I’m left-handed and it’s the left wrist that is broken so I’m very debilitated BUT where there’s a will, there’s a way. My voice dictation is now set up and, when I’m well enough, I will post any tips I can come up with for others who are also one-handed cooking at the moment. Judging by the queues in our orthopaedics department, there are lots of us…

You can’t beat chicken soup when you’re ill. Here’s my very first Snap Guide recipe for good old healing Chicken Soup

Check out How to Make One-Handed Chicken Soup by Susan Kelly on Snapguide.

Today, the fabulous people at Crunch Accounting (this is not a sponsored link – just sharing the teacup love) delivered my very own Crunch mug and some pens to boot. Santa did indeed come early this year – and who knew he had a part time accounting job? We’re all having to diversify these days. 

So now, it’s time for tea – but which to have….hmmmm –  Mint?

I decided to keep it simple. All five persimmons, an overripe banana, water and ice went straight into the Blendec for the super smoothie treatment. The result was a real sweet treat – like a banana vanilla drinkable dessert but very fresh and light too – yum.

So good that I might just have to go out and get some more persimmons…

Posted with Blogsy

Well, I’m not a baker myself but I’m gripped by this programme like the rest of the nation. In fact, it’s the only programme we regularly watch at the moment. The person who’s food I MOST want to taste is definitely James’. It’s not just the chilli-sugar topped macaroons (though ‘yes please’ to those). I think for me it’s that James’ cooking seems so led from the heart – he looks like he’s enjoying every minute of life…and what’s not to like about a choux pastry bicycle?

Only another week to go ’til it’s settled. So who’s got your vote – and why?

How to make perfect coleslaw

I have my own favourite ingredients for home made coleslaw and really like to add colour and texture to take it completely away from memories of those pale vinegary tubs from the supermarket.  Texture is so important. This is especially true if you have poor appetite or have an impaired sense of smell and taste – a bit of crunch and colour goes a long way to making food more interesting.

I like to use lots of pumpkin seeds and a scattering of sultanas depending on what I’m serving it with. I almost always use the food processor for chopping as it’s SO quick and can make coleslaw a regular treat rather than something to do only at weekends.  I think my food processor must be different to Felicity’s as I still get plenty of texture with mine. I often make a quick dressing from half yoghurt, half organic mayo (as decent a brand as you can afford) to add a bit of extra tang and reduce the mayo content. And onion? I’m with Valentine Warner on this one- red onion every time.

So how do you make yours?

Here’s the easiest way I know to roast beets.

Roasting beetroot

1. Set your oven to around 220 degrees
2. Scrub beetroot and slice the stems down to about 1cm (if the stems are still attached)
3. Put in a lidded dish with a couple of cm of water in the bottom
4. Roast for between 40 and 60 minutes dependent on the size of the beetroot – test if cooked by inserting a thin knife or skewer
5. Let cool then cut away the stems and slip off the skins

Eat and enjoy – and don’t forget to let your eyes feast on these before they even touch your mouth. The colours are amazing.

Recipe Tip: I often use the red cooking water to cook rice – gives it a lovely pinkish hue.

So what’s your favourite beetroot recipe or tip? Share them below – especially if you have one on how to get the stains off your hands…

Then as I grew up somehow this disappeared from my life. I became more and more disconnected from where food came from. The idea of buying something which wasn’t pristinely wrapped in plastic and uniformly shaped became increasingly alien and I spent more and more time in the supermarket and less and less time outdoors. Advertising, media and culture combined to somehow make me think that outdoor food was ‘dirty’. It never occurred to me that plastic wrapped food could be just as ‘dirty’ underneath its plastic jacket.

Now I try to eat food that has the least tampering possible. I’d rather wash food myself while listening to a good podcast  than spend twice as much on ‘pre-washed’. It isn’t that hard. And those muddy old carrots in my organic box? Well believe me they stay a lot fresher than those bendy carrot sticks you can buy in the supermarket. And picking berries on a sunny day while out walking with the dog?  Well that’s a no brainer.

It took a head injury to get me to think much more carefully about what I put in my body. That and my nutrition degree have transformed the way I think about food. It’s not just that though, I also have a passion for the environment and for people ….for me good food is intrinsically linked to caring for the planet and those who live on it.

Why wouldn’t we work towards a lifestyle where we can capture that little bit of that primeval joy of growing or picking food for ourselves? It doesn’t have to be The Good Life or fix every problem in this complex world – it can just be a walk in the sun with a colander and a smile.

Heaven.

So it’s time to do some food planning….have a good weekend everyone. 

For those of you in the UK: ‘cilantro’ is the US name for coriander. I’ve not seen the ‘Old Bay’ seasoning around the UK myself – try using a creole spice mix which is very similar. I know Barts do one so you should be able to pick one up in the supermarket. I will be out hunting for one later myself.

Go see the recipe…and come tell me about it when you’ve cooked it

Crab Cake with Papaya Mango Soup