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.