marge free chocolate cake

let her eat cake

The alchemist’s chocolate cake

I’ve created this one for reader Peggy Lin, who wrote asking for more low-fat, low-sugar recipes. This chocolate cake still has a rich deep flavour, a delicate moist texture, but very little fat or refined sugar, and it’s quick to make. If you cut it into 10 slices it works out about 220 calories a serve, with only half the fat and a quarter of the carbs of a typical un-iced caked. Up the calories a little by serving it with a spoonful of low-fat crème fraîche and chocolate shavings.

One 415g tin pear halves in juice
75g cocoa powder
125g caster sugar
3 tsp vanilla extract
50ml walnut oil
1 large egg
225g plain flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder

Drain the pears well, reserving the juice. Measure the cocoa, sugar and 125ml of the pear juice into a saucepan, madly whisk it all together and bring to the first ‘plop’ of a boil. Then spoon it with the pears into a mixing bowl and leave 15 minutes. Meanwhile line the bottom and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with non-stick baking paper and heat your oven to 170°C (fan 150°C). Spoon the chocolate, pears, vanilla and oil into a blender and puree until smoothly. Pour this back into the bowl then beat in the egg. Stir the flour and baking powder together, sift this into the bowl and beat well until smooth. Scrape the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Nasty Plastic Slippers

Our house is a building site
We still need to wear slippers
Our slippers are a disgrace – dirty, dusty and ugly.
So we buy very cheap slippers.
So they quickly look like this ………urghhhh

and look at all that plastic – aint nobody going to recycle that.
So while they are not really one use I don’t think we appreciate slippers as we should and I want to find a more sustainable plastic free alternative.

Like these lovely felted ones below

felted slippers

slippers book

Originally uploaded by plastic is rubbish

These are knitted slippers – after knitting up and sewing together you put them in a hot wash and they end up like felt booties.

You can get everything you need from knitting4fun – the  wool is to be found in pure and felting wool category. They also have a pattern for the slippers.

Or you can try these lovely sheepskin mules

christmas slippers

Got these plastic free slippers or scuffs as they call them  from Celtic Sheepskin – they are great. They have all sorts of furry footwear which you can of course buy on line.

If you are in India you could try a pair of these

leather slippers

If you are still in India and near Jodhpur you can get some really cool  leather slippers and sandals. These come in a huge range of styles from curley toed Ali Baba to simple mules. But the greatest recommendation of all is that they are all plastic free. These alone make it worth a visit.

Garbage after Seastorm

Garbage after Seastorm

Originally uploaded by PhotoRocco

Heres another nasty photo this time in the med.

Find other plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

Acne Girl

Cover Girl – 1966

I have long had the complexion of a teenager – all spots and grease. While in India this situation got a whole lot worse. In desperation I made myself a face wash out of apple cider vinegar. I normally use this to make a conditioning rinse for my hair so I figured that’s what’s good for the clogged up hair might work for the blogged pores. It works – it really does.

Here’s my recipe

2 parts Apple Vinegar

3 parts water

1 drop of lavender oil for every 2 ml water

Shake well before use.

You can buy apple vinegar in glass bottles from numerous shops. Sadly a lot have plastic caps but there you go or you could try making your own at home!

for more uses of this fantastic product try this article

Thanks to rchappo2002  for the great image check out her collection of 60s ads

 

Find more  plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

Scrap Cider Vinegar

 

You know how I love apple vinegar for a hair rinse – well here’s how you can make it home

Scrap Cider Vinegar

Some people love vinegar and other people can’t stand it. I’m in the former camp. I add vinegar to just about every sauce or soup I make, love it on cooked greens and raw salads. Sometimes I get a hankering to drink cider vinegar raw. I usually come to my senses first, but it is healthful and good stuff. Imagine my relief when I found out just how easy it is to make it at  home!

Uploaded by AlyssssylA on 10 Apr 09, 4.52PM PST.

Find  plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

Canned Sunflower Oil

 

Vegetable oil was something of a problem coming as it does in plastic bottles. The more expensive oils, the drizzling oils, yes you can get those in glass bottles but every plain old veg oil seems to come in plastic.  I was getting rather concerned till I came across this baby. Oil in a can. 

Yes it has a plastic lid and handle but it represents a massive reduction in plastic waste I create.  I recycle the tin.

 

Find  plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

More rotton stuff

I have got myself one of these big green bins because other peope have said they are great

and check out this community composter

I just love composting.