FAIRTRADE FATLESS FRUIT CAKE

Ingredients 

1lb Fairtrade dried fruit
1 Mugfull of Fairtrade brown sugar
1 mug of hot Fairtrade Tea
2 mugfulls of self-raising flour
3 free range eggs

Method
1 Combine the fruit, brown sugar and hot tea and leave to soak overnight or for eight hours
2 Line 2 1lb loaf tins
3 Beat the eggs.
4 Add the flour and eggs to the soaked mixture
5 Mix well and bung in to a lined loaf tin (or 2 1lb lined loaf tins).
6 Cook for one and a half hours – gas mark 2 – electric 150 degrees

Gorgeous, moist and healthy.

Freezes well.

Farmhouse chocolate and banana bread makes 1 loaf

Ingredients
225g self-raising flour
Pinch of salt
100g butter at room temperature
175g fairtrade caster sugar
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
2 very ripe Fairtrade bananas
3 tablespoons milk
100g dark (70% or 85% cocoa solids) Fairtrade  chocolate, chopped into very small pieces

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4 and line a 23 x 13cm loaf tin.
2. Sift the flour and salt.
3. Cream the butter and sugar, for ease in a food processor. Add the eggs, bananas and milk and mix thoroughly. Next add the flour and salt, but stop mixing as soon as the ingredients come together.
4. Fold half of the chopped chocolate into the mixture. This must be done using a spoon – do not use a food processor for this.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, sprinkle the rest of the chocolate on top of the mixture and push the pieces in slightly.
6. Bake in the centre of the oven for between 45 minutes and 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Chicken and Banana Korma

Ingredients

• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2cm piece root ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp korma paste
• 600g skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 30g ground almonds
• 2 bananas, peeled and diced
• 400ml chicken stock
• 3tbsp natural yoghurt
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
• rice to serve

Method

Place the onion, garlic and ginger into a small blender and blend into a paste.

Place the paste in a pan with the olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the korma paste and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Stir in the chicken pieces, ground almonds, bananas and stock.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and its juices run clear when the meat is pierced.

Remove from the heat and stir in the yoghurt then season and sprinkle with the chopped coriander and flaked almonds and serve with rice.

Jerk chicken and banana wraps

• 125g (4½oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 1tsp jerk spice
• cooking spray
• 125g (4½oz) banana, thickly sliced
• 50g (1¾oz) Little Gem lettuce
• ½ small red onion

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C/fan oven 160°C. Rub 125g (4½oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast with 1 tsp jerk spice.

Bake for 25 minutes until cooked through.

Meanwhile, coat a frying pan with cooking spray and place over a medium heat. Add 125g (4½oz) banana, thickly sliced, and fry, turning once, until caramelized. Divide 50g (1¾oz) Little Gem lettuce, shredded, and ½ small red onion, finely sliced, between 2 Tortilla wraps.

Top with the caramelised banana and the jerk chicken. Roll up, halve, divide between 2 plates and serve immediately

Banana Bread

This is an easy recipe that gives perfect results every time. Be sure to use overripe bananas and the right sized tin.

Ingredients

• 285g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 110g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 85ml/3fl oz buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture and mix well. Fold in the flour mixture.
5. Grease a 20cm x 12.5cm/8in x 5in loaf tin and pour the cake mixture into the tin.
6. Transfer to the oven and bake for about an hour, or until well-risen and golden-brown.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

·         For the base:

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 100g chocolate drops
• 100g butter
• Pinch of salt

·         For the topping:

• 1 can condensed milk
• 4 bananas
• 120g egg whites
• 200g double cream
• 50g demerera sugar

Method

A deliciously chocolately crunchy base with a smooth layer of caramel and topped with a banana mousse and caramelised banana slices .

Boil the can of condensed milk for 2 1/2 hours, allow to cool and then open. It will form a caramel.

In the last half hour of boiling, melt the butter and melt the chocolate (separately). Crush the biscuits, then mix with the melted butter and chocolate. Press the mixture into a 18cm baking tin or flan ring and bake in a 160°C oven for ten minutes.  Allow to cool fully.

Place three spoons of caramel with two bananas into a food processor and whizz until smooth.

Whip the cream to soft peaks and the egg whites to stiff peaks in separate bowls.  Mix the smooth banana caramel paste into the cream and then fold in the egg whites.

Pour or spread the caramel onto the biscuit base then add a layer of sliced bananas from one of the bananas.  Top with the cream,egg and banana caramel mixture and chill in the fridge.

Slice the final banana and sprinkle each slice with demerera sugar.  With a cooks blow torch, melt the sugar over the fruit until golden and caramelised.  Carefully lift these slices on to the top of the pie to decorate.

Serve in fabulously large slices and tuck in.

Banana Toffee Smoothie

Ingredients

Serves: 4

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 tub toffee yoghurt
• 1 scoop ice cubes or ice cream
• milk (as desired)

Prep:5min  ›  Ready in:5min

1. Blend the bananas, yoghurt and ice or ice cream together in a blender. Add milk for preferred consistency, if needed.