ChinaCup
Eggs for miles
Has anybody tried making this yet? I am going to try grated savoy or drumhead cabbage to get the same colour, I hate spinach.I love that there isn't any food coloring in this! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Has anybody tried making this yet? I am going to try grated savoy or drumhead cabbage to get the same colour, I hate spinach.I love that there isn't any food coloring in this! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I made these last night and they are fantastic. So easy to make and seriously, even if you are hopeless at cooking, the hardest part of making these is getting all the ingredients together. Its a swizz and they are scrummy. The recipe says use margarine, but I always use butter. Margarine always seems to overpower all the other flavours, no matter what you are cooking with. I am starting to get used to stevia too - its got a slight backtaste, but its pleasant enough.
You will need...
5 ounces unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon stevia extract
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup 1% low fat milk
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
To prepare
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Simmer raisins and apple juice in a small pan for 15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, cream together flour and softened butter or margarine.
Stir in the stevia, maple flavoring, vanilla, and slightly beaten egg.
Cream 1/3 of the stewed raisins and all of the juice in a blender. Set the rest of the raisins aside.
Stir raisins and juice into the butter mixture.
Add milk and oats.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Add the rest of the raisins and walnuts. Be careful not to over mix (this can make cookies tough).
Drop by teaspoonfuls on to a baking tray
Bake for 13-15 minutes.
Scoff! Dunk in coffee!
I would try these if not for the raisins. I don't like raisins.Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I made these last night and they are fantastic. So easy to make and seriously, even if you are hopeless at cooking, the hardest part of making these is getting all the ingredients together. Its a swizz and they are scrummy. The recipe says use margarine, but I always use butter. Margarine always seems to overpower all the other flavours, no matter what you are cooking with. I am starting to get used to stevia too - its got a slight backtaste, but its pleasant enough.
You will need...
5 ounces unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 teaspoon stevia extract
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup 1% low fat milk
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/4 cup wholewheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
To prepare
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
Simmer raisins and apple juice in a small pan for 15 minutes.
In a mixing bowl, cream together flour and softened butter or margarine.
Stir in the stevia, maple flavoring, vanilla, and slightly beaten egg.
Cream 1/3 of the stewed raisins and all of the juice in a blender. Set the rest of the raisins aside.
Stir raisins and juice into the butter mixture.
Add milk and oats.
Sift together dry ingredients.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Add the rest of the raisins and walnuts. Be careful not to over mix (this can make cookies tough).
Drop by teaspoonfuls on to a baking tray
Bake for 13-15 minutes.
Scoff! Dunk in coffee!
How about dried cranberries? Or dried cherries?I would try these if not for the raisins. I don't like raisins.
I have made them with grated orange peel too. Just substitute the raisins, but only use approx 3/4 the amount or the citrus taste can take over a little bit too much.I would try these if not for the raisins. I don't like raisins.
Glace cherries can go a little bit pulpy and turn the cookies pink.How about dried cranberries? Or dried cherries?
No it looks fine here. All very orderly and easy to follow - thanks.Oh wow. What happened to my last recipe? It came out all out of format!
I've never had much success using glace cherries in anything. I use them in scones and leave them whole, but if you have to chop them they just, I don't know, they don't hold their consistency very well. They are a bit unpredictable.Cherries, no. Cranberries are ok.
Oh my gah, why are y'all using splenda and stevia in desserts?
I am the queen of low carb/keto/sugar free desserts. My non-low carb friends and fam stay eating my stuff and don't know the difference. I will be back later with recipes.
In the meantime please go get you some Lankto monkfuit (or another Monkfruit/Erythritol mix brand) or Allulose. Both are indistinguishable from cane sugar. Both are natural with a clean sugar taste profile and with no after taste.... they also have health benefits.
View attachment 2489821
View attachment 2489823
You can get dried cherries - no artificial color, no sugar - they're very different from glace cherries. Look for them with the other dried fruits.Glace cherries can go a little bit pulpy and turn the cookies pink.
Oh yes, you can get them from health shops. I go to Holland & Barrett for a lot of my ingredients, but the dried fruits, the sugarless ones can be a bit tart in cooking. It's not a huge problem because cherries aren't really one of my go-to things. For fruity recipes I tend to go for citrussy things or bananas. Depends what I'm making and what kind of texture I'm after. But thanks anywayYou can get dried cherries - no artificial color, no sugar - they're very different from glace cherries. Look for them with the other dried fruits.
I keep bees so use quite a lot of honey instead of sugar. The main things to be careful of when cooking with honey are not to overheat it (e.g.frying) because it changes the flavour, or if using it as a sugar substitute in a mix you need to work out how much less of other liquids you need to use.
One very simple thing I like to do is to cook sliced pineapple (under a grill, or as kebabs) and then drizzle with a mix of runny honey, a sprinkle of black pepper and some lime zest. Add in some 5-spice powder for something really different.
Oh yes, you can get them from health shops. I go to Holland & Barrett for a lot of my ingredients, but the dried fruits, the sugarless ones can be a bit tart in cooking. It's not a huge problem because cherries aren't really one of my go-to things. For fruity recipes I tend to go for citrussy things or bananas. Depends what I'm making and what kind of texture I'm after. But thanks anyway
It's tricky!Great ideas, thanks! What are your feelings about “organic” honey? I would have thought all honey is organic but maybe I am missing something?
I like these Strawberry Energy Balls (from dishing Out Health):
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 6 pitted Medjool dates
- 3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided (optional, see Notes below)
- 1/3 cup creamy cashew butter (I buy Trader Joe's brand)
- 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds or chia seeds
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/3 cup freeze-dried strawberries (I buy from Amazon or Trader Joe's)
Instructions
- Place cashews in a blender and blend until finely chopped. Add dates, 1/4 cup of the coconut, cashew butter, maple syrup, seed of choice, vanilla, and salt; blend until mixture is well-combined and clumps together. Add strawberries; blend until dispersed throughout mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides and manually mix in as needed.
- Turn mixture out into a bowl. Use a small cookie scoop or Tablespoon to measure out 24 equal portions; roll into balls.
- Spread remaining 1/2 cup coconut on a plate, and roll each ball in coconut. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week, or in the freezer up to 1 month (no need to thaw if frozen).
If not adding shredded coconut, reduce maple syrup to 2 Tbsp.
OMG I feel sooo hungry now.With the weather getting warmer, this is a quick dessert recipe I like to do in the summertime.
Sugar-Free Lemon Cake
Prep:10 mins
Cook:30 mins
Total:40 mins
Servings:16 to 24 servings
Yields:16 mini cakes
This semi-homemade sugar-free lemon cake is simple, delicious, and comes together in all of about 40 minutes. Make sure you hide the cake box—everyone will think it took you hours to make, and no one will notice the missing sugar.
For better portion control, divide the batter among 16 mini bundt pans. If you don't have bundt pans available, you can bake them in muffin tins. To add a finishing touch that's pleasing to both the eye and tongue, top the cooled lemon cakes with sugar-free strawberry sauce when serving. It's a simple berry sauce that has lots of fresh berry flavor. It pairs wonderfully with this lemon cake, an angel food cake, or key lime pie.
Ingredients
For the Cake:
For the Sauce:
- 1 (16-ounce) box sugar-free yellow cake mix
- 3/4 cup water
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 medium lemons, zested and juiced
Steps to Make It
- Gather the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease or lightly coat 16 mini bundt pans or muffin tins with cooking spray and set aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl, add the yellow cake mix, water, eggs, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set the mixer to medium speed and beat for about 2 minutes or until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly among the greased mini bundt pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes. If you are baking in greased muffin tins, bake for 15 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for a few minutes before turning the cakes out of the pans and cooling completely.
- To make the sauce, add the sugar-free strawberry preserves to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the preserves turn to a liquid consistency.
- Stir in the sliced fresh strawberries and continue to stir over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Simmer the strawberries and preserves, while stirring, until they break down to form a sauce.
- Cool the sauce for several minutes. Top each cake with a little sauce and serve.
Tips
- You can also use 2 (9-inch) cake rounds and bake them for 29 to 33 minutes at 325 F. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, your cakes are done.
- The strawberry sauce recipe makes about one cup of sauce.
- Food seems to taste better with fresh-squeezed lemon juice rather than bottled lemon juice. Remember to wash and thoroughly dry the lemons before zesting.
- To juice the lemon, Use firm pressure to roll a room-temperature lemon on a counter several times before slicing in half and squeezing out the juice with a reamer, by hand, or with an electric juicer, making sure no seeds get in the juice.
- Microwave a room-temperature lemon on high for 25 to 30 seconds before slicing and extracting the juice.
I never think to put melon in fruit salad - top tip!If honey works, here's a great fruit salad:
Fresh Fruit Salad
Ingredients:
3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 pints fresh strawberries, halved
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 1/2 cups honeydew melon balls
1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Directions:
Whisk together orange juice and honey. Add fruit and mint, and mix. Chill for 1 hour. Serve garnished with fresh mint leaves.
I love dates! This sounds fab, thanks for that.I hate dragging out my food processor to puree the dates, but it's a necessary evil.
GLUTEN FREE DATE BARS {NO ADDED SUGAR}
These Oatmeal Walnut Gluten Free Date Bars are seriously dreamy! They make the perfect energizing on-the-go snack, and are a healthy option because they are free of added sugars.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 33 minutes
Servings: 16 squares
Calories: 203kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cup oats (divided)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
- 5-6 Medjool dates (4 ounces of pitted dates)*
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
Date Layer
- 18 Medjool dates (12 ounces of pitted dates)*
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (I like 1/2, but begin with 1/4 and add to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 325º F.
- Add 1 cup of the oatmeal to a food processor, and process into oat flour.
- Into the food processor bowl, add the dates, coconut, sea salt and baking soda. Process until the dates are broken up.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup of oatmeal and the walnuts, and pulse to break them up, leaving both with some texture.
- Add the egg, coconut oil, and flax meal. Pulse these into the dry ingredients to create a cookie base.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the cookie base to use as the crumble topping.
- Press the rest of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 pan. I like to use baking paper to make these easy to pop out and slice when they are ready.
- Make the date caramel by adding the dates, lemon juice, and sea salt to a cleaned food processor bowl. This process will take 5-10 minutes depending on how powerful your processor is.
Every minute or so, I use a spatula to scrape the dates back down and press them around the blade. Once the caramel starts to form, it gets easier to continue processing. It will lighten in color as it gets smoother.- Use wet hands to press the caramel layer on top of the cookie layer.
- Sprinkle the reserved oatmeal mixture over the top of the date layer to make a crumble topping.
- Bake for 18 minutes.
- For best results, completely cool before slicing. I like to freeze them before slicing for nicer bars.
- These bars are best stored (and enjoyed!) from the freezer, but also hold up well as a travel snack.
NOTES
*1 cup of packed Medjool dates is about 5 1/2 ounces. To sub a smaller date variety, please weigh instead of relying on the measurements for Medjools. Depending on what variety you use, it might take 2 1/2 cups of dates to equal the weight of 5 1/2 ounces. I have used different dates in this recipe with success by measuring by weight rather than cups.
Completely cool bars before slicing. I allow them to cool to room temperature, and then freeze them for a couple hours, and then they slice into perfect bars.
These are delicious right out of the freezer, when the date caramel layer gets really chewy, similar to caramel.
Sub another nut, like almonds or pecans, to make these your own. You can also make them nut free by using pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
NUTRITION
Calories: 203kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 76mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 0.9mg
I can't wait to try this - with vodka or even some gin - yum!!I love the combination of watermelon and lime... it's just so good and refreshing.
Sparkling Watermelon Agua Fresca (Sugar-Free)
All you need to make it are 4 ingredients plus ice and a blender!
What is agua fresca?
Agua fresca is a beverage popular in Mexico and the United States. Generally fruit is combined with water and sugar to make a delicious non-alcoholic drink. We usually keep a case of Perrier in the garage, but you could use your favorite mineral water such as La Croix. You could experiment with different flavors and see which you like the best. I bet any of the citrus flavors or even coconut would be delicious. Of course, you also have the option of turning this into an adult beverage by adding vodka or your favorite spirit.
As far as equipment goes, all you need is a blender to make these aguas frescas. I like to strain the watermelon juice before pouring it into glasses, but that step is optional.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ▢ 4 cups watermelon, chunks (seedless)
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- ▢ 4 mint leaves
- ▢ sparkling water
- ▢ ice, crushed or cubes
- ▢ lime slices , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- ▢ In a blender, process the watermelon chunks, lime juice, and mint leaves until smooth.
- ▢ Strain the watermelon mixture, if desired, and set aside.
- ▢ Fill your glasses with ice.
- ▢ Pour the watermelon mixture over the ice to fill each glass ¾ of the way to the top.
- ▢ Top each glass with sparkling water, garnish with lime slices (if desired) and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 47kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 170mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 905IU | Vitamin C: 13.8mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
It's tricky!
You can have the long answer!
Honey producers, which aren't always beekeepers because the big firms buy honey in bulk and then blend it to suit a generic customer's taste, are bound by two main sets of rules.
In Britain there are the Honey Labelling Regulations (National) and also Trading Standards rules (same across all the country but enforced locally):-
The Honey (England) Regulations 2015
These Regulations, which apply in England, implement Council Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey (OJ No L 10, 12.1.2002, p 47). They revoke and replace the Honey (England) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/2243).www.legislation.gov.ukLabelling of honey – London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley – Bromley Council website homepage www.bromley.gov.uk.www.bromley.gov.uk
"Organic Honey" is not a reserved description within either set of regulations and is covered by a separate set of rules: "Labelling and describing organic food" ~ organic is a farming practice and farms must be approved and registered with the Soil Association (I think).
Labelling and describing organic food – London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Bromley – Bromley Council website homepage www.bromley.gov.uk.www.bromley.gov.uk
Beekeeping in Britain is generally 'organic' because no beekeeper is allowed to use antibiotics but there are some miticides that are permitted - to kill the varroa mite, which can be quite destructive. If colonies get either of the two main infectious diseases (foulbroods) the Inspectorate will instruct destruction of the colony, the hardware, and any honey that might have been within the hive whereas in much of America and parts of mainland Europe the beekeepers would be allowed to use antibiotics.
But ... Britain is a small country, especially when compared to America and land is heavily used. Some registered as organic farms are quite small.
Bees fly up to, and sometimes further than, 3 miles in search of a good/reliable nectar supply (e.g. oil seed rape fields) and that could take them outside the boundary of any organic farm their hives might be on and they could, very easily, collect nectar from plants that are not grown organically.
So labelling honey as 'organic' can be seen as a bit of a con to draw in buyers, unless it's from the bigger companies that can prove the honey is from a large farm that is registered organic or if, for example, the honey is from colonies put out to collect Heather nectar within National Parks.
Apart from that - yes, honey is organic and can only come from bees. It's also 'raw' because heating it above up will spoil it. But labelling it as either is more a pull for customers and could even be a lie.
(There are some beekeepers around the world that use plastic frames and plastic comb - instead of using wooden frames and letting the bees build their own comb from their own wax. This certainly isn't 'organic'.)
A good recipe with no added sugar to make with little kids is two ingredient cookies. It's quick and easy and fun for them to make. You mash up a large banana and mix in 1/2 cup of quick oats, form into little cookies and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. You can add desired extras like shredded coconut, raisins, etc.
A quick easy breakfast is two eggs, beaten with one banana. Cook it as a pancake. My son swears by this bachelor dish.
I didn't know they existed either! Who knew?That's so cool. I didn't know you could get that sort of pan.
Just pour straight from the bottle - no need to measureI would have this with some booze in it
Is there a way to add liquor?
What is your preferred drinking receptacle? I know some people like glass but there is always the danger of breakage, right? I really do not like eating and drinking from plastic.Gluten free, sugar free, corn free dessert
1 8oz drinking receptacle
3 oz ice
Potable water
straw
Enjoy.