Multi-Grain Multi-Seed Bread

Continuing with the use of my bread flour, after the success of my Courgette and Mushroom Bread, and my desire to use a few tablespoons of the sunflower seeds and pumpkins seeds I recently bought (a total of 4 bags each!), I found an ideal recipe for a multi-grain, multi-seed bread loaf.

I adapted the original recipe slightly, taken from the All Recipes website, halving the amount of liquid sweetener and using bread flour instead of regular all-purpose flour. I couldn't wait to incorporate sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds in with a mixture of flours and oats. There's a good serving of healthy fats and protein from the seeds, together with fibre from the whole wheat flour, giving the bread lots of flavour and texture!

Roasting / toasting raw seeds and nuts really enhances the flavour. I usually do large batches of nuts (esp. almonds and cashews), as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the oven - simply laid out on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 175C / 350F, turning occasionally to ensure they don't burn. If I don't have any dry roasted nuts and seeds to hand, I throw some in a pan and gently toast them on the stove top.

The calorie content for this bread and the courgette bread is very similar, as is the protein and carbs. However, there's more fibre in the loaf below as I used whole wheat flour, and more fats due to the mixture of seeds. I also added a tablespoon of agave nectar whereas the courgette bread has less than a gram of sugar per slice.

This bread is great toasted or eaten plain. Before a run in the moring, I usually eat a slice with almond butter and sliced banana. Great fuel to start the day!

Multi-Grain Multi-Seed Bread
Makes 12

Ingredients:
- 30g / 3tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 23g / 3tbsp sunflower seeds
- 18g / 2tbsp sesame seeds
- 26g / 5tbsp oats
- 180g / 6.5oz whole wheat flour (150g/5.5oz for bread and 30g/1oz for kneading)
- 120g / 4.5oz bread flour
- 7g / 0.25oz active dry yeast
- 1/2tsp salt
- 240ml / 8floz warm water
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 1 egg white
- 15ml / 1tbsp water OR milk

Method:

• If preferred, toast the seeds in a pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a bowl and stir in the oats.
• In a large bowl, combine 150g/5.5oz whole wheat flour, bread flour, active dry yeast and salt.
• Add the agave nectar or honey into the warm water and stir to combine.
• Pour the liquid and the egg white into the bowl of flours and mix together to form a sticky dough
• Using the remaining 30g/1oz flour, knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
• Place back in the bowl and cover loosely with oiled cling film.
• Let the dough rise for 60-120 minutes, at room temperature, so it doubles in size.
• When the dough has risen, punch the dough with fists and add most of the seed mixture, leaving about 2 tablespoons for the top.
• Roll the dough into a loaf shape rectangle, about 12x8 inches and then roll up its shortest end.
• Pinch the ends together and tuck underneath, then place the dough into a loaf pan with the seam underneath.
• Cover the dough with the oiled cling film again and let the loaf rise for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
• Brush the top of the loaf with a tablespoon of water or milk and sprinkle the remaining seed mixture.
• Bake in the oven at 175C / 350F for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove the bread from loaf the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Bean and Quinoa Burgers

A great vegetarian burger using two varieties of beans and quinoa. The added time required for drying out the beans and chilling the mixture in the fridge is worth it so that the burgers don't turn out all mushy.

Check out the other home-made burgers on my blog. I often use beans in my veggie versions and quinoa is a nice alternative to oats or potatoes.

Bean and Quinoa Burgers
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 43g / 1.4oz quinoa, dry (~120g cooked)
- 840g / 30oz / 2 cans beans (I use black beans and black eyed peas), no salt added
- 40g / 1.5oz oats
- 30g / 4 spring onions, chopped
- 1tsp cumin
- 1/2tsp chili powder
- 1/2tsp paprika
- 1/4tsp garlic powder
- 1/4tsp ground black pepper
- 1 egg, beaten
- 45ml / 3tbsp aquafaba / bean liquid

Method:

• Cook the quinoa and transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
• On a baking sheet lined with paper towels, dry out the beans and then roughly pulse in a food processor, leaving a little texture.
• In the bowl with the quinoa, add the oats, spring onion and spices.
• Combine the egg with the aquafaba and add to the bowl. 
• Add the bean mixture and stir everything together.
• Chill in the fridge for a few hours and then form into patties.
• Grill for 10 minutes until cooked. Serve with green vegetables, whole wheat burger buns and tomato paste. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Avocado Cheese Bread

I had 4 avocados that needed eating so I made chocolate pudding and avocado hummus. I was going to make guacamole but decided to try a cheese bread. It was a little experimental but it turned out ok. I used bean liquid, from the canned beans used in the avocado hummus, instead of eggs. I also added nutritional yeast to give it extra nutty cheesy flavour. I then only used 3oz of reduced fat cheese making the bread healthier than if I'd used 4oz and/or full fat. I could have used regular flour but I had some blended oats already in a stored container. Similarly, I already had prepared taco seasoning from my Chicken Taco Broccoli Bake recipe so it was just a case of mixing everything together in a bowl.

Avocado Cheese Bread
Makes 8

Ingredients:
- 200g / 7oz avocado, mashed
- 30g / 1oz jalapeño, minced
- 90ml / 6tbsp bean liquid (aquafaba)
- 160g / 6oz oat flour
- 16g / 2tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1tsp baking soda
- 1tsp taco seasoning (a blend of herbs and spices)
- 85g / 3oz cheese, grated (I use reduced fat 2%)

Method:

• In a bowl, combine the avocado, jalapeño and bean liquid (aquafaba).
• Add the oat flour, nutritional yeast, baking soda and taco seasoning.
• Stir to combine and then mix in the cheese.
• Pour mixture into a 9x9 baking tray and bake at 220C / 425F for 20-25 minutes.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf or Meatballs

To make this meatloaf/meatballs dish, I reviewed a few turkey meatloaf recipes online. Common ingredients are ground turkey, tomato paste or sauce, egg, soy sauce, veggies, herbs and breadcrumbs or quinoa.

I really wanted to make sloppy joes as well but I thought the combination of turkey and quinoa (from a Whole Foods Market recipe) - instead of breadcrumbs - was a great healthy dish. However, I wanted a thick, flavourful sauce for the meatloaf so I used this Whole Foods Market sloppy joes recipe for the sauce.

An egg can be used in the recipe below but I decided to use a chia-egg (1tbsp chia seeds and 45ml water). I also added in several herbs to give the turkey and quinoa lots of flavour. The cooked meatballs reminded me of pork and herb sausages.

In the past, I've made meatloaf without the meat, using lentils and walnuts as well as lentils and cottage cheese!

Turkey and Quinoa Meatloaf or Meatballs
Makes 6 slices or 18 meatballs (3 meatballs each)

Ingredients:
Meatloaf/Meatballs
- 225g / 8oz quinoa
- 1/2tsp thyme, dried
- 1/2tsp marjoram, dried
- 1/2tsp oregano, dried
- 1/2tsp basil, dried
- 1/4tsp ground black pepper
- 160g / 6oz onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 85g / 3oz carrot
- 56g / 2oz / 2 stalk celery
- 560g / 20oz lean ground turkey mince, (I use 93% lean)
- 14g / 1tbsp chia seeds soaked in 60ml / 1/4 cup water for 15 minutes
- 45ml / 3tbsp soy sauce, low sodium

Tomato Sauce
- 225g / 8oz tomato sauce, no salt added
- 165g / 6oz tomato paste
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 20ml / 4tsp balsamic vinegar
- 10g / 2tsp yellow mustard
- 120ml / 4floz water

Method:

• Cook the quinoa and allow to cool.
• Transfer to a large bowl and add the dried herbs and ground black pepper.
• In a food processor, finely chop the onion and garlic. Transfer to a pan.
• Add the carrot and celery to the food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add to the pan.
• Cook the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, adding a splash of water to the pan to keep them from sticking to the base. 
• Transfer the cooked veg to the bowl of quinoa. 
• In a separate bowl, combine the turkey mince, chia-egg and soy sauce.
• Add the turkey mixture to the bowl of quinoa veg and mix everything together (with hands if desired).
• Scrape the mixture onto a baking sheet and form into a loaf, approx. 4x10 inches / 10x25cm.
• Bake in the oven at 220C / 425F for 40 minutes.
• If making meatballs, roll into 18 balls and bake in the over for 20-25 minutes turning once halfway through.
• Whilst the meatloaf/meatballs are cooking, make the tomato sauce.
• Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pan and stir gently for 5-10 minutes.
• Pour the sauce over the meatloaf/meatballs and serve with green veg. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Oat and Flaxseed Muffins with Cherries

These muffins are the perfect breakfast snack. I usually eat one first thing in the morning with a cup of tea prior to a run.They are great for a post-workout snack too.

I first made a batch with added brown sugar and an egg - traditional muffin ingredients. Whilst these muffins were moist, sweet and delicious, I thought they were too sweet for a breakfast food/snack so I replaced the sugar with just 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (sweeter than sugar) and used some bean liquid (aquafaba) as an egg replacement - making them cholesterol free!

As I'm always eating beans, in hummus or in salads, I have plenty of left-over bean liquid, whether they are chickpeas, pinto, red kidney, black, butter or cannellini beans.

By cutting out the 50g sugar (which equals 187 calories, 12tsp sugar) and substituting for 20g/1tbsp agave nectar or honey (which equals 60 calories, 4tsp sugar), they are just as sweet! The natural sugars from the fresh cherries and the applesauce, combined with the cinnamon, are a delicious and nutritious way to start the day!

To concentrate the flavour of the cherries, and to prevent excess moisture from leaking into the muffins, I roasted the cherries for 10 minutes and then coated them in cinnamon. In my first batch, I didn't bother doing this and just mixed fresh cherries and cinnamon into the muffin batter. I prefer the roasting option if I have time but it's not the end of the world, and the muffins didn't taste too 'wet'.

Oat and Flaxseed Muffins with Cherries
Makes 12

Ingredients:
- 225g / 8oz cherries
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 225g / 8oz oats
- 120g /4oz flour
- 40g / 6tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1tsp baking soda
- 240ml / 8floz buttermilk (240ml / 8floz almond milk and 15ml / 1tbsp lemon juice)
- 45ml / 3tbsp bean liquid (I use chickpea or pinto beans)
- 112g / 4oz applesauce, unsweetened
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• First, pit and quarter the cherries and then bake, cut side up, at 220C / 425F for 10 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and transfer to a bowl.
• Sprinkle the roasted cherries with the cinnamon and stir to coat.
• In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats, flour, flaxseed, and baking soda).
• In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, bean liquid, applesauce, agave nectar and vanilla.
• Pour the wet mixture into the large bowl and stir everything together.
• Gently stir in the cinnamon cherries.
• Spoon the mixture into muffin cases.
• Bake in the oven at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Courgette and Sweetcorn Pancake and Waffle Mix

I love pancakes and waffles but store-bought boxed mixes and restaurant versions aren't necessarily the most nutritious, often containing plain white flour, butter/oil/eggs etc. I decided to get a few servings of fruit and veg with this recipe below.

Courgette and Sweetcorn Pancake and Waffle Mix
Makes 4 pancakes OR 1-2 waffles

Ingredients:
- 225g / 8oz courgette
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 banana, mashed
- 90g flour (I use whole wheat)
- 1tsp baking powder
- 85g / 3oz sweetcorn, defrosted if frozen

Method:

• Grate the courgette and gently squeeze out any excess water.
• In a bowl stir together the banana and egg.
• Add the flour and the baking powder and mix altogether.
• Stir in the grated courgette and sweetcorn.
• Pour the batter into a frying pan to make 4 pancakes.
• Cook for 5 minutes and then flip the pancakes and cook the other side.
• If using a waffle iron, pour the batter into the iron and cook for up to 10 minutes.
• Depending on the size and heat settings of waffle irons, the cooking times and number of waffles will vary. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Butternut Squash Muffins

I love taking recipes and adapting them to my needs and preferences - usually whatever I have in my kitchen and any opportunity to make foods healthier. As with anything experimental, food can sometimes be hit and miss. However these muffins have been completely re-engineered and are 100% delicious. Jump straight to the recipe here or read on for an explanation as to how and why these muffins are much better (in my opinion) than the original recipe!

Firstly, the reason for making butternut squash muffins was a result of having several home grown squashes to use.

I love butternut squash soup and will definitely be making the classic version and the one with apple soon. As it is the height of summer and butternut squash reminds me of cooler seasons, I thought a sweet treat would be a good alternative.

The original recipe came from Jamie Oliver's website. After looking at the ingredient list and reviewing the nutritional information, I was surprised by how unhealthy these muffins were - lots of sugar, plain flour, oil. There's no mention of fibre content in the nutritional breakdown, or cholesterol but with 4 eggs I assume cholesterol would be high (One egg typically has approx. 215mg cholesterol). Over 400 calories for one muffin, with over 33g sugar - that's over 8 teaspoons - and almost 20g fat. Those nutritional numbers are more than I usually eat in a main meal!!

Therefore, I decided to see if I could make healthier versions yet still retain the moist, sweet texture - similar to carrot cake.

Recently on the internet I have seen many sites referring to healthy food substitutions/swaps. Buzzfeed has a good list of 27 Easy Ways To Eat Healthier and LIVESTRONG.com list 14 Ingredient Swaps to Make Your Recipes Healthier. In addition I never use sour cream but still wanted to recreate the cream cheese frosting that topped these muffins. Turns out there's 10 different ways sour cream can be substituted. I opted for the cottage cheese version but may be tempted to try the cashew version another time.

Most of these suggestions are second nature to me - dates instead of sugar, mashed banana or applesauce instead of butter or oil, nonfat Greek yogurt instead of cream, avocados instead of mayo, nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Plus I love cauliflower pizza dough, courgette noodles, cauliflower rice, frozen banana ice cream, and chocolate tofu mousse!

Inspired by the food swap recommendations, together with an abundance of squash, led me to make-over this recipe by doing the following:

• Cut the sugar content (originally 350g) and use only 112g agave nectar*. Honey can also be used instead of agave nectar.
• Cut the number of eggs required (originally 4) and use 2 eggs and a vegan egg substitute - in this case bean liquid (aquafaba)**
• Do not add salt
• Instead of using plain, all-purpose flour that's milled from the inner part of the wheat kernel and contains neither the germ nor the bran, use oats instead that are whole grain and a richer source of soluble fibre.
• Cut out the olive oil and replace with unsweetened applesauce.
• Replace the sour cream with lowfat cottage cheese

*Agave nectar is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar so when a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar (approx. 200g), 2/3cup can be used instead (approx. 130g). As agave nectar is a liquid sweetener it's important to reduce other liquids by 1/4. It's also suggested to reduce the oven temperature by 15C / 25F and bake for slightly longer. I used less agave nectar than the recipe required had I followed the 1cup sugar to 2/3cup agave nectar rule. The muffins were still deliciously sweet. I baked the muffins for 5 minutes longer than the original recipe but kept the oven temp. the same.

**Aquafaba - By replacing two of the eggs with bean liquid (from a can of chickpeas) I was able to cut the liquid content of the recipe to allow for the addition of the liquid sweetener. Usually 45ml / 3tbsp bean liquid is required for every egg. I used 2 eggs in this recipe and 60ml/4tbsp bean liquid. It resulted in a moist batter without being too liquidy.

After swapping ingredients and amending quantities, each muffin is less than 200 calories (the original version contained 422 calories), with less than 11g sugar (1/3 less) and just over 4g fat (3/4 less). There's over 5g protein (same as original) and over 3g fibre.

The muffins can easily be frozen, without the cream cheese frosting (168 calories and 9g sugar). They can also be made in an 9x9 baking tray and sliced into squares if a muffin tray isn't available.

Butternut Squash Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 12

Ingredients:
Muffins
- 300g / 11oz oats (I use old fashioned oats)
- 30g / 1oz walnuts
- 2tsp baking powder
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 420g / 15oz butternut squash, skin on, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 2 eggs
- 60ml / 4tbsp bean liquid / aquafaba
- 115g / 4oz applesauce, unsweetened
- 112g / 5.5tbsp agave nectar OR honey

Cream Cheese Frosting
- 115g / 4oz cottage cheese
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
- 15g / 2tbsp icing sugar
- 30ml / 2tbsp lemon juice

Method:

• In a food processor, process the oats into oat flour and then add the walnuts, baking powder and cinnamon.
• Pulse to combine the ingredients and chop the walnuts into smaller pieces. 
• Transfer the oat flour mixture to a large bowl.
• Using the food processor, finely chop the butternut squash into pieces.
• Add the squash to the bowl and stir to combine with the oat flour mixture.
• Using the food processor again, add the eggs, bean liquid (aquafaba), applesauce, agave nectar and blend to combine.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl and mix together.
• Spoon the muffin mixture into a muffin tray (or 9x9 baking tray).
• Bake for 30 minutes at 175C / 350F.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack.
• To prepare the cream cheese frosting, blend all the ingredients in a food processor until the cottage cheese is smooth.
• Chill the frosting in the fridge and then spoon on top of the cooled muffins. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Quinoa Cherry Cake

These fruit cakes are similar to my Cinnamon Quinoa Bars. I simply added some chopped fruit and replaced one egg for a vegan alternative - aquafaba, aka chickpea liquid/brine. I was tempted to see how the mixture would  bind together with one less regular egg. Turns out, it didn't make a difference. I'm not sure if I'd replace all eggs with aquafaba as I like the protein source. However, it did reduce the cholesterol in each serving.

These are a great on-the-go snack or a pre/post-workout snack. They freeze quite well and don't take long to defrost so it's easy to make a batch whenever I have some spare fruit or extra quinoa.

Strawberries, used in the picture below, cherries, and plums all work well with the quinoa and cinnamon.

Cinnamon Quinoa Bars
Makes 6 large or 12 small bars

Ingredients:
- 225g / 8oz cherries
- 135g /5oz quinoa, dry
- 180ml / 6floz boiling water
- 180ml / 6floz almond milk, unsweetened
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 45ml / 3tbsp aquafaba / bean liquid (I use chickpea liquid)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• Pit and quarter the cherries.
• cook the quinoa in the milk and boiling water, until the liquid has been absorbed - about 15 minutes.
• Once cooked, allow to cool for 5 minutes and then mix in the cinnamon and cherries.
• Add 3tbsp aquafaba to the beaten eggs and stir to combine.
• Pour into an 8x8 tin and bake at 170C / 350F for 45 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack before slicing. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Lemon Cilantro Scones

I originally saw this recipe on the Top with Cinnamon blog. I've made scones before but I was intrigued to see how the flavours of lemon and cilantro tasted.

I didn't bother to peel the lemon, nor did I include yogurt. Instead I simply used a zester and added buttermilk to replace the yogurt. I thought it would be easier and quicker to mix the lemon zest and sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients. However, I do think it's worth taking the time to heat the sugar and make a lemony syrup. In fact, the last time I combined lemon, sugar and water I made Limoncello.

Other lemon recipes on my blog include:
Chia or Flaxseed Lemon Bread
Lemon Yogurt Dressing

Lemon Cilantro Scones
Makes 8

Ingredients:

- 1 lemon zest and juice

- 24g / 2tbsp sugar, white granulated
- 1tbsp water
- 120g / 4.5oz flour
- 40g / 1.5oz oats
- 1.5tsp baking powder
- small handful of coriander leaves (cilantro), finely chopped
- 56g / 2oz butter, unsalted, cold and cubed
- 60ml / 4tbsp buttermilk (60ml / 4tbsp almond milk and 5ml / 1tsp lemon juice)
- 1 egg, beaten

Method:

• In a pan, heat the lemon zest, juice, sugar, and water until sugar has dissolved and mixture has thickened, about 5-7 minutes. 
• Pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats and baking powder. 
• Rub in the butter cubes until like bread crumbs. 
• Add the cilantro. 
• Chill in the fridge for a few minutes.
• In the bowl with the lemon mixture, add the buttermilk and egg. Mix to combine. 
• Pour the wet mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients and stir together.
• Place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes and heat the oven to 175C / 350F.
• Spoon out 8 round circles of chilled dough onto a lined baking tray and gently press down to form scones.
• Brush with a little milk (if desired) and bake for 25 minutes until golden.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

It was my first time making gnocchi but I'll definitely be making these again. They are super tasty, perfect to freeze and easy and quick to cook - even straight from frozen. I doubled the recipe quantity below to make extra for the freezer.

I ate my first batch alongside my Poached Egg Ratatouille.

Gnocchi are Italian soft dough dumplings, traditionally made from semolina, flour, egg, cheese, potato, or breadcrumbs. They are often eaten as a first course, as an alternative to soups or pasta in Italian dining. They are a great source of carbohydrates - flour, potatoes etc. plus the eggs and cottage cheese in my version below provides 10g protein.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Makes 4 (32 gnocchi per serving)

Ingredients:
- 500g / 18oz sweet potato
- 112g / 4oz cottage cheese, lowfat
- 1 egg
- 120g / 4.5oz flour (I use whole wheat), plus extra for rolling
- 1/8tsp nutmeg (optional)

Method:
Bake the sweet potato in the skins, either in the oven or microwave and then scoop out the flesh. Set the skins aside.
Blend the flesh in a food processor.
Add the cottage cheese and egg to the food processor and blend to combine.
Transfer to a bowl and add the flour and nutmeg (if desired) to form a sticky dough.
Chill the dough in the fridge for 2 hours.
Generously sprinkle flour on parchment paper...

Roll out portions of the chilled dough into long ropes, about 1-inch thick, and then cut the dough into bite-size pieces.
Place the gnocchi on to the floured parchment paper and chill in the fridge for 5 minutes.
At this point the uncooked gnocchi can be frozen. Place the whole tray into the freezer for about 2 hours and then transfer individual frozen pieces into a freezable bag or container...

To cook the gnocchi, boil a pan of water and then add the gnocchi and cook for 3-5 minutes. Frozen gnocchi can be cooked immediately from frozen but may need a few extra minutes. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface of the boiling water, they'll be done.
Drain the gnocchi and serve with sauce or as a side dish. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Pumpkin Courgette Brownies

Another mash up of two brownie recipes:
Pumpkin Brownies
Beetroot Courgette Brownies

Through experimentation - mostly as a result of discovering what's leftover in my fridge - I've learned that any of the following can be combined with basic ingredients to make healthier versions of traditional chocolate brownies:
beetroot, pumpkin, courgette, sweet potato (not tried yet).

The basic ingredients for the brownies are simply:
flour/oats, baking powder, cocoa powder, egg/flax egg, apple sauce/coconut oil, honey and some dark chocolate.

Pumpkin Courgette Brownies
Makes 8

Ingredients:
- 110g / 4oz courgette, grated
- 125g / 4.5oz pumpkin purée
- 120g / 4.5oz flour (I use whole wheat)
- 20g /4tbsp cocoa powder, natural unsweetened
- 1tsp baking powder
- 20g / 1tbsp honey
- 1 egg, beaten
- 30ml / 2tbsp coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 40g / 1.4oz dark chocolate chips or chopped

Method:

• In a bowl stir together the grated courgette and pumpkin purée.
• In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, baking powder).
• Add in the wet ingredients (honey, egg, coconut oil, vanilla extract).
• Stir in the beet courgette mixture.
• Finally, stir in the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
• Pour batter into a loaf tin or 8x8 pan (lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray).
• Cook at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack and cut into 8 squares. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes with Honey Yogurt Sauce

Traditional hotcakes use ricotta cheese, but cottage cheese is a lighter variation - with less calories, lower fats and less cholesterol, whilst still keeping the same amount of protein per serving. Ricotta has more vitamin A and calcium but I always keep cottage cheese in my fridge so thought I'd experiment with a hotcake recipe.

The result was pleasantly surprising: a light and fluffy hotcake, crisp on outside with mild cheese flavour. The honey yogurt adds a little creamy sweetness.

Whilst it takes a bit of extra time to separating the eggs and whisk up the egg whites, this process gives the hotcakes their light and fluffy texture.

They make a nice alternative to my banana oat pancakes and my egg-free banana cocoa pancakes. To make these hotcakes egg-free, simply combine 2tbsp flaxseed meal with 6tbsp water to 2 make 'flax-eggs'.

Cottage Cheese Hotcakes with Honey Yogurt Sauce
Makes 6 hotcakes

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, separated
- 120ml / 4floz almond milk
- 225g / 8oz cottage cheese, lowfat
- 120g / 4oz oat flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 112g / 4oz Greek yogurt
- 20g / 1tbsp honey

Method:
In a bowl, mix the egg yolks and milk together.
Add the cottage cheese and stir to combine.
Add the oat flour and baking powder.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Pour the cottage cheese batter into the bowl and fold to combine.
Mix the yogurt and honey together, adding a splash of milk or water to get the desired consistency for the sauce.
Cook for 5 mins on a low-medium heat and then flip.
Pour the honey yogurt over the hotcakes and serve. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Butternut Squash Tart with Hazelnuts

This hearty vegetarian tart has some great textures and flavours: Sweet butternut squash, crunchy hazelnuts, and cheesy nutritional yeast all served on top of a fibrous, nutty pie base.

I like the combination of hazelnuts and butternut squash but I guess cashews or walnuts could also be used as an alternative. Dry roasted hazelnuts can be bought in bulk which saves time, but it's also relatively easy to do at home simply by toasting the hazelnuts in the oven for about 10 minutes at 190C / 375F. Remove shells by rubbing nuts between palms.

Once cooled, individual slices can be wrapped in cling film and frozen for future meals. I've also doubled the ingredients for this dish and made the tart in a 9inch pie dish with a deeper base, and then cut into 8.

Butternut Squash Tart with Hazelnuts
Makes 4
Click HERE for a printable recipe card.

Ingredients:
- 13g / 2tbsp flaxseed meal
- 120ml / 4floz water
- 56g / 2oz almonds
- 40g / 1.4oz oats
- 60g / 2oz flour
- 450g / 16oz / 1 small butternut squash, cubed
- 85g / 3oz onion, chopped
- 30g / 1oz hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
- 1 egg, beaten
- 16g / 2tbsp nutritional yeast
- ground black pepper

Method:
Combine flaxseed with water.
Grind almonds in a food processor along with oats and flour. Add the flax mixture and pulse until into a dough. Press the dough into a pie/tart pan lined with parchment.

Bake in the oven at 190C / 375F for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Lightly spray the butternut squash cubes with cooking spray and ground a little black pepper (if desired) and then roast in the oven at 200C / 400F for 30 minutes, until tender and golden brown.

Meanwhile, cook the onions in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Add 1tbsp water to the pan and cook for 5-7 minutes until onions are browned.

Transfer onions and roasted squash to a large bowl and add hazelnuts, egg, and nutritional yeast. Gently stir to combine, grinding a little black pepper.

Spoon mixture into pie base and pat down gently. Bake in the oven at 200C / 400F for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is hot.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing into quarters. Serve with green vegetables. ENJOY!

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Nutritional Information: