Sunday 26 August 2018

Raspberry Ripple Muffins

These muffins are incredibly easy to make and would be ideal as a holiday baking treat if you have kids. The use of cups as a measurement makes this family friendly.  Perfect for using up bananas that are a bit past their best, this recipe uses their natural sweetness for a lush tasting muffin. The addition of a generous helping of raspberry jam makes these absolutely delicious.


Ingredients:
3 over ripe bananas
1/4 cup butter - I used dairy-free
1 cup caster sugar
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp raspberry jam


Method:
Preheat your oven to 160c and place 12 muffin cases in a tray. Mash the bananas in a large bowl then cream in the butter and sugar. Don't worry if it looks split, it all comes together. Add in the cinnamon, salt, baking powder and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Carefully fold in the flour until its all incorporated then add the jam and stir lightly, removing lumps but leaving a marbled effect in the batter.

Place a large tablespoon of mixture in each muffin case and top up with any leftovers to get evenly sized muffins. Bake for 25 minutes until springy to the touch and a golden brown.


Serve warm with a large cup of tea. Told you these were easy!

When you make these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife.

Enjoy!

Sunday 19 August 2018

Moroccan Inspired Summer Salad

This recipe came about with the hot weather that we have had recently in Scotland. I really fancied a salad lunch but didnt want the typical tomato, lettuce and cucumber. I often make variations of fried, spiced chickpeas as a snack and thought they would be a fantastic, gluten-free alternative to crutons. This recipe makes two generous portions, ideal for lunch and can easily be scaled up to feed a crowd.


Ingredients:
1 packet mixed spinach, watercress and rocket
1 tub sweet fire beetroot
16 cherry tomatoes
handful of fresh mint
handful of fresh basil
2 large avocados
1 fennel bulb
1 can chickpeas
4cm fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
salt and pepper
olive oil


Method:
Roughly shop the mixed leaves and the fresh basil and mint and place in a large bowl. Quarter the tomatoes and slice the beetroot into generous chunks and layer in. Trim and chop the fennel and add to the bowl. Slice the avocados into cubes and scoop into the bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir, I like to make this before the crispy chickpeas so the flavours have a chance to mesh together.

Heat around 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Peel and cut the ginger into fine strips then mince the garlic. Add these to the hot oil and allow to fry for a minute before adding in the cumin, coriander and mustard. Drain the chickpeas then add them to the frying pan, stirring really well to ensure they are coated with the spices. Fry for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring often, until the chickpeas are crisp on the outside and a dark golden brown.

Allow to cool slightly before sprinkling over the salad for a spiced crunch.

I will happily eat a big bowl of this on its own for lunch but it would also be a fantastic accompaniment at a BBQ or a dinner party.

When you make this, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!

Sunday 12 August 2018

Vegetable Lasagna

This lasagna packs in all the heartwarming richness you could hope for while being surprisingly healthy and full of 'hidden' vegetables. I made my pasta from scratch but this could easily be made with the lasagna sheets you can buy and bung in if you're short on time though making the pasta was surprisingly satisfying. This recipe makes around 6 generous portions of lasagna, ideal for batch cooking and freezing or feeding to friends like I did with mine. My friend happily confesses to despising aubergine but loved this dish as all the veggies are chopped small and create a great texture.  


Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
260g plain flour - 00 pasta flour if you can get it
1/2 tsp salt 
140ml water 
2 tbsp olive oil 

For the filling:
1 onion 
6 cloves garlic
1 large aubergine 
1 large courgette
1 bell pepper
12 approx chestnut mushrooms 
1 jar sundried tomatoes plus oil 
large handful basil 
salt and pepper
1 tub tomato passatta 

For the bechamel:
3 tbsp olive oil 
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups milk - I used soy 
salt and pepper 
mozzarella - I used dairy free 


Method:
For the Pasta:
Combine the salt and flour in a large bowl and gently mix in the oil. Add the water and bring together to form a dough. Decant onto a well floured surface (or into a mixer with a dough hook) and knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. Wrap gently and place in the fridge for at least an hour to rest. 

Once the dough has rested, cut into 4 pieces and gently roll each one out as thin as you can, turning half a turn after each roll. Place each piece on a floured surface out of the way. 


For the filling:
While the pasta rests, finely dice the onion, peppers, mushrooms, courgette and aubergine, keeping the onions seperate.  Place a large frying pan over a high heat. Mince the  garlic and lightly saute in some of the oil from the sundried tomatoes alongside the onion. Once these are translucent, add in the other diced vegetables with the rest of the tomato oil. Finely chop the sundried tomatoes and add these into the mix once the vegetables have started to soften. Continue to saute the vegetables until everything is soft then pour in the passatta and add the basil, finely chopped.  

Season with salt and pepper and leave over a medium heat to reduce and thicken until the sauce clings to the vegetables and is rich to taste. 


For the bechamel:
Pop the olive oil into a medium saucepan over a high heat until the oil starts to sizzle then stir in the flour to create a roux. Add the milk slowly, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Turn down the heat and let the bechamel bubble away until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. 

For the assembly:
Preheat your oven to 160c. Grab a large lasagna dish and place a thick layer of the filling over the base, drizzle with a little bechamel and then carefully top with pasta. Repeat this process until you have used all the filling and pasta then spread the remaining bechamel sauce over the top and smother with cheese. 

Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden then serve with your favourite accompaniments. 

Please make this recipe and take a picture, I would love to see your creations, tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife. 

Enjoy!

Sunday 5 August 2018

JVNK pop-up by Friends Not Food

I hadn't planned on another restaurant type review this week, I was going to save this foodie adventure for a later date but the food was so incredibly good that I have to share it now. Based out of Blend on Drummond Steet, Inverness; JVNK is a vegan pop-up restuarant on Friday and Saturday nights. The menu features a selection of sophisticated takes on classic junk foods. I went ,as with the night at the Phoenix, with my omni friend who also loved every mouthful. Ideal for those wanting to try new foods, I would recommend this to anyone and can't wait to go back.

The menu was huge (for someone who is used to two options on a 'good' menu) so I had been looking at it, trying to decide for about a week before we went and still took at least 15 minutes once we were there. Fortunately my friend likes just about everything so we decided to split everything we ordered between us and I didn't regret that decision at all, everything was incredible.

We started with a dish of garlic mushrooms and a plate of tempura veg (I can never resist this) with a black bean sauce. The mushrooms were properly garlicy in the best possible way and had been cooked to perfection, soft but not slimy which can be very hard to do. Crisply battered, the tempura veg were delicious but the dip was the crowning glory for me, Im not often a fan of black bean dishes as they can be bland and almost gritty but this balanced sweet and savoury, cutting through the batter of the tempura.



We then ordered the garlic and onion fries, the haggis loaded fries, the signature burger and the Scottie dog. Everything was mouth-wateringly delicious but I think for both of us, the garlic and onion fries were the best part of the meal. Perfectly cooked fries dusted with garlic and onion salt, we would both have happily scoffed a huge plate of these to ourselves with no other accompaniments.


The haggis loaded fries were also a triumph, the fries topped with home-made haggis and whisky cream sauce for an indulgent take on the classic loaded fries. We both loved these, scraping the bowl clean.


For the signature burger, a lightly toasted bun encases a home-made seitan burger topped with the classic ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles. I am not usually a fan of 'faux-meat' foods and have to admit I was nervous but the burger was incredible, Im pretty sure my 'YUM' after my first bite was audible down the street.


The Scottie dog featured a tofu-weiner loaded with the haggis and whisky cream sauce. This was possibly the funniest part of the meal, watching my friends face as she tried to get her head round the fact that this was vegan. Having not had a hot dog that I can remember, this was a delightful new dining experience for me but my friend loves a good hot dog and said this was definitely up there for her.



Overall, I would rate this as one of my top dining experiences of all time, the food was delicious and the portion sizes well thought out. I would highly recommend this to anyone, vegan or not, and will be taking as many friends and family as I can.

Please go and support a fantastic local business.

Enjoy!