Author: Padraic Guilfoyle

Alcohol is a toxic, addictive drug that can be very damaging to health. Alcohol products, mainly beer, spirits and wine can be marketed without reference to alcohol in the advertising. Alcohol is consumed without restraint or regard for its health consequences.
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Oaty Blueberry Muffins with Ginger and Pear Frosting

fla cup cakes tw jan 16

Serves 16*
*depending on the size of your muffin cases
This is a great recipe to impress when the girls are coming around for an afternoon chat. That said, my children love to bake these with me too. The blueberries give them the added extra goodness. 

Ingredients:

  • 300g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 170ml sunflower oil
  • 100ml milk
  • 280g self-raising flour
  • 100g Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 150g blueberries
  • 1 large pear, peeled and finely diced
For the Topping
  • 150g cream cheese
  • 100g butter, softened
  • 2 pieces stemmed ginger, very finely chopped
  • 2 tsp ginger syrup
  • 350g icing sugar
  • 2 poached pears, thinly sliced for decorating
  • Edible flowers to decorate (optional)

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3.
  2. Place muffin cases in a muffin tray.
  3. Whisk the sugar, eggs, milk and oil together until thick and pale.
  4. Fold in the flour, oatlets, ginger and salt.
  5. Stir in the blueberries and diced pear.
  6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
  7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
  8. Place on a cooling rack.
  9. Cream the butter in a large bowl, then add some icing sugar, followed by the cream cheese and the rest of the icing sugar.  Spoon in the ginger syrup.
  10. Pipe or spread over the cool muffins, decorate with chopped ginger and place slices of pear and a pretty edible flower on the top.
Tip: 
If using soft fruit like raspberries, just place fruit in freezer for about ½ hour and they will stay fairly whole when baked.
 http://www.flahavans.ie/recipes/oaty-blueberry-muffins-with-ginger-and-pear-frosting-/247
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Organic Smoked Salmon on Potato Cakes with Natural Yoghurt

Smoked-Salmon-on-Potato-Cakes

  Makes 12

Ingredients

  • 450g cooked, mashed potatoes
  • 75g flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tablesp. scallions, finely chopped
  • Salt, pepper and nutmeg
  • 50g butter, melted
  • Smoked Salmon
  • 125 ml natural yogurt
  • 1 tablesp. dill, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper

To Cook

Mix the potatoes, flour, eggs, scallions, salt, pepper, nutmeg and half the butter. Mix well together and shape into 12 small potato cakes. Heat the remaining butter in a non-stick pan and then cook the potato cakes until browned on each side. The cakes can be served immediately or kept overnight in the fridge.

15 minutes before serving reheat in a hot oven.

Serving Suggestions

Mix the yoghurt, dill and seasoning. Place a slice of smoked salmon on each potato cake and top with the yogurt mixture.

http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/

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Odlums Chocolate Christmas Pudding

Odlums-Choc-Pudding-Picture1

Ingredients:

For the Pudding:

125g/4oz Odlums Self Raising Flour

125g/4oz  Butter (softened)

125g/4oz Caster Sugar

2 large Eggs (beaten)

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

125g /4oz Plain Chocolate (melted)

50g Shamrock Pecan Nuts (chopped)

15ml/1tbsp Milk

 For the sauce:

125g/4oz Plain Chocolate, broken into pieces

25g/1oz Butter

30ml/2 tbsp Golden Syrup

 Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Butter and line the base of a 900ml / 1 ½ pint pudding bowl with a circle of greaseproof paper or butter wrapper.
  2.  Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the eggs a little at a time (add a spoonful of flour if the mixture begins to curdle).
  3.  Sift together the flour and cocoa powder and fold into the mixture with the melted chocolate, chopped pecans and milk.
  4. Spoon the mixture into the bowl and cover with a round of greased and pleated greaseproof paper tied securely with fine string. Cover with pleated foil.
  5. Steam for 1 ½ hours (see directions below) until the pudding is risen and firm to the touch and a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.
  6. For the chocolate sauce, place all the ingredients in a heat-proof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water and leave until melted. Remove from the heat and stir to make a smooth sauce.
  7. Turn the pudding out on to a plate, while warm. Pour over some of the chocolate sauce and serve the remaining sauce on the side. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pudding

 

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Flahavans bloat beating breakfast

flahavans b'fast pot

Bloat beating breakfast!

Here’s a delicious Overnight Oats recipe that is not only delicious but also full of ingredients that can help give you a flatter, less-bloated tummy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup oats
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup yogurt (I used Silk Soy Vanilla)
1/4 banana
1/4 cup pineapple, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon chopped almonds

Directions

  1. Add the ingredients in the order listed to a small mason jar.
  2. Place in the fridge overnight.
  3. In the morning, mix it all together and enjoy cold or warmed up in the microwave.

Image Source: Calorie Count

http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Flat-Belly-Overnight-Oats-38687684

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Catherine’s gluten free lemon poppy seed loaf

 

GF-Poppy-Seed-Loaf-

INGREDIENTS

225g/8oz Odlums Gluten Free Tritamyl Self Raising Flour

125g/4oz Margarine

125g/4oz Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Milk

1 Teaspoon Goodalls Vanilla Essence

2 Tablespoons Poppy Seeds

Grated Rind of Lemon

 For Glaze

175g/6oz Icing Sugar

Juice of Lemon

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3. Grease and base line a 900g/2lb Loaf tin.
  2. Cream margarine and sugar together in a bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and next beat in the milk with vanilla essence.
  3. Gently stir in the flour until completely combined and finally stir in the poppy seeds and lemon rind.
  4. Transfer to the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  5. While cake is baking prepare the glaze by heating the sugar and lemon juice over a low heat stirring occasionally until sugar has dissolved.
  6. When cake is baked allow it to stay in the tin to “set” for 10 minutes then pierce top of cake with a fork or toothpick and pour over the glaze.
  7. When completely cold store in an airtight container.

http://odlums.ie/catherines-weekly-recipe-gluten-free-lemon-poppy-seed-loaf/

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Avonmore Tomato & Basil Soup

avonmore tomato & basil soup

Quick, easy, warming – home warming and delicious

Ingredients

  • 25g Avonmore butter
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • ¼ clove garlic finely chopped
  • ½ tbsp tomato puree
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 900g/2lb fresh vine ripened tomatoes cut in quarters
  • ½ organic chicken stock cube, dissolved in 100ml hot water
  • 85ml Avonmore cooking cream
  • ½ tsp freshly chopped basil
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Melt the butter in a large heavy saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and stir for 4 minutes over a medium heat without adding colour.

Stir in the tomato puree & the tomato quarters. Add the sugar & stock, cover with a lid, increase the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and puree the soup with a stick blender or alternatively in a food processor until it is completely smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve.

Return the pureed soup to the saucepan, stir in the Avonmore cooking cream and reheat. Season the soup to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle into warm serving bowls and sprinkle with the freshly chopped basil.

http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/tomato-basil-soup-2/