Banana, Raisin & Cinnamon Loaf

Banana bread is so versatile. You can prepare all types of variations. The kids absolutely love this bread, and they always get a slice in their lunchboxes. It's also a great teatime treat, with lashings of butter, or toasted and topped with peanut butter.
I have been absent from the blog, as I am trying to find my feet with the new Bed and Breakfast season. This will be my sixth season, and every single year has been so different for me, because of my family life, and this year is no different. This year I have an extremely busy 18 month old as well as a vocal 4 year old to contend with, as well as all the work that comes with running a busy B&B, all by myself.

But now that I have settled into it and got a new routine going with the kids, I feel that my own normal life can continue and hopefully that means more time for blogging once again.
So starting back after a couple of months off with a quick and easy baking recipe. I'm killing two birds with one stone really, as I made this bread for my B&B guests for tomorrow morning.
Banana bread is a real crowd pleaser and I find it always tastes better on day two, which is why I made it the evening before the breakfast run.
There are hundreds of banana bread recipes out there, but this one is probably one of the quickest and easiest of them, oven ready in five minutes. Then let the oven do all the work.

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 1 level tbsp baking powder
• 1 lvel tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 125g soft butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 75g raisins
• 1 tbsp demerera sugar
• 3 bananas (2 mashed, 1 sliced length ways)

Method

1. Line a 2lb loaf tin, or oil a silicone loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a bowl, add the eggs, butter, mashed bananas, and sugar.
3. Using an electric hand blender, beat the mixture well.
4. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
5. Add the raisins and fold into the mixture.
6. Pour evenly into the loaf tin.
7. Top the loaf with slices of banana down the centre of the loaf and sprinkle with the demerera sugar.
8. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. Place of a wire rack to cool
9. Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning it out.

Irish Potato Pancakes - Pimped up Leftovers for a happy Pancake Tuesday

I have gotten into the habit of deliberately making too much mash potatoes for the dinner, so I can have an excuse to make these delicious potato pancakes. The kids love them, as does my husband.

Today is pancake Tuesday, but rather than making my usual batter (which I make a couple times a week anyway off season) I decided to make these potato pancakes. I make them with the kids in mind, so I always make a plain batch. However if I was thinking about adults I would certainly spruce them up with scallions and herbs, and maybe ever some feta.  There really are loads of possibilities and variations so feel free to experiment for more grown up tastes.

Ingredients

• 325g cold mashed potatoes
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 110g self raising flour
• Salt/pepper
• 180ml milk (today I used soy milk)
• 2 eggs
• Oil for frying

Method

1. In a bowl add all the ingredients except for the oil
2. Whisk until very well combined, I used a hand held whisk
3. Put a pan on a medium heat, add the oil, I used olive
4. Using a ladle, pour in the batter in ladle size batches. 
5. Allow to fry until bubble holes appear on the top. This takes approx 2-3 minutes.
6. Flip the pancakes, and fry for another 2 minutes.
7. I got 15 small-medium size pancakes from this mixture and served with baked beans for the kids lunch. The wolfed them.

Tip: A sophisticated starter/brunch idea, would be to add chopped dill to the batter and serve the pancakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche.

"Chocolate" Energy Bars

These energy bars are a variation on my Nut Free Energy Balls. Their very health ingredients help give a slow release of energy along with a tasty chocolatey hit. I've research Maca powder lately after seeing it in my local Aldi supermarket. Apparently it has a positive effect on our hormone levels, it's an energy booster, along with being very rich in nutrients. It's high in vitamin B, C, & E; and it has a higher level of calcium than milk.  I think I'm onto a new favorite in my health food cupboard, along with my raw cocoa powder and chia seeds.

I highly recommend making these, they are delicious and the kids love them. Perhaps too good as I've snuck to the freezer at least for four times today for a sneeky bite.

Ingredients

• 9oz pitted dates
• 4 oz raw almonds
• 2 tbsp of coconut oil
• 2 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of maca powder
• 1 tbsp of  raw cocoa powder
• 1  tsp of salt
• 2 tbsp of desiccated coconut 
• 1-2 tbsp of sesame seeds

Method

1. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until they are broken down.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blender until the mixture forms a large dough ball.
3. Turn out the ball onto a swiss roll tin lined with baking paper, and flatten out into a thin even layer.
4. Scatter with the sesame seeds and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
5. Cut into squares and store either in the freezer or the fridge. (I like them hard and chewy out of the freezer).

Mango & Raspberry Overnight Oats

There's nothing new about overnight oats!! Soak your porridge overnight and they're nice and creamy in the morning and more digestion friendly. Right!! My friend's mom has been religiously soaking her porridge in water overnight since I was a child. So what's changed???!!

Well for one thing Instagram/Pinterest happened. All of a sudden we are seeing porridge becoming increasingly trendy, with an explosion of photos of beautiful looking overnight oats, with all sorts of fruits, seeds, exotic powders etc. Healthy eating has never been more popular especially online. When I do a search of '#overnightoats' on Instagram's public posts there are more than 318,000 post.

So basically what are these new pimped up overnight oats?? Well, there is no one recipe. You can make them with what ever combination you like. The possibilities are endless. Here's a nice and fragrant one though that I like to make, It has a tropical and fruit vibe. It has chia seeds and pumpkin seeds that will super charge your body first thing in the morning. They are a great healthy make ahead breakfast, that is also very portable. The thought of a ready made tasty breakfast already made in the fridge, might make getting out of a warm cozy bed that much easier.

Ingredients

• 50g of porridge oats
• 50ml of water
• 1 tbsp of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp of dessicated coconut
• 1/2 a fresh mango, cubed
• 2 tbsp of frozen raspberries
• 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds

Method

1. Place the oats in a jar or deep glass, add the water.
2. Top with the chia seeds and coconut
3. Top then with the mango, raspberries and pumpkin seeds.
4. Cover and allow to sit in the fridge overnight.
5. I like to serve mine with a spoon of Greek yogurt, honey, and milled chia seeds.

Smoothie Bowl - On the Bandwagon & Loving it!

So anyone on Instagram will have noticed an increased presence in smoothie bowls in the Instafeed, people are going gaga for them. And sure why not, they are stunning to look at, and could quite possibly be the healthiest meal you will eat.

I adore them and now I'm hooked!! So versatile and pretty, there really is no right or wrong recipe, it's a little bit of what you fancy.

The premise though is, using a basic smoothie recipe as the base for the bowl. I would recommend making the smoothie slightly thicker than you would if you were going to drink from a glass.

Finally the toppings, you can mix anything from seeds, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, chia seeds, quinoa. Whatever you fancy. These couldn't be healthier if you tried.

Here's the recipe for one of the smoothie bowls I make most often

Ingredients

Smoothie

• 1/2 a banana
• 1 tbsp of hemp protein powder
• 2 tbsp of almond milk
• 4 tbsp of frozen mixed berries
• 1 tsp chia seeds

Toppings

• 1 tsp of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp of chopped pineapple
• 1 tbsp of melon
• 1 tbsp of mixed desicated coconut/sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp of walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Blitz your smoothie ingredients and pour into a bowl.
2. Top the smoothie with the selected toppings

Spicy Harrisa Chickpea Cakes with Chunky Raita

Here's a super quick, super healthy vegetarian dish perfect if you are stuck in a lunch time rut, like myself! The harrisa paste gives the chickpea cakes a real hot and smoky kick, with the raita being the perfect cooling accompaniment. This can easily be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave and added to the raita salad, if you are office based. But equally this dish is a perfect starter for a dinner party or also throw the cakes in a pitta or flatbread for a wonderful alternative to a sandwich. Whatever the occasion, there is no excuse not to give these babies a go!!

Ingredients

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp of harrisa paste
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of bread, blitz to breadcrumbs

Raita

• 50ml of natural yogurt
• 1 tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 5ml extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp diced red onion

Method

1. Add all the chickpea cake ingredients to a food processor and blitz to a batter style consistency.
2. Wet your hands and shape into small patties (cakes). I got 10 from this recipe, but you can make them smaller for canapes or bigger for burgers.
3. Heat a non stick pan to medium and add a small amount of olive oil.
4. Fry the chickpea cakes for 4 minutes on each side.
5. To make the chunky raita, simply combine all the ingredients and stir well. If you have mint or coriander, this would also work.
6. Enjoy. These can be stored cooled for 2 days in the refrigerator and reheated gently on a pan for for 1 minute in the microwave.

Healthy Sweet Potato Pancakes

Pancake Tuesday is fast approaching, so it's time to whip out those pancake pans and get flipping!! When running the Bed and Breakfast, cooking pancakes everyday is obligatory. I would normally end up flipping up to 20 pancakes every morning, serving them with maple syrup and  a homemade berry compote. Here's the recipe for them Sika Lodge's Pancakes.

In continuing my new year health kick, this Pancake Tuesday I'm making a healthier, more wholesome pancake batter this year. Step up the humble sweet potato!! Sweet potatoes are rich in fibre and beta carotene, high in vitamin B, vitamin C and potassium. I've also replaced half the flour with wholemeal flour. In addition I have added baking powder to make the pancakes fluffy.

I found these pancakes are delicious alone with a dash of maple syrup or even some almond butter, but they got me thinking that they would be equally divine with smoked salmon and a chive & creme fraiche dressing. It would be a superb and elegant dinner party starter.

As my little girl has gone crazy for these, I am wrapping the leftovers and placing them in a freezer bag and freezing them for future snack times. They will merely take 30 seconds to defrost in the microwave.

Ingredients

• 70g of plain flour
• 50g of wholemeal whole
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon 
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 egg
• 300ml of milk
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup

Method

1. Pierce the sweet potato all over with a sharp knife, wrap in 2 sheets of kitchen paper and cook in the microwave for five minutes.
2. Peel the cooked potato, mash it and cool completely.
3. To make the batter, mix the flours,  and the baking powder in a wide bowl. Add the egg to the milk and beat well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix and pour in the milk and egg.
5. Whisk well to incorporate the batter.
6. Add the maple syrup and mashed sweet potato, and continue to whisk until everything is completely incorporated.
7. Allow the batter to stand for an hour if you have the time.
8. Heat a non stick pan on a medium heat and pour in a ladle full amount of batter per pancake. 
9. Wait for little bubble holes to appear on the pancake before turning to brown the other side.

Mocha Chia Somoothie - The perfect morning oomph!

I can't tell you how hard I searched for a Nutri Ninja this January! The Nutri Blender and the Nutri Ninja are the hottest new kitchen gadgets in town, and now that I got my hands on a Nutri Ninja, I can certainly see the hype. Easy to use, easy to clean, and unlimited possibilities for smoothies, salad dressings and dips to be created.

This is a super quick, fuss free recipe for a healthy chocolate smoothie, with a real caffeine hit, the perfect breakfast smoothie for coffee lovers who rush in the morning.  I don't believe in skipping breakfast, but I'll let it slide if you make yourself one of these bad boys to drink on your commute to work. I myself have this smoothie as a mid morning treat on the weekends.

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 1 banana, chopped
• 1 shot of espresso (Mine is Nespresso) or 1 tbsp of instant espresso powder
• 1 tbsp of chai seeds
• 1 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 2 cups of almond milk
• 2-3 ice cubes

Method

1. Using either a juice blender or a hand held blender, blitz all the ingredients together in a suitable glass or jug.

It's that easy!

Banana Oats & Apricot Muffins - Thumbs Up from Toddlers

These buns are made with my little toddler in mind, however they are not just for busy growing little kiddies. They are a great pre or post work out treat for us big kids too. The addition of the sunflower oil makes the buns incredibly moist, and the mashed bananas give a fabulous flavour. I'm using apricots here, but raisins or dried blueberries or dried cranberries work equally well.

When it comes to Aoife's 3pm snack time, and she see me pulling one of these buns from the tubberware box, she goes absolutely crazy and it's a job to lift her into the chair she's going so mad with excitement. This to me means that they have gotten the toddler thumbs up.

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 50ml of sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 55g of melted butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 100g of plain flour
• 100g of caster sugar
• 50g of rolled oats
• 1/4 tsp of bicarbonate soda
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 55g of chopped dried apricots

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a bun tray with paper bun cases.
2. Get 2 bowls. In one bowl add the mashed bananas, sunflower oil, egg, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir very well to incorporate everything.
3. In the second bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and bicarbonate soda. Add the oats and the caster sugar and stir well. 
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Fold in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed.
5. Add the apricots at this point (any dried fruit will do), and stir again to distribute the fruit.
6. Using two spoons, fill each muffin case to three quarters full.
7. Sprinkle with a few porridge oats if you wish.
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.
9. These buns freeze very well and just need a couple of hours to defrost.

Poached Eggs With Peperonata

In continuing my breakfast recipes, which are predominately Paleo friendly; here's a really quick, easy, and delicious way to start the day; Poached Eggs With Peperonata. I must admit though, I didn't make the peperonata fresh this morning. It's leftovers from my roast pork dinner last night. Who'd have thought I'd have found a breakfast use from some leftover roast dinner.

Peperonata is a really tasty side dish, not to mention extremely healthy and low fat. Pairing it with my daily two poached eggs, really lifts my breakfast plate.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of white wine vinegar
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 4-5 basil leaves
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 1 tsp of tomato paste
• Black pepper

Method

1. Slice the peppers into strips length ways
2. Slice the onions in thin half moon shapes
3. Crush the garlic clove and dice the tomatoes
4. Put the olive oil in a frying pan and saute the onion and garlic and tomato paste
5. Then add the peppers and the tomatoes
6. Allow to stew for 8-10 minutes
7. Season with black pepper and scatter the basil leaves,shredded, over the dish
8. Put a saucepan of boiling water on the boil and add the vinegar and turn on a medium heat.
9. When the water is at a rolling boil, crack an egg on a saucer and slide the egg into the water. Repeat with second egg
10. Allow to simmer for four and a half minutes before removing.
11. Place the peperonata on a serving plate and top with the two poached eggs.

Breakfast Crostini - Roasted Balsamic Strawberries on Honeyed Ricotta

Stuck in a breakfast rut?! Fancy something sublimely different for a weekend brunch? Then tried out these simple to assemble breakfast crostinis. The balsamic strawberry combination is like a match made in heaven. The balsamic vinegar lends a hand to bring out the beautiful sweetness of the strawberries. That then coupled with the tangy creamy ricotta cheese......well its simply dreamy! You could actually make these crostinis for a drinks party also and they would go down a treat. 

This recipe is not paleo friendly by any means, but cheating a couple of times a week is allowed. But here's an idea, if you don't want to eat the bread, why not use thick cucumber slices cut on the diagonal as the base instead. I only made this yesterday for the first time and already I know I  will be making very often for my B&B guests.

Ingredients

• 1 day old french baguette cut into slices, on the diagonal
• 250g of hulled strawberries, sliced
• 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp of white sugar
• 6-7 basil leaves, shredded
• 1 carton of ricotta cheese
• 2tbsp of honey, and extra to drizzle

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and place the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.
2. Toast for 5-6 minutes, keeping eye they don't burn.
3. Mix the strawberries with the sugar and vinegar and place in a oven dish and bake for 10 minutes in the oven. Then remove and allow to cool completely. You can prepare both the bread and strawberries a day in advance if you cool completely and store separately in air tight containers.
4. Add the honey to the cheese and whip up with a fork.
5. Spread a generous amount of ricotta over the crostinis. Add the shredded basil to the strawberry mixture and top the ricotta with the balsamic strawberries. Drizzle with a little more honey if desired.