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Antioxidant chocolates
Happy New Year to everyone. It hasn’t been easy to blog recently, what with being surgically attached to the oven and all that. Christmas went swimmingly and canine meltdown was forestalled. Despite my agonising, the Great Christmas Tree Standoff was averted at the last moment with some subtle but timely psychology. Hugo’s chair was moved the day before the tree was put in place, completely avoiding arboreal negative thought association and attendant angst. Hugo and the tree are still co-existing happily as I type; I am nothing short of a genius đ
These chocolates are NOT for dogs, however depressed they might be (chocolate is very toxic for them). Dark chocolate with a high cocoa content really is a powerful antioxidant (great excuse to justify eating them ;-)). And of course hazelnuts and pears are positively virtuous, making these chocolates practically medicinal. Obviously you can fill them with whatever takes your fancy, but I particularly love the combinations pear/chocolate and hazelnut/chocolate. I think next time I’ll try ginger too…
Ingredients (makes 24 chocolates)
For the shells:
200g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
A silicon mould
For the filling:
100g dark chocolate, minimun 70% cocoa solids
40ml cream
15 hazelnuts, chopped
1 pear, chopped into tiny pieces
Melt 150 g of chocolate in a bain-marie, then add the remaining 50g of non-melted chocolate. Mix with a spatula until the mixture becomes shiny and thickens slightly. Pour into the moulds, immediately turning over to allow the excess to run out. Clean the edges with a spatula and leave to cool for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, bring the cream to a gentle simmer then pour over 100g of chocolate. Separate the mixture into two and mix half with the chopped hazelnuts and the other half with the chopped pear. Cool for 15 minutes and then fill the chocolate moulds three-quarters full with one mixture or the other. Set aside to cool.
Finish off the chocolates by ‘sealing’ with the remaining mould chocolate. Leave to cool for an hour and remove from the moulds by gently tapping. -
Curried parsnip and apple soup and badly behaved females
It pains me to admit that the males of our menagerie are far better behaved than their female counterparts. Obviously I’m not including myself in this. The hens spend a bigger part of the day than is ladylike pecking the crap out of each other. Usually over a live worm or dead mouse (I apologise for the revolting visuals) or some such. The prized place on the perch nearest the horses is also pretext for belligerant fisticuffs. The mares are no better; despite being separated by an electric fence, they are incapable of any form of communication that doesn’t involve bitch-slapping. Their hind legs lash out at alarming angles and this is usually accompanied by a side-order of blood-curdling squeals, noises that the male horses couldn’t make if they tried. The last time they were on the same side of the electric fence, I had to administer twice-daily TLC, arnica and clay poultices to both for two weeks. I’m definitely putting an embargo on any further females, Â well, apart from my future labrador bitch and perhaps a few ducks đ
Ingredients (serves 8) :
1 tablespoon olive oil
20g butter
1 onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 apples (preferably not too sweet), peeled and sliced
4 medium-sized parsnips, peeled and sliced
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of rosemary
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon tumeric
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock
Gently brown the onions and leek in the butter and olive oil in a large casserole or saucepan. Add the apples and potato and continue to brown until golden. Add the remaining vegetables , then the seasoning and stock. Simmer for about 45 minutes and then purĂ©e. You could stir in some single cream before serving, although I don’t really think it’s necessary. -
Healthy gluten-free chocolate brownies. Take II.
Despite living a kilometre from our nearest neighbour and more from the nearest tarmac road, there are nights I hardly sleep a wink due to noise pollution. First, there are the cuckoos that I find very challenging; there’s something extremely provocative about the way they ‘cuck’ at random intervals. Then there are the barking deer – they apparently ‘bark’ to mark out their territory. Deer: as appealing as you are, please go and mark out your territory out of ear-shot, or in the daytime. Alternatively, take a leaf out of Hugo’s book and cock your leg (silently) on a tree. Â On cool nights, the horses rejoice with much noisy, vigorous galloping and bucking. Then there are the ‘break dancing toads’ that amuse themselves at night by dancing in front of our light sensors to switch them on and off, making Hugo bark furiously and at great length. Idem, hedgehogs (the dancing, not the barking). Lastly, from November to February, we have migratory cranes that fly overhead in the very early morning squarking loudly as they go.
These brownies somewhat compensate for lack of sleep. For me dark chocolate and prunes is a match made in heaven.Hugo and LĂ©o catching up on some sleep
Ingredients (makes about 12):
10 prunes, pitted
55ml Armangnac or rum
1 tin of cooked chickpeas (400g), rinsed and drained
50g almonds
2 tablespoons organic cocoa powder
2 eggs
2 tablespoons agave syrup
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids min.)
20g butter
20g organic virgin coconut oil
Ideally, you should soak the prunes in the alcohol overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Blend the chickpeas well, then add the soaked prunes, cocoa powder, almonds, agave syrup and eggs. Blend a little more until the almonds are roughly chopped and the eggs are beaten.  Slowly melt the chocolate, butter and coconut oil in a saucepan or bain-marie, being careful not to burn. Once melted, add the chocolate mixture to the chickpea mixture and combine well. Spoon into a tin roughly 25 x 25cm (or equivalent). Cook for 25 minutes. -
Spicy roast cauliflower and the Christmas tree standoff
It’s exhausting being me; in the aftermath of Bonegate, I have to mediate another potentially explosive situation. Every year the delicate decision of when to put our Christmas tree up presents itself. On the one hand I have LĂ©o, a ten-year-old boy, extremely talented in the practice of strategically ‘fighting his corner’, and on the other I have Hugo, a four-year-old dog, exceedingly accomplished in the induction of overwhelming guilt. The space the tree occupies is usually dedicated to Hugo’s ‘throne’ and apparently a tastefully decorated tree is not compensation enough for the upheaval and attendant inconvenience of temporary relocation.
So every night until the tree goes up, I have to listen to the interminable list of my son’s friends that already have their tree in place. And once the tree is finally up, I have to deal with a distressed labrador, his head bowed in seriously under- medicated silent reproach, sitting in a chair in an undesirable location.
Neither LĂ©o nor Hugo are big fans of this cauliflower dish. More fool them – it’s delicious!
Ingredients (serves four to six):
1 cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the cauliflower into ‘florets’ and blanche in salted boiling water for five minutes and then drain. Mix the seasoning with the chickpea flour. Toss the drained cauliflower florets in olive oil and then the chickpea flour mixture. Add to a roasting tin with the remaining olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes or until golden.
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Coral lentil potato cakes and a strangely obsequious dog
I never thought I would see the day that one of our animals proved too yielding; I’m used to them giving me a withering ‘WTF is your problem?’ look if ever dare to raise my voice. Even making allowance for his delicate psychological history, Hugo (over-cosseted, ergo neurotic labrador) surprised me yesterday. We had given him a bone which he immediately hid before checking for potential bone-stealing predators. Once satisfied the coast was clear, he returned to retrieve his ‘treasure’ to discover that the black hen had ‘borrowed’ it. Instead of, at very least, snarling dangerously in an attempt to intimidate her into giving it back, he just cocked his head to one side philosophically and sat down to watch her. Whilst I do admit that the sight of a hen chewing on a bone five times the size of her head is a sight to behold, I found myself almost urging him to ‘swing for her’. Of course, he was only doing to a ‘T’ exactly what we had spent weeks teaching him, which is : ‘even if they’re incredibly annoying, we don’t beat up, eat or even intimidate our fellow inmates.’ In the end, his pathetic expression won me over and I took the hen out on his behalf. He and the bone disappeared for the rest of the day.
These delicious patties contain protein in the form of lentils, but obviously no bones. My nerves are in shreds where bones are concerned for the time-being.
Ingredients (makes about eight patties):
120g coral lentils
3 medium-size potatoes
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chickpea flour
Boil and mash the potatoes and cook the lentils according to instructions. Drain the lentils well and mix into the potato mash. Fry the onion, garlic, red pepper and cumin seeds in a small amount of olive oil until soft (about ten minutes). Incorporate into potato and lentil mixture and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Form smallish round patties about 4 cm in diameter, coat them in the chickpea flour and set aside. Coat a largish frying pan with olive oil and a small amount of coconut oil and fry the patties on each side until golden brown, adding more oil if they appear too dry.
Reasons to love lentils:
Not only are they delicious and very versatile, lentils are also an excellent source of fibre and protein. They also contain iron, folate and potassium in high quantites. Lentils are gluten-free and last but not least, have a very low glycemic index…
Beware of the ferocious dog!
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Healthy chocolate brownies and eccentric culinary methods
Nobody makes a French Fry quite like my husband. Despite this, I think it’s best that he stay away from the kitchen for the time-being. It started with an absolutely exhausting explanation for the benefit of his son-in-law on Optimal Methods for Stacking a Dishwasher. In case you’re interested, this entails rinsing everything (thoroughly) first, then stacking from the back forwards according to size and then according to pattern (assuming of course there’s any pattern left following manically frenzied rinsing). The rules of total segregation  and compartmentalisation should be implemented for forks, knives and spoons. I could go on, but you probably get the drift. The final straw though, was when patient son-in-law became witness to his ‘trick’ of how to tell if butter is hot enough to fry. In case you didn’t know, you spit into the frying pan and if it sizzles that’s your green light. Anyway, one man’s green light is another woman’s red light; Mr Healthy Epicurean has been banished from the kitchen for the foreseeable.
These brownies are not only 100% spit-free, they’re healthy and delicious too.
Ingredients
50g butter
50g coconut oil
100g dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids)
60g oatmeal
30g oat bran
Pinch of salt
30g organic dark cocoa
2 tablespoons flax seed
3 tablespoons agave syrup
100g almonds, chopped
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Melt the chocolate, butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan with about 4 tablespoons of water. Once melted, add the other ingredients one by one, stirring all the time. Once you have obtained a homogenous mixture, spoon into a 20cm baking tin and cook for 30 minutes. Cut into squares in the tin and leave to cool.
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Liebster award
Thank you to Live blissful who nominated me for the Liebster Award.
These are the questions she asked me:
- Cookies or Cake? CAKE
- Dogs or Cats? DOGS
- Latte or Frappe? NEITHER: I ONLY LIKE BLACK
- Beach holiday or Sight seeing holiday? SIGHT SEEING
- Fiction or True story? FICTION
- Fantasy film or Action movie? FANTASY
- Chicken, Fish or Tofu? FISH
- Ipad or Laptop? IPAD
- Cooking or Cleaning? COOKING (OF COURSE!)
- Playing sport or Watching sport? PLAYING
- Roasted potato or Fries? ROASTED
Here are 11 facts about myself:
- I am a (typical) Cancerian
- I used to run half marathons
- I’m a natural blonde!
- I have ‘conversations’ with my animals
- I pass out at the sight of blood
- I absolutely hate shopping malls
- I love to gamble
- I’m extremely untidy everywhere except the kitchen
- I passed my driving test first time, but then failed it when I went to live in the USA!
- I have up to five books on the go at a time
- I have always hated milk.
Here are my 11 nominees:
- Eating like a horse
- A pug in the kitchen
- The kitchens garden
- Common cook
- The happiness in health
- Skinny fat
- A lot on your plate
- Chow divine
- Cooking in Sens
- Fit and fortysomething
- Easy natural food
and here are their 11 questions:
- Spring or Fall?
- Sweet or savoury?
- Black coffee or white?
- Snow or sun?
- One word to describe yourself?
- Romantic or comedy film?
- Meat or vegetarian?
- Are you a morning or an evening person?
- How many languages do you speak?
- Which fictional character would you like to be?
- Starter or dessert?
Liebster Award INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add the award icon to your blog!Â
2. Link to your nominator to say thank you
3. Each blogger should post 11 facts about themselves.
4. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you and then create 11 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Choose 11 bloggers with fewer than 200 followers, go to their blog and tell them about the award.
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Toulouse sausages with Puy lentils and exiled hens
Our hens are in exile; they have been forced from their homeland by an overabundance of horses. Four was fine, desirable even; it created a cosy ‘chicken sandwich’ environment. But the newly-arrived pony was the final straw – she’s a Quadruped Lout Too Far and a tiny bit scornful perhaps at the deference required to lay an egg.
So they’ve set up camp on the fourth-floor shelf of the workshop on some torn-up sheets. Not without much shrill, dyspeptic screeching, I might add. I feel a bit bad that all they found for their nest was old sheets and not pashminas, but such is the life of a hen. I only discovered their new hideout because, reaching for an old sheet to clean my saddle, I unwittingly scrambled an egg at my feet. I assume they think that the workshop is horseproof – I’m afraid they’re in for a surprise đ
Puy Green Lentils (grown on the vocanic soil of the ‘Massif Central’) are prized above other lentils for their strong peppery flavor and firmness, even after cooking. High in fiber and protein, they also contain dietary fibre, folate, vitamin B1, and minerals. As if all that isn’t enough, they also have a very low GI (glycemic index).
Ingredients (serves four)
4 Toulouse sausages
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 mushrooms, peeled and sliced
3 medium sized carrots, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
1 tin (400g) of plum tomatoes
200g of Puy lentils
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 bay leaf
250ml chicken stock
seasoning to taste: sea salt, fresh black pepper, paprika
Preheat the oven to 150°C. If you have a griddle pan, griddle the sausages briefly. If not, searing them will do just as well. Gently fry the onions, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil to soften them. Add the griddled/seared sausage, the plum tomatoes and carrots and continue to heat. Add the lentils, chicken stock, herbs and seasoning and bring back to a gentle simmer. Cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, checking from time to time that there is enough liquid – the lentils absorb an enormous amount.
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Chicken curry with mango, carrots and sweet potato
We had a ten-month old labrador bitch to stay for the weekend; a real doll.  My husband, who can never resist a doll, invited her based on the assumption that such chaos would ensue, I would give him a break from my constant whining for another dog (yellow labrador girl puppy, not that I’ve given it any thought or anything :-). Anyway, ha ha! Big miss on his part. There is nothing like the satisfaction of having a sleeping labrador on either side of your feet in the evening. I do admit that the frenzied partying beforehand was slightly more wearing but, all things considered, all this weekend did was make me even more entrenched in my opinion that owning fewer than two dogs should be illegal đ
This was concocted whilst dodging eight furry and frenetic legs in the kitchen. Never let it be said that I’m not a skilled multi-tasker. It is full of beta-carotene, making it an excellent dish for the winter. Beta-carotene enhances the immune system by increasing the number of infection fighting cells. It also helps protect the respiratory tract. Foods rich in beta-carotene include sweet potatoes, carrots, mango, apricots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens, cilantro and fresh thyme.
Ingredients (serves four)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 chicken thighs
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6 mushrooms, peeled and sliced
1 mango, peeled and sliced
4 carrots, peeled and cut
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tablespoon of peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground  black pepper
200ml chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Take a medium-size casserole dish and fry the onion, garlic, mushrooms and chicken in the olive and coconut oils for a few minutes, until they start to brown. Add the seasoning (cumin seeds, salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, cinamon stick…) and continue to brown stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Add the carrots, sweet potato, mango and chillies and then the chicken stock. Bring to a gentle simmer, stir and put the casserole in the oven for about two hours, checking from time-to-time that there is enough liquid. The result should be tender and just beginning to caramelise. -
Gluten-free crumble topping and luxury for horses
I’m a big fan of pashminas (yes I know, they’re so last decade darling but see if I care) and have always thought they must be one of the most versatile, luxurious garments ever invented. I now have further reason for thinking this; out walking Hugo (the bi-polar canine), I spotted a familiar equine shape in the distance; Texas, my husband’s retired racehorse. We are pretty relaxed about freeing him to graze in the grounds during the day, based on two assumptions: 1) being 30 (positively ancient in horse years), he won’t stray too far and 2) he sometimes needs a bit of ‘downtime’ from the others’ hijinks. Apparently our first assumption is wrong as he was about a kilometre from home. Anyway, off came my pale pink pashmina, which I used first as a lasso and then as a halter and leading rein. You don’t get much more versatile than that. It did the trick and then some; he usually shakes his head in irritation and fusses when being led with a halter but you could see the bliss in his eyes when I slipped the soft cashmere around his neck and he followed me home like a lamb.
Crumble topping is also extremely versatile, although I don’t think you could use it to lead a horse home. It can however be used sweet on fruit crumble or savoury on vegetable or meat dishes. In this case I used the topping for a fruit crumble of pineapple, banana and pear that had been poached in rum and a tablespoon of yacon syrup.
Ingredients
