Monday 15 June 2020

TERIYAKI SALMON STIR FRY

Today I thought I would share my favourite go-to healthy stir fry recipe.



Ingredients:
  • 2 packets of udon noodles 
  • Salmon 
  • Two peppers (any colour)
  • Any stir fry veg of your choice
  • Fresh ginger & garlic 
  • Spring onion
  • Sesame oil and seeds 
For the sauce: 
  • 1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
  • 1 tbs honey 
  • 1 tbs sesame oil
  • 1 tsp lime juice (optional)
  • 2 tbs grated ginger 
  • 2 tbs soy sauce 

Method:

Simply mix together the sauce ingredients and pour over the salmon and cook in the oven for 20 - 25 mins at roughly 200 degrees. 15 mins into baking the salmon I fry all of the stir fry ingredients, in some sesame oil, adding some soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. Once finished I add some more lime juice and sesame seeds over the top of the dish.

I hope you enjoy!
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Sunday 3 May 2020

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

I recently made this sweet potato and chickpea curry and the results were delicious and so I wanted to share them. 


Ingredients: 

  • 2 sweet potatoes - peeled and chopped 
  • Half a butternut squash - peeled and chopped (optional) 
  • 1 bag of fresh spinach 
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 
  • 1 tin of chickpeas (drained) 
  • 1 tin of coconut milk
  • 1 white onion - roughly chopped 
  • 200m water (preferably with any stock cube)
  • 1 tbs vegatable oil 
  • 2 large tsp of turmeric
  • 3 large tsp of garam masala 
  • 3 garlic cloves - finely chopped 
  • 1tsp honey 
  • Lime and black pepper 
  • Cardamon pods, chicken masala, cumin seeds & coriander (OPTIONAL)

Method:

  1. Fry the onions in a pot with the oil for around 5 mins then add the garlic, garam masala and turmeric and mix so that the spices don't catch;
  2. add the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, sweet potatoes and butternut squash to the pot together with the 200ml of water or stock;
  3. allow to simmer and continue cooking for 15 mins;
  4. add in the chickpeas and cook for a further 15 mins until the sweet potato is soft and cooked;
  5. at the end, add in the spinach and put a lid on the pan and leave for 3 mins until the spinach is wilted. It will look like too much spinach at first but it won't be after a few minutes;
  6. stir through the honey and lime and add some black pepper;
  7. serve with rice.
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Wednesday 29 April 2020

Traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe

These delicious cookies are the perfect treat to have at home or to make for a friend.  They have very few ingredients and although they are a treat, they will definitely be healthier than most packaged, ready-made biscuits. You'll find the ingredients, method and some photos of the process below. 

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Monday 13 April 2020

BRITISH PRIMARY SCHOOL CAKE RECIPE

Today I wanted to share my recipe for this old school cake/tray bake that was served when I was in primary school in the early 2000's.  This cake was always served with custard at lunchtime and the taste and scent are so nostalgic to me.  Although this definitely wouldn't be served today, I'm certain that many people in the UK will remember this. 
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Friday 10 April 2020

Banana Cake / Loaf Recipe

This delicious banana loaf is perfect if you are looking for something to make whilst in lockdown.  It goes perfectly with a cup of coffee in the morning. 


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Sunday 5 April 2020

QUICK AND EASY PIZZA RECIPE

Today I thought I would share this super quick and easy pizza recipe.  It has so few ingredients, which you are likely to already have at home. Plus it tastes and smells amazing. 

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Dean Village, Stockbridge, Edinburgh

Today I wanted to share some more photos from my daily isolation walk.  If you ever plan a trip to Edinburgh, I recommend visiting Dean Village.  Despite its very central location, it's a beautiful walk and feels as though it is somewhere far outside of the city. 

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Friday 3 April 2020

SIMPLE GOOEY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE RECIPE

Today I thought I would share my favourite chocolate brownie recipe.  These can stand for around a week in the fridge and still taste amazing each time. They can also be warmed up and served with ice cream. 

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Thursday 2 April 2020

THINGS TO DO / PLACES TO SEE IN MALTA

My boyfriend and I recently visited Malta and so I thought I would share a few of the places that we visited and also some of the places we didn't and the reasons why.  I thought I would share these because prior to our trip I had tried to research some of the best spots to visit and I could't find many reviews/recommendations for a short holiday (I was only going for a week). 

I know many people may prefer not to plan a trip and just see what happens, however as we were going for such short time we wanted to have a few places in mind so that we didn't accidentally waste any time being unsure where to go.  Please also note that I'm also not an expert and there will have been countless locations and activities that I missed however this was my experience.


The first thing to note is that Malta is extremely small.  It is around 770 times smaller than the UK and is approximately 315 sq km. London alone is basically far bigger than Malta.  Therefore, no matter where you stay, it will be easy enough to visit all of the places you want to.  Staying far away shouldn't be a big concern. With that being said, it will make a difference if you want to save money on transport. 

WHERE WE STAYED

We stayed in Mellieha (pronounced Malaya) (map below). We were certain that we wanted to be near a beach, rather than in a town centre, as we really wanted to relax in the sun.  When initially searching online, a place called Birzebbuga often came up.  This is the costal area at the very bottom of the island, below Luqa.  It looked beautiful online, however it it one of the main tourist areas and that is something we wanted to avoid.  It was also at the opposite end from the mini islands and we knew we wanted to visit those.  We found a beautiful Airbnb with a stunning balcony in a local area for an amazing price.  I've included some photos below.  



We explored Mellieha and it had a few sweet little local boho shops and food stalls. We learnt to use the public transport and everything was extremely local.  The beach was also un-crowded and had lovely bars. Google was really helpful for figuring out which bus to get and when to get off. 


COMINO ISLAND 

Comino Island is the small island between Mellieha and the island of Gozo.  It is a short boat trip to get there, which is really fun.  There are various boats that leave from just beside Mellieha beach, just buy a ticket from one of the stands. We found that it wasn't worth following the boat timetable, as it will only leave once it is full.  Our boat on the way there was quite small and held around 20 people.  The boats for the way back at the end of the day were much larger. 
The reason we decided to go to Comino, rather than Gozo was because, for a day trip, Gozo was much further away and much larger.  It is apparently very similar to Comino as well.
Comino is also famous for its blue lagoon, which was beautiful but very busy.  This was definitely more of a tourist destination although it was definitely worth it.  There was also food and drinks on the island but I would definitely recommend taking your own, as everything was extremely over-priced. 


 Valletta and St. Julians 

Valletta is the capital of Malta and around 45 minutes on the bus from Mellieha, or 20 minutes in a taxi. eCABS is the Maltese version of Uber, so I would highly recommend downloading the app before going. I
Valletta is extremely beautiful and the perfect day trip. There are so many shops, cafes, restaurants and markets. The architecture is also stunning. 
The Valletta Waterfront / Harbour was also lovely and had so many food places too choose from.  The sushi there was amazing and you can sit outside in the sun / under umbrellas. 
A 15 minute drive from Valletta is St. Julian's, which is the strip with all of the clubs and bars.  In terms of nightlife, there is a bar called Sky Bar, which is a bit further out and is apparently very over-priced for what it is despite its ratings, so we didn't bother going there.  A lot of the bars on the strip are also just like clubs.  In terms of price however, I would say that prices were quite similar to the UK and other parts of Europe. 



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