Baharat Spice Mix

Spice mixes are always fun to make, EVEN if say.... In the middle of the mixing you hear a CRASH and a SMASH and all of a sudden your kitchen floor is covered with cardamom like some sort of macigal desert...

Yes, that might have happened, but my flat ended up smelling amazing and festive, so I didn't mind really!

I found this recipe on one of my favourite blogs (check link below!) by Maikin, she is amazing, and the vegan food she dishes up always looks impeccable!

Hopefully, I will get to make the dish this was intended for. Which was this.

Baharat Spice Mix
(Makes 1 spice jar)

1 1/2 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
5 cloves
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp cinnamon
Good pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric

- Simply have all the spices in a large frying pan and fry over a low heat for a couple of minutes until fragrant, stirring always. You don't want yourself a burnt spice mix!

- Cool down, and have them in a mortar to grind, or in a spice grinder.

Et voilâ! You have just made your own spice mix! Time to experiment with dishes it can go into!

Have you made your own spice mixes before? And if so, which? I would love if you had some recipes to share!

This weekend, I went to my first ever Ceilidh! This is a traditional Scottish dance, and it was so much fun! Super confusing, trying to learn almost ten dances in two hours, but I got the hang of two of them - progress! Cannot believe I have been living in Scotland for almost eight years and not been at one until now, it was certainly not the last time I'll be going!

Yesterday, I went to a music event at the Barrowlands called Yellowland - it was an evening event where five bands were playing, the head liner being Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5. It was a great evening out and it was nice to catch up with friends and making new ones!

Today, I have been taking it piano (the word my Italian uncle always use for "taking it easy"), I had a morning coffee in the sunshine outside, and this afternoon I was catching up with a couple of lovely ladies! I hope you also have had a lovely weekend! x


Original source:
http://maikinmokomin.blogspot.fi/2015/12/tahinipaahdettu-kukkakaali-tahini.html

- Jules

Gold Top Apple Bake

I wanted something nice, something sweet, but not too much - just enough for it to taste like a dessert. First, I tried making a crumble based topping, but it didn't work, and then, I had an epiphany... EGG!
Yes, I made a baked egg dish with a lovely simple crusty top, and it was so easy to make too!

Gold Top Apple Bake
(Makes 1, about 170 calories each excluded nuts)

1 apple, grated
1/2 tsp "Autumn Spice", cinnamon or pumpkin Spice
1 egg white
1 digestive biscuit
Sukrin gold, xylitol or sweetner of choice
Chopped nuts, optional

- Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

- Grate the apple and mix half of the spice in with it. Then transfer the mix to a small oven proof dish. The one I used is approximately 5x8 centimetres.

- Now, mix the remaining ingredients, make sure to crumble the digestive veeery finely, I just used my hands for that. Whisk until a little bubble, and then pour over the appl, now top with chopped nuts if using, before baking it for approximately 25 minutes until golden and crisp on top. Enjoy! Maybe with some ice cream or vanilla yogurt on the side?

Now to the Autumn Spice...I have made pumpkin spice before, but not a whole jar of it. When I did, I discovered that sometimes nutmeg doesn't like me (or rather...I don't like it!) when I make certain sweet dishes.
Therefore, I thought I would swap the nutmeg for a bit of cardamom, to give it a bit of a milder taste, and now - I call it Autumn spice! You can use it for a lot of Wintery baked goods and dishes as well though!

Autumn Spice
(Makes 1 spice jar pictured)

3 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves

- Mix it all together and tip in in a jar! You can use this spice mix for gingerbread cookies, "pumpkin spice" recipes, cakes and bakes and some savoury dishes. Add a pinch of pepper for an extra bit of kick!

- Jules