Chocolate corn porridge

This porridge is based on a Mexican drink atole made with a type of cornmeal called masa harina. I did not have masa harina so I used ordinary cornmeal and made it the consistency of porridge rather than a thick drink. The chocolate flavoured version of atole is known as champurrado, which has spices added to it and is sweetened with piloncillo, which is similar to jaggery. In a manner similar to the chocolate porridge recipe on this blog, I added just a little chocolate and sweetener as a topping to avoid making it too rich for breakfast, while retaining the flavours in each mouthful. If jaggery is unavailable use brown sugar, the soft moist kind if possible so that it melts on top of the hot porridge and provides a toffee or caramel taste that complements the bittersweet chocolate.

Servings:1

Ingredients
5 tablespoons cornmeal/polenta 
1 cup/ 250 ml + 2 tablespoons milk (add a pinch of sugar if using unsweetened milk)
1/2 stick cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 cloves
Dark chocolate, jaggery (or soft brown sugar) and nutmeg, to grate on top
Cinnamon powder, for garnish

Method 

1.   Whisk the cornmeal and milk in a microwaveable bowl and mix   in the cinnamon stick and cloves.

2.   Microwave on High for 1 minute 30 seconds. Whisk well and microwave on High for another 2 minutes.

3.   It should be thickened but dry and should not taste bitter. 

4.   If it is bitter, heat for 30 seconds at time, whisking in between until it is no longer bitter.   

5.   If it is dry whisk in 1-2 tablespoons of milk and microwave for 15 seconds to heat through.  

6.   Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves.

7.   Transfer to a serving bowl and to serve, grate (to taste) a small amount of nutmeg, dark chocolate and jaggery on top (or sprinkle with brown sugar) and sprinkle over the cinnamon. 

Snowbet

Just an idea really rather than a recipe to use fresh snow to make a healthy sorbet-style treat. I have often tried mixing fruit juice with snow or drizzling syrup on top, with mixed results. But last summer I started making fruit sorbets and slushes with mango puree and crushed ice so this time I decided to try it with snow in place of ice.

Servings: 2-3 

Ingredients
About 1/2 cup mango or other fruit puree, chilled for best results
Freshly fallen snow (if you don't have time to make it immediately, gather the snow in a large bowl while it is still falling and place in the freezer until you are ready to make it)

Method
Place the fruit puree in a large bowl and add handfuls or cupfuls of snow, mixing well after each addition, until the mixture reaches the consistency of fruit slush or sorbet. You can use more or less fruit puree just add enough snow to reach the appropriate consistency. Eat immediately or it will melt.

Gingerbread loaf

 A dark spicy gingerbread that is not too sweet but dense and moist with apple and treacle or molasses. 

Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups flour
9 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons black treacle or blackstrap molasses
2 teaspoons ginger powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda
3/4 cup/180 ml milk
1/4 cup/60 ml Fortune rice bran oil
1 medium apple, cored and diced (no need to peel, just wash it well and this way you can preserve the fibre from the skin)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F. Grease a loaf cake tin.
2. Puree the apple in a blender or food processor. Place in a microwaveable bowl and microwave for  2 minutes. Stir and microwave for another 2 minutes. 
3. Mix the sugar and treacle or molasses with the apple puree. 
4. Add the oil and beat with a fork or whisk until it is well blended. Add the milk and mix well.
5. Mix the flour, spices, baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.
6. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
7. Pour the cake batter into the greased loaf tin. The batter should spread out in the tin but tilt the tin if needed so that the batter lies flat.
8. Bake in a middle rack of the oven for 35-45 minutes until a knife or skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool completely before turning out of the tin and slicing.

Sticky toffee cake

Inspired by a classic British recipe, sticky toffee pudding but not quite as rich or sweet. The sweetness in this cake comes in bursts from bits of dates scattered throughout. It is flavoured with sweet spices and has a dark, dense, moist crumb. I have used gluten-free flours in the cake as these give a softer texture in low-fat recipes.

Makes: 1 small cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup sorghum/jowar flour
1/2  cup rolled oats/oatmeal (ensure it is certified gluten-free if making it for a  special diet)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons yoghurt (I used soya yoghurt)
1-1/2 tablespoons black treacle, molasses or golden syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons finely chopped dates
1-1/2 tablespoons nut butter (any except for peanut butter) or 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped almonds or cashew nuts

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a cake tin, 14 cm/5.5 inches wide. Place the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl. Grind the oats (and the chopped nuts, if using) to a powder in a blender/food processor/ coffee grinder. Add to the mixing bowl. If using nut butter, add it to bowl and rub it between your fingers with the other ingredients to incorporate it, until the mixture resemble a coarse powder, like bread crumbs. If you are not using nut butter, simply blend all the dry ingredients with a spoon or whisk until well combined.

In a pan, place the sugar, chopped dates and treacle, molasses or golden syrup, along with 1/2 cup/125ml water. Heat over a medium until the treacle has melted and the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add it other dry ingredients along with 4 tablespoons of the yoghurt and mix well. The batter should be fairly thick but easy to spoon into a cake tin. If is too stiff, mix in an additional 1-2 tablespoons of yoghurt. Tip the mixture into the greased cake tin with the help of a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a knife or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out dry and clean. As it is quite sticky there may be crumbs on the skew but there should be no wet batter. 

Leave the cake in the tin to cool to room temperature, then turn out the cake onto a plate by sliding a knife around the sides and tapping the base of the tin, taking care not to break the cake as it is quite crumbly. To serve, carefully cut the cake into chunks or slices, using a serrated knife if possible reduce crumbling.

Carrot cake muffins

Carrots add moisture and sweetness to these lightly-spiced muffins which have a soft, fluffy crumb with hints of chewy coconut and juicy chunks of pineapple.

 Makes: 9 muffins

Ingredients

1/4 cup sorghum/jowar flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup rolled oats or oatmeal (use certified gluten-free oats if making it for a special diet)

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used demarara sugar; if using unsweetened milk add an extra teaspoon of sugar)

3 tablespoons fine dessicated coconut

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda

1 cup coarsely grated carrot (grate just prior to ensure it is crisp)

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh or canned pineapple

3/4 cup milk (I used non-dairy hazelnut milk)

 Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease 9 holes of a cupcake tin (for making small cupcakes not giant muffins; about 5 cm/ 2 inches diameter at the top) or line with greased paper cases. Grind the rolled oats or oatmeal with the cloves to a powder. Place the sorghum and rice flours in a bowl and add the ground oats, coconut, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Mix with a spoon or whisk until the ingredients are well-combined. 

Add the pineapple, carrot (freshly grated) and the milk and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the holes of the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer or knife inserted in the muffin comes out clean (it might be slightly sticky from the pineapple but there should be no wet batter). Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes until you can handle them comfortably. Cool the muffins further or serve hot.

Orange, chocolate, apricot, almond flat-breads

While it is not overly sweet, its combination of citrus, chocolate, dried fruits and nuts places this bread in the category of sweet breads. Since such breads are most commonly found in the form of loaves, for a change I decided to shape the dough into flat-breads. Just like their savoury counterparts, they are quicker to make, and equally flavoursome as loaves. The dough has a light chocolate flavour infused with orange and has bursts of a richer, intense  chocolate flavour from the chunks along with citrus-soaked apricots and crunchy bits of almond.

Makes: 8 flat-breads

Ingredients

2 cups wholewheat bread flour or chapatti flour/ atta (I like to use chapatti flour for making yeasted breads since it makes softer, lighter textured whole-grain breads)

1 teaspoon yeast

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons chopped apricots

2 tablespoons chopped, toasted almonds

4 tablespoons dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

A pinch of salt

¾ cup yoghurt

Method 
Toss the apricots in 1 teaspoon of the orange juice and set aside to soak. Mix the flour, cocoa powder, orange zest, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add the yoghurt and the remaining orange juice and mix to a dough. It should be soft, sticky but stiff enough to knead. Knead for 7-8 minutes on a well-floured surface, adding more flour if necessary. Cover and leave to rise for 1–1½ hours in a fairly warm place until doubled in size.

Knead the risen dough briefly to deflate it, then flatten to a large circle. Sprinkle with the almonds apricots and chocolate chunks. Stretch and fold the edges of the dough over these ingredients. Knead again on a well-floured surface until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Ensure than the ingredients do not form clusters in the dough but are evenly spaced out. 

Preheat the oven to 190ᵒC /375ᵒF. Place a greased baking tray in the oven to heat. Divide the dough into 8 roughly equal sized pieces (see note). Roll each piece out to a thickness of about ½ cm/1/4 inch on a floured surface. Allow to rise for about 15-20 minutes, until puffy. Carefully transfer on the hot baking tray up to 2 breads at a time and bake them for 10-12 minutes until firm and golden. Serve hot.

NOTE:

The dough will make eight small flat breads. Since the breads are best eaten hot and freshly baked, if you are not serving all of the at once, just make as many as you want and refrigerate the remaining dough for up to 2 days.

Chocolate and spice oats porridge

More of a flavour combination than a recipe but I thought I would post it as molten chocolate and warm spices are delicious with creamy oats porridge. The chocolate is added in a small amount and as there is little other sweetening, it contributes to the taste and texture without making the porridge too rich to enjoy for breakfast. Try to use very dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa solids; I usually use chocolate with 85% cocoa solids) to ensure a strong chocolate flavour.

Servings:1

Ingredients
3/4 cup rolled/porridge oats
3/4 cup milk (see note)
1/2 cup water
1-2 squares of  bitter dark chocolate (depending on size of squares and preference)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
a pinch of granulated sugar (see note)
Nutmeg to grate freshly

Method
Mix the oats, milk and water in a pan and heat over a medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick and the oats have swelled and softened. If it becomes too thick early on, add more water and/or milk and continue to cook. Transfer the cooked porridge into a serving bowl. Grate the chocolate evenly on top of the oats and sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar. Grate the nutmeg about 10 times. Serve immediately.

NOTE:
I usually use non-dairy hazelnut or almond milk as they complement the nutty flavour of the oats. These milks are lightly sweetened but if using unsweetened milk add about 1/2 -1 teaspoon sugar. I do not add any other sweetening except for the pinch of sugar, whose purpose is to provide a crunchy texture rather than sweetness. If using sugar make sure it is granulated. Generally I use Demarara sugar. Instead of sugar you could also sprinkle on 1-2 teaspoons of finely chopped roasted almonds or other nuts. Another variation I have sometimes tried is to stir in about a tablespoon of nut butter (I have used almond and cashew nut butters). This is tasty but I think makes the porridge more of a dessert and find it too rich to eat as a large portion for breakfast.

Chocolate and banana pancakes

Served warm and freshly made, these pancakes are fluffy and melt in the mouth. Be sure to use bitter chocolate in this recipe, otherwise it will be too cloying. I used non-dairy hazelnut milk in the recipe, which was lightly sweetened so if using unsweetened milk, you may wish to add ½ teaspoon of sugar or other natural sweetener, although I have made it before with unsweetened milk and there is little difference in taste.

Servings: 2-3
    

Ingredients
1 large ripe banana

1 cup/125 ml milk

¼ cup/125 ml water

¼ tsp natural vanilla extract

½ cup jowar/sorghum flour

½ cup rice flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

Method

Mash the banana in a bowl until no large chunks remain, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, chocolate and then water and mix until fully incorporated. The batter should be of a consistency that is easy to drop from spoon. If it is too thick mix in a little more water.

Heat a non-stick frying pan or suitable pan over a low heat. If you don’t have non-stick pan, lightly oil the pan. When the pancake is hot, drop tablespoonfuls of the pancake batter onto the pan and cook for about 2-3 mins or until the batter has bubbled and started to dry. It should peel off with a thin spatula and the underside should be golden brown. Flip over and cook for 1-2 mins on the other side until it has browned and dried and can be lifted from the pan. You can test a pancake to determine if the pancakes are cooked inside. Serve immediately or they will become heavy.

Mango ice-cream with blueberries

This is a very easy recipe with only two ingredients for the ice-cream. There is no added sweetening as the mango and cashews are sufficiently sweet. The cashew nuts also provide a rich creamy texture. Blueberries complement mangoes well but substitute with other berries or chunks of mango if you wish.

Servings: 1-3
    

Ingredients
1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks

½ cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours

Blueberries or other fruit to serve

Method

Coarsely grind the cashews in a food processor/blender. Add the mango and blend till very smooth. Spread the mixture thinly on a foil lined baking tray and freeze for about 1 hour. The mixture should be solid and peel off the foil but not rock hard. Break the mixture into pieces and blend again till smooth and creamy. You may have to scrape down the sides and stir the mixture a few times in between blending to obtain a smooth texture. Serve topped with blueberries (or other fruit).