FINYS FABULOUS FOODS AND FINDS

This is a family meal, and a good way to get children to eat vegetables, as they are hidden!  If need be, cut them up very small so they do not actually see them.  This is healthy, as it has tuna in it which is rich in Omega 3's. The taste of this meal is extra delicious, and quite easy to make with only 30 minutes of cooking time.  It can also be heated up easily in the microwave if you are making it for less people than five - I generally only cook for about 2 people but had visitors when I made this meal. I generally use John West large tins of tuna in spring-water, however tuna in brine will also be OK - I do not use much salt in cooking due to high cholesterol problem! Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes: 5 servings Ingredients 50 g butter 1 medium onion, sliced thinly ¼ cup plain flour 2 cups milk 150 g baby spinach leaves 425 g can tuna in spring-water, drained 2 tbsp lemon juice Mushrooms (optional) POTATO AND CELE...

These are healthy spring rolls which are not fried, and therefore have no oil.  Rice paper rolls are easy to work with, and are an Asian speciality and available in the Asian isle of most supermarkets. The prawns have been roasted in the oven, and the quinoa boiled, plus the recipe has raw vegetables in it.  It therefore has many healthy elements to it and saves you making a salad.  They are great either hot or cold, on a buffet table, and I also made a dipping sauce with them. They are also good for lunch boxes, and are very versatile, and most importantly, my lovelies, they are very delicious!  I am often tempted to buy these, however even though they are a bit fiddly, they are quite easy to make, and you can virtually put in whatever filling you want.  If you don't eat prawns, substitute - anything goes with this recipe.  I also love cooking with Hoisin sauce as love both the smell and the taste of this Asian sauce. I ate them on their own with ...

This fish pie is unusual in that it has a crunchy Filo pastry baked on the top. I have served it with broccoli and a salad of carrots and fresh green peas, and I soaked the broccoli in the gravy from the fish pie! I try to eat fish once a week, as it is healthy however fish is not quite as versatile as chicken!  This is an easy pie to make and is just that little bit different. Serve it with a salad or even baked or boiled vegetables. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Makes: 3 servings Ingredients Bit of oil ½ leek, sliced 1 clove garlic 3 tbsp flour ¾ cup fish or chicken stock 70 g Philadelphia cream cheese (could use small tubs) 400 g white fish, cut into thick strips Grated rind of lemon Salt and pepper 3 sheets Filo pastry Olive oil spray Instructions Heat a bit of oil in a fry pan or small wok, and add the leek and garlic.  Saute this for about 2 minutes until it has softened. Add the flour and cook 1-2 minutes more. T...

Red salmon is one of the healthiest fish available partly due to the amount of Omega 3 fatty acids it has in it.  This recipe combines this salmon with spices and a base of rice noodles. It is not "hot" as in spicy but the flavour of the spices goes through the whole dish including the rice noodles.  It is not a difficult recipe to make, and is great for people who are not keen on eating fish by itself, as the flavours of the spices hides a bit of the fish taste! Buy the salmon fresh, and buying it skinless, although slightly more expensive, it is easier and no wastage. Preparation Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Makes: 3-4 servings Ingredients 2 pieces red salmon, skinless 100 - 120 g flat rice sticks or noodles ½ carrot, julienned Bok choy, washed and diced ½ red capsicum 4-5 spring onions 55 g bean sprouts ½ cup sweet chilli sauce 1½ tsp fish sauce Less than ¼ cup kecap manis 1½ tblsp lime juice Chopped peanuts for garnish - optional ...

This burger is almost too big to get your mouth around!  However, once you master this, you will find this a delicious recipe. Tuna mixed with capers and cheese are a very good combination, and even children will like this unusual burger. I made it as a main meal and therefore made the patty larger than normal.  I added salads to make it healthier, and served it with raw green peas, and extra lettuce. Preparation Time: 20 minutes (plus 15 minutes in the fridge, optional) Cooking Time: 10 minutes Makes: 1 serving Ingredients 1 95 g tin Tuna 1 spring onion 1 tbsp Capers 1 tbsp parsley, chopped ½ cup breadcrumbs 1 very small egg, lightly beaten ½ cup grated tasty cheese 1 tbsp olive oil TO SERVE: 2 slices tasty cheese, or grated 1 roll, halved A little mayonnaise Bit of tomato sauce (optional) ¾ cup mixed lettuce leaves ½ tomato, sliced Instructions: Combine the tuna, egg, breadcrumbs, spring onions, grated cheese, parsley and capers. Mix ...

I am not a vegan, however I am avoiding making recipes that have processed sugar in them.  This can be quite difficult at times, as all my favourites do have sugar in them. Unfortunately I have a sweet tooth, so after being diagnosed with high sugar levels, I decided I had to stop eating cakes, biscuits and desserts which I had on most days! I then went down the path of making sweet morsels that had fruit in them.  I realise that the fruit still has sugar in it, however it is not processed and therefore possibly healthier than ordinary sugar. I mostly use coconut sugar or similar in these recipes, however am now making ones that do not require any added sugar as the sweetness comes from the dried fruit.  These are not as sweet as commercial cakes and biscuits, however in time I have got used to having bliss balls, or raw sweets to satisfy my sweet tooth. It is with all this in mind, that I made these raw apricot slices.  I often use either dried apric...

I just love salmon or tuna patties.  I do not however like bought ones generally, as they usually have too much potato in them. I often make these little morsels of goodness as they are easy to make, always turn out, and can be teamed with just about any other food. I have read a lot about quinoa over the last few years, and quite honestly, do not really believe in all these new super foods which seem to be popping up almost every month!  There are just so many, and I feel a lot of them are "gimmicky", and while they may well be healthy, they are not the "be all and end all" which the media seem to turn them into. Nor do I believe in all the different diets - the only diet I have gone on is eating less quantity at each meal, cutting out in between snacks, and the 5/2 diet.  This one I did, not to lose weight, but for the other healthy benefits, as I have mentioned before in my recipes. So, back to quinoa - I bought a packet as I wanted to see what it tastes ...

Rice paper rolls are a bit fiddly but I think they are SO worth it.  With vegetables (or meat) wrapped in a wafer thin pancake type of rolls, there is no limit to your imagination when creating different versions of these! They are generally with Asian inspired vegetables, however you could really making anything inside these tiny paper thin pancakes.  I have even made a dessert using them, and they were delicious as the pancake is not sweet and the sweet of a dessert balances it out to give a great sweet! They can also be vegetarian or not!  They are often made with prawns, which is a recipe I often make, however in this instance I decided to be "vegetarian" for the night!  My partner is a meat and veggies person, and was not impressed that I left out the meat part, however he even admitted that they tasted very good. If you do not eat fish, simply leave the tuna out of this recipe, however the tuna makes it extra healthy as it is packed with Omega3 which ha...

I am not a vegan, and I am no longer even a vegetarian - I eat little red meat, and have a lot of milk and cheese. However, now, as I have often said, my lovelies, I have had to cut down on the amount of sugar I eat, so am always trying new low fat, no added sugar desserts and snacks. This is actually a vegan recipe, I believe, however that was co-incidence.  Often these raw desserts are vegan, and nearly always they are delicious. It is another recipe that needed to be made several times to get the consistency correct, but hey, I love creating and experimenting.  This one I had tasted a similar one at a friend's place, however she had bought it and did not quite know what was in it! This recipe does have some maple syrup in it, and I always buy the pure maple syrup as the cheaper one is more processed.  Even though "sugar is sugar" regardless of how it is presented, I really believe that using a natural sugar like maple syrup, or coconut sugar, is far healthier....