Vitamin C boost

The season of constant nose wiping is once again upon us and this weekend we had a triple whammy with a rotten cough and guncky eyes thrown in for good measure. 

So armed with large bags of oranges and  grapefruits I made a cocktail of the juice of 2 oranges and 2 grapefruits, heated gently and a drop of Manuka honey syrup. I was hoping she would take the Manuka syrup on its own but alas no (and I don't blame her), but between some in her porridge and some in this juice medley I'm hoping she's benefiting. 

Garden wandering

One of my Mum's pride and joy is her vegetable garden, unfortunately i did not inherit these green fingers and although mum sends me home with pots of herbs and salad leaves i usually bring the pots and their very nearly dead components back to her for reviving a couple of weeks later.

I do love though when Alison and mum walk around the garden cracking open pea pods and devouring the peas before tossing the pods to Ozzie the dog. On a recent trip to Kildare Alison was caught in the greenhouse pinching the tomatoes. There is such a difference in taste in home grown tomatoes, they are delicious.

Roasted courgette and butternut squash with orzo risotto

I love orzo pasta for several reasons. It has a cool shape, makes for a lighter dish in comparison to the arborio rice and you can still have the slight "al-dente" bite.

Roasted courgette and butternut squash with orzo risotto
Serves 4

2 medium courgettes sliced and diced
1/2 butternut squash diced smaller than courgettes
2 tsp chopped thyme
1 onion finely diced
1 clove garlic smushed
300g orzo pasta
200ml white wine
1 litre hot vegetable stock
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 handful of chopped rainbow chard or spinach optional but nutritious and delicious
grated parmesan to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius. Pop the courgette and butternut squash into a roasting dish, sprinkle with the thyme, pepper and a good slug of olive oil and roast until nice and soft, about 25-30 mins and tossing from time to time.

In a large saucepan gently soften the onion over a medium heat add the garlic and some fresh grated chilli if you so wish at this stage, cook out for a minute or two. Add the orzo and coat in all the sweet oily deliciousness. Add the wine, stir and cook for a further 2 minutes (this burns off the alcohol).

Gently pour a ladle full of hot stock into the pasta at a time, and stir until the stock has been absorbed before adding the next ladle. When the pasta is just slightly al-dente stir in the chives, parsley, chard/spinach and roasted veg.

Spoon onto plates, bowls, dishes smother with Parmesan and bon appetite. This is quite a quick dish to make especially if you roast the veg the evening before and just set aside in the fridge.

Banana and sultana bread

Have you ever looked at the ingredients section on some cakes and biscuits packet and not even been able to pronounce the words let alone know what they are. Let alone the fact that these products have a shelf life of six months sometimes.

With the amazing weather the fruit in our fruit bowl seems to be ripening at break neck speed and attracting little fruit flies from near and far driving me potty.
With all this in mind and a glut of over ripe bananas this cake came to fruition.

Banana and sultana cake

85g coconut palm sugar or caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml sunflower oil
3-4 medium bananas mashed
250g wholemeal self raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
zest of 1 orange finely grated
100g sultanas or dried apricots chopped


Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celicus and line a 2lb loaf tin or 20cm springform time, you could also make individual muffins i imagine about 12 standard sizes.

Put the sugar, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk by hand or with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes or until creamy and increased in volume. Gradually pour in the oil in a steady stream and whick in the banana mush.

Sift together the cinnamon and flour and tip the bran from the flour in at the end, fold into the wet mixture with the zest and the sultanas.
Tip into your chosen tin and bake on the middle shelf for approximately 45-50 minutes. Leave in the tin when cooked for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The smell is so warming and inviting. This cake would also be lovely toasted with butter and jam or nutella.Or heated slightly and topped with plain yoghurt as a pudding.

It will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days or just slice and freezer in batches.

Piglets tuna crunch

I have a slight obsession with cookbooks or at least buying cookbooks i actually search recipes online but there's something about having lots of cookbooks on the shelf, i love the pictures and the endless possibilities.
I cant remember the name of my very first cookbook but i remember this recipe very well. Every Sunday myself and my sister would make a starter and im pretty sure it was the same every week (our poor parents must of been so bored). It was called "Piglets Tuna Crunch" and it popped into my mind yesterday as Alison was doing her "num num num" routine and i realised i had not even taken anything out of the freezer for her lunch. So this is a slight homage to an old favourite and thankfully it was a hit.
I haven't included any measurements as its pretty much as much or as little of whatever you fancy. Dice the vegetables quite small for the smallies.

Piglets Tuna Crunch

Red, orange and yellow peppers diced
Cucumber diced
Cherry tomatoes diced
Celery diced
Avocado diced
Tinned sweetcorn
Tinned tuna
Baby salad leaved or alfalfa sprouts (something small and nutritious anyway)
Salad potatoes diced small and boiled till soft
Toasted sunflower seeds
Mayonnaise
Salad dressing
Sweet paprika (a pinch or two to begin with, you can always sprinkle a bit more on top of your own portion)

Mix the vegetables, sweetcorn, tuna, leaves and cooked potatoes together. Next add enough mayo (not too much) to lightly coat everything. I like to add a little bit of salad dressing to give some acidity to the salad and the paprika. Toss the seeds in a dry pan and toast slightly. Sprinkle on top of the salad. Serve with some fresh crusty bread and cheese ( i would of if Alison hadn't begun eating this out of the mixing bowl).

Batch cooking: Chicken and rice

This dish really reminds me of my mum for some reason. She is the only person i know that can make a roast chicken last a week and this was always the last dish of the week but one of the nicest as far as im concerned.
The beauty about this Chicken and Rice dish is that you can use whatever is in the fridge veggie wise and needs to be used up.
I recommend using brown rice as it gives a nicer flavour and a bit of bite to the dish and just to harp on nutritionally-wise brown rice is packed full of fiber, protein and selenium, its a good carb that helps fill you up and releases energy slowly.

Chicken and Rice
4 portions
Very easy and very quick

1 red pepper diced
1 orange pepper diced
1 courgette diced
2-3 spring onions chopped
small clove garlic smushed
1 small leek washed and finely sliced
1/2 aubergine diced
2 sticks celery split down the middle and diced
2 handfuls frozen peas
chilli grated from the freezer (or fresh)
ginger grated from the freezer (or fresh)
soy sauce
black pepper
left over roast chicken
300g-350g brown rice

To cook the rice you just double the amount of water to dry rice. In a saucepan bring to the boil on a medium - high heat. Reduce the heat, replace the lid and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Take off the heat and set aside for approximately 5-10 minutes then just fluff with a fork.

Next soften all the veggies except the chilli, garlic, ginger and peas in a saucepan until nice and soft. I use a little butter and a little sesame oil for a nice nutty taste. Towards the end add in the garlic, ginger and chilli (as much or as little as you like) and stir well. Turn off the heat, put the lid on the saucepan and the residual heat and steam will keep these warm and juicy.

When the rice is cooked tip into the veggie mix with the chicken and frozen peas. Give a good stir and add a splash of soy sauce and pepper. Just start off with a tablespoon of soy sauce then taste and add more if you desire. Finish with a handful of chopped parsley and serve straight away.

Batch cooking: Chicken pot pie

I have just taken this out of the oven and although it only 11.30 i am using every ounce of will power not to rip a big chunk of crispy pastry off this pie, stuff my face and no doubt burn my tongue.
Naturally enough there was some roast chicken left over (it was quite a big one) so a juicy pot pie was in order i felt.

Leftover chicken pot pie
Yields 4 portions

2 leeks finely sliced and washed
1 stick celery finely sliced
2 spring onions finely sliced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 orange pepper diced
1 small courgette finely diced
6-7 chestnut mushrooms diced
1 tablespoon plain flour
400ml  hot chicken stock
100ml milk or cream
2 handfuls frozen peas
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
As much or as little cooked chicken as you wish
Black pepper
Janet's jus roll puff pastry (1 sheet)

Preheat the oven 200 degrees celcius
Simply saute the leeks, celery, onions, courgette and peppers.

In a separate small frying pan fry the mushrooms in a little butter to give them some texture and taste, these can be added to the pie mixture at the last minute so they retain their crispiness.

Add the flour to the veggies and cook out for a minute or two then pour in the hot chicken stock slowly stirring continuously. Next stir in the milk or cream, the mustard and the peas (you could also put a handful of spinach in at this stage too). Tear the chicken into the mix. Taste and season with some black or white pepper.
Tip this mixture into your chosen pie dish or single ramekins for cute single serves.

Sprinkle on the mushrooms at this stage.

 Brush the sides of the dish with some egg wash and place the sheet of puff pastry over and press down at the rim. Trim the edges, brush the top with egg wash for a nice golden finish and pierce 2-3 hole on top just to let out any steam and prevent soggy pastry.

Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden on top and piping hot underneath.

Batch cooking: It all begins with a Roast Chuck

Ok so i know Summer is not really roast dinner weather but yesterday i just had a serious craving for roast chicken and it did not disappoint thankfully.
I spend a little bit more on chicken apart from the obvious reason being that battery hens have a miserable life i just dont think they have much taste to them.

Now everyone has their own roast chicken methods i'm sure, so ill just give some of my little tips as opposed to full recipe versions. This lemony herby roast leaves the chicken juicy and moist and also helps it cook a little quicker.

Begin by par boiling the potatoes with a sprig or rosemary, a full lemon and a clove of garlic still in its skin.

When you have drained the potatoes simple pierce the lemon about 10 times or so all around and stuff it into the cavity with a knob of butter, the clove of garlic smushed and a handful of fresh herbs such as thyme and oregano. I smear the top of the bird with butter and cracked black pepper.
Lay the chicken on a bed of carrots sliced, spring onions, celery and leeks, these will help make a yummy gravy. Its now ready for the oven.

I have'nt gone for the whole traditional veggie accompaniments just some parmesan courgettes and wilted spinach. For the courgettes i simply peel alternative strips of skin purely because it think it makes it less "green" and possible more appealing to those "green veg haters" it also gives them a cool zebra look. Slice them semi thinly, lay in a dish and sprinkle with olive oil, pepper and lots of parmesan. The cheese goes all crispy and is great with the mellow tasting courgette, and lets face it who does'nt like cheese. Cook at approx 180 degrees celcius for 20-25 mins or until the courgettes are soft and the cheese is crispy.

About 10-15 minutes before the chicken is finished i tip the potatoes into the tray, they'll crisp nicely and also soak up some of the yummy juices.

Fish pie with a pea and potato crust

This fish pie is a continuation of the fish pie mix batch cooking. I love fish pie and i think the combination of creamy potato topping, yummy sauce and soft tender fish makes it an all time hit with the y'ung ones.
For a bit of a twist i crushed some petit pois peas into the potato topping. I find its best to use petit pois as their skin is soft so you dont get bits of hard husks.
I have added in capers and cherry tomatoes but you can throw in whatever you like, carrots also work well.

Fish Pie
2-3 big person portions or 3-4 smallie ones

450g of the poached fish pie mix
1 small leek washed and finely sliced
1/2 celery finely sliced or diced
Dessert spoon of caper
Small handful of cherry tomatoes
small handful of grated cheese
chopped parsley
the poaching liquid from before
400g potatoes
large handful of peas

White sauce
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml poaching liquid
twist of black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius
Begin by cooking the potatoes for mashing, everyone has their own favourite type but floury ones like Kerr's Pinks or Roosters.

Melt the butter and saute the leeks and celery until soft. At this stage you can also add in a little crushed chilli for a little hit of heat if you so wish.
Place the cooked fish into a pie dish, scatter with capers if using, the leeks and celery mix and some cherry tomatoes.

Next make the white sauce you can use the same pan as the leeks and celery. Melt the butter slowly and whisk in the flour. Allow the flour to cook out for a minute or two but keep on whisking to prevent burning. Slowly whisk in the liquid in stages. If you dont have quite enough liquid just top up with milk or cream. Simmer gently for 5-8 minutes. I like to stir in the grated cheese at this stage or you can save it and sprinkle on the top of the pie towards the end of cooking.

At the very last minute throw your peas in with the potatoes they'll only need a minute or two to cook. Strain and mash together with a little butter and milk for creamy mash.
Pour the white sauce over the pie mix and top with the mash.

Cook in a preheated oven for about 10-15 mins as everything is pretty much cooked already.

Potato fish cakes

Fish cakes are a great way to use up left over mashed potato.

I simply just cooked extra potato and pea mash mix and into this tipped in some sauteed leeks and spring onion (about a handful of each), a handful of chopped parsley or you could use chives, some capers or gherkins finely chopped and a squeeze of lemon juice and black pepper. To help bind the mix together i also threw in an egg yolk. Fork through the remained of the fish pie mix to break it up and gently combine into the mash.

I coated mine in a little wholemeal flour and froze them overnight on a plate/wooden board. Then in the morning i simply put them into a freezer bag and hey presto a future supper. A little tip from experience, place the cakes onto a piece of paper first as they'll be easier to peel off after freezing.

  

Batch cooking: Fish pie mix

Over the past few weeks i have been experimenting with some batch cooking. The benefits of batch cooking apart from the most obvious one being efficiency of your precious time is also using ingredients that are fresh and that have not been in the fridge or veg box for a week losing all their precious nutrients. Also energy efficiency regarding oven use unless of course you have an oil fired range of some description in which case im very jealous.

Here i took 800g of fish pie mix and developed a fish pie with a pea and potato topping, fish cakes using the same pea and potato mix as a base and a chowder which may not be considered low in calories but was totally yummy and possibly a great way to encourage picky fish eaters to eat fish.

To begin gently poach the fish in milk (for a richer sauce you can use half and half milk and cream). I dont usually measure the milk but i just about cover the fish. Pop in a bay leaf and a good twist of black pepper and gently bring to a simmer. Allow to poach for approximately 3-4 minutes depending on the size of the chunks of fish. You dont want to overcook the fish as it will become rubbery and also remember that it will continue to cook while in the pie, cakes and chowder.

Strain the fish and keep the cooking liquid (milk) we'll use this later for the white sauce for the pie.

Simple fish chowder
2 people

Knob of butter
1/2 leek washed and finely sliced
200g potato cut into small chunks
250ml milk
50ml cream
150-200g fish
small tin of sweetcorn (optional)
chopped parsley or chives

Melt the butter gently and toss in the leeks, allow to sweat down slowly for about 7-10 minutes releasing all their sweet yumminess. Stir in the potato and you could also use some diced carrots if you wish too. Add the milk and cream, cover and simmer gently for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft but not mushy. Do not allow to boil over or the milk will split, give a little stir every so often.

Carefully remove any bones from the fish and break up into small flakes for younger mouths. When the potatoes are tender stir in the fish to heat it through and tip in the strained sweetcorn and herbs.
Spoon into bowls and savor the naughty heartiness.

Handy spice tin

This was actually very kindly given to me for a birthday present. It's a 2 layer spice tin and has all the main spices and spice combinations including a cute silver spoon and some loose curry leaves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. 

A lady here in Ballina/Killaloe makes them up and as far as I know they are in or around the €10 mark. If anyone is interested I can foward on her details. I love it and she also refills them. 

Quick Quesadilas

Quesadillas are a super way of using up cooked chicken and veg left over from a roast dinner. Of course you can pretty much put anything into them. I always have a pack of tortillas in the freezer for those days you just cant find the time or the energy to cook and lets face it this weather is way too good to be stuck to the stove.

Chicken Quesadillas

For mine i basically raided the fridge here. So i have
Cooked chicken shredded,
Red and yellow peppers finely sliced,
Parsley chopped
Red onion marmalade
Mayonnaise
Mozzerella
Spring onions and
sweet corn.
2 wholemeal flour tortillas for one quesadilla

Smear one of the tortillas with mayonnaise and build up like a pizza. Or simply mix all your ingredients in a bowl and layer on together. Place the other tortilla ontop and squash down. Overfilling will make it very difficult to transfer onto the pan.
Rub a frying pan with some kitchen paper with a bit of tasteless oil, you dont want pools of oil just a light smear to help it crisp. Heat the quesadilla slowly for a couple of minutes, place the pan under the grill for a couple more minutes to help melt and brown the top side. Then simply slide onto a chopping board, slice in quaters and serve with a salad or potato wedges. Much nicer and less stodgy than a bought in pizza.

Lentils with roasted butternut squash curry, chorizo, minty yoghurt and crunchy chickpeas

This dish sounds like a drama to prepare and make but honestly it is very straightforward. Alison loved it, so much so that i ended up plonking my bowl of heartiness onto her high chair table top and the two of us fought plastic fork against fork till the very last morsel. There are lots of different layers and textures which i think young toddlers appreciate and makes it a nice exciting satisfying meal.

Prepare the butternut squash and aubergine and put into the oven to roast first before you start on any of the other elements to save time.

For the lentils

Simply cover 100g of lentils (i used yellow split pea ones) with either water or a salt free stock and gently bring to the boil, simmer for approximately 20-30 mins until they are super soft. You can add more liquid if you like but keep the mixture quite thick.
Why not make a double batch and freeze half in portions, cutting this recipe time in half for the future.

For the curry

1/2 butternut
1/2 aubergine
1 small onion diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 yellow pepper diced
1/2 yellow courgette diced
1/2 green courgette diced
1 stick celery diced
1 clove garlic
1 tsp of grated chilli from the freezer or as much of a fresh one as you desire
1/2 coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp curry powder
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tin chopped tomato
2 handfuls washed spinach
Chopped coriander (as much or as little as you like)

Chop the butternut squash into half and then into quarters. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in a hot oven until nice and soft. About half way through just place your halved aubergine skin and all in with the squash. When this is cooked you can scoop the soft flesh out and it will add a nice thickness and softness to the curry. Chop the roasted butternut squash into as small or big chunks as you like.

Then simply in a large pot/saucepan fry off the peppers, courgettes, celery, onion until soft. Add the garlic and chilli towards the end and keep stirring until cooked. Next tip in the spices and the tomato paste and cook out for about 2 minutes stirring all the time so the mixture does not burn. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and about 1/2 of the can of water and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. Add in the roasted squash and aubergine and stir into all the loveliness.

Fry some chorizo in a dry hot frying pan and set aside in the same frying pan tip in a drained and rinsed small can of chickpeas and allow to fry until crispy and "popped" (you will hear the skins pop). Every so often stir or toss them so they brown evenly.

Right before assembly throw in the spinach and allow to wilt in any residual heat from the curry.

To assemble - lentils, then curry, then some yoghurt mixed with a some mint jelly, the chorizo, chickpeas and sprinkles of coriander...... simples!

Elderflower cordial

Due to our amazing recent weather the elderflower bushes are just laden down with full, bright boughs of elderflower. 

Grab a basket, scissors and go get them. Try to stay away from busy roads and pick the blooms that are newly opened and pure creamy white. 

If your not completely sure bring a pic of elder flowers with you but once you smell them you'll know, they smell slightly of muscat. Then cook up within the day so you get them at their freshness. 

It is gorgeous with sparkling water, crushed ice slushies and for the grown ups glugged over vodka and ice.

25-30 heads of elderflower

1.5kg granulated sugar

3 large lemons I use 2 lemons and 1 pink grapefruit

75g citric acid (you'll get this in chemists)

Put the sugar and 1.5 litres into a large saucepan and very gently bring to the boil stirring gently to help dissolve the sugar.

With a vegetable peeler take strips off the citrus fruit and remove some of the white pith from the fruit. Slice into 1/2 cm slices and put into a large bowl with the elderflower heads.

When the sugar syrup has come to the boil pour over the elderflower and citrus and stir in the citric acid.

Cover with a clean cloth and leave in a cool place for 3-4 days, give it a stir once a day.

Strain the cordial through a muslin lined sieve and pour into sterilised bottles and seal.

This can be frozen but it will last in the fridge for 5 weeks. 

Enjoy

Waste not.. Chillies

If like me you buy chillies in small packs of 3-4 and never use them all before they turn bad. You can freeze them. 

Give them a quick rinse under water, pay dry with kitchen paper and pop into a freezer bag. Hey presto whenever you need some just grate into the pot straight from the freezer.

Smoked mackerel pate

This is so so quick to make and makes a perfect on hot toast as a quick snack. The cream cheese in this recipe makes it nice and palatable for the little ones, and as we all know mackerel is an oily fish packed full of good Omegas super brain foods.

It's yummy on hot toast or crackers with gherkins.

200g full fat cream cheese

200g smoked mackerel fillets

1 tsp horseradish sauce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Small handfull parsley

Crack black pepper

Basically just whizz all the ingredients together in a blender and hey presto job done.

An super alternative to cows yoghurt for lactose intolerant little ones (and big uns).

I can actually personally vouch for this yoghurt, about 8 years ago i had to go on a serious detox (no sugar, no wheat, no dairy) for 9 months and this yoghurt became a staple of mine. It is really thick and creamy and does not have that wolly taste i always get from goats products.
The naturally homogensied smaller fat globules in sheep and goats milk make them more easily digestible than cows milk.
Its also higher in calcium than cows milk yoghurt.

One base, one pot, two meals.

With only a spare hour while Alison napped this morning i managed to create two vegetarian meals from the one veggie base. A minestrone soup and a vegetarian lasagna using grilled aubergine layers instead of pasta sheets but obviously these can be replaced for the pasta sheets.

The veggie base
Makes soup and lasagna for 4 people (or stock the freezer)

2 red pepper diced
2 yellow or orange pepper diced
2 courgette diced
2 large white onion finely diced
4 large cloves garlic smashed
4 sticks celery finely sliced
2 leeks finely sliced
1/4-1/2 mild chilli chopped finely
2 tins chopped tomatoes
Fresh herbs such as basil, flat leaf parsley and oregano (or dried)
1 bay leaf

Minestrone
250ml passata
1 litre stock of your choice
3-4 handfuls of Orzo pasta (rice shaped pasta made from Durum wheat)

Lasagna
1 aubergine sliced finely length ways about 1/2 cm
80g grated parmesan

For the cheese sauce
25g butter
25g plain flour
600ml milk
80g grated cheese (i like mature cheddar and Gouda) just not plastic cheese
1/4 tsp wholegrain mustard

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Sweat the vegetables slowly with a good twist of cracked black pepper in a heavy based saucepan stirring regularly until soft and smelling delicious. Next add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, the bay leaf and allow to simmer very gently, this will "cook out" the tomatoes releasing their sweetness. When your happy the veg is soft throw in the chopped herbs.

Next prepare the aubergine by laying the slices out on a clean kitchen towel and sprinkle with salt to remove the moisture. Allow to stand while you make the cheese sauce.

In a medium sized saucepan with a whisk melt the butter slowly when completely melted tip in the flour and whisk for a minute or two to cook out the flour, next turn the heat down and slowly and gradually add the milk making sure to keep whisking in between to prevent any lumps forming. Allow to simmer gently for about 5 minutes, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and mustard and a pinch of black or white pepper. This sauce cannot be reheated as it will become stringy.

If you have a griddle pan use this to fry the aubergine slices on for a nice char-grilled taste but if not a frying pan is perfect. They don't need to be completely cooked as they will finish off in the oven.

Layer the lasagna using the veggie and tomato mix, the aubergine and the white sauce. Finish with a layer of white sauce and grated Parmesan. I always keep a block of Parmesan in the freezer and just grate it directly onto anything and everything pretty much.

This lasagna will just take 15 minutes to cook at 170 degrees Celsius.

With the remainder of the base mix add the pasta, passata and half of the stock allow to simmer gently until the pasta is cooked through. You can add more stock towards the end if you prefer and thinner consistency Minestrone. I also add a splash of  Worcestershire sauce for some meatiness. This soup would also be yummy with some fried chorizo or cooked chicken added in at the last minute.

Easy peasy oaty bread

I absolutely adore bread, sourdough, soda, multiseed,batch. Bread with lashings of butter or big hunks of cheese and pickle or just plain jam is a winner winner chicken dinner for me. I remember coming home form primary school and to keep us going till supper mum would give us freshly baked homemade bread with chocolate spread hmmmmmmm.

Unfortunately bread does not like me, for two reasons. Number one is that if i eat too much wheat i am in a world of pain for several days and number two i am absolutely rubbish at baking bread. However this is all about to change because i have come across a life changing bread recipe from Valerie O'Connors latest Bread on the Table book. Her Easy Oat Bread could not be simpler and tastes amazing. It is so moist, keeps for up to a week and tastes fab. It is wheat free and if you use gluten free oats then its gluten free. I urge you to try this and can assure you you wont be disappointed.

Easy Oat Bread
Makes one 2lb loaf

175g porridge oats
175g pinhead oatmeal
120g oat bran
1 1/2 tsp bread soda sieved
1  tsp salt
600ml buttermilk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius

Combine all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl and mix well making sure theres no dry lumps. leave the mixture to stand for 30 minutes while preheating the oven.
Oil the loaf tin and tip the mixture into it, sprinkle some oats on top for a nice finish.
Bake for approx 1 and 1/2 hours and allow to cool completely before cutting (if you can resist.... i could'nt).

Berries, berries galore

Lidl have amazing weekly offers and this weeks has my favourites..... Summer berries. 

Two punnets of 125g blackberries and raspberries for €3, two punnets of 250g blueberries for €3 and 300g strawberry punnets for €2. 

I bought lots and lots, have put one if each into the fridge for snacks and porridge and the rest into the freezer for endless possibilities. Actually Alison loves eating the blueberries frozen!

Thai style broth with herby steak

I am calling this "the last supper", for the past year a great friend of mine has stayed once a week and last night was her last visit (sad face). Each week I've tried making something healthily and tasty while we chatted about her up coming nuptials, life, love and fruit of the loom.

She said that this meal was "undoubtably the best". Originally I didn't think Alison would care much for it but I should of known better because she devoured it and was kept entertained trying to slurp up the noodles. So all in all a winner winner steak dinner.

The broth

1 white onion roughly chopped

2 sticks celery roughly chopped

Knob of ginger grated

1/2 stick lemongrass finely sliced

1 clove garlic smushed

Baby sweetcorn (as much as you like)

Asparagus tips (as before)

1 Bok Choi

2handfuls sugar snap peas

Chestnut mushrooms about a handful roughly torn apart

3 spring onions

2 kafir lime leaves

1 fresh lime

1 beef or veg stock cube (I use the organic Kallo ones)

3/4 litre boiling water

1 tblsp soya sauce

1tblsp fish sauce

Noodles if your choice I used vermicelli because I had some but soba or rice would be yum too.

Gently sweat the onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass (fresh chilli would be lovely at this point too).

Next add the stock cube and water and bring to the boil gently. I turned off the heat at this stage and added the sauces and everything else except the mushrooms and noodles. 

In a small frying lightly fry the mushrooms in some butter to give them some nice flavour. 

About five minutes before serving fish out the lime leaves, turn the heat on gently and add in the noodles and mushrooms. Give a generous squeeze of line juice and taste. You may like some more soya or fish sauce or line juice so experiment a little. Once the noodles are cooked and the veggies still have a little bite to them, slosh into bowls and sprinkle with spring onions and fresh basil. 

You will feel surprisingly full and fabulously healthy after this I can assure you.

The steak

I use 2 pieces if strip loin steak at room temperature seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil. 

Cook the meat to your own liking.

While it's resting take a chopping board and smushed a clove of garlic with some salt and oil on the board. Next finely chop  a handful if fresh herbs. I used basil, purple sage, thyme and oregano. Spread this mixture around the board with some more olive oil. 

Slice the meat as thick/thin as you like and coat with the herby deliciousness, pile high and dig in.

Serving suggestion

2 bowls of broth, 2 plates and lots of slurping. Just dig in.

Coconutty rice pud with stewed rhubarb

I absolutely love everything coconutty.... I think it reminds me of summers gone past.
So here i combined my two loves coconut milk and rice pudding. An added bonus of course is that its dairy free and the sharpness of the rhubarb compliments it perfectly. You could also use fresh or even better grilled peaches or nectarines. Just quarter them, remove the stones and grill on a hot griddle pan for a minute or two on all sides.

Coconutty rice pud
Dairy free

100g pudding rice
50g sugar or if your being refined sugar conscious then 40g coconut palm sugar
400ml coconut milk (the full fat one for all its delicious creaminess)
400ml water
1/2 vanilla pod split lengthwise or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celcius. Lightly grease a shallow oven proof dish about 20cm diameter with some flavourless oil.
Combine the pudding rice, sugar, milk, water and vanilla paste/extract and pour into the ovenproof dish. Drop the vanilla bean in at this point if using one. Bake for 1 and 3/4 hours, give maybe 3-4 stirs throughout the time.

The pudding can be served hot or cold but its important that if it is not being served immediately (within an hour) that it is allowed to cool and is refrigerated as quickly as possible. If rice is left standing at room temperature bacteria grows and multiplys which can lead to upset tummies. It is perfectly safe once cooled completely and refrigerated within the hour and can then be enjoyed the day after also.

For the rhubarb roughly wash and roughly chop 3-4 stalks, place into an oven proof dish sprinkle with sugar to taste, i add very little (1 tablespoon) as it depends on the rhubarb and how sweet you like it. More sugar can always be added after its been cooked and is still warm. Squeeze half an orange and cover with tin foil. Place in the oven along with the rice pudding and cook for 15-20 minutes or until a sharp knife inserts easily into the fruit.

A Vitamin C boost roasted pepper and tomato soup

The reason for this soup was two fold. I don't know about anyone else but the "changeable" weather is playing havoc with my little munchkin's immune system. Sixteen plus degrees last week making this week feel baltic and damp. So this soup is a vitamin C boost and also i over did it with the veggies in last weeks grocery shop so this also acts as a veg box clear out.

I have made a very quick and basic vegetable stock but of course you could use a low salt stock cube or bouillon and it doesn't have to be vegetable.

Roasted pepper and tomato soup
Vegetarian and gluten free
Suitable for freezing

For the stock (basically whatever vegetables were in the fridge)
3 shallots or 1 white onion
2 carrots halved
1 garlic clove
2 sticks celery
Broccoli stalk
1/2 turnip
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano
4-5 mushroom stalks
5 black peppercorns

Roughly chop the shallots/onion and garlic. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and very gently sweat off the onion and garlic. Then add the rest of the ingredients and just cover with water, put the lid on and gently bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and leave for at least 20-30 mins. Then strain through a fine sieve and it is ready to use it can also be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen in batches for further use.

For the soup base
1/2 red, yellow and orange pepper
3-4 plum tomatoes
Twist cracked black pepper
Splosh olive or rapeseed oil

Pop these into the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for around 20-30 minutes or until they are nice and soft with some slightly charred parts which will give the nice roasted taste.
When out of the oven immediately place into a zip-loc bag or a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave for at least ten minutes and the skins will slide off easily.
Roughly chop and set aside.

1 medium white onion or 2-3 shallots finely diced
1 garlic clove smashed/crushed
1/2 courgette finely diced
1 stick celery finely diced
1/2 leek finely sliced
2 handfuls of red lentils
2 teaspoons tomato puree
1 teaspoon of fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs such as thyme or oregano

Meanwhile sweat the onions, garlic, courgette,, celery and leek gently, once nice and translucent throw in the lentils and puree and cook out for 2 minutes stirring all the time. Add the roasted peppers, tomatoes and herbs stir so everything is mixed together and cover with the stock, if your a little short of stock just top up with some boiling water. Cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes approximately or until the lentils are soft but not total mush. Blitz with a hand blender or in a food processor, if its too thick you can let it down with some more stock or water.

For older kids/adults sweat off some fresh chillies along with the soup base and season with salt or more herbs (better for you).

To posh to dip the bread so we had to have it broken up into spoon-able pieces.....

Mighty Minestrone

I have called this mighty minestrone soup/stew/hotpot. It's kind of a happy mix of all three. Mine is packed with veggies, buckwheat and chorizo. Lidl are stocking Buckwheat at the moment (Kasza gryczana) and i cant find the recent but im pretty sure it was around the €1.25-1.60 price range.

Buckwheat despite its name is gluten free and is high in protein and B vitamins. It is also rich in phosphorus, potassium, iron, calcium and lysine. It is a great source of fiber and helps to lower cholesterol, so beneficial for the whole family not just hungry babas.  In one box there are four 100g cook in bag pouches which means it's also good value as it bulks up when cooked, a little goes a long way.

Mighty Minestrone 
Gluten Free
Suitable for freezing

1 white onion or 2-3 shallots
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1\2 courgettes
1\2 aubergine
2 sticks celery
1 parsnip
1\4 yellow, red and orange pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tin chopped tinned tomatoes
300mls chicken or vegetable stock
100g buckwheat
150g chorizo sausage, remove the skin and cube
Fresh or dried herbs such as oregano, thyme and or flat leaf parsley
Cracked black pepper

Dice the vegetables (except the onion and garlic) into cubes as large or small as you wish and depending on the size of mouths/teeth your catering for. The smaller the cubes the quicker the soup will cook however if too small it might turn to mush. Somewhere around the 1/2 centimeter mark.

Finely dice or slice the onion and crush the garlic. In a large wide based pot  heat a little oil and gently fry the cubed chorizo, when slightly crispy remove and toss in the onion. Turn the heat down and allow to sweat before adding the garlic and a good twist of pepper. They'll soak up all the lovely chorizo oils giving extra mightyness to the soup. Toss in the veggies and stir thoroughly. Add the tomato paste and cook through for a minute or two to cook out any bitterness.

Next add the buckwheat, stock and chopped tomatoes you may need to add some just boiled water to bring the level of liquid to just above the soup mix. You may of come across the term "bouquet garni" before. This is basically a little parcel of herbs, submerged into the mix for the duration of the cooking releasing all their loveliness and then discarded once cooked. Fresh herbs are brilliant when cooking for small ones as they give loads of flavour and therefore a great substitute for salt.
To make the bouquet garni take a small piece of muslin cloth and place your herbs in the centre. If using parsley just use the stalks and keep the leaves for the sprinkling on the finished product (very cheffy). Wrap the muslin into a little parcel and secure with string, and that is it. However it is absolutely perfect to use dried or chopped fresh herb so don't let that stop you.

Cover with a lid and allow to simmer very gently for 20-30 minutes stirring and testing the softness of the vegetables and buckwheat occasionally. If you prefer and more soupy consistency just add more stock or water. Take off the heat and remove the bouquet garni and add the crispy chorizo. Serve in a bowl with grated Parmesan or creme fraiche sprinkled with chopped parsley or chives. Also yummy with garlic bread to mop up the juices at the end.

Not just for brekkie breakfast bars

I  am obsessed with buying cookbooks. I know you can find just about any and every recipe on the world wide web but there's something about getting a new book, the smell, the pictures and oh the possibilities. I also have a habit of changing recipes and adding or removing ingredients.

My new favourite read is "The Virgin Kitchen" by Susan Jane White. Susan has created and developed lovely easy, nutritious and healthy recipes for anytime of the day. These "Badass Breakfast Bars" caught my eye at 10pm last night and i just had to make them there and then. I'm off work every second weekend so i like to try make that Sunday morning brekkie a little special or at least different.

The super thing about these are that because oats are low glycemic food they release energy slowly, however they do need to be cooked or soaked to get the most from their nutritional benefits, so these bars tick all the boxes and of course are not just for breakfast.

I have put the measurements in cups because everyone has a cup and as long as you use the same cup for measuring all the ingredients your onto a win win situation.

Breakfast Bars
Makes 10-12 bars depending on greediness..

2 1/4 cups a mix of dried apricots, prunes and figs
cinnamon stick
juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sunflower seeds
2 1/2 cups of rolled oats ( i used half and half buckwheat flakes and rolled oats) *
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/4 cup of milled linseed
1/4 cup desiccated coconut
pinch of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt*
1/2 cup of orange juice freshly squeezed
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 1/2 tablespoons of honey or agave syrup or brown rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or extract

*if you use jumbo oats give them a quick pulse in a food processor being careful they don't turn to dust.
*Himalayan Pink Salt is jam packed full of minerals.
To read more on its benefits just visit this link http://fitlife.tv/10-amazing-benefits-of-pink-himalayan-salt/

Preheat the oven 180 degrees Celsius and line a 15 cm square tine with baking parchment paper.

Put your dried fruit mix and cinnamon stick into a pan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 20-25 minutes until soft. You may need to add a little more water towards the end. Stir in the lime juice and squish with a fork to mix all together. It should not be completely smooth.

Roughly chop the seeds and in a mixing bowl mix with the grounds almonds, oats, rye flour, coconut, salt and linseed.
Heat the coconut oil with the orange juice, vanilla and sweetener gently in a small pan don't allow to boil you just want to melt the coconut oil.

Using dampened hand place 2/3 of the oaty mix on the bottom of the tin and flatten down. Spread the dried fruit jam on top and crumble the remaining oat mix ontop. For a little texture i like to leave the top slightly crumbly.
Bake for 40-45 minute till golden but not brown. Allow to cool completely (if you can) before slicing into squares. These will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 10 days.

Banana and apple bread

I wanted to make these into muffins but I actually couldn't find my muffin tray but it worked nicely in a loaf tin actually. 

Rye flour is lower in gluten.

I love this vanilla bean paste found in all good supermarkets. It's a little more expensive but you only need a little.

Banana and apple bread

Makes 12 muffins or 1 loaf cake

1 cup rye flour

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 tsp bread soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

3 ripe bananas

1 stewed apple or Apple sauce

1/2 cup sultanas

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla paste or extract

1/3 cup tasteless oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.

Sift together the flours, soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla paste and oil. For a little sweetness I added 1 dessertpoon of agave syrup ( or honey).

With your hands squish tighter the banana and stewed apples. Mix all the wet ingredients into the dry and spoon into lined muffin tins. 

I sprinkled some toasted pumpkin seeds on top but you could use nuts or rolled oats.

Bake for 40 mins. 

Chicken and tarragon casserole

Keeping with the chicken and tarragon theme this one pot dish is straight forward and yummy. Some weeks i like making dishes that use similar ingredients as i find it means less waste of unused veggies. I always have chicken stock in the freezer. Dice the veggies as big or as small as your little's ones mouth can manage.
Serves 4-6
Not suitable for freezing

6-8 chicken thighs
1 onion diced
1 stick of celery diced
1 carrot diced
1 clove of garlic smushed
750ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 red pepper diced
1 small cabbage shredded
1 tablespoon creme fraiche
1 dessertspoon Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius\gas 4

In a heavy based casserole pan fry the chicken thighs in batches on both sides, remove and set aside.

Turn down the heat and cook the onions, celery and carrot until nice and soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. Pour a splash of the stock into the pan and scrape all the lovely bits from the bottom of the pan.

Return the chicken to the pan with the tarragon, red pepper, cabbage and poor in enough stock to cover the chicken. With the lid on bake in the oven for an hour.

Remove the chicken  and as much of the veg as you can from the casserole and reduce the the cooking liquor by about a half by boiling for about 4-5 minutes. Turn down the heat and stir in the creme fraiche and mustard. Whizz the sauce with a hand held blender and return the chicken and veg to the pan and serve immediately. Serve with egg noodles, brown rice or new potatoes even.

Chicken and Barley goodness

Well after three weeks of hectic-ness, doctor visits, A and E visits, loss of appetite and more doctor visits we are finally back on track and back to normal-ness (ish).
Needless to say there was not much productiveness in the kitchen department however i did mange to create a few quick meals.
This chicken, tarragon and barley one pot went down a treat thankfully and freezes well too. There's something about barley i think its really comforting and nostalgic, maybe because my Granny used it in her stews.

Chicken, barley and tarragon one pot...of goodness.
Serves 4
Suitable for freezing

2 large chicken legs
2 bay leaves
2 sticks celery, 1 finely diced one roughly choped
2 carrots, 1 peeled and diced one roughly chopped
1 red pepper deseeded and diced
1 courgette diced
large handful of mushrooms diced
2 shallots, 1 finely diced, 1 halved
2 cloves of garlic, 1 smushed up
Handful of parsley with stalks
160g pearl barley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves

Put the chicken legs into a large saucepan or stock pot with the roughly chopped celery, carrot, mushroom stalks, parsley, 1 of the bay leaves, the halved shallot and 1 garlic clove.
Cover with 1.5 liters of water, bring slowly to the boil. Skim off any froth and turn down the heat to a gently simmer. Allow to simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is coming away from the bones.

In another pan gently soften the diced shallot with the garlic in some olive oil and butter stirring regularly until soft and translucent, this may take up to ten minutes so bear with it and dont let it burn.

Remove the chicken from the stock and tear the meat off the bone making sure no bits of bone make their way into your pile of chicken flesh. Shred the chicken meat and leave aside to cool down.

Add the barley, diced carrot, celery, red pepper and courgette to the onions and mix well. At this stage give a good twist of black pepper. Pour the stock into the pot and discard the veggies.
Simmer for around an hour or until the barley is nice and tender. In a small frying pan sautee the mushrooms in some butter, this will give them a nice texture and carmalised taste, toss in the tarragon.
Stir the chicken and mushrooms into the soup base, if you feel its a little thick let it down with some boiling water to your desired consistency.

We hope you like it and find it as comforting as we do...

Moussaka

I've been a little slack of late so i've a bit of catching up to do.

Admittedly im not a huge fan of lamb but even i have to admit Moussaka is yummy. This quantity would feed a family of four and can also be portioned and frozen.

Moussaka

1 aubergine

1/2 courgette cubed

handful of button mushrooms cubed

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic smashed

1/4 mild chilli finely diced

500g minced lamb

1 tin chopped tomatoes

squirt of tomato paste

pinch of cinnamon

pinch of all spice

Handful of flat leaf parsley

White Sauce

25g butter

25g plain flour

600mls milk (or half and half cream for a richer sauce)

100g grated cheese, i use Gouda

Crack of black pepper

Grated parmesan

Firstly the bitter juices need to be taken out of the aubergine. Slice to aubergine into about 1 cm slices length ways. Lay onto some kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt, leave for 15 minutes, pat dry, turn over and repeat, leave for another 15 minutes.

Using a griddle pan (or frying pan) brush the slices of aubergine with some oil and cook gently on the pan, you don't want it to brown too much just to soften nicely 5-8 minutes on each size depending on the thickness.

Next in a frying pan on a gentle heat soften the onions, garlic, chilli, mushrooms and courgettes. When nicely softened add in the spices and allow to cook out for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and brown the mince. Add the onion mix back to the pan, mix together and pour in the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Next the white sauce, melt the butter gently in a saucepan once liquid add the flour in and cook out for a couple of minutes whisking with a small whisk all the time. Slowly and gradually add the milk making sure to whisk all the time to prevent lumps from forming. Simmer for approximately 3-5 minutes until nice a thick. Take off the heat and stir in the grated cheese and season with pepper.

So to assemble the Moussaka you need a casserole dish, sprinkle the chopped parsley into the lamb and spoon the lamb into your dish next layer with the cooked aubergine and finally smother with the white sauce. Grate with Parmesan and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees celcius for 40 minutes until nicely golden and bubbling.

Easy peasy quick frozen yoghurt

This is so simple and is great if you have too many berries or bananas that are about to turn and you don't want to chuck them out. Pre frozen berries can also be used.

The fruit should be frozen cold but not rock hard and the yoghurt should be cold straight from the fridge.

Frozen yoghurt

300g frozen strawberries

500g yoghurt

2 tblsp honey

Start by giving the fruit a quick blitz in a food processor then add the yoghurt and honey. Taste for sweetness and add more if too tart and serve... Simples!

St Patrick's Day Fish Cakes with Orange flesh beetroot hummus.

I These were concocted very quicky as we wanted to watch the local parade but also did not want any grumbly tummy's. The St Patrick's Day colour theme was completely by chance actually.
Considering there are not alot of ingredients, these salmon fish cakes pack a serious taste punch, so much so a friend took the remaining four to impress a new boyfriend and claimed all the credit.

I made the hummus the evening before and it keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for a week. Its delicious with cheese and crackers too, and can also be made with regular purple beets.

Golden beetroot hummus

2 medium sized beetroots
1 large clove garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
2tblsp rapeseed oil or olive oil
200g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp tahini
lemon
oil
pepper
fresh parsley for garnishing

First off scrub the beets gently to remove any soil. Refrain for trimming or cutting them or the vibrant colour will be lost to the cooking water during boiling.
Bring to the boil in a large saucepan filled with water and then simmer till a sharp knife can be inserted easily and comes out easily. Resist testing for at least and hour as the more you poke holes in them the more colour will be lost. If you have an aga or range you can just put the whole saucepan covered into the bottom oven.

Meanwhile finely chop or crush the garlic and gently cook with the cumin in the oil over a very low heat. DONT BURN THE GARLIC.

When the beetroots are cooked drain and gently peel away the skin (use rubber gloves to prevent dying your hands). Place into a blender with the chickpeas,tahini, garlic, oil and cumin and a few twists of black pepper. Whizz to a smooth consistency. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice in to taste. Adding some boiling water can give a smoother less dense consistency.

Salmon Fish Cakes
1 large sweet potato
3 medium sized potatoes
2 salmon fillets
pepper
handful of flat leaf parsley roughly chopped
lemon
2-3 spring onions roughly chopped
1 small leek finely chopped
1 egg
150g plain flour
200g breadcrumbs i used some old -ish brown sourdough bread, but any will do or bought breadcrumbs

Roast the whole sweet potato in its skin in the oven. Place the salmon in an oven proof dish skin side down and put into the oven at 150 degrees celcius for approx 15 minutes depending on the oven and the thickness of the fillets.Once cooked remove and turn the oven temperature up to 200 degrees celcius so the sweet potato will roast a little quicker.
Boil the potatoes until just soft (not mushy).

Gently soften the spring onions and leeks in a little oil and butter over a low heat.

For the coating break the egg up lightly with a fork and pour onto a plate.
Put the flour onto another plate and the breadcrumbs onto a third plate.

Once all the components are cooked, scoop the sweet flesh from the sweet potatoes into a bowl, gently crush in the potatoes, i like to leave some chunks for texture.Gently break in the salmon and chopped parley. With a fork mix in the onions and leeks and season with pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Shape the fish cakes as large or small as you wish. I got 4 large and 2 smaller ones from this mix.

Next the coating. One at a time dip the cakes into the egg first, followed by the flour and then with a clean hand into the breadcrumbs. When all are coated set into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 150 degrees celcius. In a shallow frying pan with a little oil gently fry the cakes on both sides till golden brown, place onto a roasting dish and into the oven for 7-10 minutes again depending on the size of the cakes.

Serve with a spoonful of hummus and veggies such as broccoli, peas or spinach.