Who doesn’t love a muffin top?

For those of you who don’t know her, Emm is a professional yacht chef who has travelled the world picking up some amazing recipes along the way. Luckily for my taste buds she started to teach live lessons in the group and inspired many of us to try out some new dishes.

Emm has a passion for sharing her recipes and knowledge which has shone through all of her amazing videos, and although all of her food has been delicious, there is another theme which has run through it all, that of healthy eating. Everything she has taught us has been using very natural ingredients, even the muffins (recipes below) which means that things can taste good and be good for you at the same time! She is a health coach and currently studying to qualify as a Medicinal Chef as well. And I have to say I do like her approach to eating. “I am a firm believer that it’s not just about what’s on your plate, you can be drinking green juices and going to the gym every day and still be so unhappy. Enjoying a chocolate muffin is good for you! Despite the sugar! There has to be a balance”. We certainly got lucky when Emm decided that she was going to dedicate so much of her time to giving cooking lessons. They have meant I have learnt how to make naan bread (so much easier than you think) as well as an amazing curry; I have something called “Kimchi” (which is fermented cabbage, it’s better than it sounds) sitting in my fridge waiting for a Laksa curry to be served with it, and she has taught us some incredible and very kid-friendly recipes as well. Everything from fudge to Italian doughnuts. So, thanks Emm, “muffin compares to you”! Keep an eye out for her new recipe page The Blu Door Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram and maybe even these hallowed pages in the future. Thanks Emm for everything you have done!

Here are a couple of Emm’s easy, tasty and quite frankly, irresistible muffin recipes for you to try out this weekend:

Savoury Muffins

Makes 12

Set your oven at 180

· 2 1/2 cups SR flour (See note below about making SR flour if you don't have any in the house)

· 1/2 cup tomato chutney/ salsa

· 1 cup shredded ham (about 4 slices)

· 1 cup shredded spinach

· 1 cup grated strong cheddar cheese

· 1/2 cup melted butter or olive oil

· 3 spring onions chopped

· 1 cup milk

· 2 eggs medium

· Salt and pepper

· Extra cheese for the top

Method

If you can't find SR flour (and let's be honest it's hard to find here) you just need to add 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda to one cup of flour. For this recipe you would need 3 & 3/4 spoons baking powder and 1 & 1/4 Bicarb. If using baking powder and bicarb in your flour, mix them together first so they are all incorporated before adding the other ingredients.

Mix to combine everything, but don't over mix, just until combined but make sure you get to the bottom of the bowl as it's easy to leave flour sitting at the bottom. Spoon into 12 lined muffin tins, sprinkle with some extra cheese and paprika if you wish and cook for about 20 mins. Allow it to cool for a bit before removing from the tins and eating. These are delicious with soup and some soft salted butter spread over them and more chutney on the side! Yum, yum!

White Chocolate, Blueberry and Raspberry Muffins

Makes 12

Set your oven at 175

· 540gm flour

· 5 teaspoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

· 2 eggs

· 300gm sugar

· 140ml melted butter or coconut oil

· 300ml milk

· 1 cup blueberries

· 1 cup raspberries

· 1 cup white chocolate chips

Method

Mix dry ingredients together, add wet and then mix through the fruit and chocolate until just combined. NB: Over mixing muffin mixes results in a heavy dough. Spoon into muffin cases and cook for about 15 minutes You can also add chopped pecans which gives a delicious flavour and texture or you could sprinkle these with desiccated coconut before cooking.

And a green smoothie,

(for balance, it is actually a really good breakfast and super healthy! )

· 250ml oat milk

· 2 medium bananas sliced and frozen

· 1/2 cup diced pineapple or pineapple juice

· 1/2 avocado

· Dash of agave or a date

· Pinch of salt

· 1/4 cup rolled oats

· 2 big handfuls spinach leaves washed

· Spirulina powder optional

· Sprinkle of hemp seeds

Method

Add milk to the blender first, then add other ingredients, apart from hemp seeds. Don’t overfill your blender, as you can always take some out and add more spinach, blend and then mix together. Salt enhances the flavours and is needed by your body unless of course, you have salt /blood pressure issues. You can make your smoothie thicker by adding less milk or more banana and create a smoothie bowl. Decorate with hemp seeds, desiccated coconut or whatever you fancy.