RECIPE : Banana bread

Happy Tuesday to you all :) Its been a while since I posted a recipe and since this one is a popular favourite and my go to recipe when I want something a little different for breakfast I thought I'd share it with you.

As always its an easy recipe and apart from the cooking time can be whizzed together pretty quick, my kind of cooking :)

You will need: 

150g of caster sugar or soft brown sugar

50g of softened butter

2 eggs

4 tbsp of water

3 very ripe bananas

200g of wholemeal flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate Soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180c

Line a loaf tin with grease proof paper

Beat sugar and butter until smooth and creamy

Whisk eggs with the water

I use my nutribullet to combine the bananas and egg/water mix

Pour the banana/egg/water mix into the sugar/butter mix and blend well

Add the flour, bicarb and baking powder and mix until combined with the other ingredients

Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 55 minutes - top should be firm to touch and nicely brown

You could always add some walnuts to give it a bit of crunch....I love to have a slice with a handful of raspberries and a dollop of yoghurt. Perfect for breakfast, or on its own for an afternoon snack.

Enjoy :)

Emma xxx

RECIPE : Parsnip soup

I kinda stole this recipe from my Dad, well its an adapted version of a recipe he passed onto me after making it one time we went for dinner. Its very much a winter soup, very warming and with a generous chunk of crusty bread, comforting too :)

I've also made a few tweaks to make it even easier.....well what can I say I'm all for the easiness, that way there is no excuse for not eating fresh, healthy food.

You will need: 

25 gms of butter

1 onion finely chopped

1 large parsnip finely chopped

1 large carrot finely chopped

1 medium potato finely chopped

1 clove of garlic crushed

1 teaspoon curry paste

1 ltr of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of milk (of your choice)

Method:

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 8-10mins

Add the parsnip, carrot and potato and stir

Once combined add the curry paste and mix through thoroughly

Add the stock and stir together

Add in the milk and stir again, cook for 20mins

Blitz in a processor (I used my nutribullet but you do have to wait for it to cool for about 30mins before doing so)

Add salt/pepper to taste and eat!!!!

Enjoy :)

p.s. If you dont have curry paste, which I didn't. Just add 2 teaspoons of the stock to 1 teaspoon of curry powder :)

RECIPE: Homemade Zesty Lemon Curd

This one is for you Rachel xxx

Another recipe I found on my search for eating healthier and knowing what is in my food was this one for Zesty lemon curd (note to self: must start writing down where I found these recipes). I love, love, love lemon curd but after finding out that most shop bought lemon curd is made from Palm oil (*angry face*) it was added to my "Do not buy ever again" list.

I've tried and tested the original recipe I found and then tweaked it a little as I found it a little too sour. So far I've had great reports of the tweaked recipe.

So here goes, the "what you will need" and the "how to make it" :)

You will need:

2 large lemons

125g caster sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

50g unsalted butter

Finely grate the zest of the lemons into a glass bowl.

Add the juice of the lemons and the sugar and mix together.

Add the eggs and the egg yolk and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Add the butter (cut into small cubes).

Heat a large sauce pan of water to simmering level and place the bowl over the water to heat the mixture (the water should not touch the base of the bowl).

Stir frequently until the curd thickens, you want it to be the consistency of a good thick custard.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Transfer into a jar and keep in the fridge.

This recipe makes approx 250 ml, just over a medium jar size, perfect size for consumption before it goes off. It lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge (if it lasts that long!! Its just too tasty!!).

Or you could make some cakes and add a tsp to your cases in between your mixture for a lemony gooey centre :D YUM!!!!

RECIPE: Cheese biscuits

I made about 6 batches of these cheese biscuits before Christmas, most of them were wrapped up for Christmas gifts, but I did keep a few for myself. They are so tasty and very moreish...so be warned you wont just be able to eat one :D 

I've been asked about the recipe and I am really bad at finding recipes on the internet, scribbling them down in my note book and then tweaking the recipe as I go a long and then forgetting where the original came from. 

So here is the one straight from my note book.....

You will need: 

3oz Butter (cubed)

4oz Strong cheddar

2oz Corn flour

4oz Plain flour

Pinch of salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

(Handful of grated parmesan for sprinkling on top

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius 

Cover baking tray with greaseproof paper

Sieve plain flour, corn flour, cayenne pepper and salt into a bowl

Add cheese and butter (cubed) into the dry mix and rub together

Once combined knead a little and roll into a ball

Roll out onto a floured surface

Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes

Place onto your baking tray and sprinkle with the parmesan

Bake for 10 mins or until golden brown

Leave to cool for 15 mins then you can either transfer to a tin of scoff them whilst warm

Hope you enjoy making them as much as you do eating them. 

RECIPE : Cappuccino cake

If you like coffee you will love this cake, if you like chocolate you will love this cake, if you love cake you will definitely love this cake!!!!! Don't be put off if you're not a coffee lover, its not as intense as it sounds, its more of a chocolate cake with a hint of coffee. And if you really hate coffee then why not substitute it with caramel flavouring? 

To make the cake you will need :

50 gms Cocoa powder

6 tblsps boiling water

3 eggs

50 mls milk

175 gms self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder 

100 gms margarine/butter

275 gms caster sugar

To make the coffee cream filling/topping you will need :

300 mls whipping cream

1 tsp coffee

2 tsp boiling water

Method : Cake

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare x2 cake tins

Mix cocoa powder with the hot water until it makes a smooth paste (dont be tempted to stick your finger in to taste as it smells so chocolatey and delicious - it is bitter and will not taste as nice as it smells - I found out the hard way ha ha ha!)

Cream the butter and sugar together

Beat the eggs together with the milk and add to the creamed butter and sugar

Mix in your cocoa mix

Sift in your flour and baking powder - don't over mix

Pour into the two prepared tins and bake for 25-30 mins (test with a skewer to make sure its cooked in the centre)

All to cool and then remove from the tins

Place on a wire rack to cool completely before adding the cream filling/topping

Method : Coffee cream filling/topping

Whip 300mls whipping cream (or double cream) 

Mix 1 tsp of coffee with 2 tsp of boiling water - stir till dissolved

Add to the whipped cream and fold in til mixed

Spilt into two lots and sandwich one half in-between the two cakes and use the other half to spread on the top.

Dust with cocoa powder and add walnuts/pecans if you wish :D 

Enjoy!