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Yummy scrummy carrot cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut two long strips the width of the tin and put each strip crossways, covering the base and sides of the tin, with a double layer in the base.
- Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
- Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)
- Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth - you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Set the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
(via silas216)
Chicken cacciatore
- Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Fry 1 finely chopped onionand 2 crushed garlic cloves in 3 tbsp olive oil until softened but not coloured. Add 2 x 400g tins of cherry tomatoes, season, then simmer for 10-15 minutes or until thick and glossy. Take off the heat and stir in 4 tbsp mascarpone and half a handful of basil, roughly torn.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry 6 chicken breasts on both sides until golden. Transfer to a baking dish and pour over the sauce. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over the remaining half handful of basil.
Know-how
Serve with a short pasta, like fusilli, or a big bowl of potatoes roasted with olive oil and rosemary.
Per serving
312 kcalories, protein 35.2g, carbohydrate 6.9g, fat 16.1 g, saturated fat 5.3g, fibre 2g, salt 0.87 g
(via silas216)
Mustard-stuffed chicken
- Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Mix the cheeses and mustard together. Cut a slit into the side of each chicken breast, then stuff with the mustard mixture. Wrap each stuffed chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers - not too tightly, but enough to hold the chicken together. Season, place on a baking sheet and roast for 20-25 mins.
Tip
If you want to use less bacon, stretch out four rashers using the back of a knife to make each one longer and thinner. Wrap just one around each chicken breast as before.
Make it veggie
Cheesy baked mushrooms: Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Mix the mozzarella and cheddar with 1 tbsp pesto, then spoon into the hollows of 4 portobello mushrooms. Place on a baking tray and roast for 15 mins or until the mushrooms are softened and the cheese is bubbling.
Per serving
367 kcalories, protein 49g, carbohydrate 0g, fat 19 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 0g, salt 1.93 g
(via silas216)
Summer-in-winter chicken
- Heat the oil in a frying pan, preferably non-stick. Add the chicken and fry without moving it until it takes on a bit of colour. Turn the chicken and cook on the other side. Continue cooking for 12-15 mins until the chicken is cooked through. Season all over with a little salt and pepper.
- Halve the tomatoes and throw them into the pan, stirring them around for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Reduce the heat and stir in the pesto and crème fraîche until it makes a sauce. Scatter with a few basil leaves if you have them, then serve with rice and salad or mash and broccoli.
Making it veggie
Fry the tomatoes in the oil, add the pesto and creme fraiche and serve over griddled halloumi slices or spoon over some spinach and ricotta-stuffed ravioli.
Per serving
262 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 2g, fat 12 g, saturated fat 5g, fibre 1g, salt 0.37 g
(via silas216)
Chilli con carne
- Prepare your vegetables. Chop 1 large onion into small dice, about 5mm square. The easiest way to do this is to cut the onion in half from root to tip, peel it and slice each half into thick matchsticks lengthways, not quite cutting all the way to the root end so they are still held together. Slice across the matchsticks into neat dice. Cut 1 red pepper in half lengthways, remove stalk and wash the seeds away, then chop. Peel and finely chop 2 garlic cloves.
- Start cooking. Put your pan on the hob over a medium heat. Add the oil and leave it for 1-2 minutes until hot (a little longer for an electric hob). Add the onions and cook, stirring fairly frequently, for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft, squidgy and slightly translucent. Tip in the garlic, red pepper, 1 heaped tsp hot chilli powder or 1 level tbsp mild chilli powder, 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin. Give it a good stir, then leave it to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Brown the 500g lean minced beef. Turn the heat up a bit, add the meat to the pan and break it up with your spoon or spatula. The mix should sizzle a bit when you add the mince. Keep stirring and prodding for at least 5 minutes, until all the mince is in uniform, mince-sized lumps and there are no more pink bits. Make sure you keep the heat hot enough for the meat to fry and become brown, rather than just stew.
- Making the sauce. Crumble 1 beef stock cube into 300ml hot water. Pour this into the pan with the mince mixture. Open 1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g can) and add these as well. Tip in ½ tsp dried marjoram and 1 tsp sugar, if using (see tip at the bottom), and add a good shake of salt and pepper. Squirt in about 2 tbsp tomato purée and stir the sauce well.
- Simmer it gently. Bring the whole thing to the boil, give it a good stir and put a lid on the pan. Turn down the heat until it is gently bubbling and leave it for 20 minutes. You should check on the pan occasionally to stir it and make sure the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan or isn’t drying out. If it is, add a couple of tablespoons of water and make sure that the heat really is low enough. After simmering gently, the saucy mince mixture should look thick, moist and juicy.
- Bring on the beans. Drain and rinse 1 can of red kidney beans (410g can) in a sieve and stir them into the chilli pot. Bring to the boil again, and gently bubble without the lid for another 10 minutes, adding a little more water if it looks too dry. Taste a bit of the chilli and season. It will probably take a lot more seasoning than you think. Now replace the lid, turn off the heat and leave your chilli to stand for 10 minutes before serving, and relax. Leaving your chilli to stand is really important as it allows the flavours to mingle and the meat.
- Serve with soured cream and plain boiled long grain rice.
A Mexican twist
Rather than add the teaspoon of sugar, you can stir in a small piece of chocolate (about the size of your thumbnail) when you add the beans. Any plain dark chocolate will do. Be careful not to add too much - you don’t want to be able to identify the flavour of the chocolate.
Other ways to enjoy chilli
Serve it on a bed of plain, boiled rice, with a spoonful of soured cream on top. Pile it on tortilla chips and sprinkle it with grated cheddar. Wrap it up in a tortilla with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes and guacamole for a great burrito.
Per serving
387 kcalories, protein 36g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 17 g, saturated fat 6g, fibre 6g, sugar 1g, salt 2.32 g
(via silas216)
Whole Wheat Fruit Salad Pancakes
The batter for these pancakes includes mashed banana and whole blueberries. Then they’re covered with chopped fresh fruit. Yum. This was a delicious and very satisfying breakfast on a day when we were out of toast.
The basic recipe is mix with a fork 1 mashed ripe banana, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp canola oil.
Sift dry ingredients into wet, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder.
Add blueberries and cook on a hot griddle on both sides. Flip when the first side bubbles and is dry at the edge. Serve with fruit salad and maple syrup or plain yogurt.
Yummy. My husband’s favorite.
The Benefit’s of Kale
Kale is not only one of the more beautiful cruciferous vegetables, but it also one of the most nutritious. Here are nine reasons to eat kale, and eat it often.
Diet and Digestion
One cup of kale has only 36 calories and zero grams of fat, which makes it a great diet aid. Furthermore, one cup contains nearly 20% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which promotes regular digestion, prevents constipation, lowers blood sugar and curbs overeating. Finally, kale contains the glucosinolate isothiocyanate (ITC) that fights the formation of H. pylori (Helicobacter pylori), a bacterial growth in the stomach lining that can lead to gastric cancer.
Antioxidants
Kale is a superstar in the arena of carotenoids and flavonoids, two powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals that cause oxidative stress. The key flavonoids kaempferol and quercitin (not to dismiss the 45 other distinctive flavonoids in kale) have also been shown to specifically fight against the formation of cancerous cells. With the addition of high doses of well-known antioxidants like vitamin C, vitamin A, and manganese, kale is certainly a smart choice in the battle against cellular oxidation.
Anti-Inflammatory
One cup of kale provides about 10% of the RDA of omega-3 fatty acids that helps regulate the body’s inflammatory process. A megadose of vitamin K further aids to fight against excessive inflammatory-related problems, such as arthritis, autoimmune disorders, and asthma.
Cancer
Not only do kale’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities work together to prevent and even combat cancer, a healthy diet of kale also provides glucosinolates, which have been shown to prevent colon, breast, bladder, prostate, ovarian cancers, as well as gastric cancer.
Cardiovascular Support
The high fiber content of kale lowers our cholesterol by binding with bile acids that the liver produces from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because many of these bile acids are coupled with fiber, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid to digest fat, and therefore requires more cholesterol to so, ultimately lowering the amount of cholesterol within our bodies.
Detox
The isothiocyanates (ITC) from glucosinolates found in kale aid in both phases I and II of the body’s detoxification process. The high sulfur content of kale has further been shown essential for phase II of detoxification.
Vitamin K
Kale provides a whopping dose of vitamin K (providing 1327% of the RDA in one cup), which is necessary for the synthesis of osteocalcin, a protein that strengthens the composition of our bones. Vitamin K also prevents calcium build-up in our tissue that can lead to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Finally, vitamin K is essential for synthesizing sphingolipid, the fat needed to maintain the myelin sheath around our nerves, and therefore our nervous system as a whole.
Vitamin A
With over 192% of the RDA of vitamin A, one cup of kale is an effective antioxidant, boosts immunity, maintains healthy bones and teeth, prevents urinary stones, and is essential to our reproductive organs.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, which one cup of kale heartily provides (over 88% of our RDA), is not only a powerful antioxidant, but also lowers blood pressure, ensures a healthy immune system, and fights against age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.
(via kp777)
The Mc DLB
Inspired by the 1985 fast food phenomenon “The Mc DLT” which featured “Hot side Hot, and Cool side Cool” packaging (and a cheesy commercial to go with it), I made a hot and cool veggie burrito. This dish has rice, cheese and veggies cooked inside a burrito, with cool crunchy salad veggies added at the end. Yum! We have lots of garden chard and romaine growing, so I featured those ingredients mostly in this dish. You can use any veggies you have on hand.
Chop chard (stems and all), red bell pepper (or a hotter pepper if you like spicy) , a small onion, 2 stalks celery, 1 or 2 carrots, and a few garlic cloves and sauté in a skillet with a little olive oil. Add some drained and rinsed beans, or leftover cooked meat, optional. (We used leftover cooked chicken). Add a little broth or stock and let this mixture cook together for a minute.
Cook some rice ( I used basmati). Grate some cheese.
Place cooked rice, veggie mixture, and cheese on one end of a flour tortilla, fold the sides in and roll it up. Wrap with foil and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until piping hot and melted. Once cooked through, remove from foil, unroll halfway and add chopped lettuce, tomatoes and avocado and roll back up. Serve with your favorite salsa, hot sauce, plain yogurt or guacamole. mmmmmm…
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