Category: Easy

For the times when you want something super simple to make.
Salted Caramel, Raspberry + Chocolate Brownie Pudding

Salted Caramel, Raspberry + Chocolate Brownie Pudding

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When I was younger my favourite dessert was chocolate sponge with custard, and this is a bit of a deluxe adaption on that warming comfort food classic. As usual I’ve gone a bit over the top on the indulgence, but it’s totally worth it. Fudgy chocolate brownie, with a salted caramel sauce underneath, and topped with fruity bursts of raspberries is the ultimate comforting pudding.

For the keen beans out there you’ll also notice that the brownie mix is pretty similar, ney identical to that in my Mississippi mud pie recipe. The is because I’m a) short on time this week and b) it works so well in this that it made sense to rework it into this recipe. So if by chance you made and enjoyed my Mississippi mud pie you’ll probably like this to!

(Note: It’s pretty rich, so a smallish tray will feed more people than you think!)

Recipe

Serves 10

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 160g Butter
  • 220g Dark chocolate
  • 3 Medium eggs
  • 210g Caster sugar
  • 40g Plain flour
  • 100g White chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 6 tsp Salted caramel (Homemade or shop bought)
  • 100g Raspberries
  • Cream to serve

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a glass, 30x20cm oven-proof dish with butter and set aside for later.
  2. Now make the brownie mix. Put the butter and chocolate into a bowl over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt.
  3. Take another bowl and whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy with an electric whisk. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until it leaves a trail when the whisk is taken out.
  4. Fold the chocolate into the eggs, sieve in the flour and add the chopped white chocolate. Fold everything again until combined.
  5. Take the caramel sauce and pour it over the base of your greased dish. Pour the brownie mix over the top and spread over evenly. Finally sprinkle over the raspberries and push them into the batter slightly.
  6. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the brownie is just cooked. Don’t leave it in the oven for too long, you want it to be gooey and soft in the middle.
  7. Serve with fresh rapberries and cream!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Pesto Salmon and Sweet Potato Traybake

Pesto Salmon and Sweet Potato Traybake

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So I’ve got to the end of detox January and on the whole it’s been pretty successful. I’ve found that making healthy dishes look appetizing is extremely hard, but you can still make meals that are super tasty. This one, for example, may look green, textureless and as though it’s come straight out of a 1970’s cookbook, but it tastes insane. Even better than that, it’s low-effort and only needs 6 ingredients!

Note: If you’re not a fan of the strong fishy taste that comes with salmon this also works really well with cod, and if you’re not a fan of sweet potato you can easily use any other root vegetable!

Recipe

Serves 2

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Sweet potatoes
  • 1 tbsp Olive oil
  • 2 Salmon fillets (I went for tail fillets as they’re cheaper and cook quicker)
  • 2 tbsp Pesto
  • 1 Red pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks
  • 100g Vine tomatoes

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  2. Cut the sweet potatoes into batons and then put into a deep roasting tin, (you can leave the skins on the potatoes). Drizzle with the oil, season with salt and pepper, and then mix to coat.
  3. Put the tin into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes.
  4. Once the potatoes have been in for this long you can start on the salmon. Put the salmon onto a sheet of tin foil, skin side facing down. Spoon the pesto over the fish, spreading it out into an even layer. Wrap the foil loosely around the salmon so it’s in a little, enclosed parcel.
  5. Put this salmon parcel into the tin with the sweet potatoes, (you may need to move the potatoes to one side of the tin to make room). Mix the potatoes around in the tin so that they can crisp up evenly and then put back into the oven to roast for another 10-15 minutes.
  6. 5 minutes before the end of this cooking time add the chopped red pepper and tomatoes to the tin to roast slightly.
  7. When the salmon is ready it will be pink and should flak easily when prodded with a fork. When it reaches this point take it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Serve with the roasted veg, and a side salad!

Thanks for reading, I’m going to be focusing on comfort food over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for that!

Emma x
Fruit Muffins

Fruit Muffins

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In every person’s healthy eating phase there comes a time where the ‘healthy muffin’ makes an appearance. They’re a sort of comforting link to the world of cakes, and yet are considered to be way more healthy (not sure why, but they are).

Whilst not great for the carb-free seekers, these are low in refined sugar, full of fibre and packed with fruit. The Greek yoghurt in the recipe might seem odd but it’s a clever way of  getting really light muffins. The acidity in yoghurt reacts with the baking powder to send it into overdrive and causes it to make lots of lovely CO2, which will make your muffins really light and airy.

Recipe

Makes 16

Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 160g Wholemeal flour
  • 50g Plain flour
  • 40g Rolled oats
  • 1 ½ tbsp Baking powder
  • ½ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
  • 200g Greek yoghurt
  • 2 Medium Bananas, mashed with a fork
  • 2 Large eggs
  • 100g Honey
  • 2 tsp Vanilla
  • Handful of blueberries
  • Handful of raspberries

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cases.
  2. Put the flours, oats, baking powder, and bicarb into a bowl and mix together.
  3. In another bowl put the yoghurt, mashed bananas, eggs, honey, and vanilla and whisk together.
  4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk to combine, then add the berries and whisk them a little more to mix them in. The mixture should be pretty thick, but if it’s too thick to work with you can thin it out with 2 tbsp of milk.
  5. Distribute the mixture between the muffin cases and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffins comes out clean.
  6. Leave to cool on a wire wrack and then they’re ready!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Tomato Soup

Tomato Soup

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Over new year I spent some time in Northern Italy, and for me there’s nowhere where the food is better. One of the things that really sticks in my mind from the trips I’ve made out there is their tomatoes. It’s an odd thing to pick up on, but their tomatoes are 100% better than any you find in the UK. Because of volcanic soil they manage to grow ones which are full of an intense, sweet and sour flavour which makes incredible tomato sauces and soups.

Whilst we don’t have direct access to this incredible produce, the UK does have it’s fair share of delicious vegetables and this soup is a great way of making use of this. Especially now we’re hitting the cold and wet season, and everyone seems to be getting flu, a quick, warm and nourishing bowl of soup is what we need. Packed full of good stuff and deliciously filling this soup is a perfect mid-week winter warmer.

Recipe

Serves 6

Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 White onion
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 1 Medium Carrot
  • 1 Celery Stick
  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 900g Ripe tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp Tomato puree
  • 2 Stock cubes
  • 1 Litre of boiling water
  • Salt and Pepper to season
  • Basil and Pine nuts to garnish

Method

1. Begin by prepping the vegetables. Peel and dice the onion, garlic and carrot. Then take the ends off the celery and chop it into chunks about the same size as the carrot.

2. Put the oil into a large saucepan and heat gently. Add the prepared vegetables once the oil just starts to bubble, and gently fry until the onions begin to caramelise – this’ll take about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile chop the tomatoes into chunks. Once the vegetables are ready add the tomatoes and puree to the mixture, stir to combine. Then leave with the lid on for 5 minutes to soften.

4. Next make up the  stock by putting two stock cubes into a jug and pouring over the boiling water. Stir with a fork until the stock cubes have dissolved.

5. Pour the stock over the vegetables and leave on a medium heat to gently simmer with the lid off for about 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly.

6. Take a hand-blender and blend the soup until it’s as smooth as you want it. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Ladle into bowls and garnish with pine nuts and fresh basil. Serve with fresh bread and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Potato and Leek Soup

Potato and Leek Soup

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It’s the second bake of detox January and I’ve gone for the classic diet staple of soup. I know it doesn’t look like much – trust me, it’s very hard to make potato soup look sexy – but it tastes really good, which when you’re dieting is a big plus. As you can see from the recipe it’s very simple and quick to make as you only really need to chop up some veg. You can also alter the quantities depending on how you like the consistency of your soup; essentially the more potatoes you add the thicker it will be. If you’re not in detox land at the moment and you want a deluxe version I’d recommend adding a couple of rashers of grilled bacon and 50ml double cream to the mix before blending!

Recipe

Serves 5

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Knob of butter
  • 1 White onion, chopped roughly
  • 3 Medium leeks, sliced into discs
  • 3 Medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
  • 1 Vegetable stock cube
  • 100ml Single cream to serve (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to season

Method

  1. Put the butter into a large saucepan and melt gently over a medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelise and brown.
  3. Add the leeks, potatoes and stock cube. Then pour over enough boiling water to cover all the vegetables. Stir to dissolve the stock cube and then leave to boil until the veg are soft.
  4. Puree with a hand blender until smooth. Season to taste and then serve with a drizzle of cream and fresh bread!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x