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Sneaky Cupcakes

At the Children’s Book Swap Event that I attended last week, I sold a number of Fruit and Veggie Cupcakes and had a couple of requests for recipes, so here over the next few days are a few of my tried and tested methods for making what I like to describe as sneaky cakes - where you can shove in a whole lot of goodness in without the kids knowing about it. It's also not a bad idea to consider individual cupcakes for kids birthdays. You can still decorate them to theme, but you normally end up with a lot less left overs and waste.

Each recipe makes around 12, but you will get variations on that depending on how big your cake cases are and the consistency of each cake mix. You can make all of these cakes without an egg if you want them to be completely free of animal products. However, two things tend to happen if you're not using egg and you have decide if you can live with it. Either you have a smaller, crumblier cake, or you have a denser cake that is harder to get our of it's wrapper.

Standard Content

115g of plain flour

115g of sugar

75ml of oil

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Butternut Squash and Ginger

Use golden caster sugar and sunflower/rapeseed oil for this recipe.

Take 120g of thinly sliced Butternut Squash and a large finger sized amount of root ginger, very finely sliced. Lay on a baking tray with a touch of oil and bake at 190C for around 30 mins, with a loose foil cover, until soft (turn your oven down 180C) Add to a blender or mash until a chunky salsa like texture (you can puree to smooth but this can make your mix a little on the sloppy side.

In a bowl add the sugar, oil and squash mix, and 1 egg if you are using. Beat together to avoid curdling then slowly shift in the flour and baking powder, making a figure eight shape until combined. Take a tablespoon and put heaped amounts into cake cases. These cakes are perfect with a soft creamy icing (see below), but he you choose not to ice, add a little sprinkling of ground ginger to the tops of your cakes at this stage.

Bake in the oven for 15mins, turn out on to wire rack to cool.

Simple Dairy Free Icing.

Using a Vegan or Dairy Free Spread is an incredibly easy way to make a simple soft icing for most cakes. Spread is a lot smoother than hard butter and you don't have to spend as much time beating out the lumps. Measurements are always a bit hit and miss and will depend on the texture you want. I normally start off with a heaped spoon of spread and two heaped spoons of icing sugar, with a small squeeze of lemon, and go from there.

Tomorrow: Apple and Courgette Cakes

Raw Meal

Many of you might be taking part in the Earth Hour Big Switch Off this Saturday and might be choosing to mark the occasion with a meal for family and friends. But there is a way you can make the event even more low tech - by opting for a raw food feast.

Raw food is becoming a popular trend here in the UK, with people realising the benefits of not roasting/boiling the shit out your food and draining it of important nutrients. It's certainly something I'm trying to do more often, if for no other reason than a lot of raw food is quick and easy to prepare, which is very handy if you're busy.

Some of the stuff mentioned below might not be entirely classified in the raw food range, due to pre-purchase preparation and processing. If you have an interest in eating raw and want to know a little bit more, I suggest you check out Karen Knowler's Raw Food Coaching Page for the basic introductions and Raw Amazing for some great recipes.

And while I've said this meal is low tech, some of it might require pre or post refrigeration. Don't worry though, no one expects you to switch off your fridge for Earth Hour. It is after all about making a statement of intent and commitment to energy saving habits.

Starter: Pink Grapefruit and Carrot Salad

Great as a side salad or starter, this can be dressed up with a few small leaves or herbs such as cress, lemon thyme or rocket.







2 grated carrots
1 Pink Grapefruit, peeled, sliced and cut into bits (a bit like toblerone triangles)
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of olive rapeseed oil

Drain off any excess juice from the grapefruit in a sieve or colander. Put into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix with your (clean) hands. Feel free to up the mustard dosage, but taste first as this combination should be enough. Add any desired leaves and serve.

Main: Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Peppers

The Bulgur Wheat used for tabbouleh needed be pre-cooked so long as you soften and clean it of starch first. Steep it in lots of cold water for around 30 minutes - 1hour, depending on how much time you have. Then place in a fine sieve and run under the cold tap until the water running off it runs clear. Break up with a fork and set aside.

4 large sweet peppers
200g of Bulgur Wheat
2 large beef tomatoes, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
75g of fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops off your peppers and remove any internal seeds or flesh. Mix the prepared bulgur wheat with rest of the ingredients. Add a glug of olive oil and pack the tabbouleh into the peppers. You could add a clove of garlic to the miss, but be careful as some people really can't stand raw garlic.


Dessert: Apple, Almond and Apricot Glory

Again this recipe can use yoghurt or a soy based alternative, and depending on whether you're cooking for children or adults, you can sharpen things up a bit by swapping the apple juice for apple brandy for those who like their fruit a little boozy.

2 large apples, peeled and chopped
400ml of yoghurt or vegan alternative
100ml of apple juice or apple brandy
100g of rolled oats
50g of ground almonds
50g of Fairtrade dark brown sugar
60g of dried apricots, blitzed in blender
1 tablespoon of almond oil

Peel, corr and chop the apples. Sprinkle with roughly half the brown sugar and the apple juice and leave to steep for around 30 minutes. Afterwards, drain the excess and divide into four separate into glasses, such as Martini or Champaign glasses. Top up with the yoghurt, leaving at least 2 inches of space at the top of the glass. In a bowl mix the oil, oats, almonds, chopped apricots and the remainder of the sugar until it forms a coated, flap jack type mixture. Add this as topping to glasses.


Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Organic Brews, just for you's...

After last weeks focus on local booze, I've been doing a bit of research into beers that market themselves as organic, traditional method or natural ingredients. And by research I mean me and the husband sitting in last night and chugging down on a few bottles while giggling at the Prince/Batman hybrid presenting on QVC (don't ask).

Anyway, in all our infinite wisdom, here's the low down. I haven't included any prices as I imagine this will vary from place to place and be dependent on whether you are paying bar prices or off sales. I've also tried to keep local once again - all these beers are brewed in the UK.

(from left to right)

Natural Brewing Company Premium Ale

4.3%

Ingredients: Barley, Hops, Spring Water

Claims to use only natural ingredients from sustainable sources and is brewed in small batches in a traditional tower brewery. Not unlike the Brew Dog also sampled, this had a fruity taste, though it was a far lighter affair. Pleasant enough.

Lincolnshire Best Bitter (Exclusive to M&S)

4.9%

Ingredients: Malted barley, Malted wheat, Hops, Water. 

This was the only beer we tested that had the Vegan stamp of approval. Though one might assume that all beers should be free from animal products, many contain Isinglass, a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish, while others fail to be awarded the stamp due to using animal based glues on the labels. So this was actually quite a find.

It had a definite caramelly (again, I'll defend this word, it's in Rebenectionary) light taste. Personally I found it a little on the bland side, though Damien liked sweetness, and the fact that it left no noticeable after taste. Out out of all drinks tested this was what we deemed to be the most palatable, in the sense that you could drink this all night and not feel sickened.

St Peter’s Organic

4.5%

Unusually didn't have a traditional ingredients listing (I thought everything had to these days?) but it noted as being made from malted barley hops.

This brew carried the soil association stamp and is prepared to 'organic standard'. It was light and golden in colour, more like a lager or European beer. Best bottle design of the night by a country mile, like a big medicinal bottle you'd expect street urchin's to be swigging their gin out of in a Dicken's novel. Kudos for that alone.

Scottish Ale (M&S Exclusive)

4.5%

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barely, Malted Wheat, Dried Thistle, Dried ginger and Yeast 4.5%

This dark ale had a really distinctive ginger taste, without technically being a ginger ale. It was fresh and crisp but had a denser flavour than you'd expect given the percentage. I've never really chowed down on thistle before, so I couldn't honestly tell you if that came through or not, though there was a noticeable twang in the after taste, so perhaps that was it. Damien thought that is had quite a weird smell, but I didn't notice it. It was certainly my favourite of the night. I'd recommend this if you like ginger ale, but find the sweetness get too much after a while. This has the flavour without the sugar.

BrewDog, Punk IPA`

6%, 

Ingredients: Barely Hops, Yeast and Water

Light amber in colour, this had an initial apricotty (it's a word, really it is) taste and aroma, and a dry/bitter after taste. Both Damien and I agreed that it reminded us of something else, I thought a special edition Oktoberfest brew I'd had a few years back. It was strong, but not overwhelming in flavour; as Damien put it, 'like Arnold Swartz in a teddy bear suit.' Now that  he's in his 30s, old man Damien was put off by the packaging initially, it's not traditional enough for his liking, but it didn't sour him against it and I rather liked it.

South Wold Winter IPA (another M&S exclusive - this doesn't make me posh by the way, it's just my local shopping centre only has a Sainsbury's and a Markseeees)

6.7% 

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Hops, Yeast, Carbon Dioxide

Not bad, a fruity pale ale, with a slight sharpness. Was drank last and as a result didn't really make that much of an impact.

The morning after the night before...   

One thing you're often told, especially when you're a student and will drink pretty much anything, is that the additives and artificial ingredients in a lot of drinks, especially the likes of alcopops, cheap cider and drain cleaner, can lead to worse hangovers. So how did we feel this morning? Well admittedly we didn't drink that much (but lets face it, since having a baby all it takes is a pint of water and packet of wine gums and I'm half cut), but there was no noticeable hangover. I did however feel thirsty most of today and received a text from Damien complaining about noxious gasses - perhaps that's the price to pay for a clear head.

Local Liquer

St. Patrick's Day is just a week away and while I'll be posting nearer the time about some pre-session stomach liners, I thought I'd take a moment to celebrate the very best in local and environmentally friendly alcohol.

Buying local reduces the travel miles of your drink and also supports local industry. I'm a firm believer that all pubs and bars, regardless of brewery agreements, should make the effort to stock and promote some local samples. In the meantime I'm happy to champion those bars that do, so feel free to leave recommendations in the comments section.

Of course Guinness is the big drink on the 17th March and my personal tipple of choice. The best pints I've had have come from the Pavilion Bar and Rose &Crown, both on the Ormeau Rd, Belfast - the worst was served in an excessively tall glass in Honolulu Airport and was all kinds of wrong (seriously, some places just shouldn't bother). When down in Kerry years back Murphy's was actually the nicer option for a lot of places in and around the Dingle Bay area, but you'd be hard pushed to find this on draught in Belfast these days. Then we have local whiskey's of which there are a shit loads. Can't think of any? Then click here.

If stout or whiskey isn't your thing however there are plenty of other local options available. Whitewater Brewery, an award winning micro brewery in Co Down, produces a good range of ales and lager, including Snake Drive, a special pale ale brewed especially for St Patrick's Day. A few of the range, Belfast Ale and Coltworthy Dobbin in particular, I've seen in a couple of bars around town, but you can contact the brewery direct for a more comprehensive list: http://www.whitewaterbrewery.com/index.php/beers

If you're one of those sick in the head people who actually prefer cider, then of course we've Magners, the geniussssess who realised that if you encourage people to water down their pint with ice you can single handedly rejuvenate the apple fizz business and make a fortune. Why? I've no idea, I assume the sugar rush achieved by drinking the stuff makes people forget that they live in Ireland where it's cold and pisses down all the time, instead fooling them into thinking that they're in the tropics where ice is essential.

For the more refined pallet we have drink of champions and all awesome people, Buckfast Tonic Wine. You'll get this served by the glass in one or two bars, though it is definitely more of an offy drink. A fortified wine, it's localish - produced at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. It's not for the faint-hearted, and if you're a first time taster, don't let the initial foulness put you off. Drink through the nastiness, as it's about to get soooo good. And if you've ever been curious about the difference between the green bottled normal stuff and the different (and therefore wrong), brown bottle concoction drank predominately in the ROI, then wikipedia has the low down here.

Of course not everyone is from the same local area, so you've probably got your own favourites and feel free to give them a shout out in the comments section. You can check out your local breweries by licking on the following directories:

http://www.quaffale.org.uk/ (UK)

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/breweries.html (USA)

http://www.tastingbeers.com/directory/regional/canada/breweries/ (CAN)

But it's not just the travel miles attached to booze that concern the eco friendly drinker, there are more and more producers starting to offer organic and Fairtrade options. I'll be doing a taste test of a few of these over the weekend and will report back.

http://pdphoto.org
Oh and it goes without saying: Always drink responsibly!

Fair Trade Pancakes

Well we're about half way through Fair Trade Fortnight, and what better way to show your support than by making this Pancake Day, a fair trade event. When you can't buy local, try and buy fair, for a better deal for workers across the globe. Here are two fantastic recipes for pancakes with a twist and an extra treat for anyone planning to put their sweet tooth on hold for lent. The basic batter recipe will make approximately between 4-8 pancakes, though this will of course vary depending on pan size and you often have to allow for a few spoils.

Fairtrade Banana Pancakes with Raisins and Madeira:


100g of plain flour
225ml of milk
1 egg
Good Pinch of Salt


3 large Fairtrade Bananas
100g of Fairtrade Soft Brown Sugar
Good handful of Fairtrade Raisins, nuts of other dried fruit
60ml of Madeira Wine
50g of butter

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, lightly beaten. With a balloon whisk, slowly combine the flour/egg mix, while slowly adding the milk. You should get a batter of thin to medium consistency, perfect for crepes, as opposed to American style or Scotch Pancakes. If you have time, chill the batter in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to use.

Peel and slice the bananas in half. In a shallow pan melt the butter, sugar and Madeira until a caramelised sauce (around 5 minutes), then add the raisins and bananas, cooking for about 1 minute on each side.

Remove from the heat, cover in foil and set aside. In another frying pan, ideally one suited to crepes,(or remove the bananas completely, quickly clean the pan and reuse if you're short on utensils), add some oil or butter on high heat until pan is very hot. A ladle or jug is the best way of doing this, you only need a little and you should spread it our on the pan as much as possible. I mentioned 'spoils' earlier, as it might take a few turns to get best results.

When done, place a banana, some raisins and syrup into each pancake and roll up. You can serve as it is, though this would be extra nice with some Fairtrade Vanilla Ice-cream, such as Ben and Jerry's which uses 100% Fairtrade Vanilla and Sugar.


Fairtrade Chocolate Pancakes

Using the same batter recipe and preparation method as the Banana Pancakes, you can make a wide range of Fairtrade Chocolate Sauces to complement. If you have a microwave, a very simple means of making a chocolate sauce is simply adding 100g of Fairtrade Chocolate  (broken up) and 100ml of milk into a jug and heating for 1 minute. Some mad bastards even use condensed milk, these tend to be American and don't have to rely on being able to find a NHS dentist. If you don't have a microwave you can melt chocolate easily in a pan, rested over a pan of simmering water, adding any cream, butter or even a touch of almond oil to thin out.

The key in all of these sauces is choosing your favourite chocolate flavours. Here are some of the most tempting Fairtrade Chocolate offers I've come across online, though many will be available in stores such as The Co-Op and other supermarkets.

Seed and Bean's Organic Fairtrade Chocolate with Chilli and Lime: Yum

Palmil Fairtrade Organic Chocolate: A Gluten and diary free alternative to milk chocolate, suitable for Vegans. For information on dairy free pancake recipes, check out the this site

Plush Fairtrade White Chocolate Petals with Raspberry. Gorgeous and with their own cute packaging. If you can't bring yourself to 'waste' these on a sauce, they would make an ideal gift or wedding favour.

Green and Black's Maya Gold: The first UK product to be awarded the Fairtrade stamp in 1994.


You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight by going to http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Celebrate... St David's Day

This warming Leek and Soba Noodle Broth, is the perfect meal for the 1st of March St David's Day Celebrations (the leek, along with the daffodil being the symbol of Wales). It's also the perfect type of dish to signify the move into spring; hot, but a lot less stodgy than most winter staples. Also, due to it's small ingredient selection, it really doesn't take that long compared to other vegetable based soups.

Serves 4

Two Leeks, washed and chopped
Two bunches of Soba Noodles, broken up into small shards
1 red chilli pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized piece of garlic, crushed or finely grated
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
2 tablespoon of light soy sauce
A few mixed pepper corns
1 pint of vegetable stock (or chicken if you prefer)
75ml of dry white wine

Add the leeks, garlic, chilli, lemon grass and ginger to a pan with a little oil on a medium heat. Stir occasionally until the leeks begin to soften, then add the white wine, turn down the heat to it's lowest setting, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Then add your soy sauce and pepper corns, stirring well before adding your stock and bringing to the boil for five minutes. Cover and turn down the heat, leaving to simmer for approximately 20 minutes and adding the broken up soba noodles in the last 5 minutes.

Serve with rice or cream crackers.