Halloumi and Double Potato Cakes

This recipe is one I adapted from Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East by Arto der Haroutunian. The little potato cakes are delicious served warm in pizza bread with salad,
and went down well with all the family.

• 1 large potato
• 1 large sweet potato
• 1 egg yolk
• 50g/2oz fresh breadcrumbs
• 100g/4oz grated halloumi
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh dill or ½ tsp crushed fennel/dill seeds

Peel and cube the potatoes and boil in a pan of water until soft.
Drain well and mash - allow to cool.
Beat in the halloumi, egg and herbs.
Add the breadcrumbs and mix well - the mixture needs to be firm enough to shape into balls, so add more breadcrumbs if needed.
Shape into 12 balls using your hands, and flatten slightly into patties.
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan.
Fry patties in batches for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
Drain on kitchen roll and keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining potato cakes.

Suitable for freezing.



Find more sweet potato and Greek recipes. Pin It

Goody Good Stuff - Vegetarian and vegan sweets

One of the hardest things I've found as a vegetarian mother is explaining to my kids that they can't eat certain things. I took the decision quite early on that I wouldn't worry too much about them eating hidden ingredients (like non-vegetarian cheese and gelatine) when they were out and about, but I would only buy genuinely vegetarian products to eat at home. They've always accepted this, but they do have the odd moan about not being able to have certain sweets.

Although there are some vegetarian chewy sweets available in supermarkets, they're normally packed full of artificial flavours and colours, which I'd also rather that they didn't eat. I recently read about Goody Good Stuff sweets in a vegetarian food magazine and thought they sounded pretty good. There are 8 types (4 gummy varieties and 4 sour varieties) which are all either vegetarian or vegan, plus they are gluten-free, halal and use only natural colours and flavours (so even most children with food allergies can eat them).

I was asked to review them on my blog, which my children were only to pleased to help with!

We tried 3 of the varieties: Koala gummy bears, sour cola bottles and sour fruit salad. All 3 varieties were satisfyingly chewy, although not quite as chewy as gelatine-based sweets. The fruity flavours were great and despite only using natural ingredients, the colours were nice and vibrant. The sour varieties both had a good tangy taste, although we would have all liked them to be a little more sour. The koala gummy bears were just right though and both of my kids said they tasted nicer than a certain well know brand of chewy sweets! We were all impressed the sweets and were left wanting more!

Goody Good Stuff sweets certainly live up to their claim that give sweets a good name. I will definitely be buying them in future as an occasional treat and to put in party bags.

Goody Good Stuff sweets are available to buy from various online retailers and from Holland and Barrett and Waitrose. Click here for a full list of suppliers.

Integrity Statement
I received 3 packets of sweets to review and a prize to give away (more next week!) I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family,

©Images courtesy of Goody Good Stuff.

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Chocolate Tiffin (Vegan)

My kids love chocolate tiffin (biscuit cake/refrigerator cake) and are old enough to make this on their own now. I decided to earn some good mum points today though and made some on my afternoon off work, so they would be ready to eat as an after dinner treat. 

• 200g/8oz crushed vegan digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)
• 100g/4oz dairy-free spread (not reduced/low fat)
• 2 tbsp soft brown sugar
• 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or your choice of coffee, peppermint, orange extract etc)
• 100g/4oz chopped dried fruit (I used raisins, glace cherries and apricots)
• 100g/4oz dairy-free chocolate, melted.

Crush the biscuits in a plastic bag, using a rolling pin, or use a food processor.
Put the spread, sugar, cocoa, and syrup in a bowl and melt on a low setting in the microwave. Stir well.
Add the flavouring, dried fruits and crushed biscuits.
Mix until all the biscuit crumbs are coated.
Pour into a greased square baking tin and press down well with the back of a spoon.

Melt the chocolate on a low setting in the microwave.
Pour over the biscuit base and spread, with the back of a spoon, to cover.
Chill in the fridge.
Cut into squares when cold.

Keeps for up to a week in an airtight container.

Not suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: you can really use any plain biscuits in this recipe such as rich tea, shortbread, Nice etc. or use a combination if you wish. 
Swap the dried fruits for chopped nuts or seeds, if preferred.
Gluten-free option: swap the biscuits for a gluten-free variety.

Top Tip: This is a good recipe to use up left over Christmas or Easter chocolate.

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Fab Effex - A fab set for rainy days and long journeys

10 year old Miss Kahonie was feeling bored (well it is week 6 of the school holidays!), so she was thrilled when I showed her the pack of Fab Effex which had just popped through the letterbox. She loves creative activities and fashion (one of her ambitions is to be a fashion designer), so Fab Effex sounded ideal to combine the two.

pack contents

The contents of the box looked a little puny - 3 little bags, which contained 3 cardboard dress up dolls, a pack of pre-cut Fab Effex pieces in various shapes and 2 small sheets of uncut Fab Effex in different designs. Miss Kahonie was initially a little disappointed by the quantity of the contents, but soon got stuck in designing her first outfit.

Just in case you've never seen Fab Effex, this is what the manufacturers say about the product: "Get a fabulous formable fabric experience with Fab Effex! The kits come with lots of patterns, textures and shapes. You can shape it, wrap it, stick it and it holds its shape."

the finished outfits

The product is aimed at children aged 6+ but I think that an average 6 year old would need quite a bit of adult help to manipulate the little pieces and cut out small clothes-shapes from the uncut sheets. The instructions look a little overwhelming as there's lots of text to read ...so Miss Kahonie had a quick look at the pictures and then ditched the instructions and learnt by trial and error. It took her around an hour to design outfits for all three of the dolls and she came up with some lovely ensembles.

Miss Kahonie said "Fax Effex is really creative and fun to do. You can design any outfits you want to and use the pieces again. It's quite hard to cut it to the shapes you want and the handbags are difficult to make though. The instructions looked really complicated, so I didn't use them."

Fab Effex is reusable and portable, so it's ideal for long journeys or to take on holiday for a rainy day activity (it would be useful if it came with a resealable bag to store the pieces). I think it's probably best suited to 8-11 year olds, Extra sheets of Fab Effex are available in refill sets which is a good idea to prolong the life of the product and to extend the play value. There's also an animal set available, so it's not just aimed at girls.

So to the crunch question, would I buy Fab Effex? Yes, I would. At around £9.99, it would make a nice birthday or Christmas present for Miss Kahonie's friends.

Integrity Statement
I received 1 pack of  Fab Effex to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.
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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (Vegan)

I've been attempting to make a decent vegan chocolate cupcake for some time now. I wanted to make them without egg replacer or any fancy ingredients, but although I found I could make great tasting cakes, the texture was too crumbly without egg to stick it together. This time I added a grated apple and that seemed to do the trick!

• 250g/10oz SR flour
• 200g/8oz soft dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp fine shred orange marmalade
• 150g/6oz vegan/dairy-free spread
• 150ml/a generous ½ cup cold water or dairy-free milk
• 50g/2oz unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 peeled and grated eating apple
• 50g/2oz dairy-free chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dates or chopped nuts (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 5/375F. 

Cream the dairy-free spread and the sugar, then add the cocoa, grated apple and marmalade and mix well.
Add the flour, water/milk and bicarb. Blend until you have a smooth mixture.
Stir in some chocolate chips/chopped nuts etc (optional).
Spoon generously into 12 muffin/cupcake cases.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
Ice when cool (optional).

Suitable for freezing.

Orange glacé icing

• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 100g/4oz icing sugar
• A couple of drops of orange food colouring (optional)

Mix all ingredients together. Add a little boiling water or some more icing sugar if needed, to make a thick, but spreadable icing.
Spread on top of each cake.

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Vegetarian sandwiches and packed lunch ideas

I take a packed lunch to work most days and my kids take a packed lunch to school. Quite frankly, we're all getting a bit bored with our sandwich fillings!

Of course if you're veggie, you'd better like cheese, as the most common sandwich option in your average cafe or pub will be a Cheddar cheese sandwich with tomato, onion, pickle or coleslaw. If they use a good tasty or mature cheese you might be onto a winner, but a sandwich made with sliced white bread and mild Cheddar cheese is about as boring and bland as you can get.

I think you need to use a good bread to make a great sandwich, so either make your own, buy a good rustic loaf or even opt for a decent wholemeal sliced loaf (I like Hovis wholemeal granary). If you're a fan of 'real' bread, you might be interested in joining the Real Bread Campaign.

I've compiled the following ideas for vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, paninis and wraps, in the hope that this inspires me to make some of them for myself and my girls.

Cold Sandwiches
Here are some filling ideas for the humble cold sandwich...use thicker, rustic breads for the wetter fillings, especially if they will be sitting around for a while before lunchtime:

• Ploughman's - mature Cheddar, salad and Branston-type pickle.
• Wensleydale/Brie/Goat's cheese and cranberry sauce.
• Cheese and colesalw
• Quorn/meat-free slices, sliced pickles and salad.
• Cold, sliced veggie sausage with tomato chutney.
• Cold veggie BLT.
• Hummus and cucumber.
• Cold nut roast or veggie pate.
• Cold roasted vegetables with olive paste.
• Marmite with or without cheese. 
• Egg mayo/egg salad.
• Peanut butter - plain or with sliced banana/chocolate hazelnut spread/jam
• Thick cut heirloom tomatoes topped with mango-pomegranate guacamole, roasted garlic aioli, radish sprouts and thinly sliced dill pickle.
• Greek salad - cream some feta cheese with a drop of plain/Greek yogurt, sprinkle with oregano. Spread onto bread. Top with a salad made from diced tomato, cucumber and olives and pepper.
• Vegetarian coronation 'chicken'
• Sweet options - jam, chocolate hazelnut spread, marmalade.

Hot Sandwiches
Here are some ideas for the slightly more sophisticated toasted sandwich, panini, pitta or wrap...

• Goats cheese, rocket and onion chutney or cranberry sauce.
• Mozzarella, veggie pesto and rocket/sliced tomato.
• Cheese/vegan cheese, tomato, onion and basil.
• Roasted vegetables (home made or use anti-pasti) with sliced olives and a balsamic dressing.
• Sun-dried tomato paste and feta cheese.
• Falafel and salad drizzled with tzatziki.
• Hot veggie BLT.
• Veggie bacon, mushroom and cheese/vegan cheese.
• Veggie sausage/burger, salad/fried onions/sliced mushrooms and ketchup.
• Grilled flat mushroom with peri peri marinade and a slice of halloumi cheese (a la Nando's).
• Garlic mushrooms.
• Veggie pizza filling - tomato purée/sun dried tomato paste mixed with diced and roasted onion, pepper, sweetcorn, mushroom, courgette/zucchini (grated cheese - optional) .
• Cheese/vegan cheese and baked beans
• Refried beans, salsa and grated cheddar. 
• Hawaiian - veggie bacon, pineapple and cheese/vegan cheese.
• Chocolate hazelnut spread and sliced banana/strawberries

Any more ideas? Comment below with your favourite veggie/vegan sandwich filling and I'll add them to my list.

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Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies (Vegan)

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As it's nearly Easter and the kids are at home for the holidays, we thought we'd make some simple, cheap (and vegan) Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies*.

As we're not vegan, we topped them with mini milk-chocolate eggs, but you could obviously leave them off or use a dairy-free alternative, if you're vegan.

I generally double this recipe to make 16 cakes.

• 50g/2oz margarine
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 50g/2oz demerara sugar (I use soft brown sugar)
• 1 tbsp/½ oz unsweetened cocoa powder (I double this to make them more chocolaty)
• 50g/2 oz cornflakes

Put margarine, syrup, sugar and cocoa into a saucepan. Heat gently until the margarine has melted (I bring the mixture to the boil to make the mixture more syrupy). 
Add the cornflakes and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until coated with the chocolate syrup. Place spoonfuls of the mixture in to paper cases and leave for an hour or two until cold and set.

*Recipe taken from The Children's Cookery Book by Zita Alden and Yvonne Bourbon (out of print). Pin It

The alternative to party bags

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I'm not claiming that this is an original idea, but I hadn't seen a decent tweenage/older kids alternative to traditional party bags until my daughter came back from a friend's party with a mug in her hand. It wasn't just any old mug... it was a mug filled with goodies and wrapped in cellophane, which looked great and went down well with 12 year old Miss Ony.

As it was Miss Kahonie's birthday pretty soon afterwards, I unashamedly stole the idea and made up 'party mugs' for her party guests.

The pretty mugs were a great buy from B&M Bargains at 79p each. To fill the mugs, I bought a bag of mixed mini chocolate bars (£2.99) and a bag of mixed wrapped sweets (£1.50), plus a pack of assorted hairbands and bobbles (reduced in ADSA to £2.00). The only expensive part was the cellophane, which I bought from Hobbycraft (£7.00 a roll) but that will last for a long time as I only used about 2M of the 10M roll. The total price per mug worked out at around £2.50, which I don't think is bad compared to the amount I've spent on total rubbish to fill party bags in the past!

You could easily adapt the mug idea for different friends and  family members and for almost any occasion such as Easter, Christmas, Birthday and Teachers'/Teaching Assistants' presents. Fill with items such as cosmetics, craft items, beads/jewellery, small toys, cooking equipment, tools, stationary etc. Add some home made Chocolate Truffles or Oreo Truffles, if you're not sure what to fill your mug with.

Fill other containers using the same idea...colourful pastic cups (from IKEA etc) cocktail glasses, sundae glasses, beer glasses, small vases etc, or really go to town and fill a hamper!

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Giant Chocolate Cupcake

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I bought a giant cupcake tin from Lakeland a couple of years ago (Wilton make a similar pan), and told the kids that they would have to have a giant cupcake for every birthday until they were 18, as the tin was so expensive! 

Serves 20

• 250g/10oz butter/dairy-free spread
• 250g/10oz sugar
• 5 medium eggs
• 250g/10oz SR flour
• 50g/2oz unsweetened cocoa powder, sieved
• 50g/2oz dark chocolate chips
• 6 tbsp milk/water
• 1½ level tsp baking powder

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Pre heat the oven to 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3.

Grease the cupcake tin and sprinkle with a little sieved cocoa.
Cream the butter and sugar and beat in 3 of the eggs.
Add the flour, baking powder, cocoa, milk, choc chips and remaining eggs and mix until just combined.
Spoon half of the mixture into each side of the cupcake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is firm to the touch (in the centre).  If the cake is browning too quickly, turn the oven down by 10C.
Once cooked, leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

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Spread a generous amount of butter cream/frosting over the top surface of the cupcake base. If needed, roll out a long 'sausage' of fondant icing and use this to fill in any gaps between the cupcake top and bottom or fill with piped butter cream. Totally cover the top of the cake with the remaining butter cream and then add decorations, if required.

Chocolate Butter Cream/Frosting

• 150g/6oz dark chocolate, melted
• 150g/6oz softened butter/dairy-free spread
• 250g/10oz icing sugar
• 4 tbsp sieved unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp boiling water

Cream the butter and icing sugar.
Beat in the melted chocolate, then add the cocoa powder and vanilla.
Mix well until you have a soft, spreadable butter cream, adding some boiling water, as necessary.
Sandwich the cakes together with some of the butter cream/frosting and use the rest to ice the top of the cake.
Tie a ribbon around, or make a paper cupcake holder to cover the base.

Alternatives: You can make an even bigger cake in the same tin, by upping the ingredients to 300g/12oz butter/sugar, 350g/14oz flour and 6 eggs. Keep the amount of the remaining ingredients the same.
If you want a plain sponge, swap the cocoa for extra flour and 1 tsp vanilla extract and add 1 tsp baking powder instead of 1½ tsp.
Make a dairy-free cake, by using dairy-free spread and chocolate. Pin It

Chewy Chocolate Flapjacks (Vegan)

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I'd run out of snacks for the children's lunchboxes this week, so I made up a quick batch of chocolate flapjacks, to keep them happy. This flapjack recipe is a really simple one, so the children can help, or even make themselves if they're old enough to use the oven and microwave. They make a nice after school or lunch box snack, as an alternative to cereal bars.

Makes 12-16 bars/squares.

• 150g/6oz dairy-free spread (or 100g/4oz dairy-free spread and 50g/2oz smooth peanut butter)
• 150g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 50g/2oz dessicated coconut
• 25g/1oz cocoa powder, sieved
• 50g/2oz raisins, or other dried fruit (chopped banana chips, apricots etc)
• 200g/8oz porridge oats  
• A pinch of cinnamon, optional

Pre-heat the oven to 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3/325F.

Melt the spread with the sugar and syrup (in a pan or in the microwave).
Stir in the coconut, cocoa and raisins (and cinnamon).
Mix in the oats until coated in the chocolaty syrup.
Pour into a greased baking tin (15cm x 20cm approx) and flatten with a fork or spoon.
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before marking into squares/bars.
Turn out when cold - not before, or they'll fall apart!

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Swap the dried fruit for chopped nuts or chopped crystallised ginger.
Top with melted dairy-free chocolate when cool, for a more indulgent flapjack! Pin It

Easy (Food Processor) Whoopie Pies

I've seem some gorgeous looking whoopie pies in shops and magazines lately and thought I'd have a go at making some with Miss O. I like to cut corners where possible, so I decided that I would try using SR rather than plain flour, and try mixing in the flour and milk in the food processor, rather than folding them in carefully as other recipes state. I also swapped the recommended buttermilk for normal whole milk. If you're vegan adapt the recipe using the vegan alternatives stated below.

Most whoopie pie recipes seem to show a double iced pie (with butter icing in the middle and glace icing on the top) but I think that's a bit excessive, so I just sprinkled the tops with icing sugar!

• 100g/4oz dairy free margarine or unsalted butter, softened
• 175g/6oz soft brown sugar
• 350g/12oz self raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 free range or organic egg (or the equivalent using egg replacer)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125ml/4fl oz organic whole milk (or buttermilk/soya/rice milk) 

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5 and grease 2 or 3 baking trays.
Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the egg.
Add the vanilla essence to the milk. 
Pour the milk into the bowl, followed by the flour and the bicarb.

Mix on a low speed until just combined.

Spoon dessert spoonfuls of the mixture (well spaced out) on to the baking trays.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

Jammy Butter Icing/Frosting

• 50g/2oz dairy free margarine/unsalted butter, softened
• 3 tbsp seedless jam - I used strawberry
• 250g/6oz icing sugar
• 1-2 tsp boiling water

While the whoopies are baking, make the icing/frosting by creaming the butter and jam together and then mixing in the icing sugar. Add just enough boiling water to give a spreadable consistency.

Take the whoopies out of the oven, allow cool for a minute and then carefully remove from the tray (with a spatula/fish slice) and place on a wire rack to cool.
Once cooled, generously spread with the filling and sandwich together.

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: There are as many flavour variations as you can think of!

• Chocolate whoopie pies with chocolate filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for Nutella/chocolate spread and a teaspoonful of sieved cocoa.
• Chocolate whoopie pies with peanut butter filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for smooth peanut butter.
• Chocolate whoopie pies with vanilla filling - Pies: Swap 50g of the flour for sieved cocoa, add an extra 1 tbsp milk. Filling: Swap the jam for 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• Coffee whoopie pies with coffee filling - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for 1 tbsp strong coffee and remove 1 tbsp of milk. Filling: Swap the jam and water for a tablespoon of strong coffee (use 1-2 tsp coffee granules to 2 tbsp boiling water).
• Lemon whoopie pies with lemon filling - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for 1 tsp grated lemon zest. Filling: Swap the jam for lemon curd.
• Almond whoopie pies with raspberry jam filling (Bakewell whoopie pies) - Pies: Swap the vanilla extract for almond extract. Filling: Use seedless raspberry jam in the filling.

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Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes with Nutella Icing

Image © Onykahonie

It was 9 year old Miss Kahonie's turn to bake this weekend and she decided she wanted to make some chocolate fairy cakes. Whilst browsing my favourite blogs this week, I happened to notice that Cass from the Frugal Family had started up a cooking with kids linky, which sounded like a great idea to get involved with. I also spotted her recipe for Nutella frosting and thought that sounded rather yummy.

Both Miss Ony and Miss Kahonie love baking and have been cooking with me since they were able to stand up and hold a spoon! They especially like baking anything with chocolate. If that includes icing as well, they like it even more; The only thing they like even better, is an iced, chocolaty confection with extra added chocolaty-ness!

This cupcake/fairy cake recipe includes all of their top baking requirements!

Miss Kahonie used a basic fairy/sponge cake recipe (100g each of sugar, butter and SR flour, plus 2 eggs and a tsp of vanilla extract).

For chocolate coconut cupcakes, she removed 2 tbsp of the flour and replace with 2 tbsp of sieved cocoa powder and added 25g/1oz dessicated coconut.

She decided to use the all in one method in the food processor, and mixed all the ingredients together until blended.
She spooned the mixture into a greased bun tin (you could use cake cases in a bun tin, or divide between 2 greased and lined 18cm/6" sandwich cake tins)
She then baked them for 10-15 minutes (20 minutes for sandwich cakes) at 180 C/Gas 4 or until they were firm to the touch.

Nutella butter icing:

• 50g/2oz softened butter/vegetable spread
• 75g/3oz icing sugar
• 3 tbsp Nutella
• 1 tbsp sieved cocoa
• ½ tsp  vanilla extract
• A drop of boiling water if needed

Miss Kahonie creamed the softened butter and Nutella together.
She added the vanilla extract, icing sugar and cocoa, and mixed well.
(If needed, add a drop of boiling water and mix until you have a smooth, spreadable icing)

She then tasted the icing (just to make sure it was yummy enough!) before spreading onto the top of each cake.
Next, she scraped out the bowl and licked the spoon! Finally, she topped each cake with a chocolate button.

Image © Onykahonie

Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Add any other ingredients you like to the basic sponge mix instead of the coconut eg: 50g chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried apricots, pecans, glace cherries, chopped fudge etc.

Swap the Nutella in the icing for 1 tbsp strong coffee, orange juice (plus grated orange zest), lemon juice (plus grated lemon zest).

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Peanut Butter Traybake Bars (Vegan)

These chocolate-coated peanut butter bars are really quick and easy to make. My kids reckon they taste like Snickers bars.  

Makes 12-16

• 100g/4oz crunchy peanut butter
• 25g/1oz dairy-free spread
• 100g/4oz soft brown sugar
• 50g/2oz SR flour
• 50g/2oz porridge oats/oatmeal
• 2 tbsp golden syrup/corn syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon or ginger (optional)
• 100g/4oz plain (dairy free) chocolate.

Cream the peanut butter, spread, syrup and sugar together.
Add the flour, oats, vanilla and cinnamon/ginger.
Mix well until you have a firm dough.
Add a drop of  water if the dough is too dry to stick together.
Press the dough into a shallow (approx. 15cm) square greased baking tray. The dough should be around 1-1.5 cm thick.
Cook for around 12-15 mins at 180C/170C Fan/Gas 4/350F until golden brown around the edges.
Leave to cool.
Melt the chocolate and spread over the base. 
Allow to set before cutting into bars and removing from the tray.

Suitable for freezing.

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Shloer Review...Fizzy, fruity and best served shared

Much to my kids' annoyance, I only allow them to have fizzy drinks occasionally. I'm always on the look out for healthier alternatives, so I was excited to be chosen to review two of Shloer's most popular varieties - white grape and red grape.

I'm a keen label-reader so that was the first thing I checked out. I was delighted to find that all varieties of Shloer are suitable for vegetarians & vegans; The ingredients vary slightly between flavours, but they all contain around 30% fruit juice with no added preservatives, artificial colours, sweeteners or flavourings. They are however pretty high in sugar.

The glass bottles look elegant and sophisticated, and wouldn't look out of place on the dinner table as an alternative for those adults not wishing to drink wine. Shloer can also be used as a mixer for delicious alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails!

So to the taste test...we shared Shloer and our verdict was:

White grape - We all thought that this variety tasted erm...grapey! It was light and fruity with just the right amount of fizziness. Both of the kids liked the level of sweetness, but Mr O and myself thought it was a bit too sweet for a 'grown up' soft drink. A bit more zing and zestiness would have been more appealing to us.

We rated the white grape variety 6/10. It was perfectly drinkable, but we felt it didn't have enough of a distinct flavour or appearance to make it stand out from the crowd.


Red grape - We all enjoyed the red grape Shloer "It's really fruity and refreshing" said Miss Ony (12). "It's fizzy and delicious" said Miss Kahonie (9). We rated the red grape variety 8/10 as we all felt that it was more visually appealing than the white variety and that it tasted fruitier, with subtle berry flavours.

So, would I buy Shloer? Yes, I would buy the red grape or one of the new varieties (we particularly like the sound of the white grape, raspberry & cranberry flavour), but this would mainly be for the kids as a treat, not for myself or Mr O (unless we were using it as a mixer!).

For more information, visit the official Shloer Facebook page at www.facebook/shloer where you can find recipes, shopping lists and information on the latest promotions.

Integrity Statement
I received 2 free bottles of Shloer to review. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

Images courtesy of Shloer © Pin It

Pasta Salad with Halloumi

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As my previous halloumi recipe has been pretty popular, I thought I'd post my recipe for a quick and easy pasta salad with halloumi, which is a loose variation on a Greek salad. I've found that most kids like this dish, as the dressing is mild and sweet.

Of course, if you're vegan you could omit the cheese or replace it with some small pieces of fried firm tofu, or vegan cheese.

• 150g/6oz dried pasta - I generally use fusilli or conchiglie.
• ½ a green pepper, diced
• 8-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 5cm chunk of cucumber, diced 
• A handful of olives, sliced
• ½ a pack of halloumi, diced

Dressing

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup or puree 
• Some finely chopped fresh parsley or dried oregano
• A little black pepper

Cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, bake or fry the halloumi until golden brown.Rinse the pasta under cold water to cool, and drain well.
Make the dressing up and mix well. When the halloumi is cooked, remove from the heat and pour the dressing over the warm cheese to marinate.
Toss the chopped vegetables in with the pasta.
Add the halloumi and dressing, and mix well, to coat the pasta.
Chill until needed.

Alternative: For a more traditional Greek salad flavour, use feta cheese instead of the halloumi, but omit the tomato sauce/puree and the cooking stage.
Use cooked and cooled rice instead of the pasta if preferred.

You can make a nice salad with roasted vegetables instead of raw ones. Use chopped pepper, onion, courgette and tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for around 20 minutes. Cool and stir into warm or cold pasta.

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Fairy Cakes

I've just found out that we're having a cake sale at work tomorrow, to raise money for Children in Need. I'm going to make a double batch of fail-safe all in one fairy cakes and ice them. Here's the recipe:

• 100g/4oz softened butter/sunflower spread
• 100g/4oz caster or granulated sugar
• 100g/4oz SR flour
• 2 medium eggs
• 1tsp vanilla flavouring

Put all the ingredients in a bowl or food processor, mix together until you have a smooth mixture.
Spoon into a lined bun tin.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C/Gas 4 for 10-15 minutes until golden and firm to the touch.
Cool on a wire rack and ice when cold.

Icing

• 100g icing sugar
• 1-2 tbsp boiling water
• A few drops of colouring/flavouring (optional)

Mix the icing sugar with a little water at a time until you have a fairly thick but spreadable mixture (a bit like PVA glue!). Add the flavouring/colouring if used and stir well.

Alternative: To make chocolate cakes, swap 2 tbsp of the flour for 2 tbsp of sieved cocoa powder for the cake mixture and swap 1 tbsp icing sugar for 1 tbsp sieved cocoa for the icing mixture.

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The kids party dilemma

We all want our kids to be popular and have lots of friends, but how do you deal with the dreaded McD's party invite from a parent you don't know, when you and your children are vegetarian? Maybe something like this...

Me "Hi, thanks a lot for the invite, my daughter would love to come."
Party Mum "Great, thanks for letting me know, see you there."
Me "Erm...just one small thing I need to mention...she's vegetarian."
Party Mum "Oh" (Silence) "Does she eat chicken?"
Me "No, she doesn't eat any meat." (She's vegetarian!)
Party Mum "They do fish fingers."
Me "Sorry, she doesn't eat fish either!" (Erm, don't you understand the word vegetarian??) "She can have the chips and drink though!" (OK, I know the chips might have been cooked in the same frier as the fish, but I'll turn a blind eye to that, so she can go to her friend's party!)
Party Mum "Oh, OK, see you there."

"Phew" you think, as you put down the phone, but little do you know that the worst is yet to come. On arrival to the party you'll need to brace yourself for the McD's party host whispering "Oh what a shame" and glancing pitifully over her shoulder toward your child, when party mum orders the kids meals and mentions your animal-free request.

Inevitably, one or more of the other mums will over-hear and then quiz you on your and your children's dietary habits, which will generally include a random selection of the following questions: Do you eat fish, are you vegan, do you eat eggs, do you drink milk, what do you eat, why are you vegetarian, why don't you let the children decide when they're older, how long have been vegetarian, don't you miss bacon, is your husband vegetarian?

So, my advice is to be prepared and give the following answer to avoid further questioning  "Oh, we forage in the hedgerows for nuts and berries!" OK, maybe it's better to think that one rather than say it out loud, unless you want to avoid further party invites too! Pin It

Cheese Eyeballs and Witches' Fingers for Halloween

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I've just made these cheesy horrors with my kids for our Halloween party. They're very easy to children to help make (think of it as cheesy playdough!) and taste great too. If your kids won't eat anything that's been near an olive, you could always cut out pieces of red or green pepper and use those instead of the olives.

Makes about 20 (double mixture to make a large batch). 

• 2 cups of grated reduced-fat mature cheddar cheese - or any other hard cheese.
• ½ cup sunflower spread/butter
• 1 cup plain flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp paprika or ½ tsp English mustard powder
• 100g/4oz pimento stuffed olives 

Cut 5 olives in half width-ways for the eyes and cut 3 into quarters long-ways for the nails.

Mix the cheese, sunflower spread, flour and paprika/mustard together (in a food processor if have one). Add a tiny drop of milk or cold water if needed, so that you have a firm dough.

Divide the dough into about 20 pieces and roll into balls. Form half of the balls into eye shapes and press a dent into each using your finger. 

Then press half an olive into each dent (so that the olive looks like the iris/pupil).

Roll the other half into finger shapes and press a quarter of an olive onto the end of each finger to form the nail.

Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 210C/200C Fan/Gas 7/425F for about 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

If you have some red food colouring, paint on some veins and allow to dry. Serve warm or cold.

Suitable for freezing.

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