Discovering: Chia Seeds

I have seen so many bloggers rave about chia seeds that I had to see what all the fuss was about for myself. In an amazing “world” food shop in Liverpool called Matta’s I found a 250g bag of chia seeds for about £3 which is a lot cheaper than in Sainsbury’s or Holland & Barrett. Chia seeds are packed full of nutritional benefits such as more omega-3 fatty acids than salmon, a wealth of antioxidants and minerals, a complete source of protein and more fibre than flax seed. In order to test them out I made chocolate chia cookies and chia seed pudding. I have to say that I enjoyed both recipes and would recommend them if you are looking for alternative healthy snacks and breakfast ideas.

Chia Seed Pudding

I found the recipe for this via Vivianna Does Make Up. I had this for breakfast topped with blueberries – so good and so filling, one batch of this lasted me all week. I would compare chia seed pudding to rice pudding except the consistency is a lot less lumpy and a lot more creamy as the chia seeds soak up all the milk, yoghurt and extras you add in.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup unsweetened oat milk
• 1 cup plain Greek yoghurt
• 2 tbsp agave syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 Cup Chia seeds
• blueberries to serve 

Mix the almond milk, yoghurt, agave nectar and vanilla extract together. Gently stir in the chia seeds and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Mix again before covering with cling film and refrigerating overnight. Serve the following morning with a few strawberries on top.

Chocolate Chia Cookies

This is the recipe which I saw so many bloggers hark as being the best healthy cookie recipe they had tried and it is from Deliciously Ella. I can affirm the cookies are great; I always find myself needing a pick-me-up mid-afternoon and these are perfect for that as they satisfy sweet cravings but don’t make you feel guilty for having a biscuit. The recipe says to use raw cacoa powder but I haven’t been able to find any where that sells it cheaply so I used good quality cocoa powder.

Ingredients

Makes 10 cookies

• 1 cup of almonds
• 1 cup of hazelnuts
• 1 cup of buckwheat flour
• 1/3 of a cup of agave syrup
• 1/4 of a cup of medjool dates
• 1/4 of a cup of water
• 3 heaped tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Place the nuts into a food processor and blend for a minute or two until a flour forms, then add all of the remaining ingredients and blend again until a sticky cookie dough forms.

Scoop about a tablespoon into your hands, roll it into a ball and then flatten it using a spatula onto the baking tray so that they are nice and thin. Keep doing this until all the cookies are on the tray.

Bake for about twenty minutes at 180C, until the cookies are firm and starting to slightly brown.

 

Are there any chia seed recipes you would recommend?

 

Review: St Tropez by Nina Parker

Another review coming your way today I am afraid (I have recently moved house and haven’t been able to spend as much time making and doing things as I would like). However, this book is fully deserving of your attention as it gorgeous and I pretty much want to try out every recipe. My friend very kindly gave me this book as an early birthday present; it was so thoughtful as my family and I have been going on holiday to the South of France for over 12 years and LOVE the food there. The book is a collection of recipes from the South of France, all inspired by the places, author and chef, Nina Parker dines at whilst in France. Her take on Riviera classics are a “personal food-themed journey” and you can expect strong, fresh flavours as well as utterly delicious, vibrant food. But don’t be fooled by the title “St Tropez” as this is not a collection of haute-hoity-toity-cuisine rather a celebration of the traditional dishes from this part of France and the old-world charm and glamour which accompanies them. There is nothing particularly showy about these recipes just great flavours and combinations of ingredients which really appeals to me. Additionally the photography is stunning and will not only give you a desire to cook up some of these recipes but go to the South of France and try the dishes which inspired them! The book is split into breakfast, lunch, teatime, drinks and canapes, dinner and dessert meaning you really are spoilt for choice at any time of the day. Mouthwatering recipes to try: ratatouille (one of the best meals I have cooked recently), green polenta with mushrooms, tarragon chicken with mushrooms and chickpeas (another dish which has been added to my favourites), steak tartine mushroom pasta and chicken skewers with chorizo and thyme.

New In: Danish Floral Charted Designs by Gerda Bengtsson

I came across this book of designs through Allison Maestri’s Pinterest (she also has a great blog where I got a lot of inspiration from but unfortunately she doesn’t seem to post on there any more) which led me to Hazelnut’s blog. On it she has a post on this book as well as some of the designs she has stitched up from it (I also really enjoyed her post on Cross Stitch Patterns by Misako Murayama. The design she stitched up is so lovely, I want to get my hands on a copy of the book but everywhere I have looked its around £50, which is insane). The simple colours and designs really appealed to me especially the dandelion, Iceland poppy and cowslip which I think I will stitch up as a trio. Unlike a lot of floral designs they are not twee and old-fashioned rather they have a sort of 70s feel created by a limited colour palette and simple designs. Thee are several other designs, such as the berries and more delicate flowers, which would also look great as trios. The only minor issue I have is that there aren’t colour photographs of all of the designs meaning you can’t visualise exactly what they would look like. I guess you could google the flower you were interested in to get an idea of it.

Three of the Best Recipe Books for Vegetarian Cooking

Although I am not a vegetarian myself I really enjoy cooking meat-free meals becauseI love the different flavours you can get from cooking vegetables and the different ways they can be utilised to make something which doesn’t miss meat. It was my boyfriend who first got me into this way of thinking whilst at university as he didn’t want to be spending loads of money on chicken or beef mince. At first I wasn’t convinced that you could cook a substantial meal which didn’t contain meat but how wrong I was! Some of my favourite meals are ones that don’t contain meat and because of this I also like to kid myself that they are healthier too, whether this is true…Anyway, this is a run down of the three books I turn to when I would like a meat-free meal/want to eat something healthy. Interestingly none of the authors of these books are vegetarian but their use of ingredients and flavour combinations are just fantastic; they always come up with surprising ways to use a vegetable in a way you would never think would work.

1. River Cottage Veg: Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh’s take on vegetarian cooking is to make the vegetable the star of the dish and not replace meat with any meat-free substitutes which means you do not in any way miss meat in these dishes. Vegis suitable for both vegans and vegetarians as there is not a heavy reliance on dairy products or eggs either making a lot of these recipes really healthy. I always feel that when I am cooking something from this book I am making something packed full of nutritious goodness. There is something for every craving in Veg as it is split into comfort food, raw, soups, dough, pasta and rice, tapas, roast and grill and sides. My personal favourites are:pinto bean chilli, North African stew, roasted parsnip, puy lentil and watercress salad, porotos granados and Cambodian wedding day dip.

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Yotam’s take on vegetarian cooking drawers on his diverse culinary heritage, mainly European and Middle Eastern, and a wide spectrum of ingredients to create interesting and unusual dishes. Each recipe centres around a specific fresh, seasonal vegetable as reflected in the chapter titles; roots, onions, mushrooms, squashes, capsicums, brassica, tomatoes and greens. This is my favourite book to refer to when I want to use a less well known ingredient. Can’t stop cooking: black pepper tofu, shakshuka, burnt aubergine dip, quesadillas, mee goreng and spiced red lentils.

Kitchen Diaries Part Two by Nigel Slater

This is not a vegetarian cook book per se but Nigel often cooks vegetarian dishes and this book is evidence of that. A lot of the recipes which use meat in this diary-style recipe book could also be adapted to meat-free versions. These simple recipes use few ingredients, the flavours of which are enhanced by simple cooking techniques such as stews and soups. All the recipes are homely, inviting and warm and much like Hugh the vegetables are placed in the centre of the dish making the most of their flavours. Don’t miss: mushroom and spelt stew, butter beans with mustard ketchup, spring onion omelette, sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi and aubergine and bean hotpot.

Also worth checking out: A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones, 101 Cookbooks and Veggiestan by Sally Butcher.

3 Cross Stitch Patterns I Need!

Just a quick post on three Emma Congdon patterns I am desperate to get my hands on and start stitching! I have been a fan of her patterns after seeing them several times in Cross Stitcher magazine and her etsy shop provides many more brilliant, typographic patterns. Three which caught my eye in particular are…

Retro Kitchen

A combination of two of my favourite things; cross stitch and vintage kitchen items. This is definitely top of my list of projects I want to get stitching.

Kitchen Vegetables

Another pattern which appeals to my love of cross stitching simple shapes in a simple colour scheme.

Hillscape

I also like the use of simple colours and shapes in this pattern too and think it would look lovely stitched up and hung in my spare room!

A Weekend Away in the Yorkshire Dales

A couple of weekends ago my boyfriend and I went on a lovely weekend away to the Yorkshire Dales with my family and some of their friends. They have been going on this trip for over 20 years and, as I hadn’t  been for a few years and my boyfriend had never been, we decided to tag along. The weekend typically consists of eating great food, going on long walks in the Yorkshire Dales and snuggling up in front of a warm fire. This year was no different and it was so good to get away and go on a long bracing walk.

Lily Pebble’s Dairy-Free Brookies

After seeing Lily rave about these brookies (a mixture of brownies and cookies) many times over the Christmas period I knew at some point I would need to make a batch of them. The perfect time presented itself when I went on a weekend away with family and friends; I thought some sweet treats would be a welcome relief after doing a long walk in the Yorkshire Dales. I halved the recipe as I didn’t want to make 72 brookies!

 

 

 

3 Healthy Breakfasts

Breakfast is by far my favourite meal of the day and, at the moment whilst I am trying to exercise a few times a week, the most important. Recently I have been rotating three breakfasts which start me off on the right foot for the day and keep me full until lunchtime rolls around.

Egg and Banana Pancakes
I found various versions of this simple 4 ingredient recipes on blogs and Instagram. For my version I whizz 2 eggs, 1 banana, a pinch of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of baking powder in a blender. I then heat 1/2 tsp coconut oil in a frying pan and fry a ladleful of the pancake mixture for a minute or so on each side until golden. I serve topped with blueberries and agave syrup.

Avocado and Fried Egg on ToastI usually have this breakfast if I have a mega busy day ahead of me. I start by heating a tsp of coconut oil in a frying pan. Whilst this is heating I roughly dice 1/2 an avocado and a get a piece of bread onto toast. Fry the egg as normal, mash the avocado onto the toast and top with the fried egg. I then season with salt and pepper. I used to hate fried eggs but I think frying them in coconut oil gives them a much less greasy, heavy texture and taste.

Muesli with Blueberries and Yoghurt
I eat this breakfast most frequently because of the ease it takes to put together. I place 3-4 tbsp of muesli in a bowl along with a dollop of yoghurt, a handful of blueberries, tsp ground flaxseed and a tbsp sunflower seeds.

What’s your favourite breakfast?

GBBO February’s Recipe: Lacy Rye, Honey and Beer Oatcakes

In order to celebrate Pancake Day I made a batch of these distinctly flavoured pancake-like oatcakes. I prefer savoury to sweet pancakes so I filled them with bacon, peas, leek and cheese mixture and baked for about 20 minutes in the oven at 180C just like my mum does.

Lacy Rye, Honey and Beer Oatcakes

Ingredients

• 180g porridge oats
• 90g rye flour
• 90g strong white bread flour
• 10g fast-action dried yeast
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes, crushed
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 1 1/2 tsp sunflower oil
• 300ml warm water
• 450ml pale ale
• butter for frying
• packet of bacon, chopped up
• 2 leeks, thinly sliced
• garlic clove, crushed
• couple of handfuls of frozen peas
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 50ml pale ale
• 150g grated cheese, plus more to sprinkle on top

Grind the oats in a food processor to make a coarse powder. Tip into a large bowl and mix in the rye and bread flours, the yeast and salt.

Combine the honey, oil and water in a jug and pour into the bowl along with the ale. Whisk by hand to make a thick yet runny batter. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 hour until slightly thicker and very bubbly.

When ready to cook, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add a small knob of butter and melt it, then swirl it around the pan. Give the batter a quick stir, then pour a large ladleful into the pan, tilting and swirling the pan so the batter completely and evenly covers the base (as if you are making a pancake). Cook for about 5 minutes until the underside is a rich golden brown and slightly crisp.

Loosen the oatcake around the edges and quickly flip it over. Cook the second side for about 5 minutes or until brown and slightly crisp. Flip out the oatcake onto a wire rack to cool. Make 5 more oatcakes from the rest of the batter in the same way. Serve at room temperature the same day.

Preheat the oven to 160C. Heat some oil in a frying pan. When hot, add the bacon and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the leeks to the bacon and garlic sweat for about 10 minutes. Pour in the ale, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and the peas. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Once cooked divide the mixture between the oatcakes and roll up into cigar-like shapes. Place the rolled up pancakes into a baking dish, cover with more grated cheese and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Spelt Flour Loaf

I bought spelt flour for a cake I made a while ago and had a lot of it left over. I was in the mood to bake bread but wanted a healthier alternative to a stodgy white loaf so I used the spelt flour. I found a brilliant recipe on The Guardian website by Henry Dimbleby for a very simple and incredibly easy to bake spelt flour loaf. Although it was slightly doughy (I think that was down to me not kneading it enough) the crust was perfect and it tasted delicious! It was great toasted and buttered topped with baked beans!