When I was growing up in Malawi we used to have cheese and tomato toasted sandwiches with white bread for breakfast on Sunday mornings. We really enjoyed them. I remember my father would cut 2 cm square pieces for us as we didn’t know how to use a fork & knife back then. The flat iron sandwich toaster would flatten the sandwich and crisp the bread (because we used to butter both sides of the bread slightly – not too healthy !) It was a perfect breakfast

Back to real life, after marriage I started eating brown and wholemeal bread and one day my husband told me to make the toasted sandwiches using this recipe combination, so this is my husbands invention. I really liked the mixture of flavours with brown bread and we make this as a light meal or filling brunch / lunch. In the past I have also added vegetarian sausages to the mix, which tastes good also. Now I know this is a simple recipe but I wanted to share my memories and give people ideas of some quick and simple healthy recipes that we may not think of normally. Especially if you are a student away from home and want to try and eat healthy food, or if you are just uninspired, or need a reminder of the simple foods that give us pleasure in our lives.

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I had seen a recipe for muffins last year on a website, Simply Recipes, then this year I decided on giving them a go. As my sons birthday was in October and he had just started Montessori school, I thought of making something different to give to his classmates for his birthday, so I changed the original recipe.  I added oats, extra candied ginger, spices and milk and removed the eggs and nuts. He helped me make them and everyone at his school enjoyed them a great deal. This means my job is done, giving him homemade food which is good for him and he likes it as a treat.

I usually make muffins with bananas and oats, but after making these I really like them and am glad I tried the recipe (even a year late), it is a good warming muffin. I think you should give them a go, and let me know what you think of them.

Pumpkin & Candied Ginger Muffins

You can reduce the amount of sugar as the pumpkin is naturally sweet and the candied ginger has added sugar. To make a different variation you can add raisins, chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
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This is a very versatile mix that can be used in many combinations and different dishes.  I use this mix for a savoury pancake filling, pies, and wraps. It is a very easy recipe, the only effort is chopping the vegetables   Use your imagination and the possibilities are endless.

I first had something similar to this when we were invited over for dinner by one of my husband’s niece.  I thought it was quite clever to roast the vegetables without marinating, and have the simple flavours.  Then a few years later, when I was in a rush, I had some vegetables that I tossed into a frying pan and let them cook on a high flame and they tasted quite good. They became a little caramelized and spicy because of adding the chilli sauce at the end.

Give it a go and tell me how you liked the recipe and also what you used it in.

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When ever we visit my family and stay over, we always make pancakes for one of the days for breakfast/brunch. Before this recipe we used to use a ready made packet brand. As we do not even eat eggs we are always looking for recipes where we can substitute them for other items. So this is the perfect recipe. Eat them hot that is the best way to enjoy them.

Here are some ideas for added ingredients and toppings. Try putting frozen blueberries, after you have spooned in the mixture in the pan, then when the bubbles appear flip over. Another good addition is to slice a few banana pieces on top and sprinkle cinnamon, both of these are pretty good as the caramelization of the fruit makes them naturally sweet.

My younger sister even did a kind of Indian version once, where she added saffron and cardamom powder to the batter. When serving place a scoop of good vanilla ice cream – YUM! Even strawberries and cream is a good combination that she make when ever they are in season. I also like to put chocolate spread and passion fruit pulp on top, that is pretty good too.

If you wish to make a meal out of it, then perhaps make a little savoury filling to go with all the various sweet options. There is a full recipe for the savoury filling here. These are just some ideas that you might like to try out once you have the basic mastered.

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