Month: May 2022

The “Friends” (Jennifer Aniston) Salad

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

Sometimes random things pop up on your social media feed and this was the “Friends” salad, apparently the female cast members all ate the same thing every day for lunch for 10 years.

I followed the recipe provided by icecreamandneondreams.com and I have to say it’s very tasty (maybe not eating it every day for 10 years), but definitely worth including in your salad or lunch dish rotation.

Needless to say its very healthy with plenty of fibre and protein and full of lovely flavours that compliment each other. Like any salad you can play with the ratio of ingredients depending on your taste

The original salad doesn’t have any dressing, but you can also add some olive oil and lemon juice if you think it needs it.

Ingredients

250 Grams Bulgar Wheat (dry weight cook according the instructions on the packet)

1 Large or 2 small Cucumbers

400 Gram Tin of Chick Peas

1 Small red onion (finely sliced)

200 Grams Feta Cheese (crumbled)

50 Grams Shelled Pistachios

2 Tbsp. Fresh mint (chopped), or 2 tsp dried mint

2 Tbsp. Parsley (chopped)

Method

  1. Cook the bulgar wheat according to the instructions on the packet and allow to cool
  2. Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and scoop out and discard the watery seeds on the middle. Cut each half in half again and slice into 1 cm slices (you can make them chunkier if you prefer)
  3. Drain the chick peas and add to a large bowl along with all the other ingredients and mix well. Have a taste and add some salt and pepper if you the salad needs it

Healthy Mexican Breakfast

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

I love a hearty breakfast, and this is quick enough for a weekday breakfast but you might prefer to save it for the weekend as it makes a great brunch/lunch dish.

I have shown quantities per person, so just up the amounts based on how many people you’re cooking for. I know we don’t usually use herbs at breakfast time, but the coriander and mint really make this delicious (I love picking this from my window box). This meal has plenty of fibre and protein and will fuel you for a good part of the day. If you are gluten free, you can swap the wholemeal tortilla for corn tortilla (just make sure to check the label, to ensure they are GF)

Ingredients (per person)

1 Wholemeal torilla

2 eggs

1/2 Avocado (diced)

6 Cherry tomatoes (halved)

1 Spring onion/scallion (finely sliced)

1 Tbsp Mint (finely chopped)

1 Tbsp Coriander (finely chopped)

100 Grams Canned black beans

Chilli powder – according to taste

1 Tsp Oil

Method

  1. Heat oil in a small pan, crack both eggs into the pan (I like to add a little water and cover with a lid so they steam fry, but feel free to cook the eggs your preferred way)
  2. While your eggs are cooking, slice the vegetables and herbs. Place the tortilla on a plate
  3. Place your eggs on top of the tortilla, and use the same pan to warm through the black beans
  4. Scatter the vegetables, herbs and heated black beans, across the tortilla and eggs and sprinkle with chilli powder (or sliced fresh chillies if you prefer) according to how spicy you like your food.

Pissaladiere

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

This dish is from the south of France, and is like a cross between a tart and a pizza.

Just warning you from the outset, this is what I would call a weekend recipe.    Some elements can take a while.  None of it is difficult but things like caramelising the onions, or proving the dough can take a while.  So I usually make this at weekends when I’m pottering around and can do things like laundry while the dough proves.

https://seaneenssunnysidekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/img_20210329_1911347856694583709994229.jpg?w=768

If you see anchovies and immediately say no way, I would recommend giving this a chance.  The sweetness of the onions, definitely tempers the fishiness of the anchovies and the combination works nicely.

If you really are anchovy phobic you can swap it for roasted red pepper, this also allows vegans and vegetarians to enjoy it (just remember to swap out the butter for olive oil if cooking for vegans or people who are dairy free).

This can also be eaten hot of cold, I love it with a cold beer or glass of wine.

For the dough

2 Tsp Dried yeast

250 Grams Plain flour

3 Tbsp Olive oil

1/2 Tsp Salt

For the topping

40 Grams Butter

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1.5 Kg Onions (Finely Sliced)

1 Tbsp Dried thyme

24 Black olives

16 Anchovy Fillets (or slices of roast pepper if you don’t like anchovies

Method

  • To make the dough, mix the dried yeast with 120 ml of warm water (not too hot or you’ll kill the yeast), leave in a warm place for 10 minutes until a froth appears on top of the mixture.
  • Sift the flour into a bowl and add the salt, olive oil and yeast mixture. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Turn out onto to a floured surface, and knead for 10 minutes (or use a mixer with a dough hook, but personally I like to do it by hand its very therapeutic if you’ve had a stressful week)
  • Rub a bowl with olive oil, put your kneaded bowl of dough in the bowl and cover lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel (or I always use the little disposable shower caps you get into hotels), leave in a warm space for 1-2 hours
  • Remove the dough from the bowl and knock the air out of the dough with a light punch (like OI said this can be very therapeutic). Knead for a couple of minutes and then cover again and leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in size
  • For the topping, melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and half the thyme and cook over a gentle for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions are dark and caramelised
  • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees (Celsius), and grease a 34 cm x 26 cm baking tray. Roll your dough out thinly to fit the baking tray and transfer the dough to the baking tray and brush lightly with oil
  • Spread the cooled onion mixture evenly across the dough
  • Lay the anchovies on top of the onion mixture in a rough lattice pattern, and the olives should go in between the diamonds created in the lattice. It’s a rustic dish, so don’t panic if doesn’t look entirely uniform
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes

Potato, Cheese and Broccoli Pasties

Seaneen's Sunnyside KitchenLeave a comment

It’s cold, wet and sh*tty outside. No wonder your body is craving carbs and needs comfort food.

You can add some patterns to fancy these up. But they’ll taste delicious regardless

I hate food waste. So when I have bits and pieces hanging around in the fridge I try to come up with a recipe to use them. Left over potatoes and broccoli from previous meals are delicious when well seasoned and combined with cheese. This recipe isn’t dainty or sophisticated, but it does taste really good.

Makes 4 good sized pasties

Ingredients

375 Gram pack of pre-rolled puff pastry

250 Grams Cooked potatoes

150 Grams Cooked broccoli

100 Grams Mature Cheddar (grated)

1 Egg

1/2 Tsp Garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Potato, broccoli and cheese filling

Method

  1. In a bowl break up the cooked potato and broccoli with a fork.
  2. Add the grated cheese, garlic powder and salt and pepper (the mix needs a good amount of seasoning, to don’t forget to taste the filling)
  3. Unroll your sheet of pastry and cut into four smaller sheets
  4. Add the filling to one half of each sheet
  5. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg, and fold the pastry over, crimping the edges of the pastry with a fork.
  6. Lightly brush the top with beaten egg, and bake in an oven, pre – heated to 200 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown
Brush lightly with beaten egg.