Warm lentil salad

Yes, lentils. Those tiny little pearls of goodness that come in so many colours. Sunday I talked about red lentils, today I'm talking about green lentils and maybe next week I'll talk about black lentils…
They are just so good for us, I can't stop telling people! And this salad is one of my favourite (and most versatile) ways of eating them.

So you already know that these bad boys are great for preventing blood sugar levels to rise rapidly after eating food. But did you know that they not only are a source for 6 important minerals, two types of Vitamin B but also protein?! Isn't that great? All for 230 calories a cup. They are also one of those things you can cook in big batches and keep for a couple of days. And cooking couldn't be easier. Put lentils in a pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Adding a bouquet garnis will add flavour as will adding spices to the water.

The sweet potato. Oh, how I adore you. Since starting my insulin resistant way of eating I have had to take out all carbs, starches and a whole bunch of other deliciously bad things from my diet. One of those ticked-off-my-list-things is the potato. How I miss mash…chips…crisps! However, the sweet potato is a completely different matter. These little orange potatoes can actually regulate our blood sugar! Research has shown that extracts of it can 'significantly increase blood levels of Adiponectin'. This, is a protein hormone produced by our fat cells that is an important modifier of insulin metabolism! Yes, you can eat this potato on your insulin resistance diet…happy days.

In this dish I use both red onion and spring onions. For two reasons; they both have very different tastes but work together beautifully and, spring onions are in season. Even though I talked about onions here, there is always so much to say and maybe one day I will have to treat you with a whole post just about the blessed onion! For now though, let's just say you should be eating onions every day.

In my local farmers market I can buy fresh garlic and I have to hang it up to dry for a couple of weeks before really getting the full flavour of it. I love the colours and smells of garlic. It's another great one for regulating blood sugar levels as well as strengthening the immune system. Ever notice the sticky feeling on your fingers after working with garlic? That's the sulphur containing compounds being released.

At this time of year when the weather is hot, ok, supposed to be hot. There is no better 'cooler' than mint. No-one can quite decide how many species of mint there are but, it's anywhere from 13-18. This green crawling sprawling plant has a number of properties that range from helping with depression to aiding digestion. I use it when I've eaten too much (happens quite often you'll be surprised to know). Add a few fresh leaves to boiled water and drink. Yum. In this dish it works wonderfully to counterbalance the sweet caramelised red onion and what can be the heady deep flavour of sweet potato to make this perfect and light for summer.

RECIPE:

1 med-large sweet potato

6 spring onions

1 large red onion

2 whole garlic bulbs

300g green lentils

big bunch of parsley and mint

aged feta cheese

1lemon

On a parchment lined baking tray place the spring onions, quartered red onion (held together by the root end!), half an inch thick sliced sweet potato and halved garlic bulbs. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put into a preheated 200C oven and leave till cook with an occasional turn. Usually 20mins.

In the meantime, cook the lentils in water and drain. Finely chop the parsley and mint and put into bowl. Mix with the lentils and a drizzle of olive oil. Mound the veggies in the centre of the lentils, crumble feta around and squeeze the lemon all over. Eat warm or cold!
- You can of course make this vegan by leaving out the feta and also making it for meat eaters. Add strips of cooked chicken breast or steak to the mix. Switch it up by sprinkling the veggies with some cayenne/paprika or adding some cumin seeds.

A weekend away

And what a weekend it was. With temperatures of over 25C there were plenty of red bodies wandering half nakedly around. And I managed to find myself in County Wexford. Famous for the little red beauties that are strawberries.

There we were, windows down, bombing from beach to pub back to beach again. A quick stop at the worlds oldest operating lighthouse was amazing and the views! Wow. Who knew Irish waters could be clear and turquoise. Turquoise enough to put my Mexican Caribbean to shame. Amazed I am. Totally amazed.

We visited the oldest operating lighthouse in the world, did an hours walk around it and then climbed up to the top. Notice my matching jumper…?!

We visited Loftus Hall, supposedly the most haunted house this end of the world. I didn't see a ghost but hey. The legend has it that a family was staying there at the owners request. The young daughter, Anne, was lonely and bored. So when a dark and handsome stranger came a knocking guess what?! So One night they are playing cards, Anne drops one (I'm pretty sure she was trying to flirt!) and sees to her horror a cloven hoof. Now I'm not exactly sure what this is and I'm kind of wandering why she or anyone for that matter, hadn't noticed before when they were walking around but hey. So she screams, passes out and he flies out the roof. Which has never been able to be repaired. She wakes up mad as a hatter and a couple of years later kills herself and now haunts the house. 

We made daisy chains and sat in the sun. Ate plenty of food and ice cream and oh, it was good to get away. Good to be in the sun and enjoying. Long live the summer I say.

A little magic to make it summer

I promise that this will help, somewhat. I can't guarantee sun, heat waves, half naked bodies bronzing but, I can promise that the smell alone will, if only for a second or two, make you feel like summer.

It's one of the simplest things to do and if you make it in huge batches you have summer sweet goodness for the year.

I use it to make champagne cocktails, flavoured water, poaching fruit, ice pops and a whole mass of other things.

Yes that's right. I'm talking elderflower cordial. You've probably seen it, even smelt it and wondered what it was. In Ireland right now it is everywhere. I look out my window and I can see four separate trees full of this white summer scented blossom.

It's a five ingredient recipe and one that you make, leave it alone then bottle. You can all do this. It will take you ten minutes of your time to make and will be a great expedition for you, the family to go out and pick the elderflower blossom.

Give the blossoms a good wash before you get going as no-one likes a bug in their drink do they!
Elderflowers are, if eaten, poisonous so be careful won't you. And remember the foraging rules! Don't take all the blossoms of one tree, leave some for others. If the tree is in a private garden, ask before you pick.

I know that it looks a lot of sugar and to be honest, it is, but go with it. Sugar is a preservative too so it will keep everything nice and safe for months to come.

RECIPE:

12 large (and I mean large) heads of blossom. If you are unsure go with more, NEVER less

2lbs of castor sugar

2 lemons washed and sliced

1oz tartaric acid

2-3litres of boiling water

Place all ingredients in a big bowl. I find layering works well with the lemons holding the blossoms under the water. Make sure all the sugar has dissolved and stir occasionally. Leave to soak for 24-48hrs covered and then bottle in sterilised containers. 

Happy summer.

It's all about being spicy

That's right and you know it! Spice not only helps appease our hunger but it also gets those endorphins buzzing and whizzing and tingling all over your body. And boy do I need some tingling and whizzing. The weather has turned foggy and misty (in other words, nasty), I'm feeling pretty blue and missing summertime. This recipe is adapted from the fabuloso Yotam Ottelenghi and his book Plenty. Having grown up on mediterranean/middle eastern food I'm a fan of his most of the time. A lot of the time I find his recipes have so many blinking ingredients that I give up reading what I need before even trying. Yep, that's the type of person I am. Don't judge.

So taking that in mind and having a bunch of aubergines, egg plants to those stateside, a magical creation was formed! One that had the bosses tell me they want it repeated a lot! Brownie points for Jette *happy face*.

One thing you need and can make is the genius that is THE chilli oil creation that is: whacking some dried chillies/chillies going off/chillies looking wrinkly in the blender with some oil. This keeps in the fridge for Yages. Literally yages. Yes, that word is Yages.

Cut into the flesh to make diamonds trying not to cut through the skin. Stick a garlic clove in as many 'x' as you want. I used roughly 3 clove per half an aubergine the first time and then my peeps asked for more.

At only 28 calories cooked per 100g, this is one veggie to keep around. The latin name is Solanum melongena which means 'soothing mad apple' due to it's reputation back in the day of producing 'instant insanity in the unwary eater'. Genius.

Now it's time to whack on that chilli oil. Slather on a good amount as the aubergine is a sucker for oil. Literally. If you like it really spicy make sure you get lots of the flakes in. The longer the oil as has been sitting the spicier it gets!

While we're are on the subject, let's talk chillies for a moment. Now, we all know there are a ton of varieties and every country worth their chilli metal wants to be the one that introduced the world to the chilli. They are a massive source of antibacterial, antiseptic and stimuli properties (did you read the first paragraph about the whizzing and tingling?) Things that chillies are said to help with are: normalising blood pressure, improving circulatory system, feeding cell structures. They contain Vit A+B+C but, they come with a highly addictive warning. You've been warned.

As part of the nightshade family which is a poison you should be afraid. Afraid of how much goodness this veg has. People use it for helping tumours, preventing cancer, the bioflavonoids it contains are great for renewing arteries, preventing strokes and other haemorrhages. It's a pretty powerful thing. Give it a go. Try and put it into your diet at least once a week when in season. The thing I love most about aubergine this way? The crispy bits around the edge with a spicy tang fading to soft flavourful flesh. Nom nom.

RECIPE:

half an aubergine per person

chilli oil

garlic cloves

oven

2tsps greek yoghurt

buttermilk/goats milk/milk

chilli flakes/lemon/coriander

Cut aubergines in half and score the flesh. Peel the garlic cloves and stick into the 'x' of your cuts. Brush with chilli oil. Put into an oven 200C for about 20-30mins. When they are ready they will be squidgy to the touch and a knife will go in no problem. The bigger the aubergine the longer time in the oven.

Mix 2tbsp of greek yoghurt with enough buttermilk/goats milk/milk to turn  into sauce consistancy. Add some more chilli flakes/squeeze of lemon/chopped fresh coriander or all of theses. Drizzle a little over the middle and serve warm.

P.S. If you make too many halves or have left overs. Remove flesh from skin, blitz with a little oil and you have a fabulously yummy dip. You're welcome.

In a right Pickle

It's summertime. I don't blame you for not realising, noticing, seeing the sun. I haven't in a long time.. This Irish summer is supposed to better than the last 2 years. Heaven help me, and all the Irish, thinking this is better than last year. Wow.

With summer comes the new things. Buds, sprouts, summer veggies and while there is this abundance why not make the most of it and get pickling. In America they call it canning. And while I kind of get this, I do not use cans, I use jars so I'm going to stick with pickling.

Today it was cucumbers. Bright green prickly baby cucumbers. They are crunchy and sweet with a bitter taste on the peel. It's the perfect time while they are at this stage to get them in a jar.

I did three separate jars with three varieties of flavours. A crushed garlic and peppercorns. A chilli flakes and a wild garlic. It's pretty idiot proof. Three sterilised jars. Make sure they are sterilised. Should I say this again? MAKE SURE THEY ARE STERILISED.

Cucumbers are hugely alkaline and rich in minerals that neutralise blood acidosis. This lowly green member of the gourd family is the best natural diuretic known and rather than excreting waste through our skin it allows waste to be excreted through the kidneys. It's also known to contain erepsin, an enzyme which helps to digest proteins meaning that it is a beneficial digestive aid and for those of you with worms, it helps. A lot. If you've got high or low blood pressure you should eat a lot. This summertime veggie is high in potassium. There are a huge number of benefits to eating this crunchy green thing so get to it!

RECIPE:

As many cucumbers as you can squeeze into the jar you have (I used 4)

3tbsp white wine vinegar

½-1 tbsp salt

Add any flavour to taste, I used 4 garlic cloves in the first one, 6 chilli peppers. The second one I used 1 tbsp chilli flakes. The third jar I used a large handful of wild garlic.

Topped up with filtered water.

This recipe hardly seems a recipe. It's easy peasy! Promise. Literally put everything in the jar. Make sure you pack in the cucumbers. Once everything is in the jar, top up with filtered water. Every 12 hours turn the jar upside down. Enjoy after about a week. Enjoy.

A view from the Castle

It's my second week at my job. I'm growing to love it. I love living in the countryside, I love choosing what I cook for the family, I love looking out my window and seeing the mountain.

The last couple of days have been a heat wave here in Ireland, today the rain and grey came back and it's not pretty. But at least the elderflower is blooming, the wild garlic is still growing and I'm meeting people.

I've had some mishaps in the kitchen, thankfully not ones I've had to serve but I've been trying new recipes. Let's say that they still need some work, but mistakes are good right?  They help us learn, teach us what to do differently. Like this one. I'm trying to make a dahl crisp bread. First attempt = no go. But I'll keep trying!

I've made Greek salads, raw slaws, nut bars, fresh breads, spicy soups and much more. Here's to the future menus.

My quinoa and chickpea burger

It's been showering us with sunshine in Ireland. I'm loving it. The dresses haven't quite found their way past my wardrobe but, it's sunny enough to sit outside with sunnies and no jumper! Am I lucky or what? Who knew that my first Irish summer would be so sweltering (pinch of salt people).

The job is going well, great infact. I'm still getting into a routine but the fact I'm living in the countryside and the sun is shinning and I'm creating new recipes is pretty sweet. Life is good.

One of my latest creations came around from leftover quinoa and mint peas. There are plenty of quinoa/amaranth/chickpea burgers out there. And I'm sure they're all fantastic. Personally I've always been a bit of a 'I eat meat, why the hell would I make a burger without?' kind of person. Cue this job where the meals are all vegetarian and as vegan as possible. Cue, my veggie burger.

Quinoa is a fantastic little ball of grain goodness. For those of us who try to exercise, you may have heard of it being a complete protein and gluten free. Good for those allergic to wheat. Did you know that it contains more calcium than milk? A pretty nifty little grain.

And then, I present the chickpea. For those of you living across the pond, you will know it as the garbanzo bean. I'm sticking to chickpea you hear?!? These golden balls are one of my all time favourite things to eat. Give me some chunky homemade humus or some chickpeas with turmeric, onion and garlic any day of the week. Yum. 

It's spring/summer time and I love spring onions. The spicy freshness that is so similar and yet so unlike an onion is something I love, plus the fact you can eat all of it is a winner. And since moving to Ireland I find myself cooking more and more with these green and white sticks.

The garlic clove is beautifully packaged. A food stylists dream that comes with it's very own packaging. And so pretty it's packaging is. Known throughout the world to prevent disease, keep away vampires and make armies stronger.

My favourite quote concerning garlic comes from John Harrington and The English Doctor: 'Garlic then have power to save from death; Bear with it thought it maketh unsavoury breath; And scorn not garlic like some that think; It only maketh men wink and drink and stink'

Now we all know the chilli. There are so many different varieties and so many contentions for where they originated it's a chilli minefield. I'm a fan. I love hot but you may not. The recipe will be just as good less spicy so you can decide how much you want to put in.

RECIPE:

2 cups of cooked quinoa (mine had peas in from yday)

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

5 different sized spring onions

6 garlic cloves (less if you love vampires)

2 big chillies (less if you're not a hot person)

2 large eggs (or enough to bind)

large handful of herbs (parsley, coriander, basil. Anything you want)

Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together. I used a food processor and roughly chopped all the ingredients. I'm new to the wonders of food processors so didn't really need to but. You CAN do this by hand. Mash the chickpeas and chop everything else finely, then mix.

Use 2 spoons to keep burgers even-ish. Cook in coconut the oil of your choice till crispy and golden then flip and repeat. 

This mix made roughly 20. They freeze really well.

Super bright, super food salad

I've started my job. It's pretty good so far. Nobody's died from food poisoning, nor have they had food poisoning I should add. And I'm rocking out between 5-7 new and individual dishes every single day. When I'm not working I've been walking in the countryside. Did I mention I'm living in the middle of a field? It's pretty nice and, considering I found a glut of wild garlic (that I'm calling mine just incase you thought of following me) I'm happy.

This salad came about because I liked the colours. Sorry. It's that simple. But. You know what, it really really really works. It has a summery zing of freshness and the colours can't help but make you happy!

There are three ingredients. Please ignore the onions in the photos but next time I would leave out the onion. You can of course put it in and it did work overall but I think I like the simplicity of only three ingredients.

First lets start off with pumpkin seeds. These nutty little green things are a powerhouse of goodness. This is definitely one for the men. For the male prostrate gland these are the most nourishing things you can eat thanks to their high levels of magnesium and zinc. Pumpkin seeds or pepitos are mainly made up of myosin. Now, myosin is the chief protein that makes up all of the muscles in our body. Pretty cool huh!

Give them a quick dry roast in a saucepan to release that deep sweet nut flavour.

Next, let's talk next about the bright orange veggie that is the sweet tasting carrot. Did you know that apart from beetroots they contain the most sugar out of any vegetable?

When consumed in large amounts this orange stick is considered one of the best detoxifiers. Not only do they contain huge and easy to digest amounts of vitamins, minerals and enzymes but they are also great for the liver and your digestive tract. Now, when your Mum told you that carrots made you see in the dark, she may have been slightly overstating their amazing qualities but, good quality carrots are antioxidant beta carotene rich which is a pre cursor to Vit A which, is beneficial to the eyes. Clever Mum!

And finally (if you forget the onions) is red cabbage. This vegetable amazes me every time and I really do find myself mesmerised by the curly wurly pieces when cut. Natural art. Raw cabbage, whether it be red or green is a great for detoxifying the stomach and upper bowls of waste which obviously gives you better digestion. With its sulphur and iron content it's a winner for those of us with bad circulation. And, due to its alkalisation properties its great for people with bad skin. 

I made a simple orange juice dressing which was as easy as juicing 2 oranges, mixing it with some olive oil (1:2 ratio) and salt and pepper.

I made this salad for 12 and went through 10 carrots, ¾ of a red cabbage and 2 handful of toasted pumpkin seeds. I'd say, if you were doing it for four, go with 4 carrots, ¼ cabbage and a small handful of seeds. I grated the carrots and chopped the cabbage finely against the grain.