Wow! Time flies in the horticultural sense of the meaning! Hulababy planted our veggies for this year back in April and now look at the beds 2 1/2 months later – heaving with growth. We are already inundated with mange tout, sugar snaps and courgettes. However it has not all been plain sailing as we [...]

Ingredients:

120ml skimmed milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
200g stoneground wholemeal flour
50g soya flour
2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of sea salt
2 tbsp agave nectar
50g soya margarine
 Optional – 120g of raisins or dried fruit

 Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°. Line a baking tray with lightly greased parchment paper.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the salt and [...]

This makes about 24 swirls.
Ingredients:

115g soya margarine
115g low fat cream cheese (Philadelphia Ultra Light or Quark are good options)
120 ml low fat sour cream or low fat crème fraiche
250g stoneground wholemeal flour
1 beaten egg to glaze

 For the filling:

1-2 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp chopped organic raisins
4 tbsp chopped dried apricots (Use organic, traditionally dried [...]

This makes about 15-20 cookies depending on the size.
Ingredients:

115g soya margarine
50g very light brown sugar
seeds of one vanilla pod
1 organic free range egg
150g stoneground wholemeal flour
½ [...]

In the UK there is a health campaign that promotes the concept that we should all consume at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day and supposedly we are falling short of that current target with an average of only 2 to 3 portions a day.
It’s easy to see why we neglect our [...]

If you’re into growing your own veggies and such like, have you got your over-winter planting done? It might not be too late given the balmy weather we’ve had in the UK in October.
You can probably plant out broccoli, cabbage, cauliflowers and most other brassicas if you get in quick and you can usually sow [...]

Several months ago now Time magazine published a controversial article on exercise that suggested exercise was not the answer to losing weight – in fact quite the opposite.  I remember being quite surprised by the findings put forward in the article.  Of course I was secretly delighted since I actually do very little formal exercise: [...]

Ingredients:

115g soya margarine
2 tbsp agave nectar
1 organic free range egg
150g wholemeal flour
2tsp baking powder
150g crunchy peanut butter (with no added sugar or salt)
150g macademia nuts
(optional 100g dark organic chocolate)

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 190°. Line two baking trays with lightly greased parchment paper.
Beat [...]

This is a great and unusual alternative to chocolate chip cookies – chocolate cookies with beetroot. Believe it or not the beetroot goes beautifully with dark chocolate and is a healthy substitute for butter or margarine.

Please see the recipe for Sacher Torte which is the Austrian equivalent of choclate cake.