Egg Fried Rice

 I've been making this simple high in veggies Egg Fried Rice as a speedy lunch for my little boy.  It is one part cold leftover rice and one part veg with an egg for protein. Feel free to use any kind of veg you like fresh or frozen. Could also add any cooked meats if you wished.

Egg Fried Rice
serves 1 1/2

1 tsp sunflower oil
1 cup veg (I used shredded carrot, celery and spring onion)
1 cup leftover rice
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp chinkiang vinegar
1 egg
1/4 tsp sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds
pepper (and hot pepper if you like)


Heat a pan or wok with oil to med high.  Add veg.  Stir-fry for about 1 min.  Add rice.  Mix. When the rice is warmed  add  the soy sauce and chinkiang vinegar.  Mix. Make a well in the middle of the pan.  Add the egg  and pepper to the well.  Mix.  When the egg is cooked take the pan off the heat and add the sesame oil and sesame seeds.  Mix and Eat

A fast lunch and a great way to get extra veggies into a baby.  He picked out all the carrots from his and my bowl...and ate them all!

Irish Soda Bread: Outside of Ireland

 I never liked Irish Soda Bread until I tried Darina Allen's recipe from Forgotten Skills of Cooking and then I made 6 loafs for our going away party.  Now that we are back in Ireland I'm still making it.

  My kitchen scales are in KS (with Darina's very heavy book) so I've changed the recipe to use cups and added oats.  Also for those making soda bread outside of Ireland it is hard to find the right kind of whole wheat flour.  The flour need to be very coarse. Add wheat germ, ground flax and oats to make the whole wheat flour more like the Irish kind.  Also is American baking soda salter than Irish???  Having made this bread in both places I would say yes.  I cut down the salt.

 Irish Soda Bread: Outside of Ireland
 Makes 1 loaf

2 cups whole wheat flour (with extra coarse fiber)
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 tsp salt (add 1/2 tsp more if you like salt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbs  sunflower oil
1 tsp honey
1 egg
2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup seeds +1 tbs for the top

Oven on 350f 180c. Mix the dry.  Mix the wet.  Add the wet to dry. Add seeds.  Mix.  Will be a big sticky mess.  Into a greased loaf pan (or pot in my case).  Top with more seeds. Bake for about 50 min.  Do not even think about cutting until cooled!!!!

Enjoy with butter, smoked salmon, Irish stew or with cheese, tomato, avocado and cucumber.

7 Layer Olivia Salad

 Olivia a salad popular in Iran but it is from Russia where its called Olivier.  To me its like baby food mixed with mayonnaise...gross and far too rich.  A few weeks ago my mom told me about a deconstructed olivia that she was making.  It got me thinking what if Olivia was constructed as a American 7 Layer Salad?  But without the mayo because 7 Layer Salad is gross and far too rich too!

7 layer Olivia Salad
Makes on large Salad

1 kg of new potatoes boiled and sliced
2 large carrots shredded
1 cup of peas
1 cup of cooked chicken shredded
3 eggs hard boiled and sliced
2 pickels sliced
15 olives sliced
Salt and Pepper


For Dressing
1 cup Plain Yougurt
jucie from 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Mix up the yougurt dressing and season to your teast or use mayo.  Assemble the salad by layering each ingredent with 1/4 cup of the dressing between each layer of potatoes, carrots, peas and chicken.

Everyday Coleslaw and Summer Rolls

 I have been eating this coleslaw just about everyday for the last month.  I posted my mothers Ramen Coleslaw way back in 2010 this is a new version of that salad.  I've taken out the Ramen as it turns out the Baby also likes to eat uncooked Ramen and I would rather he did not. But not to worry the taste is even better than before.  I've been eating it as a side with dinners and with/on a sandwich for lunch.  It even makes a great low-cal snack in a Summer Roll.

Everyday Coleslaw
makes about 3 cups

2 cups of shredded cabbage
2 med carrots shredded
2 spring onions sliced thin
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chinkiang vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp roasted sesames
salt and pepper (and hot pepper if you like)

Mix and Eat


Coleslaw Summer Rolls
1 Filling Snack or Light Lunch

3 pieces of rice paper (for summer rolls)
1 cup coleslaw
fresh herbs: mint, coriander, basil, parsley

Dipping sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 chinkiang vinegar

Fill a plate or pan with warm water.  Soak one piece of rice paper until its limp.  Remove the limp rice paper and fill with 1/3 of the coleslaw.  Add fresh herbs and roll.  Repeat and eat!

 Simple and Local. Yummy right after its mixed or after a day in the fridge.  

Shawn's Oven Chips (Fries)

 Shawn knows about potatoes. Back in May he brought 10kgs of potatoes over to our house.  Lucky for those Irish Red Roasters he told me about a very simple oven chip recipe.  Bring the potatoes to boil first! I have made one change to his simple recipe...add turmeric.  It gives the potatoes that golden 'fried' look.

Shawn's Oven Chips (Fries)
serves 2 1/2
3 large potatoes
1 tsp sunflower seed oil
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper

Cut potatoes into the size chips that you want.  Put in a pot of cold salt water and bring to a boil.  Drain and let the potatoes dry.   Mix the cooled potatoes with the oil, turmeric, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet.  Bake in a very hot oven (220c) for around 20-30 min or until golden brown.

note: This is also how to make the perfect roast potatoes that you can find with any roast dinner in any Irish pub.  Its just how you cut the potatoes and shake in the pot after draining.

Honeycomb Candy

Honeycomb candy is an old fashioned Irish/English treat.  I don't think I've ever seen it in the States.  I've been wanted to try my hand at making some for a while but I didn't want to buy a whole tin of golden syrup so I put it off.  But last night at 8pm when I 'needed' candy I started to think could I make honeycomb with honey???? I searched and found a very easy recipe.

All you need is sugar, honey, water and baking soda.

Pasta and Ceci on Buckwheat Noddles

 

I really like all kinds of beans and chickpeas are one of my favorites. Pasta and Ceci or Pasta and Chickpeas is a fast and easy vegetarian dinner that is perfect for busy days. Add a can of chickpeas to a jar a sauce and top on some whole grain pasta.  I used dry chickpeas which I soaked and cooked.  I also made my own pasta sauce (with Gochujan).  We topped our pasta with ground almonds for a vegan dinner...but feel free to run with this dinner idea.

 

 

 Buckwheat or Soba noodles are fun for babies!!! 

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

This salad is is simple and fast to throw together. No one in my family (who eat salad) needs a recipe for this but for those who are new to Italian food may need some help. This salad is great as a side with pasta, or topped on bread as bruschetta. 

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Cucumber (English or de-seeded)
Tomato
Basil
Olives
Soft Cheese (Feta or Mozzarella)
Olive Oil (1 tsp)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/2 tsp)
Salt and Pepper

Cut up some cucumber and tomato.  Rip up some fresh basil. Add some olives.  Top with cheese, oil and vinegar.  Salt and pepper if you like.

Gochujan Cucumber Salad

 This Gochujan Cucumber salad has a secret but I will share it.  Tahini!  Korean recipes often call for sesame seed salt, which is just toasted and ground sesame seeds.  My pestle and mortar are in KS with my sister so I had the idea just use Tahini.    I used tahini in bulgogi a few time and it works. Tahini and Gochujan mix together so well and they make the perfect not too spicy smooth dressing.

Gochujan Cucumber Salad

1 English Cucumber
1 green onion
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp gochujan
1/4 tsp tahini
1 tsp mirin (sweet rice wine vinegar)
1 tsp soy sauce

Mix the gochujan and tahini. Add in the vinegar and soy.  Slice the cucumber and green onion and dress.  Top with the sesame seeds.

This is a great salad for introducing a baby to gochujan...if your baby don't throw the cucumbers on the floor!

Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry

 Lidl has started selling beautiful Irish grown oyster mushrooms and they are only 1e. Feel free to use whatever kind of mushrooms that are local to your area. 

Oyster Mushroom Stir Fry
serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

500 gram Oyster mushrooms cut into strips
1 onion cut into strips
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1 green onion
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chinkiang vinegar (black glutinous rice vinegar)
1/2 tsp sesame seed oil
a few sesame seeds

Heat the oil in a nonstick pan or wok to med high.  Add the veg and stir fry for 2-3 min.  Add the soy sauce and chinkiang vinegar. Mix, take off the heat add the sesame seed oil mix.  Plate and top with green onion and sesame seeds. Enjoy with rice.

Toasted Brown Rice

 I have a very hard time getting my white rice eating family to eat brown rice, but that doesn't mean I stop trying.  So far mixing brown and  white rice together hasn't worked well so I've gone back trying to work with just plain brown rice.  A few weeks ago I cooked the brown rice in broth...but Saeid didn't like it.  Last night I toasted the rice before cooking and guess what? Saeid said "I don't hate this brown rice."  The baby liked it too!  Win!  I don't think this will replace our everyday white rice but its a start.

Toasted Brown Rice
serves 2 (and 1/2)
1 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt

Toast the rice in a dry pan on med heat for 5 min or until the brown rice starts to brown and smells nutty. Make sure to shake the pan from time to time. Transfer the rice into a pot (or toast the rice in the pot to start but it may take longer).  Cover with the water, add salt.  Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot.  Forget about it for the next 20min.    Fluff and enjoy.

No left overs!!!!