Mocha Banana Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle (Dairy Free)

Happy Valentine’s Day! I have been meaning to share this for a few weeks, but like Gingerbread Jenn, who shared the recipe on her exquisite blog, life has been chaotic and I haven’t been able to post anywhere near as often as I’d like. But on this day of love, I am here for you with an absolutely delicious brownie style cake which is a comforting combination of all of my favourite things. Valentine or Galentine, let’s do this!

It might not look too pretty in photos but it is what’s on the inside that counts!

Chicken, Preserved Lemon and Caper Tagine

Persian New Year seems like a good day to share this delicious recipe, seeing as it is from the beautiful Persiana. I made this recipe for my family on Mother’s Day this year. It went down a storm. I couldn’t find whole preserved lemons anywhere so opted for a jar of preserved lemon paste, which worked beautifully. I am going to make some preserved lemons of my own but they take 3 months. The original recipe calls for olives but I am not much of a fan so I opted for capers.

I made some ‘yellow’ rice, rice cooked with saffron and turmeric and then I stirred some fresh chopped parsley in just before serving. This isn’t made in a tagine (although I  am sure it could be) but in a large saucepan on the hob; which, unless your oven is huge, is more practical. This is a great dish for serving large groups of people because the cuts of chicken are very cheap. I found that the chicken just fell off the bone when I was taking it out of the pan, it was delicious.

Cacao & Hazelnut Spread

Nutella, being chocolate and hazelnut i.e. my two most favourite flavours ever, is one of my weaknesses. I dream about the stuff. Unfortunately, despite marketing itself as a healthy and nutritious breakfast toast topping of choice for children, it really isn’t. I’ve been wanting to make my own ‘healthier’ chocolate and hazelnut spread for a while and when I got my hands on Deliciously Ella’s cookbook, I was excited to see the recipe in there. I’d seen the recipe on her blog before but never got around to making it. Having some time off of work though, meant I finally did get around to making it. Oh wow. It is delicious; it is hard to believe that this is the healthy nutritious version, it is to die for. It’s vegan friendly and gluten free too.

On the subject of nutritious and delicious, if you’re looking for a cookbook of ridiculously tasty food that will make your body feel great, look no further; Ella has you covered. Ella uses raw cacao in this recipe, an ingredient I’m using more and more. It is jam packed with minerals and antioxidants, Ella has written a whole post on it, if you’d like some more information. I used raw cacao in my last batch of brownies, its a change you’ll never regret. It might seem slightly pricey but actually it works out much better as you use far less (half the quantity of normal cocoa if substituting). You can find raw cacao in most whole food stores and online.

Sweet Potato Cakes

After the excesses of Christmas I was looking for a nutritious light meal to make and turned to Deliciously Ella, a blog with endless delicious and nutritious recipes. Ella Woodward (writer of Deliciously Ella) has her first cookbook coming out this month, I’ve pre-ordered it and I am eagerly anticipating its arrival! Sweet potatoes are very popular in our household, whilst I still have a soft spot for normal potatoes, J loves sweet potato and I can’t deny how fantastically good they are for you. I first spotted this recipe on the Deliciously Ella app and couldn’t wait to try it. One sweet potato cake with a salad makes a great light meal and two with salad or vegetables would be a great and filling meal. We ate these with a baby leaf salad and a tahini dressing (tahini, lemon juice and a drop of water).

It was a huge hit and we saved the other two for the next day’s dinner, as we knew we were going out for a big lunch with family. I’ll definitely be making these again soon, it is nice to have a few more lunch options.

Sweet & Sour Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

It is no secret that Thai is one of my absolute favourite cuisines; for Christmas I received Everyday Paleo: Thai Cuisine from a dear friend. I was delighted and couldn’t wait to try it out. This recipe caught my eye (as did many) and we had it for dinner last night. I really enjoyed it. Galangal can be difficult to source but I’d suggest your local Oriental supermarket, if you’re lucky enough to have one. We hunted high and low for galangal and eventually got some, we bought it in bulk to go in the freezer. It can be used straight from frozen with a zester, as can ginger, chillies, limes, lemons and oranges. Keep your eyes peeled for a whole post on why I love my Microplane zester and an exciting giveaway!

This was such a comfort dish for me, warming with lovely subtle flavours. Just what the first Monday of the year requires. I adapted the recipe a little from the book but only really with the addition of noodles. I wanted something that would keep us going at the gym that evening. It was a delicious, nourishing meal (even if it won’t win any beauty contests!)