Being someone who lives and breathes recipes and food, I'm often asked what my favourite type of food is to cook. Funnily enough, it's not the easiest question for me to answer as it completely depends on the season, time of day and of course, my mood.
If it's a mid-week meal during Summer, I love nothing better than experimenting with salads, and at the moment it's the ones that contain lentils that have me drooling.
A lazy weekend on a cooler day, I can guarantee you that my oven will be on and something yummy and soothing will be inside bubbling away.
However, there seems to be a few common links that bring most of the food that I love to cook together:
1. Simplicity
2. Fresh, organic produce
3. A tilt towards French flavours
Case in point below.....
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I know it's the beginning of a new year and I know I'm meant to feel all refreshed and motivated with my goals set for 2014, but to be completely honest, I'm stuck. My legs are heavy and my mind is foggy.
Thankfully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all the changes and happenings that are currently going on in my world so I know I just need to keep ploughing on, but this morning I was thinking that it's really not an enjoyable way to live life. To just plough through.
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Would you believe that once upon a time I was a vegetarian. I actually forget this little fact about myself as I'm now such a lover of meat. Smoother a perfectly grilled piece of steak in bernaise sauce and I'm your friend for life.
However for many years I would turn my nose up to any and all meat.
These days, I tend to eat red meat maybe 2 times a week, however chicken is steadily getting a more regular apearance in my diet. Always concerned about dry, tasteless chicken, I'm constantly on the lookout for new recipes. Quick, simple and tasty new recipes actually, and here's one I think you might like...I did!
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Crisp radicchio. Smooth and creamy ricotta. Salty savoury beef....oh what a dish!
Whip it up in a matter of minutes and you too could be enjoying this yummy mid-week meal.
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Meet Meghan from Cupcake with Sprinkles. An amazing baker, beautiful blogger and mother of three.
As you know, I've been staying away from fructose lately so I laughed out loud when I received Meghan as my secret partner for this month's Secret Recipe Club challenge. With a title like Cupcake with Sprinkles, it doesn't get more sugary than that..haha!
As you can imagine, Meghan's blog is filled to the brim with stunning cakes and of course cupcakes...my mouth was watering the whole time and excuses, should I happen to bake and eat all of her recipes, where flying out of my mouth faster than I could wipe up the drool.....
But then I saw it..........the recipe with my name written all over it.
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Food for though: Rice Malt Syrup.
If you've been here before you may have noticed that lately I've been leaning towards Rice Malt Syrup as my sweetener of choice when baking. I'm no expert on the matter, but I am an avid researcher and am learning along the way and what I've discovered so far is that
Rice Malt Syrup is a 100% glucose natural sweetener made from fermented cooked rice (no fructose in sight!). And because it contains more maltose and is low GI, it releases the glucose more slowly and steadily into our systems, rather than a quick spike.
I don't write this to try and convert you on the matter, but purely to explain very simply why it's my sweetener of choice at this point in time.
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A silly fact about me is that I can sit and shell peas for hours. Happily.
Luckily for you, frozen peas work just as beautifully in this quick Summery soup.
Seriously, who could say no to a smooth and creamy soup, topped with a generous dollop of creme fraiche....I certainly can't and in fact, I didn't.
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Food for thought: Have you ever used spelt flour in your baking?
It seems to be quite a popular "ancient grain" that is now popping up all over the place, in pasta, breads and even in some wheat-free recipes (however, I do believe it does contain some gluten).
I absolutely love it as I can substitute it into all of my baking recipes, and it gives a wonderful nutty and slightly sweet flavour. I also love it as it is a little higher in protein than normal wheat flour and is easier to digest.
Be warned not to overwork it though, as it can end up being a little crumbly in texture.
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Do you know how much yoghurt we had to eat in France last year just so I could bring back these gorgeous little blue pots?!
Some never made the plane trip home, but I still have a big box full!
As you can see, they were the perfect size for this yummy soup I served for my sister's birthday feast last weekend.
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Sometimes I just want cake.
Problem is, you have to bake a whole cake for just one slice and if you're anything like me, once a whole cake has been baked and is sitting on the cake plate, one slice just won't do!
I've found the answer - These yummy individual little puddings.
You only have to make one AND they're fructose free!
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Eating Mexican food these days brings back memories of New York where I travelled with some girlfriends a couple of years ago. Drinking jugs of sangria and chomping on corn chips in the East Village we witnessed hundreds of bikes riding past us with naked bodies attached.
Not a memory you can forget easily.
I later found out it was part of The World Naked Bike Ride. Not just New Yorkers amusing themselves.
This dish may not be Mexican, but as soon as I add red kidney beans to a dish...voila....naked bike riders!
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