Hi! Welcome to my blog. I am a major foodie, with a haphazard cooking philosophy, currently making that transition from cooking and baking for friends and family to 'wonder if I could make this my career'. Follow me for recipes, the outcomes of a few experiments, and general lovely foodiness. Opinions, reviews and recommendations are all my own.
Showing posts with label Feel Good Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Feel Good Food. Show all posts

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

A Kick At The Pantry Door and the Feel Good Food Challenge

For those of you that follow this blog (and if you are still following in spite of my sporadic posting of late I am ever thankful!) you will be aware of some pretty big changes happening here. I blogged a few weeks ago that the time demands of holding down a full time job whilst setting up my own business had left me with some pretty hard choices to make about the direction of this blog. One of those was the decision for the time being not to be involved in product reviews, as last minute cake orders have compromised review deadlines of late. Once the business is a little more established this may be something I pursue again in the future.
 
I am working on getting back into a routine for blogging recipes, and I will be sharing updates from the business every Sunday afternoon.
 
 
The one aspect of the blog that I have umm-ed and arr-ed over for the past few month's is the Feel Good Food blogging challenge. I have been so reluctant to call time on the challenge, but as I'm sure you have noticed, I simply have not been able to keep up with the administration each month. I have appealed for guest hosts to take up the mantel for a few months to keep the spirit alive, however as none are forthcoming sadly I have to say that the challenge will no longer be taking place.
 
I will leave the challenge page pinned to the menu at the top of the blog, so any previous challenges and link ups will still be available to read. I thank each and every person that has supported the challenge in the past and taken the time to link up.

Monday, 3 February 2014

February's Feel Good Food Challenge


I've got a refreshing challenge for you this month! One packed full of Vitamin C and sunshine to help get us over the last hurdle of winter and thinking about warmer times ahead. As well as the well known Vitamin C and benefits to the immune system, nutrients in oranges are plentiful and diverse. Low in calories, with no saturated fats or cholesterol, Oranges are rich in dietary fiber, pectin, which is very effective in persons with excess body weight. Pectin also helps to protect the mucous membrane of the colon by decreasing its exposure time to toxic substances as well as by binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. Pectin has also been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels by decreasing its re-absorption in the colon by binding to bile acids in the colon. (adapted from Nutrition and You)

On a less graphic note, it's Seville Orange season, and marmalade season to boot, so what better awesome healthy ingredient to make this month's Feel Good Food! 



ORANGES

As always, the challenge rules are;
  • Each month the new challenge will be announced on the 1st of the month, and recipes should be submitted by midnight on the 28th. 
  • You can enter as many recipes into each challenge as you like, the more the merrier. Existing posts are welcome, as long as they contain the chosen ingredient and have been updated to include a link back to this challenge.
  • Recipes can be your own or someone else's, but if you do use an existing recipe please credit the source.
  • Posts must contain the Feel Good Food logo above, be tagged with Feel Good Food, and contain a link back to this site. 
  • You can add your post using the linky tool at the bottom of this post, or alternatively email me a copy of the URL link to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com so that I know it is there, and I can include it in the round up at the end of the month. 
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet me the link at @ThePantryDoor1, using the hashtag #FeelGoodFood and I will retweet as well. 

Monday, 13 January 2014

Ultimate Vegetable Soup


With both Gary and I both having been struck down somewhat in the prime of life recently (90's F.R.I.E.N.D.S reference there) this weekend was all about the sofa, the duvet, and great big bowlfuls of this soup, whilst we tried to nurse ourselves back to health. This is the way my Mum used to make soup, packed full of veggies, thick enough to stand your spoon up in, and seasoned to perfection. It is my ultimate vegetable soup, easy to make, and with nothing but goodness in every spoonful. The recipe is loose, feel free to substitute some of the vegetables to suit, or use vegetable stock instead of chicken. To paraphrase Captain Barbossa in the Pirates of the Caribbean films...



Ingredients 
(makes enough for approx 6 portions)

2 litres Chicken Stock
2 small onions
3 cloves garlic
5 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 medium potatoes
1/2 butternut squash
1/2 medium swede
3 carrots
1 small broccoli head
Salt and pepper to taste


Method

Peel and roughly chop all the vegetables...


Place in a large pan with the chicken stock, and simmer for around 1 hour, until all the vegetables are soft...


Using a handheld blender, whizz the vegetables until smooth (make sure there are no chunks of veg hiding at the bottom...


Season with plenty of salt and pepper to taste - don't be stingy with the seasoning. Then serve in big bowls, with plenty of bread and butter for dunking. Perfect!


As a healthy, inexpensive, and definitely tasty meal, I am linking this into this month's Feel Good Food...



Monday, 6 January 2014

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

Throughout the winter months, one of my favourite things is a Sunday roast. When the warm weather comes around, we trade in our roasts for barbecues, fresh salads and and lazy afternoons in pub gardens, but the first waft of cool air in autumn, and my roasting pans come back out, and it's meat-and-two-veg all the way. 

As like most people I expect, our routines have been slightly out of sync over Christmas, at one point I was convinced that every day was Sunday. Fortunately the days have just about organised themselves again, and yesterday we were happily back into the Sunday roast routine once more. 

This is my recipe for two wonderfully succulent, melt-in-the-mouth lamb shanks, just multiply the ingredients for 4 or 6 as needed...

Ingredients

2 lamb shanks
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled but whole
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 sprigs rosemary
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
rock salt to taste
200ml red wine
300ml chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour

Method
  • Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees
  • Use the flour to coat the lamb shanks, and knock off any excess
  • Heat the oil in a casserole dish on the hob, then sear the meat on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside
  • Add the leek, onion, carrots and garlic to the pan, and cook for around 5 minutes until softened
  • Add the rosemary sprigs and peppercorns and stir, add sea salt to taste

  • Pour in the red wine and chicken stock
  • Bring to a simmer, then return the lamb shanks to the pan
  • Take the casserole dish and cover with foil, or the pan lid
  • Place in the oven and slow cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falls away from the bone
  • Remove from the oven, take the lamb shanks out and put onto serving plates
  • Return the casserole dish containing the sauce to the hob on a low heat, mix the cornflour with a little water, then stir into the sauce to thicken
  • Pour the sauce over the shanks, and serve with creamy mash and fresh vegetables


As this dish is full of good things, I am linking it up with this month's Feel Good Food - it made us feel very good!


I'm also linking into a new challenge hosted by Fuss Free Flavours and Utterly Scrummy called Extra Veg, as not only did this dish have leeks, onions and carrots in, but we served it up with some very al dente broccoli!

Wednesday, 1 January 2014

January's Feel Good Food Challenge


I started this recipe challenge last year in order to create a place for great recipes that are good for us in terms of their nutrition content and health benefits, but not at the expense of taste. The idea was to create a collection of recipes for the foodies out there that can't face the thought of strict diets, or calorie counting, but want to make sure that the food they are eating has the best possible benefits to their health. In short, foodies like me!

As we step over the threshold of 2014, many of us will be making a note in the front cover of our shiny crease-free new diaries of our New Year's Resolutions, and once again, "Lose Weight" tops the charts in terms of the most popular resolution (and unsurprisingly, the most broken resolution too). Many will turn to the latest celebrity diet trends, and quit shortly after because of their inflexible rules, bland and monotone tastes, and often expensive elements. 

So for this month's Feel Good Food, I'm hosting a free for all in terms of ingredients, and ask only that the theme for recipes is;

TASTY AND INEXPENSIVE

Let's create an awesome recipe bank of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options that promote a healthy diet, packed with flavour, without breaking the bank. Ooo and feel free to share your New Year's resolutions too! Mine is to start my own business! 

As always, the challenge rules are;
  • Each month the new challenge will be announced on the 1st of the month, and recipes should be submitted by midnight on the 28th. 
  • You can enter as many recipes into each challenge as you like, the more the merrier. Existing posts are welcome, as long as they contain the chosen ingredient and have been updated to include a link back to this challenge.
  • Recipes can be your own or someone else's, but if you do use an existing recipe please credit the source.
  • Posts must contain the Feel Good Food logo above, be tagged with Feel Good Food, and contain a link back to this site. 
  • You can add your post using the linky tool at the bottom of this post, or alternatively email me a copy of the URL link to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com so that I know it is there, and I can include it in the round up at the end of the month. 
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet me the link at @ThePantryDoor1, using the hashtag #FeelGoodFood and I will retweet as well. 

Sunday, 1 September 2013

September's Feel Good Food Challenge


So I guess Summer happened then!? I can't believe that it's September already, and what's more, that this little blog is 1 year old today! Maybe that's because I didn't really understand what I was doing in the beginning, and didn't really find my stride until the beginning of 2013. Either way, here we are, and here is the forth Feel Good Food challenge already! If you haven't caught it yet, check out August's Ginger round-up here, there are 17 of the most varied recipes containing ginger, and each one is brilliant! 

This month, I wanted to mark the beginning of Autumn, and more importantly the beginning of the harvest season, as so much amazing produce comes into season at this time of year. The choice was huge to narrow down, but I knew I was looking for an ingredient that was in season, incredibly versatile, and of course has plenty of great health benefits.

The ingredient I chose is high in vitamin C, and packed with phytonutrients and enzymes that support the effective breakdown of glucose and complex carbohydrates, making it easier to regulate blood sugars, and ward off diabetes. Antioxidant properties are present, and recent studies also hint at properties that can help to prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. It seems that the old proverb is correct, one of these a day will most certainly keep the doctor away! 

This month's challenge ingredient is...

APPLES

As always, the challenge rules are;

  • Each month the new challenge will be announced on the 1st of the month, and recipes should be submitted by midnight on the 28th. 
  • You can enter as many recipes into each challenge as you like, the more the merrier. Existing posts are welcome, as long as they contain the chosen ingredient and have been updated to include a link back to this challenge.
  • Recipes can be your own or someone else's, but if you do use an existing recipe please credit the source.
  • Posts must contain the Feel Good Food logo above, be tagged with Feel Good Food, and contain a link back to this site. 
  • You can add your post using the linky tool at the bottom of this post, or alternatively email me a copy of the URL link to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com so that I know it is there, and I can include it in the round up at the end of the month. 
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet me the link at @ThePantryDoor1, using the hashtag #FeelGoodFood and I will retweet as well. 

Thursday, 29 August 2013

August's Feel Good Food Round Up: Ginger

I chose Ginger for this month's Feel Good Food not just because of its amazing nutritional properties, but because it comes in so many different forms that I knew we would get a really varied range of dishes entered, and my goodness you all didn't disappoint! We have cakes, crumbles and sweet treats, curries and tagines, chicken, pork and seafood dishes as well as some great veggie options, and even a chutney! Thanks to all who took the time to link in, I promise your tastebuds will be tingling when you've finished reading this!

Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine

The first entry is from a challenge newcomer The Flaming Potato. I'm so pleased that they chose Feel Good Food as the first challenge to enter, and this Vegetable and Chickpea Tagine looks mouthwateringly delicious, packed with all kinds of healthy ingredients not to mention a good helping of fresh root ginger. 

Crystallised Ginger Biscuits

Our second entry came from Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker, this time with crystallised ginger in these Crystallised Ginger Biscuits. I love the added square of chocolate on top of the biscuits, which Ros says is her favourite part!

Sticky Ginger and Chilli Chicken

This is one of my posts, a Sticky Ginger and Chilli Chicken made using Mackays Spiced Ginger Preserve to make a sticky glaze for the meat - really quick and really tasty this one!

Mango Curry Chickpea Salad

Janet from The Taste Space entered this tantalising Mango Curry Chickpea Salad. This is also such a quick and easy recipe, with deep spices and sweet mango, all wrapped up in crisp lettuce leaves, perfect for a hot summer day.

Red Kidney Bean Burger

Elizabeth of Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary never fails to tempt me with her fabulous photography, and this Red Kidney Bean Burger is no exception! Packed with beans, cheese, potato and all sorts of amazing spices, you definitely wouldn't miss the meat in these!

Sticky Ginger Cake

Caroline over at Caroline Makes sounds like the perfect journey companion, especially as she took the time to prepare these Sticky Ginger Cake squares to take on a long journey! Adapted from a Nigella recipes, these cakes look lovely and moist and packed full of flavour.

Gingersnaps

Elizabeth from The Law Students Cookbook took her disappointment in a packet of store-bought Gingersnaps, and turned it into these beauties! These gingersnaps are gingery but not to hot, and crisp but not break-your-teeth hard. They sound perfect to me!




Four awesome recipes now from Eat Properly that really showcase the versatility of ginger across a range of dishes, both sweet and savoury. Check out Spicy Quadruple Ginger Cupcakes, Prawn and Sweet Potato CurrySouth Indian Style Chicken Soup, and Slow Cooked Crispy Chinese Belly Pork - there's plenty here to plan a three course dinner around ginger! Thank you so much for taking the time to link back these great posts from the archives, that Chicken Soup is right at the top of my bookmarks!

Spiced Banana Nut Muffins

A sweet treat now in the form of Spiced Banana Nut Muffins from Jenny at What Jenny Baked. Originally made for a healthy addition to a BBQ, I imagine that these would also make a great breakfast on the run, or be just perfect with an afternoon cup of tea.

Sweet Chilli Chutney

The lovely Ness over at Jibber Jabber posted this fab Sweet Chilli Chutney on behalf of her Mum, dubbed the Chutney Queen! This is a really fruity recipe, utilising a punnet of nectarines that needed using, and a great accompaniment to all these summer BBQ's as demonstrated above.

Ginger Peach Crisp

A second great entry next from Caroline Makes, this scrumptious Ginger Peach Crisp with fresh peaches and an almond crumble topping this is perfect pick me up food.

Oaty Ginger and Plum Crumble

Another yummy crumble now from Shaheen over at Allotment to Kitchen this time with fresh plums in this Oaty Ginger and Plum Crumble. There's s good dose of stem ginger in this recipe, and I love the rolled oat crumble topping for some extra texture and goodness.

Chocolate and Ginger Pecan Pie

Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... linked up this awesome Chocolate and Ginger Pecan Pie, just wow! I'm so glad I've found her blog, and will absolutely be trying this recipe over the autumn months!

Sticky Ginger Lemon Drizzle Cake

Last but by no means least, Kat from The Baking Explorer linked up with this beautiful Sticky Ginger Lemon Drizzle Cake. The zingy combination of lemon and ginger sounds perfect, and I can just imagine tucking into a slice of this cake with a steaming mug of tea and savouring every mouthful.

Thanks again to everyone who linked up this month and provided this amazing list of tasty dishes. Check back on the 1st September to find out what ingredient I eventually settle on (all suggestions are welcome below if there are any special ingredients you'd like to see in the future?) 

Thursday, 1 August 2013

August's Feel Good Food Challenge


This month's key ingredient for Feel Good Food was one of the original contenders for the first challenge back in June. I chose it because it comes in so many different forms, has so many different uses in cooking and baking, and of course, most importantly, has so many health benefits.

I am of course, talking about GINGER. Be it freshly grated ginger root, ground ginger, crystallised or pickled ginger, this month, I want your ginger recipes please! 

To encourage you, some of the linked health benefits to ginger include;
  • Ginger contains a number of compounds that aid gastrointestinal functions including digestion
  • A recent study indicates that daily consumption of ginger can ease muscle pain associated with exercise
  • Some studies have shown ginger to be very effective in reducing nausea linked to seasickness, pregnancy and even nausea brought on by chemotherapy
The rules are as follows;
  • Recipes should be submitted by midnight on the 28th. 
  • Recipes do not need to be calorie controlled, but wherever possible, try to use wholemeal carbohydrates (flour, pasta, rice etc) to make them as nutritious as possible.
  • You can enter as many recipes into the challenge as you like, the more the merrier. Existing posts are welcome, as long as they contain the chosen ingredient and have been updated to include a link back to this challenge.
  • Recipes can be your own or someone else's, but if you do use an existing recipe please credit the source.
  • Posts must contain the Feel Good Food logo above, be tagged with Feel Good Food, and contain a link back to this site. 
  • Once your post is live, you can add the URL to the linky tool at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, email me a copy of the URL link to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com so that I know it is there, and I can include it in the round up at the end of the month. 
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet me the link at @ThePantryDoor1, using the hashtag #FeelGoodFood and I will retweet as well. 

July's Feel Good Food Round Up: Maple Syrup


I have to admit, I wasn't expecting July's Feel Good Food to be quite so controversial as it was, but there did seem to be some resistance in terms of cost and availability. That being said, there are some really fantastic recipes here that just go to show the range and versatility of maple syrup in all types of cooking, from baking, to sauces, glazes and marinades. There are five recipes here, and we have a cookie, a cake, a veggie dish, a meat dish, and a versatile sauce - varied indeed!

Banana, Maple Syrup, Bacon and Whiskey Cookies

The lovely Jen at Blue Kitchen Bakes was first in, with a Heston inspired Banana, Maple Syrup, Bacon and Whisky Cookie recipe. Nothing controversial there then! Personally the sound of these cookies gets my tastebuds tingling, plus, the mashed banana in the cookie dough cuts out a lot of the butter content, and similarly, the sweetness comes from the maple syrup, so a great healthy alternative cookie recipe - thanks Jen! 

Quick and Easy Chinese Style BBQ Sauce

Next up I experimented with using maple syrup in a Chinese Style BBQ Sauce. This was a quick and easy blend of maple syrup, teriyaki sauce and some spices to create a quick marinade, which could also be reduced down to make a sticky sauce. Perfect quick and easy mid-week food. 

Baked Butternut

Our next entry came from Angela over at My Golden Pear, in the form of this glorious Baked Butternut, glazed with maple syrup, cinnamon and paprika. This was a South African inspired dish, and looks just divine, definitely one I will be trying myself at home. 

You could use maple syrup as a glaze to replace sugar or honey in other vegetable dishes similar to this to get the same result, with all those added antioxidants and health benefits. 

Banana, Almond and Maple Syrup Cake

A beautiful looking cake now from Ness at Jibber Jabber. Ness found some bananas that needed using up, and put then to incredibly good use in this Banana, Almond and Maple Syrup Cake. Perfect for accompanying an afternoon cup of tea methinks!

Maple and Lemon Chicken with Sunshine Rice

The last entry was another of my recipes, this time Maple and Lemon Chicken with Sunshine Rice. This time, I used lemon juice and maple syrup to marinade chicken, which was then grilled, with the remaining marinade used to flavour a tomato cooked rice side dish. It was absolutely delicious I promise! 

Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their sunshine soaked July to create a maple syrup dish this month, the ingredient for August will be posted shortly! 


Sunday, 28 July 2013

Lemon and Maple Chicken with Sunshine Rice

Did you know it was sunny outside!? As Brits we have somewhat of a reputation for talking about the weather. And with the developments in social media, it seems that not only do we talk about the weather, but we also tweet about the weather, rant on facebook about the weather, instagram pictures of the sun/seaside/storm clouds, and just to make sure all bases are covered, take screen shots of the weather forecast on our phones, or photos of the temperature gauge on our dashboards to share with all our friends just in case they happened to have not opened their curtains and checked outside for themselves! I would confidently say that 50% of my timelines are filled with "it's too hot", "I'm stuck inside", "check out my sunburn" type complaints, and it is taking all of my will power not to go on an angry keyboard rampage across the web shouting down everyone that utters any of the above. If you like the heat, go outside and make the most of it, if you don't, stay inside with the curtains drawn and the fan on. Either way, it'll be over soon, so just, please, step away from the computer/smart phone/tablet and have some fun! Phew! Ok, that's that taken care of...

Lemon and Maple Grilled Chicken, with Sunshine Rice


I chose Maple Syrup as this month's Feel Good Food ingredient, and it's proved to be a lot more controversial than I expected. I wanted to develop a great recipe to showcase how versatile maple syrup can really be as a healthy alternative to sugar/honey/syrup and use to add a real depth of flavour. As Feel Good Food is all about finding healthier food that still tastes good, I really concentrated on that in this recipe, using whole grain rice, and chicken breasts with the skin off. There also isn't any fat or oil used in the cooking process for this recipe either! 


Ingredients

For the Lemon and Maple Chicken;

4 chicken breasts
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

For the Sunshine Rice;

400 grams whole grain rice
400 gram tinned chopped tomatoes
300 ml chicken stock
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 yellow pepper, diced
salt and pepper to taste


Method

Start by marinading the chicken. Mix the lemon juice, maple syrup and paprika together in a dish. Score the chicken all over and place into the marinade, coating both sides. Cover with clingfilm, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

For the sunshine rice, add all of the ingredients listed to a large pan, stir well, and place over a medium heat. 

Remove the chicken from the fridge, and place the breasts on a baking tray. Place the chicken under a grill. Pour the leftover chicken and maple marinade into the rice, and stir through. 

Grill the chicken for around 8 - 10 minutes on either side. Check that the chicken is cooked through and then set aside to rest. Check the rice, it will have had around 25-30 minutes cooking time now. Because it is cooking in the tomatoes rather then just water, it will take a little longer than the packet instructions, so just keep testing it until it is soft. 

Once the rice is soft enough, serve alongside the grilled chicken.


This dish is light, and flavoursome, with the sweetness of the maple and the sharpness of the lemon flavouring the chicken well, and cutting through the fruity tomato flavour of the rice. Perfect for a summer's evening out on the patio, or for bringing the sun back on those less sunny days!

Friday, 12 July 2013

Quick and Easy Chinese-Style BBQ Sauce

I feel as though I haven't blogged in an absolute age, although it's really only been 10 days or so. I have been merrily cooking and baking away, and have a stack of recipes and pictures to share with you all, but for some reason I have been struggling to put fingers to keyboard. Perhaps it's this gorgeous weather distracting me and drawing me out into the garden, or perhaps, as is more likely, life is just getting in the way. 

If you are suffering from a similar heat/life induced lethargy, this recipe is perfect, as it takes neither time nor effort to make. I think it's perfect for those impromptu BBQ's, or just getting in from a busy day at work, the sauce is simply whacking all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking for a minute, and then you can cook straight away, or marinade meat in it for a couple of hours before slapping it on the barbie...


Ingredients

4 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce (I used the Kikkoman blend)
2 tablespoons Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Crushed Garlic
1 tablespoon Tomato Purée

Method

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Marinade your chosen meat in the mixture and refrigerate until needed.

I used this mixture and marinated a couple of pork steaks for two hours when I got home from work last night, then transferred the lot to a griddle pan, cooked the pork steaks on both sides for five minutes, then added 100ml water and left to reduce down to make a sticky sauce to serve with the pork and some whole wheat rice.


The marinade would work equally well with chicken, duck or even as a sauce for a vegetable stir-fry!

Because this recipe contains Maple Syrup, I am linking it up to the Feel Good Food challenge this month. Feel Good Food is all about creating recipes that contain ingredients with especially high nutritional contents or health benefits.



Monday, 1 July 2013

July's Feel Good Food Challenge


I had a few different ingredients in mind for the second Feel Good Food challenge, however after the success of the first challenge (round up here) I had a little rethink, as I wanted something that was really flexible and would allow for a really good range of exciting healthy recipes. A little while ago, I was sent some products from Clarks to test, which included their range of maple syrups, and a little research opened my eyes to the amazing health benefits of this delicious treat.


Predominantly maple syrup contains phenol compounds that house enzymes that convert carbohydrates into sugars, and the recent studies suggest that this could be the basis of an anti-diabetic compound. In addition, maple syrup also contains a high density of antioxidants, which are key in slowing down the oxidization, or ageing of the bodies cells, something that is not found in other natural sweeteners, even including honey. You can find more information on the health benefits of maple syrup on the Clarks website here. In conclusion, maple syrup is a great way of sweetening a recipe whilst making the most of some key nutrients. 

So the key ingredient this month is MAPLE SYRUP

The rules are as follows;
  • Recipes should be submitted by midnight on the 28th. 
  • Recipes do not need to be calorie controlled, but wherever possible, try to use wholemeal carbohydrates (flour, pasta, rice etc) to make them as nutritious as possible.
  • You can enter as many recipes into the challenge as you like, the more the merrier. Existing posts are welcome, as long as they contain the chosen ingredient and have been updated to include a link back to this challenge.
  • Recipes can be your own or someone else's, but if you do use an existing recipe please credit the source.
  • Posts must contain the Feel Good Food logo above, be tagged with Feel Good Food, and contain a link back to this site. 
  • Once your post is live, you can add the URL to the linky tool at the bottom of the page. Alternatively, email me a copy of the URL link to kickatthepantrydoor@gmail.com so that I know it is there, and I can include it in the round up at the end of the month. 
  • If you are on Twitter, tweet me the link at @ThePantryDoor1, using the hashtag #FeelGoodFood and I will retweet as well.