tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88056631907961092052024-03-13T16:44:14.191+00:00Serena's Medium RareSerenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.comBlogger331125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-19188347642336525482018-03-20T15:21:00.000+00:002018-03-20T15:21:43.348+00:00WE HAVE MOVED!!!!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You may have noticed that I haven't posted any recipes in the last 12 months! <div>
I am delighted to announced that the food blog, has moved to my my blog, The Sika Life.</div>
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https://thesikalife.com/ </div>
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You will still be able to access the old recipes here via https://thesikalife.com/</div>
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Thanks for all the support!!!</div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-22623567433892841562017-04-25T20:47:00.000+01:002017-04-25T20:47:59.812+01:00Banana, Raisin & Cinnamon Loaf<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Banana bread is so versatile. You can prepare all types of variations. The kids absolutely love this bread, and they always get a slice in their lunchboxes. It's also a great teatime treat, with lashings of butter, or toasted and topped with peanut butter.<br />
I have been absent from the blog, as I am trying to find my feet with the new Bed and Breakfast season. This will be my sixth season, and every single year has been so different for me, because of my family life, and this year is no different. This year I have an extremely busy 18 month old as well as a vocal 4 year old to contend with, as well as all the work that comes with running a busy B&B, all by myself.<br />
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But now that I have settled into it and got a new routine going with the kids, I feel that my own normal life can continue and hopefully that means more time for blogging once again.<br />
So starting back after a couple of months off with a quick and easy baking recipe. I'm killing two birds with one stone really, as I made this bread for my B&B guests for tomorrow morning.<br />
Banana bread is a real crowd pleaser and I find it always tastes better on day two, which is why I made it the evening before the breakfast run.<br />
There are hundreds of banana bread recipes out there, but this one is probably one of the quickest and easiest of them, oven ready in five minutes. Then let the oven do all the work.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcfQvOUoUgnlOe2OcrH88lTAYSA18FTOC2eHtoFM4crJhEO5upvDBXJmM-wXVGQhyphenhyphenEsl6C1EASg21FLQR-xThWXrlyr656qHEXwIXm-DU8p31pHIaXR67FEbSlnM8JMVmg7q_-N4sHDH7/s1600/IMAG0095-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdcfQvOUoUgnlOe2OcrH88lTAYSA18FTOC2eHtoFM4crJhEO5upvDBXJmM-wXVGQhyphenhyphenEsl6C1EASg21FLQR-xThWXrlyr656qHEXwIXm-DU8p31pHIaXR67FEbSlnM8JMVmg7q_-N4sHDH7/s640/IMAG0095-2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>250g plain flour</li>
<li>1 level tbsp baking powder</li>
<li>1 lvel tbsp ground cinnamon</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>125g soft butter</li>
<li>125g caster sugar</li>
<li>75g raisins</li>
<li>1 tbsp demerera sugar</li>
<li>3 bananas (2 mashed, 1 sliced length ways)</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Line a 2lb loaf tin, or oil a silicone loaf tin. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.</li>
<li>In a bowl, add the eggs, butter, mashed bananas, and sugar.</li>
<li>Using an electric hand blender, beat the mixture well.</li>
<li>Sieve in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.</li>
<li>Add the raisins and fold into the mixture.</li>
<li>Pour evenly into the loaf tin.</li>
<li>Top the loaf with slices of banana down the centre of the loaf and sprinkle with the demerera sugar.</li>
<li>Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes. Place of a wire rack to cool</li>
<li>Allow to cool completely in the tin before turning it out.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-33208432200073960572017-02-28T16:05:00.000+00:002017-02-28T16:05:42.288+00:00Irish Potato Pancakes - Pimped up Leftovers for a happy Pancake Tuesday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have gotten into the habit of deliberately making too much mash potatoes for the dinner, so I can have an excuse to make these delicious potato pancakes. The kids love them, as does my husband.<br />
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Today is pancake Tuesday, but rather than making my usual batter (which I make a couple times a week anyway off season) I decided to make these potato pancakes. I make them with the kids in mind, so I always make a plain batch. However if I was thinking about adults I would certainly spruce them up with scallions and herbs, and maybe ever some feta. There really are loads of possibilities and variations so feel free to experiment for more grown up tastes.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>325g cold mashed potatoes</li>
<li>1 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>110g self raising flour</li>
<li>Salt/pepper</li>
<li>180ml milk (today I used soy milk)</li>
<li>2 eggs</li>
<li>Oil for frying</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>In a bowl add all the ingredients except for the oil</li>
<li>Whisk until very well combined, I used a hand held whisk</li>
<li>Put a pan on a medium heat, add the oil, I used olive</li>
<li>Using a ladle, pour in the batter in ladle size batches. </li>
<li>Allow to fry until bubble holes appear on the top. This takes approx 2-3 minutes.</li>
<li>Flip the pancakes, and fry for another 2 minutes.</li>
<li>I got 15 small-medium size pancakes from this mixture and served with baked beans for the kids lunch. The wolfed them.</li>
</ol>
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Tip: A sophisticated starter/brunch idea, would be to add chopped dill to the batter and serve the pancakes with smoked salmon and creme fraiche.</div>
Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-77667988406141512792017-02-23T19:33:00.001+00:002017-02-23T19:33:29.972+00:00"Chocolate" Energy Bars<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaNG9MyNsLCJg1egNPlKVXWUbpMTObx_Hc2Wbaz0HvNt__qKCW9U8PQnPERstmJ-J1Ifd3Au5ydBLfh7n8iIVwB3QCY7SuJExIGE7wYy_WYBum-P4tEgaqPlLX7fSaAtl4LXtA_cd8n0z/s1600/DSC00268-3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTaNG9MyNsLCJg1egNPlKVXWUbpMTObx_Hc2Wbaz0HvNt__qKCW9U8PQnPERstmJ-J1Ifd3Au5ydBLfh7n8iIVwB3QCY7SuJExIGE7wYy_WYBum-P4tEgaqPlLX7fSaAtl4LXtA_cd8n0z/s640/DSC00268-3.JPG" width="492" /></a></div>
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These energy bars are a variation on my <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2017/01/nut-free-energy-balls-great-for-kids.html" target="_blank">Nut Free Energy Balls</a>. Their very health ingredients help give a slow release of energy along with a tasty chocolatey hit. I've research Maca powder lately after seeing it in my local Aldi supermarket. Apparently it has a positive effect on our hormone levels, it's an energy booster, along with being very rich in nutrients. It's high in vitamin B, C, & E; and it has a higher level of calcium than milk. I think I'm onto a new favorite in my health food cupboard, along with my raw cocoa powder and chia seeds.<br />
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I highly recommend making these, they are delicious and the kids love them. Perhaps too good as I've snuck to the freezer at least for four times today for a sneeky bite.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb48u1cE4flD333ieK4ZWkUb7GGT-_x0qOI7tnzddeehHCqaPntODYPwFlkzVnCoicP32XE0o-AqYC8OOJfdfwN16xRFCmxZVEnvQXuv8cwCaXjzS4fdtwcF2kNNlzenn4sAOXGzAtb_i/s1600/DSC00252-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKb48u1cE4flD333ieK4ZWkUb7GGT-_x0qOI7tnzddeehHCqaPntODYPwFlkzVnCoicP32XE0o-AqYC8OOJfdfwN16xRFCmxZVEnvQXuv8cwCaXjzS4fdtwcF2kNNlzenn4sAOXGzAtb_i/s640/DSC00252-2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>9oz pitted dates</li>
<li>4 oz raw almonds</li>
<li>2 tbsp of coconut oil</li>
<li>2 tbsp of maple syrup</li>
<li>1 tbsp of maca powder</li>
<li>1 tbsp of raw cocoa powder</li>
<li>1 tsp of salt</li>
<li>2 tbsp of desiccated coconut </li>
<li>1-2 tbsp of sesame seeds</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Pulse the almonds in a food processor until they are broken down.</li>
<li>Add the remaining ingredients and blender until the mixture forms a large dough ball.</li>
<li>Turn out the ball onto a swiss roll tin lined with baking paper, and flatten out into a thin even layer.</li>
<li>Scatter with the sesame seeds and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.</li>
<li>Cut into squares and store either in the freezer or the fridge. (I like them hard and chewy out of the freezer).</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-37240966624107019632017-02-06T10:17:00.000+00:002017-02-06T10:17:03.850+00:00Fig & Hazelnut Cake - The Perfect Weekend Indulgence<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I made this cake back in October and it got rave reviews from everyone who ate it and I promised myself that I would make it again and blog it. Well October was ages ago, and between this and that I never got the chance. But this week was one hell of a week. We ended up staying in hospital for 3 days with my little small dude, Fionn. He's fine and home and everything, but it was a tough week. So on this cold rainy Saturday, Fionn is napping, Aoife's gone on a play date, and Alan is gone DIYing. So for me the ultimate indulgence is light candles, turn down the lights, turn on some tunes and bake an awesome cake. For me baking is so relaxing! I love it. I decided I'd waited long enough to recreate that fig cake of October and I seized the perfect opportunity to bake.<br />
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The cake batter is a very simple one. I picked it up from Donna Hay. I have previously blogged a few different versions of this quick and simply cake, most notably my <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2013/04/quick-apple-blueberry-almond-cake.html" target="_blank">Quick Apple & Blueberry Cake</a>. I found figs are a great baking companion, and the hazelnuts are a match made in heaven. While the addition of the honey, while the cake is warm lends to the cakes sweetness and glossy finish. All in all, it's a great cake for an afternoon cup of tea, or equally warmed with a spoon of vanilla ice-cream for a yum dinner party dessert, cut and served at the table.<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>225g self raising flour</li>
<li>170g brown sugar</li>
<li>125g soft butter</li>
<li>125ml milk</li>
<li>2 large free range eggs</li>
<li>3 fresh figs, sliced</li>
<li>1 tbsp chopped hazelnuts</li>
<li>1 tbsp demerera sugar</li>
<li>1 tbsp of runny honey</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 160 degrees</li>
<li>In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and the butter with a hand held blender</li>
<li>Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well. </li>
<li>Sieve the flour, and add the milk, and mix until combined</li>
<li>In a 8inch diameter cake tin with a loose bottom, line with parchment and grease the sides with soft butter.</li>
<li>Add the cake mixture to the tin. Top with the figs and the hazelnuts.</li>
<li>Sprinkle the top with demerera sugar.</li>
<li>Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.</li>
<li>While the cake is still warm, drizzle with the honey.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-68681713386534662282017-01-31T20:15:00.000+00:002017-01-31T20:20:35.629+00:00Mango & Raspberry Overnight Oats<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There's nothing new about overnight oats!! Soak your porridge overnight and they're nice and creamy in the morning and more digestion friendly. Right!! My friend's mom has been religiously soaking her porridge in water overnight since I was a child. So what's changed???!!<br />
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Well for one thing Instagram/Pinterest happened. All of a sudden we are seeing porridge becoming increasingly trendy, with an explosion of photos of beautiful looking overnight oats, with all sorts of fruits, seeds, exotic powders etc. Healthy eating has never been more popular especially online. When I do a search of <b>'#overnightoats'</b> on Instagram's public posts there are more than 318,000 post.<br />
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So basically what are these new pimped up overnight oats?? Well, there is no one recipe. You can make them with what ever combination you like. The possibilities are endless. Here's a nice and fragrant one though that I like to make, It has a tropical and fruit vibe. It has chia seeds and pumpkin seeds that will super charge your body first thing in the morning. They are a great healthy make ahead breakfast, that is also very portable. The thought of a ready made tasty breakfast already made in the fridge, might make getting out of a warm cozy bed that much easier.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>50g of porridge oats</li>
<li>50ml of water</li>
<li>1 tbsp of chia seeds</li>
<li>1 tbsp of dessicated coconut</li>
<li>1/2 a fresh mango, cubed</li>
<li>2 tbsp of frozen raspberries</li>
<li>1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Place the oats in a jar or deep glass, add the water.</li>
<li>Top with the chia seeds and coconut</li>
<li>Top then with the mango, raspberries and pumpkin seeds.</li>
<li>Cover and allow to sit in the fridge overnight.</li>
<li>I like to serve mine with a spoon of Greek yogurt, honey, and milled chia seeds.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-21271691310922091152017-01-30T21:11:00.000+00:002017-01-30T21:11:20.233+00:00Prawn & Mango Red Curry - Quick & Healthy Mid Week Supper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When you are up against it, stir fries are a great speedy dinner option, not to mention healthy. Here's the fastest stir fry I've made in ages and tastiest. The sweetness of the mango with the prawns works so well, along with the spicy red curry paste.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>100g raw prawns</li>
<li>1/2 a fresh mango cubed</li>
<li>3 mushrooms, sliced</li>
<li>1/2 red onion. thinly sliced</li>
<li>1 lime, quartered</li>
<li>10-15 fine green beans</li>
<li>1 tsp red curry paste</li>
<li>1 garlic clove, diced</li>
<li>1cm piece of ginger, diced</li>
<li>3 tbsp of coconut milk</li>
<li>1 tbsp of coconut oil</li>
<li>1 tsp of fish sauce</li>
<li>1 tsp of soy sauce</li>
</ul>
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<i>Rice to serve</i><br />
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Put a wok on high heat, and heat the coconut oil. Fry off the onions, garlic, & ginger. Add the red curry paste, and cook it out for a minute or so.</li>
<li>Add the mushrooms and the prawns. Cook until the prawn turn pink. </li>
<li>Add the mango cubes and the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer.</li>
<li>To thicken the sauce, pour a tbsp of water into a container with a tsp of cornflour and stir to make a loose paste. Add to the gently simmering sauce and it should thicken. </li>
<li>Finally add the green beans to warm through, but they still retain their colour. To taste add the fish sauce and the soy sauce.</li>
<li>For freshness and zing, serve with a wedge of lime and some brown rice.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-71520762452878615612017-01-27T14:43:00.002+00:002017-01-27T14:50:13.951+00:00Nut Free Energy Balls - Great for kids & post workouts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I love protein balls, they seem to be the on-trend thing to eat at the moment, up there with avocado!! My kids adore the balls I make for them, most of the time consisting of dates, almonds, and a nut butter.<br />
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I recieved a healthy eating newsletter from their day care centre today and there was quite a long list of banned foods for safety, and to promote healthy eating. I realised that I couldn't send their normal protein balls in their lunch boxes as nuts are banned in the centre, for understandable allergy reasons. So today I set about making the balls using maple syrup as the core binding ingredient, and milled chia seeds and sesame seeds in place of my usual nuts.<br />
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I'm sure it's easy enough to chop and change ingredients according to availability and preferences. For example tahini paste could be used in place of the usual nut butter. or maple syrup Anyway, these protein balls went down a treat. There was a spoon of cacao powder (which hopefully isn't frowned upon in the centre). This powder was gifted to me my a very dear friend when he came to stay with us during the summer. This is a highly prized powder from a chocolatier, Hazel Mountain Chocolate the Burren in Co Clare, so I use it very sparingly. It's chocolate in it's purest unrefined form.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>10-12 pitted dates (depending on size)</li>
<li>1 tbsp of raw cacao powder <a href="http://www.hazelmountainchocolate.com/collections/shop/products/cacao-powder" target="_blank">Buy Hazel Mountain one here</a> (not an advert, just adore it)</li>
<li>3 tbsp of milled chia seeds</li>
<li>1 tbsp sesame seeds</li>
<li>3 tbsp of desiccated coconut</li>
<li>3 tbsp of maple syrup</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Place all the ingredients in a blender and whizz until smooth.</li>
<li>Put the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes to stiffen up.</li>
<li>Roll the mixture into bite size balls, and then roll the balls in either extra sesame seeds and/or coconut.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</li>
<li>These keep great in the freezer and I recommend storing them there, to keep them firm, but not frozen.</li>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-76502244385277956852017-01-25T21:39:00.000+00:002017-01-25T21:43:04.516+00:00Beef & Prune Tagine<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This recipe is adapted from my <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2011/04/moroccan-lamb-tagine.html" target="_blank">Moroccan Lamb Tagine</a> recipe from the archives. A recipe which I've mentioned before won a place in Rachel Allen's Kerrygold Community E-recipe book. A recipe I am very proud of. I came up with this recipe as I was planning a dinner party, and wanted a chilled out casual style party. You know, with mezze and pick n'mix style spread. I immediately thought of my lamb tagine, which is even better when made in advance. However my mother detests lamb. So that ruled lamb out, but not a tagine! There was an epic beef and prune stew on Rick Stein's French Oddessy recently on the UKTV Food channel, so I thought why not substitute the lamb for beef and the apricots for prunes. I did, and it worked beautifully. It was a really fragrant, spicy rich dish, and I added pomegranate seeds for freshness. It was I must say divine. I just added a simply cous cous, flatbreads, and yogurt and it turned into the heartiest meal we have eaten in ages.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b>Ingredients</b></u></span></div>
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<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 lbs diced beef</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp ground cumin</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp ground coriander</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp cayenne pepper</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp turmeric</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tsp ground black pepper</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp of maldon sea salt</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp ground ginger</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp ground Cinnamon</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 minced garlic cloves</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">one diced onion</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tin chopped tomatoes</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 carrots thickly sliced on diagonal</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 tbsp of prunes</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2 tbsp runny honey</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">50g flaked almonds</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">100g cous cous</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">50g raisins</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tin of drained chickpeas</span></li>
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">seeds of 1 pomegranate</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tbsp Kerrygold butter</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Generous handful chopped flat leaf parsley</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp of olive oil</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pinch sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 tsp tomato paste</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1 250g tub Greek yogurt (to serve)</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;">
<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4 mini pitta breads (to serve)</span></li>
</ul>
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<li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lemon wedges (to serve)</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #797979;" /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><u>Method</u></b></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1. Combine all the spices, garlic and onion and rub into the meat</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2. Leave to marinate, preferably overnight, although an hour should be sufficient.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. In a lidded oven proof casserole dish, add the butter and olive oil on a medium heat.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3. Brown the meat, in batches if necessary.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4. Add all the meat back into the casserole dish, adding the carrots, tinned tomatoes, sugar, and tomato paste, salt and pepper.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">5. Bring up to the boil and put lid on the dish and put in a preheated oven for 1.5 hours at 180 degrees.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">6. Meanwhile, put cous cous in a bowl, add butter, rind of lemon, season with salt and pepper and pour over 150 mls of boiling water and cover for ten mins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">7. Fluff with a fork, adding half the chopped parsley, chickpeas, half the pomegranate seeds and the raisins.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333;">8. Put prunes in a jug of boiling water and leave for 5-10 mins for them to re-hydrate a little and get nice and juicy, then cut in half.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">9. Put the flaked almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven, keeping an eye on them as they can burn in matter of seconds.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">10. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and add the prunes and almonds and runny honey.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">11. Return the dish (uncovered) to the oven for a final 20 mins to brown.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">12. Put the pittas in the oven to warm through.</span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">13. Remove the dish from the oven and present to the table in the dish adding the chopped coriander.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8805663190796109205&postID=4075146534282489306" name="r_method" style="color: #126d0e; outline: none; text-decoration: none;"></a></span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">14. Put the cous cous, yogurt and pittas in bowls on the table and let your guests help themselves, Moroccan style! Enjoy.</span> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWHK0kItuEMRZcK5oPMy6aDEXST0fD9W3IbSLqoIJMzZqSGHgaOfB3LGyIdDdfuvnNAwE0wtzr0x0KrCBDLQDnsRWKnC3RB19ugPlJj1clLIcNgk5AtMS4qXRbhYh9n2Dz3822o4AsrDT/s1600/IMAG3273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWHK0kItuEMRZcK5oPMy6aDEXST0fD9W3IbSLqoIJMzZqSGHgaOfB3LGyIdDdfuvnNAwE0wtzr0x0KrCBDLQDnsRWKnC3RB19ugPlJj1clLIcNgk5AtMS4qXRbhYh9n2Dz3822o4AsrDT/s640/IMAG3273.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(sorry for the poor quality photos, a child feel ill, and we got distracted and never ended up photographing the food/spread. But, shur, another reason to do it all again.)</span></div>
</div>
Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-66792446107555917912017-01-11T22:01:00.003+00:002017-01-11T22:01:39.315+00:00Quick & Healthier Pineapple Fried Rice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Happy New Year everyone! New year, new resolutions. My new years resolutions is to blog more. Since the arrival of my second baby, I've found myself sometimes a bit swamped with looking after the kids, and running the B&B. The blog was falling further and further down the priority list. I don't want that to happen this year. I hope to blog way more than the last two years. So new year, new promises.<br />
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First post of the new year has to be a healthy one. I thought this recipe for pineapple rice would be a tasty choice. I discovered pineapple rice whilst backpacking in Thailand and myself and Alan became absolutely obsessed with it. There was this one place on Koh Samui Island called Eat Sense, that, hands down, has the best pineapple rice I've ever tasted. There is a place here in Killarney called Khao that actually do a nice Pineapple Rice. But my aim with this recipe is to use turkey mince in place of the pork and make this recipe healthier. But not only healthier, faster too, using microwave rice and spice purees. This really is something you can whizz up mid week after a day at the office, and have yummy leftovers for the following days lunch too.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 pineapple</li>
<li>1 microwave rice pouch</li>
<li>400g turkey mince</li>
<li>1/2 a green pepper, diced</li>
<li>3 spring onions, diced</li>
<li>2 tbsp of chopped coriander</li>
<li>2 tbsp of raw cashew nuts</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>Pinch of salt & pepper</li>
<li>2 diced mushrooms</li>
<li>1 tsp of thai red curry paste</li>
<li>1 tsp of puree garlic</li>
<li>1 tsp of puree ginger</li>
<li>1 tsp of puree lemongrass</li>
<li>1 tsp of chilli paste</li>
<li>1 tbsp soy sauce</li>
<li>1 tbsp of coconut oil</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0v7_q-GMFxYxFdLw1zoTY-B233a181o26IMcvzAWTqy6Fc2Xp5nZxZhY_Gk2RhRxkvDmqytukehYSX8PzEerMfCHXWcnmIzhVQ93jhVKiyFyT8paCjfIHJxVFnD7QZoMjVWFHqDN_CaO/s1600/IMAG3203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW0v7_q-GMFxYxFdLw1zoTY-B233a181o26IMcvzAWTqy6Fc2Xp5nZxZhY_Gk2RhRxkvDmqytukehYSX8PzEerMfCHXWcnmIzhVQ93jhVKiyFyT8paCjfIHJxVFnD7QZoMjVWFHqDN_CaO/s640/IMAG3203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Method</b></u></div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Firstly half the pineapple and scoop out the flesh using a spoon. Chop up the flesh into cube size pieces.</li>
<li>With a wok on a medium heat, add the oil and cook off the turkey mince. </li>
<li>When the mince is browned off, add the garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass, curry paste, salt and pepper and mix through.</li>
<li>Add the mushrooms, pineapple pieces, and green pepper and stir fry.</li>
<li>Break up the rice and add to the wok. Stir fry well to incorporate.</li>
<li>Add the cashew nuts, spring onions, and coriander.</li>
<li>Tilt the wok to one side, with the rice mixture to the other side</li>
<li>Break in the egg and slightly scramble it, before incorporating the egg into the whole rice mixture.</li>
<li>Finish with a dash of soy sauce and spoon the rice into the hollowed out pineapple halves.</li>
<li>The filling would feed 4 servings, add another pineapple (reserving the flesh of the second pineapple for something else) to feed four people.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-12201483222652183882016-12-06T20:25:00.000+00:002016-12-06T20:25:20.076+00:00Aubergine, Sweet Potato & Chickpea Balti - A Low Fat Balti Hit<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So my obsession with sweet potatoes is clearly continuing. I've been trying to maintain a healthy diet lately with the run up to Christmas well and truly here.However last Monday to Friday was a real dieters struggle was a series of dull boring low calorie dinners, and left me longing for the weekend to hurry up for my treats.<br />
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This week I decided I couldn't face another week of roast veggies and quinoa for 5 days on the trot. I don't think I can actually face roast veggies and quinoa again for a very long time. I wanted to make a meal I could look forward to, so I set about making this delicious, sweet and spicy vegetable Balti curry. It's gorgeous.<br />
The perfect amount of fiery heat and the long slow stew of the vegetables lent a sweet and delicate flavour to the dish. The addition of spinach was because, 'why not'! It's super healthy, and packed with iron. I had half a tin of chickpeas leftover so decided to bung them into the mix too. They are a great source of protein and help you stay fuller for longer, or so I'm told. I must say they did the trick as I was completely stuffed at the end of my meal and didn't long for the chili con carne I had made the rest of the family.<br />
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I have enough for tomorrows dinner also and I'm looking forward to it already. Of course leftover can also be frozen if you are unable to take the same dinner two days in a row. I myself get like that sometimes, but I suppose it depends what the offering is. In this case, I'm certainly not dreading it. I can't wait.<br />
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Serves 4ish<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 aubergine, cubed</li>
<li>1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed</li>
<li>1 red onion, finely sliced</li>
<li>1/2 can chick peas</li>
<li>500g of passata </li>
<li>1 tbsp balti paste</li>
<li>1 garlic clove, diced</li>
<li>1 ginger piece, diced</li>
<li>1 large handful of baby spinach leaves, washed</li>
<li>1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
<li>1 tbsp of coconut oil</li>
<li>2 tbsp of low fat natural Greek yogurt</li>
</ul>
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<i><br /></i>
<i>To Serve</i><br />
1 Small portion of brown rice per person<br />
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Get a heavy based saucepan on a medium heat and add the sliced onions, garlic, ginger and oil.</li>
<li>Fry them for a minute or so, then add the balti paste.</li>
<li>Fried off the paste for another minute or so and add the aubergines & sweet potatoes.</li>
<li>Add the passata and stir well to combine.</li>
<li>Partially cover and simmer on a low heat for 40 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the chickpeas and one table spoon of yogurt and stir well</li>
<li>Simmer for another few minutes.</li>
<li>Season well with salt and pepper and add the spinach leaves. Turn the heat off immediately and gently stir the spinach leaves through until wilted. The add the parsley.</li>
<li>To serve, top each portion of curry with the second table spoon of yogurt and serve with a small portion of brown rice. (Mine is flecked with a small bit of black quinoa)</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-4983438794438371552016-11-30T15:01:00.000+00:002016-11-30T15:08:28.396+00:00Maple Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.....<br />
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I've been absent of late from blogging. I had to take a time out towards the end of our busiest B&B season ever. Things got very hectic and on top of doing Bed & Breakfast 24/7, I also have the two little monsters to look after. So in the end, something had to give and alas I'm afraid it was my blog! Now that we have closed for the season and I had some time to recuperate, I delighted to be back experimenting, photographing, tasting, and blogging all my favourite recipes!<br />
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And this is a wonderful recipe to return with!! These muffins, though not intentional, and bursting with Christmas tastes and smells! And with December starting tomorrow, this recipe is a highly appropriate come-back!<br />
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Last night I put down too many baked sweet potatoes for the dinner. Here I was thinking one of the kids would finally fall in love with baked sweet potatoes, instead of eating mashed regular potatoes. To no surprise, there was no such luck, leaving me with two spare baked sweet potatoes.<br />
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I let them cool fully and put them in the refrigerator over night. I remembered last winter experimenting with butternut squash muffins, and they tasted great. Howerver I totally forgot to write down how I made them, so I thought, with these spare baked sweet potatoes, I should really try to recreate that recipe again, and this time record the ingredients.<br />
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The spices used in the recipe and wonderfully Moorish and the use of oil and maple syrup give the muffins a great moistness. My kids adore muffins, and these muffins are a great way of hiding sweet potatoes in their diet. They are going to be the perfect lunchbox snack.<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<i>Makes 12 muffins</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>225g plain flour</li>
<li>1 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1 tsp ground cinnamon </li>
<li>1/2 tsp nutmeg</li>
<li>1/2 tsp all spice</li>
<li>140g light brown sugar</li>
<li>75g raisins</li>
<li>175ml milk</li>
<li>30ml maple syrup</li>
<li>60ml olive oil</li>
<li>1 tsp salt</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>150g of cooled baked sweet potato</li>
<li>2 tbsp of mixed seeds</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.</li>
<li>Line a muffin tray with muffin cases.</li>
<li>Sieve the flour, baking powder, and spices into a large bowl.</li>
<li>Add the brown sugar and raisins and stir to combine.</li>
<li>In a jug, add the egg, mashed sweet potato, maple syrup, and milk and whisk thoroughly to combine.</li>
<li>Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients from the jug.</li>
<li>Stir until all is combined and a batter is formed.</li>
<li>Divide the batter evenly into the 12 muffin case. Scatter each muffin with some mixed seeds.</li>
<li>Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. </li>
<li>While the muffins are still hot, brush the tops of the muffins with some maple syrup. This with help make the tops sticky and crunchy and the maple syrup will also soak into the hot muffins.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-26136275436905928422016-08-16T14:00:00.000+01:002016-08-16T14:54:56.810+01:00Smoothie Bowl - On the Bandwagon & Loving it!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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So anyone on Instagram will have noticed an increased presence in smoothie bowls in the Instafeed, people are going gaga for them. And sure why not, they are stunning to look at, and could quite possibly be the healthiest meal you will eat.<br />
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I adore them and now I'm hooked!! So versatile and pretty, there really is no right or wrong recipe, it's a little bit of what you fancy.<br />
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The premise though is, using a basic smoothie recipe as the base for the bowl. I would recommend making the smoothie slightly thicker than you would if you were going to drink from a glass.<br />
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Finally the toppings, you can mix anything from seeds, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, chia seeds, quinoa. Whatever you fancy. These couldn't be healthier if you tried.<br />
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Here's the recipe for one of the smoothie bowls I make most often<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
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<i>Smoothie</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/2 a banana</li>
<li>1 tbsp of hemp protein powder</li>
<li>2 tbsp of almond milk</li>
<li>4 tbsp of frozen mixed berries</li>
<li>1 tsp chia seeds</li>
</ul>
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<i>Toppings</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 tsp of chia seeds</li>
<li>1 tbsp of chopped pineapple</li>
<li>1 tbsp of melon</li>
<li>1 tbsp of mixed desicated coconut/sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds</li>
<li>1 tbsp of walnuts, chopped</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Blitz your smoothie ingredients and pour into a bowl.</li>
<li>Top the smoothie with the selected toppings</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-72974469422570432172016-08-15T22:17:00.000+01:002016-08-15T22:17:39.246+01:00Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Jam Muffin Surprise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I call these buns, Muffin Surprise, because you can't tell what type of muffin you are eating until you sink your teeth into one. These are a very simple muffin mixture recipe, with my secret ingredient.....my divine homemade Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Jam.<br />
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I cannot get enough of this jam, I'm literally obsessed. Not content with having this dreamy jam on scones and toast, I love to slather my pancakes with it, my french toast,heat it and top is over vanilla icecream (my fave), and now sneaking a spoonful into my muffin mixture.<br />
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<b>Here's how to make the Rhubarb Apple & Ginger Jam</b><br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>500g rhubarb, diced</li>
<li>300g of peeled chopped apple</li>
<li>1 inch piece of peeled ginger, diced</li>
<li>800g of granulated sugar</li>
<li>2-3 tbsp of water</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 20 minutes or so until the jam has thickened. It will thicken further when cooled. Pour into sterilized jars (I sterilise the jars in the dishwasher). </li>
</ol>
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See!!! It's that easy, no excuse not to make your own jam, seriously!!<br />
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<b>Rhubarb, Apple & Ginger Jam Muffin Surprise</b><br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>225g plain flour</li>
<li>1 tsp of baking powder</li>
<li>160g sugar</li>
<li>170ml milk</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>75g melted butter</li>
<li>Rhubarb Jam</li>
</ul>
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<u><b><br /></b></u>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd0jKlIorPtGMk_FOFF1IXCa9MXgOrQ1uG0t8flDqZtXSnkpIU8YDfaLmMvxTZkCrguE2CKnObSKaoiYnPIoHtniEmC81qq01nUNxLjT7F0kX9BBCPmVWLYbsPJZwPH1RP3Iurl9QkErj/s1600/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijd0jKlIorPtGMk_FOFF1IXCa9MXgOrQ1uG0t8flDqZtXSnkpIU8YDfaLmMvxTZkCrguE2CKnObSKaoiYnPIoHtniEmC81qq01nUNxLjT7F0kX9BBCPmVWLYbsPJZwPH1RP3Iurl9QkErj/s640/2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a muffin tray with paper cases.</li>
<li>Sieve the flour and the baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar</li>
<li>Whisk the egg, milk and butter in a jug.</li>
<li>Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir through until incorporated into a muffin batter</li>
<li>Put 1 tbsp of batter in each muffin case, followed by half a tsp of jam in each case, then divide the remaining batter into all the cases.</li>
<li>Bake in the centre of the oven for 22 minutes.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven once baked and cool on wire rack</li>
</ol>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr72THTNi_pC__76eSX4adJMOC0VxMxRXwdt8efRUpjcq9UZNgRD0tdiCet9Ijwu2oKz_HhxkxHjcoI7Api_fRsL-qgxhzClwGz0DdYq8FBbrK1pdUuYTE0AilFznCFqOjI07cn1dHkC0h/s1600/4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr72THTNi_pC__76eSX4adJMOC0VxMxRXwdt8efRUpjcq9UZNgRD0tdiCet9Ijwu2oKz_HhxkxHjcoI7Api_fRsL-qgxhzClwGz0DdYq8FBbrK1pdUuYTE0AilFznCFqOjI07cn1dHkC0h/s640/4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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(Tip you can use shop bought jam of any description for this recipe to substitute the homemade jam)<br />
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-2846789801613289772016-07-06T21:38:00.001+01:002016-07-06T21:38:10.217+01:00My Bombay Potatoes - Simple ingredients, Awesome Flavours<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The humble spud is getting yet another make over here. Where would I be without my potatoes! I simply adore them and quiet frankly could inhale them; mashed, chips, boil, cubed, any which way I love them. Being Irish, this comes as no surprise, but there are many other countries who champion the potato also.<br />
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Take Spain for example, Patatas Bravas or papa bravas are my one most beloved foods EVER! Then of course you have your french fries and your roasties from the likes of Europe and America, and Italy are doing their own thing with potatoes in the form of Gnocchi, as per my most recent <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2016/06/whole-wheat-sweet-potato-gnocchi.html" target="_blank">Gnocchi recipe</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHip4bqJmLeXNFujuQPtFUoWSe8Mgfv-Id8MWBvDeSA1LCQAnQssw6kF3NJHCR3_WbxbkgR22kIFHhN8ygC-5jP3_zPLo-ToNWh8ypna32DpQhzfiuxUBM5lYEufHTXIoPjuT6nRGZq4J/s1600/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHip4bqJmLeXNFujuQPtFUoWSe8Mgfv-Id8MWBvDeSA1LCQAnQssw6kF3NJHCR3_WbxbkgR22kIFHhN8ygC-5jP3_zPLo-ToNWh8ypna32DpQhzfiuxUBM5lYEufHTXIoPjuT6nRGZq4J/s640/IMG_0735.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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But surprisingly potatoes feature heavily in Indian cooking. A large proportion of Indians are vegetarians and potatoes are quiet often used in curries. This is a recipe for a 'dry' Indian Potato dish, a side dish I always order in Indian restaurants,the delectable Bombay Potatoes. A spicy potato dish using some great fragrant spices and tomatoes. It packs a real punch in the flavour department and is super healthy. There are so many different versions, but here is mine:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR-_gwXeEtSaGp_s4fh3EbtWcdL1o7FdFKkfKIefK9KOm53QHz6z8WKZfmxW57PByYC8rSGpw9i9DipUZrVpJbAd5LSF3sK3yDT2BrDjpuxcMgDbBKvQPiyYJxTR2tb_UaZanpIlsSPKL/s1600/IMG_0733.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzR-_gwXeEtSaGp_s4fh3EbtWcdL1o7FdFKkfKIefK9KOm53QHz6z8WKZfmxW57PByYC8rSGpw9i9DipUZrVpJbAd5LSF3sK3yDT2BrDjpuxcMgDbBKvQPiyYJxTR2tb_UaZanpIlsSPKL/s400/IMG_0733.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 large rooster potatoes, peeled & cubed</li>
<li>1 onion, half diced, half sliced</li>
<li>1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and diced</li>
<li>1 garlic clove, peeled and diced</li>
<li>1 tsp of cumin seeds</li>
<li>1 tsp of coriander seeds</li>
<li>1 tsp mustard seeds</li>
<li>Salt & pepper</li>
<li>1 tsp of turmeric</li>
<li>1/2 tsp chili powder (I use mild)</li>
<li>1 tsp garam masala</li>
<li>4 tbsp of oil (I use Irish Rapeseed oil)</li>
<li>2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges</li>
<li>3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander</li>
</ul>
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<u><b><br /></b></u>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3rRhcQO6cSQMpaBLbIMH8vU_vy0xREcEQ-SncSz8lT42ZcAAIhCdN84ZBGl6KEFlV1LyWzaqzM9yl_eLWtjzFaXLNyZDCQ2F4SwxXUnekhgEqeErFme_-ey3lOGo2nBfxqZ_MjTD7n99/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3rRhcQO6cSQMpaBLbIMH8vU_vy0xREcEQ-SncSz8lT42ZcAAIhCdN84ZBGl6KEFlV1LyWzaqzM9yl_eLWtjzFaXLNyZDCQ2F4SwxXUnekhgEqeErFme_-ey3lOGo2nBfxqZ_MjTD7n99/s640/IMG_0741.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Put a large pan of salted water on the boil and par-boil the potato cubes.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, blend roughly the diced onion, the ginger, the garlic, the cumin, the coriander, the mustard seeds, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala.</li>
<li>When the potatoes are cooked, after approx 6 minutes, drain and allow to steam for a couple of minutes.</li>
<li>Get a large deep frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil. Then cook out the blended spice mixture for a few minutes. </li>
<li>Then add the potato cubes and the tomato wedges, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the dish looks like it's too dry and 'catching'</li>
<li>Before serving, scatter with coriander leaves.</li>
</ul>
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This is the perfect side dish to any roasts, or in Indian it is simply enjoyed with some naan bread and pilau rice.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizMqbWRE-74VXjFs0HK50wzz7pz2OmLjmQhECr1j8eSS26-KKXb2vojkDDk73MkpM1VjBWnlX0kP2ibjL0rqeVQbPbVf19TnuPsHVRmGKrSLCeIln_4_fvXo8GQrcY0tJUEBIUMWeSYyG/s1600/IMG_0745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizMqbWRE-74VXjFs0HK50wzz7pz2OmLjmQhECr1j8eSS26-KKXb2vojkDDk73MkpM1VjBWnlX0kP2ibjL0rqeVQbPbVf19TnuPsHVRmGKrSLCeIln_4_fvXo8GQrcY0tJUEBIUMWeSYyG/s640/IMG_0745.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-83240504201354266782016-07-04T22:08:00.001+01:002016-07-04T22:08:43.765+01:00Chocolate Caramel Bites - Speedy Sweet Canapes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpg2KhOdc-8N4hRDTHbnFc2yYD6m0qqSH0Ix3L_vpZ4oea5YXLAAJ7HBT6JLWOLAmJ5E8XgbyN2PBcM2t_T2JqaDA30LEBunF-Ve4mGRH4rQr1JC4ifZr9DTiqK_fw3-qC0IbM-EnDgbO/s1600/IMG_0805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpg2KhOdc-8N4hRDTHbnFc2yYD6m0qqSH0Ix3L_vpZ4oea5YXLAAJ7HBT6JLWOLAmJ5E8XgbyN2PBcM2t_T2JqaDA30LEBunF-Ve4mGRH4rQr1JC4ifZr9DTiqK_fw3-qC0IbM-EnDgbO/s640/IMG_0805.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This post isn't even a recipe, I couldn't call it that, as these bites are just a simple assembly job. In saying that they taste amazing, too good not to share! I love to have something nice and sweet greeting all my guests arriving to the Bed and Breakfast. Sometimes I have time for cupcakes or brownies, but there are some busy days when I don't have enough time for anything other that pimping up melted chocolate!<br />
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For these little bites from heaven, I use all butter shortcrust pastry case from Marks and Spencers. I have made these from scratch before using shortcrust pastry, but these shop bought ones are great, especially if you are on a time budget<br />
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A staple in everyone's pantry should be Nestle's Carnations Caramel Sauce, it's awesome! So good in so many treats.<br />
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The final ingredients were some dark chocolate and some candy sprinkles. Here's the assembly recipe!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6F49EBybJVEzVrclOuYgdWzwYbLdxdqGF_S9leL9X50phyALaDn9DAe9mQit4aU_JCMSTf0gTK0RFlZf1sq9rqTrsuF6NWG_8JSDgjZI0K0KScOXTDxibIbioOUdgGHEuI34BoPoVzCS/s1600/IMG_0809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw6F49EBybJVEzVrclOuYgdWzwYbLdxdqGF_S9leL9X50phyALaDn9DAe9mQit4aU_JCMSTf0gTK0RFlZf1sq9rqTrsuF6NWG_8JSDgjZI0K0KScOXTDxibIbioOUdgGHEuI34BoPoVzCS/s640/IMG_0809.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 can of Carnation Caramel</li>
<li>1 100g bar of good dark chocolate </li>
<li>Sprinkles</li>
<li>Ready made mini all butter shortcrust pastry cases</li>
</ul>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSezwPQE_wI0GostL_zTiTDkpT4eWy0pHEuprkotgpt1JPgiOYLT8qeghEtnVRuG4o2tOeeiLHXzSw52JvoWjCH9VyFrsHYFBM2v08l0fL3NXxe6kCVcGIKLL6ht0Xx-0vce09JwTsUK3/s1600/IMG_0804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSezwPQE_wI0GostL_zTiTDkpT4eWy0pHEuprkotgpt1JPgiOYLT8qeghEtnVRuG4o2tOeeiLHXzSw52JvoWjCH9VyFrsHYFBM2v08l0fL3NXxe6kCVcGIKLL6ht0Xx-0vce09JwTsUK3/s640/IMG_0804.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts</li>
<li>Place 1/2 tsp of carnation caramel in each pastry case</li>
<li>Pour 1/2 tsp of melted chocolate over the caramel and place your sprinkle of choice on the melted chocolate.</li>
<li>Put in the fridge for 20 minutes and they are ready to eat.</li>
</ol>
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Perfect for a tea party, last minute guests, or a canape for a drinks party. I myself put them on a table in the hallway of my Bed and Breakfast, so chocolate is the first thing that my guests see when they walk through the door.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeC_DIyEGu61zbCyeRN2hmWS8g0757KkI4v-LhtyeK8n4tyQISve-gFOQjKjQYYjK5SB2sZwkmPlbxMQXhrd1qFNVUx10fsV4QR8XTnZbPjyiPA4GPzHcbtcvs8hHhxAtGsm2YrV6OWPP/s1600/IMG_0812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLeC_DIyEGu61zbCyeRN2hmWS8g0757KkI4v-LhtyeK8n4tyQISve-gFOQjKjQYYjK5SB2sZwkmPlbxMQXhrd1qFNVUx10fsV4QR8XTnZbPjyiPA4GPzHcbtcvs8hHhxAtGsm2YrV6OWPP/s640/IMG_0812.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-83135633952797623942016-06-30T21:13:00.000+01:002016-06-30T21:13:19.836+01:00Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM_HZHvbCXQe9T9aa_uaEmkeHrXkWlx7LQ-iuuQSYa4-trY56fBdUvNOWAC9VNehHCIkacRoLgir9sBk4lJ-4OuYL5X0KdoDN1IPqBiKzJ5RWLuSuPw9e05eQBg0cti6PdwTIQ_jNEKEf/s1600/IMG_0416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMM_HZHvbCXQe9T9aa_uaEmkeHrXkWlx7LQ-iuuQSYa4-trY56fBdUvNOWAC9VNehHCIkacRoLgir9sBk4lJ-4OuYL5X0KdoDN1IPqBiKzJ5RWLuSuPw9e05eQBg0cti6PdwTIQ_jNEKEf/s640/IMG_0416.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I love Gnocchi, those gorgeous pillowy potato dumplings Italy made famous! They are so versatile and a fantastic change from regular pasta every once in a while. You would be surprised how simple it is to make your own. Plus making your own has the added benefit of no preservative or additives. Just a few simply ingredients and you are done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8FXsU9J-xi7RO1RY4mw9LeJxhklgpBHnYSnw-R9LntzQYy93n52wTFKskwYGshM3RzyUGob96t0kZzgRo1h74qRCU9XpNjxYMULheh1t5Z5f4FXdWA5bXRML9dmCkgfgqefglxjhofUQ/s1600/IMG_0421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn8FXsU9J-xi7RO1RY4mw9LeJxhklgpBHnYSnw-R9LntzQYy93n52wTFKskwYGshM3RzyUGob96t0kZzgRo1h74qRCU9XpNjxYMULheh1t5Z5f4FXdWA5bXRML9dmCkgfgqefglxjhofUQ/s640/IMG_0421.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Ever the health conscious, well I like to do a little balancing act of 20% bold awesome treats, and 80% sinless tasty meals; I've decided to make gnocchi even healthier. Normally made with white potatoes and white flour, I'm mixing things up a bit using whole wheat flour, and sweet potatoes instead. I love how by making little grooves in the gnocchi, your sauce sticks to them, making for a very tasty vegetarian meal. I like to go meat free on a Monday after maybe over eating at the weekends. This is the perfect antidote to a weekend of over indulging, but still packed with goodness and flavour!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlTXDZFLQTjP7gcaLrekx6GmFoHGPhXd0hiY5QQMa0m4BQXBnjq0lfPo-K98L6CZleCgb_OchqW_VENJhyphenhyphenE21hLCn8pbn0NC8ZxfeAHtu8amNyO0S1l1EMKr9CeMkYSfeczSg2GcMe334/s1600/IMG_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlTXDZFLQTjP7gcaLrekx6GmFoHGPhXd0hiY5QQMa0m4BQXBnjq0lfPo-K98L6CZleCgb_OchqW_VENJhyphenhyphenE21hLCn8pbn0NC8ZxfeAHtu8amNyO0S1l1EMKr9CeMkYSfeczSg2GcMe334/s640/IMG_0387.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>2 large sweet potatoes</li>
<li>1 cup of whole wheat flour</li>
<li>2/3 tbsp of olive oil, extra virgin</li>
<li>Salt & pepper</li>
<li>The sauce of your choice, <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2015/11/parsley-chilli-garlic-pesto.html" target="_blank"> My Parsley Pesto</a>, is a particular favorite</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<u><b>Method</b></u></div>
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, and bake the sweet potatoes for 50 minutes. If you are short on time, prick each sweet potato many times, wrap in kitchen paper and microwave for 6-7 minutes.</li>
<li>Once baked, slice the potatoes in half and scoop out the soft potato, discard the skins. Allow to cool. </li>
<li>Add salt, pepper and the oil, and mash the potatoes well.</li>
<li>Add the flour to the mashed potato and knead to a well formed dough, add more oil if too dry or more flour if too wet.</li>
<li>Dust your work surface with flour and turn out the dough, giving it a brief knead. </li>
<li>Roll the dough out to a sausage rope.</li>
<li>Cut the rope into 1 inch intervals.</li>
<li>Using a wet fork, stamp each gnocchi, to give a slight indent.</li>
<li>Place a pan of water on to boil with a generous pinch of salt.</li>
<li>Drop the gnocchi into the water and cool for a couple of minutes. When they float, they are cooked.</li>
<li>Stir through your sauce/pesto of choice and enjoy.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-89585608914085161082016-06-12T21:56:00.000+01:002016-06-12T21:56:03.000+01:00Red Quinoa & Smoked Salmon Sushi - A Low GI Alternative to Sushi Rolls<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Nori Maki is my favorite sushi!! I adore the taste of the nori seaweed paper and the sweet and tangy rice vinegar soaked sticky sushi rice! I've been hooked ever since my Sushi for Beginners class in Ballymaloe (see previous blog post <a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2011/07/sushi-for-beginners.html" target="_blank">here</a>). I've been obsessed lately with trying to eat foods with a low GI, and trying to pair the correct foods together. I was shocked to see sushi rice so high on the glycemic index (89). Not one to say good bye to my beloved nori maki rolls, I set about trying to find an alternative for the high GI rice. After all, every other part of the rolls are extremely healthy.<br />
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That's when I discovered that the awesome quinoa could do the same job as the rice. I have developed quite an obsession for red quinoa, I love the crunchier texture over white quinoa, but they both still have the same nutrient make up more or less. I'll admit that white quinoa is fluffier and probably be easier to work with from a 'sticky' perspective, but I think that the red quinoa just has more flavor, dammit!! :)<br />
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There is something so satisfying about rolling nori maki rolls. I can't put my finger on it, it's reminds me of make and do as a child and has a fun playful aspect to it. It's actually childsplay to make and you'll find that you become more confident and accomplished as you progress from rolling your first roll to the final one.<br />
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I have an endless supply of gorgeous fresh smoked salmon in my kitchen from the Bed and Breakfast so I robbed some for my dinner to make these rolls. We get our salmon delivered to the door from a local supplier and it's definately worth buying your smoked salmon locally. There is no comparison with the cheaper supermarket alternatives. If you don't like/have smoked salmon you can use pretty much anything, prawns, crab, or go completely veggie, and have a rainbow of peppers and cucumbers. There are no rules!! Afterall, I'm not even using rice!<br />
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I will say you can't have sushi without wasabi, pickled ginger or soy! Now that's a deal breaker! I love the hot hit you get from wasabi, so I spread it on my salmon in the roll, but if you're not that hard core, just plant a blob of it on the side of your plate and dip in the roll after. The 'hot hit' though is an addictive feeling.<br />
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Here's the recipe to my favorite, but use this as a guide and substitute in the ingredients you like<br />
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Makes 4 Rolls<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 cup of red quinoa</li>
<li>2 cups of water</li>
<li>4 tbsp japanese rice vinegar</li>
<li>1 tbsp of salt</li>
<li>2 tsp of sugar</li>
<li>4 nori sheets, try to source a sushi rolling bamboo mat also. They are usually sold along side the nori sheets. It makes rolling so much easier.</li>
<li>50g of smoked salmon, sliced thinly</li>
<li>Thinly sliced variety of peppers, carrots, and cucumber</li>
<li>1 tube of wasabi</li>
<li>soy sauce</li>
<li>pickled ginger</li>
</ul>
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Firstly you must cook you quinoa. Add 2 cups of water to a saucepan, bring to a boil, add the the quinoa and cook on a simmer for 15 minutes.</li>
<li>Drain well.</li>
<li>Spread the quinoa out in a dish and mix in the vinegar, salt and sugar and make sure everything gets well coated.</li>
<li>Allow the quinoa to cool.</li>
<li>Get your bamboo rolling mat and place in front of you.</li>
<li>Wave a sheet of nori over the hob, careful not to burn, but just to heat slightly to make the sheet more pliable.</li>
<li>Place the nori sheet on the bamboo mat, shiny side down.</li>
<li>Spread a thin layer of quinoa over the the whole sheet, out to the edges, leaving a small space at the top side of the sheet to seal it. </li>
<li>Lay the smoked salmon and the vegetables (whichever combination you prefer) on the side nearest you. Careful not to over fill as the roll will burst if over filled. I know this from vast greedy experience.</li>
<li>Dab the empty edge of the nori sheet with rice vinegar using your finger. This is your glue.</li>
<li>Carefully , as tight as you can, start rolling the the roll, away from you.</li>
<li>I like to cut the ends of the sushi rolls normally for a cleaner finish, and these ends are cooks treat.</li>
<li>Cut the roll in half, and then cut those halves in half, and finally , cut those pieces in half. You should have eight pieces, for small bites. you can make them bigger, but the sushi etiquette is to be able to eat your roll in one mouth full, and I don't know about you, but my mouth isn't big enough for anything bigger than 1/8 of a roll at a time.</li>
</ol>
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To serve, put a 'blob' of wasabi on the side of the plate, soy sauce in a dish and pickled ginger on the side. Dip and enjoy.<br />
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-44695667469672211802016-05-31T13:04:00.000+01:002016-05-31T13:04:24.724+01:00Bake it Easy - The Fastest Cookies I've Ever Made<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I don't normally 'review' products, and in fact I'm such a keen baker that I wouldn't normally buy a 'mix'. But this cookie mix is something completely different, and left my highly impressed!So much so I felt I had to share. So this isn't really a review, but more of a recommendation!<br />
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With the Bed & Breakfast in full swing, and with two kids under three years old, I'm constantly living on borrowed time. But that doesn't mean I want to comprise neglecting my baking time with my daughter Aoife. She is only three, but already a baking enthusiast! This mixture was great, as I knew exactly what in the mix and exactly what we were consuming, unlike some 'cookie dough' you can buy in the fridge section of the supermarkets.<br />
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I bought the Oatly Dotely mixture, which is a strawberry and oat cookie mix. It's divine. It reminds me a little of Hagen Daz Strawberry Cheesecake Ice-cream. I'm actually thinking that if you make your own ice-cream (sometimes I do when time permits), add these cookies crumbled into the final icecream to make a healthier Strawberry Cheesecake icecream.<br />
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The mixture in the jar is a layered combination of dried strawberries, oats, coconut, sugar and flour and vanilla. You simply just pour the contents of the jar into a bowl, and mix well. Then add cooled melted butter, honey and an egg (all mixed together), to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The recipe at the back of the jar is a doddle to follow and it correctly states it makes 15 cookies, using a teaspoon to measure them out onto a baking tray. I drizzled melted white chocolate over the cookies, as a little weekend treat, and I place them at the Bed & Breakfast entrance as a nice little welcome treat for all my guests.<br />
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-10093411878720626782016-05-11T21:31:00.003+01:002016-05-11T21:31:22.080+01:00Kale & Cashew Pesto<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I'm a huge pesto fan! I find it to be such a diverse ingredient in the kitchen, pairing it with pasta, potatoes, dressings, salads, stews, roasts and bakes; I always have one type or another lurking a kilner jar in the fridge. This is not the first pesto recipe I've blogged! Check out the following link for my previous pestos:<br />
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<a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2013/06/quick-rustic-basil-almond-pesto.html" target="_blank">Basil & Almond Pesto</a><br />
<a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2015/11/parsley-chilli-garlic-pesto.html" target="_blank">Parsley, Chilli, & Garlic Pesto</a><br />
<a href="http://serenasmediumrare.blogspot.ie/2011/05/rocket-pesto.html" target="_blank">Rocket Pesto</a><br />
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You may notice in each of those pesto recipes I have left out the Parmesan cheese component, and this recipe is no different. This makes the pestos vegan friendly.I adore Parmesan cheese, but my husband is not a fan, so I've learnt to exclude it.<br />
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I've upped the super powers though for this particular pesto, Kale & Cashew nut. You can't get healthier than Kale, and it's currently enjoying a moment as THEE go to super food. This is a super clean guilt free pesto that is packed full of nutrients. The cashews also really help bring a creaminess to the final pesto!<br />
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My fussy little three year old would live on pesto pasta given the chance, so this was the perfect way to sneak some kale into her diet. While she didn't take kindly to the change in taste in the first bite or two of her 'usual' pasta. By the end of the meal she had a happy belly and a happy mommy!! If it passed the <u><b>Aoife Test</b></u>, then it will please the very fussiest of little eaters!<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>50g of raw cashew nuts</li>
<li>1 large handful of chopped kale leaves (no stalks)</li>
<li>100ml extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>Salt & pepper</li>
<li>1 chopped garlic clove</li>
<li>Juice of a lemon</li>
<li>3 tbsp of flat leaf parsley</li>
</ul>
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<br />
<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Simply place all ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the desired constituency. I like to stop just before it gets 100% smooth, for a little bit of texture. </li>
<li>Store in a kilner jar, or similar, with a layer of oil on the top to preserve the pesto.</li>
</ol>
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I also spread this on some salmon fillets, then baked as normal in the oven, it was really tasty.<br />
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-16240124490674265882016-05-10T21:39:00.000+01:002016-05-10T21:39:11.278+01:00Spicy Harrisa Chickpea Cakes with Chunky Raita<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here's a super quick, super healthy vegetarian dish perfect if you are stuck in a lunch time rut, like myself! The harrisa paste gives the chickpea cakes a real hot and smoky kick, with the raita being the perfect cooling accompaniment. This can easily be made ahead of time and reheated in the microwave and added to the raita salad, if you are office based. But equally this dish is a perfect starter for a dinner party or also throw the cakes in a pitta or flatbread for a wonderful alternative to a sandwich. Whatever the occasion, there is no excuse not to give these babies a go!!<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1 tin of chickpeas, drained</li>
<li>1 garlic clove, minced</li>
<li>3 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley</li>
<li>1 tsp of harrisa paste</li>
<li>Salt & Pepper</li>
<li>1 egg</li>
<li>2 slices of bread, blitz to breadcrumbs</li>
</ul>
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<i>Raita</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>50ml of natural yogurt</li>
<li>1 tomato, deseeded and diced</li>
<li>1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
<li>2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley</li>
<li>5ml extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>3 tbsp diced red onion</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Add all the chickpea cake ingredients to a food processor and blitz to a batter style consistency.</li>
<li>Wet your hands and shape into small patties (cakes). I got 10 from this recipe, but you can make them smaller for canapes or bigger for burgers.</li>
<li>Heat a non stick pan to medium and add a small amount of olive oil.</li>
<li>Fry the chickpea cakes for 4 minutes on each side.</li>
<li>To make the chunky raita, simply combine all the ingredients and stir well. If you have mint or coriander, this would also work.</li>
<li>Enjoy. These can be stored cooled for 2 days in the refrigerator and reheated gently on a pan for for 1 minute in the microwave.</li>
</ol>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-40227521497925040102016-03-16T20:34:00.001+00:002016-03-16T20:34:32.770+00:00Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with St. Patrick's Day Frosting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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We love St Patrick's Day in this house. It's always a big family day and an excuse to eat some lovely Irish food, watch the parade in town and maybe (just maybe) have a little tipple (or two).This year we have the added bonus of babysitting my two little nieces also, so we will be baking these cupcakes in the morning for their arrival!<br />
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I trial-baked these cupcakes on Sunday with my daughter to share with her cousins on a playdate. We made 12, and they went down so well that I actually didn't have one to myself at all. I had to rely on family taste reviews to let me know that they were good. <i>Very good</i> I'm told. <i>Too good</i> my mother said!! I used <b>Rachel Allen's</b> recipe for chocolate cupcakes from her book <b>Cake</b>; and just added 100g of chocolate chips. I tried to make the frosting as green as I could. I ended up using a full tube of green gel food colouring.<br />
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Where ever you are celebrating St Patrick's Day, I hope it's a safe and fun day for everyone. Fingers crossed for good weather. (nothing worse than parade watching in an unbrella jungle)<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<i>Cupcakes</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>100g soft butter</li>
<li>150g of vanilla sugar (sugar in a jar with vanilla pods)</li>
<li>2 large eggs</li>
<li>125ml milk</li>
<li>175g plain flour</li>
<li>2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>pinch of salt</li>
<li>25g cocoa powder</li>
<li>100g chocolate chips</li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>St Patrick's Day Frosting</i></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>100g very soft butter</li>
<li>225g icing sugar, SIFTED</li>
<li>30ml milk</li>
<li>1 tsp of vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 tube Dr Oetker green food colouring (or any colour). The more colouring you add the deeper the colour of your icing.</li>
</ul>
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<i>To Decorate</i></div>
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<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Chocolate stars (or smarties, chocolate shavings, sprinkle, to name a few)</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Method</b></u><br />
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<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a muffin tray with 12 paper cases.</li>
<li>Using a hand whisk (or electric) cream the butter, add the sugar and whisk until light and fluffy.</li>
<li>Whisk the eggs in a bowl and then slowly add them to the butter, whisking all the time.</li>
<li>Pour in the milk and beat until mixed. </li>
<li>Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.</li>
<li>Add the chocolate chips and gently fold stir until the flour mix is incorporated in.</li>
<li>Divide the bun batter between the 12 cases and then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.</li>
<li>Allow to cool on a wire rack in the tray for 5 minutes, then remove and cool completely. They need to be completely cooled before icing, otherwise you will have a runny mess.</li>
<li>To make the icing, whisk all the icing ingredients together, either using a hand held whisk or an electric mixer.</li>
<li>You can decorate using a piping bag, but I prefer a more 'homemade, rustic' finish and used a warm palate knife.</li>
</ol>
<div>
Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!</div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-48165735412048586682016-03-10T21:15:00.001+00:002016-03-10T21:18:26.932+00:00Banana & Maple Granola Cups <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I was inspired to make these cups after seeing a video on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/buzzfeedpropertasty/" target="_blank">Proper Tasty</a> facebook page. They are a great inventive way of getting some slow releasing energy oats into you the morning, as well as looking oh so pretty.In addition to being nutritious and good looking, they are very versatile and keep in the fridge in a sealed airtight container for up to a week.<br />
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Even though I was inspired by the video in the above link, I did change a few ingredients and also part of the cooking method. I found from cooking the cups in the muffin trays they had a slightly 'soggy bottom', so for a final five minutes in the oven, I took them out of the muffin tray and turned them upside down on a baking sheet, to crisp up the base of the cups, so no soggy bottoms in sight!<br />
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I'm very excited to get my guests reviews on them when I open our bed & breakfast <a href="http://www.sikalodgekillarney.com/index.php" target="_blank">Sika Lodge</a> next week.<br />
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Here's how I made them<br />
<br />
Makes 12 cups<br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>250g rolled oats ( I used jumbo oats)</li>
<li>150ml pure maple syrup</li>
<li>2 mashed bananas </li>
<li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li>
<li>1 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li>1 tsp salt</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pC6DOoalRYz9gDMJuN7GfE338vgQ1Eq4-vLaDQUc2UB2LMre1QG9SsGkMIvYYsZWfIRMvIYzkYOFn7ZRjW58piHYrCMhEKO_z0mkergcX15lPzlsaQymij6WodnER7QwtybfOJOckkaZ/s1600/IMG_0541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5pC6DOoalRYz9gDMJuN7GfE338vgQ1Eq4-vLaDQUc2UB2LMre1QG9SsGkMIvYYsZWfIRMvIYzkYOFn7ZRjW58piHYrCMhEKO_z0mkergcX15lPzlsaQymij6WodnER7QwtybfOJOckkaZ/s640/IMG_0541.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Example of toppings</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>0% fat strained Greek Yogurt</li>
<li>Berries</li>
<li>Mango puree</li>
<li>Compote</li>
<li>seed mix</li>
<li>Stewed fruits</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Mix the maple syrup, vanilla extract, and bananas thoroughly.</li>
<li>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.</li>
<li>In a large bowl, mix together the oats, cinnamon,and salt.</li>
<li>Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined.</li>
<li>Oil the muffin holes of a 12 muffin tray.</li>
<li>Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin holes and using the back of a spoon spread the mixture up the walls of the muffins holes, creating the cup shape.</li>
<li>Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven and the muffin tray and invert the granola cups on a baking sheet. </li>
<li>Bake for a further 5 minutes to crisp up the bottom of the cups.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.</li>
<li>Add a generous dollop of thick Greek yogurt and top with your choice of berries, compote, dried fruit or mixed seeds. It's your call!</li>
</ol>
<div>
Tip: A drizzle of honey certainly wouldn't go astray either on these!!</div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-41288869501651163972016-02-11T20:33:00.001+00:002016-02-11T20:33:09.072+00:00Roast Squash & Goats Cheese Quinoa Pizza - A Pizza Not Just for Weekends<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_Ob5I1ws_Nqb29WXK9nNzrtdZzfFk20x0ENP4PugNs2dHj3Hudx3zU6Vg4BqtJpok_KQ1PnfgsH7mP3KwlW_bii60KMwCuxvVwIc_Je3TieQb0pNWGsTZA3vnDq0L63xoMBUApCI_lK1/s1600/7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV_Ob5I1ws_Nqb29WXK9nNzrtdZzfFk20x0ENP4PugNs2dHj3Hudx3zU6Vg4BqtJpok_KQ1PnfgsH7mP3KwlW_bii60KMwCuxvVwIc_Je3TieQb0pNWGsTZA3vnDq0L63xoMBUApCI_lK1/s640/7.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big big fan of pizza,who isn't?, well except my daughter (THE fussiest toddler on the planet) But it's usually keep for weekends as I'm thinking of the fat, calories and carbs!!! But then the other day I was reading my new Donna Hay book, Fresh and Light, where a quinoa crust tart was featured, so I got to googling quinoa pizza. I was thinking, if a tart base can be made from quinoa, then surely a pizza base can be fashioned in relatively the same manner.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiWbOGN3M3IT-WNsjzDevrsbS5X1OA4t_qImZyJFAYhNOV5KzpkeoGhjRhiRKZ1l2DC-qQmr66tHYLgdcxc69m7ebNf7-dqKCbY0UWqCGaJ6mr9GTgthvo9f3XyWIFBvMK1l_x_AEJaff/s1600/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhiWbOGN3M3IT-WNsjzDevrsbS5X1OA4t_qImZyJFAYhNOV5KzpkeoGhjRhiRKZ1l2DC-qQmr66tHYLgdcxc69m7ebNf7-dqKCbY0UWqCGaJ6mr9GTgthvo9f3XyWIFBvMK1l_x_AEJaff/s640/1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stumbled across a website called <a href="http://www.simplyquinoa.com/" target="_blank">Simply Quinoa</a>, and I was blown away by the variety of recipes on the website, all of which contain quinoa. If you are a fan of quinoa or looking for some ideas to replace your carbs with quinoa, then I suggest you check out the website. I'm highly impressed!!!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkekivfCeFad6fk43Fz5qbW_Av9abdet_XgGYOMKbCSBWNwOUmHjhIuRciuobPOOa9EHxPkw1CaJZizVNRo6SBpeQo8H3m4Xtaid6q9FkiwsBpJVFD7cIL712twYqOVlS_XgMqrZ7zliWi/s1600/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkekivfCeFad6fk43Fz5qbW_Av9abdet_XgGYOMKbCSBWNwOUmHjhIuRciuobPOOa9EHxPkw1CaJZizVNRo6SBpeQo8H3m4Xtaid6q9FkiwsBpJVFD7cIL712twYqOVlS_XgMqrZ7zliWi/s640/3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's from <a href="http://www.simplyquinoa.com/" target="_blank">Simply Quinoa</a> that I got the recipe for my pizza base. I did use red quinoa (though apparently white quinoa is better), as this was all I had in the house at the time, but it worked out brillantly. I've used gluten free pizza bases in the past, and most are disgusting. I was very skeptical of the result in using quinoa would have on the finished product, but I needn't have worried. I kept saying to my husband <i>'wow,wow, I can't believe it'</i> as I was eating the pizza. What's more,Alan (fearer of all that is alternative and healthy) agreed it was pretty tasty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here is the recipe as taken from <a href="http://www.simplyquinoa.com/" target="_blank">Simply Quinoa</a> for the basic base <a href="http://www.simplyquinoa.com/ultimate-quinoa-pizza-crust/" target="_blank">Simply Quinoa's Ultimate-quinoa-pizza-crust/</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Serves 2 (or Serena)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Ingredients</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For the Pizza crust</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>3/4 cup of quinoa, soaked for 6-8 hours</li>
<li>1/4 cup of water</li>
<li>1/2 tsp baking powder</li>
<li>1/2 tsp of salt</li>
<li>2 tbsp olive oil</li>
</ul>
</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>For the pizza topping</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp of passata</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roasted cubes of butternut squash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">50g soft goats cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tbsp grated mozzarella</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 1/2 tsp dried oregano</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp black pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pinch of dried chilli flakes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1 tsp chopped flat leaf parsley</span></li>
</ul>
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Method</span></b></u></div>
<div>
<u><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></u></div>
<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and lay oiled baking paper on a baking tray.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rinse the quinoa and put in a blender along with the other ingredients. I used my Nutri Ninja, making it the work of mere moments. The mixture is like a pancake batter.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pour the batter out onto the baking paper trying to keep a circle shape.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bake for 15 minutes, then turn it over and bake for a further 15 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Spread the tomato sauce over the base and scatter the toppings over the sauce. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the pizza is ready. Then enjoy.</span></li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can use any ingredients once your pizza base is made, everyone has their one favorite pizza toppings. </span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm even thinking that this crust would also work as well sweet as it does savory, so watch out for my quinoa apple tart or a nutella smore pizza!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8805663190796109205.post-6846561418884543372016-02-08T21:19:00.001+00:002016-02-08T21:19:45.658+00:00Nigella's Italian Steak n' Chips - A New Take on a Classic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In my hungover state yesterday I found myself indulging in my ultimate guilty pleasure - watching hours of the Food Network. I love Nigella Lawson, so I was delighted with a double bill of Nigellisima. In the episode I watched, she made Tagliata and Tuscan Fries. I was positively drooling. And knew that that would be the hangover cure meal for the coming evening, So I pulled out my Nigellisima book and sent my husband off to the shops to get the ingredients.<br />
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This is her Italian take on steak and chips, and I'm completely converted and actually very excited to recreate it again next weekend for our Valentine's dinner. I do not have a deep fryer, so I opted for her style of making the chips in a pan with hot oil. I was absolutely terrified making the chips as I can be quiet clumsy in the kitchen and it requires the utmost concentration, so as not to scald yourself. But it is most definitely worth it. Though in hindsight, with a crazy hangover and a hyper toddler running around the kitchen, it was a bold choice.<br />
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The idea of marinating the steaks after cooking is sheer brilliance, resulting in an extremely tasty steak, full of flavour and punch. In Nigella's book, she states that one steak is plenty for two people. In fact stating this is a wonderful way of stretching a steak to two people. Now if Nigella tells you something is enough, then I should have believed her. Greedy guts here cooked two steaks (it would have certainly done four people at a dinner party). In saying that, me and my husband had no trouble eating everything.<br />
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I didn't have the herbs she called for in the Tuscan Fries recipe, but I substituted the sage with basil, and it worked really well, especially seeing as this is an Italian recipe anyway.<br />
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With Valentines approaching, this is a stunning elegant steak and chips recipe to make for that someone special.<br />
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Serves - 2 greedies/4 adults<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
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<i>For the steak</i><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>1/2 tsp of dried chili flakes</li>
<li>1 tsp of dried oregano</li>
<li>2 tsp of red wine vinegar</li>
<li>2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>1 tsp of black pepper</li>
<li>1 tsp of sea salt</li>
<li>2 sirloin steaks</li>
</ul>
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<i>For the chips</i></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>4 large rooster potatoes, skins on and cut into thin chips</li>
<li>2 litres of vegetable oil</li>
<li>4 cloves of garlic in skins</li>
<li>2 sprigs of rosemary</li>
<li>4-5 fresh basil leaves</li>
</ul>
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To serve</div>
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<div>
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<div>
5-6 cherry tomatoes, halved</div>
<div>
1 bag of rocket (or designer leaves as Nigella would say)</div>
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<u><b>Method</b></u></div>
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<div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>Start by putting the chips in a deep pan of oil, cold oil. Turn the heat up high and cook for 15 minutes. using a tongs and oven glove to stir every so often. Some of the chips will stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently so you don't loose too many to this fate.</li>
<li>After 15 minutes, carefully drop in the garlic and herbs and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so. The chips tend to float to the top with cooked. Try to get a really brown crispy finish.</li>
<li>Transfer the chips to a warm oven to keep hot while you cook the steaks. The steaks go cold quickly so that's why I suggest making the chips first and keep warm. As trying to keep the steaks warm whilst trying to wait for the chips to cook, will only result in an over cooked steak.</li>
<li>Heat a grill pan until searing hot.</li>
<li>Combine all the steak ingredients, except the steaks, in a shallow baking dish.</li>
<li>Lightly oil the steaks and sear in the pan, 2 minutes a side. The steak will be rare but this is what we want. </li>
<li>Transfer the steaks to the baking dish with the marinade and let them rest for 2 minutes a side in the marinade.</li>
<li>Remove the steaks to a board and slice very thinly on the diagonal. Meanwhile, put the cherry tomatoes, cut side down. in the marinade and stir them around a bit.</li>
<li>To serve, scatter a serving dish with the rocket. And randomly scatter the slices of steak over the rocket, along with the cherry tomatoes. Pour the remaining marinade over the dish, not wasting a drop of flavour.</li>
<li>Serve with the crispy Tuscan fries.</li>
</ol>
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Tip for the Fries: Chips in my opinion cannot be eaten without salt and vinegar. For these chips, I recommend coarse salt and balsamic vinegar. Delish!!!!!!</div>
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Thank you Nigella, as always, you rock!!</div>
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Serenacroninhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15655456589139515951noreply@blogger.com1