Prawn & Mango Red Curry - Quick & Healthy Mid Week Supper

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.

Ingredients

• 100g raw prawns
• 1/2 a fresh mango cubed
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 red onion. thinly sliced
• 1  lime, quartered
• 10-15 fine green beans
• 1 tsp red curry paste
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1cm piece of ginger, diced
• 3 tbsp of coconut milk
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 tsp of fish sauce
• 1 tsp of soy sauce

Rice to serve

Method

1. 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.
2. Add the mushrooms and the prawns. Cook until the prawn turn pink. 
3. Add the mango cubes and the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
4. 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. 
5. Finally add the green beans to warm through, but they still retain their colour. To taste add the fish sauce and the soy sauce.
6. For freshness and zing, serve with a wedge of lime and some brown rice.

Smoked Salmon Paté & Melba Toasts

I've been totally absent of late with the blog, for a number of reasons to be honest. For one, this is busy season and every year my posts dwindle from June to September; not intentionally, but with running the Bed and Breakfast  and looking after the cutest one year old ever :) , time runs away from me every day.

With my sister getting married also there was the bridesmaid diet to consider and my brief fling with the Paleo Diet. Hard core paleo is just not for me. I love my food way too much!!! I'm more reading from the paleo diet a la carte style. I  do try to follow it Monday to Friday, so dinners have been boring; hence the lack of imaginative dinners on the blog.

I did a dinner party for some French guest recently and as a starter I made this Smoked Salmon Pate. Its super simple and can be made in advance and lasts for a week or so in the fridge. I paired it with homemade melba toasts and a super quick cucumber pickle. I have to say this is one of the easiest starters I have ever made, yet also the tastiest. It's super humid at the moment and one of my guests commented that the starter was very refreshing after being stuck in a bus touring all day. I had some leftover so it served as lunch for us for a day or so after, which is a nice change from soup, salads, sandwiches.

Ingredients

Salmon Paté

• 200g of smoked salmon (Organic Irish if possible)
• 50g of full fat cream cheese
• 50g of creme fraiche
• 2 tbsp of chopped dill
• Pepper
• Zest and juice of a lemon

Quick Cucumber Pickle

• 1 cucumber, sliced as thinly as possible
• 1 tbsp of caster sugar
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar

Melba Toast

• 2 slices of thick toast bread

Method

1. Pulse the smoked salmon in a food processor, add the creme fraiche and the cream cheese and pulse. Add the pepper, dill, zest and juice of a lemon and pulse again. It's done, its that simple. Store in a Kilner Jar, until ready to use. For a fancy finish for a starter, I served my paté in shot glasses, garnished with a little dill. 
2. To make the pickle, simply mix all the ingredients together and allow to mingle for 30 minutes. Again this keeps really well in a clip top jar and goes well in sandwiches or an accompaniment to salmon darnes for dinner.
3. Use thick sliced bread to make the melba toasts. Toast the bread in a toaster and then with a serrated bread knife cut off the crusts. Then carefully cut the bread through the middle to give you 2 slices. Now cut each slice in half diagonally to give you two triangles per half. Grill soft side up and the bread with toast on this side and curl up. The toasts can be stored in an airtight container for a few hours until required. These are great also for hummus and salsa.

Spicy Monkfish Ceviche

Ceviche is a method of cooking fish in lime juice, no heating element required. This would make this a super dish for 'cooking' on a camping holiday or even on a picnic. However, you must ensure to use the freshest possible fish from your fishmonger.

Some people would have an automatic aversion to the thought of eating monkfish after just been soaked in lime juice. But once you taste the fish and experience the utter tenderness of the monkfish (when overcooked on heat can be chewy and tough), you'll never want to cook monkfish the conventional method again. 

This is a superb dish to cook as a starter for a dinner party, or simply for a drinks party using tortilla chips as you spoons.

Serves 2 as a starter

Ingredients

• Monkfish, 2 portions (get fishmonger to take the membrane off and to fillet it)
• 4 limes, juiced.
• 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced thinly (or red chilli)
• 4 spring onions, diced.
• 2 tbsp of oil
• Salt & pepper

To Serve

Chopped Fresh Coriander, extra limes and tortilla Chips

Method

1. Cut the monkfish into very small pieces and place in a wide shallow bowl.
2. Add the lime juice, half the jalapeno pepper and half the spring onions. Also add the oil and pepper.
3. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes and then drain to prevent further cooking.
4. Place in a clean bowl, season well and freshen it up with the remaining spring onions and jalapeno pepper.
5. Serve with fresh coriander, lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Seriously addictive!!

Mussels & Chorizo in Irish Cider Cream

This dish is a favorite of mine and my husband and always reminds me of a little side lane bistro we had lunch in when we were in Paris. I love anything at all with chorizo in it as a I simply adore the smoky, spicy flavour it gives off; So pairing mussels with chorizo is, for me,  a match made in heaven. This dish is a main course for 2 people (hungry people), but it is also an awesome starter for 4 for a dinner party. There are only 5 main ingredients for this dish and the cooking time takes literally minutes. The longest part of this dish is preparing (cleaning and debearding) the mussels.

To prepare mussels simply, throw the fresh mussels into a sink and scrub them clean and ensure that they are all closed. If they are open, tap them gently on the counter. If the close, then they are ok, if they remain open, then discard. Use a butter knife to debeard the mussels and then put them in a bowl of cold water ready for using. My mussels were so fresh they even had a little crab wriggling around in amongst them. I freed the poor little guy, however I don't know how long he would survive outside. Poor guy! Wrong place, wrong time!

Once you have your mussels prepped then, cooking the dish takes hardly no time at all.

Ingredients

• 2.5 - 3kg Fresh mussels, washed and debearded
• 150g chopped chorizo 
• 3 shallots, diced
• 500ml of bulmers cider
• 200ml of pouring cream
• Pepper
• Lemon wedges
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

To serve
Garlic bread & lots of freshly chopped flat leaf parsley.

Method

1. In a pan with a lid, on a medium to high heat, saute the shallots and the chorizo for a few minutes in the oil.
2. Then add the mussels and the cider. Bring to the boil.
3. Place the lid on the pan and cook the mussels for 4 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and add the cream, pepper and parsley.
5. Serve with lemon wedges and garlic bread.

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.

Low Fat Seafood Chowder

Chowder for me is more than just a soup, its a meal in a bowl. Chowder is something I'll always order when dining close to the coast as I always find that pubs and restaurants close to the coast always make the very best chowder. Sometimes chowder can have alot of cream in it, making it a not so low fat option. I've devised this low fat version to satisfy my craving for my beloved chowder without going OTT on the calorie count.

Ingredients

• 1 fillet of smoked haddock, cubed
• 1 fillet of cod, cubed
• 1 fillet of salmon, cubed
• 1 cup of mussel meat
• 1 cup of king prawns
• 1 leek, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 4-5 baby potatoes, sliced
• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley
• 200ml of fish stock, mixed with a tsp of saffron strands
• 300ml of low fat milk
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• Low Fat Creme fraiche to serve

Method

1. In a saucepan, add the oil, and sweat the onions, leeks, garlic, carrots, and baby potatoes. Saute for 5-8 minutes.
2. Add the stock and milk, and bring to the boil.
3. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Using a hand held blender, whizz the soup mixture to a smooth consistency.
5. Add the seafood mix and continue the simmer until the fish is cooked. (Normally 5 minutes)
6. Season well and add some creme fraiche and flat leaf parsley.

Spicy Thai Crab Cakes

Crab cakes are one of the easiest things in the world to make, and because crab is considered a luxury decadent ingredient; an ingredient one wouldn't use daily; these cake cakes are seen as a little treat, reserved for a special occasion. Perhaps it's the fact that in this part of the world, crab doesn't come too cheap, unfortunately.

To add flavour and spice to these little cakes, I'm adding all the typical Thai ingredients that makes just about any dish sing.

These cakes, on this occasion are cooked for a main course, so I made really big balls and flattened them into cakes. For a dinner party starter, you can make smaller versions, and perhaps shallow fry them for a wonderful crunch.

Makes 5 large cakes

Ingredients

• 200g of fresh white crab meat
• 200g of potatoes
• Lime zest and lime juice of a half lime.
• 1 inch size piece of ginger
• 1 inch size piece of red chilli
• 1/2 a garlic clove
• 4 spring onions, sliced finely
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp of fine bread crumbs
• 4 tbsp of fresh coriander
• Salt/pepper
• 1 lemongrass, chopped.
• 1 tsp of fish sauce
• 1 tbsp of soy sauce
• Oil for frying
• Sweet chilli mayo for dipping.

Method

1. Cook the potatoes, until tender, Peel the potatoes and mash them. Allow the mash to cool.
2. In a food blender, add the lime zest & juice, ginger, chilli, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, crab, lemongrass, fish sauce, and soy sauce and coriander.
3. Blend until a smooth paste is formed.
4. Season and add the spring onions and the mash potato.
5. Mix to combine.
6. Get a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Divide the mixture into even balls, using an ice cream scoop is handy.
8. Flatten each ball and roll in plain flour.
9. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
10. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
11. Fry the crab cakes, 4 minutes a side and then drain on kitchen paper.
12. Serve with lime wedges and quick sweet chilli mayo (to make 3 parts mayo with one part sweet chilli sauce and a squeeze of lime juice.)

Thai Red Chilli & Roast Tomato Salmon Marinade

Here’s a very quick and simple Thai Red Chilli & Roast Tomato Marinade, spiced with ginger, garlic and lemongrass for an Asian inspired meal.

All the ingredients are fat free so you’ve already got the brownie points ahead of the store-bought marinade sauces, but also you can’t beat a freshly made marinade in the taste department also. There is no comparison, simple as!

I chose a healthy piece of salmon to use the marinade on, but it would be just as delicious on chicken or pork. I served this with brown rice to create a well-balanced low fat nutritious meal.

Ingredients

·         2 pieces of salmon fillets

·         1 large red chilli, diced

·         1 piece of lemongrass, chopped finely

·         2 cloves of garlic, grated

·         1 white onion, finely diced

·         1 thumb size piece of ginger, grated

·         A handful of chopped coriander

·         1 tsp of fish sauce

·         1 tbsp of soy sauce

·         1 tsp of tomato paste/puree

·         2 oven roasted tomatoes*

·         Pinch of sugar

·         Juice of a lime

·         Brown rice to serve, lime and chopped coriander.

Method

1.       Combine all the ingredients, except the salmon and rice, in a mini food blender and whizz to a smooth paste.

2.       Pour into a shallow dish and place the salmon in the marinade.

3.       Let to infuse for 30 minutes.

4.       Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

5.       Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.

6.       Meanwhile get your rice on according to packet instructions.

7.       To serve, place the rice on a plate, place the salmon on the rice in the centre and pour the cooked marinade and juices.

8.       Scatter with a little coriander and serve with a lime wedge.

*Cut the tomatoes in half and roast in oven at 150 degrees for 20-30 minutes. This can be done in advance.

This marinade is so diverse. For Thai inspired roast chicken, add some honey to the marinade, and rub all over the whole chicken. Stick a few unpeeled cloves of garlic and a stick of fresh lemon grass in the cavity of the chicken for extra flavour. Roast in a really low oven (160 degrees) for 2 hours, turning upside down half way through. Serve with egg noodles. It’s AWESOME!!!

Oats & Seeds Fish Fingers

Good Friday is not far away, which means only one thing……Easter eggs are not far behind!!!  Haha.

On Good Friday, more a traditional custom now for us rather than religious, we tend to abstain from meat and embrace all creatures of the sea. I needn’t harp on about how good fish is for you, and how these days the variety we have available to us is wonderful and leaves us with no excuse not to experiment with cooking fish and seafood…… (well I did harp there, for just a second).

For this healthy fish finger recipe, I’m not really experimenting with fish variety, but I have cooked the fish in a way I had never tried before. Trying to be ever health conscious, these fish fingers are baked rather than fried (no surprise there), but the coating for them is using porridge oats, panko breadcrumbs and seeds. This makes the fish fingers super healthy rather than cooking them in a white breadcrumb coating, not to mention a great texture to the fingers. Also they will keep you filling fuller for longer with the use of oats and seeds. They are so healthy, you can increase the chips on your plate!

I would use any firm fish for these fingers, I am using cod and whiting here, as that’s what my fishmonger had freshest, but skinned salmon or coley would work well here.

These are guilt free fish fingers for the kiddies too, adding some peas and baby potatoes and that’s a real easy meal to please the kids. They can help with the prepping of the fingers too, making them more inclined in eating them when they are cooked.

Makes 12-15 fingers

Ingredients

• 4 fillets of skinned cod
• 50g of panko bread crumbs
• 50g of porridge oats
• 20g of mixed seeds (sesame, sunflower)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g of flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
• Low cal spray

Method

1. Cut the cod fillet into finger/goujon size pieces.
2. Put the flour on a plate, the egg in a bowl and mix the breadcrumbs, oats and seeds together, and put in another bowl.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
4. Line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper and spray with low cal spray.
5. Dip the fingers in the flour, shake off excess, dip in the egg, shake off the excess; and cover in the oaty coating.
6. Place the fingers in a line on the baking sheet.
7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn and bake for a further 5-8 minutes.

(Alternative for Panko Breadcrumbs: If you don’t have panko breadcrumbs, toast a slice of brown bread, and when cool blitz in a mini food chopper)

Sneaky Accompaniment: a quick lime and sweet chilli mayonnaise – add 3 tbsp of low fat mayo, with juice of half a lime, and 1 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce, black pepper)

Retro Smoked Salmon Paté

For a different dinner party starter, that was quick to prepare and in advance I decided to make some smoked salmon paté. The beauty of this recipe is that it needs to be prepared in advance, so this takes the pressure off cooking a starter when you have guests to entertain.

I used half fat creme fraiche and Philadelphia Light cream cheese so the pat isn't as naughty as it could be, easing the guilt a little, and allowing you to indulge at bit.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 200g of smoked salmon, chopped
• 150g of smoked salmon (for moulds)
• Juice of half a lemon
• Pepper
• 2 tbsp of dill
• 150g of light cream cheese
• 2 tbsp of light creme fraiche
• 2 spring onions, chopped.

Method

1. In a food processor, add the chopped smoked salmon, the lemon juice, pepper, cream cheese and creme fraiche, onions and half the dill. Blitz for a creamy consistency.
2. Get 4 ramekins, and cover the inside with cling film, allow the film to spill well over the edges.
3. Place the smoked salmon in the moulds, covering the inside and allowing it to cover up over the sides.
4. Spoon in the paté, and fold over the overhanging salmon and film.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
6. When ready to serve, pull out the cling film and carefully place the contents upside down on a plate
7. Serve with a sprinkle of the remaining dill, some toasts and lemon wedges.

Low Fat Fish & Chips

Out with the pancakes and in the with  40 days starvation…..Just kidding! Goodness imagine that, I’d have heart failure at the thought of 40 days starvation.

 I see abstaining from meat on Ash Wednesday as more an Irish tradition these days rather than a religious need. I see Ash Wednesday as a great opportunity for us to set aside at least one day where we eat fish, which is healthier and leaner than meat. There is so much fish on the market these days which wasn’t around when we were little, Ash Wednesday can be used as a day to go out, be adventurous and buy some fish or seafood you haven’t  tried before.

For those of you who are not as adventurous as myself when it comes to trying new types of fish (sustainable fish I might add), then here is one of my favourite fish recipe, and I’m sure it’s the nations favourite, the good ole fish and chips. This is not a recipe for a battered cod or trice fried chips, this is the healthier baked version, complete with a healthier tartar sauce and healthier mushy peas. It goes to show that just because you may be dieting or wish to eat healthier, doesn’t mean you must close the door on your favourite food, it just means you need to adapt recipes to make them healthier. Instantly making dinner a guilt free affair.

Fish – please use a sustainable, responsibly sourced fish.

Chips – rooster potatoes are great for chipping and baking

Mushy peas – out with sugary canned mushy peas, in with pureed garden peas with olive oil and mint

Tartar sauce – lighter than light mayo and tangy capers and gherkins are the way forward here

If you like what you hear….lets get cooking!!

Ingredients

• 2 fillets coley/ haddock or similar
• 2 rooster potatoes, chipped, leaving skin on
• 100g frozen peas
• 2 mint leaves
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbsp of lighter than light mayo
• 2 gherkins, chopped
• 2 tsp of capers
• Juice ½ lemon

Method

1. The chips take the longest so we'll start with them. Put the chipped potatoes in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil, and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
3. Drain the chips, and allow the moisture to steam off the chips for 5 minutes
4. Place the chips back in the pan and add 1 tbsp of oil and shake about to coat all the chips.
5. Place the chips on parchment paper on a baking tray in one even layer
6. Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes, turning once.
7. Meanwhile, make the tartar sauce, mix the mayo, gherkins, capers, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl.
8. Cook the fish skin side up on baking paper on a tray in the oven with the chips for the final 15 minutes of cooking.
9. Boil the frozen peas in boiling water for 7 minutes and drain.
10. Whizz the peas, mint, remaining oil and salt and pepper to make the ‘mushy peas’
11. With everything made its simply a case of assembly. I don’t go in for amazing presentations (you make have guessed), but maybe placing the fish on top of the pea puree, and get the tartar sauce in a small dish to place on the place and finally scatter with the crispy baked chips.

Chilli Crab and Avocado Crostini

This is a great starter to prepare for a dinner party when time is not on your side, or you just simply wish to have a light refreshing starter for your dinner party. It’s also dare I say, posh lunch; perhaps for those Saturday Lunches with ‘the girls’, by bulking it up on a bed of salad leaves.

Whatever the reason for making this little fancy piece crab on toast, you will not be disappointed! This really is a sexy piece of food, ready in minutes!

Serves 4

Ingredients

·         200g fresh crab meat

·         1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

·         1 tbsp of freshly chopped coriander

·         2 spring onions, diced

·      1 tbsp of light mayo

·         1 ripe avocado, roughly mashed with juice of half a lime

·         1 lime

·         French baguette (preferably a day old)

·         1 salt and pepper

Method

1.       Preheat the oven

2.       Cut the baguette into slices on the diagonal

3.       Place the bread on a baking tray and bake for 4-5 minutes (keep careful eye on them)

4.       In a mixing bowl, combine the crab, chilli, spring onion and lime juice and mayo.

5.       When the bread is ready, spread each toast with the mashed avocado and top with the crab mixture.

6.       Done and yum!

Last Minute Chinese New Year Prawn Stir Fry

I visited China in 2006 as part of my world travels, with my now husband. We arrived to China on a train from Russia, and we had no idea of what to expect in China, from a cultural and food point of view. Having spent the previous 10 days expeiencing culture shock after culture shock, from Russia through to Mongolia, we figured we have adjusted to seeing new things on a daily basis!!

China was like no country we'd ever visited. As I said we arrived via train into Bejing from Ulanbataar in Mongolia. Crossing the border from Mongolia into China was really surreal. Our train came into the border crossing station in the middle of the night and the station was all lit up with Christmas Music playing on loud speakers!! (It was September). When all the paper work was completed, our train began its final journey towards Bejing, passing THE Great Wall!!! We thought 'what an introduction to China, this is going to be a great trip'!!

Out of all the countries we have visited, China is probably the strangest to us, but exciting to discover. The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was breathtaking, the wall was challenging to climb, the acrobatic show, mind boggling. The food was not what we expected. We were thinking about food from our local Chinese take aways at home. How wrong we were.

Our first meal in Beijing was a bit scary. Our guide brought us to off the beaten track traditional hot pot restaurant. This is were big pots of boiling stock on gas portable hobsare placed at in the centre of your table and the raw ingredients then selected by you, and cooked at the table by you, using only chopsticks. Thank goodness our guide selected an array of meats and vegetables for us. Looking at the English translation on the menu, we read all sorts of meats, dog and horse included, and literally every single part of the animal was on offer. Our guide assured us we were eating beef and pork!! But that saying that Chinese eat everything with legs on it, except a table, was beinging to ring truer and truer!

Peking Duck night was another highlight of our dining experience in China. Really authentic and really delicious and succulent. I will probably never taste another Peking Duck like it. In China there's no such thing as starters, everything is brought to the table as its cooked and rice is brought to the table towards the end of the meal, so it really is a different experience from ordering your prawn toast and wontons and then sweet and sour chicken with fried rice from your local take away.

I almost forgot about the Chinese New Year today. I had planned on doing a elaborate Chinese buffet meal for my family!!! But between this and that I totally forgot, so in a last minute dash, I whipped up a quick Chinese prawn with spring onion and chilli stir fry with rice noodles.

2012 Year of the Dragon (Source: friendfortheride.wordpress.com)

It's ready in less than 10 minutes, so for those of you who wanted to salute the Chinese New Year and don't really have the time, take a look at this last minute Chinese Prawns Stir Fry

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 16 king prawns, uncooked
• 1/2 a red chilli, sliced
• 4 spring onions, chopped finely
• 1 thumb size piece of peeled chopped ginger
• 1 garlic clove, finely diced
• 3 tbp of light coconut milk
• 100g of rice noodles

Method

1. Put a saucepan of water on the boil and reduce to a simmer.
2. Get a wok smoking hot.
3. Add the noodles to the water and simmer for 2-3 minutes
4. Add the chilli, ginger, and garlic to the wok and stir fry vigorously for 1 minute.
5. Add the prawns and stir fry until pink, and add the spring onions.
6. Drain the noddles and return to the pan and sitr in the coconut milk.
7. To plate up, place the noddles in a shallow plate, and top with the stir fried prawns.