Simple Guacamole

I have to confess that I have never been a lover of avocado's, but recently my friend Eva has converted me with her delicious guacamole that she made me. 

It turns out that guacamole is so easy to make, and with the addition of a few ingredients, its really delicious! 

(Scroll down for the recipe)

Of course the Guacamole must be served with tortilla chips (my favourite!). 

I love R.W Garcia's tortilla chips, as they have a lot of really delicious flavours. The Thai, Blue and Veggie ones are the best. Waitrose sells the Thai ones in the gluten free section, and the others are available at places like Whole Foods or other independent fine food shops. 

Recipe: (serves about 4)

- 3 ripe Avocados 

- Good sprig of Coriander

- 1/4 red Onion

- Juice and zest of 1 Lime

- 1 medium sized Tomato, chopped finely

- Sprinkle of Chilli flakes

To make:

- Put all of the ingredients, apart from the tomato, in to a food processor and pulse until combined. Scrape down the sides and whizz again, but make sure not to whizz too much as this will make it too smooth - as you want to have a few chunky bits. 

- Stir in the tomato bits and then put the Guacamole in to a pretty bowl. Serve with plenty of tortilla chips and preferably enjoy with friends! 

Enjoy! 

xXx

Domestic Goddess Brownies!

So...these badboys are pretty darn amazing. Probably the best brownies I know, and they are thanks to the wonderful Nigella Lawson, a.k.a 'The Domestic Godess'. Its my wonderful friend Ginny's birthday, and I said I wanted to bake her something yummy to celebrate it with, and theres not a lot better than brownies, especially Nigella's brownies.

Brownies are the easiest things to make, and at the end you are left with a gooey stack of chocolate heaven. They are also great as you can add whatever you like to them: nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped choccie bars...you get the picture. Below is Nigella's recipe from her baking cookbook, 'How to be a domestic Godess'.

Recipe: (makes 24)

- 180g soft unsalted butter
- 180g good quality dark chocolate
- 250g castor sugar
- 115g plain flour
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 100g white chocolate chips 
- Any other extras, like nuts/ dried fruit etc 

To make:

- Preheat the oven to 180c, and line and grease your baking tray.

- Melt the butter and chocolate together in a pan over a low heat until fully melted. Meanwhile, in a large jug, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together until combined. And measure out the flour and salt in to a separate bowl.

- When the chocolate/butter has melted and cooled slightly, add the egg mixture and stir. Then add the flour and mix until combined. Now add your chocolate chips/ nuts etc, and pour the mixture in to your greased and lined baking tray.

- Bake in the oven for about 15-18 minutes to ensure a gooey centre to your brownies. They are ready when there is a pale crust on the top of them, and an inserted skewer comes out clean(ish). 

- Allow to cool on a wire rack and then cut up in to 24 small squares. 
And then tuck in! 

Note: If you are using them as a birthday cake - pile them up on a pretty plate and sprinkle over some edible glitter or silver balls. 


Photo how to: 

The best baking book!

Melting the butter and chocolate together

The flour and egg mixture 

Pouring the egg mixture in to the chocolate

Now adding the flour to the mixture

The mixture should be thick and luscious! 

Now add the white chocolate chips/chunks

Ready for the oven

Fresh out of the oven, and the inserted skewer is clean(ish)

Some close ups of the inside of the brownies! YUM!

Enjoy!

xXx

Chocolate chip banana ice cream

Like a lot of other people, I have become rather partial to banana ice cream all of a sudden! I first made it about 6 months ago when I came across it on Pinterest. I have up till now been making the plain banana flavour with a spoon or two of nut butter in, but I thought it was about time I tried a chocolate version. And I am pleased to announce that this chocolate chip banana ice cream is utterly delicious and creamy just like dairy ice cream! Aaaaand it is the easiest recipe EVER!

Recipe: (makes a large tub)

- 10 very ripe bananas

- 1 1/2 tbsp Green and Blacks unsweetened cocoa powder

- Dark chocolate chips/ bar chopped in to small pieces

To make:

- Chop the bananas in to rounds, put in to a freezer bag and then in to the freezer. Freeze them overnight or for several hours until completely frozen.

- Pop the frozen banana pieces in to your food processor and whizz. This will take quite some time, so dont be alarmed if it seems slow. You will need to scrape down the sides and stir the mixture quite often.

- Once the mixture becomes smooth and creamy, this is when you add the cocoa powder. Whizz again to combine, and then add the chocolate chips and whizz again. 

- Now you can either eat the ice cream straight away as a soft serve ice cream, or as I do, pop it in to an air tight container and back in to the freezer to become more solid.

- Enjoy! - I like to top my ice cream with more chocolate chips/ chopped nuts or crumbled Amaretti biscuits for a delicious healthy treat!

Note: You will need to take the ice cream out of the freezer about 20 mins before you want to eat it to unthaw a little as it is quite hard, or pop it in to the microwave!

Enjoy!!

Pippa 

xx

Aubergine 'Chips'

I was having a search on the internet for some cooking inspiration and I came across these wonderful Aubergine Chips! They looked so crisp and also a good accompaniment to the Peanut Chicken and salad I was making for dinner.

These Aubergine chips are so easy to make, and also really healthy! You just have to dip them in egg, then Parmesan bread crumbs and bake for about 15 mins in a hot oven! I seasoned my breadcrumb mixture with some Chili flakes and Paprika, but you could try any mix of spices.

Recipe:

- 1 Aubergine

- 1-2 eggs, Whisked (depends on how much aubergine you have)

- 1 Cup of dried bread crumbs

- Good grating of Parmesan cheese

- 1 tsp Chili flakes

- 1 tsp Paprika

- Salt and Pepper

To make:

- Preheat oven to about 180c

- Mix the breadcrumbs with the chili flakes, paprika, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper

- Then Cut the Aubergine in to 'chip' like shapes

- Dip the Aubergine chips in to the whisked egg first, then in to the bread crumb mixture and then place them straight on to an oiled baking tray. Repeat until all are coated.

-Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, but keep an eye on them so the bread crumbs dont burn towards the end of baking.

- Serve them with salad, or just with a tomato dip!

The whisked egg and the bread crumb mixture.

The Aubergine ready to go in the oven!

A close up of the Aubergine chips!

Hope you enjoy this recipe! 

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