I’m not usually one for watching The Great British Bake off, mainly ‘cos I fear it will make me want to eat 5 full cakes without coming up for air…but this year I decided I’d take my chances.
Now I’m not claiming to be an avid fan but I’ve watched bits here and there and enjoyed it. In fact not only have I enjoyed it…I’ve learned from it!
Yes, I know the link between clean eating and cake may not seem obvious but what the Bake Off has taught me is that there is more than one way to do any given dish/creation. Take bread week for example, there were so many takes on the traditional loaf…who’d have thought it.
So this got me thinking, if the Bake Off contestants can come up with so many variations on the traditional loaf, chocolate cake, meringue (I must stop listing now or I’ll pick up my keys and drive to the nearest bakery!) then why can’t we do the same with meals in order to keep them exciting, fresh and new?
We could add a healthy twist to a traditionally healthy meal, or try adding new flavours to our regular healthy meals.
With this in mind, here are some of my favourite recipes, taken from my Little Black Dress E-Cook Book (keep reading if you like bread, pie and crisps!)
Banana Bread
Serves 4
You will need:
- 4 mashed bananas
- 3 eggs
- 140g almond butter
- 5 tbsp melted coconut oil
- 75g almond flour
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarb of soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
To make:
Blend all of the ingredients together making a smooth mixture before pouring into a bread loft tin, pre-greased using olive or coconut oil. Bake in the oven at gas mark 3-4 or 160-180* for around 40-45 minutes, ensuring the centre of the loaf is fully baked.
Chicken Pie
Serves 2
You will need:
- 2 chicken breasts (diced)
- 1/2 red onion sliced
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- 1/2 courgette sliced
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 sweet potatoes
- 3 parsnips
- 1 tbsp humus
- 1 tbsp olive or coconut oil
To make:
Heat the oil in the pan and stir fry the chicken, red onion, red pepper, yellow pepper, courgette for around 3 minutes, then place it in the bottom of a pie dish, squeezing the lemon juice over the top and seasoning with sea salt and black pepper. In the meantime peel, chop and boil the parsnips and sweet potatoes. Drain then add the humus and blend. Use the sweet potato and parsnip to top the pie the bake in the oven for around 20 minutes.
Kale Crisps
Serves 2
You will need:
- 1 bag of kale
- 2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
- 1 tsp of sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
To make:
Preheat the oven to a medium heat. Place the kale onto a baking tray adding the sea salt, pepper, lemon juice and agave nectar, rubbing the ingredients together with your fingers. Bake in the oven for approx. 15 minutes.
Give them a go, share them with your pals (use the icons below), and let me know what you think by tweeting me @KatieBulmer1.
Have a top week!
Katie
