Midnight Fruit Cake

I seriously pick the weirdest time to do things. While listening too Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1, i felt the need for cake and so… i baked one.

I was going to bake on anyway tomorrow but couldn’t wait so got out my baking things and set too.

Ingredients:

300g Mixed dried fruit

100g Flaked almonds

200g White rice flour

1 tbs of baking powder

1 1sp of Xantham gum

50g soya butter

1/4 pint of water (could use orange juice)

2 eggs

 

Simply combine all the ingredients and bake on a medium temp for about 20 minutes. Done. I could go into exacting detail but it really is that easy and it’s midnight lol

 

Salmon Delight!

This has to be the best meal ever to eat after working out and the simplest one to make. I’ve just been on a moderate 5 mile bike ride which doesn’t seem very far however to those who know Nottingham, you will understand the perilous hills which intersect our fair city.

My gym is closed at the minute and thus for a next couple of days im going to hit the pavement and put my bike to far better use then i have been. It was great to get out on the road and after having a massage yesterday it was almost easy.

Anyway, after i returned home i was naturally famished and needed to foody goodness. On my journey i popped to the supermarket and picked up a few bits and one of these was asparagus. I have had this many times before and enjoyed it but never myself cooked it. I knew i had some salmon at home and banged the two together.

I lightly boiled the asparagus for about 8 minutes, microwaved my salmon in a bowl with a little water so it was almost poached (which seriously is the best way to cook it) and after the asparagus was done i plated it up using the water to poach (badly) two eggs from my uncles chickens! Rock salt, cracked black pepper… BOOM! Blooming delicious, full of protein and the perfect post workout meal!

 

Sweet Potato Risotto

One thing i always have when i go out to restaurants is risotto. I know its quite a simple dish but i can never make is as good as you get it in an Italian restaurant! Though this is the case, i do make it now and again. I have a mass of sweet potatoes so here we are… sweet potato risotto with my home made pesto!

Ingredients:

150/200g Risotto rice

3 medium sweet potatoes

1 stock cube

1 large onion

1 corrugate

3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper for seasoning

Step 1:

Chop up all the veggies and fry in a little oil.

Step 2:

Add the risotto rice, just cover with boiling water and add the stock cube. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 3:

Bring to a light boil and keep adding a small amount of water… until the rice is plumped and cooked.

Once cooked add a table spoon of the homemade pesto!

Deconstructed Turkey Burger

I haven’t had a burger in since I don’t know when and today I had a real craving. So I did what info best… Made my own!

These are really simple to make and taste delicious. I don’t eat bread so they are bun-less but you could quite easily add a burger bun and a Alan of cheese to gourmet it up!

Ingredients:

500g turkey mince
1 egg
2 tbs of wheat free flour
1 tbs of dried sage
Salt and pepper for seasoning
5 mushrooms
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 red pepper

Step 1:

Mix the mince meat with the egg, flour, sage, salt and pepper.

Step 2:

Form the mixture into 6 balls. Heat a griddle or frying pan, add each ball and pat down into the obligatory burger shape.

Step 3:

Chop the peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic. Fry these off after the burgers are cooked.

Step 4:

Prepare the salad and construct as you wish.

Butterbean Bake

I can’t take all the credit for this one. My friend Kerry got my onto this and I’ve been addicted since. SO easy to make, tastes amazing, is cheap and is your 5 a day in 1!

Ingredients:

2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can of butter beans
1 small sweet potato
1 large onion (red or white)
Hand-full of mushrooms (any verity)
1 green chilli
1 courgette
1 tbs of dried sage
1 tbs of dried basil
Grated cheese for the topping

Simply chop all the veg into bite size pieces, mix in a bowl with the toms, butter beans and herbs.

Add to baking dishes and bake on a medium heat for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes top with grated cheese and bake for a further 10 minutes.

Serve either on it’s own, with salad or if your feeling naughty with some garlic bread!

My two smaller ones I’ll use for lunch at work!

Enjoy!

Thats my lunch right there!!! Amazing!

Midnight PANCKAES! Ok, well… Not quite midnight!

I find it really hard to find a healthy treat as sadly some of the wheat and gluten free selections really don’t match their counterparts.

So with my sweet tooth craving something naughty I went to my cupboard in the hunt for something… Anything!!

I found wheat free flour and honey in the cupboard. Milk, eggs and blueberries in the fridge… SO there really was only thing thing I could make: PANCAKES!

I mixed a couple of table spoons of the flour with an egg and milk to make a thick batter! Fried in a tiny bit of oil, topped with blueberries… Honey! BOOM! Tasty treat for me! Enjoy!

Thai Noodle Soup

This is a simple soup made from the left overs of my lime and lemongrass roast chicken.

Ingredients:

2 roasted onions

4 roasted garlic cloves

3 spring onions

1 hand full of sugar-snap peas

1 fresh red chilli

100g fresh ginger

5 small mushrooms

125g fresh rice noodles

100g chicken

1 pint of chicken stock (fresh or from cube)

(My stock was infused with lime and lemongrass from my lime & lemongrass roast chicken. If you are making this without having roasted the chicken then add the juice of 3 limes and crush the stems of 3 lemongrass shoots. The lemongrass shoots should be removed from the pan before eaten. You just want to allow the flavor to infuse the dish)

Step 1:

Fry off the onions, garlic, spring onions, mushrooms, chili and ginger in a small amount of oil.

Step 2:

Add the chicken. Iif uncooked then cube, add to the pan and cook off for 3-4 minutes. I used some from my roast chicken.

Step 3:

Add the stock, bring to the boil and add the noodles/ sugar-snap peas. Let this simmer for 2-3 minutes and your done!

Roasted Lime & Lemongrass Chicken

On my quest for better tasting food I thought i’d inject my roast chicken with a Thai twist. This lemon and lemongrass infused chicken is frankly… amazing! Great for eating with salads, on sandwich or (as I did) use some to make a delicious thai noodle soup!

So, grab your whole chicken and bang it in a roasting tin. I used my amazing terra-cotta roasting dish which I bake everything in! This retains the heat really well and never burns anything!

Around the bird I put 3 limes, quartered and squeezed the juice over the chicken. I then added 2 quartered onions, 6 garlic cloves and 2 sweet potatoes (washed and cubed).

I seasoned the chicken with 2 tbs of rice bran oil, salt ‘n’ pepper and some dried thyme. Into the breast of the bird I made 6 small incisions (three on each side) and stuck in half a lemongrass shoot to each. I also poured a pint of water which i later used as stock in my thai soup!

Covering the whole thing in foil I roasted it for 1 hour on 220 degrees celsius (gas mark 7 or 425 degrees fahrenheit). After one hour I removed the foil, cranked the oven up to the top temp of 240 degrees celsius (gas mark 9 or 475 degrees fahrenheit) and roasted for a further hour.

Best way to check if the chicken is cook is to stick a sharp knife into the breast of the bird and gently press down. If the juices run clear… your good to go!

All the juices i drained into a jug (skimming off the fat) to use as stock, saved the sweet potatoes for my lunch and used the onion/ garlic in my thai soup.

6 Minute Soup

This 6 minute soup is so delicious that you will wonder why you ever buy soup in the supermarket at all!

Ingredients:

1 Large flat mushroom
1 onion
1 red chilli
1 hand full of sugar-snap peas
50g fresh ginger
Half a bag of microwave brown rice
Chicken stock cube (either shop bought or homemade)
1 pint of boiling water
Salt and pepper for seasoning
1 chicken breast diced (small)
Juice of 1 lime
2 cloves of garlic

Fry off the chicken in a little rice bran oil adding the chopped garlic, ginger, onion, mushroom and chilli. This should only take 4 minutes (ish) depending on the chicken. Just make sure that is fully cooked.

Add in the sugar-snap peas, rice, lime juice, water and stock cube. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Individual Ginger & Lime Cakes

This has been quite the week for baking. Banana muffins, blueberry muffins and now Ginger & Lime cakes!

I wasn’t too sure how these were going to turn out as I totally made the recipe up lol but I gotta say… They are amazing! Even if I do say so myself.

So easy easy to make, taste delicious and as always wheat & gluten free!

Ingredients:

225g rice flour
100g wheat free oats
1 heaped tbs of baking powder
2 tbs of honey
2 tbs rice bran oil (vegetable oil would be fine)
50g of chopped dried pineapple
3 tbs of dried ginger
80 – 100g of fresh ginger (grated)
1 egg
1/2 pint water
1 tbs of vanilla extract

For the frosting:

250g mascarpone
150g cream cheese
2 limes (juice and rind)
1 lemon (juice and rind)
3 tbs of sweetener (not essential)
Crystallised ginger (for decoration)

Step 1

Combine all the dry ingredients including the fresh ginger and pineapple. Then add the egg, oil and vanilla mixing until everything is combined.

Step 2

Add the water in stages. A little at first then keep adding until the mixture resembles a thick batter. The whole half pint may not be needed.

Step 3

Spoon into muffin cases or as I did here, I bought some square cardboard cake cups. It’s Easter and I was feeling fancy!

You wanna bake these for about 15 – 20 minutes on gas mark 4, 350 fahrenheit or 180 celsius.

Step 4

While these are baking mix together the cream cheese, mascarpone, juice of two limes, 1 lemon and the rind of both.

You can add sweetener or even icing sugar to sweeten it up but I haven’t and don’t think it’s essential.

Step 5

Once the cakes are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once cooled, lather with the frosting, grate over some lime rind and top with a piece of crystallised ginger!

Cuppa tea and your good to go!