Plum, Orange, Olive Oil and Almond Cake

Think of baking a cake and the usual ingredients come to mind, the holy grail of any sponge: butter, sugar, eggs and flour. But what if you replace the fat of the cake - butter - with olive oil? If you were in the Mediterranean or the Middle East, you wouldn't bat an eye at this. But I've found that when I serve a piece of cake to somebody here in the UK and then tell them it's made with olive oil, the response is often a twisted face followed by the word, 'Sorry?'

Using olive oil in cakes creates a surprisingly moist crumb and of course replaces the saturated fat of butter with healthier monounsaturated fats. It's best using a mild olive oil which doesn't overpower the cake with its natural pepperiness. But no harm in using extra virgin olive oil, with the fruitiness and savoury tones often enhancing the flavour.

In Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy, olive oil is the key fat for use in their wonderful concoctions, particularly when combined with zesty fruit such as lemons, limes and oranges as well as ground almonds or ground maize. It also enriches the bitterness of a decent dark chocolate too. So perhaps give it a go in your next cake and see the results of the faces when you tell them the 'surprising' ingredient.

Ingredients

1 small punnet of plums

50g soft brown sugar

Zest and juice of one orange

For the sponge

200g soft brown sugar

200ml olive oil

3 large eggs

150g self raising flour

50g ground almonds

A pinch of salt

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/GM4. Line a large ovenproof deep sided frying pan with baking paper. Sprinkle in the sugar and put on a medium heat.

2 - Half and stone the plums and line the bottom of the pan cut side down. Squeeze in the orange juice and simmer for 5-minutes until the plums are starting to soften and colour. Remove from the heat and allow to rest. 

3 - In a large mixing bowl, add the sugar, olive oil, orange zest and eggs. Whisk thoroughly. Then sift in the flour, add the almonds and fold in thoroughly.

4 - Pour over the plums then place on the middle shelf. Cook for 40-minutes then test to see if is cooked properly by inserting a clean sharp knife or sponge tester in the middle. If it comes out clean, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan.

5 - Turn out onto a serving plate and serve. 

Tofu Poke Bowl

A poke bowl is a dish that originates from Hawaii. Pronounced as ‘po-kay’, poke literally means to cut up into small pieces and originally invented as a dish comprising of raw fish, seaweed and possibly seasoned with the likes of salt and lime.

As with most dishes the world over, they are often adapted to suit the taste and trends of that particular region. The modern poke bowl became popular in Japan and using the same principles, was adapted to include raw fish or sushi alongside the likes of rice and raw vegetables.

I basically treat it as a super-healthy ‘pick and mix’ style dish that my family loves, particularly my youngest who would always choose small portions of different foods to choose from as opposed to the Northern English staple of meat and three veg. I try to balance it out with protein, carbs and vegetables, so in there often goes pretty much anything from the fridge or cupboard: tins of tuna, mackerel or sardines; leftover roasted chicken, beef or pork; pan-fried tofu; grains such as quinoa, brown rice or bulgur wheat; pulses such as lentils, black beans or chick peas; raw veg such as carrots, broccoli or cauliflower and perhaps some roasted vegetables such as sweet potatoes. The key is bringing it all together with a tasty sauce or dressing, and our go to sauce is often something hot, salty, sweet and sour using store cupboard ingredients (see recipe below).

So have fun ‘poking around’ your cupboards making your own poke bowls, experiment to your heart’s content and use the below recipe as a guide. You will find they quickly gain popularity in your house and if you get the balance right, you will find your body benefitting from some super-healthy ingredients.

Tofu Poke Bowl – Serves 4

Ingredients
1 red onion
100ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar or honey
150g quinoa
Half a cucumber, cut into cubes
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
Juice of 1 lemon
4 spring onions, sliced
2 large sweet potatoes
2 blocks of 300g firm tofu
1 pack of tender stem broccoli
1 red onion
100ml cider vinegar
1 tbsp sugar or honey
2 limes
Sesame Seeds
Salt and pepper

For the sauce
1 heaped tbsp gochujang paste
1 tbsp smooth whole peanut butter
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
Juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic, grated
1 thumb size of fresh ginger, grated


Method
1 – To make sweet picked red onions, bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil in a pan. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion then put into a small mixing bowl. Pour over the hot vinegar and sugar, season with a little salt, mix thoroughly then keep aside to cool.
2 – Cook the quinoa according to the instruction. Allow to drain and cool. In a mixing bowl, combine with the lemon juice, cucumber and tomatoes and taste for seasoning. Put aside.
3 – Pre-heat your oven to 200C/180C fan. Wash and cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthways. Rub a little olive oil onto the flesh side then place onto a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper. Place on the middle shelf and cook for 40-minutes. Turn off the heat, open the oven door and allow to rest for 15-minutes.
4 – Drain and pat dry the tofu. Cut into cubes and heat up a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Stir-fry for 5-10 minutes until golden. Remove and keep aside.
5 – Bring a large pan of boiling water to the boil. Carefully place the broccoli in and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for 2-minutes then drain and cool immediately in a bowl of cold water with ice cubes in. Keep aside.
6 – To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly. Taste to ensure you have the right balance of hot, salty, sour and sweet and adjust to your taste.
7 – Assemble your poke bowls to your liking, with a portion of each arranged around the bowl. Finish with a scattering of spring onions, pickled red onions and sesame seeds and serve with wedges of lime.

Kedgeree

Being a middle-aged man of a certain age, I've grown (quite literally) to watch what I eat. When I say watch, I don't mean stare longingly at the fridge contents; I mean understand more what I am eating, the effect it has on my body - both physically and mentally - as well as cutting back a bit and having clear 'eating windows' of feasting.

Before you start yawning at yet another preaching health speech, this is far from it. For a food lover that cooks a lot, as well as knowing a thing or two about ingredients and nutrition, it's a tough personal ask to cut back and almost force myself to have eating windows. However, it works for me and I quite enjoy the discipline around it. But what works for me may not work for you. And hey, I'm just an old portly bloke trying to get control of his life and body. 

My eating windows means that I don't usually consume my first calories until midday but invariably, I allow myself a breakfast, or at least a mid-morning breakfast (or brunch; I still cringe at that word). And one breakfast I do love is the Anglo-Indian breakfast of kedgeree, a highly spiced rice, fish and egg dish that is a doddle to make and one that is primed for experimenting with. Traditionally used with smoked haddock, it can be made with any fish you love whether it is smoked or not. 

I like to use some of our brilliant North East kippers. For those not akin to a kipper, it is a whole, small oily fish (usually a herring) that has been split open, gutted, salted and cold-smoked. Up in the small fishing village of Craster on the Northumberland coastline, we are lucky to have L. Robson & Sons, a smokery that have been using traditional oak-smoked methods in the same buildings for over 100-years now. Their kippers have a beautiful, unique flavour that is not too salty and just the right kick of smokiness and perfect for this recipe.

If you can't get your hands on a kipper, revert to the alternative of smoked mackerel or trout that are widely available in your local supermarkets. But whatever you choose, do try this recipe out. It's an old-fashioned, comforting classic that is rarely seen now but once eaten, you won't forget. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Kedgeree
Feeds 4

4 eggs, boiled for 5 minutes then left to cool in cold water then peeled and quartered
200g basmati rice
4 fillets of smoked fish such as herring (kippers), mackerel or trout, flaked into big chunks

100g frozen peas, thawed
50g butter
1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
A handful of fresh parsley and/or coriander, roughly chopped

4 spring onions, sliced finely
1 lemon, quartered

1 - Cook the rice according to the instructions and keep warm in the pot with a tea towel and lid on the pan.

2 - Heat up the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and cook on a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring until softened and just beginning to colour.

3 - Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1-minute, stirring.

4 - Stir in the rice with a good knob of butter, stirring quickly to coat the rice thoroughly. Taste for seasoning but don't go too heavy on the salt as the smoked fish is quite salty.

5 - Stir through the peas until heated up. Then scatter with the flaked fish, herbs and spring onions and arrange with the eggs and sliced lemons.

6 - Serve straight from the pan at the table or into individual dishes.

Sticky Tofu Sandwich

Sticky tofu sandwich - amazing, you don’t miss meat one bit and yep, a proper hangover cure! 

1 - Mix together 2 tbsps each of corn flour and plain flour and season with salt and pepper.

2 - Heat up 3 tbsps olive oil in a non-stick frying pan.

3 - Slice a block of tofu lengthways through the middle. Dredge in the flour then fry until golden brown.

4 - Whilst frying, stir together 2 tbsps each of siracha, ketchup and soy sauce with a teaspoon of chilli oil. Tip into the pan around the tofu and reduce whilst turning the tofu in the mixture until glazed.

5 - Lightly toast two slices of bread (I used wholemeal sourdough). Spread with a little mayonnaise mixed with siracha in both sides.

6 - Slice three gherkins lengthways and line one side of the bread. Top with the glazed tofu and a little fresh coriander. Serve.

English Fruit Tea Loaf

A traditional English tea loaf which is amazing warmed with plenty butter on the top. And a nice cup of tea of course. There is no sugar involved, no butter, margarine or oil and no eggs, so you can decide if that classifies as healthy. Either way, it’s superb and incredibly easy to make. This will keep in a tight cake tin for up to 5-days.

Ingredients

350ml hot strong black tea

350g sultanas (you can mix it up with other dried fruit such as apricots and cranberries)

230g self raising flour

2 heaped tsps mixed spice

A pinch of salt

120ml milk (use nut or soya milk to make it vegan)

Grated zest from one orange and one lemon

For the glaze, 1 heaped tablespoon of marmalade

1 - Make the tea by pouring 350ml boiling water over two teabags and leaving to steep for 5-10 minutes. Tip the dried fruit into a mixing bowl, pour over the tea and leave covered preferably overnight or for 2-3 hours if time is against you. 

2 - Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 160C/GM4. Grease and line a loaf tin.

3 - Tip the flour and spices into a mixing bowl and combine. Pour in the milk, fruit and tea and the orange and lemon zest. Use a spatula to thoroughly combine and then tip into the lined loaf tin.

4 - Place on the middle shelf and bake for 50-60 minutes until a shark knife comes out clean. 

5 - Heat the marmalade in a pan or microwave. Remove the cake and brush liberally over the top. Leave to cool a little before serving with good salted butter.

Chocolate and Orange Granola

Served with Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit, granola can be a healthy way to start the day but only if you are using a quality granola with not too much sugar and preferably zero additives. And these can be expensive.

This homemade granola combines a match made in heaven - chocolate and orange - and as you are in control of the ingredients, you are adding lots of protein from nuts and seeds, just a little sugar from honey, no nasty additives and best of all, lots of flavour.

Ingredients

150g rolled oats

150g of chopped nuts (I like to use 50g each of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds)

50g of mixed seeds such as pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds

Half tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon

5 tbsp runny honey

1tbsp coconut oil

Juice and zest of one orange

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.

2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds and spices.

3 - In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil and combine with the honey, orange juice and zest and cocoa powder.

4 - Pour into the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Tip out and spread onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway though until beginning to toast (be careful to not burn).

5 - Remove and allow to cool on the tray. Break up slightly and tip into an airtight jar.

Peanut Choc Bites

These are a simple to make sweet treat as an alternative to some well-known peanut and chocolate-based brands, but without any nasty additives or refined sugar. Perfect for a quick energy boost before exercise, they do still contain sugar but from dried dates, and peanuts of course are calorific, so try to resist not eating them all in one sitting. Keep them in the fridge in an airtight container and they should last for a good week.

Ingredients
250g dried dates, pitted
200g unsalted roasted peanuts
100g peanut butter
200g dark chocolate (I use 80% proof but your choice. Use dairy-free if you want this to be vegan)) 
1 tbsp coconut oil (purely optional)

1 - Use a 20cm square brownie tin or similar and line with baking paper or a double layer of clingfilm.
2 - Put the dates and peanuts into a food processor and blitz for 40-60 seconds (you may need to pulse it).
3 - Add the peanut butter and pulse until combined. Pour out onto the lined brownie tin and using the back of a spoon, ladle or palette knife, press down until even and smooth.
4 - Place a heatproof bowl over a pan with a little water in (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the bottom of the pan or the water). Break up the chocolate and add to the bowl along with the optional coconut oil. Bring to a simmer and gently stir until melted.
5 - Pour over the peanut and date mixture. At this stage, you can be creative and sprinkle on a little sea salt, crushed nuts, dried fruit or a combination of them. I've kept it simple with a little sea salt.
6 - Put into the fridge to cool completely and when the chocolate is set, you can cut it up into little bite-sized pieces and keep in the fridge in an airtight container.