falafel

We ate these for dinner the other night. If you're not familiar with them, falafel is a hearty Middle Eastern snack-food made primarily from chickpeas (garbanzo beans). The ingredients blended together form a paste, which is rolled into balls and traditionally deep-fried. I didn't deep fry mine - I just misted a pan with olive oil and browned them. This recipe serves 2-3.

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas, drained (reserve the liquid)

A drizzle of olive oil

Half an onion

2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled

Salt and pepper

1 tsp chilli flakes or chopped chilli (optional)

1 tsp turmeric

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1 tablespoon flour

Squeeze lemon juice

Method:

1. Pop everything into the food processor until a thick paste is formed. If it seems too dry and crumbly, add some liquid from the drained chickpeas until you get a good consistency.

2. Form the paste into little patties. If frying in a shallow pan with just a little oil, flatten them slightly.

3. Fry the patties in a little oil in batches, and keep warm in the oven.

4. Serve with hoummus, tzatziki, salad, couscous, warm pitta...anything you like really!

Home-made tzatziki. This is chopped cucumber, mixed with chopped fresh mint, low-fat natural yoghurt, black pepper, sea salt and lemon juice.

Shop-bought hoummus. :)

Falafel balls in a wholewheat pitta with all of the above, plus lots of green salad and scallions.

pancakes

The husband unit and I recently became fans of the Amercan-style pancake. In Europe, the most popular kind of pancakes are crepes, and these are eaten savoury or sweet with a variety of fillings, and it would be ridiculous to try to make them without lots of eggs and butter, as that's what makes them wonderful.

However fluffy American breakfast pancakes are altogether a different beast. I decided to attempt a healthy version of them today for our lazy Saturday lunch, and was really, really pleased with the outcome. So pleased, in fact, that this is how we will be making them from now on. These are light, fluffy and tasty, and using this recipe, come in at about 80 calories each. (I should add - I genuinely don't count calories day-to-day. However I do like to know what I am eating, so I work out the calories of new recipes, once, and then forget about it.)

This recipe makes 6 pancakes.

Ingredients:

30g white flour

30g brown wholewheat flour

30g oat flour (I made this by putting 30g of oats into the food processor and whizzing until floury)

1 medium egg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup of low-fat milk

Method:

1. Sieve the flours into a bowl. Some bits won't sieve though - because oat flour and wholewheat flour is a little chunky! Simply tip these chunky bits in on top of your sieved flours in the bowl. Add the other dry ingredients and stir.

2. Add the egg and milk and whisk well.

3. Heat up a small non-stick pan without oil to a medium-high setting. Put a quarter cup of the batter onto the pan. When lots of bubbles rise on its surface, flip it. Leave for a few moments until it seems firm and swelling, then remove, keep warm, and repeat.

4. Eat!

Here is the watermelon and delicious Americano coffee we had with it too. Husband Unit took this photo and insisted that I include it. :D

easy naan bread

I made home-made naan breads last night to go with our curry. They were surprisingly good, although they weren't much like the kind you'd get in an Indian restaurant. Soft though, slightly crumbly and with a wonderful warmth, taste and texture. I made two small naans, and only ate half of mine. The husband had the other half of mine today with his lunch. I wish I had a photo, but the camera is dying. :(

Makes 2:

1 tsp dried active yeast
1 tsp sugar
100g plain flour
pinch black onion seeds (nigella seeds)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp groundnut oil (any oil is fine)

1/2 tsp dried coriander leaf

1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp milk

1. Set oven to 140 degrees

2. Mix sugar and yeast, and add a tablespoon or two of lukewarm water. Mix briefly and allow to get frothy.

3. Mix dry ingredients together.

4. Mix all wet ingredients with the dry, including the now-frothy yeast mixture.

5. Form a dough and knead briefly.

6. Put the ball of dough into an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes until it's almost doubled in size.

7. Knock the air out of the dough and knead briefly. Form two balls and roll them out on a floured surface into two ovals, about half a centimetre thick. Mist with oil.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until risen and golden.

9. Eat!

lime and garlic prawns with bruschetta

So our post-gym lunch was a bit spectacular. However the camera died while taking photos of it, so I only got the first bits, which is too bad, because it really was a feast for the eyes.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

280g raw prawns (shrimp), headless, without shells, de-veined

1 lime

Fresh coriander (cilantro)

3 cloves garlic

5 tomatoes

2 small ciabatta rolls (or one larger one, split in two)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1. Put your prawns into a shallow dish. Crush two cloves of garlic and add to the dish. Finely chop some fresh coriander and sprinkle it over. Slice your lime in two and squeeze out all of the juice into the dish. Stir well and put in the fridge to soak up the flavours.

2. Next take your array of beautiful tomatoes.

Chop them up to the size you like, and mix in a large bowl with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside to allow the flavours to develop.

Yum

3. Slice your ciabattas in half and spray with olive oil. Place under the grill (broiler if you're American) ready to crisp up in a few moments.

4. Heat up a cast iron griddle pan (or any pan if you haven't got one of those) and mist with olive oil. Throw in your prawns and cook until pink and tender (about 3 minutes). While they are cooking, toast your ciabatta and rub the toasted side with a cut clove of garlic.

5. Plate up. Using a slotted spoon, load the tomato salad on top of the garlicky toasted ciabatta, with the lime shrimp alongside. Eat!

This was so good. I followed it up with a hot cup of tea and a Digestive biscuit.

moussaka

I made a moussaka this morning for our evening meal...that way we can pop it in the oven, go to the gym, and come home to a delicious cooked meal.

I made this version a while ago, and it was amazing, but I wanted a slightly less luxurious and calorific version to bring it into our everyday repertoire, so this is what I did. This recipe has approximately 2500 calories in it total, so one sixth of that is approximately 420 calories.

500g lean lamb mince

1 onion, chopped

1.5 cans of chopped tomatoes

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp mixed spice

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

2 large aubergines

1 tablespoon butter

1 heaped tablespoon flour

1 pint low-fat milk

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

1 tablespoon grated mozzarella

1 whole raw egg

1. Brown the lamb mince in a large saucepan with the onions and garlic. Drain off the fat and discard it. Return the pan of meat, onions and garlic to the heat.

2. Add tomatoes, herbs, spices, red wine vinegar and seasoning. Stir well and leave to simmer for an hour. Stir and taste from time to time.

3. Slice the aubergines lengthwise and salt them. Leave them for 30 minutes to draw out the bitter juices.

4. Make the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir well. Cook this paste on a low heat for 5 minutes (this gets rid of a floury taste). Remove from the heat. Stir in the milk, one splash at a time, until you have a lump-free mixture. It should be thin and smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy. Lower the heat and continue to stir and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses. They should melt immediately. Leave aside to cool.

5. Rinse the aubergines and pat dry. Heat a cast-iron griddle pan and spray lightly with olive oil. Fry each of the aubergine slices briefly on both sides until lightly charred and tender. Set aside.

6. Whisk the raw egg into the cheese sauce.

7. Begin layering like a lasagna. Ideally you should have a layer of meat, then aubergines, then meat, then aubergines, then meat, then the cheese sauce. However I ran out of meat and had to put the cheese sauce on top of a layer of aubergines, oops! This should not make a huge difference but it won't look as attractive.

8. Bake at 180 Celsius for 45 mins approx, until bubbly and golden. If you are baking it from cold (as I will be) allow another 15 minutes or so for the cooking time.

Eat with a chunky salad!

painting and paella

I had a good day! It seems like the first one in a while. It was nothing exciting...I got up for the usual prayer and breakfast at 7ish, and then went back to bed for a cheeky little nap after my husband had left for work. I got up and did some cleaning (a rarity lately) and some reading. A friend called in for lunch and ended up staying most of the day, until after dinner. I got on the train and opened the book of Romans (specifically chapter 7), where I had my mind blown once again by God's amazing challenge to a life that rejects rules and norms and restrictions and expectations. I went to group therapy where we discussed using creativity to aid recovery. It was a very exciting conversation. What can I do, personally and collaboratively, to learn to use my gifts creatively in a way that aids my emotional well-being? I'm going to give this some thought this week. The thoughts of painting, or sculpture, or recording music or whatever... these things seem like bright and hopeful activities. Any of the locals reading, if you want to do something together, let me know.

Food:

Breakfast: Bagel with peanut butter and half a banana.

Lunch: Half a large wholewheat pitta with ham, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, boiled egg and peppers, followed by mixed berries and a little natural yoghurt.

Dinner: Paella.

The paella was good. I have no idea if it was in any way authentic, as I've never eaten it before. Here's what I did and it served three hungry people with a little left over:

225g risotto/paella rice

800ml chicken stock

100ml white wine

140g raw prawns (you can use cooked ones either)

1 large chicken breast, cubed

Half a chorizo ring, sliced

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

Handful green beans (I used fine beans)

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 small red chillis, chopped

2 tsp. smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

1. Fry chorizo until it releases its lovely flavourful oils. Set aside. Fry chicken in chorizo oil. Set aside. Fry prawns. Set aside.

2. Fry onion, garlic and chillis in the remaining oil until soft.

3. Add rice and peppers. Stir to coat with oil. Add stock, wine and smoked paprika. Stir well.

4. Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

5. Add cooked meats and green beans. Stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes until everything is thoroughly heated though.

6. Taste, season and eat. Delicious!

I'd say the important bit is the quantity of liquid to the quantity of rice. The rest you could play about with, adding more or less of the meats, fish and vegetables as you prefer. I would also consider highering the ratio of wine to stock next time, maybe 250ml / 650ml. Anyway, it's very tasty. :)

strawberry smoothie dessert

So I made smoothies for me and the Husband Unit for our evening meal. They were delicious and filling, so I thought I'd share. Bear in mind they have quite a few calories, which is why they make a good meal, as opposed to a drink. I will probably make them again for a quick breakfast. If you want to cut calories, leave out the peanut butter and maple syrup.

These smoothies are very thick. If you like them thinner, use less strawberries or more juice/milk. I like them thick, because it's like having a big glass of dessert.

This makes about 2 pints, so 2 large servings (450 calories approx each) or 4 medium (225 calories approx each).

Ingredients:

350g frozen strawberries

150g strawberry yoghurt (I used Glenisk low-fat)

1 banana

1 cup of orange juice

Half a cup of low-fat milk

Quarter cup of oats

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

2 teaspoons of peanut butter

Method:

Blend. Eat with a spoon. :)

pumpkin muffins

Well, once again, it's not pumpkin, it's pureed butternut squash, because you can't get pumpkin in Ireland at this time of year. These are bready breakfast-style muffins rather than treats.

This recipe makes 12. Approx 125 kcals per muffin.

I recommend using non-stick baking parchment in the muffin trays rather than the muffin paper cases shown above, as due to the lack of fat in these, they do tend to stick to the muffin paper. You'll need a set of American measuring cups to make these...they used to be hard to come by, but now you can buy a set in any Tesco.

These are my own creation! And tasty too if I may say so.

(wet)

1/2 cup of brown sugar (well, this ain't wet, but it goes in with the wet stuff!)

1/8 cup of soft butter

1 egg

1/2 cup of low-fat milk, and an extra splash

1/2 cup butternut squash puree (or pumpkin, obviously)

(dry)

1 cup of wholewheat flour

1/2 cup of plain flour

1/4 cup of porridge oats

1/4 cup of raisins

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 190 Celsius and line your muffin trays with squares of non-stick baking parchment.

2. Beat the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and butternut squash and whisk well.

3. Sieve your flours together in a large bowl and add all of the other dry ingredients. Stir.

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until you have a batter.

5. Fill the 12 muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until risen, golden and when pricked with a knife, it comes out clean.

6. Eat!

pumpkin oats

Ok, I admit it! It's not pumpkin, it's butternut squash, because pumpkin is so hard to come by here, and canned pumpkin is something us pasty white Irish can only dream of.

I made myself a batch of squash puree to make delicious oats, which from hereon we shall refer to as "squashy oats", which sounds both disgusting and unintelligible, but which I assure you is delicious, filling and nutritious. I suppose it's a breakfast meal but I (the eternal rebel) made it for lunch.

To make the squash stash, peel, deseed and cube a squash. Steam it for 25 mins until tender (or boil if you prefer, although you'll lose some nutrients...I haven't tried roasting for making a puree and although this would make the squash caramelised and tasty, the evaporation would probably be a poor start to a puree although, really, I don't know). Place in the blender and, well, blend. Put in a tupperware box for storing in the fridge. A complete and utter moron who has never seen the inside of a kitchen before could complete this step without any pain and receive an A+.

To make squashy oats, add half a cup of oats to a saucepan with half a cup of milk, half a cup of water and as much squash puree as you fancy (I used two heaped tablespoons). Add half a teaspoon of mixed spice, or nutmeg and cinnamon, or a combination of your favourite sweet spices. Throw in a few raisins if you like (I did). Cook the whole lot together until thick and creamy. Taste before you decide whether or not to add a little brown sugar - the squash really is very sweet (I added one teaspoon). Top with whatever you fancy - some sliced nuts or nut butter, cranberries, blueberries...whatever you like (I topped mine with peanut butter). Eat, feel very full, and then think about your next meal for the following few hours.

Scrap that last bit, that's terrible advice.

And I take back the name "squashy oats". I think I associate the word squashy with rotten fruit. Let's go with "fake pumpkin oats". Aye, that'll do Snowy.