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.