*Meal Idea* Bulgur Wheat with Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Pepper

Bulgur Wheat is a great alternative to rice. In this recipe, I tried to emulate a risotto but the bulgur makes it a lot lighter. I browned some onions and courgette and then cooked the bulgur with them. I also roasted a whole butternut squash and half a red pepper, drizzled with a little olive oil and a little rosemary and thyme.

Once the butternut squash and the red pepper was roasted, I just scooped the flesh out and plumped it on a bed of bulgur wheat and served it.

For myself, I sprinkled it with a little parmesan but for Isabel I just added fresh coriander.

Banana Muffins with Coconut Flour (sugar-free and gluten-free)

A friend of mine shared this amazing recipe from Wellness Mama and I played around with it because I wasn't happy about the amount of eggs. Izzie is not gluten free but we do like to vary our grains. These muffins are interestingly different and worth a try. I also sprinkled them with chia seeds for added calcium.

There's definitely a hint of coconut which adds to the sweetness of the banana. These would work as mini-muffins too. The secret is to get the batter just right. Not too thick but not runny either.

Izzie doesn't have a sweet tooth and these are very sweet so she is yet to finish a whole one. It's okay as Mummy doesn't mind eating whatever is left, though.

Makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil or butter softened
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup of milk (or more to thin)
Chia seeds to sprinkle on top

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC.

Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth (an electric mixer may be needed). Add more milk if needed but only until the mix runs smooth (but not runny).

Divide the batter into a greased muffin tin. Sprinkle with chia seeds or any other seeds of your liking.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until it's golden and set in the middle.

Banana & Carob Brownies

These chocolate and sugar-free brownies were a hit with Izzie. They were moist and tasted just right and if you cut them into small squares, they're perfect for tiny hands. They also freeze really well as it makes about 25 small squares.


Ingredients:
3 very ripe bananas
3 eggs
125 g butter (we use dairy free organic margerine or coconut oil)
75 g carob flour
125 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preparation:
Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC.

Mash the bananas until they're all mushy with no lumps and, in a bowl, mix with the eggs. Add the butter melted.

In another bowl, mix the carob and plain flour and the baking powder and add them to the wet mix.

Pour in a greased 20 cm x 20 cm square tin and bake for 30 minutes.

Vegetable Stuffed Mini Pancakes

Makes 7 portions

Ingredients:

For the batter:
75 g plain flour
1/2 egg
100 ml milk
50 ml water
Oil (for frying)

For the vegetable stuffing:
1/2 grates courgette
1 grated carrot
2 sliced chestnut mushrooms
1 tbsp cream (I use a dairy free option)
1 tsp oil

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, pour the flour and make a hole in the middle and drop the half egg and half of the milk. Mix everything until the batter gains consistence. Then, gradually, add the rest of the milk and water until the batter runs smooth.

Heat up a little oil in a frying pan. When it's really hot, pour 2 tablespoons of batter and let it run through the pan to thin it out. When the edges start raising and the middle is bubbling, turn the pancake and let it fry for 15-30 seconds. Repeat until there's no more batter.


In another frying pan, heat up a little oil to stir-fry the mushrooms, courgette and carrot. Add any seasoning to your taste (I like paprika and thyme). Finally, add the cream and turn down the heat until the cream goes a little thicker. Remove from heat and stuff the pancakes with the vegetable mix by folding or rolling.