Thursday 4 December 2014

Stained Glass Window Biscuits



















This brilliant biscuit recipe was in Christian Aid Magazine 2014.  See the  
Christian Aid website for the recipe and a lovely photo of the biscuits.  I used only half the recipe ingredients and got two whole trays of biscuits.

I used Traidcraft F/T Golden Caster Sugar* in substitute for the soft brown and you can use F/T Ground Ginger^ but I left it out.


*Traidcraft Sugar from Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Fairer World or

^Several shops and online sites sell F/T Ground Ginger.


Thursday 2 October 2014

Auntie Susan's Favourite Apple Cake - again




 


Had a second go at this cake from 'Bake a difference'*.  This time with ingredients cut down so it fits a 20cm/8 inch tin.  Had to divide by 6 and multiply by 5. Worked brilliantly!
It was gorgeous with plain yogurt instead of caramel sauce.



Used F/T walnuts this time.


*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Mary Berry's Apple and Sultana Dessert Cake

A brilliant cake, which I used to make years ago when my children were small.  It's made even more brilliant by using fairtrade ingredients.  It's also very handy to make with the glut of apples that are around at the moment. And it actually goes in an 8" or 20 cm round cake tin which I happen to have!



You can find it in several versions of the book 'Fast Cakes'*.


It needs 100g caster sugar so I used Traidcraft's  lovely natural caster from Mauritius.
The 50g sultanas were from Traidcraft^ too. I bought them both at Fairer World in York.


* Mary Berry (1981) Fast Cakes. London, Sphere books (and later editions).
^ Traidcraft.  Traidcraft
   Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York  Fairer World



Tuesday 19 August 2014

Auntie Susan's Favourite Apple Cake





This recipe from Bake a Difference* page 57 went down particularly well.  Also, it has the advantage that you can put 100g of any F/T fruit and nuts you happen to have in your storecupboard. I used 50g of Zaytoun Premium almonds from Fairer World^ (blanched and sliced) and 50g of Traidcraft sultanas.


I didn't make the caramel sauce because it was tasty without it.  And without the sauce, it is one of the healthiest cakes I've made recently.


*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc
^Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Fairer World

Sunday 17 August 2014

Aunt Glad's Lemon Cake (only Orange)





This was a great hit!  The recipe is on page 13 in Bake a difference*.  I had no lemons so I had to use oranges.  I changed it slightly: only using 50 grams of F/T caster sugar in the topping instead of 100.




As I had to use oranges, I grated the rind of two oranges to put in the cake mixture and used the juice of one orange in the topping.




Both the sugars came from Traidcraft.



*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc.

Thursday 31 July 2014

Vanilla Cup Cakes





A recipe that went down really well in our house is this one from the Bake a Difference book*.  There's a gorgeous picture of the buns, decorated with fondant icing flowers, in their book. 


It uses Traidcraft F/T Golden Caster Sugar^ and makes 12 muffin-sized cakes.

I think I'll be able to get F/T Vanilla Essence somewhere but haven't found any yet.
A quick search on the web shows me I should buy:
F/T Ndali Vanilla Extract 100ml at about £6.00 which looks very good value for the quantity.


 
^Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Fairer World

*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc.

Spicy Dhal

One of my favourite recipes uses three types of lentils/peas in a mildly curried sauce.  It came from the packet of a kit I bought from Kitchen Guru  called 'Spicy Dal' but then I couldn't find it again.




Spicy Dhal ingredients




100g toor dhal*
75g urad/urid dhal (from Asian supermarket)
75g moong dhal        (    ditto      )
1 tsp turmeric
1tsp garam masala
1 onion (chopped)
1tsp cumin seeds
1 small green chilli deseeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic
coriander leaves


crushed dried red chilli


Method       Soaking time - 30 minutes    Cooking time - about 1 hour


1)  Wash the dhals and soak in hot water for 30 minutes.


2)  Drain dhal.  Add 1.5 litres of water, bring to boil and cook at a simmer for 40 minutes.


3)  You can blend dhal and cooking water in a food processor if you like, but I don't bother.


4)  Add some coriander and stir until it has broken up and blended in.


5)  In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.


6)  Add the green chilli and garlic and fry for half a minute.


7)  Combine fried ingredients with the dhal and add turmeric.


8)  Cook for 5 minutes while stirring.


9)  Add the garam masala and a knob of butter, if liked. (I don't.)


10) Serve in soup bowls.  Garnish with crushed chillies and coriander leaves. Serve with naan or rice and/or greens.


I find it easiest to warm it back up the next day in an ovenproof dish in the microwave so it doesn't stick.
* Malawi Kitchen F/T Toor Dhal
 from Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York.  Fairer World

Sunday 15 June 2014

Rhubarb Crumble Cake


Another excellent recipe from Bake a Difference*.  Incorporates F/T Caster Sugar, Granulated Raw Cane Sugar and Demerera Sugar from Traidcraft^.  The ground ginger is from Essential Trading Fairtrade, Bristol. 


^Traidcraft Sugars from Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Fairer World



*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc.

Saturday 7 June 2014

Pesto & Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Tried this recipe and it was a success!

 

I actually did the feta & quinoa variation as there are two versions in the book* on page 146.  It looked almost as good as the illustration (p.147) but unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo.  I'll add one next time I make the meal.

 
Fairtrade ingredients I used were:

 
  • Alice & Oscar's Quinola - red variety (You can buy the white variety at Traidcraft but I got the red in my local F/T shop^ in York.)


  • Zaytoun Palestinian Black Olives (again from my local F/T shop^).


  • Essential Black Peppercorns (again from my local F/T shop^).

 
The pesto version is possibly lower in calories so I'll have to try that one next!

 
*Rawlinson, B. 2014, Bake a difference. Gateshead, UK. Traidcraft plc.
^Fairer World, 84 Gillygate, York. Fairer World