Refreshing Ginger Lemonade

When it's summertime and the living is easy, what nicer way to cool down than with a glass of homemade lemonade!! I've added freshly grated ginger to give the lemonade a burst of zing and extra freshness. It's super retro and perfect for serving at tea parties, kids parties and barbecues.

Ingredients

• 4 lemons
• 4 tbsp of caster sugar
• 1 thumb size peeled and grated ginger
• 2 litres of soda or sparkling water
• Lots of ice

Method

1. Squeeze the juice of 2 lemons into a saucepan and add the sugar and ginger.
2. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble for 10 minutes for the liquid to reduce to a syrup ( do not stir when sugar is on the heat)
3. Allow the syrup to cool completely.
4. Thinly slice 2 lemons and add to a jug of iced sparkling water/soda water.
5. Pour in half the syrup, reserving the rest for a refill.

This would make a terrific vodka cocktail also, for those of us who would be inclined...

Thai BBQ Prawns

This is a quick and easy recipe for Thai BBQ prawns. All you need is some metal skewers and sunshine, and then you're ready to throw some shrimp on the barbie!!!

Although sunshine is preferred, it is rarely guaranteed, so this recipe is just as good cooked on a griddle pan.

Makes 2 skewers

Ingredients

• 8 Crevettes (prawns, uncooked, unshelled)
• 2 metal skewers
• Thai marinade

Marinade

• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 a red chilli, finely diced
• 1 stick of lemongrass, peeled and finely diced
• 3 tbsp of diced fresh coriander
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp of oil

Method

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients together.
2. Add the prawns to the marinade and leave for 3 minutes.
3. Place 4 prawns on each metal skewer (starting with the 'neck' and push the skewer out again at the 'tail')
4. Either place the skewers on a hot BBQ or Griddle pan and cook for 2 minutes and turn them and cook for a further minute.

Deshelling prawns can be quite messy so be prepared to get your fingers messy, though after you can lick them clean!!! Have a small bowl of lemon water and napkins handy to de-prawn.

Quick Rustic Basil & Almond Pesto

I promised my husband some pesto pasta this evening for dinner, and it was only at the last minute I realised my pesto jar was finished. I have no Parmesan nor pine nuts; but I do have great whole almonds and a particularly awesome bottle of olive oil from olive farmers we stayed with in Sicily in October.

The olive oil is from the groves of a Bed and Breakfast we stayed at in Ciuci's Manor near Agrigento in Sicily. If you are ever going to Sicily then a stay in this B&B should be top of the list. Fabulous hosts in such amazing surroundings, and the breakfast was outstanding. http://www.ciucismanor.it/php/home_ing.php

 So figure I would make an almond & basil pesto instead, very rustic. This is not an authentic pesto recipe, but by using fantastic high quality ingredients, the result is a pesto bursting with flavour. (in particular by using the best oil you can get your hands on)

Ingredients

• 2 large handfuls of fresh basil leaves
• 100g of toasted whole almonds (dry fry in a pan for a few minutes, and cooled)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 150mls olive oil.

Method

1. In a food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse, adding a little oil at a time. ( I try not to over-process the pesto, as I like a little bit of texture and this is what gives it a wonderful rustic feel.

Serving Suggestion

Mix a few spoons of pesto through cooked pasta and garnish with extra basil leaves (torn).

Harissa Spiked BBQ Chicken Kebabs

We have got to make the most out of this glorious summer heatwave we have at the moment, as going by previous summers lately, it could be short lived! So we'll be dining alfresco and having dinner from the bbq grill for as long as we possibly can.
Its not a weekend, so we are trying to keep the dinners low fat where possible. These spicy and smoky harissa spiked chicken kebabs are so tasty, you don't even realise that they are really low fat and very healthy!
I'm pairing the kebabs with a simple green salad and some couscous salad for the hubbie.

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 tbsp of harissa paste
• 1 lemon, zest and juice
• 1/2 garlic clove
• 1 tsp of orange marmalade
• Pepper

To Serve (optional extras)

• Greek yogurt
• Salad
• Flat breads

Method

1. In a bowl add the chicken and the remaining ingredients. 
2. Mix well and leave to marinade for an hour or so.
3. Fire up the BBQ or preheat a grill to medium
4. Thread a metal/wooden skewer with the chicken and grill, until cooked, turning often.

Swedish Style Low Fat Meatballs

In honour of tomorrow nights Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo Sweden, here's a dish in that can be a big hit for those tacky but great fun Eurovision House Parties I love so much. The meatballs have a salute to Sweden, and are the perfect canape, great for drinks parties of all kind.

The meatballs are normally made with a mixture of beef and pork mince, but as theses are low fat, we are using turkey mincemeat. The meatballs are also baked not fried, thus reducing the fat further.

I'm serving these with two different dips; a low fat tomato sauce and a parsley yogurt.

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g turkey mince
• 1 slice of wholemeal bread
• 6 tbsp of low fat milk
• 1/4 tsp of mixed spice
• 1 tsp of fennel seeds
• 1 large egg
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley

Parsley Yogurt

• 1 tsp of flat leaf parsley chopped
• 8 tbsp of low fat yogurt
• 1/4 of a garlic clove, grated
• salt and pepper
• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

Tomato Sauce

• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, chopped
• 1 tsp of chilli paste
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Blitz the bread to crumbs in a food processor.
   
3. Add the crumbs to a bowl and mix with the milk
4. Add the remaining meatball ingredients and mix well to combine.
5. Using a wet tea spoon, divide out the small bite size meat balls on the baking tray.
6. Wet both hands and mould the meatballs into balls
7. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning half way.
8. To make the parsley sauce just combine the ingredients and place in a serving dish
9. To make the tomato sauce, add the chilli paste, onion, fennel and garlic to a frying pan, with the oil and saute on a medium heat.
10. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are broken down. Pour into a jug and blitz with a hand held blender. Return to the pan and season and heat. Place in a serving dish. (This basic tomato sauce can be used for just about anything! e.g. the remaining sauce is perfect for my pizza party)
11. To serve, scatter some rocket over a plate and place the balls on the plate and put toothpicks on each meatball. Serve with the sauces.

Super Quick Roast Chicken Fried Rice

The arrival of my baby daughter two weeks ago, means that the blog hasn't been updated in a while, and posts will probably be less frequent in the immediate future as me and my little angel find our feet. She fell into a deep sleep this evening, so I grabbed the opportunity to pull together a quick dinner and photograph it also for the blog. Result! She's such a good little girl!
This recipe is a simple throw-together quick supper for leftover chicken, packed full of spice and flavour! I'm  forever trying to come up with new ways with my leftover roast chicken; and this simple chicken fried rice ticks all the boxes. It's easy, quick, and satisfying. The perfect supper to eat in a bowl curled up on the sofa watching TV after work.

By using the egg as a basket or base to the the dish is a nice twist, instead of breaking the eggs directly into the fried rice dish, sometimes I find that method a results in a 'mushy' rice.

Serves 2 (and allows for seconds)

Ingredients

• Leftover roast chicken pieces
• 2 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 100g of frozen peas
• 8 mushrooms diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of basmati rice
• 2 cups of tap water
• 4 eggs (2 per person)
• 3 tbsp Stir fry oil
• 1 tbsp Sesame oil
• Soy sauce, as preferred, (I like a lot)
• 1/4 tsp Chilli Paste
• Sweet chilli sauce to serve

Method

1. Cook the rice in a pan with the water over a medium heat for 10 minutes. (Its best to cook the rice a little while before the rest of the dish to allow the rice to cool)
2. Add 1 tbsp of stir fry oil to a hot wok. Add the garlic, chilli paste, and ginger and stir.
3. Add in the peas, carrots, mushrooms and pepper and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the chicken to warm through. Stir through the sesame oil and season with the soy sauce.
5. Add the rice and thoroughly combine.
6. In a frying pan, add another tbsp of stir fry oil.
7. Break 2 eggs into a cup and whisk quickly with a fork.
8. Add the eggs to the hot pan and swirl around so the base of the pan is evenly coated with the eggs.
9. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes and turn over for a final 30 seconds. (should resemble a pancake)
10. Remove from the pan and keep warm, and repeat the process with the remaining 2 eggs, for the second portion.
11. To serve, place the warm fried egg into a bowl, and top with the fried rice.
12. Serve with extra soy and sweet chilli sauce.

Quick Apple, Blueberry & Almond Cake

Following watching an episode of Donna Hay's Fast Fresh & Simple cookery programme, I couldn't wait to try out her recipe for what seems to me to be the easiest cake you'll ever make. The only tweak to the recipe is that I've added some flaked almonds for some crunch to the topping, the rest is Donna Hay's.

I'm calling this my Waiting for Baby cake!!! Tomorrow is my baby due date so I wanted to keep myself busy in the kitchen without over exerting myself at this point; so I thought this recipe would be perfect, quick and easy and not too much waddling involved, plus there's the tasty treat at the end! You gotta keep the energy levels up you know!!

Ingredients

Cake Mix

• 225g self raising flour
• 165g caster sugar
• 125ml milk
• 125g soft butter
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs

Topping

• 1 apple, sliced thinly
• 100g of blueberries
• 25g of flaked almonds
• Demerara sugar for sprinkling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a spring form tin
2. In a food mixer, add all the cake mix ingredients and mix on low until combined
3. Scrape it into the cake tin and level it out evenly
4. Top with the apple slices evenly and scatter over the almonds and blueberries
5. Finally sprinkle with the demerara sugar and bake in the oven for 45 mins.
6. Check that the cake is fully baked with a skewer before removing from the oven (Insert skewer to centre of cake if it comes out clean it's done, if not bake for a further 5 mins and try again)
7. Leave to cool on a wire rack before gobbling the whole thing up.

This is either perfect for afternoon tea or served warm with ice-cream as a great dessert for a dinner party.

Delicious - Donna Hay....I salute you!