Super simple prawn stir-fry

Tags

bok choi, chillies, chinese, dinner, recipe, sesame oil, soy sauce, stir fry

Sometimes it’s a real effort to make anything from scratch – particularly after a long day at work. Check out this quick and easy stir fry that takes minimum effort but gives maximum taste, and is perfect for a midweek dinner. And I love sesame oil…

What you’ll need…

(serves 2)

180g cooked king prawns

1 bok choi cabbage, chopped

2 portobello mushrooms, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 red chilli, chopped

300g straight to wok noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Black pepper

How to make it…

1. First fry the garlic in the sesame oil for a minute or so, then add the chilli and fry for another minute.

2. Throw the mushrooms and bok choi into the pan and stir fry for another few minutes until they soften.

3. Next, add the prawns and stir for around 30 seconds until they are warm through.

4. Then add the noodles and mix together for a further two minutes.

5. Finally, add the soy sauce and stir in, then serve with a grind of black pepper.

The garlic is a great immune booster, while chilli will help clear out any sniffles, and in small doses prawns are excellent sources of vitamin B12, zinc, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids.

In other news, I am going to “A Curious Evening of Chocolate and Beer with Edward & Irwyn and Innis & Gunn” very soon and I can’t bloomin’ wait!

Beer AND chocolate, I think I am about to reach my nirvana…

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The “Help me with my vegetables!” Competition

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Chili pepper, chillies, competition, courgette, food, fruit, grow your own, peppers, Plant, Seedling, Tesco, tomato, tomatoes, Vegetable, Watercress, Zucchini

Remember when you were a kid and you got to grow watercress for school then eat it? I loved it. And the idea of growing my own veg at home never quite left me, so I was pretty chuffed to find grow-your-own kits in Tesco for a bargainous (reduced) price of 24p for tomatoes and £1.28 for a box with chillies, courgettes and peppers.

Eagerly I sowed the seeds, patted down, watered and set by the window. I kept my fingers crossed – they were, after all, reduced because they were past the optimum time for planting. Still, ever the enthusiast I kept a watchful eye over them and until one day…seedlings appeared!

The first seedlings to pop up were the tomatoes – easily identifiable in their own individual pot.

The second seedlings to pop up were the…well it would seem my excitement has gotten the better of me.

I planted the chillies, peppers and courgettes without leaving a marker for which was where. Problem. As far as I’ve read, each needs to be tended to differently. Could I possibly have failed on my first attempt? Faithful blog readers, I need YOU!

“Help me!” said the unidentified seedlings.

Competition time

Time to show off your vegetable growing know how. All you have to do is tell me which vegetable these seedlings will grow into – for the first person to tell me the correct answer will win the GRAND PRIZE.

The GRAND PRIZE

I shall personally and lovingly post the first fully grown vegetable to you. Have you ever received a courgette in the post? Well, now’s your chance!

Leave a comment below and both I and my ill-fated vegetable plants will love you forever and ever and ever.

Tasty lunch idea – Avocado on Sourdough Bread

Tags

Avocado, Basil, Black pepper, Cherry tomato, healthy eating, Lime (fruit), lunch, Olive oil, Sourdough, tomato, vegan, vegetarian

Whip up this tasty lunch in minutes – not just a treat for the taste buds but great for your health too.

I love the freshness of the basil and tomatoes, combined with the creamy avocado and crunch of the warm sourdough bread.

Avocados boast 35% more potassium than your average banana and are also rich in vitamins E, K and B, so get stuck in!

What you’ll need:

1 avocado

5 cherry tomatoes, halved

Fresh basil leaves

2 slices of sourdough bread, toasted

A squeeze of lime

Olive oil

Black pepper

Simply mash the avocado roughly then mix with the tomatoes and basil, and squeeze in some lime juice. Then drizzle olive oil over the freshly toasted sourdough and spread the mixture on thickly. Season with black pepper and enjoy every tasty mouthful.

Fancy it?

Yummy soup at I Heart Cafe

Tags

beer, cafe, edinburgh, i heart cafe, leith, lunch, soup, tomato

Just discovered this little gem of a cafe on Elm Row when meeting a friend for an after work cuppa. Lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and tasty, freshly cooked grub!

Only after I had ordered the cream of tomato and vegetable soup did I spot the authentic looking tortilla – Spanish omelette – only my favourite food from the year I lived in Spain! (Well, that and churros con chocolate…)

The drinks list looked good, with some of my favourites like Innis and Gunn and William Bros Midnight Sun on offer. The breakfast and brunch menu looked scrummy too.

The best thing is this cosy place is open until 8pm, giving us Leith dwellers a good alternative to the pub after work.

I heart cafe, I’ll be back…

Immune boosting soup

Tags

cabbage, garlic, health, immune system, nutrition, onion, seasonal food, soup, spring greens

Sometimes your immune system needs a little boost. A nice, comforting soup can warm your cockles whilst also support your immune system if you’re feeling a tad run down.

Cabbage and spring greens are in season right now and make a great base for a hearty, healthy soup. Add garlic and onion – both renowned for their immune boosting properties – a courgette or two, plus stock cube and seasoning for flavour.
While the soup bubbles away, sip on a warming ginger tea made with fresh grated ginger, for an added boost. Ginger tea is also a great way to settle an unhappy tummy (yeah so, I was at a wedding at the weekend…).
Chase away the sniffles without the calories, and don’t forget to listen to some Aretha Franklin as you cook – undoubtedly the best soup making music 🙂

Tasty adventures in Portugal: A trip to the market

Tags

food, foodie, healthy, market, mercado do bolhao, oranges, portugal, sardines, travel

During our stay in the northern city of Porto we visited the colourful daily market – Mercado do Bolhão. It’s a glorious place to explore and a great way to get a taste of local life.

The market was pretty quiet when we visited in the afternoon, but I imagine mornings are the busiest time when the produce is at its freshest. Mercado do Bolhão was everything you might picture a Portuguese market to be – from glistening sardines to bountiful displays of fruit and veg, stalls bursting with colourful flowers to traditional handmade ‘azulejos’ (those ceramic tiles you see practically everywhere in Portugal).

We treated ourselves to some enormous green olives which we munched away on whilst exploring the stalls, and couldn’t resist buying some juicy oranges for the train ride back to Lisbon.

It’s no surprise that the med is so famous for its healthy diet and long life expectancy – the food on offer here was nothing but nutritious and bursting with goodness. Next time I go to Portugal I’m going self-catering so I get the chance to cook some of that delicious looking fish for my dinner.

The boyfriend even managed to get himself a lucky Portuguese cock, bought from a tiny, gentle Portuguese lady who made up for her lack in height with boundless enthusiasm for her collection of cocks.

Unfortunately Portuguese cocks don’t travel well, but lucky for Rob I’m a dab hand with the superglue…