Here’s an interesting one. As a parent, or in my case an about-to-be parent, you now have the pressure-filled task of coming up with a name for your child that he or she will have for eeeeever unless of course you screw it up so bad they change it. So actually the only pressure is to name them for the first 18 years, which isn’t too bad then. Now, you can go a few ways on this. You can go with the name that’s been passed down from generation to generation, i.e. your Dad’s name or even your grandfather’s name, or another way to go with that same school of thought is to name your son after yourself. Like if we were to have a boy…Gavan junior or in the hip hop community he’d simply be called lil’ G. This whole ‘junior’ thing reminds me of The Sopranos. I think we’d be obliged to move to the Jersey shore if Gav junior is the way we go.

Now for a girl it’s not quite the same. I’ve never seen a Mary junior or lil’ Betty for that matter. I have heard of lil’ Kim though. Although in Ireland, especially back in my parents time, sons and daughters were called after their parents. In my Dad’s case Joe after his Dad and his sister, my Aunt, is called after her Mum Peg so she became known as Pegeen. The ‘een’ part means ‘little’ in Gaelic so she was little Peg. She is still to this day called Pegeen so go figure. That ‘een’ part isn’t really used any more since all the Brittney’s and Beyonce’s started popping up everywhere although maybe in 5 years we’ll start to see some Brittneens around the place.

Side note: My granny (Dad’s Mum) wanted to call my Dad Fersey and his sister Attracta. Needless to say that didn’t happen, thank God. I might have ended up Fersey junior! Doesn’t bear thinking about.

OK, so back to the naming process. Apart from the family route you can always go with favorite film stars, pop stars, planets, fruit, furniture outlets…how ’bout Ikea Murphy? Let’s throw it in the mix, why not?  Of course don’t forget the plethora of baby naming books out there. That’s also an option. Knowing all of his you’d think we’d be further along but alas we’re not. At least we still have some time to play around with it so hopefully we’ll get some divine inspiration or at the very least I’ll see a new exotic fruit in the store and just go with that.

Any suggestions? Oh by the way, IT’S A BOY!!

Cheers!

Read my previous baby Murphy post here.

Things are moving and shaking in baby land at the minute which is fantastic. It’s really exciting as there’s been a little movement within herself…literally. He’s mastering the breast stroke by the looks of it and doing pretty well. There’s always something new happening around here and let’s face it everything is going to be new from now on. We’re at the stage now where we’re deciding on all sorts of stuff like how the nursery will look, colors, patterns, fabrics, where to put the crib, oh wait what kind of crib, what color will that be? Holy shit. My head is wrecked and the little fella hasn’t even made an appearance yet. But listen if I’m learning anything right now about not only all this but myself as well is that I need more patience.

Now for those of you who don’t know anything about me I have what my missus may agree is a very very slight almost non-existent and to me hardly even noticeable but probably worth a minor mention so I can help others who suffer from this gift….an issue with my attention span. To be fair it’s nothing really but well when it comes to the aforementioned nursery project design I tune the fuck out. I genuinely want to know what’s going on (you can put that down to my control issues, which I’ll admit are alive and well thanks to the 6 years I spent in boarding school) but really just a couple of key sentences will do so I can give my two cents, which I’ve been known to do and let’s leave it there. But I suppose I can’t really say anything after all’s done and dusted if I don’t have any input now. However, the more info you give me now the more I’m forgetting. Fact! It’s not entirely my fault, I think it’s a chemical thing in males and if I just made that up well I’m sticking to it.

We’ve also entered the baby naming phase not to mention the baby shower conversations. They’re both for another day.

Cheers.

Read my previous post about baba Murphy here.

When people ask me how to know what’s in season I always tell them the best way to know for sure is to go to your local farmers market and see what the farmers are selling. Eating seasonally for me means eating what’s in season in my region.

Here’s a general over view of what’s in season Stateside this month:

Broccoli, Beets, Bok Choy, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Collards, Fennel, Kale, Kohlrabi, Parsnips, Rutabega, Spinach, Sweet potatoes, Mushrooms, Tangerines, Oranges, Grapefruit

If you’re in Ireland this is what you have to play around with:

Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Spinach, Swedes, Turnips

There you have it. As you’ll see I linked up some of my recipes just to give you some ideas on how to cook these lovelies.

Would love to hear your fave recipe using any of these veggies.

Cheers.

Are you ready for some football?! I’m ready for the food but you know me, I won’t just eat crappy food just ‘cuz it’s “super bowl.” Nope, instead I’ve got a plan. I’m making fresh root veg chips and guac, homemade lavash pizza and these super bowl stuffed spuds. If I’m going to carb-load at least I know at the same time I can add lots of veg to my homemade recipes plus I know my food is healthier than Pizza Hut or Doritos.

You can get really creative with baked potatoes filling them with all kinds of healthy alternatives without breaking the bank or spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Plus bakers look like little footballs don’t they? Here’s what I did:

RECIPE:
Serves 3-4

3-4 bakers, pref organic
1 whole roasted organic chicken
1 lg. red onion – peeled, thinly sliced
1 lg. red pepper – thinly sliced
2 cups chopped leeks – washed, drained
2 cloves garlic – minced
2 cups broccoli florets
green onion for garnish
1 tsp tamari
olive oil
S&P

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Wrap the potatoes in foil and pop in oven for 45 minutes to cook.

To make the filling saute the onions, peppers, leeks and garlic for 20 minutes on medium heat in 2 tbsp olive oil until tender. Add the broccoli with 3 minutes to go (so the broccoli is tender not soggy) and saute all veg together. I just picked up a roast chicken and shredded the meat into the sauteed mixture after cooking. Drizzle in 1 tbsp tamari to add some flavor. Taste and season.

As you’ll see in the photo I made one spud without the chicken to keep my veggie missus happy and another with just plain non-fat Greek yogurt and cheddar finished with a smidge of green onion. What you could do is set up a baked potato bar with all the fixins (as herself would say) so everyone at your Super Bowl party can make their own. Now everyone’s happy….unless their team loses!

See more healthy super bowl recipes here.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Superbowl Sunday’s coming up so a day of copious amounts of food and drink is probably on the cards. I’d imagine the last place you want to be during the game is actually in the kitchen cooking so here’s your meal ticket. You can’t beat the one pot meal. This’ll definitely do the trick.

If you still need a few ideas of what to cook here you go.

RECIPE:
Makes 4 bowls-ish

1 lg. red pepper – halved, seeds removed, large dice
1 white onion – diced
2 lg or 3 medium sweet potatoes – large dice
3 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 x 15 oz cans hominy – drained & rinsed
2 quarts (8 cups) vegetable broth
3 tbsp olive oil
S&P

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat large soup pot on medium heat. Drizzle olive oil. Add peppers, onions, garlic and saute for 5 minutes, stirring. Sprinkle in a tsp salt. Add spices and potatoes. Combine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

NOTE: You want to cook the spices a little before adding the broth to intensify their flavor.

Add broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Partially cover with lid. Cook for 20 minutes. Add hominy and continue to simmer for another 30 mins.
Taste and season as necessary.

Garnish with avocado, fat-free Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, even fresh lime zest would be awesome.

Happy days!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.

First off I want to say thanks to everyone for their kind words and good wishes on our soon-to-be lil’ Murphy baby. It’s always nice to feel the warmth and good spirits from you guys. Right enough of that soppy stuff.

We’re half way through the pregnancy (of course I say ‘we’ like I have any involvement in this part of it but you know what I mean) and I have to say things are going great. Christy’s eating well, exercising 4 to 5 times a week and, well this next part is where I come in, eating really well. If I can contribute anything at this stage of the game it’s got to be on the food front. I’m finding out this is tricky though. Her cravings have been pretty ok, nothing too off the charts. Pickles, which I love too so bonus, buckets of milk, some cheese (clearly the body’s craving calcium) and that’s about it. Listen we’ve always eaten pretty well; lots of veggies, whole grains, salads but for herself one thing is proving to be a struggle….protein.

Now, she being a vegetarian it’s a little trickier. For those of you wondering, I’m good on the protein front but thanks for asking. She’s supposed to have around 60 grams a day which doesn’t seem like a huge amount but when you don’t eat meat and her taste buds are not liking a lot of fish it’s a little tougher to get what she needs. We’ve tried whey protein shakes but those aren’t going down well either. Luckily enough eggs are ok but considering there’s only 6 grams of protein in an egg I can’t go over board. Greek yogurt, tofu, cottage cheese, peanut butter and almonds are staples in our kitchen but I understand there’s a burnout point. I wonder, if it’s tough for vegetarians what do vegans eat? Beans, legumes, processed soy fake meat?…I’m not sure what to do for this one.

Any suggestions?

Cheers.

Read my previous post about baba Murphy here.

Hey guys,

I came across this article during my early morning perusal of the social media mecca, Facebook. I can’t remember where I got it from but I figured I’d pass it along. I think one of the hardest things for people to grasp when buying food is trying to figure out what the hell the label actually means. I try to explain to people that all the info on a label is for 1 serving and not for the entire box, container, jar or whatever. Apart from just understanding the label there’s so much more ambiguous info out there. This guide here will definitely clarify and simplify a few terms you’ve probably heard of but don’t know what they mean. Now you do.

Source: Reusable bags

Being Irish we have many classic dishes that are exclusive to my homeland. Beef & Guinness stew, bacon & cabbage, soda bread…I could go on. Every nation and region, for that matter have food that’s indigenous to that area. The other night I thought I’d surprise my good lady with something, a bite to eat that I knew she’d appreciate (and get me some well needed brownie points). This is a southern classic as I found out on my trip to Savannah a few months back except usually made with grits. I put my twist on it by making it a little healthier but kept the essence of the dish I think. I also served it with some roasted Brussels Sprouts which are one of my favorites but as you’ll see I ate them before I got the photo. Ah well!

What’s the difference between grits and polenta you ask? I wondered the same thing and found an excellent definition here.

RECIPE:
Serves 2

1 lb wild shrimp – 16/20s P&D (peeled and deveined)
squeeze lemon juice

1/2 cup dry polenta (cornmeal)
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lemon – zested
1 tbsp fresh rosemary – finely chopped
2 tbsp non-fat Greek yogurt
S&P
olive oil spray

DIRECTIONS:

Bring the water to a boil, add salt. Once boiling reduce heat to simmer and whisk in polenta. Keep stirring occasionally until polenta thickens, 6-7 minutes approx. Meanwhile preheat grill pan on high heat. Coat pan with oil spray. Season shrimp with S&P on both sides and cook for 3-4 minutes each side. You’ll know they’re done when they turn pink and are firm to the touch. Once cooked squeeze lemon juice over. To finish polenta stir in rosemary, zest and yogurt. Taste and season with S&P.

A little taste of the south from an adopted Southerner.

Enjoy!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Sick of the same ol’ usual grilled or roast salmon? No worries this is a brilliant and simple way to infuse some dynamite flavor into your fish as well as create something new and exciting. I promise you won’t have tasted anything as delicious and moist as this. Don’t freak out by all the oil. If you don’t drink it you’ll be good. Make sure you eat those tomatoes as well. They’ll blow you away. Enjoy!

RECIPE:
Serves 2

2 x 6 oz wild salmon portions
handful fresh thyme
1 shallot – peeled, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic – sliced
1 tomato – 1/2′ slices
1/2 lemon – zested
2 x lemon slices, halved
olive oil
S&P

NOTE: Use an oven proof dish that is small enough to poach the salmon.

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven 260°F.

Lay the thyme followed by the tomato slices on the bottom of the dish then sprinkle the shallot, garlic and zest on top. Add some cracked black pepper and a pinch salt.

Lay the salmon filets on top and pour enough olive oil to cover. Lay some lemon slices on top on each filet. Cover dish with foil.

Place dish on an oven tray and pop salmon in oven for 45 minutes. Once cooked let the salmon sit in the oil for a few minutes to cool slightly. The longer it sits in there the more flavor will be infused.

NOTE: You could do this ahead of time and serve the salmon as a salad. Delightful!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Hey guys,

I know it’s mid Jan but I think you can still make your new years resolution, can you? Either way I guess I can do whatever I want. I don’t usually get into all this resolution malarky but I was talking with my missus and she has a big list of things she wants to do/change/improve on this year. If you don’t make any resolutions does that mean you think you’re perfect, have no need for improvement or does it just mean you could give a shit about all that stuff?

This year is a little different. As much as I’d love it to continue to be all about me those days are now nearing an end. What does that mean? Well when you can’t just focus on yourself I guess it means you need to start considering someone else. Yes I know I’m married, so of course it hasn’t quite been all about me since Christy and I got together, but it’s still pretty easy when it’s just the two of you. Now you’ve probably already guessed it but we’re about to become three. No, I’m not talking about adopting Christy’s cat…..we’re having a baby, a real baby!! Phew, I said it. It’s crazy when you say it out load ’cause I still feel like a 16 year old trapped it a 41 year old’s body. I guess it’s time I growed up.

We’re almost half way through and so far it’s been pretty easy sailing (says the guy who isn’t the one who’s actually preggers). Well from my perspective we’re doing great. I’ll be honest I was hesitant about talking about this on the site. I’m a fairly private person and deciding to share this wasn’t easy but when Christy kept suggesting I should talk about it I finally gave in and said ok. See what happens when your missus is pregnant?–you can’t argue. I get “You’re stressing the baby out“. I say “He’s an Irish baby, he’s probably not even paying attention“.

I just said he, we don’t actually know yet.

So I guess my new years resolution…..learn how to change diapers.

So there you have it. What a start to the new year, the year of the dragon! It’s unbelievable. I’m going to be a Dad.

Let the games begin.

Hey guys,

As most of you know myself and herself went back to the homeland for Christmas which was great. It’s not always easy to get back to see my family but when we do it’s always fun. Lots of cooking, eating, drinking, eating and a little eating on the side. My folks actually commented on how much I eat, which I don’t think is over the top but I guess seven times a day could seem a little much. What can I tell you?I love food, which is lucky for me since I also love to cook.

Whenever I travel I like to try and eat in a few restaurants just to see what people are doing. For this past New Years Eve we went to the little fishing town of Dingle on the west coast with my sister and her boyfriend. This is actually where I had my first cooking job when I finished Ballymaloe so I know it well but it was my first time partaking in the NYE craic, which is supposed to be off the hook (as the kids say). Now eating in Ireland can be tricky if you’re a vegetarian like my missus but throwing a vegan, my sis, into the mix? Well that’s just frowned upon. Fortunately my sister organized the restaurant so she could make sure she got something to eat that wasn’t just carrots and potatoes. We went to The Chart House, which according to the owner was celebrating their twelfth New Years. That in itself is pretty good for a restaurant!

Photo of The Chart House courtesy of TripAdvisor                             Jim McCarthy, Owner

Being a fishing town you’d expect some good quality seafood and you’d be right. (Check out my previous writings about seafood in Dingle.) It’s pretty top notch for those who eat it. But for those who don’t what do you do? I’ll tell you what you do, you find yourself a restaurant owner who takes the time to look up some vegan recipes for his 1 special guest on new years eve. I’ve talked before about the deterioration of customer service in some industries but I haven’t really found many, if any, I’d single out for being superb. This is one! To have a restauranteur take the time to take care of a guest like that was amazing. Christy is more flexible in her diet so they had some vegetarian options for her, which were excellent. To top off a great meal the owner, Jim McCarthy (also our server that evening) only charged the two girls as one. This was customer service at it’s finest and for this to be a restaurant in Ireland made it even more important and significant for me. I’m glad to see that the hospitality industry still has standards in its training.

Aside from the great service the food was damn tasty, too. The bread was freshly baked and vegan! To start I had beet cured carpaccio of salmon followed by locally caught turbot. The salmon was dynamite and home cured to boot. The girls had hummus stuffed portobellos followed by butternut squash and basil risotto, one with cheese one without. Even the vegan version was creamy and delicious.

For dessert we were treated to a foursome of deliciousness. By the end we were fat and happy. It was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. It was quite memorable and an excellent way to end 2011.

After dinner we bar hopped until the firework show off the pier followed by more bar hopping until countdown. I was pretty amazed at all the people in the streets–thousands of Irish heads including ours, having a blast in a little fishing town. Brilliant like. A wonderful way to ring in 2012. Cheers!

What’s the difference between a frittata and a tortilla? They both look the same, right? Well, an Italian frittata is like an omelet and has to have eggs as well as whatever veggies, herbs, etc you like and you typically make it in a pan and finish it in the oven in the same pan. A Spanish tortilla has to have eggs and potatoes and sometimes onions with whatever else you fancy. You would usually flip the tortilla over in the pan to cook the top side or finish it under a grill. It’s really just a matter of technique as well as having to add spuds to the tortilla. That’s about it. Either way both taste great.

RECIPE:

Serves 4

1/2 cup white onion – finely diced
4 garlic cloves – minced
1 cup cooked spinach – chopped
1 large organic yam or sweet potato – 1/8″ slices
10 organic egg whites
2 organic whole eggs
1 jalapeno – seeds removed, fine dice
S&P
Olive oil
Basil

Use a 9″saute pan

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven 375°F

NOTE: You’ll be cooking this in the saute pan you prepare it in so make saute it doesn’t have a plastic handle that’ll melt in the oven.

Preheat saute pan on medium low heat for 1 minute. Saute onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil for 3-4 minutes until translucent but not browned. Whisk the eggs together, add diced jalapeno and pinch S&P. Once onions are cooked add another tbsp olive oil and pour half the egg mixture in pan. Mix around as if making scrambled eggs for 30 seconds. Remove pan from heat and lay a layer of sweet potatoes on top of of eggs. Push them into eggs. Next sprinkle a layer of spinach on top of potatoes followed by another layer of potatoes.

Pour additional egg mixture over potatoes and move pan around so they’re spread over the entire surface. Season top with S&P. Pop in oven for 35 minutes or until a knife pierces easily thru potatoes. Once cooked let sit in pan for five minutes.
Turn out onto clean cutting board to serve. Finish with chopped fresh basil on top.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Brussels sprouts are getting a lot of heat at the minute for their health benefits. They’re loaded in Vit A, Potassium and Calcium and have plenty of fiber to keep you ‘going’ so to speak.
I’ve always loved these guys but most people only have them at Christmas. Not anymore. Try this little beauty which goes perfect with some grilled salmon. If you don’t fancy the salmon it’s a great salad all by itself.

RECIPE:

Serves 2

1  1/2 cups shaved sprouts (I used a mandoline but you can slice with a knife very thinly if you fancy)

Dressing:
4 tbsp white Miso paste
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp water
1/2 lemon – zested
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
pinch S&P

Whisk everything together EXCEPT the walnuts in a bowl and toss the shaved sprouts to coat. Add the walnuts.

Season the salmon with S&P and grill on medium low heat for 5-6 mins each side.

Make sure you check out my previous post about cooking salmon.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers’ market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

New month, New year, New veggies.
When people ask me how to know what’s in season I always tell them the best way to know for sure is to go to your local farmers market and see what the farmers are selling. Eating seasonally for me means eating what’s in season in my region.

Here’s a general over view of what’s in season Stateside this month:

Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chard, Kale, Kohlrabi, Winter Squash, Sweet potatoes, Mushrooms, Tangerines, Oranges, Grapefruit

If you’re in Ireland this is what you have to play around with:

Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Kale, Leeks, Mushrooms, Parsnips, Swedes, Turnips

There you have it. As you’ll see I linked up some of my recipes just to give you some ideas on how to cook these lovelies.

Would love to hear your fave recipe using any of these veggies.

Cheers.

Does this look familiar? I’ve even done this myself so know that just ’cause I cook for a living doesn’t mean I don’t mess up every so often. Actually this is not that hard to do as some of you guys might have seen on Top Chef the other week, a cheftestant got criticized for over-cooking salmon and was nearly sent packing. Here’s the scoop.

What this is is Albumin.

Let me explain. When the muscle fibers in the flesh are heated they contract like with any protein. If over-heated or heated too quickly the moisture-filled albumin is pushed to the surface of the flesh. Once the protein reaches temperatures between 140 and 150 degrees, its moisture is squeezed out and the protein albumin leaches out of the fish and coagulates unattractively on the surface as seen in the photo. Not only does the albumin make the fish look unappetizing, but it also indicates a loss of moisture in the fish. Even though it’ll probably be dry it’s edible so no panic there but in theory, a piece of salmon should be cooked until just before the albumin becomes visible. Since salmon has the propensity to become dry as it’s not the oiliest of fish the best way to cook it is low and slow, as they say.