Blueberry Pancakes and Country Walks...

Shorne Woods Country Park

This weekend the sun finally came out providing the perfect opportunity for a country walk. My husband and I decided to go to one of our favourite places – Shorne Woods Country Park. It’s a beautiful place for a walk and has a good mixture of trails from gentle and easy going to slightly more rigorous ones including the infamous Cardiac Hill. It really was a joy to be outside in the fresh air listening to the bird song and watching dogs happily retrieving sticks for their owners.

After a lengthy hike our appetites were in full swing. What better way to ‘celebrate’ our walk then by going home and having freshly made blueberry pancakes with a generous helping of Canadian Maple Syrup. A pot of freshly brewed Kicking Horse Coffee on the side made this a real North American treat.

Here is the Blueberry Pancake recipe I used courtesy of the BBC GoodFood website.

American Blueberry Pancakes

Ingredients

• 200g self-raising flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 egg

• 300ml milk

• knob butter
• 150g pack blueberries

• sunflower oil or a little butter for cooking

• golden or maple syrup

Method

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg with the milk, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter. Beat in the melted butter, and gently stir in half the blueberries.

2. Heat a teaspoon of oil or small knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes about 7.5cm across. Make three or four pancakes at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden. Cover with kitchen paper to keep warm while you use up the rest of the batter. Serve with golden syrup and the rest of the blueberries.

Enjoy!

Shorne Woods

Canadian Maple Syrup

Blueberry Pancakes

Father’s Day: Treat Your Father To A Special Mea...

Today is Father’s Day. It also happens to be my sister’s birthday (Happy Birthday Lisa!) and I thought it was the perfect day to try a recipe I saw on one of my favourite cooking shows, Saturday Morning Kitchen. It aired on June 5th and featured the wonderful chef Michel Roux, who prepared Pork Sausages with a Pineapple Salsa and Rocket Salad.

What struck me right away about this dish was serving sausages with something other then the usual potatoes, gravy and Yorkshire pudding. Instead the pineapple salsa and rocket salad are a light and zesty alternative, absolutely perfect for a warm summer evening.

This is a very simple and elegant meal to prepare. The most labour intensive part of the dish is the salsa and that was much easier to make then I expected. I have never had pineapple salsa before but it was incredible. The pineapple combined with the fresh chilli, chill sauce and lime juice (and a bit of brown sugar) was sweet and tangy with a lovely bit of heat that came through wonderfully. It wasn’t overpowering at all. This is something I plan on making again and I think it would also go nicely alongside tuna or swordfish steaks.

The only adjustments I had to make to the recipe were with the herbs and the sambal oelek (Indonesian chilli sauce). Our coriander isn’t doing very well and I used the last few sad looking leaves which didn’t even come close to making up the 2 tablespoons needed for the salsa. So I used a combination of coriander, apple mint and a wee bit of lemon thyme. I also didn’t have the Indonesian chilli sauce but fortunately there was some Tiger chilli sauce lurking in the back of the fridge which I used instead. I’m not sure how much of a difference this made to the dish, but the salsa tasted pretty good in spite of these changes.

It was a fun and satisfying meal to make and what was so great was the way chef Michel Roux made it seem so effortless. It really showed me that you can create simple, wonderful meals that taste like they come from a 5 star restaurant, in your own home. Sadly my parents and sister live many thousands of miles away, so we weren’t able to share this special meal together. I do plan on making it for them when we meet up later this summer. So you guys have fair warning – get some white wine chilling in the fridge! On the show they suggested a Riesling which happens to be one of my favourite white wines.

For dessert we used up the left over pineapple and apple mint to make a fruit salad. We added some blueberries, strawberries and a chopped up banana along with a tiny squeeze of fresh lemon juice. We served it with a generous dollop of vanilla yoghurt. It was a lovely way to finish the meal.

Here is chef Michel’s recipe again. Try it for yourself and why not share it with your loved ones, especially with dad (and any sisters who may be celebrating their birthdays).

Caramelizing the Pineapple For The Salsa

Pork Sausages with Pineapple Salsa and Rocket Salad.

Fruit Salad with fresh apple mint and a dollop of vanilla yoghurt.

Please Sir, I Want Some More……..Porridge....

This past summer my husband and I had the pleasure of taking my sister on holiday to Edinburgh for a few days. It is a city we have been visiting for many years (usually for the famous fringe festival in August). I adore Scotland and for me, Edinburgh really is one of the most magical and beautiful cities in the world – yes even in the rain, although my sister might disagree with the rain part.

We stayed in a well located hostel and to our delight we noticed a small café just opposite. It looked relatively new and we didn’t remember it from any of our previous trips. For the life of me I can’t remember the name of the café but we could see it through the window of our room. In the mornings we would hover by the window watching eagerly for signs of the café opening its doors.

So what exactly made this café so special? Well aside from a cosy and friendly atmosphere, they served porridge. Now there are many restaurants and cafes serving porridge in Edinburgh but this was by far the best any of us had ever tasted. The consistency was perfectly smooth, rich and creamy. But the real crowning glory of this porridge was the addition of crème fraiche and fruit jam on top. It was absolutely amazing and we couldn’t get enough of it. We ate there everyday and always had the porridge. Not only was it delicious but it prepared us for a full day of drizzly weather conditions and fringe theatre.

I had always loved porridge as a child and I confess to actually eating Quaker Porridge Oats straight out of the little packets my mom used to buy. Maple and brown sugar being my all time favourite flavour! My great grandmother also used to make me porridge and I loved the way she prepared it. She would let it simmer away on the hob and as she served it up she would put some buttered saltine crackers on top with a little splash of milk. It was always a perfect bowl of comforting goodness.

Porridge is a funny thing and people can be very particular about how it’s made. I prefer mine to be made with full fat milk and no water. This makes for a very smooth rich creamy porridge, similar to the café’s. For some though it can be a little too intense so using half milk and half water is better. Of course there is nothing wrong with just using water, but the consistency is much thinner. Personally I feel the addition of milk makes the porridge a real treat and find it help keeps me fuller for longer.

There are all sorts of wonderful ingredients you can add to porridge to make it a healthy but decadent breakfast.

• Buttered and crumbled saltine crackers (my great grandmother’s way).
• Maple syrup with chopped nuts (walnuts and pecans are delicious).
• Brown sugar with cinnamon (you can also add raisins or dried apples and apricots).
• Assorted fresh fruit and berries (bananas, blueberries, strawberries, peach and apple. You can get a little more exotic and add mango or papaya and some desiccated coconut)
• Crème fraiche with a fruit jam (raspberry is especially tasty).

I won’t go on about the many health benefits of oats but they really are one of the best foods you can eat to start your day. They are good for your digestive health, they can help prevent heart disease and lower cholesterol levels, their slow release in the body can help control blood sugar levels and keep you feeling fuller for longer. You can use oats in many different ways but having porridge is one of the most delicious and magical!

Porridge with Creme Fraiche and Raspberry Jam

Fruit Smoothies: A great way to start the day...

One the best ways to start the day is with a healthy fruit smoothie. My husband has a very early start to his day and he struggles with his appetite so early in the morning. For awhile he was going to work without eating anything at all for breakfast. Skipping such an important meal is not good for your health or wellbeing – and he was beginning to suffer. Headaches, unhealthy weight loss, mood swings and tiredness were all results of him not having a good start to his day.

Fortunately we discovered the one thing he can stomach early in the morning: a smoothie.

We use plain organic yoghurt and also add about ½ a cup of semi skimmed organic milk. Then we add some fruit. You can really have fun and experiment with different fruit combinations. The great news is that you can easily get at least 1 portion of your 5 a day. Some fruits that work really well in smoothies are:

• Bananas
• Mangoes
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Apricots
• Melon
• Kiwi Fruit

If you really want to add an extra special dimension to your smoothie you can also try adding one or more of the following:

• Peanut Butter
• Runny Honey
• Cinnamon
• Porridge Oats

Here is one of our favourite recipes.

Combine the following in a blender.

¾ cup Organic Plain Yoghurt.

2 Bananas.

1 cup of Strawberries.

3 Tablespoons of Crunchy or Smooth Peanut Butter (depending on your preference)

½ cup of Semi Skimmed Milk

Sprinkling of Cinnamon

Have a go and see what amazing combinations you can up with. I would love to hear what you create so please feel free to share your recipes!

Banana Bread: Old Favourite, New Favourite!...

I know we are already well into the New Year but I am still recovering from all the fuss and general craziness of the holiday season. During the holidays I was able to spend a bit more time in the kitchen trying out different recipes and experimenting with some new kitchen gadgets.  However, I was so caught up in exploring the new and different that I neglected a few things in my kitchen.

The main casualty of my neglect was a bunch of bananas which were almost at the point of no return. Not wanting to waste them, I found myself going back to one of my all time favourite recipes – Banana Bread.

Banana Bread is one of the easiest things to make. What is so wonderful is that you can have it just as it is OR you can jazz it up a bit if you want. Here are just some of the things I love to add to a basic Banana Bread recipe:

• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
• Fresh Blueberries or Raspberries (you can also use frozen)
• Grated Courgette (Zucchini)
• Grated Carrot
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

For this particular recipe – which is a low fat version – my husband and I decided to add 2 Heaping Tablespoons of Un-Sweetened Coco Powder and approximately 9 Glace Cherries cut into quarters. We also used a spring form cake tin rather than a loaf tin. The results were simply amazing and ok we confess… not as low fat as it could have been. However it was absolutely divine with a cup of tea and an episode of Columbo.

I found the recipe on the following site; lowfatcooking.about.com, which is brilliant. Have a go with the recipe as it is – or add a little something extra. Then sit back, relax and enjoy!

For low fat banana bread recipe click here

I have also written out the recipe below.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened or 1/4 cup trans-fat free shortening
• 2 large eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 small bananas)
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spoon flour gently into measuring cups and level with a knife. Stir flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. Put aside. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and beat at low speed with a mixer until well blended. Add one egg at a time and blend well after each one. Add in mashed banana, yogurt and vanilla extract, beat until blended. Add flour mixture and blend until just moist. Do not over-mix. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes (until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean). Remove from pan after 10 minutes or so and cool on a wire rack.

Yield: one loaf, 14 slices.