Healthy Granola

On the health trend again! Whipped up some granola this morning so I will have it for the next week or so for my breakfast ( if it isn't all eaten at once!!)  I used to always but my own granola but I promise you this is very simple to make and tastes a lot nicer ! Here is how I did it below. Obviously you can add or leave out whatever you like.

Ingredients:
- Oats
- Nuts
- Dried fruit
- Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds
- Desicated coconut
- honey 400-500g
- Egg White
- Cinnamon ( a small bit as it can be overpowering)

Don't go crazy on buying loads of different types of nuts and dried fruits just yet. I bought a packet in track which was mixed fruits and nuts ( just over 4e) which was such good value ! It has Brazil nuts, pistachios, almond, cashews, walnuts, pecans and a colourful mixture of fruits. If you do get this one though you will have to separate the fruit and nuts from each other because they can't be cooked together !!!
Also for this recipe I do x3 oats to x1 fruit/ nuts/seeds

1.Preheat oven to 180. First roughly chop your nuts and dried fruit seperatly. Or put the nuts in a bag and bash them . I like mine very roughly done because I like tasting and being able to see them .
2. Heat up your honey as it is easier to pour . Whip egg white.
3.Put your oats, nuts, seeds, egg white and cinnamon in a bowl and then pour your honey in while stirring with a wooden spoon to cover all the oats lightly.
-Leave the fruit out. If you put the fruit in now it will burn in the oven.
4.Pour out onto a baking tray layered with grease proof paper.
5. Put into the oven and toss oats around every ten mins. Do this 3-4 times. If it still looks very pale leave in oven longer but check more regularly. ( it will
Burn otherwise)
Take out and throw dried fruit in. Leave cool on tray and store in an airtight container.
This should keep for two weeks ! Simples!! :-)

Holly xox

Blackberry, Apple and Chia seed jam (no sugar!)

It's coming into the Autumn time and the blackberries are out! I picked loads this year and made some jam and an apple pie.This time I decided to make it completely natural and sugar free jam.
Make sure when you pick the berries that they don't come off the stem too easily or are too difficult to pull off. It means they are not good enough to eat or aren't ripe enough yet. Soak the berries in water over night while changing the water a few times if you can to make sure they are extra clean.

Ingredients:
-Blackberries
-Cooking apples
-Honey
-Chia Seeds

So first I peeled and stewed the apples with the blackberries. (roughly x3 apples to x200g of berries)I then let it simmer for 15 minutes. Add a few table spoons of honey.
Blackberries can be quite bitter so the honey takes this away making it more sweet.
Take off the heat. A few table spoons of Chia Seeds depending on how much you Have made. The Chia Seeds help set the jam as there is no sugar in it to make it set.

So enjoy this tasty Sugar Free jam without feeling guilty! It's yummy in yoghurt, porridge, bread, scones,!
If you want to have dairy free cream with it, whip up some coconut milk ;)


Holly
Xox

Dutch Style Apple and Blackberry Pie

I've always wanted to make a Dutch Style Apple so I gave it a shot the other day. This specific type of pie is known from or its lattice designed n on top. I have searched high and low to find out did it mean anything but I couldn't find anything to explain this. Now I was warned by my friend Aisling how difficult it was to actually do the lattice but there was no stopping me at that stage! So since its coming into late September,I picked blackberries and let them soak over night while changing the water a few times to make sure they were extra clean!

What you will need:
A circular pie dish where you can push up the end

For the Pastry:
-280gr of flour
-168gr of butter or margarine
-168gr of castor sugar
-1 egg
(Flour for dusting)

For the Filling:
- 3-4 cooking apples
-60g of sugar (or less/more depending on your sweet tooth)
-Cinnamon (to taste)
-Blackberries
- Flour
To make the pastry:
-Leave the butter at room temperature until soft. Cut into small pieces and add it in a bowl with the flour and castor sugar.
-Rub the mix together until it turns into a crumb texture. Rub with only using the tops of your fingers or else the temperature of the mix will ruined if you use your hands.
When I first started rubbing pastry my fingers used to always hurt and my patience was really going through the roof but believe me , it really does pay off.

Teaching my little sister Eve how to rub the mix

-When it is a crumb mixture , quickly crack your egg into a SEPERATE bowl  and mix it. Add to the crumb mixture bit by bit. Not all of it because you might need to use all of it! So fold the wet mix in the bowl and keep working it for a while until it comes to a ball of pastry. If it's too dry add more of the egg in.
Note: It will be sticky if it's too wet

-Dust your clean work space with flour and put the ball of dough on top. Dust the pastry with flour. ---Rub flour around your rolling pin to stop the pastry from sticking to it
-Roll out your pastry. Never ever turn the pastry upside down. When you've rolled out on section , rotate it and roll out.
-This pastry can be a bit tricky to work with as you want it half a centimetre thick and need to get it into the pastry dish. It is the type of pastry where if it does break you can patch in some pieces and make it stick together!
-Grease your pie dish and pop the pastry in . Dock it with a fork.

For the filling: 
Cut up the apples and let them soften in a pit with the blackberries. I only like my apples soft the twist they just stew and lose shape in the tart. Add a pinch of cinnamon and sugar. Taste and add more sugar if you like it sweeter. Take it off the heat and add flour just to coat all the mix. This help stops all the juices running out and making the pie wet and soggy !!!
Put the filling into the dish and now you can start your lattice design

Roll out the leftover pastry and cut strips out of it . Literally overlap and underlap each strip. This has to be quick work because the pastry will begin to fall apart  !
Brush with egg wash and bake for 1 hour at 150c.

I did the lattice design the hard way. But there is an alternative faster way such as using a lattice cutter or using a pizza cutter!! Next time I will try this way and see if it works better. 

The pie turned out fantastic for my first attempt and tasted lovely as well. Well so my friends and family told me anyway !! Goes perfect with some ice cream and a cup of tea !!perfect for cosy Autumn evenings.  

Holly
Xox

Baked Hake and Blue cheese spiced tomatoe sauce

Oooohhh it's been awhile since I've had fish, especially Hake! Got these gorgeous massive pieces in O Connels in the English Market this morning. I didn't have a clue and did not plan what I was going to put with it so I had to rummage through the cupboards to try make something nice.

 To cook the hake.

I first put a pan on  with a good squeeze of oil in it until it's just about smoking hot. I then place the hake in, skin side down and leave sizzle for a few minutes. I seasoned it with cracked black pepper! After a while (until the skin is nice and Crispy). I turned the fish for two minutes. I then placed the fish into tin foil with some butter and a squeeze of lemon and out into the oven u til cooked through. This will depend on the size! 

The sauce..

So basically whatever I found in the cupboard and fridge that I thought would go together.I got a tin of chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, onions, olives, spices ( cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, cayenne)  I toasted the spices first and fried off the onions. Added the blue cheese in last. ( cashel Blue Is best blue cheese to get here which is sourced locally. Aaahhh so tasty! I had to put it in. The best part is when it starts to melt and you an see all the stringy bits!) let it simmer for ten minutes and serve over the Hake. 

This dish was gluten free and full of protein from the fish and chickpeas. How ever it was not Dairy free.  Goats cheese and feta cheese are perfect alternatives if you wanted to add them.

I didn't do so bad for making the most out of what I had at home. Usually I'd spend forever going out and trying to get every ingredient to make something. Goes to show you don't know what you could come up by using what's there :-) 

Fishy Fishy | Kinsale | Cork

So i presume most of ye have all heard of Fishy Fishy and if you haven't and like fish then you will love this place ! In the heart of Kinsale by the sea, Fishy Fishy will promise you a lovely meal and spacious setting. We hadn't made a reservation but only a short wait of ten minutes and we were seated. They had a good selection on the menu and had a specials menu too. Not to fear for those of you who don't like fish!! They had steak and pork belly on the menu too! Fishy fishy is renowned for its food and owner Martin Shanahan. He sources the fresh fish locally and has received many reward including Best Seafood Experience in Ireland. It was time I came here and witnessed it myself. My friend Aisling and I (two chefs and like little spies) sitting down watching and taking everything in. The menu, the funky oversized fishy decorations on the wall, peaking into the kitchen looking at Martin and his team, the view of outside and of course making sneaky glances at our neighbouring tables seeing the food they had ordered.

To begin I got the mussels start with followed by the fish and chips. The mussels were served in a creamy basil pesto sauce. The fish was haddock and definitely one of the best Fish and Chips I've ever had. I really loved the presentation and the oyster used to hold the Tartare sauce. We were stuffed after our food and could not possibly fit dessert in. But we did make sure we got a peep of what they had. Here I am regretting not getting dessert... I will definitely make room for it the next time. I can't wait to come here again. If you are a fish lover I could not recommend Fishy Fishy anymore ! 

Mussels

Fish and Chips

Gorgeous view from the Old Head of Kinsale 

Check out more on their website 

Greenes | Mc Curtain Street | Cork

I'm On Friday night I went for a meal with my family to Greenes, Cork. The first thing you will notice when entering Greens is the amazing waterfall which by far made the setting of the whole meal. White cloths, the best silvers and of course the black and white server uniforms . Head chef Bryan Mc Carthy is the brains behind Greenes menu. He is well known and has also received Best chef in cork 2015. I felt like I was missing out so it was definitly time for me to visit here!

We took forever to order but we got there in the end. It was my first time my family and I experienced fancy foams, gels and sous vide techniques. It was a completely different type of dining we had ever experienced. My little sister Eve was calling it "robot" and "space food". She's 12 and she even noticed and appreciated the effort and skill that had gone into the prep and presentation of the food. We all eventually ordered and the meal began briskly!

First, we were presented with a Lime foam appetiser. It was light and what I think could've almost been a pallet cleanser. They were served in cute glass jars and on a doily leaf!

Lime Foam Appetiser

Our starters arrived. I went for the Scallops with cauliflower textures, elderflower and vinegar gel. By the far one of the most colourful dish I have ever had. I'd love to of seen them dress this plate and I'd love to know did they use a tweezers to get it so perfect on the plate!

Scallops, cauliflower textures, elderflower and vinegar gel 

My mum got oysters which were served on a simple but effective bed of sea salt. They were perfect and delicate size for the mouth.

For the mains. I got Wagu Rump steak. Little Eve got the feather blade of beef and my dad got the special of the day, which was Brill. The meat was sous vide the waitress explained to us.

Feather blade of beef

Wagyu Rump Steak

For dessert, we got a Berry Frangipane Tart and Black Forest Gateaux.The colours were amazing and the juice it's strawberries I ever had. I was absolutely crazy about the flavours of the Berry Frangipane Tart.

Berry Frangipane Tart and Black Forest Gateaux

It was quite an experience having this type of food for the first time, I look forward to trying it again! Check out more about Greene's on their website here

Bombay Palace | Cook Street | Cork City

So I have been here loads of times before but it's been quite a time ago I was here last. I decided to treat myself to some Indian food and boy was it good! The surroundings in here have a very Indian feel to the place. The Indian music was very relaxing and almost therapeutic for me I felt like Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love. I order a lamb kebab and chicken tandoori with pilau rice. The staff were friendly and efficient. 

After I ordered my food, the waiter brought out chutneys and Raita with poppadoms. The red onion chutney is to die for and the raita! I filled myself up completely with these. I couldn't stop!

Raita and Chutneys

My starters was a lamb kebab. To be honest, the kebab was only okay. The chutneys and raita made it work. The onions were cooked in spices and they were gorgeous. I think I would go for something different the next time. Looking at other peoples starters around me, I definitely would've went for theirs!

Lamb Kebab

The mains... The sizzling Tandoori chicken. I mean sizzling. It came out and made a scene it was so loud but it did create an ambience, I was like whoa ! And so were the other customers! The chicken was juicy and tender.i ordered pilau rice and tandoori sauce came with this too. I was so stuffed I had to get the rest for take away. It did not go to waste though. My friend Aisling called over to mine later that night and we we devoured it all ! 

Sizzling Tandoori Chicken

My starters, main course + pilau rice and a coke came to €25.55. They do an Early Bird menu for €18.95 which you can see online. Check out their full website here

Summer Cod salad

Today's salad is : Pan fried Cod, mixed leaves, peas, peaches, green beans, red onion, pickled cucumber, chickpeas and lemon & poppy dressing. 

Its been a while since I wrote my last post but fear not I have not given up just yet! I've been a busy bee in the kitchen and feel utterly guilty for abandoning my blog page. I have so much to write about! I am back with a bang ! :)

So we all know Summer is about salads and luckily for me I get to come up with my own salad of the day when I am setting up the kitchen.  Gluten free, dairy free and full of nutritious ingredients! :)

Getting creative with food is what I love and knowing I am trying to accomadate wheat free and dairy free customers. My knowledge of nutrition has grown so much from this daily task. At the start it was pretty hard coming up with a salad. It was like an impending doom fearing which ingredients go with what. Chefs dilemma pacing the veg fridge , spoilt with choice! But after awhile I got the hang of it and try better myself every day. Sometimes the best ideas come at the spur of a moment! So here is my healthy I've put together :) 

Nutella Croissant Bread and Butter Pudding || World Nutella Day |February 5th

So since I used to work for Nutella, I am obviously a big fan and still get some lucky packages every now and again. I thought what better way to celebrate World Nutella Day ( February 5th) than making a Nutella Croissant Bread and Butter Pudding! I kept it as simple as I could so it should be easier for you to make.

What you need:

~ 4 Croissants

~ 1 vanilla bean ( pods)

~ 400ml cream

~ 200ml milk 

~ 3 eggs

~ 100g of caster sugar

~ Small pinch of salt

I served mine with whipped cream.

Serves 4-5 people

Method:

1. Break up the croissants and put them in a baking dish. Layer in between with Nutella but not on top because it will burn! 

2.Put cream, vanilla beans,salt, milk and caster sugar into a bowl and whisk together

3. Leave for as long as you can. Overnight preferably with a form of weight on top so the croissants will really soak up the custard mix.

4. Preheat over to 180c

5. Put the baking dish inside and bake for 45 minutes 

Make sure the custard is set in the middle of the pudding but allow it to have moisture too.

Enjoy! 

Holly  x

Courgette noodles ||

Courgette noodles for dinner today. I got prawns in K O Connells in the English Market which were meaty and fresh. Sometimes carbohydrates can make me too full so simple noodles work for me! 

Ingredients:

~ 1 courgette

~Cherry tomatoes

~Onion

~Spinach

~Garlic

~Mushrooms

~Prawns

~Cayenne pepper

~Half a lemon

~Sun dried tomatoe pesto

Step 1.So first, I roasted all the vegetables in the oven with oil, salt and pepper except the courgette noodles!

Step 2.While they are roasting, julienne peeled the courgette then placed the heart of the courgette into the oven to roast as well.

Step 3.Heat up a pan until very hot and put the prawns in with salt and pepper. Put in some Cayenne to add a bit of spicyness.Add the spinach until it has sweated.

Step 4.Add the courgette noodles and then the roasted vegetables.

Toss in a garlic clove and sun dried tomatoe pesto.

Check for seasoning and serve up

Enjoy :-) 

Holly x 

BBQ baby back ribs

1. Ribs are my favourite food in the whole world so I had to do a blog post on how I do mine! There is a few methods on how to cook them but this is the easiest and fastest. I'm always trying new BBQ sauces every time I cook a new batch, I'm yet to make my own but when I do I'll be sure to share it with ye guys :-) After being to America, it will always be hard to live up to those Tony Romas Juicy ribs but I think I'm getting closer each time! 

Ingredients: 

~Baby back ribs ( depends on how much you want to serve up)

~BBQ sauce

~ Veg and spices for the stock pot

Step 1.Prep the ribs. Trim any fat and take the skin on the underside off. 

Step 2.Get a pot of water boiling, add whatever you think will give the ribs flavour! I add spices, herbs, garlic, worchester sauce, onions, stock, celery and carrots. 

Step 3.Boil the ribs for an hour ( this gets them really soft and falling off the bone) 

Step 4.Line up on a tray and brush on the BBQ sauce. Put into the oven at 180 degrees until the sauce dries in a bit then apply another layer. Repeat this step 3 times until the ribs are fully coated and glazed. Do not forget to brush BBQ sauce on the underneath of the ribs!

Take out and serve up! Enjoy! :-) 

Courgetti || Healthy Eating

So since I am trying to be healthy and get as much energy I can from my five a day , I decided to try a new way to get in all my veggies! The latest craze Courgetti?? Coodles? Zucchini Fettuncini? Yep it literally is what it says. Now don't worry you don't need to invest in the fancy Spiraliser machine just yet. I used my trusty Julienne peeler which does the job just great. I bought this in my local cookery shop Brennan's. This recipe is simple and actually quite tasty. It is low in carbohydrates but rich in nutrients.

Ingredients:

~1 courgette or 2 if you are very

Hungry! 

~Tbsp of sun dried tomatoe pesto

~1 garlic clove

~Drop of oil

~Cherry tomatoes

~Spinach

~Kale

Method:

Step 1.Put the cherry tomatoes into the oven, seasoned with s + p

Step 2.In the meantime, use the julienne peeler to peel the courgette. I did not use the middle of the courgette but of course it can be added to the mix!

Step 3.Heat up a small drop of oil in a pan, sweat and season the spinach.

put the courgetti into the hot pan and toss in sun dried tomatoe pesto.

Step 4. Put one clove of garlic in and toss for a minute 

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve up with the roast tomatoes and Kale. 

(Recipe for Crisy Kale Chips : http://thepetitechefblog.blogspot.ie/2015/01/crispy-kale.html?m=0 ) 

Crispy Kale ||

Crispy Kale chips are something you must eat right now! If you love veggies you will love the taste of these. They are simple to make and can be used as an alternative to the bag of crisps that are usually their tempting us in the cupboard. Kale can be eaten raw as well or used in smoothies.

Ingredients:

~Kale

~Sea salt

~cayenne pepper

-Olive oil 

Step 1.Preheat oven at 180 degrees.

Step 2.Line your baking pan with parchment paper.Break the kale off its stem into small pieces and place it on the paper.

Step 3.Put some cayenne and sea salt on top. Drizzle wih oil.

Step 4.Put into the oven for 10-15 minutes until crispy.

Enjoy! :-) 

Green Smoothie || Healthy Eating

Feel low on energy and need a boost? Feel you need

To detox and trying to get in your five a day? The green smoothie craze has rubbed on me and I'm willing to keep it up once I'm getting an energy boost from it! The pictures below show what I put into it and I got it all for less than €5.00 at Aldi Ireland though the coconut water is from Marks and Spencer.

To complete the green smoothie I took a trip to The Good Food Shop in the English Market and got some Goji berries and a Superfood mix. I got some Chia seeds from Quay Co-Op Café. The packets are big and will last for a good while.They tasted lovely with the smoothie and will give you an automatic lift.These smoothies are perfect if you are constantly on the go like myself! 

Goji Berries are from a native Chinese shrub and are full of nutrients including amino acids and vitamins. It is thought they have benefits in mental well being and athletic performance. 

Chia seeds help hunger while making sure you are getting the right nutrients in your diet. They are high in OMEGA 3, fibre, antioxidants, and protein.

The Superfood Mix that I got in The Good Food shop contains cacao, macs, kelp, hemp,spirulina, cholorella, barley grass and Lucuma. This is 8 nutrients in one serving which are full of iron protein and OMega 3. One tablespoon of this can be consumer with a smoothie, coconut water or juice. 

Definitely try out out this green juice diet even for a while to see if it makes a difference. Breakfast time is the best time to have this to give you a good start to the day. Happy Juicing!!! :-) 

Dashi Deli Sushi and Noodle Bar | Cook Street, Cork City

Dashi Deli - Sushi & Noodle Bar is a wonderful sushi and noodle bar found on Cook Street. It's been a long time I have been here but it hasn't lost its touch. I used to always go here after I finished up a day of College, that never ending walk from UCC to Cook street was well worth it when I got some food in the end! 

So recently, I got the crab and smoked salmon sushi to begin with, which was tasty, also served with wasabi and ginger. I also ordered their most popular curry, ( I was told by the server ) Massaman curry w/ prawn. So much flavour and a lovely trip to Dashi. Loved it before and love it still. I will be back :-) 

Check out more on their Facebook or Website

Coffee Central | The English Market | Cork

Lovely Cannoli's at Coffee Central in The English Market. Coffee Central is a small and vibrant coffee shop found on a little corner towards the heart of the market. Definitely worth checking out if you want something tasty and sweet with barista style coffee to top it off! You even have the option of ordering an iced drink and to go if you don't have time to hang around. Check it out :-)

Murphys Ice Cream | Dingle, Kerry

Brown Bread & Cookies Ice Cream 

So any of you guys that may be visiting the Dingle area in Kerry any time soon, I would highly 

recommend visiting Murphys Ice cream shop. They are well known for their sea salt ice cream!I opted to go with the Brown bread and Cookies ice cream! I loved them both but the Brown Bread ice cream was something I always wanted to try and completely lived up to my expectations and more. You can choose between different size tubs or a cone. These ice creams are handmade in Kerry and are definitely made with love. If I had my way I would have brought a tub home but it would have melted! The staff here are super nice and and encourage you to taste the ice creams before picking one out. I will be back.  Defo worth checking out :-) 

Find out more about Murphys ice cream on their Facebook Page and website

The Sandwich Stall | The English Market

Channa Malsala~ Chickpea and Veg curry served with mango chutney, fresh coriander and tzatziki w/ basmati rice

€5.50 

I have become murder for trying to find tasty curries around Cork city and this definitely one that needs to be tried. I was passing through the English Market and had to try The Sandwich Stall's vegetarian curry. I usually would have to have meat with every meal but this curry won me over completey. It is only recently I have become fond of vegetarian food and the reason I think why is because I have been looking in the wrong places! The curry itself was slightly spicy with the Tzatziki to add a bit of coolness to the dish. The Mango chutney was a delight making it sweet and fruity. 

The Sandwich Stall offers fresh daily specials for lunch where you can sit down on a bench whilst taking in the foodie atmosphere of The English Market.

Fresh handmade sandwiches and various flavoured beverages including my favourite Elderflower presse! 

The Sandwich stall is definitely a hot spot for lunch and by 3 o clock is usually sold out. The early bird catches the worm! 

Salad bar~ chickpea/carrot salad & Houmous

If you are looking for something light, you can always choose your own salad which also cater to those with a Gluten Free, Dairy free, Vegetarian and Vegan diet. 

Drop by The Sandwich Stall for a look and you will be sure to be tempted once seeing the food. The best thing about it is if you are in a hurry or want to keep it for dinner later on, you can always get it to go! Nothing could beat the freshness and flavours of the food here. 

Find out more about The Sandwich Stall here