Lisa Eats

[lisa-eats]

This recipe for chocolate chia seed and banana cake caught my eye on Pinterest the other week. Seeing as I had a few bananas going brown in the fruit bowl I thought I'd give it a whirl. The resulting cake was a cinch to make and packed with goodness without skimping on taste. I've banged on about the wonders of chia seeds before so I won't repeat myself. Just take it from me that these modest little black seeds are crazy good for you. Best of all you can sneak them in pretty much anything. This recipe calls for you to soak them in water for 15 minutes before adding to other ingredients. This is rather fun as the mixture turns into a kind of gel that looks very much like frogspawn (don't let this put you off though!). The batter is rather wet and I had to bake my cake for 10 minutes longer than called for. The resulting cake is more desserty than cakey but all the better for it as it's really moist and indulgent-tasting. The cherry on the top is the date paste that gets slathered on top. Dates are amazing by the way, especially their ability to form a thick gooey caramel-eqsue mixture when whizzed up in a powerful blender. Anyway, if you fancy a spot of guilt-free cake love, this may be the recipe for you. 

[lisa-eats]

Stuffed Aubergines #2

Something very delicious happens when you roast an aubergine and this recipe is a proper winner for an easy yet impressive and tasty weekday dinner. The Moroccan flavours work brilliantly with the meat and the melted cheese on top (melted cheese should go on just about anything in my book) finishes it off just nicely. The original recipe calls for lamb but I'm not eating lamb anymore after spending a week with a field-full of them this spring. I therefore subbed for minced beef (cows are less cute). Click on the pic for a link to the recipe. It's a keeper.

[lisa-eats]

Rhubarb & strawberry crumble with no-butter topping

I really like fruit crumble. My mum makes a mean one. But they tend to be sugar and fat packed. This was my attempt at a low-fat, low-sugar alternative. 

I started by whacking the rhubarb in a saucepan with unrefined golden caster sugar and some strawberries. The natural sweetness from the strawberries meant I could cut down on the amount of sugar needed to balance the sourness of the rhubarb. I reckon 500g of fruit and 50g of sugar is about right. I kept the fruit on the heat for about 15 mins, until the rhubarb was soft but just about still holding its form. 

My crumble topping is courtesy of this nice little recipe I found by searching online. Although there's still a fair bit of sugar in this recipe (I'm yet to experiment how maple or brown rice syrup would work texturally in a crumble topping), it's rapadura sugar. Rapadura sugar is unrefined and higher in nutritional value to regular sugar, retaining most of the natural vitamins and minerals. It's also got a really yummy caramely flavour. You can find it in most health food shops. The most important thing is that I didn't miss the butter at all in this crumble. The perfect way to cut a few calories while still enjoying a classic comfort dessert. Yummy with a slodge of yogurt/froyo/ice cream/custard/cream - whatever floats your boat. 

[lisa-eats]

I love berries. I eat them every day without fail. So when I saw this recipe for a wild berry tart on Green Kitchen Stories, I went straight to the top of my 'to make' list. I used a mixture of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and black currants. I had a bit of a cock-up with the pastry, leaving out the cornflour. As a result my dough was super crumbly and the tart slices didn't hold together very well. However, it tasted amazing so I didn't dwell. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt on the side. Happy days. 

[lisa-eats]

Oh my God, these banana muffins were soooooo good. Plus, they're the most professional looking baked goods I've ever made (I'm a messy baker. Lumpy and misshapen is my usual style). This is yet another Gwyneth Paltrow recipe. As a massive fan of her healthier blueberry muffins, I was keen to have a stab at her other muffin recipes. Conclusion? GP knows her muffins. As per most of her sweet recipes, spelt and barley flours are used, and maple syrup and brown rice syrup replace traditional sugar. I subbed raisins for chocolate chips. It was a wise decision. The resulting muffins tasted healthy, nutritious and yummy all at the same time. Winner. 

[lisa-eats]

This is an oldie but a goodie - aubergines stuffed with spinach, ricotta, tomatoes and chorizo. Taking less than 30 mins to prepare it's the perfect option if you're after something quick that still feels a bit special. The combination of meaty, salty chorizo and  smooth, creamy ricotta with the fresh tomatoes and spinach is just dreamy. Serve with some green salad. 

[lisa-eats]

Looking for a simple dinner that tastes amazing? Look no further. This Spanish style chicken bake is an all-in-one-pan dish (how I love all-in-one-pan dishes!) so good I made it twice in one week. Chicken, chorizo, onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes, plus a bit of oregano and paprika, it's stupidly easy. It requires no oil, the fat from the chorizo doing the job instead and is beautifully moist and flavoursome as a result. My mouth is watering just typing about it...

[lisa-eats]

Cookie Monster

I've been on a bit of a cookie baking blitz lately. I used to be scared of baking cookies and biscuits, based on a hellish cookery class at school aged about 12 when I burned my batch of ginger biscuits so badly, the charred remains had to be prised away from the baking tray with a very sharp knife. They did not taste good. However, over 20 years on I'm glad to report I've got into a cookie groove and my fear is no more! 

The first batch I baked were Gwyneth Paltrow's oatmeal raisin cookies. When I was at uni, the cafe used to sell five cookies for £1. They were always freshly baked and all warm and I would regularly buy five and pretend to myself they weren't all for me when they blatantly were. My favourite were always the oatmeal raisin cookies. Being a Gwynnie P recipe, these contain no nasties whatsoever and are also super easy to make. My bf claimed they were 'claggy' but then he hates oats. Myself and the in-laws found them delicious. I think we win. 

To appease the bf who was feeling all hard done by because I kept baking stuff he didn't like, I promised to make him some chocolate chip cookies. This is the healthiest recipe I could find! I added rather a lot of chocolate chips (so maybe not so healthy!) and omitted the nuts. These were pretty soft. I like soft cookies but if you prefer something more crispy, this is not the recipe for you. Anyway, the bf must have liked them as they lasted about 24 hours. 

[lisa-eats]

Taco stuffed courgette/zucchini boats (sorry about the pic!)

Sorry - terrible picture. It was one of those moments where I'd started eating and then thought I should take a picture but really just wanted to keep eating and so took a really shitty one. Check out the link for a very far more appetising picture from the original recipe (courtesy of good old skinnytaste.com). 

Anyway, what are these? Why, they're taco stuffed courgette boats of course! Scooped out courgettes stuffed with minced beef (the recipe calls for turkey but you can use any minced meat you like), tomato sauce (Brits, use passata or chopped tomatoes), spices and topped with cheese. Really simple but so yummy. Two courgettes make for a really tasty meal. If you wanted to carb it up, some rice would go nicely. 

[lisa-eats]

Super seed chocolate protein bites

I'm not posting a picture of mine as they look like little turds. Plus they've fused together in the freezer so now they look like one big turd. This is what they're supposed to look like:

Anyway, I'm always on the look out for a cheeky little post-workout snack and these super seed chocolate protein bites looked just the job. Plus the contain the magic word - chocolate. Packed full of crazy goodness (hemp, chia, sesame), these are not only good for you but really tasty too. 

[lisa-eats]

Man, I used to love ice cream sandwiches when I was a kid. Back then you could buy ice cream in a block (my favourite flavour was always Neapolitan) and simply cut off a slab that fit perfectly between two wafers. The other day we had guests and I wanted to create a dessert that was low maintenance yet still really yummy and fun. The result? My (slightly) grown-up take on the classic ice cream sandwich.

Instead of using wafers, I baked a batch of cookies using the recipe from my last post. This recipe is so easy and super-adaptable (for example this batch has chocolate chips, raisins and cherries). Best of all the resulting cookies are the perfect balance of crispy and chewy and are strong enough to sandwich the ice cream without crumbling. 

Ice cream + cookies = happiness 

[lisa-eats]

Having spent most of yesterday baking cakes for other people, this morning I decided to whip up something for just me to knibble on! I adapted this recipe from one I found on one of my favourite food blogs - Green Kitchen Stories. I love this vegetarian food blog - the photography is always really imaginative and the recipes a little unexpected. These guys came up with the gorgeous frozen pink cheesecake I posted a few weeks back for example, and the fantastic hemp protein bars I eat after working out. 

Anyway, this is my take on their thin oat and ginger crisps. I made the following changes:

I didn't have buckwheat flour so subbed with spelt.

I didn't have cloves in ground form so I added a little mixed spice instead.

I ran out of maple syrup so used half maple/half honey.

Finally I added chocolate chips - just because ginger and chocolate is a great combo and I was craving some chocolatey ooziness.

Having just typed them out, I actually made quite a few changes didn't I? I like to think this illustrates my growing confidence as a cook, rather than as evidence of an ill-stocked pantry!

Anyhow, 15 minutes later I had cookies! Mine weren't all that crisp (perhaps I should have left them in the oven longer?) but they were definitely delicious. I may try a raisin version over the weekend if the mood takes me. Again, no refined sugars, just good wholesome ingredients (except perhaps for the chocolate chips but they're really tiny and surely don't count). 

[lisa-eats]

If in doubt, bake.

I'm ill. It's very dull. I'm currently in the extra-boring recovery bit where all the juicy symptoms have subsided so I try to do normal stuff but feel all a bit spacey and weird. I am the worse ill person ever, I get so grumpy and frustrated.

Yesterday, having excused myself from my morning commitments, I decided to try and embrace my delicate state and have a relaxed, cosy day at home - tricky, what with it being nearly 30 degrees, but worth a try. Tired of TV and mindless web-surfing, I turned to the cosiest past-time there is and did a spot of baking. 

Two friends of mine, Lisa and Phil, are climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in August and are holding a fundraising concert in Norwich this weekend to raise funds (take a look at their Fund Raising page for more details - http://www.justgiving.com/BarleyBensonkili). They asked me and a couple of other friends if we'd be willing to bake a few morsels to be raffled off.  

I decided to start with something tried and tested and so baked a batch of the roasted strawberry muffins I first made last week. This time I made them in smaller cake cases and managed to get a half-decent pic:

For the record, these muffins taste amazing! They might even top Gwyneth's blueberry ones in the yummy stakes. 

Next I had a go at one of Amber Rose's recipes from her lovely book 'Love, Bake, Nourish' - mini blueberry and hazelnut cakes. I can't find the recipe in electronic form so I'll just rattle through the ingredients and method here:

In a bowl combine 45g of ground almonds, 45g of hazelnuts (ground), 25g of white spelt flout (sifted) and the seeds from a vanilla pod (I didn't have a vanilla pod so just added a bit of vanilla extract to the batter instead). In a separate bowl whisk 3 large egg whites until they form a light foam. Add to the dry ingredients along with 100g of melted butter (cooled), 125g of maple syrup and the zest of one lemon. Stir. Pour into cupcake cases (this recipe made 12). Add a couple of blueberries to each cupcake. Bake at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown and firm to the touch). I was really pleased with how these turned out. How pretty and delicate do they look? 

For quality control reasons I obviously had to taste one. Light and lemony and melt-in-the-mouth, I'll definitely be making these elegant little cakes again. 

Finally I rustled up some coconut macaroons. Check out my earlier post for more details. This time round I drizzled them with melted dark chocolate to fancy them up a bit. 

All three recipes contain no refined sugar and are sweetened with natural sweeteners - honey, maple syrup, fruit etc. Proof, you can have you cake AND eat it. Hoping the folk of Norwich enjoy them and dig deep tomorrow evening! 

[lisa-eats]

Roasted Strawberry Muffins

Apologies for the really rubbish picture.

In my defence, these muffins were so good food styling went totally out of the window. Indeed, the boyfriend declared these 'the best muffins you've ever made'. High praise indeed. I wish I could claim this recipe as my own but alas, I cannot. It's the work of The Sprouted Kitchen. If you haven't already, do check out their website. The food photography is utterly gorgeous and all the recipes focus on using fresh, seasonal produce. 

I don't think you necessarily need to roast the strawberries, especially as they're in season right now but I was intrigued so did as I was told. Tip - strawberries reduce in size a lot when roasted! I didn't have enough and had to add some blueberries to make up the 3/4 cup required for the recipe. Roasting strawberries smell heavenly by the way!

One of the things I love most about The Sprouted Kitchen is the way their ingredient lists are always a little unexpected. I was thrilled to see this recipe requires coconut sugar as I've had a bag sitting in my cupboard for a while now. It gives the muffins a really earthy caramel taste and also a bit of crunch. There's no flour - just ground almonds (I didn't have any cornmeal as per the original recipe btw so I used 2 cups of ground almonds) and a bit of bicarbonate of soda and I love the smooth nutty taste this produces. The chocolate chips are optional apparently. Who are they kidding? I chopped up some Green and Blacks chocolate and stirred it in to the batter at the same time I added the berries. The original recipe is for mini muffins but I wanted to make regular-sized ones. The mixture only made 9 so scale up if you want more. Make sure you add another 5-10 minutes to the baking time too (if you're making larger muffins that is).

This is a great base muffin mixture that would work well with a variety of fruits. In fact a raspberry version may well be my next bake...

[lisa-eats]

Hottest day of the year so far yesterday and what did I do? Cleared out the fridge of course. Yep, I really know how to live. Upon discovering two forgotten courgettes (zucchini to all you non-Brit readers) I decided to have a go my first ever sweet courgette recipe by baking a batch of courgette muffins. 

I'm glad to report my debut was a success. Apart from the bit where I catapulted grated courgette all over the kitchen tiles. That bit wasn't so great. Quick shout-out to my Vitamix blender for grating the courgettes with such ease and saving me from grating my knuckles (a weekly occurrence). The method was dead easy - mix the dry ingredients, then add the wet before stirring in the courgettes. I also added chopped nuts and dark chocolate chunks for a bit of interest. I'm glad I added the chocolate as these muffins are sugar-free and the chocolate adds a bit of extra sweetness that works really well with the courgette. All in all these were pretty yummy and with nothing naughty in them, pretty healthy as well. 

N.B. This recipe can be made into either muffins or loaves. I came out with 16 good sized muffins. 

[lisa-eats]

These Sesame St cupcakes are not my doing (they're actually the work of my friend Nikki) but I had to post a pic because they're so damn fabulous looking. The Elmo cakes were lemon-flavoured, the cookie monster cakes, carrot. Obviously I had to 'test' each flavour. Obviously. 

[lisa-eats]

Each week the boyfriend and I buy chicken from our local farmer's market. It's a bit pricier than the supermarket but I do think poultry is one of those things it's worth spending that little bit extra on. Our chicken always turns out juicy and flavourful with absolutely no effort required (with a whole chicken we generally just stick it in our chicken brick and let it do its thing - delicious every time). Most of all though, I love buying a pack of fat juicy chicken thighs and marinading them for a few hours before baking in the oven. Here are two of my favourite methods:

1. Chinese-inspired - marinade the chicken thighs (I snip off the skin but you don't have to) in a bowl with 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tbsp of fresh ginger, 1 tbsp of rice wine or dry sherry, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tsp of five-spice, 2 tbsp of honey. Pop in the fridge overnight or as long as you've got. Bake in the oven at 180 for 30 mins. I served mine with rice and broccoli with garlic and red chilli. 

2. Mexican-inspired - marinade the chicken with lime, hot sauce, salt and pepper, olive oil and onion in a bowl or freezer bag for a few hours. Bake in the oven at 200 for 30 minutes. I served this up with brown rice and a tomato and corn salsa (cherry tomatoes, corn, a pepper, spring onion, hot sauce, cayenne pepper, lime juice and olive oil). 

Simple, healthy and flavourful. Happy chickens clearly make for happy bellies.