Dark Chocolate Bites with Nut, Fruit Toppings

So at the moment I am doing the 'no chocolate, sweets or cake' apart from Saturday's (where I can have a little bit of a cheat). For my cheat days I still want to have a a healthy twist on what I have. 

These snacks are a good alternative to a bar of factory processed chocolate. You can add whatever you want to these chocolate snacks. 

Ingredients: 

225g of dark chocolate 

Assort of things to add:

-Pistachios

-oat clusters

-dried fruit

-seeds/nuts 

-peel

Method: 

1. Line a tray with baking parchment. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling hot water. Once completely melted, use a spoon to make circles of chocolate. 

2. Sprinkle the assortment of nuts/seeds/dried fruit on top. Let the go plate set at room temperature and store in the fridge. 

These snacks can been eaten at home or  on the go. 

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

So as the theme of autumn continues, though now it is November I am super exited for Christmas, I though that I would write up a nice simple Gluten free Pumpkin bread. 

I absolutely love Banana bread so I thought that I would put lovely/festive twist on this. 

ingredients:

350g of all-purpose gluten free flour 

3/4 tsp of salt 

1 1/2 tsp of baking powder 

2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

133g of caster sugar

84g of unsalted butter

2 eggs, free range 

160g of sour cream 

170g of pumpkin butter 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 175C and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. Beat the pumpkin butter, unsalted butter and caster sugar in a bowl. Then add in the salt. 

2. Then mix in the sour cream and eggs into the mix until well combined. The add in the baking powder and the flour but by but so that there are no clumps of flour left. 

3. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 45-55 mins in the oven. Take out to cool and leave for 10 mins before removing from the tin. Slice the loaf once cool and make sure that you store in a tin so that it doesn't go stale. 

Puff Pastry Pie filled with Roasted Baby Vegtables

Hey guys,

So I have a savory recipe for you today and as far as I am concerned, pies, soups and stews are all very autumn/winter foods. I have found an amazing recipe that I thought I could share with you and maybe you can make it too. (Makes 6)

Ingredients: 

2 x 320g of ready roll all buttered puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

12 baby carrots
12 baby cougettes
12 baby parsnips
1 tbsp of olive oil
6 tsp of tomato paste
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Unroll the ready roll pastry and cut six 10cm squares with a long knife. Then cut 48 strips 2cmx10cm. Brush the squares of puff pastry with egg and on each of the sides of the square lay a strip of pastry. Then brush with egg again and bake in the oven for 20-30 mins.

2. While the pastry is cooking in the oven, cut the vegetables in half, horizontally. Once the pastry cases are out of the oven, pop the vegatables on a small baking tray, drizzle in olive oil and roast in the oven for 30 mins.

3. Cover the bottom of each pastry case with a tsp of the tomato paste and then arrange the roasted vegetables upright in the pie case. Then drizzle with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and serve.