Eggplant and bean casserole with basmati rice

This delicious dish is perfect for that cold autumn night when you want something comforting to fill your tummy.

Diced eggplant is mixed with some garlic, onion and tomatoes to create a the base of the casserole. Stir in a dollop of tomato paste to the mix. Add in a tin of kidney beans, some ground coriander and paprika for taste. Allow the mix to simmer for about 15 mins, this brings all the flavours together. Serve with steamed basmati rice, add more chilli flakes or salt for taste.

Simple, healthy and nutritious!

Friday is Cake day

Cooking and baking has always been a way for me to show my affection toward someone, if I like you, chances are at some stage I will bake for you.

I loved this delicious Martha Stewart chocolate cake recipe, easy and with the right fillings, will leave everyone smiling.

I filled mine with dark cherry jam and freshly sliced strawberries, smothered in chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

Happy Friday!

Eggplant bake with basmati rice

I dreamt up this winter warmer recently, drawing inspiration from the classic ratatouille recipe, using eggplant, courgettes and a tomato sauce base - baked and topped with melted cheese.

Mixing garlic and chopped onion with olive oil and stirring until sautéd, I then added four chopped tomatoes and cooked them down until soft and mixed. Then adding tomato paste, and a little sprinkle of sugar - yes, sugar - this cuts the tartness of the tomatoes. 
I layered sliced raw eggplant into an oven proof dish, with steamed sliced courgettes, adding the tomato sauce to each layer. This is great when you add in some fresh basil, adding flavour when served.
I topped the whole lot with lots of grated cheese and allowed to bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is golden and the contents is bubbling away.

Serve with steamed basmati rice and love. Yummy!

Alcoholic greens

For a cheeky lunch, enjoy this simple dish - stirfrying a range of greens, kale, raw spinach, peas mixed with garlic and white onion and splashed with white wine to create a delicious and healthy dish.

Add some gourmet to your simple pesto pasta

I love pesto pasta and it's simplicity and comforting flavours that hug you with every bite.
When making it at home, it's quite simple - cook pasta, add store bought pesto, stir, eat.

But when wanting to be a little more inventive - there are a few little extras that will really push this dish even further up the list of favourites.

Panfried Capers - oh yes people, this is amazing - adding saltiness and bite to the pesto flavour.
Panfried Peas - delicious and so simple to throw in - the sweetness of the peas against the saltiness of the capers is perfection.
Diced tomatoes - cos all Italian dishes need them right?

Throw in a big splash of chilli oil and there you go - making a simple "sauce in a jar" dish into something a little more gourmet!

Poached eggs served with wilted spinach and a mug of caffeinated love

This protein packed breakfast will start your day off with a smile - poached eggs on a bed of wilted spinach (microwave raw spinach leaves for 1 min = hi wilted spinach) and a cafe latte to get you moving. Love this breakfast! Serve with salt and pepper and a smile. Happy Monday!

Teriyaki Salmon

This grilled salmon dish is so delicious and so healthy! Yay!

I soaked the salmon fillets in Teriyaki sauce for 2 hours before grilling them for 6-8 minutes, the trick is all in the timing - overcooking this is sinful!! Now truth be told I used store bought Teriyaki sauce, but if you are feeling awesome - try this recipe to make your own. (Taken from Daring Gourmet)

Served with steamed basmati rice and stir-fried greens, topped with a splash of soya sauce. Enjoy! x

The perfect poached egg

How to poach an egg - this is how, after much trial and error, I have learned how to poach an egg

In a small saucepan, heat some water until boiling, add some malt vinegar - a few splashes will do.

Remove the pan from the heat now, so the bubbles settle, crack and settle the egg into the pan gently.

Now replace the pan to the heat, turning down the temperature so as not to have the water bubbling again. This will only disperse the egg and overcook it.

Allow the egg to rest in the hot water for about 7 mins (or longer for a firmer yolk) and remove gently when ready - serve with wilted spinach on toast. Perfect power breakfast! 

Simple beginnings

Breakfast: Two softly poached eggs with halved plum tomatoes with a sprinkle of salt and chilli flakes, with a pink lady apple and earl grey tea. Good morning 

Grilled Salmon and Beetroot salad

I love the look, simplicity and flavour of this dish.
A friend made this beetroot salad one night at a dinner party in Dublin and I was itching to make my own version. Paired with fresh grilled salmon it is the perfect lunch or light dinner for one.

Beetroot Salad:
Dice up a pack of pre cooked beetroot
Add some chopped red onion (or spring onion)
Combine with a dollop of greek yogurt and a dollop of mayonnaise

Season with salt and pepper & serve with juicy grilled salmon steaks

Dessert: Fried banana topped with hot toffee sauce

This is amazing - it took me a few times to get the consistency just right but when it's right, it's right.
The vital difference between the first and last time I made the fried bananas was the amount of olive oil I used. The key is to not use too much oil - a light sprinkling will do - as the bananas need to hold their shape and not turn into banana baby food.

Lightly fried the sliced bananas on each side until golden - maybe 2/3 mins on each side. Set on a plate.
In the same pan - sprinkle in a thick coating of light brown sugar, and allow to melt into a thick sticky toffee sauce - be warned this sauce will get very hot very quickly and will set very quickly too -

Pour the toffee over the laid out banana dish and watch it as it sets in seconds - creating a hardened toffee coating around the fried banana ensemble. Enjoy cracking through the layers and devouring the sweet banana with the crunchy toffee coating.

Delicious and simple to make! Two ingredients!

I heart fried eggs

Egg and Chickpea salad

This deliciousness in form of healthiness is the perfect lunch and an excellent source of protein for my fellow veggies out there.

1 tin of chickpeas
small tin of sweetcorn
diced plum tomatoes
half an avocado
handful of lettuce mixed with rocket
- Mix together in a happy mess and top with two warm hard boiled eggs.

Dash of olive oil and seasoning never harmed anyone. 

The perfect soya latte

Trinity Stores - serving delicious soya lattes with a smile.

Smoked Mackerel Salad

After recently reintroducing fish into my diet - I am eager to rekindle my love of the dishes that can now be made! One of my favourite fish growing up as a child was simple peppered smoked mackerel on toast with a splash of lemon juice.

Finding different ways to serve the smoked mackerel - I made this simple salad, combining the fish with rocket, raw spinach, diced plum tomatoes, and avocado. The full bodied flavour of the fish will always demand the attention of your taste buds so try to match the fish with complimenting flavours.

Enjoy! x

Winter weather comforts

Veggie mince chili with brown basmati rice topped with tomatoes, coriander and feta

When it gets cold outside we all wanna be warm on the inside! This is delicious and hits the spot when the winter weather starts to return.

Chili:
Quorn mince meat - a great way to create popular and favourite dishes while being a vegetarian
A tin of red kidney beans
A tin of Heinz tomato soup
Garlic
Onion
Smoked Chipotle
Chilli flakes

In some light oil, fry the garlic and onion, add in the kidney beans and Quorn mince - once the mix is heated through and combined well, season with salt/pepper, Smoked Chiptole and Chilli flakes. Mix in  the Heinz soup slowly (don't add to much as it can get runny) and allow to simmer for 10-15 mins.
Top with chopped plum tomatoes, chopped coriander and crumbled feta. Delicious!

Breakfast of Champions

I have for some time now, been obsessed with perfecting the perfect poached egg. Happy to report - I feel after much practice I have now perfected this skill. Now to get creative...

I like to start my mornings full of protein and two poached eggs topped with plum tomatoes, chopped coriander and crumbled feta will definitely keep you fighting through till lunch.

Enjoy! x

Lentil Salad

Puy Lentil, Tomato, Corn and Coriander Salad, topped with Feta Cheese

I love mixing grains and creating delicious salads for lunch.
This one has a mexican influence to it, mixing toasted Puy lentils with halved plum tomatoes, tinned sweetcorn, fresh coriander, and sprinkled with feta and chilli flakes - mixed together to create a melody of flavours.

So healthy, nutritious - and takes minutes to create!

Smoked Chipotle Chickpea Salad

This quick salad is make up of simple ingredients but when combined create a delicious flavour melody

- 1 diced tomato
- half a red onion, diced
- tuna mixed in this a splash of mayonnaise
- half an avocado, diced
- 1 tin of chickpeas - smothered in smoked Chipotle

Mix as you please and enjoy accordingly.

Gazette Brasserie

Crab and Avocado mousse served with Chicory Salad with toasted blue cheese baguette at Gazette Brasserie 

A must when in South London - amazing french cuisine - and the best Bloody Mary I've ever had.

Milk Cafe, Balham

Amazing Guinness chocolate cupcakes at Milk.

Dinner at Harrison's

Amazing beetroot and goats curd salad at Harrison's 

Pulled duck lettuce wraps

Tofu and Halloumi burger

Longing for something rebellious to munch on but not wanting to go overboard and pay for it in the gym the following week I dreamed up this burger:

Panfried tofu seasoned with smoked chipotle
Halloumi cheese - lightly panfried
Raw spinach
Red onion rings
Tomato slices
A slick of garlic mayonnaise

Stack into a wholewheat bun - and eat.

x

Princi, London

Amazing sweet pasty dessert served with an iced soya latte (natch)

Homemade healthy lunch

I love experimenting with different flavours and ingredients. Being a vegetarian (I recently started to eat fish too) I take it upon myself to dream up some mix of flavours that will not only be delicious but nutritious too!

I started off this dish by toasting some ready cooked puy lentils in a shallow pan. Once toasted and warm, add chopped plum tomatoes, diced red onion and walnuts and feta cheese. Serve with a soft poached egg for some added protein.

Yummy.

Bacanal Brunch desserts

Panna cotta and cream topped with macaroons and edible flowers

Harrison's restaurant, Balham

Brunch at Harrison's restaurant

Roast broccoli with toasted quinoa and barley

As you can see I enjoyed making this a lot. The simple practice of roasting broccoli turns a seemingly bland vegetable into a delicious flavoursome addition to your dinner.

Chop and boil a head of broccoli in some lightly salted water. Preparing the oven to 180 deg - lay out the cooked broccoli onto an oven tray and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Allow 20 mins for roasting.

Meanwhile, after cooking your quinoa and barley (or buying it already done for you like I do sometimes) drizzle some olive oil in a pan and add the quinoa mix, allowing it to toast in the pan.
Add a sprinkle of parmesan and chilli flakes to the mix, adding amazing flavours! Throw in some chopped walnuts to finish off the dish.

Top with crumbled feta cheese and extra walnuts if you like. Serve with Caprese salad, red wine, or enjoy on it's own! Enjoy!

Kopi-O coffee

When I was living in Singapore working as a model in 2008 & 2009 - I grew to love all the local dishes and flavours. Having lived in Asia for some time at that point I loved the Oriental palette, but now living in London, one thing I will always long for is the sweet rich black Singaporean coffee.

A friend who came to London brought me some instant Kopi-O sachets to remind me of my time there, and we later found some more in Chinatown on Gerrard Street. But nothing will replace the original, served with Kaya toast and soft boiled eggs.

Coffee anyone? A demonstration of how they serve you coffee in Singapore.

Trying some local market foods in Singapore//2008

Trinity Cafe treats

Easily the most incredible cake I have ever tasted. 

hmm macaroons!

While I was studying at London College of Fashion I would often treat myself after a long day of design with a soya latte and cake slice at Trinity Cafe near Balham tube station in South London (and very close to my own little London home) 

Trinity Cafe in Balham, London

There you can find this amazing polenta pistachio and rosewater cake, amazing chocolate brownies with white chocolate and raspberries, and macaroons that will make you smile.

Power smoothie

This is really quick to make in the mornings if you're in a rush. No excuses!

1 chopped banana
handful of pumpkin seeds
handful of raw oats
pinch of cinnamon
bunch of raw spinach
big gulp of almond milk

Blend...

and go.

Simple Huevos Rancheros

To further glorify my love of Heinz tomato soup - I found another amazing way to get creative with the famous brand.

My sister-in-law makes a much more amazing version of this in New York City, and wanting to recreate her memorable Sunday brunches in London, I invented my own Heuvos Rancheros recipe.

In a shallow pan heat 1 can of Heinz tomato soup, when it begins to slowly bubble - carefully
add 2 eggs (these will slowly poach in the heated soup base)
Once the eggs are covered in the soup base, sprinkle in some chilli flakes and smoked chipotle.
Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for a few minutes, but not too long as the yolks are best runny!
The soup will begin to caramelise around the edges, adding more flavour.
Once ready to tuck into - add crumbled feta cheese and lots of cut coriander (this makes the dish, a must!) I usually serve this dish with pumpkin seed and oat Ryvitas, handy for scooping up the extra sauce when the eggs are gone.

Starbucks soya latte optional.

Comfort food bliss

I invented this deliciousness about a year ago. The autumn London nights meant I needed something wholesome and warm to keep me company on the couch. This is amazingly easy and cheap too which is always a plus! The base of the sauce is Heinz Tomato soup, with whom I have an incredible love affair with.

1 can Heinz tomato soup - heat in a saucepan
add 1 cup of conchigliette pasta shells (very tiny and easy to cook in the soup base)
once the mix starts to thicken and the pasta starts to cook through, add chilli flakes.
Stir in a handful of parmesan to the mix, this will make it more creamy and adds flavour.

Once it's cooked through, serve with a topping of parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

You're Welcome.

Bacanal Brunch at Baku

Cold rose wine served with antipasta 

Perfectly poached Salmon with charred asparagus smothered in melted butter