The version of me in English

baked pear and the perfect excuse!

2011-08-23T23:54:00.000+01:00

I always wished I could swap dinner for dessert and this week I found just the right excuse for that!

I have been running a bit low in energy and my dear acupuncturist and friend from Brazil recommended that for about a month I should avoid raw foods and eat everything cooked and warm. It seems to be working well as I have only started that 4 days ago and yesterday I was up at 5:30am without my alarm or anything, by 6am i was at the front room with the wii fit on and a good early morning half an hour work out.

I am having a full on week at work with events every day after office hours so I had to find a solution to avoid skipping dinner and still eat natural nutritious and warm foods.

At dinner time I usually have about 4 to 5 portion of protein (1oz of protein each portion) as well as 1 to 2 portions of carbs and I was trying to keep that same proportion in mind.

The whole idea came together only too well and I found out that baked pears and greek yogurt makes a luxurious dish.

1 pear

2 tbsp nut butter - I used raw pecan butter

4oz organic Greek yogurt

Cut the pear in half and pop in the microwave skin down for about 30 seconds on medium heat- I was in the office and had to use the microwave but at home I would've use the oven. Top it up with the nut butter and the Greek yogurt. I don't really think you need anything else on this dish but feel free to use some raw honey if you have a sweet tooth!

Simple but delicious!!

Deliciously healthy dish!!

2011-08-10T21:13:00.001+01:00

A few days ago i was lucky enough to receive a great article about Cruciferous vegetables that basically tell us to do what mum always told us to and eat our veggie but most specially broccoli, cauliflower and others of the same family. I love my broccoli and always have some just quickly blanched on hot water and served simple with some powder garlic and olive oil.

Now when it comes to cauliflower I didn't use to find it very exciting unless it was served with bechamel sauce, lashes of cheese or fried Milanese style. If the whole idea is to eat cauliflower to help burning the body fat then those styles just will not cut at all.

I found this delicious and soooo so simple recipe at Beyond Diet and not only it was greatly praised by my other half as it is so simple and quick to make that I can see that becoming a regular dish at dinner time!

Garlicky Cauliflower Mash

Ingredients

1 head of cauliflower
1 small onion (red or yellow)
1-2 TBSP raw organic butter
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)

Directions

Steam or boil the cauliflower. Chop the onion and sauté it with either olive oil, butter or coconut oil. ( I used butter, just make sure to start with the pan cold and heat up slowly to avoid burning the butter).

Add the cooked cauliflower to the sautéed onions and sauté together for approximately 8 minutes. (I only sauteed the onion for a few seconds and mixed in the cauliflower for a few seconds and transferred to the food processor, I wanted to avoid over cooking it to keep the great benefits this veggie offers us and mash still came out creamy and lusciously silky)

Take the cauliflower and onion sauté and puree in a food processor or blender. Add a tablespoon or more of butter and blend.

Take 2 cloves of garlic and chop them up into small pieces. Add more butter to pan and cook the garlic until brown (but try not to burn it).

Pour the garlic into your mashed cauliflower and mix by hand.

*This entire recipe will contain about 5 carb servings and 3-4 fat servings - eat/count accordingly.

Serve it with some chicken fillets and lettuce and enjoy it!!!

love avocado

2011-08-07T11:32:00.000+01:00

There's nothing simpler and healthier than a good avocado dish, and it can also make a very quick breakfast.

Sprouted grain bread cut until 2 halve, spread a bit of avocado mushed with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt and to finish off to sprinkle some smocked salmon on the top.
serve it with a strawberry and coconut smoothie (1 cup of strawberries + 1/2 cup of coconut milk) and you are ready to start the day!!!

What is your favorite breakfast?

simple and delicious

2011-07-24T17:48:00.000+01:00

Had a very busy week which meant having choose simple to make dishes for my breakfast.

Slice of sprouted grain bread with a spoon of nut butter and a hard boiled egg on the top, followed my a cup of melon. Fast, easy and delicious! AND it kept me going!

2011-07-17T14:05:00.000+01:00

this little dinner got me a bit downhearted with the feeling that the summer is almost over, I do not feel the need of stews and creamy dishes until the cold is approaching. in the other hand, with dishes like this I certainly know that the winter can't be all that bad.

220 g of chicken breast cut into cubes

2 tbs of organic butter

1 onion or 4 shallots

2 tomatoes - chopped

1 bell pepper - chopped

1 cup of organic coconut milk

slowly heat up 2 tsp of organic butter (I should be using raw butter but I don't seem to find that to buy here in London, any suggestions?), add 1 onion or 4 shallots, fry them with some powder garlic and cumin, make sure the butter does not burn and turn brown. Add the chicken, tomatoes and peppers. Once the chicken is cooked add the coconut milk and simmer for about 10 minutes in low to medium heat. Adjust the seasoning with some sea salt and black pepper to taste and serve is in a bed of salad, you could also have it with some brown rice.

2011-07-14T22:24:00.000+01:00

looking at this breakfast would you say I am on a diet??? of course not, just as well because I am not, I am working hard on changing my eating habits and make sure that only natural - non toxic - deliciously healthy foods and most definitely am not in a diet.

well...working on the perfect balance between protein, carbs and fat isn't as hard as you might think, specially with a little help from the Diet Solution Program - NOT diet solution that's more like it...I'm feeling great and amazing myself with the fact that I no longer crave foods.

Those that grew up with me know that I have always been a bit addicted to food, talking, thinking, researching and writing about it all the time. Well still write about it and think about it and certainly care about it only now my body seams happy enough for my brain not to full me into eating foods that will not be any food for me.

breakfast today was 1 slice of sprouted wholegrain bread, 1 egg (I "fried" it in a tsp of organic butter - heat the pan slowly, just enough to melt the butter but don't let it burn or turn brown otherwise something extremely healthy actually becomes bad for you. Break the egg and cook until preferred consistency, I like my oaks soft and runny ), 1 slice of bacon and a smooth made of 1 lovely sweet mango and 1/2 cup of organic coconut milk....it will be sooooooo cream and delicious the rest of your day will be just perfect!

and you? any ideas for a healthy and delish breakfast? share with us!

to be or not to be organic?

2011-07-10T22:14:00.000+01:00

since I moved to the UK I keep on asking myself what the advantages of organic foods might be. The reason I never had to ask that before is that I grew up eating fresh foods from farmers market there are just about anywhere in Brazil, also in every family there is always the one person with a country house that will bring fresh produce and distribute to all on very much a weekly basis. Of course on the supermarkets you are likely to buy fruit and veggie that were sprayed with pesticides however the very fact that organic natural foods are so widely available and often for a much better price I really never had to think about it.

After a lot of reading I come to a conclusion that if you happy with eating veggies that were sprayed with poisoning and meat coming from animals that were fed hormones and antibiotic then why bother paying more? in the other hand if you are not happy about it then the - not so big - price difference is probably worth the health benefits.

I admit it can be hard to find the right stuff all at the one place and living in a place like London certainly does not help however if you do start by switching meats, poultry and eggs for organic grass fed versions then you are already doing your body a good deal.

when it comes to fruit and veggie,for now, I am concentrating on washing them thoroughly; using vinegar and lime like my mum used to do ad a way to eliminate as much pesticide as possible. Of course it also helps a lot to eat seasonal foods as they are likely to contain less poisoning than those that were forced to grow out of their natural season.

anyways on my pursuit for a better life style i came across this program that not only is based on this idea but on a number of many other very interesting principals my dear friend and acupuncturist Christina Collie rhave always spoke to me about. I'll talk more about the program here, slowly but surely.

Based on all the above my lovely breakfast today was a very simple place of smocked salmon (only salmon and salt no other preservatives) and an organic hard boiled egg. I just seasoned it with salt and pepper a a bit of dry chives with a TSP of extra virgin organic olive oil. the smoothie was made with 1/2 cup of coconut milk, 1 banana and some cinnamon. Just lovely!!!

2011-07-09T22:58:00.005+01:00

a couple of weeks ago I discovered this great healthy eating plan names Diet Solution Program, the whole idea is to eliminate processed foods and eat loads of delicious fresh, natural and organic foods that will nourish you and keep you healthy allowing your body to slowly get into the correct weight.

this recipe is just a sample of a great meal that was well within the DSP and still is the kind of thing I would've cooked on a lazy Saturday morning which was the case today.

One thing has to be said, this is no miracle solution, I'm finding relatively easy but have gradually started cutting down on processed foods months ago but I see on the website - they have a really good community as a support tool - that some people struggle a bit, mostly when they went from being junk food addicts to a brand new super healthy life style.

I will be talking a bit more about the philosophy behind this program but for now I leave you with this very simple but super healthy recipe:

OMELET (lactose free by the way, I think for the first time in my life i am eating omelets without lashes of cheese)

2 eggs

1 rash of bacon (make it organic and without Nitrate)

1/2 cup of peppers

1/2 cup of spinach

3 olives

1 shallot

2tsp of butter

salt, pepper and dried chives for seasoning.

beat the eggs with salt and pepper to taste.reserve

put the butter into a cold frying pan (I actually use a wok because mine is non stick) and add the chopped shallots, its important that the pan is cold at the beginning at this will allow the butter to heat up slowly.

do not let the butter go brown, put the shallots to the side and pour in the eggs. add all the other ingredients and then turn the omelet. that is it! read and delicious!!!

I am on a gluten, lactose and grain free week and that is why there was no cheese and I did not serve it with bread.

note: the first 2 weeks you can choose to go gluten and lactose free, this is basically to give me a kick start and after loosing 800g in 5 days I have to say it's working!

I will be back with more details about the ideas behind the program and loads more great recipes!!!

today's menu and my porridge ord deal

2011-06-06T23:45:00.001+01:00

I don't usually bother about porridge but lately I just fancy it, so much so that I've order a box or some really good crunchy oats with our food shopping this weekend.
Woke up today, done my quick yoga and went for it...on the breakfast menu I had porridge with cinnamon and banana...well..at least I wish I had.
1st time around the whole thing worked really well (making porridge hardly needs a recipe as much as timing instruction)...after cooking for a couple of minutes what I had was a paste rather than the creamy consistency I was looking for. Adding a bit of milk should sort it out...if only my soy milk wasn't off. yes, and as soy milk doesn't really smell of anything - even when it's off - I only realized it when I saw the yogurt like consistence type of fluid on the top of my porridge.

had to start again.

2nd time around..everything perfect..nice and creamy just as I like. but I decided to pop in the microwave for another 30 seconds..bad decision. the whole thing over flowed and only half of the porridge remained in the bowl...I was decided to have my porridge so even half a portion would do. I reached to my spices cupboard for the cinnamon and when my nose got a whiff of cumin I realized that I had to stop trying for porridge and just have my good old smoothie...unf

unfortunately i did not take this pic..got it from one of those cute and funny emails about cats!!

at the end my menu today was like this:

breakfast
smoothie (1 banana + hand full of raspberries + 2tbsp of fromage frais + 1tbsp of seeds and grains) and 1 brown rice cake with peanut butter

mid morning snack
4 rice cakes (brown rice) with 30g of cream cheese

Lunch
brown rice with prawns and mixed vegetables on a spring onion sauce

afternoon snack
1 activia with agar agar

dinner
3 of my ham and avocado wraps

the head of marketing came back from holiday bringing chocolates and even enjoying them I had only about 1150 calories all day so I'm happy!!!

Let's brunch

2011-06-05T18:13:00.000+01:00

I woke up very late today and fancied omelets for breakfast. Unfortunately I didn't have any baked beans but looking around the cupboard and fridge I thought that at almost 2pm, brunch was in order.

Breakfast burritos my way - for 2

2 wholemeal tortillas

2 tbsp re-fried beans (on the rush I used tinned ones)

1/2 red onion (chopped)

1 large roasted pepper in brine and vinegar (chopped)

2 eggs

1 tbsp fajitas seasoning

a splash of milk

OMELET - beat the eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper and the fajita seasoning. Using a non stick pan, fry the omelet and stuff it with cheese, smocked sausages and olives (that's what I had at home but the great thing with omelets is that you can always play around and add whatever you fancy). ONE IMPORTANT TIP IS NOT TO COOK IT FOR TOO LONG SO THAT IT KEEPS ITS JUICES

re-fried beans - fry the half onion in a couple of oil sprays. add the pepper then stir in the beans and add a splash of water to make is creamy.

warm up the tortillas, cut the omelet into 4 slices and serve them inside the tortillas with the beans on the side. You could also cut into more slices and roll the tortilla up. I know, that does not sound like breakfast burritos at all but I like to full myself sometimes!!!

MY FAVORITE SNACK...OF THE MOMENT

2011-06-02T22:04:00.002+01:00

Very simple grab 3 large slices of your favorite ham, about 30g of cream cheese (I use extra light) and half an avocado. Just spread the cheese and cut the avocado into cubs, roll up, cut into bite size and have fun!

Very easy to take to work for mid morning snack. It is very rich in protein so it will really keep you going. I will usually have it around 10:30am and won’t feel hungry until 2pm or after. Since I do not eat dinner a later lunch is perfect for me so these are not only delicious but it also works a treat!

BREAKFAST – starting the day the best way

2011-06-01T21:57:00.000+01:00

Very dark shots first thing in the morning

This is very much an assemble job rather than a recipe but is most definitely a healthy breakfast that will keep you going for a good while and help stopping you from craving those mid morning treats.

Smoothie

80g of frozen raspberries (you can use fresh ones and add some ice)

10 grapes (I used both green and red)

1 tbsp of grains and seeds (you can find different varieties in health shops, I have my own homemade recipe which, should my acupuncturist allow me, I will post here one day)

2 tsp of agar agar (it’s full of fibre, no calories or carbs and will help curbing your appetite)

1 tbsp of splenda (you could also use agave nectar)

as much water as you need to blend it.

I like to use the food processor to pure the whole thing down, then just add as much water as you want - depending on the texture you are looking for - and leave the agar agar for last, don;t blend it too much after adding it.

- serve it with a couple of brown rice cakes and a table spoon of low fat peanut butter

really need to work on my early morning photography skills

yuuuummmmmmmmmmmm

PS: I am 100% pro mid morning snacks by the way. I believe that eating a bit every 3 hours is the best way to avoid hunger pains and keep your sugar blood on healthy levels HOWEVER eating a balanced breakfast does mean that you are a lot more likely to reach for GOOD snacks during the morning rather than the latte and muffin from Starbucks on the way to the office.

Trying to survive the bank holiday and alternative baking

2011-05-30T22:25:00.000+01:00

Bank holiday weekend and we took the Friday off to allow us a good break from work. At this point of my new found eating habits my main problem is the down time during the weekends, when we don’t really do much and the mind turn into its old self and think about food and things I could be cooking and baking.

Trying to keep the mind busy I love doing my recipe research and that was when I crossed this great recipe for Quinoa Pizza on TASTY EATS AT HOME. I always have some Quinoa in the cupboard and considering how healthy that is I got myself some stringy mozzarella and roast peppers to try this recipe.

I follow the how thing very much to letter only;

1- I used hempseed oil as that is just as good as olive oil but can be heated without affecting it’s properties.

2- I didn’t have any pizza sauce so I used some tined chopped tomatoes and some extra olive oil and oregano

3- I do not have a skillet at home but took the handle off an old frying pan which allowed me using the oven. If you have a metal handle frying pan that will do as well.

4 – I do not eat mushrooms so I’ve added my own toppings.

My opinion?

Definitely a filling dish and it is nice and crunchy on the edges however I found the Quinoa gives you a bit of a bitter crust. Maybe slightly sweeter ingredients for the topping would be the best choice; caramelized onions, goat’s cheese; figs; sun dried tomatoes and anything else that will balance out the bitterness of the quinoa crust.

My idea for the next weekend is trying the same thing, with wholegrain couscous as the flavour is a lot milder and although it will not be gluten free it will still be in line with my new wholegrain foods.

small and powerfull things

2011-05-28T10:18:00.000+01:00

During the weekend the head thinks a bit more about food and I am trying my hardest no to fall for the old tricks and spend my days off spoiling my weekly efforts. I wanted a quick, filling and tasty and this came in handy.

3 oat cakes - I like Nairns

30g of extra light cream cheese

2 tbsp or sweet corn

1/2 shredded carrot

dries chives and cracked pepper to season

Simple but delicious and filling, just what I needed.

when you feel a bit peckish what do you reach for?

making sarnies healthy again

2011-05-27T10:18:00.000+01:00

TODAY'S MENU

SALMON AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO OPENED SANDWICH

Had a really busy morning, worked out for 30 minutes before getting ready for work and I new I would have to walk around London due to work events so decided do something quick and easy and as the thought pop up in my mind also did the fancy for a sarnie.

As I had some steamed salmon ready in the fridge the solution was easy

2 slices of wholegrain bread - I buy a seedy one from Salisbury's that is so yummy and has only 69 calories per slice.

1 small salmon fillet - steamed

4 chunks of sun-dried tomatoes

30g of cream cheese (I use Philadelphia extra light - one good trick is to buy the little pots that are 1 serving and very practical to take to work)

1 hand full of green salad

6 stalks of broccoli

6 baby carrots

Cut the broccoli in half length to make it quicker to cook, give it a wash and microwave it for about 2 minutes. Baby carrots are nice and soft so just chop them in small peaces; you could even leave them whole and have the whole plate as finger food.

while the broccoli cooks toast the bread then just spread it with the cream cheese, cut the tomato into small pieces and spread that and the chunks of salmon over the bread.

season the salad and veggie with very little salt some black pepper and olive oil - it I was at home would've probably used some balsamic vinegar as well and maybe even some fromage frais.

It made a lovely lunch in a whole and just as feeling as any other of my dishes because it still offered enough whole foods!! Also the amount of raw food helps a lot! If you are in a hurry and need a quick healthy lunch, what would you make???

trying new and good things

2011-05-25T21:58:00.002+01:00

my whole life I have struggled with diets and at almost 33 and after 5 years living in London I've made a decision that my life must change and the way of doing that would be to ditch a few bad habits and find new really good ones.

As I love food it was crucial for me to find suitable menu options and about 3 weeks in, it feels great!

I really don't know how much I lost so far, I am avoiding the scales for now, however I can already wear a couple of pairs of trousers that haven't fit me for at least 1 year now.

I have mainly replaced processed food for wholegrain ones and replaced dinner for something smaller, usually liquid. As you'll see my lunch is now nutritious, delicious and really feeling.

Today’s menu: pasta salad

the picture isn't brilliant as I've done that at work and my mobile's camera isn't great

50g brown rice pasta

1 small salmon fillet steamed

100g fromage frais seasoned with mustard, soya sauce

about 6 baby carrots - raw and chopped

1 plum tomato

about Tender Stem Broccoli

+- 80g of sweet corn

1 golden delicious apple

I will tell here how I prepared to take it to work as a pack lunch, we do have microwave there and sometimes I leave certain bits to cook there to save me on prep time.

Cook the pasta and season it with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, oregano and thyme plus salt and pepper to taste. Steam the salmon fillet for about 20 minutes, I usually steam two fillets at a time and that leaves me with protein for 2 meals ready in the fridge. It will also avoid the salmon going off.

In a Tupperware mix the seasoned pasta and the salmon. In another container season 100gr of fromage frais (fat free) with a bit of soy sauce, Dijon mustard and ½ a teaspoon of ketchup.

Chop the broccoli and pop in the microwave for about 3 minutes, enough to cook but still crunchy. In a salad bow chop all the veggie and the apple and mix in the fromage frais sauce and the pasta with salmon.

This dish had about 590 calories which seams like a lot - but since I don’t eat dinner and providing breakfast and the snacks through the day are not high in calories – isn’t really a bit deal. That said I most confess I found it was just too much food, on a next time I’ll probably reduce the amount of veggie, maybe just the apple, broccoli and corn or carrot will do well.

The smell of good things to do

2011-01-20T20:49:00.000Z

It looks like there are a few changes coming up on the horizon and that feel sooo good!
I love starting the year with the idea that a new life is indeed something possible.
For now all i can say is that life keeps on going and things a really busy but I jut feel lucky!!

Just because I'm talking about good things I thought I would post something really nice and comforting...
I loooove these brigadeiros (brasilian chocolate fudges), they are a most definitely must have on any kid's party in Brasil - any of my nieces would probably make a naughty comment if they've attended a birthday party brigadeiroLESS. So simples to make and so delicious to have they take me straight back to my childhood and therefore, back to my sweet sweet home...haven't had any of it for a while and these pics are from a day when I made some for a work colleague that was going on maternity leave.

BRIGADEIRO

1 can of condensed milk (Carnation milk but be careful, not the evaporated one, it has to be condensed)
1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp of cocoa (it depends on how strong and dark you like your brigadeiro, you can use hot chocolate powder here as well instead of cocoa)
1tbsp of butter

just mix everything in a saucepan (not a very thin one or the bottom will burn) keep on stirring over medium heat until just before boiling point and you can see the bottom of the pain (like when making fudge)

you can also make it on the microwave, just mix everything in a tall microwavable glass dish and cook in medium power for about a minute...then for about another 3 to 5 minutes but stopping every now and then when the fudge rises, to mix it up again and it will go down.

NOW...you can just eat it with a spoon, which is what I used to do when I was a teenager and had a really bad craving for something sweet. OOORRR yo can leave it to cool and roll little balls then cover then with chocolate sprinkles... aren't them cute???

trying new things

2011-01-17T21:41:00.001Z

I've known for a while that wholegrain (wholemeal and wholewheat) bread and pasta are meant to be a lot better for you than the normal processed white flour stuff however to this date, I haven't yet found a good wholegrain pasta that I could actually say I liked and since I love pasta, that was a big issue for me.
A few weeks ago I found on the Tesco's website this brown rice penny from Dove Farm and thought that could be a good idea since I've used quite a few products from this brand and had good results so far.
EASIER SAD THAN DONE I did order the pasta at least 4 times and this weekend was the very first time they actually had it in stock, just as well as i was already thinking of ordering the stuff straight from the Dove Farm website.
My goal today was to make a nice ragu type of sauce to go with the brown rice pasta and I have to say, it came up a treat!

Sauce

250g mince beef (I usually buy mince with less than 12% fat and still drain it after browned but on this sauce I think the little fat makes a difference) - a good option here if you don't have the meat at home is to open some sausages skins and blend the meat on the food processor or use turkey meat which will make your meal even healthier!
1 stalk of celery - cut julienne
1 onion, medium oo large - cut into small cubes
2 carrots - cut julienne
1tbsp of ramp seed oil
1/2 a tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato pure
2 slices of red jalapeño
3 cloves of garlic
3 orange bell peppers - cut into cubes
salt, pepper and oregano to taste

150g of brown rice pasta and Parmesan cheese to top it

pass the carrots and celery sticks as well as the jalapeños and garlic through the food processor and reserve - I do that because I don't have a slow cooker, also it's a great trick when you just want to cook a quick meal - fry the onion on 1tbsp of oil until soft then add the carrot and celery mix and stir to combine, fry for about a minute then add the mince meat. Once the meat is brown add the bell pepper and fry for another minute before add the chopped tomatoes, mustard and tomato pure - I like to run a bit of water on the tin where the tomatoes came from and add to the sauce. Turn the heat down and leave it to seamer.
on the meantime bring a saucepan of water - with a spray of oil and a bit of salt - to boil and add the pasta, cook for 5 to 7 minutes (that was the instruction on the package but it cooks too much so next time I'll probably cook for 4 minutes then leave it to rest so it doesn't go too soft).
Add at least a ladle full of the pasta water to the sauce then drain the pasta and transfer it to the sauce pan where you a cooking the sauce and leave it there to cook for another minute. That will allow the pasta to really suck up the juices on the sauce
Serve it topped with coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese. And well, what can I say? ENJOY IT!!!

the gap

2011-01-12T23:11:00.002Z

last July i went back home for holidays and when we came back things were mad. I was already thinking about finding a new job but that became a necessity since I was working very little and the pay, therefore, very little as well, really, not enough to pay the bills.
so back from the beautiful hilly Belo Horizonte I had to look for a job whilst trying to juggle the finances.
Mid October and I found something, not the job of my dreams, not with events as it was meant to be, not the best pay but enough and, most definitely, the worst hours but the company was good and my credit card statement was haunting me in my dreams.
All that to explain why is it that I haven't posted for months as the new job is really busy and is taking most of my time. For months I didn't even cook much, ended up putting on about 2 kilos because of take aways and late meals, it really isn't easy to find energy for good housekeeping after a 48 hours work week filled with late night finishing.
In came December and no matter what, Christmas will always be my favorite part of the year, so I've invited a friend, came up with the menu, done the shopping and made sure to have a lot of fun during my first proper time off since July.
One of my dearest friends is living in Dublin for a while, to study English and came over for her first trip to London and to spend Christmas and new year's with us, it was great. Lost of food and lots of drinks...certainly I've put on about 1kg during those 2 weeks but who doesn't?
I got a lot to catch up on here but I thought I'd start with a great find we've done on Christmas eve:

We had gin and we had tonic but during my very busy week I forgot to get us some lime so I've used the Clementine we had to come up with a new Christmas drink - December Gin and Tonic!!!

1 shot of gin - I love Gordon's but I'm sure the will be even better brands out there

1/2 a small Clementine cut into wedges

a few drops of Clementine juice

ice and tonic to top it up - i use slim line tonic just coz I'm a girl but be my guest and go wild!!!

egg sandwich and lots of flavor!!!

2010-09-01T21:39:00.001+01:00

I usually take a packed lunch to work and as much as I try my best keeping it healthy and full of nutritiousness bits and bobs every now and then I just wish I could wipe up a simple sarnie and pop it in my lunch box (so to speak as I actually bring my lunch to work i my handbag). Thinking of it AND the fact that I am a sucker for hard boiled eggs I decided to put a twist on the good old egg mayonnaise sandwich.

1 hardboiled egg (I only cook mine for about 8 minutes as I like it slightly runny)
2 tsp creme fraiche
1 spring onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 slice of ham cut into small bits (for a vegetarian option you can use pointy peppers as they are nice and sweet)

a hand full of chopped watercress
2 slices of toasted brown bread (I really like the nibble bread from hovis, it's little and with a really nice nutty flavor)

pass the egg trough the egg slicer and mash it up with a fork, in a bowl mix in the mustard, creme fraiche, spring onion and watercress. Crack some black pepper into it and a pinch of salt if you use it (I don't). spread the mix into a slice of cooled toasted brown bread and enjoy it!!!

very very simple but incredibly creamy and (if like my you enjoy your egg) really yummy!!!
simple, easy and if using the Hovis' nibbles it won't even have 250calories!!!

Ho Fan beef noodles and jazz

2010-08-25T21:05:00.002+01:00

leaving work yesterday I switched the mobile on just to find a txt message from hubby:

thank you for the salad wrap, yeah...you forgot it you silly moo!!!

I know, doesn't sound very good but he is that nice to me LOL
we both take pack lunches to work and every day I make him a ham and salad wrap, only yesterday I didn't seam to remember the HAM part! On an attempt and redeem myself I decided to buy him some Millie cookies, that we both love. On the way to the Liverpool St station however I got pass the Leadenhall Market where there was this guy selling some home baked brownies, as well as tarts of all sorts and these huuuuge meringues. I saw this guy before, during one of my walks from work to Liverpool st tube and didn't have a single coin on me on the day and since then I have craved those brownies uncontrollably. Of course I bought a couple of them, and I have to say, they were massive! Unfortunately not as nice as I would've liked still massive!!! Anywho...got off the central line near home and passing by one of our favorite bakeries I noticed they still have ONE cheese and bacon turnover left, which happens to be hubby's favorite thing at this whole bakery, yap, got one of those as well. He got home a nice cup of tea surrounded by bags full of treats.

the point is to say that 1 massive brownie, half a white choc chip cookie and half a cheese and bacon turnover (and that was just me coz I bought 4 cookies all together) There was no way I would eat anything else at all for the whole evening.
After all that I arrived at work today to find out that lunch was fish and chips (my puy lentil and feta cheese salad got too soggy in the fridge so had to ditch it).
Today I got home decided not to go for more silly eating and have a proper dinner, something out of my weekly menu. As hubby switched on his xbox I put my spotify on with the beautiful Madeleine Peyroux playing and off I went to the kitchen to prepare a very quick and easy Ho Fan Beef Noodles dish.
After a day of loads of rain the sunset type of light that was coming through our balcony door and the background jazz turn my prep experience until something just a little bit more special than the usual.

Ho Fan beef noodles

100g wide rice noodles (ran out of it but had some thins ones and it works just as well)
200g lean sirloin steak, trimmed of all fat
olive oil spray
freshly grounded salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced (just realized I didn't use this, I bet it would be even better with garlic so go for it)
2cm knob of ginger, peeled and finely shredded
3 spring onions, cut in half and chopped
1 large carrot peeled and cut into ribbons (just use the veggie peeler for this)
100g tender stem broccoli, sliced lengthways through the middle
1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper deseeded and chopped
1 red chilli, sliced (I only used 1/2)
3 tbsp premium oyster sauce (didn't have it so used Worcester sauce and a few drops of Thai fish sauce)
2 tbsp soy sauce

spray olive oil on both sides of the steak and sprinkle some salt and pepper then sear it by frying on a smoking hot griddle or frying pan for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, leave it to rest. Slice it into thin bite size bits before using it.
on a small ramekin mix the worcester and soy sauce with a tbsp of water the ginger and chili (I don't like anything too hot so used only half and it was really nice, plus i tend to chop it very small), leave it to rest.
on a large and hot wok add the spring onions to the olive oil (the garlic as well if you remember to use it LOL) then stir fry the vegetables for about 2 minutes add the sauce and the rare steak, lastly add the noodles and mix it through until warm, serve it straight away!!!

notes
the stir fry timings can change, hubby likes his veggie soft so I never cook it too quickly, although raw veggies are better for you. Also considering the soft veggie thing, I will next time, steam the broccoli for a little while before adding it to the wok.

same with the steak, it will be rare from the searing process so remember that by stir frying it it will cook a bit more so be careful.
the original recipe asks 10 small shiitake mushrooms and 5 large ones cut in half, as I don;t eat mushrooms (don't believe on vegetables with no enzymes LOL, don't worry I know mushroom isn't exactly a veggie)
I replaced it with the carrots ribbons.

Dinner was great, hubby found broccoli too hard but I loved them, looove tendersteam broccoli!!!
Will be cooking this again soon with the right noodles and some garlic!!!

not easy to photograph stir fries I have to say, but I think you can have an idea of the yummyness of the dish!

Bank holiday is coming and as we are going to visit the in laws I am planning to test this really nice cookies recipe a friend sent me and of course I'll stop by to let you know what happened!!!

This week's Menu

2010-08-23T22:06:00.001+01:00

On the quest of organizing my life AND to the benefit of my health I usually plan every week's menu before I set off to organize my shopping list. Since I came back from Brasil everything feels a bit too rushed so last weekend I decided to go back to that habit, so Saturday morning, having flick trough my 2 editions of the "cook yourself thin" books plus my virtual binder on the BBC 's Good Food website I came up with the following:

Spicy Italian Cooley linguine (don't remember ever having Cooley but the book says you can make it with whichever fish)

Creamy chicken curry (not the biggest fan of curry but for some reason this recipe appealed to me)

Tarragon chicken

HO FAN beef noodle

Pork chops with French beans and bakes sweet potatoes

I usually do the menu for the week days, as that's when I'm just too tired to have to think about what to cook and it becomes just too easy to fall into temptation and end up having something a bit rubbish for dinner. The order on which the dishes are cooked will depend on the "best before" date on my fresh ingredients HOWEVER hubby saw the fillets of Cod I bought to replace that Cooley and said straight away ARE WE HAVING FISH AND CHIPS???
well well...the thing is, I never fry anything at home, actually...I probably do, once an year. Christmas time probably! But not long ago, watching the 3rd season of Cook yourself thin (yes, I am a cook show addicted) I discovered this really nice recipe for "fried" fish that my best half not only likes as said he could have that twice a week every week (just expanding, he doesn't really like fish, apart form fish and chips as a good Londoner, but due to government recommendation LOL I always say I would love for us to have 2 portions of fish a week, I have tried a few things, and as a good boy he always eats everything but this was the first time a fish dish got approval and requests for more!!!)
Well I do have my menu but fish is fish and I have no problems changing the dish from pasta do potatoes although chips are usually a bit of a taboo at home...either way I headed off to the kitchen to get dinner done and as I really like this recipe decided to share with my fellows food lovers!

Baked fish and chips

For the chips

about 300g of new potatoes

1tsp olive oil

pepper

I still trying different recipes of homemade oven chips and I should say this one wasn't brilliant still I thought worthed posting here, someone might be able to point out where is it that I am going wrong!!!

cut the new potatoes until chips and part boil them for about 5 minutes. Toss the soften potatoes on the olive oil and pepper (as well as any other seasoning) ans spread them on a baking sheet leaving gap enough between chips. Bake for about half hour until is golden and crunchy. Mine got the the crunchy stage but weren't served straight away so ended up a bit soft.

2 fillets of cod (or other flaky firm flesh white fish)

1/2 cup of white flour (seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder and anything else of your taste)

2 lightly beaten eggs (i usually add 1/2 tsp of soy sauce)

1 cup of corn flakes coarsely broken (just put them on a small ball and crash 'em until they are reduced to half their regular size, it can be even smaller but not too grainy)

simply dip the fish on the seasoned white flour then on the eggs and finally on the corn flakes then place the fillets on a baking sheet and spray some oil on the top. Take it to a medium oven (about 180) for 10 to 15 min, just enough to cook the fish.

Serve with the chips and mushy peas, if you have a good recipe for it. The first time I made this fish I served it with a really nice potato salad and some fixed leaves and it goes just as well!!!

(no mushy peas recipe here as we didn't really like the one I made today, will definitely try some other ans post as soon as I find a suitable one!)

back to baking

2010-08-14T18:13:00.001+01:00

After a good while with no posts here and a whole month holiday in Brasil (my dear dear home) I come back with some really good gluten free cake recipes.

After a whole week suffering from a terrible jet lag, at this time of year there is a 4 hours difference between here and Brasil, I have finally had a good night sleep and woke up in the mood for some baking and although what's in the oven at the moment are the chocolate chips cupcakes (that I've posted here before, only this time they have white chocolate chips and I'll be eating them as muffins, so no icing) today's post if of an amazing butternut squash chocolate cake with icing an all that I first made in June this year and had to repeat the recipe every single weekend until we went on holiday in the beginning of July...yap...it is that good!!!

I would recommend to replace aaaaaaaany chocolate cake you are addicted to AND have doubled the recipe for a very very large birthday cake on for mum’s surprise party!!!

Light Chocolate Cake

(from Harry Eastwood’s Red Velvet and Chocolate Heartache)

You will need

3 medium free-range eggs

160g caster sugar

200g peeled and grated butternut squash

120g white rice flour

3 tbsp good-quality cocoa powder

80g ground almonds

1tsp baking powder

1tsb bicarbonate of soda

¼ tsp salt

125ml buttermilk

for icing

50g unsalted butter, softened

200g icing sugar, sieved

50g mascarpone

4tsp cocoa powder

small pinch of salt

preheat the oven to 180 Celsius, line two 18cm diameter x 5cm-deep loose bottomed tins (I only used round tins on the first time, after that I used a regular rectangular one and cut the cake in half to make a square one, I liked better that way) with parchment and brush a little vegetable oil over the base and sides.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl for a full 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the grated butternut squash, followed by the flour, cocoa powder, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarb of soda and salt. Add the buttermilk before beating again one last time to make sure all the ingredients are well introduced to one another!!!

Pour the mixture evenly into the tins (if using 2 tins) and bake it for 30min.

Once cooked remove the cake from the oven, unmould and peel of the parchment, leave it to cool completely on a wire rack.

For the icing, using the back of a wooden spoon beat the butter with 100g of the sugar in a large mixing bowl. It will look wrong at the beginning but trust us, it does work!! Once your mix becomes a paste beat vigorously for 10 seconds to loosen the butter even further. Add the mascarpone, cocoa powder, salt and remaining sugar, beat again to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before using for better texture, then spread in the middle and top of the cake. Do not use the icing while the cake still warm or it will run.

Well…that is it!!! Amazing cake and super healthy! To make it 100% gluten free just change your baking powder for a no gluten one!!!

After baking 12 muffins and 1 large carrot cake in less than an hour I have to say, I missed my kitchen!!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

2010-04-08T12:26:00.001+01:00

I know it was meant to be spring already but in London is can never get warm early enough, so here to say goodbye to the cold weather one of my favorites soup recipes...its veeeery very simple to make, cheap and makes you feel warm inside...and it is of course, deliciooouuussss

Roasted butternut squash soup cut the butternut squash until chunks, theres no need to peal it but do remove the seeds. You can just make it with the squash or can also have some sweet potatoes and red onions, Sprinkle some cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg on the top, spray it with olive oil a couple of times and let it roast in a mild oven for 40 to 60 minutes (until its tender enough to go on the blender). O)n this recipe I have also used some chestnuts, because those pics were taken on Christmas time LOL but the main thing is that with butternut squash you can make many different combinations.

When the veggies are tender enough blend them with hot vegetable stock and season to taste, it's ready to serve. For extra creaminess you can add some mascarpone or goat's cheese.

while the oven still hot slice some half bakes ciabatta or white rolls, sprinkle some olive oil, powdered garlic, shredded cheese and oregano plus some cracked black pepper to taste, bake it for about 8 minutes or until its nice and golden...ENJOY IT!!!

The cutest cupcakes I have ever baked!!!

2009-10-18T10:36:00.001+01:00

A couple of months ago my other half's family was getting together and after tempting people for so long with cupcakes pics on Facebook I decided to bring some nice cakes to live up the day. I saw this recipe Harry Eastwood's book and wanted to try for a while and with the summer on its best I decided that a strawberry recipe was on demand!!! I know I know..its not summer anymore but if you cant get nice strawberry you can change the flavour by changing the jam and the fruit on the top!!! very versatile recipe...and most important, yummy too!!!

2 medium free-range eggs
160g caster sugar
200g courgette, peeled and finally grated
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g white rice flour
100g ground almonds
2tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Some good quality strawberries jam
50g unsalted butter, softened
150g icing sugar
50g mascarpone
12 strawberries for decoration

Preheat the oven to 180C and line the muffin tray with the paper cases.

Whisk up the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they are pale and fluffy (about 4 minutes).

Whisk the grated courgette and the vanilla extract into the egg mixture and mix to incorporate(remember to only grate the courgete just before adding to the recipe its important that they are as fresh as possible so they will give to your cake all their moist). Whisk in the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt until everything is completely combined.

Using a large spoon, ladle a couple of generous spoonfuls of the mixture in the the bottom of each paper case. Add a teaspoon of jam then cover with a small spoonful of after mixture, in order to seal in the jam. The ration should be roughly 2/3 of batter at the bottom the jam, then 1/3 of batter on the top or you’ll end up with jam splitting out the top of the cake or sinking into the bottom.

Bake them for 20 minutes until risen and blonde on the top. Cool the cakes in the tin for 10 minutes and after that leave them to cool in the fridge for 20 minutes before icing.

For the icing; beat the butter with 50g of icing sugar by hand, in a large bowl(the tip here is to use the back of a wooden spoon and some elbow grease). Mix it until you have a paste. Using the same technique, mix in another 50g of sugar and the mascarpone until you have a paste again. Finally add the last 50g of icing sugar which should combine easily this time. Refrigerate until the cake have cooled completely (this icing is a bit smooth so cooling is paramount.)

Ice each cold cake with the help of a butter knife (if you don’t have a straight spatula), using a small tablespoon of the icing at each time. Top it with a strawberry and return it to the fridge to allow the icing to set. The cupcakes can stay in a airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

VERY IMPORTANT TIPS!!!

Don’t be tempted to use a electric blender for the icing that will liquefy the mixture. Also be sure to follow the step one by one as that will allow the ingredients to combine slowly giving the icing the right texture and you will end up with a very moist and fluffy cake toping.

i HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS ONE CAME OUT WRONG, HIHIHHIHI...THE JAM SANK STILL IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! THE ONES i TOOK TO THE FAMILY DAY HOWEVER WERE PROPER!!!

ps: to make it 100% gluten free make sure to use gluten free baking powder!!!

Now I know its autumn!!

2009-10-04T20:29:00.002+01:00

30th September, Midnight and someone somewhere pressed the bottom to switch off summer and start autumn time...sounds mad but that's how season changes seam to happen here in the UK literally over-night.
With the season come all those lovely smells and colours and the craving for something a bit more fulfilling, a bit more cosy and warm. Friday when doing my grocery shopping, now online to save us all loads of time, I realized I fancied a nice pie. Not something filled with gravy or corn flour but a nice short crust filled with nice savoury flavours and textures.
I've ordered some Just Roll short pastry and some good quality pork sausages and decided to play with my ingredients today.

Triple Pork Pie

1 Just Roll short crust pastry (370g)

2 good quality (at least 80% meat) pork sausages

1 rash of lean bacon

1/2 cup of chorizo (cut in small cubs)

Half a large onion, finely chopped

1/4 of a yellow and a orange pepper, chopped into cubs

3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped into cubs

1 tbsp of mascarpone

1 tbsp light cream cheese

Paprika, nutmeg, Oregano, ground garlic, ground parmesan cheese and spring

onions for seasoning.

Pre heat the oven on 200 degrees (my oven is a fan assisted one) open your pastry on a baking dish (I’ve used a round ceramic one with about 20cm diameter), pierce the dough with a fork and pre bake it for about 15 minutes.
On a large frying pan fry the onion, bacon and chorizo together (no oil needed as the meat will do the job). Pierce the skin of the sausage and peal it off then cut the meat into small cubs, just as you cut gnocchi. Once the onions are softened add the sausage cubs and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers and tomatoes, season with paprika and nutmeg and let it to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. The tomato will provide moist enough but keep an eye for it not to burn. Take it off the heat and add mascarpone and cream cheese mix until it melts and the sauce will become creamy. Pour the filling into the half baked pastry and sprinkle garlic, oregano and spring onion to season. In Brazil we have these lovely potato sticks kind of crisps and they are lovely with creamy dishes. I've added some extra cream cheese on the top of the filling, with a tea spoon and covered it with a hand full of those Brazilian crisps - as my ginger boys calls them - sprinkle some parmesan cheese and take it to the oven again for about 10 minutes, only this time bring the temperature down to about 180 degrees.

It could easily serve 4 people with a nice salad or roast veggies on the side! I had mine with spinach as the weekend was a bit naughty!!!

Ginger Millies - guilt-free cakes

2009-09-08T20:32:00.000+01:00

Just as I decided to talk about food here at the Cosmic I spoke about these Ginger Millies; they are cheeky little cakes well worth a try. With less than 100 calories each is the perfect treat to have in your freezer. Freeze the cakes without the icing and take it out of the freezer from 30 minutes to an hour before attacking it!!! Oh yea…they are also a lot of fun to make!!!
1 medium egg
50g caster sugar
100g butternut squash (peeled and finely grated)
Finely grated zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
25g white rice flour
50g ground almond
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger (i also used a bit of freshly grated ginger to give it a bite!)
Small pinch of salt

Pre heat the oven to 160C and line 2 trays of baby muffins (the recipe if for those tiny little liners but I used the fairy cake so of course I ended up with 12 cakes rather than 24).
In a large mixing bowl whisk together eggs and sugar for a couple until you get a fluffy and pale mix. Add the butternut squash and lemon zest, beat again until fully incorporated.
Add flour, ground almonds, baking powder, ground ginger and salt (if using) and mix it well for a minute or so to combine everything that is in the bowl. With the help of 2 small spoons pour the batter until the liners leaving dry about 0.5cm of the paper. Once the cases a filled give them a nice bang on the surface, do it 4 to 5 time, that will settle the dough and help making the top a bit more flat. Bake it for 15 to 20 minutes.

ICING
125g icing sugar, sieved
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp water
Pink food colouring paste

One of the easiest icings I have ever tried!!! Just combine the sugar. Lemons juice and water with a fork until smooth, it takes a bit of a work out but that you go, today you can spend a bit less time at the Gym!!! In the recipe she recommends colouring the icing but really there’s no need, still if you decide to give it some different colour you can run a little colouring paste on it as indicated of just add a couple of drops of food colouring but no more than that. If you aren’t using the icing until later then place clean film direct on the top of it to avoid drying out. This icing is very light and tasty and a thin layer on the top of your cake should do. A good tip to spread the icing is to use the back of a teaspoon and a glass of water, dip the spoon on the water and that will help you frosting your cupcake!!!

Baking Friday

2009-09-08T20:31:00.000+01:00

Just over a month ago I bought this book that I just looove and have already spoke about it here,, the name is Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache from Harry Eastwood. Today having arrived home happy and ready for a 5 days break I decided to treat myself to a very nice dessert but didn’t want to be too naughty as that is already going to happen during our trip to Cardiff. Book in hand, I picked one particular veggie and went for it. I didn’t really have all the ingredients at home but decided to try the recipe anyways. The cake is beautifully fluffy and I’ll have to try it again with the choc chips as that will be the perfect complement to this bitter chocolaty cake that can definitely doble as a double choc chip muffin as you top up the chips by another 50g, but don’t add more than that as they will sink and the cake will become heavy.

So here is the recipe for this guilt free cupcake…I’m not posting the instructions for the icing first because

I used a bit of left over I had in the fridge and that wasn’t the one in the book, so the naughty chocolate icing recipe will stay for a next time.

3 medium free-range eggs (I like the idea but used regular ones)
180g Demerara sugar (didn’t have it so used 100g caster and 80g regular sugar)
2 tbsp strong coffee or boiling water if you don’t like coffee (I also added a bit of vanilla here)
250g peeled and finely grated carrot
120g white rice flour
50g ground almond
40g good quality cocoa
2tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
100g chocolate chips (any colour you like) – I didn’t have any at home so made without it

I use electrical whisk all the way on this recipe. The instructions say it will give you 12 cakes but I managed to get 11, I think she meant 12 on fairy cake size and I’ve made muffin size ones.

Preheat the oven to 180C and line the cupcake tins with paper cases.
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar for a full 5 minutes until mix quadrupled in volume and extremely fluffy.
Whisk in the carrot and coffee. When they are fully incorporate, beat in the flour, ground almond, cocoa, baking powder and salt mix it with a electric whisk until they are well combine. Fold in the choc chips with a spatula until they are scattered hither and thither.
Spoon them into the tin filling until about 0.50 cm from the edge. Bake it for 25 minutes them cool them as usual cupcakes. Make sure to cool them completely before icing them.

There are a few tips on this book that go for pretty much every recipe so I’ll only post them here
Flour – all the recipes are with rice flour but you can use regular plain flour as well, I’m trying the gluten free option as my tummy appreciates that but they have all been tested with both versions.
Veggie – if like me you like to have all the ingredients measured and ready before hand then make sure to leave the grating bit for last as this way you keep the freshness of the veggie and all the juices as well. When grating them use the finest bit of your grater. On the book Harry tells you not to use a food processor but I know it works well for carrots so this time I’ve cheated!!!

My favorite Chocolate Icing...easy, quick and cheap...

2009-09-08T20:30:00.000+01:00

Not to mention DELICIOUS!!!!

2 2/3 cups sifted icing sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup soft butter
3 to 4 tablespoons milk

Sift sugar and cocoa together. Add butter and milk. Stir until well blended.
It makes icing for about 24 of cupcakes and it couldn't be simpler!!!

Rolled all day breakfast pizza

2009-09-08T20:29:00.001+01:00

Last week I saw Jamie Oliver on the "Best of Saturday Kitchen" making this bread recipe for brunch...it was his own taking on English breakfast as stuffing for bread...very interesting - I thought – must try soon.
After a very tiring week I decided to try the recipe but it ended up being our dinner as we had a very weird and lazy Saturday.
Not very sure of the recipe for the bread dough I decide to buy ready made pizza dough but on a better day I’ll be trying with home made recipes and the lot hehehe
Well…Jamie Oliver uses Parma Ham e sun dry tomatoes; the first one I find too salty and the second one my hubby finds too strong, so I changed it to lean bacon (weight watchers ones) and fresh peppers finely cut.
Anyways this is so easy and all you have to do is put in your favourite flavours

1 tin of ready made pizza dough, or enough home made pizza dough to cover a rectangular baking trail.
½ red pepper finely cut (or you could mix colours as well)
Chopped tomatoes (I used tinned ones, just on tomatoes juice)
3 hard boiled eggs
1 ball of mozzarella
4 rashers of lean bacon
Some fresh basil and spring onion
Dry oregano and ground pepper to season
Olive oil to glaze
A handful of cheese of your choice

Flour a flat surface and open the dough on a rectangular shape, spread the chopped tomatoes over 1/3 of the dough, leaving enough of it to roll over after. Add bacon, mozzarella, peppers, eggs and top it with basil, oregano, spring onion and pepper. Fold the dough over the filling then stuff the edges with some mozzarella as they usually stay empty. Curl into a circle and spread olive oil on the top. Sprinkle some oregano then bake it for 25 minutes on 200C. Stop half way and sprinkle some cheese on the top to melt.

The result was deliiiiiiiiiicius but next time I’ll try to make the dough on a circle shape and just fold in half as it should make the dough a bit crisper.

The dish on its own is a whole meal but I think green salad would probably be a good suggestion with it!!!

TOP TIP – because I never manage to use up a whole bunch of spring onion in a couple of days I usually wash, chop then freeze them, this way I can use the spring onion slowly. Of course is a lot better for warm dishes, just add at the end and the heat will bring them back to life. But you can also use on cold ones, just add the spring onion right at the beginning and that will give is time to defrost.

Why in english

2009-09-08T20:24:00.001+01:00

After 3 years living in London I realized that much of what I am now is related to my experienced here and that I wasn't able to share that with people from here because my blog was all in Portuguese. As I started writing more about food the whole thing became a mess as the foodie posts were in English and the personal ones in Portuguese, as the friends (THAT NEVER LEAVE A COMMENT!!! HEHEHE) complained about having to translate my texts. So here I am a whole blog just to say whatever I want to say IN ENGLISH...and I'll keep my old one in Portuguese. I'll transfer to here all the recipes i've posted at the old place and there I'll make sure they are at my mother tongue...a bit messy and troublesome...things I do to please the readers kakakakak (as if!!!)