tortilla .... a little bit of spanish love

I was a lucky girl growing up, one of my very best friends is Spanish and I spent a lot of time eating, sleeping and hanging out in the Lopez abode .... Not only a beautiful family to share time with, but a great introduction to my still all-time favourite cuisine.

Tortilla is one of our staple favourites in Rumble de casa.  There is almost always one in the fridge.. it's a delicious snack, the perfect Sunday night dinner, and Noah loves it instead of a sandwich in his school lunch .

INGREDIENTS
1/2 an onion (whatever you have in the crisper)
6 - 8 small potatoes (I use organice sebago or dutch cream - thinly sliced or in small cubes)
olive oil
6 organic eggs
S & P

METHOD
Sweat out onions in a generous amount of olive oil.   I cheat and lightly steam my potatoes before panfrying them in the olive oil with the onions, adding some salt & pepper..  Whisk the eggs in a bowl and when the potatoes have softened, toss this mixture through the eggs in the bowl and place back in the well oiled pan with a sprinkle of fresh parsley if you like.
Cook over a low heat with the lid on, and when the egg looks cooked, use a plate to turn the omelette out onto and then slide back in to brown the top... slice in pizza triangles and eat as you wish!

spiced apple crumb muffins

I wandered into the kitchen to make myself a nice chai latte, and left having made these for an after school snack ...

They are so deliciously yummy, and rather healthy, with all natural ingredients.  I found a similar recipe in a macrobiotic cookbook and have slightly altered it over the years.  I do all of my baking with spelt flour as it has higher nutritional value and is much easier to digest.

They are a bit messy to eat, but so worth it...

CRUMBLE TOPPING
4 tablespoons white spelt flour
4 tablespoons whole spelt flour
4 tablespoons whole rolled oats
4 tablespoons unrefined dark brown sugar
2 teasoons ground cinnamon
pinch sea salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy milk

MUFFINS
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 small organic apples peeled and finely diced
110ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing muffin tin
150ml real maple syrup
150ml soy milk
100g white spelt flour
125g whole spelt flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
60g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 180, grease a 12 cup muffin tray with vegetable oil.

For the crumb topping, combine all the dry ingredients in a small bowl and then add the oil and soy milk and rub together with your hands and set aside.

For the muffins, in a small bowl add the diced apples and toss with the cornflour.

In another bowl whisk together the oil, syrup and milk then sift in dry ingredients and then fold in the apples and walnuts.

Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin and top with crumble mixture.

Bake for around 25 minutes.

Devour with a nice warm drink and re-energise..

slow cooked beef and gremolata ...

I have been eating more red meat than usual and I don't like how it makes me feel, so I am going to go back to eating a lot less ... after tonight!

I had some beef in the freezer, not sure if it was my butcher's usual mixed cut, gravy beef or another cheap cut, but I put it on this afternoon and let it cook nice and slowly for a few hours.

SLOW COOKED BEEF
1 kg cheap cut of beef - diced
2 onions
3 carrots
2 zucchini
1 celery stick
1 punnet cherry tomatoes or 4 chopped and blended tomatoes or a can of chopped tomatoes
a handful of mushrooms (if you have any that need to be used)
3 cups stock or water
bay leaves
S & P

Cook off the vegetables until softened, then put in beef and lightly brown, add the tomatoes, the the stock, the bay leaves and the salt and pepper.

Put on the lid and cook slowly, checking often, and adding water as you need to.

You can also add red wine and any other of your favourite herbs or vegetables.  Potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, white beans, whatever you like.

Cook slowly until meat is tender and season to taste.

I love slow cooked meat dishes served with a zesty gremolata to give it a kick!

GREMOLATA

Parsley chopped finely
Lemon zest
Olive oil
Lemon juice

Mix everything together and the serve with your beef, and maybe some rice or your warm bread on the side.... and a nice glass of red, of course!!


Bon Appetit ... a late dinner for me tonight!

happy snacks ...



I do a little happy dance, in my mind, when I see my boys go for the fruit bowl or ask for carrot sticks when they feel like a snack ... it's the little things that make this mum smile!

After staying with a friend with very different ideas on what we feed ourselves, and our little people, my boys ate a lot more empty food (my word for food with no nutritional values and usually full of preservatives) than usual.  Even they thought that nutella on white toast wasn't a great idea... well, not for a complete meal anyway!  I cringe at the thought of it passing their lips, although I admit that I thought it tasted good as an afternoon snack at my best friend's place after school, before I truly understood about food and nutrition.

Although the first couple of days of returning home, the boys were still craving the sugar they became accustomed to, they have only asked for fruit, nuts and raw vegetables for the last few days. It's good knowing that their little bodies are craving the good stuff to clear out all of the sweet and junky food they ate. 

This morning for breakfast we all enjoyed a big bowl of warm porridge with oat milk and maple syrup, and today for lunch, Noah enjoyed three raw carrots, a big crisp green apple and some almonds.  Eli isn't feeling well, so barely has an appetite, but enjoyed his porridge this morning and has nibbled on nuts and raspberries for the rest of the day, and enjoyed a big warm cup of oat milk with manuka honey, and this afternoon asked for some 'yummy pumpkin" and eggs.


ROASTED PUMPKIN

Pumpkin
Olive Oil
S & P (to season if you like)

Cut the pumpkin of your choice into small squares and put in a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and toss around so that all pieces are covered, then place in a hot oven (around 190) and bake until golden brown.


We like them quite well done, once they are ready let them sit and crisp up or enjoy them soft and deliciously sweet.

I love the skin myself, so I generally leave the skin of a few larger pieces and leave them in the oven a bit longer. 

This is great to keep in the fridge as it's a great snack, excellent to add to salads or pastas or as a side for dinner.