Asian style beef short ribs
6 beef short ribs
1 large onion chopped
2 inches of ginger chopped
4 cloves of garlic chopped
1 large stick of cinnamon
3-4 bay leaves
2-4 star anise
1/4 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
Brown off your ribs in a large pan then remove them and add onions garlic and ginger fry till golden then add the spices and bay leaves and fry a little longer before deglazing the pan with the liquid ingredients. Transfer the ribs and everything else into a casserole dish cover the meat with a bit of water and cook for around two hours or until soft. Check on it every now and then to make sure the ribs have enough water to cook and also turn them around a few times. Once the meat is tender remove the lid and let the liquid reduce and the ribs get a bit of colour on top.
Serve with steamed rice and vegetables of your choice , I like tender stem broccoli!
Just Breath
This time last year I think most people would have taken breathing for granted, it’s just something your body does. Then COVID 19 hit and suddenly things changed. In this last year there has been much more interest in breathing techniques and way to keep our lungs working to their full potential. You only have to Google pearl divers to see what the human lungs are capable of, some can hold their breath for up to 7 minutes!
There are many different ways of breathing and they all have different affects on the body . Being a pilates teacher I like to teach rib cage breathing when people are first starting out their journey with pilates . We hardly ever just sit for a few minutes taking proper full breaths using our lungs to their full capacity and exhaling out all the way. If you and take a minute or two out of your day to do this you are already doing yourself some good!
Lay down and put your hands on your rib cage, take a big deep inhale through your nose and feel how your ribs expand, when you can’t breath in any more start at to exhale steadily pulling your abdominals in and up squeezing out every last drop of air out like someone is tightening you into an old fashioned corset. Continue this pattern for a few rounds and see how you feel. This also helps work your abdominal muscles not just those you see from the outside but your beep transverse abdominals that help hold your spine and organs In place. So double bonus!
Breathing has been used for thousands of years to help cope with different things from giving birth to anxiety and stress. It has only in the last 100 years or so we have some how forgotten a lot of these techniques as modern medicine has come in and taken over with a pill for every thing! But surely it is better to use what Mother Nature has given us before we turn to drugs for the cure? As with the food we put into our bodies for fuel the way breath can also make a big difference.
There are many techniques to look into are yogic breathing , alternate nostril breathing the list goes on. A great website to look at is James Nestor ( mrJamesnestor.com ) he gives a lot of great examples with YouTube links to them, well worth a look. He also has a book out called ‘breath’ that is great. Another website to look at is Wim Hof ( www.wimhofmethod ) he combines breathing with cold therapy which we will get into another day!
Take care and don’t forget to breath!
Oven baked Mexican veg and beans
This is an easy recipe to use up fridge Vegis and a way to use my Mexican spice mix. It’s an all in one pan method so easy on the washing up too!
2 tablespoons of Mexican spice mix
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 courgettes
1 eggplant
2 red peppers
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 tin of butter beans or any you like
first heat up oven to 200c while the oven is heating up chop all your vegetables into bite size chunks, not too small as it will shrink an bit as it cooks.
Place all the cut veg except the tomatoes on the baking tray drizzle with oil and the spice mix give a good toss and put into the oven to bake for 30 mins.
After 30 minutes take out give it a mix and add the cherry tomatoes. Put back in for another 10 minutes before taking out again and adding the tins of tomatoes and beans give another good stir and bake again for about 20 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste even some fresh herbs. Basil or coriander would be great.
Serve with rice, on a baked potato, over pasta or as a side to some fish or meat. Enjoy!
Banana bread
Although we maybe all slightly over banana bread there is no denying it is a great way to use up those old browning bananas! He is a version that is slightly healthier with a bit more fibre and less sugar than your average loaf. This is also very easy to make Vegan if you like
2 large brown banana
150 g of butter or vegan butter
2 eggs or flax eggs. (2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds with 10 tablespoons of water added and left for a few minutes)
100g coconut sugar
150g oat flour (ground oats can be done in your mixer!)
100g plain flour
50g ground fax seeds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking Soda
1/2 cup almond milk or Normal milk
Mix butter and sugar in your blender or with a hand whisk, then add mashed bananas and the eggs. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients saving the milk to add little at a time until you have a smooth consistency. You may not need all the milk depending on the size of your bananas and your eggs.
Bake in a loaf tin or a round tin what ever you have to hand, around about 45 mins till a tooth pick come out clean.
I like to eat mine with a little butter on it, but my son has his with chocolate protien spread. Just plain with a cup of tea is fine too!
Read your labels!
Recently I did veganuary which was a little new year challenge I set myself, mainly to distract myself from lockdown number 3!
I have always wondered if I could go without meat for more than a few days. I have 4 sons all meat eaters so I have to cook meat every day the panicked look on their faces was quite something when I told them what I had planned, they where very worried that I would inflict my new eating habits on them.
So off I went to the to see what I could get. I was pleasantly surprised at what is now available in a normal supermarket and slightly overwhelmed by the choices that there where. Everything from foe tuna to vegan Baileys, who knew! I was also surprised by the amount of “normal” food which is actually vegan, did take a lot of label reading and checking on my friend google! One of the biggest challenges I had was finding a milk that I would like in my coffee, after literally trying nearly all of them I did find a couple of great ones. Another thing I found interesting was just because you are eating vegan food it does not necessarily mean you are healthy, you could just live off ready meals, fake meat, bread, chip and ice cream!
I must say I really did enjoy my vegan month and I’m sticking with quite a few things and products I discovered. It now makes sense in my mind what a huge difference it could make to the planet and to nature If we all just ate a little less meat and dairy and where more mindful about what products we use on ourselves and around the house. Here are my tips.
1. Swap your milk of a non dairy version. The brands I like ‘rude health’ ‘innocent’ and ‘minor figures’ also ‘oath’ for the cream
2. Have one or two meat free days a week or even two meat free meals a day, everything makes a difference.
3. Eat more fruit and vegetables try an organic box deliver, we get Able and Cole.
4. If you choose to eat meat try to get organic make sure that is sourced locally and is grass fed and free range. Able and Cole Asli do meat and sustainable fish.
5. Change to a more eco friendly range of cleaning products, there are so many to chose from!
6. Check your skin care Brands are not used on animals and have eco friendly packaging. I recommend ‘Balance Me’ and ‘Tropic’.
7. Try to be more mindful about how much you cook so you don’t waste too much and love your leftovers!
I hope this was helpful, watch out for some more vegan and Vegetarian meal ideas coming soon!
T x
Mexican Spice mix
This can be use on meat, fish or meat substitutes . Put all the ingredients in a jar and give it a good mix!
1 tbls ground cumin
1 tbls of ground coriander
1 tbls oregano
1 tbls garlic salt
1 tbls smoked paprika
1 tbls garlic granules
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Chili flakes
Creature of habit
Are you a creature of habit? Turns out if you are it’s a good thing! Recently I have been hearing a lot about a Man called BJ Fogg. I have just started following him on Instagram. His theory is we can create a tiny habits that are good for you and it with make you happier and healthier.
Most of us already have habits we have been doing for so long they are just part of us. Like brushing our teeth in the morning and before bed. Having a cup of tea or coffee when we wake up, take out vitamins. Brushing our hair, putting on make up? Locking the front door before bed. There are so many things.
I imagine most of you would like to become healthier or happier or more productive in your work . Attaching tiny habits may help you. Say taking the stairs at work instead of the lift, or walking or biking instead of taking the bus? Eating an extra portion of vegetables or fruit with each meal? Not finishing work till you have gone though that last bit of paperwork? Or spending more time with family and friends? Planting the vegetables patch you have always dreamt about? Meat free Monday? Doing charity work once a week?
The options are endless! So start small. Pick a time of day when you can add it in and stick with it. Maybe drinking a glass of water when you wake up and before each meal? Or getting outside for at least an hour a day! I’m going to start with trying to add posts to my blog once a week and hopefully giving some useful and healthful information to you all. Let me know how you get on!
Quiche Lorianne
- Quiche Lorraine
- For pastry
- 250g flour
- 150g cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon cold milk
- Pinch of salt
- For filling
- 4-5 rashers of bacon
- 1 onion sliced or diced
- 100g grated cheese of choice
- 2 small tomato’s sliced
- 5 eggs
- 500ml of cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- First make pastry. If you have a mixer add flour salt and butter an whizz till butter is incorporated (it looks like fine bread crumbs)if you don’t have a mixer you will have to do this buy hand.
- Then add your egg and milk to bring it all together into a ball,do not knead it
- Take out of mixer and put it in the fridge for 10 mins.
- Roll out your pastry on a floured surface moving 1/2 way around after every few rolls.
- When the pastry is rolled to about 1/4 cm Put into your tin and pressing the sides, put int here fridge again for 10 mins while the oven is heating.
- When oven is hot (180c) make fork marks on the base of your pastry the add grease proof paper and baking beans to weigh down. Place in the oven to cook for about 10-15 minutes then take out beans and pater and bake for another 5 minutes.
- While this is in the oven slice your onion and bacon and fry together in a pan with a little olive oil. Just till onion is soft and bacon cooked through.
- Make your egg mixture by beating eggs together with salt and pepper and cream. Now slice your tomatoes too and grate or crumble your cheese.
- Once the base is cooked take out of the oven and add your bacon mix cheese and tomatoes. Pour over your egg mixture and give it a little shake or wobble to make sure the egg settles to the bottom of the tart.
- Bake again in the oven till the tart is set and golden on top.
- Take out of the oven and set aside for 10 mins before serving with a nice mixed salad
- Try making with different things like roasted vegetables or pumpkin also try different cheeses, have some fun making it your own.
My Grandmothers Christmas cake
- Currants. I'lb. 450 grams
- Sultanas. I'lb. 450 grams
- Raisins . 10 ozs. 275 grams
- Mixed Peel. 4 ozs. 100 grams
- Ground Almonds 3 ozs 75 grams
- Glacé Cherries. 6 ozs. 175 grams
- Lemon Peel grated of 1 and a half Lemons.
- Orange Peel grated of 1 Orange.
- Butter. 10 ozs. 275 grams.
- Soft Dark Brown Sugar. 10 ozs 275 grams.
- Eggs. 5.
- Brandy 4 tablespoons.
- Black Treacle. 1 and a half tablespoons.
- S.R. Flour. 3 ozs. 75 grams.
- Plain Flour 8 ozs 225 grams.
- Ground Cinnamon. 1 teaspoon.
- Mixed Spice. Three quarters of a teaspoon.
- Ground Nutmeg pinch
- Place all the dried fruit mixed Peel in a Bowl together with the Ground Almond.
- Wash and dry the Cherries then add these together with the citrus Peel with the fruit.
- In another( large) bowl cream together the Butter Sugar and Treacle until light and fluffy.
- Sift the flours with the Spices.
- Beat the Eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture adding 2 tablespoons of flour alternately with the Brandy.
- Mix in the dried Fruit mixture.
- Give a good stir and make a Wish!
- Spread into the Tin for baking.
- In the Oven on 150 C for 3 Hours.
- Your Cake Tin should be double lined inside and 3 layers of Brown Paper tied round the Outside. Important this!
- Bake in the middle of the Oven for 3 Hours.
- I alway's check the cake after two and a half hours, not all ovens are the same, stick a wooden pin in the cake, if it comes out clean Done.
- Just so you know I don't sift my flours, just me being lazy!
- Well it's that time of year again when we need to start thinking about baking our Christmas cakes so I asked someone with lots of experience for help. Every year my Mor-Mor (Grandmother) bake Christmas cakes for the family. This year I think she has made 3 normal and 1 gluten free one for various family members. They are always made with love and with a wish stirred in!
- If you like the cake extra moist feed it with brandy every now and then before the big day. (if you don't like alcohol replace it in the recipe with orange juice)
- You can decorate it anyway you choose, I like it the traditional way with marzipan and royal icing. I will post some recipes for them soon .
- I think it is a great thing to be able to share family recipes and I'm very honoured and proud to share this one with you all. With big thanks to my Mor-Mor! The rest of what you read is her writing.
- Well here goes this one is for a nine inch cake tin.
Flourless chocolate cake
- 5 eggs separated
- 250g of dark chocolate
- 250g butter
- 250g light brown fine sugar
- First of all melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. If you are brave you can do it in the microwave but make sure you check it a give it a stir every 30 seconds until melted.
- Then whisk your egg whites till stiff and and gradually add in half the sugar one spoon at a time whisking 20 seconds with every addition. Once this is done whisk up your egg yolks with the remaining sugars until light and fluffy.
- When your eggs are whipped add the chocolate mixture is cooled mix it into the yolks then fold in the whites with a metal spoon till all is evenly mixed.
- Place it in a buttered cake tin with a removable base and bake in a fan oven at 160c for about 50mins. Test with a tooth pick to see if it is cooked , if pick comes out clean your done!
- The cake will fall in the center don't panic this is what should happen. Cool the cake in the tin. Remove once cool and decorate with a drizzle of melted chocolate and some fruit or just dust with cocoa and a bit of icing sugar
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