Guest post: Terry's Chocolate Orange Brownies

When visiting our friend Kayleigh in Scotland, she whipped up these delights! We loved them so much, we had to ask for the recipe...here it is:

Ingredients
* 200g dark chocolate
* 175g unsalted butter
* 325g caster sugar
* 130g plain flour
* 3 eggs
* Zest of 1 orange
* 1 Terry's Chocolate Orange

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 170c. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water!) and leave until all melted and smooth.

Remove the chocolate from the heat, add the sugar and stir well. Add the flour and stir until fully combined. Zest an orange and mix this into the mixture. Finally, add the eggs and mix until thick and smooth.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and spoon the mixture in. Bake in the preheated oven for around 30-35 minutes. Once taken out of the oven, pop the segments of Terry's Chocolate Orange on top.

Sweet Potato & Chorizo Soup

This is a great lunch to have on those cold rainy afternoons. A classic winter warmer :)

Ingredients (serves 4)
* 1 x large sweet potato
* 1 x leek
* 1 x white onion
* 1 x carrot
* Handful of chorizo
* 2 x garlic cloves
* 1 tbsp rosemary
* 1 tbsp paprika
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 600ml chicken stock

Chop up your sweet potato leaving the skin on, and throw into a large baking tray with olive oil and rosemary. Pop this into a preheated oven at 250C. Leave in there while you chop up all the remaining ingredients.

After 15 minutes, take out the sweet potato, give a good shake and add the remaining ingredients.

Roast for another 15 mins, take out and into a saucepan. Add your chicken stock, and let it simmer away for a good hour if you have the time, with the lid on.

Then it's time to blitz up the soup into your chosen thickness. You can serve right away, or even store in the fridge, ready to heat up for lunch at work.

#TaDah

Homemade Pesto

We love making this, just tastes extra special making your own pesto. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:
* large handful of basil
* 40g parmesan cheese
* 2 x garlic cloves
* 1/2 lemon
* 2-4 tbsp olive oil
* handful pine nuts

Instructions:
Lightly toast your pine nuts in a frying pan without any oil. Then into a food processor followed by all the other ingredients, finishing off with the juice of half a lemon. Judge how much oil you want, depending on your preference of oily or dry pesto.

Blend up into a fine paste, and you are ready to go.

You can store them in ice cube trays for quick access when cooking. We reckon one cube per person in a dish.

#TaDah

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Ever wondered how you make pumpkin puree for those autumn/Halloween bakes? Look no further…

Ingredients
A pumpkin!

Instructions 
Preheat the oven to 175c and slice your pumpkin in half. Take care to remove all the seeds and stringy bits and then slice into smaller segments.

Place the segments of pumpkin onto a baking tray and place in the oven for 50-60 minutes – the pumpkin will be done once it falls off the fork when pierced.

Let the pumpkin cool for a couple of minutes, then begin to peel the skin off the back of the segments – you should be able to do this with your hands but you can use a knife if needed! Pop the pumpkin in a food processor and blend until smooth.

#TaDah

Pumpkin & Chocolate Chip Bread for Halloween

This is so delicious, perfect treat for this years Halloween :)

Ingredients (serves 12):
* Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
* 220g plain flour
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 2 tsp ground cinnamon
* ¼ tsp nutmeg
* ¼ tsp ground cloves
* ½ tsp salt
* 2 large eggs
* 150g granulated sugar
* 100g dark brown sugar
* 340g pumpkin puree
* 120ml melted coconut oil
* 60ml orange juice
* 120g chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 175c and grease a loaf tin with some butter. In a large bowl, pop the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in and mix together.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until combined. Then add the pumpkin, orange juice and oil. Once all combined, add the wet mix to the dry mix and mix together gently with a wooden spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 60 minutes in total – cover the loaf with some tin foil after 30 minutes to stop the top burning! The cake should be moist so will be done once a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Enjoy!

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Healthy Cheesecake

A fun way to enjoy breakfast, pretending you are being naughty!

Ingredients (Makes 2):
* 2 x ryvitas
* 2 tbsp flaxseed
* 2 tbsp honey
* small handful of unsalted peanuts
* 8 tbsp natural yoghurt
* 1 tsp chia seeds
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 75g raspberries

Instructions:
Let’s start with the base! Pop two ryvita (or rye crackers) in a food processor and add the flax seeds, nuts (we used peanuts) and honey. Pulse until it begins to look like the biscuit base of a cheesecake. Spoon out into the jar and pat down lightly to create the base.

To create the creamy middle, add natural yoghurt into a bowl and add the chia seeds. Mix together and leave for a couple of minutes to allow the chia to absorb the yoghurt to make it a little thicker. Then add a little bit of vanilla extract and mix through until evenly distributed.

Now for the fruit topping! We chose raspberries but you could choose anything you like – smash these up in a bowl and then pop on top of your ‘cheesecake’.  Place in the fridge to chill, then enjoy!

#TaDah

Quick, Hearty Chorizo & Veg Stew

A great quick midweek meal for after work :) 

Ingredients (serves 2):
* 1 xRed Onion
* Chorizo
* 300g mixed beans
* 1 x portobello mushroom
* 390g chopped tomatoes
* 1 whole tomato
* 1 medium carrot
* 1 yellow pepper
* 1 tbsp paprika
* 1 tbsp basil
* 1 tsp chili flakes
* salt and pepper
* 70g flour
* 15ml water

Instructions:
Chop up all your ingredients. Add the red onion to a hot pan to soften and then add the chorizo and carrot. Then add the pepper, mushroom and tomatoes. Drain your tinned beans and add them to the mix, followed by the chopped tomatoes. Add chilli flakes, basil and paprika to taste, followed by a little salt and pepper.

Leave to simmer on the hob while you make your flatbread. Place the flour and water in a food processor and mix until it forms a big ball. Roll out the dough so it's flat and heat up a griddle pan. place the flatbread in the pan, and flip over once it looks cooked on the underneath.

Once the flatbread is cooked, your stew will be ready! Serve together and enjoy.

#TaDah