurt for those that can eat dairy

- 2 tsp golden syrup

- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Heat the oven to 170°C.

2. Mix the sugar and the oil in a bowl and then add the eggs one at a time. 

3. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into another bowl and mix well. Add the flour mix to the egg mix and stir until combined.

4. Then fold the grated carrots and walnuts into the cake mix and place in a suitable round cake tin. 

5. Cook the cake at 170°C for 25 minutes and then turn the heat down to 160°C and cook for a further 20/25 minutes.

6. This cake is delicious with or without icing, so it's up to you. If you're opting for icing, put the yoghurt, syrup and essence together and leave it in the fridge until the cake is ready and has completely cooled. It is important to leave the cake to cool, otherwise the yoghurt will melt on top of it.

7. Cover the cake with the icing and decorate with a sprinkle of cinnamon, walnuts or grated carrot.

It is however perfectly good without icing, and much healthier! The plain version would serve as a great tea accompaniment. 

Popeye Inspired Smoothie - Spinach, Satsuma, Banana and Homemade Apple Juice Booster

 I don't usually like posting smoothies and juice drinks as they're so simple to make and require very little culinary expertise. This one however, was too good to exclude. As always, dairy-free and gluten-free...just pure goodness!

Ingredients (makes 3 small glasses)

- 1 1/2 bananas

- 3 handfuls fresh spinach leaves

- 1 satsuma or orange

- 6 tbsp healthy apple juice (I used 'Diana's Discovery' - apples picked by myself and my lovely mumma)

1. This shows just how simple delicious homemade juices can be. Wack all the ingredients into a tall blender or food processor and whizz until smooth and liquidy. If you want the drink to stretch further, either add another satsuma or a couple more tablespoons of apple juice.

Simple Wintery Soup - Parsnip, Turnip and Carrot - Vegan and Dairy-free

Hello 2014!! It's time for some more recipes.

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped

- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped

- 2 turnips, peeled and chopped

- 2 onions, peeled and chopped into quarters

- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

- 1/8 tsp ground ginger

- 1 1/2 litres vegetable or chicken stock

- 2 tsp olive oil

- salt and pepper

1. Firstly, preheat the oven to 190°c and make sure all the vegetables are chopped into similar sized pieces. Place all the vegetables into a large baking tray and coat with the oil, spices and seasoning. 

2. Cook the vegetables for 30-45 minutes once the oven is hot, and remove them when they are soft.

- Usually I just use stock cubes because it's easy, but this particular evening I was making carrot, potato and parsnip mash at the same time as the soup, so I already had some delicious homemade stock available. I would definitely recommend using homemade stock if you can.

3. Start whizzing up the vegetables in a food processor once they have cooled down slightly, and slowly add in the stock. Keep adding the stock until the soup is at your preferred consistency. Finally have a taste and season with salt and pepper.

Mackerel Pate with a Twist - Dairy Free

I like to think the red pepper and rocket is a big enough twist. This pate is pure goodness, packed with healthy ingredients and flavour - perfect to impress your parents and friends.

Ingredients (makes a lot - roughly 12 people as a starter)

- 3 small packaged mackerel fillets (or 2 medium ones)

- 1/4 red pepper

- 1 handful rocket

- 3 tbsp whizzed up coriander

- juice of half a lemon

- salt and pepper

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until and smooth paste forms. 

Serve with oatcakes, bread or pumpernickel. 

http://instagram.com/p/cMweiquksN/

Gherkin, Date and Broad Bean Salad with Goji Berries and Seeds - Vegan and Dairy Free

Picking and podding broad beans is so satisfying. Although it takes a while, and you're left with very little; what you get is so delicious and precious, that you cherish every bite. I love them in salads.

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the salad -

 - 5 handfuls of chopped lettuce

- 3 gherkins, chopped

- 4 dates, pitted and chopped

- 1 handful of broad beans (cooked like peas for a few minutes and left to cool)

- 1 handful of goji berries

- pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds and sesame seeds to sprinkle

for the dressing -

- 170ml olive oil

- 50ml balsamic vinegar 

- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

- a pinch of sugar

- 1 tsp worcester sauce

- salt and pepper

1. Shake all the ingredients for the dressing in a jam jar until fully mixed and pour it over the scrumptious salad. 

http://instagram.com/p/b8q1ZfOkhg/

Hello Healthy Houmous - Vegan and Dairy Free

This is a super easy recipe. I have used peanut butter as an alternative to tahini, as I feel it gives a better, softer flavour. Plus, peanut butter lasts for ages and is always available.

Ingredients (makes two ramekins)

 - 400g tin of soft chickpeas (I like to use TRS Asia Boiled Chickpeas) with 1/3 chickpea juice

- 2 tsp smooth peanut butter

- 1 clove of garlic

- juice of 1/2 a lemon

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- linseeds or paprika to serve (optional)

1. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or using a hand blender. 

If you've never tried paprika on houmous, you must! It is a great addition to add flavour and vibrant colour. The other alternative is to sprinkle the houmous with linseeds or sesame seeds.

http://instagram.com/p/b8nLe8uktn/

Homemade Flaxseed Recipes - Vegan and Dairy Free

I have previously bought my flaxseed from Holland and Barratt, but it seems to be quite expensive when you can make it easily yourself. Flaxseed can be added to almost anything and is packed with omega 3 and nutrition. I like to add it to overnight oats and smoothies.

Plain Flaxseed

Ingredients

- 50g linseeds (golden or brown)

1. Blend the linseeds in a tall food processor or blender until they resemble ground almonds.

Goji Berry, Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed Flax

Ingredients

- 50g linseeds (golden or brown)

- 25g goji berries

- 25g sunflower seeds

- 25g pumpkin seeds

 1. Blend all the ingredients in a tall food processor or blender until they resemble ground almonds.
http://instagram.com/p/bTmXaROkls/

Homemade Granola - Vegan and Dairy Free

 Ingredients (roughly makes 6 helpings)

- 300g plain oats

- 75g almonds (or flaked almonds), roughly chopped
- 45g sunflower seeds
- 45g pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp linseeds
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 120ml maple syrup

1. Set the oven to 165°C and cover a large flat oven dish with greaseproof paper.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then add the rapeseed oil. Stir thoroughly, and pour in the maple syrup.

3. Once the ingredients are evenly coated in the syrup and oil, transfer the mix onto the oven dish and spread equally.

4. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring the contents every 10 minutes so that it doesn't burn. The browner the granola gets, the crunchier it will be. 

Layer up the granola with yoghurt and fruit for a delicious breakfast or dessert.

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