Wholewheat Oat Raisin Cookies

A Treat For Me

I have been doing so many things to please other people, including cooking for friends, the elderly and the homeless.  I decided that I wanted to make a well earned treat for myself.  A plate of cookies, fairly low calorie but with a rich luxurious taste of raisins and  vanilla.




Ingredients:

100g soft unsalted butter, 65g light brown sugar, 2 eggs, 100g porridge oats, 90g wholewheat flour, 1tsp vanilla essence, 1/2tsp baking soda.

Method:

1. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
2. Beat in the eggs.
3. Sift in the flour and add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix well to form a dough.
5. Put a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.
6. Pre heat the oven to 120 degrees C.
7. Make cookie shapes with the dough and put on the tray.
8. Bake for 20 minutes.
9. Leave cookies to cool.

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.

Gingernut Biscuits

Treats for mummy

I love making food for my mummy, so  I thought I would treat her with some lovely gingernut biscuits.  You could also crumble these into ice cream or low fat yoghurt for a healthy dessert.
  

Ingredients:

100g self raising flour, 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 1/2tsps ground almonds, 2tsps ground ginger, 2tsps ground cinnamon, 2tsps caster sugar, 50g butter, 1tbsp honey.

Method:

1. Sift flour in a large bowl.
2. Add the ginger, soda, cinnamon and sugar.
3. In a small pan heat the butter and honey until the ingredients melt.
4. Stir the butter and honey into the dry ingredients.
5. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C.
6. With lightly floured hands form the cookie dough into cookie shapes and place on baking sheets on a baking tray.
7. Bake the cookies for 13minutes.
8. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Coronation Sandwich

Jubilee

I wasn't really up for having a neighbourhood picnic to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. However I was up for making some jubilee inspired food.  Apparently I created one of the best sandwiches ever! It was a pretty epic story.  I lost the recipe so I had to make it up on the spot.  I remembered mayonnaise and curry powder were the main ingredients which accompanied the chicken, the rest was up to me. 



Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (washed and chopped into small pieces), 1tbsp sunflower oil, a handful of raisins, 2tsps curry powder, 2sps mayonnaise, 1tsp tomato chutney, 2 slices of bread.

Method:

1. Fry the pieces of chicken breasts in the oil until they are browned and cooked all the way through.
2. Mix the chicken pieces in the bowl with the other ingredients.
3. Put the chicken mix in the sandwich and enjoy.

Salmon and Vegetable Cream Cheese

Getting creative

I love bagels and occasionally I get a nice bagel from bagel nash with a few girlfriends.  I was inspired to challenge myself to make a better bagel combination than the classic smoked salmon and cream cheese.  I definitely think they should put my version on the menu.  It's low fat and has a more interesting texture.

Ingredients:

Bagels of your choice ( I chose sesame seed), 50g low fat cream cheese, 2 spring onions (chopped and washed), 1 small carrot (washed and finely chopped), 1 radish (washed peeled and finely chopped), 1/2 tbsp chive, 1 pinch of black pepper.

Method:

1. Cut the bagel in half.

2. Mix all the vegetables in the cream cheese and spread over the bagels.

Salmon Rarebit

As I  have stated before one of my number one sayings is "Cheese on Bread", so any recipe I can find to jazz up this poor man's snack you best believe I will try it.  I have always wanted to cook salmon rarebit.  I think this was invented in Wales, apparently the Welsh peasants were not allowed to eat rabbits during a hunt so used melted cheese on their toast instead. Brilliant.  I always liked the Welsh :)

This recipe was adapted from Morrison's Magazine (Result Customer Communications, 2012)

Ingredients:

2 slices of soya and linseed bread, 100ml milk, 50g cheddar, 10g plain flour, 1tsp english mustard, a few drops of hot pepper sauce, 100g canned salmon (drained), rocket to serve.

Method:

1. Place the milk in a pan with the cheddar and flour.
2. Cook over a low heat and stir continuously until the mixture is thick and smooth.
3. Remove from the heat and add the mustard and salmon.
4. Toast the bread lightly on one side then spread the sauce on the over side and grill for 3 minutes.  It should be slightly brown.
5. Splash on a few drops of hot pepper sauce and serve with fresh rocket leaves.

Hot and Sweet Popcorn

Freeman Theatre Rage

When I go to the cinema sometimes I am left with no choice but to buy the cinema food.  When this happens I feel like Grandad Freeman from the TV Show The Boondocks who lets out his frustration over the high priced snacks and the over priced tickets. At the cinema the sweet popcorn is never sweet enough, never hot enough and sometimes you are never given enough for your money.   During a cosy film night in I decided I would make my own popcorn. My hot and sweet popcorn is the best popcorn I have ever tasted.  I had never made popcorn before but I  decided to buy some popping corn and try out a wicked hot and spicy flavour combination.  I was inspired by an advertisement for gourmet popcorn, but after reading the price I challenged myself to make cheaper, tastier popcorn then the flavourless brand you buy at the cinema.  It was a hit!  It cost less than a fiver to make and I have enough popping corn  for at least 6 more film nights.  That's what I call epic :)

Ingredients:

Roughly 100g popping corn, 1tbsp oil, 2tbsps butter,  1tbsp sugar, 2tsps ground cinnamon, 1tsp chili powder.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and when it is hot add the popping corn seeds.

2. Try and keep the heat constant and do not put the heat on too high. Make sure there is a lid over the pan.

3.  Remove the popcorn when the popping has stopped and put into a large bowl.

4. Melt the butter in a bowl and mix in the sugar, then add the cinnamon and chili powder.

5. When this has been mixed, pour over the popcorn slowly and a little at a time.

6. After each pour stir the popcorn so it is covered in the sauce.

7. Eat it sticky and hot. Make sure you pour over the popcorn when the popcorn is still hot so the mix sticks to the popcorn and gives it the perfect texture.

Apricot Breakfast Bars

Super Duper Geeky Sista!

My breakfast bars are officially my favourite pre workout snack.  They are very addictive so you may find yourself nibbling on the randomly throughout the day.  They are also great for studying.  Oh yes exam time is stressful and there is nothing worse then attempting to do a late night study munching on foods which do nothing for your brain power.  My breakfast bars last up to three days and are great for eating on the go.  I wanted to pack in as much nutritional goodness as possible from protein to vitamin c, but if you can't find the ingredients i've used, try crushing some nuts or use some other dried fruits.




Ingredients:

2 handfuls of linseeds, 2 mashed up medium bananas, 160g oats, 60g dried apricots (chopped into small pieces), a few shakes of flaxseed, 100g butter and 3tbsp of clear honey.

This recipe has been adapted from Morrison's Magazine (Result Customer Communications, 2012)

Method:
1. Mix the oats, dried apricots, bananas, seeds and flaxseed in a large bowl and stir well.
2. Place the butter and honey in a pan on a low heat then stir occasionally until the mixture has melted.
3. Pour the butter and honey in the large bowl and mix all of the ingredients together.
4. Grease a low baking tray with some butter and sprinkle with a little flour.
5. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C / Gas Mark 4.
6. Press the oat mix into the tray and smooth the top layer with the back of a spoon.
7. Bake the oat bars for 30 minutes.
8.  Leave the oat bars to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars.

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.

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.

Spinach Omelette

Lazy Days

Believe it or not but I made this with the intentions of having a lazy day.  I had a lot of reading to do so gourmet food was not on the menu.  It is simple, full of iron and fool proof.   



Ingredients:

A knob of butter, 2 blocks of frozen spinach, 1 egg beaten ( you can use 2), a pinch of salt and pepper, 2tsps oil

Method:

1. Put the oil in a saucepan and heat up a little bit.
2. Add the frozen spinach and as the oil starts to get used up and  keep adding a little water until all of the spinach goes soft.
3.  When the spinach is done leave to the side.
4. Put the butter in a saucepan on a medium heat.
5. When this has heated up add the beaten egg.
6. When the bottom of the egg has cooked and the top is soft and a little runny. Season with a little salt and pepper.
7. Add the spinach to half of the egg and fold the egg.
8. Flip the egg when the side starts to peel away from the saucepan.
9. Remove the egg from the pan after 2 mins or when the egg has been cooked all the way through.
10. Season to taste.

Saffy's Top Tip

Eat the omlette with some hot pepper sauce for an added kick.

Tuna & Mushroom Pitta Pizza

Healthy Student Grub

As a student I cannot cook gourmet food everyday, so to ensure I get all of my vegetables and nutritional goodness I need to make sure I create really tasty, quick and healthy snacks to keep me going during the essay period.  My pitta pizzas also reminded me of my time working in an American Camp.  We would make our own pizzas using pitta bread and various other ingredients around a camp fire. I can remember the American kids telling me about the wacky pizzas they had tried at various diners.  My pitta pizzas may not be as imaginative as the "Nacho Triple Cheese Mighty Meat Pizza", but they are satisfying and enable you to get through Aesthetics and Politics!

This recipe was inspired by my trip to America and adapted from 'Asda Fit For Life' meal plans.

Ingredients:

Wholemeal pitta bread, oregano, basil, 1/4 beef tomato, 4 button mushrooms, 1/2tbsp tomato ketchup, 10g mild cheddar cheese, 4 heaped tsps tinned tuna,

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4.
2. Spread tomato ketchup on pitta bread.  (Do not bother slices the pitta bread in half.)
3. Wash and chop mushrooms into little pieces then place on top of the pizza.
4. Add the tinned tuna.
5. Slice or grate the cheddar cheese and add to the pitta.
5. Wash and slice tomato and add place on top.
6. Sprinkle basil and oregano over the top. (Roughly 5 shakes of each.)
7. Cook for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Saffy's Top Tip

Rather than go American, go Japanese and make a sushi style pizza with salmon and seaweed.  Fresh and healthy wins the race.  However, if you have finished your exams and you want to go Yankee Style then try melted white and milk chocolate with baked bananas and fresh cool whipped cream to serve on top.

Strawberry, Apple & Banana Power Smoothie

"Power Up!"

When I was a little girl I used to watch so many superhero cartoons like Batman and superhero tv shows like Power Rangers.  So much so that I wanted to feel super every single day.  I would sometimes wake up at 5am every morning to workout.  I was one superfit kid and I have never stopped that determination and ambitious attitude.  Wonderful fresh food also helps me to feel great and after my mum taught me how to make smoothies I have been re inventing them to make Power Ranger style drinks that will certainly give me the much needed boost to feel... well... super!

Ingredients:
1 small banana, 5  strawberries, 1/2 apple (peeled and sliced), 2tbsps flaxseed, 3 big dollops of plain low fat natural yoghurt.

Method:

1.  Put the apple pieces in a pot and put in enough water to just cover the apples.
2. Let the water simmer until the apples are soft.
3. Drain the apple pieces and put into a blender.
4. Chop up all the other pieces of fruit and put into the blender with the flaxseed and yoghurt.
5. Blend.

Cheese and Herb Omelette

A Quick Snack

 As tempting as it is to grab that packet of crisps it is much better to make something more filling, but quick so you don't have to suffer to eat something nutritious.  An omelette served with wholemeal bread and hot pepper sauce works wonders against hunger.  I made a few simple changes to my omelette and not only did it give me fuel for serious research, but it tickled my taste buds.

Ingredients:

2 eggs, a little cheddar cheese (roughly 10 - 20g), parsley, oregano and mixed herbs, 1 tsp olive oil.

Method:

 

1. Heat oil in a frying pan.
2. Whisk eggs together.
3. When the oil is hot add the eggs and let it cooked on a low heat.
4. Sprinkle the eggs, cheese and herbs on top.
5. When the bottom has browned and the sides of the egg curl from the pan flip over.
6. When egg is cooked serve with some salad, bread and/ or hot pepper sauce.

Saffy's Sticky Hot Easter Buns

Happy Anniversary Birdspeed!

Easter is a very very important time for me as it marks the moments when I first became Birdspeed in Barbados. I have always wanted to make hot cross buns, and the best part was sharing the love!  Also I made these the day I finished my dissertation, so I added a litle extra spice as I was in a really good mood. xxxx



Time

Make sure you give yourself quite a bit of time to make these, because even though they only take 15 - 20 minutes to bake, the prep takes at least 3 hours!  I danced whilst waiting for the dough to rise ... no rest for the wicked ;)

This recipe was adapted from 'Good Housekeeping' April (Good Housekeeping Publications, 2012)

Ingredients:

600g strong white bread flour and extra for dusting rolling surface, 2 tbsps mixed spice, 1/2 tsp salt, 50g cold unsalted lighter butter and extra for greasing, 75g caster sugar, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 1 x 7g sachet fast - action dried yeast, 320ml skimmed milk, 1 medium egg, 150g sultanas, 2 tbsp plain flour, golden syrup to glaze

Helpful Tip

If you have never made hot cross buns before it is a good idea to make an extra ball from the dough, or split one of the 12 in half in order to test it to see if it is done when baking.  I had never made hot cross buns before, so having an extra bun allowed me to taste the dough to check when the rest were ready.  Do make an extra ball which is too small, for if it is a difference size it will be cooked quicker or earlier.

Method:

1. Put the strong white bread flour, mixed spice and salt into a large mixing bowl and mix together.
2. Rub butter into flour mixture until it looks like fine breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the sugar, lemon zest, yeast.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour mix.
5. Warm the milk a little and pour into the centre.
6. Then add the egg and mix everything to form a soft dough, if it is dry add a little more milk
7. Dust the work surface with some flour and knead until it is elastic, this should take 5 - 10 minutes. (Work those arms!)
8. Transfer the dough (as a ball) to a smaller lightly greased bowl.
9. Cover with clingfilm and then leave this to rise for an hour.
10. Dust the work surface with flour again if needed to work in the sultanas.
11. Once the sultanas have been kneaded in, cover with clingfilm again and leave to rise again for 30 minutes.
12. Lightly grease a baking sheet with butter.
13. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Turn into small balls then flatten slightly.
14. Arrange balls on baking sheet then cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 45 minutes. (I told you so.)
15. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C/ Gas Mark 7.
16. Put the plain flour into a small bowl and then add enough water to make a smooth paste.
17. Use a piping bag to put crosses on the buns.
18. Bake the buns for 15 - 20 minutes or until they are golden and have risen.
19.  As soon as they come out of the oven brush them with golden syrup.

Lemon Spinach with a Poached Egg

Good Morning

There is nothing like a good breakfast on the weekend.  A good breakfast puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day and definitely helps during the dissertation final stages. My mum taught me how to make a poached egg and reminded me that "practise makes perfect", so I am glad that I have learnt another technique.

This recipe was adapted from Morrisons' Magazine (Result Customer Communications, 2011).

Ingredients:

(This recipe can be doubled, I guess I had a small appetite.) 1 egg, 1 slice of wholemeal bread, a little spread, 1 crushed garlic clove, a load of spinach and 1 tbsps lemon juice. (You can save the left over spinach for a snack.)

Method:

1. Start poaching the egg by using a little vinegar in the water, cook in the hot water for at least 3 minutes.
2. Toast the bread.
3. Put the spread in another pan on a medium heat.
4. When the spread melts add the garlic and lemon juice.
5. Stir for 2 minutes then add spinach until it has wilted.
6. Use a slotted spoon to remove the egg and drain excess water on paper towel.
7. Place spinach on toast and then place the poached egg on top. Serve immediately.

Aloe Banana Raisin Breakfast Bars

Health Booster

I am always looking for innovative and fun ways to pack my diet full of nutritional goodness.  My strict dieting can sometimes mean that I am low on energy and brain foods.  I have always been an excellent flapjack maker so I new I could be creative to make  a healthy twist on a comfort classic.  There are two versions for those of you who can't find my super special ingredient which I purchased from a special health market.  I stumbled upon it during a walk and was so lucky as it was only on for a day.

Recipe 1 - Ingredients:

40ml of aloe vera sap, 160g dried oats, a handful of raisins, 2 bananas (blended), 1 spoonful of runny honey, 4 tbsps flaxseed.

Recipe 2 - Ingredients:

160g dried oats, a handful of raisins, 2 bananas (blended), 1 spoonful of honey, 100g butter, 4 tbsps flaxseed.

Method:

1. If using the first recipe mix all of the ingredients together and put into a small baking tin which has been greased with a little butter and sprinkled with a little wholemeal flour to stop the bars from sticking.

2. If using the second recipe melt the honey and butter in a pan then mix with the rest of the ingredients.

3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and bake for 20 - 25 minutes.

4. When done wait until the mixture is cool before cutting it into slices.

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.

Saffy's Mighty Power Bars

Food For Training

I find it quite difficult to eat before early morning training.  Many people have the same problems I do but it is important to eat before training if you are going to do quite a  long session like a 5k run for example.  Having a quick snack to get you going full of nutrients and goodness really does make a difference to your workout.  So before your long run try a Mighty Power Bar. I made up the recipe as I went along,  I had quite a bit of fun doing so. 

This recipe was adapted from 'Morrisons Magazine' (Result Consumer Communications, 2011)

Ingredients:
These are all rough measurements, it all depends on your taste and what kind of bar you want to make.  As you can see I love oats :)

180g oats, 90g butter, 2 tbsp honey, 2 small/ medium bananas, 1 tbsp golden linseeds, a handful of goji berries, 1 tbsp of chopped dried strawberries, 1/2 tbsp dried cherries, 3 1/2 tbsp flaxseed

Method:

1. Put the fruit, flaxseed, linseeds and oats in a mixing bowl.
2. Blend up the bananas.
3. Add the bananas to the the bowl and mix all of the ingredients together.
4. Melt the butter and honey in a pan.
5. Add melted mixture into the mixing bowl.
6. Heat the oven to 180 degrees C/ Gas 4.
7. Mix the melted butter and honey with the oats.  When this has been mixed well put it into a small square oven tray.  (To allow the bars to come out easily rub a little butter around the tin and sprinkle a little flour on top.)
8. Make sure the mixture is even on the top (to achieve this flatten it out with a spoon).
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. The bars are done when they are golden and soft on the inside.
11. Leave to cool for 5 mintues.
12. Slice into bars and store in an airtight container for about three days.

Saffy's Top Tips:

1. Not everyone trains 5 -6 days a week, so for those of you who don't want a Power Bar make a FUN BAR!

Do this by adding dried and sweetened fruits that you like, chocolate drops and even marshmallows if you want to. 

2. Do not go to overboard with the syrup when experiementing. These are not flapjacks so go easy on the honey, maple syrup and whatever sweetener you want to use. 

Herby Eggs

Herby Eggs

Eggs are a great snack food but soemtimes plain omlettes, boiled eggs and fried eggs can be a little plain so try some herby eggs and make plain food a little more exciting.  I have also discovered that seasoning plain foods can help you with learning how to season well.  Adding pepper and salt for the sake of it is pretty pointless if you don't understand how this is enhancing the taste of your food or making it better.  For example, there is a reason why salt on chips tastes nice.  Flavour is the key people.  



I made this to share, so lessen the amount for one person.
The recipe was adapted from 'The Best Of Sainsbury's Vegetarian Cooking' (Reed International Books Limited, 1992)

Ingredients:

6 beaten eggs, salt, pepper, oregano, mixed herbs, marjoram, dill and butter.

Method:

1. After beating the eggs in a bowl, season the eggs with salt and pepper.
2. And in a tablespoon of each of the herbs.
3. Melt the butter in a large omlette pan.
4. When the butter has melted, then add your eggs to the pan.
5. Lower the heat a little and tilt the pan to make sure that the runny egg on top can cook at the sides.
6. Fold the egg or flip over to cook the over side.
7. Served folded in half, or chop it up to eat in a sandwhich.

Saffy's Top Tip

Try and experiement with your herby eggs and other foods. Some people prefer more spices and herbs than others so test what you like.