Lemon Berry Muffins
What you need:4 tbsp olive oil,150g wholemeal self-raising flour, 2 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp nutmeg a cup of low-sugar muesli, 1 tbsp of mixed milled seeds or ground flaxseed, 1/3 of a cup of xylitol (natural sugar alternative), 3 eggs, zest of lemon, tbsp of lemon juice, 125 ml semi skimmed or milk alternative, 115g frozen raspberries or blueberries.
What to do: Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees, line eight holes of muffin tin with cases. Put flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and muesli in large mixing bowl, put remaining ingredients (bar the frozen berries) into a food processor or blender and process til smooth. Pou into the flour mixture and beat well to form a thick batter, then gentle stir in the berries. Spoon mixture evenly into paper cases and bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown and firm on top. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 mins before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely. Serve with natural yoghurt and a fruit syrup or honey, with a handful of extra berries.
Banana Nut Muffins – as above but replace the berries and lemon with 2 large ripe bananas and 10 walnut kernels instead.
Buckwheat Berry Pancakes
What you need: 1 egg, 275ml skim/almond/rice/soy milk, pinch of salt, 1 lemon or orange, 55g wholemeal flour, 55g buckwheat flour, 150g berries, 1 tsp vegetable oil, makes 4.
What to do: Whisk the milk, salt, oil and egg, gradually add flours, and stir in the berries once you have a smooth batter. Add a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil to a hot pan, heat mixture and keep small round shapes. Flip cook, keep heated in the oven whilst making more, and serve with added blueberries and a squeeze of lemon or orange.
Chocolate Courgette Brownies
What you need: 200g almond butter, 200g dark chocolate broken into pieces, half a cup of xylitol (natural sugar alternative), 3 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 60g ground almonds, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 courgette finely grated, 60g chopped pecan nuts or walnuts.
What to do: Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees, grease and line baking tin. Put nut butter, chocolate and xylitol in a saucepan over a low heat and gently melt. Transfer mixture to food processor with eggs, vanilla extract, ground almonds, cinnamon, bicarbonate of soda, and process to combine. Process in courgette, then stir in chopped nuts. Spoon into baking tin, bake for 20-25 mins, leave to cool, cut into evenly sized squares and serve.
Sweetcorn & Smoked Cheese Muffins
What you need: 25g unsalted butter, 150ml soured cream, 100ml milk, 2 eggs, 275g plain flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 150g smoked cheddar (grated), 200g sweetcorn kernels, 4 spring onions (trimmed and chopped), 1 tbsp snipped chives, 1 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño peppers (optional), pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper.
What to do: Preheat fan oven to 180 degrees, line the muffin tin with paper cases. Melt butter in pan over low heat or microwave in jug, and leave to cool. Add soured cream, milk and eggs and mix well to combine. Sift the flour, baking powder, mustard powder and cayenne pepper into a larger mixing bowl. Add grated cheese, sweetcorn, spring onions, chives and jalapeños. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and mix to combine. Make a well in the middle of the combined ingredients, pour in egg mixture and use a large spoon to gently fold mixture until only just combined. Divide mixture between cases and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and well risen.
Easy Peasy Pizza!
What you need: 300g strong bread flour, 1 tsp instantly yeast, 1 tsp salt, tbsp olive oil (or just use a tortilla wrap if you really want to save time!). For the sauce, 100 ml passata, handful of fresh basil or 1 tsp dried, 1 crushed garlic clove or 1 tsp lazy garlic, 125g ball mozzarella sliced, handful of grated or shaved parmesan or extra mozzarella, handful cherry tomatoes, choice of toppings for the little one: sweetcorn, salami, ham, mushrooms, more cheese etc etc…
What to do:
Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.
Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.
Roll out the dough: If you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets. Hey Presto!
