Thursday 27 August 2015

Sweet Potato Tortilla with Spinach and Peppers

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So, I'm finally back from all my trips this summer and am getting back on top of cooking, blogging and food optimising Slimming World style.

Portree Harbour, Isle of Sky
Rotmoosalm, Leutasch, Austria




Reepham, Norfolk


I've been to Whitby, Norfolk, Germany, Austria and Scotland and certainly had some days where I forgot about being 'on plan' and enjoyed fish and chips, scones, apple struddle and Kaiserschmarrn, but I still managed to loose weight over my six week holidays by food optimising where and when I could and probbaly thanks to scaling the odd mountain and cycling Norfolk's country lanes with a fully loaded bike.


This recipe for a take on a traditional Spanish Tortilla is great as it keeps for a couple of days in the fridge and is delicious eaten hot or cold, so I tend to have it for dinner one day and then have some for lunch the following day. If you are a SW member and want it to be totally syn free, use Fry Light instead of olive oil! I'm not the greatest fan of pan-frying with Fry Light (it's great for roasting veg and chips in the oven though), so tend to use a drizzle of oil in the pan and just count a syn per portion. The original recipe can be found here.




Sweet Potato Tortilla with Spinach and Peppers (serves 4)

1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in hal and sliced into thin half-moons
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced (I used green as that's what I had. I does look prettier with red though)
1tsp dried thyme
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
5 large eggs, beaten
60g baby spinach
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil or fry light
2 rounded tbsp quark


Preheat oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Mix the onion, sweet potato and pper and place on a lined oven tray. Spray with fry light (if you're not counting Slimming World syns, you might want to drizzle them with a little olive oil instead. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and add the garlic and thyme. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes. Check that the sweet potato is done. If it is still a little hard return to the oven for five more minutes. Once you have taken the vegetables out, reduce the oven temperature to 180C/Gas 5.

In a large pan mix the beaten eggs, the roasted vegetables and the baby spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat a non-stick, oven-proof frying pan. Spray with fry light or brush with a little olive oil.

Add the egg and vegetable mixture to the pan. Add small dollops of quark to the top.

Allow to set on the hob for a couple of minutes and then place the pan in the oven and allow to bake for 20 minutes, until the egg is set.

This is great warm or cold, so makes perfect leftovers for lunches and picnics.

Enjoy!











  • Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180°C Fan/Gas 6.
  • Mix the red onion, sweet potato and red pepper together and place on a roasting tin lined with baking parchment. Roast the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, until they’re tender. Five minutes before the end of cooking time, add the rosemary and garlic and mix well. Remove the vegetables from the oven and reduce the temperature to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas 4.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the roasted vegetables and the spinach and mix together well. Season to taste
  • Preheat an 18-20cm diameter non-stick ovenproof frying pan on the hob. Once hot, spray the pan with low calorie cooking spray.
  • Pour in the eggs and roasted vegetables and then dollop the quark in small spoonfuls over the top. Let the tortilla set slightly on the hob for 1 minute, transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, until set.
  • Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
  • - See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.O3dPxWBO.dpuf






  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced into thin half moons
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 60g baby spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Low calorie cooking spray
  • 2 rounded tbsp quark
  • - See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.gfkwB1sg.dpuf






  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced into thin half moons
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
  • 4 large eggs
  • 60g baby spinach
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Low calorie cooking spray
  • 2 rounded tbsp quark
  • - See more at: http://www.slimmingworld.com/recipes/red-pepper-spinach-and-sweet-potato-tortilla.aspx#sthash.gfkwB1sg.dpuf

    Saturday 20 June 2015

    Caribbean Pepperpot Stew

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    If like me you live in the North of England, then you'll also know that despite it being Summer Solstice today it really hasn't been feeling like summer.


    It's not weather for BBQs and al fresco dining. Instead I'm still happy to have stews and soups and I even made a hot water bottle the other night as I felt really chilly after a late evening bike ride. 

    If you're on the SW Extra Easy plan, this is free if you use fry light instead of oil and  1/4 tsp sweetener instead of the sugar. I prefer not to and just syn the oil and sugar which is not much per portion anyways. 



    Caribbean Pepperpot Stew (serves 2-3)

    1tsp oil 
    400g stewing beef, diced
    2 red peppers, cut into chunky bite-size pieces
    1 onion, diced
    1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
    200g green beans, trimmed & halved
    2 cloves of garlic, crushed
    2tbsp jerk seasoning
    1tbsp red wine vinegar
    2tbsp Worcestershire sauce
    1tsp sugar
    200g passata
    200ml beef stock
    Salt, to taste
    Black pepper, to taste
    Preheat your oven to 160ºC/Gas 3. 
    Heat the oil in a flame-proof casserole dish and brown the beef over a high heat for 4-5 minutes.
    Reduce the heat and add all vegetables, garlic and jerk seasoning. Stir well to coat  evenly. 
    Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. 
    Pop the lid on and cook in the oven for about an hour and a half, or until the beef is tender. 
    Serve with boiled rice.
    Enjoy. 

    Saturday 6 June 2015

    Spanish Green Beans and Tomatoes

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    Admittedly I'm not usually the biggest fan of green beans, but every now and then I buy them and this time I had a bunch that were given to me by my neighbours A and G as they headed off for a week in sunny Bilbao. 


    In homage to their Catalonian holiday I made them into Spanish Green Beans and served them alongside griddled chicken and some oven potato wedges for a simple dinner and I actually really enjoyed them. I even went back for seconds. 




    Spanish Green Beans and Tomatoes (serves 3-4 as a side)

    A dash of olive oil 
    1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
    400g green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 3cm lengths
    1 tin of chopped tomatoes (400g)
    20g pine nuts
    Juice of half a lemon
    1tsp of sugar (optional, but it cuts through some of the acidity of the tomatoes) 
    1 bay leaf
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    1. Heat a little oil in a heavy based pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or so. Add the beans and continue to stir for about 4 minutes. 

    2. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook for around 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes have reduced and thickened and the beans are tender, stirring regularly. 

    3. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Enjoy!

    Tuesday 19 May 2015

    Flash in the pan?

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    So, this might just be a flash in the pan and a one off post after two years of inactivity, but maybe, just maybe I'll start writing on here again. 


    I've had an offer to sell my blog a few months ago, but something stopped me eventhough it has been lingering in a state of sad neglect for forever. Maybe it's time to return to my food blogging days. 



    I recently joined Slimming World, as I'd slowly put on some weight over the last couple of years that I was getting fed up with and just couldn't quite shift. I always got so far and got stuck. 

    Now I'm not interested in loads of cheat recipes where I just replace sugar with sweetener, but essentially still eat a lot of poor and processed foods that don't give my body much goodness. I'm interested in cooking satisfying meals that don't feel like I'm missing out, because I'm not. I just eat more balanced and with a large focus on vegetables, fruit and lean protein. There is no fasting and no going hungry. This is hopefully about a lifestyle change not a diet. 

    This of course means that I'm cooking and experimenting more again. And I'm hoping to share some of that by resurrecting A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit. So watch this space. (Maybe).  

    Tuesday 2 July 2013

    Beetroot and Walnut Hummus by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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    I'm currently working on an artists' book about a dinner party, so of course I had to have said dinner party to get it started. There isn't really any work to look at yet, but you can see some of my older work if you have a look through some of the posts on my website or the Battenburg Press Tumblr.

    I invited five friends round and made quite a few dishes, but failed to photograph most of them, so those recipes will have to wait a little longer before being shared on here. I did manage to photograph my new favourite dip though. It's not only delicious and easy to make, I also absolutely love the colour of it. You just can't beat beets for colour, can you?!

    Try it with fresh flatbread or on a sandwich with some goat's cheese. Perfection!

     photo 1af2da7c-6543-49da-b812-290a24f864a1.jpg

    Beetroot and Walnut Dip by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (serves 4-6)

    50g walnuts
    1 tbsp cumin seeds
    25g stale bread, crusts removed
    200g cooked beetroot (not pickled), cut into cubes
    1 tbsp tahini
    1 large garlic clove, crushed
    1 lemon, juice off
    sea salt, to taste
    freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    a little olive (optional)

    Preaheat your oven to 180C/Gas 4.

    Place the walnuts in one layer on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until fragrant.

    Remove from oven and leave to cool.

    Heat a small frying pan over a medium heat.

    Add the cumin seeds and dry-fry them. You need to keep moving the pan around or stirr the seeds constantly. What you want is for them to release their aroma, but not burn! It should only take a minute or so.

    Transfer the seeds to a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder and crush them well.

    Break the bread into chunks and add them to a bowl together with the walnuts. Using a stick blender, process them until you have fine crumbs. You can do this in a food processor also.

    Add the beetroot, tahini, the garlic, a good pinch of the cumin, half the lemon juice, a little salt and a good bit of pepper, then process until you have a thick paste.

    Taste the mixture and adjust it by adding a little more cumin, garlic, lemon, salt and/or pepper until you like the taste.

    You can add a splash of oil if you think the dip is to thick.




    Serve at room temperature.


    Enjoy!




    Friday 21 June 2013

    Lemon Berry Cake

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    It's nearly the end of June, which in my annual calendar means saying farewell to my final year students and wishing them good luck for life after University. We had a little get together with drinks on Wednesday and I baked a cake.





















    Congratulations to the Class of 2013, BA (Hons) Photography, Manchester School of Art!

    Some of them are having an exhibition in London in July, following on from their degree show. Have a look at their website and pop in if you're in the area.

    Oh and the cake was good and well worth making! The recipe can be easily halved and made in a loaf tin or 20cm ring pan. That's what the original recipe was, but I doubled it to use my Gugelhupf pan.



























    Lemon Berry Cake (makes 1 cake)

    250g butter
    1 1/2 cups caster sugar (I used light brown as I was out)
    4 eggs
    rind of 2 lemons
    3 cups self-raising flour 
    1 cup milk
    1/2 cup lemon juice
    150gr blueberries/raspberries
    icing sugar for dusting

    Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas 4/350 F. Grease a gugelhupf pan really well and dust with flour.

    In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and creamy.

    Beat in the eggs and  grated lemon rind. 

    using a wooden spoon fold in the self-raising flour,  milk and lemon juice until well combined.

    Spoon half the mixture into the pan. 

    Scatter over the berries. 

    Spoon over the remaining cake batter.

    Bake for 50 minutes, check after 40 minutes and cover with baking parchment or tin foil if the top of the cake is getting too dark.

    Insert a wooden skewer to check if the cake is cooked through. The skewer will come out clean if it is ready. If there is still batter clinging to the skewer, return the cake to the oven for 5 more minutes and test again.

    Set aside for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool. 

    Serve dusted with icing sugar.

    Enjoy!

    Wednesday 5 June 2013

    Yotam Ottolenghi's Stuffed Aubergine with Lamb & Pine Nuts

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    I know, I know.....it has been ages! So many things have happened in the last six months. Some good, some less so, some very happy times and also some sad stuff. All of it together meant that I didn't really feel like blogging about what was cooking in my kitchen.

    But here's to hopefully finding my (blogging) mojo again. Thanks for still reading!

    This is a recipe that I made a while agao. Easter Sunday to be more precise. I was spending Easter on my own this year and I didn't want to miss out on having lamb for Easter, but it seemed silly to do a whole roast for myself, so instead I just scaled down this wonderful Yotam Ottolenghi recipe from the Jerusalem cookbook.

    It was delicious and the only issue I had was there wasn't quite enough sauce for basting when adjusted for one serving rather than four. My conclusion is that I'll just make it for four people next time, because than there won't be any sauce issues and it's so good that it should be shared anyways!

    (Sorry about the crappy picture, I couldn't wait to dig in!)


    Yotam Ottolenghi's Stuffed Aubergine with Lamb & Pine Nuts (serves 4)


    4 medium aubergines (about 1.2kg), halved lengthways
    6 tablespoons olive oil
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    One and a half tablespoons sweet paprika
    One and a half tablespoons ground cinnamon
    2 medium onions (340g in total), finely chopped
    500g minced lamb
    50g pine nuts
    20g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
    2 teaspoons tomato purée
    3 teaspoons caster sugar
    150ml water
    One and a half tablespoons lemon juice
    1 teaspoon tamarind paste
    4 cinnamon sticks
    Salt and black pepper

    Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7. Place the aubergine halves, skin-side down, in a roasting tin large enough to accommodate them snugly. Brush the flesh with 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

    While the aubergines are cooking, you can start making the stuffing by heating the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan. Mix the cumin, paprika and ground cinnamon and add half of this spice mix to the pan, along with the onion. Cook on a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often, before adding the lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato purée, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Place the remaining spice mix in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, remaining sugar, cinnamon sticks and half a teaspoon of salt; mix well.

    Reduce the oven temperature to 195C/175C fan/gas mark 5 and a half. Pour the spice mix into the bottom of the aubergine roasting tin. Spoon the lamb mixture on top of each aubergine. Cover the tin tightly with foil, return to the oven and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, by which point the aubergines should be completely soft and the sauce thick; twice through the cooking, remove the foil and baste the aubergines with the sauce, adding some water if the sauce dries out. Serve warm, not hot, or at room temperature.

    Enjoy! (recipe taken from The Independent Online)

    Friday 14 December 2012

    Absence

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    Sorry, I've been gone......

    I have been here ocassionaly...