All posts filed under: Pudding

Caramel Pecan slice

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It has been a while since I have written. Life took a turn into chaos as we got a new puppy and I suddenly became incredibly busy at work so had very little time to cook anything new or exciting. We lived off soup and oatcakes for a few weeks, which I must admit was good for the waistline but rubbish for my sweet tooth! So to combat both issues I have created something sticky, gooey and crunchy that really hits the sweet tooth spot! I needed to be inspired a little too as it is easy to get out of the way of cooking sometimes. So, when a friend last week asked me what my ‘go to cupboard essentials’ were, it got me thinking again. I realise that there are a few items I always try to keep in stock and that is a selection of nuts, dates, nut butters and eggs. It is pretty amazing what you can make out of these simple ingredients and to just have a handful of nuts with a …

Apple & Date Crumble

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WHOOPEE it’s the time of year when I get to drink copious amounts of red wine and do nothing all Sunday evening because it’s dark by the time lunch has finished! Yes, that’s right, it is proper cosy Sunday lunch season when one can have friends round in the afternoon and sit for hours over a two or three course lunch and have nowhere to rush off to afterwards. This time of year, we generally end up having a lazy start to the day, do a bit of lunch prep in PJs, try to get a walk or bike ride in, shower and be laying the table as our guests arrive pretending there wasn’t a last minute rush around tidying the house. Why do we all insist on cleaning and hiding any  visible items on a table or shelf into a drawer to then spend the next few weeks wondering where we put things when our friends come round? It is the strangest illusion we all insist on giving – clean house living. Enough of that, now to …

Coconut and pineapple cake

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I’m supposed to be on a bikini diet, but so far I have baked 3 sweet things in the last 24 hours. I should ban myself from baking rather than saying I’m on a diet. To be honest though, a diet for me is more about eating loads of veg and protein and just not covering it in too many sauces or sloshing gallons of wine down my throat with it. (Easier said than done when the sun is shining and the vino is cold in the fridge!) The worst part about trying to get bikini ready is the starvation part, I just don’t function well on little food so I make sure there are carrot sticks and energy bites ready to munch on in the fridge. I will always have a lunch packed full of proteins like boiled eggs, chickpeas, chicken as it helps me get through the afternoon without hitting 3pm and wanting to eat my fingers as they suddenly look more like sausages I want to put on a BBQ. Also, why is it that …

Greek Yoghurt, Vanilla & Honey Ice Cream

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I have always wanted an ice cream maker, ice cream is one of my favourite summer treats. Many a summer has gone by where I have attempted to make ice cream and always forgotten to mix it every few hours in the freezer so I end up tackling a solid lump. So this year I treated myself to a machine that can make me creamy home made ice cream and I have been having rather a lot of fun trying new combinations of flavours.  This one is a mixture of a basic vanilla ice cream that I have zinged with some greek yogurt to add some tartness and added chopped up peaches for extra sweetness.   Ingredients: 2 large egg yolks 1/3 cup runny honey 1 cup full fat milk 150g pot full fat Greek yoghurt 1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste 1 large ripe peach chopped up First things first, make sure you have put your ice cream bowl from your ice cream mixer in the freezer for at least 8 hours. If you have forgotten, you can make …

Rhubarb and banana muffins

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I found huge stalks of rhubarb in the supermarket the other day and have gone a little bonkers thinking of a million different recipes I could make using this delicious vegetable. My only issue is that in the past I have always cooked this very bitter ingredient with a lot of sugar and I now try to stick to a refined sugar free diet so will have to try a new version. My mum advised me that the best way to deal with rhubarb is to cook it first, then add sweetness, as it sucks up all the sugar and you end up putting in double if you cook it in sugar first. My favourite natural sweeteners are honey, bananas and dates so I thought I could combine all of these to make some little breakfast muffins. I’m always trying to use wholemeal flour when I can but if you want to make this gluten free, swap the flour and baking powder for gluten free flour, and gluten free baking powder. I am also going to …

Apple raspberry roses

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I know these are all over the internet but I have never made them and wanted to see if they were easy to make and a good option for afternoon tea. I love having friends over for afternoon tea and cake, it is always a relaxed affair where you can gobble cake and drink copious amounts of tea and natter about rubbish. Everyone feels happy when they leave too, full of something sweet and delicious and having had a good old chin wag. It means you can include your friends who are parents too as they don’t need to worry about getting a baby sitter and the children are normally delighted to be allowed cake too. The best apples to use are pink ladies as they have a gorgeous red tinge to them which is perfect for the rose petals. Also most of the recipes I found use apricot jam, I didn’t have any so used raspberry, and to be honest I prefer this jam choice anyway. Ingredients: (Makes 8) 2 packets of puff pastry 2 – 3 …

Coconut & lime chunks

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We have had a few weeks of being really naughty recently, sharing a sticky toffee date pudding in a restaurant then practicing making chocolate fondant for a dinner party. And I must not forget the incredible Toblerone cheesecake I had seconds of at a friends house last weekend. These were all totally delicious but didn’t make me feel great.  The rush of ‘high’ from all that sugar, followed quickly by a real ‘low’ and body slump. So I am on the rampage to revamp our eating style and stay away from sugar and dairy packed foods for a while. I always notice I have more energy,  better skin and sleep well when I have a cleaner diet. When I say diet, I am by no means starving myself, I don’t function well if I skip meals, eat tiny portions etc. If that happens then I am angry, headachy and generally a nasty person to be around. Last night we had a delicious Moroccan stew packed full of root vegetables, spinach and lentils. It was gently spiced with …

Pecan Pie – Deliciously Ella style

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I bought the new Deliciously Ella book a couple of weeks ago and I am slowly working my way through some of the recipes. Here is her original: Pecan Pie This has proved a new favourite in our house, and a real hit at a recent dinner party for those who were lactose intolerant. Rather than making one big tart, I made individual ones and halved the ingredient list as this is rather an expensive list of ingredients unless you are feeding 8-10 people. See below for my version of Deliciously Ella’s mini Pecan pies! Ingredients: Tart base: (makes 4 individual pies) 75g almond flour 63g buckwheat flour 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp honey 2 medjool dates (or 5 normal dates) 1 tbsp coconut oil Oven to 180 degrees and grease the tartlet cases with a little coconut oil. In a food processor blend dates then add rest of mixture and blend till sticky. Divide this mixture into your 4 tart cases and bake for about 12 minutes, you will notice it firms up and starts …

Sugar free apple crumble

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I am a real puddings person, such a sweet tooth and my January rule is no refined sugar so I have been looking for sweet treats that are not filled full of sugar. My friend asked me round for dinner the other night and I said I would bring pudding. This meant I didn’t have to have the awkward conversation of  “Oh i’m trying to be sugar free at the moment. Do you mind making  a real effort because I am being difficult?” I wouldn’t call this a diet as much as more of a changing my way of thinking long term. Eventually I would like to avoid using natural sweeteners* too but then I come back to the way of thinking that life is too short to worry about everything and I should just take a little more exercise when I can. Apple crumble with a big dollop of ice-cream is one of my all time favourites so here is my version which is packed full of oats, nuts, fruit and a few variations …