Almond & Coconut Mini Cakes

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large egg white
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (plus some reserved for sprinkling on the top)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2.5 ounces almond paste
• 1/4 cup milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a mini muffin pan
2.  Place almond paste and granulated sugar in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until mixture is sandy (about 2 minutes). 
3. Add egg white, and beat for 1 minute or until well combined. 
4. Add milk and butter; beat 1 minute or until well combined.
5. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice
6. Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring with a whisk. 
7. Add flour mixture to almond mixture; add coconut; beat at low speed 1 minute or until combined. 
8. Divide batter evenly among 12 miniature muffin cups coated with baking spray. sprinkle cocnut on tops
9. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.

Turkish-ish clow cooked lamb and date stew

Slow-cooker!

Makes enough for 6 people. Fab for dinner parties.

• 2 pounds of lamb shoulder no bone (or 2.5 pounds of lamb shoulder with bone). Diced into 1.5 inch cubes, or in hunks with the bones. The bone-in version is good because you get all that nice flavour from slow cooking the bones, but it's harder to actually eat. 
• 2 cans of chickpeas, drained (15oz cans)
• 1 medium white or yellow onions, diced small
• 3 peeled medium plum tomatoes (canned is best), diced into 1cm chunks
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ~8 large medjool dates, pitted, and diced into 1cm chunks
• 4 cups beef broth (chicken will also do but it's less hearty tasting) (aka one box of college inn beef broth)
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Spices (all to taste, approximate)
• Salt: 3 teaspoons
• Black pepper: 2 teaspoons
• Cayenne: 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin: 1 heaping tablespoon
• Ginger: 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• Cinnamon: 2 sticks
• (Optional: 2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 2 teaspoons fresh chopped cilantro

1. Sear the lamb (hot oil, don't over crowd, get a good sear on all sides of the lamb)
2. Put everything into the slow cooker except the lemon zest
3. Cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours
4. Add lemon zest ~30 minutes before serving 
5. Pair with couscous or rice

Banana walnut chocolate muffins

Makes a full tray of muffins

• 1.5 cups of flour
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 2-3 very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1.5 tsp of baking soda
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 splash dark rum (optional)
• 0.5 cups walnut chunks (or more)
• 0.5 semi sweet chocolate chips (or more)

1. preheat oven to 350*. grease a muffin tin. 
2. mash up bananas.
3. add sugar to bananas and mix well. 
4. add vanilla, cooled melted butter, rum, and eggs. mix well.
5. in separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift
6. mix dry into wet ingredients until just mixed. fold in walnuts and chocolate chips
7. put into muffin cup. fill 3/4 to top
8. bake for 18 minutes. check at 16 minutes. knife in center muffin should come out clean

Beet & Zuchinni Bread

Ingredients

• 2 Eggs; large

• 1/4 cup Olive Oil

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence

• 1/2 Zucchini; medium sized

• 1 Beetroot; small, pre cooked (the equivalent of 1/2 cup all chopped up)

• 1 Orange (for a squeeze of juice)

• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda

• 1/8 teaspoon Baking Powder

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

• (optional) 1/4 cup sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top

• (optional) 1/2 cup sugar to make it sweet as opposed to neutral

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 Farenheit (180 degree Celcius)

1. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper.

1. Grate the Zucchini and Beetroot on the large hole of the grater. You will need total of 1 cup of the combination.

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

1. In another large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.

1. Add the oil (and the sugar if using) and beat well.

1. Mix Vanilla Essence to the egg mixture.

1. Add the the grated Zucchini-Beetroot mix and the squeeze of orange (like 1/2 teaspoon or something) to the egg mixture.

1. Add the dry ingredients and mix gently using a whisk. Make sure that you do not over mix the wet and dry ingredients.

1. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the toppings listed in the Sprinkles section.

1. Bake at 350 Farenheit (180 Degree Celcius) for 1 hour or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Check at 30 minutes