HOMEMADE BOUNTY BARS

I was never mad about coconut, not to mind  bounty bars, those things disgusted me. Over the past few months though, coconut has taken over. I've gone from hating the taste and texture to craving it in all forms. So when I spotted this recipe over here, I knew I had to give it a go, and they did not disappoint. These beauties have shot up to my number one favourite healthy, guilt-free treat. Next up on the list? Coconut coffee. Oh yeah.

SUGARLESS BROWNIES

                                                                                                           I had a serious hankering for some homemade chocolate brownies, so to satisfy my cravings I concocted a healthier recipe by substituting most of the ingredients for healthier options. I could have gone one step further and used coconut oil instead of butter, but there's only so much coconut oil a girl can take. The ingredients may be a little on the pricier side of things, but these bad boys tasted no different from the original double-the-caloire recipe, so totally worth the money in my book!

HOMEMADE ICED COFFEE

During those long, hot Irish summer days there's nothing you want more than an ice cold drink... I kid, but I like to pretend we get a summer.  Come June I'm switching to this cooler, more refreshing version of my morning cup of joe, even if it is more than likely raining outside. If you're really dedicated, make some coffee ice cubes with your left over coffee to keep the strength. But if you're anything like me, the glass will be empty before the ice even has a chance to melt. Fill three quarters of the glass up with ice and your favourite milk and pour in your shot of coffee. Pop in a straw and shlurp away.

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE CRISPS

I had been wanting to try my hand at homemade vegetable crisps for a while now, but was waiting until I got my hands on a mandolin. That time never came so I settled for a cheese slicer, which made a pretty good alternative. I've tried store bought vegetable crisps plenty of times and loved them, but never thought that my homemade version would live up to them. Well, I was wrong.  (Apart from the kale, not my cup of tea. At all.) 

INGREDIENTS
yields one large bowl of crisps
1 large carrot
1 large parsnip
1 beetroot
bunch of kale leaves
olive oil
sea salt
chilli flakes

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Wash the kale and peel the carrot, parsnip and beetroot. Using a mandolin, sharp knife or peeler/cheese slicer, cut the carrot, parsnip and beetroot into paper thin slices. Keep them as big as possible, cutting the carrot and parsnip length-ways.

2. Dry off the slices of all vegetables as much as possible using kitchen paper. If they're damp at all they will take much longer to get crispy in the oven. Once all the moisture has been absorbed, coat the slices in the tiniest bit of olive oil. I'm talking 1/4 tsp per vegetable.

3. Lay the crisps out on an unlined baking tray and sprinkle with salt and chilli flakes to taste. Try to keep the crisps separated and they'll crisp up better.

4. Pop in the oven and give them all a shake every 5 minutes. I found that the cooking time really varied (anywhere from 8-30 minutes) depending on the thickness of the crisps and their moisture when going into the oven. Just keep checking them until they're perfect.

BUTTER-FREE SPONGE CAKE

 Although I'm tempted to just allow the pictures speak for themselves, I had to just take a moment to try and describe the amazing-ness of this cake, if that's even a word. Loaded up with whipped cream and piles of fruit, this baby is melt-in-your-mouth good. The Rachel Allen recipe skipped butter but instead incorporated whipped egg whites and water, making this the most fluffy, light and moist sponge you'll ever try. Have I convinced you yet?  

INGREDIENTS
CAKE
3 eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
90ml room temp water
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

FILLING & TOPPING
250ml cream, whipped
1 punnet of strawberries
1/2 punnet raspberries
1/4 punnet of blueberries
1 passionfruit

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Butter the sides of the sandwich tins (I used two 7.5 inch diameter sandwich tins) and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Pour in the water and whisk for about 10 minutes or until the mixture is firm and creamy. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold in gently with a spatula.

3. In a separate, spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they just hold stiff peaks, then fold them into the flour mixture very gently, again using a spatula. Divide the mixture evenly between the two prepared tins, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until just set in the centre.

4. Remove the cakes from the tins by loosening the edges and allow to cool on a wire rack. When completely cooled, smooth about half of the whipped cream across the top of one of the cakes. Cover in fruit and then sandwich the second cake on top, upside down (so that the smoother edge is facing up). Dollop the rest of the cream on top and go to town with the fruit. The more the better!

RED VELVET CUPCAKES

I don't know about you, but I've always found that cupcakes are way over-hyped. The idea of them? Drool-worthy. But too often I've been disappointed with a chalky, dry cake. That all changed when I tried the red-velvet cupcake. The secret to the melt-in-the-mouth treat? Buttermilk. Tah-dah! Thank me later.

INGREDIENTS
CUPCAKES
30g cocoa powder
3 tbsp red food colouring
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
110g butter, softened
170g castor sugar
4 egg yolks
240ml buttermilk
250g plain flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder

ICING
175g butter, softened
200g icing sugar (add more/less to taste)
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line two 12 hole cupcake tins with paper cases and set aside.

2. Put the cocoa, food colouring and vanilla extract in a small bowl and mix into a paste. Put the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat together until soft and creamy. Add the yolks and beat for one more minute. Add the cocoa paste and continue to beat for another minute until it is completely combined and has an even colour. Slowly mix in the buttermilk, followed by the flour and baking powder.

3. Fill each paper case and bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool a little and then transfer onto a wire rack, allowing to cool completely before icing.

4. While the cupcakes cool, make the icing. Beat together the butter (make sure that the butter is soft and at room temperature), icing sugar and vanilla extract to give a thick, creamy consistency. Pop the icing into a piping bag or dip a spoon into hot water and smear the icing on the cupcakes. Crumble up one of the cupcakes and use the crumbs to decorate.

RAW CACAO & COCONUT TARTS

I can eat nothing but fruit and vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner and be perfectly satisfied, but those chocolate cravings never disappear. I struggle to find healthy, yummy desserts so when I happened upon this recipe over on Madeleine Shaw's blog, I couldn't make it fast enough. One small problem; if you don't like the flavour of coconut, step away now, this is not the answer to your prayers. If I'm honest, I wasn't blown away by these when I first tried them. After adding some chopped up strawberries to them, though? Delicious. The best bit? They're so rich that only a couple of bites satisfies all cravings. Win, win.

INGREDIENTS
makes 4 10cm tarts

BASE
75g ground almonds
25g desiccated coconut
25g dates
2 heaped tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
a drop of vanilla extract
1 tsp stevia (adjust to taste)

FILLING
100g soaked cashews
15g slightly melted coconut oil
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp raw cacao paper
1-2 tbsp stevia (adjust to taste)
A drop of water

TOPPING
A handful of chopped pistachios
Raspberries / blueberries / strawberries

METHOD
1. First, grab your tins and oil them up with a little bit of melted coconut oil. Leave the cashews to soak in a bowl of water.

2. Pop the ground almonds, desiccated coconut, dates, cacao powder and stevia into a food processor and blend for a couple of minutes. Add the melted coconut oil slowly and blend until combined completely with the rest of the ingredients. Add the base to the tins gradually, a spoonful at a time. Press the mixture into the tin on the base and along the edges. Make sure to divide the mixture evenly between the desired amount of tins. Put the tins into the fridge to set the base while you make the filling.

3. Blend the soaked cashews, honey, stevia and water in the food processor. Add the cacao and coconut oil and blend until fully combined and creamy. This might take at least a few minutes, and make sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the food processor to make sure everything is combined. Add more stevia or honey to taste.

4. Add the filling to the tins with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle chopped pistachios on top or add some fresh berries. You can pop them back in the fridge but the filling will harden to the same consistency as the base, so leave them out to warm to room temperature before eating!

PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES

 If it seems like I'm obsessed with the peanut butter and chocolate combo, it's because I am. First came my chocolate peanut butter cups, and now these little squares of goodness (original recipe from Rachel Allen's book 'Bake'). If you're a PB and chocolate fiend like myself, do yourself a favour and bake these. 

INGREDIENTS

125g plain white flour

1 tsp baking powder

100g soft butter

150g crunchy peanut butter

175g light brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g chopped white chocolate

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease a 20cm x 20cm tin with butter and line the bottom with greaseproof paper.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter and peanut butter together until very soft. 

3. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla extract and beat until well combined. Add the flour, baking powder and chopped white chocolate and mix to form a dough. 

4. Spread the dough evenly across the tin and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and almost firm in the centre. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before removing from the tin and cutting into squares.

5. Enjoy with a cup of tea or warmed up with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream. 

HOMEMADE PIZZA

When comfort food is required, pizza is a definite must. Homemade pizza, though? A level above the rest. If you can master the dough (I failed miserably at my first attempt when the dough didn't rise), you're 80% there. Now all you need is the right topping combo, but it's harder than it looks. You want to bang everything on that bad boy, but try and keep it simple. I went for peppers, chorizo, spinach, lashings of mozzarella and a few decent dollops of chilli oil. Slightly random, but it worked. 

So, how many times a week is it socially acceptable to have pizza? 

ALMOND AND CINNAMON FRENCH TOAST

I'm a toast lover. Avocado toast, eggs on toast, hummus, you name it. But french toast? That stuff is in a league of it's own. Typically it's made with day old brioche, but when the craving comes, well you gotta work with what you have. Day old fluffy white batch bread from the farmers market does the job pretty darn well. I decided to up the stakes a little and add some extras to the usual recipe, almonds and cinnamon. And damn, it was good.

INGREDIENTS

4 slices of day old bread

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

rind of 1 orange

1/4 cup flaked almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

4 knobs of butter

METHOD

1. Heat your oven to 180C and melt a knob of butter on a non-stick pan on a medium heat.

2. Mix the eggs, vanilla, orange rind, cinnamon and sugar together in a wide, shallow dish. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture for about 7 seconds on either side so it is thoroughly soaked, but not so soggy it will fall apart. Sprinkle a good handful of flaked almonds and some cinnamon over one side of the slice of bread and put in the pan, almond side down. While it's cooking, add almonds and cinnamon to the side facing up. 

3. Adjust the heat so that the bread is heating through and not burning and when the bottom side has dried, flip it. Once cooked through pop it into the oven on a greaseproof baking try to keep warm. 

4. Repeat with the rest of your bread, melting a knob of butter on the pan before each slice. Serve hot with maple syrup, fresh fruit and a big ole' cup of joe.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA

Hi, my name is Ari and I'm a granola addict. There, I said it. I could eat granola for breakfast, lunch and dinner so there are more than a few different variations in my kitchen cupboard. Only problem is granola can often be extremely high in sugar, and it keeps us comin' back for more. I wanted to make a healthier version and found the perfect recipe over on Madeleine Shaw's blog, but adapted it slightly to what I had on hand (and added oats, this girl's gotta have her oats). This ticks all the boxes - satisfies those cravings for a good granola, yoghurt, fruit combo in the morning and does the job when I need my chocolate fix in the evenings too. 

Now, someone hide the granola, the cravings are back. 

INGREDIENTS

150g hazelnuts

150g walnuts

150g almonds

50g sunflower seeds

100g oats

1 banana

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp raw cocoa

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

The rind of 1 orange

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 180C. Pop all of the nuts and seeds into a food processor and blitz for 2-3 second bursts. Be careful, you still want them crunchy. Pour onto a lined baking tray and add the oats.

2. Put the banana, ginger, cinnamon, cocoa, coconut oil and honey into the food processor and blitz into a paste. Pour over the nuts and seeds and mix up with a spoon, or get in there with your hands and toss around.

3. Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, or until crispy.

4. Add the orange zest once cooled. 

RHUBARB CRUMBLE

Crumble is a long standing breakfast, lunch, dinner dessert in my house. Name any fruit, chances are someone in my house has made a crumble with it. They're pretty easy to throw together but yield such a delicious result. This time round, I opted for a rhubarb crumble. Tart fruit with a sweet and crunchy topping, all brought together with a scoop of ice cream. Excuse me while I go get seconds.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FRUIT

600g rhubarb

60g sugar

FOR THE CRUMBLE

120g flour

60g butter, softened

25g oats

70g light brown muscovado sugar

30g flaked almonds

30g roughly chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Roughly chop up the rhubarb into 2 inch thick pieces. Place the rhubarb and the sugar in a large, lidded pot over a low heat and stew for about ten minutes until the rhubarb chunks are soft. If you might like your rhubarb more tart, add less sugar and taste after the ten minutes. Add as much more as you like. Don't be tempted to leave the rhubarb on the heat for much longer, it will stew further in the oven.

2. Add the flour and chopped up soft butter in a large mixing bowel and rub together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the oats and sugar and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the flaked almonds and hazelnuts to the mixture. These are optional, and you can vary the amount depending on your preference. The more you add, the rougher the texture.

4. Pour the rhubarb into an oven proof dish and cover with an even layer of the crumble mixture. Sprinkle another handful of flaked almonds on top. Bake in the oven for between 25-35 minutes, until the crumble is golden brown. Don't worry if the rhubarb bubbles up the sides of the crumble, perfectly normal. 

5. Serve warm with some homemade vanilla ice cream. And then go back for seconds, obviously.

HOMEMADE VANILLA BEAN ICE CREAM

When it comes to ice cream, I like my intense flavours. That being said, for my first venture into making it myself, I decided to stick to something simple and classic. You can't go wrong with a decent vanilla ice cream, but when made with real vanilla beans and only a handful of other ingredients, the flavour far exceeds anything you can buy in a tub. Dollop on top of warm chocolate cookies, pancakes or eat by the spoonful straight out of the jar. I halved the recipe I found here, and loved the tips on how to reuse your vanilla pods.

INGREDIENTS

makes approx. 500ml

125ml (1/2cup) whole milk

75g sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

250ml (1 cup) heavy cream*

3 egg yolks

1 tsp pur vanilla extract

*I used double cream, but in future will use regular cream so it won't be as heavy.

METHOD

1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk with a paring knife, then add the bean pod to the milk. Cover, remove from heat, and infuse for one hour.

2. To make the ice cream, set up an ice bath by placing a 1L bowl in a larger bowl partially filled with ice and water. Set a strainer over the top of the smaller bowl and pour the cream into the bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks. Rewarm the milk then gradually pour some of the milk into the yolks, whisking constantly as you pour. Scrape the warmed yolks and milk back into the saucepan.

4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a heat-resistant spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.

5. Strain the custard into the heavy cream. Stir over the ice until cool, add the vanilla extract, then refrigerate to chill thoroughly. Preferably overnight.

6. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze the custard in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: Used vanilla beans can be rinsed and dried, then stored in a bin of sugar. That sugar can be used for baking and, of course, for future ice cream making.

SOFT HAZELNUT CHOCOLATE COOKIES

If you're the type of person to favour crunchy cookies over soft, gooey, melt-in-the-mouth goodness, you better walk away slowly. We're not going to get along very well. This Nigel Slater recipe is just that, and a little bit more too. I've been making these for years, ever since I first discovered the recipe, and I've yet to come across a person who doesn't like them. Easy to whip up a batch, not easy to keep around for long. Just how it should be. 

• INGREDIENTS
  Makes 12 large cookies
  
  
  200g/7oz dark chocolate at least 70% cocoa solids
  75g/3oz butter
  225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
  2 free-range eggs
  1tsp vanilla extract
  25g/1oz skinned hazelnuts
  25g/1oz ground almonds
  150g/5¼oz self-raising flour
• 
  
  METHOD
• 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. 
  
  
  2. Snap the chocolate into pieces in a small heatproof glass bowl. Place the bowl over a small pan
  of simmering water, with the base of the bowl not quite touching the water. Allow the chocolate to melt. Don't be tempted to stir it, other than to occasionally push any unmelted chocolate down into the liquid chocolate to encourage it to melt. Turn off the heat as soon as the chocolate has melted.
• 3. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Break the eggs and vanilla extract in a small bowl or jug, whisk just enough to break up the eggs, then add the mixture gradually to the butter and sugar, beating constantly. It is worth scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula from time to time to ensure a thorough mixing. Add the melted chocolate and continue to mix.
• 4. Toast the hazelnuts in a shallow pan until golden, shaking regularly so they colour evenly. Pour the hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel or kitchen roll and rub to remove the skins. Chop up roughly and add to the mixture, along with the flour and ground almonds.
• 5. Place large, heaped tablespoons of the mixture on to a baking tray lined with baking parchment. You should get twelve large biscuits. The mixture is fine to sit for a few minutes if you are cooking them in two batches. Don't be tempted to flatten the cookies, they will do so in the oven anyway.
• 6. Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes. The cookies will have spread and be very soft to the touch. Remove them from the oven and set aside to cool a little. As soon as they are cool enough to move without breaking, slide a palette knife underneath and carefully lift them onto a cooling rack.
• 
• 
  

CHOCOLATE COVERED FROZEN BANANAS

I've seen the concept of frozen bananas as a replacement for ice cream floating around recently, so I decided to give it a whirl. Nothing to it, really. I cut a banana in half, stuck each half on a skewer and froze them for a few hours. Once they were hard enough (pun not intended), i dipped them into melted dark chocolate and sprinkled with shredded coconut and chopped walnuts. 

Let's be honest, frozen bananas don't taste a bit like ice cream. That said, these do make a nice little dessert as long as you're not trying so satisfy any good ole Ben and Jerry's cravings. We must also address their appearance.. The term 'phallic' was thrown around a few times in this household. Moral of the story, kids? Don't expect your boyfriend to eat them, he may feel a little uncomfortable.

THE LEFT-OVERS // CHILLI CON CARNE: LIGHT QUESADILLAS

There's nothing worse than trying to eat your way through a weeks worth of leftovers, all to save those important pennies. The key to keeping things interesting is switching up all other additions to the meal, except the main component. In this case, chilli con carne. I had a box full of the stuff in the fridge (made with a similar recipe to this, minus the chickpeas), and the last thing I wanted was another heavy meal with rice. Instead, I opted for a lighter meal of quesadillas that took minutes to throw together, and most importantly, very little brain power. 

I threw a wrap onto a pan with medium heat and spooned on the chilli and some corn, covering the whole wrap. I sprinkled on a handful of grated mozzarella and topped it off with the second wrap. As the bottom wrap started to crisp up, I flipped the whole concoction. I let the second wrap crisp up and the cheese to melt. I slipped it onto a plate and threw on a dollop of avocado and tomato salsa, finishing it off with a squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper.

PANCAKE PREP: HOMEMADE NUTELLA

Growing up in an uber healthy household, Pancake Tuesday was always a day to get seriously excited about. One thing I always wished could accompany my pancakes, or crumpets (always Darina Allen's recipe, I couldn't find it online so I copied it out below), was Nutella. Fast forward ten years and I decided to make my own. I found the recipe over on Food 52, altered the chocolate ratio slightly, and it didn't disappoint. I was in two minds whether to go for a healthier, two ingredient Nutella (hazelnuts and dark chocolate), or this recipe which is far from healthy. My inner fat kid clearly made the decision on this one..

NUTELLA INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup hazelnuts, roasted and peeled
40g milk chocolate, chopped
180g dark chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons confectionery sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract

NUTELLA METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180° C. Spread the hazelnuts out on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, stirring every 5. When hazelnuts have finished roasting, pour onto a clean tea towel and rub, peeling off the skins. 

2. Blend the skinned hazelnuts in a food processor or blender until they form a thick, smooth paste. This should take approximately 5 minutes. It will be crumbly at first but the crumbs will begin to come together to form a butter. 

3. Add the butter, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and extract. Continue to blend until smooth (approximately 1 to 2 minutes).

4. Melt together chocolates and heavy cream in a double boiler, until a smooth ganache forms. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. Once ganache has cooled slightly, add it to the food processor or blender and blend until just combined (around 15 seconds). 

5. Transfer to jars and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. (The nutella will firm up slightly in the fridge, so let it sit out at room temp for approximately 30 minutes to soften the consistency.)

CRUMPETS INGREDIENTS

8 ozs plain white flour

1 oz castor sugar

1/4 teasp salt

1/2 teasp bread soda

1 teasp cream of tartar 

1 oz butter

2 eggs

250 ml milk

METHOD

1. Sieve dry ingredients into a bowl and rub in the butter. 

2. Drop eggs into the centre, add a little of the milk and stir rapidly with a whisk. When half the milk is added, beat until air bubbles rise. Add the remainder of the milk.

3. Drop a good dessertspoonful into a hot pan, and cook until bubbles appear on the top. Flip over and cook until golden on both sides. 

4. Serve immediately with a dollop of homemade nutella, a drizzle of maple syrup and a sprinkling of berries.