... I've been a bit lazy on the cooking front. What with so many weekends away (brothers wedding, weekend in london, dates ;) ) there's just not been the time or the motivation to get creative. There's also the fact that cooking is way more fun when you have people to share the products with.
I've taken to checking other blogs daily and now have a massive folder of bookmarked things that I need to make when I finally have reason to/space in the kitchen to store etc.
It's not to say I haven't been eating well of course, but I've shifted to much more wintery foods recently, like cabbage soup, veggie chillis, dhals and tomatoey butter bean stews. I definitely need to dig out the slow cooker and make some casseroles soon, it's currently being outshined by my pressure cooker - never realised just how handy it is!
Exciting food to come soon, including the nightmares of long distance xmas dinner planning. That's right, the shopping has been left up to me this year. Gulp.
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Nut roast
After a late night conversation about vegetarianism and how my friend thought it would be difficult to get everything required from a vegetarian diet I've been thinking about vegetarian meals. This week I'm going to make my friend a greek inspired meal with hummus and tomatoey butter beans, to show him just how much good stuff you can get without meat.
In the process of deciding what to cook I stumbled upon nut loas recipes. As it's a Sunday I decided to go all out and make a roast. Usually I don't bother as a roast for one is a lot of work and just a bit depressing. A nut roast on the other hand appealed to me as it could easily become a sandwich filling for the week, and doesn't require lots of dishes and prep.
As usually I started off with an idea about what I wanted to put in it, searched around for recipes which met my desires, came up short so decided to put together my own version. All the quantities are pretty approximate, which is annoying for anyone trying to copy, but I make no apologies for this, adjust everything to your own taste and enjoy!
Nut roast
150g mixed nuts (I used salted roast mixed nuts from sainsburys)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 stick celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
handful mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp flaxseed
handful grated cheese
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
splash worcester sauce
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
Start off by blitzing the nuts in 2 batches, you want some fine and some left chunky. In a large bowl combine the nuts, breadcrumbs, cheese, flaxseed, herbs, mustard and worcester sauce. Mix and set to one side whilst you prepare the vegetables.
Heat a frying pan with a little oil. Add the onions and leeks, turn down the heat and cook for around 5 minutes until softened. Add the celery and carrots and cook for around 10 minutes. Finally add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the vegetables to the bowl. Mix everything together and then add in the egg. Mix well using your hands. It should form a loaf type consistency. If too wet add more breadcrumbs, too dry you can add a little bit of extra egg, a little oil or more sauces eg mustard.
Shape into a loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for about an hour.
In the process of deciding what to cook I stumbled upon nut loas recipes. As it's a Sunday I decided to go all out and make a roast. Usually I don't bother as a roast for one is a lot of work and just a bit depressing. A nut roast on the other hand appealed to me as it could easily become a sandwich filling for the week, and doesn't require lots of dishes and prep.
As usually I started off with an idea about what I wanted to put in it, searched around for recipes which met my desires, came up short so decided to put together my own version. All the quantities are pretty approximate, which is annoying for anyone trying to copy, but I make no apologies for this, adjust everything to your own taste and enjoy!
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| Nut roast, savoy cabbage, ketchup and mayo |
Nut roast
150g mixed nuts (I used salted roast mixed nuts from sainsburys)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, sliced
1 stick celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
handful mushrooms, diced
1 tbsp flaxseed
handful grated cheese
1 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
splash worcester sauce
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper, to taste
Start off by blitzing the nuts in 2 batches, you want some fine and some left chunky. In a large bowl combine the nuts, breadcrumbs, cheese, flaxseed, herbs, mustard and worcester sauce. Mix and set to one side whilst you prepare the vegetables.
Heat a frying pan with a little oil. Add the onions and leeks, turn down the heat and cook for around 5 minutes until softened. Add the celery and carrots and cook for around 10 minutes. Finally add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes more.
Add the vegetables to the bowl. Mix everything together and then add in the egg. Mix well using your hands. It should form a loaf type consistency. If too wet add more breadcrumbs, too dry you can add a little bit of extra egg, a little oil or more sauces eg mustard.
Shape into a loaf tin and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for about an hour.
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| Tasty tasty loaf |
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Spinach and sweet potato Chana Dal
Baby its cold outside.... So it's time to start cooking warming hearty food again, this doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy or overly heavy. A couple of weeks ago I bought Chana Dal in the supermarket when I was restocking on lentil type things. This is the first time I have ever made something with them, so we shall have to wait and see how it turns out, though I'm pretty confident that enough spices will make everything ok.
Spinach and Sweet potato Chana dal curry type thing
1 sweet potato, skin on, chopped into 1cm cubes
1/2 cup chana dal, prepared for cooking as per packet instructions
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 green chillis, 1 left whole, one chopped
100g frozen spinach (this is a total guess as to the quantity I used)
1 tsp tumeric
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
salt
oil for frying
Arrange the sweet potato cubes on an oven tray, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180C until the cubes are tender. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Boil the chana dal with 1 tsp tumeric, the whole chilli and the cardamom pods until cooked, around 30 mins for me. Drain if any water remains and set aside.
Meanwhile heat a heavy based frying pan with a little oil. Add the spices and fry until fragrant, then add the garlic chilli and onion. Turn the heat down and cook for around 5 minutes until the onion is soft, stirring occasionally. Add the spinach and stir well, adding about 1/4 cup of water, or more if desired. After around 10 minutes mix in the sweet potato and adjust seasoning, I always find that what appears to be a lot of salt is required.
Stir the spinach mix into the cooked dal, check seasoning and mix well. Serve with or without rice and yoghurt.
My curry turned out to be pretty spicy so I stirred a few spoonfuls of yoghurt through it towards the end of cooking. Got to say for an experiment it turned out pretty well 
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Duathlon and a lack of food
So full time work is busy... Surprisingly so. I get home in the evenings and it feels like I sit down and all of a sudden its time to sleep. I really don't know where the time goes and the level of darkness these days makes it always feel later than it is.
As such my cooking style has changed. These days I tend to cook one big meal a couple of times a week and then eat it for lunch/dinner until it runs out. I think the next thing I'm making will be cabbage soup, I'm looking forward to trying the recipe I got from my colleague.
Despite not cooking much my meals are all pretty healthy (with the exception of this week where I went out to TGI Fridays and ate my weight in ribs on monday and tonight when I destroyed a massive chinese...). I'm making a lot of things like soup, veggie chilli/bolognaise and the odd curry.
I made this earlier in the week, and I've got to say it's amazing. I made a few changes, including cooking it in the pressure cooker, I'd forgotten just how much faster everything cooks in it. I have decided that I must make more use of it for interesting and quick meals.
As for the title of the post? Well tonight I took part in the VA triathlon, though I only did the duathlon (ie running and cycling). Overall time was 27:56 for 2.5km run and 10km cycle, given the lack of training I did I'm pretty happy. And I got a medal, so it was totally worth it.
As such my cooking style has changed. These days I tend to cook one big meal a couple of times a week and then eat it for lunch/dinner until it runs out. I think the next thing I'm making will be cabbage soup, I'm looking forward to trying the recipe I got from my colleague.
Despite not cooking much my meals are all pretty healthy (with the exception of this week where I went out to TGI Fridays and ate my weight in ribs on monday and tonight when I destroyed a massive chinese...). I'm making a lot of things like soup, veggie chilli/bolognaise and the odd curry.
I made this earlier in the week, and I've got to say it's amazing. I made a few changes, including cooking it in the pressure cooker, I'd forgotten just how much faster everything cooks in it. I have decided that I must make more use of it for interesting and quick meals.
As for the title of the post? Well tonight I took part in the VA triathlon, though I only did the duathlon (ie running and cycling). Overall time was 27:56 for 2.5km run and 10km cycle, given the lack of training I did I'm pretty happy. And I got a medal, so it was totally worth it.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Hot hot hot pants
So work has been pretty busy, family life pretty shitty and the way I've chosen to distract myself from it is by going to the gym a lot. I may not be the fittest, fastest or strongest, but I do like to work hard.
As a reward for all my hard work, and my brain saying woooo you've been paid buy everything, I bought a pair of the zaggora hot pants. Yes £45 is a lot of money for a pair of gym shorts in a questionable material, but I did get a money off code. Now it's not like I actually want to or need to lose weight, but anything that claims to make me sweat more and work harder for the same amount of effort will always get me. I'm not a sweaty person and I always feel a little bit left out when everyone else is shiny and dripping (sorry, gross I know).
So the shorts finally arrived after I ordered them last week. They are essentially wet suit material, make a funny noise when you walk and look a little bit odd. However they look pretty good on, decent length, and reasonable sized thighs. For me the thigh waist ratio was a bit off, but then again I have odd proportions so I'm not worried.
So I wore them to work out at the gym tonight. And oh my lord do they make your legs sweat. There were drops running down my calves, so clearly they are doing something. I quite liked how they didn't make the rest of my overly warm as I can't stand being too hot when I exercise.
I don't know if they were make me look like a supermodel and lose inches instantly, but they certainly make you feel like you're working hard and they keep your muscles nice and cosy which will be ideal for running or cycling outside through winter.
Aside from that I made waffles. They were awesome, but all got eaten before I could get any pictures. I even found a waffle mixture that can apparently be stored for up to a week in the fridge, so we'll see how that goes!
As a reward for all my hard work, and my brain saying woooo you've been paid buy everything, I bought a pair of the zaggora hot pants. Yes £45 is a lot of money for a pair of gym shorts in a questionable material, but I did get a money off code. Now it's not like I actually want to or need to lose weight, but anything that claims to make me sweat more and work harder for the same amount of effort will always get me. I'm not a sweaty person and I always feel a little bit left out when everyone else is shiny and dripping (sorry, gross I know).
So the shorts finally arrived after I ordered them last week. They are essentially wet suit material, make a funny noise when you walk and look a little bit odd. However they look pretty good on, decent length, and reasonable sized thighs. For me the thigh waist ratio was a bit off, but then again I have odd proportions so I'm not worried.
So I wore them to work out at the gym tonight. And oh my lord do they make your legs sweat. There were drops running down my calves, so clearly they are doing something. I quite liked how they didn't make the rest of my overly warm as I can't stand being too hot when I exercise.
I don't know if they were make me look like a supermodel and lose inches instantly, but they certainly make you feel like you're working hard and they keep your muscles nice and cosy which will be ideal for running or cycling outside through winter.
Aside from that I made waffles. They were awesome, but all got eaten before I could get any pictures. I even found a waffle mixture that can apparently be stored for up to a week in the fridge, so we'll see how that goes!
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Veggie Chilli
Work has turned out to be busy. I go through periods of having 4 things that all need to be done at the same time to sitting twiddling my thumbs and waiting for the next bit of work. My new schedule has turned out to be pretty hectic and so I've been eating weird meals at weird times. Which is bad.
So this afternoon when I felt the start of a cold brewing I knew I had to make something good for my dinner with lots of healthy healthy things.
The result was a vegetarian chilli packed full of vegetables and pulses with spinach through it. Frozen spinach is one of my favorite ingredients, as it almost instantly makes any meal more nutritious as can go into pretty much anything!
Yes the end result isn't the most attractive meal in the world but when it's cold and dark outside, who really cares when it's warm, comforting and filling.
Veggie Chilli
1tbsp oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 small green chillis, chopped (keep the seeds)
1 stick celery, chopped
1 red and 1 green pepper chopped into large pieces
1 tin tomatos
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin chickpeas
a small handful red lentils
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chipotle chilli sauce (or anything else with a smoky hot flavour)
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large deep pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery, toss in the oil and then turn down the heat. Cook the vegetables until the onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. There should be enough liquid from the tomatos to cook the lentils, you don't want to add more else it will end up too wet.
Cook until the lentils are done. The veg should still have some crunch and adjust the heat and seasoning to your taste.
Serve up in a big bowl with rice and top with cheese.
So this afternoon when I felt the start of a cold brewing I knew I had to make something good for my dinner with lots of healthy healthy things.
The result was a vegetarian chilli packed full of vegetables and pulses with spinach through it. Frozen spinach is one of my favorite ingredients, as it almost instantly makes any meal more nutritious as can go into pretty much anything!
Yes the end result isn't the most attractive meal in the world but when it's cold and dark outside, who really cares when it's warm, comforting and filling.
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| You can almost see the warmth and comfort coming out of the pot! |
Veggie Chilli
1tbsp oil
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 small green chillis, chopped (keep the seeds)
1 stick celery, chopped
1 red and 1 green pepper chopped into large pieces
1 tin tomatos
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin chickpeas
a small handful red lentils
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tbsp chipotle chilli sauce (or anything else with a smoky hot flavour)
salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large deep pan. Add the onion, garlic and celery, toss in the oil and then turn down the heat. Cook the vegetables until the onions are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. There should be enough liquid from the tomatos to cook the lentils, you don't want to add more else it will end up too wet.
Cook until the lentils are done. The veg should still have some crunch and adjust the heat and seasoning to your taste.
Serve up in a big bowl with rice and top with cheese.
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Very berry "cookies"
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| Not really cookies, but tasty and a pretty colour! And yes that is an oven shelf as an improvised cooling rack |
Tonight I attempted to make cookies... And they turned out like no cookie I have ever made before. I'm going to say this was probably my fault and not the recipe, as it was one I had made before which has previously turned out well.
So what happened tonight? For starters I measured out the wrong amount of flour and didn't realise until after the first trays of cookies were in the oven... Secondly I added the filling and the flour at the same time. Normally this would be ok, but when your filling is frozen you don't really get a feel for how solid your dough is as the butter rehardens. The final 12 mini cookies appear to have turned out ok as I had added a helluva lot more flour by that point.
I say these were a bit of a disaster but only in terms of consistency. The taste was exactly what I was going for, fruity, fresh and a little bit naughty. I would definitely make these again, only I would do it properly and carefully....
Very berry cookies
200g butter
200g sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp golden syrup
300g flour (though you may well need a bit more)
1 small bag frozen summer fruits (or anything else you fancy, like smarties, or chocolate etc)
Start by creaming the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the vanilla, flour and syrup and mix well until it starts to form a dough. At this point add your filling in, and using your hands distribute through the dough. If your filling is frozen, beware! The dough will go very stiff and so add more flour, even if you don't think you need it.
Divide the dough into even sized balls and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Flatten the balls slightly.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 15 mins until the edges start to firm up (if like me you didn't use enough flour be prepared to increase your baking time a lot...)
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| The smaller ones worked better. And tasted good! |
Sunday, 9 September 2012
Fish with salsas
Sunday night = proper food.
After a weekend of going to the gym and picking up a few bits and pieces I needed to supplement what I brought down last weekend, this afternoon has been a chance to relax. As well as doing all my filing and filling in the forms I needed to do for work I decided to make a proper dinner, making the most of the empty flat.
Yesterday I made salsa and had quite a bit left over so I decided to make something which could incorporate that. Originally I had been thinking about a fish pie, but with a salsa instead of a white sauce. As I started getting everything out for dinner I remembered that I had picked up some fresh cooked beetroot in the reduced section. After a quick internet search quite a few places came up with results for fish with beetroot salsa and so I changed my plans. In the end I made fish with 2 salsas, a tomato one and a beetroot one, alongside mixed cubed potatoes and some broccoli. The end result was delicious and so colourful. Surprisingly the flavours all worked together well, despite no sort of planning of this aspect. The earthy flavours of the beetroot worked well with the fish, and the chipotle really melded everything together.
The recipes for the various components are given below.
Tomato Salsa
1 tin tomatoes
1/4 tin tomato puree
half a green pepper
half an onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chilli sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Blitz the onion, pepper, garlic and chilli with the oil and tomato puree in a food processor. Once everything is pretty fine, add the tomatoes and blend again briefly. Taste and adjust seasoning, extra chilli can be added as can lemon juice to tart it up a bit.
I heated this salsa up slightly to act as a sauce for the fish
Beetroot Salsa
2 small cooked beetroots
1/2 tbsp olive oil
dash lemon juice
chipotle chilli sauce
Blend beetroots with olive oil, a good dash of lemon juice and a decent amount of chipotle chilli sauce. The salsa should be pretty chunky, this is the aim.
This was also warmed up, though less so than the tomato salsa.
Oven baked fish
2 small white fish fillets per person
large clove garlic per person
lemon juice
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to about 180C, line an oven dish with tinfoil and place the fish in it. Rub the fish with garlic, add a dash of lemon juice over the fish and season well. Drizzle with a little oil and wrap up well. Bake for about 25 minutes if using frozen. (I have to admit that I got bored waiting as everything else was finished so I finished up in the pan, which worked out very well)
After a weekend of going to the gym and picking up a few bits and pieces I needed to supplement what I brought down last weekend, this afternoon has been a chance to relax. As well as doing all my filing and filling in the forms I needed to do for work I decided to make a proper dinner, making the most of the empty flat.
Yesterday I made salsa and had quite a bit left over so I decided to make something which could incorporate that. Originally I had been thinking about a fish pie, but with a salsa instead of a white sauce. As I started getting everything out for dinner I remembered that I had picked up some fresh cooked beetroot in the reduced section. After a quick internet search quite a few places came up with results for fish with beetroot salsa and so I changed my plans. In the end I made fish with 2 salsas, a tomato one and a beetroot one, alongside mixed cubed potatoes and some broccoli. The end result was delicious and so colourful. Surprisingly the flavours all worked together well, despite no sort of planning of this aspect. The earthy flavours of the beetroot worked well with the fish, and the chipotle really melded everything together.
The recipes for the various components are given below.
Tomato Salsa
1 tin tomatoes
1/4 tin tomato puree
half a green pepper
half an onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chilli sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Blitz the onion, pepper, garlic and chilli with the oil and tomato puree in a food processor. Once everything is pretty fine, add the tomatoes and blend again briefly. Taste and adjust seasoning, extra chilli can be added as can lemon juice to tart it up a bit.
I heated this salsa up slightly to act as a sauce for the fish
Beetroot Salsa
2 small cooked beetroots
1/2 tbsp olive oil
dash lemon juice
chipotle chilli sauce
Blend beetroots with olive oil, a good dash of lemon juice and a decent amount of chipotle chilli sauce. The salsa should be pretty chunky, this is the aim.
This was also warmed up, though less so than the tomato salsa.
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| Red tomato salsa and purple beetroot salsa warming up as the plate is used as a lid. |
Oven baked fish
2 small white fish fillets per person
large clove garlic per person
lemon juice
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to about 180C, line an oven dish with tinfoil and place the fish in it. Rub the fish with garlic, add a dash of lemon juice over the fish and season well. Drizzle with a little oil and wrap up well. Bake for about 25 minutes if using frozen. (I have to admit that I got bored waiting as everything else was finished so I finished up in the pan, which worked out very well)
Saturday, 8 September 2012
One week in Derbados
So I've been here a week, completed my first week at work and am yet to see a single drop of rain. In fact it's pretty much been sunny all week, which coming from the Scottish summer has been a bit of a shock. Wandering into town today I thought I might expire, I was so glad that I had remembered to put water in my bag.
So the first week. A lot of information given out across the first couple of days, and I mean a lot. I had to go out and by a filebox for it all and more folders so that I could keep it all sorted out. By far the biggest revelation was meeting the other grad, as neither of us knew the other was coming. It turned out that we had both put our money on the other during the interview process which was pretty funny. On wednesday I got to spend a day wandering around London being a trainspotter, standing at the end of platforms watching trains go in and out and watching the signals change.
Everyone seems very friendly and the office dress code seems pretty relaxed for the women, black trousers and some form of top seems to be the norm. I feel a bit sorry for the guys as they are suits, shirts and ties, although that does remove all element of choice and thus stress from the morning routine.
In terms of other things to do Derby seems to be well stocked. Lots of rowing clubs, but I'm putting that off for now as last weekend's outing caused an old injury to flare up badly. To fix this I've put myself onto a recovery regime which so far consists of yoga, pilates and lots of stretching. One yoga session and I can already feel a massive improvement, I'm excited about the start of pilates to really improve things. Oh and I signed up for an indoor duathlon at the gym, as I don't really care for swimming. Need to work on my running speed and get on the weights to boost leg power for the cycle. Got nearly 2 months to prepare so I'm pretty confident and excited.
Monday brings the start of work proper, 8:30 to 5, for the next 10 weeks, with the exception of a couple of courses and meetings along the way. I'm excited to finally find out what my job is, as so far when people ask what I'm actually doing I have to say I have no idea.
In terms of food, creative meals are taking a back burner at the moment as I try to find my feet here and sort my life out, but fear not, I have some plans for exciting fish in salsa and some breads too in the pipeline.
So the first week. A lot of information given out across the first couple of days, and I mean a lot. I had to go out and by a filebox for it all and more folders so that I could keep it all sorted out. By far the biggest revelation was meeting the other grad, as neither of us knew the other was coming. It turned out that we had both put our money on the other during the interview process which was pretty funny. On wednesday I got to spend a day wandering around London being a trainspotter, standing at the end of platforms watching trains go in and out and watching the signals change.
Everyone seems very friendly and the office dress code seems pretty relaxed for the women, black trousers and some form of top seems to be the norm. I feel a bit sorry for the guys as they are suits, shirts and ties, although that does remove all element of choice and thus stress from the morning routine.
In terms of other things to do Derby seems to be well stocked. Lots of rowing clubs, but I'm putting that off for now as last weekend's outing caused an old injury to flare up badly. To fix this I've put myself onto a recovery regime which so far consists of yoga, pilates and lots of stretching. One yoga session and I can already feel a massive improvement, I'm excited about the start of pilates to really improve things. Oh and I signed up for an indoor duathlon at the gym, as I don't really care for swimming. Need to work on my running speed and get on the weights to boost leg power for the cycle. Got nearly 2 months to prepare so I'm pretty confident and excited.
Monday brings the start of work proper, 8:30 to 5, for the next 10 weeks, with the exception of a couple of courses and meetings along the way. I'm excited to finally find out what my job is, as so far when people ask what I'm actually doing I have to say I have no idea.
In terms of food, creative meals are taking a back burner at the moment as I try to find my feet here and sort my life out, but fear not, I have some plans for exciting fish in salsa and some breads too in the pipeline.
Monday, 3 September 2012
The start of working life
Today I became, what I would class, a grown up.
That's right I started work and joined the 9-5 club (or more accurately 8:30-5 or 9-5:30). As far as first days go it was good, though not without surprises.
Surprise number 1 arrived at approximately 8:45 when a guy I remembered from the assessment day turned up and we both found out that they had taken on 2 graduates, without telling either of us. But to ensure we didn't get too comfortable our placements start incompletely different locations, so it's unlikely we'll be in the same place at the same time. Still it was nice to have someone in the same boat as me!
Surprise 2 was the issue of all the cool free stuff: laptop, rucksack to carry laptop, work boots and high viz jacket.
Surprise 3 was the lack of biscuit tin in any of the 4 office kitchens, much to my disappointment.
I have to say that commuting in Derby is a pretty stressful experience as the entire place is surrounded by a ring road, so there's lots of stressful lane changes to be done if you want to go anywhere. I think I'm going to stick to my bike as much as possible in the future, especially as there are lockers and showers provided!
Still not made any friends here :( But I am very tempted to just join Derby rowing club because of its convenience and just learn how to scull, as seeing people out on the water tonight made me a bit jealous. There also seems to be a lot of people that do nothing but loiter all day long around the city centre which is a bit odd, which makes going exploring a bit daunting as they all just stand and watch.
On a final note it's sunny! And will be for the next week! Madness!
Sunday, 2 September 2012
Welcome to N'Derbz
So the big move was yesterday and I made it down no problems and have most definitely got the hang of motorway driving. Navigating around Derby is not so down. I keep accidentally taking detours... although I think this is partly down to satnav lying to me about number of exits of roundabouts and the like. Despite the fact that I can't navigate to or from it, the flat it nice. Very cream coloured which scares me a little bit. Flatmate also seems good, but not seem him much which is ok I guess.
This morning I got up early (I figured it would be good practice for tomorrow) and headed down to have a look at the local rowing club. Turns out its about 3 mins cycle away which is a plus point. On the downside it's mainly a sculling club more than sweeping which means I either need to get sculling or not go on many outings. From what I've seen there aren't many experienced sweep rowers in the club so it's possibly not the best place for me to be, but I shall give it a chance.
In other news I went on an adventure to asda last night. It said online it was a superstore. It didn't lie. I swear I have never been in such a big supermarket in my life, I feel like it might even be bigger than slough tesco. I found the biggest bottle of chilli sauce there I had ever seen so obviously bought it. Mmmm chilli sauce with everything time!
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| I'm going to start eating and drinking exclusively beige or transparent things only as a precaution |
This morning I got up early (I figured it would be good practice for tomorrow) and headed down to have a look at the local rowing club. Turns out its about 3 mins cycle away which is a plus point. On the downside it's mainly a sculling club more than sweeping which means I either need to get sculling or not go on many outings. From what I've seen there aren't many experienced sweep rowers in the club so it's possibly not the best place for me to be, but I shall give it a chance.
In other news I went on an adventure to asda last night. It said online it was a superstore. It didn't lie. I swear I have never been in such a big supermarket in my life, I feel like it might even be bigger than slough tesco. I found the biggest bottle of chilli sauce there I had ever seen so obviously bought it. Mmmm chilli sauce with everything time!
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| That's what 920g of chilli sauce looks like. Mmmm spicy |
Friday, 31 August 2012
Empty nest syndrome
Everyone always talks about how the parents feel when their kid moves out of home. What seems to pass unnoticed is how the kid (usually an adult in pretty much every sense of the word) feels about moving out, clearing out rooms and leaving only a trace of themselves.
Having spent the best part of 2 days binning and packing up my room and then carefully arranging them into the back of the world's smallest car whilst trying to maintain some level of visibility through the back windscreen I can tell you it's odd. Now this is not the first time I've moved out so to speak. 4 years ago I packed up and moved out for uni and the whole thing was pretty emotional, but this was still my home. I still had clothes and general stuff and my room was still classed as my room. But now the game has changed. Now I get to be a grown up and move all my stuff out to Derby to start a new job, without even the luxury of an attic cupboard of my stuff left here like my other siblings have. Instead my mum appears hellbent on binning all old uniforms, books and everything else it seems.
Which leaves my room empty, shell-like. What's left of me in this house? Old school reports and exam certificates (for now), a couple of photographs and a couple of fancy dresses and pairs of shoes. And that's it. I feel odd about leaving, sad in some ways, excited to start the next chapter, nervous about having to step up and take responsibility both in the workplace and of my own life.
I'm launching into the great unknown, with only an empty shell to go back to. But hey, at least there's an ensuite guest room waiting for me if I ever decide to go home...
Having spent the best part of 2 days binning and packing up my room and then carefully arranging them into the back of the world's smallest car whilst trying to maintain some level of visibility through the back windscreen I can tell you it's odd. Now this is not the first time I've moved out so to speak. 4 years ago I packed up and moved out for uni and the whole thing was pretty emotional, but this was still my home. I still had clothes and general stuff and my room was still classed as my room. But now the game has changed. Now I get to be a grown up and move all my stuff out to Derby to start a new job, without even the luxury of an attic cupboard of my stuff left here like my other siblings have. Instead my mum appears hellbent on binning all old uniforms, books and everything else it seems.
Which leaves my room empty, shell-like. What's left of me in this house? Old school reports and exam certificates (for now), a couple of photographs and a couple of fancy dresses and pairs of shoes. And that's it. I feel odd about leaving, sad in some ways, excited to start the next chapter, nervous about having to step up and take responsibility both in the workplace and of my own life.
I'm launching into the great unknown, with only an empty shell to go back to. But hey, at least there's an ensuite guest room waiting for me if I ever decide to go home...
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Looking on the bright side
So my gnocchi merged into a delicious mush, that tasted right but lacked texture, sometimes that's just the way things are.
Similarly the pavlova texture was all wrong, but oh my it tasted amazing, almost better that the right texture would have been. Looking back I should have trusted my instincts on the whipping and talking to my brother (who completed a chef course so I consider him an expert in these things) he agreed with me. His suggestion is to whip in the cornflour and vinegar first as they are stabilizing agents and then fold in coffee sugar, not the other way round.
Despite the less than positive events in the kitchen it has been a pretty good week. I finally managed to work out how to dry my hair curly and keep the fringe not kinked. And....
.... I passed my driving test at last.
I kinda feel like it is all going to be taken away from me, definitely doesn't feel real though. Not yet gone out solo but very much looking forward to it.
And I need to make me some peanut butter brownies or cakes or something as it's all I've been thinking of this week. Mmmm peanut butter.
Similarly the pavlova texture was all wrong, but oh my it tasted amazing, almost better that the right texture would have been. Looking back I should have trusted my instincts on the whipping and talking to my brother (who completed a chef course so I consider him an expert in these things) he agreed with me. His suggestion is to whip in the cornflour and vinegar first as they are stabilizing agents and then fold in coffee sugar, not the other way round.
Despite the less than positive events in the kitchen it has been a pretty good week. I finally managed to work out how to dry my hair curly and keep the fringe not kinked. And....
.... I passed my driving test at last.
I kinda feel like it is all going to be taken away from me, definitely doesn't feel real though. Not yet gone out solo but very much looking forward to it.
And I need to make me some peanut butter brownies or cakes or something as it's all I've been thinking of this week. Mmmm peanut butter.
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
Complementary recipes aka gnocchi and pavlova
I know a lot of people are good at storing egg whites in the fridge/freezer/whatever and coming back and using them later, but I tend to forget, or wait too long. Plus I'm convinced that frozen egg whites just won't work, even though the world says otherwise.
So as I was making some gnocchi romana for dinner which uses egg yolks I figured that it was the perfect excuse to make a pavlova, or more specifically a cappuccino pavlova that I have been drooling over the recipe of for over a week now.
I came across the cappuccino recipe on twitter and knew I just had to have it. I'm not usually that successful with pavlova/meringues and I'm pretty sure this one is no different, although I need to wait for the oven to cool until I can check it out. How on earth are you supposed to not over-whip egg whites when you are adding almost 200g of sugar a tbsp at a time?! I erm also forgot the salt at first so that might also be the culprit...
At the moment both the gnocchi dough and the pavlova are cooling down, I hate playing the waiting game. Normally any recipe that involves chilling time is a deal breaker for me.
I've already linked the pavlova recipe above, but I made it with a couple of modifications to match the quantities of egg whites to the number of egg yolks required for gnocchi. Everything was scaled down to work for 3 egg whites instead of 4. I cut the baking time by about 10 minutes and the size of the circle down to about 20cm dia.
The final product looked like this, but only the taste test will tell whether it is a success. I was slightly confused as to why the top was dome shaped and the bottom had formed a similar dome underneath. Thankfully cream covers all sins in this case.
Luckily I know I can make successful gnocchi so at least part of the meal is a guaranteed winner.
Gnocchi romana with homemade black olive pesto (adapted from here)
for the gnocchi
1L milk
40g butter
pinch salt
250g semolina
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
for the pesto
30g pine nuts
4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
black pepper to taste
handful of pitted black olives
about 4tbsp olive oil
Heat the milk with 20g of the butter in a saucepan and add a pinch of salt. When the milk comes up to the boil whisk in the semolina to prevent lumps forming and then stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will thicken up to form a dough, turn the heat down and cook for a further 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, beat in the rest of the butter, then the egg yolks 1 at a time. Finally add the cheese, and taste the dough for seasoning, I added a litte extra salt.
Dampen a baking sheet and a rolling pin, turn the dough out onto the baking sheet and roll to about 1cm thick. Make sure the pin is kept wet or the dough will stick.
Cool the dough for about 2 hours, it should firm up a lot.
Whilst the dough is chilling make the pesto. Combine all the ingredients apart from the oil in a food processor and pulse to form a rough paste. Add the oil and pulse again to form a pesto style sauce. Taste and adjust flavouring, you might want some more herbs or oil.
To make the dish cut circles of dough and cover the base of an oven dish with them. After each layer spread some of the pesto over it, and then continue layering until everything has been used up, ending with a pesto layer.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes until the top starts to go crispy.
Serve with a crispy salad
So as I was making some gnocchi romana for dinner which uses egg yolks I figured that it was the perfect excuse to make a pavlova, or more specifically a cappuccino pavlova that I have been drooling over the recipe of for over a week now.
I came across the cappuccino recipe on twitter and knew I just had to have it. I'm not usually that successful with pavlova/meringues and I'm pretty sure this one is no different, although I need to wait for the oven to cool until I can check it out. How on earth are you supposed to not over-whip egg whites when you are adding almost 200g of sugar a tbsp at a time?! I erm also forgot the salt at first so that might also be the culprit...
At the moment both the gnocchi dough and the pavlova are cooling down, I hate playing the waiting game. Normally any recipe that involves chilling time is a deal breaker for me.
I've already linked the pavlova recipe above, but I made it with a couple of modifications to match the quantities of egg whites to the number of egg yolks required for gnocchi. Everything was scaled down to work for 3 egg whites instead of 4. I cut the baking time by about 10 minutes and the size of the circle down to about 20cm dia.
The final product looked like this, but only the taste test will tell whether it is a success. I was slightly confused as to why the top was dome shaped and the bottom had formed a similar dome underneath. Thankfully cream covers all sins in this case.
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| Cappuccino pavlova |
Luckily I know I can make successful gnocchi so at least part of the meal is a guaranteed winner.
Gnocchi romana with homemade black olive pesto (adapted from here)
for the gnocchi
1L milk
40g butter
pinch salt
250g semolina
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
for the pesto
30g pine nuts
4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp dried basil
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
black pepper to taste
handful of pitted black olives
about 4tbsp olive oil
Heat the milk with 20g of the butter in a saucepan and add a pinch of salt. When the milk comes up to the boil whisk in the semolina to prevent lumps forming and then stir with a wooden spoon. The mixture will thicken up to form a dough, turn the heat down and cook for a further 15 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, beat in the rest of the butter, then the egg yolks 1 at a time. Finally add the cheese, and taste the dough for seasoning, I added a litte extra salt.
Dampen a baking sheet and a rolling pin, turn the dough out onto the baking sheet and roll to about 1cm thick. Make sure the pin is kept wet or the dough will stick.
Cool the dough for about 2 hours, it should firm up a lot.
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| It may not be pretty but it is gnocchi. I can't figure out what shape it reminds me of. |
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| Mmmm blacky green sludge- tastes significantly better than it looks! |
To make the dish cut circles of dough and cover the base of an oven dish with them. After each layer spread some of the pesto over it, and then continue layering until everything has been used up, ending with a pesto layer.
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| The bottom and middle layers were perfect circles but the top layer not so much... |
Serve with a crispy salad
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Juice and pulp
Having rediscovered my juicer in the back of a cupboard I've been on a bit of a juicing spree recently. Which has turned out to be a very good thing as today I woke up at 7am with pain. As in the pain woke me up. Not good. So lunch today was juice as chewing hurt. A lot.
Making juice is fun as all the vegetables and fruit produce juices of different colours, although the end product is pretty much always sludge coloured. My sludge of the day was: apple, sweet potato, celery, carrot, ginger, red cabbage and tiny little bit of lemon. Sweet potato juice was starchy but not unpleasant.
The by-product of all this juice is that there is pulp a plenty. Looking around I found that plenty of people suggesting mixing pulp into recipes as a source of fibre. I decided to go one step further and make it into the meal. I concocted a pulp and pinto bean chilli, served up in iceberg lettuce bowls with pitta chips with cheese. Even my sceptic mum and carnivorous brother seemed to enjoy it!
Pulp chilli
Pulp from a selection of veg (I used a couple of slices of cabbage, 2 carrots, a sweet potato, 2 sticks celery and an apple)
A little oil
2 tins chopped tomato
1 tin pinto beans
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan and then add the pulp (you could add some garlic and fresh chilli at this point but I couldn't be bothered with the chopping). Add the tins of tomato and about half a tin of water extra. Take care as the mixture is thick and air pockets will bubble up through it. Stir in the spices, adjust seasoning to taste, allow to cook for about 20 minutes.
Put into an oven dish, top with cheese and bake for 20 mins at 200C until all the cheese is melted and delicious. Line bowls with intact lettuce leaves and serve in the bowls.
Making juice is fun as all the vegetables and fruit produce juices of different colours, although the end product is pretty much always sludge coloured. My sludge of the day was: apple, sweet potato, celery, carrot, ginger, red cabbage and tiny little bit of lemon. Sweet potato juice was starchy but not unpleasant.
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| Cabbage juice. Odd but not bad tasting and very pretty |
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| This is what happens when you run apples through after the cabbage |
Pulp chilli
Pulp from a selection of veg (I used a couple of slices of cabbage, 2 carrots, a sweet potato, 2 sticks celery and an apple)
A little oil
2 tins chopped tomato
1 tin pinto beans
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan and then add the pulp (you could add some garlic and fresh chilli at this point but I couldn't be bothered with the chopping). Add the tins of tomato and about half a tin of water extra. Take care as the mixture is thick and air pockets will bubble up through it. Stir in the spices, adjust seasoning to taste, allow to cook for about 20 minutes.
Put into an oven dish, top with cheese and bake for 20 mins at 200C until all the cheese is melted and delicious. Line bowls with intact lettuce leaves and serve in the bowls.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Popcorn, bagels and juice
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| More thriller, less filler - the cereal edition |
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| Popcorn shower. Formed a lovely pattern on the floor, unfortunately I'm still finding it everywhere |
I think in future I might just stick to bagel for breakfast, much safer. And with the excessively large batch I made on friday/saturday it looks like I'll be eating them for a while. Although not with my brother around. Last night he commented that "you probably already know it, but the bagels are excellent, surprisingly." High praise indeed from a boy that did a chef course. The downside to him enjoying the bagels is that they keep disappearing...
I've been lusting after a food processor to take with me when I move house in september and have narrowed it down to 3. One of the main attractions of this nifty little Bosch one I've seen is that it has a hard fruit/veg juicer attachment. This morning when I was making breakfast I remembered the juicer attachement and thought about how much novelty it would bring, and then realised I already have a proper fruit juicer!
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| Waring kitchen classic juicer - given its size, it's surprisingly easy to forget about |
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Bagels
A couple of days ago I was doing my usual online shop and decided to go for some bagels. I realise some people think they are the enemy as 1 bagel = 4 slices of bread, but for me they are perfect! When the order arrived I noticed that bagel pack size has been decreased to 4! Outrageous!
As a result I decided to try my hand at making bagels, thinking how hard can it really be? To be fair the last time I tried making them (many years ago) they didn't turn out that well, but now that I've mastered bread I figured it would be ok.
After much searching I found there were 2 types of recipe, a 1 day recipe and a 2 day one involving a poolish type starter. I figure if you're going to try something you might as well do it properly so I went ahead with the 2 day bagel. I did cheat somewhat as I used the dough hooks instead of hand kneading but the first day of bagel making still took longer than expected!
After nearly 4 hours of mixing, waiting, kneading, dividing, resting and testing the bagels were finally ready for bed and so was I! In the morning there was actually very little to do, which was reassuring!
In the end the bagels turned out chewy, with a good crust and so tasty, if a little bit hard to slice well. Next time I will start these much earlier in the day so they don't mess with my sleeping patterns quite as much...
If you want to have a go and have far too much spare time, like me, then I can highly recommend this recipe, from the Smitten Kitchen blog.
As a result I decided to try my hand at making bagels, thinking how hard can it really be? To be fair the last time I tried making them (many years ago) they didn't turn out that well, but now that I've mastered bread I figured it would be ok.
After much searching I found there were 2 types of recipe, a 1 day recipe and a 2 day one involving a poolish type starter. I figure if you're going to try something you might as well do it properly so I went ahead with the 2 day bagel. I did cheat somewhat as I used the dough hooks instead of hand kneading but the first day of bagel making still took longer than expected!
After nearly 4 hours of mixing, waiting, kneading, dividing, resting and testing the bagels were finally ready for bed and so was I! In the morning there was actually very little to do, which was reassuring!
In the end the bagels turned out chewy, with a good crust and so tasty, if a little bit hard to slice well. Next time I will start these much earlier in the day so they don't mess with my sleeping patterns quite as much...
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| Bagel selection: onion, mixed seed, plain, sea salt and cinnamon and raisin |
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| One just happened to disappear before I managed to get a photo... |
If you want to have a go and have far too much spare time, like me, then I can highly recommend this recipe, from the Smitten Kitchen blog.
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
New kitchen toys
The weather up here has been pretty torrential for the past few days, so I haven't been out much as I didn't fancy swimming fully dressed! Additionally my NTC classes are cancelled for a couple of weeks (booo) so I've been at a bit of a loss.
In the middle of the downpour yesterday I realised I needed a few things, so ventured out and ended up in the giant ASDA near me. It's so huge I feel like you would never need to leave. They have everything. After much aimless wandering I picked up these cuties:
Of course you can't let a new toy rest idly in a drawer, so I just had to make some muffins. I'd read about bran muffins on my search for a healthy breakfast muffin and had managed to track down everything required for them. One thing I'm not sure about is what is meant by molasses in American recipes. In the UK you can buy molasses sugar which is a solid, but then there are sometimes references to molasses (treacle). In the end I went down the treacle route, which gave the muffins a strong burnt sugar taste I'm never quite sure of.
Otherwise the muffins were a success and the muffin cups easy to use and clean!
The muffin recipe can be found here.
In the middle of the downpour yesterday I realised I needed a few things, so ventured out and ended up in the giant ASDA near me. It's so huge I feel like you would never need to leave. They have everything. After much aimless wandering I picked up these cuties:
Otherwise the muffins were a success and the muffin cups easy to use and clean!
The muffin recipe can be found here.
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Breakfast Muffin, the result
A week a so ago I began a quest to find a true breakfast muffin. One more virtuous than an early morning run, but with enough energy and good things to get your morning off to a good start.
Something that start life looking a bit like this:
I wanted to develop the idea from the banana streusel muffins into a non banana muffin, but I could just do a straight ingredient swap as I figured that the bananas were pretty responsible for holding everything together in the original. Most of the so called breakfast muffin recipes I found online were quite high in sugar and fat, not really what I look for in a breakfast. The more I looked the more confused I got as there didn't appear to be a set ratio for wet to dry to fillings.
Eventually I narrowed the search down to these recipes:
http://www.sanitarium.com.au/recipes/mini-muesli-muffins (I like the idea of including muesli but the oil and sugar content kind of put me off, plus I was out of pecans)
http://www.singlefare.com/recipes/muesli-muffins/ (Seemed like a more cakey recipe with the inclusion of yoghurt, and no added fruit or veg)
http://cookwithkids.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/carrot-and-muesli-muffins/ (promising but used the banana I was trying to avoid)
http://evecookingnbaking.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/muesli-muffins.html (no added veg but lots of tasty muesli filling, more egg than others but I liked the idea of honey instead of sugar)
http://themoveablefeasts.wordpress.com/category/breakfast/ (The winner - subject to a couple of modifications picked up from the other recipes)
Below I have posted my modified version of the recipe, the original can be found on the website linked above. I switched the butter for oil, reduced the amount of sugar and replaced it with honey and packed in extra veg. I've got to say, they worked out pretty darn well and the family loves them so I'd call that a success. Even better you can freeze them and just take them out the night before all ready for morning if you're just catering for one.
Breakfast Muffins
1 cup (155 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (155 g) whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup muesli
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
3/4 cups grated apple
3/4 cups grated courgette
1/2 cup roughly crushed walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 180 C and prepare a muffin pan. I chose to line mine to make the muffins portable, I got 18 muffins in the end.
In a bowl combine the dry ingredients (flours, muesli, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).
In a separate large bowl beat the eggs until blended, then add the yoghurt and butter and beat them in. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined, this doesn't have to be perfect, overmixing makes a cakey muffin. Stir in the grated apple, carrot and courgette and the walnuts and raisins.
Divide the mixture evenly, then sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool in tins for a couple of minutes then cool on racks before storing.
Something that start life looking a bit like this:
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| Ultra virtuous muffin mix |
I wanted to develop the idea from the banana streusel muffins into a non banana muffin, but I could just do a straight ingredient swap as I figured that the bananas were pretty responsible for holding everything together in the original. Most of the so called breakfast muffin recipes I found online were quite high in sugar and fat, not really what I look for in a breakfast. The more I looked the more confused I got as there didn't appear to be a set ratio for wet to dry to fillings.
Eventually I narrowed the search down to these recipes:
http://www.sanitarium.com.au/recipes/mini-muesli-muffins (I like the idea of including muesli but the oil and sugar content kind of put me off, plus I was out of pecans)
http://www.singlefare.com/recipes/muesli-muffins/ (Seemed like a more cakey recipe with the inclusion of yoghurt, and no added fruit or veg)
http://cookwithkids.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/carrot-and-muesli-muffins/ (promising but used the banana I was trying to avoid)
http://evecookingnbaking.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/muesli-muffins.html (no added veg but lots of tasty muesli filling, more egg than others but I liked the idea of honey instead of sugar)
http://themoveablefeasts.wordpress.com/category/breakfast/ (The winner - subject to a couple of modifications picked up from the other recipes)
Below I have posted my modified version of the recipe, the original can be found on the website linked above. I switched the butter for oil, reduced the amount of sugar and replaced it with honey and packed in extra veg. I've got to say, they worked out pretty darn well and the family loves them so I'd call that a success. Even better you can freeze them and just take them out the night before all ready for morning if you're just catering for one.
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| Army of breakfast muffins, ready to fuel the day. I topped half of them with muesli as an experiment. |
Breakfast Muffins
1 cup (155 g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (155 g) whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup muesli
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra for dusting
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
3/4 cups grated apple
3/4 cups grated courgette
1/2 cup roughly crushed walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 180 C and prepare a muffin pan. I chose to line mine to make the muffins portable, I got 18 muffins in the end.
In a bowl combine the dry ingredients (flours, muesli, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon).
In a separate large bowl beat the eggs until blended, then add the yoghurt and butter and beat them in. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined, this doesn't have to be perfect, overmixing makes a cakey muffin. Stir in the grated apple, carrot and courgette and the walnuts and raisins.
Divide the mixture evenly, then sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from oven, cool in tins for a couple of minutes then cool on racks before storing.
Protein shakes
Today I ordered my first ever protein shake powder. It's something I've been considering for a while, since I got food poisoning in November in fact. After getting ill and not really eating for a week I had unsurprisingly lost weight, to the tune of 3kg. I know most people would be thrilled with this kind of result but I found myself weaker and less able to compete and pissed off. I tried gaining it back but just couldn't eat enough.
Since then my body has decided that it's actually pretty happy at that weight and I've stopped worrying, as I've stopped training to compete. But I have taken up high intensity training classes. And the more of them I do, the harder I find certain exercises. I know recovery is important, when I skimp on it I'm hit with DOMS or dizziness and irritation, as well as not being able to push myself. The trainer at the classes has been raving about recovery shakes as well as protein and with a lean body to die for there's clearly something in it.
So I took the plunge and ordered myself a shake mix. And I'm excited, not least because I got a third off and a free shaker!
This doesn't mean I'm giving up on food, quite the opposite, as I can start having fun with it and stop seeing it so much as fuel.
Since then my body has decided that it's actually pretty happy at that weight and I've stopped worrying, as I've stopped training to compete. But I have taken up high intensity training classes. And the more of them I do, the harder I find certain exercises. I know recovery is important, when I skimp on it I'm hit with DOMS or dizziness and irritation, as well as not being able to push myself. The trainer at the classes has been raving about recovery shakes as well as protein and with a lean body to die for there's clearly something in it.
So I took the plunge and ordered myself a shake mix. And I'm excited, not least because I got a third off and a free shaker!
This doesn't mean I'm giving up on food, quite the opposite, as I can start having fun with it and stop seeing it so much as fuel.
Thursday, 26 July 2012
Summer eating
Well the sun has finally made an attempt to show his face in Scotland over the past few days, and although he's been largely unsuccessful, the temperature and humidity is right up! As a result I've been feeling like eating lighter, more salad-y food, despite my exercise spike.
For example today I did 2 classes, 11 hours apart (and improved in some exercises from the first to the 2nd, go me!) and usually this would mean big bowl of pasta time. Instead I came home and made a stir-fry chicken warm salad and it was amazing! I was surprised by how well the herby salad leaves and avocado went with the stir-fry veg and chicken. It's definitely something I want to recreate and my mum wants me too.
Similarly after another day of training earlier in the week I decided to make a greek mezze mini feast. With my brother away meals can be a lot less traditional and lighter, which suits the weather perfectly at the moment.
Even my latest batch of muffins look summery don't you think? I managed to find and adapt a muffin recipe which ticked all my breakfast criteria, details to come late.
For example today I did 2 classes, 11 hours apart (and improved in some exercises from the first to the 2nd, go me!) and usually this would mean big bowl of pasta time. Instead I came home and made a stir-fry chicken warm salad and it was amazing! I was surprised by how well the herby salad leaves and avocado went with the stir-fry veg and chicken. It's definitely something I want to recreate and my mum wants me too.
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| Chicken, peppers, onions, cabbage, lettuce and avocado warm salad |
Similarly after another day of training earlier in the week I decided to make a greek mezze mini feast. With my brother away meals can be a lot less traditional and lighter, which suits the weather perfectly at the moment.
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| Clockwise from top right: tabouleh, babaganoush, greek salad and hummus |
Even my latest batch of muffins look summery don't you think? I managed to find and adapt a muffin recipe which ticked all my breakfast criteria, details to come late.
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| Veg tastic muffin mix! |
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
Recovery Shake
After a hard lunchtime workout today in the horrible humidity and heat (but sadly not sun) I knew recovery was keys to not getting struck down by doms tomorrow. So I hatched a plan.
Last year I was doing weights training at 7am then an hour of cardio on a monday morning and needed a second breakfast to help me recover fast before rushing off to labs. Shakes were always my favorite, and the best thing about being at home is the amount of yummy and healthy stuff I can put in them.
Today's shake had an apple juice base, with a load of ice for coolness and to help rehydrate. I like to add peanut butter in for a bit of extra protein as I'm not a convert to protein powders etc.
Recovery shake
1 banana
handful crushed ice
small glass apple juice
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
sprinkle of cinnamon
little bit of syrup
1 tbsp of peanut butter
As with all shakes the process is simple. Put everything together and blend. Then drink immediately.
Last year I was doing weights training at 7am then an hour of cardio on a monday morning and needed a second breakfast to help me recover fast before rushing off to labs. Shakes were always my favorite, and the best thing about being at home is the amount of yummy and healthy stuff I can put in them.
Today's shake had an apple juice base, with a load of ice for coolness and to help rehydrate. I like to add peanut butter in for a bit of extra protein as I'm not a convert to protein powders etc.
Recovery shake
1 banana
handful crushed ice
small glass apple juice
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
sprinkle of cinnamon
little bit of syrup
1 tbsp of peanut butter
As with all shakes the process is simple. Put everything together and blend. Then drink immediately.
Monday, 23 July 2012
Breakfast muffin?
After a few days running round after tiny people and making tiny cakes like these:
Life has finally returned back to normal. And I've been thinking about breakfast. With kids its easy to see the effect that their food has on them, the amount of energy they have and their general mood. As adults we often forget this, and sometimes leave our bodies to run on empty after rushing out without breakfast.
Last week I started doing sessions with the Nike training club in Glasgow which are awesome, but after a couple of them my body is aching, which is not normal. As a lot of the sessions are first thing breakfast is key to not being crippled the next day. On Thursday I had my pre session standard of yoghurt, but on Saturday we were out. This is why I hurt (or so I'm telling myself.)
So what I'm currently trying to create is a breakfast muesli muffin, preferably without cups of oil/butter but with yoghurt, fruit and oats. Any suggestions? If not I might go on a bit of a culinary adventure and see how things turn out...
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Life has finally returned back to normal. And I've been thinking about breakfast. With kids its easy to see the effect that their food has on them, the amount of energy they have and their general mood. As adults we often forget this, and sometimes leave our bodies to run on empty after rushing out without breakfast.
Last week I started doing sessions with the Nike training club in Glasgow which are awesome, but after a couple of them my body is aching, which is not normal. As a lot of the sessions are first thing breakfast is key to not being crippled the next day. On Thursday I had my pre session standard of yoghurt, but on Saturday we were out. This is why I hurt (or so I'm telling myself.)
So what I'm currently trying to create is a breakfast muesli muffin, preferably without cups of oil/butter but with yoghurt, fruit and oats. Any suggestions? If not I might go on a bit of a culinary adventure and see how things turn out...
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Oaty american style pancakes
After spending a few hours reading food blogs at the weekend I came across this blog, which had an amazing looking recipe for pancakes. http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/6111474-oatmeal-pancakes-with-milk
Now usually I'm a thin french crepe kind of girl, rather than a fat fluffy american pancakes. But after spending hours watching american tv the fat pancake cravings became lodged in my brain. I've just signed up to some free Nike training classes. Which can only mean one thing: second breakfast is back on the menu, and what better than pancakes!
So this morning I dutifully cycled off to my class at 6:35am. Ouch. Let me tell you something, hill sprints are bad, and only ever do them first thing when you have nothing to throw up at least. I survived the class and made it home. Pancake time!
The recipe calls for the oats to soak for half an hour in milk, I think this could be done overnight instead, especially if you're going to use a healthier oat, and it would make the recipe faster in the morning.
My main issue was that I'm never quite sure of the right consistency for this kind of thing, or heat of pan. After a couple of rounds of pancakes I think I've got it down. However my idiot brother didn't think to look for the stack of pancakes I had made him and kept warm in the oven and instead ate the extra ones I had let cool for later. Raging. Some people don't understand a nice gesture when they see one clearly.
Oatmeal pancakes (from Liv Life)
Now usually I'm a thin french crepe kind of girl, rather than a fat fluffy american pancakes. But after spending hours watching american tv the fat pancake cravings became lodged in my brain. I've just signed up to some free Nike training classes. Which can only mean one thing: second breakfast is back on the menu, and what better than pancakes!
So this morning I dutifully cycled off to my class at 6:35am. Ouch. Let me tell you something, hill sprints are bad, and only ever do them first thing when you have nothing to throw up at least. I survived the class and made it home. Pancake time!
The recipe calls for the oats to soak for half an hour in milk, I think this could be done overnight instead, especially if you're going to use a healthier oat, and it would make the recipe faster in the morning.
My main issue was that I'm never quite sure of the right consistency for this kind of thing, or heat of pan. After a couple of rounds of pancakes I think I've got it down. However my idiot brother didn't think to look for the stack of pancakes I had made him and kept warm in the oven and instead ate the extra ones I had let cool for later. Raging. Some people don't understand a nice gesture when they see one clearly.
Oatmeal pancakes (from Liv Life)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup milk
1/4 cup whole grain flour
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs All-Purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbs vegetable oil
Place the rolled oats and milk in a large bowl and set aside for 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the whole grain flour of your choice, the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
After 30 minutes of resting, add the brown sugar, vanilla, egg and vegetable oil to the rolled oats and milk. Whisk to combine.
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| Everything measured out and just waiting to be mixed |
Add the dry ingredients to the oatmeal mixture and stir lightly to incorporate. (Add a little extra flour or milk as needed to obtain your desired consistency).
Ladle the batter onto a medium hot pan on the stove, or an electric griddle. To grease the pan dip a piece of kitchen roll into oil and rub it round the pan, this should help ensure you get the right amount on the pan.
Allow to cook until bubble form on the top of the pancakes, then carefully flip with a spatula. Cook for another minute or two, until the pancakes are browned, then remove and serve.
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Chocolate Yoghurt Cake
When company is coming round for lunch pudding is required in my household. Which is perfect really as I love baking new things and am at a bit of a lose end on how to fill my time these days.
Yesterday I read about the domestic sluttery pudding club and so when I was told to make pudding it just had to be something chocolatey so that I could join in.
When I got into the kitchen there was a problem. Only one egg. I looked in the fridge and there were buckets of yoghurt. So I set out to find a recipe with yoghurt instead of egg as I remember my friend telling me they used to do that in the Alps on ski season. I failed. But I did stumble upon a delicious looking chocolate yoghurt cake here : http://sunday-suppers.com/recipe-chocolate-yogurt-cakes/ and help came in the form of a dozen eggs so I was good to go!
The recipe was quick and simple and resulted in rich and moist chocolate cakes which weren't too heavy. I think I would add in some instant coffee with the yoghurt next time to help bring out the chocolate flavour, but thats just me.
Chocolate Yogurt Cakes
Unsalted butter, for greasing
1 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole-milk yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Icing sugar, for serving
Whipped cream, for serving
Chocolate Shavings, for serving
Yesterday I read about the domestic sluttery pudding club and so when I was told to make pudding it just had to be something chocolatey so that I could join in.
When I got into the kitchen there was a problem. Only one egg. I looked in the fridge and there were buckets of yoghurt. So I set out to find a recipe with yoghurt instead of egg as I remember my friend telling me they used to do that in the Alps on ski season. I failed. But I did stumble upon a delicious looking chocolate yoghurt cake here : http://sunday-suppers.com/recipe-chocolate-yogurt-cakes/ and help came in the form of a dozen eggs so I was good to go!
The recipe was quick and simple and resulted in rich and moist chocolate cakes which weren't too heavy. I think I would add in some instant coffee with the yoghurt next time to help bring out the chocolate flavour, but thats just me.
Chocolate Yogurt Cakes
1 1/2 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole-milk yogurt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
Icing sugar, for serving
Whipped cream, for serving
Chocolate Shavings, for serving
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| Everything out and ready to go. |
In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp of flour with 1 tbsp of cocoa powder. Grease your cake tins and then sprinkle lightly with the cocoa flour mix. The original recipe calls for mini bundt pans, but I don't own these, so instead I used a 12 cup muffin tin and a large smooth bundt pan.
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| The baking tins, greased and cocoa'd |
In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and cocoa, and mix. In a separate large bowl whisk the yoghurt, vanilla, eggs and sugar until they become smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, taking care not to over mix. Pour in the oil and mix well. This requires some care and a large enough bowl as the oil doesn't want to be mixed in at first.
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| After the oil has been mixed the batter should be smooth and glossy, like this |
Spoon the mix into the tins, filling about 3/4 full. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C. Small cakes take about 20 minutes, a larger one about 30. Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean, the cakes are done, if not return to the oven for a few more minutes.
Cool the cakes in the pans for 5 minutes before turning onto racks.
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| Finished product, ready for decoration |
Decorate with a sprinkling of icing sugar and chocolate shavings and serve with whipped cream.
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Steak Pie
So it's summer in Scotland and that means that the weather is varied at best, meaning that half the time you want light summery food and the rest of the time you crave warming winter food like pie. The trouble with pie is the time to make the filling, especially if you have people coming over. It's almost impossible to host and cook at the same time, and you don't really want your guests seeing you all flustered.
So here's my solution: slow cooked filling made a day ahead, the perfect use for those unpredictable afternoons.
Slow Cooker Pie filling
500g stewing steak, in chunks
plain flour
salt and pepper
Oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic
a handful of chestnut mushrooms, quartered
a couple of dried porcini mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme
2 beef stock cubes
600ml boiling water
1 bottle dark ale
1 tbsp tomato puree
Start by spreading flour over a plate and season very well. Toss the meat in the flour and set aside. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan until hot, then brown the meat in batches. Once browned remove the meat from the pan and place in slowcooker. You may need to add more oil as you go along to ensure the meat doesn't stick.
Make up the stock and add the dried mushrooms to soak. Put the pan back on the heat and add more oil, then fry the onions until softening. Add the onions to the slow cooker then quickly soften the carrots and garlic (NB you want the garlic whole here so it can be picked out later). Add the thyme, tomato puree and ale. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes, ensuring you mix in anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add the stock and the contents of the pan to the slow cooker and then add the mushrooms. Give everything a stir, then cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Pie
1 portion filling
1 portion puff pastry
a little milk for brushing
Place the filling in a suitable pie dish and top with the pastry. Use any extra pastry to form decorations, then cut a small cross in the centre and brush with milk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for around 30 minutes, by the point the filling should be warmed and the pastry risen and golden.
So here's my solution: slow cooked filling made a day ahead, the perfect use for those unpredictable afternoons.
Slow Cooker Pie filling
500g stewing steak, in chunks
plain flour
salt and pepper
Oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic
a handful of chestnut mushrooms, quartered
a couple of dried porcini mushrooms
1 tsp dried thyme
2 beef stock cubes
600ml boiling water
1 bottle dark ale
1 tbsp tomato puree
Start by spreading flour over a plate and season very well. Toss the meat in the flour and set aside. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan until hot, then brown the meat in batches. Once browned remove the meat from the pan and place in slowcooker. You may need to add more oil as you go along to ensure the meat doesn't stick.
Make up the stock and add the dried mushrooms to soak. Put the pan back on the heat and add more oil, then fry the onions until softening. Add the onions to the slow cooker then quickly soften the carrots and garlic (NB you want the garlic whole here so it can be picked out later). Add the thyme, tomato puree and ale. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes, ensuring you mix in anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add the stock and the contents of the pan to the slow cooker and then add the mushrooms. Give everything a stir, then cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Pie
1 portion filling
1 portion puff pastry
a little milk for brushing
Place the filling in a suitable pie dish and top with the pastry. Use any extra pastry to form decorations, then cut a small cross in the centre and brush with milk.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for around 30 minutes, by the point the filling should be warmed and the pastry risen and golden.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Ben's fish pie
My friend Ben makes an excellent fish pie with fish his family catches on fishing trips. As it is a Friday I thought I'd be traditional and make a fish pie. This is pretty much his recipe, with erg few modifications.
I made enough for 3/4 people as dinner with the following quantities:
Ingredients
500g cod fillets or other white fish
600ml milk plus extra for mash
800g potatoes, peeled
400g spinach
2 eggs
Handful fresh parsley
Few drops fish sauce
1.5 tbsp flour
1.5 tbsp butter plus extra for Nash
Cheese, for topping
salt and pepper
Method
Poach the fish in the milk until tender. Meanwhile cook the spinach and put the potatoes on to boil. Add the eggs to the potato pan for enough time to hard boil them.
Remove the fish from the milk and place into a baking dish, breaking it into chunks in the process. Transfer the milk to a jug and add a few drops of fish sauce for seasoning.
In a pan melt the butter, then add the flour to form a roux. Add the milk and whisk continuously over a medium heat until smooth and thick. Season well and add the parsley.
Once hard boiled remove the eggs, allow to cool slightly and then peel and cut into quarters.
Mash the potatoes with butter and milk until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the fish, then arrange the eggs, the the spinach over it. Top with mashed potato. Texture the top with a fork then cover with cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and potato is crisping.
I made enough for 3/4 people as dinner with the following quantities:
Ingredients
500g cod fillets or other white fish
600ml milk plus extra for mash
800g potatoes, peeled
400g spinach
2 eggs
Handful fresh parsley
Few drops fish sauce
1.5 tbsp flour
1.5 tbsp butter plus extra for Nash
Cheese, for topping
salt and pepper
Method
Poach the fish in the milk until tender. Meanwhile cook the spinach and put the potatoes on to boil. Add the eggs to the potato pan for enough time to hard boil them.
Remove the fish from the milk and place into a baking dish, breaking it into chunks in the process. Transfer the milk to a jug and add a few drops of fish sauce for seasoning.
In a pan melt the butter, then add the flour to form a roux. Add the milk and whisk continuously over a medium heat until smooth and thick. Season well and add the parsley.
Once hard boiled remove the eggs, allow to cool slightly and then peel and cut into quarters.
Mash the potatoes with butter and milk until smooth.
Pour the sauce over the fish, then arrange the eggs, the the spinach over it. Top with mashed potato. Texture the top with a fork then cover with cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and potato is crisping.
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Fat free banana struesel muffins
Today I noticed a couple of perfectly spotted bananas, you know, the kind that are just crying out to be turned into muffins or banana bread. I knew there was only one recipe that would fit the requirements of my family as apparently "all my cakes are going to make them obese". So after an hour of searching my email, files, search history and the internet in general I finally found the recipe I wanted.
Posted on Greatist, I first made this recipe in February and apparently haven't made it since. Which is a total shock as from memory this recipe is perfection. No added fat, no fancy mixing, just rich, moist delicious banana goodness.
Oatmeal Banana Bread
2 whole, ripe bananas
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour (I made this with half rye half white flour as I had no whole wheat)
1 ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I use a mix of nutmeg and cinnamon as I've never seen pumpkin pie spice)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries (i omitted these)
Method
Posted on Greatist, I first made this recipe in February and apparently haven't made it since. Which is a total shock as from memory this recipe is perfection. No added fat, no fancy mixing, just rich, moist delicious banana goodness.
Oatmeal Banana Bread
2 whole, ripe bananas
1 large egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1 cup whole wheat flour (I made this with half rye half white flour as I had no whole wheat)
1 ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (I use a mix of nutmeg and cinnamon as I've never seen pumpkin pie spice)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
- For the Topping: In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup oats, 1/8 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon melted butter; set aside.
- For the Bread/Muffins: Mash bananas in a medium bowl, then stir in egg and milk. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, 1 cup oats, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Stir just to combine (batter should be lumpy). Stir in cranberries.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased loaf pan or muffin tin, and sprinkle with topping mixture.
- Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Loaf is done when a toothpick inserted in comes out clean or with some dry crumbs from the topping.
- If baking muffins divide into 12 cases and bake for 15 minutes
Et voila!
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| Muffins! |
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| Loaf! |
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