Beetroot mayonaise

This is my new discovery of the end of 2012.My friend Carolina made two dips last night for her birthday party that blew my mind.Theres a magic trinity of olive oil,garlic and lemon...that never seises to amaze me...this with the help of cooked beetroot it transforms into a beautiful vibrant coloured surprise that convinced me to blog again...this recipe is for life.

500g of beetroot
juice of one lemon
about 100ml of extra virgin olive oil
one garlic clove
salt and pepper

Boil the beetroot until tender(tip-if you leave an inch of the stalks the colour doesn,t bleed so much)..Drain and imediately rinse under cold water to remove the skins easily.Now blend all the ingredients together.Pop it into the fridge to firm up a wee bit and enjoy!This keeps in the fridge for three days.
Try the same recipe with boiled or steamed carrots!...It,s incredible.(and because I,m still addicted to cumin  I was thinking that the addition of a pinch of toasted cumin would be wonderful.)
 

Sun-dried tomatoes

desplácese hacia abajo para la versión en español.....

Someone asked me today about sundried tomatoes and how I use them.This for me was astonishing as I use them as often as olives and imagine that everyone uses them the same-but of course this is not true Jean, the world is huge and the range of ingredients is vast ...
So this is for Eva ...a few ideas of how I use them ....

First things first sundried tomatoes are up there with dried mushrooms for usefulness-a brilliant storecuppard essential if ever there was one.

To rehydrate and prepare...
Put a handful(or desired quanity)of dried tomatoes in boiling water,cover and leave to soak for about 30 minutes.
Strain,and when cooled squeeze all the water out of them.Cover in olive oil and chopped garlic.
Now they,re ready to use.

At the garlic and olive oil stage the obvious(no,the most desired)choice is to add a good handful of torn basil leaves and leave to marinate and mingle.
Ater a few hours the tomatoes can be chopped and added to.....
Pasta(fresh,dried)
Quiche-
Greek salad -instead of basil when marinating the tomatoes used lots of dried oregano,with feta,black juicey ,chunky olives like kalamata ,a finely sliced red onion,cubes of cucumber.In a jam jar shake together olive oil and lemon juice with some finely ground black pepper.
Pilafs
Paellas
Couscous
Stuffings
I could go on and on -if anyone wants a special recipe please ask me.

I probably use a pesto made out sun-dried tomatoes more than the whole sundried tomatoes...
Rehydrate the tomatoes,squeeze out the water,blend until smooth,cover completely with olive oil and store in the fridge for months on end(just make sure every time you use this  top up on the layer of oil...it seals out the air)
A classic tomato pesto would be made using percorino cheese and pinenuts but I prefer a tomato paste(you can always add the cheese and nuts when needed)
Its very rich and intense-perfect added to tomato sauces to give them a ummf

One of my favourite stufffings for vine leaves is with couscous,chopped sun-dried tomatoes,toasted pinenuts,raisins and chopped fresh herbs(and probably cumin...just because I love it )

To make a version of semi sun-dried tomatoes-or slow roasted tomatoes....
Cut some vine ripened tomatoes in half(place seed side up), drizzle with oliver oil,scatter  a pinch of salt and bake in a preheated oven 140C(275F),gas mark1 for 3 to 5 hours...until they look sundried and most of the liquid has evaporated.
These keep in the fridge covered in olive oil for at least a week so make them in large quantities (to justify long cooking time),use in sandwiches,frittatas,with cheese-delicious! and make sure that give little tupperfuls to friends as presents too

Alguien me preguntó hoy acerca de los tomates secados al sol y cómo usarlos.Eso para mí fue sorprendente ya que los utilizan con tanta frecuencia como las aceitunas y se imaginan que todo el mundo las usa el mismo, pero por supuesto esto no es cierto Jean, el mundo es enorme y la variedad de ingredientes es enorme ...Así que esto es para Eva ... algunas ideas de cómo usarlos ....
Para volver a hidratar y preparar ...Ponga un puñado (o quanity deseado) de tomates secos en
agua hirviendo, tapar y dejar en remojo durante unos 30 minutos(sin fuego)
Colar, y cuando se enfría exprimir toda el agua .Cover en aceite de oliva y ajo picado.Ahora, está listo para su uso.En la fase de aceite de ajo y aceite de oliva lo obvio (no, la más deseada) opción es añadir un buen puñado de hojas de albahaca y dejar marinar y se mezclan.
Depues de un par de horas los tomates pueden ser cortados y se añade a .....Pasta (fresca, seca)Quiche-Ensalada griega, en lugar de albahaca cuando marinar los tomates utilizados montón de orégano seco, con queso feta,  aceitunas negras como Kalamata , una cebolla roja cortada en rodajas, cubos de pepino.En un tarro de mermelada agite el aceite de oliva y jugo de limón con pimienta negra.
PilafsPaellasCuscúsRellenos
Podría seguir y seguir, si alguien quiere una receta especial, por favor me preguntan.Probablemente el uso más un pesto hecho tomates secados al sol que el conjunto tomates secados al sol ...Rehidratar el tomate, se le vaya el agua, triurar hasta que esté suave, cubierta totalmente con aceite de oliva y guardar en la nevera durante meses (sólo asegurarse de que cada vez que utilice este taparla con unacapa de aceite ... que deja afuera la de aire)Un clásico pesto de tomate se hizo con queso  percorino  y piñones pero yo prefiero una pasta de tomate (siempre se puede añadir el queso y las piñones cuando sea necesario)Es muy rico e intenso perfecto agregado para las salsas de tomate para darles una ummfUno de mis favoritos rellenos de hojas de paras es con cuscús, picada de tomates secos, piñones tostados, las pasas y las hierbas frescas picadas (y, probablemente, el comino ... sólo porque me encanta)Para hacer una versión de semi tomates secados al sol o  tomates asados ​​....Cortar un poco de tomates madurados en la mitad (el lado con semillas mirando arriba), rociar con aceite de Oliva, esparza un poco de sal y cocer en el horno precalentado a 140C (275F), gas Mark1 de 3 a 5 horas ... hasta que se ven secos y la mayor parte del líquido se haya evaporado.Estos guardarlo en la nevera cubiertos con aceite de oliva por lo menos una semana . Hacerlos en grandes cantidades (para justificar el tiempo de cocción largo), su uso en sándwiches, frittatas, con queso, delicioso!

Miso Soup

Miso soup

One large onion diced
Two garlic cloves sliced
Half teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
Three carrots diced
One large or two small leeks diced
Two medium sized potatoes diced
One bay leaf
Teaspoon dried oregano
Half teaspoon fresh thyme
Teaspoon fresh rosemary
Four heaped tablespoons of white miso
A pinch of white pepper

Saute the onion in olive oil(with a wee pinch of salt-not much as the miso is saltly) until softened,add the garlic,ginger and leeks and cook for another few minutes on a low flame with the lid on.Add the carrots , potatoes and herbs again for a few minutes with the lid on.Cover with cold water and simmer until the vegetables have sofened,take out the bay leaf ,add the miso and blend until smooth ..add a pinch of white pepper and serve.

Sopa de miso

Una cebolla grande picada
Dos dientes de ajo en rodajas
Media cucharadita de jengibre fresco picado
Tres zanahorias en cubitos
Un puerro grande o dos pequeños cortados en cubitos
Dos patatas de tamaño mediano cortadas en cubitos
Una hoja de laurel
Una cucharadita de orégano seco
Media cucharadita de tomillo fresco
Una cucharadita de romero fresco
Cuatro cucharadas de miso blanco
Una pizca de pimienta blanca

Saltea la cebolla en aceite de oliva (con una pizca de sal , no tanto - el miso es salado) hasta que se ablande, agregue el ajo, el jengibre y el puerro y cocine por unos minutos más a fuego lento con la tapa .Añadir las zanahorias , las patatas y hierbas y coinar durante unos minutos tapado .Cubir con agua fría y cocine a fuego lento hasta que las verduras han ablandado, sacar la hoja de laurel, añadir el miso y mezcla hasta que quede suave .. añadir una pizca de pimienta blanca y servir.

Undo edits

umiboshi salad dressing

We just came back from holidays in Argentina-the food was delicious,christmas time; but I ate too much.Too much dairy products(pizza,pasta and amazing desserts),Too much white flour(again pizza,pasta etc)and my body was calling for a break.I,m a great beleiver in listening to your body and what it asks for ...if  you listen to your body it will kindly say...no more please-an overload in rich food screams acidity and my body now is asking for alkaline....
I,m eating quinoa,brown rice ,seaweeds,lemon(alkaline even though hard to imagine)and all the lovely organic and health foods they have in Europe(in Argentina they very scarse and almost non existent).So this salad dressing was salt free("umbohi is made with salted plums Jean!","yes I know, but it has a magic effect of turning acid into alkaline and help to sooth abused bellies""-okay I,ll say added salt","better?","Yes, thankyou"-end of internal discusions)

The soothing dressing-still with zing and totally delicious....
A teaspoon of umiboshi paste
Juice of one lemon
Basil infused olive oil or noninfused(about half a cup)
Quarter cup of sunflower oil

Place all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake the bejaysus out of it("shake a lot"-translation in Irish English)
Yummy-This will keep well in the fridge for a week at least-just shake well befor use.

pan fried artichoke hearts with lemon,thyme and parmesan

This was so delicious that I had it for dinner tonight and blogged it straight away -soon to have a pretty picture posted but for now the recipe...

4 or 5  cooked artichokes hearts
about a teaspoon of lemon peel chopped finely
basil oil
dried or fresh thyme
quinoa cooked-a bowlful
Freshly grated parmesan
Boil the artichokes until tender.Peel back the stalks and chop.Take as much flesh as is possible from the artichoke and slice.Saute in olive oil over a high heat until slightly browned.Add the lemon peel and about a half teaspoon of dried thyme or one teaspoon of fresh thyme.Stir in the cooked quinoa,grated parmesan( to taste ),a slash of basil oil,salt and black pepper and serve immediately.The minute I finished eating this I went straight to the computer to type it up.This is pure Italian inspired joy and with the agreement of my boyfriend,perfect.

Artichoke and Green Olive Spread

I discovered this recipe in a blog recently,which the blogger adapted from another blog who adapted from another chef-When I read the recipe I instantly new it would be delicious so I made it for my boyfriends birthday and after about 20 comments of "its amazing!, what is it?" I feel its only good,just and right that I share it with a few more.
The beauty about this recipe is that you can have all the ingredients in the cuppard and when some one comes around you can whip up a dip (or spread )in about one minute.Eat with  breadsticks,toast or crunchy oven warmed bread.
An afterthought -this would be nice mixed a cream cheese -just a thought.

1 handful of cooked artichoke hearts(frozen,tinned,as you wish)
1 crushed garlic clove
half a handful of green olives(stoned)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and squeezed
1 gurgle of  extra-virgin olive oil
Throw all the ingredients together and blend-how wonderfully simple.
These are hummus style rules-put less garlic in at first,the same goes for olive oil add more to taste.
This recipe doesn,t need salt because of the capers.
To play around a wee bit try adding some chopped cornichons,fresh thyme or lemon.

Parasol Mushroom Fritters

Parasol Mushroom or Lepiota procera grow plentifully here and are excuisite(not using the word lightly)dipped in flour ,then egg then breadcrumbs and pan fried.

I love wild mushrooms even though trully they are a bit rich for my stomach.One of these Mushrooms was enough for two people with a light salad for lunch.My boyfriend said it tasted of Merluza(Hake)-It has a very light texture and for vegetarians its a real joy.

One word of warning becareful not to confuse this mushroom with lepiota cristata which is poisonous-but easy to spot because it has a red dot in the center.If in doubt -don,t eat them and always ask an expert.

Cut off the stalk and clean with brush between the gills.Try not to clean with water,but blowing on them and a brush does the trick.

Cut in eight pieces.Here,s what you need...

A bowl with some seasoned flour.

A bowl with two beaten eggs ,add one crushed garlic clove,chopped parsley and salt and pepper(I use a pinch of organic stock powder but this optional)

Breadcrumbs(grate some day old or dry bread with a hand grater)season well.

With the help of my beautiful assistant Anouk(any messy 3 year old will do) dip the mushrooms in the flour,then the egg mixture,then the breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown on all sides-eat immediately when hot and crispy.For a vegan version omit the eggs and dip in batter then the breadcrumbs.Utter fake hake joy!

Anouks Biscuits

These are not healthy.These are butter melting cookie explosions that are so easy my 3 year old daughter made them...

...with a little help from mama.Baking with kids is a lesson in patience.You can tell your kids to keep the work space clean but when bowls of flour are involved there will be a big mess afterwards.But nothing can prepare you for their joy and pride as they make their first cookies.

Anouks Butter Cookies
85g butter(I like salted)
50g white sugar
30g dark sugar
115g white flour
3 teaspoons of custard powder

As I said before these are not healthy-you could use all brown sugar if you add cinnamon and you could try half wholemeal and half white flour but it will change the texture greatly-They are utterly delicious- light and crisp and were devoured before I could take the "after" photo. To teach children the joys of baking let them make something that they will love.

Preheat oven at 180c.
Cut the butter into small cubes or very roughly chopped pieces of my daughter and add the sugar.All the cook books say cream the sugar and butter together which we did but with clean hands,which is much more fun-squishing butter in your hands for a three year is up there with splashing in puddles.
Add the flour and custard powder -again with hands(if baking with kids) until it forms a soft dough.
Sprinke some flour on the work(or play) surface and on a rolling pin.Roll out the mixture to about 5mm in thickness and cut out shapes using cookie cutters .You could use play dough cutters(if v clean) a plastic glass,or free styling and cut out your self some gingerbread men or some butterflies,etc,etc,etc

Keep cutting,re flouring,re rolling until you fill two baking trays making sure to leave a half an inch of space in between each biscuit and pop it into the oven for 7 minutes and lightly golden(they will firm up quickly when the come out of the oven)

Anouk put a blob of apricot jam on top of the biscuits before popping them into the oven-try other jams too.
A day later after making these I experimented by adding a tablespoon of cocoa powder for chocolate biscuits and baking on my own took 15 minutes-super quick and much more delicious than any buscuits you can buy.

I have a cunning plan to get my daughter obsessed with cooking so she,ll be preparing the meals when shes 5...It,s so crazy it just might work!

Autumn Oven Recipes

I made the most of a box of veggies that my neighbour Ramon dropped in and decided to take advantage  of the oven space by cooking four or five dishes at the one time.When you're going to roast something have a quick look in fridge for anything else you can pop in to make the most of cooking time and organize food for the following days.

Heres what I made-

 Roasted ratatoille

Roasted Aubergine stuffed with  goats cheese,barley, tomato and fresh basil

Tomato sauce

Roasted pumkin and sweet potatoes

Autumn soup

This is no rocket science,easy peasy and boy was I glad the following day having my fridge full of roasted veg ready to be transformed.

Ratatoille

Chop and roughly dice the following-

10 medium sized ripe tomatoes

2 medium onions

1 courgette

1 aubergine

1 red pepper

add-

3 peeled cloves of garlic

1 or two rosemary sprigs

1 tablespoon of dried oregano

1 very large and very generous measure of olive oil

Pop into a preheated oven at 180C ,stir every now and then until it has reduced considerably and the vegetables are soft.

What you´re left with is a delicious rich tomato and vegetable chunky sauce(not unlike real ratatoille-which is slow cooked meticulously adding one vegetable at a time-but this is oven roasted and equally good)

Use this sauce on pasta,with rice,polenta or cereals-add some fresh sauted mushrooms-cooked beans

I whizzed it up for my daughter who now doesn,t eat onions,peppers,aubergine and courgettes(ahhhh three year olds) -as a rich tomato sauce with a wee bit of organic tomato sauce she guppled all the vegetables up(ha ha Anouk )which I added to some cooked barley(lovely and chewy-a great alternative to rice)and some fried smoked tofu.

When I had the ratatoille in the oven I sliced a large aubergine length ways (about half an inch in thickness) brushed with olive oil and popped it into the oven.I turned it over to brown on bothsides and took it out(genius writing skills).

With the a small bit of the ratatoille sauce(to make use of cooking time I took out a few spoonfuls half during the cooking time and blended it up-for the aubergine rolls and for my hungry daughter) I added a few spoons of cooked barley that I had in the fridge,fresh basil and spread the mixture on each slice with some aged goats cheese and rolled it up.In a small baking dish I put a dollop of sauce on the bottom ,aubergine rolls on top with some diced fried smoked tofu sprinkled on top and cook it in the oven until the cheese melted a wee bit .Then I sprinked some fresh basil(still alive in the garden ,I love it ,November and fresh basil-joy) , some fresh parsley and a drizzle of basil oil and our lunch was ready too...yummm

Also added to the little group of oven buddies was some roughly chopped pumpkin and sweet potatoes this time drizzled with sunflower oil(because I wasn,t sure at first what I,d use them for and sunflower oil has a neutral flavour -so you can use them for sweet or savoury dishes after)and roasted until soft.

The following day I  sauted two finely diced onions with some chopped garlic for about 5 minutes added the roasted sweet potatoes and pumpkin ,3 sage leaves,vegetable stock and oatmilk and blended until smooth(adjust the amount of stock and milk to taste),a dash of basil oil and salt and pepper and you have a delicious autumn soup in 10 minutes.Anouk has also declared that she doesn,t like sweet potatoes or pumpkin but in a soup all is forgotten-hail soups!

(For a spicey adult twist add some curry powder,chillies, nutmeg or cinnamon to the onion at the beginning-play people play)

Everything gets whizzed up in autumn for soups in my house-you could blend  the cooked ratatoille with less stock and add lots of pesto or fresh basil and crunchy croutons(dice some stale bread brushed with garlic and olive oil and rosemary and leave in the oven until crunchy and golden stirring occassionally )

Tomorrow I,m thinking of some some corn pancakes filled with the ratatoille

or

with polenta and lots of melted cheese

or

Lasagne with ratatoille

or

pumpkin and sweet potato pie

or

the list goes on,and on-see how easy cooking is when you have a fridge full of oven roasted leftovers(or standbys,I prefer the word standbys)

Roasted Red Pepper and coconut soup

This soup can be made in about twenty minutes.It´s wonderfully warming colour and sweetly spiced flavour is perfect for the cold weather.

First fry 1 spring onion finely diced in olive oil.Cook until softened.

Next add one chopped garlic,a little chopped fresh ginger,3 carrots diced finely and cook for about a minute with the lid on.

Next add roasted a jar of roasted red peppers(pimientos de piquillo) and a few leaves of fresh basil.Cook for another minute.

Add half a litre of light vegetable stock,one cardamon pot crushed,two teaspoons of curry powder and cook until the carrot has sofened.

Add half a can of coconut milk and blend untl smooth.

This soup was made for my sweet tooth daughter and partner.If it was made for adults I would have put some fresh chilli at the beginning and changed the basil for fresh coriander...or would I?My alter ego says it was delicious just as the way it was.

Aduki bean and spinach stew

Put some roasted garlic (4 cloves for four big tomatoes)in a saucepan and warm them in extra virgen olive oil ,Add four large tomatoes chopped and diced with a generous amount of freshly chopped basil(or pesto)....leave to bubble and reduce for about a half an hour,liquidize and put to one side.

Measure one cup of aduki beans and half a cup of spelt grains and cover with three cups of salted  water.Toss in a few fennel stalks.a celery stick,some parsley stalks,and one or two bay leaves.Cook for one hour on medium heat,remove the stalks and sticks and bay leaves,drain and set aside.

Cram as much well washed spinach into a saucepan with a sprinkle of salt and a tablespoon of heated olive oil on the bottom.Pop the lid on and  leave to cook until softened and shrunk...this should take a minute or so.Drain and season.

Fry some cooked potatoes until golden add some cooked brocoli at the last moment.

Combine the bean mixture,tomato sauce and chopped cooked spinach -heat it up ,bowl it up and top with the golden potato and brocoli.
ummm

Organic fruit flavoured icecream

Get some creamy organic fruit yoghurt pour into some ice lolly moulds,pop them in the freezer and heh presto you have healthy, sugar free and additive free  icecream for your kids.

You could use a dairy free yoghurt.

Try dipping in chocolate  once frozen for adults.

Or dip,once frozen  in chopped mixed nuts and grated coconut.

If you don,t have icecream lolly moulds use small cups and put a stick in them or plastic spoon .

For adults you could use a cinnamon stick....they make such pretty icecream sticks.

AAhh the quickest posts are the bestest. 

Another quicky dessert

 A simple quicky and most lovely dessert...

Organic natural yogurt mixed with mille flores(flower) honey to taste.
Add a wee bit of grated lemon zest(just a tinch).
Serve with some chopped dates, banana and a swinkling of cinnamon.

Feel free to use a dairy free yoghurt with an agave syrup  for any vegans out there.

Dates are one of the super foods because they are rich in Iron-Add them to cakes ,breakfast cereals,track down some date syrup to add to tahini for sandwiches or on toast.

Mixed green salad with strawberries.

Strawberries.Summer...all I can say is halelujah!
Get some mixed green salad leaves,add chopped strawberries,a good splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil ,salt and pepper and last minute some toasted seeds(pumpkin,sunflower and sesame seeds)
Perfect .

Toasted seeds are one of my kitchen stables..I try to sneak them into as much recipes as pòssible.
Boost your vitamin and mineral  intake with seeds and nuts.

Brown rice with artichokes

I love brown rice.It,s nutty and chewy and completely different to white rice.With it,s husk still on you have all the vitamins and goodness which disappears with white rice.
This recipe was created because I always cook too much rice and on this particular day I had about 8 cooked artichokes to use up aswell.

Saute one large onion (diced)in some olive oil.Cook until softened and slightly browned.
Add two small garlic cloves crushed.Saute for a minute or so.
Add a sprinkle of dried oregano,a small sprig of fresh rosemary and fresh thyme.
Cover with about half litre of organic tomato juice and a handful of pitted olives.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add cooked artichoke hearts and cooked brown rice.
Decorate with chive flowers.

The tomato juice is a new surprise for me because of it,s natural sweetness ...it,s ideal to use like a tomato based stock.
Tinned artichokes could be used but the taste won,t be the same.
I used olives from aragon in Spain,but any good rich strong tasting olive could be used.Please don,t use ready pitted olives as they normally taste weird.Get some nice juicey ones that you can squeesh and pop the stone out easily.

Picked Garlic

Get a hug jar .
Fill with whole garlic.
Cover completely with white wine vinegar.
Try it in eight months time or at best in eight years.
Pickling could not be any easier.

whats another year...

Nothing to do with that dodgy eurovision song by Johnny Logan...and not so sad...
Its just a catchy title as almost a year has gone by without blogging...
And, I reckon this wee one in picture has taken up a lot of cooking time...
And changed a lot of my cooking habbits...
A Lot less chilli,a lot less spices and alcohol...

Theres been work...setting up my online shop...http://www.etsy.com/shop/23mamas which is a wee treasure for me...soon to add more and play more
And for the last month teaching English..eek how did that happen! suddenly memories of school flood back to me and the hope that I,ll be a good teacher.

The photo is blurry ,yes, but its Anouk,s first ever wild mushroom she found this month.
Its called yellow legs in english or chanterelles(well a variety at least).
Here they,re called cama grocs and grow in huge quanities...best with egg dishes or simply sauted and served with pasta.
They are very easy to dry and last for well into a year.
Tonight we feasted on parasol mushrooms,ink caps and lactius delicious,dipped in beaten egg with garlic,parsley,salt and pepper-then in a mixture of dry breadcrumbs and polenta and fried until golden....UUUmmmm....
The winner for me was the ink caps which have the most intense flavour but the big parasol fritters look very dramatic and would be a fabulous base for a mountain chard and walnuts on top.
I,d like to stuff the ink caps next time or use them for ravioli ....
But its early days yet, a few more weeks to go for proper mushroom picking.

New discovery of the week from chef friend John is when cooking pasta add small cubes of potato-this is for when you want an oily sauce to stick, like pesto.
Theres more starch on the pasta so it coats evenly.
Leave the wee bits of potato in the dish.spuds rock.

Star shaped pieces of omellete and food with faces are replacing a lot of stuffed courgette flowers but all is good in my world.
I,m sending out a wish to juggle (and enjoy juggling)food blogging,crafting(please pop into my 23mamas shop),teaching,being a moma ,and a girlfriend to my lovely gorgeous parner who if you read this I love you like a crazy person!

Hopefully,will blog again soon....

Fried Green Tomatoes

These Babies taste completely different to regular tomatoes.It,s like the difference between a green and red pepper.These green tomatoes have an altogether different green touch ...of acidity and crunch.It is a wonderful way of using up immature tomatoes before the frost gets them.
Slice up the tomatoes.
Dip in beaten eggs(with added crushed garlic).
Coat in a mixture of dried breadcrumbs, Cajun spice mix,dried oregano,salt, pepper and a pinch of marigold vegetable stock.
Shallow fry until golden and serve with a homemade mayo and green salad.

Potato and Cochayuyo Patties

Mash three large cooked potatoes.
Add a bowlful of cooked mixed grains(or rice).
Add a handful of grated cheese.
Add a handful of cooked Cochayuyo Seaweed (or Arame or whatever seaweed your heart desires)
Saute a large onion finely chopped with some sunflower seeds...add to the mixture.
Chop parsley and de-leaf thyme ...with some salt and pepper and a sprinkle of marigold stock powder(optional)....mix well.
Form into burger patties ...dip into some beaten eggs and fry slightly on each side.
Finish off in the oven at 180c for 15 minutes until it crunches up a bit.

The basis of this recipe was developed from left overs...Yes,the day before we ate mixed grains with Cochayuyo seaweed and stir fried veggies.
And later on that night good old cooked spuds(potatoes)...
I like to cook extra rice,cereals or potatoes and lovingly create something different with them.
Rice or cereals can be used as a base for stuffing Red peppers ,courgettes,aubergines or cabbage.
Potatoes can used in a tortilla ..Spanish omelet....Or used in a recipe like this one.
Hail once more to the beloved leftovers!!!!!!!!

Cochayuyo seaweed is full of minerals .I like it because the sea like flavour is mild and the texture is great.I used a mixed 5 grain cereal mix...my new love ...lovely and chewy and much more interesting and nutritional than just rice.

Buffalo Mozzarella and Seitan Fritters

An interesting and uncomplicated recipe for seitan...
Cut the seitan in slices.
Spread some pesto on top.
Add a slice of fresh buffalo mozzarella.
Beat 2 eggs with salt ,pepper, and a small clove of crushed garlic.
Dip the seitan sandwich into the egg mixture.
Then cover in dried breadcrumbs.
Repeat egg and breadcrumbs one more time to cover as completely as possible.
Shallow fry mozzarella side first to seal in the cheese then turn over until golden brown .
We ate these tasty morsels with a simple tomato and basil salad.

You can omit the cheese.
You could change the breadcumbs for polenta.
You could make these morsels Vegan by using a batter made with soya flour and or garbanzo flour,regular flour and water then cover in breadcumbs and fry.