Monday 26 January 2015

Spicy Kale chips

If you're looking for a tasty healthy and guilt free alternative to crisps(potato chips) then this is the recipe for you :)

This recipe is so tasty and you can go wild with adding any flavouring that you love and best of all you can eat lots of it without feeling guilty. I love crisps and really needed this alternative for a bit of a crisp free detox so I decided to try Kale and wow it tastes amazing, I strongly urge you to give it a try.

Ingredients:
Kale on a stalk or in a bag , it doesn't matter ( I used already cut kale in a bag)

salt as needed
pepper as needed
olive oil to drizzle or flavoured oil (I used chili rapeseed oil)

Method and preparation:

pre heat your oven to 180/350

Wash the kale thoroughly and make sure it's completely dry by using a salad spinner or paper towels.

Spread the kale on a lined baking tray making sure not to overlap any kale as it won't cook evenly.


Now add the salt and pepper from a height to ensure even seasoning. And drizzle about a table spoon of olive oil over the kale.


Use your fingers to massage the seasoned oil into each of the leaves.


Spread the leaves in a single layer .

Now place the trays in the oven and bake for 5 minutes, after the 5 minutes are up swap the trays for even cooking and cook for a further 5 minutes until nice and crispy.

Serve the crispy kale chips in a bowl and enjoy :)



Notes:

If you are using kale from a stalk , make sure to remove the rib which is the thick part, you don't cook this.

Make sure the kale is completely dry after washing or else you'll end up with steamed rather than crispy kale.

Oven temps vary so please keep and eye on the kale as it's baking as you don't want it to burn.

Have fun experimenting with flavours :) and enjoy. 

Sunday 25 January 2015

No churn Cinnamon Ice cream made with dairy free Condensed Milk

This delicious creamy cinnamon ice cream is soooooooo yummy and takes 5 minutes to make. No Ice cream machine needed and only 6 hours in the freezer and it's ready to be enjoyed :)
Try this out folks. 
I will be making the full dairy free version soon so watch this space :)

Ingredients :

1 300 ml tub of whipping cream
1 tsp cinnamon powder

Method and preparation:

Pour the whipping cream into a large bowl and whisk it until just thickened .
Now add in the Condensed milk and Cinnamon and stir gently.

Pour into a freezer proof container and freeze for 6 hours .

Enjoy on it's own or with a slice of warm Apple Pie <3 :) Yum.

Enjoy peeps :)




Friday 23 January 2015

Dairy free /Vegan sweetened condensed milk

This recipe for sweetened condensed milk is fantastic for those of you who are vegan or lactose intolerant , actually it's fantastic for anyone and tastes great.
The consistency is slightly different to the dairy version but never the less it tastes yummy and works in the exact same way . 
This also smells delicious whilst cooking it yum.
I made this because I'm going to make dairy free ice cream and it's perfect :)
I hope you give this a go peeps it's awesome.

Ingredients :
1 can of coconut milk (I used two small ones as I was trying it out.)



And 1 cup of granulated sugar.

That's it.

Method and preparation:

Add the sugar and coconut milk ( everything from the can) Into a large pan.




Mix well util sugar starts to dissolve.

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil  .





Once it starts to boil turn the heat down and let it simmer for 20 - 25 minutes stirring frequently so it doesn't stick and burn.

The colour will change slightly at this point.




The mixture will also start to thicken now.
After the 25 minutes are up remove the pan from the heat and let it cool before pouring it into a bowl or jar.



At this point feel free to add a little vanilla extract if you wish. I didn't add any as I thought it tasted amazing as it is.



Here's the end product :) Doesn't it look amazing :)

Put it in a jar or container and refrigerate until ready to use. 
This should last up to 7 days in the fridge.

Enjoy :)



Thanks for looking.

Note: 
If your condensed milk solidifies after a few hours in the fridge, DON'T throw it away just heat it in the microwave for a minute just before using in a recipe,it'll be just fine :)

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

If you love anything Cinnamonny like I do then this is the recipe for you :) This delicious quick and easy no yeast bread is amazing and tastes just like cinnamon rolls that you buy in bakeries but it's more cakey then bread like.
Enjoy this delicious bread with your fave hot drink and I promise you ,you will love it. I have to say it's my favourite bake so far.


Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium egg
1/4 cup oil ( I used sunflower)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup of sugar mixed with 2 tbs of ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 cups of milk ( use one cup first and add more if needed )
butter for greasing loaf tin

Method and preparation:

Preheat your oven to 180 or 350

prepare your loaf tin by greasing it around the sides and 'flouring' with a little of the sugar and cinnamon mix until coated well.

In a large bowl sift in the flour and add the sugar ( plain sugar not the mixed one), baking powder and salt and give it a quick stir.

in a separate bowl whisk the egg and add the oil, and vanilla extract and milk and whisk it up.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir it gently only to moisten the flour. You don't want a smooth cake batter so don't over mix. ( lumps are good) Just a couple of stirs.

If you feel the mixture is too dry , this is where the half cup of milk comes in. Add a few splashes at at a time until just moistened.

Now add half the mixture into your loaf tin and and half of the sugar and cinnamon mix on top of that layer.

Use a butter knife to make swirly patterns on the batter and then add the other half of the batter on top and do the same with the mixed sugar and swirl the batter again.
Add some of the mixed sugar on top for a crispy top if you wish.

Bake in the oven for 45- 50 minutes depending on your oven. Mine took 50 minutes so keep and eye on your bread and test it for 'doneness' by inserting a skewer or tooth pick and if it comes out clean it's ready :)

Make sure you let the bread cool completely before turning it out onto a plate because this bread WILL crumble and break.

Enjoy ;)
I hope you try this recipe, it's too good not to.







The whole house will smell sooo good while its baking :)


Monday 19 January 2015

Cinnamon Syrup

If you're a big fan of flavoured coffee like me and also a lover of cinnamon then this is the recipe for you.
This cinnamon syrup is so easy to make and very versatile too. And best of all it requires only 4 ingredients :)

Please give this a go peeps you won't regret it. 
Flavour hot drinks of your choice with this syrup, pour it over ice cream, pancakes, waffles, fruit or whatever you like ;). 


Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar (I used raw cane sugar)
1 Table spoon cinnamon powder
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( proper vanilla not essence)

Method and preparation:

Put all the ingredients apart from the vanilla into a deep pan ( it bubbles a lot)

Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves and then bring the mixture to a rolling boil and keep stirring.
Once you reach the boiling point, turn the heat down to low-medium and continue to stir for 5 minutes only.
After the five minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

at this point the syrup may seem a little runny but don't worry as it thickens as it cools and even more so in the fridge.

Do not over cook this mixture as you don't want to crystallize the sugar.(it will go hard like candy and your efforts will be wasted).

pour into a clean bottle or jar of choice , let it cool and refrigerate.
 
This syrup will last for a month in the fridge :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe :)

Thanks for looking.



Notes: the mixture will bubble vigorously even when you lower the heat, please be careful not to burn yourself as the sugar gets extremely hot.