Apple and Sultana Drop Scones

I don't know what it is that makes children so hungry after school, but the truth is they are generally ravenous when they get home. Consequently I am always looking for a snack that will satisfy them, act as a bit of treat but not ruin the chances of them being hungry enough to eat all the vegetables I live in hope that they will consume at dinner.

As a child my mum would cook the classic drop scones (also called Scotch pancakes) as a treat every once in a while. I remember the warm stack of mini pancakes would disappear in minutes, there never seemed to be enough. Because of their Moorish nature, and quite frankly my lack of will power, I sought to see what could be done to perhaps make them slightly healthier.

So here is my take on the classic drop scone. So essentially the main difference is I have added chopped dried apple pieces and sultanas, ok so lots of sugar here but its natural sugar and has the benefits of fibre and other nutrients. Another way to increase the fibre content was to substitute some of the flour with wholemeal flour, only about a fifth so it's not too dry (or noticeable). I actual replaced the caster sugar with granulated Stevia (a natural sugar alternative which has all the sweetness without the calories and doesn't give you the sugar crash of regular sugar). I also used rice bran oil, which as all the health benefits of olive oil, plus it has a higher smoking point so more of the nutrients are preserved, it also has more vitamin e.

Ingredients

• 100g  white self-raising flour
• 25g wholemeal self-raising flour           
• 2 tsp caster sugar  (I used Stevia instead to reduce the sugar content)          
• 1 egg, beaten (I had to use two but that's because I was using our bantam eggs) 
• 4 tbsp Rice bran oil           
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) semi-skimmed milk or water 
• Small handful sultanas
• Small handful dried apple pieces
• 1/2 tap cinnamon (optional)          

Combine the flour, sugar (Stevia) and cinnamon if using. Make a well in the middle and add the beaten egg and milk/water mix to a smooth batter. Stir in the fruit.

 

Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan. Add the batter in small dollops, may be four or five to the pan. When air bubbles start to appear in the batter its time to flip them over using a spatula. Once lightly golden on both sides remove and set aside. Best eaten while still warm. Now if you manage not to eat them all, they do freeze well. Freeze in small after school portions, they can be popped in the microwave frozen as needed (about 30 seconds). I have got to confess, I had to make two batches because I kept eating them as I was cooking them and there wasn't enough for the photo!

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Sanity Saving Crock-Pot Ready Meals

How a trip to Essex has given me back an hour everyday and saved me some sanity?

A late summer trip to see a very dear friend of mine, who had recently moved back home, led me to a huge time saving practice for the kitchen. She introduced me to the art of pre-prepared freezer meals that you pop straight into your crock-pot ready to give you warming nutritious meals at the end of a busy day.

 

Her actual words were "I thought you would have known all about crock-pot ready meals". I let the annoyance, that she had discovered this wonderful kitchen art before me, slide and then raided her Pinterest boards when I got home.

 

And so after 4 hours (that includes the shopping time) I have 44 meals sitting waiting to be devoured, and all I have got to do is pop them in the crock-pot and maybe do some extra fresh veggies on the day, if I'm feeling all righteous and Super Mum.
 

We in England call them slow-cookers, but I have adopted the Americanism 'Crock-pot' because 'crock-pot' actually sounds quicker and as this has probably bought me an extra hour each working day, I think it's appropriate.

 

So that's the time saving, lets look at the cost saving. Total ingredients for 44 meals cost approximately £39, giving me a portion cost of just short of 90p, throw in some rice and veggies and stuff and you are probably looking at £1 per portion. Now in this day and age, I don't think that is bad, I used to budget for a £1 a portion fifteen years ago when I first moved in with my boyfriend (He hadn't earned his promotion of husband at that point). So time and money saving, together with trying some new recipes means, I think this experiment is going to be a winner.

 

So what did we cook?
 

Sweet Teriyaki Chicken
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1tsp garlic salt
1/2 an onion
1 1/2lb chicken breasts

 

Chicken Curry (which I can't wait to try, loads of Mangoes and sweet potatoes)
3tbls flour
4tbls Curry powder
2lbs Chicken
2 cups set potatoes
2 cups baby carrots
2 cans Mango
1 Cup of Onion
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 cups good chicken stock
 

Orange Chicken
2 cups carrots
2cups bell peppers
1lb chicken
3 cloves of minced garlic
1/2tsp pepper
8oz orange juice
 

Beef Stroganoff
2lbs stewing beef
2cans of condensed mushroom soup
1cup onions
2tbls Worcestershire sauce
1/2cup water
2 cloves minced garlic
1cup chopped mushrooms
 

And a spicy chicken thing I forgot to note the name of (sorry)
2lb chicken breast diced
1/8tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp ground ginger
3 sweet potatoes
1 onion chopped
1 cup apricot preserve
3tbls cider vinegar
1tbls soy sauce
1 cup chicken stock
2tbls cornflour
 

 

There are loads of great sites with crock-pot ready meals but the ones I have use so far are can be found on my Pinterest board slow Cooker.

So thanks to my dear friend from Essex, for giving me the extra hour in the day I have been looking for!

 

 

 

 

My Recipe for 'healthier' Chilli Dipping sauce without sugar

I love chilli dipping sauce, the sticky sweetness with the hit of the chili is delicious but I'm always conscious of the sugar content, try my sugar free alternative. Well ok its not quite without any sugar but a much healthier alternative with a low GI so you don't get the sugar crash that's often associated with regular sugar.

Regular chili sauce requires quite a lot of sugar which is simmered down to give a nice rich syrupy consistency to the sauce but that comes with all the negative attributes associated with sugar. However it can be made inter a healthier condiment by substituting the sugar for Agave syrup or natural fruit extracts like sweet freedom. Sweet freedom has 25% less calories than ordinary sugar and is already syrupy in consistency. You also use 25% less gram for gram than sugar, is tolerated by Diabetics (as part of a healthy diet) and has a low GL (Glycaemic load). Agave syrup works in much the same way but is made from the Agave cactus rather than from fruit.

Now for the recipe......
I don't very often measure anything out so please feel free to adjust the quantities to taste.
1 cup of white wine vinegar
2 cups of water
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 small chillies (seeds out if you want a milder flavour)
300 grams sweet freedom

place in pan and bring to a boil. then simmer gently for 10mins. If you want a thicker sauce you could add some cornflower mixed with a little water to make a paste. Use as a straight forward dipping sauce or use as a marinade for prawns or chicken, great with noodles.

Healthy Fat Free Snacks usin my Stokli dehydrator

Fat Free and Tasty, Dehydrated Nibbles, The Ultimate Healthy Snacks

Dehydrating Food and Healthy Snacks using a Stokli Food Dehydrator

I have had my Stokli Food Dehydrator for a year now and after some tasty experiments I wouldn't be without it. The Stokli Dehydrator uses warm air to gently preserve food without losing much of the nutrients associated with cooking or other preserving techniques. Ideal for making nutritious health snacks for all the family but also preserving gluts, from home growing from the garden or allotment, drying herbs and flowers and much much more.

How Do Food Dehydrators Work?

 Dehydrating food is a very gentle way of preserving food. A Food dehydrator works by exposing food to low temperatures of heat for a long period of time in order to remove the moisture from the food. Without

moisture, bacteria, moulds and yeasts are unable to grow. Food dehydrating also slows down enzyme action, although it does not stop it entirely. This means that when water is added back to some foods after drying, they return to its original size and weight.

Vegetable Crisps

The ultimate health snack

 Vegetable crisps or chips are a low fat snack that can be munched guilt free. It's a great way to get children to eat more vegetables and they probably won't notice the difference between these super healthy ones and regular crisps.

Many articles written about making vegetable crisps suggest blanching or part cooking the veggies before

drying. This helps preserve the flavours for much longer. However my crisps never hang around that long and are always munched as soon as they are ready so don't have a chance to lose any flavour. Dehydrating from raw will preserve many more of the important nutrients from the vegetables. Always start with vegetables at the peak of freshness. Good veggies for crisps include sweet potato, carrots, parsnips and beetroot.

If possible, pick and dry them the same day. If you cannot dry them the same day they were picked, then store them in your refrigerator- not at room temperature to preserve their freshness.

Wash the vegetables in cold water and trim away any bruised, mouldy or decayed spots; peeling is optional. However, the vegetable's skin will toughen as it dries but somehow that does add to the crunch! For speed I use a food processor which also makes sure the slices are all the same thickness.

I like to season my crisps, maybe not as healthy as plain vegetable crisps but does enhance the flavours. A quick seasoning is to use a ready-made seasoning like "all-purpose seasoning" this can be sprinkled on when the vegetables have been prepared but still moist so the seasoning sticks to the slices. Experiment with different flavours, try adding chilli for a fiery kick, or a drizzle of sweet chilli dipping sauce for something softer. Garlic powder used in moderation will give a mellow flavour but perhaps my favourite is a dusting of Italian herb seasoning.

Always arrange vegetables on the mesh dehydrator sheets in a single layer.

The temperature for how to dehydrate vegetables is lower than of that for fruits. Set you dehydrator at about

115º F until your vegetables are at the desired dryness.

Drying times differ on the vegetables, the way they are cut, the humidity in the air, the types of vegetables, etc. You want your dried vegetables to have the texture that is somewhat leathery or brittle.

Cool the vegetables in the dehydrator for at least 30 minutes, but not more than an hour before removing and storing. Leaving the dried product in the dehydrator for too long will have the vegetables absorbing moisture from the air.

Store in zip lock bags in handy snack sized portions.

Enjoy!

Drying herbs for the kitchen and the hearth

 An alternative way to prepare your herbs drying herbs using a dehydrator

OK it’s not the most natural way of doing things but the dehydrator is a convenient method of drying herbs. If you intend to use some of your herbs for culinary use the dehydrator will dry and preserve your herbs quickly but extremely gently. The quick

drying preserves more of the natural oils of the plants, so flavour is often more intense and it also gives less time for moulds etc. to grow, giving you longer lasting safer herbs.

Herbs make great gifts