Sabrina is a Lifestyle, Parenting and Product Review Blogger. A Writer, Photographer, Reviewer, Home Cook, Crafter & Nature Enthusiast. You will find a bit of all those categories here on Severn Wishes Blog, Welcome to Sabrina's Lifestyle Blogging & Honest Reviews.
Sometimes all we want is a quick evening meal after a long day, so we decide on a fast cooking protein and/or carbohydrate like pasta but we then need a sauce. Only we open up the cupboards and find no jars in sight! Well fear not if this is you every once in a while! Because with my 5 minute sauce you’ll be serving up your food in no time!
Pop your pasta or rice or whatever else on to boil in the background. Then search your fridge and cupboard for any of the following items;
Tomato Puree Salsa (Mild or Hot) Chopped Tomatoes Salt and Pepper Italian Herbs or Herbs you like or Garlic too Vegetables – Frozen or Fridge in rough chunks Onion – Diced (Optional)
Step 1. If you have any onion fry this off in a saucepan until soft.
Step 2. Add 200ml of water to the saucepan now and add a small cup of chunky vegetables per person, easy if it’s out of your freezer but in case it isn’t… Any veg will do like peas or carrots! Just make sure if it’s fresh it’s washed (and carrots peeled) and then cut into small chunks. Add more water now just enough to cover the vegetables and bring it to the boil.
Step 3. While your veggies cook you need to make the sauce part, take all of your chosen ingredients out and put them next to your cooker, also get a tablespoon to measure with. Open any tins that you have like chopped tomatoes and wait for the veg to soften.
Step 4. Once the Veggies are soft carefully drain the water away from your saucepan, then place it back on to the cooker and begin to add the sauce elements. Step 5. Add in 2-3 Tablespoons of Salsa, 2-3 Tablespoons of Tomato Puree. Season to your taste with herbs, pepper, garlic etc. A sprinkle of salt is all you need.
Step 6. Mix this all together and now add in your chopped tomatoes, stir well, then return the saucepan to the heat and cook for another couple of minutes until it is hot throughout.
Step 7. Serve with your chosen accompaniment like Pasta, Rice or a Meat like Chicken.
Sprinkle some (I have Dairy Free) Cheese on top too if you like! Delicious!
Thank you for reading this Recipe Blog Post today!
I hope you have a great start to your week.
If you make my chunky pasta sauce I would love to know what you thought of it!
If you’re looking for a fun dessert for a Christmas Party that lots of children are attending then this might be the one for you! Look no further than these Christmas Puds! You can make them the day before and leave them to set overnight in a fridge. It will take just half an hour to make up to six Crispy Puds!
What You Will Need
Saucepan Wooden Spoon Rounded Moulds – I use an empty fruit pot that is from Tesco! They are the perfect size! Teaspoon
Crispy Cereal 300g-400g (depends on how coated in chocolate you want them to be) Milk or Plain or Free From Milk Chocolate 200g White or Free From White Chocolate (for the topping) 60-100g Decorative Item such as a Sweet or Smartie
How To Make
1. Melt the Chocolate on a low heat. 2. Once Smooth take off the heat and Stir in Crispy Cereal. 3. Push into Moulds of your Choice Firmly.
4. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 Hours or Overnight. 5. Remove from Fridge, Turn Upside Down and Squeeze Gently to Remove from Moulds. 6. Melt the White Chocolate, Pour Over Each Pudding and Let it Drip down the Sides.
7. Using the End of a Tea Spoon Drag the White Chocolate to Form a Star Shape on Top of the Pudding .
8. Add a Sweetie or a Smartie on the Top to Decorate. 9. Pop Back in the Fridge until the Hour of Serving. 10. Keep in an Airtight Container for up to 3 days.
EASY PEASY!
Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope that you like my recipe. If you make any of these yourself I would love to see a photo of how they turn out! Please tag me on Social Media! #SabrinasRecipes #SabrinasHowToMake
Dairy Free Coconut and Vanilla Cheesecake with Dark Chocolate Shavings
Method Step No.4
Sabrina’s Dairy Free Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
120g of Dairy Free Spread 250g of Biscuits (I use Plain Digestives and Oreos) 240g Free From Tesco Soft Cheese (2 tubs at 170g each) 100g Caster Sugar 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla 100ml of Double Vegan Cream
Method
1. Crush your biscuits, whatever way you like! Food Bag and a Rolling Pin! Food Processor, you want them fine with not many chunks.
2. Melt your dairy free spread in a saucepan on a low heat, once liquid pour in your biscuits just a quarter at a time, keep stirring with a wooden spoon until all the melted spread and biscuit crumbs are combined.
3. Pour this into a cake tin or glass dish, round is best, and press down firmly. You want to refrigerate this base for at least four hours before adding the topping.
4. For the cheesecake topping you need to take a large bowl and using a wooden spoon, you beat the soft cheese and the sugar together. Mix until smooth, add the vanilla or any other flavouring you would like at this point. You may want to use a food mixer or hand mixer for the next part to make it easier.
5. Whip up the double vegan cream until it forms peaks, it should be smooth, then using the wooden spoon gently combine it with the cheesecake topping in the large bowl. The mixture should be folded together and stirred gently. Try not to over whip the mixture.
6. Once the base is chilled you can spoon this cheesecake on top, use a spatula to level it out. If you want to add anything like fruit or chocolate, you are better leaving that until serving or at least the next day so that the cheesecake is totally set.
7. Remove from the fridge about twenty minutes before serving. This cheesecake will last up to 5 days in a fridge. Make sure that you cover it fully before leaving it in the fridge when it’s finished.
Method Step No.3
Method Step No.5
Method Step No.6
If you need any help with this recipe then feel free to leave me a comment and ask me anything. If you make a cheesecake you can tag me on my social media and let me know how it turned out! I would love to see your creations! Because the cheese alternative is coconut based, you should try and pair your flavourings with the coconut for a tasty combination.
I did Vanilla and Dark Chocolate shavings in mine. I would be tempted to do either Lemon or Mango.
My Delicious Red Wine Casserole Recipe is a winner for the whole family to enjoy. And it’s got plenty of vegetables in it too, with a rich red wine gravy sauce.
You can have a tasty dinner in 3 hours, with a 30 minutes preparation time and a 2.5 hour cooking time. Easy to do and leave in the oven while you do something else! It is a very handy recipe to have when you have to help your children with homework this Autumn.
I will do my ingredients list as if you were serving 4 people. I do this meal for my son and I, and it then reheats well the next day when stored in a fridge once it has cooled from the original cooking. I do it in a Pyrex Casserole Dish with a lid, and it can then be cooked and stored easily.
Ingredients
Vegetables 4 Carrots (1 Medium Carrot per person) – finely diced is best. 2 or 3 Large White Onions (at least half a large onion per person) – finely diced or small pieces. 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes 400g (Make sure to add some warm water to the tin, add this in to the dish in order to create your liquid for your stock). (Optional) Mushrooms – Small Washed Button Mushrooms are best.
Accompaniment / Side
Long Grain Rice prepared per person. 1 Tin of New Potatoes 600g (serves 4 people) This can be added to the Casserole and they will cook during the time frame. 500g Mashed Potato prepared during the final half an hour of cooking.
Meat / Vegetarian Alternative
300g – 500g of Casserole Meat of your Choice – I use Beef or Chicken or Quorn – all of which go really well with the Red Wine Sauce. Plain Flour for Coating the Meat (Contains: Wheat)
Sauce Tesco Red Wine Stock Pot – 1 for a 4 person Casserole. (Contains: Sulphites)
Tesco Stock Pot Red Wine Packaging 4 x 28g
Method
1. Start by preparing your meat, it will require 2 hours or up to 2.5 hours of cooking time. Mix your cut up raw meat with some plain flour in a bowl. You want bite size pieces and all coated in flour. Then you want to fry these off in a tiny bit of oil until sealed but not overcooked, you don’t want the meat to go dry.
2. Next you need to prepare your vegetables. Dice and Fry your Onions after you finish with the Meat/Veg Option. Dice with a knife or throw them all into a food processor to chop them up, it won’t matter to the end result, but you don’t want too big pieces. Don’t cook the Carrots, there is so need, you just want to chop and add them to the casserole dish, they will cook in the stock.
3. Speaking of Stock, that is your next thing, pop your chopped tomatoes in the dish, add water to the tin, and then add that to your dish. You need to add the stock pot, mix thoroughly.
4. Add the rest of whatever you have, vegetables, fried onions, sealed meat, mix together in the stock and then pop the lid on. Preheat your oven and cook at 160 degrees (fan oven) for 2 hours. Check and stir the casserole at that point and then pop it back in the oven for another 30 minutes. (You can do your mashed potato or rice during this half an hour if you didn’t add potatoes to the dish).
5. Be careful when you remove it from the oven as it will be very hot. Serve in bowls with your chosen accompaniment, and enjoy!
Thank you for reading this Recipe post today, I hope you will give this one a go if you can find the stock pots. I love Tesco own products and I love to shout about something if it’s an excellent product, and these most definitely are! They are affordable and allow you to make something that is both delicious and healthy. Please let me know in the comments below if you do this recipe and how it turns out! I hope you like it!
These cookies of mine are not only delicious, but dairy free and made with dark chocolate chips which add a real depth of flavour too! I haven’t baked anything else since I perfected this recipe! I can guarantee you’ll love them too! I have been trying and testing my cookie bakes for years and I have finally found a bake that I am totally happy with, I was so happy with the recent batches of cookies that I just had to share them with you. Did you see my images and videos all over my social media?
Trust me when I say you’ll love these cookies, I don’t even contemplate buying cookies anymore because these are just as good, in fact they taste even better in my honest opinion! So why don’t you give them a go and see what you reckon? If you need them to be GF then change the Flour, if you don’t need them to be DF then alter the spread to regular butter. Just make sure you follow my other ingredient amounts and the method exactly!
The trick with these cookies is to refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 20 hours, and then you must bake all the cookie dough batches within 3 days of making the dough. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge if it’s well wrapped and air tight. This time around I baked one batch of cookies at 20 hours and the next batch the morning after around 36 hours after I first mixed my dough. The second batch tasted the best!
The longer you refrigerate the dough for the chewier the cookies will be. You could freeze some dough if you weren’t going to use it all in the time frame, but make sure you use it within a month if you do that. You will also need to add extra minutes to the cook time if you’re baking the dough from frozen too.
Because this is one of my quicker prep time recipes I used an average sized Mug as a measurement for the ingredients instead of scales and grams. Sometimes I don’t get a lot of time to bake with my toddler in tow! So if you want a recipe that is fast to prepare in an evening, ready to bake the following afternoon, then this is the one for you! This amount of ingredients made approximately 14 Cookies. If you make my cookies please share and tag me on social media.
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 15 Minutes Refrigerate Time: 20 to 40 Hours Cook Time: 8 to 10 Minutes Serves: 14 Cookies Allergens: Contains Egg, Gluten, Soya Lecithin.
Ingredients
½ a Cup of Dairy Free Spread (softened in the microwave in a small bowl) 1/3 a cup of Caster Sugar 2/3 a cup of Soft Brown Sugar 1 Egg 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Essence 1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder ½ Teaspoon of Salt 1 and ½ Cups of Plain Flour A Bag of Dark Chocolate Chips (100g ish)
You Will Need
Two Bowls – 1 Large and 1 Medium A Sieve A Tablespoon and A Teaspoon A Wooden Spoon A Flat Oven Tray Baking Parchment A Microwave and a Small Microwavable Bowl
SABRINA’S TOP TIPS! Don’t over microwave the spread, just twenty seconds should be enough and then stir it gently until it melts and is smooth and pourable. You can use the same piece of baking parchment if you’re baking two lots of cookies, just place the next set of cookie dough mounds in the gaps that weren’t touched on the paper on the previous bake!
Method
1. In a large bowl you need to mix up the two sugars with the softened spread. Mix with a spoon until it is all smooth.
2. Next you add the egg and vanilla and once mix until it’s smooth and combined. I always do it by hand because this is a quick recipe, just put some effort into the hand mixing for a good 60 seconds. It should look smooth and pale.
3. In a separate bowl, sieve the flour to remove any large lumps, and then add the baking powder and the salt. Mix together well.
4. You now want to take your time combining the wet and dry ingredients. So use the sieve once again to sieve the dry ingredients into the wet, do this a quarter at a time, and between each quarter you want to stir the bowl and combine them. Once that quarter is mixed in to the wet ingredients you start with another quarter of dry, and so on. Once you have mixed all the ingredients together you will be left with a smooth and pale dough.
5. Now it’s time to add the dark chocolate chips or chunks, I prefer chunks because they stay a little more stable in the dough.
6. Refrigerate the dough overnight at least, and when it comes to baking you can do as little or as much as you’d like. It’s best to test a couple of cookies on your oven for a time frame before doing a full batch. Everyone has a different oven.
7. When you get to the baking stage I always recommend you take a Tablespoon size of cookie dough, using two spoons to press the dough together, and then gently make a little round mound of it as your cookie size. I use baking parchment over a flat oven tray so as to stop the cookies from sticking. Leave a space of approximately 6cm between each mound so they have space to spread out.
8. Bake for around 8 minutes, the best way to tell if they are done is that the colour changes around the edges of the cookie. You don’t want them to go too browned otherwise they will be overdone and more crunchy than chewy. I do mine at 180’c fan assisted oven for around 8 minutes. Set for 6-8 and then check them, some cookies could take up to 10 minutes.
9. Once they’ve begun to change colour on the edges remove them from the oven and leave them to sit for five minutes. Then you can gently pull them off and let them cool completely before eating them or storing them in an airtight container. They will last for 3 days if you make them air tight about an hour after baking.
Before…
You Can Make This Recipe Gluten Free by Using Gluten Free Flour!
After…
Thank you very much for reading this post today, if you do try my recipe please let me know how you got on. If you have any questions about my bakes then feel free to leave a comment, I’m more than happy to answer them and give you more tips.
You can keep up with all my cooking and baking by following me on my various social media pages.
Have a lovely weekend!
✩ Sabrina ✩
You should refrigerate the dough before baking it!
Freshly Baked!
Thanks for visiting Severn Wishes blog! See you soon!
Good Day All! It’s time for a cookery related blog post today. If you follow me on social media you will have seen me share images of this one already, it’s a great alternative to a take away, and it costs a fraction of the price of one too! It’s a simple recipe, easy to make and complete in just a few minutes. Of course I am making mine dairy free because of my sons allergies, I have worked on this recipe for months. You can use alternatives and I will outline those in my recipe below if you want to alter it.
So why am I sharing this particular recipe? Well, I really miss a proper Chicken Tikka, and I thought with a little experimenting I could make a recipe I would really enjoy. Coconut is often used in curry sauce anyway, so by using coconut yoghurt as part of the base it eliminates the dairy aspect and allows me to play with the spices. This recipe I have made is great, although proper Tikka has nuts and dairy in, usually Almonds, and I can’t have either because of my son. It is also more red in colour, so I am considering adding some Paprika next time! So I will be continually trying to better this recipe and cooking in every aspect of my life, but this is the best I have so far. If I make an awesome adjustment I will edit this post! But for now my Curry is both Tasty and a little spicy too!
This is my Dairy Free Chicken Tikka Style Curry Recipe
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Total Time: 60 Minutes Serves: 2 for Curry & Rice OR 4 (if you add sides) Allergens: This Recipe is Dairy Free unless you change the Yoghurt
You Will Need
A Teaspoon A Wooden Spoon A Bowl for the Marinade A Medium Saucepan A Knife for Chopping A Flat Oven Tray Scissors for Cutting the Chicken
INGREDIENTS
Pilau Rice (it compliments the flavours of my sauce but you can have plain white rice if you would prefer) I sometimes just use a microwave rice packet for convenience. 300g Chicken or for a Vegetarian Alternative use Quorn Chunks White Onion – 2 Onions chopped two different ways, large chunks and diced 2 Pots of Coconut Yoghurt (average size from a usual pack of 4 pots)
Optional Extras (to increase it for the amount peopleyou’re serving) 1 Pepper diced into bite sized cubes and fried off with the onions 1/2 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes (if you prefer a more tomato based curry with less spice) Poppadoms and Chutneys Naan Bread (Shop bought usually contains Dairy) Chips
For the Marinade 1 Pot of Coconut Yoghurt 1 Teaspoon of Tikka Curry Powder (or something similar)
For the Sauce 6 Teaspoons Tomato Puree 1 Small Pots of Coconut Yoghurt (You can use regular yoghurt if not doing DF) 2 Tspn Tikka Curry Powder OR 1 Tspn of Garam Massala + 1 Tspn Cumin Salt and Pepper to taste
(If you want to make a more complex curry sauce look through my blog for my other recipes).
METHOD
1. Start by chopping your onions and frying it off in a saucepan with a little oil. You want the onions to be softened but not caramelised. Once they are cooked you can start to build the sauce up. Start by using a teaspoon to measure out the other sauce ingredients and add them into the onions. Including the spices, yoghurt and tomato puree. Stir gently to combine. Leave this on a low heat stirring it frequently. Your sauce should resemble mine in the image below.
Onions Ready to Fry, Chicken Marinade and Ready to Chop Fresh Chicken.
2. Then take your chicken, cut it bite size pieces, try and get them all roughly the same size so they cook evenly. You want to marinade the raw chicken for as long as possible before cooking it, so I would often do this as a first step and then go ahead to chopping and cooking. But it all works the same way and it will be just as soft and tender but slightly less flavoursome than if you marinaded it for a few hours! So if you’re planning to do this recipe and have some time on your hands, marinade the chicken in the fridge for a couple of hours before putting it in the oven. (With a toddler in tow I often just get a short window to cook!) When you do get to this stage you should lay the chicken pieces out evenly on a tray and oven them for around 20 minutes at 180’c. They should look baked and coated, cooked through and still tender. See my images below as a guide.
3. For the next step you want to remove the cooked chicken pieces from the oven tray gently, and set them down in the sauce, try not to lose much of their tasty marinade coating! This will add extra flavour to your sauce. Stir all of the chicken up with the sauce and then leave it on a low heat for around twenty minutes.
Mix the oven cooked chicken with the sauce you made earlier.
4. Serve the curry as soon as your rice is cooked and hot, half and half works well, you could even accompany it with some poppadoms and chutneys, a naan bread to tear and share or even do half rice and half chips while the oven is hot – if you’re that way inclined! 😉 There should be plenty of that tasty sauce for dipping things in whatever way you decide to serve it!
The Final Curry Dish Served with Pilau Rice
Thank you very much for reading this post today, if you do try my recipe let me know how you got on. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment, I’m more than happy to answer them.
If you’ve been following my blog for a while then you’ll know that food is a huge passion of mine. Coming up with new recipes and experimenting is a hobby of mine. But today, with all this talk about panic buying amidst this deadly virus, I couldn’t help but think, what can I do now to help others…
My epiphany was this! My Ideas On How To Make Your Food Go Further!
There are certain things that most of us keep in our kitchen during week to week shops or our larger monthly stock ups, so I wanted to focus on those to begin with. The issue right now is that due to bulk panic buying some of our staples are very hard to get a hold of. Take a look at the meals below to see if any of them would appeal to you or your family. Then see how you can make them go further with my recipe adjustments.
All of these recipes are my own, so if you wish to recreate one please credit me and notify me on where you have used it, thank you.
Keep those handy takeaway boxes ready to freeze any leftover freshly cooked meals, extra vegetables or leftover homemade sauces.
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Serves: 4 to 6 people Allergens: Wheat Flour, Barley and Soya in the Gravy Granules
COTTAGE PIE Serves 4 to 6 people (sometimes with leftovers if its children’s portions) Ingredients 1 or 2 Large White Onion – Diced 3 or 4 Large Carrots – Diced 500g Mince Beef – Cooked & put through a processor to make smaller pieces 1kg Potatoes – Cooked and Mashed Gravy Granules – I use the Bisto Onion Gravy Granules Additional foods to add to make it go further… Baked Beans x 1 Tin Mixed Dice Vegetables x 1 Cup ~~~ Most people will have a bag of frozen veg or veg that needs to be used up. Dicing it up small and adding it to your cottage pie gravy is a great way to get extra veg into children as well as help an adult get their 5 or more a day! Same with the tin of beans! Pour off a little sauce if there is lots in the tin, but the tomato sauce actually helps you to get a lovely gravy. The beans bulk out the cottage pie filling while adding your veg in take. You can even add all of this into a large casserole dish, and cook it in the oven for an hour, even the veg if cut small enough will cook in the gravy, locking in all the vitamins…
My Cottage Pie is a family favourite! If you cannot get fresh meat then using a tin of Minced Beef and Onion would work just as well!
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: 4 to 6 people Allergens: Dairy will be present in Naan Bread if you choose it as a side
CHICKEN CURRY (You can use one of my Recipes already on my blog for the method) Serves 4 to 6 people (sometimes with leftovers if its children’s portions) Ingredients 2 Large White Onion – Diced and Chopped into two sizes 50g Tomato Puree (this is for your homemade sauce) 2 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes (for your sauce) 500g of Chicken cut into bite size pieces 100g of Yoghurt, I use Dairy Free Coconut Yoghurt Serve with Rice and / or Naan Bread Sauce – I prefer to make my own to my taste but you can use a jar of sauce, but if you do use a jar you only need 1 Tin of the Chopped Tomatoes. You then add curry spices like Cumin, Paprika, Garam Masala and Chilli. As well as Garlic and Coriander usually! (See my Recipes for more on making sauce and a method for the curry too). Additional foods to add to make it go further… New Potatoes x 1 Tin (They’ll cook in the sauce on a low heat for 20 mins) 1 or 2 Peppers Sliced thinly (fry these a little with your onion then add) Cauliflower Diced up x 1 Cup (Chopped small it will cook in the sauce)
Here is one of my recent Curry dishes, this one was with extra Peppers and Potatoes
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Serves: 4 to 6 people Allergens: Check Jar if you purchase a sauce, otherwise none.
CHILLI CON CARNE Serves 4 to 6 people (sometimes with leftovers if its children’s portions) Ingredients 2 Large White Onion – Diced 4 Large Carrots – Diced 1 Tin of Plum Tomatoes (they are sweeter but you need to chop them) 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes (you could use 2 of these and no plum if easier) 500g Mince Beef or Pork or both – Cooked & then put through a processor to make the pieces of meat smaller – or use Quorn or Soya Mince 1 Tin of Red Kidney Beans Serve with Rice Sauce – I use a packet or a jar for convenience but you can make a sauce, you have done the basics with the tomatoes already. So add the tomatoes to a bowl, then add Cumin, Garlic and Chilli to your own taste. Additional foods to add to make it go further… Baked Beans x 1 Tin (some people don’t like Red Beans so you could use Baked Beans (Haricot Beans) instead. Peppers – as many or as little as you like, if one needs using up do it! Mixed Dice Vegetables x 1 Cup (You can add other basic veg if you don’t have enough or you want to do a vegetarian style chilli).
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Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Serves: 4 to 6 people Allergens: Check the Jar of Sauce if you buy one.
SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN Serves 4 to 6 people Ingredients 500g Chicken Breast (Diced) or a Vegetarian Alternative Tin of Pineapple – Cut into Small Chunks – 1 Ring per person Peppers – 1 Yellow and 1 Red Cut into Small Long Pieces 1 Large Onion – Diced into Small Long Pieces 2 Carrots – I Peel and Slice them with the Peeler into long thin shards! Serve with Rice Sauce – I always buy a cheap jar of sauce, the cheaper the better! Alternatives This dish is so easy to make and these flavours are quite specific, if you aren’t keen on that much pineapple then do one ring total or leave it out but then you should add more of the other ingredients.
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Fresh meat, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are hard to get hold of in my area right now. When I did a home delivery order most of what I asked for was either out of stock or I was given a substituted alternative closest to what I wanted. This was very inconvenient and I have ended up spending 4 hours in total, chopping, peeling and bulk freezing some of the fresh veg before it went bad. I created mixed veg bags including a stir fry mix!
TOP TIP: Only make a freezer portion size for what you or your family members would eat at a meal time! Then there is no waste when you defrost it to use!
Washed, Chopped and Sliced, Ready to Freeze. MY TOP TIP always squeeze the air out of the freezer bags before popping them into the freezer to save space!
You can make 6 portions of Vegetable Stir Fry using the following raw vegetables, washed, chopped and ready to cook or freeze: 3 Coloured Peppers – 1/2 a sliced pepper per portion 1 Broccoli Head – cut into thin stems 1kg Carrots – I use a peeler to slice mine into strips 1 White Onion for every 2 Portions – Diced into small chunks ~ Add any of the following to make it go further and become 8 portions~ Water Chestnuts – I use Tinned x 1 Bamboo Shoots – I use Tinned x 1
Adding Noodles OR Rice on the Day you make the Stir Fry for extra bulking out of your food. Either use 1 Packet of Stir Fry Noodles once your veg is cooked, or a packet of Microwave Noodles or a Microwave Rice (all down to your preference) and one of these makes this meal double in amount.
Using a bought Sauce or Making a Sauce?
Adding a bought sauce to this stir fry is great, but if you’re feeding more than 4 people then 1 jar is only just enough. TOP TIP: Make sure you add 2 cm of warm or hot water to the bottom of the jar, replace the lid and give it a good shake, add this to your stir fry, no sauce left in the jar and wasted!
Don’t be scared of not using all the sauce, you can you half, replace the lid and use the rest within 2 or 3 days usually (always check the label).
Alternatives for Sauce… Make your own! You will need… Garlic fresh or paste, Ginger fresh or paste, Sweet Chilli Sauce or Chilli Sauce (if you like it hot!) Salt, Pepper and Chinese Five Spice! I prefer the pastes as it makes things so easy!
In a small bowl mix up a tablespoon of everything above! Less of the hot chilli though unless you like it spicy! Add more or less and experiment with the taste until it’s to your preference. Add this to your stir fry when you add the noodles. One of each paste does me around 7 or 8 stir fry’s or Chinese orientated meals. Chinese Five Spice goes a long way too!
A Pasta Bake is also a great way to use up Vegetables about to go stale and any leftover sandwich meats or leftover sausages for example. This is a firm fave of mine, bacon chunks, peppers and tomato!
I really hope I have given you some inspiration on some family favourites and ideas on how you can make them go a lot further during this difficult time. You can of course substitute the meats for vegetarian alternatives or swap out the vegetables you don’t like for others too.
Experiment with what you’ve got to use up and so long as you’re making healthy meals with vegetables in you’re already winning for the day! If you liked any of my meals after making them please leave me a comment, I would love to know how you got on.
Is there anything you would like to cook but need some help with? I’m an experienced cook and perhaps have experience of the dish, please comment and ask me 🙂 I’m happy to help!
Stay In and Stay Safe Friends. I might go do some baking now I’m done with my savoury cooking! If you’re after sweet treats check out those recipes that are on my blog already too!
Welcome to Sweet Treats Week on Severn Wishes. This half term I wanted to share my top 5 baking treats with you all, hopefully you’ve got some time this week to make them with me! Check out my Instagram for more food pictures, videos and recipe ideas too!
Chocolate and Banana Loaf Cake
Day 4 is Sabrina’s Loaf Tin Cake
I know some people aren’t fond of eating loads of chocolate things so I figured I’d have to put my next favourite baking combination out there, which is Loaf Tin Cake! This can be my favourite cake which is a Lemon Drizzle cake! Or we can do a Banana and Chocolate Chip flavour!
I make this delightful and refreshing cake in a loaf tin because it’s easier to cook it, easier to cut it and easier to store it too! You have lots of options to customise your own cake too! I will be giving you two versions, Lemon or Banana and Chocolate, you can choose which to try or even do both!
When baking you’re looking for a gorgeous golden colour on top!
A loaf tin cake is much easier to judge than a round cake, I think!
It’s also easier to store, cut it into slices and it’s ready whenever you want a piece! One tin gives you around 8 slices! This cake keeps best for up to 3 days, but because there aren’t many slices it’s usually enjoyed during a day or two when it is at it’s best. TOP TIP Store this cake in a cake tin with a piece of kitchen roll underneath the baking parchment to help absorb any moisture.
Fresh Out Of The Oven
What You Will Need
A Loaf Tin Baking Paper or Parchment A Large Mixing Bowl A Small Mixing Bowl A Wooden Spoon A Tablespoon A Sieve A Knife A Whisk (Manual or Mechanical) Something To Store The Slices In After They Are Cooled
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Banana and Chocolate Chip Cake
Author: Severn Sabrina Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Serves: 6 people per loaf made Allergens: Wheat Flour, Dairy, Egg and Soya (unless you use my alternatives listed below)
Ingredients To Make Any of Sabrina’s Loaf Cake Recipes
1 Free Range Egg (Fresh is best for baking) 125g Butter (or Dairy Free Spread) Melt in the Microwave 100g White Caster Sugar 50g Golden Caster Sugar 190g Self Raising Flour 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Essence 1 Tablespoons of Milk or a Milk Alternative
Additionals to Flavour the Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake For the Cake: 30ml of Lemon Juice For the Drizzle: 30g Icing Sugar, Lemon Juice, Lemon Rind (Optional) In a small bowl Mix Lemon Juice one Spoonful at a time to Icing Sugar, how much you want to make depends on your personal preference. Pour this over your cake when it’s baked. Add the Lemon Juice at Step Number 2. Add the Drizzle only when the Cake has cooled but still on its parchment.
Banana and Chocolate Chip Cake For the Cake: 1 Banana – The Softer the Better! Mushed Up! 50g Chocolate Chips (I use Dark and Dairy Free) 25g Chocolate to Melt and Pour on Top of the Cooled Cake (Optional) Add the Mushed Up Banana and Chocolate Chips at Step Number 2.
Method Steps
1. In a Large Bowl mix the egg and sugars together with a wooden spoon until smooth. Then add the milk and vanilla. Add the melted butter which has cooled and combine all these ingredients together using a whisk.
2. Now is the time to add your additional filling, use your small bowl to measure out anything you want, then transfer it to the large bowl and mix in.
3. Next you need to sieve the self raising flour into the bowl, do this a little at a time, stirring it together constantly mixing until the mixture is smooth.
4. Make sure you cut a piece of parchment to the correct size for your tin, it needs to stick out above the sides to allow the cake to rise and not spill over.
5. Bake this Cake at 160’c or 150’c (Fan) for 30 – 35 minutes. Check the cake at 25 minutes with a knife or skewer and then check it again at 30 minutes. The knife should come out clean and the top of the cake should be golden like my image below.
6. Once baked remove the cake from the tin by lifting it out using the parchment, and leave it to stand on a flat surface to cool down. Once cooled you can either add the additional options as outlined above or cut it and serve.
Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Thank you very much for joining me for Sweet Treats Week! I hope to see you again tomorrow for our final baking day!
If you make any of my recipes be sure to tag me on social media, leave me a comment here on my blog. Any questions don’t hesitate to ask them! If you recreate this recipe somewhere else please credit me for it and name me and my blog or even better link back to this original post! Thanks everyone!
Welcome to Sweet Treats Week on Severn Wishes. This half term I wanted to share my top 5 baking treats with you all, hopefully you’ve got some time this week to make them with me! Check out my Instagram for more food pictures and recipe ideas too!
Finished Cookie Dough, Yummy!
Day 2 is Sabrina’s Warm and Gooey Cookie Dough Recipe.
This fantastically easy recipe is great if you want a hot desert ready in under an hour. It’s egg free too! I make mine with a dairy free butter and use dairy free chocolates. But you don’t have to if you prefer the real thing. This warm desert is best served about thirty minutes after it’s finished baking, cooled off a little bit but while it’s still warm and gooey. Great on its own or you can pair it with a nice vanilla or coconut ice cream for example.
What You Will Need
A Glass Dish measuring approximately 12cm x 17cm / 5″ x 7″ and preferably with a lid for easy storage after its cooled down! A Large Mixing Bowl A Wooden Spoon A Sieve
Ingredients
150g Plain Flour 115g Butter (Dairy Free Spread) 110g Light Brown Sugar Water (Per Tablespoon – See Method) 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Chocolate Chips or Chunks (As many as you like but a nice ratio between dough and chocolate) I used around 60g of dairy free chocolate chips.
Additional Information: This sized portion will make 4 portions when transferred into pudding bowls. This is a rich desert and you can divide it up into 8 portions if you want to have it accompanied with something else such as ice cream. Keep any leftovers inside the glass dish with the lid on at room temperature, eat it within 48 hours. If you want it warm and extra gooey then microwave a portion for 20 seconds in the microwave.
Dairy Free Cookie Dough with Various Dairy Free Chocolates
Cookie Dough Variations
Add Chunks of Chocolate Brownies. If you have already made brownie earlier in the week you could put small lumps of your softest brownie into the cookie dough along with some chocolate chips. Just ensure they are submerged in the dough so as not to overcook near the top!
Method Steps
1. First you will need to soften the butter a little, add the measured out spread into the large mixing bowl, melt it at 10 second intervals in the microwave and stir after each one. Once softened you add your measured out sugar. Mix until smooth and combined.
2. Sieve your measured flour into the bowl now, make sure once it’s all in you carefully mix it. Then when smooth you add your Vanilla and Chocolate Chips.
3. You now need to add some water to the mixture, add it a tablespoon at a time until you achieve a Cookie Dough consistency. It usually takes between 4 and 8 tablespoons to achieve the dough like substance. Once you’re happy transfer it to your preferred baking dish.
Step 3. Ready to Bake!
4. Now it’s time to bake! Preheat your oven to 180’c and cook in the centre of your oven until the cookie dough top goes golden and slightly brown. The best way to test the dough is right for you is to carefully touch the top, beware it will be hot, so leave it a minute outside of the oven and push down on the top. I like mine to be like a Cookie on the top, and then soft and gooey underneath! Mine took around 24 minutes!
5. As I described above, leave the glass dish out of the oven for around 30 minutes after the bake is complete. Serve the dough after this, it won’t be too hot that way, it should just be warm and gooey!
Thanks very much for joining me on my blog for this recipe! Thank you very much for joining me for Sweet Treats Week! I do hope to see you here again tomorrow!
If you make any of my recipes be sure to tag me on social media, leave me a comment here on my blog. Any questions about a recipe please don’t hesitate to ask them! If you recreate this recipe somewhere else please credit me for it and name me and my blog, or even better link back to this original post too! Thanks everyone!
Welcome to Sweet Treats Week on Severn Wishes. This half term I wanted to share my top 5 baking treats with you all, hopefully you’ve got some time this week to make them with me! Check out my Instagram for more food pictures and recipe ideas too!
Sabrina’s Chocolate Brownies
Day 1 is Sabrina’s Extra Special Chocolate Brownies
Brownies can be tricky, but if you follow my recipe one step at a time you should be able to recreate my incredible triple chocolate brownies! Since needing to go dairy free I’ve even made these brownies free from dairy by substituting the butter for a dairy free spread and then I swapped the triple chocolate chips for only dairy free chocolates, and they still taste incredible! So do whichever version you would prefer, the difference in butter doesn’t change the end result.
My recipe will make around 20 brownies once you cut them after they have cooled. They are quite rich which is nice because they will last longer! They will last around 3 days in a sealed container, the best way to keep them is to store them at room temperature. TOP TIP Reheat a square or two for between 10 and 20 seconds in the microwave and serve them with ice cream! Yum!
Sabrina’s Triple Chocolate Style Brownies (A.)
What You Will Need
A Glass Dish or Baking Tray measuring approx 26cm x 20cm (8 x 10″) Baking Paper or Parchment A Saucepan A Large Mixing Bowl A Wooden Spoon A Metal Spoon A Whisk – Manual or Mechanical A Sieve A Knife A Cooling Rack Something To Store Them Inside After They Are Cooled
Step 5. Once Smooth Add Your Chocolates To The Mix!
Ingredients
3 Free Range Eggs (Fresh is best for baking) 175g Plain Chocolate (for melting) (You can use dairy free chocolate too) 175g Butter (or Dairy Free Spread) 200g Caster Sugar 75g Plain Flour 50g Cocoa Powder
Additional Flavours or Additional Chocolates… There Are Endless Possibilities! What Would You Do? Here are my favourites…
BrownieVariations
A. Triple Chocolate Brownies require 75g of White Chocolate Chips and 75g of Milk Chocolate Chips (or use different varieties of dairy free chocolates). Add these at Step 5. B. Chocolate Orange Brownies require 100g of Chocolate that is Orange Flavoured, dairy free choc orange bars from Asda are fab or a few broken segments of a Terry’s Chocolate Orange are best! Put these pieces in the mixture at Step 5 instead of chocolate chips. C. Mint Chocolate Brownies require 75g of Chocolate that is Mint flavoured, with such a strong flavour of chocolate it can be used as part of the melted part at the start of the bake. For a more Minty flavour later on you could add some Aero Mint Chocolate Balls when the brownie is almost cooked! Push them into the top of the brownie before the top is solid leaving just a little sticking out so they don’t melt and or burn!
Sabrina’s Chocolate Orange Brownies (B.)
Method Steps
1. First you need to place your butter and plain chocolate into a saucepan. Break the chocolate into small bits so it melts faster. Only melt on a low heat slowly. Keep stirring the melting mixture frequently until it is smooth with no lumps left. TOP TIP I only have my hob one setting 1 or 2 for melting, you don’t want to burn the mixture! I don’t like melting chocolate in a microwave, it’s too easily burnt!
2. Set the melted chocolate mixture to one side and allow it to cool. You can now preheat your oven to 180’c, 160’c for a Fan Assisted or 350F or Gas Mark 4. Cut a piece of baking parchment for your tray and push it inside.
3. In a large bowl break the 3 Eggs, make sure no shell falls in. Using a wooden spoon mix them up, add the Caster Sugar gradually while stirring. You then need to Whisk them both up together until they are combined and smooth with a light and creamy colour.
4. Using a Large Metal Spoon, you now fold in the cooled melted chocolate and butter mixture, one spoonful at a time. Keep stirring it through the creamy mixture, keep going one spoon at a time until all of the smooth thick liquids are combined into one large one. It should be a lot and not lumpy. TOP TIP If the chocolate mixture is still hot it instantly cooks the eggs and you end up with a curdled concoction! Make sure its cool, lukewarm is best, and stick to my one spoon at a time method!
5. Finally you need to Sieve the Cocoa Powder and the Plain Flour into your liquid, again you do this gradually, shaking a little into the bowl and mixing it through until it disappears. Repeat until all the dry ingredients are in the bowl and the mixture should now be a thick pour-able liquid. Add your chocolate chips or buttons or other bits now! Mix them in thoroughly.
6. Pour the mixture entirely into your tray with the parchment inside it. The mixture should sit just over half way inside giving it a little room to rise up slightly. Add any toppings like chocolate chips now, or part way through if they are not bake stable. Shake the tray from side to side before pushing it into the oven, so the bake is level.
7. Bake it with the correct setting for your oven, you’re looking for an even bake with the slightly crisp topping, it should change colour, it should be soft but cooked in the centre. On average this bake takes between 20 and 30 minutes, depending upon tray used and oven type. Just keep an eye on it, take it out and stick a knife into it. When the knife comes out almost clean, pull the tray out. Leave it on top of your oven for ten minutes, try the knife again. Remember if you hit a melted chocolate chip you may think it’s not cooked when it is! For this reason don’t be tempted to over cook it! They should be soft with the additional chocolates melted inside when you cut it!
Remember to wobble the tray so the mixture goes flat!
Thank you very much for joining me for Sweet Treats Week! I hope to see you again tomorrow!
If you make any of my recipes be sure to tag me on social media, leave me a comment here on my blog. Any questions don’t hesitate to ask them! If you recreate this recipe somewhere else please credit me for it and name me and my blog or even better link back to this original post! Thanks everyone!
✩ Sabrina ✩
Sabrina’s Chocolate Orange Brownies (B.)
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