Pan Fried Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Pan Fried Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Here is my modern twist on the everyday roast potato which is a firm favourite over the festive season. I am doing a series of recipes for Dairygold for their "Tomorrows Table", a modern take on everyday recipes we cook here in Ireland.
For more modern Irish recipes visit Tomorrow's Table

These bad boys are so fragrant and tasty they nearly become any meals main feature. They will go with any meat and feature in my kitchen once or twice every week. I honestly could eat them every day, they are so gorgeous.

Give them a go and jazz up the humble spud!

Serves 4:

1 kg baby potatoes

Sea salt

1 fat clove of garlic

1 sprig of rosemary

Olive oil

Dairygold butter

Method

Scrub the baby potatoes and cut them into quarters. Place them into a saucepan of salted water and put on a high heated hob. Bring to the boil and turn down for 5 minutes or until you can push a fork into them.

Drain in a colander in the sink and let steam off for few minutes.

In a pestle and mortar, pour in a teaspoon of sea salt and a clove of garlic and grind into a paste. Strip the rosemary and finely chop the leaves, add it to the paste and pour in a good glug of olive oil and mix all around.

Pour this mixture into a large frying pan on the hob on medium heat and add a knob of Dairygold so as not to burn the paste, then pour in the par-boiled potatoes and turn up the heat slightly. Toss it around insuring they all get coated with the mixture.

Shake them around every now and again on a medium to high heat for 20-25 minutes until coloured and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Serve with a knob of Dairygold on top for maximum comfort food delight!

Spicy bean, Lentil and Beef Cottage Pie

Spicy bean, Lentil and Beef Cottage Pie

I am doing a series of recipes for Dairygold for their "Tomorrows Table", a modern take on everyday recipes we cook here in Ireland.

For more modern Irish recipes visit Tomorrow's Table

This is a new dish I have come up with, a twist on a regular cottage pie, already it is a firm favourite in my house. It has all the comforts of a really indulgent cottage pie but with some changes to make it quite lean and very healthy... we got sweet potato, lentils and beans, all high in protein and fibre... we got our healthy veg (and feel free to add in more varieties) and we have our spices full of antioxidants and ready to boost our metabolism ... all this with a really good hearty comfort dish that is just bursting with flavour!!!

If you wanted a vegetarian version and leaner again you could make it with Quorn instead of beef.

Calories per serving: 450

If made with Quorn: 319

Serves 4:                                                        

1 red onion

2 fat cloves of garlic

1 large carrot

1 large stalk of celery

1 large or 2 medium sweet potato

Low fat cooking spray

500g lean steak mince

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice

½ teaspoon crushed black pepper

100ml beef stock

A handful of frozen peas

80g brown lentils

1 can (drained and rinsed) of mixed beans

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

A few dashes of tobasco sauce (to taste)

1 tablespoon of each soy, oyster and Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon of Dairygold butter

Sea salt and black pepper

A small grating or cheddar cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 180c.

Chop the onion and garlic, finely chop the carrot and celery, set aside.

Peel the sweet potato and cube it. Pop the sweet potato cubes into a steamer and steam for about 10-12 mins until easily pierced with a fork, take them off the steam and allow to cool and dry off.

Spray some low-fat cooking spray into a large frying pan at a medium/high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 mins until softened. Add in the carrot and celery and continue to sauté for a further 5 mins.

To this add in the beef and the spices, break it all up and stir it around until it has all turned colour. Add the stock, peas, the lentils and the beans and stir until all combined. Add the tomato puree, tobasco, soy, oyster and Worcestershire sauces, stir it all around and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 mins.

In a large bowl mash up the cooled sweet potato cubes with the Dairygold butter using a masher or a fork, season well with salt and pepper.

Carefully transfer the filling to an appropriate sized oven dish and add the sweet potato on top. Spread it carefully and evenly over the filling with a fork and grate a little cheese over the top. Pop this into the oven for 50-55 mins until bubbling and the topping has gone nice and crispy.

Serve with a fresh side salad or some garden peas.

Cauliflower based Pizza

Cauliflower based Pizza

Here is a gluten free/ wheat free pizza that you can enjoy with the bare minimum of guilt!!!

I am doing a series of recipes for Dairygold for their "Tomorrows Table", a modern take on everyday recipes we cook here in Ireland.
For more modern Irish recipes visit Tomorrow's Table

Calories per base: 448

Cauliflower based Pizza

Makes 1 pizza:

1 medium head cauliflower (enough for 2 cups cauliflower rice)

1 egg                                               

1/2 cup parmesan

1/4 cup mozzarella

A tablespoon of Dairygold

Generous pinch of salt

Generous pinch of black pepper

1 garlic clove minced

Method

In a processor, blend up cauliflower florets. Steam cauliflower by placing in microwave in a heat-proof bowl -you don't need to add water or cover- and heat 7-8 minutes, stirring once. Allow to fully cool. (you can do this a few hours ahead of time, just cover with film.

Preheat oven to 180c.

Place 2 cups of cauliflower rice in the center of a piece of an old dish towel (Make sure that when you are done to shake out cloth fully and then wash as it can start to smell). Create a ball with the rice inside of the cloth and ring out the water. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP–IT WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR CRUST! You need to remove as much moisture as possible- continue to ring until water stops coming out of cloth.

Transfer to a bowl and mix will all other ingredients.

Spread out dough on a pizza pan, lined with parchment paper that has been greased with Dairygold.

Bake 9-12 minutes, until firm and cooked through. Remove from oven and add desired toppings, then pop it back into the oven for about 10 mins until cheese is melted.

Cauliflower based Pizza

Spicy Bean. Lentil and Beef Cottage Pie

Spicy bean, Lentil and Beef Cottage Pie

This is a new dish I have come up with and already it is a firm favourite in my house. It has all the comforts of a really indulgent cottage pie but with some changes to make it quite lean and very healthy... we got sweet potato, lentils and beans, all high in protein and fibre... we got our healthy veg (and feel free to add in more varieties) and we have our spices full of antioxidants and ready to boost our metabolism ... all this with a really good hearty comfort dish that is just bursting with flavour!!!

If you wanted a vegetarian version and leaner again you could make it with Quorn instead of beef.

Spicy bean, Lentil and Beef Cottage Pie

Calories per serving: 450

If made with Quorn: 319

Serves 4:                                                        

1 red onion

2 fat cloves of garlic

1 large carrot

1 large stalk of celery

1 large or 2 medium sweet potato

Low fat cooking spray

500g lean steak mince

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon Chinese 5 spice

½ teaspoon crushed black pepper

100ml beef stock

A handful of frozen peas

80g brown lentils

1 can (drained and rinsed) of mixed beans

2 tablespoons of tomato puree

A few dashes of tobasco sauce (to taste)

1 tablespoon of each soy, oyster and Worcestershire sauce

Sea salt and black pepper

A small grating or cheddar cheese

Method

Preheat oven to 180c.

Chop the onion and garlic, finely chop the carrot and celery, set aside.

Peel the sweet potato and cube it. Pop the sweet potato cubes into a steamer and steam for about 10-12 mins until easily pierced with a fork, take them off the steam and allow to cool and dry off.

Spray some low-fat cooking spray into a large frying pan at a medium/high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 mins until softened. Add in the carrot and celery and continue to sauté for a further 5 mins.

To this add in the beef and the spices, break it all up and stir it around until it has all turned colour. Add the stock, peas, the lentils and the beans and stir until all combined. Add the tomato puree, tobasco, soy, oyster and Worcestershire sauces, stir it all around and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 mins.

In a large bowl mash up the cooled sweet potato cubes with a masher or a fork, season well with salt and pepper.

Carefully transfer the filling to an appropriate sized oven dish and add the sweet potato on top. Spread it carefully and evenly over the filling with a fork and grate a little cheese over the top. Pop this into the oven for 50-55 mins until bubbling and the topping has gone nice and crispy.

Serve with a fresh side salad or some garden peas.

Spaghetti with Avocado and Basil Sauce

Spaghetti with Avocado and Basil Sauce

Here is my modern-day take on spaghetti with pesto. I am doing a series of recipes for Dairygold for their "Tomorrows Table", a modern take on everyday recipes we cook here in Ireland.
For more modern Irish recipes visit Tomorrow's Table

This meal is so quick, tasty and very good for you. I use whole-wheat organic spaghetti here; you could also use gluten free spaghetti here too.

 I know the calorie count may seen slightly high but it is from the good fats in the avocado and olive oil, just what the body requires to extract all the goodness from other foods that we consume. Once a week is more than fine for a recipe like this.

Calories per portion: 662

Spaghetti with Avocado and Basil Sauce

Serves 2:

170g spaghetti

1/2 cup canned corn kernels, drained and rinsed

A knob of Dairygold butter

 1 ripe avocado, halved, seeded and peeled

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, coming to the end of the cooking, add in the corn. Once cooked, drain well and place a knob of Dairygold butter on top and let it start to melt before tossing the spaghetti through.

In the meantime to make the avocado sauce, combine avocados, basil, garlic and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor; season with salt and pepper, turn on motor for 1 min; half way through stop the motor and scrape down the sides with a spatula. With the motor running again, add olive oil in a slow stream until emulsified; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, avocado sauce, cherry tomatoes and corn.

Serve immediately.

Spaghetti with Avocado and Basil Sauce

Bacon, Egg, Lettuce and Tomato

B.E.L.T

This is my modern version on the classic B.L.T but with the added bonus of a runny poached egg, hence the addition of the ‘E’. I love this recipe for a Sunday brunch... heaven in a bap!

For more modern Irish recipes visit Tomorrow's Table

Serves 2:

2 free range eggs

4 rashers of bacon

A handful of cherry tomatoes

Oregano-dried

Sea salt

2 small crusty baps of your choice

2 tablespoons of Dairygold

1 little gem lettuce

Method

Poach the eggs but keep them soft. In the meantime on a medium/high grill, grill the rashers of bacon until crispy on both sides, remove and allow to drain off on kitchen paper.

Quarter the cherry tomatoes and in a bowl season them with oregano and sea salt

Assemble the B.E.L.T by slicing the crusty baps in half length-ways and spread both sides generously with Dairygold. Place on a few leaves of the little gem lettuce, divide the cherry tomatoes on top of the leaves, top with the crispy bacon and the poached egg.

Serve immediately for a beautiful filling brunch.

Cider Vinegar and Honey Drink for Weight Loss

Cider Vinegar and Honey Drink for Weight Loss

The combination of apple cider vinegar and honey is an effective cure for a multitude of ailments, but it’s an especially powerful tool for weight loss. Apple cider vinegar is naturally highly acidic, but when consumed it turns alkaline, counteracting the effects of excess acids in your diet. Honey also becomes alkaline when consumed, and it has a low pH. It aids in the safe excretion of excess acids. Also, apple cider vinegar just tastes better when mixed with honey.

Apple cider vinegar has many amazing properties that will help you shed pounds. Let’s take a look at what they are and how they work.

• Apple cider vinegar has organic acids and enzymes that increase your metabolism, enabling your body to burn fat faster.
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• It suppresses your appetite, helping you to eat less and look and feel thinner.
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• Apple cider vinegar hydrates and refreshes your body while discouraging water retention.
• It also contains loads of potassium and fibers that keep your blood sugar low, which is essential to losing weight.
• It contains essential vitamins and minerals, powerful enzymes, potash, pectin, acetic acid, amino acids, alcoholic acids, propionic acid, and many other beneficial acids, all of which help to speed up your metabolism and help you lose weight without losing vital nutrients.
• Consuming apple cider vinegar before meals helps slow the release of glucose into your bloodstream, which, in turn, slows the digestive process, making you feel fuller longer. And when you feel full, your body doesn’t store fat.
• It also aids in proper digestion, flushing out toxins and helping to remove stored waste from the colon and intestines.
• Apple cider vinegar helps your body burn calories, lower cholesterol and feel more energetic.
• Its natural antiseptic and antibiotic properties fight bacteria
• The acetic acid in apple cider vinegar helps extract iron from food, and iron improves the flow of oxygen through your body’s systems, enabling it to function properly.

So here is  how to:

Mix 1-2 tablespoon’s apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey into 8 oz. warm water and drink it. (I make it also with cold water)

For best results, do this 2 times daily on an empty stomach.

You can also make this and put it into a water bottle for when you’re at work or just out and about to sip on.

Also, here are more uses for Cider Vinegar: