Pineapple and (sort of) teriyaki chicken!

I love a dish that saves on washing up! This is so delicious, so colourful and so quick you'll never bother with a chinese takeaway again. Just make sure your pineapple is in its own juice and not syrup.

Start by mixing your 'teriyaki' (actual teriyaki if you have it), whisk up two parts white wine to one part soy sauce, add a few dashes of Worcester sauce and a pinch of ground ginger. You'll need enough to just cover your meat. Next fry off the chicken and garlic, adding some bell pepper just before its done. When it's cooked, pour in your sauce and let it thicken. Finally toss in a can of pineapple chunks, add your scallions and pok choi and cook until they're warm and little bit seared.

 

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Hello October!

Hello October! This is one of my favourite months, it has so much character, so much spirit, so much fight it in! Even though summer must be exhausting October gives Autumn everything it's got and goes out blazing! This month I'm going to...

1. Change my scent. It's time to let the light, sweet florals of summer go, sorry! At this time of year I like something earthy and spicy to warm me up, at the moment I'm loving the Rituals range.

2. Clean out my handbags. God I hate the dusty debris of a well loved handbag. After a few days use my bag is a tangled mess of receipts, loose change, lipsticks, pens, paper clips and pooh bags that spill like entrails with every unzipping. Worse, I leave it there when I swap handbags! I've seen other womens bags and know I'm not the only one!

3. Plan my Halloween costume. This year I'm torn between being a leopard and a zombie. I've narrowed it down to these four, although I suspect I lack the neccesary artistic talents to pull off either!

4. Cultivate a cosy habit. Winter has its highlights you know, staying indoors means more time for reading, bathing, crafting and baking! Hallelujah! I'm awful at plodding along without noticing these things so this October I'm creating a habit that will last all winter - rather than collapsing into bed with a book and skimming a few blurry lines before coma I'm deliberately making time to read. This afternoon I built a fort and climbed in with The Woman In White...bliss!

5. Speaking of cosy habits...find a new tea. Herbal teas make me happy, but fruit teas when it's blowing a gale and raining enough to fill the moat you never wanted? Nah, not going to cut it! You need a chai, a ginger or (if you're feeling decadent) a chocolate and peppermint! I'm a huge Teavanna fan. They're pricy but a small tin lasts forever and will defo brighten up a dark morning!

5. Eat a pumpkin...as opposed to desecrating one! Ireland has no tradition of eating pumpkins, despite the best efforts of America's pies and Harry Potter's juices! But this is a true tragedy! Recipes to follow but honestly, there's so much more to pumpkins than scary faces and a drawer full of blunt knives on November 1st! They'll be in season until January.

6. Get down with the Ghosts and Ghouls. Last year we did the Zombie Run in The Jungle. It involved 5KM of forest, maze and graveyard and dozens of highly convincing zombies/psychos. It also involved me moving faster than I EVER have before and screaming at an inhuman level. JUST what Halloween was made for!

7. Update my skincare routine. Have you been using the same products with robot like compliance? Then stop! Cold winds and dA few months ago my skin was so poorly that people asked why I had a rash! A free consultation with Clinque and some new product turned it around!

8. Indulge my inner pyrotechnic. It's still *just about* warm enough to enjoy an evening spent in the garden...provided your prepared! Skip Bonfire Night, make a massive pot of something delicious and get your favourite people round your fire - just be sure to make it BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket)!

10. Send a real life, hand written letter. Imagine the thrill of arriving home from work to find a friendly envelope sitting on your doormat, the tingle of mystery at this person who writes their 'g's with that funny little flourish, the giggle over the novelty stamp, the delicious anticipation of waiting for the kettle to boil so you can eat your biscuit and met this enchanting stranger. Youu can give someone those feelings!!! What a privelege! Quills out!

 

 

 

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Better than a chip shop

We had better than Chip Shop fish and chips tonight! Home battered fish and homemade tartar sauce with a side of sweet potato fries and a dollop of mushy edamame beans.

My fish batter was ground almonds and coconut oil, the sauce was Greek yoghurt with chopped capers, cocktail gherkins and parsley mixed through it (honestly no quantities just keep tasting!) and for the edamame beans we blanched them then smashed them with a tiny amount olive oil and seasoning. Delicious and I put down my cutlery feeling smug!

Once again the photography is less than awe inspiring but I usually take these pics before scoffing and I hate eating cold food! How do other bloggers manage these artistic shots? I swear they're eating old, cold, crusted meals!

 

 

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It's good to be 'bad'

People can be sooo judgemental about food and nutrition, especially when it comes to clean and lean/fresh eating. It drives me crazy! I do not believe that carbs are the seventh circle of your kitchen's own private hell, or that eating its agent of destruction 'pasta' will cause your digestive tract to close up.

That thud you just heard? Oh don't mind that it's just me falling off my high horse. That scrabbling and cursing you hear now? Why, that's me scratching and clawing my way back on to it! I ate pasta. It was delicious!

I tried to keep this dish as healthy as possible while still satisfying my craving for something creamy and hearty and baaaaad! Boil up as much pasta as you intend to eat...remeber no one is judging you. Chop up a few capers along with a small bunch of dill and mix them into a teeny (or a tremendous) amount of creme fraiche. Heat up a griddle pan and when it's nice and hot lay a salmon fillet skin side down to cook, this will only take a few minutes. Slice a handful of mangetout in half lengthways and do likewise with some French beans, chuck them both into the pasta water for the last 1/2 minutes cooking time. Drain this pan, flake in your salmon and mix it well with (you guessed it) green leaves, today I used watercress, rocket and beets. Finally add your caper creme fraiche and enjoy.

Not all bad, lots of good in there...and pasta! But the world kept turning and my bowel didn't develop polyps so all's well that ends well, and this ended well! Yum!

 

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Emergency Clean Cuisine

I have been terribly guilty of not listening to my own advice lately in that have been hideously underprepared for all my meals! It makes life soooo much harder! Too many times I've raced into the kitchen after work and immediately commenced eating everything within reach! Tonight was almost one of those nights but thankfully this gorgeous seafood cocktail rescued me!

Remove the prawns from the freezer and let them defrost. In a small own bowl mix a tablespoon of seafood dressing (or three parts creme fraiche to one part ketchup) with the zest and juice of half a lemon, to this add your cooked crab meat and let it sit. Slice up an avocado, a fennel bulb and a head of baby gem lettuce and toss it with leaves of your choosing (spinach and watercress for me). Now that your prawns are defrosted quickly grill them and while they're hot add them to your crab meat. Arrange everything on a plate (and if it's really an emergency) DEVOUR it!

So this might be less clean than I like thanks to jarred sauce, but sometimes, I have to cut myself some slack or I'll end up at the drive-thru again (true story) and I'm ok with that! This is delicious and a great balance of lean protein, healthy fats and green carbs so I'm willing to let the tablespoon of decadence slide!

 

 

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Something to make quinoa edible

It has taken me sooooo long to accept quinoa. Empires have risen and fallen in less time! Until recently I just found it such a noxious, smug, self satisfied grain. And yes before you ask I do have a tendency to personify my meals! Unfortunately because quinoa is an excellent source of plant protein and there's only so many lentils a girl can eat I knew it was time to branch out. But UGH! It looks like frog spaw and tastes (I imagine) just like to too!

Luckily, I have stumbled upon a remedy - parsley pesto. Add two good handfuls of parsley, half a garlic clove (you don't want to smell like your lunch all day), a handful of almonds and a squeeze of lemon to a fast running blender. When it's become a pulse slowly add olive oil (or coconut) until it reaches a consistency you find edible. I keep mine chunky because I like a bite, and honestly, it disguises the quinoa better! Both parsley and almonds have excellent anti-oxidant properties (parsley contains them and almonds activate them) which is an added bonus!

There is no image for this recipe because quite honestly, it looked like frogspawn had been mushed into grass then scraped on to my plate and I'm really not dedicated enough to this blogging business to spend hours making the images 'just so'. You'll just have to trust me that it was yummy! It's equally yummy with coriander or a mix of both herbs.

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Guacamole...in a fashion

No superfoods or fads just clean, quick meals!

Oh dear, not my finest photographic moment! I blame it on the fact that I was utterly starving and this smelt too good to deny for even a moment! This recipe has all the ingredients of a guacamole but reduces the need for washing up by eliminating the blender (boo dirty dishes!), I have no doubt this would taste as delicious with actual, grow up gucamole!

Start by removing the shells of the prawns and deveining...lol joke! Start by defrosting a portion of prawns (because life is short). While that's happening chop up a mango, an avocado, a small amount of parsley or if you prefer coriander and a quarter of a red onion. Over your prawns tip a squeeze of lime juice and a little/a lot of grated chilli. Heat up a griddle pan until it's nice and hot and sizzle off your prawns. When your prawns have turned pink mix everything together and finish it with another squeeze of lime. Minimal effort, maximum taste - just the way I like it.

 

 

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