Welcome to the newest edition to the site: Clodagh's Kitchen
I decided to introduce one or two articles a few weeks ago to see what kind of reaction there would be to health food recipies on here made by my girlfriend clodagh. So to update you all this is a new site dedicted to Clodagh's Kitchen.
Banana Cookies
This easter weekend myself and clodagh decided we wanted to bake cookies with a twist. You see we didn't want to bake the normal everyday chocolate chip option that for some reason leaves a void in the tummy, so instead clodagh got creative, took a look in the fridge and whipped out a banana. At first I was very skeptical but went with the flow of the saturday night hunger.
Ingredients
1 Banana
1/3 a cup of butter alternatively you can use an avocado for the healtier option here
1 cup of plain or creamed flour
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Chocolate chips, not too much but have some fun
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare your baking tray we used an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Step 1: Mash your banana in a bowl using a fork this works best to get all those tiny pieces of banana mashed up right n good.
Step 2: Mix your mashed banana, chocolate chips and vanilla essence together give this a good mix up get your hands stuck in don't be afraid to get dirty.
Step 3: Add your dry ingredients being the plain / creamed flour & your baking powder.
Step 4: Separate into dough balls and flatten these with the palm of your hand gently on the baking tray you prepared earlier.
Step 5: Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees.
Step 6: Let them cool down and set or 10 minutes. Then heres the best part you get to eat them.
Health Snobs can do pizza?
Dough!, Everyone knows great pizza means great base. Proper pizza should be thin and crispy with a chewy centre. You just know its a smashing slice if it droops down. It is very important to keep it as simple as possible, Good flour, yeast and a pinch of salt is all it really takes. Knead it into a bouncy dough, break it into balls and cover until they double in size. It is important to refridgerate overnight, stretch it into shape and add toppings, it is really as easy as pie.
Eggplant Pizza
Traditional eggplant parmesan is high in calories and sodium. Enjoy the flavors you love with this lighter, non-fried pizza version. Fresh plum tomatoes are a good source of folate and the cancer-fighting antioxidant lycopene, while part-skim ricotta adds a creamy texture without all the saturated fat of whole-milk cheeses.
Greek Pizza
Get a taste of the Mediterranean with this pie featuring fresh shrimp and sweet grape tomatoes. Using a sharp, salty cheese like feta minimizes fat since you don't need a lot to enjoy its pungent flavor.
Smoked Salmon Pizza
Fresh lemon and dill liven up reduced-fat cream cheese to create a zesty, lower-calorie spread for this delicious pizza. Tender smoked salmon requires no extra prep and is full of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Use this tasty combo to top mini whole-grain bagels for a tasty brunch dish!
Do remember these are only tips and there are loads of yummy ideas for pizza out there get creative ad have fun with it.
Apple Nutter Crackers
Introducing the apple & nutter cracker
Ingredients are as follows on this great work-snack folks, all you will need is:
1 x Apple
1 x Rye cracker ( we used ryvita raisin & seed flavour on this one)
1 x Tablespoon of Almond butter (we used meridian brand)
This little kick start can be had at any time of the day for a bit of a boost or simply to fill that mid-day void in the belly. It would also be great after a workout as it has recovery benefits.
Enjoy and as always, leave a comment to let me know how you liked or disliked it, Also if you tried any other cracker flavours or fruits.
Prawn Salad
Prawn Salad
Ingredients:
1 x packet of prawns either from your supermarket of fishmongers
1 x head of lettuce
1 x stick of spring onion
1 x tomatoe
1 half of a beetroot (depending on the size of the beetroot)
1 of each pepper ( green, yellow and red)
Hint: Make this dish in a plastic bowl and transfer to bowl or plate of choice.
Everyone know's prawns are great for you with a leafy salad and some home made dressing is always great, but exactly what are the benefits of eating prawns... Why prawns?
Proteins: Proteins are the building blocks of the body. Body required proteins not only to be healthy but also to repair any damage that has been done to the body like an injury or regular day to day repair.
Calories: Prawns have very less calories as compared to most other meats and thus is very good for keeping the calorie count down and loose weight.
Vitamin B 12: Prawns are rich source of Vitamin B 12. B 12 is very useful not only in keeping memory sharp but also is very good for cardiac health and also is needed by arteries and veins to work properly.
Calcium: Since prawns are very rich source of calcium it is thus very good for teeth and bones.