Strawberry Scones

Scones might seem like a faff to make for one but really they are very easy and quick.  I've put in a few suggestions to make them super light but the best idea is to eat them slightly warm.  They can be frozen as well and reheated.

Pan Poached Cod

Sometimes your body is calling out for something gentle and restorative.  Although I'm not on a diet, I am feeling that it's time for my body to chill out, to have a bit of calm for my body and soul.

This is a good basic recipe for poaching you could use for lots of different fish.

Yogurt and Berry Oat Breakfast Crisp

This dish was initially inspired by a breakfast friendly version of Cranachan (i.e. minus the whisky) but several iterations later, the only real resemblance is the oats.

Whatever the inspiration, this is a delicious layered dish of breakfast loveliness with crunchy oats and nuts, creamy yogurt and berries.  Only 1 tsp of sugar in the whole dish and a lovely way to start the day.

Melon and Apple Smoothie

Melons at this time of year can be glorious, sweet, juicy but prone to having half eaten and the half at risk of being overripe.  This is a great way to use up overripe melon.

Pork and Vegetable Fried Rice

I have no idea why I didn't live on this as a student.  This is a lovely, flexible dish, include what you have in the fridge.  I've included quantities but to be honest, I'd interpret it as a "handful" here and there.

Although it's safe if you cool rice very quickly, I never make this with reheated rice as I don't like the risk of food poisoning.  It only takes about 10 minutes to cook some rice though so there's not really an excuse.

Moules Mariniere

Moules mariniere (or my version of it anyway).  I'm not convinced traditionally that it's meant to contain cream or garlic for that matter but I don't care.  I like it with both!

Mussels can be surprisingly cheap to buy, this is less than £2 worth and, although I never have, they are so abundant on our shores, if you're sure of the water quality, you could even do a bit of foraging.

The key thing is to make sure that the mussels are live.  I will explain below.

Feta Cheese and Roasted Pepper Dip

I love feta cheese.  This is a way to combine lovely salty feta cheese with sweet roasted peppers.

Baked yogurt

This is a great way to use up a bit of yogurt in the fridge.  I have to admit I did have some because I've recently discovered proper Greek yogurt for my very berry breakfast bowl and have been spoiled for the "Greek Style" stuff.

My favourite gluten free recipes

I don't have a gluten issue but many people do of varying degrees.

Coeliac disease is thought to affect 1 in 100 people (source Coeliac UK).  One of my friends has recently been diagnosed with a wheat allergy (as in he can get anaphylaxis if he eats wheat).  Personally I love bread but not out of any desire to cut it out, I find if I eat it more than once a day in I just feel a bit heavier and sluggish.  I suspect this has more to do with the fact I like toast with lots of butter on it and I do find slower fermented breads like sourdough are better but still, wheat is something I naturally don't eat every day because it doesn't feel like my body likes it that often.

As a result, there are lots of naturally gluten free recipes on my blog.

Breakfast

I have had a real awakening to the variety of meals which I could have at breakfast time recently.  I have no idea why I used to eat cereals every day.  I once did a "7 a day" challenge where I tried to fit in 7 fruits and vegetables into my diet every day.  Surprisingly I found it hard when nowadays I think it would be a breeze.

Creamy Strawberry Tart

A delicious and very simple strawberry tart.  Great for when you need a quick pudding.  Although I've put this into my "one hour to cook" section, in fact the pastry is so quick, it's only the time to cool which takes any time at all.  In reality, this is only 10 minutes of any effort, if that.

Thai Style Beef Salad

A lovely combination of steak with fresh vegetables and a spicy, salty, sour and sweet dressing.

Flavoured Water

Water.  Well it's just wet isn't it?

I've never been great at drinking loads of water, even though I know I 'should', it's meant to be great for your health and weight loss.  Soft drinks, juices are getting an increasingly bad reputation.  This is just a way to make water more interesting and it's pretty lovely.  Play around with different flavours.  Mint, lemon, berries, spices...

Think of all of those bottles of "flavoured water" you can buy with artificial flavours, sweeteners, £1 or more a bottle.  This is mostly from your tap, makes you feel virtuous and I intend to have a bottle with me of something lovely all summer!

Bircher Muesli

Muesli as you buy it in the shops isn't all that healthy an option.  Filled with dried fruit nuts and often added sugar, it is one of the more calorie filled breakfasts you can have.  This wasn't how it was originally designed.  Maximilian Bircher-Benner was a Swiss Doctor, he believed people should exercise frequently including gardening and eat a lot of raw fruits, vegetables and nuts and limit meat.   Although my lifestyle doesn't always mirror his proposal, I have found my recent inclusion of a vegetable patch in my garden is good for both body and soul.

It's a bit difficult to be sure what his original recipe was but certainly from the sources I've found, oats and apples seem to be obligatory.  Opinions seem to differ on whether it should include milk or yogurt or even cream.  Many include lemon juice which I don't due to the amount of other fruits I include which even at their ripest, also have a slight acidity.

Not everyone sweetens the recipe either.  I included a touch of honey and I will leave that up to you whether to include or not.  It's not a necessity if the fruit is ripe, in fact you could easily make this vegan by using nut milk and missing out the honey.

This is my massively fruit filled take on Bircher Muesli.  I hope Dr Bircher-Benner would approve.

Sticky Chicken

A very simple sticky chicken with ginger.  Great with salad either hot or cold.

Breakfast Parfait

Parfait?  Ok well it's layered so I'm going with it.  This is a delicious and filling breakfast containing three different fruits, good fats from the walnuts, protein from the yogurt and fibre from the bran.  Oh and it's delicious, did I mention that?