Saturday 9 August 2014

Girly Lunches, Neapolitan Ice Cream and Ginger Loaf: August 2nd - August 8th 2014

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful






3:160

If Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely. 
(Surah Aale-Imran, Verse 160)
 Little things that made me happy this week:
Saturday morning rain pounding on the deck roof // Lunch with my cousins and aunt // A Sunday spent reading and walking out in the wind // New students // Impulse buying a new baking book // Red roses growing in the garden // Neapolitan ice cream.

 Saturday: The day began with me prepping lunch for my cousins and aunt. My cousin had requested that I bake these Sweet Potato Brownies for dessert, so those were the first thing I started. Sweet potatoes were peeled, roughly chopped and steamed.
These brownies were gluten-free and vegan. The remaining ingredients were Dates, Buckwheat Flour, Ground Almonds, Maple Syrup and Raw Cacao Powder.
The steamed sweet potato and pitted dates were blended together.
To form a smooth, naturally sweet puree.
The remaining ingredients were stirred together.
And, then mixed with the puree.
And, then the whole lot was smoothed into a tin and baked.
For lunch, I put together a Courgette and Sweetcorn Salad. I used courgette, sweetcorn, red onion, avocado, cherry tomato and capers.
The dressing was really simple using olive oil, salt, pepper, white wine vinegar (which is halal) and fresh garlic. You can find the full recipe for the salad here!
I also made a Kachumber Salad to accompany the Smoky Peri Peri Chicken.
Boneless chicken pieces were marinated in this marinade, and then cooked in the method used here!
Then, it was time for lunch - with the rain pouring down on the roof above and the garden looking beautiful and green.
Courgette and Sweetcorn Salad
Smoky Peri Peri Chicken served over a Kachumber Salad
Saucy Peri Peri Chicken with Chickpea Pulao (made using this recipe but replacing the peas with chickpeas)
For dessert, Sweet Potato Brownies ...
... served with coffee ice cream.
Some people preferred these cookies also served warm out of the oven with coffee ice cream!

Sunday: My mum made Saag - I had it spread on a slice of bread, the best way in my opinion!

Monday: Snacking on doughnut peaches!
I baked this Date and Ginger Malt Loaf on Monday. First, I boiled together dates, sugar and evaporated milk.

Until they looked like this!
Then, into a blender, went plain flour, Ovaltine powder, ground ginger, stem ginger, baking powder and butter.
They were blitzed together until they looked like breadcrumbs.
Eggs were cracked in ..
.. and the date mixture was poured in.
And, blended together.
The batter went into a loaf tin - I should have used two tins not one!
The leftover batter was baked in cupcake cases.
Lunch was leftover Peri Peri chicken on a wholemeal bun with avocado mayo.

Avocado mayo is so easy to make. Smash an avocado. Mix with 1 tsp mayo, salt, pepper and smoked paprika, to taste.
There was also leftover Chickpea Pulao and Green Yoghurt Chutney.
And, Courgette and Sweetcorn Salad.
Plenty of iced water ...
.. since it was a very hot day!
And, a little nibble of the Ginger, Date and Malt Bun.
Dinner was one of those clean out your fridge moments. I had spring onions, sweetcorn, carrots, peppers, courgettes and a Lemon and Herb Peri Peri marinade.
I threw the whole lot into a saucepan along with boneless chicken, smoked paprika, red chilli powder, salt and water. It was a tasty meal!
Tuesday: Breakfast was an omelette stuffed with the leftovers from the night before along with baked beans.
Lunch was pretty much the same.
The night before's leftovers topped with sliced potatoes and cheese, and baked until golden brown.
Perfect for a gloomy, Tuesday afternoon!
For dessert, my mum found one of these in the freezer for her dessert.
At dinner, my cousin brought over some Chicken Biryani that she had made along with Shami Kebabs.
It was a lot spicier than I expected so we had vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (which my cousin discovered in the cupboard) for dessert.
 Wednesday: Breakfast was toast with chocolate spread and coffee - perfect for a rainy, grey, English morning.
At lunch, my mum made croutons from a baguette which she roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and cheese.
We ate them with this Roasted Tomato Soup.
They were delicious and the soup was so good too - rich with fresh tomato flavour.
For dinner, we ate what I like to call Pakistani soul food. Buttered roti with achar (spicy pickle ..
.. and Daal. 
Thursday: Dinner was Sweetcorn and Courgette Pasta - recipe is here.
For dessert - Neapolitan Ice Cream :)
Friday: Lunch was the Tomato Soup with Croutons again.
Dinner was a noodle stir fry with chicken, peppers, carrots. It was seasoned with soy sauce, white pepper, red chilli powder, sesame oil and Sriracha chilli sauce.

Recipes Posted This Week:


Chicken and Sweetcorn Pizza - a homemade chicken pizza sauce ready to be topped with your favourite pizza toppings! Mine are sweetcorn and sliced jalapeno chillies!
Do not think that this world is perfect for anyone. There is no one on the face of the earth who gets whatever he wants and is free from all kinds of distress.
Every day is a new beginning and it's up to each one of us as to what we do with it. 
Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, to all the people you can, as long as you ever can.

Hope you are all well and in good health. Have a beautiful week, filled with blessings and little moments that make you happy, and keep me in your prayers!

Wasalaam!


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