Keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding

I’ve said many times that I always like to round off my evening meal with a little bit of sweetness. However, as I’ve been restricting my carb and sugar intake of the past couple of months, it has become a challenge. A little bowl of keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding gives me the sweet finish I crave after finishing my dinner.

I’m a new convert to chia seeds – like goji berries, they’ve been hailed a new ‘super food’. You can buy a small packet in the supermarket for less than a couple of quid. They’re a great source of Omega 3 (great news for vegans & vegetarians), thiamin, niacin and dietary minerals.

These guilt-free puddings can be whipped up in under ten minutes – just give the chia seeds an hour or more to swell. Their incredible ability to absorb liquid is the reason they help you feel full. If you’re a fan of tapioca (I am) – you’ll love chia seeds!

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Keto chocolate almond chia seed pudding

2018-09-12 13:35:05

Serves 2

Ingredients

5g/1tbsp cacao powder, unsweetened
120 ml/4fl oz almond milk
25g/1tbsp almond butter
75g/60 ml/2fl oz coconut milk
30g/1oz chia seeds, whole
3 tsps Natvia or other no-cal, low carb sweetener
2tsp raw cocoa nibs (optional) and/or
2tsp toasted flaked almonds (optional)

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Instructions

In a measuring jug, combine the cacao powder and a couple of tablespoons of the almond milk to form a paste. Add the rest of the almond milk and stir to mix
Add the almond butter and stir to combine
Add the coconut milk, chia seeds and sweetener. Stir well until fully combined
Pour into glass coupes or small bowls and refrigerate for at least an hour
Sprinkle with cacao nibs and/or toasted flaked almonds before serving (optional)

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Nigella’s lemon tendercake

Justin saw Nigella’s recipe for lemon tendercake online somewhere and immediately submitted a request for me to make one.

I’d never heard of a tendercake before, so I searched the internet for other versions – I couldn’t really find anything else.

The recipe is three separate stages – the cake batter, the coconut yoghurt topping and the blueberry compote.

There isn’t a lot of flour in the batter recipe – it’s quite runny. But don’t despair, that’s what makes it a tendercake; the texture is melt in the mouth.

And, quite unintentionally, this cake is 100% vegan – no eggs, no butter, no milk!

In my opinion, the amount of coconut yoghurt topping and blueberry compote is a bit much. The quantities can probably be reduced by about a third; I shouldn’t have put it all on top of the cake. What I should have done was combine the excess into home-made blueberry yoghurt for breakfast!

And Justin’s verdict? Very nice indeed! He says the coconut yoghurt topping tastes just like the frosting you get on a carrot cake (which is a good thing, in his book). There’s a nice balance of sweet and the slightly sour. A great-tasting and attractive cake. It will undoubtedly be revisited in the future.

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Nigella's lemon tendercake

2018-09-04 16:34:40

Serves 8

Cook Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

For the cake

225g/8oz plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
150ml/5¼fl oz vegetable oil (plus more for greasing)
150g/5¼oz caster sugar
275g/9¾oz coconut milk (see recipe introduction)
2 lemons (finely grated zest, plus 3 x 15ml tbsp of juice)
1tsp vanilla extract

For the compote

150g/5¼oz blueberries
1 x 15ml tablespoon lemon juice
1 x 15ml tablespoon caster sugar
50ml/1¾fl oz cold water plus 1½ teaspoons
1½ tsp cornflour

For the topping

250g/8¾oz coconut milk yoghurt
1tsp vanilla extract
2½tsp icing sugar

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/Gas mark 4
Grease the sides and line the base of a 20cm/8" spring-form cake tin with baking parchment

For the cake

Combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a mixing bowl large enough to take all the other ingredients later
In a large measuring jug (or another bowl), whisk the oil, sugar and coconut milk together, followed by the lemon zest and juice and the vanilla extract
Pour the jug of liquid ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, whisking to combine, then pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, by which time the top will be golden brown, the sides shrinking away from the tin and a cake tester should come out clean
Transfer to a wire rack and leave the cake to cool completely in its tin. It may sink slightly as it cools, but this need not concern you in the slightest. While you're waiting, you can get on with making the blueberry compote

For the compote

Put the blueberries, lemon juice, caster sugar and the 50ml/3 tbsp of cold water into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, stirring gently every now and again, for a couple of minutes until the blueberries have softened in the now garnet-glossy liquid. Remove the pan from the heat
In a small cup, slake the cornflour with the 1½ teaspoons of cold water and stir this paste into the pan of blueberries, making sure you scrape every last bit out
Stir together, put the pan back over the heat and stir gently for about 30 seconds, by which time the sauce will have started bubbling again and will have thickened. If you feel it has become too jammy and thick, simply add a little more water and stir it in over the heat
Pour the compote into a small heatproof bowl or jug to let it cool. It will set once cold
Do not assemble the cake until just before serving. So: unclip the completely cold cake from its tin, unmould it and turn it over (so the underneath is now on top) onto a cake stand or plate

For the topping

Mix the coconut milk yoghurt and vanilla extract together, spoon the icing sugar into a tea-strainer, then sieve it over the yoghurt and stir it in, too, before spreading and swirling this soft mixture over the top of the cake
Thrash the blueberry compote a little with a fork to loosen it, and gently spoon it on top, leaving a gleaming white frame
Serve immediately

Adapted from At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking

H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Basic vanilla ice cream

Guess what? I’ve FINALLY got that ice cream maker I’ve been hankering after for YEARS! It arrived two days ago, and I’ve already been putting it through its paces. Well, with this heatwave, it was absolutely necessary!

To start things off, and to get to know my way around my new toy, I made a batch of basic vanilla ice cream. A good vanilla ice cream is both delicious and very flexible – allowing various toppings to provide an extra twist – and combining well with lots of other dishes such as fruit pies, meringues and so on.

The ice cream maker has twin bowls, so it can make two different ones at the same time. This is perfect because Justin and I don’t like the same kind of ice creams. He likes simple vanilla, coffee, strawberry… that type of thing. I like the jazzy, Ben & Jerry’s type of ice cream with lots of added syrups, nuts, chocolate chips, caramel chunks and sprinkles. Another good thing about the ice cream maker is that, with the click of a switch, you can adjust the settings to make just one bowl.

I followed the recipe that is included in the instruction booklet – I’ve just updated the measurements to include metric and imperial measurements. Luckily, as I tend to try out lots of US recipes, I have a trusty aluminium (or should that be aluminum) cup that I rely on.

It couldn’t have been easier – done & dusted in 25 minutes flat. I did have to pre-freeze the water-filled freezer bowl overnight, though; good thing I’m an instruction booklet reader type of person!

Four ingredients, 25 minutes and the resulting simple vanilla ice cream was amazing. Justin had his with a fruit sauce we made earlier this summer… and I sprinkled a few chopped nuts and cacao nibs over mine!

I’m so happy with the first batch – and excited about experimenting with various flavour combinations in the future.

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Basic vanilla ice cream

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Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

180 ml/6 fl oz/¾ cup whole milk well chilled
140 g/5oz/⅔ cup granulated sugar
300 ml/10½ fl oz/1½ cups heavy double cream, well chilled
1 tsp pure vanilla extract to taste

Instructions

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer or a whisk to combine the milk and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved (about 1 to 2 minutes on a low speed)
Stir in the cream and vanilla to taste
Turn the machine on, pour the mixture into the freezer bowl, and mix until thickened (about 20-25 minutes). The ice cream will have a soft creamy texture

If desired, transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer until firm. It takes about 2 hours to 'ripen'

Keyword ice cream, vanilla, vanilla ice cream

Cakes & Bakes: Home-made summer fruit Pavlova

When the weather’s as hot as it has been recently, we’re never in the mood for large, heavy meals. It’s been lots of salads, fruit and ice cream recently.

Our strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes have been bountiful over the past couple of weeks, so I’ve used a bowlful of them to make a summer fruit Pavlova which really suits the mood when it comes to dessert.

This recipe uses a Swiss meringue. I created a few, different sized ’rounds’ so a stacked, tapering tower could be formed.

When it came to the fruit, I made a strained coulis or sauce with most of it – and also held some pieces for garnishing. Then simply built the stack of meringue layers sandwiched with cream, coulis and whole fruit.

The combination of crisp yet chewy meringue, rich cream and intense fruit is a real joy – both in appearance and taste. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side doesn’t go amiss either!

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Summer fruit Pavlova

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Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the meringue

4 egg whites
200 g/7oz caster sugar
pinch of cream of tartar

For the fruit

250 g/9oz fresh mixed summer fruit whatever you have: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, bilberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants
75 g/2½oz granulated sugar
50 ml/1¾fl oz water

To finish

300 ml/10½fl oz whipping cream
100 g/3½ fresh mixed summer fruit
fresh mint leaves optional

Instructions

For the meringue

Preheat the oven to 100ºC/200ºF/Gas mark ½
Line a large oven tray with baking parchment
In a heat-proof mixing bowl, gently mix the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar over a simmering saucepan of water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and there's no graininess
Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and, using an electric or stand mixer, beat on a slow speed rising gradually to a high speed. Continue for about 3-5 minutes until the meringue forms stiff peaks
Spoon the meringue onto the lined baking sheet, making three graduated circular shapes and a single meringue kiss for the top
Bake for 1-1½ hours depending on how sticky or hard you want the finished meringue
When cooked, remove the meringue from the parchment paper (you may need to use a palette knife) and allow to cool completely on a wire rack

For the fruit syrup

Put the fruit, sugar and water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring up to the boil and simmer until the fruit has softened - stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and stop the fruit from sticking. (If you use blackcurrants, you may need to pop them using the back of your spoon)
Remove from the heat and spoon the mixture into a sieve over a heat-proof bowl or measuring jug
Push the fruit down through the sieve using the back of your spoon to get as much of the fruit as you can away from the seeds
Discard the seeds and put the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to reduce to a lovely syrupy consistency
Allow to cool completely

To finish

Beat the whipping cream until thickened and forms peaks. Set aside
Put the largest meringue round on to a large serving plate (put a little dollop of the cream on to the plate first, to keep the meringue round in place) and top with ⅓ of the whipped cream, ⅓ of the fresh fruit mixture and drizzle with ⅓ of the fruit syrup
Repeat with the two other circles of meringue (the smallest goes on the top) and finish with the little meringue 'kiss'
Garnish with the mint leaves, if using

If you have an excess of the fruit syrup, you could freeze it into portions using an ice cube tray

Keyword fruit, meringue, Pavlova, summer, Swiss meringue