This is a great little lunch you can prepare the night before, it's simple fresh, tasty, and can be eaten hot or cold! I've started taking lunch in every day to work so it's become interesting experimenting with what works being bundled in a bowl and reheated!
QUICK STIR FRY LUNCH (Serves two)
2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
1 Red Onion cut in half moons
1 Head of Broccoli
2 Red Peppers
2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Prepare the veg, finely chop the garlic, slice the red onion into half moons, remove all the florets of broccoli, and slice the peppers horizontally. In a hot wok put about a tablespoon of sunflower oil and fry the garlic for 1 min, add the onion and fry for a further 2 mins, then throw in the Broccoli and peppers and stir with the garlic and onion.
Keep stirring and add the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Serve hot or keep in the fridge for lunch tomorrow!
Ever since I started working full time, lunch has always been a bit of an issue. Now, I do not profess to be the most organised of people, but generally I will make something the night before to have for lunch the following day. However on the days that I do not plan ahead for, I almost always end up being disappointed after forcing myself to substitute a homecooked meal for something from the selection of tired looking foods from O'Briens.
There is one saving grace in Ashbourne, Co. Meath and that is the Deli Store which has one of those real old school village coffee shop type vibes, and you can be guaranteed a good hearty sambo from the girls who run it.
For next week I'm tied between doing a feature on one pot wonders and lunchtime meals, but thanks to Michael, it's looking more likely I'll be experimenting with lunches after I spotted this really cool lunch box from Japan:
They can be bought from Amazon.com and are an adaptation of the classic Japanese Bento box which has many different compartments. What I like about this is it keeps your food warm and their are four different bowls, which allow the lunchtime possibilities to be endless!
Money is a little bit tight at the moment after the whole Eurosong thing, but I'm hoping someone may take pity on me and get me one!
There are quite a lot of things that get me excited about food, but when it comes to sandwich ingredients, the combination of bacon and avocado always has me drooling! For many of us, lunch often becomes a chore rather than a pleasure, something that keeps us going between the days busy events. One of the best things you can do in order to ensure processed fast food doesn't become an option is to prepare in advance. Some cooked pasta with a little pesto and parmesan will always trump a big mac, plus your body will thank you for it! But when I do have time to eat at home for lunch this is one of my favourite sandwiches to make.
Bacon Avocado and Sundried Tomato Sandwich Try and choose some tasty bacon from your butchers, it will make all the difference!
Makes 4 tasty sandwiches. 4 rashers of good quality bacon. 1 nice ripe avocado. 4 slices of Irish brown bread. A little butter to spread. 75g of sundried or sunblushed tomatoes roughly chopped. A pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place 4 rashers under a hot grill and cook on both sides till crispy. Toast 4 slices of Irish brown bread. Slice the avocado in half, remove the stone and carefully scoop out the flesh. Slice the avocado into half moon pieces. Butter the slices of toast and place a rasher of bacon on each slice. Top the bacon with pieces of avocado and tomatoes. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and ground black pepper. Serve straight away.
Earlier this year while the frost was still on the ground in Gothenberg, we went to Gunnebo slot, a castle and gardens just outside the city. The castle is famous for it's large gardens which provide the restaurant on the grounds, with an abundance of fresh produce throughout the year. The restaurant, Kaffehus och Krug, which serves lunch daily, has won many awards for its excellent standard of food and its menu which changes every week with different specials every day.
Buffet's are quite common for lunch in Swedish restaurants but Kaffehus och Krug have a particulary interesting selection of food. Homemade breads, desserts, and salads are all on the menu, and they also have a great emphasis on healthy fresh ingredients.
I was thrilled to see that the castle has its on blog which focuses on the progress of the gardens throughout the year. It seems a lot of work has been done since our visit, so check out the blog to see some great pics of the gardens and the vegetable patch. We are heading over to Gothenberg next week and I am really looking forward to seeing the gardens for myself, it might give me a bit of inspiration for my own little vegetable garden!
Saffrans Pankkakor (Saffron Pancake)
Recipe from "Swedish Homecooking" by Catarina Lundgren Astrom and Peter Astrom. I'm told this is a traditional Swedish recipe from one of largest islands off the coast of Sweden. It's an extremely distinctive dessert, full of flavour which is definitely worth a try.
60g of Japanese rice. 240ml of water. 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 480ml of whole milk. 120ml of cream. 2 tablespoon of sugar. 1/2 teaspoon of saffron. 4 eggs. 50g blanched almonds.
Boil the rice with the water and salt in a covered saucepan until the water is absorbed. Add the milk and cream and let the rice mixture simmer over a low heat until soft, about 30-40 minutes. Stir every now and then so it doesn't catch at the bottom. You may need to add a little extra milk if needed. Let the mixture cool a little. Stir in the sugar and the saffron. Preheat the oven to 220oC. Add the eggs to the rice, one at a time. Then add the almonds. Pour the rice mixture into a buttered oven-proof dish. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for approx. 30 minutes. Serve the saffron pancake lightly cooled, with whipped cream and blackberry jam.
If you ever find yourself in Gothenberg definitely give the place a visit. For more info check out:
After months of hoping and wishing, the lunchbox of my dreams has finally arrived! A big thank you to my lovely Auntie Ann who was visiting Canada recently, and lugged it back to Ireland for me. Unfortunately none of the stockists in the US, seem to deliver the product internationally, which makes getting your hands on these handy insulated lunch flasks quite an ordeal!
However now that I have it, I am a true convert! Initially when I opened it, I was a bit concerned about the size, all the containers are a bit on the small side, and I'm a growing boy! But after using it all last week, it's actually just the right size. It's also very handy to help keep your metabolism working more efficiently throughout the day by eating small meals rather than three large one's.
The flask can either be hot or cold, and does a fairly good job of keeping things hot just in time for lunch. Here is just one of the lunches I had last week, Pineapple chunks, Mint and Green Pea Soup, Chicken and Asian Brown Rice, and Wholemeal Pizza bites- It does slightly take the magic out of fresh food but it's a whole lot better than buying out. And if your impressed with all that, head over to Flickr where they have a group specifically devoted to Bento Box lovers around the world, it's great to see all the different combinations, and has definitely given me a bit of inspiration!
So if your in Canada or America make sure to look out for Zojurushi, Mr. Bento!
*Quick update- My Bento Box was bought @ Sanko, 730, Queen St, West Toronto, ON Web:www.toronto-sanko.com*
Soups are one of the healthiest and versatile meals you can produce, not only that, they can be frozen and reheated for a quick and simple lunch! There are so many soups that I love, that this post could be extremely long, but as I said already making soup is so versatile and once you have the basic recipe you can adapt it however you wish.
Quick Basic Soup Recipe
4 tsp Vegetable Bouillon powder (I use this but stock cubes can be used or you can make your own)
1 and half litre of boiling water
2 cloves of garlic
1 Large onion
A good pinch of salt and pepper
STEP 1-> Boil the water in a kettle, pour into a jug, add the bouillon powder and mix. In a large pot fry the onion and garlic in some oil till they soften and brown.
STEP 2-> This where you can experiment, add the rest of your ingredients, I'll include some suggestions at the end of this post, and mix with the onion and garlic mix. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and allow to soften for about a minute.
STEP 3-> Then add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for approx 20 mins.
STEP 4-> If you have a good quality stick blender you can stick it straight into the hot mixture and whizz away! At this point I normally add different spices and herbs to my taste so I encourage you to experiment! Serve immediately or leave to cool and refrigerate or freeze!
Add the following ingredients at Step 2 for different soup types:
Leeks and Brocolli (frozen or fresh).
2 large tins of tomatoes.
1 Large squash, coriander and cumin.
6 Large carrots and 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger.
1 pound of peas (frozen or fresh) and a good handful of mint. (Thanks to michael for the reminder he is having it for lunch today!)
I'm sure everyone has a favourite soup so feel free to make suggestions!
I'm pretty much settled back into the land of the living after the last few busy weeks and loving being back in my own kitchen. I'm especially loving the amazing weather Ireland has been having all week, summer is most definitely on the way and I am already thinking of more summer orientated dishes, with really fresh flavours! This is is the recipe for this weeks column in the Cork News, with a really simple recipe to make the best of one of my favourite fish, mackerel!
Simple Mackerel Fillets with Chilli, Garlic and Lemon I grew up on mackerel! It was and still is one of the easiest fish to catch just off Howth head. I have some of the most amazing childhood memories of sunny mackerel filled summers with my grandad Do on his boat, where my cousins and I would be busy racing to pull in rods with heavy lines, fish on each hook, while my grandad would gut them and fillet them like the pro he was, belly laughing at the fact that we were all to squeemish to take them off the lines ourselves. For me, mackerel dishes always have to be simple with really fresh flavours, and I love this quick and simple lunch which has a great kick of heat thanks to the chilli. People get a bit worried when it comes to cooking fish, but go to the fishmongers and ask them to do all the hard work and you will be left really lovely fillets of fish which are no more complicated to cook than pan frying a chicken breast!
Serves 4 4-6 mackerel fillets 2 red chillies, finely chopped with the seeds removed 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Juice of 2 lemons A good drizzle of olive oil A good pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper
Place the mackerel fillets on a large plate and drizzle with olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Don't use all the lemon juice here, as it's nice to give the fish an extra squeeze of lemon while it cooks and then at the end to serve. Sprinkle over the chilli and garlic and gently rub into the fish on both sides, turning to coat in the lemon and olive oil. Season the fillets with sea salt and black pepper and cook on a hot, non stick griddle pan, over a high heat, for 2-3 minutes either side, depending on their size or until they are cooked through. Halfway through the cooking time, give them another splash of lemon juice. Serve the mackerel fillets with a spicy tomato salsa or a fresh side salad for a really light and healthy lunch!
I've been packing a fair bit of travel in this summer and I'm fairly sure with the amount of airmiles that have wracked up, I'm doing the environment no favours! This week is no different I'm back in Sweden for a bit of work and to fully soak up all the best a Swedish summer has to offer! One of my favourite things about Sweden in the summer is the beautiful still lakes with their picturesque jetties. This week I finally got my first swim of the summer in and despite always being slightly worried about what lurks at the bottom of those murky waters, I can report that the water was beautiful. All that swimming in lakes can make a cook like myself hungry, so we decided to sample what the Swedes do best, the Smorgasbord!
One of my favourite places to eat in Gothenburg is the Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant which is situated on the grounds of one of Sweden's most beautiful neoclassical estates, just south of the city. The buffet style lunch is made with all organic ingredients and always has something interesting and healthy to offer. During the summer months the kitchen uses fruit and vegetables from the huge gardens outside, which I find very exciting to walk through! The day we were there amongst the fantastic choice of dishes there was a cabbage salad, cucumber and fennel lentil salad, herbed pork fillet, boiled cumin potatoes, roast salmon with a creamy sauce, and Roast tomatoes with Goats cheese and red onion. We assembled our plates with fairly hefty portions, a handful of the chunky homemade bread and headed outdoors to pick our way through it. There is something fairly special about eating fresh and healthy food outdoors on a warm summer day that just makes everything taste all the better! For now, as the Swedes say "hej då"!
Roast Tomatoes with Goats cheese and Red Onion This is a super way to make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes! This method brings out the fantastic natural sweetness and is perfection in every bite. You can prepare these ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.
Serves 4 4 tomatoes, cut in half 1 goats cheese log, cut in slices 1 red onion, sliced in half moons A good glug of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Arrange the tomato halves on a baking tray and top each on with a few slices of red onion and then place a slice of cheese on top. Drizzle each tomato with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Place in the oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the the tomatoes are soft and tender. Serve warm or cold.
Cucumber and Fennel, Lentil Salad I think lentils are by far one of the most underused pulses. They are like the black sheep of the legume family, with many people having never even cooked them before. However that all has to change, they are full of health benefits, and just as quick as pasta to cook so no excuses! They go great with lots of different dishes but they go great here as a tasty little salad!
Serves 4 1 cucumber, cut in chunky diagonal slices 150g of green lentils A good handful of fennel fronds, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 a lemon 2 tablespoons of olive oil A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Rinse the lentils in cold water drain and place in a pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the fennel fronds, cucumber slices, and cooled lentils. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve!
Last month we stayed at Grouse Lodge, (the recording studios Michael Jackson used while he stayed in Ireland, don't you know!) to record Industry's new material which will be released in the UK. Now, when I'm "on the road" with the band I am usually fairly starved for foodie delights, however the lovely folks who own Grouse prepare the most amazing homecooked food! Not only that but they also have their own apple orchard, vegetable garden, and even a giant pumpkin patch. Not to mention the ducks and chickens which roam around keeping an eye on everything!
As you can imagine, I was fairly excited and spent every opportunity out taking pictures of the amazing garden! We had breakfast, lunch and dinner all freshly prepared, but one of my favourite meals was the delicious risotto which made a really tasty lunch. This is my version of it!
Pumpkin and Crispy Pancetta Risotto
I absolutely love this recipe, it is a real cosy dish, which leaves you full, satisfied and warm. Risotto may seem a little tricky, but it's just a case of giving it your full attention and slowly incorporating the liquid, so give it a go! If you can't get your hands on pancetta slices, use smoked streaky bacon. Serves 4 850g pumpkin, cut into slices A few fresh sage leaves 3 garlic cloves, roughly sliced 4 tablespoons olive oil 8 slices of pancetta 1 litre of chicken stock 150g butter 1 red onion, finely chopped 300g risotto rice 75ml white wine 150g parmesan freshly grated A good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 220oC/425oF/Gas Mark 7. Peel and gut the pumpkin and cut into slices. Make sure to save the seeds they are super tasty roasted with a little butter and sea salt. Place the pumpkin on a roasting tray with the garlic, sage, salt and pepper, toss together. Cover with tin foil and bake until soft for about 50 minutes. 10 minutes before the pumpkin is ready remove from the oven, lay the pancetta over the pumpkin and place bake in the oven till crisp. Melt 75g of the butter and the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion until soft for about 15 minutes. Add the rice and off the heat stir through until it is totally coated with the onion mix. Return to the heat, add enough stock to cover the rice and simmer stirring until the rice has absorbed nearly all the liquid. Continue to add a little more stock at a time until it is all absorbed. This should take about 15 minutes, until the rice has a creamy coating. Add the remaining butter, roast pumpkin, white wine, garlic and parmesan. Gently stir though. Serve immediately.
I regularly use bulgur wheat in a lot of my recipes and it's a fantastic storecupboard ingredient to have. It bulks up salads, goes great with barbequed meat, it's a perfect lunch box filler, all that and it's so cheap! From a 500g pack you could serve 10 portions all for about 1 euro, bargain or what! There is another advantage to it which is just how easy it is to prepare, you can make it ahead of time pop in the fridge and it will last 3-4 days in there covered. Follow the easy steps below to make up a little batch!
Preparing Bulgar Wheat In 5 Easy Steps!
1. Boil the kettle. 2. Add 1/2 a cup of bulgur wheat to a small bowl. 3. Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to the bowl. 4. Season with salt and pepper and stir through. 5. Cover with cling film and allow to cook until all the water has been soaked up.
Now when it comes to cakes and desserts, I am proud to say that cupcakes are my forte, I have been making them way before they became cool, back in the day when they were known merely as fairy cakes or buns and a little drizzle of icing would cut it as decoration. However, in the fast paced foodie world in which I roll, it was really only a matter of time before the cupcake title, as one of the most talked about bakery items, was to be challenged.
Let me introduce you to the whoopie pie; Not exactly a new idea, much like the beloved cupcake, whoopie pies have been around for years. Originally a native dessert of Maine, New England, the pies were baked by the wives of farmers, for a lunchtime treat, where upon finding one in their lunch box, the farmers are said to have cried out "Whoopie!", so hence their name. The pies are like mini chocolate cake sandwiches which ooze a delicious, creamy, frosting filling, and if foodies in the know are to be believed, these babies are going to be the next big thing!
Whoopie Pies I was sent this recipe by a reader of my blog, who's mother in law, Mrs Linda Daunt has lived all her life in Maine, New England and is a fantastic cook. She bakes these pies for special occasions, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, birthdays, weddings, funerals and occasionally by special request when one of her daughters feels nostalgic for their childhood. Mrs. Daunt's special touch is to add buttermilk instead of regular milk, to give the pies a richer taste.
Makes 16 whoopie pies 120g butter 190g sugar 2 eggs 270g of flour 5 tablespoons of good quality cocoa powder 1 teaspoon of baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 250ml of buttermilk
Filling: 250g icing sugar 170g butter 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract A pinch of salt
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line two baking sheets. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, using an electric whisk, cream the sugar and the butter until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg, mixing again to combine. Slowly add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and dry ingredients to the bowl, in batches, mixing until everything is combined and you are left with a thick batter. Spoon rounded teaspoons of the batter onto lined baking sheets, allowing space for them to spread while cooking. Place in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the tops have puffed up and spring back when lightly pressed. While the mini pies halves are baking, prepare the filling by beating together all the ingredients until you are left with a nice smooth mix. When they are cooked, remove the mini pie halves from the baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on wire rack to cool. When the mini pies halves have cooled, spread a rounded teaspoon of the creamy filling on the flat side and sandwich together with another. Et voila, whoopie pies!
Well with the new year well in swing, and the days becoming brighter, I am already starting to get excited about the whole new season of ingredients to play with in the kitchen. I love really light and bright salads and getting back into the garden means being flooded with lots of fresh and tasty veg to make my way through!
There are so many options when it comes to salads, and you can make them as healthy or different as you want. For me it just depends what sort of mood I'm in, but when I'm in a really healthy buzz, I absolutely love using as many fantastic healthy ingredients I can get my hands on.
I don't know if you have come across a brilliant little food company called Good4U foods in the supermarket, but they produce a load of really healthy ingredients that are so easy to incorporate into salads. I originally thought the company was UK based because of their web address, but last year I got an email from the lovely Laura Butler who started the company with her mum Bernie in Limerick. I was thrilled to hear they were Irish based which gives me even more reason to rave about them. Their full range of products include, alfalfa shoots, brocco shoots, sunflower shoots, and a whole host of seeds which are all perfect for sprinkling over salads! Stay tuned to the blog this week as I have a fab competition coming up from the Good4U folks!
Rocket Power Chicken Superfood Salad As the winter months are thankfully coming to end, I am already starting to look towards more fresh and healthy dishes. Thankfully the days are becoming longer and brighter, now don't get me wrong, I'm all about comfort food, but as we start to look towards the spring nothing beats a really fresh and zingy salad. This Rocket Power Chicken Superfood Salad ticks all the boxes for me, it's perfect for a healthy lunch box, just save the dressing until the last minute. I absolutely love Brocco shoots and Lentil and Bean Shoots from Irish owned health food company Good4U, and they can be found in most supermarkets, perfect for boosting healthy salads! The Good4U range has a whole host of healthy ingredients which include, alfalfa shoots,
Serves 2 100g bulgar wheat 170ml boiling water A drizzle of olive oil 2 chicken breasts A little black pepper 25g brocco shoots 60g lentil and bean shoots 150g soy beans 30g spinach leaves 30g rocket leaves
For the dressing: 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon of English dried mustard A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper
Place the bulgar wheat in a bowl with the boiling water and cover with cling film. The bulgar wheat will cook in the water while you can get on with the rest of the salad. Season the chicken breasts with a little black pepper, brush a griddle pan with a little olive oil and cook over a medium high heat for 4-5 minutes either side or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and slice thinly. While the chicken is cooking, cook the soy beans according to the packet, drain and rinse in cold water, set aside. Whisk all the ingredients for the dressing together in a small bowl. In a large bowl toss the spinach, rocket, brocco shoots, lentil and bean shoots and soy beans with the dressing. Assemble the salad with a layer of bulgar wheat on each plate, top with the salad leaves and shoots and finally place the chicken slices on top and serve!
I have to admit that I am a little bit obssessed with bulgar wheat at the moment, which is probably why you're getting a second recipe using it here in two weeks. I have already raved about it's health benifits, but have I mentioned it is so easy to make, and goes with practically everything? Well maybe not everything, but it still is one of my favourite ingredients! Have you tried it yet?
Mediterranean Roast Vegetables with Bulgar Wheat Roast vegetables are delicious enough to be eaten on their own with just a little sea salt, but pair them up with some bulgar wheat and you have the makings a really delicious meal. You can use any roast veg here really, stuff like carrots, beetroot, or asparagus all work, but I really love the combination of aubergine, courgettes, red onion, and red pepper.
Serves 4-5 generous portions. 200g of bulgar wheat. 1 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon powder. 1 aubergine chopped into bitesize chunks. 2 courgettes chopped into bitesize chunks. 2 red onions chopped into bitesize chunks. 1 red pepper chopped into bitesize chunks. 2 tablespoons of olive oil. A good pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place the bulgar wheat in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Stir through the vegetable bouillon powder, cover with a cloth or cling film and allow to sit for about 30 minutes or until all the water is soaked up. Preheat the oven to 200oC. Add all the prepared vegetables to a large bowl and toss with the oil, sea salt and black pepper. Arrange the vegetables on a large non-stick low sided roasting tray, making sure not to overcrowd it, as this will make the vegetable pieces become soft. Place the roasting tray in the oven for approximately 40 minutes or until the vegetables become slightly scorched on the edges. Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool. Add the roast vegetable pieces to the bulgar wheat and stir gently to combine. You may want to season with a little extra sea salt and black pepper at this point. Serve the bulgar wheat as tasty side dish or a super lunch box filler.
I have a huge respect for the way people in Sweden view food. There is a major emphasis on eating well from a young age and also making the time to eat. While I worked as a chef in Gothenberg one of things that I was always impressed with was how, when lunch time rolled around, everything stopped and everybody working, from the kitchen porter to the restaurant manager, sat to eat a meal cooked by the head chef. The meals we ate were not just sloppy seconds, they were well thought out, healthy and delicious.
I've seen a similar emphasis on eating well being set in Swedish schools also, with fresh and healthy meals being produced for kids on a daily basis. When I went to school we were constantly served processed food with very few healthy options. I am aware that in Ireland many schemes have been introduced to teach kids about healthy options but it still does not seem to have a deep impact. In a world where we have more knowledge about food and it effects on the body than ever before, from what I can see our younger generations aren't easily provided with healthy wholesome meals as standard. It can't be hard to achieve and with with some simple planning this sort of eating can easily become common place. What do you think? How do schools in other countries approach healthy eating?
Swedish Cabbage Salad In Sweden it is quite common for restaurants to provide diners with a salad buffet table to accompany any main meals ordered. This tangy salad is quite common and is one of my favourite Swedish side dishes.
Makes about 6-8 portions. 500g of Dutch Cabbage (About half a head of cabbage). 100ml of rapeseed oil. 4 tablespoons of malt vinegar. 1 tablespoon of sea salt. 3 tablespoons of ground black pepper.
Prepare the cabbage by slicing into thin pieces and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the rapeseed oil, vinegar, sea salt and ground pepper. Mix the cabbage until all the ingredients are combined. Taste a piece of cabbage, you may want to add another spoonful of vinegar or perhaps a little more black pepper. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge. It's best to leave the salad for at least an hour or two or even over night. Serve cool as a tasty, healthy side dish.
A quick run down of a few of the best food related sites I visited this week:
Ever seen the movie "Waitress"? If you haven't seen it, you have to check it out, it's especially appealing for foodies, as the lead actress concocts her own pie recipes naming them with quirky title's such as "I Don't Want Earl's Baby Pie" and "Baby Screamin’ Its Head Off In The Middle of the Night & Ruinin’ My Life Pie"- Recipes here!
Donna Hay, one of my ultimate food heroes has a fab recipe section on her website featuring some of what I would consider the best food photography out there. Check it out!
Evil evil evil desserts...
I keep forgetting to bookmark this site but it's a pleasure to have to catch up on- Nigel Slater in the Guardian
Speaking of Nigel fancy winning a copy of his new book?
Via @BrettMirl an interesting piece about Bento lunch boxes on the New York Times site!
Lemon Cheesecake Cupcakes- Now these look so delicious- Definitely on my to-do list!
I have a notebook full of all my great ideas for Christmas posts for the blog, which will just have to wait until next year. For those of you who don't know where I have been for the last month and a bit, I have been playing Peter Pan in the Tivoli Theatre panto! Two shows a day for over a month has meant that there has been no time for the blog unfortunately. I had my first proper day off last Monday but stayed in bed all day, but I was up with and with it today so I finally got around to some cooking!
I have been living on this salad from The Food Room in Clontarf over the last few weeks, so I thought I would recreate it here! It's really delicious and full of healthy ingredients, plus it's so easy to make!
Broccoli Feta and Cherry Tomato Salad
1 large head of broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces.
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes. (250g)
1 packet of ready chopped pancetta or bacon.
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
A good pinch of ground black pepper.
A good handful of crumbled feta cheese.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. While the water is boiling, combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a serving bowl. Add the broccoli to the pot of water and blanch for 60 seconds, you should see the broccoli turn a vibrant green. Drain the broccoli pieces and run under cold water. Add the broccoli to the serving bowl and set aside.
Place a small frying pan over a high heat and fry the bacon pieces until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan, place on on some kitchen paper and allow to cool before adding to the rest of salad. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and tumble in to the bowl on top of the broccoli. Add the bacon pieces and feta cheese to the serving bowl. Gently toss all the ingredients in the dressing and season with black pepper. Serve as a tasty side dish or a really tasty lunch. You can also add walnuts or pine nuts for an extra crunch!
And I know it's a bit cheeky having not posted for a few weeks but here's a shameless plug to remind you, if you like the good mood food blog, you can nominate it for the Irish Blog Awards here!
Unfortunately I have gotten into a seriously bad habit of taking photo's of the food I cook and then doing nothing with them for a week or two, which means I end up forgetting what I have actually done, very irritating indeed! The good news is I have managed to recover this recipe, from the deep dark depths of my memory bank, and have also made a pact with myself to finally start writing my recipe's down. We'll just have to wait and see how that works out.
I haven't been doing any serious cooking this week as I'm doing a 3 day course in Dublin city for Adobe After Effects. And being in town has meant making my ritual stops at Aya, Cafe Mao, and Wagamama, for lunch time- I'm so glad I don't work in town, because my bank balance would be zero!
Today is my last day in the big smoke, so I'll be soaking up all the culture I can before I head back to the sticks of Ashbourne, Co. Meath to earn my daily bread. Not that I'm complaining though, I once loved the hustle and bustle of the city, but nowadays, I seem to much prefer the calmer side of life. And anyway who really enjoys the scrum with the 5 million Spanish students on Grafton St.?
Personal soul searching aside it's time for a recipe, when I made this a few weeks ago I wasn't so sure that it was going to come out the way I wanted and had set myself up for disappointment as soon as the over door was closed. But I was pleasantly surprised with the results- the baking of the salmon with the mix creates a really interesting texture to the bite, but doesn't loose any of the peppery spice from the chopped garlic.
Baked Dill and Garlic Salmon
2 large Organic Salmon Fillets.
A large handful of Dill.
A small handful of Basil
2 Cloves of Garlic crushed.
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil.
Sea Salt
Preheat the oven to 200o C. Place the salmon fillets in a large roasting tin. I used my handheld food processor to blend the crushed garlic, dill, basil and olive oil together. Season it with Sea Salt to taste. You can adapt this mix further with the addition of parsley, or coriander for an even more herby version. Spread the mix on the salmon fillets and pop in the oven for about 12 minutes or until cooked through. I served this with some steamed asparagus and thinly sliced roast potato's.
I've been planning to experiment with this for a while, ever since the girlfriend dropped the bombshell that she was allergic to both soya and nuts (I think I mentioned that before?).
Pesto is one of those food items that seemed like it had never been heard of before it became popular and reminds me of a chapter in Nigel Slater's "Toast" where he describes his father bringing home spaghetti for the very first time, and how strange the whole family felt eating this odd foreign food.
Pesto for me was the same, I first tasted it on toasted french bread with sun dried tomato at one of my mother's dinner parties when I was younger, and from that moment I fell in love! Pesto was smothered on toast for breakfast, heavily mixed in spaghetti for lunch, and every other combination I could come up with.
Pesto is considered one of the oldest oily sauces in culinary history. It's classic ingredients are Basil, Salt, Garlic, Olive Oil, and Parmesan cheese. I did a bit of research on Pesto and there is a non nut variety deriving from France where it is called Pistou, the ingredients are Basil, Olive Oil and garlic only. I love the nutty flavour so wanted to recreate it and here's what I came up, now this is hardly radical but here it is:
Nut Free Pesto
3 Cloves of Garlic
1/3 cup of Mixed seeds (Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame etc.)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
3 Handfuls of fresh Basil
Pesto is so easy to make, peel the garlic cloves and bash them with the back of a knife, put in a food processer with the seeds, cheese and basil. Blitz for about 30 secs depending on what consistency you want. I drizzle the oil in bit by bit but that's just me, you can just add in once you have the rest of the ingredients in a paste.
Serve straight away or put in a container with olive oil poured on the top. IT'S LIKE SOOO EASY!
September is always one of those months like January where the slate is wiped clean and it's time to start all over again. The kids are back at school and students back to college, and professional nomads like myself are back to reality! Between all our moving around over the summer months, things were a little chaotic especially when it came to food. Normal routine went out the window, replaced by irregular eating times and extra helpings of desserts - a good dollop of cream with everything. You could definitely say I indulged over the last few months and unfortunately, I'm not exactly feeling the better of it!
Since we arrived back in Ireland however, things are back on track, the kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies and all my essential storecupboard ingredients have been replenished. As amazing as it is to travel, there really is nothing like being back home in your own kitchen.
With the winter months fast approaching, the inclination to stay inside and out of the cold becomes all the more tempting, so instead of dodging the weather and waiting until the New Year, I'm heading outdoors and getting active! All this new healthy living will take it's toll, mind you, so luckily I have a few healthy, filling recipes up my sleeve to stave off starvation and make sure I'm getting all the good stuff. This recipe comes from my book Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy, Homecooking, it's the perfect little pick me up for those cold winter days - packed with nutrients from start to finish and full of flavour!
Boot Camp Soup This a surprisingly tasty soup, which is wonderfully cleansing. Used originally as part of a weight-loss diet, I make it regularly as a really substantial lunch. This recipe makes a generous amount – I freeze half the soup and keep the rest in the fridge.
Serves 8 3 onions, chopped into chunks 2 green peppers, chopped into chunks 1 bunch of celery, chopped into chunks 1 iceberg lettuce, chopped into chunks 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 800ml/1½ pints vegetable stock 300g/10½oz lentils or soup mix Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–30 minutes until the lentils are soft. Blend the soup to a smooth consistency with a hand blender; you may need to add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
