Congratulations to Michelle for having the best caption on my last post about our pregnancy. She wrote an amazing poem that knocked our socks off. As promised I picked out three of my favourite kitchen utensils for our winner:

1. Measuring spoons – who can live without them? The great thing about these by Progressive is that they’re magnetic so they’ll keep your drawers nice n’ tidy (and that keeps the missus happy in my house!)

2. A Microplane – other than my knives this gets used the most. Citrus zest is probably my favourite secret ingredient to use.

3. A Knife – need I say more? Every good cook needs a knife.

It was hard to pick just three things but these are brilliant tools every kitchen should have.

Cheers Michelle! I hope you like the goodies as much as we appreciate the poem.

“The Healthy Wee Little Irishman”

I’m a wee little Irishman, in my mommie’s belly.
Kickin’ and a squirmin’, it’s more fun than watching telly.
My daddy thinks he’s a tough guy.
But I show him.
With my best Alien move, I scare him off the couch.
We haven’t really met yet, but that oughtta give him an ouch.
Daddy’s sort of strange, he wiggles and pokes me like a bun.
I guess it’s his idea of having fun.
Someday I’ll grow up, and we’ll share a pint.
And remember the days when I was just a wee little lad …
Strong and healthy
Just like Dad.

I’ve found the best way to keep my missus from eating crap during her pregnancy is to keep healthy ready-made snacks on hand, which is why I’ve been on a tart run lately. This one in particular she loved (she wanted me to stress that). Making tarts and frittatas are not only easy but they’re nutritious and make perfect breakfast, brunch, lunch and snack meals. With the obesity epidemic expected to climb in numbers over the next couple of years, it’s time to make smarter choices, healthier choices. Who’s with me?

RECIPE:
Makes one tart

1 x 9″ pie shell (I got a frozen one at Whole Foods)

Filling:
3 organic eggs
1/3 cup reduced fat mozzarella
1 cup Parmesan
1/3 cup fresh oregano – chopped
1 cup low fat organic milk
1/4 tsp S&P
2 Japanese eggplants – cut into 1/4″rounds
olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 425°F

Begin by grilling (or sauteeing) the eggplant rounds on medium heat in pan with olive oil for 2-3 minutes each side until browned. Set aside.

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large mixing bowl. Fold in remaining ingredients mixing thoroughly EXCEPT the eggplant. Put a layer of eggplant on bottom of pie shell. Pour filling on top and stir gently to spread evenly in shell.

Lay the eggplant rounds on top in concentric circles to cover top of tart. Place pie on oven tray and pop in middle shelf for 30 minutes approx or until when pierced in center with a toothpick it comes out clean.

Another perfect Mothers’ Day brunch idea! Gotta keep all the Mums happy!

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

Ever go to the store and buy a bag of limes only to use half of them? Well that’s exactly what yours truly did. They usually just sit there looking at me until I throw them out. This time I actually decided to use them and that’s where this little beauty came from, which is so simple to make. I had some mini tart shells leftover but you could make a bigger tart (you might want to double the recipe) and even put some meringue on top.

RECIPE:

Makes 10-12 mini tarts

1 stick organic butter
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp lime zest
5 organic egg yolks

DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat. Once done add in all other ingredients and whisk until combined. Put the pan back on the stove on medium heat and using a spatula stir until thickened, about 10 minutes. When the curd coats the back of the spatula you’re good to go. Strain the mixture into a fine sieve over a bowl pushing through all the curd until you just have the zest and other bits left.

Place a piece of plastic directly on top of the curd which prevents a film forming on it. Pop in the fridge overnight.
This will last for a few weeks in the fridge but be sure you transfer to an airtight container (jars work great).

Serving suggestion: As I said, I had some little tart shells so I just filled them as a quick mini dessert. You can usually buy them at your local bakery. Finish with a sliver of strawberry and a smidge of zest on top. Fresh and easy. Booya.

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

Spring is probably my favourite time of the year, food-wise anyway. I love all the new seasonal ingredients at the farmers’ markets now and nothing says Spring like a lovely tart…of the food variety that is. You guys will love the flavor of this tart and is perfect for a picnic or even Sunday brunch.

RECIPE:
1 x 9″ pie shell (I got a frozen one in WholeFoods)

Filling:
3 organic eggs
1/3 cup reduced fat organic mozzarella
1 cup Parmesan
1/3 cup marinated sundried tomatoes – chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil – chopped
1 cup low fat organic milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 zucchini – cut in 1/4″ rounds

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 425°F

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a large mixing bowl. Fold in remaining ingredients EXCEPT zucchini, mixing thoroughly. Pour filling into pie shell and stir gently to spread evenly in shell. Lay the zucchini rounds on top in concentric circles to cover top of tart.

Place pie on oven tray and pop in middle shelf for 30 minutes approx or until when you pierce the center with a toothpick it comes out clean.

How ’bout trying this for Mother’s Day?

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

As you may know my good lady Christy is preggers with our baby boy due in a couple of months (you may have read my thoughts on that subject). As you can imagine her appetite is pretty good so I wanted to make sure she has some variety in her diet. She loves to snack so this is where this recipe idea came out of. Her favourite afternoon snack is non-fat Greek yogurt with berries so I figured adding some texture would be less boring….hence homemade granola. Typically store bought granola is loaded with sugar so I wanted to make something a bit cleaner. I used a little bit of maple syrup so it’s not as sweet as store bought but enough to satisfy your sweet tooth while still being healthy. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

RECIPE:
Makes about 4 cups

2 cups old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cooking oats)
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp almond extract
4 oz dried organic blueberries*
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
2 organic egg whites

*NOTE: Look for blueberries that don’t have sugar added.

TIP: You can play around with the fruit ingredients like adding dried cherries and even add in some slivered almonds or chopped walnuts depending on what you fancy.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 400°F.
In a large mixing bowl toss everything together until combined. Place a sheet of parchment paper or a Silpat on an oven tray and lay the granola out in a single layer. Pop in oven for about 30 minutes giving it a mix every 10 minutes or so.

Once done let cool completely and store in an air tight container.
It’s as easy as that.

Serving Suggestion: For a great healthy snack try some non-fat Greek yogurt, fresh blueberries, sliced strawberries with 1/2 cup of the granola. Delicious.

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

So, the boy’s nearly cooked (I figured a culinary term would work well). Only 2 months to go, so all guns are blazin’ right now between the nursey, breast pump, snot suckers, baby shower and college fund. I’ll tell you what it seems like –  it’s like he’s ready to get out o’ there with all the Riverdancing he’s doing. I thought I had problems sitting still. This kid’s either listening to some techno in there or he’s just itching to get out to see us ’cause boy is he active!  Christy says it’s her favourite thing when she feels him moving around and kicking. I, on the other hand, am finding the whole ‘come feel the baby he’s kicking the shit out of me’ a little how shall we say….freaky. Listen, I can’t wait to see the little fella, that has nothing to do with it, it’s just strange trying to get get used to it.

Here’s a scenario. True story. We were on the couch the other night watchin’ a little telly (the telly isn’t actually little we just watched a little bit of it in case you were wondering. I tend to go off on these little diversions every so often. Don’t worry about it. Moving on)….aaaaanyway, Christy says “c’mere put your hand here. Feel your son.”  Of course I’m not going to say no. How can I? It’s cute and adorable and shit. So Christy puts my hand on her tummy. So far so good.  I waited 20-30 seconds…nothing. I said, “Maybe he’s tired from all the techno” so being the smart arse I am I start wiggling her tummy while making funny baby noises as one does. I know what your thinking, ‘Even the toughest guys like Gavan with all those tattoos just melts when a baby comes in the picture.’ You’re right I am severely tough but yes, there’s a time and a place for it. I thought I was well tough and smart when I started wiggling then poking her tummy until I got this massive round house kick which came across her stomach and straight into the palm of my hand. I shit you not, I jumped off that couch as if someone had shoved a cheese grater up my behind! Did I mention the rather not so tough some might say almost effeminate yelp I gave out? No? Well that’s ’cause I didn’t….realize it till Christy told me. I don’t believe her because as you all know I’m too tough for that.

I know I’m not the only one who gets freaked out by this but it is what it is. Maybe I should start a support group entitled, ‘Dudes Who Get Freaked Out by Their Missus’ Tummies Moving For No Apparent Reason Apart From the Little Person Who is in There Winding Their Daddies up.’
Catchy, no?

Eight weeks left to get used to it I suppose.

As you’re here you might as well take a gander at my previous posts on said subject. My thoughts….just my thoughts!

G’luck he says to himself. (And by he I mean me.)

Hey guys,

I got this email from a friend recently with an article in it about the toxicity of onions so I figured I’d pass on what I learned and see if any of you have any experience or have any comments on it. Basically the crux of the article says that onions are a magnet for bacteria, especially uncooked onions. It says that when you cut an onion but only use say half of it, you should never reuse the other half even if it’s been stored in a Ziploc or container in the fridge. Instead we should just chuck out the other half. I’ve always reused leftover onion and I’m still kicking so take this for what it’s worth. I know I’m not alone but I hate to waste food so I always try to use up everything but now I might have to rethink this.

How ’bout this one: In 1919 40 million people died from the flu. A doctor went to one family’s house and saw that everyone was healthy. When he asked them what they did to prevent them from getting the flu he found out that had put an unpeeled onion in every room of the house. The doc put one of the onions under a microscope and found the onion had absorbed the bacteria which kept the family from getting it. Might be worth a try next flu season.

Another example: This lady said she got pneumonia and obviously was pretty sick. She had heard that putting an onion with both ends cut off in a jar and putting it next to a sick person would turn the onion black from absorbing all the germs. She tried it and said it did turn the onion black and she started to feel better. Who knew?

Now if you do have some leftover onion one way to get around having to chuck it out would be to cook it there and then and keep it in the fridge for next time. I wouldn’t keep it for for too long but at least you’ll use it.

I’ve never heard of any of this so I’d be interested to hear what you guys think. Anyone have any first hand experience with this?? Do tell.

Spring is alive and well now so there are lots of new fruits & veggies available. This is my favourite time of year when we start to move away from the deep leafy green veggies and into the lovely seasonal fruits and bright coloured veggies. If you were ever looking for a time to get into cooking this would be it. There’s so much to play around with so get yourself to your local farmers market get to it.

Here’s what’s in right now:

Asparagus, Avocados, Artichokes, Basil, Green Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celery, Chard, Cherries, Citrus, Grapefruits, Kumquats, Lemons, Navel Oranges, Tangelos/Tangerines, Collards, Cucumber, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Mushroom, Nectarines, Green Onion, Passion Fruit, Green Peas, Raspberries, Spinach, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Turnips.

Check out the recipes I’ve linked to if you need some ideas.

Cheers.

I guess my good lady’s baking kick is rubbing off on me — or is it that I’m softening up to her cravings? Either way it seems she’s in a win-win situation, right? Now if I could only convince her that a cake is good enough for a push gift but that’s another story.

I love cakes that are more on the savory side rather super sweet, which is exactly what this is. It’s also refreshing and would make a lovely addition to your Easter buffet or let’s not forget Mother’s Day which will be here before you know it.

RECIPE:
Makes one cake

5 organic eggs (separate yolks & whites. You’ll use 5 yolks but only 4 whites)
3/4 cup lemon infused olive oil (found in Wholefoods or specialty food shops)
1 lemon – zested then juiced
1 cup almond flour/meal (plus additional for dusting cake tin, also got it in Wholefoods)
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/4 cup confectioners sugar (for egg whites)
1/2 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray spring form or round pan with oil, then line bottom with a round of parchment paper. Spray parchment. Sprinkle additional flour/meal in pan and swirl around making sure bottom and sides are coated in a layer. Discard the rest.

Mix together lemon zest with almond flour. Set aside. Keep juice until later.

Beat together (5) yolks and 1/2 cup brown sugar in a large bowl. I used good ol’ fashion elbow grease, namely myself and a whisk, but if you want (or have already exercised) beat with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale, about 3 minutes (add a couple more mins if beating by hand). Reduce speed to medium and add olive oil and lemon juice. Beat until just combined.
NOTE: Mixture may look separated but it’s ok. Fold in almond meal until combined. Set aside.

Beat (4) egg whites with 1/2 teaspoon salt in another clean, dry bowl. Again I used a whisk but if you prefer use a hand blender on medium-high speed until light and foamy. Add confectioners sugar a little at a time, beating, and continue to beat until egg whites just hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes or so depending on your muscle work.

Fold whites into yolk mixture and gently combine making sure the batter is smooth.

Pour batter in cake pan scraping everything from bowl. Tap the pan on your counter to make sure all air bubbles are gone.
Pop in oven for 40 minutes. Check to see if it’s done by piercing the center of the cooked cake with a toothpick. If it comes out clean you’re good. Let cake cool for an hour before turning out and demolishing.

Most olive oil cakes tend to be on the dry side but this one is super moist from the airiness of the egg whites.

Serve with some fat free Greek yogurt and/or fresh berries.

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

Soda bread is one of those classic Irish bread recipes that’s handed down from generation to generation. It’s one of the first recipes I learned way back when. If you’ve been following me for a while you’re probably familiar with my brown soda bread recipe and video and even my sweeter version in the form of mini scones (right?). Well I’m back at it just in time for Easter and even Mother’s Day with another savory soda bread recipe with a lovely Spring twist added.

RECIPE:
Makes around 16 5″ scones or 1 large loaf

4 cups organic white all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
zest of 1 lemon
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 bunch asparagus – cut into 1/4′ slices, blanched in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, drained and refreshed in ice cold water
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven 400°F (200°C)
Sieve flour and baking soda together and add to other dry ingredients in a large bowl along with asparagus. Make a well in the center of mixture and pour in buttermilk. Stir using one hand in circular motion starting in the center of bowl working towards the outside until all the flour is incorporated. Dough will be sticky. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead lightly 4-5 times. Roll flat to about 1 inch thick and use a 5-inch round cookie cutter to shape scones.

NOTE:Use a larger cookie cutter if you want but add extra time to bake if you do.

Bake 10–12 mins and let cool on wire rack.
If you make the recipe as a loaf cook for 15 minutes at 450F and another 15 minutes (30 minutes total) at 400F. Bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom when cooked.

Put a bit o’ butter on those scones, Andre! (Does anyone get that?)

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

You might have read my last post and probably found my writing unbelievably hilarious (as only I think I am) although that being said, everything sounds funnier in my head and doesn’t always translate…But as promised I have another classic granny foot-in-mouth story only this time from my own Mum.

When we found out what we were having I gave all my family the opportunity to find out. I mean they would’ve found out anyway sooner or later since I posted it on my site but I gave them the early bird option. We got an ultrasound picture from the doctor so I texted it to Mum. Now take a look at the photo and let me know what you see. It looks pretty clear to me but for some reason my Mum saw something completely different. While on Skype with the ‘rents the other day Mary says “I saw the photo of the baby you sent.” It took us a while to get which photo she was referring to since that particular photo (the one above) was SIX weeks ago but ok, great.

She continued, “He has a great big smile and all that hair!”

What the hell are you talking about?
I didn’t say that obviously ’cause I didn’t want to be rude but this was too easy. Deep down really I knew this was going to be fun. Remember, the baby was only 4ish months at that stage so there’s no way there was any smile or hair for that matter….in the photo. For crying out load it’s not even his head unless his arse looks like his head. Also remember the photo I sent was a clear hint of what sex the baby is.

I wasn’t sure what to say. Had Mum lost the plot? Was she looking at the right photo? Did babies look different back in her day?

“Just to clarify Mum, that’s his gonads you’re looking at, not his hair”

Silence….except for Dad pissing himself laughing in the background.

“Well I see what I see and that’s a good looking baby.”

That I cannot argue with so I let it alone. When my family’s right they’re right but when they’re wrong, boy is it comical.

…and the journey continues.

Cheers.

Hey guys,

Let me just say beforehand that I’m passing on this little anecdote to you with the utmost respect for the person who said it but some shit you just can’t pass up telling others…respectfully of course. You’ll figure out why I’m stressing respectfully once you find out who I’m talking about.

As you would expect there is a common bond between a mother and daughter, especially when the daughter is about to become a mother herself. Lots of phone chats, emails, bbm’s all sorts of ways nowadays to update on the little fellas progress. With my missus being in her third trimester now our little man has been practicing his Riverdancing like crazy. But just a few weeks ago, as Christy was heading back to her native Texas to see her clan for a baby shower, he was just starting to kick. Christy had felt his “flutters” before but I hadn’t as he was still too small and not quite giving it the ol’ footie kick. These are the type of tidbits that a mother-in-law wants to know and of course gets excited about and it seemed to be the main topic of conversation before her trip. As luck would have it I was able to feel one of those flutters one evening and I have to tell you everything got real very quickly. When you actually feel the baby moving it’s both amazing and totally weird. Christy told her mom this on one of their epic phone chats and her mom got really excited. She was asking if she would be able to feel the baby kick when she’d be in Texas and Christy explained that although she was able to feel him I had only felt a little flutter one time. The following question has to fall into the classic category of ‘talking before you think’…respectfully of course.

“Oh Gav felt him? That’s great! From inside or outside?”…………….Silence on the phone. Christy, eyebrows raised, waited for the penny to drop.

“Oh I suppose it was from the outside. I don’t know why I said that!”

“Uh, Yep.”

Now there’s a million ways we could’ve answered that question, as I’m sure you can imagine, but let’s leave it there then shall we?

Not to appear as if I’m a one sided shit stirrer I have a beauty from my Mum as well, which I’m gladly going to pass onto you next post. Until then, if you have any good stories do share them with us so we can all be embarrassed together.

Cheers

Spring is finally here. The days are getting longer, well more daylight anyway. Hopefully the temperatures are on the move upwards and like me I’m sure you’re getting sick of (if not already) all the winter veggies. This is my favourite food time of the year. One of the things you’ll notice straight away are the colors of all the food. We’re going from dark wintery greens (kale, collard greens, chard) to brighter feel good colors. You’ve heard the old adage ‘you eat with your eyes’, well it couldn’t be more spot on.
Now I know that just because it’s spring according to the calender some of you are still knee deep in snow and/or rain so I’ve added a link to find out what’s in season in your area.

Alright let’s get cracking. There’s so much great stuff coming into the farmers’ markets now.  Of course all the winter veg are still around. I did a ‘What’s in Season’ post at the beginning of the month in case you’re not up to speed.

Here’s what’s kicking off in Southern California.
Apples, Asparagus, Artichokes, Avocados, Fennel, Fingerling potatoes, Radishes, Strawberries and Radicchio (not my favourite). In fact, if you have a tasty radicchio recipe I’d love to try it since I have three heads of it from my CSA box.

There you have it. Now get yourself off to your local farmers’ market and see what’s what and get cookin’.
Cheers.

First off, let me assure you that I am no baker, but this pregnancy thing has gotten me off my butt and into the kitchen to do just that–bake. And in my world of rationalization if I can’t drink alcohol then why not eat it especially for Paddy’s Day so I’m diggin’ this new leaf I’ve turned over.

I found this recipe in an old Vegetarian Times magazine while cleaning in prep for baby’s arrival. The original recipe is below along with a couple little tweaks I made. I actually tried to retweak the entire recipe in hopes of reducing fat and cals but I quickly learned that baking is a science and it’s not always easy to substitute apple sauce for sugar. (I’m pretty sure it can be done so I welcome any and all suggestions!) Luckily the final product of my second batch was moist and deeelish. I think the baby likes it, too–if I didn’t know better I’d swear he’s practicing his Irish dance skills in my belly!

RECIPE:
Serves 8

2/3 cups of Guinness
10 tbs butter (I used Earth Balance instead)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 large whole organic egg plus 1 organic yolk
2/3 cups of sour cream (I used a high-protein, non-fat Greek yogurt)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or spray an 8-inch round cake pan then line with parchment or wax paper. Butter paper. (I didn’t butter the paper and it came out just fine.)

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in cocoa; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to blend; set aside.
*NOTE: Don’t forget to sift the flour and baking soda.

Beat egg, yolk and sour cream or yogurt with an electric mixer in another large bowl.* Add Guinness-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine.
Add flour mixture and beat 30 seconds on slowest speed.* Fold batter using rubber spatula until completely combined. Pour into prepared pan.
*TIP: If you don’t have or don’t want to use a mixer just use your muscles and a whisk as I did.

Bake for 50-55 minutes. Mine took 50 minutes. You can tell if it’s ready by inserting a toothpick into the center, which should come out clean.
Transfer to rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a small sharp knife around edge of cake to loosen* and turn cake onto rack; cool completely.
*NOTE: I didn’t use a knife as my cake easily slid out of the pan. I kept it right side up as well (we liked the rustic look of it) and just peeled away the wax paper.

Topping ideas: Fresh berries, ice cream, sifted confectioners’ sugar…

Original recipe stats per serving:
Cals 333
Protein 4g
Total Fat 15g (10.5g Sat Fat)
Carbs 44g
Sugars 29g

All I’m sayin’ is that it’s damn tasty!
Happy St. Paddy’s Day!
Love,
The Missus

The countdown continues for the biggest and best piss up …ever. Everyone from every ethnicity seems to be Irish on Paddy’s Day, which I have no problem with because the more the merrier!
Over the years I’ve covered every and all Irish recipes for you guys to try but here’s a new one for you. ‘Boxty’ in Gaelic means ‘poor house bread.’ It’s a very traditional dish most popular in the north & north western counties of Ireland. Basically it’s a potato pancake made from mashed and grated raw spuds. You can dress it up any way you like with various fillings or serve it with stew as I like to do. It would be dynamite with the always popular Beef & Guinness Stew. Excuse me while I snack…

RECIPE:
Makes 6 large pancakes

2 cups mashed potato
2 cups grated raw potato*
1 cup white flour – sifted
2 organic eggs
S&P
2 cups organic fat-free milk
chopped chives (optional)

* NOTE: Place the grated potato in a clean kitchen towel and over a bowl squeeze the excess water from the spuds to get them as dry as you can.

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT the milk together in a large mixing bowl. Pour in half the milk and whisk together. Add enough milk to attain the batter consistency you want. The thinner the batter the thinner the pancake…obviously. Let batter rest for 15 minutes before cooking.

Preheat non-stick skillet on medium heat, drizzle 2 tbsp canola oil and add ladle of batter. Cook for 3-4 minutes until browned and flip over. Give it another few minutes to cook through.

A bit crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Brilliant like.

Happy Paddy’s Day!
Cheers

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