We Love Cooking!:
wholemeal

With 10,000 athletes expected to take part and raise €3 million for over 150 charities this year, the Cork city marathon is one of the biggest sporting events in the country. I have been asked to put together some really quick, tasty and nutritious pasta dishes to help out those folks already in training! Dishes like my Speedy Spaghetti Amatriciana and Rocket Fuelled Pasta will be sure to get athletes of all levels fuelled up and ready to rock on the big day!

Hopefully my pasta recipes will appeal to both foodies and fitness enthusiasts and you can check them all out on www.readysteadycork.com alongside several fitness schedules and training guides designed to help a wide range of people - from experienced athletes to first-time marathoners. If you are planning on running a marathon these Power Pasta recipes are packed with foods and ingredients rich in protein and ‘good fats’ such as avocados, salmon, chicken and olive oil, providing vital nutrients and ensuring that there is plenty of variety in runners’ diets!

Simple Spicy Tuna and Garlic Penne
Tuna is a fantastic healthy store cupboard ingredient which is perfect for quick dishes just like this. You can use tinned tuna, but I really love the tuna you can buy in jars stored in olive oil.

Serves 4
250g of wholemeal penne
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes
A good handful of parsley, roughly chopped
230g jar of tuna fillets in olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet
In a large frying pan heat the oil over a medium heat and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Fry gently until golden.
Add the cooked pasta and the parsley to the pan and toss until the pasta is nicely coated.
Break the tuna into rough chunks, add to the pasta and stir through.
Season with a little sea salt and black pepper and serve straight away!

Rehearsals for the panto are in full swing at the moment so I have been doing a spot of batch cooking to keep up with posts on the blog. If your hoping to come along to the show, it starts on December 11th and runs right through to the end of January. But according to inside sources the tickets are going pretty quick, so make sure to get your tickets early!

I have a serious weakness for garlic, and even more severe weakness for this garlic bread! It's great to plonk on the table when you have friends over or even as a simple snack. This recipe can easily be made ahead of time, wrap it up in tin foil and pop it in the freezer until you need it. It should last for at least a month.

Chunky Garlic Bread
You can use any bread for this really, but try and pick a loaf with a chunky crust. The bread on the inside will stay nice and soft and you will be left with a crunchy crust. I love garlic and have used four cloves here, but reduce the amount if don't want to be warding off vampires for the next week!

1 loaf of wholemeal bread.
5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature.
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped.
A large handful of freshly chopped parsley.
A pinch of sea salt.

Preheat the oven to 200oC/390oF/Gas 6.
Slice the bread into slices being careful not to cut the whole way through and set aside. The slices should all still be joined at the bottom. Mash the butter, salt, garlic and parsley together on a chopping board with the back of a fork. When the ingredients are combined scoop up the garlic butter and slather the slices on the inside. Don't be afraid to get messy here, if there's butter on the crust all the better! Wrap the loaf in tinfoil leaving the tops of the slices exposed. You can also sprinkle the tops of the slices with a little grated Parmesan cheese at this point. Place the wrapped loaf in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.
Serve piping hot! If you can't get through a whole loaf in one go, freeze the slices individually and pop them in the toaster when you want to reheat them!