Rainy day baking – Nigella’s orange breakfast muffins

September 21 2011
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nigella orange muffins

These muffins inspired by Nigella remind me of Christmas – all orange, fragrant, sweet and somehow festive although I can’t quite pinpoint why.  Warm from the oven, they have a lovely crusty exterior, are fluffy inside and also have a subtle cornbread quality which I love.

As the lady says, eat them just out of the oven, with unsalted butter and good jam (I use cherry).  Perfect for a rainy day.

nigella orange muffinsnigella orange muffins

nigella orange muffinsnigella orange muffins

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Cannellini bean, leek and baby spinach soup with quinoa

September 20 2011
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This is such a calming, simple, fresh soup recipe by Beth from allrecipes.com.  Well, I mean, soup is calming isn’t it?  It’s difficult to eat soup in a excited way unlike say, fried chicken or pizza for example where crumbs tend to fly everywhere.  This soup is especially therapeutic though.

This is the type of soup you might crave after you’ve been ill, if you’ve had a busy, stressful day or if you just feel like a healthy meal.

It’s a very subtle tasting soup, meaning it doesn’t hit you in the face with any strong flavours, rather, it has more of a full bodied, smooth flavour adding to the fresh taste of spinach, sweetness of leeks, the wholesome texture of quinoa and creaminess from cannellini beans.

You could use your own home made vegie or chicken stock, I have done this in the past and it did add a whole other dimension to be honest, but for a quick, easy meal it’s not absolutely necessary (purists might disagree though and I respect that).  I do use a good bought stock, mine is vegan based and all natural.

quinoa spinach white bean soup

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Banana strawberry teacake with walnut crumble topping

September 15 2011
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I had some frozen bananas and strawberries in my freezer and thought I’d make a teacake.  Not muffins, not banana bread or loaf cake which I would usually fall back on, but a teacake.

To be honest, when I decided to press the strawberries into the top of the mixture rather than mix them in, I thought the crumble topping would be too much.  But I was committed.  I wanted a teacake and you can’t have a proper teacake without some kind of topping.

I loved it.  There isn’t a strong banana flavour the way there would be in a banana bread or muffins, however the banana brings a light flavour and moist sweetness to this cake which combined well with the tangy bites of strawberry.  Then there was the sweet, substantial crunch of the topping.  I mean it could be a bit too much, gilding the lily you  might say – you could definitely leave the topping off as it would be great on it’s own.  I loved the topping though.   Crumble topping just adds that little extra something.

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Easy peasy blueberry sauce

September 14 2011
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I really like this sauce in summer as it goes with absolutely everything – Greek yoghurt, pancakes, waffles, porridge, ice cream.  I use slightly less maple syrup than the original and add a tiny bit of cornflour.  It has a lovely taste of blueberries without being too overpoweringly sweet.

Here’s barely a recipe: 300g blueberries, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup – simmer on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until thickened slightly but berries still intact.  Add a scant teaspoon of cornflour to a small amount of water and mix until smooth.  Add a bit at a time to the blueberry mixture while still on the stove, stirring, until it reaches a thickness you desire.

I don’t want it super thick, just a tiny bit, so it clings to the delicious food you’re pouring it over.

Adapted from: Nigella Express

Linguine with garlic, chilli, herbs and pine nuts

September 13 2011
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I love this pasta dish.  It’s my go-to recipe when my loved ones or I need a quick pick-me-up, comforting meal.  It’s quite rich and satisfying and you don’t need a huge amount.  It’s best with long pasta; either linguine or spaghetti.

You can add as much or little garlic as you like.  My other half likes a lot of garlic, I like a small amount so I usually compromise.  Likewise with the chilli.  Depending on what’s around, or in my herb pots, I sometimes just use a handful of continental parsley or some basil and a good amount of baby spinach.

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Waffles with maple syrup

September 11 2011
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I made a batch of waffles for breakfast this morning, using this simple recipe with a couple of adaptations.

Nothing fancy required yet they were perfectly fluffy inside and crisp on the outside as waffles should be; the mixture made the perfect amount for my waffle maker (I really hate it when the mixture slops over the edge and you have to clean it) and they tasted lovely with some butter and maple syrup.


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Mushroom omelet

August 29 2011
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One of the simplest, healthiest and low carb meals.  A mushroom omelet made with sliced sauteed Swiss browns and greens dressed with homemade French dressing.  Sometimes I add slow roasted cherry tomatoes with the mushrooms to fill the omelet and they add a lovely sweetness.

There were around 4 ingredients used for lunch today and it was lovely (all it was missing was a glass of white wine – next time).

mushroom omelet

mushroom omelet

 

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Lemon coconut loaf with lemon drizzle icing

August 28 2011
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This weekend’s baking was a light and fresh lemon coconut loaf.  While we’re not quite out of the winter woods yet, I spied lots of little green shoots and a burst of pretty pink flowers on my deck plants this morning which means warmer weather ahead, so I felt like a lemony treat.

I made this loaf with baking margarine and reduced fat milk and you know what?  It was great.  Normally I eschew such fakery (being a fan of continental unsalted butter) but occasionally baking has to take cardiovascular health into consideration.  Besides, I couldn’t be bothered going out and buying any (obviously walking to the shops would have helped my cardiovascular health considerably however cake seemed a more appealing option – doesn’t it always though?).

This was the first time I used this recipe and I used a standard loaf tin, not taking any notice of the clearly stated tin measurements in the recipe, which resulted in the mixture rising up suddenly then falling over the sides of the tin and onto the floor of the oven.  Just a warning that it’s not like a banana bread for example, it’s very much a cake which rises considerably (well, Captain Obvious reporting for duty really).  This explains the er …. somewhat diminished appearance.  I could have cried.

Despite all the drama, this cake was delicious so don’t be put off.  It’s soft and moist with a sweet, lemony, subtle coconut flavour which contrasts really well with the tart icing.  It was great with a cuppa this afternoon.

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