Citrus Roasted Trout with Couscous
This recipe is an excellent addition to summer dinner parties or as an easy mid-week meal for the whole family – it’s simple to prepare, but impressive on the flavour.
Tag: Winter
Blood Orange and Fennel Salad
Celebrating blood orange and fennel, this fresh side salad pairs well with pork or pasta dishes. It also makes a beautiful starter with pan-seared scallops.
Vegan Tahini Banana Bread
Vegan tahini banana bread
March 30, 2020
: 8
: 15 min
: 55 min
: Easy
Tahini adds a lovely light nuttiness to banana bread. This Mediterranean wonder is full of antioxidants, B vitamins, magnesium, iron and calcium, so makes a nutrient-dense addition to an old tea-time favourite. Enjoy a slice in the morning with coffee or as an afternoon snack.
Ingredients
- 200g Manitoba flour (or strong white bread flour)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 100g margarine (we used Stork, suitable for vegans)
- 125g soft light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons egg replacement powder (we used Orgran Vegan Egg Replacer Mix, equivalent 2 eggs)
- 4 very ripe bananas (3 mashed, 1 cut lengthways to decorate)
- 60g unhulled Greek tahini
- 1 teaspoon high-quality vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon Demerara sugar to decorate (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius (fan force) and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
- Step 2 Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl.
- Step 3 Put the margarine in the bowl of a stand mixer and add the light brown sugar. Beat on low with the KitchenAid Flex Edge beater attachment to combine roughly.
- Step 4 In a small bowl, whisk the egg replacement powder with 4 tablespoons water (or prepare accordingly to packet instructions). Add the egg replacer to the sugar mixture and beat on medium until combined.
- Step 5 Then add the banana, tahini and vanilla paste to the sugar mixture and beat on medium until incorporated.
- Step 6 Turn the mixer to low and add the flour to the mixture. Beat until fully combined and voluminous.
- Step 7 Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Decorate with the remaining banana and scatter over the Demerara sugar (if using).
- Step 8 Bake for 55 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Leave to cool for at least an hour before serving.
Variations:
- If you are using hulled tahini, you can add up to 80g for a more robust flavour.
“In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself.” Susan Sontag
As humans, we can’t grow unless we reflect. Journalling is a powerful way of releasing thoughts and emotions to allow us to heal. While the cake is in the oven, set a timer for 12 minutes and just write. It can be as simple as noting observations or describing what’s on your mind (you know all those pesky thoughts that come to you before you try and fall asleep because they haven’t been processed during the day). Habib Sadeghi, DO shares some tips in this article from Goop. It’s amazing what happens to you when you give yourself the chance to pause and reflect.
Broccoli ‘Buddha’ Bowls
Perfect for a mid-week lunch or homemade brunch, these broccoli ‘Buddha’ bowls pack a nutrient punch. Roasting the broccoli adds a lovely char, while the dried cherries lift the nutty notes from the almonds and tahini dressing.
Warming Heritage Carrot Soup
In season heritage carrots give this soup its distinctive garnet colour. You can turn the heat up or down for a warming meal when the cold weather starts to set in.
Decadent Rum Hot Chocolate
Decadent rum hot chocolate
December 26, 2019
: 2
: 5 min
: 5 min
: Easy
A festive ode to those long Winter nights, try this boozy hot chocolate after dinner instead of pudding.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon high-quality cocoa powder (we used Green & Black’s)
- 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
- 2 cups organic whole milk (we used Ivy House Farm)
- 1-2 tablespoons rum (we used Maderia cask-aged small batch)
Directions
- Step 1 Mix the sugar and cocoa in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Step 2 Heat the milk in a small saucepan on medium heat.
- Step 3 Sieve the sugar and cocoa mix into the milk, making sure there are no chunks. Whisk until well combined (around 2 minutes). (Don’t stop whisking otherwise the milk will develop a skin).
- Step 4 Divide the rum into two mugs and pour over the hot chocolate mix evenly. Adjust the rum to taste.
Your night-time routine is critical to ensuring a restful sleep. As you sip on your hot chocolate, identify one thing you can do regularly to promote better sleep. It might be leaving your mobile phone outside your bedroom or using lavender to encourage relaxation. We light The White Company’s Sleep candle an hour before bedtime.
