Quinoa with Corn, Kale and Walnuts

May 20, 2021 itsangieLeave a comment

Hello everyone, Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

This recipe provides a beautiful array of healthy ingredients that will really nourish the body. Not only that but it also tastes good too! The recipe does require a little effort, so probably something you’ll want to make on the weekend for a hearty lunch. I enjoyed making this dish and it kept me feeling full long after eating. Quinoa is a great source of many minerals compared with other grains. It is also a complete protein source which means it contains all of the 9 essential amino acids, this is necessary for the body because protein is the building blocks of tissue in the body.

Another thing to add is that this recipe is gluten free.

Recipe: Quinoa with corn, kale and walnuts (serves 1)

Ingredients

30g quinoa

20g walnuts, roasted and crushed

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 small onion, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Sprinkle of salt and chilli flakes

1 lemon, zested

30g kale, roughly chopped

20g sweetcorn

Method

Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions and set aside. In the meantime, roast the walnuts for 5 minutes in the oven on gas mark 5 and leave to cool down before crushing.
Whilst the quinoa is cooking, start preparing the onion, garlic, lemon, kale and corn.
Heat the oil in a pan and once hot add the onion, garlic, salt, chilli and zest. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft.
Add the kale and corn, cooking until the kale has wilted slightly. No more than 5 minutes.
Stir in the roasted walnuts and cooked quinoa. Cook for a further 3 minutes and serve.

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World Baking Day!

May 17, 2021May 17, 2021 itsangie2 Comments

Hello everyone, welcome back to my blog and happy World Baking Day to all of my fellow bakers.

I’ve been trying to stick to a strict posting schedule but I think it’s time to switch things up a little and get back to how I used to post, which was a little more spontaneous but still with structure!

Baking is one of my favourite hobbies, and has been for so many years. It’s one of those activities I do that is so relaxing and therapeutic regardless of what it is that I am baking. Years back, I used to love baking sweet things because I had a bit of a sweet tooth (which I probably still do) but as I’m getting older I’m trying to bake things that are slightly healthier and I’m also trying to experiment with a range of different ingredients. I think the food world has become quite innovative depending on what your interests are but it’s great because there’s something for everyone, regardless of your health, diet or lifestyle.

I don’t plan to bake anything today so I thought I’d share a few of my favourite bakes over the years. Enjoy!

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Seasoned Sweet Potato

May 13, 2021 itsangieLeave a comment

Hello everyone, I hope your day has been well.

Today is all about sweet potatoes, a favorite carbohydrate of mine. Although there are many different varieties, 9/10 is will taste sweet, hence the name. The subtle, sweet flavour makes them the perfect ingredient for vegetable curries, pies, soups and so much more. Sweet potatoes are a great source of fibre along with a range of other vitamins, such as iron, selenium and calcium but the fibre specifically is known to be beneficial to the immune system. Also, the vitamin C content is apparently raised from cooking. For this recipe, I decided to lightly fry the sweet potato to reduce any moisture on the outer surface and then bake in the oven for a little while so that the seasonings could be infused into the smooth center.

This is a super quick, tasty dish to cook and is a great accompaniment to most meals.

Recipe: Seasoned sweet potato (serves 1)

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, cut into pieces

Paprika

Salt

Sugar

Chilli flakes

Cumin

Oil, for frying

Method

Heat some oil in a deep pan.
Start preparing the potato by peeling, chopping and set aside in water.
Once the oil is hot enough, add all of the sweet potato and fry for 5-7 minutes stirring regularly.
After the 7 minutes, transfer the potato to a tray with tissue paper on top to soak up the excess oil.
Remove the tissue paper and sprinkle the potatoes with a little paprika, salt, chilli flakes, cumin and sugar.
Bake in the oven for up to 10 minutes and serve.

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Lentil and Potato Balls

April 20, 2021 itsangie2 Comments

Hello everyone, I hope you’ve all had a great day.

I love searching through WordPress and finding wonderful recipes to try for myself, that is how I came to make these vegetarian lentil and potato balls. Lentils are a great source of protein and are known to provide a similar quality of protein to meat. They are really easy to cook and can be added to most meals keeping you feeling fuller for longer. Lentils have quite an earthy taste and can take some getting used to but when mixed with the right ingredients and flavours you can really enjoy and appreciate the taste.

I ate these lentil and potato balls inside a homemade flatbread with a basic side salad and a little sauce. As they were fried, the outside was slightly golden and crispy with a soft center. They are a great meat free alternative to meatballs and can be eaten with many foods. The recipe is pretty basic and only requires a little bit of effort to make.

Recipe: Lentil and potato balls (makes 9)

Ingredients

128g cooked lentils (roughly 50g uncooked)

1 small potato, grated

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Tumeric

Garlic powder

1 tsp tomato puree

1 tbsp plain flour

Oil, for frying

Method

Cook the lentils according to the packets instructions and set aside. Grate the potato and squeeze out most of the excess liquid. Heat the oil in a pan.
Once everything is prepared, mix all of the ingredients together with a sprinkle of the seasonings.
Use your hands to shape them into balls and once the oil is hot place in as many balls that will fit and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side before turning over to cook for a further 3 minutes. They should look brown and crispy!
Once cooked, take out and place in a bowl covered with kitchen paper to drain of excess oil.

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Recipe inspiration for The Kampala Notebook.

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Crushed Walnut and Raisin Cookies

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 itsangie1 Comment

Hello everyone, I hope your week has been well. Today I have another quick baking recipe featuring raisins and walnuts.

These cookies taste so good!! Plus, they are light and airy. I feel like these would be perfect for gifting a friend or family member and even great for yourself if you want a little treat that’s not too sweet. I don’t usually bake with walnuts but they work really well in cookies because of how soft they are after being baked. Walnuts provide an essential fat that we need in the body, often known as a mood booster because they aid in the function and development of the central nervous system.

Walnuts also contain vitamin E, biotin and manganese. They can be added to most cakes, cookies and brownies or sprinkled over your porridge.

Recipe: Crushed walnut and raisin cookies (makes 8)

Ingredients

40g butter

30g demerara sugar

1/2 tsp maple syrup or honey

90g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

20g raisins

20g walnuts, crushed

2 tbsp coconut milk

Method

Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 and line a tray with baking paper.
Mix the butter and sugar together, then add the syrup, flour and salt.
Stir in the raisins and walnuts, pour in the milk and use your hands to form a dough.
Make a log shape with the dough and slice into 8 equal sized pieces, roll into a ball and flatten out onto the tray.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until just golden and leave to cool down before eating.