Vegan hoisin pancakes with spring onion & cucumber
SocialJoy
Welcome to February and glad we have got gloomy wet January behind us. It has been freezing but seems the weather is currently going through a mild spell but winter is not over yet! Saying that lovely to see the snowdrops and crocuses coming out at Chiswick House grounds, and I also took some photos of the lovely clematis out. Is Spring in the air ……
The vaccine programme is well ahead of schedule which is brilliant news and with recent announcements from Boris, we have a light at the end of the tunnel with restrictions easing in stages. This gives hope to everyone and as humans we all need something to look forward to! Am very excited about being able to have a beer in a pub garden soon!
Socially not much to talk about, apart from going out locally for lovely walks at Chiswick House, Ravenscourt Park and Kew Gardens mainly with my pooch, Rhubarb, and trying to get some exercise with online yoga and ballet barre. The leg really is on the mend but still only doing strengthening exercises as I don’t want to risk any cardio or impact on my bones and joints just yet. Am keen to get back on my bicycle but will think about that perhaps next month.
On Valentines Day I made a spectacular treacle-cured pork belly slow roasted for 6 hours. It needed brining overnight with sea salt, lemon, orange, juniper berries, star anise, rosemary, thyme, coriander seeds and lashings of black treacle. This recipe was from the London Cook book which is filled with eclectic recipes from the city’s best restaurants. It was so tender and delicious, and served with simple french beans and small roasted pots.
WorkJoy
I have been making more vegan dishes and love the hoisin mushroom pancakes as per photo above and recipe below.
For shrove Tuesday, I made some savoury pancakes with goats cheese, spinach, mushroom and garlic. Did the traditional sweet ones with sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice by Delia as you cant go wrong with her.
The american couple last month who did a FODMAP course have booked another class for their extended family x6 online, which stretches from Rhode Island/Maine/Pennsylvania/New York /Arizona and Alaska!!! I am still working out a menu as it needs to be gluten-free but would like to do a British twist on it!
I have started a promotion with my new client 02 offering discounts on my online classes throughout March, to which I have had a tremendous response so far due to their huge network. As a result I have increased the number of dates available in preparation for the uptake of my classes. This could be phenomenal on scale and very exciting, hence preparing a super busy month in March!
Also next month I will be running a Good mood foods course with 02 directly for 1,000 of their users. As this is such a huge event in my kitchen, I have hired lighting and cameraman + an assistant to help with Q&A throughout the class. Exciting and great exposure!
I started a fast the beginning of February which is based on the 10 hour diet by Jeanette Hyde which basically means you can only eat within a 10 hour window. I am finding it really suits me and do not eat before 10 am and finish at 8 pm. The 10 hour period can be flexible to suit your schedule. I try to stop eating or drinking anything (apart from herbal tea or water) from around 7ish though. The idea is to give your digestive system a rest overnight so your body can concentrate on healing, repair and general maintenance of the body. It can also promote weight loss, fat loss and reductions in insulin levels, and cholesterol levels.
I am going to work with a company in Devon https://www.goodhemp.com/ who produce Hemp seed milk and other hemp products such as hemp flour and flavoured CBD oils. They will be sending me some products to experiment with. I would like to use the milk in smoothies and the flour in baking and as previously quoted, love it when I find a new product to work with. I will be reporting back next month!
KitchenJoy
This week has been busy with NOTHS customers booking up their online cookery classes. So far we have had anti-ageing skin nutrition and cooking with chocolate.
The anti-ageing class started with a skin glowing smoothie with mango, lots of beta carotene for the skin, and flax seeds, spinach and maca powder all in almond milk which is high in Vitamin E, especially beneficial for skin, hair, and nails, with brazil nuts which have selenium in them to protect the body from free radicals that can cause premature ageing. For the main course, a pumpkin seed crusted salmon steak with parsley, and broccoli with almonds & pomegranate seeds. Pomegranate has a compound called punicaligin which helps preserve collagen in the skin. A side serving of black rice with coconut milk and garlic. Dessert was sweet potato brownies with are just delicious as they have no refined sugar as the sweetness comes from the sweet potatoes also rich in beta carotene and rich in vitamin C and Vitamin E, both of which are very crucial to keep skin healthy, glowing and supple + Vitamin C helps boost collagen.
I did a one-off high fats class, for a group with eating disorders. Sadly the teenager had anorexia so I renamed it “High Energy Foods” as did not want to use the word fat in the title. She was losing so much weight and was likely to be hospitalised this week but her mother emailed me the day after the course and said she had gained 1 kg and said my menu was so appetising that she had more motivation to eat now. I am so delighted and it is wonderful when you receive such positive feedback after a class and realise you are genuinely helping people. The menu was aimed at teenagers with a chocolate smoothie but sneakily full of good fats such as tahini paste, raw cacao powder, nut butter, avocado, protein powder, banana and maca powder, chia seeds, fresh mint and almond milk. It was so delicious and rich and creamy - I kept mine for breakfast the next morning which really set me up for the day. The group were particularly keen on Japanese cuisine so I did my infamous salmon with miso glaze, green veg with tahini dressing and brown rice infused with green tea and ginger. Dessert was avocado brownies which are very child friendly or to be honest yummy for everyone! It is amazing how we can use foods, not just for taste but to help build muscle and fat for slow building fuel and energy.
I made the chocolate online course for NOTHS customers slightly different this month, as I wanted to make a savoury chocolate dish - smoky butternut squash and cacao soup which has cacao nibs and small amount of dark chocolate in. And more brownies and vegan chocolate and orange mousse. This shows using different types of chocolate in one class.
Please contact me for more details if you are interested in any other types of medicinal cookery classes or 121 tuition. This also applies to online private cookery classes and team work building sessions.
VEGAN HOISIN MUSHROOM PANCAKES
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp of Chinese 5 space
2 tbsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of grated ginger
2 tbsp of tamari
1 tsp of rice vinegar
2 tbsp of hoisin sauce
dash of lime juice
1/4 tsp of ground pepper
3 flat mushrooms, sliced
Chinese pancakes
2 tbsp of coriander
1/2 cucumber
sesame seeds
spring onions
DIRECTIONS
In a hot pan add the sesame oil, ginger, 5 spice, pepper, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce and tamari
Add in the mushrooms and cook until they reduce and caramelise
Slice the mushrooms. Assemble the pancakes with the mushroom mixture, cucumber slices, spring onions, coriander and sesame seeds
. 🙂
Enjoy ……..
