advent calendar 2013

1. advent calendar 2013

2. Cranberry and raspberry smoothie A super quick low fat recipe packed full of vitamin c to boost your immune system. Only 100 calories a serving serves 4 -6 200ml cranberry juice 175g frozen raspberries, defrosted 100ml milk (dairy free can substitute for soya milk) 200ml low fat natural yogurt (dairy free can substitute for soya yogurt) 1 tsp caster sugar, or to taste mint sprigs, to serve Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve topped with fresh mint. Gluten free

3. The Party season is starting... Top tips to avoid a hangover • Start by making sure you have eaten – great stomach liners are dairy based so if you are not eating with the alcohol, grab a small carton of plain yogurt with a banana, cheese and biscuits or a bowl of cereal with milk. • Limit fizzy alcoholic drinks and alternate with a non alcoholic drink. Bubbles do go to your head and speeds up your absorption of alcohol, so limit the number of glasses of sparkling wine, fizzy cocktails and champagne. • Dark spirits like brandy or whisky have compounds which are thought to make your hangover worse. • Before bed drink plenty of hydrating fluid – plain water is perfect. • Say no to the hair of the dog but you can make your own rehydration drink by adding a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt per pint of water and sip throughout the morning. • Avoid caffeine, the pick me up will only dehydrate you more. Just have one until you are feeling better. • Eat a nutritious breakfast if you can face it as it will replace lost vitamins and minerals lost processing alcohol. Fortified cereal will boost your energy and iron levels and if you can manage to have toast and a poached egg, tomatoes and a glass of OJ. • Resist your cravings – you may be longing for a sugary fix but don’t indulge yourself- sugary drinks and foods will only add to your already unbalanced blood sugar levels.  Instead satisfy your sugar fix naturally by choosing fresh fruit for its vitamin and water content or blend yourself a fruit and yogurt smoothie.

4. Super spiced soup Spiced parsnip and apple soup serves 4 Sweet parsnips and tangy cooking apples combine perfectly in this deliciously smooth soup. 1 tbsp sunflower oil 1 medium onion chopped 4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm/1in pieces 1 tbsp of mild curry paste 2 eating apples quartered and cut into chunks 1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock 100ml of milk (can be omitted if dairy free) Salt and pepper to season Gently fry the onions and parsnips for 15 minutes in the oil, or until the onions are softened. Add the curry paste and apples and cook for a further two minutes, stirring regularly. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the parsnips are very soft. Remove from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend the mixture in a food processor until smooth. Stir in the milk, adding a little extra if required. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Sweet treats FILO APPLE TARTS WITH CINNAMON AND RAISINS – a great lower fat alternative to mince pies 2 Lemons 4 Eating apples 50g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon 50g Sultanas 200g Filo Pastry 50g Unsalted Butter 1 tbsp dusting Icing Sugar Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Place the apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon and sultanas in a large pan and cook gently for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened but still hold their shape. Allow to cool. Unroll the pastry and cut into 32 x 14cm squares, reserving the trimmings. Cover the pastry with a damp cloth, to prevent it drying out. Take one of the squares and brush with butter, place another square over the top at an angle to make a star shape. Repeat with 2 more squares of pastry, brushing each with butter. Gently press into a muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining pastry until you have 8 pastry cases. Fill each case with the apple mixture, then brush the trimmings with butter, scrunch them up and place on top of the tarts. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar mixed with a little cinnamon.

6. Perfect Party food Pinwheel PIZZAs Pizza Dough or 2 packets of pizza base mix 2 -3 tbsp Tomato puree or pasta sauce Mixed herbs, Finely grated Cheese ,Toppings Make a firm dough which is not sticky. Sprinkle plain flour on to a board and roll out until you have a rectangle of around 20cm by 30cm about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Spread tomato puree over the dough (but leaving the top and bottom 2cm free of toppings). Add a teaspoon of mixed herbs and add toppings of your choice (chopped mushrooms, onion, peppers, ham, salami, sweet corn etc.) and then evenly top with grated cheese. Roll the pizza up tightly along the long side to make a sort of pizza Swiss roll! Stick the outside edge down with a little water if needed. Cut with a knife into 2cm slices and place on a greased baking tray, leaving a 1-2cm gap between each one. Cook at 200 C/Gas 6 for around 10-15 mins, or until they are lightly browned. These can be eaten hot for a party or a snack and can also be frozen. Pizza Dough Recipe 3 cups of strong plain flour, 1 cup of water, 1 tsp fast action dried yeast,1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and knead until you have a smooth dough (add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky). Cover the bowl with cling film and allow to prove for around 30 minutes. If you have a bread maker, use the dough setting

7. Very versatile Veggie This is an amazing alternative to a meaty meal and great for a vegetarian guest 1 butternut squash (roughly 1.2kg), 1 red onion chopped olive oil 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon of garlic puree (1 clove), 1 teaspoon of pesto 500 g frozen spinach defrosted 1 x 700 ml jar of passata 6 large fresh free-range pasta sheets (roughly 15cm x 20cm each) 50 g feta cheese 20 g Parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Half and deseed the squash cook for 1 hour, then remove from the oven. When cooled enough to handle scoop out the flesh and mash with a fork and set aside. Meanwhile, fry the onion on a low heat in the oil and, the thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and then add the spinach, stir and simmer for 5 mins. Pour the passata into another pan add the garlic and pesto and bring to the boil, simmering for just 3 minutes, then season.Now to assemble the dish by laying out the pasta sheets facing lengthways away from you. Gluten free works great with this recipe (follow the instructions to cook the sheets to get to this stage). Work quickly so your pasta doesn't dry out, brush them with water, then share and spread the squash equally over the sheets. Then sprinkle cooked spinach and crumble feta over the squash. Roll up the sheets and slice the tubes into 4 chunks, then place end on in the tomato sauce. Finely grate over the Parmesan, then pick the sage leaves (if using), toss in a little oil and scatter over the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at the bottom of the oven until golden and crisp. Delicious served with a fresh green salad.

8. Homemade burgers GLUTEN FREE HOMEMADE BURGERS/ MEATBALLS 500g lean mince beef Grated peeled apple 1 tsp marmite Worcester sauce (optional) to taste Salad for garnish, relish, sautéed onions and rolls Mix the grated apple with the mince beef and the teaspoon of marmite. Shape the mixture into approximately 10 burgers or 6 larger burgers (making sure you squeeze the mixture so they don’t fall apart when cooking).They can be a gluten free meatball too making about 20. Grill until cooked through. Grilling the burgers on a wire rack is the healthiest way to cook them as you do not need any extra fat and the excess fat can drip into the pan below. Serve with salad and relish in a bun. This recipe can be used with turkey or pork mince too.