Tag: Ginger

Ginger, coconut and peanut muffins

These are good! I’ve continued to experiment with vegan baking and this time I tried the ‘just leave out the binding agent’ approach, and it worked.  These rose really well without the use of flax egg or other binding agent, just shows the old school methods aren’t always the best!!  The hint of ginger and the crunch of peanut makes a lovely combination.  My favourite way to eat them is to cut one in half and spread it with a little bit of non dairy spread and marmalade.  They are also great with coconut yoghurt and even smeared with a bit of peanut butter, and the flavours go well with some pear slices too.   These freeze well – wrap them up individually in foil and freeze.

Ginger, coconut & peanut muffins

  • 250g plain flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 80g coconut sugar (or any other sugar)
  • A big chunk (about 2″) of fresh ginger finely grated
  • 40g coconut flakes
  • 60g peanuts (non roasted)
  • 40g raw cacao nibs (or other dark chocolate)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 240ml almond, oat or coconut milk (or other milk of choice)
  • 90ml rapeseed oil

Method

  • Stir the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a large bowl.
  • Heat a small frying pan and toast the peanuts and coconut flakes for a couple of minutes (constantly tossing to avoid burning). Then put the flakes and peanuts into a food processor and whizz for a few seconds to break them down into smaller bits.  Add this to the flour mix along with the cacao nibs and ground ginger.
  • Mix together the oil and milk and then add this to the flour mixture and stir quickly.
  • Spoon the mixture into muffin tins (lined with muffin cases) and bake for 20 minutes, 180c/350f/Gas 4.
  • Leave to cool before tucking in.

 

Turmeric Zing

After a few days of over indulgence this is a perfect low calorie glass of guilt free brekkie. Full of zingy energy combining turmeric, ginger and apple.  You can make this the night before and leave it overnight in the fridge or just whisk it up quickly in the morning. Simple but full of flavour.

Turmeric Zing

  • 100ml coconut or almond milk
  • 1 apple
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • nice chunk of fresh ginger (peeled)

Grate half the apple and put this in a small bowl or glass.  Put the coconut milk, rest of the apple, the ginger and turmeric into a blender and blend well. Pour this over the grated apple. Easy!

You can also add a tablespoon of chia seeds to make this a bit more substantial – although it’s still a light dish.  If you add chia seeds then leave overnight or for at least 1/2 an hour after making to enable the chia seeds to soak up some of the juice.

turmeric and chia zing

 

Ginger, Mango & Coconut Overnight Oats

Fresh, summery with a bit of zing – the perfect spring into summer overnight oats.  I love mixing mango with ginger and coconut – the GMC combo, one of the perfect combos for summer. Try and save some mango for the decoration – just because it makes the whole dish look pretty and vibrant.  A great breakfast to refuel after a morning run or walkies (my dog loves coconut flakes, so some of my extra flakes ‘accidently’ fall on the floor during preparation.)

GMC Overnight Oats

mango ginger coconut overnight oats

  • 150ml coconut milk
  • 40g porridge oats
  • 1/2 mango diced (plus a bit extra sliced to serve)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flakes
  • 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
  • A generous grating of ginger (a good 1cm piece or more if you’re a ginger fan)

Mix it all together and put in the fridge.  Lovely with some sliced mango and an extra sprinkle of coconut on top

Rhubarb & Ginger Scones

With a bumper crop of rhubarb still growing on the allotment and some time to bake – this mornings rather decadent breakfast was scones. Scones definitely work for breakfast, especially if they include fruit, however I didn’t think I could face the full cream tea so early in the day.  Instead I had my scones with coconut yoghurt and some stewed rhubarb.  I used Coyo Yoghurt which is thick and perfect as a healthy clotted cream substitute.  Happy bank holiday!

Rhubarb & Ginger Scones (makes about 6-8 scones)

Rhubarb and ginger scones

  • 270g self raising flour
  • pinch salt
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 50g unsalted butter – cold from the fridge and cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
  • 80ml milk
  • A thumb size (or a bit larger) piece of fresh ginger (peeled)
  • 100g raw rhubarb (diced)
  • Extra flour for rolling out

Method

  • Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl. Add the diced butter and rub in using your fingers until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the diced rhubarb.
  • Blend the ginger, milk and yoghurt together in a blender.  Then beat in the egg.  Add this wet mixture to the dry using a flat palate knife and bring to a dough.  The dough should be wet but not really sticky.  If it is, then add a tiny bit more flour to take the stickiness off.
  • Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a few seconds, then pat out the dough (or gently roller).  Cut out rounds of the dough (about 3-4cm thick).
  • Put on a baking tray (with some baking paper to stop any scones sticking). Sprinkle some flour over the top of the scones.
  • Bake for 15 minutes at 220c/425f/Gas 7.  The scones should look light brown on top and on the bottom, and sound hollow when you tap them on the bottom. Cool on a rack.

rhubarb and ginger scones all

Rhubarb, Ginger & Cardamom Porridge

Yesterday I picked my first stick of rhubarb from the allotment. I have 3 plants and they are all growing really well again this year, so lots of rhubarb ahead for me and lots of experimenting to be done.  This porridge is really simple and made in one pot – no extra stewing or cooking of rhubarb.  You can vary the sugar based on your preference or leave it out completely for a slightly sharper taste.  Personally I love porridge with a bit (sometimes a lot) of demerara.

Rhubarb, ginger & cardamom Porridge (serves one)

rhubarb ginger and cardamom p

 

  • 50g Oats
  • 250ml coconut milk (or other milk)
  • 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
  • 1 stick of rhubarb – diced or cut into small slices.
  • 2 cubes of crystallised ginger – diced finely
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • Handful of blueberries
  • Extra demerara sugar to sprinkle on top

Put all the ingredients (apart from the blueberries) into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Simmer for 5 or so minutes until the rhubarb has gone soft and starting to mush into the mixture.  Turn off the heat and stir through the blueberries – this ensures they keep their shape and just soften a tiny bit.

Serve with an extra sprinkle of demerara sugar for that added crunch.

Triple Ginger & Pear Overnight Oats

More training fuel today with some anti inflammatory ginger, a perfect pre and post running brekkie – the hit of ginger at 6.30am certainly helped to wake me up.  The chia seeds add some protein as well, so a perfect combo.  If you are a big fan of ginger you may want to up the quantities a little, I like mine quite potent, but not overwhelming.  However go easy on the crystalized ginger, you don’t want to ruin a healthy brekkie by too much sugar – although if you’re running I believe it’s not such a sin!

Triple Ginger & Pear overnight oats (serves one)

3-ginger-and-chia-and-pear-overnight-oats

  • 200ml coconut milk
  • A big thumb sized piece of fresh ginger – skin removed
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 lumps of crystalized ginger finely diced
  • 1 pear – grated with skin
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 50g Oats

Blend the milk and fresh ginger – taste and add more ginger if you want a stronger ginger milk.  Mix the milk with the oats, ground ginger, crystalized ginger, grated pear and chia seeds.  Leave to soak overnight.

Red Berry & Ginger Roasted Oats

This is a quick nut free non clumping granola. I tried to reduce the amount of oil, so it’s more roasted oats than clumpy chunks, but to me that means a little bit healthier and no one is fighting over the biggest clumps to pick out. It also sprinkles brilliantly over yoghurt or as a cereal with milk.  Good fruit partners are bananas and blueberries.  I may have sprinkled it over ice cream too.

I love fresh ginger, but haven’t been a fan of stem or crystallized ginger in the past and  usually leave it out of recipes. But not wanting to be stuck in my flavour ways I thought I’d give it another go.  I now admit the error of my ways – it is truly the added magic that gives a wonderful twang of flavour.  I shall never leave it out of a recipe again.  However – I do believe it’s all about subtlety  and in this recipe do make sure it is finely diced so you don’t find big chunks of it.

This makes a large kilner jar full – it keeps for a good few days.

Red Berry & Ginger Roasted Oats

red-berry-and-ginger

  • 300g oats
  • 100g sunflower seeds
  • 100g pumpkin seeds
  • 100g sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 130ml Maple syrup
  • 70ml olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 200g dried cranberries
  • 100g goji berries
  • 50 crystallized ginger finely chopped

Method

Mix the oats, seeds and spices in a bowl.  In another bowl mix the maple syrup, vanilla and olive oil and mix well.  Add this to the oat mixture and mix well to ensure the oats are well coated.

Spread out onto two baking sheets (lined with greaseproof paper).  Bake at 160c/320f/Gas 3 for 20 minutes.  Then give it a stir and cook for a further 20 minutes.  The oats should be looking nicely golden.

Remove from the oven and then mix in the berries and ginger.  Leave to cool.

red-berry-and-ginger3

Vass Smoothie

I’ve just returned from a holiday in Vasiliki in Greece and this smoothie was the smoothie of the day at my hotel.  I had it on my first day and then asked what the smoothie was the following day – it was the same smoothie every day because this was the one everyone liked best!  I’ve tried to recreate it at home to bring back some sunshine to a rather damp and dull morning.  It’s simple, fresh and sunny.

Vass Smoothie

  • 200ml fresh orange juice
  • 1 tablespoon goji berries
  • large chunk of fresh ginger
  • 1 banana

Blend it all together.

 

Tofu Rhubarb Stack with Ginger Syrup

Tofu ginger 2I’ve started using silken tofu in various puddings – it’s great for a vegan cheesecake – and so wanted to try and incorporate some breakfast recipes with it.  It’s rhubarb season in our household with my allotment rhubarb in full harvest and I thought that rhubarb would combine really nicely with the tofu – with a few added extras to add sweetness and flavour.

The texture of silken tofu is quite runny and for this dish I wanted a more solid texture to go with the stewed rhubarb otherwise it would all be a bit too sloppy.  The addition of the roasted oats soaks up some of this moisture and makes the resulting tofu texture more like a thick bircher.

The ginger syrup brings it all together – don’t miss it out!  It’s quite strong, so you don’t need a lot of it, but it adds a fabulous sweet spice to the dish.

There is a bit of pre prep – but once that’s done the night before, it’s ready waiting for you to just add it all together in the morning.

Tofu Rhubarb Stack with Ginger Syrup – the layers

(the tofu and syrup is enough for two portions)

The Tofu layer

  • 300g packet of silken tofu (I used Clearspring)
  • 50g Oats
  • 2 teaspoons of coconut oil

Melt the coconut oil, add the oats and roast in the oven for around 10 minutes – shaking half way through.  Leave to cool.  You can also toast the oats on the hob in a frying pan – just keep shaking it to stop the oats burning.

Mix the tofu in a food processor to get it nice and creamy – it only takes a few seconds. Put the tofu into a bowl and mix through the roasted oats.  Put in the fridge overnight to allow the oats to soak up some of the tofu moisture.

The Ginger Syrup

  • 50g fresh ginger – roughly chopped into cubes (keep the skin on)
  • 20g brown sugar (I used coconut palm sugar but any will do)
  • 100ml water

Put everything into a small pan and bring to the boil – then simmer for around 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced and it looks more syrup than water.  Pour it through a sieve – this is your syrup. You can make this a day or two ahead as it keeps in the fridge for a few days.

Keep the strained ginger for use in iced teas – I popped mine in the freezer.

Rhubarb

I tend to stew a load of rhubarb at once and always have some ready in the fridge.  For one portion I would estimate around 200g rhubarb would be about right.

I do mine on the hob, chop the rhubarb into chunks, add a splash of water and some brown sugar and then simmer for around 10 mins – keep an eye on it and add a dash more water if it looks like sticking.  You don’t need much water.  Leave to cool or have it hot if you prefer – I prefer mine cold with this dish, I think it works better.

I try not to add too much sugar so as a guide I use roughly 1 teaspoon of sugar per 100g of rhubarb but I know many people who prefer a bit more sugar.

The Breakfast!

Tofu gingerIn the morning – just assemble your layers and drizzle the syrup over the top.

I added some extra blueberries to serve.

 

 

 

 

 

Beetroot & red berry granola

Further adventures with beetroot and a lazy bank holiday morning produced this wonderfully colourful granola. It has lovely hints of cardamom and ginger and with no added sugar I can pretend it’s super healthy.  It’s certainly lovely with coconut yoghurt. As usual I’ve been snacking on this all day. Granola is not just for brekkie.Beet granola jar

Beetroot & red berry granola

Makes a medium kilner jar’s worth.

  • 200g rolled oats
  • 50g Pumpkin seeds
  • 50g linseeds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
  • 1 large raw beetroot – peeled – around 160g – chopped into chunks
  • 1cm cube of fresh ginger
  • 50g coconut oil (before melting – so it’s still solid when you weigh it)
  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or other oil of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 50g dried cranberries
  • 50g goji berries

First make the beetroot coating.  Melt the coconut oil gently in a pan – I find it confusing when a recipe states coconut oil as I never know if that means melted or solid – so I’ve started weighing my solid coconut oil to be clear.

Then put the beetroot, fresh ginger, melted coconut oil and walnut oil in a blender. The texture will look like a very thick smoothie – see the photo below – pre mixing in.

In a large bowl mix together the oats, pumpkin seeds, linseeds and cardamom.Beet granola mix Add the beetroot mix and mix in well – making sure everything is well coated.

Rub some butter on a baking sheet and spread the mix onto the sheet. Bake for 10minutes at 180c/350f/Gas 4

Take it out and shake it up – then add the cranberries, goji berries and ground ginger. Mix it all up again and put back in the oven for another 10 minutes.  Leave it to cool then tuck in.

Beet granola oven done