Griddled Courgette with Mozzarella & Sweet Chilli Dressing

Sadly, the only courgette recipe this year (completely forgetting about this one). Unless you don't like courgettes, then "yay" for you!! Luckily for both my sisters, Dad only planted 2 plants, and this year wasn't a very good for year, for growing courgettes! Meaning it was a very sad year for me. Normally, we grow so many that we end up giving loads away, but this year we had to buy some, i know shock horror!

Since i love courgettes, and I'm always trying to find new recipes, when i came across this one, i did i little excited dance. Its fits my claim "i could eat mediterranean food every day, for the rest of my life" (not that i am) quite nicely. With several of my most loved ingredients, namely the mozzarella (of course, it's in the top 5 favourite cheeses list!!) and the basil.

The sauce is quite sweet on its own, but paired with the courgettes, it balances out. The sauce is also very versatile, and would work well with salmon and chicken, or if you reduce the sugar, it would make a great dipping sauce. 

Serve as a side dish, with fish or chicken, or as a light lunch with added salad  leaves to bulk it up a bit. We had it with grilled mackerel, and my quinoa salad, not the most well planned, and everything works together beautifully meal, but one of the tastiest. 

Ingredients
100g caster sugar
150ml rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 large chillis, deseeded and finely chopped
700g courgettes
1 ball of mozzarella
olive oil
basil leaves, to finish

1. In a small pan, heat the sugar and vinegar with 150ml water. once the sugar has dissolved, add in the garlic and the chilli. Simmer gently for 20mins until reduced and syrupy. Set aside to cool completely.
2. Slice the courgettes finely. Toss in oil and seasoning.
3. Heat the griddle pan or barbecue  to hot.Cook the courgettes, until tender and charred.
4. Arrange on a serving plate, tear over the mozzarella and drizzle with the dressing. Scattered with basil. 

Orange and Poppy Seed Cake

I'm using the excuse that it wasn't my oven; As my defence, that the cake wasn't cooked enough; It obviously wasn't that, I didn't read the recipe properly, and the oven was supposed to be set at 160 instead of 180. That's also obviously, why the background has been occasionally changing recently, since I've been making full use of the house my mum house/dog sits for; by borrowing their kitchen of course! 

This is now the second citrus fruit, and poppy seed cake in a row, after this one. I do like them, I promise!(well it was my birthday cake) I'm not just trying to use the packet of poppy seeds up, like you all think. I love the slight crunch, and the nuttiness they give the cake. If your making the cake for a special occasion, then toasting the seeds will enhance their flavour.

If you don't like orange marmalade, then feel free to change it to a different marmalade, such as lime, or lemon. Also feel free to swap the marmalade top, with a sugar crust (just mix granulated sugar and orange juice together, use this recipe for it). If you don't like poppy seeds, then feel free to take them out.

Ingredients 
3 tbsp thick cut marmalade
150g plain yogurt
3 eggs
175g caster sugar
200g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g butter
zest of orange
5 tsp poppy seeds

for the sticky top:
juice 1/2 orange
5 tbsp marmalade

1. preheat the oven to 160°c. 
2. butter and line a loaf tin 
3. melt the marmalade into a small pan or microwave, then beat in the yogurt and leave to cool
4. put the remaining cake ingredients into a bowl and beat until smooth
5. quickly beat in the yogurt and marmalade mix, and pour into the tin( it will be quite runny).Don' smooth and level the top to encourage a crack in the middle.
6. bake for 1hr- 1hr 10mins, until golden and well risen, loosely cover if its getting too brown
7. meanwhile, while heat the orange juice and marmalade in a small pan, until combined and thick, but still runny glaze
8. spoon over the topping, while it's still warm 

Coconut and Apricot Slice

Writing about these is making me want one so badly, and yes, you probably here that a lot on blogs, but honestly this is one of my favourite bakes. Luckily for me; one sister didn't like it, the other was going through a vegan stage, my mum was away dog/house sitting, and my dad tends to forget about the things i bake, if they're in the cupboard. So as you can imagine, i had a lot to eat myself, not that i minded too much.

If you wanted something sweet, bite size and that pairs together so well, like carrot and cumin, apple and cinnamon, then look no further. The sweetness of the biscuit, and condensed milk, with the tartness of the apricot and then the lemon icing, topping off the perfect crunch, to chew ratio underneath. 

Personally, I love apricots and wouldn't change them, but if you don't, raisins would work just as well. I used digestive biscuits, but any plain, sweet biscuit would do the job. I also added lemon zest to the icing, and extra lemon juice because I love lemon, as you might know, if you've been reading my blog for a while. 

I don't particularly like super thick icing on slices, so i halved the original recipe, but feel free to double the one below, if you like thicker icing. I also pressed in extra coconut, to make it look pretty, since my icing lost its shine, as i kept touching it, but if your more skilled than me, and can create a flat and shiny surface, then go ahead!!

Ingredients
100g butter
3/4 cup condensed milk
375g digestives, crushed
150g dried apricots, finely chopped
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbsp lemon juice

icing
25g butter
1.5 tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
1 3/4  icing sugar

1. melt the butter and condensed milk. bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins.Remove from the heat
2. Add the crushed biscuits, apricots, coconut and lemon juice. Mix well.
3. press into 30cm x 24 cm lined baking tin. Pop in the fridge until set, then ice.
4. For the icing: Melt butter and mix with the boiling water, icing sugar, lemon zest, and juice to a smooth consistency
5. Spread over base. Press into extra coconut if desired, and once set, cut into squares  

Fluffy Yoghurt Pancakes with Roasted Rhubarb

The Sunday Post- 

There's nothing better than picking something,cooking it, then eating all within an hour. Then serve the freshly picked Rhubarb with a sunday staple, pancakes, with creamy greek yoghurt for a perfect Sunday breakfast. Welł, it would be perfect if I didn't have to get up, and make it myself, but sadly neither of my cats have quite worked out how to do that yet, so I'll have to make it myself for a while yet (forever).

The fluffy yoghurt pancakes with a slight tartness, pair wonderfully well with the sweet and sharp rhubarb(wow.didn't realise how much that sounded like Masterchef!) If you don't have time to roast rhubarb, it also works well with yoghurt and fresh seasonal fruit, such as nectarines or try a quick berry sauce. 

I just like roasting the rhubarb with just with sugar, but feel free to add spices such as cinnamon, or orange zest would work particularly well.The leftovers can be served with porridge in the morning, or with a crumble topping or granola for a quick dessert. 

Ingredients

Rhubarb
sugar( i used three types, but that was just for photos)

175g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp caster sugar
250g greek style yogurt
3tbsp milk
1 egg
butter/ flavourless oil/ coconut oil

1. wash the rhubarb, chop into even sized pieces
2. pop in a roasting sprinkle over sugar, roast until tender

3. when the rhubarbs cooked,mix together the flour, B.P, and sugar
4. pour in the yogurt, milk, and the egg. whisk until a smooth thick batter is formed
5. fry until golden and bubbles start to appear, then flip and fry until the other side is also golden 

6. Serve with extra yoghurt and the rhubarb 

Coconut and Chocolate Balls

Continuing with the recent coconut obsession; Which is healthy right? Perfect, accompanied by (several) an episode of Orphan Black, (the rediscovered unhealthy obsession!); or TV episode of your choice. The dark chocolate, makes them seem extremely healthy, even though they're not really, which may have resulted, in them being eaten extraordinarily quickly; which may, or may not have been consumed at breakfast.

To make them healthier they are coated in dark chocolate, but milk would also work well, especially you prefer things sweeter, as the coconut isn't that sweet. Or if you really want to push the boat out, dipping it half and half, would look pretty. Or if your giving these away as a gift, drizzling them with white chocolate would look great too. 

I kept the dessicated coconut the same size, but feel free to blend it up finer,to make it more like a bounty bar. If you want something a bit different try adding zest of one lime, its really good trust me. Or if you love chocolate, adding cocoa powder would make a healthier version of chocolate rough, add more coconut oil, as it will make the mixture drier. 

Ingredients

1 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbsp honey/maple syrup or similar
2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
100g dark chocolate, melted

1. melt the coconut oil, and mix in the honey or syrup
2. stir in the coconut, and press into balls( i let the mixture firm up a little, in the fridge before rolling)
3. once the balls are made, place in the fridge to firm up completely, about 30mins
4. once set, dip in the melted chocolate, coating the surface
5. chill until set

Caramalised Onion and Cheese Muffins

Can we please, just take a moment, to appreciate that these beauty's exist. Both sweet and salty, and incredibly cheesy. Cheese is one of the best foods to grace the earth, and i think i would die, if i didn't have it for over a week. If you make these, and don't like them...., then I'm sorry we cannot be friends, as these are definitely my favourite savoury baking recipe, though my cheese scones come a close second.

For parties, i think this small size is easy, and gives you an excuse to eat more because "there small....". I regularly make them in a normal cupcake tin, as its easier to get out, and don't dry out as quickly. These are definitely one of those items to eat on the day, because they dry out quite quickly.
I'm still in the process of finding the exactly right amount of sugar for my taste buds, so keep adjusting it to your own, but this is what I've found is roughly the right amount. If you don't have panko breadcrumbs, don't worry, it's just as great without it. Also if you don't like one of the cheeses, feel free to swap it, or leave out.

If only i had this recipe, when i was in yr 7, and had to design a savoury muffin, in food tech. At the time my 11 year old mind was blown...what madness! It had to contain two vegetables, (classic example of school trying to make us healthier) but then olives were counted as a vegetable, so it wasn't too hard.

Ingredients 

250g butter
40g  caster sugar
250g self raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 red onion
250g cheddar cheese grated
1 tbsp chives
approx 250g crumbled cheese, e.g. feta, blue cheese

panko breadcrumbs, optional

1. saute the onions until caramelised, leave to cool
2. beat the butter and sugar together, until light and fluffy,beat in the egg 
3. fold in the flour and salt
4. gently fold in the cheddar cheese, caramelised onions, chives and crumbled cheese
5. spoon into moulds, top with panko breadcrumbs, and bake until 180° for 20 mins or until golden brown( they will "set", once out of the oven)
6. leave to cool for 5 mins before removing.

Mango and Coconut Cream with Pistachio Brittle

If you wanted the quickest (homemade) dessert in the whole entire universe then look no further, because trust me this is quicker than walking to your local supermarket, and buying something, unless you live right outside a supermarket, and can run around it like Usain bolt.

I thought i might mention that it utterly delicious, but then for someone who could eat about 10 mangoes per day, and never get bored then i suppose i might be a bit biased. Whatever you do though, use alphonso mangoes! Oh, and once you've made the brittle, I would hide it away until you need it, because unless you have super strong will power, then you might find it magically disappears! 

In this version photographed I used coconut cream (hence it's very white), instead of cream, which is a great option if your lactose intolerant, or if you prefer not to eat dairy/animal products. Instead of using a small expensive tins of coconut cream, I used a tin of coconut milk, and the solid part which had naturally separated (sainsburys own is the best to use), then just whipped it, with the same amount of cardamon. If you don't like cardamon, or want to freshen up the dessert, grated lime zest would also work well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

5 tbsp caster sugar
50g shelled pistachios

300ml double cream, or coconut cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
10 cardamon seeds, shelled, crushed into a powder
400g alphonso mango puree, or flesh of a fresh mango blended
fresh mint to garnish, optional

1. Toast the pistachios until fragrant, roughly chop 
2. In a pan, heat the sugar with 1 tbsp water until it dissolves and cooks to a golden brown caramel
3. Mix the pistachios into the sugar, and spread on baking paper and leave to cool
4. whip the cream with the sugar and cardamon, until it forms soft peaks 
5. divide the mango between 4 glasses, spoon over the cream
6. roughly break up the brittle, sprinkle over. top with a spring of mint.