Super SERRANO HAM-wrapped POTATOES

THE RECIPE

I have always enjoyed Tapas, but most especially when on holidays recently, I ate it nearly every day. I decided it was time to try making a tapa at home. This recipe is super simple with few ingredients. It is really tasty and is equally great with an ice cold beer or a glass of wine!

INGREDIENTS:

12 Small new potatoes, scrubbed
12 Slices of serrano ham
2 tbsp Olive oil
Sea salt, to serve

GROW your own MINT

Mint is an essential herb to have growing near the kitchen. It is also a perennial, which means you plant it once and it grows every year if you look after it, but in reality it doesn't take much, just make sure you keep it well watered. Mint favours moist soil and does best in sun, but it will also take some shade. Mint is in season from March to October each year. For cooking, mint is used in sweet and savoury dishes, to flavour and garnish.

Everybody has a windowsill, whether you live in a city or the country. This is a very simple and quick way of growing your mint. Supermarkets sell potted herbs for use in the kitchen. So if you want to avoid the wait for home-sown and would like to extend the life of your shop-bought mint, this is how to do it.

METHOD:
First of all, as soon as you bring potted mint home from the supermarket, take off the cellophane wrapper and give it a good watering if the soil feels dry. Also feel free to use the mint in a recipe first, I stripped the plant of a lot of leaves before potting it on.

CHILLI Chicken RAMEN

THE RECIPE

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup dish. I have always enjoyed this dish, but most especially when I spent time in Tokyo, I ate it nearly every day. This recipe is based mostly on ingredients I have growing in my garden. I made courgette noodles with a spiralizer in place of the more usual egg noodles. This is a delicious, fresh and filling main course and is really refreshing even during summer.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Red (Green) chilli's, finely chopped, cut some into slices to use as a garnish
1 Garlic clove, minced
2cm Piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 Chicken breasts
600ml Chicken stock
2 tbsp Fish sauce
300g fine thread noodles (or Courgette noodles)
Bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
1 Head of Pak choi, shredded (or Oriental salad mix)
1 Red onion, halved and thinly sliced (or Spring onion, chopped)
1 Lime, quartered (optional garnish)
Water, boiling
Salt

Rambunctious RHUBARB and STRAWBERRY Fool (V)

THE RECIPE

Alright, so it's rhubarb yet again, but stick with me, I also use strawberries, it's a great combination. This is a deliciously indulgent dessert, simple to make, great anytime but most especially on a hot Summer's day.

INGREDIENTS:

250g Rhubarb
250g Strawberries
250g Plain Yoghurt
250ml Double cream
100g Caster sugar
50ml Water

Serves 4

Radical RHUBARB Kulfi (V)

THE RECIPE

Alright, so it's rhubarb again, but this time I have used it as a dessert ingredient. I just have such an abundance of rhubarb in the garden at the moment, I feel I must use it. It often gets over looked. Kulfi is a popular frozen dairy dessert from India. Often known as "Indian ice cream", similarities in appearance and taste; however it is denser and creamier. Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to melt than traditional ice-cream. This is simple to make, and a great alternative to ice-cream if you don't have an ice-cream maker.

INGREDIENTS:

250g Rhubarb
250ml Evaporated milk
250ml Condensed milk
250ml Double cream
4 Cardamom pods, crushed slightly
2cm Piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 Orange
30g caster sugar
Mint to garnish (optional)

Serves 6

Rare RHUBARB and GOATS CHEESE Salad (V)

THE RECIPE

So, rhubarb is generally considered to be a dessert ingredient. It is rare to see it used elsewhere, but the fruity sourness goes really well with the goats' cheese in this simple, but delicious salad.

INGREDIENTS:

50g butter
4 tsp granulated Sugar
3 thin, red, crisp Rhubarb stalks, cut into batons
4 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and Black Pepper
baby Salad leaves
50g Goats’ cheese, crumbled

CLASSIC Crème Brûlée (V)

THE RECIPE

Crème brûlée is a dessert that is deliciously decadent and easy to make. I always assumed it would be difficult, but it is not, so go ahead and give it a try. Crème brûlée consists of a rich custard base topped with a thin layer of caramel. The custard base is traditionally flavoured with vanilla, but can also be flavoured with lemon or orange zest, or why not try adding a little of one of your favourite liqueurs!

INGREDIENTS:

500ml Double cream
5 Egg Yolks
1 Vanilla Pod, split in half lenghtways
50g Caster Sugar
8 tsps Granulated Sugar

CHINESE-Style PRAWNS and SCALLOPS

THE RECIPE

Do you think stir-frys are boring? if so then give this recipe a try! This is a simple, light and delicate dish served with cauliflower rice, suitable for lunch or dinner. A variation on this recipe would be to substitute chunks of firm white fish, for the scallops. This could also be served with noodles or steamed rice, you decide!

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp Sunflower oil
500g Raw tiger prawns, peeled
225g scallops
1 Star anise
2.5cm/1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Red pepper, deseeded and cut into thin strips
115g of shitake or button mushrooms, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cornflour or arrow root, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp light soy sauce
Salt and Black Pepper
Chopped fresh chives to garnish

CAULIFLOWER RICE:
1 head of Cauliflower
1 Large onion (sliced)
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Ground cumin
Juice of 1 Lemon
2 tbsp Chopped coriander
3 tbsp Chopped cashew nuts
Salt and Black Pepper

FLAWLESS Flourless PANCAKES

THE RECIPE

This is a really simple and quick pancake recipe for you to make for breakfast this coming weekend. Would you believe No flour, No milk, No sugar! The secret ingredient is banana. They taste great!!

INGREDIENTS:

2 ripe bananas
4 eggs
8 pieces of bacon
Butter or sunflower oil

To Serve:
Blueberries
Maple syrup

Spicy EGG and MEATBALLS with CAULIFLOWER Rice

THE RECIPE

This is a simple and delicious dish of onions, tomatoes with spicy little meatballs and eggs, served with cauliflower rice. I was initially skeptical about cauliflower rice, but I was more than pleasantly surprised, it is really tasty and goes really well with this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

MEATBALLS:
2 tbsp Olive oil
450g Minced beef
2 tbsp Chopped parsley
1 tsp Ground cumin
1 tsp Paprika
Salt and Black Pepper

HERB crust CHICKEN and GREENS

INGREDIENTS:

CHICKEN:
2-4 Plump chicken thighs, skin on
1 tsp Finely chopped basil
1 tsp Finely chopped parsley
1 tsp Finely chopped rosemary
1 tsp Finely chopped sage
1 tsp Finely chopped thyme
1 Garlic clove minced
4 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of half a lemon
Salt and Black Pepper

ASIAN MEATBALLS in LETTUCE Cups

THE RECIPE

This is a perfect starter or light lunch for serving when your time is short, this is healthy and really delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

Meatballs:
1 tbsp sunflower oil
250g minced turkey
250g minced pork
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
1 red chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped)
2 tsps fresh ginger (grated)
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 egg (beaten)
Salt and Black Pepper

CELERIAC and BROCCOLI soup (V)

INGREDIENTS:
                      
Large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove of Garlic, minced
1 Celeriac,peeled and grated
1 Broccoli, grated
1200ml Vegetable stock
2 tbsp Olive oil
Grated Nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
Chives to garnish

Serves 4

EAT REAL FOOD

There has been so much about obesity in the media recently, adult and child obesity rates are on the rise. Today people are getting fatter and fatter, whose fault is that? As an adult it’s your fault. I can’t imagine that there is anyone out there who wants to be obese. Being overweight or obese makes lives harder and is one of the major causes of illness and death. Being overweight is bad for our health. So, if we had a choice, would anyone really choose to be obese? I believe not. We as adults have a choice, but our children do not as they are dependent on us, as providers, as teachers, as guardians we are responsible for shaping their lives.

So let's give our children the best and lead by example. What our children eat will determine their future health and well-being. Research in Ireland shows approximately one in four primary school children are now overweight or obese, with 6% of three-year-olds classed as being obese.