FINYS FABULOUS FOODS AND FINDS

Raw is currently the rage in cooking!  I have made some interesting recipes, though I have to admit some of them have failed! It is not so easy to get the right quantities of ingredients so that the sweet or dessert will not fall apart. I make a lot of bliss balls, as currently I am not eating much with refined sugar in them, and most of these raw desserts have no added processed sugars. This one also has chia seeds in it.  I love the texture of these seeds, and they are so easy to use in a variety of sweets and puddings.  They are also supposedly another of the new "super foods".  Their health properties include such things as Omega-3, antioxidants, fibre, iron and calcium.  They also contain some protein and are versatile in that they can be eaten both cooked or raw.  However they should be added to another food or soaked before eating them. Raw foods are the latest health craze and many of them use obscure ingredients.  However this recipe uses ones you will poss

I may "harp" about the 5/2 diet however I was fanatical about it for a few years. Not that I wanted to lose weight - it has other effects which include lowering blood pressure and more.  This worked well for me for a while, however eventually I had to go down to 6/1 as I found I was losing too much weight! Currently this is what I do - I eat my 500 calories just once a week instead of two though it has not had the good side effects that doing it twice had. Anyway this article is not supposed to be about a diet but about food that is suitable for someone who wants to eat healthy, low fat and low calorie food, which this is. The other advantage of this recipe is that I have heard and read that we "should" eat fish twice a week as it also has so many health benefits, the main one being the Omega 3.  Many of us take fish oil supplements to get our Omega 3 however I am a firm believer in eating and getting vitamins naturally rather than taking a pill. On saying

I used to be vegetarian, however after many years, I started to eat chicken and other poultry. Now I have reverted to also eating meat occasionally and I also eat and cook with bacon, as this is one of my favourite foods. I tend to have a vegetarian meal at least once a week still and seem to make a lot of chicken dishes, as chicken is so versatile. This recipe is one that I had most of the ingredients in the house and the only thing I had to buy were the bean sprouts, which I always buy fresh. I often keep frozen chicken in the freezer for those times when I do not know what to make for dinner, and as chicken is so very versatile, it is easy to defrost and make all in the one day. For this recipe I have used chicken breasts, which you need to make sure you do not over cook as they become very dry if you over cook them.  So important - only cook chicken strips for a few minutes if you want them to be melt in your mouth fabulous! I also always have cashews in my fridge (if I

 Once a week I eat just 500 calories in a day for health reasons.  This is on the 5/2 diet and I do not do it to lose weight. This is a filling meal you could make and still be within your 500 calories for one of your two fasting days. I am always on the lookout for ideas for these days as a salad gets a bit boring after a year or so of being on this diet. This egg white omelette is ideal for this, or if you want an easy, low fat, low calorie meal.  It has approximately 235 calories in the whole meal! You can add whatever vegetables you like, and I have used what I had left in my fridge. I used the spinach that I grow in my garden as this climbing type variety is ideal for cooking or eating in a salad. Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 1 omelette Ingredients 3 large egg whites A handful of spinach ½ stick celery, chopped fine ½ onion, chopped 25 g Mozzarella cheese (or any tasty cheese) oil, or spray 10 g parsley, chopped Bit of so

Fish pie on it's own can sometimes be a bit tasteless.  So because I love prawns, I decided to add some prawns to a fish pie. Now, I have to admit I tried this twice as it did not turn out the first time!  This was really annoying as I wasted the prawns, but it made me more determined to get it right the second time. This fish pie is made more tasty by the addition of  these king prawns.  The two textures go very well together, and the prawns are nice and soft if not overcooked.  I have served it with my  quinoa salad . If you do not like prawns, I would put some soy sauce in, or extra salt and pepper, or even a bit of chili or curry to give it some extra taste. Or, the prawns could be replaced with a similar quantity of extra fish if you do not like prawns. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes Makes: 3 servings Ingredients 400g potatoes, peeled 1 medium leek, washed 65g butter 250g king prawns  20 g plain flour 250g white fish fillets, c

SO YOU WANT TO EAT HEALTHY? Quinoa is one of the latest healthy seeds which can be cooked or sprouted, if you want a totally raw food.  It is supposedly a "super food" but then again, half the "new" foods that are brought out, are said to be "super foods". Quinoa is said to be a great source of protein, and even  includes nine amino acids.  Quinoa is also low in fat and carbohydrates, making it great if you are on a diet! In this recipe I have used another "super food" - Chia seeds.  So this, my lovelies, must be a SUPER recipe! I also used almonds which have wonderful health properties, and this recipe tastes excellent, as well as being easy to make and obviously healthy. You could eat it as a main if you are vegetarian, or have it as an accompaniment to a meat or chicken meal. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 3-4 servings Ingredients 2/3 cup quinoa (any colour) 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced 2

Chicken parmigiana is one of my favourite ways to do chicken, however it CAN sometimes be fiddly to make. But not now, my lovelies, here is an easy way to make it, AND it is an unusual dish with the addition of Ramen noodles, mushrooms and tomato- so not your ordinary parmigiana!  Parmigiana is generally also put in the oven as well as on the stove top. Ramen noodles are an inexpensive type of noodle and I find they are very versatile. This recipe is very tasty, easy and uses just one pot, making it quicker, and my favourite point of sale - less washing up! I served this with my mini pumpkin pies, and it was all so very "yummy" that I urge you to try it. Preparation Time : 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 4 servings Ingredients 2 boneless chicken breasts (about 600g) 1 small egg beaten Up to ½ cup breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil 500 - 600 g jar spaghetti sauce ¾ cup water 225 g mushrooms, quartered 150 g packet Ramen noodles, broken up ¼ to ½

Mandelbrot is German and literally means almond bread.  It is a biscuit similar to the Italian biscotti, which is crisp, and sliced into slices. It does have quite a lot of sugar in it, however these 20 or so servings go a long way, and you would possibly only eat a few of these at a time.  Beware however, as they are very moorish. They last for ages, and are great in lunch boxes or served on the saucer with a cup of tea or coffee - well, if you USE saucers, of course! Mandelbrot or biscotti is usually baked twice, however "Dresden" Mandelbrot is only baked once. I also made some as a plain round biscuit instead of the loaf type that is typical -hence the two types in my photos! This recipe makes a large amount, and unless you have a very large family,  I would suggest halving it. Preparation Time: 30 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes Makes: 20 servings Ingredients 3 large eggs 300 g sugar 300 g plain flour 1 tsp ground cloves ½ tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cac

This recipe has got to be the quickest, easiest Thai style prawn soup I have ever made! Even a child could make it, it is so easy!  The hardest part of this was shelling the prawns, and the rest of the recipe is just adding spices, an carrots.   Beware, however, of red chilli - I used some home grown ones, and the soup was very chilli hot! Have all your ingredients handy as the cooking is so short that this is almost a necessity. I believe it to be a Thai style soup as Thai food often has lemongrass and fish sauce in it, as well as lemon juice.  These are some of the ingredients I have added, and it worked out very well, and also looked impressive. This soup uses the shells and heads of the prawns, which later get strained out, and I believe this makes the base of the soup very nice - quite an unusual flavour. Preparation Time:  20 minutes (mainly shelling prawns) Cooking Time:   15 minutes Serves:  2 to 3 people Ingredients About 8 - 10 prawns 4 - 5 cups water B

Salads are a favourite of mine, my lovelies!  However I do perhaps say many things are my favourites, as I love to eat. Which reminds me, do you eat to live, or live to eat?  Guess which one I am! Although this is a salad, I will sometimes have just a salad as my main meal as it is healthy and if you eat enough, quite filling. In this instance however, I  have eaten it with leftovers I had from my chicken filled with apricots , and the two meals married very well together. If you want to be really healthy, cut out the chorizo and make it vegetarian! Chorizo is a Spnash type pork sausage, and is not the healthiest of foods, as it is so processed, however once in a while I think Chorizo is fine, and it IS delicious. You could also use bacon instead of the Chorizo - well that is just as unhealthy and also very good.  I always use Short Cut bacon as this cut has little fat on it - so you see, even if you do eat bacon, you can buy one that is healthier! Preparation Time: 15

This recipe will have everyone coming back for seconds, as it just delectable. My visitors voted this a hit, and gave it an 11 out of 10, and quickly came back for more!  Sadly, there were no left-overs for me for the next day - it is quite rare that visitors ask for another lot of dessert, but this one with it's tart sweet taste is just one of these popular desserts that most people seem to love. I have made several different versions of a lemon dessert, however I think this one is the best. The flavour of the lemon mixed with cream, and the runny texture of the middle of the pudding, will make this dish a "stunner" for any visitors, or family.  Best make it for family, then you might get more yourself! Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time : 45 minutes Makes: 5-6 servings Ingredients 60 g softened unsalted butter, or ordinary butter 1 cup caster sugar 1 tbsp marmalade 3 eggs 60 g self raising flour 350 ml milk Grated zest of 2 lemons 80 ml lem