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Brown Bread

• 180 g plain flour
• 340 g wholemeal flour
• 2 level tsp bread soda (sieved)
• 1 egg
• 1 pint of buttermilk or milk with 1 tbsp vinegar/lemon juice
• 85 g porridge oats
• 1 dessertspoon bran
• oil to grease tin

What to do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees or gas mark 6
2. Oil the loaf tin
3. Sieve the plain flour and bread soda
4. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl
5. Beat egg and milk and add to dry ingredients
6. Pour into the loaf tin and bake in a pre-heated oven for 50 minutes
7. Test with a knife or skewer. If the knife is dry, your bread is cooked. If wet , bake for another 5 minutes. Re-test a different part of the bread to make sure it is cooked.
8. Remove from the tin. Cool on a wire tray before you slice it.

Potato & Leek Soup

• 1 small onion
• 3/4 leeks
• 1 tsp pure olive oil
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock (1 stock cube dissolved in 1.5 pints boiling water)
• ground black pepper

What to do:

1. Peel and chop the onions. Wash, peel and chop the leeks and potatoes.
2. Place the leeks and onions in a saucepan with a little water and cook gently for about 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the potatoes and the vegetable stock. Allow to mixture to simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
4. Once cooked, you can either liquidise the mixture with a hand blender or leave whole.
5. Season with black pepper and serve with your wholemeal brown bread!

Peanut Butter Flapjacks

• 3 ripe bananas
• 200 g oats
• 50 g raisins or any dried fruit
• 80 g mixed seeds
• 3 tbsp peanut butter (almond or tahini)
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil/butter
• 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon

What to do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.
2. Grease and line a baking tray (same size as an A4 page).
3. In a bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
4. Add the oats, dried fruit & seeds. Stir well.
5. In a small pot melt the coconut oil /butter. Add the peanut butter, honey/maple syrup and cinnamon. Mix well.
6. Pour the oil mixture over the bananas and oats, stirring to combine.
7. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and spread to an even thickness.
8. Bake in the oven for 30- 35 minutes or until golden brown (be careful not to over bake). Place a sheet of tin foil over the dish half way through baking to avoid burning.
9. When cooked remove from the oven, let sit in the tray for a few minutes before removing.
10. Using a cooling rack, turn flapjacks out onto rack, remove the parchment paper and leave to cool on the rack.
11. When cool slice into 16 portions.

Pitta Chips & Hummus

A great way to use up pitta breads or wraps is to make chips for dipping! They can be used when stale (check for any moldy bits and cut off).

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees/ gas mark 5
2. Pour some olive oil into a small bowl, add a teaspoon of cumin and mix.
3. Lay out your wraps or pitta breads on a board. Brush the oil mixture on both sides of the wraps/pittas.
4. Cut them into triangle shapes.
5. Lay on a baking tray in a single layer.
6. Place in the oven (5 minutes wraps, 7- 8 minutes pittas).
7. Sprinkle with some salt when done.
8. Allow to cool.

(These will keep in an airtight container for about a week)

Hummus

• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/2 lemon (juice only)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Cold water for consistency
• Salt and pepper

1. Place the chickpeas in a food processor or bowl for hand blending.
2. Add the other ingredients on top (except the water).
3. Turn on the processor slowly and let everything blend. Pour in the cold water until desired consistency is reached.
4. Taste. Add extra lemon juice, garlic, spices or pepper if needed.
5. Serve with some pitta chips, celery, carrots or peppers.
6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

(If you don’t have food processor or hand blender, you can make the hummus using a potato masher or fork. It won’t be as smooth as using a blender by it will still be delicious and you will get a bit of a workout too!)

Potato Boxty

• 4-5 large white potatoes (peeled & washed)
• 1 x Chicken/Vegetable Stock Cube
• Handful of Chopped Parsley (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 x Egg
• 80 g Grated Mozzarella (optional)
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)
• Fry Light
  

What to do:

1. Chop the potatoes small and cover with water. Bring to the boil, and add the chicken/ vegetable stock cube. Cook until the potatoes are soft.
2. Drain the water, retaining 50 ml to one side. Mash the potatoes into a mixing bowl.
3. Straight away add the retained stock, parsley, salt & pepper, cheese (if using), and egg. Quickly mix together until smooth. (The heat of the potatoes will cook the egg, and it makes the mash very smooth and creamy).
4. Set a large frying pan on the hob over a medium heat, spray with Fry Light and then reduce the heat.
5. Spoon round balls of mashed potato into the frying pan, spaced widely apart (You can use an ice cream scoop to get them the same size or form ball shapes using your hands).
6. Using the back of a spoon, sprayed with Fry Light, press the potato down into an circle about a centimeter to a centimeter and a half thick.
7. Neaten up the edges as they cook, using a spatula to press the top of the potato cakes occasionally to help bind them together.
8. When they have browned on one side, flip and continue cooking until browned on that side too.
9. Remove from the pan and repeat until the mash is gone.
10. Serve hot or cold with extra parsley to garnish! Serve with some bacon, sausage, spinach or any topping you like.

Irish Stew

• 1kg diced stewing lamb well trimmed
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped ½ large turnip, chopped
• 6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks celery, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons of wholegrain mustard
• 1 litre of beef or chicken stock (approx)
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons Chopped parsley
• Pinch of dried mixed herbs

What to do:

1. Place the lamb in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Drain and rinse the lamb, place in a clean pot.
2. Add the stock to the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Add the vegetables.
4. Season. Cover the pot and cook gently for approx 30 minutes or until the meat is tender.
5. If you wish to have a thicker sauce in the stew, thicken with a little cornflour mixed with water.
6. Stir through the whole grain mustard and chopped parsley.
7. Season with salt and pepper and serve with mashed or boiled potatoes.

Banana Bread

• 280 g self raising flour (or plain flour and add 1 tsp baking powder)
• 140 g soft brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 110 g walnuts
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg or ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 200 g butter (melted)
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• 3 bananas (mashed)

What to do:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (gas mark 4), grease and line a loaf tin
2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl
3. Mix the wet ingredients in another bowl
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture
5. Pour into the greased loaf tin (mixture will be runny)
6. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Test with knife (if knife comes out clear your bread is cooked, if not replace back in the oven for a few more minutes)
8. Enjoy warm with some low fat custard!

Fancy Beans on Toast

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of oil
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 400 g tinned cannelloni/ mixed/butter beans (drained weight 240 g)
• 100 g passata
• Black pepper

What to do:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, and add the onion and garlic.
2. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Add the tomato purée, paprika, thyme, brown sugar and soy sauce, and cook for a couple more minutes
4. Add the beans and passata, and simmer for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture is piping hot and the sauce has thickened a little
5. Season generously with black pepper – you probably won’t need salt because of the soy sauce, but add it if you think it needs it.
6. Serve warm on toast

Multigrain Buttermilk Bread

Ingredients:

• 315 g wholemeal flour
• 70 g porridge oats
• 1 tsp bicarbonate soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 360 ml buttermilk

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 C. Grease and flour loaf tin .
2. In a small bowl, mix the pumpkin, chia and sunflower seeds.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, rolled oats, salt and bicarbonate soda. Mix in the seeds.
4. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk. Mix gently until the dough becomes thick and sticky, and keep stirring until the dough comes together.
5. Place the dough in the prepared loaf tin, spreading evenly with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle some seeds on top if you wish.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Place the tin on a wire rack and let the bread cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, or until it can be handled safely.
8. Remove the bread from the pan and let cool on the wire rack for another 5 to 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
9. Keep in an airtight container in a cool dry place for up to a week.

Serving Suggestions: Peanut Butter and Jam, Scrambled Eggs, Avocado and Poached Egg or as a side to some homemade soup!

Wholemeal Raspberry Scones

Ingredients:

• 180 g of wholemeal flour
• 200 g of plain flour
• 50 g of margarine
• 275 ml of low-fat milk
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 60 g raspberries

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
2. Sieve the wholemeal flour and plain flour in a mixing bowl. Sieve in the salt and baking powder and mix well.
3. Rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4. Add enough milk to make a soft dough. Add in the raspberries and stir gently until incorporated.
5. Turn onto a lightly floured board and gently knead. Roll out the dough to 2-cm in thickness.
6. Dust a baking tray with flour. Using a 5-cm shape cutter, cut out scones and place on the baking tray. (You can use a small glass or cup as a cutter.)
7. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. The scones should be light when lifted so you know they are done!

Serve hot or cold with some butter and jam. These can be adapted to any flavour you like. Why not make them savoury with some tomato and cheese or try some apple and cinnamon?