food blogger Archives - Megan Taylor

SAN CARLO CICCHETTI, PICCADILLY

I am in London most days for work and as a result I feel like there aren’t many places I don’t know about. Yet, a few years ago Liam took me to a restaurant called Cicchetti right near Piccadilly station. It isn’t new and isn’t the only one yet I had never heard of it so I thought I should let you in our little secret gem. I assumed that a restaurant in a tourist spot like Piccadilly Circus would be overpriced and quite frankly tacky. I was very wrong. Chicchetti is the Italian version of having tapas. I adore this style of eating. I am one of those people that like to take one bite of each chocolate then put it back in the box just so I can try them all. Chicchetti is perfect if you want to try a bit of everything as all of the plates are quite small. Go with a friend or partner and order about six dishes to share between you. The food is served fairly swiftly so if there was a particular dish you enjoyed you can quickly order some more and not have to wait. The food service is a bit like Wagamas, no rhyme or reason as to which dish you get at which time.

I have only been to this restaurant in the summer but I feel it would be gorgeously cosy during the winter months. The first time I went to Chicchetti I went at peak dinner time and it was rammed and very atmospheric, but not too loud. The second time I went (pictured in this blog post) was at about 12:30 just before the lunch rush and although we served much more quickly I preferred the atmosphere when it was busy.

Food of choice
•I am particularly fond of the fried mozzarella balls. I am a vegetarian, Liam a keen meat eater and there were plenty of options for both of us.

Cocktail of choice
•Fragolini…this was the seasonal cocktail and was delightful. I could have drunk five! If this cocktail isn’t in season for you simply order an Aperol Spritz.

Let me know if you go
☆

Tried & Tested : Deliciously Ella Energy Balls

I have followed Deliciously Ella‘s work for a while and have been inspired add a little more vegan-ness into my life because of her (I have been a vegetarian since the age of 9). I love her books and have reviewed them both here:
Deliciously Ella
Deliciously Ella – Every Day
If you follow my Snapchat you are likely to know that I am a huge fan of Whole Foods and buy many yummy healthy goods from there whenever I pass by…thank goodness there isn’t one down my road, else I would be broke. So when I heard the Ella and her husband were selling their energy balls in Whole Foods I rushed there in a flash and bought one of each to try them all and review them for you. The balls sell for £1.99 and are rather generous in their size and really fill you up with their density.

Cashew & Ginger
Although I enjoyed this cashew and ginger flavour it was in fact my least favourite out of the three. I love cashew nuts and I adore ginger but this ginger felt a little too sweet and overpowering for me. That being said I still really liked the ball and feel like it would have many benefits to you if you were run down and would also be a fab morning breakfast pick me up.

Hazelnut & Raisin
The hazelnut and raisin flavour was my second favourite. There is a lovely hint of cinnamon in this flavour which makes me feel a teensy bit excited for Christmas. I also really enjoyed the crunch and density to this one. I feel like everyone should like this one because there’s nothing really to dislike 🙂

Cacao & Almond
This is by far my favourite of the three energy balls on offer. Imagine a chocolate brownie without the guilt and that is this ball. I have a very sweet tooth and my first downfall when I am trying to be healthy is my craving for chocolate. This cacao and almond ball is the perfect remedy for the mid afternoon sweet cravings.

Have you tried these yet? What do you think?

Crunchy Amaretti And Raspberry Cake

I have been a little bit sidetracked by beauty blogging lately so it has been a long time since I blogged a foodie recipe. Today’s recipe is a yummy crunchy amaretti and raspberry cake. Back in May I picked up this recipe on one of those free recipe cards that Waitrose have but never got around to making it. Then one day on a job I was given a slice of the most yummy cake and when I asked for the recipe it just happened to be the one I picked up from Waitrose. I then obviously believed it was fate that I must finally cook the cake. I also have a new set of weighing scales and gorgeous personalised mixing spoon which says Megan’s Signature Bake on the spoon letting me pretend I am on the Great British Bake Off.

{These bamboo weighing scales make me very happy, not only because they are very photographic for my blog but also because they work a treat.}
{Weighing Scales ☆ Love Bowl ☆ Heart Jar}

Ingredients
175g softened butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
150g self raising flour
75g ground almonds
150g crumbled amaretti biscuits
50g roughly chopped dark chocolate
200g raspberries
(Icing sugar to dust on top)
(Cream to serve)

{Personalised Signature Bake Spoon}

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 160° and grease your baking tin (approx 20cm).
2. Mix the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and ground almonds together.
I used my Kitchen Aid but you can use your own strength with a wooden spoon to mix all of the ingredients.
3. Fold in the chocolate and raspberries.
4. Fold in 3/4 of the amaretti biscuits.
5. Pour all the mixed ingredients into the cake tin.
6. Sprinkle the remaining amaretti on top of the cake.
7. Bake for 60 minutes.
8. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before taking it out of its tin.

{TOP TIP: Place your amaretti biscuits in a tea towel and have fun bashing them with a rolling pin.}

{Not only did the mixture smell divine but looks rather beautiful too}

{Here is the finished cake which I snapped before I had sprinkled it with icing sugar…sorry}

Have fun baking and let me know if you bake it, tagging me on Instagram x

Healthy Snacks Haul {Tried & Tested}

I have compiled a fair few sweet sugar free treats and tried them out for you. All the treats are available online and some are more affordable than others. I believe that for even the naughtiest of unhealthy snackers there would be something in this healthy snack haul that they would like. Keep reading to find your favourite yummy but healthy snack in my healthy snacks haul.

Squirrel Sisters Coconut Cashew
I had never heard of this brand before but after trying this bar I will definitely be back for more and would love to know what else they make. I hear they have a raspberry bar which is definitely on my shopping list. After one bite I realised they tasted exactly like my Sugar Free Nutty Biscuits before I cook them, honestly so similar. There are two bars within the packaging. They are very dense and filling which is a great. I was feeling rather hungry after a shoot the other day and had these in my bag, they were the perfect filling snack to keep me going for my journey home and until dinner. My mouth is watering just thinking about them, I think I need more of these in my life asap.

Raw Bite Peanut
I was drawn to the Raw Bite bars because of their eye catching design. They are so beautiful and I loved photographing them for this blogpost. This peanut bar tasted a lot like a Tracker bar that I used to have in my lunchbox as a child yet with no guilt of the excess amount of sugar. These bars have no refined sugar and use dates to make up their sweetness.

Raw Bite Prot ein
I bought this bar for my hubby simply because of it saying Protein on the packaging and I was bit jealous because I wanted the pink bar. It had the same squidgy dense texture as the protein bar but in my opinion was not as yummy. The added cacoa flavour made this bar a bit more dense and filling.

Ombar 72%
Ombar were featured in my recent Whole Foods Haul and as mentioned before I really enjoyed the Ombars that I tried. As with most healthy raw chocolate bars I feel you need to not eat them alongside any “real/standard” chocolate otherways you may be disappointed. Normal chocolate bars that we are used to are incredibly sweet, even dark chocolate bars. They give our sugar brains an instant hit and leave us needing more almost immediately. Raw chocolate bars like Ombar are much richer and have a fairly different taste. I found this 72% bar to be almost alcoholic in taste…and I loved it. You only need a couple of bites and you will be satisfied for a long time. Ombar are the perfect healthy “pick me up”.

iQ Superfood Chocolate Orange Raspberry
Although they are sugarfree, I find the iQ chocolate bars to much more like normal standard chocolate bars therefore a great first taste for those new to raw chocolate. The packaging is adorable with loads of fun information inside about how great the bars are for your health…better get nibbling then. The orange and raspberry bar is incredibly yummy with the perfect amount of sweetness.

iQ Superfood Chocolate Cocoa-Nib
I have to be honest I really need to learn what the difference is between cocoa and cacoa and what the different levels of processed and healthiness is between them. These bars say they have cocoa nibs in them and they taste exactly like bars I have tried that say cacoa-nibs…hmmm. I believe these bars are super healthy whether they are cocoa or cacoa nibs and I adore this bar, the texture of the crunchy nibs is perfect. This bar is basically a more healthy version of Montezuma’s Lordy Lord chocolate bar which I have always adored.

Raw Gorilla Munchies
I spotted these Raw Gorilla Munchies in this months Sourced Box and then again in Whole Foods. They seem to be following me around so I thought I had best give them a try. They are hard yet a little bit chewy. They are quite dense so you don’t feel like you need a lot of them. As an on-the-go snack they are great because they travel well and you only need to pop a couple in your mouth to sate your appetite.

Raw Chocolate Mulberries
You may have spotted these in my recent Whole Foods Haul Blog and Vlog. They were my favourite snack and after thinking I wouldn’t buy anymore because of the price, I have actually since bought four more bags…eeeeek the money! I simply can’t help myself they are incredibly yummy. Even my dad who is a through and through milk chocolate guy adores these Raw Chocolate Mulberries. The taste, the texture, they are simply wonderful and you must all try them, except you can’t try mine because I do not share these ☺ .

I hope you have enjoyed my healthy snack taste test. I certainly loved it and so did Liam. I can honestly say that I would definitely buy every single item again. If I were super rich I would buy these snacks regularly and not feel the need to snack on any unhealthy chocolates or crisps ever again.
Have you tried any sugar free yummy treats or wanted to try any that I should try for you?

My Top 5 Favourite Sweet Sugar-Free Snacks

January is passing by quicker than ever and being healthy is getting increasingly more difficult.
I find the best way to succeed the healthy eating lifestyle is to find some sweet treats that are healthy.
Below are My Top 5 Favourite Sweet Sugar-Free Snacks.

1. Booja Booja Ice Cream
I am not usually a fan of ice cream because I don’t like milky creamy products
but this product is completely free of those ingredients.
It is dairy free in fact and has no added sugar whatsoever.
Booja Booja make scrummy truffles and ice cream.
They are on the pricey side but savour every mouthful, it is worth it.

2. Apples and Grapes
Once you give up sugar you will realise how sweet apples and grapes are.
These fruits give you a big sugar burst so try to not gorge on too much if you are trying to limit your sugar intake.
*TOP TIP: Next time you buy a bunch of grapes, put them in the freezer.
Every little grape tastes like a biteful of grape sorbet.

3. Honey and Cinnamon Popcorn
I blogged this recipe on my blog a few months ago and have had great feedback.
This sweet popcorn is sugar free and very addictive.

4. Yoghurt and Honey
This may sound like something you would normally eat for breakfast but it is a lovely healthy sweet treat.
Add honey or date syrup to a tablespoon of natural Greek yoghurt.
Sprinkle raspberries and strawberries on top for added yumminess.

5. Sugar Free Nutty Biscuits
I came up with this recipe last week by smushing loads of nuts and seeds with dates.
They are incredibly filling and a guilt free sweet treat.

Do you know of any other quick and easy sugar free sweet snacks that you can recommend?

@itsmegantaylor

Christmas Panettone Bombe

Inspired by a Jamie Oliver Christmas program about 6 or 7 years ago I have made a Christmas Panettone Bombe.
If like me you are not a fan of Christmas pudding or mince pies, this would be a perfect alternative for you.
It is fun and easy to make.
{Video link at the bottom}
If you don’t like panettone you can use a sponge cake.
…if however you are from a country that has a Lidl, I would highly suggest you buy your Panettone from there. It is yummy, huge and only £3.99!!
Compared to every other shop on the planet this is an absolute bargain!

Ingredients
Panettone (1/2 medium/large)
Ice Cream (one tub)
Jam of your choice (3 tablespoons)
Cointreau
Dark chocolate (x2 bars)
White chocolate (x1 bar)

You Will Need
Cling film
Bowl
Freezer
Bread knife

Method
1. Line a bowl with cling film. More layers the better.
2. Slice off the panettone’s base and then cut the rest into layers about 1.5cm thick.
3. Line your cling film bowl with the panettone slices and squidge them down a little.
4. Drizzle the cointreau over the panettone lined bowl.
5. Spread your jam over the panettone.
6. Fill the bowl with ice cream.
7. Place the base of the panettone slice, that you cut off earlier, onto the open top, forming the base of your bombe.
8. Cover the base in cling and place in the freezer until the ice cream has set.
(About 3-4 hours).
9. Melt your bars of dark chocolate and drizzle it over your panettone bombe.
10. Place the cake into the fridge for 10 minutes until the dark chocolate is set.
11. Melt a bar of white chocolate and pour over the top of the cake.
12. Decorate with a sprig of holly on top.

Instagram: @itsmegantaylor
Twitter: @itsmegantaylor

Chocolate Rice Pop Puddings

I’m not a fan of Christmas pudding but I love their classic festive look.
I adore chocolate so I created this chocolate Christmas pudding copy.
These are very simple to make and no baking is needed.
{Video Link At The Bottom Of This Page}

Ingredients
x2 bars of dark chocolate
1/2 bar of white chocolate
Rice Pops
Truffle/small cup cake holders
Holly decoration (I used these)
Teaspoon of honey

Method
1. Melt the dark chocolate.
2. Once the chocolate is melted add the honey and stir in.
The honey will prevent the balls from being too hard to bite once set.
3. Pour in your rice pops into the melted chocolate and stir until they are completed covered.
Slowly add more rice pops to use up all the chocolate, making sure the rice pops are completely covered in chocolate.
4. Spoon the mixture into the cupcake holders making them look like spherical mounds.
5. Place your chocolate balls on a tray and place in the fridge until they are 99% set.
Approximately 10 minutes.
6. Take your chocolate balls out of their cupcake holders and put them back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
7. Take your chocolate balls out of the fridge.
Melt your white chocolate and pour over each ball, representing the custard on a classic Christmas pudding.
8. Decorate the tops of each ball with a holly leaf made from the sprinkles.
If you are drawing holly leaves with writing icing do this after step 9.
9. Place back in the fridge for 10/20 minutes until completely set.
10. Lay them all out on a Christmas plate to serve at a party but keep a few aside in the kitchen for you to nibble on.
Your guests will devour them in minutes.

I hope you enjoy them. Make sure you tag me in a photo of you make them.
Instagram: @itsmegantaylor
Twitter: @itsmegantaylor

Sugar Free Ketchup Recipe

I only recently realised that I eat quite a lot of ketchup. I only really eat it with eggs or chips but with the amount of sugar in shop bought tomato sauce I thought I had better come up with a sugar free recipe.
I read loads of different recipes from very famous chefs and even though they are healthier than the shop bought ketchup, they still had sugar in!
My recipe uses natural fruit sugars as the sweetener.
I adore my sugar free ketchup warm but it tastes even better when cooled.

Serves 6-8 people (dependant on their gobbling potential)

Ingredients

Tinned tomatoes (1/2 tin)
Purée (half a pot or 3/4 of a tube)
Basil leaves (handful)
Garlic (1 thumb nail sized piece)
Fennel (1/4 of a bulb)
Sun dried tomato paste/or tomato pesto (two teaspoons)
Apple cider vinegar
Apple syrup
Garlic (1/2 clove)
Black pepper (grind up as much as you need to suit your tastebuds)
Whole cloves (2 single cloves)

Method

1. Chop the fennel and garlic into small pieces.

2. With a dash of oil in a small pan add your purée, tinned tomatoes, fennel, sun dried tomato paste, ginger and cider vinegar.

3. Leave to boil for 5 minutes.

4. Throw in your basil leaves then blend the ingredients to a wet sauce texture.

5. Once you have blended your sauce give it a little taste and see if it needs any extra cider vinegar then add your cloves, ground black pepper and apple syrup and cook for a further 3 minutes.

6. Take out your clove leaves (you don’t have to).

7. Finito 🙂

Enjoy with some homemade chips or poached eggs on toast.
Keep refrigerated for up to a week or freeze to keep.
Let me know if you try it out.

A healthy hug in a mug: {Lemon and ginger tea}

It is widely publicised that we should start off our morning with a mug of warm water and lemon but how about adding some fresh ginger in there? I adore this drink and have a mug most mornings.

Growing up, my parents would always make me honey, lemon and ginger in hot water to drink whenever I was ill and I adored it. It is fine to add the honey or agave syrup but for that slightly healthier edge and a way to prevent spiking your blood sugar and insulin levels, why not just have lemon and ginger? I love that tiny heated burn that ginger gives you. I also feel a strong sense of satisfaction whenever I drink ginger because it really feels like it is doing you some good.

I like to buy a fresh ginger chunk from the supermarket. At about 40-50p for a large chunk, which will last you months, you may as well give this drink a go. I chop it up in to little pieces and store it in a Tupperware pot in my freezer. It will keep for a very long time.

Below is the recipe for how I make mine. Make sure you read to the end for the health benefits of lemon and ginger.

Method

1. Either chop up half a lemon or squeeze half a lemon into your mug.

2. Throw in a few chunks of your frozen ginger (fresh ginger is fine too).

3. Cover in hot water.

4. Et voila x

Lemon benefits

Clear skin- lemon helps prevent skin wrinkles and acne.

Immune system- lemon is known to help maintain your immune system and protect you from many illnesses. This is because of its high quantity of Vitamin C.

Flushes out toxins- lemon is great to drink at any time of the day. It aids digestion.

Ginger benefits

Gingerols- ginger is full of gingerols helping with muscle pain and soreness after injury or tough workouts.

Immune boosting- helps produce healthy sweating. In turn helping us naturally detox and great for when we have a cold or the flu.

Helps alleviate nausea- if you get travel sick or have an anxious belly it is great to consume some form of ginger. Having ginger in your hot drink can help calm your anxiousness. It can even help with those time of the month belly cramps.