There are some rules:
1. If you’ve spent only some of your daily 8CHF budget you get to use the change the next day (change can only be used the next day, otherwise you just lose track…).
2. If you’ve spent more thAn your daily 8CHF budget you’ll have to cut your expenses some other day (not necessarily the next day but within the next 3 days… Again, you just need to keep track).
3. If you happen to get some stuff which will be used for a longer period thAn the next 3 days, calculate the cost per day and subtract that amount from your daily budget until the stuff is paid off.
The next rule is the most important one, so do whatever it takes to follow it:
4. Never go to sleep hungry! It’s not fun, It’s unhealthy, it makes you grumpy and if you workout in the mornings (like I do) it’s just darn stupid.

So where do you start? How do you find stuff that will keep your energy level reasonable, won’t make you turn into a skeleton in no-time and will also put a smile on your face? (that’s one of the main reasons I love food so much😏), all this for just 8CHF a day.
Well… You have to keep in mind a few things:
Don’t spend your money on stuff you have for breakfast: get different stuff! Complete your diet with the things your breakfast isn’t providing.
It saddens me to say this next thing but it needs to be said: candies and snacks aren’t food!!! They just aren’t (super sad to hear… I know😔). You should enjoy an occasional treat but for god’s sake don’t live on chocolate and chips.
One last (obvious) thing: go for supermarkets! The big chains, not the local grocery store: They hold a larger variety, the prices there don’t change dramatically from place to place and they have their own brands, usually it’s good stuff for way less. So if you get your food in supermarkets you’ll know pretty quickly what you can or, most likely, can’t afford.
I’m no nutrition expert but there are some basic things (which are common knowledge) you need to consider when putting together your low budget menu: you need some fat in there (because it can get cold and because you can’t afford new smaller clothes) , you need some fruits and vegetables (because they’re good for you and even a small apple makes you feel full for a while), you need some protein (you just do!), you need carbs (especially if you workout) and you need sweet stuff because it’ll keep your spirit up and that is what’s really important when traveling, especially alone.

The first time you’ll walk into a supermarket in Switzerland you’ll probably be amazed. Prices are HIGH, and I don’t mean “a bit on the high side” high, I mean “F$$K I’m taking the next flight out of here”, high. What’s even worse is that the good, healthy stuff is much more expensive thAn junk: a small box of cherry tomatoes, for example, costs the same as 3 bags of chips, or 3.5 bottles of soda or 2-3 bars of chocolate (chocolate is not really junk but its not on the low budget menu, at least not on a daily basis).
Well, amazed or not don’t let it intimidate you, if you’ll look hard enough you’ll find stuff you can afford which is also healthy and tasty.

My 8CHF shopping bag contains the following:
3 bananas or 3 apples – 1.50CHF
2 cheap yogurt cups or just one of the more expensive kind (I buy the low fat, you can’t always get the cheap ones…) – 1.20CHF
A mixture of nuts, raisins and dry fruits- 4CHF for a 500g bag (enough for three days) that’s 1.35CHF a day.
A small box of cherry tomatoes. Most of them are around 5CHF for 350g or so. I found a 250g box for just 1.30CHF
That leaves 2.70CHF: I sometimes treat my self to a Diet Coke (1.20CHF) or a Pepsi Max (0.95CHF), sometimes to a chocolate bar (1.35-1.50CHF) which you can also get in a six bar pack for just 2.50 (That’s just 0.42CHF a bar… Yay!!!) and if I’m taking a train somewhere I might get a muffin or some other pastry (1.50-2.50 CHF).
A good friend who lives in Switzerland urges me to get canned food. I’m more of a fresh food person but it is a good option if you’re into cans. He’s favorites are those Heinz baked beans, they are good and you can warm them up in the hostel (hostels do have microwaves). For me baked beans with no white rice don’t really work but I’m spreading his love of Heinz baked beans to the world. So there C, someone might just get those Heinz baked beans after all😬.
Another option for your change: Keep it for tomorrow and get some real food. The 2 big chains (MIGROS and COOP) also have restaurants where you can get real food for a reasonable price. That’s not really my thing so I can’t tell you how it is but some of the travelers I’ve met have tried it and they all said its not bad… So good luck with that 😇. You can also get the familiar McDonald’s or Burger King, a whole menu is expensive (12-16CHF) but you can just have the sandwich thing for about 7CHF.
There are a few things I buy which are calculated in the budget but are used for longer thAn 3 days. I already mentioned that I’ve created myself some kind of routine (hostels, runs, breakfasts) part of my routine is having my drink on a bench viewing some beautiful scenery. My drink being a Ginger, Lemon, Honey tea. So once in 4 days I get a lemon 0.60-0.80CHF, once in ten days I get honey 4.50CHF for 500g is the cheapest I found in a non glass container and once in 2 weeks I get a bit of fresh ginger root- 1.10CHF (So my actual spending budget is about 7.30 a day).
A few last tips:
Bring your own spoon and knife (how would you feel wasting a whole day’s budget on such basic things? not too happy, trust me!).
Check the price for 100g before choosing your item (price for 100g is written on the price label on the shelf).
Have your “meals” in nice places. I love to sit and eat on some bench, I look for benches on my morning run and come back to eat there later on that day.
Treat yourself to things you like from time to time. Traveling is about enjoying yourself so don’t let the budget issue ruin that for you.
I think that’s about it.
Off to have a banana🍌, I’ll be back soon😘.

In my 8CHF shopping bag:


Blueberry Vs. raspberry and yogurt:

My Ginger Lemon Honey:

Benches are the best:

Recipe adapted by Paulette Le Pore Motzko from “Millisecond Muffins” from “Magic Bullet 10 Second Recipes”

I love my Magic Bullet and bought one over a year ago and recently bought another one. They improved it and made the large container larger and included more lids, which I appreciated. If you do not have one, you can still make these delicious muffins by simply stirring in a small bowl. If you want to get out the Kitchen Aid, go ahead, but they mix in a flash with a bowl and spoon, the way they did it before electricity!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin cup pan with liners or spray with non stick spray

1 egg

1/2 cup low fat milk

1 tablespoon canola oil, corn oil or the oil of your choice

1 and 1/4 cup Bisquick Heart Healthy Baking Mix

1/4 cup Splenda or granulated sugar

1. Simple put the wet ingredients in the small container of the Magic Bullet or a medium size bowl and mix until blended. Then add in the baking mix and stir until combined.

Bake in a 400 degree oven until done, about 15 minutes to 20 minutes.

To flavor muffins:

I made two of each flavor

Chocolate Chip-2 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips poured on top the muffin and then gently pressed into the batter with the back of the spoon.

Dried Fruit-Cried Cranberries, Dried Pineapple, Dried Mango, Dried Cherries-2 tablespoons of the fruit mix poured on top of the muffins and then pressing the dried fruit into the muffin batter.

Banana Walnut-Two banana slices artfully pressed into the top of each muffin and then a walnut segment put on the side of the banana slice, then pressed slightly into the batter.

The challenge of staying RAW when travelling, can be — well — you know . . . challenging.  I promised myself that if I couldn’t eat 85% RAW (which is my mantra),  I would not beat up on myself and just go with the flow.  Being in new cities and towns, with local foods and flavors — sometimes it’s just too hard not to resist.  And I don’t resist.  I try EVERYTHING!  And I enjoy it too!  And I DO NOT GET DOWN ON MYSELF AT ALL.

I eat the way I do because it makes me feel “rejuvenated and well”.  When I start adding certain foods back into my diet — I know that I will not feel well either that night or the next day.  I use my knees and my legs as my barometer.  If the arthritis in my knees act up — I know that I’ve eaten foods that have caused inflammation within my joints, and therefore, my gut as well.  I don’t panic.  I made that decision to eat the food that I know will affect me so I know to expect the pain.  If I’m on vacation, I’m pretty sure that trying foods that affect me won’t be limited to a one-time only type of thing; it would be more like a daily occurrence.

That is why when I travel, I eat and snack on 85% raw and limit the other 15% to explore the flavors of the region I’m in.

I always carry nuts, seeds and dried fruit with me, whether I’m travelling or at home.  This way, if I’m really hungry, I have healthy “live” foods to snack on.  I may also carry “portable” fruit, such as an apple or even a banana, or vegetables such as carrots and/or celery.

This trip, I actually brought my Nutribullet

Nutribullet

with me so that I can make healthy, green smoothies!  Yes — I shlepped my Nutribullet up north with me!!!  I just make sure that I have the ingredients I need to make a wonderful, green smoothie.  And for this trip, that means  I get to shop at two of my favorite northern-only grocery stores and stock up on really healthy RAW goodies.

The first one is Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s

I love, love, love this store!!!!!!  Really!  However, two bad things about Trader Joe’s is that they’re not in Southeast Florida (yet), AND they do not have ON-LINE SHOPPING!!!  Therefore, whenever I travel to a city that has a Trader Joe’s, I stock up!  They have the BEST selection of raw nuts and dried fruits at extremely affordable prices.

Trader Joe’s Raw Nuts

Trader Joe’s Just Mango

They also have awesome kale chips (though my homemade ones are better if I do say so myself ) as well as  a great produce department.

Trader Joe’s Kale

Trader Joe’s Produce

It’s amazing how exciting I find grocery stores!  To me — it’s like visiting one of the 7 Wonders of the World.  I get so excited — like a kid in a candy shoppe!

I always used to say that when my husband and I traveled to new places, we did not go to see the sites, but instead went to taste new foods and try new restaurants.  He too, gets excited about a grocery store!!

As an after-note – I am so disappointed that Southeast Florida does not have a Trader Joe’s yet.  Not even one that’s close.  So whenever I’m in a city that has a Trader Joe’s — I stock up and bring food home.  My husband snapped this photo of me at the airport — ready to board the plane for home with bags from Trader Joe’s.  This photo shows two (2) Trader Joe’s bags, but what you’re not seeing is the third suitcase I packed full of Trader Joe’s nuts, dried fruits, spices, sauces and candy (as gifts)!!!

Stocking up on Trader Joe’s!!

One of those exciting Wonders of the World to me would be my second grocery store destination . . . Stew Leonard’s!

Stew Leonard’s

Stew Leonard’s is a place to bring the kids!  It’s like an amusement park and during the summer, has a petting zoo outside the Norwalk, CT store.

The Dairy Cow at Stew Leonard’s

The Dairy Musicians at Stew Leonard’s

Stew Leonard’s is known for it’s dairy, but for me — it’s known for it’s PISTACHIO’S.  They have the freshest, largest,  most affordable pistachio’s that I know of.  And even though the pistachio’s are roasted, a no-no in the raw world, it’s the one roasted nut that I allow myself to eat since Dr. Weil Came out and

Pistachios

endorsed pistachios as a great probiotic.  I wrote about the pistachio in my Blog “Four (4) Unique Weight Loss Tools”.

Stew Leonard’s also has an awesome Produce Department and a great staff to answer any questions you may have.

Produce at Stew Leonard’s

When you’re on vacation, you should be ON VACATION and not driving yourself nuts about the foods you should or should not eat.   Do the best you can with what you’ve got.  If you slip, get back up and dust off your hands and start again.  If you get ill from certain foods, just know that in time, you will feel better and be back on track again.

Whatever you do, wherever you are and wherever you go, just remember one thing . . . and that is just

Enjoy!

Michele ♥

]]> http://foodblogandthedog.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/a-merry-christmas-with-mince-pies/ Mon, 24 Dec 2012 09:47:29 +0000 Natalie Ward http://foodblogandthedog.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/a-merry-christmas-with-mince-pies/

Just a quick hello before I go out to the post office, supermarket, Moroccan shop, forest for more cones and make more of these mince pies. The list is actually a lot longer than that but I am out of bed before 10 am (unheard of) and am not going to get stressed about anything today. I have promised myself. And breathe…

This is my recipe for mince pies and I have to say that, in my opinion, they beat any shop bought ones by a mile. They are better because: number one they contain Amaretto almond liqueur and anything tastes better with Amaretto in it. They also contain chopped toasted almonds for a bit of crunch, dried cranberries, mandarin zest and, the special ingredient, crystallised ginger. Make these and you’ll never go back to shop bought I promise. Even if you have an ever-increasing list of things to do….

In the pictures and the recipe below I have used shop bought puff pastry but I have also made a lovely batch with this spelt flour pastry recipe adding a teaspoon of mixed spice to the flour. If you don’t have all the different dried fruits you can just  use the more traditional, raisins and sultanas.

Marvelous Mince Pies Recipe

Makes 12- 16 pies, vegetarian

• 1 pack frozen puff pastry (defrosted)
• 4 Tbsp molasses/miel de cana/maple syrup
• 75 ml sweet sherry or port
• 250 g moscatel raisins
• 50 g dried figs
• 50 g dried apricots, chopped
• 50 g medjool dates without stones
• 50 gr dried cranberries
• 50 g crystallised ginger, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp mixed spice
• 1 mandarin, zest first & then juice
• about 50ml Amaretto (or Cointreau is nice)you may need to add more
• a few drops of almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp honey
• about 100 -150 gr chopped toasted almonds, roughly chopped
• olive oil for brushing
• icing sugar for dusting

In a large pan, dissolve the molasses/miel de cana in the sherry over a gentle heat. Then add the dried fruits, crystallised ginger, spices, zest and  juice of the mandarin and the Amaretto. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 15 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed stirring occasionally. You may need to add more amaretto if it is absorbed quickly.

Add the almond & vanilla extracts, honey and the nuts. Stir well to combine everything and leave the mixture to cool in a bowl.

When the mixture is cool (very important or the pastry won’t work), preheat the oven to 200 degrees and oil & flour your muffin tins.

Roll out your first piece of puff pastry to a thickness of 2mm (leave the other piece in the fridge). Cut out 6 circles of about 9 or 10 cm diameter and 6 tops of about 7 cm diameter, you may have to re roll the pastry and may get a few more than 6 if you do. Push the larger circles into the muffin tins and fill each pastry case with a dessertspoonful of the mixture. Brush the edges of the pastry base with a little oil and then top with the smaller circles. Push the edges together to seal.

Make a little slit in the top of each with a sharp knife and brush with a little olive oil (or egg wash) and bake for about 15 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and puffy. Keep an eye on them they cook quickly. Leave to cool for a few minutes then take them out of the tin. Leave the tin to cool down completely before rolling out your next batch.

Dust with icing sugar just before serving. You can serve hot, warm or room temperature with cream, ice cream or a glass of Amaretto on the side….

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Felices Fiestas!

Although the snow from last week already melted away, I’m trying to keep the Christmas spirit.
So today we’re having some kind of sweet bread with Christmas spices like cardamom, anise, clove, nutmeg, coriander.
I don’t know, if the kids were just very hungry or if it tasted so, so good, but they ate the whole bread.

For 2 children (and 1 grown-up just to try it)
Takes app. 15 minutes + 1 h rising time + 35 minutes baking time
12 oz flour
1 package dry yeast
1 tsp mixed Christmas spices (cardamom, anise, clove, nutmeg, coriander, cinnamon)
Salt
Orange zest
1 package vanilla sugar
2 oz butter
1 egg
6 fl oz milk
Dried fruits (raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped apricots, blue berries…)

Mix flour, yeast, spices, salt, orange zest and the dried fruits.
Melt the butter, add the egg and the milk, dissolve the sugar in that fluid.
Mix the ingredients all together, and knead with the dough hook on the hand blender till the dough detaches itself from the bowl.
Let the dough rise for about 1 hour at some warm place.
Bake at 370 degree F for about 35-40 minutes. The cake is ready, when it sounds hollow if you hit on it.
Goes well with butter and strawberry jam (or apple sauce).

Enjoy your meal.

Contrary to popular belief, Kimchi is not just fermented cabbage. There are a lot more ingredients and hard work that go into making this amazingly popular and tasty side-dish. Kimchi is known as a good source of nutrients. It is also believed to help digestion by restricting the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines. It is credited with many physiological functions being an excellent anti-oxidant that also helps as an anti-aging and anti-cancer agent. The 2 main ingredients in Kimchi are Cabbage and garlic, each of which is a proven aid in the prevention of colorectal and stomach cancer, respectively. Kimchi has a high content of beta-carotene, which helps in the prevention of lung cancer too. The spicy pepper used removes nicotine from the surface of the lungs.

The list of diseased you could avoid with the help of this humble dish is almost endless. It seems imperative that you include it in your diet as is or in the dried form, called dried Kimchi. It is a good option you can choose so that you don’t miss out on the too good health benefits accrued by including Kimchi in your diet. It is low on calories and high on the fiber content. It is abundant in vitamin C, beta carotene, B vitamins, calcium, iron, and phosphorus. These nutritional values and effects have been researched thoroughly and proven scientifically. Kimchi has thus earned a position in the list of the top five “World’s Healthiest Foods” published by the US magazine, Health.

It is the vegetables in Kimchi that give it its distinctive flavors and all the health benefits too. If the strong flavors of the garlic and hot red peppers are too much for your palate, then you should try to include these vegetables in other forms in your diet. Fresh or dried vegetables should be a staple in your diet plan every day. Try and avoid chemically treated vegetables as they may nullify your efforts at improving your health. If you have the necessary infrastructure, you could prepare sundried veggies with seasoning as per your tastes. The same could go for Kimchi too. It is simple enough process that just takes time and patience to complete successfully. You could tweak the recipe so that you enjoy the new taste while also getting most of the health benefits that Kimchi is famous for. That would be like getting the best of both worlds.

When you need good quality dried Kimchi, log in to
http://www.o-jeju.com
.

As this year draws to its end and with all the New Year craze on, I would like to stop for a moment, take a deep breath and look back. I remember myself looking back since I was in the second grade (! remembering the good ol’ innocent (!) days of the first grade, can you imagine?), mostly regretting and imagining what I would have said, done or avoided saying / doing. At times I seem to be particularly enjoying it, indulging in reveries guided by a completely anti-historic method of ‘ah esli b…‘ (‘if only…‘). The third conditional is my favourite one in such moments. I can re-think just about everything, re-imagine, change and re-live it all in my head. This also leads to this peculiar feeling of being able – later – to experience the same thing again, as if all this will happen once more one sunny (or not) day. It’s weird that I also tend to ‘switch off’ from time to time when something important is going on and then struggle to recall the details, words and order of the events. What I do remember usually and what remains in my head after all is a synaesthetic something, with specks of music, smells, noises, colours, weather and weird scraps. I can then revive the whole thing by just remembering a single movement, hearing some notes or tasting a long-forgotten flavour, which make the memory unfold like a chain in front of you, link by link.

There’s also my interest and tender feelings towards the former times – all those movies, books, paintings but especially music… (If at this point you are already tired, please scroll down to some food – I do remember I promised it!)

My Mum remembers lots of details, my sis knows all the special dates of her life and I’d better stick to my sketchy memory to musolit’ the favourite moments (I failed to find an appropriate translation for musolit’ – usually discuss over and over again, but the literal meaning is lick and suck at a piece of food in your mouth). Memory is a tricky thing.

So, aaaahm, yes, what am I looking back at exactly? This year of course, 2012, with all its gifts of such a varied kind. I do think this year was singularly rich in experience and life lessons – which I should have learned aaaaa whiiile ago – like never wish bad things to others, never judge by appearance, never be afraid of changes and never look back with regret (the last one is particularly difficult to observe!). I’ve had numerous lessons which I even cannot put down to words. The year started off quite nightmarishly and gave me a ‘chance’ to get a glance into what your life can do to your memory and what miserable pieces of that greatest-gift life your memory may retain. In May there was a bitter-sweet separation from my Granny and the coming of spring, bringing a recovery for my exhausted family. I’ve had really bad nightmares after that and really nice dreams; I’ve had lots of ‘if only‘s which actually did show me there’s always an alternative, you just have to go for it. The 2012 autumn was very special and cognitive (for the lack of a better translation of poznavatelny) but also very personal. Yes, I would call it a very personal year, with some hope of personal development in the next one, hehe. In the professional sphere there were definitely the three jobs – the antisocial me2computer2me back&eye-killer first, the crazy plunge into the Soviet glamour & pseudo-bohemian veeery phony theatrical life with the second and the looking into the mirror created by each person I worked with during the third. There are some conclusions and things to remember and – again – lots of experience, mostly with the last job. I think I’ve also partially lost (or half-broke) that ‘rose glasses’ attitude towards job market I had in 2011. And with no international travelling (apart from Ukraine), this was a more interior year – not only because I was rambling across the North of Russia but because with these trips I was also travelling inside myself. Hmm, it seems I’m ready to appreciate this year with all it ups and downs! And I think I would vote for November, yep.

And one more thing – I’ve had a thought recently that I would like to use this space to express my ideas as well as to share my recipes. One of the things that happened to me this year is that I gradually started to share my thoughts&feelings, although I do remain quite reserved. I do not like writing diaries cause you always have this thought in the back of your mind that somebody might eventually read this stuff (or you even wish someone did!) and so the whole thing becomes rather artificial and lacking in sincerity. And what can be worse than being insincere already with yourself? So why not sending my ideas into the cyberspace rather than writing (which hmm I actually enjoy more than typing) especially if I already have the intention to be read. Even if just by me some years from now.

This year has brought me quite a few amazing recipes, apparent failures and to-stay staples. For those who would rather get some food ideas than reading my sentimental stuff , the time has come! And if you’re into the craze and already looking for your New Year table see these posts to get some Russian / Soviet gourmet ideas: pryaniki to match your samovar tea, Selyodka pod Shuboj for hang-over and surely a potful of cold  salad Olivier for the same purpose;) And there WILL BE NEW THINGS about New Year in the USSR, don’t you worry!.

You surely remember we’ve got an enormous amount of apples this year and I’m baking apple cake after apple muffins after apple everything. We have already prepared apple puree enough for the crowds but still there are those winter apples all around the place. Here are some great recipes for apples.To finish with them! =)

Gramma’s Apple Bread Pudding  – I didn’t go far for this recipe – the very popular allrecipes.com provided me with what I really needed. Having already tried this great Berry Bread Pudding from www.nanhamilton.com, I’ve had a thought to combine the bread with apples.

Yes, the advantage of such puddings is that you can use up your leftover white bread – it should be still soft for this recipe. I left the crust on. This pudding is like a cake that you can cut into portion sized slices.

As usual, to avoid copyright, here are only the changes I’ve made to the original recipe:

Instead of raisins I threw in some dried cherries (pictured on the top of the post) + walnuts for an extra crunch. My 1 cup of brown sugar contained a fair share of white sugar. Instead of margarine I used butter.

For the vanilla sauce, I added some cinnamon + orange zest and… actually omitted vanilla extract making my sauce completely un-vanilla.)

The procedure is very simple, you just throw in everything (I was lazy enough to use a separate bowl, so I mixed the ingredients right in the baking dish). The result – a bit weird but I liked it. A lazy recipe to bring in some change after all those cakes-muffins-tarts…

Now on to…

Apple Banana Cake adapted from  www.sugarlaws.com  makes a thin but delicate-looking cake. And you can ‘accidentally’ forget the sugar, making this cake even a bit hhmm not healthier but LESS white-deathly =) (sugar being often called belaya smert’ – white death – in Russian, along with salt)

Again, changes:

I FORGOT sugar, but the cake is rather sweet with all the bananas and honey. Instead of un-loved cloves I used cardamom. And surely my apples were far from being anywhere close to ‘large’. As the apple slices were thus thinner and smaller, I took my cake out from the oven before the required 1 hour and ten minutes.

{photo taken by my Mom with her favourite tea set}

As this recipe requires pre-baking the apple slices in the oven, I decided to bake some whole apples alongside. This is actually the first thing my Mum does when making apple puree. By the way, this cake although quite flat has apples even on the bottom! So be sure to grease the springform very well.

The result goes like this:

{looks like a rose from above}

And if you’re still desperately struggling with your winter apples, here’s what I chose to treat my colleagues, fitting in there so many apples, they really did make an entire layer – the huge Sunday Morning Apple Coffee Cake from www.food52.com. This will really help you fight them apples! And no need to bake it on a Sunday morning, of course, mine was eaten over a Friday;) I added some walnuts, swapped orange juice for, yes, apple juice, and of course my apples were those smallish tight red apples that keep on until New Year (and beyond that, no doubt).

How is your 2012 patchwork? Anything to remember? I hope loads of things – and gourmet too!

G.

BEJEWELLED PILAF RICE
(serves 2)

2 serving of cooked basmati rice
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp of mustard seeds
2 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp chopped pistachio
2 tbsp chopped dried peach
salt
pepper

• In a non-stick pan, melt the butter and add the mustard seeds.
• Once the seeds have popped, add the cooked rice. Toss the rice and let it coated by the butter evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the dried fruits and the pistachio, stir until combined.
• Serve warm.

I would love to have visions of dancing sugar-plums in my head, but I don’t know what they look like! And of course, there’s really no such thing, from a fruit standpoint. But I recently came across a recipe for Sugarplums on the Food Network website, and I was intrigued.

Turns out there have been candies/confections called Sugarplums around for a long time, and they’re all like this recipe (I’ll post the link to the original recipe I discovered at the bottom of this post.) They involve fruits and nuts, and they’re rolled into balls.

So there’s no real sugar plum, but nonetheless this recipe was something I knew I had to play with. I just had to make Sugarplums! And, of course, I just can’t leave a recipe alone, so here’s is my version, and it’s quite delicious!

Sugarplums

6 ounces Brazilnuts
6 ounces dried plums
4 ounces dried apricots
4 ounces dried figs, stemmed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
1/4 cup honey
Turbinado sugar or Swedish pearl sugar*

Weigh out the Brazilnuts and all of the dried fruit, then place it all in the jar of a food processor. Pulse until on the coarse side, but not too coarse. You need all of it to be able to stick together.

Place the mixture in a bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, sieve the powdered sugar with the cinnamon and cardamom. Then add the poppy seeds, anise seeds, and fennel seeds. Give it all a stir and set aside.

When you are ready to finish the Sugarplums, have the nut-fruit mixture, the powdered sugar mixture, and two latex gloves handy. Place the turbinado or the Swedish pearl sugar in a small bowl. I used both because I wanted to experiment with both sugars. Also have a rack handy on which to place the Sugarplums.

Add the honey and the powdered sugar mixture to the fruits and nuts. Put on the gloves and begin mixing everything together. Mix extremely well.

Roll the sticky mixture into balls and dip in the sugar. Then place on the rack. Continue with the remaining fruits and nuts. This recipe made about 20 Sugarplums.

note: I really liked the look of the Swedish pearl sugar for the holidays.

another note: These are really sweet. I don’t think there’s any getting around it, because you need the dried fruits, the powdered sugar, and the stickiness of the honey. Definitely make these for your favorite sweets lover!

Sugarplums Recipe

At last, the plum pudding is on the stove…..

where it must now sit simmering away for approximately 4 hours.

4 hours today that is… and a further 2 hours on Christmas day!

There’s a feeling of relief and accomplishment, which IS rather satisfying!

[Really, it is such an easy recipe and I am wondering now why I didn't get on with it earlier than this].

If you’ve never baked a yeasted bread, I really encourage you to. It’s seriously not as difficult as you might think. You need a whole morning or afternoon, but the actual labor is minimal. There are few basic steps to follow when making a bread with yeast, but that’s about it. The rest is just time and patience.

The most important thing when it comes to working with yeast is that no liquid should be hotter than around 110 degrees. Now, no groaning. I never use a thermometer. That temperature is about the temperature that you would heat up a baby’s bottle; I test it with my finger in the liquid. If I have to pull out my finger, I add more cold water or wait for it to cool.

The other important step is proofing the yeast. Proofing is just about bringing the yeast to life. You know how you have to soften gelatin before you can use it? Or temper chocolate before you can use it? This is just about the same thing. A proofing step will also assure you that your yeast is working. I am still using yeast I bought in bulk back in my professional cooking days. I won’t tell you how old it is. I keep it in the freezer – not sure if that helps or not! But I’m going to keep using it as long as it “proves” to me that it can come to life and help bake my breads!

So following is a fairly concise list of steps to make this and any bread. And, I promise you will love this recipe. Especially since you can change it up to make it your own!

Fruit & Nut Bread

12 ounces mixed dried fruits and nuts of choice*
1 cup milk
2 ounces butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yeast
Sugar
3 plus cups bread flour

Coarsely chop the bigger dried fruits, as well as the nuts, and set aside. Pre-heat your oven to 100 degrees, if you can. Alternatively, turn on a warming oven to PROOF. If you can’t do either of these, figure out a nice non-drafty warm place in your house for bread-rising purposes.

fruits and nuts ready for the bread

In a plastic bowl, place the milk, butter, and salt. Microwave until the butter melts, about 30 seconds on high heat in my microwave. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup hottish water. If the bowl is cool, it will cool down the water quickly, so I often run some hot water in the bowl before I begin. You should be able to hold your pinky in the water without burning yourself. By the way, I always use purified water.

When your water is a good temperature, gently sprinkle the yeast over the top of the water. Then sprinkle a little sugar over the top – only about a teaspoon is needed. This activates the yeast action. This is what’s happening in the photo below.

beginning the proofing process

After about a minute, you can see that the yeast has softened, just like the photo below.

proofing the yeast

At this point, give the mixture a whisk. Then set the bowl in your warm place for about 5 minutes. After about 5 minutes, your yeast mixture should have doubled or tripled in volume, like in the photo below. If it hasn’t done anything, it means that your yeast is bad, your water was too cold, or too hot. Don’t worry. You’re not wasting any bigtime money. Just start over.

after tripling in volume

If your yeast has grown, pour in the milk-butter mixture, as long as it’s still not too hot, and give it all a stir with the whisk. Then add 1 1/2 cups of flour. Whisk very well, smoothing out the batter. This is sometimes called a slurry. We are taking our time making this bread. This is our second step. When the slurry is smooth, cover the bowl with a damp towel and put the bowl in your warm place for about 30 minutes. Below is the photo of the slurry after the first major rise. Look how much it grew!

after the first rise

The damp towel served two purposes. One, it keeps a crust from forming on top of the dough from it drying out. Secondly, if the rising dough touches the damp towel, it won’t stick to it.

Switch to a wooden spoon, give the dough a stir, then add 1 cup of flour. This time the dough will be sticky, but more like a dough. Stir as much as you can to incorporate the flour completely. Then cover with a damp towel and put the bowl back in your warm place, for about 45 minutes. This is the second rise. Below is the photo of what the dough looks like after this next rising.

ready for kneading

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees; I use a convection setting. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside.

Have about 1/2 cup of bread flour on hand – you’re going to be incorporating this into the bread dough by kneading it. You’ll also have to have some white flour handy to keep the bread dough from sticking to your granite, or whatever you’re going to be kneading on. Also have your nut and fruit mixture handy.

Place a generous amount of flour on your work surface, then remove the big doughball from the bowl onto the flour. Using your hands covered with flour, knead the dough, incorporating the flour, back and forth, round and round, until the dough isn’t sticky anymore. This step should take about 5 minutes. Now is the time with add the fruits and nuts.

Place all of the fruits and nuts onto the work surface. Force the dough on top of them, folding the dough over, then do it again, until all of the nuts and fruits are in the bread. Using as little flour as possible, knead the dough until smooth and all of the fruits and nuts incorporated evenly; this should only take about 1 minute.

Form the dough into a ball, and place it on the cookie sheet to let it rise for the last time, below.

just before the last rising

While the oven is heating, allow the bread to rise for at least 30 minutes. It should double again in volume. When the oven is ready, carefully place the cookie sheet in the oven. I baked my bread for 20 minutes, then turned down the oven to 350 degrees, non-convection, for 20 more minutes. If you’re not sure if your bread is done, use a meat thermometer. Properly cooked bread should read 195 degrees. Just poke the bread where it’s not obvious!

Remove the bread from the oven and let cool. Then slice and serve. If you want, try my favorite cheese with it, Époisses, or pair it with a triple-cream Brie or a Chèvre. This bread is also good toasted, with butter and spiced cranberry jelly, for breakfast. And, try it with Monterey Jack as a grilled cheese! YUM!

*You can use only pistachios and dried cranberries for an extra Christmassy bread!

close-up of fruit & nut bread

I love this recipe because it is so simple and it only takes a few minutes to prepare. It leaves the skin soft and hydrated and it feels so relaxing after a day in the cold! Dried fruits are great to stock during the winter: they are easy to conserve, they are packed with nutritients and do not have any added sugar. They also count towards your five-a-day, and make a perfect snack. Dried apricots are also commonly used throughout the Muslim world for cooking: try the delicious sweet tajine with apricots and prunes, or the Persian “jeweled” rice using a variety of dried fruits and nuts.

A market stall selling dates, dried figs and apricots (Al barqooq or mishmish in Arabic)

A word of caution though: there is nothing I like more than a long hot bath when it’s cold outside, but it actually makes the skin dry. It is much kinder for the body to keep the water at a reasonable temperature and to not subject it to drastic temperature changes! A cup of tea or hot chocolate and thick woolen socks will go a long way to give you this snuggly feeling.

Using the latest technologies available, many companies now offer dried or freeze-dried vegetables and fruits that can safely be incorporated into your daily diet. These drying or freezing techniques are such that there is almost no loss of nutritional value from the products. Just the water content of the products is evaporated and dried totally. The advantages of these products are plenty. For instance, you can store them in cool, dry containers almost indefinitely without fear of rotting or spoiling. Fresh vegetables and fruits may spoil if stored improperly or for long durations. Another popular use for dried vegetables is while traveling or camping. They are lighter in weight and easy to pack, store and carry. They also double as extremely healthy snacks for adults and children alike. Dried fruits and vegetables win hands down against snacks like cookies, biscuits or fried snacks when it comes to the health quotient.

There are many ways you could use these dried vegetables at home or while traveling. You could eat them as is. They have a crunchy brittleness that is quite endearing to people who likes to snack frequently. Besides they come minus the ill effects like unhealthy weight gain and all the related problems that are packaged along with junk food. Another option to eating them as they are is to rehydrate them and use them in your cooked food or eat them raw in your salads. They are very popular in soups too. Almost all vegetables, be it garlic, onion, peas, pumpkins or any other, are available in this dried or freeze dried form and are available all over the world.

When you are deciding to buy dried vegetables, try and select a company that is reliable with hygiene standards in their drying and packaging processes. Try to avoid those that use additives for preservation or taste. Avoid those that add MSG, sugars, spices or coloring to make the dehydrated vegetables and fruits look or taste better. These additives are detrimental to your health in the long run and with prolonged or regular use.

When you need good quality freeze dried fruits and vegetables, log in to
http://o-jeju.com/home
.

Dark circles under the eyes are caused by ageing, iron deficiency, lack of sleep (to a certain extent) sun damage and more commonly nasal congestion.  The veins that drain from your eyes to your nose become darker and more visible which leads to fluid retention. So, how do we fight them? Research shows that in order for these veins to “disappear” we need to consume a diet that is high in antioxidants which include vitamins A,C and E all which will help to strengthen the blood vessels. Dehydration can also contribute to these dark circles as a result of the body holding onto as much fluid as it can, so ensure that you drink as much water as you can in order to combat fluid retention and of course demolish those under eye annoyances!

Tips to keep dark circles at bay

• Limit your coffee and tea intake to once a day and drink up the green tea.
• Sip water regularly throughout the day to stay hydrated.
• Up your intake of antioxidants such as tomatoes and legumes, these foods will help to fortify the blood vessels.
• Reduce your salt intake.
• Try and get between eight and ten hours sleep a night.
• Wear large sunglasses (when necessary) and include an spf sunscreen or moisturiser that will protect the delicate skin under and around your eyes from thinning.

These breakfast bars, flapjacks, granola, muesli mix (call them what you like) are mega rich in both antioxidants from the blueberries, cranberries and raspberries and essential fatty acids thanks to the nuts and seeds. Do not be put off by “fatty acids” these are essential for great skin, check out my beat the blemishes post and recipe for more information on essential fatty acids. A great breakfast alternative you will be satisfied until lunch (unless you are insistent on having your mid-morning snack in which case have another one) as these bars are crammed with oats that provide you with slow release energy. These fruity filling bars will be sure to demolish those dark circles!

Recipe

Berry bars

Since I have discovered these I literally make them every week to keep me stocked up, they have proved to be a great snack, breakfast treat, pudding and even cinema snack, yes, I was that girl who brought them out during Skyfall. Indulge the skin even more by having the berry bar alongside some probiotic yoghurt to boost biotin levels that help to draw essential fatty acids from foods for healthy skin.

Yes, at first glance there appears to be a lot of ingredients, however once in the pantry they will last for months and I encourage you to experiment with flavours and ingredients, just don’t forget the primary reason for the original recipes function!

Makes
fills the loaf tin, cut into desired size!

You will need
20cm tin
food processor (if you prefer no large pieces)
grease proof paper

Ingredients
100g dates
100g hazelnuts
100g sunflower seeds
100g raisins
250g porridge oats
70g wheatgerm
60g medium oatmeal
180g banana
100g raspberries
100g dried blueberries
100g cranberries
40g linseeds
juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
40g honey
10ml rapeseed oil, plus a tad extra to grease the tin

Method

1. Blast the ingredients in the food processor until they have combined together to form a dough like mixture.

2. Lightly oil the loaf tin and place the greaseproof paper in and lightly oil the paper itself.

3. Press the mixture into the tin using a potato masher or a utensil of similar function and leave to chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

4. Cut into bar sizes of your choice and enjoy!

Store in a cool dry place that is easy to reach for when your cravings are screaming!

Without being bias and as a once committed chocolate fiend I have definitely been converted by these naturally sweet super skin treats! Try adding cinnamon, orange or vanilla to the mix as an alternative to lemon.  Let me know your take on them!

Gluten-free oatmeal topped with pepper/raspberry jam, raisins, chopped almonds, and a little almond milk. © Josefina Hellensberg.

© JOSEFINA HELLENSBERG, Restrictions Turned Creative,  MCDM, Cohort 12

I’m always curious to find out what people, other than myself with similar dietary restrictions, have for breakfast. In Denmark, where I am from, the normal and very popular breakfast choice is a breakfast roll (usually white bread) topped with butter and cheese. Yeaaah, so since absolutely none of that works for me (you would probably struggle to find a more gluten and lactose heavy breakfast), I have had to think creatively..

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This is a re-post from Josefina’s blog Restrictions Turned Creative where she offers tips and tricks on creative gluten-free and lactose-free eating. By sharing her delicious discoveries she hopes to help others successfully navigate a universe of do’s and don’ts.

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So lucky for me, I really like porridge. Any kind of porridge really, but with my recently discovered gluten intolerance, even my choices of porridge have been narrowed down. Before I moved to Seattle, I was basically living of off buckwheat porridge, and absolutely loved it. It was so easy and quick to make, top it with some dried fruits and nuts, and you had yourself a healthy and wholesome breakfast.

However, I’ve been unable to find buckwheat flour in Seattle, like the kind we have in Denmark, so once again I’ve had to find something else to eat. One thing that I really love about this country though, is the fact that you can find pretty much anything in a gluten-free version. Granted, you’re paying a little extra for those products, but it’s still nice to have the freedom to cook “normal” meals gluten-free.

I usually do my grocery shopping at either QFC on Broadway or Safeway on 15th, and both places have a good selection of both gluten-free and lactose-free products. I started buying GF oats from Bobs Red Mill (they have them at both supermarkets), and cook oatmeal for breakfast. It takes less than five minutes to make, and will keep you full for hours.