Spicy Parkin

Yes, spicy parkin.

I love making parkin at this time of year, but I'm still trying to master making a famously sticky parkin, I'm not quite there yet, but this one I made was a delicious delight. Nice and spicy..it'll warm the cockles of ye heart! 

Ingredients

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup spelt flour

chunk of fresh ginger - peeled and cubed

150g chilli chocolate - chopped into small squares, (or chunky chunks if you prefer)

1 cup muscavado sugar 

6 tbsp margarine 

3 tbsp agave syrup

1 tbsp ground flax seed

1 cup of a brewed tea of your choice (I used a homemade blend of my own, which can be found here..http://www.wutherswebofcakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/tea-time.html )

In a large bowl mix together oatmeal, flour, and flax seed, add the chopped fresh ginger and set aside.

In a small pan, melt the margarine and muscavado on a low heat, then stir in the tea to warm and bring out the flavours. Add this to the flour mix and stir until all combined.

Then stir in the chilli chocolate.

Transfer the mix into a baking tray and pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 180oC

Whilst this spicy concoction was chilli-ing away, I admired the little fairy creation I'd made just a few days ago..we named her..the vodka fairy..

...she stands as a reminder for me to never ever drink vodka again, as when I do, I don't feel well the next morning and her creation is a reflection of my inner self when feeling vodka ill..bedraggled and untidy and not myself. No more vodka for me.

Flowers made me feel better though..

...and also acorns..and chocolate..:)

And I felt even more revived after trying the parkin.

I left it to cool over night before trying it as the flavours did their magic and came alive whilst I slept!

And yum yum yum, did they taste magic..:)

The chunks of fresh ginger together with the little chunks of delight of the chilli chocolate was just magical..and gave a magical buzz in the late afty with a cosy brew.

Winnie the Pooh thought so too :)

xx

P.s - Would love some advice on how to make a sticky parkin too, if anyone has any good tips/advice I'd muchly appreciate it. 

Happy baking!

X

Magic Squash

Magic in the way that one whole squash created two beautiful meals, a warm nurturing soup and soft and crispy and satisfying roasted with some super swede. Along with a little help from myself, and also the handy hints from the squashes natural roots..check out the little mystical fellow here..reminds me of a wondrous witchy woman on her broom..or a cheeky little grasshopper..spreading their vibes of love and joy!..:)

So with the help of my magical friend, I got set to work with our first creation..roasted veggys.

I halved the squashed (sorry little dude, but thy time has come, you're now ripe and ready to be devoured!) and scooped out the seeds, then halved again (carnage) and sliced into small slices and places on a baking tray (bye bye! x) I then remembered two huge chunks of swede I was given earlier that day from my lovely friend at New Roots (a beautiful volunteer run whole foods shop where I work one day a week) so I decided to chop one of them up and roast in with the squash..

I was going to throw in a couple of carrots too, but decided to save them for the soup.

I roasted the veg with some garlic and topped with olive oil and smoked paprika and sprinkled with some cumin seeds..

yum!

Then, we got set to work on the soup. And I have to say I was soooo pleased with how this turned out, soups aren't usually my staple dish, but this was, as my Nan would say..bloody gorgeous!

Ingredients

half a squash

half a swede

2 carrots

2 cloves garlic

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp mango powder

sprinkle of dried coriander (I would have preferred fresh, but didn't have any to hand)

some fresh and ground turmeric

2 tbsp block coconut (the one you can get in a bar that looks like soap..I love snacking on this too!)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp vegetable stock

2-3 pints of water

Fry the garlic and cumin seeds in the olive oil for a few minutes, pop in the veg and add the spices and fry for 5 to 10 minutes, this enhances all the lovely flavours. Then stir the vegetable stock with water and pour over the veg, stir, and bring to the boil, then let simmer for around twenty minutes until the veg has just started to tender (I like to keep my veg quite fresh and not over cook it).

With a hand blender, if you have one, blend up the soup for a few minutes, (I also like to keep some chunks of veg in the soup too..think it gives a nice texture with the smoothness, and I think it's a nice surprise when your eating it to find a chunky cube of swede or squash or carrot).

Then add the block coconut which will easily melt in with the soup and will give it a lovely creaminess.

Take off the heat and let the soup sit in the pan with the lid on for 10-15 minutes - to let the beautiful flavours mingle. Then serve and enjoy!

Autumn magic in a bowl :)

Flowers and Figs

I decided to satisfy my chocolate craving over the weekend by making a batch of raw chocolates (which came in handy for powering me up for some late night dancing, and I gave a handful to a lovely friend for her birthday too..the recipe can be found here.. http://www.wutherswebofcakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/raw-chocolates.html ) and having a go at a new recipe I found over the internet..Gluten free Chocolate Brownies.

I like the sound of gluten free and I like the sound of chocolate..so I gave it a go!

Below is the recipe I found, and I added some figs to the recipe to see what would happen..as they're in season...and they needed using too..

Ingredients

1 cup spelt/brown rice/gluten free/coconut flours (a mix of all three)

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup fruit sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla essence (or 2 vanilla bean pods if you have any)

3/4 cup sunflower oil (or coconut oil, or soya marg - melted)

4tbsp ground flax seed

1/8 cup cold water

3 ripe figs, chopped

..dancing fig lady summons the three little figs in preparation for the chocolatey creation!

Method

Sift all dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

In a small pan, melt the marg (or coconut oil if using), and stir in the figs until softened, then mash to a pulp and mix well.

Add this mix to the dry ingredients and stir..making sure no lumps.

Pour into your preferred baking dish and bake for 30-35mins at 180oC.

..from pan..to oven, to tin...

..to figs in a cake and flowers!

Brings a beautiful smile to a beautiful weekend.

The rest of the afternoon I spent making a birthday card for my lovely pal, then spending some creative time in my studio.

Whilst also pondering what my next seasonal foody concoction will be..hmmmm...pumpkin pie...parkin...hot chocolate with roasted nutmeg?...

..it's all too exciting!

I love Autumn :)

X

Autumn Appetite

I love Autumn, and surprisingly I've loved these cold and rainy mornings lately, walking outside wrapped up all nice and warm in my hoody, and arriving home in the evenings to get snuggled up in a blanket with a book and a cup of something warm and comforting.

I've almost finished a book that since I picked up I haven't been able to put down: Eat, Pray, Love - by Elizabeth Gilbert, it's such an inspiring and beautiful read, and I find it warms me up inside when reading it alongside a nice treat..such as peanut butter on toast and tea..

I'm also loving this weather for it's beautiful morning skies, yesterday morning I woke up around 6:45 to find a silky purple shade awakening my eyes, I slowly rose out of bed and curled beside my bedroom window, wrapped in amber sheets, watching the rest of the sky unfold into the sun's morning kiss..bliss..

Later that day I was inspired to make something warm and hearty, the day before I bought a beaut of a cabbage, a leek, a sweet potato and a few carrots, all home grown veg from Sheffield (which were bought from Beanies Wholefoods.. http://www.beanieswholefoods.co.uk/ and New Roots Wholefoods in Broomhall) so I got set with heating them all up in a big pan to make a wholesome stew...

I added some lovely herbs too, mrs. sage and mr. thyme..who fit together wonderfully in this glorious mix up of veg..ooh and I also pooped in a pinch of nutty neighbour nutmeg..just for a bit of fun..and it worked a treat!

Perky Puffin thought so too, whilst also commenting on the glorious sunny sky, still shining through the kitchen window into early afternoon..

He also persuaded me to make some more hearty foods, so I got set to work with making use of the mixed beans I'd put out to soak over night, and magically turned them into a glorious dip..

along with..

2tbsp tahini

squirt of fresh lemon juice

sprinkle of salt

1 clove garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

a little water..blend them all up and serve...

..with a nice sprig of Basil for decoration..

I still had quite a few beans left over so I added them to the veg stew, and I saved the rest in a tub in the fridge (maybe for a scrummy chilli later on in the week).

Inspired to make some more foods, I got set to work on something sweet, and thought this would be a nice treat to take along to dinner at friends of New Roots tonight..along with the bean dip.

Earlier on in the week I was tempted by the idea of making a creation of a cake with apricots and cashews, thinking they would fit together nicely, so I browsed the internet for some ideas yesterday and came across this amazing recipe.. http://www.nutritionistinthekitch.com/2012/09/09/apricot-cashew-energy-bars/

I stuck to the same recipe but instead of hemp seeds I used sesame seeds, and I didn't use the coconut oil or the salt.

And they came out..perfect!..

wizz all ingredients up in blender..

...then squash down into baking pan and pop in freezer for 1 hour..then take out and cut into squares..

easy as that..no bake bars..easy peasy :)

Now, time for my lunch..

Happy Autumn

xx

Tea Time

Yesterday I finally got round to making the tea that I've been planning on making for a good few months now, not tea as in dinner, but tea as in the kind we drink and that makes us warm and smiley inside. I've had a packet of three differnt kinds of herbs sat on my bedroom table begging to be made and mingled with other herbs for far too long now, and yesterday seemed like the perfect morning to get started with making them into a lovely blend of a brew.

I gathered all my herbs on the table which included:

Motherwort

Black Cohosh

Cornsilk

Camomile, and

Lavender

and I threw them together with some rooibos and rosemary.

I wanted to make a tea for my mum and also for myself and my housemates to share, so I thought I'd make a calming brew that also soothes and cares for our inner femme (our women's bits; as my mum funnily calls it).

Motherwort, Black Cohosh and Cornsilk are great herbs for protecting and also healing the female reproductive system, which is great for women going through the menopause or if you've just come off the pill - balancing our hormones nicely and especially when it's that time of the month, (see, we do have other remedies other than chocolate!)

So, I got started on the first batch for my lovely mum.

In a small jar I gently mixed together:

1 tsp Black Cohosh

1tsp Motherwort

2 pinches of Cornsilk

3 tsp Camomile

1 tsp Lavendar

1 tsp Rosemary

and 2 teabags of Rooibos (I pinched the tea from the teabags)

I did the same for the second jar too. Then I got set at decorating the jars, I used randomly picked scraps of material from one of my crafty boxes..

Looking forward to giving the jar to my mum and sharing the fairy jar with my housemates..and also looking forward to making more teas! 

X



pearls and peanuts

Now the summer's here (ish) I've been getting into making nice fresh salads, I used to enjoy cous cous but because of my weirdness with wheat I tend not to have it now, so instead I've been using either quinoa or pearl barley, and spelt grain is a new favourite what my house mate usually makes.

Its super duper easy to make and you can throw anything in..veggys, nuts, seeds..owt!

In this little salad I made pearl barley with chopped beetroot, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, lemon juice and some fresh mint and parsley. I made a big bowl so it lasts for almost a week and is there to get out the fridge whenever i fancy it, and its great for when I'm on the go so I don't have to worry about buying lunch out.

Just bring the barley to the boil for ten mins and then let simmer until all the water has dissolved..quite similar to how you make quinoa.

I had this for my lunch yesterday and then some juicy melon for afters!..

And then I had a second afters not too long after..a slice of home made peanut butter bars which I made the other day. I find I'm usually buying these protein bars quite a lot and the cost does add up, I have been quite busy lately so I haven't had the time to make my own snacks but finally managed and hour or so dedicated to making these beauty bars..and I got to snack on peanut butter whilst doing so too..yum!

Ingredients

4 tbsp peanut butter

1 cup dates

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp agave syrup

1 cup oats

2tbsp chopped fresh ginger

Soak the dates in warm water and then mash until softened, mix in the peanut butter, cocoa powder and agave syrup and ginger, then transfer to a blender and wizz for a couple of minutes until all combined, add the oats and wizz a little more.

Transfer the mix to a well greased square baking tin (or whatever you prefer) and pop in the oven for 15-20mins. You can also serve these bars raw, just pop them in the fridge to set for an hour or so, I did intend to do mine raw but the mix was a little too sticky so it needed some warmth!

When the mix had cooled, I pondered it a little and decided that it looked a little lonely, so I came up with a deeeeelicious topping!

Ingredients

2 bananas

1 cup cashews

1 tbsp sunflower seeds

vanilla pod

2 tbsp creamed coconut (or coconut oil)

2 tbsp plain tofu

Firstly, soak the cashews and seeds for an hour or two in water. Then mix the banana, cashews and seeds, add in the vanilla and wizz up in blender. Melt the coconut (if using creamed) on a low heat and then pop in the blender, add the tofu, and wizz until all combined.

Pop this mix onto the cooled peanut mix, put in the fridge to cool and then slice into your preferred shaped size.

Tis a really nice treat in the afty and a good pepper upper too, full of protein goodness and will last a good while and save you some pennies instead of buying shop bought bars. You can get really creative with the ingredients in these too..adding different nuts and flavours. Think I shall always go for the peanut butter option though!

Peace and pearls and peanuts :)

X

breakfast museli and granola

I've always fancied a go at making my own muesli and granola, most shop bought muesli's contain added sugars and am not really down with that added sugar shizz so last weekend I gave it a go.

First I made muesli..

Ingredients

1 cup barley flakes

1 cup rye flake

1 cup ground hazelnuts

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped brazil nuts

1 tsp linseed

1/2 cup chopped dried apple

1tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

(For these recipes when I say cups I mean the size of a normal cup..like one you drink tea out of..normally the cup size I go by is about half that size.)

And all you do is mix everything up in a large bowl then store in an air tight container..simple!

The ground hazelnuts give it a nice texture as I think having just the rye and barley flakes alone would have made it a little too dry.

Then, I got started with the granola..

Ingredients

3 cups oats

1 cup raisins

1 cup chopped dried mango

1 cup chopped dried apple

1 cup cashew nuts

1 cup brazil nuts

3 tbsp cacao nibs 

1 tsp ginger

1/3 cup flax seed

3/4 cup agave syrup

2 tbsp mayple syrup

1/3 cup olive oil

(Both recipes make about 800g)

In a large bowl combine oats, nuts, flax and cinnamon. 

In a smaller separate bowl, mix together agave syrup, mayple syrup and olive oil, then add to the oat mix and stir until all combined. 

Spread the mix in even layers onto two baking trays.

Bake for 20mins - then remove and gently mix granola to allow to cook evenly - then pop back in oven for further 10 mins. 

Remove from oven and leave to cool completely before adding the dried fruit.

Then tis done!

I like to mix both cereals together as I find the granola a bit too rich for me on a morning.

This morning I had the two mixed together along with some cornflakes and topped with coconut milk, and a cup of rooibos tea with rice milk. Four grained cereal..yummy!

A happy breakfast is a happy start to the day..enjoy! 

Love 

x