Chicken Kozani

Ingredients

10 chicken oyster thighs
1 litre of water
1/2 tsp saffron
large glug of olive oil
4 red onions
2 tbsp smoked paprika
20 prunes, stones removed
salt & pepper

Method

1. Place oyster thighs and saffron in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes
2. Remove thighs from pan and put aside. Do not throw away the water
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan and gently cook the onions until soft
4. Add the paprika to the pan, mix well
5. Add thighs, prunes and 500ml of the cooking water to the pan
6. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until sauce reduces and thickens
7. Serve with cauli rice

Note: 

It is important to use thighs and not breast with this recipe because a lot of the flavour comes from the stock created from poaching the meat and bones in the water. If you really want to use breast, I would suggest that you poach the breasts in stock instead of plain water

Pan-fried Hake with Leeks, Broad Beans & Pancetta

Ingredients

2 fillets of hake, skin on
2 large leeks, washed, trimmed and sliced
2 handfuls of broad beans (I use the frozen ones from M & S)
50g butter

1 tbsp cooking oil
100g pancetta, cubed
1 tbsp lemon juice


Method

1. Place frozen broad beans in a saucepan with water and boil for 4 minutes
2. Place cooking oil in a large frying pan and sauté pancetta until crispy
3. Add leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until softened
4. Add broad beans and heat thoroughly
5. In another large pan, melt the butter
6. Place the hake fillets skin side down in the hot butter and fry for about 4 minutes
7. Turn the fish and cook for another 4 minutes
8. Serve the hake on a pile of the vegetable and pancetta mix
9. Place the lemon juice and another knob of butter into the hot pain and stir
10. Drizzle over the hake and vegetables

Pepper sauce

This recipe makes the most delicious pepper sauce I have ever tasted. Serve with steak or whatever you fancy!

Ingredients

100ml beef stock
60ml double cream
3 tbsp peppercorns
100ml brandy
50g butter

Method

1. Melt butter in pan and sauté peppercorns for about 3 minutes
2. Add brandy and flambé (set alight!) to remove the alcohol, keep stirring to keep flames under control
3. Add beef stock and cream and keep stirring until thickened. This will take a few minutes so don't give up!

Low Carb Egg & Ham Muffins

It's January so time to get sensible with our eating again! I made these for Ronan to take to work for his breakfasts this week. I even used left over Christmas ham!

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 tbsp milk

1 tbsp cooking oil

50g cheese (I used leftovers: a mix of Parmesan, Gruyère and Cheddar), grated

40g ham, finely chopped

1 onion, finely sliced

salt & pepper

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C 
2. Sauté onion in a pan for 5 minutes
3. Whisk eggs, milk and cheese
4. Add ham and onions and stir well
5. Lightly oil a six hole muffin tray
6. Divide equally between the six holes in the tray
7. Place in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes until lightly golden

These muffins will freeze well. Once defrosted, simply microwave for 20 seconds.

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

This has become a regular dish in our house. It's so simple; I prepare it the night before and then switch it on in the morning before I leave for work. The house smells divine when I get home! I serve this with either cauli rice or wholegrain basmati rice.

Ingredients

1 large carrot, sliced
1 large onion, diced
1 large red pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
10 white mushrooms, quartered
Generous handful of raisins
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 chicken thighs (meat only), cut into strips
1 400g coconut milk
2 tbsps tomato purée
1.5 tbsp garam masala
1.5 tbsp curry powder
2 tsps turmeric
salt and pepper


Method

1. Put carrot, onion, garlic and pepper into your slow cooker dish
2. Layer chicken on top
3. Add mushrooms and raisins
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut milk, tomato purée, garam masala, curry powder turmeric and salt and pepper
5. Pour over the ingredients in the slow cooker dish

Interview with The Journal

I was interviewed by TheJournal.ie, a couple of days ago, about my experience with fibromyalgia. You can read the article here:

http://www.thejournal.ie/fibromyalgia-ireland-2-3023056-Oct2016/

Aubergine Lasagne

Ingredients

400g lean minced beef
500g passata
2 aubergines
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped/minced
12 mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp dried or fresh basil
2 tbsp dried or fresh tarragon
2 tbsp dried or fresh oregano
3 tbsp tomato purée
200g cream cheese
100g parmesan, grated


Method

1. Fry onion until soft
2. Add garlic and fry for another minute
3. Add mince and fry until brown
4. Add passata, mushrooms, herbs and tomato purée
5. Simmer for 20 minutes
6. Thinly slice aubergine length ways and griddle each slice on both sides for approximately 2 minutes until tender
7. Melt cream cheese in a small pan
8. Place 1/3 of the mince sauce into a square oven dish
9. Cover with sliced aubergine
10. Sprinkle 1/3 parmesan over the aubergine
11. Repeat until all sauce and aubergine has been used
12. Cover last layer of aubergine with the melted cream cheese and sprinkle top with last of the parmesan
13. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 200°C

Cottage Pie with Caulicannon Topping

As it's very close to Halloween now, and I had a dental implant inserted today, which means I need mushy food, I have made cottage pie but with a caulicannon topping.

You'll find my caulicannon recipe here:
http://fibrofood.blogspot.ie/2015/09/colcannon.html

and my cottage pie recipe here:
http://fibrofood.blogspot.ie/2015/06/cottage-pie.html

Spiralized Courgette with Pancetta and Cream Cheese Sauce

Spiralzing is the new big craze in low carb eating. My spiralizer

arrived last week and I absolutely love it! You can get the same one here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spiralite-Vegetable-Spiralizer-by-Spiralz/dp/B003NXR086 although I got one slightly cheaper on eBay. 

We all buy kitchen gadgets, use them a few times and then leave them to rot in their boxes but I really think this one will continue to get used as myself and Ronan love spaghetti dishes but had cut them from our menu completely until now! Also, very importantly, this machine is easy to clean which means I won't dread the wash-up!

Ingredients:

3 courgettes

1 onion, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, finely sliced

1 tsp coconut or rapeseed oil

200g cream cheese

150g pancetta cubes

black pepper

Method:

1. Spiralize all 3 courgettes and set aside
2. Sauté onion and garlic in the coconut/rapeseed oil until soft
3. Add pancetta and fry until cooked thoroughly
4. Add cream cheese and plenty of ground black pepper. Stir until melted
5. Add courgettes and stir continuously until heated through
6. Serve

Barbeque Season

It's finally barbeque season in Ireland! I adore this time of year, when it's warm enough to eat outside. I love the smell and I love the food. And, it's one of the easiest ways to eat low carb.

Here are some of my favourites:

• Chicken skewers - chicken pieces marinated in Frank's sauce
• Chorizo skewers - chorizo, mushrooms and peppers
• Stuffed mushrooms - Portobello mushrooms stuffed with stilton or pâté
• Chicken wings/thighs/drumsticks

Make sure you've loads of homemade coleslaw (shredded white cabbage, grated carrot, onion and mayonnaise) and salads to serve with all that meat!

My friend Emily introduced me to Fire Wires (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stainless-Steel-Flexible-Grilling-Skewer/dp/B00OVLZUAY/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1436190952&sr=1-3&keywords=fire+wire+skewers) a few years ago. They're brilliant as they fit so much and the ends don't get hot so they're easy to handle.

Chorizo, mushrooms and pepper on Fire Wire

Get outside, enjoy that sunshine and stuff your face!

Ms. E's Not So Beautiful Blues

I'm in the dumps a bit today. I made the mistake of trying on last year's summer dresses and they're just a bit too clingy to be worn on my holiday to Italy later this month.

One of the reasons that I have always hated clothes shopping is that I always feel down afterwards. I'm telling myself how ridiculous I am being, even as I type this. I am so lucky. I have a wonderful partner in Ronan. I have a beautiful 8 month old baby girl. I am from a close and fantastic family. I have incredible friends. I am not poor. We own our home. I may have fibromyalgia but barring flare-ups and the challenge of staircases, I am generally fine and well. I have nice hair and good skin. And I'm feeling low because I'm not slim.

This is not a new phenomenon. You'd think after 38 years I'd have accepted the shape I am. And generally I do. Well sort of. I don't think about it anyway which is as close as I am ever going to get to not minding. I just get so frustrated. I have always eaten well. I have never overeaten. I regularly cut a chunk off the meat on my plate and transfer it to Ronan's. I dread to think what state I would be in if I ate takeaways and biscuits, even occasionally, or a bag of chips. A bag of chips! Imagine! I see my extremely slim neighbour having her takeaways delivered three or four times a week and inside I'm screaming, "HOW ARE YOU SO SKINNY??!". A long time ago I mentioned to my GP that I was tired of not being able to lose more weight. His response was to tell me to say no to the doughnuts. Doughnuts?? Hahahahaha!

I know that my fibromyalgia has a part to play because I obviously can't be as active as I'd like to be but at the same time, there are plenty of people who sit on their arses all day playing video games and are still not as cuddly as me. I exercise at home every week day and walk when my legs are working properly. Plus I am lifting Eliza all day.

But enough self pity. I really do know better and most of the time manage to accept that everyone is different. Everyone's body works differently and there are a hell of a lot of worse things in life than thinking you're too fat!