Sweet spicy almonds

Tasty snacking nuts! Great to have with drinks or as a low carb snack that’ll keep you feeling fuller for a longer as almonds are high in protein and fibre. Plus you get all these additional nutritional benefits:

• Vital antioxidants and Vitamin E are concentrated in almond skin (try to avoid blanched) - these protect your cells from oxidative damage which contributes to aging and disease.

• Magnesium rich, which helps to convert food into energy, lowers blood pressure, assists in the contraction and relaxation of muscles and regulates neurotransmitters.

• Almonds also help to lower the levels of LDL lipoproteins in your blood, or ‘bad’ cholesterol, which is a well-known risk factor for heart disease.

Ingredients

• 200g whole almonds

• 2 tsp olive or rapeseed oil

• 2 tsp honey or maple syrup

• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

• A good pinch of salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Put the almonds on a foil lined baking tray.

• Drizzle / sprinkle over all the ingredients evenly and mix to coat well.

• Put in the oven for 6-7 minutes and then allow to cool, so they go crunchy.

Banana, almond, raisin & spelt loaf

This is a great loaf to make for quick breakfasts or healthier afternoon treats as it’s sweet, but not too sweet and has plenty of nutrients in the fruit, almonds and spelt to give you energy. Yes there’s sugar, but it’s definitely packing more goodness than your average sponge! I love this kind of cake as it’s full of interesting flavours and textures, plus there’s nutritional value in it without compromising on taste - win/win! It’s delicious, let me know if you give it a go.

Ingredients

• 150g almonds

• 150g spelt flour

• 125g ground almonds

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 300g banana

• 250g golden caster sugar

• 3 eggs

• 140ml yoghurt

• 70ml rapeseed oil

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

• 80g sultanas

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170ºc and line a 2lb loaf tin - I use these liners.

• Spread the almonds on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Set aside to cool and then chop roughly.

• Mix the flour, ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder together in a medium sized bowl.

• Put the bananas into the bowl of a mixer and beat for a minute or so until mashed. You can do this with a fork if you don’t have a mixer.

• Add the sugar, eggs, yoghurt, rapeseed oil and vanilla, mixing well.

• Gradually add the flour etc to the bowl using a large serving spoon, or just tip in slowly.

• Beat with the mixer briefly until the ingredients are just combined, then fold in the almonds and sultanas. I usually turn the mixer on low briefly to do this, it will bump about a bit though!

• Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1hr 10 minutes and then check with a skewer. It should come out clean when the cake is cooked, if not put back in for a further 5 minutes, check and then repeat once more. It should be cooked through by 1hr 20 minutes, but remove sooner if a skewer taken from the middle of the cake is clean.

Roast tomato, sweet potato & quinoa salad with tahini dressing

My new favourite salad: red and white quinoa with tomatoes, sweet potato and red onions roasted with cumin, fennel and coriander. Ok, so my favourite changes weekly, but this is a super tasty and definitely one to add to your menu! The dressing is made with roast garlic, tahini and deglazed tomato juice from the roasting tray (see the swirls in the little bowl), to really pack in the flavour. It would also be nice to add some crunch by serving with toasted nuts, or feta if you want to add cheese - I had both!

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a main, or 6-8 as a side

• 250g baby plum tomatoes

• 2 large garlic cloves

• 1 small sweet potato, 1cm cubes

• 1 medium red onion, half moon slices

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• ½ tsp ground coriander

• 250g quinoa

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• A handful of parsley and/or coriander, chopped

  Dressing

• 6 tbsp tahini

• 100ml water

• ¼ tsp sea salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Spread out the tomatoes and garlic on a roasting tray, drizzle with rapeseed or olive oil and add a pinch of salt, mix well.

• Put the sweet potato and red onion on two halves of large tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp cumin seeds, ½ tsp fennel seeds and the coriander, plus a pinch of salt. Mix well and place all the vegetables in the oven for 15 minutes. Turn and put back in for another 5 minutes. The sweet potato and onion should be cooked by now, but the tomatoes will need about another 10-15 minutes - they should be starting to blacken.

• While the vegetables are roasting, rinse the quinoa really well and then simmer in boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

• Put the remaining cumin and fennel seeds in a frying pan and warm gently for about 1 minutes util you can smell their aroma, set aside.

• Use the two roasted garlic cloves in the dressing - squeeze the soft clove out of the skin and mash in a small bowl. Next add the tahini and mix well. Deglaze the tomato tray with 6 tbsp of boiling water and mix into the tahini. Add an extra tablespoon of water if needed. Stir in the salt.

• To serve, put the quinoa in a large bowl, gently stir in the vegetables, herbs, salt, then pour over the dressing and lastly sprinkle over the cumin and fennel seeds. If you’re not eating all the salad straight away, leave the dressing separate, so it stays fresher.

Tip

• After roasting vegetables, I always deglaze the tray with a 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to get extra flavour into my salad dressings, stocks and stews. Even if you don’t need that flavour now, it’s worth doing as you can freeze the liquid in an ice cube tray and add to another dish as an extra flavour boost. It also helps to clean your tray before washing up!

Honey & soy glazed almonds & seeds

I’m trying to quit my Christmas chocolate habit (thanks Covid), so I thought I’d make something healthy to pick at instead of reaching for the sugar! These crunchy almonds and seeds are great to have to hand as they’re super tasty and filling whilst being full of nutrients. So far all of us have been eating them, even the kids, as we all like the sweet and slightly salty flavour. They’re also a good snack to make for friends when they come round for garden drinks or sprinkle on a salad to add some crunch. Try them out, they take about 10 minutes to make and are so good for you!

Ingredients

Makes a medium sized bowl full

• 100g sunflower seeds

• 100g pumpkin seeds

• 100g whole almonds, skin on

• 50g flaxseeds

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• ½ tbsp maple or honey

• ½ tsp ground ginger

• ¼ tsp cinnamon (I used 1/8th as I only like a bit!)

• ½ tbsp low salt soy sauce

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Measure all the nuts and seeds into a medium sized bowl.

• Put the coconut oil on a large baking tray and melt in the oven for 2-3 minutes.

• Mix the ground spices and soy into the nuts and seeds, then tip them on to the tray and stir well to combine with the coconut oil.

• Then mix in the honey and place in the oven for 8 minutes, turn and put back in for another 2 minutes.

Orzo, sweet pepper, spinach & toasted almond salad

It’s all about salads for me at the moment! I love the warmer weather and the food it brings, out with soup and in with lots of colourful plates of grains, veggies, cheese and fresh herbs. This is a Italian-style plate with a lovely combination of pasta, roasted peppers, spinach, basil and toasted almonds in a garlic red wine vinaigrette. The salad is vegan, but if you want to top with crumbled feta, that would work really well too.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 3 sweet peppers (red, orange or yellow)

• 250g orzo

• 150g fresh spinach

• A handful of ripped basil leaves

• 50g almonds

Dressing

• 60ml olive oil

• 20ml red wine vinegar

• 1/2 tbsp maple or honey

• ½ small garlic clove, grated

• 1 thinly sliced half moon of red onion, finely chopped (see photo below)

• ¼ tsp sea salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a salad shaker (I love this one by Oxo)

• Spread the almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Allow to cool and then chop roughly.

• Cook the orzo as per the packet instructions, usually simmer for 8-12 minutes, depending on the brand. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop it cooking further. Once thoroughly drained put in a bowl and drizzle with a little of the dressing to stop it clumping. Add a good pinch of sea salt too.

• While the orzo is cooking, roast the peppers: put them on a sheet of tin foil and place under a hot grill, blacken on all sides - this should take about 12-15 minutes, turning every 2-3. Wrap in the foil once cooked and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then peel, deseed and cut into strips. Reserve the juices from the peppers and pour over the salad before serving for extra flavour.

• Steam the spinach for approx 3 minutes until it has just cooked, then spread out on a plate to cool.

• Mix the peppers, spinach and basil leaves into the orzo and pour over 2/3 of the dressing. Spread the salad onto a large serving plate, drizzle over a little extra dressing and the juice from the peppers. Finish by scattering over over a few basil leaves and the toasted almonds.

Tip

• Avoid green peppers as they’re unripened and bitter.

• Save the rest of the red onion to chop thinly in salads.

• This salad tastes even better for lunch the next day! I think because the flavours from the dressing have more time to permeate the pasta. Or may be it was because I didn’t have to actually make anything!

Pecan & almond muesli

I always find that museli off the shelf has either too much of one ingredient or not enough of another, so I like to make my own. It’s so easy and way cheaper than buying shop bought; the only effort you have to make is toasting a tray of nuts and seeds then you’re done. This batch will last me absolutely ages for a fraction of the price.

Ingredients

Makes approx 1kg

• 500g oats

• 70g desiccated coconut

• 150g raisins, or any dried fruit you prefer - need to add 120g

• 70g pumpkin seeds, toasted

• 70g sunflower seeds, toasted

• 100g pecans (almonds, hazelnuts or cashews if you prefer), toasted

• 100g flaked almonds, toasted

• 50g flax seeds

• 150g buckwheat flakes, optional

• 50g quinoa flakes, optional

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160ºc.

• Tip the nuts and seeds on to a large tray, spread them out and them place in the oven for about 7 minutes. Keep checking every 2-3 minutes if you put them back in as they can turn very quickly. Put a timer on! My trick is not to put the timer on, get distracted and burn 5 quids worth of nuts!

• Leave the nuts and seeds to cool before adding to a large bowl or tub with the rest of the ingredients.

• Serve with fruit compote, nut butter and slices of banana. It also works well to mix with coconut or Greek yoghurt instead of milk.

Tip

• I added the buckwheat and quinoa flakes to vary the texture a bit, but if you don’t have them it’s not a major problem. The muesli will still be great with just oats.

• But if you want some variation, other alternatives for the base are: wheat, barley or spelt flakes, bran or jumbo oats