A handful of Blueberries, a Banana and 3 large dollops of Yoghurt (alter yoghurt quantity depending on how runny or fruity you want it).
Method:
1. Blend all of the ingredients together, then pour into a glass.
Travelling
I have always loved travelling and during my weekend break to Liverpool I decided to make some cereal bars. They make great filling snacks and they save you a bit of money and time. This way you can do more sightseeing and cutural trips with a bit more money.
This recipe was adapted from Morrisons Magazine Jan/ Feb 2012.
Ingredients:
Roughly 45g Sunflower Seeds, 25g Desiccated Coconut, 2 medium Bananas, 160g Oats, 100g Olive Oil Margarine, 3 tbsps Honey (and a little flour to line baking tray).
Method:
1. Put the seeds, coconut, oats in a large mixing bowl.
2. Blend the banana till its nice and mushy then add it to the bowl.
3. Mix all of these ingredients up.
4. Heat up the margarine and honey in a pan, stir until everything is melted.
5. Mix the margarine and honey with the oat mix.
6. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 Degrees F/ Gas 4.
7. Grease a baking tray with a little margerine and then sprinkle a little flour over it.
8. Spoon the mixture into the tray and press down until the oat mix is even.
9. Bake this for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
11. They can be kept in an airtight container for about 3 days.
Saffy’s Top Tip
If you want to give it an extra boost of flavour try adding some dried ginger and cinnamon.
So Proud
I was having a bad day and making this chocolate cake really cheered my spirits. This cake tastes absolutely fantastic and is one of the best things I have ever made. I also surprised myself as it was the first chocolate cake I ever made and what made it super special was because I made it for my partner to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary. He loved the gesture and gave this cake a very high score in fact he gave it as much as the Ghana cake which was a huge compliament. 🙂 Go Saffy! Go Saffy!
Weird Ingredients:
Sam Stern simply called this cake the ‘Amazing Chocolate Cake’ but I thought this was a little big headed until I saw the ingredients. He used Hellmann’s mayonnaise as his main binding ingredient! And the end results definately confirmed it’s amazingness! Trust me the mayonnaise is a brilliant idea and you barely taste it. I love food with a twist.
Decorating Cakes
I brought some flower sugar decorations to make it all pretty but my partner brought me all this decoration equipment and cake decorating stuff for my birthday, so I am going to try and be more creative and even buy cake mixes just to practise the decorations etc. I only used a few simple decorations. Avoid using so many hard sugar decorations because they are tough to eat and I wanted to make it look elegant though it tastes so damn comforting.
This recipe was taken from Sam Stern’s Student Cookbook (Walker Books, 2009).
Ingredients for cake:
275g/ 10oz white Self – Raising Flour, 1 1/2 tsps Baking Powder, 225g/ 8oz Sugar, 200g/ 7oz Hellmann’s mayo, 225ml Boiling water, 4 tbsps Cocoa Powder, 1tsp Vanilla Extract.
Method for cake:
1. Sift flour, baking powder and sugar into the bowl.
2. Beat in the mayo with a wooden spoon for a lumpy mix.
3. Pour in a separate bowl boiling water, cocoa and vanilla extract then stir to dissolve.
4. Beat into the main mix until the whole thing is soft and creamy.
5. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F/ Gas mark 4.
6. Tip the mix into the tin and bake for 40 minutes until the skewer comes out clean.
Icing Ingredients:
275g/ 10oz icing sugar, 25g/ 1oz cocoa powder, 110g/ 4oz butter, 3-4 tbsps water
Method:
1. Sift sugar and cocoa together.
2. Gently heat the butter and water without boiling.
3. Beat gradually into the sugar till smooth and not runny.
4. Wait until the cake is cool before pouring on the icing and decorating.
Tip
It is okay to leave the icing for a little (roughly 15 – 20 minutes) and stir occasionally once it has been made. If the cake is slightly warm the icing will be a little goey, the fudgyness and moistness just helps to make it all the more perfect.
I am now on the quest the perfect brownie recipe. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make them, I was told they were easy and apparently my neighbour did a pretty awsome job so I thought I should give it a go. Whilst learning how to make brownies I was overwhelmed by the variety of ways in which you could make the popular treat. My first attempt did not go too well, and though Sam Stern has some great recipes in his student cookbook this one failed to deliver. As I am on quiet a strict diet I decided I wanted to use gluten free flour, it was the first time I used it and it felt better to know the brownies were a little healthier. To up the chocolate taste I also made my own chocolate fudge icing.
This recipe was adapted from ‘Sam Stern’s Student Cookbook’ (Walker Books, 2009).
Brownie Basics Ingredients:
75g soft Butter, 75g Caster Sugar, 1 large Egg (beaten), 100g Gluten Free Flour, 1/4 Baking Powder, 75g Plain Chocolate ,2 tbsps Milk (usually 1 tbsp but used 2 because more liquid is needed when using gluten free flour), 5 drops Vanilla Extract
Icing Ingredients:
As I used leftover icing the measurements are very varied. Make to taste, but use only a small bit of cocoa powder and use 3x as much butter and 10x as much icing as the cocoa and as much water until it is the right consistency.
Icing sugar, Cocoa Powder, Butter, Water
Basic Brownie Method:
1. Grease or line base of 20.5cm/ 8in square tin or similar.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until it is very light and creamy.
3. Beat in the egg
4. Sift flour in and mix.
5. Add baking powder and beat the whole mix well.
6. Let the chocolate melt in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water.
7. Stir chocolate into the mix with milk and vanilla extract.
8. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/ 350 degrees F/ Gas Mark 4.
9. Pour the mix into the tin and when the oven is hot bake for 25 minutes.
10. The brownie is done when the skwer comes out clean.
11. Make sure you cool before adding icing or cool for 5 – 8 mins before eating.
Icing Method:
1. Sift sugar and cocoa together.
2. Gently heat butter and water without boiling and gradually beat into the sugar.
3. Mix until mixture is smooth and not too runny.
4. You can leave it for a few minutes to thicken.
This recipe has been rekindled by ‘Asda’s Fit For Life’ campaign recipes.
Ingredients:
Wholemeal Spaghetti or pasta shapes, 1 tsp olive oil (for frying), 1 medium Red Onion, 1 Garlic Clove (crushed), 400g Chopped Tomatoes, 1tbsp Tomato Puree, 150g Sweetcorn (drained if canned), 2 tsp Dried Basil or Dried Mixed Herbs, 2 small tins of Tuna.
Method:
1. Chop onion into small bits.
2. Cook pasta.
3. While pasta is cooking heat olive oil in a seperate pot and onion and garlic and cook gently until soft.
4. Add the vegetables and herbs then stir, cook for 5 – 8 minutes.
5. Add the tuna and stir through gently.
6. Drain the pasta and serve with tuna, sweetcorn mix.
Saffy’s Top Tips:
3. Pack this up with some grated cheddar and salad vegetables for a lovely tuna pasta salad.
This recipe was inspired by the ‘Asda Fit For Life’ recipe ideas.
Ingredients:
400g minced Quorn, 1 large Onion, 2 small Garlic cloves, 400g of peeled Plum Tomatoes blended (if you have chopped tomatoes you do not need to blend them), 2 tbsps Tomato Puree, a handful of Basil, 1 tbsp dried Rosemary, 3 -4 handfuls of spinach, 200g sliced Mushrooms, 2 small Carrots, 1ooml Vegetable Stock, Wholewheat Spaghetti, extra seasoning to taste, Oil for frying.
Method:
1. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and add onions to fry for 2 minutes.
2. Add quorn and stir and cook until cooked through.
3. Add the tomatoes.
4. Put on another saucepan of boiling water and start the pasta cooking process.
5. Add the rest of the vegetables to the “quorn stew” apart from the herbs.
6. After 6 mins add the herbs and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.
7. Season bolognese to taste and serve with drained cooked pasta.
Saffy’s Top Tip
This recipe is too easy for you not to try out different vegetables to see what works. Add mroe vegetables and change some around. You could even try yummy snake beans or spice it up with chilli and hot pepper sauce!
10 slices of Bread (take off top part of the crust and cut into triangles or any shape you prefer to layer dish with), 3 tbsps unslated Butter melted (or you can use a low fat margerine), 3 tbsps Dark Brown Sugar, 2 tsps Cinnamon, 3 Large Eggs lightly beaten, roughly 300ml Milk, 1 tbsp Maple Syrup, a tiny bit of Vanilla from a Vanilla Pod (so much better than vanilla flavouring, the real thing smells so beautiful!), 2 small Apples chopped and diced. (Make sure you have extra of all of the ingredients because you may feel like a little more sweetness and it may not cover your entire dish as you may have larger slices of bread.)
Method:
1. Combine melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
2. Layer first layer of bread in a lightly greased dish and drizzle some of the butter mixture of it.
3. The sprinkle some apple pieces.
4. Continue to do until you have 3 layers or you desired amount.
5. Sprinkle more apple over the top.
6. Beat the eggs, milk, maple syrup and vanilla.
7. Preheat oven to 320 degrees C.
8. Pour the mixture all over the bread and apple until the bread has absorbed the mixture.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Or you can place dish in a roasting tin which is filled halfway with very hot water.
11. The dish is done after the knife or fork test when the cutlery comes out clean.
For the healthy people
Eat the pudding with some low fat plain yoghurt rather than cream or custard.
This recipe was adapted from ‘the ‘Blue Dragon’ range recipe suggestions.
Ingredients:
4 Kaffir Lime Leaves, 4 tbsps Red Curry Paste, 200ml Coconut Milk, Sunflower Oil for frying chicken, 2 Chicken Breasts, 1/2 can of Long Green Beans.
Method:
1. Wash and prepare the chicken and slice into pieces.
2. Fry the paste in a little sunflower oil for 2 minutes max!
3. Add the coconut milk and mix with the paste.
4. When the coconut milk is hot then add the chicken and let the chicken cook.
5. When the chicken is almost done and the kaffir lime leaves and any other seasoning to taste.
6. Add the green beans until they are beautiful and soft.
Cheese On Bread
Everyone knows that my number one saying is ‘Cheese on Bread’, which to me means hard times and humble beginnings (something along those lines). Cheese on bread is the ultimate poor man’s snack, but I am always looking for ways to jazz up classic easy nostalgic food. Levi Root’s shared this cool idea to add mayonnaise and sauce onto cheese on toast. I’m not really a fan of too much sauce so I only added a little bit, nonetheless it was really nice.
2 slices of Wholemeal Bread (I use soya and linseed which is great for my diet), Reggae Reggae sauce, any cheddar Cheese you like and Chili Mayonnaise ( I wanted an extra kick).
Method:
1. Grill bread on just one side.
2. When the first side is done spread the other side with reggae sauce, then mayo then cheese to taste.
2. The grill cheesy side.
4. Eat with a salad or as it is with some refreshing fruit juice.
Saffy’s Top Tip
You can use the ingredients as a filling to make a toastie with tomatoes and chicken or bacon.
Recipe was adapted from ‘Sam Stern’s Student Cookbook’ (Walker Books).
Ingredients:
Chicken Breasts, Apple (chopped into bits), a few Grapes, 2 Spring Onions, 1/4 Red Onion, rocket, 1tsp Curry Paste, 2 tsps Mango Chutney, 1 tsp Lemon Juice, 2 tbsp Plain Yoghurt, 4tbsps Mayonnaise, 1 clove of crushed Garlic.
Method:
1. Wash and prepare the chicken (cut into chunks as well).
2. Then fry with a little oil in the wok.
3. Chop up the onions and spring onions.
4. When chicken is white and is beginning to cook through add onions and garlic.
5. When chicken is nearly cooked add spring onions, curry paste and mango chutney.
6. While chicken is cooking prepare salad.
7. Slice a few grapes in half and put into a salad bowl with 2 handfuls of washed rocket.
8. Chop up apple into small pieces and add into bowl as well.
9. Mix in the yoghurt, mayonnaise and a little lemon juice. Mix well.
10. Serve chicken on top of the salad.
KAMARIA'S KITCHEN 