Thursday, August 13, 2015

College Survival 2015

The Results are out!!!  

Many of our young students will be heading away over the next month or so having to fend for themselves for the very first time and even if they are not heading away they may not be on the family meal time plan so also may need to fend for themselves at times.

The trap many young people fall into is getting into really bad habits from day one, eating convenience and fast food as their main diet.  This is very costly and can lead to very tired and run down students…  so the trick is to begin now… not the day before they head off …  Also remember this could be a very costly exercise however if you begin now you could end up saving yourself quite a lot of euros!

Survival Tips
  • Go through your food cupboards and put aside any extra ingredients that would form a starter food box examples include
Olive oil,  soy sauce, spices, salt, pepper, sugar, tins of tomatoes, beans, tuna, sweetcorn, coconut milk, curry paste, pasta, rice, noodles, cous cous.  And if you don’t have these as extras look out for Special Offers now and pop some in your weekly shop..

Go through each of these ingredients with them and explain their uses.. 

For example, if they were really stuck and had No other ingredients they could still make a full meal..

Pasta,w tuna & sweetcorn
Egg fried rice w peas & sweetcorn 
Noodles, w eggs

Simple Veggie Curry-  paste, coconut milk, peas, sweetcorn, carrots

Tasty Chilli Bean Ciabattas
Serves 2
1 200g mixed beans drained & rinsed
1 red chilli chopped finely or pinch of chilli flakes
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 med ciabatta cut in half and then quartered

Drizzle a non stick pan with a little olive oil, pan fry the garlic & chilli for 1 min tip in the beans chopped tomatoes into a pan and simmer for 5 mins.. 
Pop ciabatta under the grill and toast one side, turn over and top the 2nd side with mozarrella cheese.
Season bean mixture to taste and pop over the cheese ciabattas …  


  • Student  Accommodation can be sparsely kitted out so check out your pots, pans and knives, colander, chopping boards & food storage boxes  - many of us have the extra pot, pan and lots of plastic food boxes that we rarely use.. put these to good use by sending them off with your college student..   ( A colander is essential to students for pasta, rice, decanting tuna, beans etc.) 

Ask your family, friends & neighbours if they have extras sometimes they are only delighted to do a clear out.. 

  • Take them shopping – many students haven’t a clue about the actual cost of food,  up to now many haven’t had the time or the interest.  Challenge them with 10 euro and see how many meals they can get the ingredients for… Then take the time to go through the aisles and chiller cabinets, for example when looking at chicken, show them how to compare the prices of whole chickens versus, chicken thighs or chicken breasts.   Teach them to look out for specials and be aware of purchasing too much fresh food unless they are prepared to batch cook, soups, curries and freeze them. 
  • If you have family favorite family recipes why not put them together in a notebook or folder for your son/daughter – these are the foods they have grown up with and love and now going away from home they will have the opportunity to “have a go themselves”.
  • Get in and get cooking with them before they head off, up to now many students have done very little cooking and have not to fend for themselves, many still think they can live off college food or convenience a few months of this type of food and you can have a tired, run down broke student who is craving home cooked food on their trips home..   

Soup is a great way to use up leftovers and use up everything in the veggie drawer of the fridge… soup will keep in the fridge for 4 days and it prevents lots of food getting binned and money being frittered away!


Eggs - scrambled eggs, poached eggs,  omlettes  baked potatoes with different toppings, pasta w tuna, pasta w parmesan cheese, frozen peas & bacon, 
How to roast a chicken (great specials on whole chickens)   Bolognese sauce, chilli con carne, shepherds pie, chicken curry, veggie curry and of course stir fries..  


Up on the web…
Some great easy low cost recipes…
Pasta w Meatballs homemade tomato sauce, Asian Chicken stir fries, Egg fried rice, Oven baked sticky lime & ginger chicken….  
Tasty Chilli bean Ciabattas 




Simple Survival recipes

Spaghetti with meatballs


500g minced beef
1 handful of breadcrumbs
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
1 tbls of pesto (only if you have it)
2 eggs whisked
Salt & Cracked black pepper
½ cup of flour
Glugs of olive oil
  1. Heat a non stick pan and cook the onion for 1 minute then add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  2. Pop the minced beef, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, tomatoe paste, pesto & eggs into a bowl.  Use your hands to mix these ingredients well together.
  3. Roll level teaspoons of the mixture into balls and dust lightly with the flour shake off the excess.
  4. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and cook the meatballs in batches, turning frequently until browned all over. Drain on paper towels

Meanwhile make the sauce....

Tomato Sauce

2 cans of tomatoes chopped
1 tbls of olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 tbls tomato paste
125 ml veggie stock
½ glass of red wine 
2 teasp sugar
1 handful of fresh basil leaves

500g spaghetti
grated parmesean cheese
  1. Puree the tomatoes with a hand blender or processor.
  2. Heat a non stick saucepan with some olive oil add the onion and cook over medium heat until soft and lightly golden, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pop in the wine and cook for a further minute
  3. Add the tomatoes, sugar, veggie stock & paste to thepan and stir to combine.
  4. Bring the mixture to the boil & simmer for 30 mins.
  5. Pop the meatballs into the mixture and simmer for 15 mins.

Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions…

Transfer the drained spaghetti to a warmed large serving bowl, spoon the meatballs over the spaghetti and scatter with grated parmesean cheese


Asian Chicken stir fry

This is such a simple easy dish & cooks in about 10 mins…  vary the ingredients to whatever veggie you have available. 

1 chicken fillet or thigh per person sliced
1 pepper sliced 
2 scallions sliced diagonally
1 teasp of grated ginger
1 tablespoon  of peanut oil 
1/2 tbs spoon of honey per person
1 tbs  Oyster sauce per person
1 teasp of sesame seeds per person

note:  its easier to use less fat in cooking if you use a non stick pan or wok..

  • Heat the oil stir fry the chicken after 2 mins add the peppers, continue to cook for about 6 mins until peppers are slightly softened.
  • Combine the honey & oyster sauce.
  •  Pour over the chicken & let it bubble up on the wok takes about 1 minute
  • Pop the scallions & ginger into the wok and toss.
  •  Just before you are ready to serve heat the sesame seeds in a non stick pan for about 1 minute to toast them and sprinkle over the chicken when plated..   Serve with either rice or noodles.   


Egg Fried Rice  - serves 4

4 eggs
1 spring onion chopped 
2 handfuls of frozen peas
2 handfuls of frozen corn
(Optional) 1 can of shrimp or cooked bacon or ham
4 cups of cooked long grain rice
2 tablespoons of oil.
  1. Cook the rice in a large pot of boiling water until aldente, remove from heat, transfer to a large sieve and run under cold water until cool.
  2. Shake, shake well to drain any excess water and spread out on a baking tray.  When completely dry and cold you can transfer to a covered bowl and keep in the fridge for 2 days.
  3. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and a little of the spring onion. 
  4. Cook the frozen peas and corn in a pot of simmering water for 3 mins, drain.
  5. Heat the wok over very high heat, add the oil and heat until very hot, reduce the heat, add the egg and very lightly scramble.
  6. Tip in the rice before the egg is set, increase the heat, and stir to separate the rice grains.
  7. Add the corn, peas and any other veggies or ingredients you are using , continue to cook for 1 minute.
  8. Transfer to a bowl and garnish with the remainder of the spring onion.

This dish is a complete light meal by itself or is great as a treat with a stirfry or a mixture of Asian dishes.. 


Oven baked Sticky Lime & Ginger Chicken
Serves 2

6  Skinless Chicken thighs
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
1 Lime zest & Juice 

Preheat oven to 210 degrees or gas 8
Pop the honey, soy, garlic, ginger & lime into a bowl and combine until smooth .
Add the Chicken Thighs and mix well – if you have some time leave to marinate (can be left covered in the fridge for 24 hours)
 Transfer to a foil lined baking tray or ceramic baking dish and pop into the oven for 20 mins.
Serve with steamed basmati rice and broccoli & sugar snaps peas


2015 Summer Salads

Beetroot, Radish & Almond Salad

4 Beets - sliced
6 Radishes – sliced
3 tbls of flaked almonds
2 tbls of crème fraiche
1 tbls of natural yoghurt
  1. Pop flaked almonds onto a baking tray and transfer to a preheated 170 oven for about 5 mins or until just beginning to turn  in colour
  2. Place the beets & radishes into a bowl
  3. Combine the crème fraiche & yoghurt until smooth
  4. Reserve a tbls of almonds & then scatter the remainder over the top of the beets & radishes and combine gently with the dressing.
  5. Transfer to a shallow bowl & decorate the top with the remaining almonds.

Pink Slaw

4 generous handfuls of red cabbage
4 generous handfuls of white cabbage
2 tablespoons of crème fraiche
½ tablespoon of horseradish
  1. Remove the outer leaves from the red cabbage and using a potato peeler (or a steady hand and sharp knife) finely shred the cabbage.. 
  2. Same for the white cabbage
  3. Combine the Crème Fraiche and horseradish and mix through 
  4. Transfer to a serving bowl with a garnish of any green herb!!


Carmelized red onion & Sweet Potato Salad

3 Sweet potatoes
8 baby potatoes 
6 cloves of garlic
1 red onion 
3 tbls of balsamic vinegar
1 tbls of sticky brown sugar
Sea Salt
  1. Slice the baby potatoes in half & then chop the sweet potatoes into approx the same size pieces.
  2. Slice the red onion thinly removing tough ends etc.
  3. Pop into a bowl and 2 tbls of balsamic & the brown sugar over the onion, mix to combine then transfer onto  baking tray to a preheated oven 170 for about 5/6 mins… check to see if beginning to caramelise if not leave another few mins.  Remove when cooked and set aside
  4. Transfer to potatoes to a baking tray and add the garlic cloves unpeeled.
  5. Pour the olive oil over the potatoes & garlic ensuring they all have a coating .
  6. Pop into the oven for about 20 mins or until cooked 
  7. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the caramelised onions, balsamic & seasalt… using your hands toss gently until well combined…

Fatoush Salad 

A Greek inspired salad of diced veggies tossed with a lemon dressing & topped with fried Haloumi cheese.

2 red peppers cored & diced
1 cucumber diced
4 nice ripe vine tomatoes diced
1 red onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves  crushed
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, coriander & mint
3 Pitta breads grilled, & torn into bite size pieces
1 tbls olive oil
4 slices of haloumi cheese, sliced

Lemon Dressing
4 tbls olive oil
2 tbls lemon juice
1 tbls water
½ teasp of sugar
salt & pepper

Combine the lemon juice, sugar, water, salt and pepper, then gradually whisk in the olive oil.

Combine all the veggies & herbs in a large bowl and toss with the lemon dressing.  Now add your grilled pita bread and combine well until all ingredients are nicely coated.  This salad is best left now to infuse for about 20 mins.  Just before serving.. heat the oil in a non stick pan and gently fry the haloumi slices..  Transfer salad to a large platter with the haloumi placed on top..



Buy infused oils - they are a wonderful way of getting flavour easily into salads

Greek Salad w chilli oil..  Buffalo Mozzarella Salad with lemon oil –

My favourite salad at the moment – plate of baby leaves topped with buffalo mozzarella slices x 4 – beetroot x 2 sliced , half an avocado sliced,  Roma tomatoes, cucumber for crunch - fresh basil leaves – sesame seed, pumpkin seeds – balsamic – honey & little olive oil dressing 

Lettuces and salad

There are so many different varieties of lettuce and salad leaves available. When choosing lettuce to buy look for blemish free leaves or if you are buying leaves in bags check they have not been bruised in transit or look wited in the bag & check they are well in date as they tend to not be so good on their last day.
Its also easy to grow you r own leaves, buy a variety of packets of seeds, simply sprinkle the seeds into pots with compost and pop out.....

Baby leaf spinach
Is a fantastic, as it has great keeping properties, it is tender yet thick with a pleasant yet fragile taste. It also doesn’t wilt like many other leaves so it holds its shape longer in salads. 
Suggestions:  It combines well with olive oil dressings. We serve it tossed in olive oil & balsamic and topped with warm goats cheese & toasted pinenuts.  Its fantastic tossed thorough penne pasta with some grilled red pepper.

Cos Lettuce
Cos lettuce is easily recognisable by its elongated leaves,  it has a firm, crispy texture and a subtle nutty flavour.  It keeps well in the salad drawer of the fridge
Suggestions:  It is the classic lettuce for Caesar Salad, but can also be used mixed with other leaves and sprinkled with some seeds.

Frisée
Frisee are curly feathery leaves that range in colour from yellow & white to Yellow & green.  They can be quite bitter so I wouldn’t suggest that you make a salad entirely of Frisee, however if you mix them with other leaves & they provide texture to a salad.

Iceberg lettuce
If your kids don’t like salad try them on Iceberg this summer.  Its a fantastic versatile lettuce which is also great value as it will keep fresh for up to 5 days. Kids like the crunchy texture .
Suggestions:  Try it next time you are making the kids sandwiches with chicken & cucumber ... 

Lamb's lettuce
Are small spoon-shaped leaves, they have a subtle nutty flavour, and are lovely mixed with other leaves
Suggestions:  Use in mixed salads, try a honey mustard dressing

Butterhead lettuce
Our traditional lettuce is still growing strong and there are so many varieties.  
Suggestions: use as a salad garnish or with mixed leaves

Little gem
Is a small compact lettuce with crispy, round leaves. 
Suggestions add crunch to a  Waldorf salad with celery, apple, walnuts and mayonnaise. Or simply use as a side salad with tomatoes & cucumber with a creamy dressing

Mizuna
Is similar in appearance to rocket, this Oriental leaf has a hot, mustardy flavour.
Suggestions: use in mixed salads and stir-fries.

Radicchio
Is easily identifiable by it distinctive pinkish, red leaves.  Radicchio adds a splash of colour to any bowl of salad.  It has a slightly chewy texture, similar to cabbage leaves.
Suggestions:   use to mix into  salads and as a garnish for a variety of savoury dishes.

Rocket 

Is strong, peppery leaf with jagged-edged indented leaves which has a delicious peppery taste.  It can have quite a strong flavour so a little goes a long way.
Suggestions   It works really well with Mediterranean ingredients such as Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  Also delicious in salads or hot pasta, serve with goat's cheese or use simply as a garnish