Buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon

image courtesy of gourmet.com

*part of the sizzling staffordshire menu series*

This is an excellent breakfats dish but also serves well as a light lunch or even as a main course for supper. The buckwheat pancakes play on the confort factor but dont feel guilty, - buckwheat is particularly nutritious and gluten free.

You will need (Serves 5-6):

85g buckwheat flour
85g plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1.2 tbssp sea salt
1tbsp caster sugar
200ml semi skimmed milk
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter or oilive oil
2 egg whites
small amount of butter for cooking

TO serve:

10-12 slices smoked salmon
6 tbsp soured cream
3 tbsp capers (drained)
handful rocket to garnish (optional)

The doing bit:

Pancakes:

Mix the flours, baking powder salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the milk and melted butter. Gradually mix in the flours to the oil and mix to a smooth batter. leave to rest for a few mins.

Whisk the egg whites together in a seperate bowl until they form soft peaks then fold into the pancake batter.

Melt a small amount of butter into a blini pan on a medium heat and when melted add a small ladelful of the mixture.After roughly 2 minutes (until golden brown on the underside) turn the pancake over and cook again the other side. When done remove from pan and repeat until pancake mix is turned into pancakes.

To serve:

Take a dollop of the sour cream and add it to each pancake (or 2). add the smoked salmon and a few capers to garnish and the rocket to finish.

Devour.

Flax Seed "Foccacia"

I found this recipe online whilst on the hunt for a low calorie, low carb, high fibre bread. On my mission for a healthier lifestyle and cutting carbs, I found that one thing I missed was bread. You know when you get that craving for toast, or just bread in general?

This recipe is wonderfully versatile and is a good vehicle for a variety of flavours. Recently I've taken to adding all kinds to it, inclusive of raspberries and fresh cranberries for a hit of antioxidants and vitamins. You can add pretty much whatever you like to it also, be it oats, seeds (sunflower or pumpkin work well), or even other berries. The bread is rustic in feel and appearance, so anything of that nature will add to its appeal. If you just fancy a herby flatbread feel free to add some of those more robust herbs, sage, rosemary, thyme etc. Go wild.

Here is the recipe, I usually add extra whole flax seed and possibly a handful of oats also.


Ingredients:
•2 cups flax seed meal
•1 Tablespoon baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•1-2 Tablespoons sugar equivalent from artificial sweetener
•5 beaten eggs
•1/2 cup water
•1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (a 10X15 pan with sides works best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat.

 1) Mix dry ingredients well -- a whisk works well.

 2) Add wet to dry, and combine well. Make sure there aren't obvious strings of egg white hanging out in the batter.

 3) Let batter set for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up some (leave it too long and it gets past the point where it's easy to spread.)

 4) Pour batter onto pan. Because it's going to tend to mound in the middle, you'll get a more even thickness if you spread it away from the center somewhat, in roughly a rectangle an inch or two from the sides of the pan (you can go all the way to the edge, but it will be thinner).

 5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning even more than flax already is.

 6) Cool and cut into whatever size slices you want. You don't need a sharp knife; I usually just cut it with a spatula.
 Nutritional Information: Each of 12 servings has less than a gram of effective carbohydrate (.7 grams to be exact) plus 5 grams fiber, 6 grams protein, and 185 calories.

Spring onion and herb broth / pancetta & parmesan dumplings

Image courtesy of bbc good food.

This dish is perfect for springtime and will serve well as a hearty lunch or as a light evening meal. A complete meal in itself, will bring delight to the palate and satisfyingly filling, with herb inspired overtones providing a light yet fragrant dish.

You will need (serves 2):

For the broth

600ml Vegetable stock (boiling)
1 large clove garlic finely chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
1 bunch / 8 spring onions, very finely chopped
handful of mix of fresh parsley, tarragon, sage and basil, finely chopped
Teaspoon of arrowroot powder

For the dumplings:

6 Gyoza wrappers
4 slices pancetta, finely chopped
thumb sized piece of parmesan, finely grated
1/5 of the herb bouqet mentioned in the broth section
Thumbnail sized piece of butter.
1/4 tablespoon black pepper

The doing bit:

Make the dumplings first.

Mix the pepper, pancetta, parmesan, butter and herbs together in a small bowl.
Take a gyoza wrapper and add a teaspoon sized mixture of the above, and then close each wrapper and seal the edges with a little water. Set to one side.

For the broth, sautee in a saucepan the shallots until soft, add the spring onions until they turn bright green, then add the herbs and the stock. Bring to the boil.Wet down the arrowroot with a little cold water and work to a thin paste and add to the broth. Allow to cook for 2 minutes then the broth is ready to use.

In a large frying pan, add a little oil then sear the dumplings until coloured each side. Place lid on pan then turn off the heat, adding a little of the broth to the pan. Allow to stand for 2 minutes then serve in a large bowl with the broth.

Beetroot Soup (A winter warmer)

Ordinarily I wouldn't go out of my way to buy beetroot. Don't get me wrong its a wonderfully useful vegetable, full of nutrients etc - it just often slips my mind. That said its quite low in calorie and generally good for you.

The shopping trip last night yielded some beetroot from the reduced section at a price that couldn't be refused, and as a result i decided to reunite with an old love - beetroot soup. Its extremely colourful, quite filling and very warming. And for the most part its healthy too!

You will need:

4 fresh beetroot (smallish) peeled and chopped into 1cm pieces
Pinch nutmeg
Tbsp butter
1 white onion (large) chopped to the same proportions
250ml whole milk
2 cloves
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock.
(optional) handful of fresh coriander chopped

The doing bit:

In a pan add the milk, cloves and a pinch of nutmeg. Warm the milk through and allow to infuse but do not let it boil.

Put the butter into a pan and heat until melted and bubbling. Add the onion and beetroot - put the lid on the pan and allow to "sweat" until the onions become soft. Add the milk infusion and the stock. Bring to the boil then simmer until the beetroot pieces become soft. Add any optional herbs & blend, then season if necessary with salt and pepper.

Serve piping hot, with an optional dollop of cinnamon creme fraiche.

Cured Marinated Salmon Salad

image courtesy of marel.com

What I love about salads is they can be, in the right setting wonderfully satisfying and fulfilling. Although light and more often than not guilt free, they can be incredibly wholesome. This recipe is no exception to the rule, it provides clean and earthy flavours to create a wholesome balance, whilst at the same time giving a nice healthy balance to nutrition also. Using traditional oriental flavours, as well as fish that is rich in protein, vitamins and omega 3 oils, it provides a joy for all audiences. It can also be adapted for larger proportions should the need arise, without the guilt factor.

You will need (for the marinade)

1 teaspoon sugar
Zest and juice of one whole lime
1 garlic clove, crushed with a little salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce

For the salad

2 pieces (roughly 75g) fresh salmon cut into thin slices (use trimmings for thrift)
150g beansprouts
75g cucumber, grated
1 red chilli, trimmed and very thinly sliced
3 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped.

The doing bit

Marinade:

Combine sugar and two tablespoons on the lime juice in a small bowl and stir until sugar has dissolved. Add garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce and stir until uniform. Take the salmon and marinade in 4 tablespoons of the marinade mixture, cover and allow to marinade for about 3 hours. Store the rest of the marinade for later use.

The rest:

Blanche the beansprouts in lightly salted boiling water for 10 second and refresh under cold water. Combine with the cucumber and chilli. Sprinkle with the remaining juice and flat leaf parsley. Serve the salmon slices on top or around the salad (its all down to preference). Garnish with a teaspoon of the remaining marinade and serve.

Cream of asparagus & watercress soup

Alright, ill openly admit its more of a late springtime dish., but im sure that by now, were aware of my love for asparagus, and also fond of the fact that it can be obtained year round from most supermarkets. I will maintian however, that its best in the late spring.


This recipe combines the use of standard larder ingredients and a means to make your asparagus go a bit further. if like me you buy about 4 bunches of asparagus per week, then youll notice that the woody end bits are also useful. I tend to store these bits in a tupperware in the freezer - they dont go off that way and any essential nutrients are still preserved quite well until you need them.

This is a wonderful soup for lunchtimes - and has a nice uplifting feel. Its also quite healthy too.

You will need:

Woody ends from about 4 bunches of asparagus
1/2 pint / 250 ml vegetable stock
Handful of fresh watercress
1/2 pint  bechamel  / white sauce

In one pan heat the bechamel gently, stirring occasionally. In a seperate pan combine your asparagus bits and the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 mins, then strain the stock into the bechamel.

Throw in your handful of watercress, then blend to a uniform consistency.

Garnish with parmesan shavings and / or lemon zest.

Grilled Asparagus with Poached Egg & Caesar Dressing

image courtesy of closetcooking.com

I absoloutely adore asparagus. Its one vegetable that from a flavour perspective isnt too invasive, and because of its mild nature it goes very well with lots of things successfully. Due to the immense buying power of supermarkets asparagus is available year round nowadays, and although i abhore the idea of using things out of season i cant complain too much about it being available as i'm immensely fond of it.

As a starter or even a breakfast (which is where i normally devour asparagus) it is very good, and nutritionally its almost a superfood. It is very rich in vitamins, fibre and a certain amount of protein. Its also good for your liver and kidneys too. Its the favoured vegetable of many dieters for this reason, and is one of the few things that can be enjoyed on a low carb diet also.

The use of caesar dressing in place of hollondaise traditionally gives a nice edge and a variation for this dish. If you want to make your own caesar dressing you can find one here.

Ingredients

6 Asparagus spears
White wine vinegar
1 egg (you can use a ducks egg if you want an extra treat)
35ml caesar dressing.
Parmesan shavings
Black Pepper
Chopped parsley
Olive oil

Preparation

In a saucepan bring water, agood helping of black pepper and about 4tbsp white wine vinegar to the boil. Turn down to a simmer once boiling. Well add the egg when were almost ready

Trim the bottom section of the asparagus spears as these aren't easy to eat. You can keep them to one side and freeze them like i do in saving them for some asparagus soup. Its up to you.

Heat up a griddle pan or heavy bottomed frying pan. Add the olive oil and then the asparagus. When coloured on one side, turn them over and allow to colour in a similar fashion. When you've turned them over once turn up the heat on your poaching pan and add the egg. Turn the heat down on the poaching pan to a moderate heat. When your asparagus is coloured the other side, your egg should be ready.If not to preferred level of cooking turn the heat off the asparagus pan and allow to rest and keep warm whilst your egg finishes.

Remove asparagus and plate it. add the egg atop the asparagus and finish with parsley black pepper and chopped parlsey. Bon Apetit!