Peanut Butter & Chocolate Squares

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Peanut Butter Squares

OMG! Well what can I say, if you love Peanut Butter like me these are delicious. They are also very light and cut up into small squares they are only about 70 calories per square, so in my book that’s a guilt free treat with my cup of coffee.

We always have a little treat on a Sunday, it’s something to look forward to while we relax and chill after our working week. Peanut butter is a good source of protein, fiber, folate, phosphorus, potassium & magnesium. And yes, peanut butter does have fat, but the fat is monounsaturated, which is more cholesterol-friendly.

I first saw this recipe from a Diabetic Website https://diabeticgourmet.com/ when my mum was a Diabetic, unfortunately I never got round to making them for her. This recipe I change a little to suit our sweet tastes….lol!

Makes 16 small squares

60g Butter

120g Caster Sugar (Splenda if diabetic)

40g Light Brown Sugar

100ml skimmed or semi skimmed milk

60g Peanut Butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

120g Self Raising Flour

90g Rolled Oats

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

120g Chocolate Chips

1. Beat the butter, caster Sugar and brown sugar until well combined.

2. Stir in milk, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until blended. Gradually mix in combined flour, oats, baking powder and salt until blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spread mixture evenly into a 9 x 9-inch baking pan covered with greaseproof paper. Bake in preheated 170 deg oven for 25 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Leave to cool on wire rack. Cut into squares.

4. Store in airtight container at room temperature, will be best for up to 3 days.

Bannock Bread (Traditional Scottish Bread)

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  • Bannock Bread
  • Bannock Bread
Bannock Bread

In Scotland, before the 19th century, bannocks were cooked on a bannock stane (Scots for stone), a large, flat, rounded piece of sandstone, placed directly onto a fire, used as a cooking surface. Most modern bannocks are cooked in a pan or skillet and made with baking powder as a leavening agent, giving them a light and airy texture. Bannocks were known as flat cakes or bread baked from grains, although if you visit the town of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders their Bannocks are more like fruit loaves.

This is a very quick bread and great with any traditional soup recipe, especially a good Cullen Skink, which you can find my recipe here – https://cookingwithluce.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/cullen-skink/

Makes 1 small (6 piece) cake

120g of Scottish Oats – I blitz Scottish Porridge Oats into a fine flour.

80g Plain Flour

2 tsps Baking Powder

Pinch Salt

150ml Buttermilk

  1. In a bowl or mixer combine the flour, oats, salt and baking powder
  2. Slowly mix in the Buttermilk, little at a time until the flour has combined, lay on a floured surface and shape the dough to about 1″ thick and about the same circular diameter as your pan. Indent the dough about 0.5 – 1cm in, as if you were cutting a pizza shape.
  3. Heat a little oil in a pan or skillet on medium heat (you don’t want it too hot or it won’t cook through properly), place dough into pan and cook gently for about 15 minutes on 1 side then flip over and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
  4. Remove and place on a bread board, allow to cool for a few minutes then serve.
Step by step of Bannock Bread

I usually have this bread with Soup but you could also spread a little butter or Jam and would be just as nice.

Bannock Bread
Bannock Bread

Pork, Oat & Chive Square Sausage

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There is nothing more I like than a lazy sunday morning breakfast (well after my little morning workout to wake me up). Good breakfast, fresh coffee and orange juice, catching up with the world, reading a little, planning my meals.

Today, I was using up leftovers in the fridge so pork sausages it was, with a little bit of cookingwithluce twist. 🙂

 

Made 2

2 Pork Sausages (meat removed from skin)

1 tbsp scottish oats

1 tbsp chopped chives

1 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

 

  1. Mix everything in a bowl, take a small handful and flatten to about 1cm thick
  2. I used my Crisperplate to cook these and it took just 6 minutes. (Turned after 4 minutes)
  3. I also added a few cherry tomatoes onto plate.
  4. I then added 1 large egg onto the crisperplate 1 minute before sausages were ready.
  5. Serve. Yummy good protein breakfast.

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Rye & Oat Banana Blueberry Muffins

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After making my Blueberry Muffins from a recipe book, I decided to try and make them a bit healthier. OMG! these were lovely and sweet still and with a little crunch, so delicious and only 120 calories per muffin.

 

Makes 6

150g Rye Wholemeal Flour

25g Caster Sugar

1 ripe banana – mashed

50g Scottish rolled oats

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

75g blueberries

pinch salt

1 tsp baking powder

25g butter – melted

 

  1. Preheat oven to 160 deg fan. Line muffin tin wth cases.
  2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and oats in a bowl
  3. In a separate bowl mix egg, banana, vanilla, butter together                                  20181003_105314
  4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together then add blueberries.
  6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

 

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Devour!

Strawberry, Banana Yoghurt Delight with little surprises.

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Oh yum! Looking for something fresh and different for breakfast, I came up with this little Parfait, that was absolutely delicious! Once you take a spoonful you taste the strawberry yoghurt then you get the hit of the chocolate mint with the crunch of the oats, coconut and pistachio’s…….oh yummy!

Makes 1

4 tbsp Strawberry Yoghurt

4 tbsp Vanilla Yoghurt

4 Strawberries – sliced

1 small banana – sliced

2 tbsp toasted oats

2 tbsp toasted coconut

3 Chocolate mint leaves – chopped

1 tbsp of pistachio’s chopped

 

  1. Place 2 tbsp of strawberry yoghurt in a glass, then top with 2 tbsp of vanilla yoghurt.
  2. Place a layer of strawberries and bananas on top and sprinkle 1 tbsp oats and coconut on. 20160610_095953   20160610_100238
  3. Sprinkle on the chocolate mint leaves
  4. Then do above over again for a second layer.
  5. Top with any remaining banana or strawberries and pistachio’s and serve! YUMMY!

 

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Scottish Cranachan Panna Cotta

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Decided to try the famous Cranachan dessert but wanted to change it slightly, turned out amazingly good. My first time at trying a Panna Cotta too.

 

For Panna Cotta:-

10g toasted oats (lightly toast in dry pan)

50g caster sugar

150ml milk

80g mashed raspberries

2 tbsp honey

250ml double cream

20ml Whisky or whisky essence

3 gelatine leaves, soaked in water

 

1. Mix milk, raspberries and sugar bring to boil then add in oats, honey and whisky reduce heat slightly

2. Add in gelatine and stir through

3. Add in cream, mix through and set aside to cool for 5 mins.

4. Pour into greased ramekins and chill for at least 2 hours.

 

For the syrup:-

20ml water

5ml whisky

10g caster sugar

 

1. Put all ingredients into a pan and bring to boil, boil until syrup consistency  (about 2-3 mins)

 

For the honey cream:-

50ml double cream

5g honey

5g toasted oats

 

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and whisk until a stiff consistency  (few mins)

 

To plate up: turn out the Panna Cotta onto a plate, drizzle the syrup over and scoop some of the honey cream to the side with a couple of raspberries.

Oh yum!