Recipe: Savoury Quiche Muffins

I've never been a fan of savoury muffins. I've always liked the idea of them, and consequently tried a few different recipes, but have never been able to find an enjoyable one. They all seem to lack flavour, and filling, and be a bland dry little muffin that is a very dull thing to eat. So, I decided to make up my own.

These muffins are really a relative of the quiche, being inspired by the Bottomless Quiche Recipe that my Mum has been making for as long as I can remember.
These muffins have a good dose of feta in them because I think it adds the loveliest flavour. They're also light on the flour and heavy on the veggies. You can change the ingredients to suit whatever you have on hand - just remember that they need a good amount of flavour, provided by cheese, herbs and plenty of veg. The first time I made them I added some finely chopped spinach and also added a little cherry tomato, sliced in half, to the top of each before baking.

These are quick to whip up, very easy to devour and make excellent packed lunches.

I hope you enjoy them!
Do let me know if you try them and what you thought.

An Easter Giveaway & Three Chocolate Recipes to Die For

Earlier this week a box arrived from The Raw Food Store. Inside it was absolutely packed with goodies to create some delicious chocolaty Easter treats. Some of it I had never used before, like the dried figs, goji berries and buckinis. I've never really liked cereal, and homemade granola makes my stomach ache (all those nuts!). But I really, really like the buckinis. I think the fact that everything in them has been activated might make a difference. They're delicious with yoghurt and fruit, and were my favourite combination with the chocolate.

Playing chocolatier was lots of fun and the results, need I say, delicious to sample. Each chocolate recipe below uses Loving Earth chocolate, because it's the only brand I eat and enjoy. It's refined "everything" free, fair trade and very satisfying. If your chocolate-loving tooth isn't as strong as mine, feel free to swap the dark chocolate for the mylk, it's less intense. Each of these chocolates are easy to make with very gorgeous results. The key to making delicious chocolate treats are using good quality ingredients, which are what I've showcased below.
They'd be perfect Easter gifts, and are easy enough to get the kids involved with. Beware the bark however - it didn't even survive 24 hours without being gobbled up completely.

I've included all three recipes below, and there's also a fantastic giveaway too!

Recipe: Peanut Butter Choc Chip Cookies (Refined Sugar Free)

Peanut butter and chocolate - they're a match made in heaven aren't they? This recipe has been languishing in the family recipe book for years and years and I thought it was high time I shared it here. Well, it hasn't exactly been languishing - I've been using it, I just haven't gotten around to sharing it!

These cookies are quick to whip up, evilly more-ish to eat and are excellent for packed lunches, picnics or to dunk in your afternoon cup of tea. Just make sure you dunk them quickly, or you might end up with chocolate flavoured tea. They also happen to freeze wonderfully.

The cookies in the photo are made on spelt, but you can use whole wheat or even unbleached white wheat flour if you prefer. The choice is yours with the peanut butter too - crunchy is my personal favourite.

Happy baking!

Recipe: Date & Ginger Slice

Ginger would have to be one of my favourite flavourings. It's divine in both sweet and savoury. This slice is very quick to mix together, perfect for last minute baking when you have guests on their way over. Feel free to add more ginger if you like it spicey!

Recipe notes:
The slice pictured has been baked using purple wheat, but I usually make it with spelt. It also works well on regular unbleached white flour, just decrease the flour to 1 3/4 cups instead. You can also substitute with your preferred sweetener

Recipe: Banana Bread

This recipe is one I grew up with, and still remains a firm favourite. It's moist, delicious and quick to throw together. I love a slice with a cup of tea for breakfast, afternoon tea - or any other time of the day!

The bread above was made on 100% freshly ground spelt, but it also works on white wheat flour or whole wheat flour - whatever you have on hand! An extra banana, sliced lengthwise and placed on top becomes deliciously caramelized and sticky in the oven, adding something extra to each slice.

Happy baking!

Recipe: Stove-top "Baked Beans" in Tomato Sauce

I've always loved baked beans, and for several years now I've made my own from scratch. Aside form the nutritional virtues of homemade that tinned food just doesn't have, these homemade beans have much more flavour in them, and they're very quick and easy to throw together.
I enjoy these in a variety of ways, but my favourite is to put the warm beans onto a piece of sourdough toast, sprinkle with freshly grated cheese and then cook under the grill until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Yum!

Traditionally made with navy beans, for several years I used to make my baked beans with cannelloni beans. Now I prefer to use butter beans, as they are larger and also firmer, so they're not as easy to mush when stirring the pan. The fresh oregano adds a wonderful fragrance and depth of flavour, but use whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand.

Enjoy!

Recipe: 100% Spelt Sourdough Pancakes

If you'd offered me a sourdough pancake a few years ago, I've no doubt I would have had trouble composing my face (to not screw up my nose). I wouldn't have even wanted to try it. That was before I discovered sourdough itself, of course, and when I became hooked on the bread I've happily explored other options of sourdough baking. I think pancakes might have been one of the first "non-bread" foods I tried making with my sourdough starter.

Spelt Sourdough Made Simple eBook | Launch Date + How You Can Pre-Order

As I promised earlier this week, today I'm sharing with you all the details for my soon-to-be-published eBook - Spelt Sourdough Made Simple. It's very exciting!
I've spent the last month busily writing about all you need to know to make whole spelt sourdough. You can also purchase this eBook if you're interested in baking sourdough from whole wheat flour, as the two are entirely interchangeable, and also if you bake with more refined versions of spelt.

Sweet Baking Mini eBook - Free Download

It's been a gloomy, rainy day here. The wood fire is burning as a I type, and outside it is decided chilly (and a little muddy too!). I always find wet weather very inspiring, and I've spent a lot of time this weekend knitting and writing.


Whilst writing, I was inspired to put together a collection of the most popular recipes from here. I've put them into a mini eBook, in PDF form which makes it easy to view on all devices and also download and print if you'd like too.

Recipe: Autumn Savoury Spiced Pumpkin

Recipe: Almost Apple Pie Cake

I had a feeling I had published this recipe before, but I cannot find it in the archives so I must have imagined it. This cake is super quick and easy to throw together, and is versatile too. Serve it with tea in the afternoon or bake it of an evening and cut it warm in the tin and serve with whipped cream for dessert. It's delicious cold, too.

Recipe: Chocolate Zucchini Slice

This slice is moist, delicious and so easy to throw together. It's almost like a brownie, really.I don't usually use olive oil in sweet baking because the flavour is so strong, but in this slice it works and the flavour of the oil is drowned out by the strength of the cocoa and the other flavourings. This is a great way to use zucchinis if you have them growing in your garden, or if you chance upon a special at the shops. It uses two regular sized zucchinis, or as I did for this particular bake one palm-sized round zucchini from the garden.

Recipe: Refined Sugar Free Rosella Jam

Today I thought I'd (finally!) share my rosella jam recipe with you. In case you missed Thursday's post, click here for the cordial recipe and more information about rosellas.

Jam making is one of those things you just can't rush. Whenever I have attempted to make preserves in a hurry, or if I'm distracted with other jobs, it's never turned out. For jam making to work I need to have time on my hands and be feeling calm. It's an enjoyable process altogether.
I picked the fruit for this batch of jam several days before I found a day quiet enough to make it. Luckily rosellas keep quite well in the fridge for about a week.

Recipe: Rosella Cordial (Refined Sugar Free)

As promised, here is a recipe for rosella cordial. Some of you hadn't heard of a rosella before, and had trouble finding information about it online. (I googled rosella too, and got the pretty parrot. I don't think we want to be making cordial out of them! Add "plant" to your search and you'll get all the info you want :-) )

Evening Harvest + Stuffed Zucchinis

The other evening I harvested the first of this summer's zucchinis*. I purchased Black Jack seedlings from the nursery, but these have turned out to be something else entirely. They have the skin of a Black Jack but the shape of a Ronde de Nice. I think some accidental cross-pollinating might have happened at the seedling nursery!
Luckily I don't care what shape my veggies are, I'm just happy to have home grown. I accidentally let two of the zucchinis get quite large - the super hot days we've been having and nutrient dense soil these are planted in are responsible for that. No matter - being round these are perfect for stuffing. I prepared them for a weekend lunch with my family. They were delicious!

Recipe: Classic Sultana Cake with Spelt & Rapadura

There's something so comforting about a sultana cake, don't you think? It's the kind of cake you'd find on a CWA stall, or cooling on the bench at your Nana's. It's one of my favourite cakes to make and to eat, along with butter cake.

Like all of my baking, this cake is made with 100% whole Spelt flour and is refined sugar free. Never fear though, classic cake lovers, it still has that tradition taste, and with a hint of brandy it has the most beautiful aroma.

This cake keeps well, freezes well and is great for picnics and packed lunches.

Happy baking!

Recipe: Chocolate Muffins with Dates

Dates and chocolate are a classic flavour combination, and when added to a light spelt muffin batter it turns into a match made in heaven.

I hadn't made these muffins for years until recently when I suddenly remembered them. In fact, it had been so long since I last baked them that I didn't know whether they would work on spelt flour and rapadura, as I hadn't done it before. The answer though is that they are moist, light and completely divine, and pair perfectly with a cup of coffee.
They are very easy too, so make a great everyday muffin and keep well in the fridge - perfect for packed lunches.

Happy baking x

Recipe: Passionfruit & Coconut Slice

Recipe: Cream Cheese or Quark Doughnuts

Earlier in the month we celebrated a family birthday. The thing I don't usually enjoy about parties is that the women usually spend the majority of the time in the kitchen, so you either miss the party or are too worn out from the before prep to enjoy yourself.
However, this time we kept the menu simple but divine and it turned out to be a really lovely, enjoyable day perfectly finished off with a movie by the fire in the evening and another plate of goodies.

Recipe: Refined Sugar Free Spelt Gingerbread Biscuits