Coconut lemon traybake

January 11, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

These are very lemony, “coconutty”, soft and gooey, Very easy to make with no “creaming the butter and sugar” something I am allergic to doing!

Combine;

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Crumble it together lightly with your hands until it resembles fine bread crumbs and press it into a 9 x 9” baking pan.
Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. Set aside for 20 minutes to cool a little.

Mix together;

2 slightly beaten eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice or more if you like things really tart and lemony.
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sweetened desiccated coconut (and extra for sprinkling n the top)
1/4 tsp salt

Pour this over the baked crust.
Put in the oven for 30 minutes

If you want it to look really nice, sprinkle it with icing sugar or more coconut when it has cooked so it looks like a snowfall.
You can also sprinkle the top with more coconut “before” cooking and it will brown a little, but be careful it doesn’t burn

French lemon yoghurt cake

January 5, 2014September 8, 2022 Belinda

One word; Gorgeous!

Serves 8

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 pinch Kosher salt
1 cup goat milk yoghurt
1 1/3 cups white sugar, divided use
3 large eggs
Zest of 2 Meyer lemons
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup Meyer lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Grease a loaf tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another bowl, mix together the yoghurt, 1 cup of the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Stir in the canola oil and mix well.

Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. (I use a skewer)

Allow the hot cake to rest for 10 minutes before turning onto a baking rack.

In a small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/3 cup sugar with the lemon juice, just until the sugar dissolves.

Place the rack with the cake over a large plate and drizzle the glaze over the cake until it is absorbed

Poultry · Whole30 compliant

Easy garlic roast chicken pieces with rosemary and lemon

January 4, 2014January 5, 2017 Belinda

This is a really lovely dish to serve with my lemon-dill rice and the combination of flavors complement each other very well.

Serves 4 and takes about 30 minutes to cook

2 1/2lbs boneless chicken pieces, whether thigh or breast, cut into large chunks
6 to 8 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, stripped from the stems and coarsely chopped (You can also use fresh oregano instead of rosemary)
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tbsp grill seasoning blend (I use Montreal Seasoning, but you can just use coarse salt and pepper)
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 450 F

Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish, about 9” by 13”.
Add the garlic, oil, lemon zest and grill seasoning or salt and pepper to the dish.
Toss and coat the chicken with all these ingredients, then place in the oven.
Roast for about 20 minutes.
Add the wine and lemon juice to the dish and combine with the pan juices.
Return to the oven and turn the oven off and leaving the chicken in the oven for another 10 minutes or so before removing from the oven and serving.

Serve with my lemon-dill rice, spooning the pan juices over the chicken.

Grains

Light and zesty lemon dill rice

January 4, 2014February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is very light, fresh and tangy and a perfect accompaniment to fish or chicken.

Serves 4

2 1/2 cups low fat chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
4 tsp finely minced lemon zest
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp finely minced fresh dill
4 scallions, finely minced, green part only

In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth, rice, garlic, lemon zest and juice to a boil over high heat.
Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

Remove from the heat, season with the pepper, stir in the dill and scallions and fluff with a fork.
Serve immediately

Dessert · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Lemon and lime posset

October 20, 2013November 10, 2024 Belinda

This is one of the world’s easiest and loveliest desserts.

Makes 4-5 servings

2 1/4 cups whipping cream
3/4 cup plus 1.5 tsp sugar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp grated lime peel

Mix the 1.5 tsp sugar, lemon peel and lime peel in a small bowl the night before you serve the possets, so it allows plenty of time to go crunchy. Add more sugar if necessary.

Bring the cream and 3/4 cup sugar to boil over medium-heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent mixture from boiling over.
Remove from the heat.
Stir in the lemon juice and lime juice and cool for 10 minutes.
Stir the mixture again and divide among 6 1/2 cup ramekins or in lovely glass jars.
Cover and chill the possets until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Sprinkle atop the possets and serve with a delicate ginger or lemon cookie

Gluten Free · Nuts · Salad · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Zucchini, feta, pine nut and caper salad

October 19, 2013February 8, 2016 Belinda

This is such a divine combination and wonderful with grilled or roasted meats. After you have made it a couple of times you can start experimenting and add Kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, basil, scallions…. Limitless possibilities.

Serves 4 (at most)

For the zucchini
1lb 4oz small zucchini, cut lengthways into fairly thin slices
1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes, optional
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the dressing
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar, plus extra to taste
1/2 tsp lemon zest, grated
1 – 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped, plus a few whole leaves for garnish
2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes, then drained

To serve
7 oz Greek feta cheese, crumbled
4 tbsp pine nuts toasted

For the zucchini: Put the zucchini in to a colander and toss with 1 tsp salt.
leave for 30 to 60 minutes to drain in the sink, then rinse and dry on paper towels.
Season with lots of pepper and the chili flakes, if using. Add the oil and toss to coat.

Heat a griddle pan or a frying pan until hot and grill the zucchini for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once until well browned and just tender. Transfer to a dish.

For the dressing: Put the oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, garlic and chopped mint and parsley in a bowl and whisk well.
Stir in the capers and pour the dressing over the zucchini.
Cover and set aside for 30 to 60 minutes for the flavors to marry.

To serve” just before serving, mix in the feta cheese and serve sprinkled with the pine nuts and a few mint leaves.

Asian flavors · Curry

Easy spinach, tomato and chickpea curry

September 29, 2013September 13, 2018 Belinda

Easy, tasty and healthy. What could be better!

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 inch piece ginger, grated
6 ripe tomatoes
1/2 tbsp oil
1 tsp ground cumin (I roast mine, it’s worth it)
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
a pinch of chili flakes
1 tsp yeast extract (I use Marmite, but you could also use beef or chicken stock concentrate)
4 tbsp red lentils
6 tbsp coconut cream
1 head of broccoli, broken into florets
15 oz can chickpeas, drained
6 oz bag of baby spinach leaves
1 lemon, halved
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds mixed with 1 tbsp chopped cashews

Put the onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes in a food processor or blender and puree.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the spices, fry for a few seconds and add the puree and yeast extract.

Boil together for about 2 minutes then add the lentils and coconut cream.

Cook until the lentils are tender, then add the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes.

Stir in the chickpeas and spinach, squeeze over the lemon and swirl through the sesame and cashew mixture.

Serve with brown rice, if you like

Accompaniments · Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Easiest blender Hollandaise sauce

March 23, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is so easy and divine to sprinkle over asparagus or use for Eggs Benedict or many other things!

Prep time 5 mins

3 large egg yolks
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of cayenne
1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 sticks of salted butter

Put all the ingredients except the butter, in a blender.
In a microwave safe dish or a small saucepan, melt the butter till bubbling.
Immediately start the blender and begin to add the warm butter in a very thin stream through the feed chute.
The slower you add it, the better it will emulsify.

A couple of important notes;

Don’t add salt, the butter has plenty in it.
If you want a thinner consistency, you can play with it by adding a few drops of water until the desired consistency.