Spinach, Ginger and Berry Green Smoothie

I was lucky to get a fantastic Kitchen aid blender for Christmas, which now means I can make smoothies! I have made all kind of smoothies but I particularly like this green one, even thought my recipe changes all the time depending on what I have to hand! I like to pop my smoothie in to a bowl and top with fruit and granola- makes a healthy snack!

Recipe: (Makes 3 glasses)

- Mixed frozen berries (I use Waitrose Love life berry smoothie mix)

- Thumb size piece of ginger

- Good glug of Coconut water or Almond milk

- 2 large handfuls of spinach

How to make:

- Quite simply blend all of the ingredients in your blender until smooth - easy as that! 

 Enjoy 

xXx

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Drops

I haven't done a post since last year as I have been busy completing a professional wine course, but I am back and ready to give you a wonderful recipe for some homemade choccies!

I made these a lot at Christmas to give to friends as presents, they are so versatile and easy to make. You can change any of the ingredients to what you have available, and they look great too which is always a plus!

How to make: (makes about 24)

- 200g Good quality Dark or Milk chocolate

- Roasted Pistachios

- Mixed roasted nuts

- Dried Cranberries

- Other dried fruits

- Pinch of salt

(You can use any kind of nuts or dried fruit that you like)

Recipe: 

- Start by chopping up your nuts and dried fruit in to smaller pieces and arrange on a plate so you have them ready to use.

- Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Then melt the chocolate over a pan of boiling water (or in the microwave if you prefer). Leave to cool slightly.

- Drop spoonfuls of the melted chocolate on to the lined trays and then sprinkle over a little salt on each drop. Drop the chopped nuts and fruit on top and then leave to set in the fridge- about an hour should set them.

- I put the chocolate drops in to clear bags and tied them with a bow- perfect for a present at any time of year!

* You don't have to use fruit and nuts at all, I have used mini marshmallows, chopped up chocolate bars and sprinkles on them which work great too. 

Photo how to:

Enjoy! 

xXx

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds!

I know Halloween was quite a while ago now, but I have only just got around to making this post! I love Halloween, its always good fun and one of the best bits (other than the copious amounts of chocolate) is carving a pumpkin! 

You can't eat much of a carved pumpkin, but the seeds, they are fantastic roasted! They are really simple to do and they only need a few seasonings to taste delicious. You can use any spices you like depending on your taste!

Give them a go! (you can also roast other squash seeds, I roasted spaghetti squash seeds the other day and they were just as good!)

Recipe: (makes enough for a bowl full)

- One large Pumpkin

- Good glug of Olive Oil (can use melted coconut oil too)

- Salt

- Pepper

- Garlic Granules (dried garlic)

- Cayenne Pepper

To make:

- Preheat the oven to 200c. Make sure the pumpkin seeds are dry, tip them on to the baking tray and add the oil and spices and then mix.

- Spread the seeds out so they cover the tray evenly. Then roast them for about 15-20mins, but keep an eye on them as the ones around the edge will brown more quickly.

- Roast until light golden brown, try one to see that they are slightly crisp. Then allow them to cool and tip them in to a pretty bowl and enjoy!

Photo how to:

Mix the seeds with the oil and spices

Spread the seeds evenly on the baking tray and then roast

The spices I used and my pumpkin hiding behind!

The finished seeds should look a bit like this

Then serve them in a little bowl with some drinks!

My pumpkin this year! Happy (belated) Halloween! 

xXx

Cheeeeesy Twists

There are two things that will always taste fantastic together, and they are cheese and pastry! I love making cheese biscuits using my Granny's recipe, but this time I decided to try something a bit different and use puff pastry instead of short crust. 

I love cheese straws, but I have never made them before as I usually buy them so I thought I would give it a go. It turns out that they couldn't be much easier to make! They tasted delicious and were gobbled up in a day so make sure to make a large batch if you have lots of mouths to feed!

Recipe: (makes 30 small straws)

- 1 x packet of ready made puff pastry (unrolled and unthawed if frozen)

- 3 x good handfulls of grated Cheddar cheese and Parmesan 

- 2 tsp Poppy seeds

How to make:

- Preheat the oven to 200c and grease 2 baking sheets.

- Unroll the pastry and scatter with a good hanfull of the grated cheddar and parmesan cheese. Then fold the pastry in half and roll out until it becomes the thickness of a £1 coin. 

- Using a large sharp knife, cut the pastry in to long, thin strips and then cut those in half to make about 30 small strips. 

- Twist each pastry stip 3 times and then lay on the baking sheet. Once all are twisted, put some more grated cheese on top of each one and then sprinkle over the poppy seeds.

- Bake in the oven for about 6-7 minutes until golden brown on the top and bottom. Keep an eye on them though as they will burn quickly. 

- Enjoy warm if you can, if not keep them in an air tight container and eat at the earliest opportunity! You won't be able to resist!

Photo how to:

Grated cheddar and parmesan

The folded pastry with the cheese inside, ready for rolling out

Cutting the pastry in to strips for twisting

The twisted cheese straws on the baking tray

These are the finished cheese straws hot out of the oven!

Mmmmmm

xXx

Zesty Cannellini Bean Dip

I have made this dip a few times in the past, but as I usually make up the recipe I can never remember exactly what I put in it the last time I made it- 

So this time I am getting the recipe down on here! 

It is a really delicious and tasty dip, that is super easy to make and is a great alternative to hummus if you don't have any chickpeas in the cupboard! I find that by using Cannellini beans the dip is really creamy and doesn't require any oil which is good. The zest gives it a nice kick as well.

Serve it with some crudites or tortillas! 

Recipe: (makes 1 large bowl/tub)

- 1 Can of Cannellini beans

- 1/2 Lemon, juice and zest

- 1 Lime, juice and zest

- Good bunch of Chives, Coriander and mint (whichever fresh herbs you have!)

- 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes

- 1 tsp ground Cumin 

- 1/2 garlic powder/ granules (can use fresh)

- Salt and Pepper

To make:

- Put all of the ingredients in to a food processor and whizz until smooth. This may take a few minutes- it will look dry to begin with but as it is whizzed more it becomes smoother! 

- Empty the dip out in to a pretty bowl and if you like, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with fresh herbs. 

 - Then serve with crudites and crisps!

All the ingredients in the food processor ready for whizzing!

The finished dip ready for devouring!! 

  Enjoy! 

xXx