Fruit Leather Snacks

When I was little I used to love going to the health food store with my mum on Saturday mornings. They used to sell these little fruit leather snacks and we used to go with the intention of stocking up for the week's lunch boxes. They rarely made it to when we got home, let alone through the week for our packed lunches. I decided to experiment the other day as I had a load of apples left (they were on offer and I couldn't resist buying 3 kilos of them!) so made up a big batch of apple compote. I put the oven on as low as it could go, spread it over a square silicone cake mould and hoped for the best. This was the result! 

Ingredients

4 apples

1 tsp cinnamon 

100ml water

Method

1. Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks (around 1cm).

2. Put into a saucepan over a low heat with the cinnamon and water and simmer gently until the apples are soft and starting to go mushy.

3. Using a hand blender, mush the apples until they're blended and resemble a smooth sauce.

4. Cool the sauce and spread over a silicone baking sheet. You need something square or rectangular thats shallow to be able to spread it thinly. You want to get it as smooth as possible and only about 1 or 2 mm thick. Thin and smooth is all that matters.

5. Bake for about 6 hours on the lowest setting on your oven. If you leave it in too long you'll end up with an apple crisp rather than soft leather strips. 

6. Leave to cool then cut into strips with scissors. 

Tips

- Try using other fruit in with the apple such as strawberries or pears.

- Roll them up into little rolls to make them fun for kids to eat. 

- Use a cookie cutter to cut them into shapes for kids. 

- Try making some applesauce with no cinnamon. Take out a small amount of the cooled sauce and add the cinnamon to that. Pipe it in diagonal lines across the spread out apple sauce on the tray to give a stripy effect. Bake as normal and you'll have stripy fruit leather! You could also make a cinnamon free apple sauce and pipe the lines in a strawberry compote to make it multicoloured and stripy. Play around with it! It's so simple and is inevitably delicious so even if it doesn't look like it'd win any beauty pageants, it'll sure taste delicious! 

Enjoy! 

Healthy Banana and Oat Cookies

I love cookies. Who doesn't? I'm trying to cut down on processed foods though, as I'm getting more and more conscious about what I eat. These cookies are super simple. I've played around with different variations on the recipe too. The first ones I made were these cranberry ones. Simply oats, banana and cranberries. Easy huh? I was going to add some orange zest but didn't have any oranges and a walk to the shop in the rain didn't sound too appealing. The second ones I made are chocolate ones. Healthy chocolate cookies! I use raw cacao in my baking instead of cocoa powder. It gives a really rich chocolatey flavour and you don't need to use much at all. It's a bit pricey but I buy in bulk and using it means I can eat more chocolatey bakes without the guilt. It's high in antioxidants and is good for your heart and stuff (I googled it once and was sold but if you want a proper list of why it's good, go ahead and have a look online). 

Ingredients

2 bananas

200g oats

25g cranberries

Zest of 1 orange

Method

1. Peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl.

2. Stir in the oats, cranberries and zest.

3. Roll into 20 small balls and flatten onto baking trays into cookies

4. Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes until they're golden and firm to the touch.

5. Cool on a wire rack and eat!

                                      

Variations

Chocolate and Date Cookies

- Add 25g raw cacao and 25g chopped dates to the mixture.

Chocolate Orange Cookies

- Add 25g raw cacao and the zest of an orange to the mixture.

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

- Add 25g white chocolate chips and 25g cranberries to the mixture.

Tips

You can basically add anything you want to these cookies. With my recipes they work out at around 50-55 calories each. Obviously adding chunks of chocolate will increase that but they're still better for you than normal cookies and are low in saturated fat and sugar. I don't feel guilty polishing half a batch of these in one go! They're fab for breakfast on the go or snacks during the day. I even took a load to the cinema with me to avoid the temptation of popcorn and pick and mix! 

Almond, Berry and Seed Breakfast Muffins

I saw a recipe somewhere for muffins like these but decided to tweak them a bit. They taste really good and they're way better for you than the muffins you buy from Starbucks on days when you're running too late for breakfast. I made a full batch of 12 then froze some so that when I needed to take one with me I just took it out of the freezer and by the time I got hungry it had thawed out. They keep for a couple of days in an airtight box anyway as they're full of fruit. They're so simple to make and even trick you into thinking you're eating real cake! They also only take 30 mins start to finish and 25 of those are when they're in the oven!

Ingredients
1 cup self-raising flour
1 pot (about 280 ml) buttermilk
1 cup ground almonds
2/3rds cup caster sugar (or muscavado unrefined sugar if you have it)
3tbsp seeds (I used half chia seeds and half flax seeds, Amazon sells them cheap)
1 large egg
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup berries (I use frozen mixed berries) 
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method
1. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix the oil, buttermilk and egg in a jug.
3. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
4. Fold through the berries.
5. Divide between 12 muffin cases in a cupcake pan.
6. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for about 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.
7. Leave to cool on a wire rack. 

Tips

- I topped mine with a sprinkling of porridge oats before baking to give some extra crunch to the top

- Use wholemeal flour if you want them to be even healthier

- Try mixing it up with different fruits and seeds as they're really versatile! Pumpkin seeds and apricots would be amazing... you could even add some white choc chips if you wanted them to be a little bit naughty!! 

Happy baking :) 

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

I made these for breakfast for my mum when we went on a weekend away to West Wales. I had to wing it as I didn't have scales or a whisk but if they turned out as well as they did despite that, then having the right tools will only increase the chances of this being an idiot-proof recipe! They're really simple and taste really good. I serve them in a big fat stack with lots of maple syrup. They're best eaten straight out of the pan but I've also microwaved them after they've cooled when I'm ready for round two!

 

Ingredients

1 punnet blueberries

5 heaped tablespoons plain flour

1 pinch salt

1 egg

1 pot of buttermilk (about 254ml I think)

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 tsp bicarb

 

Method

1. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

2. In a jug or small bowl, stir the wet ingredients together with a fork.

3. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

4. Over a low heat, dollop in tablespoons of the mixture. Top each blob of batter with some blueberries.

5. When the tops of the pancakes bubble, flip them over.

6. Eat hot with lots of maple syrup!

 

Tips

Don't have your pan too hot as the outsides will cook really fast and you'll have raw dough in the middle. They're fine to take their time over a low heat. If you do happen to have them undercooked, blast them in the microwave for 30 seconds and they'll be cooked throughout.



Coconut and Lime Rice Pudding

This is a super simple recipe but always seems to go down well. I make it with coconut milk instead of milk and really you can just leave it to bubble away itself with the occasional stir. I usually make it with pudding rice but have also done it with risotto rice as I saw someone on TV use Arborio rice with rice pudding and that worked well too.

 

Ingredients

1 cup pudding or risotto rice

Zest of 1 lime

1 tin coconut milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

3 tbsp caster sugar (or to taste)

 

Method

1. Put everything into a heavy-based saucepan except for the sugar. Slowly bring to the boil.

2. Stir occasionally until the rice has absorbed all of the milk and is tender. If the liquid is absorbed before the rice is cooked, add a little milk to the pan.

3. When the rice is cooked, stir through the caster sugar and serve. Simple eh?!

 

Tips

Shake the can of coconut milk before opening it as it often separates.

Use low-fat coconut milk if you don't want to use the normal stuff - I only ever use the reduced fat one.

You don't need much sugar at all! The coconut adds a lot of flavour and sweetness to the rice.

Add some orange zest too if you want to add more flavour or some chopped dried apricots as they get really puffed up and juicy. Also, topping with some toasted coconut and serving with fresh fruit makes it more of a dessert and less of a comfort food. There's no judgement if you eat it straight out of the pan though!!

 

Simple Homemade Pizza

I never usually make my own pizza bases but after seeing Buddy from Cake Boss (on his Kitchen Boss show) make them, I decided to give them a go. I've done them before with a packet of base mix but decided it was lazy and unnecessary if the ingredients in the dough were so simple anyway. It's really easy to make and it does take a longish time but most of that time is spent on the dough proving so the actual effort is minimal.

Ingredients - Pizza Bases

3 1/4 cups plain flour

3/4 tsp dried yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/3 cups warm water

Method

1. Put the ingredients into a mixing bowl (place the yeast and salt at opposite sides of the bowl) and mix with a dough hook until a dough is formed. 

2. Knead the dough until it is elastic and smooth (it can be done in the mixer but you can over-knead it so unless you watch it carefully do it by hand as you can't overdo it and it's good stress relief!). 

3. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a tea towel. Leave to prove for about an hour until doubled in size. 

While the dough is proving, make the tomato sauce. Using a tube of tomato puree is super simple but this tastes so much better and really doesn't require much more time!

Ingredients

1 tin of tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

2 pinches salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 cup grated parmesan

lots of black pepper

Method

1. Put ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Simple eh?!

When the dough has doubled in size, take it out of the bowl and knead it again. Divide it up into three balls and place on a floured baking tray. Leave to prove again for another hour.

Once the dough has proved again, roll out into about 10" bases. Place on baking sheets and leave for about 10 minutes to rise again slightly.

Ladle over the tomato sauce and top with mozzarella and whatever other toppings you want. I made one with goats cheese, red onion, black olives and spinach and one with just mozzarella, fresh spinach and some herbs. 

Bake at 260 degrees Celsius for 7-10 minutes depending on how thick your base is.  

Tips

Use any toppings you want - prosciutto and mushroom is really tasty too!

You can put fresh spinach on before cooking and it wont burn onto the pizza.

Lots of mixed herbs make it really tasty!

Make all three up instead of dividing the recipe and freeze the pizza to have at a later date.

Use proper mozzarella cheese, not cheddar!!

Super Simple Chocolate Mousse

A dessert with only 4 ingredients (one being a pinch of salt!) is DEFINITELY a winner in my book. It takes about 30 minutes to make; 5 of which is actually making, the rest is time in the fridge so requires no effort. A 5 minute job with hardly any dishes sounds like the perfect dessert for me!! It's really good just to make in ramekins for the family or you could serve it in Martini glasses with a curl of orange zest if you wanted to give it a bit more refinement.

 

You'll need:

6 egg whites

2 tbsp. caster sugar

150g dark chocolate

1 pinch salt

 

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie or in the microwave. Allow to cool while you start with the egg whites.

 

2. Whisk the egg whites until they start to form soft peaks and slowly add the sugar. Whisk until they're firm but not stiff peaks.

 

3. Add 1/3rd of the whites into the chocolate to loosen it and fold through.

 

4. Add the chocolate to the remaining whites and fold the mixtures together.

 

 

5. Pour the mousse into your serving dishes and chill for 30 minutes (or longer, they won't 'over-chill' so can be done well in advance).

When they're set (or before if you're really impatient like me), tuck in!!

 

They're super simple to make and can be 'jazzed up' with some orange zest or fresh berries. It's a really good and simple recipe to work from.

 

As long as you don't knock the air out of the egg whites, you can't go wrong! Be gentle with it and you'll have a lovely light, fluffy and delicate mousse :)

 

With the leftover egg yolks, try making custard!

My Favourite Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Based on a recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery, I've found this vanilla cupcake recipe to be the best one I've tried so far (and trust me, I've tried a few). It's got a really light and fluffy crumb and isn't too fatty or sugary. Without frosting, each of these cupcakes has around 115 calories in it too, so it's not too horrific if you fall off the healthy eating bandwagon by munching one (or two)!

The Hummingbird suggests combining the butter with dry ingredients and mixing until a breadcrumb-like consistency is achieved, then adding the milk and eggs in two batches.

I don't really do this. If truth be told, I usually just mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and vanilla and beat some more, then add the flour and baking powder at the end. Maybe an old fashioned way, but that's how I do it. I suppose you could just bung everything in together but you may get lumps of butter/ margarine which would result in little fatty bits in your sponge, something that nobody likes.

Anyway, I find this a really good recipe to use as a base for more adventurous cupcakes (by adding or substituting a few ingredients) but it is perfect all by itself. Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

 

120g self-raising flour

140g caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

40g butter or margarine (I use Stork)

1 egg, beaten

120ml full fat milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (NOT essence, you want the good stuff!)

 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius and line a 12 hole muffin pan with cases.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg and beat for a couple of minutes until well combined and fluffy.
4. Add in the flour and salt and mix until smooth. Don't over mix it!
5. Divide between 12 muffin cases (about a tablespoon each) and bake for 18-22 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
6. Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool before icing.

 

Tips

• Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder to the flour if using an electric mixer if you want a little bit of extra lift
• Take the cakes out of the muffin tin as soon as possible to prevent cases from peeling off
• Use Stork (or another brand of margarine) instead of butter as it results in a lighter and less fatty sponge
• Use good quality ingredients (like the vanilla extract). They really do make all of the difference between a mediocre and a perfect cupcake!
• Be confident - this recipe is REALLY hard to screw up. Even when little mistakes are made the cupcakes are still pretty awesome!
• Be happy! Cakes baked with love taste soooo much better! :)

 

I'll upload some photos once I get back to Scotland and back to my beloved KitchenAid, although it's a pretty self-explanatory recipe.

 

I hope you love it as much as I do!