Egg & Dairy Free Chocolate Cake

Because life's too short to be unable to enjoy cake!!!

When I had a guest at the B&B recently who told me that she had an allergy to eggs and dairy, I really wanted make something for her that she could enjoy. I had blueberry muffins and brown bread for other guests and I wanted my guest with the allergies to have the same sort of choice for breakfast as everyone else and not just have to be content with muesli soaked with orange juice.

Challenge!!! I told her for the next morning I would have a suitable breakfast choice for her. She told me that she likes coconut milk and almond milk and often substitute recipes with milk for these products.

I decided that banana pancakes would be possible using almond milk and a chocolate cake could possibly work well with coconut milk!!! Both were very sucessful. Here's the recipe I used for the chocolate cake. I must say every guest was enjoying them so much, I had to hide some back for the guest that they were intended for.

Ingredients

• 170g of self raising flour
• 170g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 230ml of coconut milk
• 6 tbsp of sunflower oil
• icing sugar to decorate.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Grease an 8 inch cake tin with 1 tbsp of sunflower oil.
3. Sift the flour, sugar and cocoa powder together.
4. Mix the coconut milk and the sunflower oil together.
5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
6. Spoon into the cake tin and bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin on a wire rack.
8. Turn out the cake onto the rack then turnover onto a serving plate.
9. Cut into equal slices and dust with icing sugar.

Sika Lodge's Homemade Granola

I made some homemade granola last month for the cyclists staying with us for the big Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. I thought it was a healthy, energizing way for the brave cyclists to prepare for their 112 miles ahead of them. I didn't foresee how popular the granola would be with my guests and now I'm making it so often and jotting down the ingredients for my guests, I decided to put it out there on the blog.

The recipe became all about the '1 cup' formula. I found all the weights and scales to be a bit too much so I used '1 cup' measures when adding the ingredients. The recipe also came about due to the contents of my cupboards at first conception. Now I make it this way every time. But you can add and subtract ingredients as you please!

Ingredients 

(The not so healthy part)

• 1 cup Honey
• 1 cup oil (sunflower)

(The healthy part)

• 5 cups of jumbo oat flakes
• 6 weetabix biscuits
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup milled linseed (I use one from Lidl with milled dried blueberries)
• 1 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or toasted almond flakes
• 1 cup of dried banana slices, broken into small pieces.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees
2. Put the oil and honey in the microwave for 40 seconds and stir.
3. Crush the weetabix and combine with the oats in a large bowl. Mix well.
4. Pour over the oil/honey mixture and stir well to coat every thing evenly.
5. Spread the mixture over baking trays thinly (2 tray usually do)
6. Bake in the oven, toss the mixture every 5 minutes so the edges do not burn.
7. The flakes should be toasted after 20 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
8. Add the remaining ingredients into a very large bowl and once the toasted flakes are cooled, add them also and stir very well.
9. Transfer to air tight containers and use within 2 weeks. (Though it won't last that long, trust me.)
10. Serve with your favorite yogurt for a satisfying breakfast that will definitely keep you full until lunchtime.

New York Style Blueberry Muffins

To celebrate the 4th July in the Bed & Breakfast this morning, I've baked blueberry muffins as I remember them in New York. My breakfast every morning when on holidays in NYC would be a large coffee and a blueberry muffin from the coffee shop around the corner from where I was staying. It was the perfect fuel I needed for a day of shopping & sightseeing.

I remember the muffins in NYC were supersized , not like the muffins I was used to, I remember them to be fluffy and having a hint of a lemony taste, which went so well with the bittersweet blueberries.

This recipe is a homage to those crazy tasty muffins in Manhattan!

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Ingredients

·         400g Plain flour

·         150g Caster sugar

·         80g Butter

·         2 eggs

·         1 tbsp Baking powder

·         Zest of 2 lemons

·         260ml Buttermilk

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 tsp of salt

·         200g of fresh blueberrries

Method

1.       Sieve the flour into a bowl, along with the baking powder, salt and sugar.

2.       Melt the butter over a low heat.

3.       Zest the lemons over the flour mixture

4.       Lift the flour mixture high from the bowl and let it fall between your fingers, do this maybe 10 times. This helps to lighten the flour.

5.       Beat the eggs in a jug with the buttermilk and add the melted butter once its cooled slightly and the orange juice.

6.       Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

7.       Add the apple and blueberries and gently fold.

8.       Have the oven preheated to 200 degrees.

9.       Line a muffin tray with paper cases and using a dessert spoon fill each case.

10.   Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

11.   Remove and cool on wire rack.

If you like these muffins, I took the recipe from a previous blog post Apple & Blueberry Muffins, click on the link below to check it out.



http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2013/03/apple-blueberry-muffins.html

Refreshing Ginger Lemonade

When it's summertime and the living is easy, what nicer way to cool down than with a glass of homemade lemonade!! I've added freshly grated ginger to give the lemonade a burst of zing and extra freshness. It's super retro and perfect for serving at tea parties, kids parties and barbecues.

Ingredients

• 4 lemons
• 4 tbsp of caster sugar
• 1 thumb size peeled and grated ginger
• 2 litres of soda or sparkling water
• Lots of ice

Method

1. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into a saucepan and add the sugar and ginger.
2. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble for 10 minutes for the liquid to reduce to a syrup ( do not stir when sugar is on the heat)
3. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
4. Thinly slice 2 lemons and add to a jug of iced sparkling water/soda water.
5. Pour in half the syrup, reserving the rest for a refill.

This would make a terrific vodka cocktail also, for those of us who would be inclined...

Thai BBQ Prawns

This is a quick and easy recipe for Thai BBQ prawns. All you need is some metal skewers and sunshine, and then you're ready to throw some shrimp on the barbie!!!

Although sunshine is preferred, it is rarely guaranteed, so this recipe is just as good cooked on a griddle pan.

Makes 2 skewers

Ingredients

• 8 Crevettes (prawns, uncooked, unshelled)
• 2 metal skewers
• Thai marinade

Marinade

• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 a red chilli, finely diced
• 1 stick of lemongrass, peeled and finely diced
• 3 tbsp of diced fresh coriander
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
2. Add the prawns to the marinade and leave for 3 minutes.
3. Place 4 prawns on each metal skewer (starting with the 'neck' and push the skewer out again at the 'tail')
4. Either place the skewers on a hot BBQ or Griddle pan and cook for 2 minutes and turn them and cook for a further minute.

Deshelling prawns can be quite messy so be prepared to get your fingers messy, though after you can lick them clean!!! Have a small bowl of lemon water and napkins handy to de-prawn.

Quick Rustic Basil & Almond Pesto

I promised my husband some pesto pasta this evening for dinner, and it was only at the last minute I realised my pesto jar was finished. I have no Parmesan nor pine nuts; but I do have great whole almonds and a particularly awesome bottle of olive oil from olive farmers we stayed with in Sicily in October.

The olive oil is from the groves of a Bed and Breakfast we stayed at in Ciuci's Manor near Agrigento in Sicily. If you are ever going to Sicily then a stay in this B&B should be top of the list. Fabulous hosts in such amazing surroundings, and the breakfast was outstanding. http://www.ciucismanor.it/php/home_ing.php

 So figure I would make an almond & basil pesto instead, very rustic. This is not an authentic pesto recipe, but by using fantastic high quality ingredients, the result is a pesto bursting with flavour. (in particular by using the best oil you can get your hands on)

Ingredients

• 2 large handfuls of fresh basil leaves
• 100g of toasted whole almonds (dry fry in a pan for a few minutes, and cooled)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 150mls olive oil.

Method

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse, adding a little oil at a time. ( I try not to over-process the pesto, as I like a little bit of texture and this is what gives it a wonderful rustic feel.

Serving Suggestion

Mix a few spoons of pesto through cooked pasta and garnish with extra basil leaves (torn).

Harissa Spiked BBQ Chicken Kebabs

We have got to make the most out of this glorious summer heatwave we have at the moment, as going by previous summers lately, it could be short lived! So we'll be dining alfresco and having dinner from the bbq grill for as long as we possibly can.
Its not a weekend, so we are trying to keep the dinners low fat where possible. These spicy and smoky harissa spiked chicken kebabs are so tasty, you don't even realise that they are really low fat and very healthy!
I'm pairing the kebabs with a simple green salad and some couscous salad for the hubbie.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp of harissa paste
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1 tsp of orange marmalade
• Pepper

To Serve (optional extras)

• Greek yogurt
• Salad
• Flat breads

Method

1. In a bowl add the chicken and the remaining ingredients. 
2. Mix well and leave to marinade for an hour or so.
3. Fire up the BBQ or preheat a grill to medium
4. Thread a metal/wooden skewer with the chicken and grill, until cooked, turning often.