Sugar Free Blackberry & Blueberry Compote

With the fridge overloaded with blueberries that were slightly past their sell by date (these are the dangers we face from the 'add all favourites to basket' online food shop) I decided to use them to make a jam.

However, after lots of jam research, I was kinda shocked at the sugar content that most of the recipes suggest.

So I decided to replace the suggested refined sugar with agave syrup and fructose sugar in the form of organic apple juice. 

This lovely jam compote is not strictly sugar free, but it is free from those nasty (and DEADLY) refined sugars.

*Disclaimer. I do still consume food that contains refined sugars. I was born with a serious case of the sweet tooth.

**Double disclaimer. I had to call this 'jam' a 'jam compote' not only 'cause it sounds fancy, but also because it's pretty impossible to get a jam to set properly without sugar. 

Disclaimers out of the way. Let's get to it!

Ingredients

1kg Blueberries
Handful of Blackberries
125ml of Agave Syrup
A good glug of Apple Juice (look out for the label - make sure it's 100% apple juice)
1/2 bottle of Pectin (I used Certo, but check the packaging for specific instructions)

1. Mix the blueberries, agave and apple juice together in a pan. Bring to a rolling boil.

2. Keep the jam on this rolling boil for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add the Pectin and stir thoroughly.

4. Allow to cool and place in sterilised jam jars.

5. Enjoy on toast, or with some homemade granola and greek yoghurt.

Cinnamon Honey Granola

I LOVE me some granola. I could eat it any time of the day. However after recently finding out the sugar content in most shop bought granolas I decided to get my baking gloves on and attempt to make it at home.

This recipe is so easy and tastes real good, and once you've tried it yourself you'll think again before buying it.

Ingredients

4tbsp Coconut Oil (or vegetable oil)
4tbsp Honey
2tsp Cinnamon
300g Rolled Oats
25g Sunflower Seeds
25g Pumpkin Seeds
50g Pecans (chopped into relatively small pieces)
50g Raisins
50g Apricots
Zest of an orange

Don't worry too much about the weights of the seeds/nuts/dried fruits. Just go with how much you prefer. You can also mix and match whichever ones are your favourites.

1. Start by preheating the oven to 150c, then mix the coconut oil, honey and the cinnamon together.

2. Place all the dried ingredients in a bowl and pour over the liquid mix. Mix thoroughly. It should have a slightly sticky texture at this point.

3. Put the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. In this time you should keep an eye on it, mixing occasionally (this prevents burning).

4. Add the fruits and lemon zest and bake for a further 10-15 minutes (again keep an eye on it, no one likes burnt granola!)

5. When the granola seems crispy and toasted take out of the oven and leave to cool on the tray.

Granny's Plum Crumble

After an impromptu trip to Wiltshire to see my granny last week I ended up leaving with a loaded bag of greengages from her garden. So when I got home I headed straight for the kitchen and used them all in this heartwarming crumble.

I obviously used granny's greengages in this recipe but any plum will do. Also worth noting is that I used a rolled Swedish rye oat, as I like that it gives a rustic look and feel to the dish. However, any rolled oat will do.

So let's get to it!

This really is the most simple recipe. The only part that was slightly laborious was de-pitting the plums. But give yourself enough time to do so and all will be well with the world.

Ingredients

200g Plain Flour
100g Butter
150g Caster Sugar
100g Rye Oats
800g Plums (roughly - don't worry too much about being exact with this)
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon 

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180c.

2. Put the butter, flour and 75g of the sugar into a food processor. Whiz together until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Then mix in the oats until fully combined.

3. De-pitt the plums and leave in halves. Place them into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle on the rest of the sugar with the cinnamon. Mix together and once the sugar is evenly distributed sprinkle the crumble mixture on top.

4. Even out the top slightly (don't push down) and bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown. 

5. Let it cool and serve with a BIG dollop of vanilla custard.