Category: Gluten-Free

Still enjoy your favourite bakes, but gluten-free friendly.

Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment

Homemade take on Reese’s Peanut Butter Easter Eggs. The wonderful flavour of salty peanut butter with dark chocolate combines in this fabulous homemade Easter treat.

I have just one more egg-cellent recipe to share with you in time for Easter this week!

I’ve been wanting to make these Easter egg candies for quite a while, each year goes by, and I get sidetracked with other recipes that take my fancy and forget. But not this year. I made these a couple of weeks ago and I’m delighted I did so, as these are absolutely divine!

Any American/Canadian readers of this blog, probably know that this recipe is very similar to Buckeyes – a candy consisting of peanut butter fudge balls dipped in melted chocolate.

I’m the greatest fan of peanut butter and chocolate. I always have a jar of peanut butter in my pantry – whether that’s for spreading on a crumpet, piece of toast, or drizzling over ice cream. So I get very excited when there’s a recipe I can combine peanut butter in.

These homemade Easter eggs are absolutely scrumptious and incredibly addictive. I found this recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction – a baking blog I’ve adored for years.

The eggs are made by combining softened butter with creamy peanut butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract. This creates a crumbly cookie dough-like texture that’s rolled and moulded into egg-shapes. The peanut eggs are then chilled in the fridge, before dipping generously in melted chocolate and further decorated with spare melted chocolate, and personal favourites, sea salt and sprinkles!

Make and gift these to family and friends over the next few days. Once you taste the homemade Easter egg candies, you might decide to not give these away though, as they are pretty damn addictive and delicious…

No judgement whatsoever here, as I would do the same!

Have a wonderful weekend and great Easter. Enjoy all your Easter-inspired baking/cooking!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

Prep Time 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 20

Ingredients

  • 85 g salted or unsalted butter softened
  • 250 g creamy peanut butter
  • 300 g icing sugar sifted
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 300 g dark and milk chocolate I use a mix of half dark chocolate and half milk chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • sea salt or sprinkles for decoration

Instructions

  • Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and cream until softened and lightened in colour - mix for around 2 minutes.
  • Add the peanut butter and mix again for 1 minute until combined. Now add the icing sugar and the vanilla and beat on a low speed for 2 more minutes until a crumbly mixture forms.
  • Measure out 30g portions of the peanut mixture and roll into a ball. Flatten each ball between your palms and use your fingers to narrow one end into an egg shape. The eggs should be roughly 3/4 inch thick. Place the eggs on the lined baking tray.
  • Chill the shaped peanut butter eggs in the fridge for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. During the last few minutes of the chilling time, begin melting the chocolate and oil together. I melted my chocolate and oil in a large measuring jug - this is great for dipping later on. Either melt the chocolate in the microwave in 20-second increments, or melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water (bain-marie).
  • Let the warm chocolate sit for 6-8 minutes before dipping. Take the peanut butter eggs from the fridge. Working one at a time, submerge each egg into the chocolate and then carefully lift out using a fork. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl/measuring jug to rid of the excess chocolate. Use a toothpick or a second fork to help slide the egg off of the fork and onto the baking sheet. 
  • If you happen to have any leftover chocolate, drizzle it over the eggs. Also, if desired, lightly sprinkle each egg with flaky sea salt or sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet.
  • Place the eggs back in the fridge for 30 minutes until the chocolate is fully set. The peanut butter eggs will keep stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

If you love this recipe, then you’ll also enjoy these No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

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Chocolate · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters (2 Ingredients)

What Jessica Baked Next2 Comments

Easy 2 ingredient chocolate nut clusters! Melted chocolate is mixed with roasted hazelnuts, making a simple and delicious sweet, nutty treat.

I’ve always loved chocolate bars filled with hazelnuts, Ferrero Rocher and any dessert that contains nuts. I dream about his No-Bake Ferrero Rocher Cheesecake daily! So I’ve taken a favourite chocolate bar of mine and created an easy sweet treat!

These Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters will make a wonderful gift to give to family and friends for birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions.

The recipe needs just two ingredients: chocolate and hazelnuts. I use a pack of already roasted hazelnuts – but if you need to roast yours, just pop them on a baking tray and bake at 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6 for around 5-8 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Swap the hazelnuts for another nut, such as almonds, peanuts, pecans or walnuts.

You can customise this recipe by swapping around the chocolate you use. I went for milk chocolate, but dark chocolate is great to use too, or you could use a combination of the two. Also, you could even add a handful of dried fruit such as cranberries or raisins to the mix.

This is the easiest recipe I’ve ever posted on my blog. Christmas is a hectic time for many, but you can still cut some corners and create something amazing like these nutty chocolate clusters!

I made 10 medium-sized clusters, but you can make them smaller/any size you want – even bitesize clusters are great!

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Chocolate Hazelnut Clusters (2 Ingredients)

Easy 2 ingredient chocolate nut clusters! Melted chocolate is mixed with roasted hazelnuts, making a simple and delicious sweet, nutty treat.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 20 minutes
Servings 10
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g dark or milk chocolate
  • 200 g whole roasted hazelnuts
  • Sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Melt your chocolate in a heatproof bowl, over a pan of barely simmering water, or in the microwave in 20-second bursts until completely smooth and melted.
  • Take your roasted hazelnuts, toss those into a large mixing bowl. Now pour over the melted chocolate, stir to fully coat the hazelnuts in the melted chocolate.
  • Line a large baking tray with baking paper or a silicone baking mat. Using two spoons, take spoonfuls (as big or small as you like) of the mixture and place on the baking tray. Drizzle over leftover chocolate from the bowl on top of each cluster. Sprinkle with a little sea salt, if desired.
  • Place the clusters in the fridge for 20 minutes to set the chocolate. The clusters can be stored at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Want more edible gift ideas? 

How about these divine Chocolate Truffles

Spanish Roasted Almonds (Almendras Fritas)

Christmas Crunch Snack Mix

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Baking · Christmas · Gluten-Free · Vegan

British Roast Potatoes

What Jessica Baked Next1 Comment

Perfectly crisp and fluffy roast potatoes. Our classic British Roast Potatoes are a family favourite side dish.

Roast potatoes are a tasty side dish us Brits serve with our roast dinner on a Sunday. They’re my favourite part of a roast dinner, along with Yorkshire Puddings, some sage and onion stuffing, and not to forget, lashings of warm gravy.

Just now, thinking of a bowl of warm roast potatoes and gravy is making me hungry!

If you’re a Brit like myself, then you have most likely eaten roast potatoes since a very young age, almost every Sunday or for a mid-week roast. With Christmas less than a month away, I figured an easy roast potato recipe would be helpful to share!

Our family loves these. The recipe is my Mum’s. Every time we have one of Mum’s roasts, everyone is drooling as soon as the roasties make their way to the table!

Homemade roast potatoes are easy to make. You want to start by selecting a good roasting potato. As this is my Mum’s recipe, I’ve used her expertise to help share all the best tips. Maris Piper, King Edward or any floury potato is best of all to use.

To start, we need to peel and cut the potatoes. You want big roast potatoes here, so we’re halving each potato and then cutting each half in half once again. About 6cm in diameter. To parboil, fill a large saucepan/pot with the potatoes, then cover the potatoes in cold water – taking the water about an inch above the potatoes. Generously salt the water and bring the potatoes up to the boil.

Once boiling, turn the heat down and continue to gently boil for around 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes for a few minutes, then return them to the saucepan. Cover with a couple of pieces of kitchen paper and leave to stand for 5 minutes – this helps dry the potato out further, increasing the crispiness later on!

Now, add the seasoning along with the oil. Put the lid back on the saucepan and give the pan a good shake and toss the potatoes around. This creates rough edges, which again will make your roasties super crispy – just how we want them!

Transfer your potatoes to a large baking tray, pop a few cloves of garlic and some rosemary in the pan if you desire, then roast for about 30 minutes.

If you like your roast potatoes really crispy, cook longer until they are your desired texture.

These golden and fluffy potatoes are naturally gluten-free and completely vegan too.

Now you have a fantastic potato recipe to make for Christmas Day!

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British Roast Potatoes

Our family favourite British Roast Potatoes. Classic roasties are ultra crisp on the outside, with a deliciously fluffy inside. A roast dinner must!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 10
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 2 kg roasting potatoes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons oil I used olive oil, but sunflower/vegetable oil works too

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
  • Take your potatoes, peel them and then half each potato, half again. Transfer the chopped potatoes to a large saucepan and cover the potatoes with the water - fill to about a couple of inches above the potatoes. Generously salt the water.
  • Bring the pan up to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and leave the potatoes to gently boil for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
  • Drain the potatoes, then once drained, place a couple of pieces of kitchen paper on top of the potatoes and leave for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the kitchen paper and add in the seasoning and the oil. Place the lid back on the saucepan and give the potatoes a good shake and toss around - this makes them really fluffy!
  • Transfer the potatoes to a large baking tray, bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden and crispy on the outside.
  • Serve the roast potatoes straight away with an additional sprinkle of salt.

Best Yorkshire Puddings

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Dips and Sides · Gluten-Free · No-Bake · Vegan

Guacamole

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Homemade guacamole recipe. This Mexican dip is an essential side served with a plate of nachos, alongside a burrito, tacos, quesadillas, or a bowl of homemade chilli con or sin carne. 

Mexican food is up there on my list of favourite cuisines. The use of fresh ingredients, wholesome food are exactly two reasons why I love this kind of food as much as I do.

I’ve been preparing homemade guacamole for years, the recipe I use is incredibly easy and quick to make. I hadn’t thought until now about sharing the recipe with you. But since the weather has been warming up, and summer is (hopefully) on the way, I thought now would be a great time to finally share it!

I believe everyone needs a good guacamole recipe in their repertoire.

As I mentioned near the top of this blog post, I love Mexican food.

A fun fact for you: Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo) was the first recipe I ever shared! As much as I have quite the sweet tooth, I am truly a savoury person!

This simple and easy Guacamole recipe starts with some mis en place. You’ll need all your ingredients together ready. Start by chopping the add-in ingredients: finely diced onion (I always go for red onion), deseed and dice tomato, chop up some garlic and a green chilli (leave the seeds in if you like it spicy), along with some coriander, and a small pinch of ground cumin.

Mash the avocado with the lime juice until there’s just a few chunks left, then mix in the ingredients you chopped earlier. Finally, season well with salt and pepper, to taste.

I used homegrown coriander from my parents garden, we have an abundance of parsley in ours (hopefully to feature in lots more summer cooking), but for today’s recipe I needed some beautiful coriander to flavour the guacamole.

Guacamole is just thing I really cannot ever buy. The readymade guacamole is not fresh, this is one of the dips that just has to be made fresh and eaten on the day of making. The guacamole you get in those dip selections are lacking all the texture that’s traditional, and they often don’t have the best flavour.

This recipes like this one, homemade is most definitely the way to go! It’s my take on guacamole, everyone makes theirs differently, but we love it and hope you do too!

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Guacamole

Homemade guacamole recipe. This Mexican dip is an essential side served with a plate of nachos, alongside a burrito, tacos, quesadillas, or a bowl of homemade chilli con or sin carne. 
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe avocados
  • juice from 1/2 a lime add more if you desire
  • 125 g tomato (deseeded and finely chopped) I use vine-ripened tomatoes for the best flavour
  • 1 small red onion finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove finely minced
  • 1 green chilli (deseeded and finely chopped)
  • small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
  • pinch of ground cumin optional
  • salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Start by prepping all your add-in ingredients. Deseed and chop the tomato, red onion, garlic clove, green chilli and coriander. Have these ready to mix in.
  • Halve and stone the avocados - leave one stone for storage later on. Scoop the flesh out from the skin and add to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Squeeze the lime juice in the bowl.
  • Smash slightly, leaving a few chunks of avocado. Add all the remaining ingredients to the bowl (the chopped tomato, red onion, garlic, green chilli, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper).
  • Stir to combine fully, then place the guacamole mixture in a serving bowl/dish of your choice. If not serving straight away, place the avocado stone you reserved earlier in the centre and cover tightly, before storing in the fridge.
  • The guacamole will keep for up to 2 days. It's best eaten on the day of making.

Want another dip recipe to try? Make our favourite Creamy Homemade Hummus next!

You haven’t eaten the BEST chilli until you’ve made my Chilli Con Carne

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Candy and Sweets · Chocolate · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

Chocolate Truffles

What Jessica Baked Next3 Comments

Homemade French-style chocolate truffles. Made with dark chocolate, cream, butter and a touch of brown sugar. These fudgy truffles will just melt in your mouth. They make a wonderful gift or after dinner sweet treat.

At Christmas and for my birthday, during the summer, for the last couple of years, I received a box of chocolate truffles from friends and family, as a gift. The people close to me know just how much I love a good chocolate truffle.

We’ve been working our way through all the confectionery we got recently for Christmas and the other day, I finished the last of my latest box of dark chocolate truffles.

Whilst I was eating them, I thought about making chocolate truffles for the blog. In the past, I’ve made these 3 Ingredient Oreo Truffles, but today I have a classic chocolate truffle for you.

Chocolate Truffles are a decadent treat made from dark chocolate and double cream. These two ingredients, when heated and combined, make a chocolate ganache.

I use ganache to spread on top of Chocolate Fudge Cake, pipe on cupcakes, but in this case, you can roll the ganache once it’s chilled into balls to make truffles.

Making your own chocolate truffles is super easy. This recipe requires a fair bit of patience, as the ganache needs to chill in the fridge for a few hours or even better, up to overnight.

What Ingredients You’ll Need To Make Chocolate Truffles

  • Dark Chocolate – I use a supermarket’s own brand chocolate bar. Honestly, you don’t need to spend lots on expensive chocolate – use whatever fits in with your budget. I tend to go for a chocolate that is at least 50% cocoa solids or thereabouts. You can make chocolate truffles with chocolate containing over 70% cocoa solids. These will be slightly more bitter in taste, so bear that in mind.
  • Double Cream – Full-fat double cream is essential for these chocolate truffles. The cream will make your truffles extra decadent, will give them that soft, melt in the mouth texture.
  • Butter – Use either salted or unsalted butter – I prefer to use salted butter. The butter adds even more richness and will help make the chocolate truffles easier to roll. Once the truffles come to room temperature ready for serving, the butter, just like the cream, gives them that soft texture.
  • Brown Sugar – Just a tablespoon of brown sugar brings a touch of extra sweetness to balance out the dark chocolate. You can omit it if you want.

Transfer your chocolate mixture to a shallow baking tin, cover and chill. Chilling time is very important.

The ganache needs chilling for at least 3 hours. I would recommend longer, even up to overnight.

These are indulgently creamy chocolate truffles. The only downside to that is that they’re very sticky when rolling.

Scoop the truffles into 2 teaspoon sized portions. You can roll them smaller and use 1 teaspoon instead and therefore make double the amount of truffles. Roll them as quickly as you can, as soon as the chocolate hits your hand, it will begin to soften/melt slightly, so the trick is to roll as quickly as you can – they don’t need to be the perfect round shape.

Once you’ve rolled your truffles, roll them in sifted cocoa powder. Alternatively, you can roll the truffles in chocolate or colourful sprinkles. Desiccated coconut, chopped nuts, crushed biscuit/cookies, or even some crushed freeze-dried fruit would contrast really well.

Once the truffles are coated, finally, place the truffles back in the fridge again for a further half an hour to set. After that, the wait is finally over and the truffles are ready to eat!

The longer they sit in the fridge, the firmer texture your truffles will have.

These make a lovely edible treat for your friends and family for a special occasion.

Our truffles only lasted just over a day. I loved them even more the next day when they’d been in the fridge overnight and the chocolate flavour definitely intensified.

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Chocolate Truffles

Homemade French Chocolate Truffles. The perfect, indulgent chocolate treat made with 4 ingredients.
Prep Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Servings 18
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 200 g dark chocolate use chocolate containing at least 50% cocoa solids
  • 150 ml double cream
  • 25 g butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar optional
  • 1-2 tablespoons cocoa powder for coating the truffles

Instructions

  • Chop the chocolate into small pieces - the smaller, the quicker the chocolate will melt. Transfer the chopped chocolate to a medium sized mixing bowl.
  • Place the cream, butter and brown sugar (if using) in a small pan. Heat gently until bubbles just begin to appear on the surface. You don't want this mixture rapidly boiling.
  • Pour the warm cream mixture over the chopped chocolate. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer the ganache to a shallow baking tray, cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
  • When ready to roll the truffles, sift about a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder on a plate or in a small bowl. Take 2 teaspoons worth of the ganache, very quickly roll into a ball using your hands - try to limit how long the mixture is in your hands. Drop the truffles in the cocoa powder and roll around to coat. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining ganache.
  • Place the truffles in the fridge to set for a further 30 minutes before serving. The truffles will keep stored in the fridge for up to one week.

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Baking · Dips and Sides · Gluten-Free · Vegan

Spanish Roasted Almonds (Almendras Fritas)

What Jessica Baked Next5 Comments

Spanish-style almonds flavoured with olive oil, smoked paprika and garlic. A quick recipe to prepare ready for snacking on.

Almendras Fritas is a traditional Spanish tapa. The almonds are usually fried, but instead I’ve roasted mine and once lightly toasted and still hot from the oven, I’ve mixed the almonds with olive oil, garlic and paprika seasoning, and flaky sea salt.

In Spain, you’ll typically find fried almonds (only seasoned with salt) on the side in bars, ready to devour with a beer or glass of wine.

They also make a fabulous, healthy snack to munch on. They’re perfect for all occasions, whether it be for a mid-morning/midday snack to re-engerise yourself with, or served up at a party alongside other tasty nibbles.

Last summer, I went on a holiday to beautiful Nerja in Andalusia. It was on that trip that I discovered the Spaniards’ love of savoury and sweet nuts.

Walking around most cities or towns, there are many stalls selling warm almonds. We also found a shop that sold caramelised nuts. They took anything from almonds, to cashew nuts, to sunflower seeds and coated these nuts and seeds in caramel – some with salt added too.

I brought back a few packs to eat at home, but this is something I’ve wanted to recreate for the blog since my holiday.

But first, I chose to make a savoury version of roasted nuts.

I intended to share this recipe before Christmas/New Year and wanted to post it alongside these Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels. In the end, time got the better of me, but I made sure this recipe went straight to the top of my 2023 recipe planner.

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Spanish Roasted Almonds (Almendras Fritas)

Spanish-style roasted almonds, flavoured with smoked paprika and garlic.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 6
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 300 g raw almonds
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt I use sea salt, but table salt is fine too
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
  • Evenly spread the almonds out on a large baking tray. Toast the almonds for 5-8 minutes until slightly darkened in colour - watch them carefully as the nuts toast very quickly.
  • While the almonds are toasting, prepare the spice mix. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic granules, smoked paprika and the salt.
  • When the almonds are ready, transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and the spice mix and toss to combine.
  • Serve the almonds warm or at room temperature. The almonds will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

The recipe makes enough almonds to generously fill a medium sized serving dish and will roughly serve about 6 people.

Deliciously crunchy and each almond has a tasty coating of smoky paprika and garlic.

You’ll find these addictive and will be eating them constantly by the handful…

Similar recipes to try next!

Patatas Bravas – my most popular savoury recipe

Paprika Roasted Potatoes

Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Cheese and Mustard Puff Pastry Pinwheels (3 Ingredients)

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Gluten-Free · Main Meals · Rice Dishes · Vegan

Red Lentil Curry with Pilau Rice

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Red lentil curry is a quick and cheap homemade vegan meal. Packed with the perfect balance of spice and sweetness, this curry makes a filling lunch or dinner served with fragrant, golden pilau rice.

 

I’m serving you up not just one recipe, but two with my Red Lentil Curry and Pilau Rice recipes.

I absolutely love Indian food. My friend, Niketa, is from India and, as you’d guess, she makes the most incredible, traditional Indian food. On my visits to her house, she’s cooked me homemade samosas and fried pea kachori, lots of amazing curries and also vegan biryani.

Her food has a beautiful blend of spices and tastes out of this world!

When Niketa isn’t making me her tasty Indian recipes, we love to get into the kitchen and create some of our Indian favourites at home.

We make this Chickpea Tikka Masala recipe very often. Now I’ve turned my attention to perfecting a red lentil curry/dahl. You can’t beat a good curry, whether it be for a quick weekday dinner or a homemade takeaway-style meal at the weekend.

Lentils are a fantastic source of protein for anyone following a vegan lifestyle. I always have a big pack of lentils in my kitchen cupboard and there’s numerous ways to incorporate them into recipes. I make many vegan dishes using red lentils, including pastistio (an amazing Greek pasta bake), vegan bolognese and curries.

Vegan food certainly isn’t boring or repetitive, it’s every bit as tasty and exciting! Lots of vegan recipes are also super affordable and make filling and satisfying meals you’ll want to make again and again.

This lentil curry goes with many different sides. Bombay potatoes, onion bhaji, samosas and rice. We often eat this curry with basmati rice, but make it extra special and serve with pilau rice.

Pilau rice is rice that’s flavoured with bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin and turmeric. The last ingredient gives the rice its glorious golden colour. I braise my rice in the oven. This is the method I was taught at culinary school and I’ve stuck to preparing it that way ever since.

Serve the curry with Bombay potatoes, poppadoms or naan bread. I make my homemade naan bread using this recipe

This curry tastes amazing on the day you make it, but if you do happen to have any leftovers, taste the curry the next day – it’s even better!

The amount of times, I’ve made a bigger batch and we’ve had leftovers, all I need is a bit of bread to tear and scoop this curry up with! We’ve even been known to eat this straight from the fridge and spread it in a sandwich!

Serve the curry hot or cold, sprinkle with extra nigella seeds or some chilli or coriander.

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Red Lentil Curry with Pilau Rice

Red lentil curry is a quick and cheap homemade vegan meal. Packed with the perfect balance of spice and sweetness, this curry makes a filling lunch or dinner served with fragrant, golden pilau rice.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

Red Lentil Curry:

  • 200 g (1 cup) dried red lentils washed and drained
  • 1 vegetable stock cube or pot
  • 2 tablespoons coconut or vegetable oil
  • 1 medium brown or red onion diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped ginger I use frozen ginger for ease
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 teaspoons curry powder I use medium curry powder
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin (ground or seeds)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper optional
  • 3 tablespoons tomato purée
  • 400ml can coconut milk I use full-fat
  • 1 tablespoon mango chutney
  • 2 very generous pinches of nigella seeds (roughly one teaspoon) optional

Pilau Rice:

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 5 cardamom pods
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 2-3 bay leaves tear to release even more flavour
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 300 g long grain rice
  • 600 ml boiling water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon baking block or dairy-free spread optional

Instructions

To Make The Red Lentil Curry:

  • Take the rinsed lentils and add them to a medium saucepan. Add the vegetable stock cube/pot and cover the lentils with boiling water - add enough to just cover and go above the lentils by about 1 cm. Bring up to the boil, cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat down to low and gently simmer the lentils for 10 minutes. When the water is absorbed, take the lentils off the heat. 
  • Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger along with salt and pepper for 5 minutes until softened and starting to brown.
  • Add the spices to the pan and toast for a minute until fragrant. Now add the tomato purée and cook for a further minute. Add the coconut milk, mango chutney and nigella seeds (if using), stir to combine, then cover the pan with a lid and simmer the sauce for 5 minutes. 
  • Now add the lentils to the pan and stir the lentils into the curry sauce. Simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the pilau rice or your choice of sides.

To Make The Pilau Rice:

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Heat the oil in a large (oven safe) saucepan on a medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, turmeric and cumin seeds. Gently cook, just toast lightly stirring constantly for a minute until fragrant - be really careful not to overheat the spices.
  • Now add the rice and toast for another minute and coat thoroughly in the spices. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with the boiling water. Stir the rice, with a fork, turn the heat up to high and leave on the heat until the rice comes up to the boil. Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and braise in the oven for 20 minutes.
  • Once the rice is ready, remove from the oven and if desired, discard the cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and the cinnamon stick. Using a fork, finish the rice by mixing in the tablespoon of dairy-free spread or baking block. Leave the rice on the side with the lid on for 5 minutes to allow the spices to infuse, then serve alongside the curry.
  • The curry and rice will keep stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Chickpea Tikka Masala

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Baking · Breakfast · Gluten-Free · Granola · Vegan

Basic Homemade Granola

What Jessica Baked Next40 Comments

Easy and healthy homemade granola. This recipe will soon be a staple for your weekday breakfast and it can be topped anyway you like!

Originally posted in January 2015, recipe and photographs updated March 2022.

Looking for an affordable, healthy and delicious breakfast recipe? If so, I have a great granola to share with you – a recipe my Mum created. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as it’s what sets you up for the day ahead.

Granola just like cake and cookies is another one of my favourite things to make. Most granola recipes I make usually tend to be crunchier, clustered-style granola, which is typically higher in fat and sugar. But since I like to keep as healthy as I can I wanted to share a healthier and lighter granola that can be eaten for breakfast or that could also even be enjoyed as a nourishing snack.

To make my granola, oats are combined with maple syrup, oil and vanilla, the last ingredient of which is an optional addition, but I love the flavour it adds.

Granola is one of my go-to breakfasts to enjoy before heading to work and my favourite way to eat this granola nowadays is with vegan milk or yoghurt and fresh berries or some sliced banana. If you wanted to try something different you can even layer the granola with yoghurt and fruit compotè in a jar and make yourself a granola parfait.

With this basic recipe you can add anything extra you’d like such as different nuts or even dried fruit like apricots, cranberries or raisins. If you’re a chocoholic just like me you can add chocolate chips once the granola is baked and cooled.

This is a speedy breakfast recipe idea, it takes around 15 minutes to prep ready for the oven and then only needs 10 minutes in the oven to bake!

You can adjust the recipe to your taste, add less or more maple syrup depending on how sweet you like it and add a different mix of nuts/seeds you enjoy – this recipe is super customisable.

The recipe makes one large and one small jar of granola, so plenty to keep you going for breakfast throughout the week and beyond!

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Basic Homemade Granola

Healthy homemade granola. This recipe will soon be a staple for your weekday breakfast and it can be topped anyway you like!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 350 g jumbo rolled oats
  • 150 g mixed chopped nuts I use 50g of each almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts
  • 2 tablespoons milled or whole flaxseeds optional - you can also use other seeds you like
  • 5-6 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 5-6 tablespoons vegetable oil I use rapeseed
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6.
  • Mix the oats, chopped nuts and flaxseed (or seeds of choice if using) in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the maple syrup, oil and vanilla to the oats. Stir the ingredients together until the oats are moistened. Spread the granola out on a large baking tray and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden and toasted.
  • Allow the granola to cool before transferring to a jar or airtight container to store it. The granola will keep for up to a month.

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Gluten-Free · Italian Cuisine · Main Meals · Rice Dishes · Vegan

Roasted Tomato Risotto

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Roasted tomato risotto: a gluten-free and vegan dinner. It’s comforting, warming and rich in tomato flavour. Delicious served up in bowls and garnished with fresh basil leaves or crispy garlic breadcrumbs. 

As we start to see out the last few weeks of summer, I wanted to share a dinner we’ve loved all summer long. A tasty creamy and flavourful tomato risotto you’re going to want to cook not just in the summer, but throughout the year.

I’ve made a few rice dishes for the blog including Mexican Red Rice (the very first recipe ever posted on this blog), Saffron Rice and Lemon Herb Rice. Apart from sharing these Double Cheese Arancini, I’ve not shared a risotto recipe, which surprises me as risotto is something we eat quite often and a go-to dinner of ours.

If you’re not familiar with risotto, it’s a traditional Northern Italian dish of rice cooked in broth/stock. Traditionally arborio or carnaroli rice is used because these types of rice absorb liquid and release starch, they’re both sticker in consistency compared to long grain rice. It depends on what I have in, but I tend to use arborio, but sometimes I’ll use carnaroli – the latter will produce the creamiest risotto.

I’ve eaten different risotto recipes and my personal favourites include mushroom (risotto ai funghi), butternut squash/pumpkin risotto (risotto alla zucca) and now this tomato version.

We made this risotto only a couple of weeks ago and we enjoyed it so much. Roasted tomatoes are a veggie can’t get enough of, I have them roasted and spread over toast for breakfast, with pasta, on top of polenta or blended up in soup.

The flavour of this risotto reminded me of tomato sauce I used to eat when I was younger, it had sweetness, tangy tomato flavour and the rice/sauce was creamy without needing any butter or cream.

Serve the risotto with some grated cheese (if you’re vegan then just use your favourite dairy-free alternative or nutritional yeast flakes) with a side salad and garlic bread. When we first made this, we ate the risotto with vegan sausages and homegrown green beans and recently with roasted onion and bell peppers.

Dish the risotto up and garnish with some fresh basil leaves or another herb of your choice. I love how vibrant the basil looks on top of the risotto. If you don’t have any basil on hand, even just a sprinkle of dried oregano will look and taste great.

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Roasted Tomato Risotto

Roasted tomato risotto is delicious served with a side salad and garlic bread for a dinner your family and friends will love.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Author What Jessica Baked Next

Ingredients

  • 325 g baby plum or cherry tomatoes left whole
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil one for the risotto and the other for roasting the tomatoes
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 red or white onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
  • 300 g risotto rice
  • 500 ml tomato passata
  • 900 ml vegetable stock, plus extra if needed I use a mix of vegetable and white wine stock cubes

Instructions

  • To prepare the roasted tomatoes: Take the baby plum/cherry tomatoes and place in a small baking dish. Drizzle with one tablespoon of the olive oil and season well with salt and black pepper. We will roast these later on once the risotto has started cooking.
  • To make the risotto: Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan (I'd recommend using a frying pan). Over a medium to high heat sauté the onion and garlic for a 2-3 minutes until softened. Season well with salt and black pepper.
  • Now add the risotto rice to the pan and toast over the heat for another minute.
  • In a large jug mix together the pasatta and vegetable stock until combined. Turn the heat down slightly and add a ladel of the tomato/stock liquid to the risotto. Keep adding the liquid bit by bit until it's absorbed, stirrring well in between each addition.
  • Once the risotto has been cooking for about 10 minutes, pop the tomatoes you prepared earlier in the oven at 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Roast the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes. Once they're ready, take out from the oven ready for later.
  • Cook the risotto for roughly 25-30 minutes or until the rice is cooked through, add more boiling water or stock to get the consistency as you desire.
  • Once the risotto rice is cooked, add 3/4 of the roasted tomatoes and stir through. Serve the risotto in a large bowl or seperate bowls, garnish with the remaining roasted tomatoes and fresh basil leaves.

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Baking · Biscuits and Cookies · Gluten-Free · No-Bake

Passionfruit and Lime Cream Pots

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These 4 ingredient tropical inspired cream pots are flavoured with passionfruit and zesty lime. They’ll make a lovely addition to your Christmas menu.

Happy first day of December! It’s the last month of the year and what a rollercoaster 2020 has been. It’s crazy to think Christmas Day is less than a month away!

Have you started planning your Christmas festivities yet? I’m feeling quite organised this year, I’ve nearly got all my presents sorted out and we have our menu planned. We put our Christmas tree and all the decorations up this past weekend and I’m loving how bright and festive the house is looking with the twinkly lights and ornaments hanging on the tree.

This year we’re going partly vegan ready for starting Veganuary in January. We’ve discovered so many vegan recipes and are excited to find more. My sister and I made some delicious mushroom wellingtons for dinner one evening and they went down so well we decided they’d make a fabulous Christmas dinner, we have those planned to enjoy on Christmas Day along with all the trimmings – aka the best part of a roast dinner!

Last month I shared this divine Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake. That cake is super delicious and chocolatey, admittedly I can’t believe anyone could dislike chocolate, I do understand that not everybody likes chocolate as much I do and might be looking for an alternative idea. After a heavy main meal that’s rich in different flavours, it’s nice to end your meal with something light and refreshing.

For this recipe I took inspiration from these Lemon Posset. I’ve changed the flavours by adding a tropical twist and made it into a mousse textured dessert. It’s not like a manufactured mousse, these cream pots have more body and substance.

What gives these cream pots a tropical vibe is the delicious combination of passionfruit and lime. I know passionfruit can be a little pricey but it is Christmas after all and 2020 has been a year with plenty of ups and downs, so we deserve to treat ourselves as much as possible. Passionfruit is one of my favourite fruits, but when paired with a citrus fruit such as lime, it comes to life!

So let me do a run through of how to prepare these cream pots. Don’t worry if you don’t have much experience in the kitchen, this recipe isn’t overly complicated!

Start by straining the passionfruit pulp into a sieve set over a bowl or jug. Discard the seeds and squeeze and stir the lime juice into the passionfruit juice. Heat half the cream with sugar, stir until the sugar has dissolved then bring the cream mixture up the boil and simmer gently for 3 minutes exactly. Once the cream has cooked pour it into the fruit juices and stir – it will thicken up quickly and you’ll now need to leave this mixture to cool for 20 minutes. After it’s cooled, whisk the remaining cream until soft peaks have formed and then fold the passionfruit lime cream into the whipped cream. Fold until there’s no lumps of cream left and then transfer the mixture into your serving dishes.

I use a few recycled ramekins that you get those popular gooey chocolate puddings in (UK readers will know what I’m talking about) and some small glasses that had chocolate hazelnut spread in them. You can use whatever serving dishes you have, even small espresso cups would be great if you’re planning to serve more or want a petit fours sized treat.

A delicious Scottish-style shortbread biscuit is the perfect accompaniment to these tropical cream pots

Serve these cream pots with homemade Shortbread Biscuits. I wasn’t sure whether to add some desiccated coconut to the shortbread dough but in the end I stuck with my shortbread recipe as it’s always popular with my taste testers and this classic biscuit allowed the flavours in the cream pots to take centre stage. But who knows, next time if I’m feeling slightly more adventurous, then I might be tempted to give that idea a try!

Once the cream pots have had at least 6 hours to set (overnight is best as this allows the flavours to develop) they’ll be ready to serve. I recommend taking the cream pots out of the fridge and letting them sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

I hope you enjoy these cream pots as much as we did. They’re a refreshing end to a meal, aren’t too heavy and leave you wanting more!

(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 lime, zested

5 passionfruit

100g caster or granulated sugar

600ml double cream

Decoration:

1 passionfruit – spread this out on the top of the cream pots when serving

Fresh berries – blueberries are my favourite to serve with these but raspberries or chopped strawberries taste great

Method:

  1. Firstly start by zesting your lime and set the zest aside for later on. Scoop the flesh from the passionfruit into a sieve that’s set over a bowl or jug. Push the passionfruit pulp through the sieve using the back of a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard the seeds. Squeeze the lime juice into the passionfruit juice and mix together.
  2. Put the sugar and 300ml of cream in a pan. Heat this mixture gently over a medium heat until the sugar has all dissolved, bring the mixture up to the boil and allow it to gently bubble away/simmer for 3 minutes. Take it off the heat and pour into the passionfruit and lime juice stirring to combine. Set this mixture aside to cool for 20 minutes.
  3. Now in a large mixing bowl whisk the remaining 300ml of cream until soft peaks form. Take the passionfruit and lime cream mixture and fold gently into the whipped cream. Finish by folding through the lime zest.
  4. Transfer the mixture into glasses, ramekins or small pots. Loosely cover the tops (make sure the cling film doesn’t directly touch the tops of cream pots) and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight ideally if you have the time.
  5. Serve the chilled cream pots with shortbread biscuits. The cream pots will keep stored and covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.

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