October 23, 2017 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
This unbaked, dairy-free flapjack is from Alice Meller, wife of Gill, head chef at River Cottage. It’s now a firm favourite in our house. Makes 15-18.
100g dates, stoned
100g prunes
2 ripe or slightly over-ripe medium bananas, peeled
150g honey
2 tbsp coconut oil
325g porridge oats or jumbo oats
100g raisins, currants or dried cranberries
100g dried apricots, finely chopped
25g each of shelled hemp seeds, linseeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds (or 100g of whichever seedy mix you like)
Put the dates, prunes, bananas, honey and coconut oil in the bowl of a food processor. Add two tablespoons of water and blitz the lot until you have a thick, fruit-flecked purée.
In a large bowl, combine the oats with the raisins, apricots and all the seeds. Stir in the puréed fruit mix and combine well.
Line a shallow baking tray, about 20cm x 30cm, with baking parchment or clingfilm. Tip in the fruity, oaty mixture and gently press it out as even and level as you can.
Transfer to the fridge for two to three hours, to set, then turn out and slice into bars. Keep the flapjacks in in a sealed Tupperware box in the fridge.
October 17, 2017 / Lyn Jones / 0 Comments
If you like curries and are looking for a new accompaniment, try these parathas instead of rice. They’re buttery, iron-rich and delicious toasted the next morning for breakfast.
2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach
2 cups whole wheat flour (or coconut flour?)
2 tablespoons semolina (or polenta?)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp carom seeds* (or ajwan in Indian groceries. They’re supposed to be good for your digestion and have a very similar flavor to thyme, which would be a good substitute.)
Water, as needed
6 tablespoons melted butter (or coconut oil?)
1. Boil spinach until wilted (i.e., put it in the microwave with water to cover and nuke for about a minute) and drain off the water. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, flour, semolina, salt and carom seeds and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter and then slowly add small amounts of water as needed to achieve a doughy consistency. Knead for 10 minutes–the dough should be pliable and not sticky, since you’ll need to roll it out later. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
2.Lightly dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, and grease your hands with a little oil. Divide the dough into 10 pieces. Roll one of them into a ball with your hands, then flatten and roll out with a rolling pin into a 5-6 inch circle. Brush with melted butter, fold in half, brush with butter again, and fold in half once more to form a triangle. Roll the triangle out until the base is 5-6 inches.
3.Heat a cast-iron skillet or griddle on medium and brush with butter, then add the paratha. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown, then flip and cook 2 more minutes. (Some parathas will puff up, which looks really cool. But don’t cry if yours don’t–they’ll still taste good, because they have 6 tablespoons of butter in them). Remove paratha and cover with a clean towel. Repeat the rolling and frying until all the dough is used up.