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Tuesday 31 March 2015

Spinach brownies

Spinach brownies have now become my "go to" recipe. I've baked a batch of these for nearly every client I've worked on during this busy season, and to my delight, they have been well received by most!
Work has been very busy and tiring during these last few months, but I've always managed to fit in a little baking in here and there as a destresser, even baking till 1am on a one of my busiest working weeks! Anyways after posting this, it's sadly back to working away on my laptop. However, it's not all doom and gloom, a well deserved trip to Mauritius is 18 days away! Ahhhh, just can't wait :)
BEST SPINACH BROWNIES
Note that I've got the horrible habit of just chucking all my ingredients in together without properly weighing them. Therefore, below are my best estimates of the ingredients used, adjust slightly according to your judgement. For example if the batter is too thick, add in a little milk. The aim is to have a "cake batter" like texture. Dark chocolate chips are optional but I find that they do really make these that much more special!

  • 150g fresh spinach, puréed,
  • 30 dates soaked and blended (more if you want a sweeter cake),
  • 40g coconut oil, 
  • 65g whole wheat flour, 
  • 30g cocoa, 
  • Handful of dark choc chips,
  • 1 egg,
  • Pinch of salt,
  • 0.5 tsp of baking powder,
  • 0.5 tsp of baking soda,
  • Drop of milk ( if necessary).
  1. Wash and drain the spinach. Blend with a couple of tablespoons of water until smooth. Soak the dates for a minimum of 20 minutes, throw away most of the water, keeping a little to help blend the dates to a smooth purée.
  2. Add in the egg and melted coconut oil and mix until fully incorporated.
  3. Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, chocolate chips and a pinch of salt until it all comes together nicely.
  4. Spread the batter in a tin lined with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about 20-30 minutes using a toothpick to test when ready.
Enjoy xxx


Saturday 31 January 2015

Spiced Pumpkin cookies

It's sad to see that my last post was about 3 months ago! However, given that this is Audit's busy season, work has been ridiculously hectic. Spending most of my days on trains or at clients' sites, I've struggled to find enough hours in the day to squeeze in all the other things that I love! I still manage to fit in a couple of gym sessions in a week, where I finally managed to properly deadlift 90 kgs with good form woohoo! Also, I've acquired a new found addiction to pre-workout, it's the perfect supplement to give you that well needed bit of kick to start your workout.
Getting home late on most nights has led to a lack of inspiration in the kitchen. Sadly I could probably count the number of times that I've baked since my last post on my two hands, very unimpressed with myself.

As I'm settling into work life and getting used to constantly being on the go, I've noticed how easy it is to give in and eat a whole load junk! When you're stuck in an office for an average of 10 hours, stressing and trying to get your head round some figures, when your manager brings in loads of chocolates, biscuits and treats, what's to stop you?! Therefore, I've recently decided to start baking healthy and easy snacks perfect for nibbling whilst at work. I brought in some sugar free spinach brownies the other day which seemed to win everyone over!
With temperatures dropping really low recently and experiencing my first proper snow scene, I've been craving some spiced homely goodness. With a cupboard full of canned pumpkin, I played around with what I had in stock and ended up with some bad boy chunky pumpkin cookies. Although I used canned pumpkin, it tasted exactly like plain pumpkin purée so using that would be perfectly fine!

SPICED PUMPKIN COOKIES
  • About 30 dates, soaked (or more depending on sweetness preference), 
  • 200g of pumpkin purée,
  • 1 egg,
  • 60 g whole wheat flour,
  • 120 oats, 
  • Good dash of cinnamon,
  • Pinch of salt, 
  • 0.5tsp baking powder, 
  • 0.25 tsp baking soda,
  • 50g raisins, dried cherries etc, whatever takes your fancy
  • Handful of dark chocolate chips and shredded coconut (optional but oh so delicious)  
1. Soak the dates in a little warm water for a minimum of 15 minutes, as they soften, drain some of the water keeping about 4-5 tbsps. 
2. Blend the dates up until you obtain a smooth sweet spread. Add in the egg and purée and combine until fully incorporated. 
3.Fold in the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until it just comes together. Taste the dough at this stage and add in more date paste or sweetener of choice if you want a sweeter cookie.
4. Lightly fold in the raisins, chocolate chips and coconut.
5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Drop tablespoons of the batter on the tray. Note that these cookies don't rise much so shape them according to the size you want them to be.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 

I kept mine in an airtight box for 5 days and they still tasted as good. As soon as they were baked, my brother (AKA vegetable hater) grabbed two of them and ate them in no time at all! Success! Hopefully more posts to come as and when inspiration sparks! Xx