Christmas Nibble Board

Christmas nibbles…ah!…so many happy memories of our family nibble platters at Christmas time!

I’ve seen many a delicious plate of nibbles in my day, from the excitement of my Mum and Dad bringing out our faves at Christmas to visiting Grandma and Grandad at Hogmany and feasting on scrummy hot nibbles all night when we were wee and then to us as parents ourselves bringing out warm plates of nibbles to our own excited kids!

There’s been many a happy memory around food in our household at Christmas young and old.

I made this somewhat healthier version of a nibble platter to feed the kids the day we collected the Christmas tree, because who has time to prepare huge meals when your all singing Christmas songs and decorating the tree with twinkling lights.

I used fresh fruits, vegetables, homemade crumbly feta almond cheese, sticky mango and sweet chilli sausage bowls and mushroom based sausage rolls. Yummy!

It’s super easy to prepare and assemble and you can of course vary the ingredients loads.

Ingredients

Sliced fruit and vegetables of choice

Vegetarian/vegan sausages

Vegetarian/vegan sausage rolls

Crispbreads for spreading

Crisps

Mango chutney

Sesame seeds

Sweet Chilli sauce

Chopped Spring onions

Cranberry sauce

Black olives

Sun dried tomatoes

Almond Feta Ingredients

2 cups of whole almonds

1 shallot or half a red onion chopped

2 chopped garlic cloves

1 lemon

1-2tbsp of plain yogurt (I used coconut) (optional)

Salt & pepper

Almond Feta Recipe

Soak the almonds in boiling hot water in a bowl for a couple of hours and peel off the skins. Pop the peeled almonds into the blender. Add the chopped onion or shallot, garlic, the juice of 1 lemon, yogurt if using, salt and pepper.

Blend in a high powered blender until completely smooth and taste, adjusting the seasonings as necessary. Add a little water if necessary too. You should have a really thick ‘stick to the spoon’ paste texture.

Lay out a muslin flat on the counter and spoon out the almond mixture onto the muslin. Wrap up into a tight ball and squeeze out the excess liquid over the sink. Tie a knot and hang into a jug, place in the fridge over night. If you don’t have time just squeeze out as much liquid as possible and then shape into a ball. Place in a glass dish and bake at 160 for 30mins or until golden and crispy on the outside.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped herbs, sun dried tomatoes or olives etc. Serve with thin crispbreads or oatcakes.

Sticky Sausages Recipe

Cook the vegetarian sausages on a medium heat in the oven. Split into two bowls, coat one batch in mango chutney and the other in sweet chilli sauce. Serve in two small bowls, sprinkle sesame seeds over the mango sausages and spring onions over the sweet chilli ones.

Lay the cheese and sausages out on a chopping board and display the sliced vegetables all around the bowls to make it all look pretty and edible.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bean & Vegetable Curry

This is my fave spicy curry recipe and it’s so quick and easy to make. I love the blend of freshly grated tomatoes, spices and chillies to make the sauce and the fluffy basmati base soaking up all of the delicious flavours. I have made this recipe spicy as I like hot food but you can adjust it to your tastes by adjusting the chilli quantity.

http://www.lovingfoods.co.uk

I love to serve my curry up with some fermented foods, pickles, sauces etc. These are great for dipping any additional elements like poppadoms and naan bread in. In this recipe I have used the fermented ‘Tumeric and Black Pepper Kimchi’. It’s the perfect addition to this dish for taste and of course for the numerous health benefits that fermented foods may have.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Ingredients

4 tbsp of Coconut Oil

1tsp of mustard seeds

1 tsp of cumin seeds

a pinch of asafetida

6 medium tomatoes grated (or blend in a small blender)

1/2 tsp of tumeric powder

1 tsp of ground coriander

1 tsp of ground cumin

3 fresh sliced hot green chillies (adjust for more or less heat!)

2 finely chopped cloves of garlic

1 tsp of grated fresh ginger

1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of coconut oil

A selection of sliced fresh vegetables

A tin of beans of choice, kidney beans work really well!

Heat the coconut oil on a medium heat in a large flat pan, I use my large flat cast iron casserole pan. Once the oil has melted add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida. When the mustard seeds start popping add in the fresh tomatoes. Stir, then add in the tumeric powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, chillies, garlic, ginger, sugar and salt. Leave simmering on a low heat.

Heat up the coconut oil in another pan and add in the sliced vegetables, beans and cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Season and then add into the simmering curry sauce. Cook gently for 20 minutes and serve with freshly cooked basmati rice. I use my pressure cooker settings for fluffy white basmati rice, a rice cooker works well too.

Serve up with pickles, sauces, breads and poppadom. Enjoy!

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Love Angie x

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/

Christmas Nibbles for vegetarians/vegans

fournibblesChristmas Nibble Food

Four really quick recipes for Christmas nibble food.  Get ready for friends and family coming over this Christmas with these really quick and easy recipes.  Video is also included at the bottom of the text.

Veggie Sausage Rolls

– pre-rolled puff pastry

– Vegetarian/vegan sausages of choice

These are so easy to make, you simply roll out the pastry and add in the sausages along one side.  Roll up into a roll and slice evenly into bite sized pieces.  Cook in the oven at 160 for about 30mins or until golden and puffy!  Garnish with herbs and serve with dipping sauce of choice.

Sweetcorn Balls

– Tin of large sweetcorn (about 400g)

– Wholemeal flour

– Onions,herbs, chilli (optional)

– Salt and pepper for seasoning

Empty the tin of sweetcorn and water into the food processor and blend for a minute, add in the appropriate amount of flour, you want enough to create a sticky dough like consistency.  Add in some chopped onions and herbs if you wish and a touch of chilli for a spicy touch if you like a bit of spice.  Season with salt and pepper. Roll into individual sweetcorn balls and bake on an oiled tray for around 30 mins at the same temp as the sausage rolls.  Serve with sweet chilli sauce and some herbs and vegetables to garnish.

Guacamole Taco Chips

– Two Avocados

– A tomato

– One lime

– Sliced chillies and coriander for garnish

– Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Mash the avocado with a chopped tomato and the juice of one squeezed lime.  Season with salt and pepper.  Scoop a tsp worth onto each taco chip and top with sliced chillies or coriander for a cooler taste.

Baked Potatoes with Cream ‘Cheese’

– Small baby potatoes

– Cold Pressed Organic Olive Oil

– Cream cheese or vegan alternative

– Salt, pepper and herbs/vegetables to garnish and season

Drizzle the baby potatoes with olive oil and bake in the oven for 40mins at 180, slice and leave to cool for 30mins.  Chop up your chosen garnish and vegetable decorations whilst cooling.  Spoon a tsp of cheese into the potatoes and garnish, serve with sliced vegetables of choice and a dipping sauce.  I choice spicy Siriacha chilli dipping sauce.

Here’s the link to the video below should you prefer to watch the video recipes.  It gives you a better idea on how they are supposed to look.

Love, blessings and a Happy Christmas for when it arrives!

Angie x

 

Blackberries (brambles) for lunch!

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Seasonal warm smoothie made with freshly picked brambles (blackberries) that we found on our forest walk with the dogs today…I love those heavenly moments when nature provides something so delicious, nutritious and so unexpectedly!  🙂

So the ingredients were…

a handful of blackberries,

a green apple,

a pear,

tbsp of maca,

tbsp of goji berries,

tbsp of flax seeds,

tbsp of pumpkin seeds

and topped with half almond and half water…

In my vitamix I can blend it on high for a few minutes and it will warm it up because let’s face it it’s freezing outside and who wants to drink a cold smoothie heading into the winter months…not sure if this works in other blender models you can give it a try.

If you like it a litte sweeter you could add a date or two or a dollop of honey.  This recipe was shared between two people.

Locally grown vegetables

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Lovely fresh vegetables from the the Gordon Castle estate local to us in Fochabers, Moray.  I would recommend a trip up to the recently restored gardens and lovely cafe/restaurant.  The shop near the car park usually sells a selection of seasonal foods grown in the gardens.  In the past we have purchased delicious potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkin, squash, beans, artichokes and s fee other bits from the shop.

Check out the link below for further info.

http://www.gordoncastle.co.uk

Natural Coconut Water

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Natural coconut water is so simple and so refreshing.  Fill up a sports flask with coconut water and half water for pre or post workout drink, also a great drink for the summer garden.  Its Autumn here just now though and I’m drinking my coconuts indoors before I move onto hot cacao drinks mmmm…

Coconut water is a great natural electrolyte, and it contains high amounts of potassium. It is also lower in carbohydrates — It only contains about 4.5% carbohydrates, whereas typical sports drinks can contain a 6%-8% carbohydrate concentration. (Dr. Axe)

My son drank two of these after school the other day, they are expensive fresh and I cant keep up with that demand ha ha!  You can buy a good high quality coconut water from the supermarket but most of them are heat processed and I try to avoid pasturised drinks where possible, simply because pasturisation in most cases = high heat which in turn destroys some of the nutrition (not all of the nutrition though), they are still beneficial to your health in some aspects though. Coconuts are not always easy to obtain fresh though and if I cant get them fresh the pasturised stuff is second best.

Also a great addition to smoothies and deserts, some raw desserts use coconut water in the blending processes.

Here are some additional facts in the links below.

https://www.davidwolfe.com/how-coconut-water-can-help-your-body/

If you are looking to purchase coconuts in bulk, which is possible via mail, then you can purchase them in a 6 or 12 pack by clicking on the image below.  If your not using many though I would purchase a 6, I have purchased a 36!! before and they all went off before i got through half of them.

Click on the image to order coconuts

 

Blackberry (bramble) picking

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We were talking the other day on our way to a birthday party about how awesome it would be to pick some fresh and wild blackberries (brambles).  When we arrived and to our surprise out of the kitchen window there was a huge blackberry bush. I grabbed a bowl and went out to inspect.  There were loads of ripe and ready to pick brambles.  All the scratches and scrapes were worth it as we gather a massive bowl up.  When we got back I made a blackberry and apple gin which will be ready in time for Christmas and a blackberry jam for my kids.  I’m not particularly keen on high sugar content jams but I needed to preserve them quickly as they were starting to spoil only after day two after picking.  So a high heat recipe was required.

If I were to come across such treasures again I would blend them up immediately into a smoothie when I got back to my kitchen as the nutritional content of blackberries is really high and they contain all sorts of goodies like vitamins A, C, and K, magnesium, potassium, and fiber.

“Vitamin A helps maintain eye health while vitamin C promotes wound healing, keeps gums healthy and helps the body absorb iron. Vitamin K, along with magnesium, are important in promoting bone health. Potassium plays a role in health blood pressure levels. And fiber helps control cholesterol and keeps you regular.” http://www.livestrong.com/article/110325-blackberries-nutrition

If you fancy trying your hand at foraging then check out the book below with a variety of things you can find for free in the wild.  Its so satisfying to go out and find something so satisfying in the wild.

Click on the book above for some more foraging adventures.

Lemon Vit C Boost

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“The juice of a fresh-squeezed lemon in water has many medicinal values, as well as its benefits for cleansing the body, stimulating the liver, and improving digestion and elimination” http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com

Drinking lemon water is a great way to start the day!  Its a great source of Vitamin C for your body and lemons are also known for their detoxing and alkalising health benefits.  Below are some links to some articles I found online about the benefits of lemon water.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/111175-benefits-lemon-water/

http://www.waterbenefitshealth.com/benefits-of-drinking-lemon-water.html

I personally try to drink this 3-5 times a week, but I have a very busy kitchen in the morning with kids running around looking for food and we have smoothies and juices being made left, right and centre so I drink it when I can.  It really doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare and you can have it with hot water or with cold.  If its the colder months I prefer to have warm water.  After a glass of water or the lemon water above a smoothie is the next important breakfast step for us.  The kids usually have a  glass of water, or lemon water, a smoothie and some homemade bread or muffins.  Then additional fruit if we can squeeze it in.  We’re not perfect by any means but we try to get those super foods into them as much as possible.

Click on the link below for the smoothie glasses that I use for my vitamin waters, smoothies and frozen puddings.  They are fab and can also be recycled once the use is finished which is important for me.  The kids love the ones with the straws.
Click on the image above for mason jars

Spicy mushrooms with peanut slaw wraps

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I was looking for a really quick lunch fix the other day and this Asian infusion hit the spot!  Spicy mushrooms and onions with homemade peanut slaw wrapped in a corn wrap with additional spicy sauce if your brave enough.  I adapted a recipe from the book below – Rich Roll – The Plant Power Way.

Its a great book for easy family plant powered recipes and Rich Rolls story to fitness and health is very inspirational.  I’m also studying his plant powered educational course on the Mind Body Green website.  Its great for getting ideas for fueling your body for fitness and for daily meal ideas.  Click on the image to take you to his book.  Anyway back to my recipes, the ingredients are as follows…

Mini corn wraps

Mushrooms

Onions

Mini cabbages

Carrots

Peanut butter or Almond Butter

Tamari Sauce

Mirin

Rice Vinegar

Garlic Clove

Sunflower seeds

Shred the mini cabbage and the carrots and mix in a bowl, in a jar add equal amounts of soy, mirin and rice vinegar and a heaped tablespoon of peanut butter, close the jar and shake or use a small blender.  Add to the shredded cabbage and carrots and mix through.  Cook the mushrooms and onions in a little coconut oil and add a spicy sauce of choice.

Add the slaw to the corn wrap and top with mushrooms, wrap and enjoy!  Yummy! 🙂

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