Sharabelle bakes

Bicarbonate of Soda Not just for baking I don't remember how it started, but it ended up as a joke between my mum and I.  All the things that you can do with bicarbonate of soda.  Every time we needed to do something in the house, "get the bicarb out" Why bicarbonate of soda? It's a chemical compound that's a type of salt. Historically it's been used in one form or another since the Egyptian times, when it was used in natural form as Natron. It's seen as Eco friendly, which is something we all need more of in this world.  It's the one kitchen item you can use to bake a cake, then clean the oven it was baked in.   The Kitchen helper - Chopping Board : To get rid of strong smells and odours from your chopping board, sprinkle on 3 tbsp of Bicarb followed by enough water to moisten.  Leave for 15 Min's, the rub well clean then dry. - Worktops :  Use the same principle as above, to clean down your worktops.  Only use ho...

Bananas about bananas This is a re-post of an older blog. I had committed myself to year long mission to experiment making as many recipes as possible with my favourite fruit the banana. Why?....... It all started with as a joke during a conversation with a friend, who noted I seemed to add Banana to a lot of my recipes. I had just become totally Lactose Intolerant to the point that I have to read ingredients labels on foods and prescription pills to make sure they don't contain any milk derivatives. (Some pharmaceutical companies use lactose to bulk out pills, since its cheap) I went back to my research roots and started surfing the net looking for dairy free recipes. What I discovered was the wonderful world of vegan baking, Where I learnt that it was possible to bake dairy and egg free.  Banana's make a great substitute for eggs in some recipes. Perhaps it's because I'm Scottish but baking without eggs is pretty appealing, since it costs less money since I ...

Bananas about Bananas I wasn't feeling too hot last Friday.  I either had a cold bug or I had done too much again and run myself down.  Either way even my favourite blog post on Banana's couldn't pep me up. So this Friday I'm thankful it's not last Friday...... Wholemeal Banana & sultana scones First Experiment: It's Scone time again..... With my varied shifts I don't really have a normal eating pattern.  So I like to start my day with a healthy breakfast.  While my Porridge is cooking slowly on the hob, I have a mug of peppermint tea and a scone. I made these using my  Basic Soda Bread Scone Recipe  .  I adjusted the recipe by using half white flour and half wholemeal flour.  I added 1 large mashed banana into a jug, then topped with soya milk till it measured 200ml.  Finally I mixed in 2 oz of Sultana's.   These are great for breakfast, as they are filling and tasty.  They also make a great sna...

If you can make your own, then why buy?????? I've been road testing dairy free and vegan baked recipes for over a year now, since having to go totally dairy free due to being lactose intolerant.  What Iv discovered is that there are 5 main base recipes that I use the most.  Adjusting the ingredients and flavours to fit the season or occasion.   1. QUICK BREAD Beetroot Soda Bread Scones Basic Soda Bread Recipe 8 oz  Self Raising Flour 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 200 ml Dairy free milk 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar Pinch of Salt Pre-heat your oven to 230 Celsius Measure and dry ingredients, flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a bowl.  Whisk to mix in the ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour in 200 ml milk & vinegar Use a knife to bring the dough together.  If you still have some flour at the bottom of the bowl, add a little more dairy free milk.  Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl t...

RHUBARB We all have our weakness, one of mine is gardening.  I am a totally useless gardener, however I do have one plant successfully growing in my garden - Rhubarb.   Rhubarb is technically a vegetable that's used as a fruit. Where as a tomato is a fruit that's used as a vegetable.. So does it really matter, they both taste great which is the most important thing. I harvested my second batch last weekend, it's a lot quicker than going to the shops. 1. Stewed Rhubarb Stewing rhubarb is probably the most common way of cooking it.  You can cook them in a covered casserole dish in your oven, or in a saucepan on your stove top.   Either way it's simple, just don't forget the sugar.    Rhubarb has a sharp sour taste that needs mellowed In winter stewed rhubarb is one of my go to staples for topping my porridge.  Especially if it's topped with a little dairy free yogurt mmm -  Stewed Rhubarb with porri...