Broccoli Soup ~ 5-2 diet

Creamy and delicious soup perfect for lunch or mid morning snack.

200 g broccoli florets
125 g  potato peeled and diced
500 ml water
1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove garlic finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 teaspoon olive oil

Method:

1.Place the broccoli florets and potato with 250 ml water in a microwaveable dish with lid and microwave on high for 8 minutes.
2. In a non stick pan add the oil and sauté the onions and garlic until soft pink and translucent.
3. Add the cooked broccoli and potatoes and bring the soup to a simmer.
4. Transfer the soup to a blender and purée it until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the pan and add the remaining 250 ml water, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer again.

Serve with crusty rolls

This soup can be part of the 5- diet, its is approximately 150 g per serving ( 1 bowl of soup) 

NB-Bread roll not included in calorie count.

Calories per serving	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
106	18	3	5	627	3

Submitting to:

In my VEG BOX ~Onions event by citrusspiceuk guest hosted by Tina from Spicy Pear

Jelly Bean Trifle to celebrate National Jelly Bean Day 22nd April

Today is National Jelly Bean day and to help celebrate it I have created a Jelly Bean Trifle to enjoy.

Ingredients:

A handful of assorted flavour Jelly Beans

1 medium slice of chocolate cake

100 ml whipping cream

1 tablespoon icing Sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

4 Strawberries

Method.

1. Cut the cake into 1 cm cubes and keep aside.

2. Whip the whipping cream with icing sugar and vanilla essence until stiff peaks.

3. Hull and chop up two strawberries into small pieces

4. The other two strawberries  hull and slice to look like hearts.

To Assemble:

1. Take two tall serving glass and place four heart shaped strawberry pieces in each glass so that they stand up on sides of glass.

2. Add 4 small cubes of cake in bottom of each glass. Add a teaspoon of cream and add a few pieces of strawberries and scatter 4-5 jelly beans on top.

3.Add 3-4 pieces of cake again , followed by a spoonful of cream, a scatter of chopped strawberries and a few jelly beans.

4. Last layer add 3-4 pieces of cake, followed by some strawberries and a final dollop of cream. Garnish with remaining jelly beans and chopped strawberries.

I would like to Thank Jelly Belly for sending me a lovely box of Jelly Belly Beans to enjoy.

Submitting to:
Lets cook sweet treats for Easter event by simply.food

Tomato and Pepper Salsa ~Secret recipe Club challenge 21st April 2014

This is my assignment with the Secret Recipe Club.The aim of the club is that you are allocated a blog from which you have to select a recipe and try it and blog about it. My assigned blog was  Eliot's Eatsliot's Eats. This blog is written By Eliot.I was browsing through the blog looking for a salad or healthy recipe and came across this lovely home made tomato salsa recipe. It turned out perfect. I only made minor changes to accommodate the ingredients I had as I was unable to get all the specific peppers stated in the recipe.

Refreshing summer goodness in this delicious and healthy salsa.

Ingredients:

4 medium tomatoes
1 small red onion
1/4 red capsicum
1/4 green capsicum
2 jalapeños
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh coriander finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method:

1. Half the tomatoes and remove the seeds and chop in to very small pieces and add them to a bowl.
2. Peel and finely chop the red onion and add it to the bowl.
3. Cut the jalapeños in half lengthways, remove the seeds and finely chop and add to the bowl.
4. Finely chop the red and green capsicums and add them to the bowl.
5. Peel and finely crush the garlic and add it to the bowl.
6. Add the fresh coriander, lemon juice, salt and pepper to the bowl and toss all the ingredients together.

Serve the salsa with tortilla or potato chips.

Submitting to:

 In my VEG BOX ~Onions event by citrusspiceuk guest hosted by Tina of Spicy Pear

Pumpkin and Date Halwa~An Indian sweet dish.

Halwa is an Indian sweet dessert that is served with the main meal and can be made from a variety of fruits and vegetables. The sweetness from the dates and raisins makes this halwa delectable.

Submitting to:

Lets cook sweet treats for Easter event by simply.food

    'This post was featured by Twinkl in their Best Halloween Desserts Guide.'  

There are many types of halwa, why not checkout these variations:

Bombay Halwa with Almonds and Pistachio.

Sweet Potato Halwa

Lemon Drizzle Cake ~Eggless

Moist and citrussy lemon drizzle cake that is delicate and delectable.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

300 g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

250 g sugar

1 heaped spoon lemon zest

Wet  Ingredients:

100 ml water

140 ml Rachels lemon yoghurt

75 ml sunflower oil

1 tablespoon  apple cider vinegar 

1 teaspoon vanilla

For lemon drizzle:

juice of I lemon

1 tablespoon sugar

Method:

1.Line 2 loaf tins with parchment paper.

2. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C

3. In a large bowl sieve together the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.

4. Stir in the sugar gently.

5. In a jug whisk together the yoghurt, oil, water, vanilla and apple cider vinegar and lemon zest

6. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with very light folding action(You want to keep the cake airy over mixing will cause it to go dense)

7. Divide the batter into the two prepared loaf tins so that they are half filled.

8. Tap the tins gently on the work top to distribute the batter evenly in them.

9. Bake in middle shelf in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cakes are golden brown.(Do not open the oven door during this time the cakes will sink) After 25 minutes open the door and insert a skewer into the centre of the cake if it comes out clean cakes are cooked if skewer is wet cook for another 5 minutes.

10. Remove cakes from oven and keep aside to cool.

11. Mix together the lemon juice and sugar and using the skewer poke holes in the cakes you have baked.

12. Pour over the warm cakes the lemon syrup and it will sink into the cakes.

I was recently sent some Rachels Organic Lemon Yoghurt to try. I used the Rachels Lemon yoghurt to make this Lemon drizzle cake. The Greek Style Bio live organic yoghurt gave the cake the added moistness and a delicious citrus flavouring.

I would like to Thank Rachels  for sending me the yoghurt to samples.

Submitting to:

Lets cook Sweet Treats for Easter event by simplyfood

Kheer ~ Indian rice pudding with Date compote and Lékué microwave rice and grain cooker giveaway

Rich and creamy rice pudding with fragrant cardamom and a delicious date and nut topping.

60 g short grain rice
250 ml water
400 ml  full cream milk
60 g sugar
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
few strands saffron
4 almonds for garnishing
6 pistachio nuts  for garnishing
6 medjool dates
60 ml boiling water

Method:

1.Wash the rice in cold water and soak it for 30 minutes.
2.After thirty minutes drain the rice and place it in the Lékué  microwave rice and grain cooker together with 250 ml water and cook on high for 20 minutes until rice is mushy and all the water is absorbed (alternatively you can cook the rice on the stove top.) (The rice needs to be overcooked and very soft)
3.While the rice is cooking , take a heavy bottom pan and pour the milk in it and bring it to a gentle simmer, continue simmering the milk to thicken and reduce it  for 20 minutes.
4.  Once the rice is cooked transfer all the cooked rice to the hot milk, add the sugar and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring the rice pudding every couple of minutes as not to scorch it.
5. Once rice pudding has thickened add the cardamom powder and saffron and mix it in.
6. Take the pan off the heat and transfer the rice pudding to a bowl. Keep stirring it every few minutes until it cools this will stop any skin forming on it.
7.To make the date compote chop up the dates finely and place them in a small bowl. Add boiling water to the dates and leave for 30 minutes.
8.After 30 minutes mash up the dates in the liquid using the back of a spoon until thick and pulpy.
9.Slice the almonds and pistachio nuts in to thin slivers and keep aside.
10. To serve spoon the rice pudding in serving glasses .Add a spoonful of date compote on the top and garnish with the almond and pistachio slivers.

I precooked my rice in the  Lékué  microwave rice and grain cooker, it is very useful to have as it cooks rice without any fuss and the container is stylish so you can cook and serve the rice straight from the microwave to the table.

The  Lékué  microwave rice and grain cooker is a neat little cooker, a white microwaveable pot with a green silicon lid with holes in it to let the steam escape. Since it has a unique lid water doesn't overflow and the microwave stays clean. The rice and grain cooker can be used to cook a wide variety of other grains such as couscous, wheat, barley, oats and buckwheat . It is dishwasher safe and made from plastic and 100% platinum silicone. The Lékué microwave rice cooker retails at  £ 27.50 and is available to purchase from many high street retailers and also on line from Lékué.

I have been very fortunate and have had the opportunity to try out some wonderful  products from the Lékué range of kitchen ware such  the microwave kit pasta the pasta cooker, which  is elegant in design and you can cook and serve the pasta straight from the microwave to the table.

I also tried the cutting board which is neat and very handy  and is very durable since its  made from pp plastic and trp rubber. The cutting board stores easily in any kitchen drawer and is double sided.

Finally one of my favourite items that I have tried is the kit decomat. This is a lovely kit perfect for those cake decorating fans. It comes with laminated design templates and a special chocolate piping pot that allows you to trace the patterns with the chocolate to make beautiful chocolate decorations.

I would like to thank Lékué  for sending me all these wonderful items to review.All the opinions and views expressed in this post are my own.

Lékué have been very kind and they have agreed to send one lucky simplyfood reader a microwave rice and grain cooker as a prize so that they can cook perfect rice every time.

How To Enter:

• Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
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• Open to UK Residents Only and you must be over 18 yrs old.
• Closing date - 5th May 2014

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• You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
• Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
•  Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 
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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Submitting to:
Lets cook sweet treats for Easter event by simply.food

Taste of Tropics ~ Dates Event by Chef Mireille guest hosted by citrusspice

Colori Cucina Green frying pan from Kuhn Rikon review

I was recently sent the new 28 cm Colori Cucina Green frying pan from KuhnRikon is the perfect frying pan for a modern kitchen. It is sturdy, easy and handy to use, it is very well suited for everyday cooking. This is an everyday durable non-stick frying pan. It is suitable for omelettes and the braising of vegetables. It can also be used for frying fish and meat. The pan is suitable for use on all types of cooking devices such as radiant ring, solid plate, ceramic, halogen, gas. Although the pan is not dishwasher safe it can be easily cleaned by hand and any stubborn deposits can be removed by soaking prior to washing.

The pan comes in 5 lovely colours in red, fuchsia, blue, yellow, green and also three sizes 20cm, 24cm, 28cm. 

The Prices are as follows:

20cm in all colours: £29.95

24cm in all colours: £34.95

28cm in all colours: £39.95

The pans are available to purchase on line from Cookability  and also on the high street from many cook ware shops.

 I found the pan was sturdy with a strong handle and it was very stable on my gas cooker.I also liked the fact that the pan was fairly deep. I cooked pancakes in it and they glided off perfectly. I also sautéed some mushrooms and vegetables in the pan and they cooked extremely well using very little oil. I love the vibrant colour of the pan its fun and very eye catching. The 28 cm size pan was perfect in size to cook for a family of four. I would give the pan a score of  4/5. I only wish it was dishwasher safe.

Thankyou to Kuhn Rikon for sending me this pan to try out in my kitchen. All the views and opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Event Round up ~Lets Cook with Seeds

Thankyou to everyone who took part in this event, all the yummy dishes can be found here in the round up.

Date and Nut Barfi

A healthy and delicious treat perfect to serve as a snack or after dinner treat.

Ingredients:

8  ripe soft medjool dates
60 ml hot water
30 g pistachio nuts
30 g cashew nuts
30 g almonds
30 g dessicated coconut
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
Pinch of saffron

Method:

1. Remove the stones from the dates and chop finely. Place the dates in a bowl and add 60 ml boiling water and the saffron strands and leave from 1 hour.
2. In a coffee grinder coarsely grind the pistachio nuts, cashew nuts and almonds.
3. In a large bowl mix together the coarsely ground nuts, dessicated coconut, sugar, cardamom powder.
4. Using the back of a spoon mash together the soaked dates. Add the soaked dates to the nut mixture a little at a time until all the ingredients are combined. Mixture should not be too wet and if made into balls should retain shape.
5. Pinch small walnut sized balls of the mixture and push them into silicon chocolate moulds to shape them.
6. Once all the mixture is shaped in the moulds place the tray in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
7. De mould the barfi  and keep refrigerated .

Submitting to:
Lets cook sweet treats for Easter event by simply.food

Taste of Tropics ~ Dates Event by Chef Mireille guest hosted by citrusspice

Javelin Warrior Cookin/with luv

Announcing Event~Lets Cook Sweet Treats for Easter

The Month of March is nearly over and we have already started the celebrations for spring. April brings us the celebration of Easter . In this event I am inviting all foodies to cook sweet treats for Easter and link them to this Event.

To Participate:

1. Prepare any sweet treat suitable for vegetarians (eggs allowed),  please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL
2. Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory. (Any entries sent with out the mandatory link will be disqualified.)
3.Use of logo is  not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.

4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.

4. In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com

Please use this format:

Your Name: Recipe
Name Recipe URL
Image no larger than 300 pixels.
Event Ends 30th  April 2014