Courgette Cupcakes with Pistachio and Lime

Adapted from an existing recipe in the Susannah Blake's Cupcake Heaven (see below) I have made a few adjustments to ensure that this is a full vegan recipe, yet still holds together without the addition of an egg. The tangy lime topping is what really makes this an usual cupcake variation.

Image: zmkstudio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Oven 160C, makes 12

Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed
70ml of ground nut oil
50g of caster sugar and 50 g of dark brown sugar
100g of courgette, coarsely grated
50g of chopped pistachio nuts (I do these until a fine, almost breadcrumb like texture in the blender, but chopping will suffice)
120g of self raising flour
Half a teaspoon of baking powder

Mix together crushed seeds, oil and sugar until thick and sandy in texture. Add the courgette and nuts, then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Spoon into paper cases and cook for 20 minutes, checking after 15. Skewer centre of cake to ensure it's done, turn out onto wire rack to cool.

To decorate:

Finely grated zest and juice of two limes
85g of caste sugar
50g of shelled pistachio chopped (more coarsely than for the cupcake mix)

Gradually heat the zest, juice and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved (rolling the lime under hand for a few seconds before cutting and squeezing makes juicing easier).

Whack the heat right up and boil rapidly for about a minute, before removing from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, stir in the nuts than as it begins to thicken, spool onto the cupcakes.

The original version and other great cupcake recipes can be found in Cupcake Heaven, available via Amazon.

Quick Sausage Stew

It may be raining today, but there's been plenty of BBQs recently, and as such I've come up with a quick dish that uses left over sausages as well as a whole load of store cupboard ingredients that seem to be lying around. In this sample I've used Bulgar Wheat, but Barley, Buckwheat, even risotto rice could be used instead. This served two adults and one child for a fairly substantial lunch.

Allow 2-3 pre-cooked sausages (pork, beef, veggie or other) per person, cut up into small bite sized pieces
3 young small turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic glove, crushed
1 small red apple, diced
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
50g Bulgar Wheat
Glug of red wine vinegar
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 tsp of whole grain mustard
Pinch of dried sage
Pinch of dried basil
300ml of boiled water.
Olive Oil for frying

Gently fry the onion, garlic and turnip in some olive oil until soft and browning. Add the sausages, Bulgar Wheat and red wine vinegar, mustard, bouillon powder and herbs, stirring quickly to ensuring that all the wheat is coated, before adding the chopped tomatoes and around 100ml of water.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water as and when required. After 10 minutes add the apple and remaining water, turn up the heat and allow to bubble for 5-7 minutes uncovered.

Sort of Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberry and Lemon

Every now and again we get some malt loaf or scotch pancakes for the wee man's breakfast. However the pancakes in particular can have a fairly short shelf life, while the malt loaf runs the risk of going stale if not stored properly, and as a result I've found myself having to use up these items quickly before they spoil and have to be thrown out. One way I came up with was this this dessert which is fairly simple to make and can be dressed up with a few fresh raspberries for a little extra tartness.



Left over scotch pancakes, raisin pancakes and/or malt loaf, buttered if you like, but not essential. Enough to line the bottom of a small pie dish, plus another layer.
300ml whole milk
100ml double cream
25g sugar
2 eggs
Juice of half a lemon (grated peel optional)
Pinch of Cinnamon
Ground or shaved nutmeg
Raspberries
Sultana or raisins

Pre-heat oven to 200C
Line the bottom of the pie dish with the pancakes/fruit loaf. Cut to fit, don't worry about gaps. Sprinkle with a half the lemon juice, peel and some cinnamon. Add some raspberries and a few sultanas or raisins. Add second layer, using up the remaining sprinkling ingredients. Cover and set aside.

Whisk up the eggs and sugar in a bowl with some nutmeg (to personal taste, but remember whole shaved nutmeg can be quite strong) until pale and bubbly.

Heat up the milk and cream in a pan and remove from heat just before boiling point. Gentle stir in the egg mix then pour over the pancakes until brim is reached. Throw in a few extra berries if desired and sprinkle a little sugar on to if you want.

Bake for 30 mins or until custard has set and is browning.
Can be served with cream or ice cream

Variations: For extra lemony taste you can use lemon and raisin pancakes or substitute ordinary sugar for lemon sugar.