Carrot, banana, oat and bran cake

A semi-healthy muffin or cake that doesn't need any icing!

125g butter, softened

100g sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 cups self-raising flour

1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and mixed spice

½ teaspoon each of nutmeg and cardamom

1 cup milk

¼ cup low-fat natural yogurt

2 carrots, grated

2 bananas, mashed

½ cup oats

½ cup bran

About ¼ cup oats extra, for decoration

Can also add in any seeds like chia, pepitas etc, nuts such as walnuts or LSA. This could be in addition to the bran or oats, or to replace them

This makes one big cake or about 24 muffins.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a cake tin with baking paper, or grease muffin tins.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs one at a time until well combined, then add in the vanilla.

Put the spices in the flour, and then add this in intervals with milk and yoghurt, in about three sets. Continue to combine well with the beater.

Using a wooden spoon, gently mix through the carrot and banana and then the oats and bran.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and sprinkle the extra oats on the top.

Muffins will take about 20 minutes, and the cake will take about 45-50 minutes. Test the cake with a skewer to see that it is cooked all the way through before removing from the oven.  

Chocolate zucchini cupcakes

125g butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

¾ cup milk

2 ½ cups self raising flour

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups grated zucchini

This made about 22 decent sized cupcakes. It could also make one big cake, just adjust the cooking time to about an hour and reduce the temperature to 180C.

Method:

Preheat oven to 190C.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Add eggs one at a time until well combined. Continue beating in vanilla.

Mix the flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt in another bowl, and mix this into the butter-sugar bowl in three batches, alternating with the milk.

Using a large spoon, gently mix in the zucchini.

Spoon the mixture into the patty tins.

Cook for about 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.

Decorations:

I made a simple butter cream icing with cocoa and choclettes, but you could also just sift some icing sugar on the top for a lighter dessert. 

Boccincini, basil and tomato skewers

These little nuggets of deliciousness came out of an old “Women’s entertaining” cookbook, and they really are quite awesome. And easy, which makes them even better.

They look naughty and a little bit fancy but only take a couple of minutes to throw together, and can be as simple or complex as you like.

I opted for simple, as I was putting on a bit of a feast and just ran out of time to marinate the cheese, but if you have an hour spare to let it marinate, definitely give it a whirl.

This makes 6 short skewers (similar to the picture)

Ingredients:

9 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 boccincini balls, quartered

About 30 basil leaves

3 long wooden skewers, cut in half  (could also use toothpicks and just make shorter versions of these)

For the marinade

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh diced chives

1 tablespoon fresh diced parsley

A good crack of black pepper

Once the cheese is cut, coat them in the marinade for about an hour before putting on the skewers

Just thread everything onto the skewers in the order of tomato-basil-cheese-basil-tomato, and voila! They’re done.

So easy and really delicious.

Lamb koftas with yoghurt dipping sauce

This recipe makes about 10 reasonably big koftas, could always make smaller bite-sized meatballs.

Ingredients:

500g lamb mince

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs

3 garlic cloves, crushed

½ onion, diced finely

2 teaspoons ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or chilli powder)

Mint – either 1 tablespoon dried mint flakes, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or equivalent of the mint concentrate in tubes

Mix it all together in a big bowl, best done with your hands so really get into it.

Divide the mixture into 10 pieces, and roll each into a chunky log, flattened slightly.

These are best put on a tray and refrigerated for at least an hour prior to cooking to let it set better.

Cook in a frypan, the oven, on a grill or on the barbecue.

Yoghurt dipping sauce

½ cup plain greek yoghurt

½ Lebanese cucumber, grated and with the moisture squeezed out

3 tablespoons fresh mint, diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Good crack of pepper and pinch of salt

Mix it all together in a bowl, taste-testing to make sure the balance is right.