Spicy Parsi Chicken Curry

Image Leave a comment 28/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

This was inspired by Goats and Greens Blog (https://goatsandgreens.wordpress.com/), I loved the sound of the spices and decided to create for my dinner tonight, I didn’t have the potatoes so I left that out but I have to say it was absolutely delicious.

Here is my version:-

Makes 2 Servings

2 Chicken Breasts – cut into chunks

1 tin tomatoes

1 tbsp Tomato puree

1 white onion – sliced finely

1 Orange pepper – sliced finely

1 tsp Cumin

1tsp Gram Masala

1 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 chilli – finely chopped

200ml Chicken Stock

Salt & pepper to season

Put onion into a large pan and fry until golden brown, add in the cumin, gram masala, ginger, turmeric, chilli, pepper and tomato puree, stir through until blended.
Pour in the tin tomatoes and then add in the chicken, bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat for about 40 mins.
Serve on a bed of rice (to your choosing), or some lovely crusty bread. I used Camargue Red Rice which was delicious.

Yummy!

Beetroot Falafel

Image 2 Comments 28/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I love Falafel’s! Having some Beetroot that needed to be used up, I thought I would try it in a Falafel, these were not only a lovely Deep Red in colour but absolutely delicious! The good thing is you can make loads and then freeze them for a quick lunch or dinner during the week.

Makes 8

2 large beetroots – If buying fresh roast them in the oven first.

1 Can of Chickpeas – make sure you drain all the liquid and dry the chickpeas off

1/2 white onion

1 tbsp Roasted Red Pepper Spice

1 tsp Rapeseed oil or olive oil

1 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp cumin

Lemon Juice

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chilli powder or 1/2 red chilli

salt

Mix everything in a food processor, if mixture is too wet add a little flour.
With your hands roll into small ball shapes and place onto a greased baking tin.
Place in a preheated oven 190 deg for 30 mins.
Finish off in a hot griddle pan turn for a few mins until slightly browned all round.
I served with goats cheese and chopped walnuts. Yummy!!

Homemade Profiteroles

Image Leave a comment 26/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I was inspired to try Choux Pastry by a chef called Vivan in Italy, I was on a training course with Kitchen Aid and he demonstrated Choux Pastry in one of their ovens which was amazing. My boyfriend loves Profiteroles so I thought I’d spend an afternoon in the kitchen today as it was rainy outside. My results were pretty good, considering it was my first time but definitely room for improvement.!

Makes 8

FOR THE CHOUX PASTRY

200ml cold water

100g Butter

130g Plain Flour

4 eggs

1 tsp Sugar

FOR THE CREAM FILLING

100ml double cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

20 g icing sugar

FOR THE TOPPING

100g Milk or Dark Chocolate

Bring to the boil water and butter together. Remove from heat.
Add in the sugar and flour and beat until mixture comes away from the sides of the pot.
Once cool, slowly add in beaten eggs, little at a time. It may seem the egg isn’t going to combine with dough but it will. Keep beating in until all egg mixture has been integrated.
Put mixture into a piping bag. I found it difficult to add and hold at the same time, so I used a measure jug to hold the bag while I put mixture in. (remember to fold bottom up or it might come out end).
Slowly pipe onto a baking sheet on a baking tray.
Put into a preheat oven at 220 deg and bake for about 15 mins or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and pierce a tiny hole underside to let steam out and prevent them from sinking, let cool on a wire rack or in fridge.
Meanwhile to make the cream. Empty 100ml cream, 20g icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla essence into a bowl and whisk until thick and stiff.
Once pastry is cooled, make a small hole on underside and pipe in the cream.
Melt some chocolate and then spread on top of profiteroles, refrigerate to harden.
Serve with some yummy warm melted chocolate.

Camargue Red Rice Salad

Image Leave a comment 26/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

For the love of Red! Love it when random ingredients put together turns out delicious!

40g Camargue Red Rice

1 Beetroot – grated

1/4 Avocado – chopped

1/2 tin of Chick Peas

1 tomato – chopped/sliced

Small chunk of Feta Cheese

4 Walnuts – chopped finely

1 tbsp good Olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Cook rice as per instructions on packet (about 30 mins)
Mix all other ingredients into a bowl, add rice one cooked.
Mix together olive oil and balsamic vinegar, drizzle on top to flavour.

This is a great lunch, very healthy, full of protein and super tasty.

Lemon Puffs

Image 4 Comments 26/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I had some puff pastry left in the fridge and some cream, so, yep you guessed it…..cream puffs! Add a hint of lemon for an Easter flavour and voila……..Lemon Puffs were born! So Tasty, so easy, so happy!

1/2 sheet of ready made Puff Pastry

100ml double cream

25g icing

1 tsp vanilla essence

Juice of 1 lemon and Zest

Preheat oven to 180 deg.
Roll out Puff pastry as thin as you can without breaking.
Using a knife cut into strip about 2 inch wide and the cut lengthways about 6 inch long. Place onto greaseproof paper on a baking tray. Sift some icing sugar over pastry and refrigerate for about 5 mins.
Remove from fridge and bake for 10 mins or until golden brown and puffed up.
Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, to make cream, pour cream into a bowl, add icing sugar, vanilla essence and lemon juice and zest whisk until stiff and glossy.
Using a spatula put cream into a piping bag and then pipe dollops onto half of the puff pastry and using the other puff pastries make a stack, sift some icing sugar over and finish of with remainder of cream. You can do any design you like.

Yummy!!

Breakfast Baked Egg and Tomato Cups

Image Leave a comment 26/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I just love breakfast time it is one of my most enjoyable food times and creating something different every weekend has become an exciting challenge. My favourite food is of course eggs, love them anyway cooked. So this morning I went for something simple but very very tasty. I recently purchased some fresh eggs from Little Turnberry Farm and Chicken Nest at the Glasgow Assembly, all of their hens love their freedom at their farmhouse gardens, they enjoy foraging the grounds and a with little TLC they produce the most flavoursome eggs.

Here is my wee recipe for the best baked eggs and tomato:-

2 x Beef Tomato

2 x Fresh Eggs

Salt & pepper

pinch of basil (fresh or dried)

pinch of chives (fresh or dried)

1 x slice of cheddar cheese

First slice the top of the tomato and scoop out the insides.
Season the tomato with salt & pepper, crack the egg into the tomato, sprinkle basil over the top and some cracked black pepper.
Place into a preheated oven at 220 deg and bake for 20 mins for a runny egg, 30-35 mins for solid.
A few minutes before it’s ready, place slices of cheddar cheese on top and allow to melt.
Remove from oven and sprinkle some chives on top serve with some lovely avocado slices. Yummy!!

Smoked Duck Salad

Image Leave a comment 19/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

Using my Rainbow Carrots and lovely Beetroots from my local Farmers I wanted a lovely salad for lunch today as the sun was shining, I had recently bought some Smoked Duck Breast from my local farm store which was already cooked, so combining everything I had the most amazing Saturday lunch Salad.

1 Cooked Duck Breast (from Fencebay) – sliced

1 Carrot – sliced longways into thin strips

1 Beetroot – sliced thinly

Fresh Salad leaves (of your choice)

Small handful of Feta Cheese

Small handful of Walnuts

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbsp Good Olive oil

1 tbsp Hoisin Sauce

Mix together salad leaves, carrot, beetroot, balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a large bowl.
Place salad mix onto a plate
Top with crumbled feta cheese and sprinkle crushed walnuts over top.
Place sliced Duck breast on top and drizzle Hoisin sauce over duck.

This is do tasty and quick, very healthy and amazing flavour sensation in your mouth. All in 5 minutes. Yummy!

Rainbow Carrot Fritters

Image Leave a comment 13/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I bought some lovely Rainbow Carrots from the Glasgow Food Assembly this week, they were grown locally by Gordon Caldwell, from Caldwells, Ayrshire Kitchen Garden in Turnberry, Ayrshire, himself and his team work all year round growing vegetables that are in tune with our lovely Scottish seasons. They grow everything from Turnips, Cabbage, Beetroots to Kale and much more. Here is my idea and recipe for the lovely carrots. Even better this recipe is very low in calories and fat.

Makes 8 fritters

3 large carrots – grated

4 Spring onions – chopped finely

2 medium eggs

1 tbsp flour

100ml cream

Salt & pepper to taste

Handful of fresh coriander or 1 tbsp dried

Handful of grated cheddar cheese or you can use Parmesan

Olive oil for cooking

Grated the carrots into a large bowl. Add in the spring onions and coriander.
Add in the eggs, flour and cheese, this allows the mixture to bind together. Also add in the cream and seasoning and mix together.
Taking a small handful, squeeze the excess liquid out then form into a thin round fritter shape. By removing the excess liquid this will allow the mixture to bind together better.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry for about 3-4 minute each side or until browned, try not to move the fritters while cooking as they may come apart, just leave to cook and turn over gently.
Remove and serve. Yummy!!!!

These are great on their own for lunch with a salad, or even as an side dish with grilled meat or fish. I served these today for lunch with some Sweet Chilli Sauce which I have to say went fantastically.

Cinnamon and Apple Rose Bakes

Image 6 Comments 12/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I made these for my mum as she loves apple and cinnamon and a wee treat now and then. I first saw these on Pinterest and just had to give them a try. Not only do they look amazingly good they taste fantastic. Would be lovely served with some ice cream or cream.

Makes 6

Ready rolled Puff Pastry

2 tbsp Apricot Jam

2 Pink Lady Apples

Flour for rolling pastry

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Cinnamon Powder

little icing sugar to decorate

Firstly preheat oven to 180 deg.
Cut apples in half and remove core and any seeds, very thinly slice the apples to make arch like shapes.
Fill a bowl 1/2 full with water and squeeze the lemon juice in, place the apple slices in the water and microwave on full power for about 3-4 minutes until apples are soft and flexible.
Remove and allow to cool.
Mix apricot jam with 1 tbsp water and microwave for 1 minute on full power. Remove and allow to cool.
Roll out your pastry thinly, and cut into strips about 6-8 inches long and 2 inches wide.
Spread a little of the Apricot Jam onto pastry.
Lay the apple slices along the pastry overlapping them slightly, but placing them only half way down.
Sprinkle with cinnamon powder for extra flavour.
Take the bottom of the pastry and fold up onto the apples.
Then very gently and not too tight, take one end and roll the pastry up.
Once rolled, place into a lightly greased muffin tin.
Bake in the oven for about 35-40 minutes, until cooked and slightly browned.
Place into cake cases and lightly dust with icing sugar and serve. Yummy!!

Friday Night Takeaway – Homemade Pizza

Image Leave a comment 12/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I love pizza……….and always make my own, that way I can make it a bit healthier and not feel guilty eating it. Here are two different toppings we done this weekend. I also used my pizza stone to crisp the bottom of my pizza.

Makes 2 large pizza bases

For the Pizza Base:-

200g White Flour

200g Wholemeal Flour

7g yeast sachet

300ml warm water

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 tsp salt

Olive oil

Pepper to taste

Sift the flours into a bowl along with the salt. Make a well in the middle.
Add the yeast to the warm water and sugar, stir and let sit for 10 mins.
Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 220 deg or Pizza setting, if you have one.
If you have a pizza stone, preheat.
Little at a time add the yeast water to the flour and mix in until you get dough like mixture.
Put a little olive oil on your worktop and knead the dough for about 10 mins, stretching all the time until elastic like.
Prove the dough for about 1 hour or until double in size. Cut dough into 2 parts and wrap in cling film, refrigerate for about 1/2hr or overnight. (I find doing this make the dough easier to roll out)
Roll out to desired thickness and size. Prick with a fork so it doesn’t rise too much and cook gently at 220 deg for 5-10 mins.
Base now ready for toppings.

Tomato sauce topping:-

1 400g chopped tin tomatoes

1 garlic clove – chopped

1 handful of basil

salt and pepper

Gently cook the garlic and basil with salt n pepper. Add in the tin tomatoes and heat through for about 15 mins. Ready to serve.

Toppings:–

You can of course use any toppings of your choice, this is what I used:-

1 Choice:- Chorizo, Red Pepper, Grilled Chicken pieces, mozzarella, red onion grated cheddar cheese for top.

2 Choice:- Chorizo, Red pepper, mozzarella, mushrooms, grated cheddar for top.

Glasgow’s Food Assembly

Image Leave a comment 07/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

The Food Assembly offers the people of Glasgow and surrounding areas a new way to shop for local and fresh produce. Currently Six producers from Glasgow are gathering to offer fresh and local food to their customers.

The Food Assembly is the British version of a French network of communities known as ‘La Ruche qui dit Oui!’ which offers fresh food from local farmers and was launched in the UK in July 2014.

The network is now spreading all across Glasgow to offer high quality food and support small local producers.

In order to shop with the Glasgow Food Assembly, the customers first need to create an account on their website. Then, they have to select the products they want and finally, pick them up on the day of the assembly. The Glasgow Food Assembly gathered for the first time on 8 February 2016 at the Drygate, the UK’s first experimental craft brewery, to deliver the orders that customers had made on the online shop a few before the event.

The network is now preparing its fifth assembly and discussing about future ones in Glasgow.
The popularity of ethical and local producers is growing steadily in Glasgow and the network is gaining new members. Geraldine Pitt, Food Assembly’s host, started organizing the gatherings in the UK in November of last year. She said: “The whole initiative takes about 12 weeks: finding producers, organizing venues, growing members, etc.”

The concept of the Food Assembly is widening and will from now on welcome not only food producers but any ethical local producers to take part in the process. One of the new participants is Carishea, a business that will be selling cosmetics for the network.

A lot of people from the city and beyond gathered on 8 February at Drygate in the desire to meet local farmers and food makers and enjoy fresh products grown within a radius of less than 150 miles from Glasgow.

The Food Assembly is also a way to help small-scale producers to promote their business all around the city while reducing food waste thanks to the online process the customers are going through to order their products.

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Last Wednesday I placed my first order, trying not to get too carried away as I viewed some amazing produce and vegetables that I never even knew existed, like rainbow carrots and beetroots!

I was absolutely excited today to go to the Drygate and pick up my goodies, a very good system too, all the producers were there ready with your order, all numbered so they knew exactly what was yours. They answered any questions very professionally and passionately and spoke about why their produce is the best and their procedures.

So here is what I picked up today, I am currently working on some new recipes to try with these, so watch this space!

Tuna & Avocado French Toast Sandwich

Image Leave a comment 05/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

A Wee Saturday lunch time treat. I love tuna and avocado but thought I would try something different and put it into French Toast instead of plain bread or a baked potato………..and oh wow! It really does taste so much better!

Makes 2 Sandwiches (2 slices of bread)

2 Slices of wholemeal bread

1/2 tin of tuna

1/4 of avocado

1 spring onion – chopped finely

Grated cheddar cheese (handful)

2 eggs whisked

pinch cinnamon

ground pepper to taste

spray oil for frying

squeeze of lemon juice

1 tbsp light mayo or you can use a light cream cheese

Whisk eggs, cinnamon and pepper together, pour into a flat dish. Lay both slices of bread in egg mixture and allow to soak up, turning over to coat both sides.
Gentle heat up oil in a frying pan, (medium to high heat) place bread into frying pan and toast on both sides until turning slightly golden brown (about 3 mins on each side)
Meanwhile, put tuna into a bowl with avocado and a light mayo then mash together.
Squeeze lemon juice and put in spring onion and mix together.
Once bread has toasted lay on a plate and add the filling, topping with the grated cheese then closing up the sandwich. oh Yummy!

Moreish Mornflake Breakfast

Image Leave a comment 01/03/2016 the wee caledonian cook

I normally have porridge in the mornings but this week I fancied a change but still something that was quick, easy and healthy. I came across this Mornflake Oatbran Granola and thought…..yes…that will do……and oh my….it is so delicious.

I had it with natural yogurt (Low Fat), added some raspberries and blueberries for my berry superfood fix and WOW, this was absolutely scrumptious! My new quick healthy option breakfast.

Nutrition Facts

Ingredients:

Mornflake Wholegrain Oatflakes (36%), Toasted Oatbran & Oatbran (17%), Mixed Nuts (13%) (Flaked Almonds, Roasted Chopped Hazelnuts, Pecan Nuts), Honey (11%), Mixed Seeds (8.5%) (Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Golden Linseeds), Palm Oil†, Apple Juice Concentrate (3%), Natural Flavouring, Caramelised Sugar Syrup Powder, Toasted Oatbran contains Antioxidants (Ascorbyl Palmitate, Alpha-Tocopherol), Emulsifier (Mono & Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Citric Acid.

FSA Traffic Lights Labeling:

per 100g	per 45g (with 100mls semi skimmed milk)
Cal	473kCal	213kCal
Fat	22.8g	10.3g
Sat Fat	4.7g	2.1g
Sugar	13.6g	6.1g
Salt	Trace	Trace

Nutrition:

Nutrient	per 100g	per 45g (with 100mls semi skimmed milk)
Energy kCal	473kCal	213kCal
Energy kJ	1,977kJ	891kJ
Protein	13.5g	6.1g
Carbohydrate	48.5g	21.8g
of which sugars	13.6g	6.1g
Fat	22.8g	10.3g
of which saturates	4.7g	2.1g
Fibre	9.9g	4.5g
Sodium	N/A	N/A
Salt	Trace	Trace

THE WEE CALEDONIAN COOK

DISCOVERING MY INNER CHEF

Month: March 2016

Spicy Parsi Chicken Curry

Beetroot Falafel

Homemade Profiteroles

Camargue Red Rice Salad

Lemon Puffs

Breakfast Baked Egg and Tomato Cups

Smoked Duck Salad

Rainbow Carrot Fritters

Cinnamon and Apple Rose Bakes

Friday Night Takeaway – Homemade Pizza

Glasgow’s Food Assembly

Tuna & Avocado French Toast Sandwich

Moreish Mornflake Breakfast

Nutrition Facts

Ingredients:

FSA Traffic Lights Labeling:

Nutrition: