Monday 3 December 2012

Eat, Drink and Be Healthy!


It’s that time of year again, when you will start to over-indulge and then regret it two weeks later, when your clothes are feeling a little tighter than normal.
Over the Christmas period, around 175 million mince pies are bought (this does not account for the home-made ones), and if they were stacked on top of each other they would reach approximately 3,262 miles  - around 600 times higher than Everest!
On average people consume 6000-7000 calories, more than three times the recommended daily allowance, on Christmas Day alone, and gain around 2kg (5 lbs) over the Christmas period.  But you don’t have to be one of them.
Christmas is also a time for stress levels to rise and this can be very bad for blood sugar balance, tempting you to eat all the things you know you shouldn’t.
There are a number of ways you can remain healthy over the holiday period without missing out on a good time and some great food.

Shopping
·      Never shop when you are hungry.
·      Always take a list and stick to it.
·      Do not over-buy – the shops will be open again in a few days, you are not going to run out of anything – don’t panic!
     Snacks
·       Stock up on unsalted nuts and seeds (pumpkin, sunflower etc) instead of salted nuts.
·      Serve vegetable crudités with dips rather than heavy pastry-based canapés.
     Drinks
·      Make some great tasting non-alcoholic cocktails for a change – i.e. Virgin Marys, and for a treat (and extra zinc) add a raw oyster.
·      Drink wine spritzers instead of wine (half wine, half soda water)
·      Alternate alcoholic drinks with a glass of water to help reduce your alcohol intake (and stop you feeling so dehydrated the next day).
·      The benefits of red wine diminish after two glasses, so don’t kid yourself!
Christmas Lunch
·      Turkey – plan for size – nobody wants to be eating turkey for the next 2 weeks!  Turkey is rich in great protein and full of B vitamins, but remove the skin to cut down on fat.
·      Stuffing – make a nut-based rather than sausage-meat based stuffing – chestnuts are full of potassium and low in fat so a great base for a tasty stuffing.
·      Roast potatoes – cut your potatoes into larger chunks to absorb less fat, or use half sweet potatoes, which are full of antioxidants.  Swapping roast for baked potatoes would be even healthier.
·      Vegetables – include lots of veggies with lunch, preferably steamed ones to help fill everyone up with some great vitamins and fibre.
·      Christmas Pudding – very high in sugar so swap the brandy butter for some natural yoghurt instead.
·      Make you own mince-pies using filo pastry instead of shortcrust, and substitute some of the mincemeat with some dried cherries or cranberries and flaked almonds – see recipe below.

Just remember that your digestive system does not change just because it’s the festive season, so give it a helping hand by; eating a good breakfast each day,  keeping your blood sugar balanced by eating little and often, eating good protein at each meal and snack, and not over-doing the stimulants (alcohol, coffee etc).
And if you need a good pick-me-up on boxing day, a great way to start the day is with a good breakfast and a vegetable juice that will help to support your liver -ready to face another day!

Filo Mincepies

Makes 12

300g mincemeat
25g dried cherries
25g dried apricots, diced
50g flaked almonds
6 sheets filo pastry
30g unsalted butter
 1 tbsp olive oil
icing sugar for dusting

1.     Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas Mark 6.
2.     Mix together the mincemeat, cherries, chopped apricots and flaked almonds.
3.     Lay the 6 sheets of filo pastry on top of each other and cut into 8 squares.
Melt the butter and mix with the olive oil.
4.     Lay one square of pastry on the work surface and brush with a small amount of butter and oil.  Place another on top, at an angle and brush with butter.  Repeat until you have 4 squares on top of each other at different angles.  Gently press the square into the hole of a 12-hole bun tin.  Repeat with the remaining pastry squares – at this point you will have 12 spare.
5.     Spoon the mincement mixture into the pastry cases. 
6.     Brush the remaining squares of filo with the remaining butter and oil and scrunch each one and place on the top of the mincepies.
7.     Bake for 15-16 minutes, until golden. 
8.     Leave to cool on a cooling rack.  Dust with icing sugar before serving.

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Testing my culinary skills

The great thing about my job is that I get to cook some really great food, including lots of food that I wouldn't necessarily cook for myself (the upside of living on my own is that I have to invite friends over for dinner so I can cook lots of great dishes that would be far too much for me to eat - and most of the time they all go home with goody bags too!).
For the past few weeks though, my culinary skills have been put to the test as I have been writing recipes for the Dukan diet (fishcake recipe on left), a gluten-free book and a dairy-free feature!  Needless to say I am confused when cooking now, wondering that I need to leave something out but can't remember what - fat, sugar, wheat, milk......I am seriously thinking I will need a good feed at the end of this lot!
But what is great is that sometimes a really tasty recipe comes from me trying to avoid using the most obviously ingredient., and this week is was a  dairy-free chocolate mousse.


Chocolate Mousse (*and milk-shake!)

Serves 4

100g dates, stoned
50g almonds
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
200g tofu, drained

·      Place the dates in a bowl with the almonds and pour over 200ml of boiling water.  Leave to stand for 30 minutes or longer.
·      Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
·      Place the soaked dates and almonds, melted chocolate and tofu into a food processor and blend until smooth.  Pour into glass dishes and chill.

*For the milk shake – add 1 tbsp cocoa powder to the soaking dates and almonds, omit the chocolate, and then blend with the tofu and enough soya or oat milk to make it smooth and creamy.  For a sweeter touch, add a tsp of honey or blackstrap molasses.

Monday 19 November 2012

I am very lucky that I have a little bolt-hole tucked away in Suffolk, where I can escape to when everything all gets too much, or I just want to wind down for a couple of days.  I don't consider myself to be person who suffers with stress, but it's amazing when you spend time in a place where everything happens slowly, you find yourself doing the same - and suddenly I seem to have so much more time, which really doesn't make sense!
This weekend was spent dealing with builders, plumbers and the like, and then trawling around a few of the local antique shops for furniture (so much more fun than Ikea!).  I am also not too proud to say that I have four lovely chairs that were donated out of a skip!!  And having watched Kirsty's Vintage Home, I was confident I could re-invent the chairs and make them part of the cosy cottage.
Being in the country also means long country walks - spending the whole weekend decorating would rather defeat the object of being there, so I am gradually exploring the area and this weekend strolled around the really pretty town of Aldburgh, and after a two hour walk over the marshes decided tea was definitely required.  Luckily for me the Cragg Sisters tea shop was open, and served the most delicious cake - I opted for orange curd cake, a thick, moist cake filled with butter icing and topped with orange curd and poppy seeds - absolutely perfect.
The other thing I love about the country is that people tend to 'pop-in' whenever they want, something that never happens in London.  So I am always conscious that I should have cake ready for the unexpected visitors (that's my excuse at least!), and this weekend I made rock cakes for the second time in a week.  This all came about following a conversation with a colleague with regards to what we were taught to cook at school - rock cakes were the first thing I cooked and probably have never cooked them since, but I'm not sure why as they're delicious - try them yourself this week for a trip down memory lane - 


Rock Cakes

Makes 12

225 g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
110 g butter, softened
55 g granulated sugar
115 g candied peel, chopped
60 g currants
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
pinch ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1-2 tbsp milk
extra granulated sugar for sprinkling


  • Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas mark 6.
  • Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and rub in the butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar, dried fruit and spices, then add the egg and milk to make a stiff dough.
  • Spoon tablespoons on the mixture in mounds on two lightly greased baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, until golden.
  • Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a little granulated sugar and leave to cool on a rack.
Happy Baking.

J x


Tuesday 13 November 2012

When I started working in food photography nearly twenty years ago, one of the first books I worked on was Bread by Linda Collister.  I learnt so much, and was instantly hooked on baking my own bread.  Not only is the taste and texture a hundred times better than any shop-bought bread (although now we have a few really good artisan bakeries popping up which is great), the whole process is such a magical thing to do.
One of the things I love about cooking, especially baking,  is the magic - how you can start with a few dry powdery ingredients, mix them with a few wet ones and within a short space of time you end up with great textures, crusts, soft centres, so many flavours and most of all, food that you know exactly what has gone in to it.
So last week I had to review another bread book, this one has just been published - All You Knead is Bread by Jane Mason.  This book covers breads and baking from around the world, and has so many unusual breads that I've not heard of, so I just had to get baking!
Don't think just because bread has to be left to rise so many times and for so long that you haven't got time to bake it - that is the whole point, you have so much time to do other things whilst the bread is doing its' own...... magic.
I'm a bit of a sucker for sweet things, so I made the wonderful Cardamom Knots shown here - they were soft, rich, sticky and delicious.  If you are thinking of what to ask for Christmas this year, I would certainly recommend putting this book at the top of your list.

Happy Kneading!

Jx

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Defeating Muscle Soreness

As I am surrounded by sports people for the majority of my day it's inevitable that I am constantly asked for advice.  But that's what I love, the chance to go off and do a bit more research and to be able to help somebody with a simple solution - and that's the great thing about nutrition, normally the solution is quite simple, it's just a matter of doing it!
So this week, one of my fellow Masters students (who was clearly suffering from over-training, as he couldn't walk in a normal manner!) asked me what he could do nutritionally about Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, otherwise known as DOMS.
As with most things there is not one magic pill to cure all, but a planned diet may certainly help in relieving some of the soreness, which is mostly due to mechanical and oxidative stress.
Protein is an important component of the diet and is involved with almost every structural and functional component of the human body.  In general, exercise may affect the need for dietary protein by increasing the oxidation of amino acids.  Protein rich foods include eggs, fish, lean meat, lentils and beans, so be sure to include these regularly into your diet.  Antioxidants help counter oxidative stress, so including lots of colourful fruit and vegetables into the diet is also important for athletes.
The timing of nutrient delivery is also important for resistance and endurance athletes, with the first 40 minutes post-exercise being the time when your body is ready to absorb and replenish stores of nutrients it has used.  Replenishing nutrients is imperative to ensure your body is ready for the next training session or race - without replenishment your body will not recover to its' full strength.  Having a bag of dried fruit and mixed nuts and seeds in your sports bag will ensure you are never without food straight after training, follow that within two hours with a healthy protein rich meal such as this delicious Salmon recipe - 


Salmon with Lentil and Roast Vegetables

Serves 4

250 g butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
seasoning
1 x 400 g can green lentils, drained
4 x 150 g salmon fillets
40 g watercress


  • Preheat the oven to 200°C(400°F)Gas Mark 6.
  • Place the butternut and peppers into a roasting tray and sprinkle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil, the cumin seeds and seasoning and toss together.  Roast for 25-30 minutes.  Just before the end of cooking time, stir in the lentils to warm them through.
  • Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and pan-fry the salmon steaks for 3-4 minutes each side.
  • Divide the watercress between four plates, spoon over the lentils and vegetables and top with the salmon.
If you need an even quicker protein fix, cook yourself a tortilla filled with colourful peppers and herbs - the left-overs can be taken to the gym for after your next training session!

Happy training.

J x

Thursday 1 November 2012

Oh my goodness, where did the summer go?  And how much did that amazing Olympic thing interfere with our lives (in a great way of course!)?  So I only now feel that I am back in the land of of the living after what, for me, was a very busy summer.  People who write blogs every day clearly do not have enough going on in their lives!
But thinking of what I was going to write today got me all excited again, giving me a reason to cook or make something really nice that I could talk to you about. That's always the hardest decision really, as there are so many things I love to cook.
But today was my first practice at making homemade yoghurt in the way I was recently taught at The School of Artisan Food, where nothing is cheated!  I spent a glorious full day there, on a cheese-making course, part of which was to show us how to make butter and yoghurt too.
Now as a nutritionist I would not normally recommend an abundance of dairy in a diet - there is the suggestion that as humans we were never supposed to consume dairy products once we were taken off our mother’s milk.  Lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which is the the sugar in milk, may not be present in enough numbers to be able to break down the lactose as we get older (past 2 years old to be more precise).  There are also studies that show a racial difference in the incidence of lactase deficiency, with a recent study showing that lactase deficiency is a common genetic trait in the American Indian that becomes manifest in early childhood.

So are you dairy intolerant?  How do you know?  If you are suffering with bloating, diarrhoea, flatulence or stomach cramps after consuming food or drink that contains lactose, such as dairy products, then this may apply to you.  
The best way of testing whether it is dairy products that are causing your symptoms (as there are other things that may be the cause) is to avoid all dairy for at least two weeks and see if the symptoms improve. 
The use of fermented dairy foods is common in areas of the world where lactase deficiency is prevalent.  Yoghurt appears to be well tolerated by lactase-deficient people, resulting in little or no gastrointestinal distress, which is apparently due to an enzyme in the yoghurt that causes ‘lactase activity’ in the gastrointestinal tract.  And that is my scientific reason for making this thick, creamy, puddinging yoghurt!
I have to admit to not really sticking to a recipe as I wanted to see how easy it is to make without having to think about it too much (my favourite way of cooking!).  So treat this purely as a guideline then experiment yourself and just see what happens!

  • Place 2 litres of milk in a stainless steel saucepan (I used creamy Gold Top milk, but on the course we were also told you could use raw if you live near a farmer that would sell it to you!).  Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until it has reduced by about a third - just tell by eye.
  • Pour the milk into a bowl and stir in 300ml single or double cream (depending on how thick and creamy you really want it to be - I found double cream to be just a little too much).  Leave it to cool until it is around 40-42°C (if you don't have a thermometer I would say you need to leave it for about 15-20 minutes).
  • Stir in 250g fresh, natural yoghurt and mix well.  Pour into a container and place in a warm place - I no longer have an airing cupboard (does anybody?!), so I put my oven on as low as it would go (the thermometer was below 50°C) and left the door slightly ajar.  I didn't cover the yoghurt as I wanted to see if I could get a lovely skin on top.  (If you have a constantly warm Aga you have absolutely no excuse for not making yoghurt and bread every week!)
  • It takes anything between 5-8 hours - the slower and longer the better apparently.  And it is so worth the wait!

Happy Eating!

Joy x
·     
 

Friday 15 June 2012

Fast flowing rivers and aching bones!

I have just returned from yet another heavenly week in Foca, Turkey.  Each time I go I am overwhelmed by the friendliness of the local people, who can never do enough for you.  On this visit we had to have some repairs done to the house that was handed down to my sister and I from our mother, who had lived there for a few years.  In less than two days we had organised for a painter, plasterer, carpenter and tiler to 'fix it' for us.  They not only turned up on time, they didn't take any breaks and stayed until the job was done - amazing, and very refreshing!
Then I had to return to the British Summer - when will that start I wonder?!
But it being summer time, does mean that the rowing regatta season is hotting up, with Henley Women's Regatta attempting to take place over this weekend.  Already there has been a warning that it may not take place due to all the rain water coming off the land and making the Thames flow quicker that the rapids over Vic Falls!
So I have an overseas rowing coach staying with me, while his crews have a week of training on a river that is practically un-rowable!  After a long day of training he mentioned that he was suffering with arthritis pains in his feet, something he has suffered a lot with more recently.  On asking if he ate many tomatoes, his reply was 'yes, I love tomatoes, I buy some every day just to eat as a snack, I don't really like any other veg'.  Trying to convince him that there was a connection between the fruit he loves and the pain in his foot was not easy, but the promise of a freshly baked cake at the end of his hard day hopefully was enough to compensate.  Little did he know I had sneaked in a few vegetables to compensate his appalling diet!  The addition of ginger in the buttercream is also good as an anti-inflammatory.

Carrot, courgette and Ginger Cake


2 eggs
100 g dark muscovado sugar
75 ml sunflower oil
100 g wholemeal self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
60 g raisins
2 tbsp chopped mixed peel
150 g carrot, grated
100 g courgette, grated
For the butter icing - 
100 g unsalted butter
175 g icing sugar
2-3 knobs stem ginger, diced
stem ginger syrup



  • Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) Gas Mark 5 and grease and base line an 18cm tin.
  • Whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick and creamy.
  • Slowly whisk in the oil.
  • Fold in the remaining cake ingredients and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, until firm and golden.  Cool on a wire tray.
  • Beat together the butter and icing sugar until smooth.  Add the diced stem ginger and a little syrup and mix well.  Spread over the cooled cake.




Tuesday 29 May 2012

Childhood Memories

Last Sunday was spent competing in the Norwich 100, a cycle ride around the gorgeous coast of Norfolk, and through the flat (you must be kidding) and stunning country lanes, from Norwich and back again.
A group of us do this every year and this year was just beautiful, with the most perfect weather (probably a bit hot for some, but I loved it!).  And what I also loved were the memories it brought back to me.
I am a Norfolk girl (or Norfolk Swede-basher as we were once known!), and my being brought up on the Norfolk Broads meant that on high days and holidays we took to the coast.  The nearest places for us were Waxham or Happisburgh, and if we wanted to have a good picnic lunch we ventured to Cromer for the wonderful crabs there, fresh off the boats.
When we cycled across India earlier this year, it was the smells that I was conscious of, and on Sunday it was the same, but this time there were memories to be  triggered with each smell; Cromer with its fish and chips, amusement arcades and crabs, Walcott ice-cream vans parked along the seafront with everyone sitting eating ice-cream on the sea wall, with the smell of salt water.  One new smell was the rape that now grows everywhere - the smell of cabbage (rape is part of the brassica family) - that just brought back memories of school dinners!
Having spent the day eating really bad things just to keep up my energy levels, I really craved some healthy food on my return to London, and this simple recipe really fits the bill.

Smoked Mackerel Pate with Broccoli and Asparagus Salad

Serves 4

250 g smoked mackerel, skin removed
2 tbsp natural yoghurt
2-3 tsp creamed horseradish
juice of 1 lemon
seasoning
3 spring onions, finely chopped
300 g broccoli, cut into florets
300 g asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed
200 g green beans, trimmed and halved
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds


  • Flake the mackerel and place half in a food processor with the yoghurt, creamed horseradish, half the lemon juice and seasoning, and blitz until nearly smooth.
  • Stir in the remaining flaked mackerel and spring onions and place in the fridge to chill for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli, asparagus and green beans in boiling water for 4-5 minutes and then drain and plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and help them to retain their fresh green colour.
  • Toss the cold vegetables with the remaining lemon juice, olive oil and sesame seeds and serve with the pate.

Thursday 17 May 2012

A delicious start to my day

So often I am invited to PR events which mostly involve lots of net-working and the odd sampling of produce that is being promoted.  And often I can't be bothered to go, either because I'm not in the mood for talking to strangers, can't face the trek across town, or just want to get home after a long day of styling food.
So to be invited to a breakfast event, that happens to be in West London, in one of the most beautiful buildings, with a stunning walled garden, was impossible to resist.  And I was not in the least disappointed.  Fulham Palace really is a hidden gem.
As breakfast was offered I did feel I had to cycle there to work up an appetite (never been known not to have one, but anyway), so an early morning ride through Richmond Park got me off to a good start.  I also had in mind the crazy Norwich 100 cycle ride that I have stupidly entered and is only 10 days away, so opportunities for training on dry days are not to be missed.
Having been greeted by Adam, who knows everything there is to know about how to make a venue look fab for your party (he has a passion for lighting, so can turn your grass blue and your sky pink if required!), we were given a delicious breakfast by Max the resident Cypriot Chef - dainty baked brioche topped with scrambled egg, herb scones with cream cheese and smoked salmon, fruit kebabs, Danish pastries, freshly squeezed juices such as beetroot and apple - it was delicious.
After that we needed to stroll around and start working it off, so were given a tour of the house and grounds.
Fulham Palace is lucky enough to be given Lottery Funding, so has recently been refurbished, along with Bishops Park that is near-by.  What a great area of West London - close to the river, near to public transport, but really tucked away so you feel you are in the country, in your own private space.
And what is even more amazing is that you can visit this stunning house and gardens for free - what a great way to spend a day.
And on top of all that I did do some net-working, and was lucky enough to meet a really interesting lady who lives not far away and runs a great website that covers everything you may need or want to know about food - take a look.

Thursday 10 May 2012

Allergy or intolerance?

Another visit to my Father last weekend, meant that I returned to London with bags of lovely vegetables from his allotment.  And when they are this fresh all I really want to do is eat them by the plateful, just steamed.  But I also had some rich mature cheddar in the fridge, so a gratin it had to be - with a little hemp protein powder stirred into the sauce for an extra protein kick to help me recover from training.
Training is about to taper off in the next few days, as it is only just over a week to the British Masters Rowing Championships - a race I haven't done for a few years.  The last time I was successful, so fingers crossed for this year!
Prior to that I will be spending time at The Allergy Show, a great event where food producers, supplement companies, cosmetic companies and nutrition experts are there to help you through the minefield of confusing information available about intolerances and allergies.  There is a huge difference between these, so if you are not sure which one applies to you,  you should attend and talk to some experts to see how they can help.  For free tickets follow this link.

Tuesday 8 May 2012

What to do with goji berries?

So, are they really worth all the hype?  Known as yet another 'superfood', goji berries have now been around for a while, but what does one do with them?
For a while I added them to muesli in the mornings, then more recently put them into flapjacks (see the last blog).
But they are an acquired taste - similar to a slightly dry raisin, but also a bit salty.  A strange combination.
But from a health point of view they do have a lot going for them as they are an extremely nutrient-dense fruit.  They contain 18 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids (making them an ideal protein) up to 21 trace minerals (the main ones being iron, zinc, copper and selenium), vitamins C, B1, B2, B6 and E, plus linoleic acid.  Apparently goji berries have been used for 6,000 years by herbalists in China and India to help protect the liver, boost the immune system, help eyesight and promote longevity - what more could you need?
So, in my quest to eat these little jewels, I have been experimenting, and have come up with the most delicious cake (who said cake can't be healthy?!).
I have used the lemon balm from my garden, but if you don't have any just leave it out.






Goji and Lemon Balm Cake


Serves 6-8


200 g goji berries
juice of 2 1/2 lemons
250 g unsalted butter
100 g caster sugar
150 g dark muscovado sugar
4 eggs, beaten
250 g wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp fresh lemon balm, chopped
grated zest of 1 lemon
4-5 tbsp icing sugar



  • Place the goji berries in a bowl with the juice of 2 lemons and leave to stand for at least 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4.  Grease and base line a 20cm round tin.
  • Cream together the butter and sugars, until light and fluffy.
  • Gradually add the eggs, adding a little flour each time if the mixture starts to curdle.
  • Fold in the remaining flour and baking powder.
  • Stir in the goji berries (which should have soaked up all of the lemon juice) and chopped lemon balm.
  • Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.  Leave to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin and cooling on a rack.
  • Mix together the remaining lemon juice, lemon zest and icing sugar, until you have a paste.  Pour over the cake and let it dribble down the sides.




Sunday 29 April 2012

Bad weather, but great food

The great thing about bad weather (and boy have we had our share in the last few weeks) is that I don't feel guilty been inside.  I don't feel that I should be climbing another hill, cycling around another park or taking my boat out for another training session.
What I do feel like doing is cooking - for me a really comforting and relaxing thing to do, despite the fact that I do it pretty much every day for work.  But this is different , this is cooking for me, cooking food that I really want to eat.
And this week I have been spoilt in that the clients I have been working for and provided me with enough food to feed myself for the next week!  So all I had to do was decide how to cook it all.
The first client, Good Natured left me with crisp peppers, onions, gorgeous ripe vine tomatoes and herbs, so obviously my first meal was delicious roast peppers stuffed with other ingredient from my store-cupboard - garlic, onion, courgette slices, anchovies, olive oil and seasoning - slowly roasted for 45 minutes - scrummy.
As the oven was on (memories of my Father insisting that once the oven was on my mother had to fill it!), I roasted the tomatoes too, with just a sprinkling of olive oil and seasoning.  Meanwhile I cooked 1 chopped onion with 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds in coconut oil and then stirred in a drained can of butter beans.  When the tomatoes were slightly charred and really soft I poured them and all of their juices into the pan with the onion, added a little water and simmered for 5-6 minutes before blitzing with a hand blender until smooth - really delicious and nutritious soup, and so simple.

The second client Naturya, provided me with the whole range of their wonderful superfoods - enough to last me the next year, so I was in heaven!  Not only did I stir some barleygrass powder into my soup, I also made these great fruity oat squares, using dried mulberries, goji berries, cocoa nibs, hemp protein powder and lucuma powder. After eating a few of those I should be super human!



Fruity Oat Squares

Makes 9-12

25 g goji berries
25 g dried mulberries
juice of 1 pink grapefruit
100 g coconoil
90 g blackstrap molasses
20 g dark muscovado sugar
25 g agave syrup
235 g rolled oats
10 g Naturya Hemp Protein Powder
10 g Naturya Lucuma Powder
50 g Naturya Cocoa Nibs
grated rind of 1 lemon

Soak the goji berries and mulberries in the grapefruit juice for 30 minutes. Drain.

·          Preheat the oven to 180° (350°F) Gas Mark 4.  Grease an 18 cm square tin.
·          In a large pan, melt together the coconut oil, molasses, sugar and agave syrup.  Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
·         Pour in the remaining ingredients and mix together really well.
·         Pour into the prepared tin and level the top.
·         Bake for 18-20 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave for 2 minutes before cutting into squares.  Leave to cool completely in the tin.

Saturday 7 April 2012

Chocolate and ice-cream training camp!

It's that time of year again, when the young female members of Mortlake Rowing Club hit the waters of another country for a week of intense training.
For the past few years we have been travelling to Seville, to row on the Guadalquivir river.
This year we are in the thermal town of Aix Les Bains, in southern France, a very pretty town which, fortunately for us has an unusually large number of chocolate shops and an amazingly tasty ice-cream shop!
So, training is going well, although we are all tiring a little earlier than normal, possibly due to the 25 minute walk to and from the Lac du Bourget four times each day on top of the three training sessions.  So after around two hours of walking, four and a half hours of training on the lake, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a walk to the ice-cream shop, there's not much time for sleeping!
The food in the hotel is also proving to be a little dull, not only in taste but also presentation - white rice with white fish and a white sauce tasted as bland as it looked, so as usual the local supermarket and bakeries are doing quite well out of us.

Monday 26 March 2012

Since our mad jaunt across India, I have been inspired to ride my bike as much as possible, not only to keep fit, but also to help the environment and reduce the huge number of cars that are travelling on our roads every day.
My thought was that, if I could survive cycling through the manic streets of Maduria (manic, is actually a bit of an understatement!), then I should be fine cycling anywhere around the UK.
We were told on our Indian trip to remember that we were the lowest of low with regards to our importance on the road - first came the sacred cow (this I believed most when we had to cycle around one that had decided to nap in the middle of a main junction, but no vehicle touched it!), followed by trucks, large buses, tractors, cars, motorbikes, goats, and finally us!  So London would be a dream for cycling.....I wrongly thought.
I have to admit I felt safer on the rough, ruleless roads of India that I do cycling around London - everybody that drives should be made to cycle through central London just once, just to know how it feels to have cars drive so close that you could almost touch them just by wiggling your toes!
But the positive side of cycling is that you get to stop whenever you feel like it, and see far more than when in a car - both of these pictures are of statues that I really love - do you know where they are?
The great thing about a blog (apart from spreading great tips and recipes to all your lovely followers), is that friends can keep up with what is going on in your life.  This is even more exciting when friends live on the other side of the world.  A great friend called Vanessa moved to Australia a few years ago, and I really miss her inspiring chats, but now, thanks to her wonderful blog, I can keep up with what is happening in her life, see her great house and also get some amazing tips for food and home!
And even better is that she has mentioned me in her blog for the Liebster Blog Award - more to come on this next time.

Wednesday 14 March 2012

Memories of India

So hard to imagine that this time last week we were in searing temperatures, fighting our way through the crazy traffic of Southern India.
I had originally intended to keep a journal of the trip, but after two days of cycling for 6-7 hours, I lacked the energy to do anything except indulge in my favourite drink at the end of every day - a gorgeous cold (not always!), velvety, sweet lassi - perfect for refuelling the body with a little protein and carbs.  Easy enough to make by blending natural yoghurt, ice, water, a little sugar, and for me the addition of roughly ground cardamom just adds the perfect flavour.  Mint or mango are also delicious additions.

So my journal entries became bullet points, and these just sum-up what I experienced each day -
Smells - jasmine, garlic, tea, coconut, hot tar, exhaust fumes, cardamom.
Feelings - elation, exhaustion, thirst, humbleness, happiness, relief.
Reactions to us - laughter (lots - we were wearing lycra after all!), hand-slapping, intrigue, staring.
New experiences - cycling 100km+ in searing heat, dining in broken-down shacks, eating jack fruit, eating rice and curry off banana leaves with hands, sharing restaurant with a rat!


Interestingly I really thought I would start to go off curry after the first week, but it didn't happen.  And even more amazingly, I have craved it since returning home, so have already cooked myself a couple of curries, dhals, and this, my favourite Kerelan cabbage dish.

Kerelan Coconut Cabbage

Serves 4

2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 garlic clove, diced
10-12 curry leaves
1 red chilli, deseeded and diced
2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1 medium cabbage, shredded
3 tbsp desiccated coconut
small handful coriander leave, roughly torn

Heat the coconut oil and cook the mustard seeds, garlic, curry leaves, chilli, ginger, spring onion and turmeric, until the mustard seeds begin to 'pop'.
Stir in the cabbage and coconut and toss to coat with the spices.  Add a couple of tablespoons of water and continue to steam-fry, tossing from time to time, for 5-6 minutes.
Stir in the coriander, season to taste and serve.



Sunday 11 March 2012

Cycling Coast to Coast, Southern India


Wow, what a trip - cycling 800km from Channia to Cochin, in Southern India, and all with only a few hours of training on a bike as preparation!
The lack of training would not have been so bad had our itinerary been honest.  However, it appears it was just 'guidelines' to what may, or may not take place.  What I didn't know was that we were acting as guinea pigs for a new trip to be tested out for a travel company in the future.  This is what happens when you travel with mates who know mates in the industry - there is always a reason when the trip is such a good price!  
However, I have lived to tell the tale, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.  Luckily my fitness level is pretty good most of the time, so the 100km every day for the first five was not too tricky.
Before even leaving British soil however, I had prepared my body for what could be a dodgy trip on the digestive front - not only did we eat strong curry for every meal (yes, it was offered for breakfast too, although I declined for that meal at least), as we were cycling through pretty remote areas there was no choice but to eat in the tiny road-side shacks with the locals.  And to me, this was the best bit, I wouldn't have missed that for the world.  Obviously, if you tried to serve from a similar standard of establishment in this country you would be closed down by health and safely officers before you had even poured your first cup of chai!
For the month leading up to the trip I took probiotics to help build up the gut flora against any invading pathogens, plus I took oregano oil capsules daily - oregano oil is known to be an anti bacterial and anti fungal, so useful for when you know you may come into contact with lots of unusual bacteria!  Despite cycling hard every day and pushing ourselves hard in the 40 degree heat, only one of the team came down with 'Delhi Belly' - at this point I upped my intake of oregano oil and managed to avoid joining her behind a bush every 10km.
We ate some amazing meals, and some of the best were those served in the least expected places - normally the most run-down.  In Tiruchiirapalli (otherwise know as Trichy) we stayed in the Grand Gardenia hotel.  When we booked to eat in the local's restaurant in the hotel we were warned to change to the Westerners style restaurant upstairs instead, as they thought the food would be far too much for us (they clearly didn't know how far we had just cycled!).  We insisted on staying put, and ate some of the best, albeit pretty hot, food, we had had on the trip.  Other memorable meals included the creamy fish curry we had for lunch at Le Club in Pondicherry, which is a territory that was under French rule for nearly 281 years and still has the French flavour with beautiful grand colonial mansions and boulevards.
For once being a vegetarian was not an issue, in fact for once I was in the majority, with the local people favouring vegetarian food - great dahls, amazing vegetable curries and lots of great rice dishes - pilau is different in every place you eat.
One of the most traditional places we stayed in was Chettinadu Mansion, a heritage home tucked away in Chettinadu, a village that appears to be deserted, but has some of the most beautiful architecture that we experience throughout the whole two weeks.  I would point out that despite the promise of great Chettinad food, we were pretty disappointed at being served very mild and uninspiring curry, even though the setting was pretty stunning.
One other recommendation has to be Vanilla County, a plantation home-stay in Kerela, near the origin of the Meenachil river at Vagamon.  This gorgeous home-stay is run by 'Baby' Matthew and his wife Mrs Rani, and they make you feel like you are really a guest in their beautiful home.  The house has been in the family for a number of generations and dinner is served in their dining room which instantly makes you feel at home.  Both Matthew and Rani are passionate about good food and will tell you exactly how it should be eaten and which foods are to be eaten together.  A highlight for me was banana jam that was served at breakfast and tasted like banana flavoured molasses.  I spooned it over rice pancakes with sliced banana - heavenly.  Watch this space for my attempt at the recipe that Rani loosely gave me!
The great thing about cycling from coast to coast is the variety of food you encounter - starting with fish on the east coast then travelling through paddy files, tea plantations, cardamom plantations, and finally on to the west coast for more great fish.  Our final meal was at Oceanos in Cochin - a great little restaurant that specialised in fish and seafood and just served you what was available (at this stage I was happy just to be fed and not having to decide which great dish to choose).  After fish soup and then a tuna salad and a pineapple , onion and tomato salad (unusual but surprisingly tasty!) we had red mullet in a spicy tomato sauce and great tiger prawns in a korma sauce.  Even better is that for once the kitchen is open to view, so you can tell that this one really is clean!