Chocolate Cinnamon Spiced Pancakes

I made these delicious chocolate pancakes with the delicious Pacari (details below) hot chocolate and cinnamon blend which was kindly gifted to me earlier this year by them to experiment with in recipes. Its delicious and in my opinion is a very good quality cacao for baking and hot chocolate.

I topped off these pancakes with chopped pears, seeds and nuts but you could use a variety of toppings of your choice.

They are dairy and egg free and yet still delicious! I love making a batter or cake type recipe without eggs as it means I can lick all the spoons and thats the best bit. Right? Yum yum!

The recipe is super easy and great for a lazy Sunday brunch or breakfast with the kids! They loved it of course and enjoyed it with a drizzle of date syrup. It would also make a delicious Christmas breakfast!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of spelt flour

3tbsp of cacao powder (I used Pacari’s Cinnamon blend)

2tsp of baking powder

1/2tsp of salt

1 cup of almond milk

1tbsp of melted coconut oil

3 tbsp of agave or maple syrup

1tsp of vanilla

A small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

Fruit, nuts and seeds for the topping

Drizzle – agave, maple syrup etc.

Whisk all the ingredients together adding in more flour or milk to create a thick batter. Melt a tiny amount of coconut oil on a pancake pan and spoon on a tbsp or two to make the desired size of pancake. Sprinkle on a few chocolate chips if using.

Flip once tiny bubbles appear and cook for another minute or so on the other side. Drizzle with maple syrup or date syrup and top with chopped fruit, nuts and seeds of choice. Enjoy!

Check out Pacari’s top quality chocolate products at the link below. They are also fairly traded which is important to me. 🙂

Pacari website – https://home.pacarichocolates.uk/

Moroccan Chickpea and Spinach Stew

I love the textures of this Moroccan spiced dish! The silky spinach, chunky butternut squash and chickpeas cooked in a delicious spicy tomato based sauce. It’s absolutely divine and works well with the cous cous and additional peas to soak up the flavours.

Ingredients

8 tomatoes

Olive oil

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 chopped onions

3 chopped cloves of garlic

1 stick of celery finely chopped

1tsp of tumeric or freshly grated

1tsp of cinnamon

1tsp of chilli

2 handfuls of chopped butternut squash (I used frozen)

8 cubes of frozen spinach

A handful of red lentils

1 tin of chickpeas (400g)

A bunch of coriander

1lt of vegetable stock

2 cups of cous cous

1 cup of peas

Salt & pepper

Start with the tomatoes, cut in half and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast on a medium heat for 30mins until soft. Blend into a puree and set aside for the sauce.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan, I like to use my medium cast iron oven proof pot. Add the onions, garlic and celery and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the spices and cook gently stirring through the flavours.

Add the vegetables, lentils, chickpeas, vegetable stock and tomato sauce (made previously). Season with salt and pepper and the coriander and slow cook on a low heat for at least 30mins. I like to finish it off in the oven for 20mins.

Boil 3 cups of water in a separate pan and add the frozen peas, cook for a few minutes. Add in the cous cous, season with salt, take off the heat and add a lid to the pan. Leave for 10mins to finish the cooking process.

Serve the stew over the top of the cous cous and sprinkle with some additional coriander.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Kale & Walnut Pasta

We love pasta in this house and this comforting cheesy dish is a favourite family meal in the colder months. I have used delicious garden fresh kale, runner beans and spelt spinach pasta. Its a comforting but healthy dish!

The recipe can also be made dairy free by using olive oil and dairy free cheese.

You could also use spinach instead of kale and mix up the green vegetables a bit to create a variety of different meals. The walnuts add additional healthy fats and crunch but pine nuts would work well too.

I have used oat cream for the sauce because it is my fave cream but you can also use plain single cream for this recipe too.

I hope you enjoy experimenting with this dish!

Ingredients

2 tbsp of butter or olive oil

2 handfuls of chopped fresh kale

2 cloves of chopped garlic

2 small cartons of Oatly oat cream (about 2 cups) or single dairy cream

Grated cheddar cheese (about 2 handfuls)

Nutmeg (about 1tsp)

S & P

Pasta

Green beans or other green vegetables

Gently heat the butter or oil in a large pan and add the chopped garlic. Stir in the chopped kale and cook lightly for around 5-10 minutes.

Add the pasta to boiling water with the chopped green vegetables, I used runner beans because that’s what was in season at the time but use whatever you fancy here, green beans or broccoli also work well.

Add the oat cream to the sauce and heat gently. Add in the grated cheddar, around two handfuls, but please use more or less if you prefer. It really does depend how cheesy you like it. My kids like a cheesy pasta and if it means they will eat more green vegetables then I am happy with that.

Heat the cheesy creamy sauce until all the cheese has melted. Add the walnuts and season with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.

Drain the pasta and vegetables and add to the cheesy sauce, mix through and serve.

My kids like to add extra Parmesan to the top but I prefer it without. A green salad on the side goes really well too with some cucumber, tomatoes and other salad items.

Enjoy! x

Apricot Chicken & Spinach Pilaf

This delicious one pot slow cooker wonder is so easy and quick to throw together. The chicken and rice go really well with the fragrant spices, sweet apricots and velvety super green spinach. I dolloped a tablespoon of fresh live yoghurt on the top and it worked really well. Plates were empty so I’m guessing it was a hit with the kids!

I like to use chicken thigh meat because I think it has better flavour, especially from an organic chicken. You could also use chicken breast if you prefer but the breast does create a slightly drier texture. I also like to use the unsulphured dried apricots which are darker in colour and sometimes brown rice for this recipe.

You will need the following ingredients:

    Ingredients

    1 tbsp of coconut oil or ghee

    1 finely chopped onion

    4 chopped garlic cloves

    2tsp of cumin seeds

    2 tsp of ground coriander

    2 tsp of tumeric

    1 cinnamon stick

    A small handful of chopped dried apricots

    1 1/4 cups of basmati

    3 chopped up chicken breasts or 6 chopped up thighs

    700ml of vegetable stock

    3 cubes of frozen spinach

    Live yoghurt to serve

    Set the slow cooker to high (2 -3hrs cooking time) or low (4-5 hrs cooking time) depending on the length of time you have to cook the meal. I like to prep my meals late morning or around lunchtime so that everything is ready for dinner around 5pm.

    Add the coconut oil or ghee to the slow cooker and let it melt. Add in the onion, garlic, spices and chopped apricots and give it a stir around to coat everything evenly.

    Add the chopped up chicken meat into the rice mixture and stir evenly to coat in the spices, apricots and rice. Add in the hot stock, frozen spinach cubes and stir once more.

    Pop the lid on and leave to cook for the required time as above – high setting (2 -3hrs) or low setting (4-5hrs).

    Serve with fresh greens or other seasonal vegetables and add a dollop of live yoghurt on top to serve.

    Granny’s Gingerbread

    2 Comments

    I love a hot latte style drink and a thick slice (emphasis on the thick!) of this delicious sticky gingerbread. I use this to create a hearty and warm filling breakfast with some stewed slices of apple on the top and a sprinkle of additional walnuts. It also makes a great after school snack or wrapped in a little beeswax a school break time piece.

    Follow the recipe below for a delicious addition to your Autumn faves!

    Ingredients

    125g of butter

    50g golden syrup

    175g molasses

    225g spelt wholemeal flour

    2tsp of baking powder

    1 tsp of ground ginger

    75g of soft brown sugar

    2 eggs

    50g chopped walnuts

    150ml almond milk

    1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

    Turn on the food mixer or processor and cream the butter, golden syrup and molasses. Add in the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, brown sugar and mix further. Whisk the eggs with a fork in a cup and add to the mixture, mix further on a medium setting. Add in the chopped walnuts and milk and bicarb, mix further and pour ino a lined or buttered loaf tin. Bake at 160oc for 1hr and 30 mins. Remove, cool and serve.

    Apple Oat Bars

    These are such a great breakfast snack and make a perfect make ahead breakfast for busy families!

    I used the apple pie butter recipe for the filling but you can also use canned pureed fruit. The recipe is very simple and I hope you enjoy these fruity bars as much as we did!

    Love Angie x

    Ingredients

    1 cup of all purpose flour

    1 cup quick cook rolled oats

    2/3 cup of brown sugar or coconut sugar

    1/4 tsp of baking powder

    1/2 cup of butter

    1 1/2 cups of apple butter or other fruit filling

    Preheat the oven to 180, grease a baking tray and combine the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar and baking powder. Crumble and rub together in the bowl until it looks similar to the crumb topping for apple pie.

    Set aside half a cup of this mixture and press remaining into the tray. Spread the apple butter on top of the pressed in mixture and sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top. Press down lightly.

    Bake for 30-35mins. Cool, then slice into chunky bars!

    Two week meal plan

    Another easy and affordable meal plan for two weeks!

    The kids are back at school this week so I made this meal plan with that in mind…hearty meals for hungry tummies, easy and quick to make with my new baby in the background and really affordable!

    I’ve also included a small tour around the larder cupboard (because its clean for once) and a peek at our bulk snacks order for school lunches and break snacks!

    Check out the food haul in the video below and the meal plan is at the bottom of the page! 🙂

    Meal Plan

    Below is our two week meal plan, I hope it gives you some ideas for new family recipes to make.

    Week 1

    (vegetarian) Monday – Broccoli & Cauliflower bake with Pasta

    (Fish) Tuesday – Fish Tacos

    (Vegetarian) Wednesday – Vegetable Stir Fry & Tofu

    (Meat) Thursday – Spicy Chicken

    (Vegetarian) Friday – Baked Potatoes – Tuna & Cheese, Chicken Mayo

    Saturday – Free

    (Meat) Sunday – Beef Brisket in BBQ Sauce

    Week 2

    (Vegetarian) Monday – Vegetarian Lasagne

    (Fish) Tuesday – Fish & Spinach

    (Vegetarian) Wednesday – Pad Thai Meal Kits

    (Meat) Thursday – Venison Stew

    (Vegetarian) Friday – Dhal, rice & naan breads

    Saturday – Free

    (Meat) Sunday – Lamb Stew

    With Love

    Apple Butter Recipe

    1 Comment

    I made this super delicious apple butter recipe at the start of the week last week and used it in over 3 recipes! We had apple butter on banana bread, apple butter filled oat bars and oat muffins with apple butter as an ingredient. It was a real time saver and it was enjoyed by all the family. You can also spread it on toast, dip fruit in it, serve it with ice cream or even use it for pie filling! mmmm pie! 😉

    Below is the recipe for this super delish apple butter!

    Ingredients

    8 Large Granny Smith Apples

    3 cups of apple juice

    1 cups of sugar

    1 tsp of cinnamon

    1/2 tsp of ground cloves

    1/2 tsp of ground allspice

    Peel and chop all the apples up and pop into a large pan with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a quick boil then lower to a simmer for 30mins, stir frequently and mash at the end. Store in a kilner type sealed jar in the fridge to use as needed. Enjoy!

    Cheesy Sweet Potato & Bean Quesadilla

    In an attempt to hide some extra vegetables in my kids meals I made these super delicious sweet potato and bean quesadillas with lots of melted cheese. I added jalapenos and chopped chilli for the adults and they also work well with dairy free cheese.

    They literally take a few minutes to prepare and are great served up with a healthy side salad including all the family faves, tomato, cucumber, lettuce and dressing.

    Once all the ingredients are packed into the slow cooker these are so quick to put together quickly at meal times and are great for busy families.

    Ingredients

    3 chopped cloves of garlic

    1 finely chopped onion

    A bag of frozen sweet potato or two large diced up small

    1 can of pinto beans

    Cumin seeds

    Salt & pepper

    Cheddar cheese or dairy free cheese

    Coriander, chilli, jalepenos etc. for toppings

    Tortilla Wraps

    Add the garlic, onion, sweet potato, beans, cumin and S&P to the slow cooker, cook on low for several hours or until sweet potato is soft enough to mash.

    Heat up a large flat frying pan or I personally use my electric pancake maker. It’s so easy to use. Place one tortilla wrap in the pan or pancake maker, sprinkle with cheese and add a few spoons of the cooked sweet potato mix.

    Mash the sweet potato and beans onto the tortilla, add grated cheese and another tortilla on top like a giant tortilla sandwich and leave to cook for a few minutes until the cheese has melted. Flip over for a quick browning on the other side.

    Serve and slice with a pizza cutter into quarters. Serve with salad.

    Malaysian Prawn Soup

    I love this recipe its one of my absolute faves! It is so super easy to make, you can follow the recipe below or click on the video link below to view it in video. The instructions are really simple and easy to follow.

    Click the image for the full recipe video. 🙂

    Ingredients

    1 medium bowl of small prawns (about 300-400g) Tofu for a vegetarian substitute

    4 noodle nests

    1 can of coconut milk

    1 liter of vegetable stock

    2tbsp of coconut oil

    small bowl of garnishings (chopped cucumber, spring onions, fresh chilli)

    salt & pepper

    1tsp of paprika

    1tsp of ground cumin

    1/2tsp of ground coriander

    1/2tsp of tumeric

    1tbsp of lemongrass puree

    1 small piece of ginger

    5 peeled shallots

    5 cloves of garlic

    5 fresh chillies of choice

    1 red pepper chopped

    1 head of broccoli chopped

    Blend the chillies, garlic, shallots, ginger lemongrass and all spices in a small blender with a little water. Heat the coconut oil in a non stick pan and add the blended spice mix, brown lightly. Add the stock and vegetables and cook the vegetables on a medium simmer. Add in your prawns or tofu and stir through and cook through for a few minutes.

    Add the coconut milk and cook through until dissolved. Serve on top of the cooked noodles and garnish with the chopped cucumber, spring onions and chillies.