Nutella Cupcakes

 

These little beauties were inspired by a recipe suggested by a good friend, Beth Giddins, for a bake sale at the Cardiff School of Journalism.

They’re really simple, and went down a treat – so, why not have a go…

Recipe after the jump.

Graze – healthy snacking

For my birthday this year I received a rather unusual gift. A small brown box full of four tasty nibbles was popped through my letterbox. I’d heard about Graze before, and as a dedicated foodie, it was the *perfect* gift.

Simply speaking, Graze is:

Nature delivered, with healthy snacks by post

But how does it work?

Well, you sign up by answering a few simple questions about the food you like. You can choose from over 100 delicious, healthy nibbles – nuts, seeds, dried fruit, fresh bread and natural treats.

Then, you simply decide when you want your box delivered and wait by the letterbox (as I now do!)

And what’s in the box?

This week I got: 1) Cranberry and Honey Granola. 2) Oregano rice crackers, peanuts and herb bites. 3) Lingonberries (??) blueberries, cherry sultanas and apple. 4) Belgian chocolate, hazelnuts and raisins.

Graze works on the principle that snacking regularly, but healthily, helps to keep your blood sugar at a stable rate. This avoids the sugar highs which can make you feel bloated and uncomfortable, and the sugar lows which leave you lethargic and irritable.

The people at Graze believe that this has a number of key health benefits, including: reducing the risk of diabetes, improving concentration and reducing your craving for a quick sugar boost from the vending machine.

Tempted? Well, if you fancy getting a FREE Graze box, you can enter this code on their website: 78ZWH7X – simply sign up, say when you’d like your box, and it’ll be delivered to your door. You’re welcome.

Cod Korma

After a weekend of indulgence, a healthy meal is on the cards…

Many thanks to Morgan Applegarth for sharing this delicious recipe with me.

You will need:

- Cod fillets

- Red pepper

- Onion

- Spring onion

- Chilli

- Coriander

- Korma paste

- Coconut milk

Soften the pepper, onion, spring onion and chilli in a spoonful of korma paste

Add half a tin of coconut milk

Slice the cod fillets into bite sized chunks and add to the mixture

When the cod is thoroughly cooked, serve with rice and cucumber raita and sprinkle with coriander.

Thank you.

Thank you to all of the lovely people who have spent time visiting my blog.

Here’s a round up of some of the most popular posts you’ve been reading…

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If there’s anything you think I should be cooking, why not let me know. You can tweet me @Sarah_Powell.

Lemon Curd

125g butter

250g caster sugar

grated rind and juice of two oranges and two lemons

4 large free range eggs – beaten

1) Before you start, sterilize your jam jar by washing it thoroughly in hot, soapy water and putting it upside down in the oven on 140°C for 30 mins.

2) Cut the butter into small pieces and put into a saucepan with the sugar, orange and lemon juice and rind. Heat gently, stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved.

3) Add the beaten eggs and keep stirring for 5-10 mins until the mixture thickens.

4) Pour into the jar, seal, and allow to cool. Store it in the fridge and use in on toast, or in cakes. (It’ll keep for about 6 months)

Banana Bread

I woke up yesterday morning with the sudden desire to bake. We had a few over-ripe bananas left from the Riverford delivery (read more about Riverford here) – so I decided to put them to use in a delicious banana loaf.

What you’ll need:

- 3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed

- 1/3 cup melted butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg, beaten

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

- Pinch of salt

- 1 1/2 cups of plain flour.

What to do: 

1) Preheat the oven to 170°C. With a wooden spoon, mix the butter and mashed banana in a large mixing bowl.

2) Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.

3) Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the mixture and mix in.

4) Add the flour and mix together.

5) Pour the mixture into a loaf tin and bake for 1 hour. (I didn’t have a loaf tin, but the mixture rose quite nicely in a ceramic square dish)

Fruit and Seed Flapjack

I found this recipe on the BBC Good Food site. It’s really simple, and makes a tasty, healthy snack.

You will need:

• 140g light muscovado sugar
• 3 tbsp honey
• 140g butter
• 250g rolled oats
• 85g raisins or sultanas
• 85g sunflower seeds
• 50g sesame seeds

What to do:

1. Heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Gently heat the sugar, honey and butter in a pan until the sugar and butter have both melted.
2. Stir the oats, raisins and seeds into the pan until coated in the butter.
3. Spoon the oaty mix into a traybake tin (23 x 23cm or thereabouts). Pack the mix down well and smooth with the back of a metal spoon.
4. Bake for 35 mins or until dark golden. Leave to cool completely before cutting into 16 bars with a sharp knife.