Banana coffee smoothie.

 As you know from previous recipes, I love a good smoothie for breakfast in the mornings. I also love sipping a coffee or two in the mornings too. Yesterday whilst making my smoothie, I thought why not just combine the two? And I'm glad I did, as it was absolutely delicious! I just wish I used a little more ice cubes or used a frozen banana to make it even colder. I used half a cup of my favourite instant coffee inside of my smoothie, which is Douwe Egberts The Flavour Collective, Enticing Chocolate flavour. It smells very chocolaty and has a subtle chocolaty taste. Although it's chocolate flavoured, each cup, black, is only about 2 calories! You could use any instant coffee though, it'd be just as delicious.

Ingredients:
- 200ml unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup of your favourite instant coffee, black
- 1 banana, fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp low-fat peanut butter
- Big handful of ice cubes

Method:
1. Place the almond milk, coffee, banana and peanut butter into the blender. Whizz until smooth and well combined.
2. Now add in the ice cubes and blend again, until smooth. Pour into a pint glass and enjoy!

I'm Pie Magazine's "Recipe Guru".

I'm not sure if many of you are aware, but since March 2013, I have been writing once a month for a great young people's e-magazine called Pie Magazine. I went to school with the founder of Pie Magazine, Benjamin Franks. He is an extremely talented writer and very creative and I am honoured that he has given me this opportunity to write regularly for Pie. I remember buying the first ever issue of Pie back in school (originally a paper copy). I loved reading it, and never imagined that I would one day be a part of it.

I am Pie's "Senior Recipe Writer/Guru" and I write recipes which are mainly naughty, calorific baking recipes. I decided to write these types of recipes because I really enjoy baking and sharing them with family and friends and then receiving their feedback on what I've made. I used to bake very often, but since dieting/calorie counting, I haven't been able to do it as often as I use to as it seems to really effect my waistline. So being able to do it once a month, for a good purpose, is great fun! So I keep my naughtier recipes for Pie and my healthier recipes for my blog. So far I have written 4 recipes for Pie which are online and ready to read (click on the thumbnails below to check them out). I have also submitted a savoury recipe for Pie's upcoming annual for 2013, but what I've made will remain a secret until it's published. I was shocked but ecstatic to discover that my Classic Shortbread recipe was the most read article of April 2013. It feels great knowing that people are actually reading what I've created. So if you want to have a peek at what I write, besides what is on my blog, feel free! And remember, there's a new recipe every month, so keep checking back regularly for more! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy making/writing it. :)

My recipes for Pie:

There's also many other topics to read about on Pie too besides my recipes, including poetry, short stories, news, travel, games, music, films, books, reviews, etc. all well written by Pie's very talented writers. So if you have a few spare minutes take a look!

5-a-day fruit smoothie.

This tasty fruit combination was pot-luck really, as I made up on the spot. I'd picked up some "reduced-price" fruit from the supermarket yesterday that needed using, so I just chose other fruits we already had that I thought would compliment them in taste. I think I chose pretty well, as this smoothie is absolutely delicious! Such a wonderful, refreshing taste and looks very attractive too - a nice colour and it isn't too thick or too smooth. Perfect for a quick, healthy breakfast. I will definitely be making this again. I'm a sucker for a good tasting smoothie!

This smoothie serves 1 and is approx. 369 kcal. (You could make it into 2 smaller servings, at approx. 185 kcal per serving, but this would be more appropriate as a small side to another small breakfast dish, rather than a whole breakfast by itself, like one big serving would be - if that makes sense.. Haha).

Ingredients:
- 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
- 1 clementine, peeled and any seeds removed
- 1 mango, peeled and cubed
- juice from 1/2 a lime
- 1 banana, peeled and sliced
- handful of ice cubes

Method:
1. Place all fruit it the blender and blend until smooth.
2. Once blended, place the ice cubes in and blend again until smooth.
3. Pour into a pint glass and enjoy!

Treat yourself to a FREE Graze Box!

I've been receiving Graze Box's through the post, fortnightly, since January 2012 and I am still really enjoying them. I enjoy them as snacks and occasionally as a quick get-up-and-go breakfast. I have tried many of Graze's punnets now and I still get sent new ones I've yet to try, and they never disappoint. A few of my latest punnets I've tried and loved are 'walnut and vanilla truffle', 'summer berry compote' and 'salt and vinegar nut selection' - yum yum! One I am dying to receive is their new "better-for-you brownie" - it looks and sounds delicious (I'm a sucker for a gooey, chocolatey brownie).

I received my first Graze Box by receiving a code from a friend, and I've never regretted it. I never cancelled and now pay a small price for a each box, but I think it's worth it. So here's a code for you to receive your first Graze Box for FREE:

N6JMVCHD

If you don't enjoy your first box or only wanted the free one, you can easily cancel all future Graze Box's at no extra cost. This is a very trustworthy company and I have never had any issues with them. My friend has cancelled her boxes with them before and had no issues either, so no need to worry. You can also postpone boxes and move dates around to choose when and how often you receive them. Don't forget to rate the punnets they offer so you're more likely to receive ones you actually like. You can "bin" them too so you will never receive ones you know you won't like. This is great if you hate certain flavours (like me with coconut flakes. I "binned" those within the first hour of redeeming my code), are allergic to anything (lots of the punnets contain nuts/dairy, but they have a column on the side to point them all out) or if you're vegan (they also have all non-vegan boxes listed in the column).

I hope you take advantage of this free code and enjoy your Graze Box(es) as much as I enjoy mine! :)

Homemade healthy banana "ice cream".

This is probably the most simple "recipe" I have ever made, and it's so delicious. A much funner way of eating a banana. I heard the idea on a tv programme last week (I honestly can't remember what programme though, sorry!) and thought I'd give it a go. This recipe tastes best when made with very ripe bananas, as they're much sweeter (and easier to mash). This will be perfect for all ages to enjoy in the upcoming Spring and Summer months, when the weather's hotter. Could even be a dessert for after dinner or enjoy as a little healthy snack between meal times.

Working out the calorie content for your plain banana "ice cream": Times 90 by however many bananas you've used, then divide it by however many servings you've made. That will give you your calorie content for each serving.

This is how I've made mine:

Ingredients:
- 3 ripe bananas

Method:

1. Peel the 3 bananas, break them into 2/3 pieces and put them into a bowl.

2. Using a fork, mash them up until they become smooth as you can possibly get it.

3. Transfer put the mashed banana into 1 big lidded tub, or 2/3 smaller lidded tubs (for single servings).

4. Place the tub(s) into a freezer overnight.

5. Take out and leave to defrost for 10/15 minutes, or place the tub(s) into a microwave, on the "deforst" setting for about 30 seconds+, until the banana "ice cream" becomes slightly lose from the sides of the tub, but is still cold (this step is optional, but I find it makes it easier to get the spoon in to eat it).

Enjoy!

P.S. Since first making this recipe, I have thought up another way of changing this recipe up - making it even simpler to make, giving it a smoother texture and maybe even making it more delicious (with added flavours, instead of just banana)! I will be trying this recipe soon. Once I've done it, if it's a success, I'll post it up for you all to see! :)

Homemade chocolate peanut butter cups.

As some of you may already know, I LOVE peanut butter. I can happily eat it on it's own straight from the jar. The first time I ever tried peanut butter was last year, in the form of a Reece's peanut butter cup - one little bite and I was in heaven. They taste incredible, like nothing I've ever tasted before. The down side to Reece's cups are all of the calories they contain. If they weren't so calorific, I'd treat myself to them everyday! My boyfriend surprised me with a packet of them yesterday. I really enjoyed them, but felt a little guilty afterwards. So I decided I was going to make some peanut butter cups of my own, and make them less calorific, so I can enjoy them without the guilt. I've wasted no time at all in getting on and making them. I made them first thing this morning - I was that eager. What I came up with turned out better than expected! They are delicious! Just as good as Reece's cups, in my opinion. I will definitely be making these regularly, as they taste far too good not to. Peanut butter is a massive weakness of mine, but now I can enjoy it, smothered in chocolate, without any guilt. Yay! :)

This recipe makes around 10 "cups" and is approx. 50 kcal each. If you make more/less than 10 just divide 510 by however many cups you made, that will give you the approx. amount of calories each one contains. :)

Ingredients:
- 12 small squares of plain cooking chocolate
- 2 tbsp reduced-fat peanut butter
(You will also need mini cupcake cases. You can buy these cheaply in Sainsburys - under £1 for 100 cases).

Method:

1. Fill a small saucepan with water and place on a high heat, then turn the heat down once the water's at boiling point. Place the chocolate into a glass bowl and place that over the saucepan. It's important to make sure you don't let the water touch the bottom of the glass bowl, as this will burn the chocolate (tip some of the water out if you have to). Once it's all melted, put aside for a couple minutes to cool a little.

2. Using a teaspoon, put about 1/2 tsp (you can always add more if you feel you need it) into the bottom of a mini cupcake case. Swirl the chocolate halfway up the sides of the cases - try and get it as even as possible all the way around. Once done, put it into the fridge and begin with the next one. Continue to repeat this (making sure you place each one in the fridge as they're done) until you've done approx. 10, but make sure there's quite a bit of chocolate leftover, as you'll need it later.

3. Meanwhile, get another glass bowl and place the peanut butter into it. Put the bowl over the saucepan of water you used previously. Make sure you stir it occasionally, until the peanut butter becomes smooth and liquid-y. Set aside to cool a little, whilst you're continuing step 2.

4. Once step 2 and 3 are complete, place the chocolate back onto the saucepan to keep it warm and melted. Take out a chocolate "cup" and use a teaspoon to fill it with peanut butter - try not to fill it up over the top of the chocolate sides. Shake it a little to flatten the filling. Place it back into the fridge to cool down. Keep repeating this until all of the cups are filled and back in the fridge.

5. Now take a filled cup and use a teaspoon to place a blob of melted chocolate on top (you can always add more if you need it). Use the underside of the spoon to s[read the chocolate around so it's completely covering the peanut butter and touches all of the sides of the case, to seal the peanut butter in the middle. You need to do this step as quickly as possible (if you're not quick, the heat from the chocolate will make the peanut butter too soft and the filling and chocolate will start mixing together). Place back in the fridge as you finish each one, to harden the chocolate.

The method is very repetitive and quite time consuming, but you have to work as quickly as possible, so the melted chocolate and peanut butter doesn't get too cool. You can use this recipe to make milk chocolate and white chocolate peanut butter cups too, but you'll have too adjust the calories. These will keep for a few days. Store in the fridge, to keep them from becoming too warm and melted. Fingers crossed, if they're done correctly, they'll look like mini Reece's peanut butter cups once they're peeled out of their cases. They'll also have a soft peanut butter centre - yum yum! ;)


P.S.  I'm sorry for the awfully confusing instructions. I made this recipe and method up myself, for a change. As you can probably tell, I'm not very good at it. I'm better at writing what I think about things, rather than how to actually make things. So big apologies, and I hope it's understandable!

Diet-friendly chocolate macaroons.

(Second batch on the left. First batch on the right).

 As I'm try to eat as clean as I possible, I often get little cravings, every now and again, for chocolate and pastries and just sweet little treats in general. So I was really happy when I came across this low-kcal chocolate macaroon recipe in my 'Eat Smart Stay Slim' magazine (volume 1, page 126) - the second recipe I've tried from this magazine now, and I'm sure I'll try many more from it. I have never had a macaroon before, but have heard lots of good, yummy things about them, so I was eager to try it. And I'm glad I did because they were delicious! My boyfriend and I made them together as a little treat to enjoy after our Sunday family dinner. Everybody loved them - even the burnt batch went down well (I personally thought the burnt ones tasted nicer anyway). We burnt the first batch because we forgot to leave the oven door open.. So instead of taking 15 to 18 minutes to cook, they took about 5 and then lost they're fluffiness and burnt. But we learnt from the first batch and the second batch came out much nicer. Although most of them ended up being hollow because we didn't give them enough time to cool down before peeling them off of the parchment paper - oops! But they were still delicious and I will be making them again in the future, for sure.

This recipe makes 12 macaroons according to the magazine, but we only managed to make 9. If you make 9, it's approx. 127kcal per macaroon. If you make 12, it's approx. 95kcal per macaroon. If you make a different amount completely, just divide 1142 by however many macaroons you make and that will be an approx. calorie content per macaroon.

Ingredients:
- 100g icing sugar
- 50g ground almonds
- 15g good-quality cocoa powder
- 2 medium egg whites
- 40g caster sugar
- 100ml 3% creme fraiche
- 4 squares of 70% dark chocolate, chopped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and get an icing bag with a plain tip (about 2cm) ready.
2. In a food processor, whizz the icing sugar, ground almond and cocoa into a fine powder with no lumps. In a clean bowl beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they start to hold their shape. Continue whisking and slowly add the caster sugar until stiff and firm.
3. Fold half the dry ingredients into the egg white mixture. Once it's incorporated, add the rest and continue to fold. When it's smooth stop folding and spoon the batter into the icing bag (stand the bag in a tall glass).
4. Pipe the batter onto the parchment-lined baking sheet in circles about 3cm across and spaced 3cm apart. Tap the baking sheet a few times to flatten the macaroons, then bake for 15 to 18 minutes, with the over door slightly ajar. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, gently heat the creme fraiche in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and drop in the pieces of chocolate, stirring until it has melted and the two are combined. Set aside to cool.
6. Once the macaroons and chocolate creme fraiche have cooled, sandwich two macaroons together with a small dollop of the mixture. Arrange on a plate.

Homemade mince pies!

Mince pies are one of my favourite Christmas treats. The taste of mincemeat is just gorgeous! The only downside I can think of when it comes to mince pies is their calorie content, which is pretty high! So I was very determined to find a low-kcal mince pie recipe to help me and my waistline out this year. Luckily for me there was one in my new issue of Healthy Food Guide (Winter 2012 issue, page 72/73). I can't tell you how excited I was just thinking about making them! So as soon as I got paid I went out and bought all the ingredients I needed so I was prepared (I had to work a lot though, so I couldn't make them straight away..). My sister and I made them together earlier today. They were a lot of fun to make and they tasted absolutely wonderful. Such a Christmassy, heart warming taste. Mmmmm!

These taste great both warm and cool. They could be served as a pudding, eaten as a cheeky snack, put in yours or a kid's lunchbox or even leave some out on Christmas Eve for Santa and his elves! ;)

This recipe makes 12 mince pies and is apparently 164kcal per mince pie, but I make it out to be approx. 183kcal. So I'm not sure, but I'd go bang in the middle (178kcal), to be safe. They're best eaten within two days or can be frozen for up to three months, then defrosted at room temperature.

Ingredients:
(for the pastry)
- 125g Flora Light (the original recipe uses Flora Original, but I chose to use Light)
- 275g plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
(for the filling)
- 175g mixed dried fruit
- zest and juice from 1 lemon
- 50g dark muscovado sugar
- 1.5tbsp rum or brandy (I used dark rum)
- 1.5tsp mixed spice
- 1 small dessert apple, coursely grated and excess juice squeezed out
- 1 tsp icing sugar, to dust (optional - I chose not to)

Method:

1. In a bowl rub the Flora into the flour and baking powder until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Mix the egg with 2tbsp cold water. Reserve 1 tbsp and add the rest into the flour mix. Bring the mixture together to make a smooth dough - you may need to add a little more cold water or a little more flour. Wrap in clingfilm, and chill for 20 minutes.

2. Put the filling ingredients into a saucepan and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until the apple has broken down a little. Leave to cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 190°c/fan 170°c/gas 5 and grease a 12-hole muffin tray, or fill the tray with 12 foil mince pie cases (which is what I did). Roll out the pastry on to a floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin. Cut out 12 x 7cm discs/circles and use to line the tins. Spoon the cooled filling into the pastry cases.

4. Cut out 12 x 3-4cm stars from the remaining pastry and put on top of each filled pie. Brush with the reserved egg mix and bake for 18-20 minutes until the pastry is golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and dust with icing sugar (optional). Enjoy! :)

Skinny lemon cupcakes with drizzly icing.

Whoever thinks you can't enjoy a spot of cake whilst on a calorie counting diet is very wrong! You can most definitely enjoy it, but in MODERATION. It also helps if you can find a low-kcal cake/cupcake recipe! Here is a lovely little recipe I have tried from my new "The Hairy Dieters" cookbook - the "Hairy Dieters" are Dave Myers & Si King (most well known for being "The Hairy Bikers"). They use to be pretty hefty blokes, but now they have slimmed right down! They've made a lovely recipe book packed full of healthy recipes (with calories per serving included - yaaay)!

These cupcakes taste gorgeous! They are very sour though, because of the lemon icing (if you don't like sour things, you can always replace the lemon juice in the icing with water). As great as these taste, try not to be tempted to sit and eat the whole batch! Remember: moderation is key.

This recipe serves 12 & is approx. 167kcal per cupcake.

Ingredients:

- 200g self-raising flour

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 75g golden caster sugar

- 100g blueberries

- finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

- 2 large eggs

- 150ml low-fat natural yoghurt

- 2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

- 50ml sunflower oil

Lemon icing:

- 100g icing sugar

- 4-4.5 tsp fresh lemon juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°c/Fan 180°c/Gas 6. Line a 12-hole deep muffin tin with some non-stick paper cases or folded squares of baking parchment.

2. Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and stir in the sugar, blueberries and lemon zest. Make a well in the centre.

3. Beat the eggs with a large whisk until smooth, then beat in the yoghurt, milk and oil until well combined. Stir into the flour mixture with a large  spoon until very lightly mixed.

4. Working quickly, divide the batter between the paper cases. Bake in the centre of the oven for 16-18 minutes or until the cupcakes are well risen and golden brown. Transfer them to a wire rack and leave to cool.

5. To make the icing, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth and runny. Using a spoon, drizzle the icing over the cupcakes and leave to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Graze day! Top tip & get your first Graze box FREE!

Today is what I call a "Graze Day" - I received my fortnightly Graze box through the post this morning! I was pleasantly surprised with the punnets I received. I LOVE seeds and Graze's flapjacks, so I can't wait to dig into them (although they are both pretty calorific compared to most other punnets..)! And I have never tried the fig and cherry one before, so it'll be nice to try something new. The dipping punnets are great to take to work to munch on, on my tea-breaks, as they're quick to eat and not too messy! I love having my snacks when I'm peckish throughout the day (mainly between lunchtime and teatime and sometimes before I go to bed). They're quite filling and very tasty - yum yum!

In my Graze box I also received a little leaflet, and in there it's saying about their new treat coming out soon - "Healthy Popping Corn"! I cannot wait until this comes out! I love popcorn! And at a bonus, each flavour popping corn, that Graze are bringing out, are under 100 calories - yay! They are going to be microwavable, so they'll also be nice and hot - how I think popcorn should be enjoyed! :)

TOP TIP: Graze always supply the nutritional information and use by date for each snack you receive, but it's written inside the little leaflet and it's not actual written anywhere on the punnet itself.. So - for all you calorie counters - as soon as you receive your Graze box, just get out a permanent marker and write the calorie content and use by date of each yummy snack straight onto the film lid of the punnet. That way you will never forget how many calories it contains or when it goes out of date, plus you won't have to carry the information around with you separately at the risk of losing it.

Here's a little treat for all of you! Enjoy your first Graze box for FREE! Just go to Graze's website and enter the code:

N6JMVCHD

Don't forget to rate/slate the punnets, so you don't end up receiving something you already know you won't like. Also use the "send soon" tick-box for things you want to try asap. You'll probably be asked to enter your card details, but this is just incase you want to continue receiving Graze boxes in the future for a cheap cost (I've been enjoying my Graze boxes since January 2012). But if you don't, once you receive your first free Graze box, you can go back to their website and cancel all future boxes - it's a very trustworthy site and it's very easy to cancel/postpone your boxes.

Enjoy! :)

Raisin-filled baked apple.

After spending a good hour or so searching the blogosphere last night I came across the blog, Miss Thrifty - a blog about her and ways tips to help save you money and get more for your money. I then came across this post of hers. I thought the very last tip about the apples was so good:

"Apples gone wrinkly? Wash them, cut a line around the middle, core them, fill with sultanas and honey (or whatever you fancy) and then bake them until soft and mushy. Very quick dessert!"

I would have never thought of it. We normally just chuck away apples that have gone slightly soft. So, as I was hungry anyway (and no matter how hard I try I cannot sleep on an empty stomach), after googling for a recipe, I went down and experimented. Click here for the recipe I found on google. I did change it up a tiny bit though, for the purpose of making it less calorific.. I made it to be approx. 65kcal - very low-kcal! But I'm pretty sure I've worked it out correctly. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients:
- 1 small apple (approx. 80g after cored).
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon.
- a very small drizzle of golden syrup (approx. 1/2 tsp).
- 1/4 tsp Splenda granulated sweetener.
- 5g seedless raisins.
- boiling water.

Method:
1. First place the raisins into a heat-proof bowl/cup and pour boiling water over them. Allow them to soak until they're plump - the time this takes depends on the age of the raisins. Leave them in the water until you are ready to cook.
2. Get your apple, wash it and then remove most of the core. Try and leave some apple at the bottom for a base though - like 1cm or so. Then remove a thin strip of peel from around the cavity.
3. Place the apple into a microwave-proof bowl. Sprinkle the inside of the apple with the cinnamon and Splenda sweetener and then fill it with the raisins.
4. Pour a tsp of the water you used to soak the raisins in over the raisins.
5. Then drizzle golden syrup over the top of the raisins and all over the apple. (I drizzled it straight from the bottle. I did not squeeze it then bottle.. I just held it upside down and let it pour out itself. Barely any was used - maybe 1/2 tsp-ish.
6. Put it in the microwave, uncovered, and cook for 3-4 minutes on high power; testing with a fork after 3 minutes.
7. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving (warning: the inside may be very hot, so do allow for it to cool).

You can vary the recipe by using different/more fillings for the apple, such as blueberries, sultanas, adding nuts (pecans, walnuts), using different sweeteners (honey, maple syrup), etc.

It's super sweet and super delicious! Great comfort food. Great to make as a dessert, or even as a midnight snack, if you're feeling naughty like me. :)

Lunchbox idea #3.

This is probably the most easiest lunchbox idea there is - a fruit salad! Simple yet delicious! If you need to make a lunchbox to take for breakfast, a little extra to have for lunch or just as a treat, this is perfect. There are so many variations of fruit salads you can make! Just cut up all of your favourite fruits and throw them all together! There is pretty much no way you can go wrong making one!

TIP: If you're the kind of person who likes to add sugar to yours, then buy yourself some granulated Splenda sweetener and sprinkle that over it instead! It's just as sweet, if not sweeter, and calorie free!

This exact fruit salad, in the photos, is made with blueberries, raspberries, pineapple chunks, cut-up mango, halved red and green grapes and melon balls! Absolutely delicious, so refreshing and very healthy! It's not too many calories either - it's approx 137 kcal for the exact fruit salad I made above. Yay! :)

Other favourite fruits of mine that I like to add to fruit salads are halved strawberries, clemintines, sliced banana, kiwi and watermelon! Yuuuummm! Typing all of this is making me want more!

It must be good - even my dog, Willow, loved how it looked! :)

Chocolate and beetroot brownie.

Today is my mother's birthday! And tomorrow's my sister's! So all during the night, from 1:30am until about 6am, without them knowing, I baked, not one, but TWO cakes - can't have a birthday without cake! One was a chocolate sponge cake with cinnamon cream cheese icing and the other was this lovely little treat - chocolate and beetroot brownie! I shall not go into any detail of the chocolate sponge cake as it's just too naughty and fattening to mention! But the brownies are amazing. You wouldn't expect beetroot and chocolate to taste good together, but trust me, they REALLY do! They taste absolutely gorgeous! By far the best brownie I have ever had eveerrr! Super gooey and super chocolatey - exactly what every brownie should be. Mmmmm! WARNING: This is a very very messy recipe.. So if you do try it, be prepared for lots of pinky purple marks everywhere (especially your hands) and lots of washing up! Try not to get any beetroot on your clothes or any material, as it stains - so remember to wear rubbishy clothes whilst making this! I cut this brownie into 30 little squares, and each square is approx. 109 kcal. I found this recipe on page 59 in the local magazine, SalisburyLife (click here for, what should be, the e-mag). So here's what I did:

Ingredients:
- 500g fresh beetroot (you can use pre-cooked if you prefer, but it may not be so satisfying!) - (I only used about 450g in mine..)
- 100g butter - (I used Lurpack spreadable lightest.)
- 200g dark chocolate
- 5ml vanilla essence
- 250g caster sugar - (I used mainly golden caster sugar with a little bit of white, as that's all we had in the house..)
- 3 eggs
-25g cocoa powder
- 100g plain flour


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Peel and chop beetroot, add a splash of water and microwave in a clingfilmed bowl for 12 minutes until cooked.
3. Butter and line a 20x30cm tin.
4. Chop up chocolate and butter and then blend with the drained, cooked beetroot (smart cookies will recogise this as the potentially messy part!).
5. Put vanilla, sugar and eggs into a bowl and whisk until pale and foamy (about 2 minutes).
6. Fold in the beetroot mix, retaining the air as much as possible, then sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold these in gently too.
7. Pour into a tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until it just quivers a little in the centre.
8. Cool and cut into squares, optionally decorating with a little melted white chocolate. (White chocolate topping is not included in the approx. calories per square).