A speedy gluten free berry crumble

Two weeks ago I found myself in a dilly of a pickle {ha} I was popping into see the girls Nanny Jo and grandad but I had nothing sweet to bring with me. I like to bring in baked goodies from time to time, gotta keep them sweet...

Luckily for me I hord sweet ingredients in my freezer like berries, sometimes if I see a great offer on blueberries or blackberries in the shop il buy them and pop them in the freezer for such an occasion.

For this recipe you will need.

Crumble:

100g Ground almond

100g Ground oats

100g Butter

100g Light brown sugar 

Filling:

1 cup Blueberries 

1 cup Blackberries

1 cup Raspberries

1 grated apple

First pre heat your oven to 220'c. Next in a large bowl add your ground almond and oats, sugar then lastly your cold butter. 

With your fingers rub the butter into the dry ingredients, this will take a few minutes.

Once your crumble topping is ready put all your berries and grated apple into your oven proof dish I used an enamel dish but something like a pirex dish is perfect.

The crumble topping will have the consistsancy of a paste so dollop on the crumble with with your fingers or a spoon. 

I topped mine off with some flaked almonds and hazelnuts.

Bake your  berry crumble for 20 minutes at this point the topping should be a golden colour and the juice from the berries should be bubbling through it..

We gobbled this down with a generous dollop of custard...deelish 

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Lemony protein pancakes

I received a giant tub of lemon cheesecake protein powder a couple of weeks back and I knew straight away what I was going to make with it PANCAKES...

The thoughts of drinking it like a shake made my tummy flip so I decided to go down the route I know so well, baking and the likes. Even though I bake for a living I am very aware of what I eat so everything in moderation is the cheesy cliche I live by. Dance like nobody is looking is another but we'll leave my dancing skills for another day.

This is a super quick and convenient recipe and the quantities that I have worked out make the perfect portion for one..

For this recipe you will need:

1/3 cup of ground porridge oats

1/2 cup of protein powder {mine is lemon cheesecake flavour}

1 egg

Almond milk unsweetened

Raw coconut oil

Extra virgin olive oil

Firstly in a food processor blitz 1/3 cup of porridge oats for a few seconds until it turns into a flour like consistsancy.

Next add the porridge oats and 1/2 cup of protein powder in a bowl.

Add in the egg and 2/3 cup of almond milk and whisk together until the batter is lump free. You don't want your batter to be a thick consistsancy as the pancakes will end up quite dense which let's be honest would be gross.

If you feel you need to add another splash of almond milk please do as each brand can differ to the next ...

In a pan add 1 teaspoon of coconut oil and a small splash of olive oil, give it a swirl. I used my grannies big silver spoon do pour in the pancake batter as it gave the perfect pancake size. You definitely want something bigger than a dessert spoon but definitely smaller than a ladle.

This mixture makes 5 perfect pancakes...

A mid week treat but without going off the rails ha..

Enjoy

Rebecca x

My GIY guest blog #3

Over the past few months I have been lucky enough to guest blog on a fab gardening blog called www.beyondthewildgarden.com. Below is my third installment for my grow your own antics...

http://beyondthewildgarden.wordpress.com/2014/07/18/num-num-not-only-bakes-she-gardens-a-bountyful-table/

Home made lemonade

What a summer we are having it is one of the hottest days of the year and I'm lucky enough to be sitting out in the sun writing this blog.

I received a fabulous recipe the other day from Cloughjordan House cookery school and the timing couldn't have been better. 

It was their recipe for home made lemonade, and as my house always seems to have an endless supply of lemons in it for baking I was able to try it out straight away.

For this recipe you will need:

250g of sugar

250ml of water

3 lemons

3 limes

2.5 litres of water

To begin add your sugar and 250mls of water to a pot and heat. Peel the zest of one of the lemon and lime without the pith with a sharp knife and pop that in the pot with the sugar syrup. Bring this to the boil and stir until sugar has dissolved.

Once that is ready take it off the heat and get on with juicing your lemons and limes. Next add this to the sugar syrup then strain it all into a large carafe, lastly add in the icecold 1.5 litres of water with some ice and maybe a few slices of lemon and bobs your uncle you have yourself an amazing summer drink.

Mine lasted not even a days was practically hiding the carafe by the end from my family...{as I did not have any limes in the house while making this recipe I used 4 large lemons instead}

Luscious lemon bars

When the weather is so good like it has been we are out in droves for picnics, to the beach, even out to the garden to lap it up before it's gone. And with every good packed picnic comes a sweet treat that won't melt in the heat ( I am been extremely optimistic with the "heat" part)

These luscious lemon bars are the perfect a compliment to every picnic..

For this recipe you will need:

Base:

150g of real butter

1 1/2 cups of plain flour

1/3 cup of sugar

Filling:

4 eggs

2 cups of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon lest

3/4 cup of lemon juice

1/2 cup of flour 

Cream the butter together and sugar until pale then mix in the flour. Once combined spread out your mixture evenly over your baking tray which has been lined with baking paper, I used a Genware 31cmx21cm aluminium baking tray I'm a big fan of shopping online as it can be tricky sometimes shopping with two little "active" toddlers. Viking direct have a large selection of this range. 

Pop the baking tray in the oven for 15 minutes @160". While that is baking away get stuck in to making the zingy filling for the bars.

Start by whisking the eggs until pale and smooth, next sprinkle in the sugar and continue to whisk until the sugar has cometely dissolved (if you have a little feel of the mixture and there is no grainy feel to it that's a green light to move on to the next stage)

Pour in your juice and zest into the mix and continue to mix, lastly add in your flour once fully combined stop mixing and set aside.

Once your biscuity base has baked take it out of the oven and spoon in the lemony batter then gently spread all over the base and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.

When your traybake comes out of the oven it should be even in colour and the filling should have a springy feel to it. With this baking tray I found it very reliable for even heat distribution which may sound a tad scientific but an even bake is all down to your equipment (lecture over ha)

To add the finishing touches I liberally dusted the lemon bars with icing sugar then cut them Into bars.....delicious 

Enjoy

Rebecca x

 

Elderflower cordial

So I took the plunge and made Elderflower cordial this week and I'm so pleased I did it tastes so so good and I shall be baking with my yummy cordial this week...keep you posted on that.

The recipe for my elderflower cordial is on my other blog I share with my Besty Laura here is a link below for the cordial try it out and let me know how you get on 

http://www.2girlswithafoodblog.com/?m=0

Enjoy 

Rebecca x

Melon and pineapple smoothie

Another surprisingly yummy smoothie to tickle your taste buds is this melon and pineapple smoothie, they are in full swing in the shops at the moment. 

It's hard not to get lured in by them as you walk past them in the isle their aroma is captivating..

For this recipe you will need:

1 cup of pineapple

1 cup of melon

2 heaped tablespoons of glenisk yogurt

Once you have removed the hard outer layer of both fruit pop them in your bender along with the yogurt and whizz them up until smooth. 

Iv only used a small amount of yogurt in this smoothie as the fruit is extremely juicy and the consistsancy would end up to watery.

This smoothie is a real thirst quencher not as sweet in taste as most smoothies very summery indeed. 

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Black + blue super smoothie

I just realised that the guts of a whole drawer in my freezer has been comendeered  by fruit that I have purposely frozen for smoothies. 

It's actually a super idea to do rather than buying frozen fruit that potentially has freezer burn, buy juicy fresh Irish berries and freeze with the intention of whizzing up in smoothies in the not to distant future :)

So we are all coming to the realisation that the more colourful the food the more benificial it is for our health and well being. And on that list of rainbow foods are the rich blue blueberries and the deep purple blackberries, they are full of vitamins and antioxidants but when combined make the most fantastic speckled plum colour tones.

For this recipe you will need:

1 cup of blackberries

1 cup of blueberries

1 cup of Glenisk natural yogurt with mango

Simply add the three ingredients to your blender, I have used Glenisk's mango yogurt this time as I found the sweetness of the mango softened the sharpness that the blueberries and blackberries can often bring to the smoothie.

If you have frozen your fruit before hand like myself it can take a little longer to reach the smooth consistsancy. Once completely blended you can then pour your smoothies through a sieve to remove any seeds from the blackberries .

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Matcha green tea and honey smoothie

Although I'm a cake addict by trade I try to stick to a healthy eating regime for myself and my family which I think makes having sweet things every now and then so rewarding.

And when my budget allows I tend to buy organic for a few extra cents I really believe it is worth it. This smoothie i made today is one for the grown ups and the odd brave child (if it was pink they would jump at it ha). 

I'm a big fan of green tea it has so many health benefits and with this organic matcha green tea powder it lets me bake with it also.

For this recipe you will need:

2 teaspoons of organic matcha green tea

2 tablespoon of organic honey

1 cup of Glenisk organic Greek yogart 

1 large banana

4 ice cubes 

Break up your banana and pop it in your blender. Next add in your yogart, ice and honey and blend until smooth. Lastly add in your matcha powder and whizz up until completely smooth.

This smoothie tastes delicious it has the smooth creaminess  of the yogart and banana with the subtle sweetness of the honey, all with the added bonus of the matcha green tea...

Enjoy

Rebecca x

My second guest GIY blog for Beyond the wild garden

So my second installment for Beyond the wild garden's blog has just been launched so in more than thrilled to share it here with you all. And what a difference a month makes in the world of veggies is amazing. Here is the link below why not have a nosey ;)

http://beyondthewildgarden.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/num-num-not-only-bakes-she-gardens-getting-started/