Lemon and chickpea detox soup

When life gets a little indulgent, I like to detox, cleanse, and start over. This soup is a fantastic way to kick start your health kick and detox your body.

Start off the base of the soup with a diced garlic clove, a sliced onion, and a splash of olive oil.

Add big slices of ginger, two bay leaves and a cup of chopped broccoli. Allow to simmer lightly, adding half cups of water when needed. Add in a cup of lentils and a tin of chickpeas. 

Halving a lemon, add the juice of one half and slice the other half and add to soup. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until the lentils have cooked through. 

Serve with all the trimmings, but avoid eating the bay leaves, lemon slices and sliced ginger - these are only meant for fuller flavour! 

xx

Leek and Potato soup with garlic and herb croutons

I've always wanted to try this recipe - being a classic it's a must try for the winter nights! 

For the soup:
I peeled about 5/6 white potatoes and mixed them in a large pan with diced white onion. Allowing this to simmer, I then added a whole sliced sliced leek. After allowing the mix to cook down, adding 2 cups of water gradually, I then blended the mixture in batches and returned to the heat to further heat through and melt the flavours together. And that's it!! So healthy and so delicious.


For the croutons:
I heated some garlic in a pan of olive oil, and tossed in two pieces of hardened toast (made in the morning and not munched - this texture is best for croutons) and mixed the lot continuously, making sure the garlic oil covers the toast, when almost complete, I sprinkle in some mixed herbs, Herb de Provence is best! These are best topped on the soup once served. These croutons are so tasty I would even eat them just on their own as a snack! Great garlic wholesomeness (and a fun way to use up discarded toast)

Bon appétit! 

Spiced Carrot and Parsnip soup

Following with my recent love of making soups (I blame this cold weather!) I made this classic winter vegetable soup - combining root vegetables carrots and parsnips and cooking them down with garlic, yellow onion, and spiced with paprika, dried chilli flakes, turmeric and cumin seeds.

Once cooked down, simmering for about 40 minutes, I blended the mix into a puree'd soup ready to devour, topped with greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Tomato and Kidney bean Chilli soup

I created this soup out of the contents of my fridge one winter evening recently, combining some key ingredients to create a spicy hot soup to warm me on the cold night.

I started with a basic tomato sauce base - sautéing garlic and chopped onions until golden, adding diced tomatoes and allowing to simmer until cooked through. I added a dollop of tomato paste to add flavour, and a teaspoon of sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. I then threw in some paprika and chilli flakes, giving the mix a spicy punch.

I then added in a tin of kidney beans and allowed the mixture to simmer, the flavours all creating a spicy melody in the pan.

I then blended the lot, creating a smooth texture. I served the soup with a dollop of greek yogurt and a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

This is a winner!

Roasted Kale

This is a great snack if you are wanting to have something healthy and you're staying away from the crisps - Kale is known as a "superfood" and is packed with nutrients and goodness - and when roasted, has a great crunchy texture.

I washed and prepared about two handfuls of kale, placing them on a foil covered oven tray, and splashed them with crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt.
Place the kale under the grill for about 20 minutes, until you can see the edges curling and turning golden.

Avoid the centre stalks as these can be quite tough, but the rest is delicious!

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.

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

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!

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. 

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

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