Grandma Marjorie's Chocolate Oatcakes

I have decided to start writing in my cookery blog again. I have been sharing recipes on facebook. But this works better. With being stuck at home I am finding myself going through recipes we love as a family that are comforting, fun to make together and nutritious. 

Grandma Marjorie's Chocolate Oatcakes

Today is a comfort recipe. My Grandma Marjorie used to bake the most delicious things. My absolute favourite of her recipes was her Chocolate Oatcakes. I think they may have been one of her wartime recipes, or maybe a BeRo one. Either way they were always snapped up whenever she made them. She would serve them on her tiered cake tray. I would always get told off for taking too many. They are not too sweet, packed with oats and a taste of chocolate. My teen is currently grazing the cupboards for chocolate and food is limited in our isolated world, so I dug out this recipe to give her a little taste of chocolate paired with some slow burn oat carbohydrate. 

As it stands it is a simple recipe, can be gluten free if you use the right oats, and is vegan. Grandma used to swear margerine made this much lighter and tastier than butter. 




Ingredients:

2 cups of Oats
4 tbls sugar
4oz margerine
2 tbls cocoa powder
1 drop vanilla essence. 

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350f / 180c / Gas mark 4

Melt the margerine into a a bowl. Add the other ingredients once the margerine is melted and stir well, ensuring each oat is coated well. 

Line a tin with baking paper. I use a round cake tin like my grandma used to. Tamp the oats down so they are well packed into the tin. Press well so they all stick together.

Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 mins before cutting. My grandma used to cut them into narrow pizza slice type servings. 

Lentejas with Hummus, Flatbread and salad leaves and tomatoes

I love lentejas. I love choritzo too, but I cannot have it any more. So this version used ham flash fried off with smoked paprika for choritzo taste.

Lentejas with flatbread and salad leaves and tomatoes:

2 tablespoons Light Olive Oil
A handful of roughly chopped ham
1 red onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 red peppers diced (into pincer grip pieces)
3 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
250g dried green or brown lentils (pref Puy)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika


Heat olive oil in large pan, fry off ham with half the smoked paprika. Remove and reserve. Reduce heat to medium and gently simmer off onion, carrot and celery until starting to colour. Add garlic, bay leaves and spices. Cook 2 more mins. Add lentils, ham and cover with 1 litre boiling water. Leave to simer for 30 mins until lentils are tender. Top water up if needed.

Serve with flat bread, hummus, sliced tomatoes and salad greens.

This also works with other pulses like white beans or chick peas.

OK, so this baby mullarkey has had me pretty busy. But I am back. Got to find lots of good recipes to keep my hungry 7 month old and now 9 year old fed with. We are doing Baby Led Weaning so I am finding things to make that little man can have too. Todays offering is:

Spring Pasta

This is a rough and ready recipe - no quantities required - tailor to your hourde's tummys.

Spiral pasta (multi coloured is fun)
Eggs
Grated Manchego Cheese (or any strong cheese, I am using sheep's to help with the gallstone thing)
Chopped Raw Spinach
Chopped Raw Tomatoes
Chopped Cooked Ham
Black Pepper

Boil water in a pan (DO NOT ADD SALT - move away from the salt!!)
Boil pasta twists for approx 10 mins until al dente.
Meanwhile scramble the egg until cooked through (not runny egg for babies) and season but just with black pepper.
Drain pasta and serve out, pile on scrambled egg, cheese, then a layer each of tomatoes, spinach and ham.

And eat - YUM!!!

Super easy and lovely. We created this after we had a similar brunch pasta dish at Sweet Tomatoes, but it was saltier, oilier and did not have the ham or cheese.

OK, So I have not posted in ages. Life has been pretty busy, having a baby and the like. I am back on the detox bandwagon as of today. It seems that gallstone flare ups were on hold over pregnancy, as even when I strayed into eating things I should not have nothing at all happened. However since baby was born I am finding the odd grumble happening and have decided it is time for a good liver detox. I have to be careful though as I am breastfeeding and need to make sure I keep baby well fed as well.

So my plan is to keep a food diary and make sure I stick to it.

Breakfast: 
Granola, Sultanas with Coconut Milk
Glass of Water
Nursing Tea

Morning Snack:
Mango and Spirulina Fruit Smoothie
Nairns Oat Biscuits with Cashew Butter

Lunch:
Rice Tortilla
Salad
Tofu
Water

Afternoon Snack:
Red Berry Ice lolly
Nut Cracker
Liquorice Mint Tea

Dinner:
Ahi Tuna and Rice with a leaf salad.
Strawberries and Blueberries
Water

Am cutting out the following foods, then reintroducing them one at a time:
Wheat
Meat
Chocolate
Dairy
Alcohol
Brassicas
Legumes
Nightshades

late night carb fest?

I was reading Bill Bryson's new book "At Home" recently and was struck at how many of the principles of sensible eating I have been trying to embrace actually go back to how we ate in times gone by. In Bryson's book he talks about how in Samuel Peyps day your dinner (the largest meal of the day) was eaten around the middle of the day. The evening meal which is now our largest meal traditionally was a much lighter affair. As part of the sensible eating regime I have tries to follow since my detox one of the keys is taken from books such as Ian Marber's "The Food Doctor - Everyday Diet" where he stresses how much better it is to eat your larger meal at lunchtime and your evening meal without heavy carbs. So I am trying to get back to eating with that principle in mind. I am still making the carb element for hubby and my daugther both of whom need it - but for me I am going to try to stick to this principle.

No heavy carbs after 5pm for 80% of the week. Hopefully I'll be back on track again.

Good dental Hygeine as a way of avoiding snacking....

OK I know this sounds crazy, but this has really helped me with the detox. If you take really good time brushing flossing and mouthwashing after every meal you are far less likely to snack. Just a small observation but it has really made me stick to the detox. That and the fact that my small person is being set a much better example.....

Just a thought :)

Vitamixers anonymous

My name is Emma and I am addicted to my Vitamix! I have only has it for a few weeks but it is just amazing!! I have a strong feeling it will be amazing for helping with my vegetable crusade. I have been using it to add more vegetables into things, and also to add much more uncooked and raw foods into the mix.It turns whole veg into whizzed up sauce in no time at all. Its pretty incredible. Its also meant its taken a lot of time out of the prep for a meal. This is one of my latest speedy sauces.

Bacon and Tomato Pasta.

2 unpeeled organic carrots (topped and tailed)
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 tsps Emma's Easy Garlic
1 red bell pepper (topped and deseeded)
4 slices of good bacon (I prefer Fresh and Easy's British Brand here in the States- less fatty!)
A good handful of fresh oregano and basil
1 tin tomatoes
2 tbls tomato puree


Boil some water to cook your pasta. Get the pasta cooking alongside making the sauce which will only take about 10 minutes.

Once the pasta is in the pan, fry the onion in a small amount of olive oil on a low heat until softened. Then chop the bacon into small pieces and remove as much fat as possible (particularly if you suffer from gall stones or are after a lower fat option,) add the bacon and fry until cooked (not crispy) 

Whilst this is cooking whizz together the carrots and the bell pepper, herbs, garlic and tomatoes with some of the tomato juice from the tinned tomatoes. This will whizz down into a lovely sauce. It smells and tastes fabulous raw. Add it to the pan with the bacon and onion and cook it for no more than 2 minutes on the stove, enough time for it to just warm through. Add the tomato puree to hel pthicken the mixture if you feel it needs it. If not feel free to leave it out. Then remove and serve. Warming the veg rather than cooking it to death will allow you to get the most from the vitamins in the vegetables. The taste is fabulous!

If your not going dairy free you could serve with a little parmesan cheese.

Emma's Lazy Garlic

Whilst I think about it I have found its easy and convenient to make my own speedy garlic and store it in the fridge. When I have time I'll take about 3 huge garlics, peel them and them chop them in my food processor. Tip it all into a clean sterilised glass jar and cover with olive oil to preserve. It will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. It means when I am in a rush to make a speedy meal around all of my little girls activites there is less faffery!