My Bombay Potatoes - Simple ingredients, Awesome Flavours

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.


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 Gnocchi recipe.

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:

Ingredients

• 2 large rooster potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 1 onion, half diced, half sliced
• 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp of cumin seeds
• 1 tsp of coriander seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (I use mild)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 4 tbsp of oil (I use Irish Rapeseed oil)
• 2 tomatoes, sliced into wedges
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Method

• Put a large pan of salted water on the boil and par-boil the potato cubes.
• Meanwhile, blend roughly the diced onion, the ginger, the garlic, the cumin, the coriander, the mustard seeds, turmeric, chili powder and garam masala.
• When the potatoes are cooked, after approx 6 minutes, drain and allow to steam for a couple of minutes.
• 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. 
• 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'
• Before serving, scatter with coriander leaves.

This is the perfect side dish to any roasts, or in Indian it is simply enjoyed with some naan bread and pilau rice.

Spicy Harrisa Chickpea Cakes with Chunky Raita

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!!

Ingredients

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp of harrisa paste
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 slices of bread, blitz to breadcrumbs

Raita

• 50ml of natural yogurt
• 1 tomato, deseeded and diced
• 1/4 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 5ml extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp diced red onion

Method

1. Add all the chickpea cake ingredients to a food processor and blitz to a batter style consistency.
2. 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.
3. Heat a non stick pan to medium and add a small amount of olive oil.
4. Fry the chickpea cakes for 4 minutes on each side.
5. To make the chunky raita, simply combine all the ingredients and stir well. If you have mint or coriander, this would also work.
6. 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.

Fried Aubergine & Killarney Honey - A Spanish Tapa Killarney Style

I was chatting with a good friend of mine the other day about going on holidays and I was recommending the lovely resort town of Costa Teguise in Lanzarote as an option for her to go now that she has a young family. I went there 3 times in 12 months recently! The food there is amazing!! It is here that I discovered the Spanish tapa of fried aubergine with honey. I feel in love with it. Even my husband who is 'afraid' of every type of vegetable couldn't say no to these tasty morsels.

As I was reminiscing about all the wonderful meals we had in that resort, I remembered those gorgeous bite size aubergine slices and all of a sudden I got a mad craving for them. So instead of my usual salad for lunch, I decided to change things up today and make the fried aubergines.

We are incredibly lucky here in Killarney that  there are amazing honey producers close by - Killarney Honey. However, any really good honey will suffice to sweeten up these deliciosus treats.

Ingredients

• 1 aubergine, peeled and sliced into round discs
• Sea salt
• Table salt
• 1-2 tbsp of flour
• Good runny honey
• Good quality  balsamic syrup
• 5-6 tbsp of rapeseed oil (or other flavourless oil)

Method

1. Place the aubergine slices in a plate and sprinkle with the table salt and leave for 10 minutes.
2. Using kitchen paper, press down on the slices to release and remove all the water that seeps from the slices.
3. Put the oil on a high heat.
4. Place the flour on a plate and dip each slice of abergine into the flour, making sure they are completely coated. Shake off the excess flour.
5. Carefully place each disc of aubergine in the hot oil, and cook for 2 minutes, before turning and cooking for a further 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Remove the slices from the oil and place on kitchen paper to allow the excess oil to drain away.
7. Place the disc of aubergine on a plate and drizzle generously with your honey, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and finally drizzle for balsamic syrup over the aubergine.

Feta & Beetroot Tabbouleh - The Perfect Summer Side

With summer here (mostly in spirit, not in weather at the moment), we tend to look to lighter, fresher meals rather than warming & comforting meals. This very healthy, light and filling salad is one such example of how I'm lightening up my meals. Forget mash potato and roast root veggies!! This gem of a salad has it all. The Bulgar wheat is low in GI, the feta cheese gives a salty cheesy hit, and the beetroot adds nutrition and a wonderful colour. Finally the typical salad ingredients that make up a tradition tabbouleh of cucmuber, onion, tomatoes and herbs (flat leaf parsley & mint) add a fantastic freshness. 

This salad can be the main dish of a meal, serve with some flat breads and natural yogurt, or it can be a great side dish for a tagine, roast chicken/lamb, BBQ, or as I did here, Moroccan Meatballs.

Ingredients

• 100g Bulgar wheat
• 400g of chicken/vegetables stock
• Salt & Pepper
• Half a cucumber
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 2 spring onions
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp of fresh mint
• 1 tbsp of fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 cooked beetroot
• 50g of feta cheese

Method

1. Put the Bulgar wheat in a saucepan and add the stock. Cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, or until all the stock has been absorbed. 
2. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes, before fluffing it up with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the salads. Half the cucumber length ways and scoop out the seeds. Then dice the cucumber. Quarter the tomatoes. Slice the spring onions very thinly. Cube the feta, and dice the beetroot.
4. Add all the salad ingredients to the Bulgar wheat along with the lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. 
5. In my experience this tastes better when made ahead as the the flavours really develop.

 

Extremely Versatile Quinoa Stuffed Beef Tomatoes

Healthy doesn't have to be boring, and these tasty stuffed tomatoes are extremely healthy and super fun. The recipe is here is extremely versatile, you can replace the quinoa with cous cous, bulgar wheat, rice, or even orzo. You can also inter change the vegetables also, customizing your stuffed tomatoes to your own person taste. You may even go so far as to stuff some peppers instead of using tomatoes altogether. So every single element of this dish can be replaced. Even the cheddar cheese can be replaced with either, feta, goats cheese and even haloumi. So there you have it, the most inter-changeable recipe I have ever written!!!!

These tomatoes are the perfect lunch time dish. I chose quinoa over cous cous and all the other grains, because it is a high protein ingredient with a low GI; meaning this should keep you fuller for longer. The tomatoes are not however just for lunch, these would be the perfect accompaniment to a main course fish dish at a dinner party. You could even have them prepped ahead, and just bang them in the oven for 15 minutes before serving the main. They look very impressive, yet secretly easy peasy to make. Here's how:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of quinoa 
• 1 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 3 mushrooms, cubed
• 1/2 courgette, cubed
• 1 small can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 of a red onion, diced
• 6 mint leaves, shredded
• 1/2 tsp of cumin powder
• Salt & pepper to season
• 2 tbsp of grated cheddar
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 beef tomatoes

Method

1. Add the quinoa to pan on a medium heat, add the water and cook for 12 minutes.
2. Drain the quinoa and set aside.
3. Add a wok to a medium heat, add the onion, tomato paste and cumin powder. Cook out for 5 minutes.
4. Then add the mushrooms, courgettes and chickpeas, and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the quinoa and the seasoning and mix really well, heating everything through.
6. Finally add the mint and mix through.
7. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. 
8. Slice the top off the tomatoes, and cut out a hollow hole in the tomato.
9. Spoon the quinoa mixture into the tomato and sprinkle each tomato with 1 tbsp of cheese.
10. Place the tomatoes in an oven proof dish, replace the lid on the tomato, and add half a cup of water to the dish. (This prevents the tomato from sticking to the dish and keeps the finished product moist)
11. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 
12. Serve with a simple green salad.

(Tip: Other ingredients which would work well are chopped almonds, sultanas, corriander, apricots, grated carrot, grated cucumber. The list is endless. Feel free to experiment)

Indian Sweet Potato Cubes with Garlic Curry Mayo - An Indian Take on a Spanish Classic

These potato cubes are gorgeous and can be eaten as a main meal or would be a fabulous side dish. They are a variation of my Quick Patatas Bravas recipe from Spain. By using sweet potato we are making this dish super healthy, and by boiling and baking the potatoes, we are continuing with our health trend. It's only when I add mayonnaise into the mix that the calorie content increases, so for the health concious, you can omit the curry mayo, however it's every bit as important in this dish I think. Use low fat mayonnaise if you want to be good.

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp of ground cumin
• 1 tbsp of oil, a flavorless oil
• Ground black pepper

Garlic Curry Mayonnaise

• 1 tsp of mild curry powder
• 5-7 tbsp of mayonnaise
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon
• Ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp of garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp of coriander paste

Method

1. Add the cubed potatoes to a saucepan of cold water and put on a medium heat. Bring the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and allow the steam to escape for a few minutes. This helps the potatoes dry out a bit.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Add the potatoes to a bowl and pour in the olive oil and sprinkle over the cumin. Stir to ensure all the cubes are coated. 
5. Lay the cubes in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
6. Grind over the black pepper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cubes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
7. Meanwhile to make my garlic curry mayonnaise, simply combine the mayonnaise, garlic puree, curry powder and pepper. Mix well. Add the juice of the lemon and stir to combine completely.
8. To Serve, scattered the potatoes in a platter and place the mayonnaise in a little bowl, alternatively you could pour the mayo over the sweet potato, bravas style.

Quick & Simple Healthier Patatas Bravas

There's this restaurant here in Killarney called La Rambla. It's my favorite place in town and everytime we go there, we always order tonnes of their patatas bravas. They are little bites of heaven, every mouthful is sublime. I'm not sure how they make them and what the ingredients to their bravas sauce is, but I have tried to recreate their patatas bravas at home, using a very low fat method of cooking them and a cheats bravas sauce, so simple, even the most kitchen-shy should be able to whip it up.

Ingredients

• 2 potatoes,  peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• Ground black pepper

Quick Bravas Sauce

• 1 lemon cut into wedges
  
• Ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp of smoked paprika
• 5-7 tbsp of organic low fat mayonnaise
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Method

1. Add the cubed pototoes to a saucepan of cold water and put on a medium heat. Bring the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes and allow the steam to escape for a few minutes. This helps the potatoes dry out a bit.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Add the potatoes to a bowl and pour in the olive oil and sprinkle over the paprika. Stir to ensure all the cubes are coated. 
5. Lay the cubes in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
6. Grind over the black pepper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cubes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
7. Meanwhile to make my cheats bravas sauce, simply combine the mayonnaise, minced garlic, paprika and pepper. Mix well. Add the juice of a 1-2 lemon wedges and stir to combine completely.
8. To serve, place the potatoes in a platter and pour over the bravas sauce and throw a couple of cocktail stick into the potatoes.

This is my favorite potato dish and I have experimented with it recently to come up with Thai Potato cubes and sweet chili mayo and most recently Indian Sweet Potato cubes and curry mayo . I'm a sucker for the ole potato, and shure, why wouldn't I be, I'm Irish afterall!

Tomato & Mushoom Mhung Dhal

This low fat, high protein meal is Indian inspired. The Mhung Dhal is a type of lentil used for curries in India. I do not know how to use it authentically, but here’s a low fat tasty method of cooking it, Serena-Style, high on spicy flavour and low on calories. It truly is a life saver when caught in the ‘same food cycle’ when trying to diet mid-week. You just simply get sick of the same ole dinners day-in, day-out.

This Dhal will literally put the spice back into the mid-week diet. I’ve made double to have for lunch the following day. In India they normally have their dhal with rice, but I’m going to try to keep those proteins high by having this Dhal with some grilled spicy chicken breast.  I know that some goes against a lot of the Indian vegetarian cooking rules, but I do not claim to be cooking an authentic indian meal, simply using inspiration from the healthier parts of the Indian cuisine to make low fat dieting more interesting for me. I’ve sourced the mhung dhal from the health food store, but this recipe can easily be used using yellow spilt peas or red lentils.

 

Ingredients

·         100g of mhung dhal lentils or yellow/red lentils

·         1 tbsp of grapeseed oil

·         1 clove of garlic, chopped

·         1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

·         1 onion, sliced

·         1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

·         1 tsp of ground cumin

·         1 tsp of ground coriander

·         1 tsp of turmeric

·         Salt and pepper

·         300ml chicken/vegetable stock

·         8 mushrooms, sliced

·         1 red pepper, sliced

·         4 tomatoes, quartered

·         3 tbsp of chopped coriander

Method

1.       Get a saucepan of stock on the boil and add the lentils and cook according to packet instructions (average 15 minutes)

2.       In a frying pan, add the oil, garlic, ginger, chilli and onion.

3.       Add the spices and fry for a few minutes.

4.       Add the mushrooms, pepper and tomatoes and fry well, then put to the side until the lentils are cooked.

5.       Drain the lentils well, add them to the frying pan and put back on the heat.

6.       Mix in well and add salt and pepper.

7.       Use a potato masher to crush a bit of the lentils, and then stir in the chopped herbs.

8.       Serve with basmati rice, or (a grilled chicken breast like me!).

(Saag Aloo [Potato & spinach] is another Indian meal in need of a low fat makeover, that would be an ideal accompaniement to the above Dhal!)

New Year Colcannon

This winter comfort food is the ultimate indulgence, with warm milk and potatoes being the main ingredients. There’s something about the wellness feeling of mash potato!!! It just makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

This recipe for a low fat colcannon has a little twist. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish that involves mash potatoes, cabbage and cream and butter. As scrumptious as that sounds though, seeing as it’s just after Christmas, we are going to take the low fat route, using just a little skimmed milk heated, instead of butter and cream.

 Also as Brussels sprouts are still in vast supply  after Christmas, we are going to use them instead of the traditional cabbage.

This meal would be a great accompaniment to low fat sausages or some lean bacon.

(When sprouts go out of season, substitute with cabbage, kale, or spinach)

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 small leek, washed and chopped finely
• 6 brussel sprouts, shredded
• 2 tbsp of skimmed milk
• Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan over a high heat and boil for 10 minutes, or until soft.
2. Then add the shredded sprouts and cook for a further 2 minutes
3. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, add the milk and leek and cook over a low heat for 5-7 minutes, until the leek has softened.
4. Drain the potatoes and the sprouts, and add to the pan with the milk and leek.
5. Add salt and pepper and mash everything together with a potato masher.

Serve with your choice of lean meat for a real comfort feeling. Perfect for these wintery nights.

Seasoned French Fries and Wasabi Mayo

These are another great canape for a drinks party. Who doesn't like french fries?!!!! These are a little posh and served with a wasabi mayo for a grown-up kick.

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes, chopped thinly with skins still on.
• 1 tbsp of Arromat all purpose seasoning
• 1 tsp of wasabi paste
• 6 tbsp of good quality mayo
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped

Method

1. These are 3 times cooked chips, the only method for the ultimate crispy, fluffy chip.
2. Add the chopped potato to a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil on a high heat.
3. Drain the potatoes when the water comes to the boil, and allow to rest in the colander so the steam leaves the potatoes.
4. Add the chips to a deep fryer and fry until almost cooked through.
5. Remove from the fat, and rest until just before you are ready to serve.
6. Add the fries to the fat for one last blast, until nice and golden.
7. Drain on some kitchen paper and douce with the Arromat seasoning.
8. Serve with the wasabi mayo, which is made by simply combining the wasabi paste, spring onion and mayo.

Swede & Sweet Potato Mash: The Low Fat Alternative to Mash Potato

With real winter weather literally on our doorsteps today, we need the ultimate comfort food, eaten all snuggled up in front of the fire, protected from the harsh sound of the wind, and the beating of the rain on the window panes. And what's better comfort food than mash potatoes, right?! Well that just causes a whole lot of problems for us dieters, so here's my alternative low fat version, whilst still retaining the comfort factor and buckets of flavour.

I first made this healthy version of mash potato, as a compromise for having a big roast chicken dinner with yummy gravy.  My weakness in the past used to be mashed potatoes with lots of cream, butter and salt. However, ever the diet-conscious now, I’ve come up with an alternative to mash potatoes for dieters to enjoy with their Sunday roast. This mashed sweet potato and swede combo doesn’t need an ounce of butter. It mashes very well and just needs some sea salt and black pepper.

Serves 4

Ingredients

·         ½ a swede, peeled and cut into cubes

·         1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

·         Sea salt

·         pepper

Method

1.       Place the cubed vegetables into a saucepan of cold water.

2.       Place the saucepan on a high heat and bring to the boil.

3.       Once it’s come up to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the swede and potato are tender.

4.       Drain the vegetables and mash with a potato masher, and season generously.

As I said this works as a great alternative to buttery mash potato for your Sunday roast. It’s also a  great topping for low fat cottage/Sheppard’s pie or low fat fisherman’s pie.