Tag Archives: simple recipes

Delicious Cumin-spiced Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup

Posted on February 8, 2013 | 28 Comments

This recipe is courtesy of Greedy Girl’s Diet: Eat yourself slim with gorgeous, guilt-free food with permission of the author, Nadia Sawalha

I am always keen to try new recipes especially those which are filling and with not too many calories. My biggest problem with losing weight is that I only have to look at food and I pile on the pounds! I tried this recipe from the “Greedy Girl’s Diet” book and it was absolutely delicious!

Despite Mr. Piglet’s moaning and “tutting” the whole time I was cooking the soup that he did not like ginger or cumin, even he, despite his earlier reservations, agreed it was absolutely scrumptious!

Cumin-spiced carrot and butternut squash soup

Cumin-spiced carrot and butternut squash soup

199 CALORIES PER SERVING

SERVES 4
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped or crushed
1 red chilli (optional) deseeded if preferred and chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
500g / 18oz carrots peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed
1 litre / 1¾ pt chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
finely chopped fresh coriander to garnish

Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and gently fry the onion until soft but not coloured, then add the garlic and chilli (if using) and give it all a good stir. Sprinkle in the ground cumin and ginger and stir well to release their aromas. Throw in the carrots and butternut squash, pour in the stock and bring up to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and tender.

Meanwhile, dry-fry the cumin seeds in a small pan to release their aroma. Pour the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth. To serve, ladle into soup bowls, sprinkle the toasted cumin seeds over the top and scatter over some fresh coriander to taste.

Greedy Girl's Diet

Greedy Girl’s Diet

I like the thought of eating myself slim!

Greedy Girl’s Diet: Eat yourself slim with gorgeous, guilt-free food

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Chocolate Beetroot Cake

Posted on January 22, 2013 | 27 Comments

The following recipe and photograph are courtesy of Colin, one of my blog followers.

When he first suggested the recipe I thought using beetroot AND chocolate in a cake sounded rather bizarre. But then I thought, why not, so this weekend I’m going to give it a try. Anyone else game?

If you cook the cake please don’t forget to send me your photos and I will post to my blog. Any other beetroot recipe suggestions, please?

Now you may think this sounds really strange, but it works amazingly well. After all we are no strangers to carrot cake.

Beeetroot Cake

Beetroot Cake

Serves 6

75g cocoa powder or powdered drinking chocolate
175g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g caster sugar
250g cooked beetroot
3 large eggs
200ml corn oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting

METHOD:

1. Heat the oven to 180°C and line a 20cm round or square cake tin.

2. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the sugar, and set these dry ingredients aside.

3. Purée the beetroot in a food processor

4. Add the eggs one at a time to the purée, then add the vanilla and oil and whiz until it is smooth. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and mix it all lightly. Pour into the prepared cake tin.

5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean (cover with a loose sheet of foil if it starts to brown at about 30 minutes).

6. This cake will not rise a great deal, and the top will crack. After removing from the oven, leave it for 15 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.

Or you could make a chocolate or orange butter cream for the top.

Thanks Colin for sharing the recipe – I can’t wait to try it!

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Beetroot and Orange Salad

Posted on January 9, 2013 | 21 Comments
Beetroot and Orange Salad

Beetroot and Orange Salad

I wanted something to serve with basic tinned tuna. Yes, I know it is better to eat fresh but I’d been out all day so this is my interpretation of a healthier “ready meal”.

Ingredients
1 small cooked beetroot
1 orange
Fresh chives
Ground black pepper

Method
Peel and thinly slice orange and beetroot and arrange in a circular pattern on the plate. (I added the 2 tablespoons of tuna to the centre of the salad) Chop up chives or herbs of choice and sprinkle over the salad. Season with ground black pepper.

Prep time less than 10 mins!

Facts about Beetroot

According to Self Nutrition Data beetroot is

“Very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Folate and Manganese.”

But I also learn from the About.com Guide

“Beetroot has one of the highest sugar contents of any vegetable. Up to 10 per cent of beetroot is sugar, but it is released slowly into the body rather than the sudden rush that results from eating chocolate.”

Sounds good to me providing I practise portion control!

Do you have any beetroot or Orange recipes to share?

(I tried to reblog this from Piglet’s Healthier Eating blog but there was a technical hitch in that it changedd all my top posts photos in my sidebar to the picture above…curious… so I will post here in full.

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Bacalhau à Brás

Posted on October 11, 2012 | 44 Comments

The first time I tasted Bacalhau à Brás I spat it out in surprised horror, downed a glass of water and swore at the assault on my taste buds. My tongue reacted in much the same way as that of a slug when you pour neat salt on it. I realise a tongue and  slug comparison is an unusual analogy, but bacalhau is extremely salty if it’s not prepared properly.

We were out to lunch with friends this week so when I saw Bacalhau à Brás listed on the menu board, as the “Prato do dia” (dish of the day), I groaned as I related my previous gastronomic experience! However, our friend ordered the bacalhau assuring me it was his favourite and no, it was not salty and no, it could not be used to kill off the slug population in my garden.

All objections overruled.

“Live dangerously” I thought, “Hell, why not?” so fingers firmly crossed, I ordered the Bacalhau à Brás.

Bacalhau à Brás, served at a little beach café

Bacalhau à Brás, served at a little beach cafe

I’m so glad I put my previous salt and slug experience behind me and gave the dish another try; on this occasion it was most definitely an “orgasmic foodie” moment. Hmmmm absolutely delicious!

On returning home I immediately trawled the internet for Bacalhau à Brás recipes, but there were so many variations I did not know where to start. Feeling slightly frustrated I enlisted the help of friends and fortunately someone found a simple recipe in their Portuguese cook book. After adapting their recipe to include garlic and a bay leaf (I knew the Bacalhau à Brás I’d eaten had garlic in as Mr Piglet said I smelt of garlic for days). I was now ready to “rock n’ roll” (start). Well, not quite, I still needed Bacalhau (pre-soaked) and something called Batata Palha, onions, garlic etc, etc.

Now on a mission and clutching my shopping list off I went to the local supermarket.

Waiting my turn to be served at the meat counter I dubiously studied the packet of Riberaleves (pre-soaked cod-fish) I’d selected from the freezer section.

Only in Portugal could you enlist the butcher’s help with fish and receive a friendly response. Wehn it was my turn to be served I held up the frozen packet of Riberaleves and tentatively explained I was attempting to cook Bacalhau à Brás. He gave me a wonderful smile, assured me it was “facil” (easy) and immediately engaged the help of another colleague. After a lengthy discussion they triumphantly produced another packet of Riberaleves where the fish was already shredded.

Riberalves - Pre-soaked Bacalhau

Riberalves – Pre-soaked Bacalhau

I then asked about the mystery ingredient “batata palha” and a packet of chipsticks (potato straws) from the crisp stand seemed to be the answer.

I asked for Batata Palha

I asked for Batata Palha

He could probably see by my surprised expression I was not convinced so nodded his head vigorously while emphasising the point with “bom, muito bom” (good). I’d planned to use normal potatoes, although the challenge how you could chip potatoes that thinly, remained a mystery. Perhaps a packet of cooking chipsticks WAS the answer.

Recipe for Bacalhau à Brás

(Serves two)

This recipe is surprisingly easy as it is quick to prepare and cook.

Ingredients:
300gr pre-soaked and shredded Bacalhau (Riberaleves)
500gr very finely chipped potatoes (like match sticks) or Batata Palha or Frita Palhini.
1 large onion (finely sliced)
75ml olive oil
3 eggs (whisked)
Small bunch of parsley (chopped)
6 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Garnish: 100g Black olives (remove stones) and parsley

Method:

If you are using normal potatoes fry the “chips” lightly in oil,  drain and then set aside.

Boil the shredded cod for about 10 minutes (until tender).

I boiled the shredded bacalhau until soft

I boiled the shredded bacalhau until soft

Heat olive oil in a stew pan. Add the finely sliced onions, garlic and bay leaf and season with pepper and sparingly with salt. Fry onions until soft and semi caramalised. Once cooked remove bay leaf.

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil

Fry the onions and garlic in olive oil

Drain bacalhau and add to stew pan with onions. Mix well. Cover the pan and simmer for 3-4minutes.

Add Frita Palihini and parsley to pan and mix with onions and bacalhau.

Whisk the eggs until frothyWhisk the eggs until frothy

Whisk eggs until frothy and add to pan. Season with pepper, and salt if required. Gently mix all the ingredients together until the egg is firm , but not rubbery.

Serve on a tray or indiviual dishes and garnish with the black olives (remove stones) and parsley.

My first attempt cooking Bacalhau à Brás

My first attempt cooking Bacalhau à Brás

Since cooking this recipe I’ve discovered a slight variation which I want to try:
Intead of boiling the cod, mash and fry gently with the onions and matchstick potatoes.

Bom Apetito

Any further tips most gratefully received!

Bacalhau com Natas (Cod in Cream Sauce)

Related posts:
Bacalhau anyone?
Bacalhau à Brás You Tube cookery demonstration

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Simple Yummy Nougatine

Posted on August 5, 2012 | 40 Comments

During one of our visits to France I discovered an addictive sweet biscuit called nougatine. It’s a wafer thin almond concoction eaten with coffee/tea or used as a decorative wafer when serving ice cream. Or if you are like me, and a real pig, you could munch your way through this addictive creation in one serving! No, I didn’t on this occasion as I made this batch for a friend. But believe me it’s SO delicious it took all my will power to restrain myself…

Nougatine

Nougatine

My first attempt to cook nougatine proved disastrous; cooking like gardening is all about using the right utensils for the job. I’d been told to use a flexible baking tray but as I did not have one of these I decided to use a standard ceramic dish lined with grease proof paper instead. Not a good idea – the paper stuck to the nougatine as if it were super-glue which I then had to meticulously pick off bit by bit.

During my next trip to France I invested in a proper flexible cooking tray which is made from a certain type of rubbery-plastic the name of which escapes me at the moment.

Nougatine

Ingredients
200gt caster sugar
150ml water
125gr sliced almonds

Method
Add the sugar and water to the saucepan and heat until the sugar has melted and forms a light syrup.
Spread almonds as evenly as possible on the shallow flexible non-stick cooking tray.

Flexible baking tray

Flexible baking tray

Spoon the hot sugar syrup carefully and as evenly as possible over the almonds.
Cook in oven at approx 165C until starting to brown and syrup mixture starts to bubble(approx 25mins).

Leave a few minutes to cool. Gently releasing the cooked nougatine form flexible try, slide on to cooling tray and cut (well try) into squares. I found this nigh on impossible to cut through the almonds – the edges are a little uneven!

Cut in to squares (sort of) and left to cool

Cut in to squares (sort of) and left to cool

ENJOY!

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Mediterranean Chicken – Piglet Style!

Posted on June 29, 2012 | 18 Comments

I discovered this one-pot recipe when we went to a friend’s house for dinner one evening. I loved it – not only is it delicious, but also simple to prepare and cook. Over time I discovered other favorites and it slipped from the weekly menu plan. However, a couple of week’s ago reading “Out with the Old and In with the New – Broad Beans, Garlic and Chicken” over at Chica Andaluza’s blog set my taste buds racing and reminded me of this delicious and simple recipe!

Mediterranean Chicken

Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients
Chicken pieces complete with skin
Potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Red Pepper/green peppers
Onions (cut in half)
Carrots
Lemon
Garlic cloves
Aubergine (optional)
Black olives (don’t forget to remove the stones)
Fresh Rosemary
Olive oil
(Quantities are flexible depending on the number of people you are cooking for!)

Method
Preheat oven to 175C
Add a small glug of Olive oil to a large open dish or tray and put in the oven for about 5mins to heat.
Remove from oven and add chicken pieces, potatoes (cut into large chunks), onions (cut in half) and garlic cloves. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the chicken and add the remaining lemon halves to the dish. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and
olive oil.

Cover and seal the dish with tin foil and return to the oven to cook for about 1-1½ hrs. I usually check progress after an hour and turn vegetables and chicken.

Cut the peppers into quarters (remove seeds) and the carrots into chunks. If you are including aubergines prepare just before cooking. Last time I prepared these in advance they discoloured. Don’t forget to remove stones if you are adding olives!
Set these ingredients to one side.

After 45mins add the sweet potatoes and carrots to the dish (I’ve discovered when roasting they do not take as long to cook!)

Once the potatoes start to soften, remove the tin foil turn the chicken and add the remaining vegetables. Return to oven so potatoes and chicken “brown” and finish cooking.

You can cook this recipe as slowly or quickly as you like simply by adjusting the oven temperature or when you remove the tin foil.

Transfer to heated serving dish so people can serve themselves at the table.

Enjoy!

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Citrus Peach – Piglet’s “Foodie Friday” Recipe Challenge

Posted on March 18, 2011 | 32 Comments

This recipe is not only simple to make, but absolutely delicious!

Citrus Peach

Citrus Peach

The only problem I had was the “flambé”. Mr Piglet poured a generous glug of brandy on the peaches, struck the match and I waited camera poised in eager anticipation to capture the “flambe” moment. The “moment” turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, no flames so no dramatic photo. I was tempted to go and find the blow torch in the name of art…but Mr piglet thought I was more likely to set the house alight. Any tips for the perfect flambé please?

Ingredients
Large Tin of halved peaches
1 Lemon
1 Orange
Dash of Brandy
Ice Cream or Cream

Method
Empty one large tin of halved peaches with the juice into a baking dish
Grate the zest of a lemon and an orange over the top of the peaches
Leave to marinate over night

Cook in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes.
Add brandy to flambé

Serve hot with cream of ice cream

Marinating the peaches with lemon and orange takes away the peach flavour and guests wonder what the fruit is although it looks like peaches.

This weeks recipe is courtesy of Leslie

Helpful tip from Carlaat: We heat the alcohol in a pan on the stove first, then light it and pour it, while on fire, over the fruit. That seems to work pretty well. You get a nice blue flame. Hope that helps!

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