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Braised Brussels Sprouts with Garlic and Chilli
It’s the season to love your brassicas. No it’s not a dirty word, it’s a family of vegetables. Included in these are the brussels sprout and this is what I did with some this week.
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Flavoured Salt
This is a great recipe to use up your leftover meat from the Christmas dinner. This is a tray bake that can be lifted from plain and simple eating (not a bad thing after Christmas excess) to a meal with a zing from some flavoured salt.
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Pasta Meatball Bake – Recipe And Video
When it’s Winter I crave warming dishes for dinner. You know the ones that give you a hug from the inside out, and that are just rib-sticking good. It’s Summer however, not that we’d know it. Today has been about 14 degrees on average which is pretty dire for the end of July, we’ve also had thunder, lightening, and hailstones. So you’ll excuse me if I revisit some of my favourite comfort food for dinner this evening. This pasta meatball bake is a family favourite. It’s easy to assemble, and serves 8 people. It’s also a budget dish, costing approximately 80c per portion and as if all of this wasn’t…
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Review: The Happy Pear Cookbook
In this book we hope to inspire you to eat more veg. That is it, plain and simple. It’s a great introduction to a book that is packed with recipes from The Happy Pear in Greystones, Co Wicklow. Much more than that though, the book is full of the philosophy behind Dave and Steve’s journey to becoming vegetable evangelists, and retailers on a mission. The identical twins (for the shop, and book, are a play on words) are the best advertisement for the way of life that the book espouses. While the recipes are at the heart of The Happy Pear cookbook, woven throughout are experiences of their family, employees,…
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A Lighter October
I’ve lost 17lbs since the start of September. This is a lighter October than last year or the year before. I’ll rewind to a point last Summer where I watched “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead“; at the time I thought it was a great film (it’s available on Netflix) but I didn’t connect Joe Cross’ lifestyle to mine. After all, I’m “Wholesome” and I eat healthy food; why would I need to watch what I eat more closely? Then we went to the Aran Islands and I struggled with the climb up to Dun Aonghusa. I was out of breath, and then when I looked at photos we’d taken up…
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Pea Salad
Today is officially the last day of primary school for the summer and I’ve been stocking the deep freeze with cakes and treats for the next few weeks. I really didn’t want to be slaving over the hob for ages. This pea salad takes about 7 minutes to make from start to finish, including boiling the kettle. Longer if you add meat.
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Chive Flower Vinegar
We have a chive plant that grows in a sunny and well watered nook at the front of our house alongside some purple speedwell. Every Winter the declines and every Spring it returns, nourished by the overflow from the gutter over the front door. It thrives so much that last year when the flowers died off the seeds spread. There are now baby chive plants flourishing in the raised beds.
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Crispy Chickpeas
We’re not long back from Bloom 2013 and I’m a bit peckish. I may have over indulged a little earlier in the day so I decided to make these quick and easy crispy chickpeas which are far more virtuous than my shopping basket!
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Real Chocolate Taytos
There’s no doubt that chocolate and Tayto go together but what if they really, really went together?
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Twice Cooked Kale Stalks with Garlic and Chilli
This recipe makes use of kale stalks that I would normally put in the compost bin. Instead I’ve twice cooked kale stalks with garlic and chilli.
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Baked Potato Chips / Fries
Using a deep fat fryer isn’t an option when I fancy chips. So instead of having a potentially dangerous appliance on the go, I bake our fries.
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Pickled Beetroot
Beetroot is in season and pickling is a simple way to preserve it. You don’t need loads of tools or time, just a small amount of preparation and space in your cupboard.