Peanut and Sesame Soba Noodles

Noodles, Noodles, Noodles!

I hardly ever eat noodles. But I wanted to try something different for dinner.
The good thing about this recipe is you can just add any vegetable you like to it. I chose soba noodles because they are quick to cook and I was in a hurry and hungry!
Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and are more of a grey colour compared to spaghetti noodles we are used to.
To be honest, the first time I tried to make this, it failed...I added too much peanut butter and it was just a cluggy chunky mess!...But I have changed the recipe so it works for you :)

 Peanut and Sesame Soba Noodles

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 T oil (I use coconut)
1 onion - thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic - crushed
1 capsicum - thinly sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots cut into julienne (long thin strips)
270 g Soba noodles
1 T sesame oil
sesame seeds to garnish

Sauce
1 T Sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
2 T Sweet chilli sauce
75 g crunchy peanut butter

Method

Mix all sauce Ingredients together.

In a fry pan, saute onion, garlic and capsicum in oil.

Prepare noodles according to packet instructions.
(I boiled a saucepan of water then added the soba noodles to the boiling water for 3 minutes.) Drain and refresh with water and mix through 1 T sesame seed oil to prevent from sticking.

Add carrots to the onion mixture and stir.
Add sauce and noodles and mix together.

Garnish with sesame seeds
Serve immediately

Enjoy!

Tropical Smoothie - Pineapple, Passion fruit and Banana

So it's coming to the end of the pineapple season with this colder weather approaching. But I'm not quite ready to say goodbye just yet...!!

Pineapple is a great fruit as it is sweet and juicy which makes for a delicious snack.  Pairing it along with passion fruit, it makes a tasty smoothie which is high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is an essential vitamin for our bodies and provides lots of health benefits such as, helping fight infections.

There are endless possibilities when it comes to smoothies. I love trying out new combinations and testing what works and what doesn't! I usually put banana in my smoothies to thicken it up and make it a bit more fulling. 

Recipe

Serves 1

1 banana

1/2 cup pineapple

1 passion fruit

approx 6 grapes ( I used green grapes )

1/2 cup any type of milk (I used whole organic)

Half the passion fruit and scoop out the flesh.

Blend all ingredients in a blender, food processor or any kind of smoothie maker you may have.

I garnished my smoothie with pineapple, mint leaf and with spare passion fruit flesh.

Enjoy!

Brit :)

Vegan Chickpea and Tomato Curry

Chickpeas are a great option for vegetarians or vegans who are looking for a good source of protein. The many health benefits of chickpeas make it a great option to add to a meal. I personally don't think chickpeas taste great on their own, as they don't have a lot of flavour. But the good news is there are lots of options and ways of incorporating chickpeas into your diet without them tasting too bland!

This recipe is packed full of nutrition. Don't be put off by the lengthy amount of ingredients. It only looks long because of the spices that are used! ;) Once you start making it, it is really easy. You only need one pot!

Vegan Chickpea and Tomato Curry Recipe

Serves approx 4

Ingredients
1 T coconut oil
1 onion sliced
2 cloves crushed garlic
Approx 3 cm of ginger
1 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 t tumeric
1 pinch chilli powder

4 (large) or 6 (small) tomatoes roughly chopped (you could use 1 can of tomatoes)
1/2 cup red lentils
3/4 cup coconut cream
1 can of chickpeas (drained)
1/2 head of chopped broccoli
a good handful of spinach

Salt and pepper to season
sesame seeds to garnish

Method

Sweat, garlic, onion, ginger and spices in oil in a large pot until onion is slightly softened.

Add chopped tomatoes and slightly simmer for 10 minutes to let the tomatoes thin out.

Add lentils, coconut cream and broccoli. Continue to simmer until broccoli is tender.

Add drained chickpeas and spinach. Cook out for 5mins

Season with salt and pepper. Served garnished with sesame seeds. Can be served with rice if you wish :)

Enjoy! 

Brit :)

March Favourites!

This month I have few favourites I want to share with you all,

Favourite Food

Blue river Halloumi

This stuff is seriously amazing. I'm not usually into cheeses, but this is one of a kind.
If you aren't familiar with Halloumi, it is the cheese you can fry or grill and doesn't melt away like you would expect most cheeses to do because it has a higher melting temperature.  I always hear people say that Halloumi is the 'squeaky cheese' because it can kinda squeak around your teeth, a bit like chewing gum...
But this is the one Halloumi that doesn't. It crisps up with a nice golden brown colour when you fry it and it tastes great!

I usually add it too my salads or as a side with dinner. I think is a great idea for anyone looking for a non meat alternative in their diet since it is high in protein.

Favourite Treat

Watermelon cake

 This was actually made in February, but I just wanted to share it because I was pretty happy with how it turned out.

I saw a watermelon cake on pinterest a few year ago and I had always wanted to make one ever since. I was never really sure how it would turn out and thought the cream would just run off the watermelon and it would just be a big watery mess. But I tried it for my birthday and it worked! It is definitely the quickest and easiest cake I have ever made. I'm sorry for the rushed looking photos, but everyone was in a hurry to eat it so I took a quick few snaps to show you. 

I used a whole watermelon with the skin off. Then decorated it with whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries and grated dark chocolate.  So if you want to make a 'cake' that is flour-less and refined sugar free, here is your answer! 

Favourite Read

This year I'll be doing a bit of travelling - I can't wait! So I have been doing a bit of research on some of the places I will be visiting. The lonely Planet Travel guides are great if you don't know a lot about the places you are visiting! I'm bit of a beginner when it comes to travelling, but these books are helping me a lot!

Update!

Brit Bakes is now on facebook!

Check out Brit Bake's facebook page here and give it a bit of a like if that's your thing :)

What were your favourite things in March? Hope everyone enjoys April!

Brit :)

Sweet Sunday - Oaty Ginger Crunch

I have memories as a kid making ginger crunch with my dad. We would make it after I finished school, and the sweet ginger smell would fill the house.
I think we used to make it because it was always so quick and easy, and tasted great! 

This is the best recipe for ginger crunch that I have found.

This particular recipe has an oaty, chewy base, and a soft smooth icing

This recipe works perfectly if you are wanting to double the recipe too!

Recipe

Oven Temp - 180 C


Ingredients

150g Butter
3 T golden Syrup
1/2 cup brown Sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 cups oats
1/2 cup coconut

Icing
150g butter
3 cups (approx) Icing sugar
4 Tablespoons golden syrup
4 Teaspoons ground ginger


Method
Melt Butter, Golden Syrup and brown sugar over a low heat until all melted together.
Remove from heat
Sift in flour, baking powder, ginger.
Add oats and coconut.
Mix well until all combined

Press into a lined tin
Bake for 15 mins

Once cooked leave in tin.
Heat icing ingredients in a saucepan (except icing) over a medium heat,
 once melted, sift in approx 3/4 of the icing.
Stir well. Add small amounts of the remaining icing until you get a smooth but slightly thick consistency.
Pour over warm slice.
Leave to cool in tin. Then slice to your preferred sizes.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe in the comments!
If you have any other sweet Sunday recipes that you enjoy, let me know :)

Brown rice and Lentil salad

If you have been following my blog, you might have noticed I like to keep things simple.

I like to keep things quick and easy but only if they are going to taste yummy!

I was introduced to "Sun rice - Brown rice and lentils" (you can also get Brown rice and quinoa)
I find these great for a good salad base. They are full of fiber and essential vitamins and minerals.
Lentils are a great source of protein, especially for vegetarians or vegans.

I quickly made this recipe up as I was making it one night. Just using ingredients in the fridge and fresh herbs from the garden!

Brown rice and Lentil salad
Serves approx 4

Ingredients

3 cups brown rice and lentil mix ( if you don't have this available, any brown rice and lentils will be fine and mix them yourself, with most of the mix being brown rice)
  6 cups water
1 cup chopped salami
1 cup chopped black olives
1 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
fresh chopped herbs ( I used - Italian parsley, curly parsley and mint )
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Rinse rice with cold running water
Place the 6 cups water and rice in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Stir so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom
Reduce heat and simmer covered for approx 25 mins - stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat.
Transfer rice into a large serving bowl.
You can leave to cool in the fridge or rinse with cold water and drain if you are using it straight away.
Mix in remaining ingredients.

Enjoy!

Brit :)

In no way am I sponsored in this post
All opinions are my own :)

October favourites!

Wow hasn't the year flown by! I still feel like I'm only just getting used to writing 2014 on dates and in 2 months it will be 2015!

This month is based around breakfasts, workout gear, getaways and a wedding!

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I'm a huge fan of them. There are so many options for breakfast, but this month I had had two favourites, muesli and poached eggs.

Summer is coming here and I was so excited to see strawberries back at the supermarket at a good seasonal price.

Strawberries + Banana = Best fruit combo

My favoutite workout gear are these 3 pieces from NIKE. My boyfriend brought these for me and I just love the colours! 

My favourite getaway
Central Otago NZ

I've mentioned this place in a previous post.
This place is beautiful all year round. 

Last weekend my boyfriend and I went to a beautiful wedding. The weather hasn't been great here at the moment but the day of the wedding was sunny, warm and perfect!
My dress is from Emerald Boutique. I loved the colours of this dress, perfect for a warm summer day! 

I hope you all have had a great month! Bring on November!
What were you're favourite things this month?

Brit :)