Easy Gingerbread

I've never made gingerbread before, but was feeling in the festive mood and had a free day dedicated to Christmas chores so thought I'd give it a shot! My origibal intention was to make some gingerbread men as party of a secret Santa present in work, but ended up making quite a lot!

I followed a BBC Goodfood recipe, however half way getting through the recipe and feeling as though I had made a mistake as it was resembling breadcrumbs, I realised that a lot of the reviews of the recipe were the same - not good! However I managed to save it by adding a bit more golden syrup and a splash of milk.. Here is what I did:

Ingredients

100g soft brown sugar

100g golden syrup

225g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 heaped tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

50g unsalted butter

Splash of milk

Additional tbsp of golden syrup 

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C and 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Sift together all of the dry ingredients (excluding sugar). Heat butter, sugar and syrup on a low heat until dissovled then leaver to cool. Then mix into dry ingredients when cooled to make a dough. ** At this point is where it started to resemble breadcrumbs for me, if that does occur I added a splash of milk and the additional tbsp of golden syrup. (some people suggested adding another 50g of melted butter instead.)
3. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill at room temperature for around 30 minutes.
4. Cover a surface with flour and be sure to cover rolling pin as well and roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into gingernread men. Place on trays allowing space to spread.

1. Cook for 7-10 minutes until your desired bake. I waited until around 7 so they were just golden and still chewy! I was really pleased with these and they taste so good too!

I then decorated with icing! 👍🏻

Original recipe here

Sweet Potato Risotto

This was a relatively quick meal to make especially considering that it's a risotto! I used this recipe, however did not use any wine! Instead I used some of the veggie stock for that part and left a few pieces of in mashed potato to leave on top.

Overall this was a great recipe to use, and I will definately make it again!

Sweet Potato and Banana Muffins

I was going to make a similar banana muffin recipe, and then discovered I had no flour! Ahh!! But luckily I managed to find a recipe online which didn't require flour - hurrah! This recipe can be found here.

For this I used:

1 small sweet potato

1 banana

1 egg

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp cinnamon

1 handful of raisins diced

1 handful chia seeds

Preheat the oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with cupcake papers or alternatively grease a muffin tin ready.

Peel and dice the potato. Boil in a pan on a medium heat until cooked. Then drain and mash, then add the banana and mash together. 

Place into a bowl and add all the other ingredients.

Then mix together. 

And evenly distribute in muffin cases.

Cook for around 18-20 minutes until muffins are golden.

And voila! These are perfect for packed lunches and can be frozen! They also taste great too! 

Quick Pasta Sauce!

These days I find myself with less time to cook as this boy is so active and doesn't have the patience to wait around for me! Today's lunch was a rushed one, and I made this recipe up on the spot. Luckily it tasted quite nice!

For this I used:

Olive oil

1 clove garlic diced

1 spring onion diced

3 tbsp tomato purée paste

50ml water

A sprinkle mixed herbs

Pasta

First I got my pasta on to cook by following the packet instructions. Whilst that was on I heated up a little oil in a pan and added the onion to soften. Then I added the garlic and cooked for one minute. Then I added the tomato purée and water a mixed together. Then added the herbs and cooked on a low heat until the pasta was fully cooked through. This recipe definitely worked well for the lack of time I had to prepare! And the boy enjoyed! 

Simple Tomato Pasta Sauce

This is a recipe that everyone needs to know! A basic pasta meal is always a winner with my boy, and is very adaptable too.

For this you will need:

1 tin of tomatoes (I used plum tomatoes)

2 tbsp tomato purée paste

1 white onion diced

Herbs of your choice. Great ones to use are Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, mixed herbs etc.

1 clove garlic diced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper for seasoning (optional)

Heat a little oil in a pan and add the onion. Fry until soft and add the garlic. Cook for a further minute and add the tinned tomatoes followed by the tomato purée. Break up the tomatoes as well as you can. Add a sprinkle of herbs and season with salt and pepper if using. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave until sauce has thickened. Meanwhile you could start to cook your pasta as per the packet instructions. Once pasta is cooked, drain and mix into the sauce. Then serve! 

Aubergine Meatless Balls!

I can't believe I never thought to replace meat mince with aubergines! The texture is so similar and they mould into balls really well. I can feel an aubergine burger recipe coming soon! I found a recipe for this on Pinterest, however changed up the quantities/ingredients a bit to match what I already had.

For this I used:

3 small aubergines (one large one would probably be enough)

2 cloves garlic diced

Breadcrumbs 

1/2 tbsp Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Fresh basil chopped

Dried Italian seasoning 

40g Mature cheddar cheese (Parmesan or similar would also work well)

1 egg for binding (optional)

Dice the aubergine into pieces and drizzle with olive oil a little salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan on a medium heat, then cook the aubergine until charred marks appear on both sides. Then leave to one side to cool.

Once cool place into a food processor and pulse into a paste. When you have an almost smooth consistency, place mixture into a bowl and add breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic and herbs and mix together. The recipe I followed used an egg to bind, however I found this mixture to be wet enough so did not add one. 

Form mixture into ball shapes and place onto baking paper lined tray. Bake until browned - approximately 20-25 mins. 

Then make a simple tomato sauce with pasta to go with it and you have yourself a meal! Sorry I didn't take many photos, I completely forgot! Hope you enjoy!

Welsh Rarebit

A lovely Welsh classic! This is a great alternative to cheese on toast, which is what it is basically... But with a twist!

For this you will need:

1 piece of bread (toasted)

40g grated cheddar cheese

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp English mustard powder (optional)

3-5 drops Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp milk

Mix all ingredients (excluding bread) together in a bowl. Toast the bread and spread mixture over the top. Under a medium heat grill, cook until cheese starts to bubble and turns golden. 

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Sauce

This is a great way to cram loads of veggies into a meal which is especially helpful if you have a fussy eater! It helps that it's really tasty too! 

For this I used:

A handful of cherry tomatoes

1 small red onion

2 cloves garlic

1/3 of an aubergine

1/2 red bell pepper

Olive oil

Pasta

Peel and dice all veg into roughly sized pieces. (You can leave the tomatoes whole!) Drizzle with olive oil and put into the oven for 20-30 mins until veg is soft. Remove from oven and leave to cool. Next cook pasta as per packet instructions. 

Once veg has cooled, put into blender or put into a bowl and use a hand blender until the veg has become a paste consistency. Stir sauce into pasta... And there you have it! Easy peasey!

I then attempted to be creative and tried to make a lion face! But you don't have to do this part! (Definitely a Pinterest gone wrong!!)

Sweet Potato Pizza!

This was such a good recipe! I was a bit sceptical about whether it would work or taste a bit weird... But I've been proven wrong! 

I can't actually remember where I got the recipe from, I think I read a few online and adapted it to suit what I had in the cupboard! The closest thing I could find to what I may have used as I don't remember was here but here is what I used:

1 large sweet potato 

1 cup plain flour

1tsp salt

1tsp baking powder

Tomato purée paste

1/2 mozzarella cheese

Herbs and toppings of your choice

Method

Peel and dice the potato and boil until soft. Drain and mash in a bowl. Add the flour, salt and baking powder and knead together with your hands. 

Sprinkle a surface with flour and roll out the dough. I separated the dough into two to make two smaller pizzas. Transfer onto a baking paper lined tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 mins until lightly golden. 

Then remove from oven (but leave oven on!) and add your toppings. I first added tomato purée paste, but you could use pasata or make your own tomato sauce. Then I added a sprinkle of dried Italian seasoning and topped with ripped up mozzarella and any other toppings you would like to use. 

Then place back into the oven until cheese has melted. 

I then added some fresh basil once out of the oven before serving. 

5532 A Day Guide: How to give baby a balanced diet every day

I received these rather handy booklets in the post from the British Nutrition Foundation. I thought I would share this info with you as I found it so helpful!

Quinoa Fish Fingers!

I made this recipe using leftover mix from the quinoa burger recipe. However added a few extra ingredients.

For this you will need:

1 cup quinoa, cooked in veg or chicken stock

1 cup broccoli boiled or steamed 

1 small sweet potato boiled or steamed

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 small portion of fresh salmon (I used salmon side)

1/2 small tin of mixed beans drained and washed

Breadcrumbs to coat

1 egg whisked

Mash the broccoli, sweet potato, beans, and cheese together. Mix into the quinoa. Then either finely dice or blend the salmon so its almost a paste and add to mix. Shape into patties or finger shapes.

Then dip the fish fingers/patties into the egg mixture and then coat in the breadcrumbs so it's evenly coated.

Transfer into a lined baking tray and cook at 180C until golden and fish is cooked through.

Quinoa Burgers!

I stole this recipe from @bubsbistro on Instagram! It's really easy to make, and tasty too!

For this you will need:

1 cup quinoa, cooked in veg or chicken stock

1 cup broccoli florets, boiled or steamed

1 small sweet potato, boiled or steamed

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

Mash all ingredients together in a bowl. Shape into patties and lay onto lined baking tray and cook at 180C in the oven until golden - easy!

These can also be frozen!

I also made homemade quinoa fish fingers with this recipe, which you can find here!

Easy Overnight Oats

This is a great breakfast meal as it can be prepared the night before, making breakfast time that little bit easier!

For this you will need:

Oats. I use plain rolled porridge oats. I usually but the supermarket's value version as not only are they cheaper, but contain no chemicals or other hidden extras! 

Fruit of your choice

Milk/yogurt/water etc

First fill your serving container with the amount of oats you want to use.

Then top with the yogurt/milk so it's covering the oats. 

I used Alpro Soya Almond Coconut Milk.

Then add your fruit and any other extras you want to soak with the oats. I used a couple of raspberries, some chia seeds (which expand in liquid anyway) and a squirt of maple syrup.

Then mix together, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge overnight. 

The following morning as you can see, the mixture is nice and thick (just how we like it!)

I then topped this with more raspberries, a few blueberries, more chia seeds and a sprinkle of mixed seeds. 

The flavour combination for this recipe is endless and it's a great meal to try out self feeding with a spoon! Hope you enjoy!

Sardine and Tomato Pasta

I'm not doing too well with these blog posts at the moment am I?! I will try to be a bit more efficient from now on! 

Anyway, this recipe was mainly inspired by a book we recently bought - Bart Van Olphen's 'Cooking With Tinned Fish'. It's a really great book with so many great ideas. 

Tinned fish is a great item for the store cupboard and can be used in so many ways. We usually keep tins of sardines or mackerel in the cupboard, however these days they come in a whole range of sauces, from tomato to curry! I find the plain flavoured ones and the tomato sauce ones are most used in our house!

For this recipe I used:

1/2 small onion

1 small carrot

1/5 of a butternut squash

1 tsp garlic paste

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 portion of wholewheat pasta

1 tin of sardines in tomato sauce

30ml vegetable stock

Olive oil

Method

Dice all of the veg into small pieces do they will cook together quickly. 

Open the tinned fish and remove any bones. The bones are soft and are edible, so you can leave them in but I preferred to remove them just in case! 

Cook your pasta as per the packet instructions. Meanwhile heat a little oil in a pan and add the veg and garlic paste. Fry lightly until they start to brown. Then add the stock and reduce to a simmer. Once the veg has started to become soft, add the tinned fish and tomato paste. Cook together until all veg is cooked through. Then add to the pasta and stir together... And that's it! This is a very adaptable recipe, next time I think I will add more veg and possibly bake it in the oven to crisp it up a bit like a pasta bake!