Archives July 2015

For a winter breakfast, there’s nothing better than a warm bowl of porridge.  If you think porridge is boring, then you’re doing it wrong!  There are so many ways to make your porridge delicious and interesting.  My favourite thing at the moment is adding chia seeds to porridge.  They add extra fibre and I like the texture they add to it.   Topped with yoghurt and berries, this porridge combination keeps me full all morning.   It’s a good source of fibre, slow release carbohydrates and provides a source of calcium.  Here’s the recipe.

For one serving:

1/3 cup oats
a few drops of vanilla
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup blackberries
3 heaped spoons yoghurt
coconut flakes and flaked almonds

Method:

Place the oats, vanilla, chia seeds, milk and water in a microwavable bowl.  Cook for 2 minutes, stir and cook for a further 1 minute.  Stir through the cinnamon.  Place in a serving bowl top with the Greek yoghurt, berries, coconut flakes and almonds.

Sweeten if desired with a drizzle of maple syrup.

It’s almost the end of July, which, in case you missed it, was all about the jelly tip.  Whittakers Jelly Tip chocolate sold out in record time and even though I wasn’t a fan of the chocolate, Jelly Tip has been on my brain.  I wanted to create a less sweet, but super delicious dessert inspired by the Jelly Tip and i came up with this Jelly Tip cheesecake.  It has a nutty base, with a vanilla filling topped with chia berry jam and a layer of Whittakers dark chocolate. Quite delicious but still a treat.

Here’s the recipe:

Jelly Tip Cheesecake

For the base:
1 cup of mixed nuts (I used almonds and cashews)
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup dates soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes (drain well before using)
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or butter)
1 tablespoon coconut sugar (or any sugar – optional)

For the filling:
250g tub cream cheese
1 1/4 cup Greek yoghurt (I used Anchor Greek)
2-6 heaped tablespoons powdered stevia or sweetener of choice (to reach desired sweetness)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 1/2 tablespoons gelatine
2 tablespoons boiling water

Optional –  1 cup defrosted berries and some grated dark chocolate.

For the chia berry jam:
2 cups frozen berries
2 tablespoons chia seeds
(add sweetener if desired, I didn’t)

For the chocolate topping:
1/2- 1 block of Whittakers chocolate, depending on how thick you want the topping (or how much you eat before melting!)

Blend the mixed nuts in a food processor until the nuts are finely chopped.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture is well combined.

Place a piece of gladwrap inside a 20cm round tin so it comes up and over the edges.  This makes it easy to pull the cheesecake out.  Alternatively, you can use a spring bottom tin.

Press the base mixture into the bottom of the tin.

Place the cream cheese in a medium sized glass bowl and leave out at room temperature to soften for an hour.   Or if you’re like me and don’t want to wait, place it in a bowl and microwave for 30-45 seconds.  Add the Greek yoghurt, sweetener and vanilla essence and mix.

In a mug, add the gelatine and boiling water.  With a fork, mix together quickly and stir until all the crystals have dissolved.  Add to the cheesecake ingredients and mix again well, until the mixture is smooth and well combined. If using the berries and chocolate, gently fold these through.

Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the base and smooth the top with a spoon.

To make the chia jam, defrost the berries and stir through the chia seeds.  Leave to sit for about 30 minutes until it thickens a little.  Spread on top of the cheesecake.

Place the cheesecake in the fridge for 3-4 hours.  For the chocolate topping,  break up the chocolate and place in a glass bowl.  Microwave for one minute.  Stir, then microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between until it is melted.

Place in freezer for 3-4 hours until set.  Store in the fridge.  Serve with raspberries and  vanilla bean ice cream for an extra treat.

Winter is soup weather and this year I’ve been experimenting with different new flavours instead of just sticking to my old favourites.  This smoked paprika vegetable soup is one of the winning combinations I’ve come up with.

I used swede in this soup, a vegetable I’ve actually never had before!  Swedes are from Sweden (suprise suprise!) and are a hybrid between a turnip and a type of cabbage.  They are a non starchy vegetable and are quite versatile in how you use them.  They are a good source of vitamin C, and provide small amounts of some B vitamins. They are also a significant source of potassium.  The soup also contains onion, garlic, carrot and pumpkin all roasted to give the soup a rich and delicious flavour.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 swede
1 onion, cut into wedges
3 large carrots500g pumpkin
1 small bulb of garlic
2 teaspoons Moroccan seasoning
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups reduced salt chicken stock
2 cups water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel vegetables and cut into similar sized pieces.  Place on an oven tray, drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle over the Moroccan seasoning and smoked paprika.  Place the whole bulb of garlic on the tray.  Roast for 35 minutes.  Remove vegetables from oven.  When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from it’s skin and place into a pot. Add the other vegetables along with the stock and water and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend with a stick blender.

Serve with a little sour cream or natural yoghurt, chilli flakes and coriander.