Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Carrot and Date Bread and be Silly!


For Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a day we were to make a carrot bread and Olive Spelt bread unfortunately I didn't make the later but folks said it was so good. The carrot bread made a wonderful sweet bread with a cup of tea and we enjoyed this for breakfast. It also had coconut and I added dates.

be sure to head on over to Michelle's blog Big Black dogs to see what everyone else did in this wonderful group.

Finally be silly!
your never too old to act like a kid!

Love



Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Easy Chocolate Cake

Back from a fun but busy trip to Miami was a joy to watch the players in person we felt very short around them all! and have tasty eats but so good to be home and cooking again. After a few days we crave fresh vegetables and simple food.

So heres a recipe for an easy peasy chocolate cake I made last week, it takes no time at all and is soft and tasty, we adore plain simple cakes in our house! sometimes simple is good

Ingredients
4 oz of self raising flour
4 oz of butter
2 small eggs
4 oz of sugar
2 tablespoon of cocoa
a little powdered sugar

Method:
1. cream the butter and sugar add the eggs
2. then mix in the flour little by little
3. bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes
4. dust with the powdered sugar

Go on take a slice!





Bookmark and Share

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Guest Post from Juicy Fresh Bites


It is with great pleasure to introduce Stephanie from Canada she is a Nutrition student and blogger. I was tweeting with her last week, after I tweeted an article on ready prepared foods and how as a Nation we are lazy in food preparation. She tweeted how she makes chopped veggies and
freezer meals.
I so wish I had one of her meals to come back to on my return to North Carolina today!

How-To Prepare Homemade Convenience Food


Hello Chow and Chatter Readers!

This is Stephanie from Juicy Fresh Bites. I love blogging about my culinary experiments as I try to cook delicious and healthy foods. In addition, I also enjoy sharing my own tips on how to better embrace a healthy, active lifestyle.

Just to tell you a little bit about myself...ever since I was a little girl, I have always been really big on eating. As my passion for food grew stronger, an interest for nutrition also sparked. Hence, I decided to pursue a degree in Dietetics at the University of British Columbia. It is an incredible feeling to be able to breath and talk food and nutrition all day long and share this passion with other like-minded peers. Right now, my focus is to graduate in two years and become an RD. Then, I will like to work as a private consulting dietitian and continue to share my passion with others around me and make a difference in their lives!

And now, let me tell you more about how to prepare your own homemade convenience food and save time in the kitchen!
+~+~+~+~+

More people are relying on store-bought processed foods as their default quick-and-easy meal solutions because they feel preparing their own meals can take too much time and effort. However, putting together a healthy homemade meal doesn’t have to take long at all! In fact, you just allocate some time on the weekends to prepare some fix-and-freeze options, and then you will be able to enjoy home-cooked food even on the busiest weekdays.
 
Grains: Brown Rice, Bread

Making brown rice on the spot when you need it can be quite time-consuming, but reheating pre-cooked brown rice only takes a few minutes. Simply prepare a large batch of brown rice, let it cool to room temperature, then wrap up single portions of rice using plastic wrap to create brown rice balls and stick them into your freezer. Now, whenever you need grains to go with a meal, it will be as easy as grabbing a portion from the freezer and reheating it using the microwave.

Another grain option that freezes well is bread. Tightly wrap bread slices in plastic wrap and they will maintain good quality for up to 6 months (although they never last that long in my house...). To defrost and restore the crisp texture, use a 400F oven or the toaster.

Entree: Meatballs, Frittatas, Soups

With a ready-to-eat supply of grains, all you need is to have make-ahead frozen entrees and you will have all the key components to assembling a fast and easy, hearty meal. It is best to make small-sized entrees because they will be easier to store in the freezer and they will take less time to defrost and reheat. Some great make-ahead entrees include: meatballs, frittatas and soups.


To freeze meatballs, spread them on baking sheets and allow them to freeze solid before transferring to a container. This will prevent the meatballs from clumping together.
Mini frittatas can be the perfect grab-and-go meal option (especially handy for those hectic weekday mornings!). Try baking frittatas in muffin tins for perfect portion control.
Soups are truly the ideal fix-and-forget option since their flavours improve as they sit, so you can make it well in advance. Soups, by itself, may not be enough as a full meal, but you can easily bulk it up by incorporating goodies (for example, add beans for a boost in protein and fiber or a handful of nuts for some heart-healthy fats) and by stirring in brown rice to transform the soup into a hearty and nourishing one-pot meal.

Once you fill your freezer with these different grain and entree options, you can effortlessly treat yourself to a well-balanced and delicious homemade meal at anytime of the day. And when you do have a moment to spare, make an effort to spend a few minutes to dish up some quick vegetables to complement your meal.







Bookmark and Share





Saturday, March 27, 2010

Empanadas and Tennis!



926 Alton Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
(305) 673-3137

So after having my first Empanada on Friday I asked the locals where their favorite place was for more, they recommended Go Go a cute little cafe on Alton Road specializing in Empanada's with a great variety of sweet and savory fillings. Jasmine had taken a long nap and we kind of missed lunch so arrived hungry and ate one too many!
We had a classic Argentine one with minced beef and egg this was my favorite, a Spicy Thai chicken one, steak chimichurri, guava and cheese, nutella and banana and dulce de leche and raspberry I told you we ate a lot!
This was a great find and if you on South Beach its a must, we saw folks coming in from all walks of life to enjoy.



Our bounty!



The menu

Then tonight we ate in a place called Sol y Mar on Key Biscayne Blvd downtown Miami, lovely food and nice view over the water, Little Jasmine can now say moon and star and enjoyed pointed at them!
Hubby got striped sea bass and veggies
I had a plantain stuffed chicken breast with yuka yummy

The dessert was a chocolate mousse with hazelnut foam. So excited I finally ate foam, I always see it on five star foodies blog and wonder about it!
Me and Jasmine at the match, down below is Andy Murray a British player unfortunately he lost today but it was a thrill to see him in person.

Love and Hugs

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I Wish This Was My Supermarket!

We found a local Supermarket on Miami Beach on the way back to the Hotel, we had some stone crab legs at Joe's pretty good thanks for the recommendation Barbara. Little Jasmine wasn't so keen enjoyed the ice cream walking along the beach better and decorating Daddy's white shirt!

I couldn't resist sharing the food pictures, of this small neighborhood grocery store, filled with Cuban bread and fresh cakes, meat stews, rice and beans. In fact thats what Jasmine ate for a late supper!, and locally made creme caramel.
Now this is my breakfast with fresh fruit he he!

Lovely Papaya and lots of good coffee's a good Cuban coffee is on my list for tomorrow!


Yellow rice (sorry I am sure it has a proper name) and black beans and rice


Love from Miami one of the best foodie cities in the World!



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Spicy Spring Veggies

Happy Spring Everyone!

Here's a very simple way to Jazz up some veggies

Ingredients:
  • one cup of green beans
  • one carrot chopped
  • a few yellow beans
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  • a pinch of mustard seeds
  • salt to taste
  • 2 red chili's
  • 1/2 a teaspoon of masala powder or to taste
Method:

  1. steam the vegetables then chop them into small pieces
  2. heat a little canola oil and pop the mustard seeds
  3. add the onions and chili and saute for 4 minutes
  4. then add the vegetables, coconut, masala powder and a little salt



This is a great vegetable side dish that in goes with everything!

Bye for Now much love




Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Pork with Apples and Gravy

Here is another Rebecca invention I must be on a roll!

I made pork chops with apples, red pepper and gravy this one was really good, and another healthy comfort food!

Ingredients:

  • 3 pork chops for our little family!
  • 1/2 sliced red onion
  • 1/2 pack of mushrooms chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • a pinch of cinnamon
  • a packet of pork gravy
  • 1/2 red pepper sliced
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • a little milk and butter for mashing
  • 2 small apples sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
Method:

  1. saute the onions, pepper, mushrooms in olive oil with the apple, garlic and cinnamon for 5 minutes and set aside
  2. add the pork chops and cook for about 5 minutes on each side
  3. add the veggies pack in and add a cup of gravy to the pan, simmer for 10 minutes
  4. meanwhile make some mashed potato and vegetables of your choice.


We are going to Miami on Thursday for 4 days to watch the tennis and have some good food, and Cuban coffee!, let me know if you know of any must go places and anything cool for Jasmine.

LOVE YOU ALL




Bookmark and Share

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Rebecca's Fisherman's Pie


This recipe was my invention and I must say pretty good!, I love fish, spinach, mushrooms and mashed potatoes so why not combine them all.

Rebecca's Fisherman's pie

Ingredients:
  • 4 fillets of sole
  • 1/2 can of mushroom soup
  • one bunch of spinach
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 sliced red onion
  • 1/2 pack of mushrooms
  • 5 large potatoes
  • salt to taste
  • one tablespoon of parsley
  • 2 small chopped zucchini
  • a few slices of cheddar cheese
Method:

  1. saute the onion, zucchini and mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes, add the spinach and saute for a few more minutes
  2. meanwhile boil and mash some potatoes
  3. then heat a little butter in the bottom of the Le Creuset with a touch of milk
  4. layer the veggies on top with a little mushroom soup, finally put the mashed potato on top with a little cheese
  5. bake at 350 for 10 minutes without the lid
It was so good and made great leftovers the next day.

I have started writing for Black Star Gourmet and getting other talented bloggers to help me, I did a fun post yesterday on Nifty Kitchen Gadgets that I thought I would share, feel free to leave comments about your favorites I would love to find out more!





Bookmark and Share

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Channa Masala and Coffee Winner


Channa Masala is a wonderful curry made with chick pea's its packed with flavor and protein.

Ingredients:
  • one cup of pre soaked chick peas, I soaked mine overnight
  • 3 small tomatoes
  • 2 green chillis or red dried ones work well
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoon masala powder
  • teaspoon cumin powder
  • teaspoon coriander powder
  • salt to taste
  • teaspoon mustard seeds
Method:
  1. pressure cook the channa/chick peas for 2 whistles
  2. in another pan heat some canola oil and pop the mustard seeds, add the green chili, onion and saute for 3 minutes
  3. then add the tomatoes, spices and reduce down to a paste for 10 minutes
  4. add the cooked channa and a little water, salt and masala powder if desired, taste to see if more spice is needed.
Great with rice and green beans with coconut (recipe on the way) or chapatti.

Now onto the fun: the winner of the coffee giveaway is Christine of Fresh Local and Best please email (rebeccasubbiah at yahoo dot com) your address so the coffee can be roasted and shipped to you!


Have a wonderful weekend all

love


Bookmark and Share

ChocBite Giveaway Winners and awards


It is with great pleasure to announce the winners of the Choc Bite giveaway, please email (rebeccasubbiah at yahoo dot com) your address so we can get your special bar out to you, feel to to blog and let us know how it was!


Cygirl88
Mjintheazores
Burp_excuzme
Cheriwiles
Chef E.


I also wanted to thank the very talented Kristy of My Little Space and Sam of My Carolina Kitchen for passing on these awards

Sam's blog is full of World Class recipes and travel tales and Kristy is one heck of a baker, be sure to see her chocolate milk bread!

Love you both

I want to share the sunshine with all of you, for bringing sunshine to my day everyday



Bookmark and Share

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Victoria Sandwich and Coffee Giveaway




I was in the mood for cake the other day, well always am!, I wanted something light and easy to make, so I made a simple Victoria Sandwich a British sponge cake with strawberry jam in the middle. It didn't last long and hubby is asking for another one!

Ingredients
  • 4 oz of self raising flour
  • 4 oz of butter
  • 2 small eggs
  • 4 oz of sugar
Method:
  1. cream the butter and sugar add the eggs
  2. then mix in the flour little by little
  3. bake in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes
  4. when cool, slice in half fill with Jam and sprinkle with icing sugar
I think I may need to use 60z of each next time as my tin was large so it looked a little flat but still very tasty!





Finally on to the giveaway, a few weeks back I started to write for a website that sells Gourmet coffee beans called Thatscoffee.com, the owner and his friends wanted to set up an e commerce website they are big coffee lovers so this was a nice fit. They partnered with a roaster that has green beans from around the world. When they receive your order, they roast them and ship the same day, now you can't get fresher than that.

So far we have tried the Kenyan AA, light and fruity and the Costa Rican both were excellent. For coffee to be at its best it is great to get it freshly roasted.

Chris one of the owners is offering to give the World sample pack and a pack of a coffee of your choice to the lucky winner http://www.thatscoffee.com/coffee-gift-baskets/gourmet-world-coffees

Rules:
  1. Live in the US
  2. go to the site and choose a coffee you would like to try
  3. consider following them on twitter ( I am tweeting for them smile) http://twitter.com/coffeebeanstore and check out the coffee blog http://www.thatscoffee.com/scoop/ I would love to have some readers and fellow coffee fans!
  4. tweet giveaway if you wish to
  5. leave a comment I will announce the winner on Friday
Be sure to take a cup of coffee and slice of cake my dear friends!

Much love




Bookmark and Share

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails