Happy Easter! The Reasons why you Shouldn’t Feel Guilty about Eating Chocolate

Hello my darlings!

As it is Easter Sunday I am guessing most of us have accumulated a rather obscene amount of chocolate. But, do not fear – I have a few facts for you that will make you feel a lot less guilty about your chocolate binge …

Raspberries and Chocolate 

Raspberries and chocolate are delicious on their own but together they even have health benefits.  Apparently the flavonoids found in chocolate (which have been proven to hold disease-fighting, immune boosting properties) work much better at improving heart health when paired with similar flavenoids contained in raspberries.

Its good for your ‘ol tikker! 

Dark chocolate is packed full of antioxidant compounds that increase the flexibility of veins and arteries and, according to studies, reduce your risk of heart disease and help to lower blood pressure. But, although these antioxidants are good for your little ticker, due to the generous helpings of sugar, milk, butter (lets be honest all the things that make it delicious) it doesn’t mean you can shy away from the gym. So make the most of the sunshine and go for a spring walk – with some Easter chocolate as your mid-walk snack of course!

Chocolate does not give you spots

It is a myth that chocolate will give you spots. It is important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet as this is linked to a good complexion, but in itself it does not lead to spots. So indulge in your Easter goodies without the fear of bad skin.

Reduced Stress

Indulging in some chocolate can help to reduce stress by significantly reducing your stress hormone levels and the metabolic effects of stress .

Higher Intelligence

Chocolate can help boost your brain power when you really need it. Studies have found that drinking cocoa can boost blood flow to key parts of the brain for up to 3 hours, which could improve performance and make you more alert. Also, by helping to preserve blood flow to the brain, chocolate can help prevent memory decline.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter and I hope a helping of chocolate will help you all fight those Monday Blues tomorrow!

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Spicy Sweet Potato Burgers with Cherry Tomatoes and Avocado

Hello my darlings! I have been trying to eat a little healthier lately and so have been trying to concoct some new recipes that will make my veggies and salad a tad more interesting. I decided to combine two of my favourite things to eat in a new way – sweet potato patties (which I have had as a side in the past) and guacamole (although this is a kind of deconstructed version).

Makes 4-6

Sweet Potato Burgers

• 2/3 Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Red Onion
• 2 Chillis
• Paprika to taste
• Pinch of Salt
• Black Pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon of Flour (add more if needed)
• 1 Egg White
• Bread Rolls/Burger Buns

Garnish

• 1 Avocado
• Cherry Tomatoes (as many as you want)
• Black Pepper to taste

These burgers are really easy to make and they are delicious! Preheat your oven to 200C. Then cut your sweet potatoes in half and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little olive oil before popping them in the oven. I baked mine for around 40 minutes, but they may take slightly longer depending on their size. It is quicker to boil your potatoes but I feel that there is too much excess water if you use this method which spoils the consistency. So make a cup of tea and let those bad boys bake. 

Whilst the sweet potato is roasting dice the onions and chilli and place in a large mixing bowl. Once the potato is cooked scoop the flesh out with a spoon and place in a separate bowl, then mash. Mix in with the onion and chilli, and add a touch of paprika and black pepper. Finally, add the flour and egg white. Mix it all up!

Make 4/6 patties (depending on how large you want them) – they should be about 1cm thick. Fry until they are slightly browned and you are able to flip them easily. Place on a piece of kitchen roll to get rid of any excess oil, then place on your burger buns.

Now its time for the garnish! This bit is really easy – just cut some cherry tomatoes (as many as you want) into quarters, place in a bowl and season with some black pepper. Then take the avocado, slice it in half, remove the skin and slice into segments (if you are unsure of how to do this check out youtube). Arrange the avocado and cherry tomatoes on-top of the burger and your all done.

If you want to split the mixture to save for another night, as I did, then you can either place some of the unfried sweet potato in the fridge or you can also freeze the mixture but when it is defrosted you may need to add a touch more flour. Also if you are going to save some of the avocado make sure to save the half with the stone still in it as this will prevent it from going brown.

These are so easy to make and they are a healthy option that doesn’t leave you wanting. I will be uploading some more healthy recipes soon so stay tuned and I will hopefully not disappoint.

Enjoy!

Lots of Love,

Hannah xx

Valentine’s Day: Strawberry and Blueberry Cake with White Chocolate Ganache

White Chocolate Ganache

• 200g white chocolate (any will do but I used Morrison’s own and it worked a treat)
• 100ml double cream
• 1/2 spoon vanilla extract

Cake

• 200g caster sugar
• 200g self-raising flour
• 200g unsalted butter
• 4 eggs
• 2 handfuls of blueberries (there is no exact amount)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Filling

• 200ml whipping cream
• Chopped strawberries (I used two small boxes, for both the filling and decoration, but it depends on the size of your strawberries)

Decoration

• Strawberries
• 50g caster sugar

To make the ganache … Bring water to the boil. Add your chocolate (all chopped up), vanilla extract and cream to a bowl, then place the bowl over the boiling water. Heat until the chocolate is all melted, stirring to ensure that the cream is completely incorporated. Then refrigerate until cooled and spreadable.

Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Time to make the cake … Cream the butter and sugar until it is smooth. Add the vanilla extract and a quarter of your flour at a time, adding 1 egg each time and whisk until smooth. Throw in two handfuls of blueberries and fold into the mixture.

Line your cake tin with baking parchment and pour in your cake mixture. Pop in the oven for around 20 minutes. This may differ slightly depending on your oven so keep a eye on your cake. The cake is cooked when it a skewer when inserted comes out clean.

When your cake is cooked pop it onto a metal rack to cool. The blueberries tend to sink to the bottom of the cake so you get this beautiful speckled effect.

Whip that cream … Whilst the cake is cooling pour the whipping cream into a mixing bowl and whisk until it is thick. If it is the right consistency it should not have much movement when you tip the bowl but don’t hold it over your head as a test – it is not meringue!

Prepare your toppings … Place a pan on a low to medium heat and add a handful of blueberries and the sugar. Stir continuously until the sugar has completely melted and coated the blueberries. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool. Now its time for the strawberries. For the edges and the top of the cake cut the strawberries length-ways so that you have whole, thin slices. You will need around 20 of these for the edges and 8 for the top.

Constructing the cake … Cut your sponge in two using a bread knife and place one half on a flat serving dish/surface. Using a spatula cover each half of the cake in a layer of half of the whipped cream. Then cut strawberries length-ways into quarters and arrange across one of the layers of cream. Place the half of the cake without the strawberries onto the other.

Time for the ganache … Spread the ganache using a spatula over the top of the cake and then all around the sides. This can be quite messy but don’t worry – no matter what it looks like it tastes amazing! Take the 8 strawberries and arrange them in a circle on the top of the cake. Now for the tricky part. Arrange the remaining sliced strawberries around the sides so that they form a sort of crown. Finally, take your sugary blueberries (which should now have cooled) and pile in the center of the strawberry circle on the top of the cake.

Et Voila!

Today was Valentines Day. I wasn’t able to spend the day with my boyfriend Adam as he had to work but I did get to enjoy a girls’ Valentines with my housemates. One of them surprised me in the morning with a chocolate rose (see this via my Instagram) which was such a lovely surprise, and then my other housemate provided us with home-made cocktails which were sublime! (This is what should happen every Friday) We topped the night off by watching ’10 Things I Hate About You’ and ‘Sliding Doors’ – who needs the boyfriend when you can watch Heath Ledger sing ‘Can’t take my eyes off you.’

As a treat I wanted to make them a Valentines cake. I was initially going to bake something in a heart shape but I decided this was too cliche. Instead I opted to incorporate two ingredients that I associate with Valentines Day into a cake. Strawberries and chocolate! I have tried in the past to use strawberries in cake mixtures and it has not gone well, so I opted to use blueberries instead as these would add an additional colour, texture and taste to the cake.

This cake may not be the most beautiful but it tastes phenomenal! I usually find some sponge cakes slightly dry but this was light and the cream kept any dryness at bay. The strawberries gave it a wonderful freshness, whilst the sugary blueberries and white chocolate ganache added sweetness without it being overwhelming.

If I was to make this cake again I would half the cake ingredients between two separate cake tins so that the blueberries are more evenly distributed throughout, as they have a tendency to sink to the bottom of the cake.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and enjoyed my ‘Strawberry and Blueberry Cake’ recipe.

How did you spend your Valentine’s Day? Did you like this recipe? Would you attempt it yourself?

Lots of love,

Hannah xx