Here at Supaphoto, we love spring. There are so many positives! It’s absolutely my favorite season and always has a way of making me feel so positive and optimistic. Firstly there’s the warmer weather – that’s always a plus. Then there are the flowers. Walk down a street and you can see them popping up everywhere! Nothing beats those lovely spring colors.
Everyone seems to dress more positively with happier, more vibrant colors.
There are longer days with more light in the evenings and a general feeling of optimism! Bring it on!
Love is in the air. One thing we also love to do is cook in spring! With this in mind, I’d like to share with you just a few of my favorite recipes starting with the one I feel the most guilty about! I hope you like them!
1.) Super Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
INGREDIENTS
- 3 x medium very ripe bananas
- 1 x egg
- 1⁄3 x cup low-fat buttermilk or 1/3 cup milk
- 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups flour
- 1 x teaspoon baking soda
- 1 x teaspoon salt
- 2 -3 x tablespoons chocolate chips
- 2 x tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)
OUR DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly coat 12 muffin tin liners with cooking spray and place in muffin tin.
In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
Whisk in egg, milk, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture and combine well.
Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Spoon equal amounts of batter into 12 muffin cups.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool slightly in the pan, then remove to a wire rack.
2.) Super Lemon Meringue Pie
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry
- 225g/8oz plain flour
- 175g/6oz butter
- 45g/1¾oz icing sugar
- 1 large free-range egg, beaten
For the lemon filling
- 6 lemons, zest and juice
- 65g/2¼oz cornflour
- 250g/9oz caster sugar
- 6 free-range egg yolks
OUR DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
First, make the pastry. Measure the flour and butter into a food processor and blend together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the icing sugar, egg and one tablespoon of water and whisk again until combined to a ball.
Tip the pastry onto a work surface and roll out to a 3mm thickness. Use the rolling pin to lift the pastry up and transfer it to line a 23cm/9in loose-bottomed flan tin. Be careful not to stretch the pastry as you tuck it into the corners. Cover in cling film and place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Take the pastry-lined tin out of the fridge and trim the excess pastry. Press the top edge of the pastry so that it stands slightly higher than the top of the tin.
Line the pastry case with parchment and fill it with baking beans. Bake for about 15 minutes then remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for a further five minutes.
Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 170C/340F/Gas 3½.
For the filling, mix the lemon zest and juice with the cornflour and stir to form a smooth paste. Measure 450ml/16fl oz of water into a pan and bring to a boil. Add the lemon cornflour mixture to the hot water and stir over the heat until the mixture has thickened, then remove from the heat.
In a bowl mix together the sugar and egg yolks and carefully whisk into the lemon mixture in the pan. Stir over a medium heat until thickened. Set aside for a few minutes and then pour into the baked pastry case.
For the meringue, whisk the egg whites in a free-standing mixer until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Add the caster sugar a little at a time, still whisking until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Add the cornflour and whisk again.
Spoon on top of the filled pastry case and spread the meringue to completely cover the lemon filling. Then create a swirl on the top of the meringue.
Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the filling is completely set and the meringue is lightly golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely before cutting or serve very slightly warm.
3.) Super Strawberry Cheesecake
INGREDIENTS:
- 85g low-fat biscuit (we used WeightWatchers ginger biscuits)
- 200g tub extra-light soft cheese
- 200g tub 0% fat Greek yogurt
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- few drops vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp good-quality strawberry jam
- 100g strawberry, hulled and sliced
OUR DIRECTIONS:
First, Put the biscuits in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin until you have chunky crumbs. Divide between 4 glasses or small bowls.
Second, Beat the soft cheese, yogurt, sugar and vanilla together until smooth, then spoon over the crumbs and chill until you are ready to serve.
Third, Stir the jam in a bowl until loose, then gently stir in the strawberries. Divide the strawberries between the cheesecakes and serve.
