Johanna's Raspberry Lime Muffins

It's been a busy week, so it was nice to spend some time in the garden - weeding.  Yes funnily enough, I found the act of weeding quite relaxing today. It was nice to switch off from work stuff and listen to the variety of birds tweeting  and fluttering about in the garden fighting for a chance to perch on the various bird feeders dotted around.  We even have a Great Spotted Woodpecker visiting us on a regular basis.  I sit back and admire how well the allotment garden plot is coming along.  We have begun to harvest broad beans and strawberries. The summer raspberries will soon be ready to eat too and I cannot help but  be embarrassed in the knowledge that I still had some autumn raspberries in the little freezer. 

So I was pleased when Johanna blogged her Raspberry Lime Muffins a few weeks back using frozen raspberry.  It was well timed and gave me the nudge to use them.  

I found these Raspberry Lime Muffins delicious to eat with its sticky top on the day and they were still good on the second day, very light. 

You can find the recipe for Johanna's Raspberry Lime Muffins here.  My only alternation, rather substitution was using diary milk in place of soya milk, which might explain the visual difference - I am always fascinated at how the same recipe can look different when made by different people. I also plopped a frozen raspberry on top before they went into the oven, which may explain the raspberry swirl or burst effect!

Other Raspberry Recipes 
Raspberry Crown Cupcakes
Double Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Raspberry Lemon Muffins (vegan) by Dine In, Dine Out
Raspberry Swirl Muffins

Upside Down Plum and Raspberry Cake

We are eating fruit from the garden: plums, raspberries and apples.

I made this Upside Down Plum and Raspberry Cake quite recently.  When I removed the baking parchment paper to reveal the fruit topped cake, it was vibrant and glistening beautifully from the fresh fruit natural juices.

However, it was the following day when we took the photograph, it had lost its sparkle. I was a tad disappointed and wish I had taken the photograph the evening before, but it had got a bit too dark.  So I feel somewhat that the cake is not shown in its best light.  Still it tasted good. If I make this cake again, I would just do one thing differently.  I would keep the stoned fruit on the side, around the edges and the raspberries in the middle because even though the cake was cooked, the middle was a bit soggy and you'd be worried if it was raw or soggy. 

Easy Cocoa Brownies with Tayberries

I am not joking when I write that I have made cocoa and chocolate brownies (minus the fruit topping) at least four times this month.  

Three times in one week, that I had to go out and get more fairtrade cocoa brownies.  First lot of brownies were for us, second for family, third time for friends and more recently for  some work colleagues.

One of my cute nieces and she is rather cute describes these as lush, and I have to concur, these were lush and proper squidgy.  She was even more delighted that her brownies were not topped with fruit, unlike these that are topped with luscious, fat juicy tayberries.    

I do like tayberries, but don't come across them that often.  In fact the last time I had a tayberry was when I lived in Scotland, not long followed by Karaka Blackberry. These tayberries come from a little place called the Fruit Machine, though it does sell vegetables too.  

Fellow blogger who likes to call herself Matron at Down on The Allotment describes Tayberry as a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry. The fruit topping is not necessary on these Cocoa Chocolate Brownies, but I like to get fruit in my diet somehow.  

I am sharing these with Tin and Thyme for We Should Cocoa and Jibber Jabber for Love Cake.  
Other Cocoa and Chocolate Brownie Recipes on the Blog
Raspberry Brownies
Red Dragon Chili Brownies
Strawberry Cream Cheese Brownies
Sweet Potato and Cranberry Brownies
Vegan Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Brownies

Glorious Reds: Vegetable and Fruit Palette Challenge continues

Welcome to July's round up of The Vegetable Palette and Fruit Palette: natures colours - natures goodness''. 

The theme for July was Glorious Reds.  (Please scroll to the bottom of the page for the new theme if you would like to take part this month).  And in no particular order, we begin with with the vegetable palette of reds with savoury bowls of goodness.

The first entry comes from Anitha who blogs over at Veggiesome - Healthy and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes with Tomato Garlic Rasam 

Next we have Gazpacho - The Coolest Salad Soup with a Blushing Salad by Nasifriet at By The Way....

The Veg Hog also shared with us a soup, this one is made with Roasted Heirloom tomatoes and Baby Red Peppers. 

Chardonnay & Samphire shares with us a gorgeous thick Romesco Sauce also made with roasted red peppers and tomatoes.  Yum.   

Choclette from Tin and Thyme brings to the table a stunning plate of Jewelled Persian Rice made with lots of reds from red peppers, cranberries and pomegranates. 

Helen from Family Friends Food with Easy Vegetable Crustless Quiche made with red peppers.

Janet from The Taste Space shares a wholesome BBQ Lentil Sandwich, a great alternative for the BBQ party. Now onto the Fruit Palette of Glorious Reds.

Cherry, Raspberry and Strawberry aka Three Berry Pancakes

I made these sweet little fluffy red berries pancakes at the weekend for lunch, yes lunch.

The raspberries and strawberries came from our garden and the cherries foraged by one of my neighbours who was chatting to D in the street as he parked his car.  The neighbour asked D a leading question 'Do you like cherries?....I tell you why.....we have loads' and before D knew it, he was bestowed with more than a bowl full.  

So gloriously red berries have been on the menu pretty much every day.  

Just look at how light, fluffy and puffy they look and they tasted superb too. 

Vegan Pretty in Pink Raspberry Rose Mousse

A week or so back, I went to check out the contents of the freezer.  You know, how some food tubs and packets of frozen peas and puff pastry can fall right to the bottom of the freezer and get forgotten about, well a tub of homegrown raspberries from the garden was one of those things.  

Well I decided to make use of them now.  I've enjoyed them in Smoothies,  in muffins and a vegan tofu dessert - a Raspberry and Rose Mousse to be more specific.  I've made a raspberry mousse before for my Raw Coconut and Date Tartlets, but  as I had some tofu to hand, an old fashioned tofu mousse it was to be.  Its been yonkies since I have had a mousse made with tofu.  

It is not particularly airy or whipped light, but it's not heavy either.  It is just right, super smooth.  It was rather nice, especially after a heavy meal.  You could taste the real pippy raspberry flavour, but also a little rose - not overpowering at all.  I am not, and never have been a girly girl that goes gaga over the colour pink, but here in this dessert it was quite pretty. 

Autumnal Raspberry Chia Pudding for Breakfast

I've been ogling over Lucy The Kitchen Maid most recent blog post for Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding and Sudha's Mango Chia Pudding.  Coincidentally last week, I made my own Chia Pudding with home grown Autumnal raspberries, as well as Raspberry Chia Jam (still to be posted).  

In the last year or so, in the U.K chia seeds have become the trendy ingredient with some food bloggers, especially as the ingredient has become more readily available.  I have a number of chia seed recipes bookmarked, but never seemed to get my mitts on the seeds or found them a little too expensive to bother with at the time, until last year when I was fortunate to find a packet of them in my 'vegan food swap' that came from Claire who blogs over GreatVegan Expectations; since then Chia seeds have found a place in my kitchen.  

One recipe that has been sitting in the background for years, 4 years in fact has been from Oh She Glows for Strawberry Chia Jam, since then many variations of it with both fruit and vegetables, (or combination of both) have appeared on blogosphere.  My lovely blogger friend Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe has beat me to it and recently made her own version of Strawberry Chia Jam  for VeganMofo2014. Please go on over and check out her lovely blog, I have been following her recipes and reflections ever since I started blogging; and she without fail continues to inspire me.

Well no Chia Jam today, instead I have a Autumnal Raspberry Chia Pudding to share.  I enjoyed this over the weekend for breakfast, though it felt more like a dessert eating out of this glass (trifle style) bowl.  It was rather a large portion for me, so I ate it slowly - over an hour.  It is very reminisce of sago and tapioca pudding, so if you dislike those, then perhaps this pudding is not for you, but you have to admit - it looks quite intriguing. 

Raspberry Chocolate Brownies

Young cool nephews and beautiful nieces,  are reading this blog post? as I made these Chocolate Brownies to tease you from afar.

Yes, I can hear you all 'what a mean Aunty Shaheen!' 

Yeah more for me and your Uncle, but you can have some if you come on over, better be quick as they are disappearing fast. 

So that its not all sugar and chocolate,  l stirred some home-grown raspberries into the chocolate batter and scattered some on the top too.

 There is nothing more to say, except that they are scrummy - I have already had two pieces. 

Cacao Nibs and Avocado Mousse aka Raw Sludge Pie

I know, I know another vegan, gluten free Raw Food Tart filled with raspberries.  The truth is that I am trying to make the most of my garden raspberries while they are still coming from my garden.  

Also I want to tease some of you as this Sweet Pie is not all that it seems.  The mousse that is mimicking the appearance of dark chocolate is actually not chocolate.  For a start, it is not even chocolate, it is cacao nibs.  Secondly, what gives this pie filling a mousse like texture? There is a mystery ingredient well hidden in it - Avocado - a raw vegan nifty culinary trick I picked up from raw food bloggers when I first started blogging in 2009. Its absolutely amazing how avocado can form the base for one of the most luscious raw puddings around.  In fact Avocado Chocolate Pudding is probably one of the most popular raw food desserts around; and experienced raw fooders have probably had more raw chocolate pudding than they care to remember and don't quite understand what the fuss is, but for some us especially those living in the U.K, outside of the raw food scene its a very new way of preparing food and is getting big Wows! 

Anyway, this is my second recipe in the week with cacao nibs.  The first was Cacao Nibs, Raw Chocolate and Cocoa Muesli.  A little while back, I made some raw chocolate from scratch and have since acquired a taste for raw cacao.  Cacao nibs  can be ground and added to cakes and puddings.  I have to admit it is not to everyones taste, but give it a try, you just never know.  

Raw Coconut and Date Tartlets with Raspberry Mousse

I made my first ever Raw Tart  recipe last year, and it was truly delightful.  I've been wanting to find an excuse to make a variation of it again, and the red fruit flowing from my garden, mostly raspberries provided the perfect reason.

Raspberries don't last long in the fridge either, going mouldy here and there.  I will probably take to freezing some, but I want to make the most of them while the season lasts. I've already made Raspberry Bakewell Bars; Raspberry Coconut Balls; and Raspberry Pavlova, but this time it was time for another delicious Raw Pie.

The raw vegan Raspberry Mousse filling recipe featured on my blog only last month (see here), there is no cream in it, its not even substituted with vegan cream either, but made with frozen bananas and raspberries.  Its lovely on its own, but as much as I enjoyed the mousse-like texture, I wanted more texture and bite this time, and decided to make cases  to hold the raspberry filling. The tartlet cases are made with dessicated coconut, nuts and soft fruit. Of course you don't have to have raspberries as the filling, you can make this with strawberries too. Now whatever you decide, you will need a fork and spoon to tuck in.  Enjoy.  I am sharing this with Emily at A Mummy Too for #RecipeoftheWeek 4 - 8 August 2014. 

Raw Raspberry Coconut Balls

I made these tasty little flavour bombs a fortnight back when the raspberries from my garden starting coming on thick and fast; and the World Cup football mania was still on peoples minds.  

I decided to take inspiration for these from my No Bake Carrot Granola Bites that I made last year; and blitz three simple ingredients in my Optimuum 9400 blender: Cashew nuts, raspberries and dates.  It worked fine, but visually mushed together these ingredients came out a little chocolate red from the dates and a tad sticky, so I went a step further and rolled them in dessicated coconut, hence the name Coconut Balls part and then refrigerated them to eat later. 

I had a feeling that D would not like these, don't ask why? Sometimes (wrongly I must admit) I just assume these things, but whilst he was sitting slumped on the sofa watching the footie, he shouted out at me 'These are quite nice'.
'Oh good' I said rather surprised.
The recipe below makes quite a lot and there is no way between the two of us, that we can eat them all, so I have frozen the others, and will bring out some when we need a burst of fruit injection in the mouth. 

Raw Vegan Raspberry Ice-Cream or Raspberry Mousse

The raspberries from my garden will be featuring in  recipes on my blog in the next few days, I hope you don't mind.  Yesterday it was Beetroot and Raspberry 'Bakewell' Bars, today it is a Ice-ream or Mousse of sorts.  Okay, so this is not strictly an 'ice'-cream as it contains no eggs, or cream.  I write ice-cream here as this recipe has a 'creamy smooth icy texture.  But if you leave it for a few hours after blending, it does soften and become mousse like too, so I was indecisive what to exactly call it, so the greedy blogger in me chose to describe it as both.

I made this in my Optimuum 9400 blender.  It is a powerful food blender which I am still experimenting with, you may have seen my hugely popular Carrot Ketchup and Carrot Pate but the one recipe I wanted to try is the appearing on most food bloggers blogs: blending with frozen bananas.  I mentioned learning of this nifty trick in my Raw Carrot Halwa Mousse recipe from raw and vegan recipe books many many years ago, this time it was with the inclusion of homegrown raspberries.

Beetroot and Raspberry Bakewell Oat Bars

I made these Beetroot and Raspberry Bakewell Bars early in the week, for us to munch on while we work or for a easy breakfast bite.  The reason I've mentioned Bakewell in the recipe title is because these Oat bars reminded me of Bakewell tarts, not just because of the raspberries but also the content of the ground almonds.  

The raspberries are from my garden.  I  have admit that they have been tasting that good in the raw, a bit on the watery side, but when cooked or pureed there is a complete transformation in flavour, which have made these a delight to eat.  I also picked a small beetroot from the garden, unsure what to do with it - I decided to grate and throw it in with the raspberries into these oaty bars, you barely know it is there as its gets lost with the raspberries.  

I am sharing some of these Beetroot and Raspberry Bakewell Oat Bars with Alphabakes hosted this month by Ros of The More Than Occasional Baker and Caroline Makes.  The letter this month is 'R' and Raspberries are just so seasonal right now; and Credit Crunch Munch with Camilla of Fab Food For All and Helen of Fuss Free Flavours.  This month it is being hosted by Sarah at Maison and Cupcake.  

Red Berries Pavlova

Early in the week, I made a Strawberry and Custard Tart.. The thrifty cook in me found that I was left with 6 egg whites, rather than wash them down the sink drain.  I  scrolled through my bookmarked recipes for meringues and found a Strawbery and Cream Pavlova recipe that required 4 egg whites.

What to do with the other 2?   I could have made little meringues but decided to focus my energy on the pavlova.  So the remaining 2 egg whites were washed down the sink.  I know some of you will say freeze them, but I am still in two minds about freezing the whites from eggs. It just doesn't seem right to me.

Anyway, back to the Strawberry and Cream Pavlova.  It was everything I had imagined it to be - the meringuey part light like rice paper and delicate that it melted on the tongue like shards of white candy floss.  The marshmallow white in the middle had depth and was soft, smooth and silky.  The whipped double cream - decadent and creamy, and finally the red berries, ranging from strawberries and raspberries from my garden, red currants from the farmers market and pomegranate seeds from my fridge - all delicious. This dessert truly made me swoon, that I found myself cutting another slice,; and no I did not feel guilty - how can I with all that beautiful fresh red fruit berries!  In fact I felt positively smug.   

Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Bundt Cake

I didn't get round to taking a photograph of  it, but I made my first ever Clootie Dumpling last year for St Andrews Day and wow, it turned out pretty good; not pretty to look at, but pretty good to eat.  I had wanted to make Clootie Dumpling again for my Burns Night Menu, along with  other sweet Scottish delights such as Crannachan and Typsy Laird Trifle , but time got the better of me and I ended up making a Vegan Chocolate and Raspberry Bundt Cake; and the Irn Bru Jelly as mentioned in a previous blog post.

A bundt cake is a cake baked in a cake tin with as hole in the middle.  The cake tin also has a ridged edging.  My bundt tin has ridge edging but it didn't come out distinct as it should have, I think it was because the raspberries were moist and seeped through a little, but I think you get the idea from the photograph. 

So what is so Scottish about this cake?! The raspberries of course - they are from Scotland, albeit frozen from the freezer. I would have loved to have adorned the cake furthermore with fresh raspberries, but they are not in season here, so frozen raspberries it had to be this time.  This was a good cake.  The squished soft raspberries burst inside whilst cooking flavouring this chocolate cake that would have otherwise have been a little dry on the palette.  Very nice indeed and its sliced generously too.    I've also made this cake with Summer berries.

Recipe to follow at the weekend.
If you don't have a bundt pan, use a large deep round pan.  It will be fine.
Scottish Raspberry and Chocolate Cake

Sunken scones

Earlier this afternoon, D was checking the biscuit and cake tins in the kitchen, muttering under his breath 'I fancy something sweet'. He was actually looking for some chocolate. Neither of us participate in the exchange of chocolate Easter eggs, so there were no surprise chocolate appearances in the flat.

It then occurred to me that I hadn't made anything sweet in the last week or so. No muffins, cupcakes or flapjacks as I had been poorly myself. So beckoned to his wish. I remembered seeing some frozen raspberries (along with some blackcurrants) in the freezer picked from the allotment last year, so I decided to make some raspberry scones. As I stirred in the frozen raspberries, the scent it gave off was really lovely, just like a fairytale Princesses perfume. Anyway, enough of this daydream. I placed the sticky oozy scones on a baking tray and into the oven and waited patiently for 20 to 25 minutes.
It was only when I got them out of the oven, I realised I had done something wrong. I remembered I had forgot to add baking powder to make them rise, as they were rather flat.

But no worries, this is easily rectified. Just cut the scones open and fill generously with some whipped cream, and its height is dramatically raised. Despite this oversight, the raspberry scones were good. D was happy to go for a second and a third.

Two Tone raspberry cakes

I picked the last of the autumn raspberries on Sunday. These canes had only been transplanted to plot 45 early in the year, so had not yet established properly as the raspberries on them were flavourless, unlike those I had growing at plot 11
So instead of eating these fresh, I decided to make these two tone raspberry cakes based on the Double chocolate and raspberry cakes I made a month or so ago.

These little heart shaped cuties are much lighter. They did not last long, as D gobbled 4 in one go.

Two tone raspberry cakes
Make 8 - 10 individual portions
Ingredients
175g self raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

175g caster sugar

175g butter, at room temperature

3 organic, free range eggs, beaten

50g white chocolate chips or chunks, chopped into pieces
2 tbsp cocoa powder
100g fresh raspberries

Method

Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 8 - 10 holes of a muffin tin. Sieve flour and baking powder into a bowl, and stir in sugar. Blend the butter until soft, then add the eggs and beat or whisk together until the mixture is light. Then divide mixture into two bowls. In one bowl gently fold in the white chocolate. In the other bowls, sift in the cocoa powder and stir to combine, then gently fold in the raspberries. Spoon the mixtures one by one and evenly into the muffin tin, alternating the colours if you wish. Don’t overfill as the cakes will rise. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, remove (you may need to use a palette knife) and leave to cool completely.

Double chocolate and raspberry cakes

I made individual portions of these double chocolate and raspberry cakes early on in the week with the last of the raspberries I picked from plot 11, before bidding it farewell.
I have made a version of this Chocolate cake about a year ago in a Tray Bake, that version was made with just white chocolate and I remember it being a smash hit with everyone who had a slice, especially D who was just my fiancée at the time. I also recall them being very, very sweet and chocolaty, so with this one I have made just a few minor changes.

I think these cakes were even more delicious, I like to believe this was because they contained my own Autumn raspberries.
Double chocolate and raspberry cakes
Make 10 individual portions
Ingredients
175g self-raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
175g caster sugar
175g butter, at room temperature
3 organic, free range eggs, beaten
100g white chocolate chips or chunks, chopped into pieces
150g raspberries (optional extra for garnish)
2tbsp cocoa powder
60g dark chocolate chips or chunks, chopped into pieces
Method
Heat oven to 180C. Grease a 10 x muffin tin. Sieve flour and baking powder into a bowl, and stir in sugar. Add butter and eggs, and beat together until the mixture is light. Spoon half the batter into another bowl and add the white chocolate and 100g of the raspberries; mix until the berries are well combined, then set aside. Sift the cocoa powder into the remaining plain mixture and fold in dark chocolate and remaining raspberries.

Spoon the mixtures evenly into the muffin tin, alternating colours if you wish. Don’t overfill as the cakes will rise. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then gently remove from the muffins cases (you may need to use a palette knife) and leave to cool completely. If you have the patience, I think these are better eaten a day later.

Raspberry Crown cupcakes

I wanted to enjoy the freshness and natural flavours of the Autumn raspberries I picked earlier from Plot 11, but I also wanted something sweet - like chocolate, so I made a compromise.
Chocolate cupcakes lavishly smeared with raspberry jam and then crowned with fresh raspberries. I was so pleased with them, worthy of any regal party.

Make a reliable chocolate cupcake recipe. When made and cooled down, spread lightly with some raspberry jam, then top elegantly with fresh raspberries. Enjoy!