Cook Like a Pro!

The post No Bake Chocolate Tart with Banana and Lime Zest confit appeared first on .

A special dessert, this no bake chocolate tart has a crushed ginger cookie base. On top is a rich chocolate ganache given a bit of a twist by blending in some banana,  it’s subtle fragrance complementing the dark chocolate and the sweetly spiced base. We have topped the dessert with some lime zest confit to give a slight citrus edge. 

  Shopping on a budget does not have to mean you cannot have a showstopper dessert. This no bake chocolate tart is made using produce and chocolate from Aldi, who asked us to use their organic range in some recipes. We played around with chocolate tart – too often a rich and cloying dessert, we lightened up by adding an organic banana, some lime zest and a crunchy biscuit base rather than pastry.

So ‘OMG food love’, is not the kind of language we normally use here but goodness this cake went down rather more quickly than it should have, little hands and larger ones enjoyed it.

The banana flavour in the ganache is subtle, in case you are worried – the flavour of banana can be a strong one, but by using a dark and rich chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids) the complex layers of chocolate flavour will stand up to the inclusion of fruit here.

  The tart has such a smooth and velvety finish, with the crisp and sweetly spiced base giving a nice contrast in this rich dessert. If you want, omit the banana and garnish the tart with other fruits.

We use a little gelatine (vegetarian or normal gelatine would both work) to help set the tart.

We used the same method as cheesecake recipes to prep our base – grinding up some ginger nut biscuits in our Froothie Optimum blender into a fine crumb and adding some cocoa and melted butter to make it into a solid base.

Then pour over the chocolate banana ganache and set in a freezer. This recipe is best made the day before you want to serve.

Lime zest confit gives a lovely pop of colour as well as a citrus twist to the otherwise sweet and rich tart.

What you will need –

A high speeed blender or food processor.

Heatproof bowl.

Chef’s Blow torch (helpful to extract the tart from cake tin)

9 inch cake tin with loose bottom

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Chocolate and Banana Tart with Lime Zest confit

Ingredients

BISCUIT BASE -

150g ginger nut biscuits

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

65g unsalted butter

CHOCOLATE BANANA GANACHE -

5 sheets gelatine (or vegetarian equivalent)

350g 70% Dark Chocolate

9 Tablespoons cream

4.5 Tablespoons sugar

2 Bananas

LIME ZEST CONFIT-

Zest of 1 small lime

100g sugar

85ml water

Instructions

Start by preparing the cake tin- cut a circle of parchment to fit the bottom. Dab the base of the tin with a smear of water then place the parchment circle over it. Grease the bottom and sides of the tin with a little oil or melted butter.

Then prepare the biscuit base by pulsing the ginger nuts in a food processor into a fine crumb and then tip this into a mixing bowl. Alternatively you can stick the biscuits in a sealable freezer bag, bash them with a rolling pin into crumbs and then use them but the result is a coarser finish.

Spoon the cocoa powder over the biscuit crumb, then melt the cocoa butter in a microwave, pour it in and mix well to completely coat the biscuit crumb.

Tip the mixture into the prepared tin, and press it down with your hands to make it firm and compacted. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator.

Place the sheets of gelatine in a bowl of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes until it is softened (if using vegetarian gelatine, follow the packet instructions).

Chop the dark chocolate finely, transfer to a heatproof bowl that fits over a small pan of simmering water. Put the bowl over the pan, making sure the water does not tough the base of the bowl, and stir constantly till the chocolate melts. Then keep it warm.

In a separate pan heat the cream and sugar till it it is simmering. Remove from cream.

Remove the gelatine from the water, squeeze it to remove the excess water and place it in the hot cream, stirring with a clean spoon till it is melted. Then pour the cream into the bowl with the chocolate and whisk it all together into a smooth ganache.

Chop ONE of the bananas, place it in a clean food processor or high speed blender then add the ganache.

Process on high speed until the banana is blended into the ganache, then pour this onto the biscuit base. Re-seal the cake tin thoroughly with cling film and once it is cooled to room temperature, place it in the freezer for 4 hours or overnight.

Transfer the tart from freezer to refrigerator 3 hours before you intend to serve. Whilst waiting for it to thaw, prepare the lime zest confit. Chop the lime zest into fine slivers, blanch it to remove the bitter taste. You do this by tipping the zest into a pan, top with cold water. Bring it to a boil, drain off the water. Then pour over some fresh water, bring to the boil and again discard the water. Drain the zest thoroughly using paper towels to dry them.

Melt 85ml of water with 100g sugar on a medium heat, and when it is combined into a syrup, add the lime zest, remove from heat and leave to cool (about 30 minutes). Then remove the lime zest and separate it out a little with tweezers or a fork so that the sugared zest does not clump together.

At service, to remove the tart from the cake tin, carefully push the base up to extract it. If you have a blowtorch use it to briefly heat around the edges of the tin to melt the edge a little and get a smoother finish as it eases out.

Cut the tart into wedges using a hot sharp knife, then top with slices of the remaining banana and the lime zest confit.

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Other showstopping chocolate tarts –

Our chocolate and chestnut torte – gluten free

The classic Gaston Lenotre dessert – Gateau Concorde

Lucy’s amazing super chocolatey chocolate tart

These cute mini chocolate and raspberry tarts

This clever millionaire shortbread chocolate tart

Jo’s white chocolate and raspberry tarts

Sophies Amaretto chocolate tart

Choclette’s Chocolate and lime curd tarts

Disclosure – we were compensated by Aldi to produce a recipe using products from their stores. Our opinions are our own and this recipe and our writing does not imply our endorsement of the store Aldi or it’s product range.

The post No Bake Chocolate Tart with Banana and Lime Zest confit appeared first on , and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Win a Precision Chef Knife set and Block from Edge of Belgravia (RRP £160). appeared first on .

Here is a nice little way to upgrade your meal prep in style. The Precision knife set and Black Diamond knife block from Edge of Belgravia are stylish (and highly efficient) kitchen tools. We have been trialling them for a couple of weeks, and this is a good set that will cover most cutting tasks.

First up the vessel – a dramatic looking black knife block that leaves the knives looking as if suspended. It is sturdy, but has a narrow profile, important to anyone who has limited worktop space.

Edge of Belgravia do a range of different knives, and the Precision series is their starter kit. Despite this ‘beginner’ label we find it really effective for everyday use. The handle design is very ergonomic, making it comfortable to hold and work with. The blade is stainless steel, sharp and with a clever non stick coating that we really like – it means you can cut cleanly as well as quickly.

Apart from the bread knife, the chef knife is a good size for most cutting and slicing tasks. Then a Deba knife which is ground only on one side. This gives a very clean cut, perfect for sashimi, or fruit and vegetables that need a clean cut edge, such as lemons. Finally a small paring knife for cutting smaller items.

    We think that this knife set offers really good value for money as well as looking rather good with their black surfaced blades.

Want to be in with a chance to win a set? Click below to enter our GIVEAWAY. a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclaimer – we were provided with a set of knives and a knife block to review by Edge of Belgravia. No financial compensation was given and our opinions are our own.  Giveaway ends Midnight on the 25th October 2015. Open to Residents of the UK and Northern Ireland only.  Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.  Winner will be selected by Random.org and be notified by email. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that Franglais Kitchen is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.  We represent each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify us within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.  The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The products offered for the giveaway are free of charge. No purchase necessary. Our opinions are our own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.  By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to us and us alone. We do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.

The post Win a Precision Chef Knife set and Block from Edge of Belgravia (RRP £160). appeared first on , and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Carrot and Potato Rosti with Steak and Kimchi appeared first on .

Crispy, crunchy, fried up with a little olive oil, these potato rosti make a base for any manner of topping – meat, salmon, eggs or vegetables. Comfort food, the texture of french fries but in cake form. And we like cake right? It is a quick and easy side dish. Keep the rosti small like we did in our mini frying pans, or pile the mixture into a larger pan and serve this side dish sliced up into wedges. 

Deadlines. Not something we are great at sticking to on Franglais Kitchen. It has always been a side thing for us – we both work full time – but it is taking on a life of it’s own this site of ours.

It started as a diary space for us to record our favourite cooking experiments. As time has gone on we have become more and more creative, using up the little free time we have in the evening to tinker, cook and record our food adventures. It has led to some great opportunities to share our recipes,  try out cool gadgets and different ingredients and foods. We’ve loved seeing our community grow – both here, on Facebook, instagram, pinterest, and twitter.

Our primary aim though is to encourage people to try new stuff.  New ingredients, new flavour pairings, new ways to cook whilst making it as low fuss and maximum fun as possible. So we will be putting together some resources for our readers and subscribers to inspire and hopefully get you trying new stuff too!

If you want to be the first to know, why not subscribe to our email newsletter (we never share our mailing list details with anyone else)?

Coming back to deadlines. We got invited to try some organic ingredients from Aldi for #organicseptember. Whilst it is almost the end of September, we have some fabulous recipes using some ingredients we sourced at our local Aldi over the weekend.

It is not our local supermarket, so we have not visited Aldi before but were warned we would be pleasantly surprised at the value for money. As it was we found the produce not only lower in price, but actually as good quality or better than its supermarket rivals. Which is not surprising given that it picked up Which? Magazine’s best supermarket award 2015.

Aldi doesn’t have a huge organic range – we found garlic, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. Other stores may have wider ranges. They do however clearly have good provenance and great quality for much of their food and this is not something they are paying us to say. It is a good place to stock up on quality ingredients at an excellent price, but the range of options is for us too limiting to say we would only shop there. As it is however, if you want to try eating organically, then they do have well priced options on cooking staples.

So we kick off our belated organic September with this garlic-laced carrot and potato rosti, which we served up with some pan fried steak and some kimchi (korean fermented cabbage that is our hot sauce/chilli topping du jour right now).

  But the rosti is the thing here. Quick and easy to prep it will serve you up with a filling and tasty base for all manner of veggie, fish or meat toppings from brunch through till dinner.

We spiralized our vegetables – don’t they look fab? But we are not going to get all Helmsley and Helmsley on you. Feel free to grate them instead, it works just as well and it is what we normally do.

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Carrot and Potato Rosti

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

3 large white potatoes

3 carrots

2 egg

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper

Olive oil for frying

Instructions

Peel and spiralize or grate the potatoes and carrots.

Beat the egg and add it to the vegetables.

Peel and crush the garlic and mix into the vegetable mixture along with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 200DegC (375DegF).

In a non stick frying pan heat the olive oil - enough to coat the entire surface of the pan.

Take a small handful of the rosti mixture squeeze it to remove excess egg/moisture and transfer to a separate clean bowl.

When the oil is hot, tip the rosti mixture into a the pan, pushing it down and out to compact it together and make it into a galette shape.

Drizzle a little oil around the side of the galette along the side of the pan - this will help keep it non stick and easier to flip it.

Cook over a medium heat till the bottom is starting to get golden and the top looks dry.

Shake the pan and give the rosti a nudge to see if it is ready to flip.

Flip the rosti carefully - the easiest way is to put a plate over the pan, slide it out and then put it back in uncooked side down. Once both sides are golden, place in oven to finish the cooking and keep the rosti warm till toppings are cooked. It will need roasting for 15-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your rosti (which will depend on the size of your pan).

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  More spiralizer inspiration –

Pad Thai using Courgettes (Zucchini) from Kellie

Courgetti and spaghetti with Tuna meatballs from Helen

Carrot and celeriac slaw from Sus

Healthy stir fried Singapore Noodles from Lucy

Shrimp with Zucchini noodles from Diana

Courgette Linguini from Ceri

  Disclosure – we were sent vouchers to shop at Aldi and create organic recipes. All opinions expressed are our own.

The post Carrot and Potato Rosti with Steak and Kimchi appeared first on , and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Oat and Coconut Pancakes. Fluffy, freezable and fantastically delicious. appeared first on .

These soft fluffy pancakes are made using coconut flour and oatmeal, so they are wholesome and filling. As well as being high in protein and fibre (and therefore super healthy) they are freezable so you can even enjoy them on a working day.

Do you struggle to do more than cereal or toast for breakfast? We do. Not much time for self nourishment with two little schoolchildren who need cajoling and encouragement to be ready for the day. However, I have decided to take this in hand with some make ahead meals. These coconut pancakes are one of our favourite breakfasts right now.

Coconut and oatmeal make these pancakes filling and nutritious. The coconut flour is rich in protein and fibre , as well as lauric acid – a medium chain triglyceride which may help with fat burning. We whizz up some oat flour using our froothie (a high speed blender that we love) – but you can use a food processor or substitute with wholemeal or spelt flour. Oat meal is also rich in soluble fibre, and important cholesterol lowering properties. If you use gluten free oats, the whole pancake is perfect for those with intolerance to gluten or wheat.

Extracted from ground coconut meat, coconut flour is quite a dense powder.  It absorbs a lot of liquid. So it will not have the sticky holding properties of a grain based flour. We have tried making coconut pancakes with and without oatmeal and we feel ground oats help lighten these pancakes, making them fluffy and light.

We love a drizzle of good quality maple syrup. Here we paired our pancakes with some sharp, juicy blackberries and blueberries.

Some care is needed when cooking the pancakes – we would advise keeping them small (a couple of inches, 5 cm wide), as they are tricky to flip but once you get the hang of it, you will be able to prep enough pancakes to feed 4 people or freeze then reheat for later.

Some great tips on making coconut flour pancakes are one this site here.

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Coconut and Oatmeal Pancakes.

Ingredients

40g (1/2 cup) oatmeal (or wholemeal flour)

55g (1/2 cup) coconut flour

2 eggs, room temperature.

250ml (1 cup) almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon agave syrup (or honey)

half teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of sea salt

Coconut oil for frying

Instructions

Put the oatmeal into a high speed blender, and process it by increasing the motor to maximum speed for 20 to 30 seconds.

Mix the oatmeal flour with coconut flour.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs till they are frothy

Add the almond milk, vanilla, agave, baking soda and pinch of salt to the eggs.

Slowly pour 3/4 of the wet mixture into the dry until the flours are incorporated. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick like cake batter. If it feels a little dry, add more of the liquid and stir to combine.

Put frying pan over medium heat, and grease with a teaspoon of coconut oil.

Use a small ladle or tablespoon to pour the mixture into small circles on the heated frying pan.

Allow the mixture to cook for 3 minutes till the bottom is brown and the top is drying.

Carefully flip over and brown the upper side. They are fragile but once cooked will be nice and soft.

Serve warm or allow to cool and store frozen in a sealed freezer bag.

If eating from frozen, allow to thaw to room temperature then het in microwave.

Serve with maple syrup and fruit.

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  More breakfast ideas are in this post including an easy make it yourself granola.

The post Oat and Coconut Pancakes. Fluffy, freezable and fantastically delicious. appeared first on , and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Healthy Chai Latte- Cinnamon, Ginger and Turmeric milk. Vegan, Dairy Free. appeared first on Franglais Kitchen.

Good Morning! as we see the end of Summer, you may want to try this sweetly spiced tea – it is a super healthy alternative to Starbuck’s Chai Latte.

Full of good stuff, with health boosting compounds. Turmeric, Cinnamon and Ginger, a dash of freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Raw honey to sweeten.

Aside from the comforting flavour, the ingredients in this vegan chai latte have healing, bug-busting activities and act in synergy. We use almond milk, which is easy to make if you’ve a high speed blender like the Optimum 9400 from Froothie, but store bought is fine. We find this a good recipe for making Almond Milk at home. Feel free to sub with other milk alternatives.

Turmeric is a core component in Indian cooking. It is rich in curcurmin – a potent antioxidant and antiinflammatory molecule. Interestingly, it’s absorption is aided by piperine, something you find lots of in black pepper (which is why we add a sprinkle of freshly ground pepper at the end). Fat also aids absorption of curcurmin, and almond milk will have some good fats in it, but you can use full fat milk or a teaspoon of coconut oil if you wanted. You can read more about turmeric and links to useful sites on Kellie’s recipe for Turmeric milk which inspired my own version.

Cinnamon and ginger also have antiinflammatory activity. Cinnamon goes further in helping to regulate blood sugar levels (not to a medicinal effect, mind), keeping you feeling fuller for longer.

Lemon and honey add flavour and lift the earthy base flavour of ginger and cinnamon. Honey (especially raw) is well known to have antibacterial and healing activity, so it sweetens with a purpose here!

When prepping, take care with turmeric, this bright yellow root can stain so use a chopping board.

It takes a few minutes to brew up and another 10 minutes to let the flavours infuse in. If you are short on time, make a paste of honey with powdered turmeric, cinnamon and ginger in equal quantities and then take a spoonful and mix into hot water or milk for a quick turmeric tea any time.

In this recipe though we want maximum goodness so we are looking at the fresh stuff.

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A Healing Chai Latte- Cinnamon, Ginger and Turmeric milk. Vegan, Dairy Free.

Ingredients

1 inch (2cm) cube of ginger

1 inch (2cm) cube of turmeric

1 (250ml) cup almond milk (or milk alternative)

1 stick of cinnamon

1 to 2 teaspoons honey (preferably raw)

Black Pepper

Slice of Lemon

Instructions

Peel and chop the ginger and turmeric.

Pour the almond milk into a saucepan and add the ginger, turmeric and cinnamon.

Over a low heat, warm the milk until it is gently simmering.

Allow to simmer for a minute then remove the pan from the heat.

Add honey and allow the milk to cool, leaving the spices in to let them continue to steep and infuse flavour and goodness.

When milk is warm, strain the chai into a mug, sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

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  The post Healthy Chai Latte- Cinnamon, Ginger and Turmeric milk. Vegan, Dairy Free. appeared first on Franglais Kitchen, and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post ‘At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen’ by Amy Chaplin. Review and Giveaway appeared first on Franglais Kitchen.

There has been much talk in the media about wellness bloggers and food writers, so called ‘clean eating’ and what constitutes a person to be considered a food guru able to influence thousands of people on how and what to eat.

In the same way that fashion sells its products on a certain style of model, so the food publishing world appears to have taken to heart the idea that physical appearance counts for a lot more than scientific or clinical validity in many recently published healthy cookbooks. Books peddling the myths of alkaline diets and exclusion of whole food groups – carbs, dairy, gluten, sugar – make our blood boil.

Instead we prefer to fall back to the wise words of Michael Pollan.

‘Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants’.

Eating real food, made from ingredients that would be recognisable to your grandmother.

It does not have to be difficult or complicated. Pierre and I both work, and juggle family life and cooking. A pretty website does not remove the daily struggle to feed family, to do it well and cost-effectively.

Things we have found to help are – a well stocked dry pantry, lots of pasta and turning refrigerator ingredients into pasta sauces or casseroles. Spices, herbs and sauces are another way we keep our food from getting bland or repetitive. Though with young children – who by their very ‘youngness’ prefer bland and repetitive food – this often means adding flavour at the end of cooking to adult portions!

Coming back to Michael Pollan. Amy Chaplin’s  ‘At home in the whole food kitchen’ is a food book that your grandmother would approve of.

Photo Credit: Johnny Miller, reproduced with permission from UK publisher, Jacqui Small. 

A vegetarian chef of many years, she has worked across the globe with celebrities amongst her clientele. Chaplin has a formidable knowledge and appreciation of whole food, combining flavours and seasonality to create colourful, healthy meals for comforting, entertaining or everyday eating.

More than a cookbook, Chaplin guides the reader into a life of whole food – stocking your pantry, preparing seasoning mixes, fermenting foods, making nut butters and marinating goat cheese. A range of techniques that will make a diet based on natural and healthy ingredients achievable and remain interesting.

We have been inspired by this book to try out fermenting – making our own kimchi (Korean fermented cabbage) – and trying out some summer rolls (a recipe we have reproduced from the book here, with permission of the publisher).

At home in the Whole Food kitchen is an award winning book about eating well that is encyclopaedic in nature. A wide variety of recipes to suit you from breakfast to supper. Take time to work through the introductory chapters to set yourself up for a lifetime of wholesome and healthy eating. 

Published by Jacqui Small in the UK, the book is available for £17 on amazon.

We have a copy of this book available to giveaway to a reader of Franglais Kitchen. To enter simply use our easy entry mechanism below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure – Giveaway ends Midnight on the 15th of September 2015. Open to Residents of the UK and Northern Ireland only.  Prizes cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.  Winner will be selected by Random.org and be notified by email. Winner will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. Please note that Franglais Kitchen is not responsible for sponsors that do not fulfill their prizes.  We represent each sponsor with the expectation they will fulfill their prize and in a timely manner. We will make every effort to assist you obtaining your prize. If there is an issue with a sponsor, please notify us within 30 days for assistance, after that we may be unable to assist you.  The product provided for the review was free of charge from the company. The products offered for the giveaway are free of charge. No purchase necessary. Our opinions are our own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.  Facebook and Twitter are in no way associated with this giveaway.  By providing your information in this form, you are providing your information to us and us alone. We do not share or sell information and will use any information only for the purpose of contacting the winner.

The post ‘At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen’ by Amy Chaplin. Review and Giveaway appeared first on Franglais Kitchen, and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Summer Rolls with Macadamia Lime Sauce – from ‘At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen’ appeared first on Franglais Kitchen.

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Summer rolls as Summer eases off the stage? Well September is a month of harvest bounty, plenty of seasonal vegetables would be perfect rolled into these cute leaf wraps, a change in taste and texture from traditional rice paper wraps. This wholesome recipe is one of many comforting, healthy and tasty recipes in Amy Chaplin’s new book, At home in the whole food kitchen.

Photo Credit: Johnny Miller, reproduced with permission from UK publisher, Jacqi Small. 

Amy Chaplin talks about the origins of this recipe in the introduction to her recipe.

‘There is a macadamia farm down the mountain from where I grew up. My family would pick up macadamia nut butter and the most fragrant, fresh-pressed macadamia nut oil when we’d drive by on our weekly shopping trips. We used macadamia nut butter everywhere you might use peanut butter, including in sauces like this one. After leaving home, it didn’t take me long to realize what a luxury product macadamias are and how lucky we were back then.

These rolls are like a beautiful, bundled-up salad; each bite is a burst of freshness, with a velvety cloak of tasty macadamia sauce. They make a perfect light summer meal.’

SUMMER ROLLS:

MAKES 6 ROLLS CUT IN 6 PIECES EACH

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Summer Rolls

Ingredients

Sea salt

6 large spring greens (collards) leaves

2 ripe avocados, sliced lengthways

1 tablespoon Black Sesame seeds with a pinch of sea salt, plus more to garnish

2 cucumbers, halved lengthways, each half sliced into 6 strips

2 carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 large red pepper (capsicum), deseeded and thinly sliced lengthways

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

20 g (3/4 oz or 1/2 cup) mint leaves

25 g (1 oz or 1/2 cup) basil leaves

30 g (1 oz or 1/2 cup) coriander leaves

25 g (1 oz/1 cup) loosely packed sunflower sprouts 20 g (3/4 oz or 3/4 cup) purple radish sprouts

Instructions

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add a large pinch

of sea salt. Holding spring greens by the stems, submerge 3 leaves at a time in the boiling water and cook for 20 seconds or until bright green and tender. Remove and lay them in a single layer on a clean tea towel to cool. Repeat with remain- ing leaves and pat them dry.

Cut off spring greens (collard) stems, plus 2.5 cm (1 in) off the bottom of each leaf. Place a leaf face down horizontally on a chopping board. Carefully slice off the back of the stem to create a flat, pliable leaf.

Lay 3 slices of avocado across leaf about 3.5 cm (11?2 in) from bottom. Sprinkle avocado with 1?2 teaspoon Gomasio. Top with 2 slices cucumber, a couple sticks of carrots and

4 slices of red pepper (capsicum). Top with some spring onions, mint, basil, coriander and sprouts. Lift bottom of leaf up and over filling, tucking end in, then roll tightly. Place roll seam-side down, cut in half and cut each half into 3 pieces. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

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  Serve with Macadamia Lime Sauce.

MACADAMIA LIME SAUCE

This sauce is scrumptious served over simple brown rice and sautéed veggies or used as a dressing for chilled noodle salads. Add a pinch of red chilli flakes if you want a spicy kick; if you can’t find macadamia nut butter, use cashew butter or peanut butter.

MAKES 480 ML (16 FL OZ/2 CUPS)

1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil 1 onion, diced 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste 4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger 1 tablespoon mirin 100 g (31⁄2 oz/3⁄4 cup) raw macadamia nut butter 120 ml (4 fl oz/1⁄2 cup) filtered water 1 tablespoon tamari 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Warm coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and salt; sauté for 5 minutes or until golden. Add garlic and ginger and continue sautéing for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is cooked and browning. Stir in mirin and remove from heat. Transfer to an upright blender and add macadamia nut butter, water, tamari and lime juice. Blend until smooth, scraping sides as necessary. Season to taste with additional salt – keep in mind that you want the sauce well seasoned, as the roll only has a small amount

of seasoning from the gomasio. Pour into a bowl and serve with rolls or place in a jar and store in the fridge for up to three days.

At home in the Whole Food Kitchen (Jacqui Small Publishers) is on sale now (£17 on Amazon).

You can read our review of this book and win a copy of it on our blog – click here for easy entry to our giveaway!

Disclosure – we were provided with a copy of the book and permission to reproduce this recipe and associated imagery by Jacqui Small Publishers. We were not given financial compensation. All opinions expressed are our own. 

The post Summer Rolls with Macadamia Lime Sauce – from ‘At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen’ appeared first on Franglais Kitchen, and was written by Nazima Pathan

The post Watermelon Agua Fresca with Mint and Lime Juice. appeared first on Franglais Kitchen.

Agua Fresca is more than  flavoured water – a blend of fruit, water and syrup you can spike with herbs and citrus to create a sophisticated soft drink that makes the most of ripe summer fruit. 

Served up by street vendors and Taquerias in Central and South America, Aguas Frescas are refreshing fruit based drinks – puréed fruit and water in its simplest form. Sweetened if needed with sugar, agave nectar or honey.

We took inspiration from a collection of jewel coloured Aguas frescas on offer at a Mexican restaurant on our recent holiday to Florida. Bursting with flavour and a perfect complement to spicy foods on hot days.

We use simple syrup to sweeten our fruit purées. This allows us to infuse herb or citrus flavours into the drink. In this watermelon agua Fresca we add mint and muddle in some lime.

Ingredients:

75g sugar

100ml water

1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves ( plus extra for garnish)

1 large, ripe watermelon – peeled, chopped and deseeded

2 limes

Method:

Heat the sugar in the water in a pot until the sugar melts.

Add the mint leaves and heat till simmering then remove from heat, allow to cool completely.

Purée the watermelon in a blender.

Mix with the cooled syrup and add extra water to dilute if needed. What you want is a fruity juice not a smoothie.

Quarter the limes and put them into the jug with the juice. Muddle with the handle of a wooden spoon.

Chill in refrigerator till ready to serve.

Add ice cubes and extra mint, lime or slices of melon to garnish.

  More fruity soft drinks –

Guava Coconut Mocktail from Bintu

and this Raspberry lemonade from Lucy

The post Watermelon Agua Fresca with Mint and Lime Juice. appeared first on Franglais Kitchen, and was written by Nazima Pathan