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Sneaky Cupcakes

At the Children’s Book Swap Event that I attended last week, I sold a number of Fruit and Veggie Cupcakes and had a couple of requests for recipes, so here over the next few days are a few of my tried and tested methods for making what I like to describe as sneaky cakes - where you can shove in a whole lot of goodness in without the kids knowing about it. It's also not a bad idea to consider individual cupcakes for kids birthdays. You can still decorate them to theme, but you normally end up with a lot less left overs and waste.

Each recipe makes around 12, but you will get variations on that depending on how big your cake cases are and the consistency of each cake mix. You can make all of these cakes without an egg if you want them to be completely free of animal products. However, two things tend to happen if you're not using egg and you have decide if you can live with it. Either you have a smaller, crumblier cake, or you have a denser cake that is harder to get our of it's wrapper.

Standard Content

115g of plain flour

115g of sugar

75ml of oil

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Butternut Squash and Ginger

Use golden caster sugar and sunflower/rapeseed oil for this recipe.

Take 120g of thinly sliced Butternut Squash and a large finger sized amount of root ginger, very finely sliced. Lay on a baking tray with a touch of oil and bake at 190C for around 30 mins, with a loose foil cover, until soft (turn your oven down 180C) Add to a blender or mash until a chunky salsa like texture (you can puree to smooth but this can make your mix a little on the sloppy side.

In a bowl add the sugar, oil and squash mix, and 1 egg if you are using. Beat together to avoid curdling then slowly shift in the flour and baking powder, making a figure eight shape until combined. Take a tablespoon and put heaped amounts into cake cases. These cakes are perfect with a soft creamy icing (see below), but he you choose not to ice, add a little sprinkling of ground ginger to the tops of your cakes at this stage.

Bake in the oven for 15mins, turn out on to wire rack to cool.

Simple Dairy Free Icing.

Using a Vegan or Dairy Free Spread is an incredibly easy way to make a simple soft icing for most cakes. Spread is a lot smoother than hard butter and you don't have to spend as much time beating out the lumps. Measurements are always a bit hit and miss and will depend on the texture you want. I normally start off with a heaped spoon of spread and two heaped spoons of icing sugar, with a small squeeze of lemon, and go from there.

Tomorrow: Apple and Courgette Cakes

Raw Meal

Many of you might be taking part in the Earth Hour Big Switch Off this Saturday and might be choosing to mark the occasion with a meal for family and friends. But there is a way you can make the event even more low tech - by opting for a raw food feast.

Raw food is becoming a popular trend here in the UK, with people realising the benefits of not roasting/boiling the shit out your food and draining it of important nutrients. It's certainly something I'm trying to do more often, if for no other reason than a lot of raw food is quick and easy to prepare, which is very handy if you're busy.

Some of the stuff mentioned below might not be entirely classified in the raw food range, due to pre-purchase preparation and processing. If you have an interest in eating raw and want to know a little bit more, I suggest you check out Karen Knowler's Raw Food Coaching Page for the basic introductions and Raw Amazing for some great recipes.

And while I've said this meal is low tech, some of it might require pre or post refrigeration. Don't worry though, no one expects you to switch off your fridge for Earth Hour. It is after all about making a statement of intent and commitment to energy saving habits.

Starter: Pink Grapefruit and Carrot Salad

Great as a side salad or starter, this can be dressed up with a few small leaves or herbs such as cress, lemon thyme or rocket.







2 grated carrots
1 Pink Grapefruit, peeled, sliced and cut into bits (a bit like toblerone triangles)
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard
1 teaspoon of olive rapeseed oil

Drain off any excess juice from the grapefruit in a sieve or colander. Put into a bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix with your (clean) hands. Feel free to up the mustard dosage, but taste first as this combination should be enough. Add any desired leaves and serve.

Main: Tabbouleh Stuffed Sweet Peppers

The Bulgur Wheat used for tabbouleh needed be pre-cooked so long as you soften and clean it of starch first. Steep it in lots of cold water for around 30 minutes - 1hour, depending on how much time you have. Then place in a fine sieve and run under the cold tap until the water running off it runs clear. Break up with a fork and set aside.

4 large sweet peppers
200g of Bulgur Wheat
2 large beef tomatoes, chopped
4 spring onions, chopped
75g of fresh parsley
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tops off your peppers and remove any internal seeds or flesh. Mix the prepared bulgur wheat with rest of the ingredients. Add a glug of olive oil and pack the tabbouleh into the peppers. You could add a clove of garlic to the miss, but be careful as some people really can't stand raw garlic.


Dessert: Apple, Almond and Apricot Glory

Again this recipe can use yoghurt or a soy based alternative, and depending on whether you're cooking for children or adults, you can sharpen things up a bit by swapping the apple juice for apple brandy for those who like their fruit a little boozy.

2 large apples, peeled and chopped
400ml of yoghurt or vegan alternative
100ml of apple juice or apple brandy
100g of rolled oats
50g of ground almonds
50g of Fairtrade dark brown sugar
60g of dried apricots, blitzed in blender
1 tablespoon of almond oil

Peel, corr and chop the apples. Sprinkle with roughly half the brown sugar and the apple juice and leave to steep for around 30 minutes. Afterwards, drain the excess and divide into four separate into glasses, such as Martini or Champaign glasses. Top up with the yoghurt, leaving at least 2 inches of space at the top of the glass. In a bowl mix the oil, oats, almonds, chopped apricots and the remainder of the sugar until it forms a coated, flap jack type mixture. Add this as topping to glasses.


Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Organic Brews, just for you's...

After last weeks focus on local booze, I've been doing a bit of research into beers that market themselves as organic, traditional method or natural ingredients. And by research I mean me and the husband sitting in last night and chugging down on a few bottles while giggling at the Prince/Batman hybrid presenting on QVC (don't ask).

Anyway, in all our infinite wisdom, here's the low down. I haven't included any prices as I imagine this will vary from place to place and be dependent on whether you are paying bar prices or off sales. I've also tried to keep local once again - all these beers are brewed in the UK.

(from left to right)

Natural Brewing Company Premium Ale

4.3%

Ingredients: Barley, Hops, Spring Water

Claims to use only natural ingredients from sustainable sources and is brewed in small batches in a traditional tower brewery. Not unlike the Brew Dog also sampled, this had a fruity taste, though it was a far lighter affair. Pleasant enough.

Lincolnshire Best Bitter (Exclusive to M&S)

4.9%

Ingredients: Malted barley, Malted wheat, Hops, Water. 

This was the only beer we tested that had the Vegan stamp of approval. Though one might assume that all beers should be free from animal products, many contain Isinglass, a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish, while others fail to be awarded the stamp due to using animal based glues on the labels. So this was actually quite a find.

It had a definite caramelly (again, I'll defend this word, it's in Rebenectionary) light taste. Personally I found it a little on the bland side, though Damien liked sweetness, and the fact that it left no noticeable after taste. Out out of all drinks tested this was what we deemed to be the most palatable, in the sense that you could drink this all night and not feel sickened.

St Peter’s Organic

4.5%

Unusually didn't have a traditional ingredients listing (I thought everything had to these days?) but it noted as being made from malted barley hops.

This brew carried the soil association stamp and is prepared to 'organic standard'. It was light and golden in colour, more like a lager or European beer. Best bottle design of the night by a country mile, like a big medicinal bottle you'd expect street urchin's to be swigging their gin out of in a Dicken's novel. Kudos for that alone.

Scottish Ale (M&S Exclusive)

4.5%

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barely, Malted Wheat, Dried Thistle, Dried ginger and Yeast 4.5%

This dark ale had a really distinctive ginger taste, without technically being a ginger ale. It was fresh and crisp but had a denser flavour than you'd expect given the percentage. I've never really chowed down on thistle before, so I couldn't honestly tell you if that came through or not, though there was a noticeable twang in the after taste, so perhaps that was it. Damien thought that is had quite a weird smell, but I didn't notice it. It was certainly my favourite of the night. I'd recommend this if you like ginger ale, but find the sweetness get too much after a while. This has the flavour without the sugar.

BrewDog, Punk IPA`

6%, 

Ingredients: Barely Hops, Yeast and Water

Light amber in colour, this had an initial apricotty (it's a word, really it is) taste and aroma, and a dry/bitter after taste. Both Damien and I agreed that it reminded us of something else, I thought a special edition Oktoberfest brew I'd had a few years back. It was strong, but not overwhelming in flavour; as Damien put it, 'like Arnold Swartz in a teddy bear suit.' Now that  he's in his 30s, old man Damien was put off by the packaging initially, it's not traditional enough for his liking, but it didn't sour him against it and I rather liked it.

South Wold Winter IPA (another M&S exclusive - this doesn't make me posh by the way, it's just my local shopping centre only has a Sainsbury's and a Markseeees)

6.7% 

Ingredients: Water, Malted Barley, Wheat, Hops, Yeast, Carbon Dioxide

Not bad, a fruity pale ale, with a slight sharpness. Was drank last and as a result didn't really make that much of an impact.

The morning after the night before...   

One thing you're often told, especially when you're a student and will drink pretty much anything, is that the additives and artificial ingredients in a lot of drinks, especially the likes of alcopops, cheap cider and drain cleaner, can lead to worse hangovers. So how did we feel this morning? Well admittedly we didn't drink that much (but lets face it, since having a baby all it takes is a pint of water and packet of wine gums and I'm half cut), but there was no noticeable hangover. I did however feel thirsty most of today and received a text from Damien complaining about noxious gasses - perhaps that's the price to pay for a clear head.

Local Liquer

St. Patrick's Day is just a week away and while I'll be posting nearer the time about some pre-session stomach liners, I thought I'd take a moment to celebrate the very best in local and environmentally friendly alcohol.

Buying local reduces the travel miles of your drink and also supports local industry. I'm a firm believer that all pubs and bars, regardless of brewery agreements, should make the effort to stock and promote some local samples. In the meantime I'm happy to champion those bars that do, so feel free to leave recommendations in the comments section.

Of course Guinness is the big drink on the 17th March and my personal tipple of choice. The best pints I've had have come from the Pavilion Bar and Rose &Crown, both on the Ormeau Rd, Belfast - the worst was served in an excessively tall glass in Honolulu Airport and was all kinds of wrong (seriously, some places just shouldn't bother). When down in Kerry years back Murphy's was actually the nicer option for a lot of places in and around the Dingle Bay area, but you'd be hard pushed to find this on draught in Belfast these days. Then we have local whiskey's of which there are a shit loads. Can't think of any? Then click here.

If stout or whiskey isn't your thing however there are plenty of other local options available. Whitewater Brewery, an award winning micro brewery in Co Down, produces a good range of ales and lager, including Snake Drive, a special pale ale brewed especially for St Patrick's Day. A few of the range, Belfast Ale and Coltworthy Dobbin in particular, I've seen in a couple of bars around town, but you can contact the brewery direct for a more comprehensive list: http://www.whitewaterbrewery.com/index.php/beers

If you're one of those sick in the head people who actually prefer cider, then of course we've Magners, the geniussssess who realised that if you encourage people to water down their pint with ice you can single handedly rejuvenate the apple fizz business and make a fortune. Why? I've no idea, I assume the sugar rush achieved by drinking the stuff makes people forget that they live in Ireland where it's cold and pisses down all the time, instead fooling them into thinking that they're in the tropics where ice is essential.

For the more refined pallet we have drink of champions and all awesome people, Buckfast Tonic Wine. You'll get this served by the glass in one or two bars, though it is definitely more of an offy drink. A fortified wine, it's localish - produced at Buckfast Abbey in Devon. It's not for the faint-hearted, and if you're a first time taster, don't let the initial foulness put you off. Drink through the nastiness, as it's about to get soooo good. And if you've ever been curious about the difference between the green bottled normal stuff and the different (and therefore wrong), brown bottle concoction drank predominately in the ROI, then wikipedia has the low down here.

Of course not everyone is from the same local area, so you've probably got your own favourites and feel free to give them a shout out in the comments section. You can check out your local breweries by licking on the following directories:

http://www.quaffale.org.uk/ (UK)

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/breweries.html (USA)

http://www.tastingbeers.com/directory/regional/canada/breweries/ (CAN)

But it's not just the travel miles attached to booze that concern the eco friendly drinker, there are more and more producers starting to offer organic and Fairtrade options. I'll be doing a taste test of a few of these over the weekend and will report back.

http://pdphoto.org
Oh and it goes without saying: Always drink responsibly!

Fair Trade Pancakes

Well we're about half way through Fair Trade Fortnight, and what better way to show your support than by making this Pancake Day, a fair trade event. When you can't buy local, try and buy fair, for a better deal for workers across the globe. Here are two fantastic recipes for pancakes with a twist and an extra treat for anyone planning to put their sweet tooth on hold for lent. The basic batter recipe will make approximately between 4-8 pancakes, though this will of course vary depending on pan size and you often have to allow for a few spoils.

Fairtrade Banana Pancakes with Raisins and Madeira:


100g of plain flour
225ml of milk
1 egg
Good Pinch of Salt


3 large Fairtrade Bananas
100g of Fairtrade Soft Brown Sugar
Good handful of Fairtrade Raisins, nuts of other dried fruit
60ml of Madeira Wine
50g of butter

Sift together the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg, lightly beaten. With a balloon whisk, slowly combine the flour/egg mix, while slowly adding the milk. You should get a batter of thin to medium consistency, perfect for crepes, as opposed to American style or Scotch Pancakes. If you have time, chill the batter in the fridge for about 30 minutes prior to use.

Peel and slice the bananas in half. In a shallow pan melt the butter, sugar and Madeira until a caramelised sauce (around 5 minutes), then add the raisins and bananas, cooking for about 1 minute on each side.

Remove from the heat, cover in foil and set aside. In another frying pan, ideally one suited to crepes,(or remove the bananas completely, quickly clean the pan and reuse if you're short on utensils), add some oil or butter on high heat until pan is very hot. A ladle or jug is the best way of doing this, you only need a little and you should spread it our on the pan as much as possible. I mentioned 'spoils' earlier, as it might take a few turns to get best results.

When done, place a banana, some raisins and syrup into each pancake and roll up. You can serve as it is, though this would be extra nice with some Fairtrade Vanilla Ice-cream, such as Ben and Jerry's which uses 100% Fairtrade Vanilla and Sugar.


Fairtrade Chocolate Pancakes

Using the same batter recipe and preparation method as the Banana Pancakes, you can make a wide range of Fairtrade Chocolate Sauces to complement. If you have a microwave, a very simple means of making a chocolate sauce is simply adding 100g of Fairtrade Chocolate  (broken up) and 100ml of milk into a jug and heating for 1 minute. Some mad bastards even use condensed milk, these tend to be American and don't have to rely on being able to find a NHS dentist. If you don't have a microwave you can melt chocolate easily in a pan, rested over a pan of simmering water, adding any cream, butter or even a touch of almond oil to thin out.

The key in all of these sauces is choosing your favourite chocolate flavours. Here are some of the most tempting Fairtrade Chocolate offers I've come across online, though many will be available in stores such as The Co-Op and other supermarkets.

Seed and Bean's Organic Fairtrade Chocolate with Chilli and Lime: Yum

Palmil Fairtrade Organic Chocolate: A Gluten and diary free alternative to milk chocolate, suitable for Vegans. For information on dairy free pancake recipes, check out the this site

Plush Fairtrade White Chocolate Petals with Raspberry. Gorgeous and with their own cute packaging. If you can't bring yourself to 'waste' these on a sauce, they would make an ideal gift or wedding favour.

Green and Black's Maya Gold: The first UK product to be awarded the Fairtrade stamp in 1994.


You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight by going to http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

Celebrate... St David's Day

This warming Leek and Soba Noodle Broth, is the perfect meal for the 1st of March St David's Day Celebrations (the leek, along with the daffodil being the symbol of Wales). It's also the perfect type of dish to signify the move into spring; hot, but a lot less stodgy than most winter staples. Also, due to it's small ingredient selection, it really doesn't take that long compared to other vegetable based soups.

Serves 4

Two Leeks, washed and chopped
Two bunches of Soba Noodles, broken up into small shards
1 red chilli pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 thumb sized piece of garlic, crushed or finely grated
1 stalk of lemongrass, finely chopped
2 tablespoon of light soy sauce
A few mixed pepper corns
1 pint of vegetable stock (or chicken if you prefer)
75ml of dry white wine

Add the leeks, garlic, chilli, lemon grass and ginger to a pan with a little oil on a medium heat. Stir occasionally until the leeks begin to soften, then add the white wine, turn down the heat to it's lowest setting, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Then add your soy sauce and pepper corns, stirring well before adding your stock and bringing to the boil for five minutes. Cover and turn down the heat, leaving to simmer for approximately 20 minutes and adding the broken up soba noodles in the last 5 minutes.

Serve with rice or cream crackers.

Celebrate... The Superbowl

The Packers are in this years Superbowl - just under 12 hours time ( a sociable 11.17pm kick off time here in the UK for those who are wondering) and to celebrate here's a selection of game snacks, ideal for small parties. Green Bay is of course in Wisconsin, Americas Dairyland, so there are a few dairy and cheesy snacks included. There's also a very definite colour scheme going on, some of the best best Green and Yellow dishes I could think of, to really get in the spirit.

Mix and Match Snack Platter:

If you have a large serving plate or bread board, simply arrange the following, with the dips in the middle. Make as much or as little as you like, depending on party size, though the dips have a set amount and will make a small bowl full.

Cheese and Pesto Toasties, with Leek: The nicest bread to use for these toasties is a good quality seed bread, such as Burgen's Soy and Linseed Loaf. Spread green pesto onto one side of each slice of bread, add grated cheese of your choosing and some finely sliced Leek. For extra crispiness, spread a little butter or spread on the outside of each sandwich before adding to the toastie maker. Cut into quarters when done.

Guacamole with yellow cherry tomatoes:

• Scooped out pulp of 2 ripe avocados
• Small bunch of scallions, chopped
• 2 medium green chillis, chopped (seeds optional, included they make a spicier dip)
• 2 gloves of garlic, crushed
• Juice of half a lime
• Pinch of  salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 5-6 small yellow cherry tomatoes, chopped

Fire all ingredient into a blender and until mixed, you can choose your own level of smoothness. To bulk out the Guacamole for a larger party, or to make extra smooth, you can add 50g of cooked peas (or a great cheat, add 50g of tinned mushy peas). However this can dilute the heat, so you may want to add some additional chilli powder.

Yoghurt and Cucumber Raita:  If hot and spicey isn't your thing, then this cooling dip makes a welcome alternative.

In a bowl place 300ml of natural yoghurt, 200g of finely chopped cucumber, a pinch of garam masala and a good pinch of salt. Beat with a fork, garnish with thin disc or two of cucumber and sprinkle with cracked black pepper.

Homemade Bread Sticks: I've never attempted my own home made bread sticks as yet, but I feel that they would be fitting with this platter (you can of course buy some if you can't be arsed). I therefore point you in the direct of Lorraine Pascal and her Big Fat Salt and Pepper Bread Sticks, which look extremely tempting.

Stuffed Green Peppers with Yellow Rice:

Two versions of this dish, one for veggies, one for carnivores. Both use pre cooked rice, as this is the most effective way of turning the rice an even yellow. Simple add one teaspoon of turmeric, or saffron if your rolling in money, to your rice while it is on the boil.

8 Green Bell Peppers, tops cut off and seeds and white flesh removed.
350g of yellow rice.
Around 32 slices of cheddar cheese


Meat Version
400g minced beef or lamb cooked to you usual bolognese or tomato based sauce recipe for twenty minutes. If you don't have a usual recipe, the standard is 1 white onion, 1 glove of garlic, 1 can of chopped tomatoes, and optional spices such as 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon of medium chilli powder, 1 teaspoon of HP Sauce or Marmite and 1 teaspoon of ketchup. You can of course play around with this recipe, but make sure you taste often and don't add too many spices or they will cancel each other out.

Veg Version
1 can of Adzuki beans cooked with 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 1 white onion, 100g of chopped button mushroom1 teaspoon of medium chilli powder and 1 teaspoon of Marmite (optional) for around 10 minutes.


Half your cooked rice, mix half with the meat mixture and half with the beans mix.

Place Bell Peppers in a roasting dish with a good glug of oil. Into each pepper add around two tablespoons of rice/bean or rice/meat mix, followed by a slice of cheese. Repeat this process until all pepper are full and topped with a final slice of cheese. Into the pan add three tablespoons of water. Cover with foil and add to a hot oven for around 45 minutes on 200°C, removing the foil and finishing uncovered for the last 10 minutes.

Smother in warmed BBQ Sauce to serve if you're feeling well dirty.


There are of course some other essentials you may feel you need, such as: Loaded Nachos, Potato Skins, Chicken Wings and for the sweet tooth Lemon Meringue Pie and Grasshopper Pie, so just click on the links.

GO PACKERS!!!!!

MITCH SPINACH …The Veggie Superhero!

There's a certain transition period that loads of kids go through between the post weaning/early toddler phase where they will eat just about anything, and the starting to talk, starting to say 'no' to certain things period. This is of course very natural; boundaries are pushed, authorities asserted and habits formed, but you may very well despair if your child suddenly starts to push their peas aside, cast out their carrots and turn their noses up at turnip. After all, you know it's good for them and if you're hard up, like many of us are at the moment, you don't really want them wasting food.

There is very little reasoning with a toddler and the temptation to wait until your child grows up a bit before you try and push the veg agenda is one that most of us will probably give into. However this is very much a catch 22 situation, wait 'til they're older and yes you can explain the importance of vegetables and a healthy diet, but by that stage they can be stubborn little buggers and all to quick to explain in their own genius logic why they don't do green.

But we will try nonetheless. And there are plenty of resources out there to help. A recent example being Mitch Spinach, the brainchild of children's authors Hillary Feerick and Jeff Hillenbrand, in collaboration with family physician and best selling author Joel Fuhrman, M.D. The series is designed specifically with the idea of creating a positive message in regards to a healthy eating and an aspirational hero who practices what he preaches and the books relate to everyday situations such as school meals, albeit with a superhero twist. There are also some great illustrations by Andrea Vitali.

The books are available through the Mitch Spinach Website and Amazon.com (no UK outlet yet as far as I can see), however even if you're not ordering books, I urge you to check out the website, which is a great source of information and very child friendly, with loads of games, activities, food facts and some amazing recipes, including Super Smoothies and a healthier take on chocolate cake.

http://www.mitchspinach.com/

Celebrate... Chinese New Year

I really love Chinese food, and making your own at home can be a great way to keep an eye on sodium and additive levels. The following are two ideas for popular family friendly Chinese dishes, and great way to get some fresh vegetables into the kids.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

With a heritage in both Chinese and Southern States cooking, there are loads of variations on sweet and sour sauce, but I'd say this definitely one from the Chinese camp. Obviously chicken and pork are the meats best associated with sweet and sour dishes, but if your not a meat eater this can make a great glaze for vegetable kebabs (perhaps add a dollop of honey for extra stickiness). Pineapple seems to be one of those love/hate ingredients; personally I love it, but if you're a hater, this recipe will do fine without. This will do enough sauce for four people.

100ml of soda water
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar or failing that, white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons of tomato purée
2 tablespoons of sherry
1 tablespoon of corn flower 
Zest and juice of half a large, unwaxed lemon.

Optional Stir Fry ingredients
50g pinapple, cut into chunks
1 Green Pepper, sliced
1 small onion, finely chopped

In a bowl mix together the cornflower, lemon zest and soda water with a balloon whisk or fork until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.

In a wok, stir fry the onion and any meat you are using until browned (extra crispiness can be achieved by tossing the meat in a little seasoned cornflower first). Add the peppers and pineapple and cook for an additional 5 minutes on medium heat. Finally add your sauce, stirring continuously until thick and shiny. This should only take a few minutes.

Spinach Fried Rice

A great accompaniment to Sweet and Sour dishes, and an excellent means of vegin' up the dish. Normal rice cooking instructions would say 50-75g per person and will have range of cooking times depending on what type of rice you use. Follow the packet's instructions and have the rice just cooked, drained and ready to go into this dish. When cooking your rice, in order to get a great flavour and fluffiness, I recommend covering in plenty of cold water, bringing to the boil, squeezing in the juice of half a lemon or lime, giving a rapid stir, leaving the lemon or lime in pan, putting the lid on and turning right down for the remainder of the cooking time.

Cooked rice for 4 people
Four handfuls of fresh spinach
Two cloves of garlic, crushed.
Four or five scallions, finely chopped
Generous amount of rape seed oil (aprox 4 tablespoons)

When cooking use a good quality non stick pan or wok. Fry your scallions and garlic on high heat in about half the oil until soft. Add the remainder of the oil and add your cooked rice. Immediately turn down the heat to a low setting, stir the rice continuously, making sure it is all being coated and absorbing the oil. If the pan and oil are hot enough this should only take a few minutes - any longer and you risk burning the rice. Finally remove from the heat and stir in the spinach. Put the lid on the pan, let rest for a minute or two before serving, breaking it up with a large fork before hand.


If you can, make an event of celebrating Chinese New Year. Use chopsticks, which the kids will love and is a great skill to pick up at a young age. There are many variations when it comes to using chopsticks, in terms of regional etiquette, dining location and chopstick design. Asia Recipe has a great 'how to guide' that is worth checking out. Put more than anything, enjoy the family event and maybe slip the kids a bit of lucky money if they've been good (perhaps as a reward for trying something new?).



Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Celebrate... Burns Night

Well tonight is Burns Night, a night that celebrates the life and works of Scottish poet Robert Burns. I grew up not that far from the Scottish borders, and my family has Scottish heritage, so I guess that's why we often celebrated the night when I was younger - my sister and I even kept up the tradition ourselves after leaving home. There are a few variations on what is eaten for Burns Supper, but it almost always includes a Haggis, served with tatties and neeps. Here however, I'm sharing a traditional boarder region side dish that was a favourite of mine when I was younger. It has a great name and is also a great way of using up left overs. The below instructions are non portion specific, just a rough guide to preparation - you can play about with it to suit you.


Rumbledethumps: Mix cooked shredded onion and cabbage with mashed potato, and plenty of salt, pepper and butter. Place in an oven proof dish with a quality hard cheese (Mull of Kintyre Cheddar is excellent) on top and heat in the oven on 200C until cheese is golden and bubbly.

And that's it. Serve as a side, along with the best Scotch you can get your hands on (my tipple of choice, Glen Morangie). Failing that, go all Glasgow and hoof a bottle of Buckfast into you.

And for an added blend of Scottish Culture, here's a wee video from You Tube of the classic Still Game




Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Courgette Cupcakes with Pistachio and Lime

Adapted from an existing recipe in the Susannah Blake's Cupcake Heaven (see below) I have made a few adjustments to ensure that this is a full vegan recipe, yet still holds together without the addition of an egg. The tangy lime topping is what really makes this an usual cupcake variation.

Image: zmkstudio / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Oven 160C, makes 12

Seeds from 3 cardamom pods, crushed
70ml of ground nut oil
50g of caster sugar and 50 g of dark brown sugar
100g of courgette, coarsely grated
50g of chopped pistachio nuts (I do these until a fine, almost breadcrumb like texture in the blender, but chopping will suffice)
120g of self raising flour
Half a teaspoon of baking powder

Mix together crushed seeds, oil and sugar until thick and sandy in texture. Add the courgette and nuts, then sift in the flour and baking powder.

Spoon into paper cases and cook for 20 minutes, checking after 15. Skewer centre of cake to ensure it's done, turn out onto wire rack to cool.

To decorate:

Finely grated zest and juice of two limes
85g of caste sugar
50g of shelled pistachio chopped (more coarsely than for the cupcake mix)

Gradually heat the zest, juice and sugar in a saucepan until sugar is dissolved (rolling the lime under hand for a few seconds before cutting and squeezing makes juicing easier).

Whack the heat right up and boil rapidly for about a minute, before removing from the heat. Allow to cool slightly, stir in the nuts than as it begins to thicken, spool onto the cupcakes.

The original version and other great cupcake recipes can be found in Cupcake Heaven, available via Amazon.

Mushroom and Kale Grain combo.

This vegan recipe is very similar to risotto, but uses Soya milk instead of cows milk, cream or cheese. The key in bringing out the flavours is in the limited selection of ingredients and this needs very little seasoning other than salt and black pepper - so no onion, lemon or vinegar (soy milk tends to have a sharpness that doesn't need these additions). You can use rice, barley or almost any grain cooked to instruction, but for this quick version I've used bulgar wheat, which is generally lower in calories and relatively inexpensive too. You could also serve this as a side dish

Serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

150g of Bulgar Wheat
200g of woodland or chestnut mushrooms, whole or halved.
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed/chopped
300ml unsweetened soya milk
Half a courgette (medium) grated.
Aubergine pesto, two heaped tablespoons (if buying store bought pest, check that it is egg free)

Two large handfuls of kale, chopped
Toasted Sesame Seed or Ground Nut Oil
A sprinkling of mixed sesame and linseed to finish each plate.

In a large pan heat up your oil on moderate heat, add your mushrooms and garlic and stir gently until the mushrooms are soft and browning. At this point you may want to add a little more oil as most of it will have been soaked up.

Rinse your bulgar wheat in a sieve until the water runs clear then add it or partially cooked rice/grain to the pan and stir rapidly for a few minutes, making sure it is fully coated with oil and not sticking to the pan. Add your pesto, courgette and milk, gradually. At this point it will probably look a little greyish, but don't worry, it'll brighten up as the excess oil is combined.

Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, but continue to stir and add the Kale, making sure first that any tough stalks have been trimmed. Keep stirring until the kale is well mixed, shrunken and the mixture is soft and lighter, porridge-like colour. If it seems dry, you can add a little more water or soy milk. Cooking time will vary depending on grain used, but in this case it takes around 7-10 minutes.

Serve in bowls, drizzled with a little oil and sprinkled with the sesame and linseed. Season to taste.

Image: Graham Maddrell / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Which is better pollock or cod? There's only one way to find out...FIGHT!!!

I like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall. Yes he's a bit posh, and some of his rhetoric and ideas can be interpreted as somewhat elitist, but I always get the feeling that he is a genuine, passionate man, who cares about the food issues he champions, albeit with a certain air of naivety (his complete dismay at a mother's insistence on prioritizing low cost over animal welfare in his Chicken Run a few years back did demonstrate more than a little blind spot when relating to people of a limited income).

But he really is at his best when he is pointing out the all round benefits of a sensible relationship between legislators, industry and consumer, which he managed perfectly in last nights Fish Fight on Channel 4. Taking a look at the laws and culture in place with regards to fishing and our appetite for fish, major umbrage was take with the quite frankly shocking amount 'throw back' that current EU species quota results in. 'Throw back' is the return of perfectly consumable dead fish into the sea, that it is illegal to retain and sell once fishermen have reached their monthly limit.

Many fisherman argue that net/haul quotas and limited fishing days would be more effective, meaning that they can keep everything caught, and reduce the amount of time and money spent trawling for allowed species, especially as each trawl results in the capture and waste of the fish that quotas were originally intended to protect. Of course if this was to be applied there may be some danger of overfishing, with fishermen directly targeting waters where more popular and profitable fish are found, but that is where consumer responsibility comes into play.

Cod is a hugely popular fish in restaurants and chippies, and of course supermarkets across the country. However, more responsible selection from consumers, extending their pallet to include other, more sustainable fish, would ensure that the pressure on Cod supplies would be alleviated. It was with mixed feelings that I watched the attempts of River Cottage chef Tim as he tried to introduce oily fish to the chippie menu in the form of a Mackerel Bap. While some costumers were eventually coerced into going against the grain and trying the alternative combo, many were still unswerving in their craving for the traditional dish - this despite a Seafood Choices Alliance study reporting that 79% of European fish consumers state environmental factors in choosing their fishy dish. A change in attitude it seems, may be almost as time consuming as a change in EU law.

There are ways to help though, as always by making an effort at home or when dining out. If you are a fish lover who'd like to adopt a more sustainable and varied diet, Greenpeace UK have an guide that can be obtained either via download or by post by clicking on http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oceans/forms/order-your-free-fish-guide

If you missed last night's opening episode of the Hugh's Fish Fight is available on 4OD and future episodes will be looking at the global effects of fishing.

Join the fight
http://www.fishfight.net/sign-up


Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net