Month: March 2016

Homemade baked beans

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I stopped eating baked beans a while ago as the amount of sugar in a tin of baked beans can be around 3 teaspoons which is rather a lot for a savoury item. I would also love to eat them on thick slabs of white bread which probably also contained sugar. Bread is one of those items on the supermarket shelves that you can’t quite get one’s head around that there could be sugar in there as it isn’t at all sweet. Have a look at the ingredients list before you buy as there is sugar or glucose in many of them. I am not completely sugar free in my diet but I try to stick to no refined sugar when I can. This way of thinking also stops me from eating a lot of processed food.  A lot of foods have added sugar to help with the flavour, if you cook it yourself you know exactly what is in there and can almost always get a better taste and freshness as a result. BUT.. …

Sunday morning bircher muesli

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I eat porridge most of the time for breakfast and I also love eggs but sometimes don’t have the time to make them. So this is my prepare the night before breakfast that can also feed a crowd so excellent for a brunch. I also want to tell you about a delicious dish a friend cooked for me last weekend when I was staying with them in London, it was packed full of eggs, spinach, mushrooms and chorizo. I failed to take any photographs as it smelt too good to try and find my camera so I  will just have to make it myself and take photos so I can share the recipe. For the bircher muesli (serves 2): In a bowl pour 150g porridge oats, 100 ml apple juice, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp cinnamon and 50 ml water or almond milk and a tbsp of chia seeds. Mix altogether and leave in the fridge, covered over night. When ready to eat grate a whole apple including the skin and add more water or …

Aubergine and sweet potato Thai green curry

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You can get very good shop bought Thai curry pastes these days, but there is nothing more satisfying than making your own from scratch. The aroma alone makes it worth it, it almost stings your nostrils it is so fresh and zingy. We try not to eat meat every day but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have the same dishes and replace your protein with beautiful vegetables. Using lots of vegetables in this dish gives different textures which I sometimes find vegetarian food lacks. First of all the curry paste. This one takes a little bit of time but I make double the amount and freeze half so that if we want a last minute curry then I have the paste in the freezer. Then all you need is a tin of coconut milk in the cupboard and a few pieces of veg and chicken or any other protein that is a quick mid week supper sorted. Thai curry paste Ingredients 4 tsp cumin seeds 4 tsp coriander seeds 1-2 tsp dried chilli flakes …

French Onion Soup

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  I always thought French onion soup was rather complicated but having tried it myself, I realise it is terribly easy, just slightly time-consuming and a non stick pan is essential. It feels very French too, full of butter, onions, baguette and cheese. It is a hearty, filling soup with caramelised onions topped with croutons and melted gruyere cheese. This soup I have also tried to freeze. If you freeze in bags and also make the croutons, you can bag them up separately. When you are ready, defrost them and top with the cheese,  and melt in the oven. I know I make a lot of soup- it’s that time of year, and it’s comforting to have something you can hold in a bowl, legs crossed on the sofa. Ingredients: (serves 2) 6 large white onions 1 litre beef stock large knob of butter tsp olive oil (extra for brushing on croutons) tsp caster sugar salt & pepper heaped tsp cornflour 50g gruyere cheese small baguette Finely slice your onions by hand or in a food …

Naughty little cakes

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Sometimes one just needs chocolate cake and sticky sickly icing and that is what I was seriously craving yesterday. I had a couple of girlfriends coming round for tea, it was a cold and wet day and we wanted some serious comfort food in the form of cake. To stop us (I mean me) from eating large slices of a cake, I decided to make little cupcakes. I have always preferred cakes when they are made with vegetable oil, it gives a much more moist texture and a slightly springy feel to the cake so it’s not too heavy. I also find a lot of cupcakes that you buy don’t really taste of anything it is all about the icing so I wanted to make sure my cakes tasted of chocolate as if I am eating the calories, I want at least to be able to taste them! Ingredients: (Makes 9 small cup cakes) 118g plain flour 125g caster sugar 20g cocoa 1/3 tsp bicarbonate of soda tsp coffee granules diluted in 120ml boiling water 140 …