Honey: Part 3- Recipes

Honey Recipes:

Honey can be used in various ways, one of them is to be sweetener, to replace traditional sugar. You can also use it as ingredients in desserts or food preparation:

1. As a drizzle for desserts such as pudding, pancakes, ice-cream, oats and corn flakes.

2. As a sweetener for your tea, coffee, or smoothie recipes.

3. As a seasoning for barbecue spare ribs, pork chops or chicken wings before cooking.

4. As a salad dressing with olive oil and vinegar for the extra body.

Recipes: 

Honey Cake Recipe:

• 2 oz/50 gm butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 tbspn self raising flour
• 1 tbspn lemon juice (from bottled juice)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese (a common Italian dessert ingredient)
• 2 tbspn rum

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 360F/180C
• Melt butter in sauce pan over moderate heat. Add sugar.
• Stir to combine well. Take it off the heat immediately when the butter has melted.
• Stir till the mixture becomes thicker.
• Add in all the remaining ingredients.
• Combine well.
• Pour batter into a round silicone baking tray.
• Bake for 30 minutes.
• Allow to cool.

Tips:

1. Serve cooled with a sprinkling of cinnamon over the top.
2. As an option, serve this with fresh tart fruit like kiwi and strawberries with ice cream.
3. Rum seems to retain its liquor flavor, more so than brandy.
4. Using silicone baking trays means there's no fuss in having to grease and line baking trays. 

Honey Baked Ham Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 1.5kg boneless gammon joint

• 7-8 cloves

• Juice of 1 orange

• 50ml liquid honey 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 200oC, 400oF

2. Place the gammon in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil then discard the water and rinse the joint. Cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil again. Reduce the heat and cover the pan then simmer very gently for an hour.

3. Drain the gammon then carefully cut the skin off the joint and score the fat in a diamond pattern. Place the meat in a small roasting tin and stud the top with cloves.

4. Mix the orange rind and juice with the honey and pour this over the joint, brushing the liquid over the sides as you do so.

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the fat is golden brown. Baste the gammon frequently during cooking.

6. Serve hot or cold. If serving the joint cold, continue to baste it with the glaze as it cools.

Fruit Dip

You can make this honey dip easily in 5 minutes! Ingredients:
• 3 cups plain yogurt
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoon honey

Direction:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Chill it and serve with fresh cut-up assorted fruits such as strawberries, red and green apple slices, honey dew, and grapes.

Savoury Dip

A great and yet so simple-to-prepare sauce for barbecued foods! Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Direction:
Combine all ingredients and cook them in a saucepan for a few minutes. Allow mixture to boil and thicken while stirring it to smoothen the mixture. This serves as a glorious dip for sizzling hot barbecue wings, chicken nuggets, etc.

Honey Butter Recipes :

Cinnamon Flavour

This makes a popular sweet spread for the young and old on the breakfast table. Irresistably good on toasts and biscuits, and it takes only 10 minutes. Must try!
  Ingredients:

• ¼ cup soft butter
• ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
• ½ cup cream honey
• 1 tablespoon cream cheese (optional)


Direction:
• Blend ingredients in a bowl and beat well until mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Spread it on piping hot toasted bread or biscuits.
• This recipe makes more than enough to serve 10 persons. An all time favourite for the family!

Fruit & Nuts Flavour

Ingredients:
• ¼ cup soft butter
• 1 tablespoon peanuts/walnuts/other preferred nuts
• 1 tablespoon finely cut dried tropical fruits
• ½ cup cream honey

Direction:
• Stir and blend ingredients in a bowl. Mix well.
• Spread it on soft bread or biscuits.

Desserts:

Avocado Delight

  Ingredients: • 3 large, fully ripe avocados
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Half cup fresh low-fat cream
• Half cup fresh milk
• Raisins


Directions:
• Cut avocados in halves lengthways, remove seeds and reserve.
• Scoop pulp from shells and mash smoothly with a spoon.
• Add honey to taste and stir in the fresh cream, milk, and raisins.
Put into serving bowl, return seeds to the pulp, cover closely with plastic wrap and chill before serving. The seeds in the puree are supposed to keep the avocado from discoloring. Make sure that the surface is protected from air by putting the plastic on the surface of the mixture.
• Serves. 4-6

Kiddy Fruity Honey Smoothie

Ingredients:
* Half a banana
* 5 strawberries
* 250 grams plain yoghurt
* 2 teaspoon honey
* ice cubes


Directions:
• Cut up the banana into pieces and put them into a blender with the strawberries.
• Add yoghurt, honey and ice cubes.
• Blend the mixture to make a delicious, smooth, cool drink.
• Serves: 1  

Ref: http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/honey-recipes.html 

For other usage:

• For Cold, cough, sore throat and runny nose- The mixture of equal quantities of honey and ginger juice is a good expectorant.
  
  
• For Asthma- mix half a gram of black pepper powder with a mixture of honey and ginger juice. Drink this a few times a day.
  
  
• Honey can soothe and encourage the healing of sores in the mouth or vagina.
  
  
• A bowl of oats or porridge with a spoonful of honey can calm the nerves. It is ideal for fighting pre-exam stress.
  
  
• Honey is a great moisturizer and can be used on the skin as a natural revitalizing mask.
  
  
• Eating a little local honey will make you "immune" to pollen in the area.
  
  
• To improve eyesight, mix honey with carrot juice. Take one hour before meals in the morning.
  
  
• To purify the blood, mix one glass of warm water with one to two teaspoons of honey and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Take this preparation daily before going to the toilet. It will also reduce fat and cleanse your bowels.
  
  
• Natural honey causes a lower rise in blood sugar than refined sugars in people with type-II diabetes. A little unprocessed honey can be added in the drinks of type-II diabetics when they crave sweetness.  

 Ref : http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/honey.htm

Organic Honey

Hope you'll all like the recipes, there are so much more on the internet! Try to bake cake with honey instead of sugar!! A much healthier choice!!

Everyone, have a wonderful day!

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