Life can be sweet.

 There is no getting away from the fact, no matter how hard I try to train myself otherwise, I love sweet things.  Despite having a hugely healthy diet, and being aware of how important it is for that diet to be balanced, rich in good protein and fat, I still need to know that after a savoury dish there is a dessert on its' way - I know this is all just psychological!
But that's the great thing about cooking, and loving to experiment with food and new ingredients - I get to make great desserts that are actually healthy, and can omit the ingredients that I prefer not to eat (wheat, dairy and too much sugar).  I am constantly suggesting people avoid wheat and dairy for various health issues (bloating, flatulence, indigestion, constipation - sound familiar?), and the reaction is always the same - how can I possibly live without so much?  Well you just need to change the way you think about foods and start playing.  So yes, you really can have this amazing gluten and dairy-free chocolate cake!
The other thing I like to do is to find a product that I really love and then figure out how to make it myself - this normally means it will be tastier (as I can include my favourite ingredients) and will most certainly be cheaper.
This recipe came about after I tried Chia Pods - perfect little pots of dessert that are rich in omega 3 fatty acids, gluten and dairy free and contain only natural sugar.  My recipe is obviously even tastier!

Orange and Mango Chia Puds

Serves 2-3

1 orange
1 mango, peeled and destoned
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp goji berries
2-3 tbsp non-dairy milk

- Grate the rind of the orange and then peel the orange and place the flesh into a food processor with the flesh of the mango.
- Process for a few seconds to break everything down.
- Add the grated orange rind, chia seeds, goji berries and milk and process again for 20-30 seconds, scrapping down any mixture that has escaped up the side of the bowl.
- Leave to stand for 5 minutes - this will allow the chia seeds to do their work - they expand and soften and turn everything to jelly!
- Blitz again one more time for a few seconds and then pour into bowls and serve, or place in the fridge for later.

Happy Eating!

J xx

Autumn Colours

No doubt you will have heard of the expression 'eating a rainbow', but how much of this advice do you really follow?
There is a good reason why you should, especially at this time of year.  If people around you are starting to get the sniffles and coughs, then you need to be doubly sure your immune system is in the peak of condition, and that comes from supporting it with great foods that are rich in antioxidants, which are easy to spot as they are the colourful ones!
Firstly you need to know that your body is going to absorb these wonderful nutrients, so if you have any bloating, flatulence or stomach pain issue, you may need to see a health professional to ensure your digestive system is working at the optimum level.
Ensuring you are including colourful foods into your diet is easy - just look at your plate before each meal!  If it's all brown and beige you're doing it wrong!  And that may be because you are buying readymade foods.  For example, the pot of houmous shown here is homemade, but not only do I include all the normal ingredients - chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, I also add Brazil nuts and parsley - added essential fats, fibre, selenium, vitamin C, vitamin E, plus much more.  There is no comparison on nutrition or price to the shop-bought product.  And served with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots that have been tossed in olive oil, cumin seeds and pumpkin seeds, you have yourself a colourful, nutritious snack.
For those that have a sweet tooth and need a bit of a treat, even this can be healthy and takes little effort -

Mango and Apricot Crumble

Serves 4

175 g dried apricots, roughly chopped
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 large mango, peeled, stoned and chopped
100 g raspberries
50 g ground almonds
15 g coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas mark 6.
Place the chopped apricots into a bowl and add the orange zest and juice.  Cover and leave to stand for 1 hour.
Place the mango in an ovenproof dish then add the raspberries and finally spoon over the soaked apricots and all the juice.
Sprinkle over the ground almonds followed by the coconut oil and bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden on top.

Testing my culinary skills

The great thing about my job is that I get to cook some really great food, including lots of food that I wouldn't necessarily cook for myself (the upside of living on my own is that I have to invite friends over for dinner so I can cook lots of great dishes that would be far too much for me to eat - and most of the time they all go home with goody bags too!).
For the past few weeks though, my culinary skills have been put to the test as I have been writing recipes for the Dukan diet (fishcake recipe on left), a gluten-free book and a dairy-free feature!  Needless to say I am confused when cooking now, wondering that I need to leave something out but can't remember what - fat, sugar, wheat, milk......I am seriously thinking I will need a good feed at the end of this lot!
But what is great is that sometimes a really tasty recipe comes from me trying to avoid using the most obviously ingredient., and this week is was a  dairy-free chocolate mousse.

Chocolate Mousse (*and milk-shake!)

Serves 4

100g dates, stoned

50g almonds

100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

200g tofu, drained

·      Place the dates in a bowl with the almonds and pour over 200ml of boiling water.  Leave to stand for 30 minutes or longer.

·      Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.

·      Place the soaked dates and almonds, melted chocolate and tofu into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour into glass dishes and chill.

*For the milk shake – add 1 tbsp cocoa powder to the soaking dates and almonds, omit the chocolate, and then blend with the tofu and enough soya or oat milk to make it smooth and creamy.  For a sweeter touch, add a tsp of honey or blackstrap molasses.

New Year, new idea.....?

So here we are again, back at January, starting the new year with lots of good intentions, and no doubt a few new resolutions just waiting to be broken?  Probably best just not to make them in the first place - too much pressure.

Now is not the best time to think about going on a crash diet, or fasting detox - your body is trying to recover from all that rich food and high living over the festive season, whilst also keeping the immune system in top notch condition to prevent you from catching all those coughs and colds floating around.
The best thing right now is to eat really healthy, nutritionally-rich foods, and try to cut down on those foods that expect your liver to work double time - increase fruit, vegetables, water intake, exercise and good simple foods that the body can recognise and deal with, and avoid pre-prepared foods, stimulants like coffee and alcohol, and anything you think you may be slightly intolerant to (makes you feel bloated or gives your wind).
Great thick home-made vegetable soups are perfect right now - warming and nutritious, especially if you use a variety of ingredients - spices and herbs to add flavour, lentils to add protein (or top with a softly poached egg), a drizzle of extra virgin oil and sprinkling of pumpkin seeds for essential fats.

As you will know if you read my blog regularly, I do believe in being 80% good and 20% naughty, and over the festive period I made a very naughty dessert for friends, that certainly used up my weekly 20% in one serving!  I am sharing it with you but be sure to have a few friends to help you to eat it!



Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart


Serves 6-8


For the pastry - 
225g flour
110g butter, cold, diced
75g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp cold water


For the filling - 
150g dark muscovado sugar
150g unsalted butter
1 x 397g tin condensed milk
1 1/2 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt flakes
100g dark chocolate
40g white chocolate

• To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor and process until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Add the egg and enough water to bring the dough together.
• Roll in cling-film and chill for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5.  Roll out the dough and line a 20cm flan tin.  Chill for 10 minutes.
• Blind bake the pastry case for 20-25 minutes, until golden, removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans for the last 5 minutes.  Leave to cool.
• To make the filling, slowly melt together the sugar, butter, condensed milk and honey and bring to the boil.  Continue to cook, letting the mixture bubble, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken (about 8-10 minutes).
• Stir in the salt then pour into the pastry case.  Leave to set for 1 hour at room temperature.
• Melt both the chocolates.  Pour the dark chocolate over the top of the caramel.  Using a small spoon decorate the tart with zig-zags of white chocolate.  
• Chill for 30 minutes before serving.

Easter Treats

One week to go before we make the crazy trip, cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, climbing the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland along the way - will my legs (or bottom!) make it?
In preparation I have been eating a little more than normal, thinking that it will be impossible to eat enough to sustain the amount of exercise we are going to be doing on a daily basis - apart from anything else, there will just not be enough time!
Easter being the week before we set off has been perfect, no holding back on the chocolate and hot cross buns.  It also meant I had time to escape to Norfolk to train with Jon, who is joining us on the ride - he assured me he could find us some hills to train on - he has no idea that in comparison the 'hills' of Norfolk are just little pimples!
The only problem with making my own hot cross buns is that I make far too many and, despite giving lots away I still have more than I can eat.
Having made bread and butter pudding with Panettone for a Christmas twist, I figured hot cross buns would also work a treat - and I was right.

Hot Cross Pudding

Serves 6-8

4 hot cross buns, halved
25g unsalted buter, softened
100g dried apricots
8 egg yolks
175g caster sugar
400ml double cream
200ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
sugar to sprinkle

1.  Butter the halves of hot cross buns and place them in a buttered oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle with the dried apricots.
2.  Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
3.  Pour the cream and milk into a small pan, add the split vanilla pod and bring to a simmer.
4.  Pour the cream mixture through a sieve into the eggs and sugar, and whisk well.
5.  Pour the custard over the hot cross buns and leave to soak for 20 minutes.  Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
6.  Cook for 20-30 minutes in a roasting tin half filled with water. Sprinkle with sugar when it comes out of the oven before serving.

A Healthier Alternative to Ice-Cream

This amazing weather has got me in the mood for ice-cream.  But rather than overdose on fat I thought I would help myself a little by using natural yoghurt, instead of rich cream and eggs.  Once you have the base of a creamy natural yoghurt, the rest is easy - just add your favourite ingredients!

Be warned though, because there is less fat and less sugar in these recipes the iced yoghurt will freeze very hard if left too long (I ate mine before this happened!) and will need to be left to soften again before eating.

Ideas to help inspire you include;  figs and honey (chop the figs, cook in a little orange juice and honey and leave to cool before blending until smooth and stirring into the yoghurt before freezing), chocolate (I made a thick sauce using Willie's 100% with water and a little honey to sweeten.  Leave to cool, stir into yoghurt and freeze).  Other delicious ideas include stirring in rich marmalade or good home-made lemon curd, or crumbling  ginger biscuits and adding with chopped stem ginger.

I could go on, but I have to get outside and eat some more iced yoghurt before the sun disappears!