Recipes

Christmas Cosmopolitan

Ingredients
  

  • 2- parts vodka – 50mls
  • 1- parts Cointreau – 25mls
  • 4 – parts freshly squeezed clementine – 100mls
  • 2 – parts cranberry juice – 50mls
  • Squeeze of fresh lime
  • Ice
  • Garnish with a slice of fresh clementine frozen cranberries and a lime twist.

Instructions
 

  • Place the vodka, Cointreau, Cranberry juice and strained Clementine juice into a cocktail shaker or
  • jug, shake or stir and pour into 2 martini glasses, add a squeeze of lime to each, some ice and garnish
  • with frozen cranberries, a slice of clementine and a twist of lime.

Notes

Serves 2
126 calories per serve

Crispy Chilli Beef

Ingredients
  

  • Sauce:
  • -2 tbsp gluten free soya sauce
  • -2 tbsp barbecue sauce
  • -2 tbsp garlic infused oil
  • -1 tsp coconut sugar
  • -1 tsp Worcester sauce
  • -1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • -300g sweet and sour sauce I drain it just for the sauce and keep the vegetables for another time
  • -1 tbsp cornflour
  • Batter:
  • -500g stir fry beef
  • -2 eggs
  • -150g gram flour you can use cornflour I just love how crispy gram flour goes
  • -500ml crisp and dry oil
  • Egg fried rice
  • -1 mug of rice to 2 parts water
  • -Salt
  • -100g peas
  • -2 eggs
  • -2 tbsp gluten free soya sauce
  • -2 tbsp sesame oil
  • Other ingredients;
  • -1 red pepper deseeded and finely chopped
  • -1 green pepper deseeded and finely chopped
  • -handful of chives finely chopped
  • -sesame seeds
  • -coriander

Instructions
 

  • Place gram flour into a bowl and in a separate bowl beat your two eggs together. Add oil to a deep pan and heat up on a medium heat. Taking each pieces of beef coat it evenly in the gram flour, transfer this to the beaten egg and then back again into to the gram flour. Make sure to keep hand clean and one for covering all pieces of beef. I always test my batter first before adding too many pieces into the pan of oil. If you test sample starts to bubble and crisp up this will indicate your oil is at the right temperate.
  • I always recommend having a plate near with a double piece of kitchen roll on to absorb any access oil from the beef. Repeat the process of covering all pieces of beef ensuring not to put too many pieces in at once as this can lead to pieces getting stuck together or not crisping up as much. Remove pieces with a wire skimmer spoon as oil will be extremely hot.
  • Bring a pan to boil, season with salt and add rice. Cook for twenty minutes or until all water has been absorbed and rice is fluffy in texture.
  • Whilst, the rice is cooking you can prepare your sauce. Add garlic oil to a frying pan and slowly add in soya sauce, barbecue sauce, worcester sauce and balsamic sauce and coconut sugar to infuse all flavours together for 1 minute. Strain sweet and sour sauce of any chunks of fruit and vegetable and add to the pan. Using the jar add 1 tbsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp of water and mix together. Slowly pour into pan and mix until sauce begins to thicken and remove from heat.
  • All your beef should been crispy and resting; your rice will also be ready to be drained if any water is remaining. In a separate pan add some garlic oil and finely chopped allow to cook until al dente.
  • In a large wok add sesame oil until hot and quickly add in rice; using a jug add 2 eggs, 2 tbsp sesame seed oil and 2 tbsp of soy sauce and combine with rice until egg is cooked through. Add frozen peas until cooked through.
  • In the pan with the peppers, turn the heat back on to warm pepper through, add crispy beef and top with sauce to combine all flavours together.
  • Serve rice with a portion of crispy beef and top off with sesame seeds, chopped chives and coriander.

Notes

Serves: 4 people

Ratatouille

French vegetarian dish using seasonal vegetables. Perfect served with pasta, rice, crusty bread or as a side dish. Stores well in the fridge or can be frozen for a quick easy meal packed with 4 of your 5 a day. Serves 4 – 5

Ingredients
  

  • 4 small or 3 large courgettes
  • 2 aubergines
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 yellow pepper
  • 4 large ripe tomatoes – could be replace with a tin of good quality chopped tomatoes.
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1 handful of black olives
  • 3 – 4 garlic cloves
  • 4 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Fresh Basil
  • salt & pepper

Instructions
 

  • Wash the peppers, aubergines and courgettes. Cut the ends off the courgettes and slice into small disks. Remove the stalk and seeds from the peppers, slice lengthwise into 4 pieces and then into bite sized chunks. Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, place the cut sides down on the chopping board and then slice lengthwise again, then across into 1.5cm slices, keep all the pieces pressed together to help prevent them turning brown as you prepare the rest of the vegetables. Peel and slice the onion and garlic and wash the basil.
  • If you are using fresh tomatoes score each one across the top with a small cross and place in a bowl of boiling water for 20 seconds, remove and replace the boiling water with cold water to cool. Remove from the water and peel the skin away, remove the hard stalk from the top and discard, roughly chop into small chunks and set aside.
  • Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot add the sliced aubergine and brown the aubergines on each side for about 5 mins be careful not to over cook the veg or it will be very soggy. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add another tbsp of olive oil to the pan and add the courgettes, cook for 3 mins or until just brown. Once done remove and place to one side.
  • Add another tbsp of oil to the pan and do the same with the peppers until cooked, then remove and set aside.
  • Add the last tbsp of olive oil to the pan and fry the onions for about 3 minutes, crush the garlic in and fry for a further minute. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and a tsp of sugar, add the prepared tomatoes or the tinned tomatoes if you are using them and half the basil stir through for a minute or 2 and then return all the rest of the cooked vegetables to the pan and the olives, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Once cooked add the remaining basil.
  • Serve stirred through some wholegrain pasta, on rice or on its own with crusty bread.

Notes

Nutritional info
Calories 261
Fat 15g
Carbs 19g
Protein 6g

Ice Cream Cake

Serves 14-16 depending on how big a slice you want.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tub 1800g – walls soft scoop light vanilla ice cream
  • 200 g Chocolate chips
  • 50 g Honeycomb Chunks
  • 5 Wagon Wheels chopped into small pieces
  • Dark chocolate for grating
  • Salted caramel sauce – I used Jude’s
  • You will also need a 20- 23cm springform tin & clingfilm

Instructions
 

  • Place the full ice cream tub into a mixing bowl.
  • Line a 20- 23cm springform tin with clingfilm, both the bottom and the sides so you have some hanging over at the top.
  • Chop the wagon wheels into small pieces, leaving one to the side to top them cake.
  • Mix 4 of the chopped wagon wheels, 150g of chocolate chips, all the honeycomb into the ice cream.
  • Scrape the mixture into into the springform tin, flatten and smooth the top of the cake, cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer to firm.
  • Once the cake has firmed up, remove from the freezer, release the spring form tin and and lift the cake out by the clingfilm, remove the clingfilm and place on a plate.
  • Top the cake with the leftover 50g of chocolate chips, the chopped wagon wheel and the grate some dark chocolate over the top.
  • Let the cake soften enough to slice and then serve with warmed caramel sauce (be careful when warming the sauce, it only needs a few seconds in the microwave)
  • You can place any leftover cake back in the freezer if you can resist eating it all.

Notes

Calories are based on 14 slices and don’t include the salted caramel sauce.
Nutritional Value per slice from 14 slices not including caramel sauce
Calories per slice 328
Protein 5.7g
Carbs 44.1g
Fat 13.9g

Chicken, Bean and Cheese Quesadillas

Calories 464 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 100 g Adzuki Beans.
  • 75 g Red Leicester cheese grated
  • 75 g Reduced fat mature cheese grated
  • 100 g Cooked Chicken Breast pieces sliced.
  • 1 Red or green chilli de seeded and finely chopped
  • 6 Spring onions finely sliced
  • 1 Large red pepper finely diced
  • 1 Handful of chopped fresh coriander
  • 6 Large tortilla wraps white or wholemeal

Instructions
 

  • Place the tortillas to one side whilst you mix all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
  • Divide the mixture into three portions.
  • Put a large non- stick frying pan on a medium heat, place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with one portion of the cheese mixture, place another tortilla on top and press together.
  • Heat for about a minute and a half and then flip the tortilla over and cook for about another minute and a half until the cheese has melted and the outside of the tortilla is nice and crispy.
  • Do the same with the remaining ingredients and cut each quesadilla into 8 wedges.
  • Serve with Salsa and Guacamole.
  • Once cooked they could be eaten hot or cold, or you could make the tortillas ahead and keep them in the fridge ready to cook up for a quick lunch.

Notes

Makes 3 large Quesadillas each cut into 8 wedges
Serves 4
Nutrition per serving
6 wedges per serve
Calories 464
Protein 25g
Carbs 55g
Fat 16g

Tomato Salsa

Servings 8
Calories 44 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Ripe Tomatoes
  • 1 Handful of Coriander
  • 1 Red onion finely diced
  • 1 Red Chilli
  • 1 Large garlic clove
  • 1 Large lime juiced
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 pinch of sugar
  • ½ teaspoon of Cumin
  • Sprinkle of Chilli powder

Instructions
 

  • Finley chop the tomatoes, coriander and onion and place in a bowl. De-seed the chillies finely chop and add to the bowl. Grate or crush the garlic and add to the bowl with a pinch of sugar, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, the lime juice and salt and pepper.
  • Mix until combined and serve.

Notes

Serves 8
Nutrition per serving
Calories 44
Protein 0.9g
Fat 3.2g
Carbs 3.2g

Guacamole

Servings 8
Calories 92 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Medium ripe Avocados
  • 1 large red chilli de-seeded
  • Handful of spring onions ends cut off and discarded
  • Handful of cherry tomatoes chopped
  • Handful of fresh Coriander
  • A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Place 2 Avocados, the chilli, Coriander, spring onions and tomatoes into a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, transfer to a bowl and mash in the third avocado for a more chunky texture, season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes

1.25 g protein
 5.1g carbs
7.8g fat

Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats

Ingredients
  

  • 40 g Oats
  • 1 tbsp Cacao
  • 1 tbsp Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Powder optional
  • 1 tsp Chia Seeds
  • 1 tbsp Peanut Butter Can use any nut butter
  • 200 ml Milk of Choice

Instructions
 

  • Put all the ingredients in an empty peanut butter jar, shake until mixed well put the lid on and place in the fridge overnight.
  • Add sliced banana and cinnamon or whatever fruit you like and that's breakfast ready to go!
  • If you have children, why not get them to make breakfast themselves to look forward to in the morning and start teaching them about nutritious food from the word go.

Chocolate Lemon Drizzle Protein Bites

Louise Carson
Servings 16
Calories 81 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp Water
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Flour
  • 1 Lemon juiced
  • 25 g Pumpkin Seeds
  • 20 g Almonds
  • 50 g Ground Almond Flour
  • 20 g Raw Cacao Powder
  • 85 g Protein powder
  • 90 g Soft Dates stoned

Instructions
 

  • Place Almonds, Protein Powder, Sunflower Seeds, Almond flour and Raw Cacao in a blender and blend until a crumb like consistency
  • Add dates and process again
  • Add lemon juice and water gradually – you want a consistency you can combine and roll into balls
  • Divide into 16 balls and roll in the coconut flour
  • Place in the fridge

Notes

5.2g Carbs
3.7g Fat
5g Protein

Easter Nests

BBC Good Food
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 139 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Milk Chocolate Broken into pieces
  • 85 g Shredded Wheat Crushed
  • 200 g Mini Eggs 2 bags

Instructions
 

  • Melt the chocolate in a small bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water. Pour the chocolate over the shredded wheat and stir well to combine.
  • Spoon the chocolate wheat into 12 cupcake cases and press the back of a teaspoon in the centre to create a nest shape. Place 3 mini chocolate eggs on top of each nest. Chill the nests in the fridge for 2 hrs until set.

Rhubarb, Strawberry & Ginger Crumble

Amy Fearn
Free from: dairy, soya, egg, gluten, wheat and nuts, also low
FODMAP

I’m always looking for ways to make food accessible to
myself and my daughter. With our combined food allergies and intolerances, it’s
usually easier and less stressful to cook from scratch. In this simple, quick
crumble recipe, fresh ginger adds that warmth we crave when the days start to get
shorter and colder. Topped with vanilla custard, it’s delicious. This is pure comfort
in a bowl.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 540 g Tin of rhubarb (245g drained weight)
  • 410 g Tin of strawberries (129g drained weight)
  • 5 g Fresh Ginger finely chopped
  • 80 g Gluten Free Plain Flour
  • 30 g Demerara Sugar
  • 20 g Gluten Free Rolled Oats
  • 50 g Dairy Free Margarine

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)
  • Open the tins of fruit and pour the contents into a colander to remove the syrup/juices. Transfer the drained fruit to a 16 cm round oven proof dish.
  • Peel and finely chop the fresh ginger then add it to the fruit. Mix in the ginger and break up any large pieces of fruit to distribute evenly.
  • Weigh the flour, sugar and oats into a medium sized bowl. Mix briefly, then rub the margarine into the dry ingredients. It will clump and feel buttery.
  • Scatter the crumble mix over the fruit until it’s completely covered, then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
  • Serve with a generous helping of vanilla custard

Notes

Quick vanilla custard using custard powder:
Follow the instructions on the packet using your choice of milk alternative. Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste before serving.

Overnight Oats

Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 person
Calories 348 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 50 g Rolled oats
  • 100 ml Coconut Water Can use milk
  • 2 tbsp Nut butter
  • 50 g Mixed berries
  • 1 tbsp Honey
  • Pinch Himalayan Salt

Instructions
 

  • The night before place the oats into an airtight glass container like a
    mason jar or a glass jar with a locking lid. Mix with the water or milk. Stir
    in the cinnamon and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Leave in the fridge
    overnight.
  • The next day, soften with a little more water or milk to suit your taste.
    Stir in the nut butter, you may want to leave the butter at room
    temperature for a few minutes before doing this.
  • Top with the yoghurt, berries and a drizzle of honey and serve.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Sarah Pearce
This month’s recipe is a delicious blueberry oatmeal snack. It is also a
baby and toddler approved breakfast that can be made in advance and eaten one-
handed by a feeding mama! You could also experiment with other seasonal fruit,
October is a great month for blackberries.




Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz Rolled Oats
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 Mashed ripe banana
  • 6.5 floz Milk
  • 1 tbsp Maple Syrup Or Stevia
  • 2 Large Eggs Beaten
  • 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Essence
  • 1 Handful Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
  • 1 tsp Black Chia Seeds

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180c
  • Grease brownie tray (8×8) – can use spritz of coconut oil
  • Mash banana in the bottom of your mixing bowl and add in the other ingredients. (Blueberries are last item to go in)
  • Mix until an even consistency
  • Add to baking tin and gently level
  • Bake until light brown/set (approx 30-35 mins)
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before loosening sides with a palette knife
  • Remove from tin, allow to cool and cut in to portion sizes
  • Delicious served warm with a spoonful of Greek Yogurt and a little fruit
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
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