My Pizza dinner

 

This was my dinner last night, I tried out one of the new pizzas from www.basilico.co.uk , that has put 2 of their pizzas on the menu with the option of ordering it with Lactofree chese.

I decided to try out the Margherita, because I am of the opinion, that if a restaurant can get the simple dishes right, they are an excellent restaurant, and I was defiantly not disappointed. This pizza literally took me back to my childhood, where we had an Italian pizza place nearby, and on special occasions we would get a pizza from there. I would always order the Margherita and the pizza I got from Basilico tasted just like the one I got when I was a young.

The base of the pizza was thin and crispy, the sauce tasted of ripe tomatoes and the cheese had melted perfectly and was not overpowering. I will defiantly be ordering more pizzas in the future.

Have you tried the new pizza? let me know what you thought in the comments below.

Hot Chocolate for autumn weather

So haven’t been blogging for a long time, and the reason is I have been moving. We have moved in to an old house that needs a lot of updating, especially the kitchen needs to be replaced, so there might not be a lot of post in the near future as well.

At the moment we are so busy fixing up the house, that there isn’t a lot of time for us to cook anyway even if we had a new kitchen. So at the moment most of our meals are whatever is easy and quick, but I still try and eat healthy. So if you would like for me to share easy but healthy meals with you let me know in a comment below.
 

I don’t know if anyone else is starting to feel like autumn is creeping in on us, but I have defiantly felt like I needed to find the big sweaters for the evenings lately. And another thing that I have had a few times that would suggest autumn is near is hot chocolate. I simply use my chocolate syrup (click here for recipe), which is almost a steady thing I have in the fridge, and just add it to hot milk. So easy for when you need something warm and sweet, and then just drink on its own or top with some marshmallows or some lactofree whip cream that is my favorite and on the picture above.

If you try this recipe, please let me know in the comments what you think.

A better for you chocolate chip cookie

I have found that snacks are a necessity to help you though an Olympic fever :-) And in the Olympic spirit of sports and eating healthy, these cookies are just the right snack for any event.
These lovely cookies taste just as good as any cookie, but with no egg, butter or white sugar, but packed with vitamins from the nuts and with slow release of energy, so a great snack after doing sports.....or watching some ;-)

I know I say “they are so easy to make” a lot, but these really are super easy to make, and great to make with kids, as they can help with almost the whole process, from measuring, stirring and shaping.

100g of any nuts you like, I used 50g walnuts and 50g hazelnuts on these, but you can also use almond, pecans for instance.
100g plain white flour, white spelt flour or for gluten free Doves farm gluten free plain white flour
50ml mild olive oil or sunflower oil
50ml agave or sweet freedom
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ fine salt
100g Dark dairy free chocolate buttons
25g choped nuts (optional, just gives a bit more crunch)

Preheat oven to 175°C

In a blender, blend together nuts, flour and salt, untill finly blended. Transferee to a bowl and break up any clumps between your hands.
whisk together the wet ingredients, and with a fork, stir them into the flour-nut mixture, until it all comes together as a sticky dough.
Stir in the chocolate buttons and chopped nuts.
take teaspoons of dough and roll into balls between your hands, place on a baking tray covered with baking paper, and press them a bit flatter to a cookie shape.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let them stay on the baking tray for a few minutes, then transferee to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note: I have tried with both plain flour and with gluten free flour, and the only difference is that the gluten free become a bit more crispy :-)

What is your favorite Olympic watching snack?

Small chocolate cake-brownies. Gluten, Dairy, Egg and White Sugar free.

Makes 10-11

You would never believe that these little cake like brownie are Egg, Gluten, Dairy and white sugar free if you didn’t know it, and none of your guest would know it either, they would simply think that they had just tasted one of the best chocolate cakes ever.
Even good for people who are keeping an eye on their cholesterol.

Good served a bit warm with a scoop of ice cream and some fresh berries for a lovely desert, but also equally as good for just eating on its own cold.

175g Doves farm gluten free plain white flour
50g pure unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
½ teaspoon Carbonate of soda
¼ Xantham gum
½ teaspoon salt
100ml Mild Olive Oil
100ml or 125g naturally sweetened apple sauce. See here for recipe.
150ml Agave syrup or Sweet freedom
1 tablespoon vanilla past or 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
100ml strong coffee
150g Dark dairy free chocolate buttons.

Preheat the oven to 175°C
fill the cupcake mould with papers or grease them with a bit of oil.

Whisk or sift together all the dry ingredients in a big bowl.
Mix all the wet ingredients in another bowl and stir it into the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon. Be careful not to over work the dough, as you just want to stir until it all comes together, and then stir in the chocolate buttons.
Fill the 10-11 cupcake moulds and bake for 14-16 minutes.

Note: you can easily make these the day before serving, and they will keep moist for several days because there is no eggs in them.

Naturally sweetened apple sauce

The main reason for me putting this recipe on the blog is because it is good to use in Gluten free, Egg free, White sugar free and Dairy free baking, but this recipe is also delicious to use on you breakfast porridge or as a healthy desert with some roasted nut and maybe a bit of lactofree whip cream.

You can make this on the amount of apples you have, simply just ad up with how many grams of apples you have. 400g apples makes about 300g apple sauce.

Per 100g of peeled and cored apples use:
½ tablespoon agave syrup or sweet freedom (available in most supermarkets)
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

Simply dice the apples into small pieces and place in a pot. Add the agave or sweet freedom and lemon juice and cook with a lid on medium heat for 20-30 minutes, depending on the apples.

When apples are cooked through, take the pan off the heat and let it cool down. Transferee to a blender and blend until smooth.

I normally do this every time I have some apples that have gone past eating fresh, and I put the apple sauce in small freezing bags or freezable containers, in 125g portions and freeze until wanted.

Eggs Benedict

With Bacon

A long weekend is just not right without a bit of brunch for you to have enjoyed it to the fullest.

One of mine favourite dishes for brunch is defiantly eggs Benedict. Now it isn’t the easiest or healthiest of dishes, but if any weekend would be perfect for this dish, it would defiantly be the jubilee weekend.

With smoked salmon (think it has a different name when made with salmon, but not quite sure)

I know poach eggs are not the easiest, but the trick is fresh eggs, and once you get the hang of it, it is actually not that difficult.

Eggs Benedict

8 slices of thin crispy bacon or 4 slices of smoked salmon.
2 white muffins (English)
4 fresh eggs (if an egg sink in a bowl of cold water, it is fresh)

Hollandaise sauce

2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon warm water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼-½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste at the end)
125g Lactofree butter

But a pan of water on the heat to use for the poached eggs, and bring to a boil.
Melt butter on slow heat in microwave or in a small pan, until just melted.
In a heatproof bowl, that fits on top of the pan of boiling water like a bain marie, whisk egg yolks, salt, warm water and lemon juice well with an electric whisk.
Slowly, while whisking, ad the melted butter until all mixed well.
Using a hand whisk, transferee the bowl to the pan of simmering water, and keep whisking until you get the wanted consistency. Add more salt to taste.
Set aside, and heat up as before, just before serving.

Break the muffins in half and toast.

Cook bacon crispy.

Poached eggs:

Take the pan of the heat (if you have a thermometer, 80°C is the best temperature).
Crack the eggs one at a time onto a slotted spoon to drain any water from the egg, and then scoop into the hot water. Cook for about 4 minutes.
Remove with the slotted spoon and drain any excess water away.

Ensemble by placing 2 half of toasted muffins on each plate, layer with bacon or salmon.
Place a poach egg on each and drizzle on a spoon of hollandaise sauce on each.
And maybe sprinkle on some black pepper or cut chives.

Serve with some fresh orange juice and tea or coffee, and you have got yourself the perfect jubilee brunch.

Enjoy and hope you all have a lovely jubilee weekend.

Raspberry cream layered cake

(My Jubilee cake)

Only made half the recipe, as I was doing a small cake

This cake is made up of only 8 ingredients, and very easy to make.
It is made up of thin cake layers, layered together with a raspberry cream.
And is good to make for special occasions, as the layers are best baked a day or 2 before, and should be put together at least a few hours before served, so that only leaves decorating just before serving and makes it a lot less stressful.

Cake Layers:

3 large eggs
100g sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or paste
75g plain white flour

 Preheat oven to 200ºC

Whisk eggs and sugar together until you gets to a thick and pale stage, and the whisk leaves shapes in the mixture, about 5-8 minutes with an electric whisk.

Whisk in the vanilla.
Sift in the flour a ¼ at a time, and turn it into the mixture carefully using a spatula, being careful not to take any of the air out of it.

Draw a circle on the back of the baking paper and turn it around. Scoop out the batter and spread ½ inch thick and out to the edges of the drawn circle, or about ½ inch (1cm) from the edge if you want it to fit into a mold like I did.

Bake the cake layers until they are golden brown then take them off the baking tray with paper to cool.
Once all layers are baked and cool, simply cut around the baking paper, and layer them up on top of each other with the baking paper still attached, and store in a container or wrapped in foil, until you need them for the cake.

Raspberry cream:

750ml Lactofree whipping cream
150g frozen raspberries
3-4 tablespoon of icing sugar

Let the raspberries thaw a bit, then blend them up to a fine paste.
Whip the whip cream until you get a firm whipping cream (hope that make sense, but you just don’t want a runny whip cream)
Take a side ½ of the whip cream for decorating the sides of the cake.
Whisk in the raspberry paste in the rest of the whip cream, and ad the icing sugar a tablespoon at a time to taste (depending on how sour the raspberries are).

Constructing the cake.

Fresh raspberries
The cake layers
Raspberry cream
And the rest of the whip cream.

You can construct it free style or in a mold like I have, just depend on what look you are going for.

Start with on cake layer, then spread ¼ of the raspberry cream on top of it, and just repeat on with 3 more layers.
Cover and store in the fridge until ready for serving.

Just before serving, piper the rest of the whip cream on the side of the cake, and decorate with fresh raspberries on top.

I hope you all have a wonderful jubilee weekend.

Last minute Easter menu inspiration

Happy Easter everyone.

If you are still in need of some inspiration for some Easter treats for tomorrow? This Easter this is some of my favourites from my blog that I will be doing and might inspire you.

Hot Cross buns

Oat pancakes with fruit syrup for a lovely breakfast

Heart of palm on bread for a starter or canapés.

Shooting Star which is a danish open sandwich and a whole meal in one.

Lemon Mousse for desert

And Chocolate peanut crunch squares for tea and coffee

Lemon and Almond drizzle cake

I have made so many lemon drizzle cakes in the last few years, as it is my boyfriend’s workplaces favourite and they are always asking for it.

Lemon cake aren’t the prettiest of cakes for holidays, but what this lack in looks it certainly makes up for in taste and would be a perfect end to an Easter dinner.

200g sugar
3 large eggs
150ml of tasteless oil like light olive oil
zest of 3 lemons
150g ground almonds
150g plain flour (or gluten free flour, like doves farm).
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt.

Lemon syrup:
75ml lemon juice
50g sugar

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees

Whisk the eggs and sugar for a few minutes until they are pale and fluffy.
Then whisk in the oil and lemon zest.

Mix the dry ingredients and fold into the egg mixture using a wooden spoon or spatula.

Bake for about 40-45 minutes, test by sticking a tooth pick or small sharp knife in the middle and it comes out clean.
Note: it will go quite dark and probably sink a bit in the middle when cooled.

When the cake is out of the oven, bring the lemon juice and sugar to a boil in a small pan. Once the sugar has dissolved take it off the heat and cool for 10-15 minutes with the cake.

Using a fork or a single spaghetti, prick the cakes surface full of holes for the syrup to get better absorbed, then slowly pour the lemon syrup over the whole cake.

Let it cool completely before taking it out of the baking tin.

Dairy free chocolate Easter eggs

Still unsure where to get your chocolate Easter egg for Easter, then here are some links for the chocolate eggs I would recommend.

If you are looking for an Easter egg for a kid or someone who is not keen on dark chocolate, for me it has to be the Moofree Easter egg. It doesn’t have a funny aftertaste like some dairy free “dairy” chocolates can have, it is a bit on the sweet site, but beside that is a really really good dairy free chocolate. see an earlier post on Moofree here.
www.moofreechocolates.com

Booja Booja makes amazing dairy free chocolate truffles and for Easter they come in hand decorated wooden egg shaped boxes, that can be re-used year after year. Again you don’t need to be a dark chocolate lover for these, as flavours like hazelnut crunch has a similar taste to Nutella or Ferreo Rocher, so if you like those, you will really like these ones. see an earlier post on booja booja here.

www.boojabooja.com

Then there is Montezuma’s and Hotel Chocolate, who both have quite a good dark selection this Easter, I have tasted quite a lot chocolate from both places and they never disappoint if you like dark chocolates. On their sites you just want to look for the products saying dairy free, vegan or has a milk bottle symbol with a line across it.
www.hotelchocolat.co.uk

www.montezumas.co.uk

Products like Moofree and Booja Booja can both be bought from the website  www.goodnessdirect.co.uk where they also have a lot of other chocolate Easter treats and are really easy to use to find any dairy free or lactose free products from.

Hope you all have a lovely easter.