Blackberry bake

The hardest part of this recipe was knowing what to call it. I have taken an easy route and used the very generic 'bake'. As an adaptation of my blackberry chia muffins, this is really a cross between a cake and a slice. Because I cut it into triangles, I am also reminded of American style scones (although that may be where the resemblance ends as I have never eaten them). Terminology aside, this is a minimally sweetened but maximally tasty snack or breakfast option.

The adaptations to the original muffins were relatively minor: adding a banana, swapping the white sugar to coconut sugar, halving the sugar amount, and slightly reducing the oil. I also cut out the salt. These swaps were made with a 1-year-old in mind and Mini Bite did love these, although I can now say that if you give this to a child you will have blackberry stains everywhere (their clothes, your clothes, their hands, your hands...). The stains are worth it though, and to be honest, with a 1-year-old you will probably have stains everywhere no matter what you do.

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Creamy blackberry vanilla smoothie

If I had to compile a list of the top 10 things I love about the UK (and it would be a difficult list to compile), I suspect picking wild blackberries would make it on there. To someone raised in Australia, blackberries are a novelty in their own right. To be able to walk 20 minutes from my house and pick them freely from bushes is amazing.

This smoothie features blackberries picked in such a way, but if you're not able to gather wild berries yourself, store bought, frozen or a different type of berry could be used instead. The other ingredients are simple: kale (for nutrition), avocado (for the creaminess), and vanilla (for a delicious flavour). You can make this with water or your milk of choice. It's not a super sweet smoothie, but it is sweet for a green smoothie in disguise. If you like sweeter drinks, adding a few dates or some liquid sweetener would do the trick.

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Vegan protein-packed almond pancakes with berries and chocolate sauce

I make no secret of loving carbohydrates. I am fortunate not to have difficulties with wheat or gluten, I don't fear the fullness that comes with eating a bowl of pasta, and I find that carbohydrates give me steady energy that supports running, working and playing. At the same time, as a vegan, I am aware that it is easy to eat lots of carbohydrates and not necessarily enough protein. (Actually, I suspect that applies to meat eaters too, given the steady stream of processed carbohydrates available to us.)

Welcome, protein pancakes.

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Sweet potato, berry and pecan breakfast bowl

I feel a little sheepish sharing this before Thanksgiving. The blogging world is filled with intricate, dramatic recipes for tomorrow's holiday and this is very much neither. It's also very similar to my sweet potato breakfast pudding of earlier this year (this dish is even simpler!). At the same time, after Thanksgiving is over, some of you may want a simple breakfast to recover with. For those of us not in America, this breakfast can offset some of the rushed and/or food heavy days that characterise this time of year. It also tastes really good for something with three core ingredients.

I got extra pleasure from this because I was aware, while eating it, how much it characterised the difference between my tastes and those of Mr Bite. Mr Bite dislikes sweet potato and nuts and he barely tolerates berries. I couldn't resist sharing my ingredient list with him as we sat opposite each other over the weekend papers. Not surprisingly, he said he was happy to stick with his simple toast.

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Blackberry and paprika buckwheat risotto

This dish is my first foray into cooked buckwheat. It wasn't going to be, but my original plan of a barley risotto was thwarted by discovering no barley in my cupboards. A quick spot of Googling led me to see buckwheat as a viable alternative. Now that I've cooked the grain (or more accurately, pseudo-grain) once, I am sure I'll be doing it again.

This dish evolved from a few sources. In a recent weekend Guardian, there was a feature on blackberry recipes that included a blackberry barbecue sauce and a blackberry rice salad. I drew inspiration from both for this: the barbecue sauce allowed me to consider pairing blackberries and paprika, and the rice salad allowed me to think about cooking berries up with grains. The vegetables were chosen based on what I had to hand, and I topped the photographed bowl with falafel because I had some of those about too.

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One-bowl vegan blackberry and chia seed muffins

How do you like your muffins? There are so many features to consider: size, flour base, flavour and even topping. Traditionally, I have liked my muffins dense and wholegrain, often with a vegetable in the mix (such as my carrot, apple and sultana muffins or pumpkin, apple and cranberry muffins). Sometimes, though, I veer across to muffins that could almost be cupcakes, such is their fluffy texture and sweet flavour.

These blackberry and chia seed muffins are in the fluffy sweet camp, but trust me, it's worth going there even if you're not usually a white flour and refined sugar type. The muffins are absolutely studded with berries and the chia seeds boost the nutrition while also giving some texture contrast.

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Peanut butter cacao energy balls, with berries and coconut {vegan, no bake + no food processor}

I know I say this every time I share a new treat ball recipe, but this latest version really is very good! The ingredient list alone makes me swoon, with cacao nibs as well as cocoa powder, goji berries, dried cranberries, and coconut - as well as the all important peanut butter. When mixed together, the result is just as delicious as it sounds. I particularly like the contrasting texture of cacaco nibs and goji berries against a creamy peanut butter base.

Another advantage of this recipe is that you don't require a food processor. By starting with peanut butter instead of whole nuts, you can make these in a single mixing bowl. They don't need refrigeration to set either. It doesn't get any easier!

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Breakfast bread and berry pudding

If you're like me, your freezer contains bread odds and ends: the last few pieces of a loaf that was about to go stale, or perhaps the last few pieces of multiple loaves that were about to go stale. They manage to accumulate over time, especially if you aren't a big bread eater at lunch time.

This recipe is a simple way to turn frozen or stale bread (or even fresh bread) into something far more exciting than toast. It combines the classic desserts of bread and butter pudding and summer (berry) pudding, but also simplifies the ingredients and makes the outcome suitable for breakfast. Basically, we're talking bread, milk and berries - but fancied up.

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