Carrot Date Banana Nut Loaf

This is hands down the best loaf you'll ever eat!

You'll need:

1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup water
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
2 ripe bananas
1 cup lightly packed shredded carrot
1 cup chopped walnuts
1  1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsps chia seeds
2 tbsps ground flaxseed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsps pumpkin seeds (plus more to garnish)

Boil dates and water together for about 5 minutes, then mash them with the back of a spoon. Stir in the baking soda...it foams up weirdly. That's ok.

Beat butter, sugar and vanilla together then add the egg. Add the bananas, carrot and walnuts along with the date mixture.

Mix the whole wheat flour, graham crumbs, chia, flaxseed, baking powder and nutmeg together. Fold in the pumpkin seeds.

Pour into a parchment lined 9 X 5" loaf pan and top with more pumpkin seeds.

Bake at 355 F for 60 - 75 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes before removing from pan. Peel off the parchment and cool completely on rack covered with a tea towel before slicing.

Here's a close-up...look at all that good stuff! 

Cauliflower Nuggets

I can't tell you how good these are. You'll just have to make them for yourself!

2-3 cups cauliflower florets
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp water
1 egg
1 tbsp ketchup
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp cornstarch
olive oil spray

Cook the cauliflower florets until tender-crisp 5-6 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

Set up your shaking, dipping and tossing station.

Mix flour, garlic powder and paprika together in one bag.
Then in a bowl mix water, egg and ketchup together.
In another bag mix parmesan, bread crumbs and cornstarch together.

Now you're ready to go. Shake individual florets in the flour mixture, then dip in egg and finally toss in the bread crumb mix.

Set the nuggets on a parchment lined baking sheet and give them a light spray with olive oil.

Bake at 450 F for 5-10 minutes then dig in!

We had ours with blue cheese dressing.

Lazy Rainy Day Casserole

It might be wet and gloomy outside but it smells great inside the house when this is in the oven!

375 g Octoberfest sausages, or your favourite sausage
1  1/2 lbs potatoes, large chunks
2 onions, quartered
3-4 carrots, thick sliced
1/2 red pepper, thick sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Mix olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and chicken broth together and toss with vegetables. Grease a 13 X 9" baking dish and place the veggies in. Loosely cover dish with foil and bake in a 450F oven for 40-45 minutes or until veggies are fork tender.

While they are doing their thing cook the sausages as per package directions. These took 12 minutes to boil, then brown in a frying pan. Cut in half, toss with balsamic and add to the veggies. Return to the oven, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Toss the mixture coating with pan juices and bake a final 10 minutes.

Yummy!

Watermelon and Strawberry Pops

Fresh fruit with only the littlest bit of sugar to sweeten it up.

3 cups watermelon, cubed
1 cup strawberries, chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
Zest of 1 lime
1 tbsp sugar

Whirl everything together in a blender and pour into molds to freeze.

Alternatively you could just add rum and have a Watermelon Rum Slushie...oops drank that up before getting a picture!

Fresh Strawberry Lemonade

So it's June 2nd and it's rainy and cool again, but when it gets hot (it will get hot again right?) you'll want this thirst quenching lemonade in your fridge! And isn't the natural colour pretty?

This recipe makes 3 pints. Double or triple as needed.

3 lemons, sliced
1/2 lime, sliced
8 oz strawberries, chopped
1/3 cup sugar
3  1/2 cups water
Mint sprigs (optional)
Rum (optional...why not?)

Mash sugar and strawberries together, then add the lemon and lime slices and mash to release the juices.

Add the water and, if using, the mint sprigs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, but not longer as it could become bitter.

Is it just me or does this look like a giant sangria? 

After 30 minutes strain out the fruit.

And if you know me you know I don't like waste. I separated the fruit from the rind, etc to freeze and use in a smoothie later on. Compost the rind.

Add ice (and rum if you're so inclined!)

I might have gotten carried away with the garnishes 😉

Carrot Apple Coffee Cake

Just a dressed-up cake mix...

432g (15 oz) carrot cake mix
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 carrot, shredded
4 or 5 apples, sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Crumble:
1 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

Mix the dry ingredients for the crumble together and cut in the butter. Keep chilled in fridge until needed.

Mix apples with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon.

In a large mixer bowl combine cake mix, sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs and shredded carrot. The batter will be thick.

Line a 13 X 9" baking dish with parchment and pour the batter in. As it is thick you need to spread it out evenly.
Sprinkle on 1/2 the crumble.

Distribute the apples evenly and cover with the remaining crumble. Press lightly with your hands.

Bake at 350 F for 40-45 minutes.

Serve plain or à la mode. 

English Muffin Sausage Breakfast

Crusty on top, cheesy and creamy inside. You need this tomorrow morning!

4 English muffins
6 or 7 breakfast sausages
1/2 cup chopped onions
1  1/2 cups shredded cheese
4 eggs
1  1/4 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste
A few drops of hot sauce, like Tabasco

Grease an 8 X 8" baking dish. Split English muffins and cut each half into 6 pieces then layer half the pieces in the bottom of the baking dish.

In a frying pan brown sausages until fully cooked. Remove from pan and brown chopped onions. Slice sausages. Add half the sausages and onions to the dish, then half the cheese. Repeat the layers...muffin, sausage, cheese.

Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt and pepper. 

Pour over everything. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. Believe it or not the English muffins do not get soggy. Great texture!

Bake at 325 F for 50-60 minutes.

Sit 5-10 minutes before slicing to ensure a nice clean cut.

Serves 4

A nice change from the McMuffin!

Adapted from http://www.plainchicken.com/2016/04/sausage-mcmuffin-casserole.html