Salmon and Vegetable Soup

I made this simple and nourishing soup recently it was the perfect light meal before I attended a local business networking meeting where I spoke on self-care and Nutrition. 

Barley Salad

This is a simple and tasty salad, that makes a great side dish or lunch. 

Barley salad 

• 1/2 cups of barley 
• 10 cherry tomatoes 
• 1/2 a chopped cucumber 
• A pinch of parsley 
• A handful of feta 

For the dressing 

- 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herbs and a pinch or chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoons sugar 

Method 

1. Cook the barley in boiling water for 25 min then drain and place on a baking sheet to dry for 15 min 

2. Then chop the tomato and cucumber and mix with barley 

3. Add the dressing and feta 

Barley is a whole grain and a wonderful source of soluble fiber, it helps to have a good lipid profile and lower your risk of heart disease. 

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Borscht with Leeks

I adore Borscht and leeks so I figured why not combine the two, 

Borscht with leeks 

Ingredients-

- 5 small beets I used golden and red beets peeled and grated use gloves for this

- 2 cloves of garlic 

- 3 leeks sliced 

- 3 carrots cut into little pieces 

- 3 small sweet red, and yellow peppers diced 

- 3 potatoes cubed 

- One carton of vegetable stock and about 2 cups of water 

- 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herbs 

- 3 tablespoons of ketchup I saw this on another recipe and it works I used one from Italian made with balsamic vinegar 

- Salt to taste 

- One stalk of celery chopped 

Method 

1. Sauté the leek, garlic, celery, and peppers in olive oil for 7-10 min until soft 

2. Then add all the vegetables - beetroot, potato, and carrot and the stock, water, and herbs and then down to a simmer for 30-45 min 

3. Enjoy 

See below for a clip of how to do it.

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Aba Bal Harbour, Miami

We recently visited South Florida and I read an article about this Mediterranean restaurant chain that had opened a restaurant in Miami, as a family we love this cuisine. This is a lovely restaurant in a high-end mall that's beautifully landscaped with koi fish ponds and palm trees. 

Yule log

This is a fun cake to make, I basically made a vanilla Swiss roll and coated it in chocolate buttercream so good.

Ingredients for the Swiss roll

• 3 large eggs
• 100g sugar, plus extra 3 tbsp to dust
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1/2 a jar strawberry jam

Ingredients for the chocolate buttercream

• 1/4 cup of cocoa 
• 1/2 a cup of confectioners sugar 
• one - two tablespoon of milk 
• 3/4 of a stick of butter

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C 450 F. Add parchment paper to a cookie sheet, apparently there are Swiss Roll pans this would be perfect. 
2.  Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric hand whisk until thick and pale, this took a good 15 min but maybe with a better whisk its faster. Add the vanilla and whisk for another few seconds. Then fold in the flour and baking powder little by little. 
3.  pour into the tin and lightly smooth the top. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden and springy.

4. cut a large rectangle of baking paper. Dust the paper with the sugar. Once the cake is cooked, carefully place the sponge onto the sugared paper and peel off the paper. then spread the jam and roll with paper and allow to sit for an hour.
5. meanwhile mix the butter, cocoa powder and confectioners sugar with milk if needed to have a smooth consistency. Coat the roll with the buttercream and add a couple of marshmallows cut into the shape of mushrooms.

Happy Holidays wonderful people!

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