Tag: recipes

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Flahavan’s Dark Chocolate and Orange Irish Oaty Flapjacks

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  • Have you tried our Flahavan’s Dark Chocolate and Orange Irish Oaty Flapjacks yet 😍!? Baked to perfection following Mary Flahavan’s original recipe and made with dark Belgian chocolate and natural orange oil, our crumbly flapjacks are great as an on-the-go snack, providing slow release energy and a source of fibre to help you power through the day. For those taking a more relaxed approach, they equally taste great paired with your 11 o’clock coffee. Treat yourself! #FlahavansOats #FlahavansFlapjacks #Snacks #energy
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Neven has a Halloween recipe up his sleeve for us this week: Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan

neven pumkin penne

I love this time of year. Conor and Lucia have made their pumpkin lanterns and I never let anything go to waste. I make soup with the flesh that they have scraped out – which is also good with pasta. Sage is a herb that tastes particularly well with pumpkin.

This is a recipe that you could use any time of the year with butternut squash or with sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin.

I mentioned recently how many butchers are making their own sausages and here is another chance to try some out. With colcannon, this makes a very tasty meal.

Colcannon is also delicious with any grilled meat or with Sunday lunch. I often use this onion gravy with roast meats or pork chops. Allowing it to carmelise adds great depth of flavour.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan

Serves four to six

4 tbsp olive oil

175g (175g) smoked streaky bacon lardons

500g (1¼lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and finely diced

15g (½oz) packet fresh sage, finely shredded

500g (1¼lb) penne pasta

50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to garnish

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 Heat the oil a large frying pan and fry the bacon for two to three minutes until crisp. Add the pumpkin with the sage. Season with salt and pepper and cook for four to five minutes, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is cooked through.
  • 2 Cook the penne according to the packet instructions, then drain and add to the pumpkin with the crispy bacon. Stir in the Parmesan and season to taste, then divide among bowls.
  • 3 Garnish with extra Parmesan and black pepper.

Sausages with colcannon

Serves eight to 10

1.5kg (3lb) floury potatoes (such as Rooster), peeled and cut into chunks

8 traditional jumbo Irish pork sausages

225g (8oz) kale, finely shredded

2 scallions, very finely chopped

120ml (4fl oz) milk

75g (3oz) butter

Salt and pepper

Stout onion gravy, to serve (optional, see point 3)

  • 1 Steam the potatoes until tender. Cook the sausages in a frying pan in a little oil or under the grill. Place a knob of the butter and a tablespoon of water in a pan over a high heat. Add the kale and scallions with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously and cook for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes, until the cabbage or kale is tender but still crisp.
  • 2 Heat the milk in a small pan or in the microwave. Mash the potatoes and then beat in the butter with enough of the milk to make a smooth, creamy mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the sausages and some gravy, if liked.
  • 3 Stout onion gravy: sauté thinly sliced onions in butter and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little sugar to caramelise. Stir in a spoonful of flour and then pour in enough Guinness or beef stock from a cube to make a thick smooth gravy.
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Can eating really affect our sleep? @keelingsfruits. Try Banana with Nut Butter, Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter, Hot milk with cinnamon, kiwis and some dark chocolate

  1. Banana with Nut Butter
  2. Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter
  3. Hot milk with cinnamon
  4. 2 kiwis and some dark chocolate
  5. Cherry juice drink made with hot water

keelingsfruits

I don’t know about you but I love my bed! And I firmly believe that a good night’s sleep can make you feel so good! Breathing, eating and sleeping are three of the most basic and essential functions we do as humans. But can food affect our sleep or does our sleep affect our food? The reality is that it is probably a bit of both…On average we need between 7-9 hours’ sleep per night with some people managing on less and others may need more. Lack of sleep can lead to irritability, fatigue and difficulty concentrating. However chronic poor sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

In general, research has found that eating in line with the Mediterranean or DASH diet, both of which promote fruits and vegetables, fiber rich foods and healthy mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats tends to be associated with better quality sleep. Magnesium is a mineral that is reported to help with sleep regulation and is found in bananas, nuts, green vegetables, tofu and dairy. Melatonin is a micronutrient present in some foods but also a hormone that occurs naturally in the body and helps control sleep patterns. Melatonin, is found in tart cherry juice, eggs, nuts and dairy. Interestingly the tradition of hot milk before bed comes from Roman times… and milk contains both magnesium, melatonin and an amino acid called tryptophan which helps produce serotonin and melatonin.

Kiwifruit is another food that has been reported to have a positive impact on sleep duration and quality. In one four-week trial of adults with sleep problems, consumption of two kiwifruits per day one hour before bedtime significantly increased total sleep time and sleep efficiency. A potential reason for this is that they are a rich source of antioxidant and contain the hormone serotonin. Either way they are also great sources of vitamin C and great for keeping bowel movements regular.

Do you ever feel like you make poorer food choices when you’re tired? There may be good reason behind this. Sleep deprivation can cause a drop in Leptin levels (a hormone that signals fullness) and increases the hormone Ghrelin (hormone that stimulates appetite). This change in hormones can explain why you might eat more when missing sleep or why you tend to eat more without feeling full when you have had minimal sleep. US research from Cedar- Sinai Medical Centre also found that lack of sleep increased insulin resistance. So, we can see that regular good night sleep helps manage hormones, appetite and possible food choices.

Caffeine and alcohol can negatively affect falling asleep and sleep quality so best to keep within healthy limits if struggling with sleep. Maybe keep the caffeine to before midday!

Some sleepy bedtime snack ideas!

  1. Banana with Nut Butter
  2. Yogurt with chopped nuts or nut butter
  3. Hot milk with cinnamon
  4. 2 kiwis and some dark chocolate
  5. Cherry juice drink made with hot water
  6. Porridge topped with banana
  7. Oatcakes topped with cream cheese and berries
  8. Cherries
  9. Wholegrain cereal with milk
  10. Mixed nuts

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Odlums Halloween Tea Brack Recipe

jellybeans

225g/8oz Odlums Self Raising Flour

350g packet of Shamrock Fruit Mix

300ml/½ pint Cold Tea

125g/4oz Shamrock Golden Caster Sugar

1 Egg (beaten)

Good pinch Goodall’s Mixed Spice

Ring or other Charms

Rowse Honey (for decoration)

Method:

  1. Place fruit and tea in a bowl and leave to soak overnight.
  2. Add sugar, egg, flour and mixed spice and mix well.
  3. Wrap ring and any other ‘charms’ in greaseproof paper and stir into mixture.
  4. Transfer to a greased and base lined 20cm/8” round cake tin or 900g/2lb loaf tin.
  5. Bake in a pre-heated oven 170°C/325°F/Gas 3 for approx. one hour or until risen and firm to the touch.
  6. Cool on a wire tray. When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and keep for two days before cutting.
  7. Melted honey may be brushed over brack before cutting.

http://odlums.ie/recipes/halloween-tea-brack/

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.@nevenmaguire makes simply delicious Pad Thai @dunnesstores with Chef Yo.

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  • We have partnered up with @sabarestaurantdublin to create our new @simplybetterds Thai Food range. Watch our brand ambassador @nevenmaguire learn how to make this delicious Phad Thai with Chef Yo. Find the full recipe below and shop the ingredients in your local @dunnesstores.

    Phad Thai
    Ingredients (Serves 2)
    • 200g Rice Stick Noodles
    • 6 Raw Tiger Prawns, shell removed
    • 175g Simply Better Irish Corn Fed Chicken Breast Fillets, thinly sliced
    • 2 Tbsp Simply Better Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil (for wok)
    • 2 Simply Better Free Range Corn Fed Large Eggs, beaten
    • 1 Tbsp Simply Better Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil (for eggs)
    • 80g Bean Sprouts
    • 40g Spring Onions, diced 1cm
    • 100g Simply Better Thai Phad Thai Wok Sauce
    • 1 Tbsp Unsalted Roasted Peanuts, crushed
    • 1 Tsp Dried Crushed Chillies
    • 20g Fried Shallots

    Method:
    1. Soak the noodles in cold water until soft, about 30 minutes, then rinse under cold water and keep to one side.
    2. Bring a wok to a medium to high heat, add the oil, then the chicken and stir for 2 minutes before adding the prawns and stir for another minute.
    3. Bring the chicken and prawn to one side of the wok. Add the remaining oil and the beaten eggs.
    4. Stir quickly and mix the egg with the chicken and prawns.
    5. Add the noodles, stir for 1 minute until the noodles start to soften.
    6. Then add the sauce and stir well to cover the noodles.
    7. Add the bean sprouts and spring onions. Toss them through quickly for just 30 seconds to make sure the vegetables remain crunchy.
    8. Serve in warmed bowls with a sprinkle of the crushed peanuts, fried shallots and dried chillies.2d