Chocolate Covered Cashews

Chocolate Covered Nut day was yesterday so I made Chocolate Covered Cashews for the hike I went on the next day.

Ingredients:

• 150g Chocolate (whatever kind you want, I used milk)
• Cashews (or another nut)

Directions:

1) Chop the chocolate small enough that it does not burn while you melt it.
2) Put the chocolate and melt it, stirring constantly so it does not burn.







3) Once it is all melted, add the cashews.








4) Either eat right away or place into cupcake wrappers for individual eating or into tuberware to break chunks off of.

Fruit and Nut Squares with Chocolate Drizzle

National Chocolate Covered Day is Friday so I've made Fruit and Nut Square with Chocolate Drizzle. This is only part one for the day! Mine fell apart a bit...so instead of something for a quick breakfast like it was intended in Good Food 101 Cupcakes & Small Bakes, it is a nice breakfast to sit in and have (or put in a lunchbox/tuber ware and run out the door with like I'm sure I will). Those that stayed together did so mostly because I left the paper on the back--just have to remember to tell people to take it off before they eat it!
Ingredients:

• 10oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 16oz oats
• 2 oz desiccated coconut
• 4 oz light muscovado sugar
• 10 TBSP golden syrup
• 12oz unsalted mixed nuts, such as pistachio and peanuts (I used sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, and cashews....i.e. whatever was in my cupboards that needed using up--now I only have cashews left)
• 4 oz dried cranberries or cherries (or both!)
• 200g bar milk or dark chocolate (or both! and more!)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4/356F.
2) Butter an 18x28cm cake tin and line the base with baking parchment (or use whatever size you have...like I always have to)

3) Mix together the oats and coconut in a bowl








4) Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat with the sugar and syrup. Give it an occasional stir until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted.








5) Off the heat, stir in the oat mix, nuts, and dried fruit.
6) Leave until cold.






7) Cut two-thrids of the chocolate into chunks and stir into the mix.








8) Tip and spread the mixture into the tin.











9) Bake for 25-30 minutes until pale golden.







10) Mark into square while still warm (it will be very crumbly, so don't actually try to take it out!)
11) When completely cold, cut all the way through.






12) Melt the rest of the chocolate and drizzle it over the bars (or cover....b/c chocolate is delicious).

Potato, Chickpea and Cashew Curry

Still working my way though Veggie Feasts and this time it was curry! I had never had Indian food before college (that I can recall) which makes sense because when I said something about eating it a few months ago my Mom's response was 'ew, why?' Whatever, its DELICIOUS, but time consuming. Just to warn you.

Ingredients:

• 4 TBSP vegable oil
• 1 onion, sliced (put it in the freezer first so you don't cry! Only for 5 minutes or so)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp grated fresh root ginger
• 2 tsp ground coriander (cilantro)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnimon
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp chilli powder (mine was all gone....so I used chilli flakes)
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 300 ml water
• 500 g potatoes, cubed (they don't have to be cooked. I know, I was shocked too)
• 400 g canned chicpeas, drained
• 250g button mushrooms, trimmed
• 75g unsalted cashew nuts
• 2 TBSP chopped fresh corriander (cilantro)
• 150 ml natural yoghurt
• salt and pepper
• rice

Directions
1) Heat half the oil in a large saucepan
2) Add the onion, garlic, ginger, ground corriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, chilli powder, salt and epper and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes






3) Add the tomatoes and water to the pan and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes







4) Add the potatoes and chickpeas and cook for 20 minutes








5) Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan
6) Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned







7) Start making the rice
8) Add the mushrooms to the curry with the cashews and fresh corriander and cook for 10 minutes
9) Add the yoghurt and heath through without boiling






10) Serve with the rice