Pumpkin-Tastic Lentil Soup

Hello!

T'is a bit of a late post today, because I have spent literally ALL day at the BBC Good Food Show! It was a great experience, and tonight I will be trying to put together a little post about it, so stay tuned!

Now over to one simple and absolutely delicious Autumn soup - pumpkin and lentil! I was actually surprised at how creamy it turned out without any cream or yogurt added, why don't you try for yourself?

Pumpkin-Tastic Lentil Soup
(Serves 2-3, about 185-125 calories each)

1 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
400g steamed pumpkin/squash or pumpkin purée
50g red lentils
About 10 thyme sprigs, leaves only
500ml-1 litre of vegetable stock (depends how thick you like it)
1/2-1 tbsp pepper
A good pinch of sugar

Toasted pumpkin seeds to top it off with, and good bread to serve!

- Start by having the onions in a medium-sized non-stick pot over medium heat and soften for a few minutes.

- Then, add the garlic and continue swishing it about for a minute before adding the pumpkin, lentils, thyme, sugar and stock. Simmer over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender.

- Use a stick blender and whizz until smooth, adding a little bit of extra salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Serve up topped with pumpkin seeds and some good bread on the side, and enjoy!


Original source:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/creamy-pumpkin-lentil-soup

- Jules

Oatmeal Chocolate Snack Cake

Whenever I mentioned to a friend of mine that I had made a baked oatmeal cake, he immediately requested it was put up on the blog! I have since made it twice now, and finally, here it is!

This is a fairly healthy snack which feels like dessert, only it is packed with protein, healthy carbohydrates and half of a five a day too! Silly me forgot to grease the quiche dish before pouring in the mix, now I will remember to do it the next time I make it though, for sure!

Oatmeal Chocolate Snack Cake
(Serves 1, about 270 calories minus topping)

30g porridge oats
10g chocolate protein powder
1 heaped tsp cocoa powder
100ml skimmed milk
1 egg white
A pinch each of baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
50g apple sauce or mashed banana
Topping - Whatever you feel like!

- Pre-heat your oven at 180ºC.

- In a cereal bowl or small baking bowl, combine all the ingredients for the cake and let it sit for a few minutes before pouring it into a small, greased or silicone cake or quiche tin and popping it in the oven! You can also make cupcakes out of these, which I think I might just do next time, just to see it it'll be a success.

-Bake for about 15-20 minutes depending on the baking dosh you're using. In the meantime, you can have a shower and get ready to face the day if having it for breakfast!

- Top with whatever you want to! Cocoa cream cheese, syrup or just a light sprinkle of icing sugar or dessicated coconut perhaps? It tasted nice plain too! I decided to spread some light butter and honey on top followed by a few chopped almonds, mmm!


Original source:
http://bakekona.blogg.no/1379185364_ovnsbakt_sjokoladehav.html

- Jules

Latkes

I have been meaning to make these for a while now, but for some reason they didn't seem dinnery enough to make, and so I made them for breakfast instead!
Latkes could also be used as an accompaniment to many dishes as well as the main piece. They taste delicious with sweet chilli sauce (everything seems to do these days!), and I added some nutritional yeast to them as well, but that is optional!

Latkes
(Makes 5-6, about 560 calories for the lot)

250g potatoes, grated (you don't even have to peel them, just give them a good wash!)
2 small eggs
2 Spring onions, chopped
10g nutritional yeast (optional)
1-2 tbsp low fat cottage cheese (you can also use ricotta)
1 tbsp olive oil

- Start by mixing everything except from the oil in a bowl. Then, heat a little oil at a time in a pan.

- Put a heaped tablespoon of the latkes mixture into the frying pan, and repeat. Fry them on medium heat for about 5 minutes on the first side and 2-3 on the other. Do NOT flip them until they have set, as you will end up just getting a pile of mush. I was actually quite worried they wouldn't set enough, but a few minutes later aaaall was good, and then I had a lovely breakfast!

Sweet chilli sauce anyone?


Original source:
http://witcheskitchen.com.au/latkes-with-cottage-cheese/

- Jules

Creamy Chocolate Quinoa

I have come across a couple of recipes for quinoa porridge recently, and I decided to try and make it myself today for lunch! It has a lovely creamy consistency, aaaand contains a little more protein than most porridges out there! This makes quite a large serving, but juuust not enough to feed two people, unless it's just as a snack.

Creamy Chocolate Quinoa
(Serves 1, about 350 calories)

60g dry quinoa, cooked according to the packet, nothing added to the water
(Rinse, add to pot with 1 1/2 parts as much water to the quinoa, simmer on low for 20 minutes, take it off the heat and let it stand for ten minutes. "Fluff" it up with a fork)
300 ml almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla sugar
A few drops stevia vanilla creme (optional)
1/3 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate, dessicated coconut, chopped nuts, raisins to serve

- Once your quinoa is cooked and still in the pot, turn the heat to medium low and pour in the almond milk, cinnamon, cocoa, vanilla extract and sweetners.

- Stir pretty regularly so as to prevent it from catching the bottom of the pot. In about 20 minutes time, the consistency should have turned thick and creamy, which means - it's ready to serve!

You can also omit the cocoa and add raisins instead, making your own twist to it perhaps? Quinoa is versatile and this dish almost tasted the same as oat porridge. I decided to chop up some almonds to top it off with a crunch, mmmm!

Recipe - by me! I hope you are having a lovely day!

- Jules

Banana Soda Farls

Fancy something that isn't quiiite cake but that isn't quite the plain ol' piece of toast either? Well, here is a little banana bread & soda farl hybrid! Enjoy with jam, peanut butter and sliced banana, or whatever you might be in the mood for!

I was really happen when I peeked into the oven 20 minutes after I put them in to find these delicious little things, I will most certainly make them again, that's for sure *smiles*

Banana Soda Farls
(Makes 4, about 250 calories each)

100g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp light muscavado sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 medium ripe banana
125 ml low fat yogurt, fromage frais or buttermilk
50 ml skimmed milk

- Pre-heat the oven to 220ºC.

- In a small baking bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Mix well to combine, before making a well in the middle.

- Mash the banana (I use a mug and fork) and tip into the well along with the yogurt/fromage frais/buttermilk and skimmed milk. Combine until you have a dough, it will be slightly sticky. Dust the worktop with a little flour and tip the dough onto it.

- Knead the dough lightly and add a little more flour if necessary, then shape the dough into a sausage and cut it into four equally sized squares. Place on a baking paper-clad tray and place in the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes until lovely and golden.

- Leave to cool on a wire rack, or enjoy them aaaalmost straight from the oven! I decided to top mine with some philadelphia and a chopped plum. The next one I have, I'll probably have with either jam, or peanut butter and chopped banana - can't wait!



Original source:
Delicious Low-Fat Recipes, p. 24

- Jules

Chana Saag

When I went to an Indian restaurant about two years ago, I was accompanied with three others, we decided to pick on main dish each so that we could all try different things. The lads went for the obviously tasty dishes, like korma, tikka masala, and curry, but IIIII decided to be a little "untraditional" with my choice and settled for a chicken saag! I am sure I posted the recipe for chicken saag some time ago, yup! It should be on my blog somewhere!

Saag is a dish that is made with a rich spinach sauce as a base, infused with ginger and garlic. It might look a little weird when you have it served, but it oozes of Indian-style spices and herbs, and it tastes delicious! Serve it over a bed of rice, or perhaps with some pita bread for mopping like I did (mop, mop!)

Chana Saag
(Serves 2, about 265 calories each without pita bread/naan/rice)

For the paste:
160g spinach, washed and roughly torn
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 fat garlic clove, chopped or sliced
1 jalapeño, chopped (optionally deseeded)
1/2 cup water (about 125ml)

1 tbsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 onion, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp Garam Masala (can use curry powder)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp natural fat-free yogurt
1 can of chickpeas à 180g drained

Extra yogurt, rice, pita bread or naan to serve!

- Firstly, add all the ingredients for the paste in a bowl or a food processor and whizz until smooth. Set aside, you'll need it soon!

- Heat the oil in a pot on medium high heat, and tip in the onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. Leave this to simmer for about five minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, if serving with rice, you'd probably get them on the boil!

- Now add the tomatoes, Garam Masala, chilli powder and salt. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes start to break up (mine didn't, but it's really not important!)

- Then pour in the spinach paste, yogurt and chickpeas. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes, stirring every now and again.

- Toast or grill the bread if you're serving that with the dish, and you're done! Top with extra yogurt if you want!


Original source:
http://www.healthy-delicious.com/2010/11/chana-saag-chickpeas-with-spinach/

- Jules

Herby Courgette Muffins

The oven definitely works... I got to experience that yesterday when I was making these little savoury treats! I managed to accidentally turn on the grill, and so they got a little more crispy than I would have liked for them to!

Anyway, these are delicious! Cut them in half, and pour some sweet chilli sauce over - and you're ready to go! These are great for packed lunches as well. I chose to use 25g parmesan instead of 50g normal, grated, low-fat cheese. You can use the latter if you want the muffins extra moist, and it should only add 10-20 calories extra per muffin.

Actually, next time I make these, I might half the amount of flour, as the batter was a little thick!

Herby Courgette Muffins
(Makes 12, about 190 calories each)

1 courgette, grated, and placed in a sieve over a bowl with a little sea salt sprinkled on top. Let it sit for half an hour, before you squeeze off excess water
1 medium-sized red onion, finely chopped
4 eggs
250g quark or fat free Greek yogurt
250g plain flour
150g wholemeal flour
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tsp baking powder (or 50/50 baking powder and bicarbonate of soda)
25g grated Parmesan cheese
A handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
A little ground black pepper
Other herbs of choice (optional)

Sweet chilli sauce to serve

- Pre-heat the oven, 200ºC.

- Then whisk together the eggs with the quark/Greek yogurt. Mix in the flour and rising agents. After you have added these ingredients and it is well incorporated, add all the other ingredients but the oil.

- Use the sunflower oil to grease 12 muffin tins, then divide the mixture between them, and pop them into the oven to bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.

- Leave to cool for a bit before serving.

I bet these would be great to tear and dip into a nice bowl of soup too!


Original source:
http://www.frukt.no/kokeboka/kakerbakst/urtemuffins-med-squash/

- Jules