Orange & Hazelnut Biscotti

We love biscotti at our house and tend to buy a big bag of them every so often to go with a coffee. I never actually realised how easy they are to make until I had go myself this week. They have very few ingredients to make the basic dough (just flour, eggs, sugar & baking powder) and from here you can add your own extras to your own taste, such as nuts, spices, or even chocolate.

I followed Paul Hollywood’s recipe for Orange & Hazelnut biscotti, but to be honest most of the recipes I’ve seen are pretty similar with just variations of flavourings. Chocolate dipping sauce is next on my list…

You can find a link to the recipe I used here.

Roasted red pepper & feta bites

With the festive season fast approaching it’s lovely to kick back and relax with a glass of fizz and some yummy nibbles. I’ve been experimenting with creating some vegetarian snacks and I’m pretty pleased with how these came out – they even got the thumbs up from my little one who is a tough critic at the best of times!

Ingredients
1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry
200g block of feta cheese
2 red peppers
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
A small cup of milk for brushing
Poppy or sesame seeds to decorate

Method
Preheat your oven to 200oc
Cut your peppers into strips, coat with a little vegetable oil and roast in pre-heated oven for around 20mins
Once your peppers are cooked leave to cool slightly, then cut into small pieces and add to a bowl
Crumble in your feta, add oregano and mix well to combine
Lay out your pastry flat width-wide on your worktop and cut into 8 squares
Add a spoonful of mixture along the middle of each square , edge to edge.
Fold the square in half and firmly press the edges together to join
Turn the pastry over cut into your desired size of bites (they will rise a little in the oven)
Repeat with the remaining mixture and pastry squares.
Arrange your bites on a pre-lined baking tray with a little space between each one, brush with a little milk and top with poppy seeds.
Bake in the oven for around 12-15mins until golden.

Makes about 16 bites

Black Bean Tacos

A little Mexican colour and spice to liven up lunch or dinner. These tacos are really easy to make and are perfect for a light dinner – you can add as many toppings as you like. If you’re looking to cut down on the amount of meat in your diet then black beans are a great option as they are packed with protein to provide you with a really balanced plate. Tinned beans are also a budget-friendly option. This recipe keeps really well (minus the avocado) so make a few extra and you’ll have tomorrow’s lunch ready to go!

Ingredients
1 tin 400g black beans
1 red pepper, cut into small chucks
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp of cocoa
1 large tomato, cut in small chunks
1 tsp of vegetable oil

To serve
Grated cheddar cheese
Small tin of sweetcorn
1 lime
An avocado
4 small taco wraps
1 small red onion
Handful of cherry tomatoes

Method
1.) Preheat your oven to 200oc
2.) Add your beans, chopped pepper, tomato, garlic, cocoa, paprika and cumin to a small roasting tin, mix in the oil and pop in the oven for 20 mins
3.) Fold your tacos in half and lightly toast them in a toaster for 1 min on a low setting until lightly brown on each side (be cautious here as the tacos are thin and can burn very quickly if left too long)
4.) To serve it’s much more fun to bowl up all your toppings and your black bean mixture individually and allow people to fill their own tacos at the table. A good squeeze of lime on your avocado will prevent it going brown.

Easy Oat & Raisin Cookies

Ingredients
125g sugar
150g oats
50g raisins
125g butter
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp golden syrup
75g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp mixed spice

Method
Heat the oven to gas mark 4 180oc/160oc
Grease or line a large flat baking sheet
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Beat in the eggs and vanilla essence
Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
Shape tbsp amounts into balls and place well spaced onto your baking tray.
Flatten slightly with a fork so they bake evenly.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

DIY Pot Noodle

Stuck for lunch ideas? How about this cosy homemade pot noodle?

Packed full of healthy ingredients – design your own flavour combinations with either veggie, vegan or meat.

Add quick cook noodles to a heat resistant jar.

Top with 1/4 stock cube (I used Kallo Low Salt Veggie).

Add your choice of veg. Try: Sweetcorn, spinach, grated or strips of carrot, chillies, sliced spring onion and some protein such as chickpeas, silken tofu, chicken or ham.

Add a tbsp of soy sauce, a tsbp of lime juice and a tbsp of honey.

Top with boiling water, pop a lid on and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Stir and enjoy!