pestosprouts

Eat, smile, be happy.

Lonely Saturday Nights May 11, 2013

Filed under: Cakes — pestosprouts @ 10:15 pm
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I don’t ‘do’ sick. I don’t get sick. I hate it. I hate sick people and I have no patience for them so when I’m sick, I have no patience for me.
I mean sometimes I wish for a small bout of food poisoning…. You know, to lose a couple of pounds but normally when of sane mind, I hate sickness and I have a pretty high immune system. Or I did.
I’ve never been as sick as I have been in the last five months. I feel like I’m a broken record, constantly saying, I think I’m coming down with something, or I think I must be fighting something off, because you see for the last five months I’ve been pretty stressed. Now, I like to think I deal with stress pretty well, I work well under pressure and dead lines make me work harder but unfortunately for me, instead of dealing with stress in a mature, head on way, my body has decided to turn against me and send my immune system on an extended holiday, leaving my body to deal with a whole host of unwanted viruses, colds and office bugs. So I’ve been consistently run down… and stressed and then getting stressed about being sick, then getting sick again…. Can you see the pattern. The combination of these things have led to fun and enjoyable out comes. Such as: weekly cold sores, dry skin, a swollen tummy, spots, weight gain, crying…. all. the. time, and my final blow came in the form of what can only be described as death hands. Swollen, blistered, rashy hands and arms. It’s an infection apparently, which has led to nausea (although no lack of appetite) aching joints, headaches, tidiness (although to be honest I’m tired all the time anyway), I feel like I have been hit by a train.
So why am I telling you the joys of my horror hands? Because the Doctor put me on antibiotics that’s why. Booze free, antibiotics. So while this Saturday, is a friends highly anticipated birthday day/night out and everyone including Dave is drinking delicious strawberry and lime cider, eating pulled pork burgers and chilli cheese fries, I am stuck at home. Watching hours and hours of Hart of Dixie (man, I wish I was Rachel Bilson) and feeling sorry for myself. This is only punctuated by occasional photo texts of drunken times and burgers.
So what do you do in dire times like this?
You make brownies. That’s what. Not just any brownies, no, no, no. Frosted Brownies. Then you stick them in the fridge so they go all fudgy and eat them straight out the pan with a fork….

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Frosted Brownies

Adapted from The Live-in Kitchen

Serves 1 on a lonely Saturday night
For the brownies:

1/4 cup/35g plain flour
1tablspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup/ 115g butter
3 oz/85g dark chocolate
1/2 cup/100g light brown sugar
1/2 cup/100g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup/85g chocolate chips – I just chopped up some dark chocolate

For the frosting:

1 cup/180g chocolate chips – Again I just chopped up some chocolate
4 tablespoons/60g butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup/60g icing sugar
1 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4 and place a rack in the upper third of the oven and line an 8 inch square baking tin.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
In a separate, heat-proof bowl add butter and dark chocolate. Either melt in the microwave, or place above a pan of simmering water (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Once the butter and chocolate have melted allow to cool for a few minutes then whisk in the brown and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs, the egg yolk, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and fold into the chocolate mixture with a spatula until well incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips.
Pour the brownie mix into the prepared tin and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, put chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until melted or melt on above the pan of simmering water again, whatever your move comfortable with. Take of the heat and again allow to cool for a minute or two, whisk in the vanilla and salt, then stir in the icing sugar. Add the milk a few drops at a time, whisking briskly, until the frosting is smooth and shiny. Pour/spread on the cooled brownies and put them in the fridge until the icing has set and the brownies a chewy.

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How healthy can you make nachos? May 5, 2013

Filed under: Light meals,Meat — pestosprouts @ 1:53 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

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Since I started this blog, a friend has been giving me requests. A new take on an English classic and a healthy alternative for nachos. I have a few different english classics, and I do promise to post them, but the Nacho thing as been playing on my mind.

At first I tried to just explain why nachos could be healthy, such as heart healthy, skin radiating avocado in the form of guacamole, and a fresh fat fighting spicy salsa and calcium rich cheese and good old-fashioned iron powered beef. But I was met with a stoney stare, because at the end of the day they all still top a massive amount of deep-fried tortilla chips.

So when my Kristin (she still doesn’t know she’s my friend) at iowagirleats posted a recipe for smothered sweet potato fries I got thinking and basically just stole her recipe.

These are so good, I made them a couple of weeks ago and had the next day for lunch and then they won on Friday over a chippy tea. It feels like each bite is a new flavour, a different texture a new mouth treat! They truely are amazing.

Eat them with your fingers nacho style or fancy it up with a knife and fork – this is the first time I’ve ever classed a knife and fork as fancy, but I truely would eat these with my hands tied behind my back and just my mouth as my weapon of choice.

So on top of all the ‘healthy’ nacho toppings I mentioned before there’s the addition of the wonder vegetable, magnesium, carotene, vitamin filled sweet potatoes.

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Sweet Potato Nachos

Serves two – although you know by now these are pretty big portions

Inspired by Iowagirleats

Sweet Potato Wedges

3 medium-sized sweet potatoes

1/2 tsp Cinnamon – which is an anti inflammatory  (helping flatten your belly)

1 tsp chilli flakes

1tsp smoked paprika

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

1tsp salt

1tsp pepper

1 tbsp oil (I used Coconut – I’ve already bored your all to death about my love of the magic coconut oil here)

Spicy Beef

400g extra

2 tsp chili paste (or powder)

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp cumin (I toasted whole cumin seeds ground them)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 cup/ 60ml water water

Nachos

Guacamole or an avocado mashed with some salt and the juice of a lime

100g Chopped cherry tomatoes

1 Lime

1/2 salt

1 Red onion

1/2 chopped red chilli

50g Cheese – grated

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/350°F.

Cut your sweet potatoes into 8 wedges. I do this by cutting them down the middles length ways then in half again and then each half in half again. Spread them on a flat baking sheet and cover in spices and your oil, mix so all the wedges are coated evenly and then spread them out flat. Bake them for 25 – 30 minutes. Until they are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle – They go almost creamy in the middle.

While they are baking, fry your mince continually braking up the mince, when brown add your spices and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes. When it’s starting to dry, add your water and simmer on a low heat until all the water is absorbed. Stir and making sure the mince isn’t sticking together. By this time the wedges should be done.

Chop your cherry tomatoes in half and dice your onion. Mix together with a 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, the chopped chilli and the juice of half a lime.

Take your wedges out the oven and turn on the grill.

Serve your wedges, topped with your mince, and cheese and then place under the grill untill the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Spoon over the guacamole and your limey tomatoes

Eat and repeat!

 

How long do you actually go without talking about food? April 27, 2013

Filed under: Meat,Quick and Easy — pestosprouts @ 10:29 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

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Last night I drunk a lot of vodka. We went out to give a work friend a good, old-fashioned boozy send off.

The conversation turned to food. Obviously. I talk about food a lot and I think about it even more. But last night I learnt that not everyone is quiet as devout to food as me. While everyone around the table likes to eat, the cooking part is a hardship for them.

They couldn’t get their heads around the fact I enjoy being in the kitchen. I like the prep, I like the need to stir, season, and attention needed. I don’t mind cooking when I get home from work and I love nothing more than a Sunday spent in the kitchen. Cooking for me, is not a chore. It’s a pleasure.

There are days however, when I don’t have the time, energy or brain space to do anything other than eat double cheese burgers in bed. But it appears this is a lot of people’s stance (maybe not the burger in bed part). But cooking anything more strenuous than pouring a sauce over some meat, or binging the microwave is a dreaded thought. For me if I eat something quick, like a ready meal, I feel disappointed because they’re vile and I spend the whole meal thinking ‘I could have made something 10x nicer in the same time, for half the price’.  I’m aware however that my vodka fueled ramblings aren’t going to change anyones mind. This meal however should.

It takes about 13mins.

It’s simple, easy and so incredibly tasty. I normally make mine with left over ham, but today I made a ham especially because I wanted this pasta. If I can make this with a horrible hangover, anyone can make it.

You can use ham you get from the deli counter. The only reason I don’t is because I have a fear of ham. Unless I make it, or it is baked and cut freshly, and I see that its come from a joint, I can’t eat it – weird right?!2013-04-27 20.40.40

It’s creamy, salty, and so filling. This is the only meal I’ve made two days in a row.

Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta

Serves 2 – well probably 3 but I was really hungry

Like always the recipe is very adaptable. You like more parmesan? Add more. Don’t like peas? Leave them out? Watching your weight? Tough!!

300g pasta shapes

150ml double cream

300g ham off the bone – the stuff you get on deli counters or left over ham from a joint (Nigella’s Cherry Coke Ham is very very very good)

100g frozen peas- I like the petit pois

50g parmesan - more if you can be bothered to grate it

25g Rocket – optional, I have it usually but I didn’t have any in today

1 tsp salt – plus extra for the pasta water

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt well.

Add pasta and cook for about 10 minutes, or however long the pack tells you to,

Chop you ham into chunks.

In the last two minutes of your pastas cooking time add your peas to the pasta. When the pasta is just cooked drain and return to the pan.

Add the cream to the pasta and the ham and grate in you parmesan.

Stir in the rocket, until it’s just wilted and season with the salt and pepper. Taste it first because the parmesan is quiet salty so check before add all the salt.

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Sit down and enjoy a super quick, super easy tea made in the time the oven heats up for your ready meal.

 

What now? April 14, 2013

Filed under: Random — pestosprouts @ 6:57 pm

Sometimes I feel a little (alot) lost writing this blog. I read other blogs obsessively and I am in constant awe of how they do it. How do they have the time?. Between work, the gym, cooking, sleeping and children, I honestly don’t know how they have such witty, creative, brilliant looking blogs with constant updates. I feel like a fraud. Like i’m drowning.

My dream is to have a job where I just sit in a coffee shop and type away. This dream is based in America and since I’m just sat on my Liverpool based couch in my onesie, I fear this dream is slightly unreachable.

My blog is such a huge achievement for me, its small….. the other day I got 23 hits…. 23! I was majorly excited. Then I visited sallysbakingaddiction.com and she mentioned that she had had to change servers because she had more than 25,000!!  Smittenkitchen.com gets more people commenting on her posts than I have ever met in my life. However, if you type pestosprouts into google, my site if the first thing that pops up! This made me smile. A lot!

I imagine the 23 people stopping by here regularly know me, and therefore know how socially awkward and painfully self critical I am. They know how hard it is that I write anything at all, and that I put a recipe up for people to try. I’m not sure what I hope to get from my blog. I never ever thought I’d be a writer, but the more I type and the longer I google pestosprouts, the more I think it may be for me. Then i’m stumped again. And lost. Everything except food in my life, I’ve fallen into. Until I met Dave, I’d fallen from relationship to relationship, my job happened by chance and the car I drive… given to me. Writing feels like nothing I’ve ever tried before. It scares me. I have to leave the room while Dave spell checks it for me, incase he laughs and tells me it’s stupid (something he has yet to do….outloud). I get a thrill everytime I press ‘publish’.  I honestly have no idea were this passion goes. Apart from the world wide web for my 23 readers. How do you make things like this a part of your life?

For four years, I have worked in a job that helps people. A job that deals with addication. Improving people’s confidence in themselves, encouraging them to do better things, make better choices and then I sit at home, eat donoughts and wish I was doing something for me. Now I want to make these changes. I want to do the things I’m encouraging others to do, and I’m at a loss.  Where do you go from here. From realising what you want – how do you make it happen?

 

Greek Dips April 1, 2013

Filed under: Sides,Veggie — pestosprouts @ 6:50 pm
Tags: , , , , , ,

Since weddings cost more than anything, ever. We’ve had to make cut backs. Our major outgoing’s are food related. We do a weekly big shop, three little shops and still eat out for lunch and tea….and breakfast. We decided to cut out the eating out. So when we were asked if we wanted to go out for Greek food with friends we had to say no. In order to make this bad, sad, heart wrenching situation (I feel I’m having a worse reaction to this than most people? No? Good!) a bit better, I made Greek for tea at home.

I am so glad I did! It was amazing. I very rarely say such positive things about my own food but I would have drank these three dips. Infact, I’ve made them three times since Friday. I’ve taken the Hummus to a friend’s house instead of cake, and I took them to my sister’s buffet, and made them to keep in the fridge so when the desire to inhale anything I can get my hands on, I can just have a spoonful of these and some veg. AMAZING!

With warm pitta, or carrot and pepper sticks. Slathered over lamb and scooped up with rice, stuffed into wraps with falafel and grated carrot. Anything you think of, put any of these three dips on top and you will make it infinitely better.

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip (Htipiti)

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I had these a few weeks ago when I ate out in a Greek. (ok so we haven’t completely given up the eating out) We had a nice relaxing weekend away. This dip was a highlight. I became inappropriately possessive when the waitress and waiter tried to take it away from me, in the end they just brought me more bread and avoided our table.

I’m not convinced this recipe is very traditional, I think in Greece they use a spicier pepper called peperocini. But when it tastes this good, I don’t care that its not traditional.

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2 roasted red peppers. Either jarred or roasted, skinned and seeded by you.

200g/7oz Greek Feta cheese, crumbled

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

2tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

In a food processor with the blade attachment, add the peppers, feta, chilli and garlic and pulse until mulched. While the motor is running, pour in your oil slowly. You may not need it all, you’re looking for a hummus-like texture. Taste it, the feta will make it quiet salty. If salty enough just add pepper, if not, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a good grinding of black pepper and stir it in. You can, if you feel fancy, stir through some chopped basil and mint.

Super Smooth, Creamy Hummus

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The Hummus I made came from Deb. Deb is awesome. I stumbled upon Smitten Kitchen at a time when food blogs didn’t possess my life. Deb’s site had me hooked immediately and I could not stop reading. I’d trawl the recipe section for hours at a time. She posted this hummus not long ago so I won’t bore you and re-write it. I’ll just direct you to Deb’s more than capable hands. Good luck on not getting hooked if you go over there!

I’m not usually a fan of Hummus, but this was so delicious, creamy, almost spicy and not at all claggy. It is deeply deeply enjoyable. I will say though, that I added only 1/2 the amount of tahini because I was running short, and I added in a tablespoon of oil in place of the water. A good pinch of salt and a good grind of pepper (which I think teamed with the garlic gave the mild warmth). I topped mine with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of sesame seeds, 1/8 teaspoon hot smoked paprika and the tiniest sprinkle of thyme.

Tzatziki

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I used to go to Koz and Crete when I was a little girl. I love the Greek Islands, and I love the fresh simple foods and flavours. But when I was really younger, I would only eat spaghetti bolognaise and Tzatziki and bread when we ate out. Luckily I grew out of that. But I still love Tzatziki. It’s so wonderful on hot meat, it cools it down, and compliments it all at the same time.

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1 cucumber

salt

300g Greek yoghurt

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

9 Mint Leaves, 9 sprigs parsley and the same of corriander

pepper

1/2 clove garlic

Grate cucumber and put in a seive over a bowl. Sprinkle heavily with salt and allow to sit for about an hour. This will take all the moisture out the cucumber and stop your dip from getting watery. Rince your cucumber well, getting rid of the salt and then squeeze it dry in a clean tea-towel or kitchen roll.

Add you cucumber to a bowl, and finely chop your herbs, grate or crush your garlic and add it all into the cucumber. Add a good grinding of pepper and add your Greek Yoghurt. Mix to combine and squeeze in your lemon juice. Stir and taste. Add a little salt if it needs it.

 

 
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