Recipe | Agave Nectar, Protein Granola, Trail Mix & Dark Chocolate

I honestly can't decide whether I'm a sweet or a savoury kind of girl, but I think it's fair to say when it comes to sweet treats I'm a sucker for dark chocolate. I thought I'd share with you a little recipe I've created after doing some research into Agave syrup as an alternative to honey or Golden Syrup.

Agave syrup is super sweet, and comes from the Agave plant. It works really well in Vegan recipe's as it's very similar to Honey, but obviously plant based. As I've been seeing it pop up all over the health blogs of the world, I thought I would give it a go. This recipe is really simple, easy to prepare and is perfect for the grazers of the world who fancy a sweet, healthy treat from time to time.

Ingredients:

• 350g Protein Granola (or a granola of your choice)
• 5tbsp Agave Nectar
• A handful of Dark Chocolate Chips 
• 150g Trail Mix

What you'll need

• 1 x Large Baking Tray (lined with greaseproof paper)
• Pre-heated oven to 200 degrees
• 1 x Mixing Bowl
• 1 x Mixing Spoon
• A fridge

Once you've got all your ingredients together, and measured out add your granola, trail mix and plain chocolate chips to your mixing bowl and mix together. Once you're satisfied it's all mixed up, add your Agave Nectar and stir again. Once your ingredients are completely covered (feel free to add a bit more Agave if you need it - cheeky) place your mix flat onto your lined baking tray. 

Give the mixture a good press down so that it's tightly packed, then pop in the oven for 10 minutes. Keep checking to make sure you don't go beyond 'golden brown' then bring it out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. 

Now for the waiting game! Place the baking tray in the fridge for approximately 2 hours so that it can set. If you like your granola really tough, then leave it in over night. 

Take the tray out of the fridge once it's set, and cut into however many pieces you need. They won't be perfect slices, but they'll look pretty darn good anyway. I managed to get 18 slices from mine which is perfect if you want to share your creation with your team at work.. or if you're not into sharing at all, that's okay too. 

You can pretty much try this simply recipe with loads of other dried fruits, or maybe even some popcorn too. Super quick, tasty and great for a healthy boost with your cuppa. 

Enjoy and feel free to pass the Recipe along :)

Coffee Break | La Bottega, Covent Garden

One of the most exiting things about heading to Italy this summer is the prospect of spending our mornings enjoying proper coffee, in quaint coffee shops or deli's in Florence and Siena (or wherever we land in between). We thought we'd give ourselves a head start and pop into Covent Garden for some coffee over the bank holiday weekend, and found ourselves a small 'Delicaffe' nestled just of Monmouth Street. 

In terms of Location it's pretty perfect, sitting slightly in the shadow of your standard (but always trusty) Cafe Nero, it may go unrecognised to many Covent Garden go-ers. There's seating outside, and just around the corner if basking in the sun is your ideal coffee break, and a handful of seats inside. It's small enough to feel authentic given its location, but clearly big enough to keep a regular flow of customers. 

We visited mid-morning just as Covent Garden started to get a little busy, and were greeted by some super friendly baristas (I'm never sure if that's the right phrase..) who made a real effort to strike up a conversation with us when they brought our drinks over. We're not locals, certainly not regulars but it was nice to be welcomed like that, especially considering how impersonal we've found a few places we've visited in the City before. 10 points for friendliness guys!

La Bottega has a 'Little Italy in the City' feel, which has been designed incredibly well, from the mismatched signs, brightly coloured ceramics, forest hued tiles and traditional meats in the window. Nicely complimented by the great coffee they serve; not too bitter, and certainly not too sweet. Perfect for a little Bank Holiday pick me up!

Overall this place had a great feel to it and would be perfect for shoppers looking to take a little break from the madness of Covent Garden. If you appreciate a good coffee, served well, in a charming setting then this is definitely worth a try. Thanks for having us :)

Foodie | Simply Cook Review

It's fair to say that cooking isn't really my favourite thing to do. Not because I don't enjoy it, but because I find putting together a 'creative' meal rather time consuming and quite frankly pretty expensive. I've got  my fair share of recipe books that really do go to town on a huge list of spices and herbs, that sound incredible, but generally aren't that readily available in your average supermarket.

Around January time this year, I saw an advert pop up on my Facebook newsfeed for 'Simply Cook' a new 100% natural recipe mail order box that comes in the post each month, offering 4 unique recipes and all the spices you need to give them a go.. Masterchef problem solved. The Simply Cook website describes the emergence of Simply Cook essentially as a way to overcome the lack of time and resource issue most of us have when it comes to balancing dinner and a hectic schedule. 

Founder Oli Ashness first envisaged the Simply Cook box whilst living in London, living a busy life with little time to spare when it came to evening meals. Like many of us, he experienced the struggle of time and expense when it came to cooking and eating well. Along with a team of great chefs, these little boxes make their way to homes all over the UK each month, including my own. 

The recipes and quantities are great for us as a couple, and all the meals I've tried so far have received the seal of approval from Mr Smith (which is amazing, considering how fussy he can be with food). Not only that, they're super easy to make, normally under half an hour and the ingredients required aren't that extensive. Then once you've finished with your box, you can recycle the packaging too (enviro perks). I just take the little 'tear me and take me' ingredients list from the recipe card with me on my weekly shop and I'm ready to go. You can also grab yourself a Gluten Free box if needed.

These boxes have made a great addition to our weekly meals, and I look forward to trying them all out and maybe even repeating my favourites if I'm feeling brave. I've stored the recipes I'm yet to try in my Kitchen with the recipe cards too (picture below) so they're on hand when I need them. Highly recommended, super convenient and perfect for couples and small families.

If you fancy trying out Simply Cook, you can get it direct from the website Simply Cook for £10 a month, including P&P. Enjoy, and let me know how you find it!