Forgot to add the picture for the last post! oops!

 

Hot weather approaching...cool salad recipe

Greetings!

It's getting hot out here in SoCal so after an hour or so's commute back from work in the High Desert, coupled with an a/c malfunction at work all I wanted was a nice cold fizzy glass of.......water and a healthy, cool salad.

This salad is WONDERFUL and was inspired by the classic prawn (shrimp) cocktail of ye olde Europe! lol! Actually, prawn cocktail is eaten with a mayonnaise/ketchup based sauce (often called Marie Rose sauce) in many other parts of the world which is totally different to the red horseradish sauce more traditionally seen here in the USA..........try it, you may like it...

Here's the recipe.

Suzanne's Prawn Cocktail Salad

Serves 1
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1 cup romaine (dark leaves only)
shredded carrot
shredded red cabbage
grape or cherry tomatoes halved
3 oz shrimp (about 9 medium) cooked tails on or off

Sauce
1/4 cup low fat mayo or Miracle Whip (I prefer MW)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
lemon/lime juice to taste and to thin consistency so it's semi-drizzle-able (is that a word??)
white pepper

Pile salad stuff and shrimp onto a plate. Mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of the salad and sprinkle with a little paprika for a bit of colour.
Tuck in and enjoy!

Feel free to add hard boiled egg, cress, sprouts, beets or any other salad stuff to this.....even a few beans wouldn't go amiss. Even some cubed mango or peaches would give it a different twist.....

This is traditionally served with thinly sliced brown bread and butter.......a slice of whole grain bread and a bit of Smart Balance light spread is a healthy alternative tho'.........

Enjoy!

AWOL....Missing in the land of fish and chips!

One more apology.......this healthy eater has been missing across the pond on an impromptu family visit. However, the healthy eating title is somewhat of a misnomer when in the United Kingdom since I ate my way through plenty of pork pies, ruby murrays (curries to you non-Brits), yogurts containing more calories than a large Coldstone, and strange flavoured crisps (chips).....how does pickled onion flavour sound?



Anyway, now that I am returned to my rightful place I need to regain my healthy eating habits...so, if any of you cyber spacers need a few healthy recipes look no further than this blog.....it's belt tightening and gym going all round!

So, I know that woman cannot subsist on salads alone so here's a little impromptu soup recipe for you.......it's really tasty and easy and don't be put off by the grey-ish/green colour!! lol! As with all my recipes.........feel free to vary the quantities and vegetables as the whim takes you.

Faux cream of celery and parsnip soup

Ingredients
Onion...finely chopped
Potato...peeled and cut into small dice
Celery...one head cut up small
Parsnip.....peeled and cut into small cubes
Vegetable or chicken stock.....about 6 cups
Condiments to taste



Method
Sweat onion in a small amount of oil (olive or canola)until soft but not coloured.
Add stock, celery, parsnip, and potato....simmer until tender.
When cooked puree using a stick blender until smooth.
Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.



Serve with some croutons on top and a bit of chopped parsley.

BTW......studies suggest that eating soup before a meal fills you up and those in the study given the soup ingested less calories than those persons who did not eat soup. So, eat your soup!!

Easter delights!

Easter...time to eat chocolate eggs and things shaped like rabbits...

According to the BBC Food website, the Pennsylvania Dutch are said to have transported the traditions of the Easter egg and Easter bunny with them to the Americas. Their traditions also involved baking a large biscuit shaped to depict a rabbit in the act of laying an egg, but this cookie curiosity was gradually phased out due to persistant objections to the ambiguous imagery.

Anyway, since I try not to base my entire diet around chocolate I thought I would share a recipe with you that we traditionally ate at home on Good Friday.


Fish Pie



Ingredients (as usual, you can change the quantities, they're not set in stone)

12 oz white fish (skinless)
10 oz small to medium shrimp (raw or cooked)
6 oz salmon fillet (optional)
1 can tuna (optional)

1-1.5 pts (2-3 cups) low fat milk
1 small onion cut in quarters
4 cloves
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons flour
knob of butter
handful of fresh parsley (chopped)

handful of frozen peas (thawed)
3 hardboiled eggs
spinach chopped (optional)

mashed potato
shredded cheese (optional)


OK......first, put the fish in a pan and cover with the milk. Stick a clove in each onion quarter and add along with the bayleaf to the fish and milk. Bring to the boil (don't let it boil over) and simmer until the fish looks opaque. If you are using the salmon you can poach it at the same time.

When the fish is cooked, lift it out with a slotted spoon into the baking dish you are going to use and strain the milk through a sieve to be used to make the sauce.
Flake the fish in the dish, add the tuna if using and the thawed or raw prawns (they'll cook in the oven). Quarter the eggs and arrange in the dish with the fish, evenly spaced. If you are using the spinach also add it to the dish along with the peas. Now scatter around the chopped parsley in an artistic fashion...

Now for the scary bit..the sauce.....it's actually very easy...

Melt the butter in a non stick pan then add the flour and, stirring constantly, cook it for about 1 minute. Then gradually whisk in your reserved milk that you cooked the fish in. Boil the sauce, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Season with a bit of grated nutmeg if you like and some pepper (if you don't like black specks marring your pristine white sauce then use white pepper). Tada! White sauce!

Now just pour your sauce over the fish etc in the baking dish and then top with your mashed potato (for extra nutritional points you could use sweet potato or a mixture of the two). Use a fork to "rough up" the spud so it gets extra crispy in the oven.

Now, pop in a preheated oven @ 350 (325 fan assisted) for about 45 minutes adding the cheese to the top if desired about 10 minutes before the dish comes out of the oven. This is great served with some microwaved broccoli!

I'm back in the land of blogging!

Well, it's been so long I forgot how to access my blog! Spent nearly a month exploring the delights of South America and her culinary offerings. Such good steak and great wine....not too clever on the salad or vegetable front, but when in Rome...

Apart from the food, the scenery was amazing. I visted Chile, Uruguay, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. Even went around Cape Horn! The picture shows a strange ceremony that inducts those who sail around the Horn as true sailors. It involved the ship's captain and copious amounts of icy sea water! I was happy to be a passive observer.....brrrr!!

Anyway, expect a bit more activity in the near future.....please feel free to post if you have any recipe ideas or questions.....it's lonely blogging alone!

quick, easy, & healthy desserts!

 

I have to admit that I like desserts as much as the next toothless person, I just try and maximise the healthy parts and keep the fattening, suggary bits to a minimum......still has to taste good tho'.

The photo is fat free plain (natural) yogurt...I like Greek yogurt because it is really thick but you can use whatever yogurt you have on hand....drain it in some paper towel over the sink for an hour or 2 while you make dinner if you want a thicker consistency. To the yogurt I added sliced strawberries (fresh or frozen), pomegranate seeds (crunchy and juicy), some thinly sliced fresh mint, and....the piece de la resistance....warmed Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread). Just pop the jar in the microwave for 20-30 seconds so it goes a bit liquidy and then drizzle over your fruit/yogurt etc.

Alternatively, pop a couple of seedless clementines onto a square of foil...add liqueur (brandy, grand marnier, sherry), or apple/orange juice, some honey or brown sugar. Wrap up and bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes until softened.

 

Serve with frozen yogurt, low fat ice cream, or yogurt. As you can see from the photo, I added a drizzle of Nutella (I love the stuff...)and some crushed up rice cakes for crunch....
 

Yum! I know the Nutella looks a bit brown and clumpy in the photo but if you get it liquidy enough it will drizzle beautifully...I just didn't have the patience! A food stylist I am not!

Mouldy, wrinkly veggies!

1/21

I was rooting about in my salad drawer the other night and came across a couple of red peppers that were starting to look a little wrinkly around the edges...def. not salad material! So, I broiled them under the broiler and peeled off their skins then blitzed them up along with some other ingredients to make a Romesco sauce.....with some whole wheat spaghetti and a salad it was a dinner of champions......


Here's the recipe (unless I'm baking I quite like to wing quantities, but I'll do my best here to be fairly exact).....

Romesco sauce (quick and easy version)
2-3 roasted red peppers (you can use the jarred ones if you don't broil your own)
1 clove garlic, minced (feel free to use more garlic if you like it)
sliced almonds (1/4 cup)
1 slice toasted white bread, torn into pieces
olive oil (1/4 cup)
sherry vinegar (2 tbsps)...if you don't have sherry use whatever you have on hand
parmesan cheese to taste
pasta water or stock (chicken or vegetable) (1/4 cup)

Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor.......then heat gently in a large saute pan....then add the cooked pasta. Use extra pasta water to loosen the sauce as necessary and add extra parmesan to taste.

Serve with green leaf salad and crusty bread. You could also throw some peas into the pasta water for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time for extra color and nutrition.....

The peppers in this recipe provide lycopene ....a potent antioxidant, both vitamin C & A. The almonds provide vitamin E,also an antioxidant. Garlic is part of the allium family and is thought to provide a protective effect against certain cancers.

Enjoy!