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Fruit Recipe: Chocolate Dipped Orange Peels

This Chocolate dipped orange peel recipe is inspired by Spain and it has to be the perfect party snack for fruit and nature fans. In addition to being super delicious orange peels are the perfect healthy snack.

We stumbled upon this sweet treat in the beautiful spanish town of Sevilla. Famous for it’s juicy oranges and groves dotted throughout the landscape. This region of Spain forces you to reconnect with the produce around you. In cobbled streets and buzzing restaurants you will find local foods, freshly grown from the nearby fields.

Now for our super simple orange peel recipe that not only delights your guests but save you throwing away the peels too.

INGREDIENTS

  • Seville oranges 450g
  • Chocolate (plain or dark will do) 200g
  • Sugar 250g
  • Water 125ml

INSTRUCTIONS

Slice the peel from the flesh, being sure to keep as much of the pith as possible. Slice it into strips. Put in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and repeat.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a bowl over the hot bowl of boiling water.

Dissolve the sugar in water over a low heat.

Mix the syrup and the chocolate together gently and add the peel.

Cook and stir gently for around 30 minutes or until the syrup is mostly absorbed.

Decorate them with zigzags and drippings of the chocolate for an extra touch of party-time.

ADULTS ONLY: Add a splash or two of rum to the syrup mixture to give it an alcoholic kick.

Pick the pieces out with tongs and drain on a rack over a dish. Don’t throw away the remaining syrup.

This tasty easy orange peel recipe will impress friends and give you a fun weekend activity in the kitchen.

Enjoy!

So, why are orange peels good for you? The peel is said to contain Vitamins A, B and C as well as plenty of calcium and iron that we can stock up on for winter. Also, citrus peels contain Limonene which can be found to reduce the skin cancer. A study published by Nutrition and Cancer in 2000 found that people without skin cancer consumed significantly more citrus fruits. However, we must be mindful when eating any fruit and choose organic fruit as much as possible. Fruit that isn’t labelled organic may be grown with chemicals that can have a negative effect. For the most health benefits always choose to buy organic.

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Halloween Recipe: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween is just around the corner and we are excited to share our easy roasted pumpkin seeds recipe. Have you been busy creating spooky jack-o-lanterns with your pumpkins? We certainly have and you will find some pictures of our favourite creations below.

As we are nuts about fruit it is the perfect time of year to celebrate the pumpkin harvest and have some fun with friends. A mindful activity and fun for all the family, pumpkin carving is the perfect way to spend an evening but what can you do with all those leftover seeds? Eat them. Yes, roasting pumpkin clean-pumpkin-seedsseeds is the ideal way to get the most out of their flavour and use up some of your leftovers. Here is our solution for leftover pumpkin seeds:

Ingredients

2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds, or whatever you scoop from one pumpkin
3 tablespoons butter, melted, or an equal amount of the cooking oil of your choice
1 teaspoon salt and/or other seasonings

Instructions

Step 1. Preheat the Oven
Preheat oven to 250°. Line a large sheet pan with tinfoil and spread a thin layer of olive oil on top.

Step 2. Gather your seeds
There is no wrong way to carve your pumpkin and there is plenty of online inspiration out there. This year we are seeing some celebrities and politicians are popular pumpkin picks. Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut around the top of the pumpkin and remove the lid. Using a large spoon, scrape the sides of the pumpkin to remove the seeds and pulp. Pick out the seeds and put them into a large bowl.

Step 3. Clean the seeds thoroughly
You may be tempted to throw the seeds straight into the oven but if you want to crunchy kind (which are simply the best) then you should clean them thoroughly.  Using your hands pull the seeds from the gloopy pumpkin slime. Rinse them in cold running water. The water makes is easier to pull off any excess pumpkin goo. This may take a few turns.

Step 4.  Combine the Seeds with the Seasonings
It’s time to season your seeds! Salt and chilli flakes works a treat but you can use any spices you wish.

In a bowl mix the salt and a tablespoon of chili flakes with two spoons of olive oil. Drizzle over the dry seeks and gentle toss them around to make sure all of the seeds are covered.

Step 5. Bake the Pumpkin Seeds, Stirring Occasionally
Now we are ready to bake. Spread all of the seeds in a single layer on your tinfoil and bake for approximately 1 hour. Turn them half way to toast both sides.

Step 6. Dig in! 
You can serve them up as a tasty pre-dinner snack, hand them out to eager trick or treaters, add them to your morning granola or save them for your afternoon snack at work. To store them keep them in an airtight container and this will help to keep them crunchy.roasted-pumpkin-seeds

Fun Pumpkin Facts Facts

  • The word pumpkin first appeared in the fairy tale Cinderella
  • The Irish were the first to start carvings jack-o-lanterns out of turnips and potatoes to ward off evil spirits. In the 1800’s Irish immigrants brought this tradition to America.
  • Pumpkins take between 90 to 120 days to grow and have approximately 500 seeds each.
  • There are more than 45 types of pumpkins and not all are orange.
  • Pumpkins come from the same fruit family as melons and cucumbers.

Health Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds

  • Contains a lot of magnesium which helps regulate blood pressure
  • Rich in Omega 3 fats and Zinc
  • Rich in antioxidants and nutrients such as fiber, protein and Vitamin K
  • A source of tryptophan, an amino acid that can help with sleep. If you are feeling restless have a cup of pumpkin seeds.

Have a spookalicious Halloween all!

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FRUIT RECIPE: HOMEMADE BLACKBERRY JAM

What food warms your heart in winter? For us, there is nothing that compares to warm toast, creamy butter and fresh homemade blackberry jam. Toast is pretty simple if you have a toaster or grill. Here is a short and easy recipe for homemade jam to melt your heart. Blackberries are one of our favourite things to forage for so we will focus on Blackberry jam for now.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 kg Blackberries
  • 1 litre of water
  • 1.8 kg Caster sugar
  • 1 spoonful of honey
  • 1 lemon

METHOD

Always start by picking the berries. If you are out of season don’t worry. Head to your local organic supermarket to pick up some fresh berries. If you are organised than maybe you have some stored in the freezer from last seasons harvest.

How many blackberries do you need?
You should make blackberry jam in small batches. This recipe is enough for 4 large jars of jam. For each jar you will need at least 5 mugs of berries. That’s a good days pickings.

Wash the fruit is cold water to remove any excess dirt, insects or stems.

If you are like me you will want to leave some berry chunks in your jam but if you prefer smooth jam than you will need to whisk the berries in a food processor. I simply use a fork to mash them around in a pan. Add a little lemon juice at this point.

Next place the pan over a warm hob and heat gently. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up full blast, you don’t want to burn away all of those juicy flavours.

After 5 minutes of gentle boiling add the sugar to the pan. Gently stir the mixture. Wait until the mixture starts to bubble and boil. At this point turn off the heat and leave the jam settle before transferring it to a dish or jar. Place in the fridge for a couple of hours to help the jam set.

Last but not least, serve on warm homemade soda bread, scones or toast to show off your newly made homemade blackberry jam. Enjoy!

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