The best banana bread!

Two of my favourite sweet treats - banana bread and Nutella! So what a perfect brainwave when I decided to combine the two! For this recipe, I used the 'Not-so-naughty Nutella' recipe from a previous post and a banana bread recipe that I'll give you all now :)

Banana bread is a firm favourite across the board and something that can be done so well! However - especially when baking gluten free, it is also something that can be tricky to perfect because of the nature of the heavy bananas and the naturally more dense GF flour! But by using ground almonds instead, I'm pleased to say that this recipe comes out quite light, even if its not a big riser.

For one delicious cake you'll need:

6 very ripe bananas

3 cups ground almonds (or pecans/other nuts)

1 cup rice/buckwheat flour

1/3 cup maple syrup (or other liquid natural sweetener)

1-2 tbsp cinnamon (depending on how much spice you like!)

a splash of almond milk if the mixture seems too thick

and then... 1/2 jar of homemade Nutella 

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees centigrade. Start by mashing your bananas until smooth. Then mix together your ground nut flour, rice/buckwheat flour, maple syrup and cinnamon and finally stir in the mashed bananas. The mixture should be sticky but if its too thick then add a splash of almond milk before putting 1/2 the mixture it into your greased loaf/cake tin. At this point, spoon 3-4 heaped tbsps of your homemade Nutella over the top and then finish by pouring the rest of the mixture over the Nutella. Place the cake into the centre of the oven and leave to bake for 50ish mins (but I always check at about 40 mins). Once cooked, leave to cool for a few mins and then add more healthy Nutella to ice your cake! The coconut oil in the Nutella should mean that its starts melting from the heat of the freshly baked deliciousness! TOO - GOOD!

Happy baking one and all!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Caribbean rice!

This rice recipe is so simple and really really tasty! The great thing about it is that it's versatile - so if you're out of black eyed beans, or green peas (like I was in France when we tucked into this dinner), you can still make it work and no one will be any the wiser!

This is not a strict recipe passed down from generations before me - it's actually just something I threw together in a bid to combine some of my favourite Caribbean flavours, without acting as the main event - which in this case was the jerk chicken!

For this you'll need:

1 cup brown rice

Boullion or other stock

Olive oil

Coconut palm sugar/demerera brown sugar

Soy sauce

Black eyed beans/red kidney beans/haricot beans

Peas and/or sweetcorn

1 x onion

Start by boiling the rice in a little stock (see a previous post on cooking perfect rice!) and then move onto the yumminess that will eventually be mixed into the rice. First dice your onion and drain your beans - the next part of the recipe requires moving quickly and carefully so make sure you're totally prepped at this stage. Also, make sure you have a lid for your pot at the ready! Now drizzle a little olive oil so that it's covering the base of your pot in a thin layer. Let this oil heat up on a high heat and sprinkle over enough sugar to again cover the bottom of the pan but not too thickly. You will notice the sugar starting to bubble and turn golden brown - go against your better judgement and allow the sugar to continue caramelising until it's starts to turn much darker in colour, almost black! At this point throw your beans and onions into the pot and cover quickly as this will cause splashing and spluttering, and you do not want to get hit by what is essentially boiling caramel! Let it do it's thing for a few seconds until it sounds as though things have calmed down in the pot, then turn the heat down, lift the lid and give the whole lot a careful stir - the onions and beans should be thinly coated in the sweet mixture. Now add a dash of soy sauce to give it a little saltiness and season with some pepper too. Leave the onions and beans to cook gently for 5-10 mins and just before they're done, pop the sweet corn and peas into the pot to heat through. Once both the rice and beans are cooked, mix everything together, do a quick taste test and then serve with whatever else you fancy!

Good luck :) Let me know how you get on!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Top notch pasta sauce

Let me start by saying, this dish was an exceptional accident! One afternoon last week, I came back from work and was starving. I couldn't get pasta out of my head, and fancied something really stodgy - but long gone are the days where I'd have a cheese sauce or carbonara, so I had to improvise with the few ingredients in my kitchen... I have to say I was genuinely shocked at the result - sometimes accidents really just are the best!

I had half a sweet potato left over from the night before, some yummy fresh red pesto, half a bag of spinach, and of course an avocado. So with a little inspiration from previous a faux mac 'n' cheese recipe (using butternut squash/pumpkin) I boiled the sweet potato and took it from there!

You HAVE to try this! It's so simple, and yet satisfying whilst still remaining healthy and nutritious!

You'll need (for one very hungry person):

1/2 sweet potato

A little red pesto

Chillies (if you like a kick)

Spinach

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Pasta shapes of your choice

Simply chop up the sweet potato into quarters and boil for about 8/9 minutes, at this point add your pasta so that it cooks in the same, now sweetly flavoured, water (depending on your pasta this should take 8-12 mins). Be careful not to bash the sweet potato too much when stirring the pasta as you want to be able to fish out the chunks in a minute. When pasta and sweet potato are cooked, put the sweet potato pieces in a blender/food processor and strain the pasta and drizzle with olive oil. Add to the sweet potato some olive oil, seasoning, and pesto and then blitz it until its smooth and creamy - add a little water to the mixture if needed. Now mix as much spinach as you fancy into the pasta and let it gently wilt with the heat. Finally pour over the sweet potato pasta sauce, which should be thick and creamy and nicely coat all your pasta shapes! As it cools slightly the sauce will thicken up a little more, much like a cheesy sauce and then just tuck in! It's seriously gonna be hard not to go back for more!

Let me know how it goes!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Frittata frenzy

This dish is one of my go-to dinners if I'm tired or a little behind on meal planning! It's incredibly easy, and really, really versatile!

I've not always been a huge fan of eggs, so it might seem odd that I am posting a recipe for an eggy frittata! However, this recipe uses the egg to bind all the ingredients together rather than acting as the bulk of the meal (like it does in an omelette)... My eggophobia is slowly dying out and thanks to this delicious frittata, my egg horizons are expanding and I even dabble in a little scrambled egg now and again too!

The best thing about this recipe, is that doing a specific food shop for it isn't essential - this is the perfect meal for using up all those half empty bags and packets of veg. This particular frittata had mushroom, onion, courgette, broccoli, sweet potato, cherry tomatoes and asparagus in it!

So, you'll need:

Approx. 2 eggs per person (but this can be varied depending on how hungry you are and how much you like eggs!)

Loads of thinly sliced veg (really thin for potatoes in particular, or alternatively par boil them first)

Salt and pepper to taste

Roughly chopped basil leaves

Olive oil

2 tbsp red pesto (homemade or bought, but ideally as fresh and natural as possible to avoid adding loads of preservatives and nasties to your delicious meal!)

- PS - for the meat lovers out there, feel free to add pancetta bits, grilled chicken or anything else you might fancy in with the veg!

Start by preheating your oven to about 180 degrees celcius.

1) Simply prep all your veg (and meat if you're adding this in).

2) Then whisk your eggs with salt and pepper, olive oil, red pesto and a splash of water.

3) Fill your dish with all your tortilla fillings - I tend to work in layers to ensure I get a little bit of everything everywhere, but I'm sure chucking the whole lot in at once would work too!

4) Now pour in your egg mixture, which should just about cover the top layer of fillings and pop it in the oven to bake. For the cheese lovers, grate or slice your favourite cheese onto the top of the tortilla 10/15 mins before it's ready to come out (I added my favourite goat's cheese to mine)!

Now to briefly talk timings -  depending on how deep your oven dish is, this will vary. The amount and type of fillings will also affect the timings, so in my experience, its a slight guessing game. It should take about 40 mins to cook the whole way through, but check at 30 and make sure nothing is burning and cut into the middle to check that the egg isn't runny. If it is, then cover the frittata with a sheet of foil and pop it back in until the whole thing is cooked through.

Make sure you give this super tasty frittata a go when you next feel like you can't be bothered with a big supermarket run!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Not-so-naughty Nutella!

Nutella has always been a vice of mine! But since becoming more and more health conscious over the past few years, it has been firmly removed from my kitchen cupboards - much to my tastebuds' horror! Despite the adverts claiming that Nutella on toast really is a nutritious start to the day, I was only too aware of the dangers of this super sugary spread!

However - and this is big, so brace yourselves - I have finally discovered an almighty combination of ingredients that not only beats the original Nutella in flavour, but also in nutritional value! This recipe is utterly delicious, and I'm so excited to share it with you!

For one small jar you'll need:

1 cup of roasted hazelnuts*

1/2 cup of almonds

1/3 cup raw cocoa powder (more or less depending on how chocolatey you want your Nutella)

4 tbs pure maple syrup (or another liquid sweetener of your choice)

1/2 cup almond milk

1 tbs coconut oil

A little pure vanilla essence to taste

*If you buy whole hazelnuts, you'll have to roast them for about 15 mins on 180 degrees Celsius, let them cool and then remove the majority of the crispy skins. Alternatively you can get away with buying the pre chopped roasted nuts and start from there. But whichever way you do it, make sure the nuts you use are roasted as this will intensify the nutty flavour!

Its super easy!!! Start by blitzing all your nuts to the point where they turn from a finely ground powder, to a smooth butter as the natural oils are released. At this point add the rest of your ingredients and give the whole lot another blend. Make sure you use a spoon to loosen the nut butter that will no doubt be glued to the side of your food processor and get everything thoroughly well mixed. If you find your Nutella is a little lumpy or too thick then just add small amounts of almond milk until you get the consistency you want!

I hope you all have fun making this gem of a spread, and enjoy incorporating your new Nutella into all your favourite breakfasts and desserts!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Sorry, I've been away!

Hi all!

Sorry for my absence of late, but over the past couple of weeks I have finished uni and been lucky enough to holiday in Spain and France with my nearest and dearest! Having thoroughly enjoyed a well-earned break, I thought I'd share a few photos of my time away...

Gorgeous white beaches in Menorca...

An incredible sunset from a hilltop restaurant while munching on yummy tapas!

And then onto the teeniest little village in France, with absolutely stunning architecture, history and culture, literally seeping out of the walls!

I've just had the best few weeks - but I'm back this weekend and ready to share some culinary delights with you all - look out for some European inspired yumminess! I hope you've all been enjoying the start of summer, soaking up some rays and munching on all the best fruits and veg the sunshine brings!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X

Irresistible risotto

For those of you that don't know me - I am the biggest lover of risottos! This risotto is totally tasty and oh so satisfying, and no one will question its lack of dairy! During my one week vegan cleanse I really craved a hearty bowl of my favourite rice dish but panicked at the thought that I couldn't use dairy and didn't have my food processor with me at uni to create a delicious cashew 'cheese'! So I was forced to improvise, and something amazing happened!

This risotto was made from brown rice and coconut milk. So simple.

For a batch big enough to feed two very hungry humans you'll need:

1 cup brown rice

2.5 cups water

Boullion powder

1 can coconut milk (light if preferred)

Veggies of your choice

Seasoning

Start by boiling your rice, and add a tablespoon or two of Boullion powder to the water. As extensively explained in a previous post, put cold water in with the rice and bring it to the boil, once bubbling, turn the heat right down to low and cover with a lid (this will make perfect rice every time!). But in this case, for the risotto, feel free to give the rice a little stir and release some of the starch, because that will only add to the creaminess later on. While the rice is cooking (about 40 mins) you can chop your onions, garlic, and other veg (I used broccoli, sweet potato and butternut squash) and steam/boil/sauté/roast them until cooked. At this point, pop them into a pan with the coconut milk and heat through. Season the mix with salt, pepper, Boullion, herbs and/or spices to taste and finally add the whole lot to your rice. Mix it all through properly and let it sit for a minute or two in order to allow all the flavours to mix properly into the rice. The liquid should seem to disappear as it is absorbed into the rice and the risotto should become glossy (as in my photo above) - now you're ready to eat! Serve with a side salad, fish, grilled chicken, or just as it is. And there you have a totally delicious vegan alternative to the classic veg risotto, adaptable to all seasons and tastebuds!

So hit the shops, grab your favourite risotto ingredients and try this recipe out! I'd love to hear how any of you get on, so please post your creations on Instagram and mention @nurturewithnature!

Oh and don't forget - spread a little happiness today! X