Egg Salad with Sesame Wasabi Caviar

There is a certain achievement in making something delicious without meat. Something so good that you don't notice it is vegetarian. This is one of those recipes. It allowed me to use up a bunch of watercress just using the things in my store cupboard.

You need:
salad leaves (I used watercress)
Black toasted sesame seeds
Oil (sesame, groundnut or rice bran)
Japanese soy sauce
Wasabi powder
Japanese rice wine vinegar
Hard boiled eggs (2 per person)

In a bowl mix the sesame seeds, wasabi paste or powder, soy sauce and vinegar to taste. Add some oil- remember you need to be able to stir it into the salad. and Roughly chop the egg. Roughly chop the watercress. Mix all together.

Almost Healthy Peach Yoghurt Almond Cake

Ah, I have been caught up by this almost healthy baking con lark. Am waiting to see how this one will turn out. Yoghurt and peach is such a great combination- all that bitter-sweet goodness. I searched for recipes but all contained great quantities of butter, or called for tinned peaches, or where . Did I mention that I got 12 ripe peaches for £1 yesterday? 


I found this recipe for a pear yoghurt cake and adapted. 


This is what I came up with. It remains to be seen whether it is good! 


Ingredients
8oz wholemeal flour
2oz  unrefined soft brown sugar (this does not make it sweet- if you want a sweet cake, double the amount of sugar). 
3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp vegetable oil (I used rice bran oil)
4 ripe peaches cut into small pieces (even better-pureed)
1 oz chopped and toasted almonds (I chopped and toasted some whole almonds)

To make:Preheat the oven to 180. Grease a loaf tin. 

Stir together the flour, cinnamon and salt. 

In another bowl beat the egg, sugar and oil. Whisk in the yoghurt. Stir in the chopped peach and almonds. 

Mix all the ingredients and blend.

Put into the loaf tin.
Bake for about an hour until the cake is springy to the touch, shrinks from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool for 20-30 minutes on a wire rack, then slice and serve! 

Almost Healthy Banana, Carrot and Fruit Cake

This cake has very little sugar and lots of fruit. No cake can be called a health food, but this is a close call!

• 8 oz self raising wholemeal flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 oz soft brown unrefined sugar
• 2 oz sunflower seeds
• 1 oz mixed fruit (or raisins/ sultanas) soaked in tea for an hour. 
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2  eggs, beaten
• 2 medium-sized grated carrots

1. Sift the flour and salt into large bowl. 
2. Add the sugar and nuts.
3. Mix
4. Add mashed banana and beaten eggs.
5. Stir in grated carrot and soaked fruit. 
6. Mix well
7. Butter a loaf tin
8. Put mixture into tin
9. Bake for 1 hour at gas mark 4 (350ºF/175ºC) or until  a sharp knife comes out clean from the cake.

Did I mention that is tastes delicious?

Healthy Turkey Meatballs

I had turkey on my mind. This happens occasionally when I remember how cheap it is and how much healthier it is than red meat. It is true that I have tofu in the fridge, but somehow it never hits the meat spot!

Truly delicious- make into burgers, meatballs of a meatloaf.

You need:
500g  Turkey
1 egg
1 small- medium sized onion (red looks lovely but white is fine)
herbs- I used thyme, oregano, chives and LOTS of ground black pepper
salt (or I used a kallo stock cube)
Oat meal (one cup)

1. dice the onion
2. mix with the mince
3. add the herbs and stock cube dissolved in a centimetre of water
4. break in the egg
5. mix well (even better, whizz in a food processor)
6. Add the oatmeal until the mixture can absorb no more- it should be dough like. 

Form into patties and shallow fry, of bake in the oven. I'm tempted to bake them in cup cakes cases.

My Mother's Coronation Chicken

We're still in Jubilee Season, and I wanted to share my mother's amazing Coronation Chicken recipe. This makes amazing garden-lunch or buffet food, and, with a sprig of herbs on top is fit for a feast. What is more, once you have the recipe, you can riff with your leftovers!

CORONATION CHICKEN

4-5lb chicken cooked, flesh removed

25g butter

1 small onion, finely diced

1 level tsp curry paste (or 2 heaped tsps medium hot curry powder)

1 level tbsp tomato puree

4 fl oz red wine (or 2 fl oz sherry + 2 fl oz water)

Juice of half a large lemon

4 canned apricots, chopped, or 4 tsps apricot jam

Half a pint of mayonnaise

5 fl oz whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Cucumber to garnish

How to: 

1. Saute onions in butter till soft.  Add curry powder or paste, tomato puree, wine or sherry and lemon juice.  Simmer uncovered for 10 mins till well reduced.  Strain and cool.
2. Whip cream till floppy.
3. Put mayonnaise, apricot puree, whipped cream and onion mixture in large mixing bowl.  Add seasoning and more lemon juice if necessary.  Add chopped chicken.  Put in fridge overnight (not essential, but allows flavours to develop!).
4. The thing is to get the texture and general flavour, so apricot jam could be replaced by chutney, for example.  I have a note to myself to make 1 ½ times the sauce quantity, so you might like to allow for that.

How to, part 2.

When I made this for the next day, I doubled the amount for stage 1 and set some aside. Add more vegetables (frozen or fresh spinach, fresh peppers, tomatoes, potatoes [for a real vindaloo i.e. curry with wine and potatoes]) , and prepare some yellow rice for a warm version.

How to, part 3.

An excellent way to use up left over roast chicken.  

Banana Courgette Cake

I remember when I first heard of courgette cake as a child. It seemed preposterous- an insult against cakes. It was years before I tried one. My first attempt to make one was disastrous. But this recipe is brilliant. It combines bananas with courgette for nutritious cake.


8 oz plain wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon salt
8 oz soft brown sugar
1 oz walnuts or pecans chopped
1 oz sultanas
6 oz (2 bananas) ripe banana, mashed
3 large eggs, beaten
8 oz finely grated courgette (no need to peel)
5 fl oz sunflower oil

1. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into large bowl. Add sugar, nuts and sultanas.
2. Mix well, then add mashed banana and beaten eggs.
3. Stir in grated vegetables and oil.
4. Beat mixture thoroughly for one minute (it will be slightly lumpy).
5. Butter (or line with greaseproof paper) a 9-inch cake tin (or a large loaf tin).
6. Put mixture into tin and bake for 1 hour at gas mark 4 (350ºF/175ºC) until skewer comes out clean from centre of cake.

I would use half the sugar- this was very, very sweet. SO sweet, in fact, that I had to balance it out with a bitter lemon icing- lemon zest and juice with icing sugar. Equally good with sunflower seeds instead of the nuts.

Home-Made Pot Noodle

I now do a loooong commute. Even by London standards. And I want to make my own lunch a) to save money and b) to be healthy.

My pot noodle seems to be one solution. It is super healthy, can survive a commute (without spillage) and left me energised for an afternoon with Excel. Basically, it is based on noodles that cook with hot water and quick- cooking veg (or that which is appetising al dente/ raw).

I used my favourite (seriously, they have become my no.1 staple owing to their quickness and tastiness) glass noodles. Made somehow from mung beans, they only have to be soaked in boiling water for three or so minutes. I added slivers of frozen broccoli (my new freezer veg favourite) run under some cold water just to remove any ice (thawed nicely on the journey). A couple of finely sliced and fat spring onions, a thumb sized piece of diced fresh ginger, a teaspoonful of black miso (any will do but this is healthier) and dash of Japanese soy sauce and about one eggs' worth of Japanese egg roll (proudly home made). I made egg roll as part of last night's supper so had it left over. Small bits of tofu, diced, cooked meat (another leftover- saver) would also work. I have also used a generous handful of sunflower seeds as a nutty protein alternative. I filled up the rest of the box with bean sprouts.

So simple- pour into a bowl, pour over boiling water and leave for 4 minutes or so. Even better, pour over the boiling water and bung into the microwave for a minute or two.