Saturday 11 November 2017

Four plant based favorite bites

🍂🍂🍂🍂🍂
Oaty biscuits with pumpkin seeds
Seeded coconut flapjacks
Sauerkraut on rye bread 
Guacamole with sweet potato






To make these biscuits you will need:

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup porridge oats, ground in a food processor
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup melted coconut oil, refine or extra virgin
approximately 1/2 cup nondairy milk or water
pumpkin seeds for topping

Combine the dry ingredients with the melted oil, mixing with a fork until the mixture is well combine.
Add the milk a little at a time, just enough to bring the mixture together.
Gather the dough into a sausage shape, wrap it with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for hour or more.
When you are ready to bake, unwrap the dough, using a sharp knife cut ten round biscuit and place them on a baking tray.
Sprinkle some pumpkin seeds pressing them down lightly onto the biscuit.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes on 190 C 




For the flapjacks you will need:

170g porridge oats
130g spelt flour
50g shredded coconut
30 - 40 g sunflower seeds
100g brown sugar
2Tbsp honey
150g coconut oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Melt the coconut oil and honey in a small pan over a low heat or in the microwave.
Mix everything together, then tip into a tray 20cm X 20cm and press firmly.
Bake for 15 - 20 minutes on 180 C. 




This is my homemade sauerkraut and my homemade bread The recipes are on my blog, you can find them following the links here and here !!!





Ah, how much I love this, I can eat it every day if chance given !!
Simply cut peeled sweet potato, brush with some olive oil, sprinkle some salt and bake for 20 minutes.
In a meanwhile make your own guacamole or use one from shop.!!! 




Wednesday 25 October 2017

Sausage pizza wreath

Pizza like no other, just watch it disappear every time you serve to children or adults 🍕🍴🍅 









You will need:
serve 4-5

1 pack of pizza dough from shop ( never tried though ) 
or
make your own dough using:
300g flour, I used white wheat mixed with wholemeal spelt
5g quick yeast
1 tsp salt
200 - 300 ml luke warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil
************************************
2 or 3 vegetarian sausages torn into pieces, I used Linda Mccartney's red onion and rosemary
1 small mozzarella ball, 125 g 
50 - 100g any yellow cheese, grated
*************************************
tomato sauce for dipping 

Make a dough from the ingredients above, cover it with tea towel and let it prove for 45 minutes.
Roll the dough into a round shape.
Using a sharp make a few cuts in the middle.
Assemble the cheese and sausages and fold.
Bake for 12 minutes on 220 C .

Cut the pizza ring before serving. 
I served it with green salad and baked beans, it was enough for five of us.




Monday 16 October 2017

Flax seeds breads - kifla


For some reason I always want to have some sort of homemade bread rolls. These are so nutritious, easy to make and very tasty. I love to make a double batch so I can freeze some as well ....






Ingredients:

20g flax seeds
300 ml water
********************
300g white flour
200g whole wheat flour
1 pack of quick action yeast or 7g
100 ml milk or water
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil

Place the seeds and the water into a small cooking pan, bring it to a boil and cook it for 5 min.
Cool the emulsion right down and add it to the flour and the rest of the ingredients.
Form a dough.
Knead the dough for 5 - 10 minutes.
Place the dough into a glass or plastic bowl, cover with clean tea towel and leave it to rest for 1 1/2 hour.
Punch down the dough and divide into 12.
Roll each portion using a rolling pin to get a flat bread.
Roll it in one direction and cut the edges using a knife.
Now you can decide whether you want them straight or curved or both :) like mine.
Arrange the breads on a baking tray, brush them with water and immediately sprinkle some seeds of your choice. I used caraway as well as freshly ground maldon salt.
Cover with the tea towel again and leave to prove in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 C .
Bake the breads for 15 - 20 minutes.











Friday 6 October 2017

Three ways with yellow split peas

Hello my lovely readers!!! I have missed the whole September in a terms of blogging but I haven't stopped dreaming about food, cooking, baking and creating new recipes. As usual, I use simple ingredients, seasonal produce, nutritious and always budget friendly. This time the main character is yellow split peas : rich in protein, flavour and very attractive golden colour. Comfort food - made easy!!   



Cauliflower & split peas curry

Ingredients:

serve 4

1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp green curry paste
2 cups of cooked split peas or 1 cup of uncooked ( soak in water overnight )
half cauliflower, dry grilled in a grill pan 
1 cup of passata 
1 tin of coconut milk
salt and pepper

one mug of rice of your choice 



Heat a grill pan and place the cauliflower florets. Grill them until they get dark colours around the edges. Set a side.
In a large cooking pot heat up some oil, add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the curry paste and stir for 2 - 3 minutes.
Add the cooked split peas, cauliflower, passata, coconut milk and one cup of vegetable stock or water. Add some salt and pepper.
Stir it all up and cook for 15 minutes. 
Serve with cooked fluffy basmati rice.
Done !!!












Split peas dip

Ingredients:

one cup of cooked split peas
1/2 cup water from the cooked peas
1 heaped Tbsp tahini 
1 clove minced garlic
juice of half a lemon
salt
pepper

Place all the ingredients into a big jar and blend it, using a stick blender.
You can also place the ingredients into a food processor but the first method saves you washing up :)

Add some olive oil before serving .....





This soup is made of all sorts of vegetables such as: leek, carrots, potato, parsnip and celery.
To make the soup more tick I add one cup or more of cooked yellow split peas before I liquidise it .
Yum !!





Thursday 31 August 2017

Summer baking + traveling to Macedonia and Greece 🍩🍰⛱

ok, here I am with some new bakes and some new photos from the summer  
 🍩🍰⛱




Bagels 



These bagels are made using:

200g wholemeal flour
300g white flour
1 pack of instant yeast, 7g
1 tsp salt
325ml warm water
1 egg for glazing
seeds for topping 

Sieve the flour into a big mixing bowl, add the yeast, salt and the water.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes if doing by hands.
Divide the dough into eight equal-size pieces.
Take one piece and roll it into a ball then dip your finger in a little flour and push it through the centre of the dough ball. Make the hole about 4cm wide by spinning it around.
Place the bagel into a baking tray and repeat with the rest of the dough balls.
Spray the bagels with oil and cover with plastic wrap.
Leave to rise for about 40 minutes.
Then brush the bagels with whisk egg and sprinkle some seeds of your choice.
I have used sesame, onion and caraway seeds.
Bake the bagels for 25 - 30 minutes on 200 C 





Birthday cake for my mother in law 


Raspberry, vanilla & white chocolate cake with almond flowers by Lorraine Pescale






Almond twists 


I can only say these almond bakes are divine:

dough; 250ml lukewarm milk
1 egg, beaten
85g sugar
1 tsp salt
1 or 2 tsp crushed cardamom seeds
7g instant yeast
500g white flour
75g butter, room temperature 


filling: 25g ground almonds
25g sugar
50g soft butter
1 egg for glazing
20g almond flakes

Whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, salt and cardamom.
Mix the flour and yeast, add the liquid and mix with a wooden spoon.
Finally add the butter and knead it into the dough.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Return the dough to the mixing bowl, cover with clean tea towel and leave it to rise for 1 hour.
After that, divide the dough into 2 pieces, using a rolling pin, roll each dough into a rectangle size 15x25 cm.
Spread the butter over the dough and scatter the almonds and sugar. Place one dough on top of the other, buttered side down.
Using a sharp knife, cut the pastry into 15 strips.
Twist each strip into a knot and place it on a baking tray.
Brush the beaten egg over the top and sprinkle with flaked almonds.
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes on 200 C 









Sunrise over Macedonia





Olympia, Greece 







The starfish was picked by my brother in law 


Beach read




Skopje, Macedonia




Turkish coffee made on outdoor fire 💜



My dad's chilies 


The basil 



The tomatoes 


The peaches


The 12 kg watermelon 





Monday 26 June 2017

June favorites 🍴 ☕🍄 🌼 🍓 🍒🍸


 June in photos 



Courgette and mint soup served with homemade bread roll ...




Lunch sandwich doesn't have to be boring ......  
I fried some chestnut mushrooms with oil, salt and pepper. Crunchy radishes, creamy avocado and my favorite salad leaves + mushrooms = perfect lunch ....




Afternoon tea

My dear friend Gosia throw an afternoon tea for two of her lucky friends, one of them was ME !!!
The theme was Alice in Wonderland, nupkins, serving plates, tea cups, tea pot and even the tablecloth - everything was Alice in Wonderland.
To start with, we had tofu open lettuce wraps and red rice salad with a bit of a rose wine.
Lots of nibbles as well.....
We eat those gorgeous cakes followed by green tea served with some fresh mint ....




Lettuce wraps are made of fried tofu, spring onion, corn, tamari and piri-piri seasoning .



Salad made of wild and red rice, tomatoes, peppers, feta cheese, spring onions, radishes, rocket salad leaves and seeds.





Lavender in my garden