LOW GI Spiced tabbouleh with mackerel, Kale and spinach

Here is a recipe for a very healthy low GI salad recipe. I took the idea from a GI cookbook, as hubby is trying to be extra fit this month, so thought this would help in his training.

The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own.

High GI foods

Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose have a high GI rating. High GI foods include:

• sugar and sugary foods
• sugary soft drinks
• white bread
• potatoes
• white rice

Low and medium GI foods

Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time. They include:

• some fruit and vegetables (but not dried fruit)
• pulses
• wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats 

I know there seems like a lot of ingredients, but you can substitute for anything suitable that you might have lying around.

Ingredients 

• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seed
• 2 roasted red peppers, sliced (I used the ones from a jar)
• 2 red red chillies deseeded and thinly sliced 
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 courgette, diced
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly chopped
• Tin chick peas drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• Handful of baby spinach
• Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lines 
• 175g bulgur wheat, rinsed, well drained, then left to soak in 200ml cold water 
• 25g toasted flaked almonds 
• Handful of chopped mint leaves
• 100g smoked mackerel fillets, skinned and flaked

Method 

• Dry-fry the seeds in a small frying pan until fragrant, then crush and set aside.
• In the same frying pan, add a little olive oil and when hot cook courgette until soft.
• In a large salad bowl combine all ingredients and mix together gently 
• Check seasoning
• Serve with lime wedges 

Stir fry vegetable rice - great for little people

My favourite food is rice, I should have been born in a different continent - I could eat it all day and all night. 

This is a very quick and easy dinner for little people - and full of healthy veggies.

I made a large batch of rice in the rice cooker (I actually have a slow cooker/ rice cooker in one - fab for making family meals).

In a pan cook some stir fry veg - I usually have a pack in the freezer, or any veg will do (carrot sticks, peas, sweetcorn, courgette sticks, mange tout). Add rice, and some soy sauce if you what, bear in mind soy sauce is high in salt, but you can get low sodium versions. If it's for a very young child, I'd leave out the soy sauce. 

Easy Yummy Fish Pie

It's cold outside, so thought I'd make something warm and tasty for dinner. I don't actually measure anything, I'm once of those throw it all in the pan cooks and hope it all works out. It did on this occasion, but didn't a few days ago when I put too much bicarbonate in my cookies!

Anyway this easy fish pie:

Poach some fish, I used a small skinless boneless fillet of salmon and 2 skinless fillets of cod. Cut into bite size peices and cooked in a pan with a little butter and covered with milk. Cook about 10 mins. Can also use a pack of fish pie mix.

I peeled and chopped into medium sized pieces about 4 large potatoes. Boil for about 20 mins until soft. Drain water, mash with a little butter, pepper if you like (I don't add salt to anything, but you can if you wish), and a little milk to bind. When the fish is cooked I threw in a couple of handfuls of frozen mixed veg - peas, sweetcorn, carrot and chopped green beans, and some pepper. Cook for about 5 mins.

Pour mixture into a large dish and top with potato. I added a little more pepper and sprinkling of grated cheese.

Cook at about 200 degrees until brown and bubbling - about 20 -30 mins.

Lovely served with a green salad.

Great for the whole family including little people 

Banana and chocolate chip mini muffins - baby led weaning treat

I'm lucky enough to still see all the mums and babies from my antenatal classes that we attended prior to my oldest little person, and today I'm having them all round, as one if the mums is due another little person in a few weeks.

When having a gathering of little people and adults in can be difficult to decide what to serve. Obviously my favourite limoncello mini cupcakes are out, and so is anything with chocolate - toddlers and my cream couch don't mix - I learned that one the hard way! 

So I'm making my old favourite mini chocolate and banana muffins. 

Very easy to do, and healthy - as far as cakes go!

Also freezable!

Ingredients

• 2 ripe bananas mashed
• 100g chocolate chips
• 75g caster sugar 
• 100ml milk
• 1tsp baking powder
• 200g Self raising flour 
• 2 large eggs
• 100g butter 

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 2 x 12 hole mini-muffin tins with small paper cases, or use  silicone tins. Melt the butter in a small pan and leave to cool slightly. Peel and mash the bananas.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the milk, sugar, eggs and melted butter.
3. 
   Sift in the flour and baking powder and add the banana and chocolate. Using a large metal spoon, fold everything together until combined but don’t over-mix.
4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Spicy Coconut Salmon Anniversary Dinner

It might not look exactly appetising, but I promise, it is very yummy, I will try to do again, and take better pictures, I'm still new to this blogging malarky!

I do find salmon a little boring, and then I came up with the idea (I know its going to sound strange) to sprinkle chilli flakes and desiccated coconut on the salmon and then grill! It's magic!

I served it with salad leaves sprinkled with balsamic and olive oil, boiled new potatoes and griddled baby courgette and asparagus. Oh and a large mushroom, topped with boursin cheese and chilli flakes (yes my staple seasoning), which I cooked in the oven for 30 mins.

I think its reasonably healthy and very tasty.

Hope you like it

No Cook Ricotta Courgette Rolls

I have never made these before, and now I have just tasted one, I am actually very impressed. They would make great canapés or a dinner party starter, maybe served on a bed of mixed leaves with some smoked salmon. No cooking required as they are marinated in balsamic vinegar which softens the courgettes.

Ingredients 

• 1 courgette would serve 2 people as a snack or several people as a starter
• a tub of ricotta
• juice of half a lemon
• a handful of basil leaves
• I used chilli flakes as i like things spicy, but pine nuts would also be delicious 
• balsamic vinegar
• olive oil

Method

• chop ends off the courgettes
• slice very thinly using a peeler
• drizzle a tbsp of olive oil and balsamic onto a platter
• lay the courgette slices one by one on the platter 
• then drizzle with more olive oil and balsamic
• place in fridge covered for at least 20 mins and up to 6 hours
• Mix the ricotta lemon juice, basil leaves, chilli flakes and pine nuts if using
• season to taste 
• next take one courgette piece and at one end place a tsp of the mixture and then roll from one end to the other 

They can be placed in the fridge until needed.

Kitchen gadgets

I love kitchen gadgets !

We do have many, such as my bread maker (used once or twice a month), slow cooker (used once or twice a month), kenwood chef (used once or twice a month), Philips juicer (used twice in 3 years), food hydrator (used every few months at the most) and a tefal actifry (used once or twice a month - usually for chips!)

So today I decided to be extra lazy/ healthy and use 2 of them.

I've steamed some basmati rice in the slow cooker (also a rice cooker and steamer), and cooked a stir fry in the actifry! Easiest meal ever, although I haven't washed up yet! 

Summer evenings vegetarian dinner

It worked! Can't believe it wasn't as difficult as I thought, and actually quite yummy! 

I know it's been a little while since I posted, children are very time consuming!

But I just had to share these fab homemade vegetable samosas.

Made with peas, sweetcorn, red onion and feta cheese, with a sprinkling of tikki seasoning and wrapped in filo pastry.

Reasonably healthy as baked in the oven and so yummy ! 

Both my 2 year old and hubby love them, and they're perfect for a picnic, or a summers evening dinner. My daughter has hers with steamed veg and new potatoes and hubby and I are going to have ours with some tabbouleh, which by the way I've never made before ! 

Bulghar wheat, red onion, tomato, lemon juice and zest, olive oil and parsley and mint from the garden! 

So there we have it, a perfect summers evening dinner!

Samosas, tabbouleh, tzatiki and halloumi

Vegetable Samosas

I know it's been a little while since I posted, children are very time consuming!

But I just had to share these fab homemade vegetable samosas.

Made with peas, sweetcorn, red onion and feta cheese, with a sprinkling of tikki seasoning and wrapped in filo pastry.

Reasonably healthy as baked in the oven and so yummy ! 

Both my 2 year old and hubby love them, and they're perfect for a picnic, or a summers evening dinner. My daughter has hers with steamed veg and new potatoes and hubby and I are going to have ours with some tabbouleh, which by the way I've never made before !