Regular readers will know my husband is diabetic so I use Honey a lot in cooking as a natural sweetener. It works great in cakes, desserts and main meals with food tasting sweet, but you know it’s healthier.
I use Honey to sweeten fruit cake in particular, but if you are experimenting with Honey in a recipe instead of sugar, remember it is sweeter than sugar so you need less. Honey has a very strong flavour, so try replacing half the sugar with it to start with. It is also hygroscopic which means it attracts water, so it’s very good for baking cakes as it keeps them moister for longer.
Buen Apetito
Honey Coated Chicken
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Oil (for deep frying) – vegetable oil
¼ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1½ tbsp olive oil (or regular vegetable oil)
2 tsp ginger (minced)
3 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt
3-4 tbsp Honey
1 tsp rice wine vinegar (or apple vinegar)
1 tsp cornflour (mixed with 1 tsp water)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)
Mix together in a bowl baking powder, ginger, garlic, honey, salt, rice vinegar, olive oil and cornflour. Mix the egg together and coat the chicken with a brush. Put the flour on a plate and dip the chicken in the flour and then coat with the mixture. Fry for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.
Sticky Asian Chicken
20 large chicken drum sticks
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil, divided
5 tbsp honey
¼ cup unsalted chicken stock
2½ tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1½ tbsp ground fresh chilli paste
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tblsp minced fresh garlic
2 tbsp unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
Preheat oven 180º. Coat a large foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray. Combine chicken and 1 tbsp oil on prepared pan; toss to coat. Cook for 13 minutes, turn chicken over and cook for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, combine honey, stock, soy sauce, vinegar, chilli paste, ginger, garlic, and remaining 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 13 minutes or until syrupy and reduced to about 2/3 cup, stirring frequently. Brush chicken with 3 tbsp honey mixture and return to oven. Cook 2 minutes or until lightly charred. Place chicken in a large bowl and drizzle with remaining honey mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with peanuts.
Honey and Vanilla Milk Shake
600ml milk
30ml clear Honey
8 scoops of vanilla ice-cream
Place the milk, Honey and half the ice-cream in a blender and blend until frothy. Pour into glasses and serve with a scoop of ice-cream on top.
Honey, Mint and Cucumber Salad
2 x 200g tub Greek Yogurt
60ml (4tbsp) blended clear Honey
2 whole cucumbers, chopped
60ml mint, fresh chopped
30ml lime juice
In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients until combined and serve immediately.
Banana and Strawberry Honey Crisp
75g oats
25g caster sugar
25g butter
I lemon
1 tbsp orange blossom Honey
225g strawberries hulled and halved
4 medium bananas peeled and thickly sliced
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
Sprinkle oats over a baking sheet and scatter with sugar. Dot with butter and then drizzle over the honey. Place in oven 190ºC for around 10 minutes or until toasted. Remove and allow to cool. Place the strawberries and bananas in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Top with Greek yogurt and finish with a scattering of crumbled Honey crisp oats.
Carrot, Honey and Raisin Cake
3 carrots
125g SR flour
125g wholemeal SR flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
25g brown sugar
85g clear Honey
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
125ml sunflower oil
85g raisins
2-3 tbsp milk
Peel and grate carrots. Place the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and mix. Add Honey, eggs, vanilla and oil in a separate bowl and mix together then add to the flour mixture stirring well. Stir in carrot and raisins then add a little milk until mixture is soft consistency. Spoon mixture into a cake tin and bake for 1 hour in oven 170ºC.