Recipe: Oreo cupcakes

Oreo cupcakes with Oreo frosting

Makes 12

Ingredients:

For the cake:

-12 muffin cases

-12 Oreos

-200g plain flour

-45g cocoa powder

-270g caster sugar

-3 heaped tsp baking powder

-1 tsp salt

-80g butter

-240ml milk

-2 eggs, whisked

-3 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

-160g philadelphia

-360g icing sugar

-100g butter

-2 tsp milk

-2 tsp vanilla extract

-Oreos, crumbled

-Mini Oreos

-Chocolate Oreo bar

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celcius.

2) Line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases. Twist the oreos and put half in each muffin case, the white side up.

3) Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, butter and salt in a bowl and mix until a fine consistency.

4) In a jug mix together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract.

5)  Add this liquid slowly to the flour mixture, mixing well.

6) Crumble up the other 12 unused halves of Oreos and mix into the batter.

7) Put the cake mix into the cases.

8) Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Once done, cool by taking out the cupcakes from the tray and putting them on a wire rack away from the oven.

9) Whilst this is baking, make your icing. Put the butter, icing sugar, vanilla extract and milk into a bowl and whisk until creamed together.

10) Add crumbed Oreos to this mix.

11) Frost the cakes and add 3 mini Oreos to the top of each cake. Also shave the Oreo chocolate bar on top, into flakes with a grater.

Recipe: Tortilla Pizza

5 minute tortilla pizza

I often make this at uni for a quick and easy meal.

Ingredients:

-Tortillas

-Jar of tomato sauce/ passata

-Whatever toppings you want:

I made one pesto, chorizo, sundried tomatoes, olives, mozerella and rocket pizza

and one tuna, black olives, red onion, cherry tomato, cheddar and rocket pizza 

Method:

1) 1 MINUTE: place the tortillas under the grill for 1 minute to crisp up.

 2) 2 MINUTES: spend 2 minutes adding the tomato sauce and toppings to your pizza (if using rocket this goes on after the pizza is cooked).

3) 2 MINUTES: put the pizza under the grill for 2 minutes. Add rocket (if using).

 = 5 minute pizza 

Recipe: Breakfast Jar

Breakfast jar with Greek yogurt, fruit, granola & nuts

A quick, easy and healthy breakfast- you can also make these the night before, and leave in the fridge until breakfast if you have little time in the morning.

Ingredients:

- Any fruits that you want ( I used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, kiwis, melon and a banana)

- 0% fat Greek style yogurt

- Granola/ muesli

- Nuts/ seeds/ dried fruit (I use a homemade nut, seed and fruit mix of almonds, pecan nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, goldenberry (a dried fruit), raisins and dried cranberries)

- Cinnamon powder

- Agave nectar (use honey or maple syrup if you do not have this)

- A mason/ ordinary jar 

Method:
1) Stir a small amount of cinnamon powder and agave nectar into the yogurt.

2) Cut all of your fruit up.

3) Layer your jar with the granola, nuts, yogurt and fruit.

Recipe: Moroccan salmon

Moroccan salmon, low-carb cauliflower cous cous and chickpea salad

Ingredients: (serves 5)

For the salmon

- 5 pieces of salmon

- 50ml harissa paste (found in most supermarkets)

- 6 drops of tabasco 

- 2 tsp of ras el hanout paste (again found in most supermarkets)

- A few shakes of paprika

- A few shakes of chilli powder

- 3 tsp orange juice

- Salt and pepper

- 1 pinch of cinnamon

- 1 squeeze of ketchup

For the cous cous

- 2 cauliflowers

- 1 handful of mint, chopped

- 1 handful of coriander, chopped

- 2 red onions, finely chopped

- 2 handfuls of black or green olives, chopped

- 1 handful of pomegranate seeds

- Olive oil, to drizzle

- 1 stock cube (made into stock with hot water)

For the salad

- 2 cans of chickpeas, drained

- 2 red peppers, blackened (see below)

- 1 cucumber, seeds removed and finely chopped

- 2 red onions, finely chopped

- 2 handfuls of mint, chopped

- 1 handful of coriander, chopped

- 1 pack of cherry tomatoes, cut in half

- 1 red chili, chopped

- 2 spring onions, chopped 

- Olive oil

- Salt and pepper

- A pinch of cinnamon

- A pinch of garam masala (optional)

- Juice of half a lemon 

Method:

For the salmon:

1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

2) Place your salmon pieces on a piece of foil in an ovenproof tray.

3) Mix all the salmon ingredients together into a paste.

4) Place this on the salmon. (Put clingfilm on this and in the fridge whilst you make your cous cous and salad, if making).

5) Put the salmon in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

For the cous cous:

1) Cut the cauliflower into pieces.

 2) Place in a food processer (with NO water) until fine.

3) Then heat a small amount of oil in a pan and place the cauliflower grains in the pan. Fry for about 3 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up the cous cous and stop it from sticking to the pan.

4) Then add 1/4 cup of stock to the pan, cover the pan, and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, stirring half way.

5) Then place the cooked cous cous onto plates, so that it cools down.

6) Add all the other items to the cous cous, and drizzle with olive oil.

For the salad:

1) Blacken the peppers by placing them on a gas hob until black. If you do not have a gas hob then you can put them under a grill. Chop them once blackened.

2) mix all the other salad ingredients together.

Enjoy! X