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STEWED APPLES, APPLE CRUMBLE AND OVERNIGHT OATS

by October 16, 2017

I had a lot of apples from my apple trees, so I decided to make stewed apple. It is so versatile and can be used in lots of delicious ways.

The way I make my stewed apple is: apples, peeled and sliced, freshly squeezed orange juice and cinnamon. The amount of juice I use depends on how many apples I am cooking. I find that using the freshly squeezed orange juice gives the apples a delicious flavour (without making them taste like orange), and also means I don’t have to add sugar. I cook them on a low heat and keep an eye on them, as they go from being quite liquidy to dry very quickly. (Apples are excellent sources of soluble and insoluble fibre both of which are good for your digestive system).

From these apples I then made overnight oats and apple crumble for dessert.

The overnight oats serves 2 to 3 (I find them quite filling) and I use 50g oats, 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 150 mls of coconut milk. Mix them all together in a bowl, and leave for a few minutes, Mix again, leave again, and mix for the final time. This stops the chia seeds from clumping together. Then put the oat mixture into your bowl/glass, and top with the stewed apple. Put into fridge so they are ready for the next morning. When eating them, I top them with some almonds and blackberries, but you could add what ever you wanted, eg any kind of nut (for good fats) and some extra berries (for antioxidants). The chia seeds are a good source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids, and the oats are a good source of a fibre known as beta-glucan which has been shown to have positive results in lowering cholesterol and balancing blood sugar levels.

I also made a crumble with the rest of the stewed apples. I used white flour (I could have used brown, but had run out), butter and brown muscavado sugar to make my crumble mixture and then added oats and flaked almonds. (200g flour, 100g butter rubbed in till it looks like bread crumbs, then add 50g brown muscavado sugar, 50g oats and 30g flaked almonds and mix together) Put this mixture on top of the stewed apple and bake in a moderate oven till nicely brown on top. This can take from 30 to 45 minutes depending on your oven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have tried lots of “healthy” recipes using coconut oil, no sugar etc for crumble but my kids just don’t like the finished result. This is where balance comes in, they are getting the benefit of the apples, the oats, the almonds, the butter (rich in vitamin E and K and a beneficial fatty acid CLA) and yes they are also having a bit of sugar and white flour. And they are very happy to be eating a delicious dessert!!!

Sorry I forgot to take a photo of it when it came out of the oven !!!

SPICY CAULIFLOWER AND ROMANESCO

by October 9, 2017

For the last few weeks I have been getting a delivery of organic vegetables and fruit from http://www.greenearthorganics.ie and the quality of the produce is fantastic. They do a weekly box scheme, but I don’t do this, I go through what they have available and “do a shop” of exactly what I want.

With the cauliflower and romanesco I got this week I roasted them in a spicy oil which was delicious. I first blanched the vegetables and let them cool (this stops them being soggy), before covering them in a spicy oil which consisted of cumin seeds, salt (which I ground in a morter and pestle) together with tumeric and olive oil. I then put them in a moderate oven for 1/2 hour and then drizzled lemon juice over them before serving. I served this with a roast chicken and a chickpea, cucumber, radish and pomegranate salad.

KEFFIR

by October 3, 2017

This is how I make my keffir – my ratio of keffir grains to milk is high, as I like my keffir to be thick and I use it like yoghurt. I leave it for 2 – 3 days, and I then have lovely thick yoghurt like keffir. I use it for anything I would use yoghurt for, however if you heat it you will lose all the beneficial good bacteria.

You need to use non metal utensils and I use full fat organic milk.

MINESTRONE SOUP

by September 26, 2017

Here is my Minestrone Soup – full of goodness. It is also great to freeze.

It takes about 40 minutes to make a big pot. There are no definitive measurements, the quantities are up to you in terms of vegetables. I like garlic and onion, so I use lots!!

Ingredients: Olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, courgette, two tins cherry tomatoes, chicken stock, two cartons of organic cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), salt, pepper, oregano, spinach and basil. I shred the spinach and add it uncooked to the bowl, the ladle the hot soup over the top, this softens it but does not overcook it, thereby allowing you to benefit from its nutrients.

Cannellini beans are a great source of protein and fibre. Oregano is a rich source of Vitamin K.

If you want it to be vegetarian use a good quality vegetable stock instead and you can add some quinoa for a protein boost. Put the quinoa in with the beans and allow it to cook for approx 20 minutes. You might need to add some more stock or water as the quinoa will thicken the soup as is absorbs the liquid.

I also included a photo of the great CD I was listening to whilst chopping and cooking !!!

ROAST TOMATO SAUCE

by September 18, 2017

Lots of tomatoes from the polytunnel, so turned them into a roast tomato sauce. This can be used in a variety of ways. Tomato sauce for a pasta dish, as a base sauce for pizza, mixed with vegetables, spread over toast with a poached egg on top – the list is endless. Also it freezes extremely well.

 

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