Macadamia Nut & Lime Cookies

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup flour
½ cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup caster sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Zest of 2 limes
½ cup Macadamia nuts, chopped
½ cup white chocolate, chopped
Pinch of salt

For the glaze:
1 cup icing sugar
Juice of 1 lime

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C. Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, yogurt and mix well. 

2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, lime zest and salt.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and chocolate.

4. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

5. Combine the glaze ingredients and mix until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cookies. 

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Unbelievably quick and easy brownies! And mouth-watering too! I thought nothing can beat the low-fat brownie with beetroot, but this is a serious contender... A bit sticky, but deliciously chocolatey. And no eggs needed.

Ingredients

240 g apple puree (I used baby food from a jar)

60 g cocoa powder

125 g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

100 g caster sugar

75 g plain chocolate

75 g white chocolate

50 g pecans

icing sugar, to dust

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C, line a 20x20cm baking tin with baking paper and set aside.

2. Pour apple puree into a mixing bowl then sift in the cocoa, flour and bicarbonate of soda. Add the sugar and 2 tbsp of water, then mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped chocolate and pecans. 

3. Transfer the mixture to the tin, then bake for 25-30 min until the centre feels set but a little fudgy.

4. Cool in the tin for 5 min, then turn out on to a wire rack. When completely cool, slice into squares and dust with icing sugar.

Recipe sourced from Healthy Food Guide, November 2012, p. 65

Courgette Bread

 

Yet another episode from the "Courgette" series. Lovely texture: soft and light with an extra crunch thanks to the nuts/seeds. It's more of a cake than bread, tough... Still, amazing with a morning coffee or afternoon tea...

(Recipe found in a book by Michael McCamley Gluten-free Baking. Just as delicious - just as easy) 

Ingredients (2 loaves)

butter, for greasing

380 g gluten-free plain flour (I used buckwheat flour)

1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

2 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp gluten-free bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp mixed spice

2 tsp cinnamon

225 g caster sugar

3 eggs

240 ml vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla essence

115 g walnuts, roughly chopped (I used sunflower seeds)

220 g courgettes, finely grated

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C. Grease two loaf tins and line with baking paper.

2. Sift the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda and spices together into a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla essence until creamy consistency forms. Add the flour mixture, walnuts, and courgettes to the bowl and fold in to make a smooth batter.

4. Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake in the preheated oven for 55-60 minutes until firm to the touch.

5. Leave to cool in the tins for approximately 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Let the bread rest on the rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Coffee Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups buckwheat flour
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
• 1 tablespoon ground coffee
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 125 g butter, melted
• 200 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Mix flour, coffee, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine cooled butter with milk and egg.

3. Combine dry and wet ingredients. Add chocolate chunks.

4. Spoon the mixture into small muffin cases in a muffin tray. Place the tray in a pre-heated oven at 190ºC and bake for about 20 minutes.

Courgette & feta soup

Yet another summer recipe. Courgettes are in season, so they will be on my menu a lot for the next couple of weeks. They are so versatile - can be steamed, boiled, grilled, roasted, stuffed, used in salads and so on. Today, I am presenting a soup with feta cheese and dill - one of  my favourite herbs. Bon apetit! 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

500 g courgettes, chopped

1 large potato, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

700 ml vegetable stock

80 g feta cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped fresh dill, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large lidded  saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sweat, covered, shaking the pan from time to time, until softened but not browned.

2. Add the courgette and potato and cook for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the parsley and stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are softened.

4. Set aside and leave to cool for a few minutes. Blend until smooth. Add the feta and stir until melted. You might want to blend it a bit more if the feta doesn't melt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve scattered with dill.

This is a modified version of a original recipe which comes from the book Homemade Soups by Grace Mulligan & Dilwen Phillips

Sweet Potato & Kale Salad

There has been a "super food" hype about kale recently and I've decided to explore the subject. It turns out that it is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K and helps lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease, amongst many other health benefits. However, there are a couple of controversial things about kale, also. For example, it  contains a compound that can suppress thyroid function in certain people. It is still healthy, this is not to discourage from including it in your diet, but as with everything else it's probably best not to go overboard with kale and to simply integrate it into an overall healthful diet full of other fruits and vegetables.

Ingredients

• 4 sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 cups kale, torn into 1-inch pieces
• ⅛ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ¾ cup finely sliced green onions
• ¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Add the chopped sweet potatoes to a large baking pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer. Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and soft.
2. Meanwhile, place a medium skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the walnuts. Cook, stirring occasionally, until light brown and toasted (about 4 minutes). Place the walnuts in a small bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet and add ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add the kale and cook until wilted and soft (just a few minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, h and remaining honey, ½ tablespoon olive oil.
4. When the potatoes are done cooking, add them to a large bowl. Add in the walnuts, kale, green onions, coriander and Parmesan cheese. Add the lime juice mixture to the bowl and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   
   The recipe, with modifications, comes from a blog Cookie Monster Cooking.