Wholemeal Buns

Love in the kitchen

A house smelling of freshly baked bread is a house smelling of love, joy and sunshine as far as I'm concerned.  I hope that when I own my own house my house will smell of beautiful cooking everyday, well with the occasional Thai takeaway from now and again.

Ingredients:

500g strong wholemeal flour, 275ml of warm water, 2 1/2 tsps salt, 1tsp caster sugar, 1 satchet 7g dried yeast, 1tsp butter.

Method:

1. Put the yeast, sugar and water in a bowl until a froth has formed on top.
2. Sieve the flour and salt into a large bowl and rub in the butter.
3. Make a well in the centre and put the yeast mix in it.
4. Mix the bread mix until you have made a soft dough.
5. Knead for 10 minutes onto a floured work surface.
6. Divide into bread rolls on a baking sheet on a baking tray.
7. Leave these to rise for an hour.
8. When the rolls have doubled in size pre heat oven to 200 degrees C/ Gas Mark 6.
9. Bake for 20 minutes until the rolls are brown and hollow on the outside.

Courgette Chips

Baddest Chips in Town

I have always wanted to deep fry chips, a young Barbadian gentleman in 2010 hand made chips using a frying pan and I have always wanted to copy his  technique.  But I never thought for a moment it would be using courgettes!  Trust me though, these chips are delicious, so soft, chewy and addictive.  Yes people I have made a vegetable addictive!





This recipe was adapted  from 'The Best of Sainsbury's Vegetarian Cooking' (London: Reed International Books Limited, 1992)

Ingredients:

Work out how many cougettes you want to use first, then you can work out the amount of flour.
Number of courgettes divided by 10.

500g courgettes, 50g plain flour, salt and pepper, oil for deep frying.

Method:
1. Cut the courgettes into chips.
2. Season with flour salt and pepper and mix in a bowl, make sure the chips are coated in the seasoned flour.
 3. Heat the oil in a pan to 180 degrees to 190 degrees C / 350 degrees to 375 degrees F.
4. Fry the courgettes in batches for 5 minutes each.
5. Drain on kitchen paper.

Saffy's Top Tips:

1. Make sure you wear long sleeves when frying to stop oil from splattering onto your arms.
2. If this is your first time deep fat frying make sure someone else is in the room as this can be dangerous.
3. Do not drop the chips in from high, place the chips in close to the pan.  (Obviously not so close that your fingers fry too.  Common sense people!)
4.  Try dipping the chips in salsa and/ or mayonnaise for a snack.

Petite Herby Roast Potatoes

Fabulous Spuds

My cute potatoes taste rather splendid if I dare say so myself.  With just a simple mix of ingredients and good timing, these potatoes are a winning side to any dish which needs livening up. 

Ingredients:

Small potatoes (As many as you like, I used 8), 2tbsps rosemary, 1/2 tbsp garlic granules, 2tsp all purpose seasoning, 2tsps low fat margerine, 1/2 tbsp mixed herbs, salt and pepper.
 

Method:

1. Boil potatoes for 4 minutes.
2. Drain then squeeze, bruise, brek, cut them.
3. Put them back in the pot and heat it up a little, then add the margerine and cover the potates in it.
4. Remove from heat and add seasonings.
5. Cook in an oven 220 degrees C / Gas 7 for 30 minutes.  Or until they are cooked and crispy on the outside by soft in the middle.

Saffy's Top Tip

Cut bigger potatoes into wedges and follow the same process, but make roasted oven chips cooked for 40 - 50 minutes, then dip in sauce for a snack or side.

Lemon and Spinach Cous Cous

Lovely Surprise

I was not expecting this quick snack to be as tasty as it was.  It was so light, fresh and fragrant.  I will definitely be aiming to take this dish up to the next level. 

Ingredients:

Measure out perhaps an American cup of cous cous, use 2 chunks of frozen spinach, 1tbsp lemon juice, 2tsps mixed herbs, 2tsps oregano, a pinch of pepper, a small handful of chopped up chive

Method:
1. Place the cous cous in a pan and add water so it is just an inch about the cous cous.
2. Add the spinach to the pan, try not to use big chunks as it will take longer to cook.
3. Put on a medium heat and keep stirring with a wooden spoon so the cous cous fluffs up.
4. Add the other ingredients except for the chive.
5. Add the chive just before all of the spinach has defrosted and the cous cous is almost done.
6. Keep stirring and adding little bits of water at the time so the cous cous does not become too dry.  Do not add too much water or the cous cous will become too fluffy.
7. Serve when the spinach is cooked and the cous cous has the preferred texture.
8. Season to taste.

Bunga Bean Stew

Bunga Bean

Bunga Bean is not actually the name of a food, but the name of my Afro ponytail hairstyle which has an orange/ golden tint.  I just felt a little querky and the name sounded hilarious. I also have a song. You only live once! Anyway the colours and flavours are so vibrant, my tummy was actually singing praises to me.  I also felt super good about the dish as it was perfect for my diet, apples kidney beans, carrots, you can't go wrong.  I was also surprised by the apple and cumin combination.  Very different flavours sweet and spicy, but they worked brilliantly together.  I was very satisfied after this meal and pleased that I discovered an awsome food couple.

This recipe was adapted from 'Vegetarian Cooking' (Coombe Books, 1993)

Ingredients:

2 tbsps vegetable oil, 2 vegetable stock cubes, 2 medium onion (chopped), 2 medium apples (peeled and chopped), 2 medium onions (chopped), 3 tbsps tomato puree, 1/2 pint water, 2tbsps white wine vinegar, 1tsp oregano, 3tsps cumin, 2 tsps brown sugar, a little salt and pepper, 1 can of cooked red kidney beans (drained and washed).

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan.
2. When hot add the onions, carrots and crumble in the stock cubes.
3. Fry for 5 minutes whilst stirring.
4. Add the water, tomato puree and all of the other ingredients apart from the kidney beans.
5. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes.
6. Add the drained and washed kidney beans.
7. Cover and cook for 45 minutes at 180 degrees C/ gas mark 4.

Saffy's Top Tip

Serve with a dollop of yoghurt, a little mustard (for extra heat) and brown rice.

Toasted Pita Chips with Yoghurt Mint Dip

Quick Study Snack

When you are working long hours it is really important to snack and eat often, otherwise you wll run low on energy and your brain will not be able to function properly.  But when you are on the go it doesn't mean that you need to eat unhealthy or substitute freshness for unsatisfying quick fixes.  This snack is tasty and has great nutritional content. Warning! This is very garlicky :)





Ingredients:

This recipe was adapted from fitnessmagazine.com

8 dollops of low fat plain yoghurt,  1 handful of finely chopped fresh mint, 1 tsps lemon juice, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 minced or finely chopped garlic clove, 1 large pita bread, 2 tsps olive oil.

Method:

1. Stir in a bowl yoghurt, mint, lemon juice, black pepper and half of the garlic. (This can be chilled for up to 8 hours.)
2. Cut the pita bread into wedges and drizzle with oil and the rest of the garlic.
3. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees until pita is crispy and browned.
4. Eat with the dip.

Saffy's Top Tip

You can substitute the bread for vegetables such as raw carrots.

Speedy Tomato Sauce

Useful Recipes

There are certain recipes which everyone should know, tomato sauce is one of them.  It can be used and adapted for lasagnes, stews, pizzas or pasta.  I added quorn balls to my spaghetti sauce and served it with wholemeal pasta, it tasted lovely.

You can use herbs of your choice and your own spices depending on your recipe.

Ingredients:

1tsp oil, 1 large onion, 1 chopped up garlic clove, 400g tinned chopped tomatoes, 2 tbsps tomato puree, 2 tsps dried mixed herbs, 2 tsps oregano, 1 handful of chopped basil, 1 tsp of cayenne chille powder.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan.
2. Fry onion for 4 minutes until it is soft.
3. Stir in the garlic and fry for a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and herbs and spices.
5. Let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes.

Chilli Mushroom Kidney Beans

Invention Test

It was the night of the British TV show 'Masterchef' final and I was feeling inspired.  I wanted to just do something not out of a recipe book, see what was in the fridge and cupboard and go for it.  This dish is not Masterchef standard but I was pretty pleased with how I decided to spice things up and do things purley by taste without measurements. 

Ingredients:

1/2 can of kidney beans, 1/2 chopped tomatoes, 8 chopped button mushrooms.

Spices:

Add the spices to your own taste, I made mine pretty hot.
Paprika, ground coriander, cayenne chilli powder, black pepper, ground ginger, chilli powder, 1 tsp brown sugar.

Served with:

Long grain brown rice seasoned with maggie liquid seasoning to taste, and smoked lemon parsley mackrel.

Method:

1. Cook Rice.
2. Heat up the wok and add chopped tomatoes.
3. When heated add mushrooms and kidney beans.
4. Add your spices (the trick is to keep tasting, the sugar adds a little sweetness).
5. Heat smoked lemon parsley mackrel in grill.

Sweet Potato Pie Caribbean Style

"Feels Like I'm Home Again"

I truly felt like I was back in Barbados listening to soca while smelling the flavours of my beautiful sweet potato pie.

This recipe was adapted from latinfood.com

Ingredients:

3 lbs white-flesh sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed, 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained, 2 tbsp salted butter, room temperature, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, 5 - 6 slices pineapple rings , 5 - 6 stemmed cherries (remove stones) , 1 Tbsp melted butter

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine mashed sweet potatoes, crushed pineapple, room temperature butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly.
3. Transfer mixture to a greased 8 x 8-inch casserole dish. Arrange pineapple slices on top of mixture and place a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring.
4. Brush the entire top of the pie with the melted butter and bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Let pie cool until warm or room temperature before serving.

Orange and Thyme Stuffing

First Stuffing

Everyone who loves stuffing needs to try this recipe! It is fantastic. It is also the first time I have ever made stuffing. I will definitely be using this recipe again. It's the sort of food that puts a smile on your face and is a memorable part of a roast dinner rather than something which you will easily forget.

Recipe taken from Morrison's recipes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion (peeled and finely chopped, finely grated zest and juice from 2 oranges, 200g wholemeal breadcrumbs, 4tsp fresh thyme leaves (chopped), 1 vegetable stock cube (crumbled and dissolved in 2tbsp of boiling water).

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 Degrees F/ Gas 6.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion over a low heat for 5 minutes or so until it softens.

3. Remove from the heat and add the orange zest, juice, breadcrumbs, thyme and chicken stock.

4. Mix well, place in an ovenproof dish and bake for 20mins.

Spiced Coleslaw

All the trimmings

It had been a long time since I made my partner one of my best dishes and it was the first time my mother tried my special lasagne.  I wanted to add a special touch to the dish and decided to make a spiced coleslaw from scratch.  As my special lasagne is quite heavy full of italian flavours I wanted to make a fresh light side with a sweet and spicy kick.

 Coleslaw Converter

I am not a fan of the coleslaw in the shops infact I used to really dislike coleslaw, but this recipe is sure to convert anyone.  The best thing about this coleslaw is the sweetness and heat fused with the fresh vegetables.  Coleslaw has never tasted so good.

Ingredients:

450g White Cabbage, 1 Large Onion (peeled and grated), 2 Apples (peeled and grated), 2 handfuls of broken Walnuts, 75g of Mixed Dried Fruits, 3 tablespoons of Curry Powder, 4 tablespoons of Mayonnaise, chopped fresh Parsley to garnish

Method:

This recipe was adapted from 'The Vegetarian Cookbook' by Carol Bowen

1. Core and finely shred the cabbage into a large bowl.
2. Add the onion, apple, walnuts and fruit.  Blend the ingredients well.
3. Add the curry powder then the mayonnaise and toss to coat the vegetables.
4. Serve chilled and sprinkle with the parsley.