Orange Spiced Shortbread

Shortbread is one of the easiest biscuits you can make, it only uses three main ingredients and you can flavour it in any which way you like such as chocolate, herbs and flowers too. For some lovely ideas why not try these Finnish Shortbread or Chocolate Shortbread.
Did you know that you can even add chilli to your shortbread, check out this chilli shortbread to find out how. To make shortbread rich you can even add clotted cream and make these clotted cream shortbread. I also love lemon drizzle cake.

I have added christmassy flavours to my shortbread by adding orange zest, cinnamon and honey. My kitchen smelt heavenly whilst I was making them. I also love making Snowflake lemon shortbread for christmas as I am a big fan of citrus flavours.Do check out these delicious Easy Vegan Orange & vanilla protein bites

To make the shortbread, making the dough in a good sized bowl such as the Mason and Cash mixing bowl makes life easy, it's a perfect accompaniment in my kitchen for all my baking tasks together with the generous sized wooden utensils too.

Yield: Makes 18

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Orange Spiced Shortbread Biscuits

Crumbly melt in the mouth orange and cinnamon spiced shortbread.

prep time: 20 Mcook time: 20 Mrest time: 20 Mtotal time: 60 M

Ingredients:

• 180 g plain flour
• 125 g butter
• 60 g caster sugar
• 1 tablespoon caster sugar for sprinkling.
• 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoonful orange zest
• 1 tablespoon thyme honey

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/375 F
2. Cream together the butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
3. Add the orange zest, cinnamon powder, honey and sieve in the flour.
4. Without overworking bring the mixture together.
5. Get a baking tray and pat out the mixture onto it to form a 12x6 inch rectangle that is 1 cm thick. Alternatively you can roll out the dough and cut it with cookie cutters.
6. Sprinkle caster sugar over the dough and using a ruler score the dough to make eighteen 3 inch by 1 inch fingers
7. Place the tray in the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
8. Bake the short bread after its chilled for 15-20 mins until slightly golden brown.
9. Cut the shortbread whilst its hot on the score lines. Remove from baking tray onto a wire rack.

Created using The Recipes Generator

** In collaboration with Mason & Cash

Broccoli and Sweet Potato Soup

Broccoli is full of antioxidants and vitamins and its perfect to include these in your daily diet. This broccoli soup is simple to make using basic ingredients , however it is super tasty and flavoursome.

Yield: Serves two

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Broccoli and Sweet Potato Soup

This healthy Broccoli soup is made with simple ingredients yet it is rich and creamy and perfect to serve for lunch or starter.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 35 M

Ingredients:

• 250 g Broccoli florets
• 1 small sweet potato peeled and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Freshly crushed black pepper
• 100 ml milk
• 200 ml water

Instructions:

1. Add the broccoli florets and the sweet potato in the steaming basket. Add water in the base of the steaming jug and place the basket in it. 
2. Using the steam preset  function in the Froothie Evolve and steam the vegetables.
3. Once the vegetables have been steamed remove the basket from the blender.
4. Rinse the jug to remove the steaming water.
5. Add the  steamed broccoli, sweet potato, salt, pepper, water and milk to the Froothie Evolve blender and select the smooth soup preset.
6. Once the soup is ready pour into serving bowls and garnish with non some cream.

Created using The Recipes Generator

I made the soup in my Foothie Evolve, it is really efficient. It steams, cooks and blends. It is perfect to cook soups of all types. I also made my spiced cauliflower soup in it, which tastes delicious.

**ADDITIONAL SPECIAL OFFER**

 Since I am a Froothie Evolve Ambassador, if you buy using my affiliate link  you get an additional 2 years warranty, which brings the warranty to 7 years. It will not cost you any extra to use the link however it does help me to support my blog.

To get this special offer please add the following text in the comment box when you order:

Ambassador (Extra2) special 2 extra warranty years 

Froothie also have a new affordable blender that they launched, its the Optimum 9200A 2nd GEN blender. It is extremely powerful with a 2611W motor, it meets the demands of commercial use, while being affordable for family use. Its bpa free jugs have 6 stainless steel blades & metal drive socket making them extremely durable. The blender is extremely easy to use with 3 quick preset functions (20´, 35´& 45´). The Optimum 9200A blender is currently on special offer for £279 instead of £449

Spiced Cauliflower Soup in the Froothie Evolve Blender

I love soups be it winter or summer, nothing beats a hearty bowl of comforting soup with some fresh crusty bread. Making soup is not  a difficult task but sometimes it creates lots of washing up, where you need to precook the vegetables in a pan, then transfer to a blender to blend and then back to the pan to heat up.

Wouldn't it be great if you could have a gadget that would steam, cook and blend the soup in the one device? Well there is, it's the brand new blender called the Froothie Evolve.

What is different about the Froothie Evolve?

It is a high speed blender with cook and steam functions. It is smartvoice and bluetooth activated allowing hands free blending together with a vacuum function which means zero oxidation so you can get perfect smoothies without any discolouration.

What are the features of the Froothie Evolve?

• It has cooking blending functions for cooking smooth soup, cooking chunky soup, making sauces and curds.
• It has basic blending functions for smoothies made with fruit and vegetables.
• It has high speed blending functions for raw soup, nut milk and for crushing crush ice.
• It has steaming and blending functions to make baby food, steamed vegetable dips and mashed vegetables and fruits.
• It has two tempered glass jars with heating elements, one for cooking, steaming and blending and the other with vacuum blending functions. 
• It has Bluetooth and voice activation and can be operated with a smart device making blending efficient and handsfree.
• It has a motor power of 1400W for blending and 900W for cooking and a maximum blending power of 1800W.
• It comes in 5 stylish colours.

You can see the unboxing video below:

What is included with the Froothie Evolve Blender?

• 1 Base unit 
• 2 Glass jugs
• 2 Lids
• 2 Tampering tools
• 1 Steaming basket
• 1 Measuring jug
• 1 Brush for cleaning
• 1 Recipe Book
• 1 Instruction manual

Like the sound of this amazing bender? 

It is currently available in the Black Friday Sale at a reduced price of £449, it is usually £600. It comes with free delivery, 30 day no quibble returns guarantee, 0 % 12 month finance and free five years warranty.

**ADDITIONAL SPECIAL OFFER**

 Since I am a Froothie Evolve Ambassador, if you buy using my affiliate link   you get an additional 2 years warranty, which brings the warranty to 7 years. It will not cost you any extra but it helps me to upkeep this blog.  

 To get this special offer please add the following text in the comment box when you order:

Ambassador (Extra2) special 2 extra warranty years 

My thoughts about the Froothie Evolve:

I love everything about the blender such as the glass jugs so that no plastic is coming in contact with my food. I also like the smart activation facility and that it steams, cooks and blends in one. However if you are looking for a lightweight compact blender this one is heavy duty powerful blender and the glass jugs are a little heavy. It is also fairly tall and does take up a fair bit of worktop space. Using the blender is not difficult but you do need to be tech savvy.

Coming back to my soup I made this delicious spicy cauliflower soup in the Froothie Evolve. I used fresh turmeric which gives the soup a delicious earth flavour. You can check my recipe below.

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Spicy cauliflower soup that is heartwarming and totally delicious.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 35 M

Ingredients:

• 250 g cauliflower florets roughly chopped
• 1 medium potato peeled and diced
• 1 cm piece of fresh turmeric root (or 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric )
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/2 green chilli (optional)
• 100 ml soya milk
• 150 ml water
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnish
• 1 scallion thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions:

1. This method is for the soup to me made in the Froothie evolve blender , it can be made on the stove top too.
2. Put 100 ml water in the froothie jug. 
3. Place the cauliflower and potatoes in the steaming basket in the blender and using the smart app select steam.
4. Once the vegetables are steamed remove the basket from the jug and rinse the jug to remove the steaming water.
5. Add the cooked vegetables to the jug with both the milk and water, turmeric, salt , pepper and green chilli and select the smooth soup option on the smart app.
6. Once the soup is ready transfer to two serving bowls and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and scallions.

Created using The Recipes Generator

NB- The soup can be made on the stove top, add all the ingredients in a pan except the milk, cook the vegetables until cooked and blend using a hand blender. Add the milk and bring to a simmer. Serve the soup garnished with sesame seeds and scallions.

You may like another version of my cauliflower soup

Froothie also have a new affordable blender that they have launched, its the Optimum 9200A 2nd GEN blender. It is extremely powerful with a 2611W motor, it meets the demands of commercial use, while being affordable for family use. Its bpa free jugs have 6 stainless steel blades & metal drive socket making them extremely durable. The blender is extremely easy to use with 3 quick preset functions (20´, 35´& 45´). The Optimum 9200A blender is currently on special offer for £279 instead of £449 and  To get an extra special offer please add the following text in the comment box when you order to get two years extra free warranty.

Ambassador (Extra2) special 2 extra warranty years 

**In collaboration with Froothie, this post contains affiliate links.

Banoffee Strawberry Cheesecake

Are you a starter or a dessert person?

We all love going out to dinner and you always get some people who opt for a starter and main course and some that love to have a main course and a dessert. I have to confess, I am the latter. I do love my desserts and look forward to them at the end of the meal. I hate it when friends say I don’t want dessert I share yours! No I don’t share if you want dessert you have your own that’s my moto!

My favourite desserts are cheese cakes, my two all-time favourite flavours are strawberry cheesecake and banoffee cheesecake. It’s hard to choose between the two actually. To curb my desire for them I came up with an idea to combine the two and make a Cheats Banoffee strawberry cheesecake that can literally be constructed in less than 10 minutes.

I always use the freshest ingredients when it comes to cooking and baking. The reason this is called a cheats dessert is because it does not require slaving over a hot stove. All you need is fresh cream, strawberries, bananas, digestive biscuits and butter and my favourite Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup and Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup.

I love the Fabbri range of fruits in syrups and fruits, they taste homemade and are so convenient to use in bakes and desserts. I always keep a selection of Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup, Mini topping Chocolate Syrup, Mini topping Caramel Syrup, Amarena Fruit and Syrup, Fragola Opaline, Gourmet Vanilla Syrup, Granatina Syrup and Gourmet Hazelnut Syrup . They are all really handy for mocktails and cocktails too as well as for cold coffees. The fruits and syrups are great for spooning over ice creams too. 

All these products are available from Ciao Gusto Italian Deli at Ocado. 

Together with these you can also pick up some authentic Italian ingredients such as pasta, cheeses, olive oils, herbs, wines and spirits too. All these are easy to add to your online Ocado shopping basket as there is a separate tab for all the Italian brands, allowing you to easily search your chosen product.

Yield: Serves two

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Banoffee Strawberry Cheesecake

The fusion of Banoffee and strawberry in this cheats
cheesecake is super delectacle and delicious.

prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M

Ingredients:

• 8 digestive biscuits
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 8 strawberries
• 1 banana
• 50ml Fresh double cream whipped.
• Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup
• Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup.

Instructions:

1. Crush the biscuits coarsely and mix with the melted butter to form a sand like texture. Keep aside.
2. Slice the banana into thin slices and keep aside,
3. Hull 6 strawberries and slice them into thin slices.
4. Take two serving cups and spoon a tablespoonful of the biscuit mixture into each serving glass and flatten it down.
5. Line the sides of the glass with strawberry and banana slices alternating them.
6. Add some banana slices on top of the biscuit layer and squeeze some of the Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup on top.
7. Spoon some more of the biscuit mixture on top of the bananas and add some strawberry slices .
8. Squeeze some Fabbri Mini topping Wild Strawberry Syrup on top f the strawberries.
9. Finish the cheesecake with a topping of the whipped cream.
10. Garnish with a whole strawberry and a squeeze of the Fabbri Mini topping Caramel Syrup on top.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Other cheese cakes you may like are Oreo cheesecake, Strawberry cheesecake and lemon cheesecake

**In  collaboration with Ciao Gusto

Spinach Turmeric Rice

I have grown up with spices, my mother’s spice box was her favourite go to item in her kitchen and now it’s mine. There are regular spices that I always have in my spice box such as Schwartz turmeric chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Of all these spices, my most used spice is the humble turmeric. Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) comes from the ginger family. The fresh turmeric comes in root form and can it is used fresh or boiled and dried in powder form. Turmeric has many health benefits and you can read all about it here.

How do I use my Schwartz turmeric?

I use it to add flavour to my curries, dhal, rice, smoothies and tea. I also use it in the fresh form to add to my smoothies too. 

Schwartz ground turmeric is available from Tesco. It comes in a neat little jar with a flip lid so it’s perfect to sprinkle with.

I have a few favourite recipes using turmeric. They are turmeric milk,turmeric pickle, turmeric tea that I enjoy daily and my quick fail safe Spinach Turmeric rice. It’s perfect to serve hot with Dhal or cold as a salad accompaniment.

Yield: Serves 2

Author: Nayna Kanabar

Spinach and Turmeric Rice

Spinach and Rice stir fried in aromatic spices.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

Ingredients:

• 400 g Pre cooked cold brown rice
• 200 g fresh spinach washed and chopped in thin ribbons
• 8 cashew nuts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Schwartz turmeric powder

Instructions:

1. Add one teaspoon oil in a pan and when its hot add the cashew nuts and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and keep aside
2. In the same oil add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the chopped spinach and saute for 1-2 minutes till it just starts to wilt. remove from the pan and keep aside.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of oil when its hot add the cooked rice, salt, chilli powder and turmeric and toss the rice until its coated with all the spices. Keep tossing the rice for 3-4 minutes until it warms through.
4. add the cooked spinach and toss the rice again until spinach is mixed with the rice.
5. Transfer the cooked rice to a serving dish and garnish with the cashew nuts.

Created using The Recipes Generator

**This post is in collaboration with Schwartz.

Decorating Halloween Cup Cakes at Cake Owls Bakery

                                                                Photo by Cake Owls

Last month I was invited with some fellow bloggers to a Halloween themed cupcake class at the Cake Owls cake shop in Feltham Middlesex. I was actually excited as I love cake decorating and being able to learn some new skills is always a plus.

On arrival we were greeted with prosecco and light refreshments before we started the class. The Cake Owls team had everything beautifully laid out for the class. 

There were a selection of cupcakes in various flavours, butter cream and cream cheese icing and some pre prepared decorations such as eyeballs, grave stones and chocolate trees.

After a mini demonstration by the two assistants, we were let loose to create our own ghoulish  masterpieces.

We started off with  the spider cupcake, it was interesting as everyone's spiders were totally different, some skinny, some fat, some cute and some scary. Each had its own personality.

Next we tried our hands at decorating some ghosts, they were really cute and adorable. These were the easiest of them all to decorate.

Next we had a go trying to decorate the ghoulish eyeball, it really did look very gruesome. 

The edible decorations were so realistic and perfect for Halloween.

Our next attempt was to make a gravestone and a pumpkin. The assistants showed us how to shape and make the pumpkin.

All four cakes we decorated were really nice and each with a different flavour.  At the end of the class we were able to take our creations home . 

It was a lovely afternoon and I certainly had a lot of fun and best of all I have new cake decorating skills to help me in the future.

You can find Cake Owls at:

Unit 162, The Centre, Feltham TW13 4BS

If you wish to make any purchases or book a class please use this readers special code  "SF03" to get 10% off.

Photo by Cake Owls

I was invited by cake owls to attend their class, all views are of my experience of the day.