Matron's Munchies

Kitty

Salmon is a fantastic oily fish that contains essential fatty acids to support brain and heart health. Combined with quinoa, watercress and sweetcorn, it’s a delicious satisfying meal. The hot Cajun spices contrast well with a small amount of sweetness from dark sugar. 

 

Ingredients

• 2 x 200g salmon fillets (preferably wild,  
• line-caught) 
• 200g quinoa 
• 500ml water 
• 1 tsp sweet paprika 
• 150g sweetcorn, sliced off the cob (or frozen kernels) 
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 150g watercress, roughly chopped, to serve 
• For the Cajun marinade 
• 2 tbsp milled flaxseed (or wholemeal breadcrumbs will work) 
• 2 tsp Cajun spice blend 
• grated zest and juice of 1 lime 
• 1 tsp brown sugar  
• or coconut sugar 
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 

Method

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the salmon fillets and leave to marinate for 20 minutes. While the salmon is marinating, soak the quinoa in a bowl of water for the same amount of time. 

Add the quinoa to a dry saucepan over a medium heat and toast the grains for a few minutes. Boil the 500ml water then add it to the pan of quinoa along with the paprika, sweetcorn and some salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes then plate up with the watercress. 

Heat a frying pan over a medium-low heat and place the marinated fillets in the pan skin side down, pressing them gently for the first 30 seconds. Cook for about 6 minutes until the top side begins to turn opaque, then flip the fillets over and cook on the other side for a further 3–4 minutes until cooked through.  

Place the salmon on top of the quinoa and watercress and enjoy. 

Mike1

I only like salmon out of a tin, even then I can't say that it is my favourite fish, that would be Megrim or Haddock.

frogmorton

Looks lovely Kath.

I know my Lucy-loo would love it!

Salmon out of a tin Mike?! 😁

Before I gave up meat/fish it was salmon for me and plaice....

Turbogran

I love Salmon Kath might try this one.

Kitty

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/670969#Comment_670969

the good thing about tinned salmon Mike, is the little chewy bones. I luv 'em.

Mike1

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/671192#Comment_671192

I take them out and give them to the cat along with the skin and a bit of salmon obviously.

frogmorton

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/671207#Comment_671207

😸

frogmorton

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/671192#Comment_671192

🤢

Mike1

😁😁🐱

frogmorton

@Mike1 PURRFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!😄😄😄😹

Kitty

Banana Cardamom & Coconut Biscuits

These delicious vegan biscuits are high in fibre from the oats and flour, rich in potassium from the bananas and bolstered by heart-healthy omega 3s from the chia seeds. A stunning, energy-packed mid-morning or afternoon treat.

Recipe created by Rachel de Thample, director of the Vegan Natural Chef Diploma course. 

Ingredients: 

• 125g dark rye flour 
• 150g jumbo porridge oats 
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp sea salt 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Ground seeds from 6 cardamom pods 
• A generous grating of nutmeg
• 100g coconut sugar
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 100ml olive, hemp or coconut oil, or a mix
• 100g finely chopped pitted dates
• 100g desiccated coconut 

Method: 

1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. 
2. Mix all of the ingredients together really well in a large mixing bowl – make sure you fully mix in the bicarb and salt – you don’t want to bite into a clump of it! 
3. Scoop it up by heaped teaspoons or scant tablespoonfuls and arrange with 3cm between each cookie on a lightly oiled baking tray. 
4. Gently press each cookie flat (about 1cm or slightly less) thick – tidy up the edges a little, if needed. Finish with an added sprinkling of nuts, seeds or coconut on top, if you like. 
5. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 12 minutes, or until nicely coloured. They’ll be a little soft when fresh from the oven but will firm up on cooling. 
6. They’ll keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can freeze the batter if you don’t want to make the full batch – if you freeze the batter in a log shape you can just cut and bake from frozen – just add 2-3 minutes to the cooking time.

frogmorton

They look yum Kath! I'll have a few of those please 🙂

With a nice cup of builder's!

A good policy - never say no to a biscuit!

barbara12

thought I would pop in for cake..whst a selection..:):) thankyou

I'm like Mike .love .salmon out of a tin ...i think its because its all we had..and thst was rare...hahaha

frogmorton

My ex MIL loves her salmon out of a tin too for her it's a proper treat Barbra🙂

help yourself....

Kitty

"Woolton Pie" was actually the creation of Francis Ladry, the chef of the Savoy hotel and named after Lord Woolton, head of the Ministry of Food. Many people had their own interpretation of the recipe for the pie, but they almost always used carrots! Basically it is mixed vegetables, a sauce and a topping , which could be pastry or potatoes mashed or sliced. The Official recipe as reported in "The Times" on 26 April 1941 is below.

The Official Recipe for Woolton Pie as reported in The Times on 26 April 1941:

Official Recipe: 

Ingredients: 

Take 1Ib each of diced potatoes, cauliflower, swedes and carrots;

Three or Four spring onions; One teaspoonful of vegetable extract and one teaspoonful of oatmeal.

Method: Cook all together for ten minutes with just enough water to cover. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking. Allow to cool; put into a pie dish, sprinkle with chopped parsley and cover with a crust of potatoes or wholemeal pastry.

Bake in a moderate oven until the pastry is nicely brown and serve hot with brown gravy.(no temperature given!) 

Potato Pete's recipe book,  Here https://kingscollections.org/exhibitions/archives/food/ww2/pete

frogmorton

That pie looks lovely Kath. Imagine it being made at the Savoy of all places. I suppose it was war-time, but they even had vegans then!

Kitty

Daily Recipe

Zaalouk

Zaalouk is a traditional, aubergine-based, Moroccan side dish but we prefer to make it as a delicious main with all the extras... tahini sauce, vegan halloumi (best cooked on a griddle pan), flat bread, pine nuts, couscous, roasted cauliflower, fresh mint and anything else you fancy! Comfort food doesn't come better than this :)

Ingredients: 

• 3 aubergine, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1½ tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 3 tomatoes, roughly chopped 
• 1 heaped tsp sugar
• 500g/2¼ cups passata 
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and pepper 

Optional serving suggestions: fresh coriander, fresh mint, couscous, vegan halloumi (we used Violife Mediterranean Block, cooked on a griddle pan), our incredible tahini sauce, toasted pine nuts, roasted cauliflower (just roast in the oven at 180 with a little oil, salt and cumin seeds until golden), hummus, flat bread

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. 
2. Place the aubergine pieces onto a large baking tray and drizzle over a glug of olive oil. Add the paprika, cumin and a sprinkling of salt. Make sure it's all mixed in well and evenly coated.
3. Pop them in the oven for around 15-20 minutes, turning once. 
4. Remove from the oven and add the passata, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, tomatoes, salt and pepper. 
5. Cover the tray with foil, tucking in at the edges, and place back in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Check during cooking that the mixture hasn't dried out - if it has, add a little water and stir through. 
6. Once cooked, remove from the oven and add extra seasoning if necessary. Enjoy as a main with all the extras or as a simple side dish :)

Kitty

Daily Recipe

Vegan raspberry, almond, sherry and saffron trifle

 Dessert  Easy  6  2 hours 15 minutes, plus 3–4 hours setting time

This glorious vegan trifle recipe is perhaps the ultimate comfort food dessert. Beautifully rich coconut cream, custard and a raspberry compote add bags of flavour, with a decent boozy hit provided by Pedro Ximénez sherry. This recipe is taken from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook, published by Mitchell Beazley. Images by Matt Russell.

There is nothing quite like a trifle to round off a special meal with all its glistening layers of sponge, creamy custard, bright fruit compote, cream and toasted nuts. The raspberries make it a summery dessert, but you can use any seasonal fruit you like – we’ve made a lovely spiced cranberry version and one with poached peaches. To cut down on labour on the day, you can make the sponge and raspberry compote in advance. If you prefer, you can forgo the compote and just use a layer of fresh berries, though it does create a real depth of flavour

Ingredients

VEGAN SPONGE

• 200g of self-raising flour
• 160g of caster sugar
• 60g of ground almonds
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 250ml of soya milk
• 100ml of oil, (such as groundnut or sunflower)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

SAFFRON CUSTARD

• 1.5l almond milk
• 180g of caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of vanilla seeds, scraped from the pod
• 1 pinch of saffron, (about 10 threads)
• 80g of cornflour

BERRY COMPOTE

• 260g of raspberries
• 100ml of water
• 1 pinch of vanilla powder
• lemon juice, to taste
• 60g of caster sugar

COCONUT WHIPPED CREAM

• 800ml of coconut milk, (full fat) or 4 160ml cans of coconut cream, chilled in the fridge overnight
• 50g of icing sugar
• 1 pinch of vanilla, (seeds scraped from the pod)

TO ASSEMBLE

• 125ml of Pedro Ximénez sherry
• 50g of flaked almonds, toasted
• 10 raspberries

Equipment

• 23cm springform cake tin
• Stick blender
• Fine sieve
• Food mixer with whisk attachment

Method

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Line a 23cm (9-inch) round cake tin with baking parchment

2

Place all the dry ingredients for the vegan sponge in a large bowl and mix together with a small balloon whisk. Measure out the wet ingredients into a jug and again mix together with the whisk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix until well combined, then pour into the lined cake tin. Bake for 30 minutes until well risen and the sponge springs back to the touch

3

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely

4

To make the custard, put all the ingredients, except the cornflour, in a pan and heat gently, stirring frequently, until warm

5

Mix the cornflour with enough cold water to make a smooth paste. Add to the almond milk mixture and cook for a few minutes, stirring until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat. You can strain the custard through a sieve to remove any lumps. Leave to cool

6

To make the raspberry compote, put half the berries with the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring up to a simmer. Cook gently for 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the berries have totally broken down and the liquid is glossy

7

Take the pan off the heat, leave the compote to cool a little then blend with a stick blender. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, then mix with the remaining berries

8

To assemble, cut the sponge into slices 2.5cm thick and use to line the base of a glass trifle dish, 20cm in diameter with a flat base, evenly. Pour the sherry evenly over the sponge, then spoon over an even layer of raspberry compote

9

Leave in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or so to settle before carefully spooning over the custard. Cover and leave the custard to set in the refrigerator for a few hours

10

When the custard is almost set, make the coconut whipped cream. Open the can of coconut milk and scoop off the thick cream from the top (usually around 200g) into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Do the same if using creamed coconut, although there will be less liquid

11

Sift the icing sugar into the bowl and add the vanilla, if using. Whisk on a fairly high speed until the mixture comes together, being careful not to overwhip

12

Pipe the freshly whipped coconut cream on top of the trifle. Alternatively, add in small spoonfuls and spread out evenly across the top, then heat the spoon in hot water and use it to smooth the surface of the cream. Finally, scatter with the toasted almonds and decorate with the raspberries if you like

frogmorton

That looks lovely Kath I shall say yes please and have a large portion as a main dish

🙂🍽️

frogmorton

made us a cake loo roll!

Kitty

A cake loo roll, I'm saying nowt.

Daily Recipe

Mock Brains – Recipe No. 191

Mock recipes were created during the war because people missed the ‘real thing’ during times of rationing. Forgive me for saying this but SERIOUSLY, were brains so popular before the war that people really missed eating them? It would appear so…

Let me tell you, these mock brains were TASTY (but only with lots of seasoning and browning in fat). I was impressed as much as I was with the ‘MOCK BLACK PUDDING’ so don’t be afraid of trying these. They are so cheap to make which isn’t a bad thing right now with no work and no jobs! I greedily ate these ALL for my lunch with a salad. I’d even go as far as to say if you added some garlic and extra spices like hickory smoke and paprika, you could cook them in fat in smaller nugget shapes and once they had cooled slightly, enjoy them with a nice tomato sauce or dip as a treat. I’d go for it and quite easily forget this was actually porridge!

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup of leftover porridge
• 1 tablespoon of self-raising flour
• 1 small onion
• 1 egg
• large pinch of thyme
• salt and pepper

 

Method

Chop the onion very fine, mix into the porridge, add the flour and flavouring, bind together with the beaten egg, form into rissoles, roll in flour then fry in hot fat until brown.

 

My tips: Don’t skimp on the frying fat, this will help give it some flavour. Add lots of salt and pepper and herbs and spices you like.

 

 

 

 

  INTERESTING Toni, you like porridge, maybe you could give them a trial run and let us jnow what you think - please, pretty please?

barbara12

Ooh my ..have I been missing out on some lovely pies and cakes ..and the trifle..wow

I had better pop in more often me thinks..thankyou xx

frogmorton

Definitely will try these Kath they look so very very simple!!!! was already thinking what herbs and spices I could add!!

Sleek is ready to help!

Kitty

Daily Recipe

Wartime Vegetable Turnovers

I am not sure whether there was a typo in the cook book for this one- it said serves 4 so I made 4 veggie turnovers out of the ingredients …they were each the size of 1/2 a dinner plate! BUT if Marguerite Patten tells me it feeds 4 then I will eat a whole one and I did just that last night and felt very greedy indeed (see that guilt thing again…!)

Each one was the size of 1/2 a dinner plate…!

So here is the recipe for a hungry man’s wartime veggie turnover- I was quite impressed!

           

Wartime Vegetable Turnover

Pastry

• 12 oz of plain (wholewheat) flour with 3 teaspoons baking powder
• large pinch of salt
• 3 oz margarine (or dripping)
• water

Filling

• 10 oz scrubbed diced cooked potatoes (never remove the skins!)
• 4 medium carrots diced
• 1 large onion or 1 leek finely chopped (saute)
• herbs, salt, pepper

Method

Sift the flour, salt and rub in the margarine

Bind with water

Cook carrots and potatoes until medium soft and then mix gently together in bowl with a little margarine, salt, pepper and herbs

Mix in the onions or leeks

Divide the pastry into 4 pieces and roll out each one into a round

Put mixture into centre of each round 

Wet the edges of pastry with water

Pull over one side to the other and press down edges

Prick top of pastry

Brush with a little milk

Bake in hot over (220 C) for 25-30 mins until crisp and brown

Serve hot or cold.

That is one heck of a spud.

frogmorton

That looks fabulous Kath - see there were vegans in the war too. Needs must. Unless of course they cooked their's with lard🤔

Thank you 😘