The Mug cake

For the last two nights I have been staying round 'the boys' house, and learning a lot about their little random treats...... one of them being 'The mug cake'. A great little food-invention that takes all of about 5 minutes to make, has limited washing up, and is healthy, hearty and satisfying! I wouldn't say it was the average 'boy snack', but their new found love for Paleo food has inspired them to knock up some absolute crackers.

Why is it so good for you?

Ground Almonds- For those of you who a little more familiar with the Paleo Diet, you will know the wonders of ground almonds. The texture, taste and health benefits are all positive. In just one quarter cup of ground almonds, you will be getting 6g of protein, 3g fibre, 20% of your daily magnesium needs, and around 35% of your daily vitamin E intake. Magnesium is essential for muscle function, bone health and energy needs; vitamin E improves the health of your red blood cells and infamously helps improve the quality of your skin, nails and hair. Although relatively high in fat, it is all 'healthy fat' and will keep you fuller for longer, giving you sustained energy for the rest of the day.

Bananas- High in potassium, bananas are great for lower blood pressure, ensures calcium absorption, which consequently helps to keep your bones in tip-top shape! Bananas are great for settling the stomach and maintaining the stomach's health. They trigger the production of mucus in the stomach, lining it and creating a protective barrier against stomach acids. Bananas contain an enzyme that helps to break down any 'bad bacteria' in the tummy. It is said that if you eat 4-6 bananas a week, your chances of developing cancer in the kidney decreases by an astonishing 50%!! Gobble up guys.....

Eggs- A high source of protein, eggs too will keep you fuller for longer, contain all of the 9 essential amino acids (essentially the building blocks in your body), and equip you with vitamin D (essential for the absorption of calcium and the health fo your bones, hair, skin and nails), as well as many of the B vitamins, again keeping your energy levels high and your metabolism pumping!

Ingredients:

Ripe banana

1 large egg

1 tbs linseeds

1 tbs Cacao nibs/ or chocolate chips

1/4 cup ground almonds

squeezy honey

The photos I have taken were just off of my phone so not the best quality but hopefully they are ok!!

Directions

In a mug, mash your banana up with your folk with as few lumps as possible. It goes without saying that the riper the banana the easier it will be to mash!

Crack your egg in and tip in your cacao nibs and linseeds. (sesame seeds will work just as well and by all means go for both if you have them lying around in your cupboard!) Whisk well.

Tip in your almond flour and whisk again. If you have a sweet tooth, you can put in some honey at this stage, but equally the sugar from the banana gives it a subtle sweetness!

This is roughly what your mixture should look like....

Put your mug cake in the microwave, and set it for about 2 minutes. Take it out and let it stand for around 1 minute, and then give it a final 1 minute blast. Let it stand again, the mixture will still be cooking as soon as you take it out! We microwaved it for a total of about 3 minutes but I recommend that you just keep checking it.  We used a 800W microwave so the cooking times may be a bit different also...... Ultimately you want it to look a little something like this.....

It rises a little!!

Tip it out onto a plate.....

........and squeeze over some honey. ENJOY!

Garlicy Stuffed Aubergine with Chicken, Rosemary, Tomatoes and Feta

Aubergine is by far one of my favourite vegetables, and the combining it with a chicken-tomatoey-garlicy-rosemary sauce is just delicious! 

This aubergine wasn't the average aubergine; this was a different variety: white with a few purple stripes in it which I had found at one of the local vegetable shops near my flat. I don't think it particularly makes any difference in the cooking of this dish (I have made this previously at home with the standard aubergine), only that the skin isn't a dark purple/black colour! These little guys look really impressive for a dinner party, and if desired/necessary, it can be made vegetarian very easily by simply leaving out the chicken or substituting it for quorn or tofu. It may look a lot more complicated than it actually is; it is in fact a very easy recipe, and is definitely worth that little bit of culinary effort!

Ingredients: (serves 1 as a main meal, 2 as a starter: double/triple/quadruple for more.....)

1 aubergine

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic

Rosemary leaves, about 1 tbsp

3 small tomatoes, chopped (see picture for reference of quantity)

2 chicken tenderloins, chopped into small pieces

1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

30g Feta

Salad:

Mixed leaves (I used baby spinach and lettuce)

2 Tbsp bulgar wheat (pre-cooked)

Olive oil and lemon dressing (2:1 ratio respectively)

Directions:

Turn oven on to 180 degrees.

Get your aubergine and slice it down the middle. Use your knife to cut out the flesh of the aubergine of both halves. You can use your hands pulling out some of the flesh too. Set the fleshy middle to one side.

Place your aubergine 'shells' on a baking sheet. Very roughly slice your garlic cloves and scatter over the aubergine, drizzle with some olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and half of your rosemary leaves.

Put in the oven to cook. 

Meanwhile, take the flesh of the aubergine and chop into small pieces. In a small frying pan, add a bit of olive oil with your chicken and begin to fry off on a medium heat. The chicken pieces should be chopped quite small, so they shouldn't take too long to cook through and brown-maybe about 5-7 minutes; once cooked, add in your chopped aubergine flesh. Stir fry again for another 2 minutes.

Add your chopped tomatoes, the rest of your rosemary and chilli flakes. Turn the heat down to a medium heat, and stir until the aubergine is cooked through, and your tomatoes are soft. It should turn a little bit saucy as your tomatoes soften.

By now, your aubergine 'shells' should have cooked through and crisped up. 

Take them out of the oven, put any garlic that wasn't in the shells, inside. Begin to spoon in your tomatoey-chicken filling. 

Crumble over your feta, and put back in the oven to crisp up. This should take another 5-10 minutes...

Serve both halves immediately. 

I had mine with a mixed leaf salad, which I tossed in a little bit of lemon juice and olive oil, and 2 tbsp of bulgar wheat which I had pre-cooked in the fridge. This is only a suggestion! If a bit more hungry, you could serve this with some wholewheat pasta and some truffel oil (the flavours go very well!)- this is my dad's favourite!! Enjoy guys!

Simple Tomato Guacamole Salad

This is a scrummy accompaniment, probably more suited for a summer meal, but none-the-less it is tasty! The Cumin and Cayenne Pepper give it a little kick, whilst the lemon and Coriander give a fresh flavour on the palet, all tied together with the creaminess of the Avocado.

Here's a little information about some of the super foods you will be consuming!

Avocado- Avocado is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet with it being packed full of 25 essential nutrients. It should be mentioned that avocado is quite calorie dense, being high in fats; however, these fats are monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats (also known as Omega-3's), both of which improve the functioning of the body. Avocados also contain some fibre, protein and phytochemicals which help protect against various illnesses and diseases. Overall the consumption of avocados..... Helps to maintain a healthy heart, helps to lower blood cholesterol, controls blood pressure, has anti-aging properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and is rich in antioxidants helping to fight against free radicals. So gobble-up guys! 

Cayenne Pepper- Known for it's anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties, cayenne pepper can help your body to fight many ailments. It is also a digestive aid through it's influence within the body to increase the production of gastic juices and enzymes within the digestive tract. This helps to speed up metabolism.

Cumin- traditionally used in herbal medicines as a digestive aid as well as an antiseptic of sorts. This means it may help your body with problems such as nausea, diarrhea, and indigestion, along with its antiseptic properties helping your body to fight any illness and boost your immune system.

Lemon Juice- naturally high in Vitamin C, lemon juice will again boost your immune system and fight against infection. Although acidic tasting, lemons are extremely alkalis and aid in keeping the ph balance of your body neutral at around 7.4. It is a blood-purifier, and aids in detoxing the body. 

Ingredients Will make one large bowl (serve approximately 8 as a side salad)

2 avocados

1 large bunch of Coriander, washed thoroughly (adding texture to a dish is great but the crunch of any grit left in between the leaves of Coriander... No thank you!) 

500 g cherry tomatoes

Juice of 2 lemons

1 red pepper

2 Courgettes

1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Paprika

Cajun Spice shake

NOTE!!!   You may want to add more or less Cayenne Pepper and Paprika to the dish depending on your preferred level of spice! Both of these are types of chillies, with Paprika being a lot more mild than most varieties of chilli. Also depending on what brand of Cajun spice mix you may use, the spice of the dish will vary!!

Directions

To make this salad it is just as easy as dicing everything up and throwing it in a large salad bowl. Half the tomatoes, cube the courgette, chop the Coriander up finely and slice the red pepper into rough small squares. Throw it all in the bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice and shake over all the spices. 

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!