Watermelon Popsicles

Today, I woke up in sunshine. London is simply at its best when the sun shines. Unfortunately, that isn’t often enough. After living in this city for 7 years, I understand why the English are famous for talking about the weather. It’s so sporadic, you never know what you’re going to get. So, I now find myself discussing the weather, a lot! 

However, when you wake up to sunshine on a Bank Holiday Saturday, like magic, the city comes alive. Everyone is friendly and smiling, no small feat for the English. It’s time to embrace this precious gift. BBQ’s at the ready. Brilliant.

So, I’ve bought a lovely watermelon and wanted to try sorbet. This was inspired by a Pinterest image I saw a few weeks ago.  I’ve tried this before and it just failed in every aspect. The Popsicles stuck in their molds, I don’t have an ice cream machine so they didn’t have a creamy consistency and basically, the sorbet turned into cold fruit soup. Not ideal. So, here is my second attempt. 

Watermelon Popsicles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/2 to honey (or to taste)

8 cups scooped fresh watermelon (or whole watermelon)

1/3 cup lime juice

Grownup’s Optional: Instead of the cup of water, try ½ cup vodka.

Method:

• In a food processor or blender, mix together watermelon, honey, water and lime juice. Blend until smooth. 
• Use an ice cream scoop to fill the molds. Pop into the freezer immediately. Leave for at least 4 hours.
• To get the Popsicles out of their molds, run under warm water for a few minutes and then gently pull. 

Serve immediately.

Hope its Sunny where ever you are.

Health Benefits of Red Wine

Red wine seems to be a funny grey area in the world of health foodies. Some say it’s okay and prescribe to the health benefits, while others swear you should never touch the stuff. I side with the former. I love red wine. The Pie loving Husband and I tied the knot on a wine farm and part of our honeymoon was spent wine tasting in New Zealand. I love wine that much. My friends all laugh a little louder at my jokes after a glass and I defiantly find them more fun. It’s a wonderful way to unwind at the end of a long week and there is nothing better then sharing a bottle with friends.

 

In an attempt to lay to rest any doubt to red wine benefits, I did a little research and this is what I found out:

Protecting Your Heart

From Beaujolais Nouveau to Shiraz and cabernets, reds are the wines of choice when it comes to keeping your heart healthy, and, when consumed in moderation. The alcohol and antioxidants, in red wine, help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protect against artery damage.

When consumed in moderation, antioxidants like flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol have heart-healthy benefits. Additionally, reds contain the antioxidant polyphenols that help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. ‘The antioxidants in red wine can help keep blood vessels flexible and reduce the risk of unwanted clotting, says John Folts, PhD, a professor of cardiovascular medicine and nutrition at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.’ As a result, a glass of wine not only helps alleviate tension, but it boosts your health as well. (A)

Lower Your Cholesterol

According to a study from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain (A), high-fiber Tempranillo red grapes that are used to make certain red wines, like Rioja, may significantly affect cholesterol levels. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad cholesterol that gets deposited in the arterial walls and form plaque, which causes arteries to stiffen and blood pressure to increase leading to heart attacks. (A)

The Power of Resveratrol: Regulating Blood Sugar Levels and Keeps You Sharp

The skin of red grapes used to manufacture red wine provides a rich source of the natural compound resveratrol, which may actually help regulate blood sugar. Many researchers suspect that resveratrol may help stimulate insulin secretion or activate a protein that helps regulate glucose and insulin sensitivity. In addition, researchers theorize that resveratrol is crucial to keeping your memory sharp and intake as the compound has been shown to restrict the formation of beta-amyloid protein, an essential ingredient in the plaque found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's Disease. (B)

Guard Against Illnesses

We all hate getting sick and will try almost anything to avoid colds. The antioxidants in red wine help keep you healthy. A 2010 study published by the American Journal of Epidemiology found that among 4,000 faculty members at five Spanish universities, those who drank more than 14 weekly glasses of wine for a year were 40% less likely to come down with a common cold. According to the National Institutes of Health, antioxidants are believed to fight infection and protect cells against the effects of free radicals, which may play role in cancer and other diseases. (C)

And there are more benefits, so many more. So Cheers and stock up on a bottle or two or three from Marks and Spencer. 

Sources:

(A) '8 Reasons To Love Red Wine,' by Stephanie Castillo. Prevention.com October 2012

(B) 'Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?' Mayoclinic.com

(C) 'How a glass or two of wine can help beat those colds,' by Jenny Hope. Daily Mail

A “Healthier” Carrot Cake

There is a  ‘Sugar Monster’ living inside me that I fight every day. Basically, my sweet tooth could quite happily munch on éclairs and fudge brownies from dusk to dawn.  For the full-fledge dessert addicts like me, I have ‘sugar free’ carrot cake that you wont believe. 

I have made this cake a couple of times to workout the kinks and would suggest using very ripe bananas, but this with a cup of tea in the afternoon is guilt free goodness. It’s yummy and you should give it a go.

 

A “Healthier” Carrot Cake

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1-2 bananas

10-15 fresh dates (without seeds)

½ cup coconut oil

1 cup whole wheat flour
 or gluten free alternative 

½ tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

6 cardamom pod, deseed and crush.

2 cups, grated carrot

½ cup coconut flakes

½ cup walnuts (roughly chopped)

½ cup raisins

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. 

• Briskly whisk the eggs in a medium sized bowl. This helps give the cake some extra fluffiness.

• Use a food processor to blend bananas, dates and oil into a thick cream in another bowl. 

• Crush the cardamom pods and grind the seeds as finely as you can manage. 

• Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom and stir it together with the eggs and the banana-cream. 

• Then add grated carrots, coconut flakes, walnuts and raisins and stir it until it all comes together.

• Pour it into a greased cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes. Let it cool and munch.

If you're missing the Cream-cheese frosting, why not try blending:

• 200g cream cheese

• 3 tbsp honey or nectar

• 1/2 lime juice. 

Tea, cake, awwww.

Side note: My only critique of this recipe is that it goes stale quickly. So, I suggest serving it as soon as it cools. 

Piña Colada Overnight Oats

Who isn’t in a rush? Especially in the morning, when that extra ten minutes of snooze seems more enticing than almost anything in your life. I think this lack of time is the excuse most use to justify their poor diets.  Overnight oats are a great, simple way to ensure you can rush out the door with something tasty in hand that will keep you going till lunch. 

Overnight Oats can be made with any fruit you have in your fruit bowl and it is a nice way to jazz up what can seem to be repetitive breakfast. I like mine with frozen berries that thaw and infuse with the oats over night or this little ray of sunshine, a Piña Colada inspired breakfast, so sweet it could be dessert, but rather a decadent healthy way to start the day. 

Piña Colada Overnight Oats:

serves 1

Prep time: 5 min

Ingredients:

½ cup organic oats

½ cup organic plain yogurt or almond milk

¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp chia seed

1 ripe banana

Pineapple chunks

Method:

1. The night before, gently stir oats, yogurt, coconut, banana, and chia seeds together until everything is nicely coated. 

2. In the morning, toss in a few pineapple chunks, add an extra dollop of yogurt, and enjoy. 

Better than pain au chocolate, no?

Homemade Sushi! Oh yes, you can.

I am lucky to be surrounded by other foodies who love cooking as much as I do. This makes for very yummy weekends and we seem to push each other to become better cooks, constantly trying new things.

One such friend is my very talented cook and hostess, Vera. The girl can throw a dinner party like no one I know. We always know we're in for a treat when invited to hers. A few weeks ago, she served perfectly formed sushi rolls as an appetizer with seriously strong margarita to a load of smiling faces. Afterwards, I begged her to do a tutorial on how to get the perfect sushi rice (the hardest part) at home and below you will find just that:

Whether the cheap weekday lunch or crazy blowout of epic proportion with friends, I love sushi! There is so much to admire about the artistic, colorful, yummy bite-sized pieces. The textures of the crunchy cucumbers and creamy avocados mixing with the flavours simply bursting from the fresh fish, seaweed and rice dunked in salty soy, eaten with ginger and finally that wasabi burn in the sinuses - it is a true culinary experience!

If you are as fanatically in love with sushi like I am, making it yourself is probably seems scary, but the truth is that with a little time and patience you can master the art of sushi making. It could be easy to get overwhelmed by the different types of rolls you can make, but first and most importantly you must master The Sushi Rice. I grew up in Thailand so am a bit obsessed with getting any rice I make absolutely perfect. Here are my 7 steps to PERFECT sushi rice!

1. Buy the sushi rice - just get one labelled “sushi rice” and you will be safe!
2. Measure 130grams rice per person. The rice will pretty much double and to make perfect-textured, moist rice you will want for your pot to reach approx half-filled once cooked. Ideally use a glass topped pan so you can watch it and you don’t have to remove the lid until the rice is finished.
3. Prepare by rinsing the sushi rice in cold water till the water runs clear then soak for approx 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the water the rice was soaked in, rinse again making sure it is completely clear then drain.
4. Cook rice by measuring 130mil of cold water per 130g dry rice. Turn up the hob to high heat and let the rice really boil out for 10minutes. Turn the heat down to real low and let it cook for another 5minutes. Once you can’t see water any more and the rice looks just about clear all the way through turn off the heat completely and leave it for about 5-10minutes (lid on).
5. While the rice finishes make the vinegar mix: Rule of the thumb is that for every 100mil rice vinegar, you need 3 tablespoons of white caster sugar and 1.5tsp of salt. You will use approx 30-50mil for each portion of rice that you make. Warm it up a tiny bit till ingredients are just dissolved and adjust the flavour by tasting it adding sugar if it is too vinegary, salt if not enough flavour (it shouldn’t be salty as you’ll be eating it with lots of soy later) and a tiny bit more vinegar if it just doesn’t seem quite right. 
6. Stir the rice a bit and taste to make sure it is done. If it needs a bit longer put the lid back on till you are happy with it. Transfer the rice into a wooden salad bowl and stir gently with a flipping motion next to an open window for 10mins to cool it down quickly. 
7. Mix the rice with the vinegar using a gentle flipping motion adding until the taste is right and texture slightly sticky. Cover with a damp cloth until it reaches room temperature. You are then ready to start rolling. 

Thanks so much for walking us through that Vera! I'm still going to try and get brown rice and agave to make perfect 'sushi sticky', but promise to get you over to critique.