Dressing Up – 5 ways to add oomph to veg

August 29, 2014September 7, 20142 Comments

A good dressing can transform a plate of salad or vegetables in to something quite spectacular. We all know that we should eat more veg as they have been shown beyond doubt that they are very, very good for us. Why vegetables are fab:

Add amazing colours and textures to your plate
Prevention of chronic health conditions (heart, diabetes, strokes, obesity, cancer)
Low in calories, you can eat LOADS
Fibre prevents constipation
Encourage the good bacteria in your gut
Vitamins & minerals are needed by your body’s millions of metabolic processes
There is a huge variety so you never need to get bored
Vegetables can taste really good…………….

If you feel that veg can get a little dull, or need some extra oomph, here are 5 very simple dressings to turn a plate of the good stuff in to something pleasurable and delicious.

A big benefit of adding a dressing is that the oil helps with the absorption of vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble, therefore need fat for our bodies to absorb them. As for most things in life, don’t over do it with the dressing, use it to complement the salad or veg rather than drowning your plate in it.

You don’t need any special equipment. Inspired by Jamie Oliver, I use an old jam jar……just put all the ingredients in the jar and shake well.

Extra virgin olive oils are a bit like wine as they can vary dramatically in taste, depending upon the type and quality of the fruit that is pressed, the time of harvest, the weather during the growing season, and the region from which the olives were produced. If you are feeling adventurous and budget allows, experiment! If you find the taste of extra virgin oil too strong, you can use olive oil instead. I prefer a ‘tangy’ dressing, so usually add more vinegar/lemon juice.

Classic 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt, pepper

Lemon 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil juice of 1 lemon pinch of salt, pepper

Balsamic 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar Pinch of salt, pepper

Creamy 6 tablespoons natural yogurt 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt, pepper

Thai 4 tablespoons lime juice 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely grated/finely chopped 1/2 clove garlic, crushed/finely chopped

Berry Banana Breakfast Bake

August 13, 2014December 27, 20142 Comments

My breakfast recipes are constantly evolving. This is an amalgamation of the breakfast omelette and the Seriously Healthy Flapjacks. The eggs make it high protein and filling; oats for sustained energy, cholesterol lowering and fibre; the berries and banana give your fruit fix.

It’s fabulous cold (I’ve had 2 already this morning), straight from the fridge, especially good if you are on the go to work or with kids. Experiment with the fruit and sweetness…..you can add a tablespoon of honey or use cinnamon instead of coconut. My youngest daughter

A hit with the Little Man

can’t be in the same room as a banana, so I mash them and she doesn’t notice they are in there.

Beth likes, Evie declined

The recipe makes about 9, each has about 160kcal, 10g protein, 25g carbohydrate. Two would make a good breakfast, or one for a between meal snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

2 ripe bananas mashed or chopped

measuring cups – very handy!

1 cup berries (I use frozen, defrosted)

2 eggs

2 cups of milk/protein milkshake

1/4 cup desiccated coconut (optional)

Method:

In a casserole dish (mines about 9 inches square), spread the berries, coconut and chopped banana

Sprinkle over the oats.

Beat the eggs and milk/protein shake (if using mashed banana add it to this liquid)

Pour liquid into the casserole dish

Bake for approximately 45 minutes at 180C

Coleslaw

July 13, 2014April 18, 20161 Comment

We all know that we need to be upping our veg intake, ideally aiming for about half of your plate. If time isn’t on your side, it can seem easier to grab a ready prepared ‘salad’ from the shops e.g. Coleslaw. Here’s one from my local supermarket that is mostly cabbage and oil, with only 14% carrot.

Ingredients

Cabbage (47%), Rapeseed Oil, Carrot (14%), Water, Double Cream (Cows’ Milk) (3%), Sugar, Onion (2%), Pasteurised Barn Egg, Spirit Vinegar, White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Stabilisers: Guar Gum, Xanthan Gum; Acidity Regulator: Sodium Acetate; Mustard Seed.

Having grown up on my granny’s homemade coleslaw (usually served with lasagne and garlic bread!) to me, the shop bought stuff is massively inferior with an overrepresentation of cabbage. These days, I’ve adapted The Granny’s recipe to make it a bit healthier…………..the dressing is made with light mayonnaise or humous, natural yoghurt and a splash of vinegar.

When I need something incredibly quick, this is an easy way to get a super serving of veg. I’ll have it with some pumpkin/sunflower seeds (good fats) and for protein I add a few spoonfuls of left over chilli, or a tin of tuna.

Here’s the recipe, it literally takes about 2 minutes:

about 1/4 white or red cabbage grated

Coleslaw – lovely colours!

2 grated carrots

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise/humus

1 tablespoon natural yogurt

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar (optional)

No nonsense. Just mix it all together.

Banana Bread Recipe

March 17, 2014August 12, 20142 Comments

“What have you got for me to eat, Mum?” or “I’m starrrrrrrrving!”

That is how I am greeted by Evie, 4, when she comes out of school. The wee girl is always ravenous (no matter how much I provide in the packed lunch). I sometimes struggle to come up with healthy things for after school. It needs to be something filling, but not too filling because then Evie and her little brother, Conor, will struggle to eat their dinner at 5pm. Beth, 7, has a fabulous appetite, and a penchant for pleasing her mum, so will eat most of her dinner without any nonsense. The other two are a different matter! Here’s an article in a local magazine called Families Upon Thames on strategies to get your kids to eat their meals Table wars!

I digress. Snacks for after school: fruit (not popular), homemade flapjacks, oaty biscuits, cocoa bars. Anything that comes out of a packet is met with glee and great excitement. Yoyo Fruit Bars are popular, or anything remotely sweetie or chocolate.

Today I am trying a something new, here’s the recipe. Make with gluten free self raising mix for a FODMAP friendly version!

Banana Bread

2oz butter/margarine

5oz caster sugar

2 eggs lightly beaten

7oz self raising flour (or I use gluten free Dove’s Farm self raising flour blend)

2 ripe bananas mashed

Optional extras: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, handful of raisins.

Mix the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the beaten eggs. Add the sifted flour, gently mix in. Add the mashed bananas and mix. Pour into a greased loaf tin. Bake at 170c for about 40 minutes, you can check to see if it ready with a knife – it should come out clean if you stick it in to the middle.

4 x Avocado-tastic!

February 8, 2014February 10, 2014Leave a comment

I had the pleasure and luxury of pootling through Kingston Market this morning by myself. I don’t usually take the time to slow down and browse, so was delighted to come across 4 avocados, lovely and ripe, for £1.

Although very high in calories, avocados are little nutrition bombs with a multitude of health benefits:

monounsaturated fats which have heart health credentials (lower the bad blood cholesterol, raise the good)
Fats enhance absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K
Fats and fibre good for appetite control
High in vitamin E, A and B vits
Twice the potassium of a banana
Anti inflammatory compounds – may be protective against cancer
Very low in sugar
people who regularly eat avocado are more likely to have a lower body weight, BMI and waist circumference

So what the heck will I do with 4 ripe avocados?

Green Smoothie Breakfast – blend 200ml water, 1/2 avocado, a kiwi, a handful of greens e.g. spinach or watercress, juice of half a lime, some ginger, and a tablespoon of Total greek yogurt (high in protein).
Simply sliced and piled on wholemeal toast with some salt and pepper
In Superfood Salad
Mashed as a substitute for mayonnaise
Freeze the rest! Best results if they are pureed with some lemon or lime juice and stored in an air tight container.

Apparently, avocados are also good for the wrinkles…….definitely something I need then (I think I have aged about 10 years in the last two). In fact, scrap the recipes I’ll be slapping this stuff straight on to my face!

Super Boost Salad

January 21, 2014January 21, 2014Leave a comment

I love this recipe because it is a simple list of ingredients that you can get in your local supermarket. It is ready in minutes………. just chop everything up and toss in to a bowl. I tend to roast the pumpkin and sunflower seeds as I much prefer the flavour and texture to raw (just grill for a few minutes until they start to turn brown). The zingy ginger dressing is delicious. I ~~cheat~~ make a sensible short cut by using ginger in a tube.

The intense colour of the red cabbage gives away it’s superb antioxidants, the humble carrot contains a fascinating combination of phytonutrients, carotenoids, anthocyanins and are a very good source of biotin, vitamin K, potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. Apples are full of polyphenols, fibre and vitamin C. Seeds, a fabulous combo of healthy fats, fibre and protein. Ginger has anti inflammatory properties. The amazing medley of nutrients in this recipe truly make it a super food.

If you feel sleepy and lethargic after your usual lunch of a bagel, sandwich or jacket potato, try a big bowl of this instead! Add some protein from fish or chicken, and this can help you to feel full up, bright and alert for the rest of the afternoon. If you are very active or are an athlete in training, add some wholegrain rice or quinoa to boost the healthy carbs.

Make a big batch, and you’ll have enough for the next day too!

350g red cabbage grated/shredded
3 carrots grated
20g pack parsley, roughly chopped
2 Cox’s apples (or any red apple), quartered, cored and sliced
handful of radishes or 2 celery sticks, sliced
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp each sunflower seeds

For the dressing

2 tsp grated root ginger
1 tsp clear honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp light olive oil

New Year’s Day Turkey Dinner – 5 tips on what NOT to do!

January 2, 2014January 2, 20142 Comments

It’s a tradition in the Danaher family to have another Christmas Dinner on New Year Day.

Christmas Day – Conor, Evie, cousin Tilly, Beth and cousin Toby

Having spent a lovely Christmas up at Dec’s parents’ in Cricklewood in North London, I volunteered my services to provide the New Year offerings. I’ve never done the turkey dinner before, but thought ‘how hard can it be?’. It’s just a big chicken.

Dec left for rugby training and coaching duties at 7.30am on New Years Day, with an ETA for returning home at approximately 6pm. Impeccable timing as usual (insert raised eyebrow emoticon here).

As I was saying “How hard can it be?”. With the three children to keep an eye on, I wanted to keep it straight forward, so I was offering one choice only at each course (my mother in law puts me to shame with at least 4 options for the starter and pudding, and three choices of gravy).

The menu

Starter: Homemade Tomato Soup & Wheaten Bread

Wee Man Chef, fashioning vintage London Irish Hat

Wee Man Chef stirring the soup, fashioning vintage London Irish hat

Main course: Turkey, stuffing, carrots, broccoli, roast potatoes, gravy

A surprisingly fabulous combination

Pudding: Christmas Crumble homemade (berry, apple and cinnamon), custard and ice cream

Booze: wine, Magners, Gin and Pepsi Max Cherry (forgot to buy the tonic)

With a cheat sheet of timings to ensure everything went tickety boo, what could possibly go wrong?

Top 5 things not to do when cooking the turkey dinner:

When in the presence of toddler, check oven temperature regularly: Wee Man aka Conor, 19 months old, has a radar for locating and messing with all things he shouldn’t. This includes oven knobs. So two hours in to the cooking time I discover he’s wacked the temperature up a significant number of degrees. On a positive note, better too hot than too cold. Cremated better than food poisoning.
Remove tiny plastic bag from the turkey innards (of whatever that stuff is in it), before putting turkey in oven for 3.5 hours: I did remove some ‘stuff’ from inside the turkey (as per instructions) before cooking, however, upon carving Dec discovered an extra little plastic bag. In my defence, it was hidden right up at the closed end so was easy to miss. In a ‘glass half full’ way, we made the assumption that Sainsbury’s took in to account idiots like me and made sure they use heat proof bags (it was intact and not melted). Luckily, this minor drama unfolded in the kitchen and was not witnessed by the awaiting guests.
Monica checking for tiny plastic bags
Remove spongy sheets from under the turkey before plopping in to the baking tray. I discovered these while discarding the carcass at 10pm. I had NO IDEA they were there (there was no mention of them in the instructions).
Check that the foil is fully covering the turkey. An hour before completed cooking time, the instructions told me to remove the
I did a Ross on the turkey

foil to allow for browning. Unfortunately, the fan oven had blown the foil off half the turkey. So we had one anaemic side and the other half with an oompa loompa tan. Not to worry, I just covered the brown half for the final hour to let the other side catch up.
Don’t forget the cranberry sauce – when Beth (6) announced that her dinner “was a bit plain”, it reminded me that we had made a special trip to the shops in the torrential rain for this essential turkey condiment (and for Uncle Tim’s Magners).

The results:

All in all, everyone was terribly gracious and polite regarding their New Year’s Day meal (bar Beth ‘a bit plain’ Danaher). So far, there have been no reports of food poisoning. Rest assured, in future I shall be taking on board the above tips for what not to do. Next year we’re off to my folks in Bangor, N. Ireland, for the first Christmas there in 7 years! My final top turkey tip for 2014 is for my Mum…….perhaps I should take responsibility for the drinks and leave the festive food to the seasoned experts. Gin and Pepsi Max Cherry anyone? Yehaaaaaaaaaaaaa*!

*always drink responsibly