BACON BROCCOLI & FETA SOUP

This free Bacon Broccoli & Feta Soup Recipe is to die for… Delightfully creamy and cheesy what more could you ask for!


Ingredients


30ml oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g broccoli, cut into florets
1 litre ready made white sauce
200g feta cheese, crumbled
250g streaky bacon, chopped


Method

• In a saucepan heat the oil and sauté the onion until transparent.
• Add the broccoli and cook for a minute.
• Add the white sauce and simmer over a low heat until the broccoli soft.
• Add 150g feta and blend with a handheld blender until smooth.
• In a large frying pan cook the bacon until crispy.
• Stir the bacon into the soup, reserve some for garnishing.
• Garnish with the remaining crumbled feta and bacon.

White Sauce:

• In a saucepan melt 90g butter and add 90g flour.
• Stir over the heat for a minute.
• Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in one litre of milk.
• Return to the heat and stir until thickened.
• Season to taste.

Serves 4

SEAFOOD JAMBALAYA

This free Seafood Jambalaya Recipe is amazingly tasty! Jambalaya is a spicy cajun rice dish with seafood, sausage, chicken and vegetables. I have only used seafood and a red pepper in this recipe but feel free to add some chicken, spicy sausages and a variety of vegetables.

Ingredients


30ml oil
15ml crushed garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
5ml cajun spice
2ml ground turmeric
5ml dried origanum
250ml uncooked rice
750ml chicken stock
15ml tomato paste
450g seafood mix, defrosted
30ml fresh parsley, chopped


Method

• In a large frying pan heat the oil and fry the garlic, onion and pepper for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add all the spices and cook for a further 3 minutes.
• Add the rice and stir quickly so the spice mixture coats the rice.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
• Add the tomato paste and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Add the seafood mix and parsley, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Season to taste and serve hot.

Serves 4

PEAR & ALMOND FLAN

If you love pears and almonds then this Free Pear & Almond Flan Recipe is for you… A flan is an opened-topped baked pie or tart with a sweet or savoury filling.

Ingredients


750g pears, peeled, cored & quartered
120g sugar
250ml milk
45ml brandy
75g melted butter
4 large eggs
60g ground almonds
10ml almond essence
Pinch of salt
75g cake flour
icing sugar to decorate


Method

• Butter a 2 litre heatproof baking dish and arrange the pear quarters on the bottom and sprinkle with half the sugar.
• Place the milk, brandy, remaining sugar, butter, eggs, ground almonds, almond essence, salt and the flour into a blender in that order.
• Cover and blend on high for a minute.
• Pour the batter over the pears and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for about 40 minutes or a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve hot with fresh cream.
• The pudding will sink a little as it cools.

Serves 6 – 8

HEALTHY SEED & BRAN RUSKS

This free recipe makes the most amazing Healthy Seed & Bran Rusks…This recipe is full of bran flakes, digestive bran, seeds and raisins which make the rusks high in fibre.

Ingredients


500g butter
350ml brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
500ml buttermilk
1kg self-raising flour
10ml baking powder
200g all bran flakes
500ml digestive bran
150ml raisins
100ml sunflower seeds
30ml sesame seeds
30ml linseeds


Method

• In a saucepan melt the butter and sugar together, set aside to cool.
• Add the eggs and buttermilk to the butter mixture.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together.
• Add the bran flakes, digestive bran, raisins and seeds to the dry ingredients and stir in the egg mixture.
• Shape the dough into balls and place next to each other in a greased baking tray.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 45 to 50 minutes.
• Turn out onto a wire cooling rack, cool slightly and break into rusks.
• Place the rusks onto wire racks and stand them on baking trays.
• Reduce the oven temperature to very low and return the rusks to the oven and allow them to dry out for 8 to 10 hours.
• Store the rusks in airtight containers.

Makes about 40

CHELSEA BUNS

This free Chelsea Bun Recipe makes the most decadently sweet & delicious Chelsea Buns… Great to serve at tea parties!

Ingredients


Buns:
210ml lukewarm milk
60g butter
445g white bread flour
5ml salt
40g sugar
7g instant died yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten


Filling:
30ml butter
50ml apricot jam
50g soft dried apricots, chopped
100g raisins
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml ground mixed spice
50g brown sugar
100g pecan nuts, chopped


Topping:
100g sugar
60g butter
60ml milk
60ml honey


Method


Buns:

• Mix the milk and butter in a saucepan and heat until the butter is melted.
• Remove from the heat and cool until lukewarm.
• In a large mixing bowl mix the flour, salt, sugar and yeast together.
• Mix the dry ingredients and beaten egg into the milk mixture to form a soft dough.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

To knead: Fold the dough in half towards you and then push down and away using the heel of yourhand. Give the dough a quarter of a turn and repeat the kneading process, until the dough is soft and elastic. Alternatively you can use a food processor with a dough hook at a low speed.


Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.


Filling:

• Knead the dough again for a minute and then roll out onto a lightly floured surface to form a 40 x 22cm rectangle.
• Melt the butter and apricot jam and brush over the dough.
• Sprinkle with fruit, spices and half the nuts.
• Starting at the long side, tightly roll up the dough like a swiss roll.
• Cut into 9 even sized slices and place them next to each other in a greased, square 20cm baking tin.
• Cover the tin with a damp cloth and allow the buns to rise until they have doubled in size.

Topping:

• Heat all the ingredients for a minute or until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the topping mixture over the buns after they have risen and sprinkle with the remaining nuts.
• Immediately bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
• Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing from the tin and breaking apart.

Alternative filling: 100g chopped dark chocolate, 100g chopped pecan nuts and 100g brown sugar.


Makes 9

CHEESE & SPINACH BARLEY BAKE

This free Cheese & Spinach Barley Bake Recipe is delicious… The whole family will love this dish. Substitute the spinach for mixed vegetables for those of you that don’t like spinach.

Ingredients


30ml olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 onion, sliced
300g baby spinach leaves
100g barley, cooked
30ml freshly chopped mixed herbs
200g mature cheddar, grated
250ml sour cream or ready-made cheese sauce


Method

• In a large frying pan, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and onion.
• Add the spinach leaves and stir-fry for a few minutes.
• Add the cooked barley, herbs and half the cheese and stir well.
• Place the mixture into a greased baking dish and top with the sour cream or cheese sauce.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 15 minutes and golden brown.

Variation: Add a tin of tuna to the vegetable mixture for a cheese tuna & barley bake.


Serves 4

BAR ONE SPRING ROLLS

Oh my goodness everyone has to try these decadent Bar One Spring Rolls. Phyllo pastry bursting with melted chocolate toffee these are sure to satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth! Substitute the Bar One Chocolate for any chocolate that has a toffee chocolate centre.

Ingredients


3 sheets phyllo pastry, cut in half lengthways
90g butter, melted
2 x 100g Bar One chocolate
100ml cream
100g chocolate chopped


Method

• Lay the pastry sheets out onto a cold surface and brush with butter on both sides.
• Divide each bar of chocolate into 3 pieces.
• Place a piece of Bar One on a phyllo sheet and roll up like a spring roll.
• Refrigerate while you preheat the oven to 200°C.
• Bake the spring rolls for 15 to 20 minutes until golden.
• Heat the cream and chopped chocolate until melted completely and pour over the spring rolls.
• Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Serves 6