Apple and dried fruit with a twist

Apple, current, raisins and sultanas

Today was a little different. This is a mixture of currents, raisins and sultanas. I normally don't bother with all these (I just chuck in a few raisins) but today was special. Why special? Not really sure! I just felt like splashing out. Its amazing how different they all taste, although all sweet, I think sultanas are the sweetest and currents are lovely and chewy. I just left the apple sliced, rather then chopping/dicing. This was great on top, the slices just softened slightly and heating them really made them sweet.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 apple
• 1 tbsp each currents, raisins and sultanas

Method

1. Mix the oats and milk and mix in the dried fruit
2. Slice the apple and put on top of oats
3. Microwave on high for 2-3 mins
4. Enjoy!

Mango and dried fruit morning starter

Mango and dried fruit porridge
 Just looking at this makes me hungry! I started off with a mango, but it was so sadly bruised I didn't feel there was enough for one portion. So I added some lovely dried fruit. Chewy natural dried apricot, dried cherries and the 'super food' gogi berries.
I drizzled with coconut milk to make this a fabulous start to the day.

Recipe

• 1/4 mango
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• Mixed dried fruit (cherries, gogi berries, apricot).
• 2 tbsp coconut milk

Method

1. Chop the mango.
2. Mix the mango, milk and oats.
3. Microwave for 2-3 mins
4. Top with dried fruit, and drizzle with coconut milk
5. Enjoy!

Unfortunately this was the only really good thing today, as my dad was taken into hospital after having chest pains on the weekend. Hopefully all will be OK.

Butter Bean and Swede salad

Bean and Swede salad

Happy Mothers day to all mothers in the UK!! and A lovely day to everyone else elsewhere too.

This is my Friday lunch. Fridays tend to be one of two things; a bit of a left overs mix, or Dahl day!  Only I couldn't be bothered to boil up any lentils and had no left over beans. I’d left it too late to do more beans (they have to soak for 8 hours and that takes forward planning).  So I splashed out and used canned. And not just any canned beans-butter beans! They were so lovely I ate the other half of the can that night… good job they are healthy! (I make my lunch the night before-mornings never have enough time in them). Not many people like swede but its so sweet and cheap! Mine had been in the fridge too long and was looking a little sad. But dicing and frying the swede but frying brought it back to an edible state. I think that when fried it tastes rather like pumpkin! (and unlike pumpkin, cheap and in season here).

I paired with some chopped pepper and mixed nuts as a snack.

Recipe:

·         100g swede

·         ½ tsp chilli powder

·         ½ tbsp olive oil

·         ½ can butter beans (or boil up 1/3 cup dried)

·         Couple of handful salad leaves

Method

1. Dice the swede into small pieces so it will cook nicely, heat up the oil in a frying pan.
2. Add the swede and chili powder and fry the swede until golden brown and smelling lovely. Then remove from heat.
3. Drain the butter beans and add to the cooling swede (the heat will remove the excess water which can make your salad limp).
4. Wash the salad and put in to bowl/container then top with the bean/swede mix once it has cooled.

Its not Terry's...its mine!

Chocolate Orange porridge

Today I knew I would need a bit of cheer. It’s a-level results day and I was pretty much convinced I’d failed chemistry at the very least, which considering I’m apply for it an university was a bit worrying. I decided to go for a ‘ Terry's chocolate orange’ inspired breakfast, quite simply chocolate orange! I always get one for Christmas, but didn't this year, so have been hankering after one since. This is pretty lovely-not as sickly and chocolaty as a real chocolate orange, but sweet, juicy and just a little chocolaty! If you want it to be really chocolaty add 2 tsp. of cocoa powder and maybe melt a little milk chocolate on top. Of course the perfect a compliment would be a real segment of Terry’s…Oh we can dream!

This lovely bowl kept me through until I got my results I ended up getting Chemistry-A, Biology-A, General studies-A and Psychology-B. Unfortunately now I've got my results and found out  got an A I almost feel worse. If I failed the pressure would be off and the decision out of my hands. I don’t want to do chemistry, and hate my lessons but I also don’t know what else to do. My back up plan is now out the window as psychology didn't go too well.

Enough of my moaning- here’s the recipe!

• 1 Orange
• ½ cup oats
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• ½ cup milk
• Milk/dark chocolate* (optional)

Method

1. Peel the orange and cut up the segments into chunks
2. Mix the oats, orange and cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. Add the milk and stir well to mix all the chocolate in
4. Microwave for 2-3 mins*

*(if adding real chocolate, take out 30 secs before the end and add, before finishing off to avoid burning)

<--Mmm...Just look at the lovely chocolaty mix (although I must say sorry about the terrible photographs, I only had my small digital camera, complete with flash).

Apple and raisin porridge

Apple and Rasin Porridge

This is one of my favorite basic breakfasts. I often chop up the apple the night before, mix with the oats to stop it going brown and save myself a bit of time in the morning. Let’s face it at 7am no one wants to be wielding a knife and my family certainly don’t want me to be doing so!

Recipe

• 1 apple
• small handful sunflower seeds
• small handful raisins
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 serving of oats (1/2 cup)
• 1 serving of milk

Method

1. Chop up the apple, small and big pieces adds texture.
2. Put the chopped apple, rasins and sunflower seeds into the bowl and sprinkle with cinnamon. Mix together. Then add the oats.
3. Pour in the milk, if leaving overnight add a little more milk then normal (just a dash) as it will absorb into the oats. Top with nuts (or mix in).
4. Microwave for 2-3mins
5. A perfect warming meal!

A special treat

Chocolate and Raspberry Porridge

 This is my all time Favorite porridge. ever. Its the best! I love raspberries  and they'd be great on their own, but combined with a chunk of  lovely dark and bitter chocolate it makes a completely irresistible bowl. I think the cashew nuts look like white chocolate chips too-which isn't a bad idea, why not double chocolate!
 Raspberries are expensive at the best of times, but right now they are 3 pound a punnet :O. Thank goodness for frozen berries! They work just as well, and once microwaved you don't notice the difference really. Normally I'd have this as a treat, but today there was no special reason-but hats no bad thing, sometimes its good to just treat yourself isn't it?!

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 80g/a handful of raspberries
• cashew nuts/other nut
• 1-2 squares chocolate

Method

1. Gently mix together oats, milk, nuts and raspberries.
2. Microwave for 2-2.5 mins
3. Add the chocolate and microwave for 20 seconds further  ** the chocolate wont melt fully at first, but it will do once you start eating as the oats heat it up.
4. Enjoy!

Pear and cinnamon porridge

Pear and cinnamon Porridge

Today I jut felt like a nice simple breakfast. Even simpler then normal! Probably as I was so hungry-not even sure why! Just chopped up a pear, added to oats, sprinkled with cinnamon and microwaved. I ate half of it before microwaving today-I was that hungry! It still tasted good raw though, really good.So if the bowl looks a little empty, its not because I'm down sizing portions (haa ha-that would never happen nowadays!!). I drizzled the lot with some coconut milk, which is so rich its like cream, but a bit healthier! I can hardly keep myself from drinking it straight from the can.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 small pear
• 1/2 tsp-1 tsp cinnamon (depends on how spicy you like it!)
• 1 tbsp coconut milk/cream

Method

1. Put oats and milk in one bowl
2. Chop up pear.
3. Mix pear and cinnamon in one bowl, then put on top of oats
4. Microwave for 2-3mins

Or..combine stage 1-3 and skip the rest and shovel raw porridge into your mouth.... (Really the whole time consuming cooked way is better even when your starving).