Wholemeal crepês with lemon & sugar

February 28, 2017February 19, 2021 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I can’t believe I went all the way to Paris and didn’t eat a lemon and sugar crêpe – they’re my absolute favourite. But then again, it wasn’t pancake day and I was busy eating my weight in cheese (#noregrets). Also, did you know that in French McDonald’s, you can order your burger with emmental cheese? The French are so cool, I wish I was French.
Sadly I’m not though, but this recipe is and makes around six crêpes (so four for you and two for your loved one). What? If you’re the person making the pancakes, you automatically get ‘bakers rights’… Yes that’s a thing… Maybe.

Wholemeal crêpes with lemon & sugar
Makes 6 / Hands on time 10 mins / Total time 20 mins + resting time / V
30g unsalted butter (+ extra for frying)
150g wholemeal flour
1 medium egg
325ml semi-skimmed milk
Pinch of salt
Lemon wedges to serve
Golden caster sugar to serve

TIP: If you’re making a batch, preheat an oven to 60°C and heat a large plate in it. Once your first pancake is cooked, carefully transfer it onto the warm plate in the oven and cover loosely with a large piece of foil. Continue to add the pancakes on top of one and other, remembering to replace the foil on top to protect them. Serve as suggested above.

Method
1. Start by melting your butter in a small saucepan on a low heat. Once melted, take off the heat and put to one side to cool slightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl, measure out your wholemeal flour and add a pinch of salt. In a measuring jug, measure out your milk and add 1 egg. Give it a good whisk until combined.
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and start adding the milk mixture bit by bit, whisking continuously (this is easier than it sounds). Start to incorporate more and more flour from the outside until you have a smooth batter. Whisk in the warm melted butter and then pour the batter back into the jug. Rest in the fridge for 20-30 mins.
4. Add a knob of butter to a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Once hot, pour a ladle of the mixture into the middle of the pan and manoeuvre the pan to spread it out to the edges evenly. The pancake should start to bubble and go a golden brown colour. Using a spatula, run around the edge of the pancake until it becomes completely loose and ready to flip. Be brave!
5. Flip the pancake over and cook on the other side for another couple of minutes. Turn out onto a plate and serve hot with a sprinkle of granulated sugar and good squeeze of lemon. If making more than one pancake, be sure to butter your pan before each pancake to prevent from sticking.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian

Banana bread with ricotta & honey

February 27, 2017January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Admittedly this is a bit of an odd post from someone who dislikes bananas but I don’t just dislike them, I f**king hate them. I’ve spent my whole life, trying to avoid bananas (which really wasn’t difficult) but they’ve managed to ruin almost every fruit salad I’ve ever eaten.
But when I look back and try to identify the root of my banana problem, it seems to stem from monkey’s. Staring down at the bottom of the monkey cage at Whipsnade Zoo was not a pretty sight. Half eaten bananas strewn all over the floor and rolled in a mixture of mud and monkey turds. Not very appetising. That being said, this didn’t seem to put me off eating oranges, a common accompaniment to the monkey breakfast. Oranges are just nicer though aren’t they? Let’s move on.
A banana is just a fruit though for god’s sake, I need to stop being such a wimp. Full of potassium and very portable, the banana is the perfect snack so what is my problem? It isn’t like I haven’t tried, every couple of years I attempt to eat a banana, and every couple of years I fail miserably. It always starts off well, ‘this aint so bad’ I think to myself as I unzip the yellow skin but then get a wiff of that unpleasant banana smell. Okay, so just breath through your mouth, no problem, easy. Right, now bite the top, don’t even think about it, just do it. Shit, where’s that brown bit gone? Did I eat it? Why are there always brown bits on bananas? Oh god, it’s now turned to mush in my mouth, I try to swallow it but I can’t, I just can’t, so instead I retch, quick abort, ABORT!
I like my mum’s banana bread though so that’s weird. Enjoy her recipe!

Banana bread with ricotta & honey
Makes 1 loaf / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 1 hr 5 mins + cooling time / V Vn* ❄
You’ll need: 9 inch loaf tin
150g wholemeal flour + extra for dusting
75g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp ginger
½ tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
175g demerara sugar
100ml rapeseed oil + extra for greasing
100ml semi-skimmed milk or unsweetened soya milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 large or 3 small over-ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
2 handfuls walnuts, roughly chopped
Vegetarian ricotta and runny honey to serve (optional)

*Make it vegan: This is actually my mums vegan banana bread recipe, I only used semi-skimmed milk and butter because that’s what I had in the fridge at the time. If you’re vegan, forgo serving with honey and ricotta and serve simply toasted with lashings of vegan alternative butter – that’s how my mum likes it.

TIP: If you have any bananas in your fruit bowl that have gone a bit brown, wait until they go completely brown and freeze them in their skins in a plastic bag. We have a lot of brown bananas in my house, so I tend to just keep adding them to the plastic bag in my freezer. When I’m ready to make banana bread, I simply defrost the bananas, slip them out of their skins and straight into my cake mix.

Method
1. Preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4. Grease a loaf tin with rapeseed oil and line the bottom with baking paper. Add a tbs of wholemeal flour and shake around the tin until the sides are evenly coated – I do this over a bin as it can be a bit messy. Put to one side.
2. Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl and put to one side.
3. In a larger bowl, peel and mash the bananas before adding the sugar, oil, milk and vanilla. Give it a good stir.
4. Once combined, add half the dry mix to the wet mixture and fold in with a wooden spoon. Fold in the chopped walnuts and the rest of the dry mixture until combined.
5. Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf tin and bake in an oven, on the middle shelf for 50 minutes. Using your fingers, gently press down on the top of the cake to see if it feels firm and springy. If it still feels a little wet and wobbly, cover it in a layer of foil and continue to cook for 10-15 more minutes or until the cake is firm to the touch. Once cooked, insert a clean knife into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.
6. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Leave the cake for 30 mins before wrapping up in foil whilst the cake is still a little warm and popping in the fridge – this helps to keep the cake moist.
7. This cake will last for 2-4 days wrapped well in cling film and stored in a tin at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge. To freeze, wrap in three layers of clingfilm and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian Vn – The cake can be made vegan (see recipe)
❄ – Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Wrap well in three layers of cling film and freeze. Consume within 3 months.

Cleanser: Homemade vs shop bought

February 22, 2017September 24, 2018 ~ Corrie ~ 6 Comments

I started using Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm a couple of years ago and fell in love with it. Rubbing it over my make up felt very weird, but using a warm flannel to massage my face on top of the balm, was far more effective and gentle at removing my make up than my usual harsh face wipes. But as Clinique is now one of the products I’m trying to avoid, I need a cruelty free alternative.
ev0028_4600_eve_lom-1

As it happened, I actually already had one in my cupboard EVE LOM Cleanser. I started using it and found the results similar to the Clinique so was initially very happy, until I went to buy more and found out it was £85! Where did I even get this from? Must have been a present. Anyway, as lovely as it was, it’s a little too pricy for me so I thought I’d have a go at making my own, I mean, how hard can it be? Turns out it was easy, so I’ve been using my homemade balm for three months now with similar results to the above products, for a fraction of the price. So I’ve made some more and this time, I took some pictures for you and wrote down the recipe in case you fancy having a go yourself. I used lavender, lemon and forget me not to fragrance my cleanser but you can use any essential oils you like.

Lavender & Forget Me Not Cleanser
100ml Sunflower oil
2tsp Extra virgin olive oil
12g Unrefined Shea butter
12g Beas Wax (I recommend using pellets as they melt quicker)
12 drops of Lavender essential oil
8 drops of lemon essential oil
4 drops of forget me not essential oil

How to make:
1. In a bain-marie, heat all the ingredients apart from the essential oils until the wax has melted stirring occasionally with a teaspoon. This should take about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, sterilise a jar by pouring boiling water carefully over it drying with a clean tea towel.
3. Once the mixture has melted take off the heat and add the essential oils as the mixture begins to cool. Pour into your jar and leave for 1-2 hours to set. Store in a cool dry place and keep up to three months. (It’s a good idea to stick a small label on the bottom of your jar with a use by date on, especially if you’re giving it to someone as a gift.)

How to use:
1. Scoop out a coin sized amount and rub in-between your fingers to loosen up a bit.
2. Apply to your face bare or on top of make up in small circular movements. Work the product into your skin for about a minute.
3. immerse a clean flannel into a basin of warm water, rinse and hold over your face for three deep breaths. Wash and rinse the flannel and then using circular motions, carefully remove the balm from your face. Rinsing the flannel as and when needed. Lovely.

But if you can’t be bothered… you can always ask me nicely and I might make a pot for you for £20. Failing that, one of the below products should do the trick. To my knowledge they’re all cruelty free which is rather marvellous.
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser £15.50
Neil’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm £38
NARS Gentle Cream Cleanser £21
Ren Rosa Centifolia No.1 Purity Cleansing Balm 100ml £24
Pixie Nourishing Cleansing Balm £18

If you enjoyed this post (or even if you didn’t) I’d love to hear from you @corrieheale corrie.heale@gmail.com.

Broccoli & cheese potato cake

February 18, 2017June 30, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 1 Comment

Hey everyone, guess what I got for Valentines Day? Gastroenteritis, yay! Luckily I managed to make this lovely potato cake before I was so diseased, I had to be quarantined in our bedroom like a rabid dog. So with me incapacitated, Jamie was left with an entire potato cake to himself (lucky bugger) which kept him alive the rest of the week.
It’s funny though, I found that even when I was feeling very nauseated, I still couldn’t stop thinking about food. Even when I tried not to, my mind would somehow drift back to ‘so how many bananas do I need for a banana loaf?’ Cue wave of nausea… Oh yeah, can’t think about food… Something not food… What about plastic chairs? They’re pretty great aren’t they, awful to look at but very practical… I wonder if the bananas in the fruit bowl will be ready to use by Sunday… Damn it Corrie!
See, it’s official, I’m obsessed. Anyway, this potato cake is brilliant! Not only is it easy, it tastes great hot or cold, it’s a bit like a Quiche but without the pastry and waaaaaay better. I hope you enjoy it as much as Jamie did, I was too busy talking on the porcelain telephone. At least I’m nice and thin now, #silverlinings.

Broccoli & cheese potato cake
Serves 6 -8 / Hands on time 40 minutes / Total time 1 hr 20 mins + cooling / V
You will need: 9 inch round cake tin, food processor (if making your own breadcrumbs)
1kg potatoes (roughly 5 baking potatoes)
200g tender-stem or purple sprouting broccoli
1 handful of fresh parsley (or any fresh herb)
150g vegetarian mature cheddar cheese
50g vegetarian Italian hard cheese or Parmesan*, grated
4 medium eggs
Knob of butter (for greasing)
1 slice of brown bread for the breadcrumbs or a handful of shop bought
Dash of semi-skimmed milk
3 tbs Pomora extra virgin olive oil

TIP: This recipe is easily halved. Simply opt for a 2lb loaf tin and follow the same instructions with half the amounts.
TIP: You can use many vegetables for this. I recently made it with 200g of leeks instead of broccoli but choose ‘quick cook’ vegetables such as broccoli, tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, peas, asparagus that can be added raw.

Method
1. Peel and cut your potatoes into big chunks and boil in a large saucepan until soft, around 25 mins (it’s important to use a large saucepan as you’ll be incorporating all the other ingredients into it later).
2. Whilst the potatoes are boiling, line the cake tine with greaseproof paper at the bottom and grease the sides well with butter. Put to one side.
3. Cut the storks off the broccoli and discard. Pull the remaining florets apart with your fingers leaving you with nice even-ish pieces. Finely chop the parsley and put both to one side.
4. Grate the cheddar and the Parmesan. Take a small handful of Parmesan and put to one side, you’ll need this to sprinkle on top of your cake later.Blitz a piece of bread into breadcrumbs in a food processor for a few seconds and put to one side.
5. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°fan/400°F/gas mark 7.
6. By now your potatoes should be soft. Drain them and pour back into the saucepan. Add a dash of milk to help loosen them up a bit and start mashing (don’t try to get all the lumps out, they add a bit of texture). Season well with salt and pepper, give it a good mix and start to add the cheese a handful at a time before mixing in the eggs. Finally add the broccoli and the parsley.
7. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, spoon the mixture into the tin. Spread it out and flatten the top with a spoon. Sprinkle over the breadcrumbs and the small handful of parmesan. Drizzle with 3 Tbs of extra virgin olive oil and pop in the oven on the middle shelf. Bake for 30-35 mins.
8. Once cooked, leave to cool in the tin fully. Once cooled, refrigerate in the tin to help the potato cake keep it’s shape. When you’re ready for it, score around the edge of the tin with a sharp knife and turn out. Cut into wedges and serve with a simple watercress salad.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian
* Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiani) is always made using animal rennet, therefore it is not vegetarian. Substitute for Italian hard cheese if applicable.

Bulgarian bean soup

February 8, 2017April 1, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

“Why on earth are you buying those hideous bowls?” My friend Tom asked looking down at me in disgust.
“They’re not hideous, they’re rustic” I reply unperturbed, turning one over in my hands.
“They’re rancid, with any luck they’ll all smash in your luggage on the flight home”.
“Jamie’s luggage you mean, I can’t fit them in mine… Hey, maybe I could make that soup we had last night in them?”
“That soup tasted like shit.”
“Did it? Are you sure? The bean one?”
“What bean one?… Oh, maybe I didn’t have that one” Tom said looking increasingly concerned at the mugs I had just precariously placed on top of the two bowls, four plates and skillet I was holding. The shop assistant anxiously hovered behind us, I turned and smiled at her – she did not smile back.
“What’s her problem?” I whispered, ” I’m not gonna steal them for god sake, we’re not 13 in Superdrug anymore… But you know, if they will insist on charging £9 for a masacara then what’s a teenage girl to do, right?”
“Think it’s the fact you’re clumsely walking around her delicate shop, in your ski boots laden with her precious pottery. You’re literally an English bull in her Bulgarian China shop.”
“Oh… Shall we come back tomorrow then?”
“Absolutely not. Come on, lets go and get you so drunk you forget all about these vile bowls.”

I didn’t of course and managed to transport them all safely back to the UK the following day. Aha! In your face Tom (although thank you very much for organising such a marvellous holiday, I really appreciate it.) I mean, was it bit smelly? Yes. Was the queue to the gondola long, arduous and potential life ruining? Perhaps. But seriously, what’s not to love about 30p cans of larger, open hot springs and processed cheese served with cornflakes and jam – simply excellent! So on that note, I will leave you with this rather delicious, traditional, Bulgarian soup, served in one of my ‘ugly’ bowls. Nasladi se! (means ‘enjoy’ in Bulgarian, obviously).

Bulgarian bean soup
Serves 4 / Hands on time 15 mins / Total time 50 mins / V Vn Gf Df ❄
1 tsp rapeseed oil
1 medium, white onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
½ stick of celery, diced
½ de-seeded red pepper, diced
1 large tomato or 2 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cans cannellini beans, washed and drained
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 litre of vegetable stock, I use 2 Knorr stock pots
Pinch of black pepper
Pomora extra virgin olive oil to serve

Method
1. In a large pot, sweat down the chopped onion in a tsp of oil over a medium heat (add a dash of water to help the onions steam if they start to sizzle).
2. After a good five minutes the onion will have started to soften, add the finely diced carrot, celery, red pepper and chopped tomato. Season well with salt and pepper, give it a stir and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the strained cannelloni beans, a tsp of dried parsley, a tsp of dried oregano and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil.
3. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a high simmer for around 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. (This may seem like a long time but the soup needs time to reduce down and thicken).
4. Once ready, take off the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve topped with freshly chopped parsley, a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Vn– Vegan Gf– Gluten free Df– Dairy free
❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Tomato penne with greens & butter beans

January 27, 2017January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

I really should stop buying horrible cheap tomatoes, I mean they aren’t even red for starters, tomatoes should be red right? These were more of an orange colour. I’ve tried several times to ripen them in a fruit bowl but they stubbornly just stay the same – the little shits. I refuse to be out-smarted by a tomato.
Tasting literally of nothing and with a firm almost furry texture, these ghastly toms are franky not worth the 70p I paid for them… But that’s such a reasonable price I remember thinking, staring down at them on the supermarket shelf. Whatever, I’m sure they’ll taste fine so I chuck them in my basket. NOOOOOOOO! Why do I always make the same mistake?!
Well that’s an easy question, I’m always skint, so spending £2 on Taste The Difference tomatoes (even though they look devine and juicy) makes me wince ever so slightly, especially when I know I could buy at least 4 Snickers bars for the same price. But as I chomp down on my sad, flavourless, sandwich, I realise my 70p tomatoes are duds. Perhaps tomatoes are just one of those foods you should spend the money on? I guess it wouldn’t kill me to eat a few less Snickers bars – cue sad face.
Anyway, so now I’m left with five, unripe, tomatoes so it’s either ruin my sandwiches for the rest of the week, or turn them into pasta sauce. Not only is this a great way to use up unwanted tomatoes but it makes enough sauce to jazz up your pasta dishes for the rest of the week. It’s easy, healthy and turns those rock hard tasteless toms into something rather splendid. Good times.

Tomato penne with greens & butter beans
Makes 1 jar of sauce / Serves 2 / Takes 30-40 minutes / V ❄
You’ll need: Food processor or a hand blender
Pasta Sauce
½ red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 tomatoes
2 tbs tomato puree
4 tbs vegetarian red wine
1 can plum tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp olive oil
To serve
140g wholewheat penne
3 handfuls kale
½ can butterbeans, rinsed and drained
Handful mature vegetarian cheddar, grated
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Roughly chop the onion and pop it in a large pot or saucepan with a tsp of olive oil, on a medium heat. Cook for about 5 mins until it starts to soften. Once soft, add the chopped garlic and cook for a further 2 mins (add a dash of water to help them steam if they start to sizzle).
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add them to the pan along with the tomato puree. Give it a good stir and cook for a further 5 mins, until the tomatoes start to break down a bit. Add the wine and the can of plum tomatoes. Break the plum tomatoes up with a spoon and give it another good stir. Up the heat until the sauce begins to boil, then reduce down to a simmer. Add the dried herbs and season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 10 mins, stirring frequently.
3. Meanwhile rinse and drain your butterbeans and put to one side (you’ll steam/boil them 5 minutes before you serving).
4. Weigh out your pasta and bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. When you’re sauce is 10 mins away from being cooked, add your pasta to the boiling water and season with salt (follow packet instructions). This is also a good time to get a smaller saucepan ready to steam/boil your kale and butter beans together (I tend to steam mine but it’s up to you, just remember to season them).
5. Whilst the pasta is boiling and your veg steaming take the tomato sauce off the heat and blitz with a hand blender or pop into a regular blender. Be careful not to over blend the sauce, you still want a bit of texture.
6. Finally drain your pasta and portion onto plates. Top with grated cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the steamed butterbeans and kale. Good times.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian
❄– The pasta sauce is suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Mushrooms & goats cheese on toast

January 19, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Forget Brexit, forget Donald Trump, we have a bigger crisis on our hands people, brace yourselves, this news is horrifying and potentially life changing… Ready?

There is currently a courgette shortage…

CUE NATIONAL HYSTERIA!!!! Where’s Deliciously Ella?!!! Can someone check she’s not sitting in a corner somewhere, spiralizing her own fingers like some courgette deprived lunatic?
I mean, I like courgettes as much as the next person (actually I don’t, I find them slimy and horrible, that’s why I grate them into my recipes) but surely the lack of courgettes isn’t such a bad thing after all? Think about it, now all those spiralizing, clean eating freaks can stop fainting and eat a proper meal, because you know what tastes better than boiled strips of courgette? Literally anything but especially spaghetti! So stop pretending you’re gluten intolerant (because hardly anyone is) and boil up some delicious pasta why don’t you. Oh and whoever came up with the word ‘courgetti’ should be shot.
Anyway, as usual, this post has nothing to do with pasta or courgettes but the humble mushroom and one of my other favourite carbs, BREAD! I pretty much love anything on toast, especially Marmite but I found some left over goats cheese from Christmas and a couple of portobello mushrooms in my fridge and thought, yes! Enjoy.

Mushrooms & goats cheese on toast
Serves 2 / Hands on time 20 mins / Total time 20 mins / V
2 large portobello mushrooms, roughly sliced
2 cloves of garlic
60g soft vegetarian goats cheese
1 tsp unsalted butter
2 pieces of bread for toasting
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Pomora extra virgin olive oil to serve
2 poached eggs to serve (optional)

Method
1. Roughly chop the mushrooms into strips and crush the garlic. In a large saucepan, heat and melt the butter on a medium heat. Once melted, add the mushrooms and cook down in the butter. If the butter absorbs quickly, add a dash of water to help the mushrooms steam. Cook for about 5 mins until the mushrooms begin to soften.
2. Add the garlic along with the thyme sprigs, give it a good stir and cook for a further 2 mins (again, add a dash of water if needed to help cook the mushrooms down).
3. Once the mushrooms start to look soft and cooked, add a third of the goats cheese and mix straight in. Season well with salt and pepper. Take off the heat and cover with a lid to keep the mushrooms warm.
4. Meanwhile toast the bread and poach the eggs (optional). Finally, discard the thyme sprigs and serve the mushrooms on top of your toast with the remaining goats cheese, a good drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh thyme leaves.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian

Cardamom, chocolate & pear pudding

January 13, 2017October 31, 2019 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

Okay so I know it’s Januaray and you’re all busy doing the duck walk with that idiot Bee Gees lookalike Joe Wicks, but it’s cold and I need something warm and chocolatey. What could be better than cardamom spiced pears baked in chocolate cake? Exactly, literally nothing. So stop chomping on kale for 5 minutes and lets scoff this pear pudding. You’ve been good for almost 2 weeks now, it’s time for some oozy chocolatey goodness – you deserve it.

Cardamom, Chocolate & Pear Pudding
As featured in Families First Magazine
Serves 6 / Hands on time 30 mins / Total time 1 hr / V
You’ll need: A pestle and mortar, 8×6 inch deep oven dish
130g golden caster sugar
130g plain flour
25g Green & Black’s Organic Cocoa Powder
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate soda
Pinch of salt
10 pods of cardamon, shells discarded and ground
150g unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g Green & Black’s Organic 70% Dark Chocolate
2 cans pear halves in juice, drained (415g)
Crème fraîche to serve

Method
1. Pre-heat an oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/gas mark 5. Butter an oven dish and drain the pears. Line the dish with the pears facing up and put to one side.
2. Carefully bash your cardamom pods in the pastel and mortar, discard the shells and grind until you have a powder.
3. Put the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and melt with the powdered cardamom.
4. Meanwhile combine all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and give it a bit of a mix. Add the melted butter with the cardamom and combine well with a wooden spoon. Beat in the eggs until you have a gooey chocolate mixture.
5. Pour over the pears and distribute the mixture evenly (the mixture will be quite gooey so use a spoon to spread it to the edges).
6. Break up the dark chocolate and submerge the pieces into the batter evenly and bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately with a dollop of creme fraiche.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian

Leek, potato & chive soup

January 6, 2017January 22, 2024 ~ Corrie ~ Leave a comment

Why is leek and potato soup always a gross white colour? Aren’t leeks green? I know the bottom part of them is white and potatoes are white but unless it’s yogurt, I tend to have a bit of a problem with white food. Anyway, feeling nostalgic, I bought a can of leek and potato soup recently and was bitterly disappointed. What a horrible bowl of white grainy slop! I should have known, canned soup can never compete with homemade, with the exception of Heinz Tomato Soup of course, it’s the best.
So I came up with this rather GREEN version and added some chives and cheddar cheese (because everything in life can be improved with a bit of cheese – that’s just a fact.

Leek, potato & chive soup (As featured in Families First Magazine)
Serves 4 / Hands on time 25 mins / Total time 40 mins / V Gf ❄
You’ll need: A food processor or hand blender
Knob of butter or tsp of oil
½ large onion, roughly sliced
½ tsp salt
3 leeks, cleaned and roughly chopped
350g baking potatoes (roughly 3 big ones), peeled and roughly chopped
25g chives, chopped
1 ½ litres vegetable stock, I use 1 Knorr stock pot
150g plain yogurt
Mature vegetarian cheddar cheese, grated to serve (optional)
Pomora extra virgin olive oil

TIP: This soup also works well as a broth, so if you don’t have a blender or simply prefer a broth, then chop everything up nice and small and follow the recipe without blending.

Method
1. Sauté the onions in the butter and salt on a medium to low heat whilst you wash and chop your leeks. Add the leeks and sweat down for 10 mins. Meanwhile, wash, peel and chop your potatoes. Roughly chop most of the chives (saving a small sprinkle for decoration) and add to the pot. Give it a good stir and cook for a further 5 mins.
2. Pour in the stock, season generously with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Once boiling bring down to a simmer and cook for 15 mins.
3. Take off the heat and blend with either a hand blender or a food processor. Once blended add the yogurt and blend again until smooth. Season to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with a handful of grated cheese, a sprinkling of chopped chives, a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and a good crack of black pepper.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V– Vegetarian Gf– Gluten free
❄– Suitable for home freezing once cooled. Consume within 3 months.

Foundation: Clinique vs Laura Mercier

December 30, 2016December 30, 2016 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

My Clinique foundation was always going to be a hard one to replace, not only for it’s buttery texture but for its anti-blemish formula. However, I do believe I’ve managed to find a suitable premium alternative. Hurrah!
I wasn’t able to find a foundation with an anti-blemish incorporated into it, but Laura Mercier do an anti-blemish primer I could use in addition to my foundation. I always assumed primer was a bit of a waste of money, glorified moisturiser but I was wrong. Since using the primer I’ve found my foundation stays on longer and my skin is noticeably clearer. I’m not sure if it’s down to the anti-blemish formula in the primer, or just the use of the primer itself but whatever it is, it’s working. My skin is almost totally spot free at the moment which is almost unheard of!
texture-flat
The foundation itself isn’t as buttery in texture as the Clinique but it is silky and has a lovely sheen to it. Considering its thickness, the Laura Mercier foundation doesn’t wear heavy and gives really good coverage, better than the Clinique. It is however £10 more but I’ve found that I don’t need to use as much to get the coverage I desire. The primer also bumps up the price by £29 but if you’re not spot prone, I’m sure you could go with a more affordable primer.
I love my new foundation, my skin now has a healthy glow and is clearer than it’s been in a long time. I prefer the sheen finish apposed to the matt and am enjoying the staying power so all in all, I’m pretty happy with my swap. My purse isn’t (obviously) but I think if it goes on your visage, you should pay the money. Can’t go smearing any old shit on your face after all.
The next product I’ll be looking to replace is my MAC concealer so until then, have a very happy New Year.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Oil Free Foundation in Cream Ivory, £35
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer – Blemish-less, £29
Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup, 02 Fresh Ivory, £25