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!

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!

Blueberry Muffins

When I was at Uni two of my housemates Sam and Kev had a crafty nack of getting me to cook them all manor of meals and desserts at the drop of a hat.

‘Betting’ that I wouldn’t be able to make a whole list of things they knew I would prove them wrong lol Frankly they lived like kings haha

Obviously I loved it, however I fear they have imparted this canny method to my work colleagues. I took some of my banana muffins in to work today and they were curious as to what tomorrows batch should be lol Blueberry or lemon and poppy seed were their preferences. I had some blueberries needed using up… So, here we are!

These literally took me 5 minutes to throw together and 15 to bake.

Ingredients:

1 tub of blueberries
225g brown rice flour
100g wheat free oats
2 tbs of honey
1 heaped tbs of baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup of water or orange juice
2 tbs of rice bran or vegetable oil

Combine all the dry ingredients, add the honey, egg, oil and the water. Mix well and the blueberries.

When adding the water be cautious not to add too much. You don’t want the mixture too runny.

Spoon into cake cases, sprinkle with a few more oats and bake for 15 minutes.

Turkey Chilli

Yet another simple, quick and healthy meal to end the day.

This recipe makes rather a lot lol enough for 2 meals and then at least 2/3 lunch’s for the rest of the week.

Ingredients:

630g Turkey mince
2 medium onions
10 button mushrooms
2 small red peppers
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
2 tbs of tomato purée
1 small red chill
2 tbs of chilli powder (or as much/ little as you like)

A bunch of lettuce leaves instead of tortilla wraps (though you could use them, but as I’m on a wheat and gluten free diet lettuce leaves are great for wrapping).

Cheese and sour cream for toppings.

Step 1

Simply chop up all the veg and fry in a little oil. Once softened, add the turkey mince and cook till browned.

Step 2

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée and cook for about 5/6 minutes.

Plate up with lots of lettuce and created cheese! BOOM! Enjoy.

Muscle Muffins

These are a variation on some banana muffins i made a few weeks ago and are so easy to make.

Ingredients:

225g brown wheat free baking flour

1tbs cinnamon

2 heaped tsp baking powder (its a heavy mixture so this is needed to help get some rise)

1stp of bicarbonate of soda

1tbs vanilla extract

2 medium eggs

115g dairy free sunflower butter

4 large bananas

100g penuts

50g mixed nuts

2 (large) tbs of honey

3 heaped tbs of chocolate or unflavored protein powder

Step 1

Mix all the dry ingredients in a blender. Add the butter, eggs and once combined transfer to a mixing bowl.

Step 2

Mix the bananas and honey in the blender then add to the mixing bowl.

Step 3

Mix all this together with a wooden spoon, separate into muffin cases and bake for around 15/ 20 minutes on gas mark 4, 350 fahrenheit or 180 celsius.