Flatbread Pizza

If, like me, you love pizza but don't love calories....this is the recipe for you. Minimising cheese and packing lots of veggies on to your pizza actually makes it a healthy option. Who woulda thunk it? 

Ingredients

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp tomato puree 

rock salt and pepper

2 large flat breads (i get a big pack from the international supermarket)

half fat mozzarella 

extra strong cheddar 

toppings of your choice

(i've used ham, fresh pineapple, red onion, sweetcorn, tuna & grated carrot)

Start by making the tomato base. Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil, until soft and golden. Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, oregano, bay leaf, sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, until lovely and cooked down. 

Lay the flatbreads out on an oven shelf, or oven tray. Spread with the tomato sauce. If you're using mozzarella, lay this on first. Then add your toppings. Finish with a little sprinkling of the cheddar. The stronger the cheese, the less you need. Pop them in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the flatbreads have started to crisp. Voila. 

up yours Dominoes 

Baked Apples

A little recipe to jazz up one of your five a day. 

Ingredients
1 apple
1 tsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon 
1 tbsp muesli
½ tsp butter
1 tbsp water  

Heat the oven to 180°C. Slice the top from the apple and remove the core. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and muesli together, and pack inside the apple. Pour in the water, top with the butter and pop the apple lid back on. Place the apple inside a small oven dish and pour a little boiling water around the apple. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the apple is soft.

guilt free pleasure

Carrot, Cumin & Cashew Salad

This salad is packed full of nutty, seedy, veggie goodness. It's the perfect accompaniment to.....well, anything! 

Ingredients

5 carrots (grated)

½ red onion (sliced)

2 tbsp cashew nuts

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp olive oil

½ lemon (juiced)

1 tsp english mustard

salt & pepper

handful of parsley (chopped) 

Begin by dry-roasting the cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds and cumin seeds. Place them all in  a frying pan on a high heat, until the nuts are beginning to brown. Make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and seasoning together. Blend grated carrots, red onion, nuts, seeds, parsley and dressing ingredients together in a big salad bowl. It's ready. 

i had mine with my sesame crusted tofu

Sesame Crusted Tofu

Tofu gets a bad rap. However, I still love it. This is a good way of adding flavour and texture to what my boyfriend describes as "a tasteless grey mass of bean curd". Here goes.

Ingredients

1 piece of firm tofu 

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp poppy seeds

½ tsp dried chilli flakes

salt and pepper

olive oil 

Start by pressing the tofu to remove excess liquid. I do this by popping a plate and a weight on top, like my big jar of muesli. Place the tofu on kitchen paper to catch any more liquid. Mix the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, chilli flakes, salt and pepper on a plate. Cover the tofu in the seed mix by gently pressing it all together to stick. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and place the crusted tofu slab into the hot pan. Fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and drain any excess oil on kitchen paper. Cut into triangles and serve! I like mine with sweet chilli dipping sauce. 

i think i've suc-seeded myself here

Thai Banana & Coconut Dessert

This traditional Thai dessert is good any time of the day. With a blend of salty and sweet flavours, it is the ultimate comfort food. Adding oats makes this a more substantial breakfast meal. I made this version of it for my breakfast today. 

Ingredients
1 large banana (cut into chunks)
¼ tin of coconut milk
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp porridge oats (optional)
1 tsp sesame seeds (toasted until golden) 

Pop the banana, coconut milk, salt, sugar and oats (if using) into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl. Top with the sesame seeds. Eat.

now take me to Thailand

Sweet Pineapple Curry

I learnt how to make this Indonesian dish when I visited Bali. And as I am due to give birth in two days, a super spicy curry with pineapple is just what the Doctor ordered. A good spice rack is needed for this dish. 

Spice Paste Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 small red onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli
½ tsp salt 

Curry Ingredients

1 red onion (sliced)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 stick cinnamon 
4 cloves
1 star anise pod
3 cardamom pods (split and bashed)
1 fresh pineapple (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
2/3 cup palm sugar (or a mixture of dark molasses and caster sugar)
1 cup coconut milk
2 green chillies 

First, make the spice paste. Dry-fry the coriander, cumin and fennel for about 2 minutes. Transfer this to a blender and add the rest of the spice paste ingredients. I use a stick blender. Blend into a smooth paste. 

Next, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the sliced red onion and garlic. Cook this for 2 minutes until golden. Add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and cardamom. Cook for 3 minutes until you can smell the fragrance from all the lovely spices. Next, add the pineapple, sugar and chillies and cook for 5 minutes. Finally, add the coconut milk and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the pineapple is soft. 

Serve with rice. Perfect Saturday night in food. Now then baby....let's have you. 

sugar and spice and all things nice 

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate & Peanut Butter Icing

It's my friend Sam's 30th birthday today. That is all the excuse I need to get in the kitchen and whip up some special birthday cupcakes. 

Cupcake Ingredients

125g butter or margarine

125g golden caster sugar

125g plain flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 tbsp cocoa

3 tbsp milk 

Icing Ingredients 
2 tbsp butter or margarine

2 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1 tbsp cocoa

200g icing sugar

3 tbsp milk 

Heat the oven to 180°C. Place all of the cupcake ingredients into a bowl, except for the milk, and beat. Add the milk and beat again until smooth and creamy. Divide into cupcake cases. This recipe should make up to 24 cupcakes or 12 deeper filled muffin cases. Don't overfill the cases as you want to leave plenty of room for the icing. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until cooked through and springy. 

While they are baking you can make the icing. Easy peasy. Blend all the ingredients (except the milk) in a large bowl. Slowly add the milk until you have a thick icing, you may not need to use it all. 

When the cakes are ready, leave them to cool on a wire rack. When they are completely cool, share the icing between them, and spread to cover. Pop the cakes in the fridge to set. I like to take this opportunity to eat any left over icing.