Thursday 10 November 2011

Kale crisps a fab and tasty alternative to regular crisps

Kale crisps are a great replacement for potatoe crisps they are healthy nutritious and delicious too so you can enjoy with zero guilt

Baked Kale Crisps

Recipe 1

Ingredients

Take 12 large kale leaves, (wash, rub dry and cut in half lengthwise then remove the stem and veins).
1 tablespoon olive or sesame oil
Preheat oven to 250°F. Toss kale leaves with oil in large bowl so they are coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking trays.
Bake until crisp, about 30 minutes for flat leaves and up to 33 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Transfer leaves to rack to cool.
You can also cut the Kale into bite size pieces but they look impressive in halves and are great for dips

Recipe 2

Ingredients

1 Large bunch of curly kale, stems removed and leaves chopped roughly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Sesame oil (flavoured chilli oil is good too)
Sea Salt (Maldon sea salt flakes are best) to taste
Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place chopped kale on a baking tray and drizzle with oil, just enough to lightly coat the leaves. Pour a little at a time and evenly distribute oil with your hands –don’t saturate them.
Dust the oil coated leaves with a little sea salt and a little garlic or chilli powder (just to taste you can add more later).
Bake for 10-15 minutes until some of the edges of the leaves turn brown. Remove the tray from the oven and grate some raw halumi or feta over the top so that some of it melts ( this is optional you can make them without the cheese too). Then turn the oven off and allow the kale to dry/cool in the oven. Remove from the oven when they feel crispy or immedaitely if you don’t want them too crispy

Variations

Sprinkle with sesame seeds once they’re baked.
Try chilli or onion powder sprinkled onto the kale before baking.
Sprinkle with marigold bouillon before baking and add more after for flavour
Use any other spices you enjoy or use celery salt for a different flavour.
Add soya, teriyaki or tahini sauce once they are cooked just before eating



One of the scariest ingredients in crisps is a by-product of the processing: Acrylamide, a cancer-causing toxic chemical, is created when carbohydrate foods are cooked at high temperatures. Acrylamide forms in crisps and chips cooked at temperatures above 100°C. In 2005 California sued crisp manufacturers for failing to warn consumers about the health risks of acrylamide in their products. The 2005 report "How Potato Chips Stack Up: Levels of Cancer-Causing Acrylamide in Popular Brands of Potato Chips" pointed out the dangers of crisps. Their analysis found that all potato crisp products tested exceeded the legal limit of acrylamide by a minimum of 39 times, and as much as 910 times. This might help to put you off crisps they are addictive for a reason it’s all the chemicals they add to them and potatoes are from the deadly nightshade family so a combo of potatoes and chemicals is doubly addictive. If you love the crunch and the salt you will find these kale crisps are a great alternative.

Wednesday 10 August 2011

How to make yogurt in a vacuum flask

You need any type of vacuum flask wide mouthed flasks are easier any type of milk will work like soya milk, sheep’s or goats milk or rice or oat milk skimmed. You need a natural yogurt preferably live natural yogurt to start. Full-fat yogurt is generally less than 10 percent fat so it does tend to have a richer, fuller flavour.

Take the yogurt you are going to use as starter out of the fridge the day before you want to make yogurt. This lets the yogurt come up to room temperature.

Measure your flask so that you know how much liquid can be accommodated. Measurements here are for a flask of one pint.

Heat just under a pint of milk on the stove. Bring it up to just below boiling point and then let it cool to around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The milk should feel just slightly warm to touch. If you drop a drop of milk on the back of your hand it should not feel noticeably hot or cold. Anywhere from 95 to 105 degrees F is fine

Next, take a good spoonful of fresh yogurt (unflavoured) and mix it into the milk. Use a whisk or fork to ensure that the yogurt is well distributed . Pour the milk and yogurt mix into a wide-necked thermos and make sure that the lid is tightly sHUT. Wrap the flask in a towel to minimise heat loss through the lid. Put the flask in a warm place such as an airing cupboard or above the boiler.

In about 24 hours your yogurt should be ready you can continue to make yogurt using a spoonful from each batch for the next batch. Pour into a large bowl take out the amount you are to eat and add any ingredients of your choice to your yogurt my faves are fresh fruit, nuts and seeds, a swirl of peanut butter, olives, honey whatever you wish.

Now you can have yogurt that is cheap natural and free from sugar, cows milk or additives. Enjoy .

Tuesday 12 April 2011

Here is a recipe for alternative bread, alternative spaghetti and alternative rice

Wheat Free Bread
This recipe is for a breadmaker, if anyone out there knows how to modify it for a conventional oven please let me know I would be really grateful.
Also, it's in metric...

In a small bowl add:
2 1/4 teaspoons of dried yeast
3 eggs (or 2 if they're rather large eggs) - free range organic are the best in flavour
1/4 cup olive oil (or any other taste-free oil)
250ml- warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Mix ingredients together, let it stand while doing the next step.

In a large bowl add:
200grams Rice flour (white)
50g Soy Flour (full fat)
50g potato flour
1 1/4 teaspoon guar gum
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons of organic raw honey mixed into boiling water to fully dissolve it.

Sift (or mix with a fork) the dry ingredients and *slowly* add the contents of the small bowl. (It is important to do this slowly by making a well in the dry ingredients and stirring in slowly so the wet ingredients 'catch' a little of the dry ingredients on every circle)

Add 1/2 cup linseeds seeds (or other seeds like pumpkin,sesame, sunflower,poppy or hemp seeds) once the dough has finished being worked (so the seeds suspend in the mixture)

Transfer to the Breadmaker. Setting 'rapid crust' medium or dark

NB: the honey water can also go in with the wet ingredients to give the yeast a head start.
You can add all kinds of other ingredients like green or black olives, sundried tomatoes and rosemary, dried out onions, flaked almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, coriander and garlic or a combination of these ingredients. Let me know your favourite and do experiment with the ingredients (and the amount of water according to the consistency of the bread that you like )until you get it just right.


Alternative To Spaghetti
Julienne courgettes by slicing them lengthways with a julienne or a potatoe peeler if you dont have one(they are so cheap and worth getting) Once you have a mound of spahetti looking courgette ribbons place them in pan of boiling water for just one minute then drain well and add to meatballs, meat sauces or any other dish where you previously woud have used pasta

Alternative To Rice
Take a head of cauliflower cut into chunks and discard the core as its too bitter while keeping the florets. Add the florets to a food processor and use the grating blade of the food processor to grate until the whole cauliflower has been used. The cauli crumbles really fast so give it a blast of a few seconds then check it out and repeat unti its all crumbled. Once you have your mound of rice you can add it to salads, curries and sauces raw or any dish that would have previously used rice. Or you can cook it for no more than a minute with a little oil in a wok and then add ingredients to it or use it as the base for dishes like Spanish Rice, Savoury Rice, Rissotto, Kedgeree(my favourite)


Savoury ‘Rice’

1 Cauliflower grated in food processor as above
1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Onion, chopped
4 Mushrooms, quartered
2 slices of parma ham or flaked salmon
Halloumi or Feta Cheese (about quarter of a pack, cubed)
1 tomato, chopped
Sesame or Olive Oil
light Soy Sauce
Chop the cauliflower into small chunks and use the grating blade of the food processor to grate until the whole cauliflower has been used.
Next take a large wok or saucepan and soften the chopped onion in olive or sesame oil – add the chopped ham or flaked salmon to it as it softens. Add a dash of sesame oil, then add in the mushrooms, peppers and halloumi or feta. Add in all of the grated cauliflower and stir until its mixed into all the ingredients. Add a little more sesame oil and a little light soy sauce.
Reduce the heat and leave to steam / reduce for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the chopped tomatoes and stir for a further five minutes

Spanish Rice

I cauliflower shredded in processor
1 red chopped pepper
Half bunch of chopped coriander
5 spring onions thinly sliced
2 chopped tomatoes

Add to a large wok then add in

I tablespoon of basil
1 tablespoon of paprika
half teaspoon of garlic powder
half tablespoon of honey
teaspoon of chilli flakes
1 garlic clove crushed
teaspoon of onion powder
teaspoon of cumin powder

toss the 'cauliflower spanish rice' mix in the wok until it is all well mixed adding marigold bouillon powder (about 2 teaspoons) sprinkle it over the mix and saute or stir fry lightly in olive oil for about 10 minutes. Mash an avocado and add juice of one lemon and add it to the cooked ingredietns as you serve it.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Here is a fab sugar free, wheat free pancake recipe
For four pancakes
2 cups of EITHER rice flour or spelt flour or buckwheat flour (or a blend of all 3)
Two medium eggs
Two cups of EITHER rice milk, soya milk or oat milk
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda

Whisk up the mixture, heat up a frying pan and lightly cover the base with sesame oil when its hot pour in a thin layer of the batter (pour in more if you want thicker pancakes) then loosen the edges as it cooks making sure it does not stick. Flip it over after about two minutes and cook for a further minute
then turn onto a plate with a kitchen towel on to absorb the oil.
Serve sprinkled with
Z sweet and lemon juice
Z sweet and fresh raspberries
Grated very dark chocolate and blueberries
Tahini paste
Thin peanut butter
agavae nectar
any other fruit of your choice
enjoy

Wednesday 2 February 2011

New Recipes

Hi Everyone
I am so sorry I have been so lax at posting new recipes for you. I have been really busy getting married, designing my new website and doing some new and amazing researching on obesity. All will be revealed here and in the meantime I PROMISE to post new recipes for you every week.
love from Marisa xx


Yay, finally today the Sunday Times stated that eating eggs does not risk our cholesterol levels and we can safely eat at least fourteen eggs a week. I have been championing eggs for years because they are wonder food that contain everything to sustain life and contain vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K as well as calcium, iron and zinc.
In celebration of eggs here are two recipes for flourless quiche and flourless sugarless cake

Flourless dairy free chocolate cake
Beetroot is fantastic for your endocrine system and is known as an anti cancer food. It makes a chocolate cake extra rich and moist but there is no beetroot taste at all. Almonds replace flour so the cake is dairy and gluten free.
Ingredients.
300 g unseasoned beetroot (freshly cooked or precooked and vacuum packed), cubed
4 eggs
4 tbsp acacia or manuka honey or agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp pure cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
125 g ground almonds
125 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa), plus 3 squares of the same chocolate for covering
4 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line the bottom of a 23cm-round cake tin with greaseproof paper and lightly grease its sides with olive oil.
In a blender combine beetroot, eggs, honey or agavae nectar, vanilla essence, cocoa, baking powder and salt, and blend for 2-3 minutes until thick and creamy. Add the ground almonds and blend to combine.
To melt the chocolate, break into small pieces (leave aside 3 squares for decoration) and place in a glass or metal bowl together with the olive oil. Boil some water and pour into a larger bowl. Set smaller bowl on the hot water and stir chocolate and oil until they have blended into a smooth, velvety liquid. Add this to the cake mix in the blender and whizz to combine.
Pour into prepared cake tin and bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. To test for doneness, a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean. Remove from oven and place the three squares of chocolate on top of the hot cake; leave to melt and spread over the surface with the back of a teaspoon. To make it look extra gorgeous place some fresh dark red roses on top (calorie free of course) or some dark red berries like loganberries, blackberries, cherries or raspberries.

Flourless dairy free quiche
This flourless, crustless, dairy free quiche is a fantastic portable food for lunches or when you are eating on the go.
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp olive or sesame oil
1 red onion chopped
12 eggs, beaten
3 chopped red and yellow peppers
3 spring onions, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh chives, dill or coriander chopped
5 slices of torn up ham (optional)
Paprika
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a frying pan then pour half of it into a 9×11” Pyrex baking dish to grease the base, sauté the red onion in the pan with the rest of the melted oil season with paprika or pepper. Beat or whisk the eggs and add the spring onions, the pepper, the ham, chives, dill or coriander season with pepper and other spices you might like such as garlic.
Pour the egg and veggie mixture into your baking dish (sprinkle with paprika if preferred) and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the middle is set rather than runny.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. The quiche will rise upon baking and flatten out a bit after it begins to cool. Cut it into six slices or into smaller cubes great for lunch boxes.
Variations
Mix in some cooked chopped bacon or flaked salmon or small prawns or some crumbled feta cheese, vary the vegetables my favorites are spinach, sweet corn, scallions, shredded savoy cabbage leaves or julienned courgettes. Add some chilli seeds or spices of your choice.
It is fantastic as a breakfast dish you can add bacon or ham with mushrooms and tomatoes and eat it warm at home or take it with you.
You can also bake the quiche in individual muffin dishes (silicone ones are best) and freeze as it makes them even more portable.
You can even make a sweet quiche by adding nutmeg or cinnamon and Zsweet and some flaked coconut so it’s like a large egg custard tart or make individual ones in muffin tins. Experiment by adding some blueberries or mashed banana or pear with ginger or some seeds or a swirl of peanut butter.





Chunky Fishcakes

Fishcakes tend to have too much potato in them so here are some less carby fishcakes that I love
Serves two
• 4 portions of fish either salmon, tuna, cod or coley (about 400g) either fresh, frozen or canned chopped into bite size chunks
• 2 tbsp or red or green thai curry paste
• Ioz grated ginger
• I large bunch of fresh coriander roughly shredded
• I tsp olive or sunflower oil
• I tsp light soya sauce

Mix the fish in a food processor with the paste, ginger, soya sauce and coriander until roughly blended but still lumpy. Remove mix and form into 4 round or oblong fish cakes. Heat the oil in wok or frying pan and fry the burgers for 4-5 minutes on each side, turning until crisp and cooked through. You can also fry them in pure lemon juice and no oil or use the spray oil. Serve with Julienned courgettes; stir fried Savoy cabbage or roasted peppers and red onions.

Fava Bean Falafel
I discovered this in Egypt where the falafels are bright green and delicious. Falafel does not have to be fried in can be oven baked and is one of my favourite portable foods great for travelling, for snacking and for lunch boxes
Ingredients:
• 1 15-19 oz can fava beans, drained OR
• I cup of dried peeled fava beans soaked overnight with half a cup of soaked or drained chickpeas
• 1 chopped red onion or three chopped scallions
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
• Medium size bunch of fresh coriander chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for baking
Make sure the ingredients are dry rather than wet then place the beans in a blender and blend then add all the other ingredients apart from the oil and blend again to form a thick smoothish yet gritty paste, if too thick add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it is the correct consistency.
Form the mixture into small golf balls or patties. Arrange on a tray and leave to stand in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Drizzle the oil evenly into a baking dish and preheat oven to 350. Place the mixture into the baking dish and oven bake for 15-20 minutes turning halfway through cooking. Serve with vegetables or salad drizzled with tahini sauce.
Make extra to take with you for lunch they are just as delicious cold. You can make bright green hummus by replacing chick peas with fava beans.