JULY 2021

Baked stuffed courgette flowers with smoked paprika

SocialJoy

Welcome to my July blog and all the news from this month. I hope we are all making the most of summer time with showers and sun, the weather cant make its mind up !

The veggies have gone wild with the climate and therefore have been able to enjoy my nasturtium flowers on salads, which are very pretty and of course edible. There is an abundance of different lettuce leaves and tomatoes. I am now picking my courgette flowers, which are lovely stuffed and baked which is healthier than deep fried. Recipe below and as per photo above.

Yet another and probably final birthday celebration with my school friends, to Chicama in Chelsea which is a Peruvian seafood restaurant. The food was exquisite and very unusual and just so amazing to taste different foods. We sampled tapioca marshmallow with octopus sauce, popped corn monkfish cheeks, scallop ceviche, spicy crab and green papaya salad, and blackened octopus. https://www.chicamalondon.com/

We have a new boutique cinema https://www.chiswickcinema.co.uk/ opened in Chiswick which is exciting and only across the road from me, with reclining seats and taking a glass of vino in to watch a film is wonderful. Already seen great films so far: Supernova, The Father, Another Round and Truffle Hunting, so really making the most of our local amenities.

I had a mini break in the Cotswold and was very lucky with the weather, in fact it was too hot and with the hound in tow, we went open swimming at the river to cool down. I think it was probably Rhubarb’s best day ever! We stayed at Barford St Michael, which was a village in the middle of nowhere, so lovely and peaceful and Chipping Norton was a few miles away. Hence we had to visit Jeremy Clarkson’s farm, but when we drove in the queue was at least 45 mins long just to attend the “diddly squat “ pop up shop as the main shop was closed, so we turned around.

We walked 1 hour to the nearest village called Deddington for a coffee and to our surprise there were no coffee shops open, well it was a Sunday and we were in the country! We asked a local and he was bemused about our request and asked if we were “DFL”, to which we were confused and he quoted “Down from London” 😂 On that note he suggested going to Great Tew where we found the most wonderful coffee shop called Quince & Clover, where we ended up visiting later in the afternoon when it was very hot and had a home made ice cream espresso milk shake, best ever!

We had booked dinner at Daylesford farm at The Trough on the terrace which was just delightful. https://www.daylesford.com/locations/kingham/the-trough-cafe/ and ordered bbq monkfish with lots of healthy sides such as kale salad and heritage toms.

We arrived early to browse in the shop which was full of home furnishings, pet store, plants and food area, all very wonderful. Rhubarb was spoilt with an expensive large rubber mallard duck which now has its head chewed off 🙄

On the way home, we did a pit stop at Woodstock which is a gorgeous village and lovely independent shops to browse and a long walk in Blenheim Palace grounds

WorkJoy

I did my first external Corporate since lockdown this month at Venture X at Chiswick Park. The theme was Brain health and hence made a brain power smoothie with avocado, spinach, flax seeds, maca powder, walnuts and plant based milk, all to support brain function. This was followed by a smoky Harissa, red pepper dip and finished with vegan chocolate and orange mousse. There were plenty of tasters for all the staff and lots of interaction and Q&A on nutrition and balancing your body physically and mentally. It was so good to get back out there and share my passion on health in person with an attentive audience.

I am booking up Corporate events for Autumn now which is motivating moving forward from lockdown. I am working with KCWC (Kensington, Chelsea Women’s Club) https://www.kcwc.org.uk/ which is an international women’s group, who want a cookery class at my school in September. The theme will be Good Moods Food class which I think is quite apt coming out of the restrictions, and how we an mindfully make good food choices.

I have just signed up to a new platform called the Joy Club. What a great name 😄 https://thejoyclub.com/ The Joy Club is a membership website that provides inspiration for a more joyful retirement and offers creative classes such as arts & crafts, attraction & tours, volunteering and food and drink + many more.

I am still attending some networking events online, but I do feel my business offering works better face to face and happy to see we are meeting up in person for some networking groups. I am a member of West for Women http://www.west4women.org.uk/ which is so beneficial in a lot of ways, sharing information and supporting each other + very social. We had a picnic at Chiswick House this month which was lovely getting to know other members over a glass of rose and nibbles.

KitchenJoy

The main class of the month was Gut Health in person at my cookery school. This was a fun and relaxed class with a group of young women who all brought something to the table. We made a gut health smoothie with coconut milk and pink grapefruit (& greens) for the vitamin C for the gut. We talked about the benefits of kefir, and how you can make your own with the live kefir grains. I always take a couple of swigs of kefir each morning before I have my breakfast. You don’t need to take too much as it is just about rebalancing your flora in your gut with billions of live active cultures.

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.

BAKED STUFFED COURGETTE FLOWERS WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA

Serves 20

1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed

20 courgette flowers

250g fresh ricotta cheese, well drained

1 egg

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 leaves fresh mint, sliced, or more to taste

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a baking tray with parchment and spray a little bit of olive oil on the paper.

Remove stamens from courgette flowers; wash and dry the flowers.

Combine ricotta, egg, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, mint, salt and pepper in a bowl; mix well. Carefully stuff about 1 tablespoon ricotta mixture into each courgette flower and pinch the ends closed. Sprinkle on smoked paprika. Place on the prepared baking tray.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 20 minutes.

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

JUNE 2021

Courgette fries with truffle mayonnaise

SocialJoy

Welcome to my June blog and all the news from this month. I hope we are all making the most of going out socialising again for summer.

The veggies have gone wild with the climate and been using my nasturtium flowers on salads, which are very pretty and of course edible. There is an abundance of different lettuce leaves and can tomatoes. I am now picking my courgette flowers, which are lovely stuffed and baked which is healthier than deep fried. Recipe below and as per photo above.

We seem to have a few more new restaurants opening locally in Chiswick and tried the new Lebanese www.grilandia.com on Turnham Green Terrace which does delicious small plates.

I was a lucky girl and went to Petersham Nurseries for a belated birthday dinner. It has always been on my bucket list and it reached all expectations. Such a lovely setting near Richmond and great ambience. For tasters we were served roasted courgettes with fried bayleaves and a strawberry bellini, followed by starters of crab linguine & scallop ceviche. We both went for meat mains of lamb and short rib beef and finished with almond & peach tart + chocolate torte. Not disappointed in anyway!!

As we have had lockdown restrictions, I finished my birthday celebrations with a bottomless bubbles brunch at Meghan’s in Chiswick with x10 girlies the last Sunday of the month, which was fun, sitting outside laughing and enjoying good company, food and fizz.

WorkJoy

I have been working with Chefs for foodies https://chefsforfoodies.com/ who are working with various chefs offering recipe boxes delivered to your door. A film shoot in a Parsons Green studio with Planet Eat https://planeteat.com/ last week in the height of the heat over one day where we filmed x6 dishes for the recipe boxes from Korean Chicken with sesame sprinkle, Salmon with Japanese miso glaze, broccoli falafel’s, rye, hazelnut and pumpkin bread, cauliflower tabbelouh to vegan chocolate & orange mousse. Had to double up on dishes, as had to “prepare one earlier” and then bring out the finished product out of the oven for filming. It was a really fun but very hot day, but we could eat most of the foods I cooked in the day!

I made some new dishes, cauliflower and halloumi fritters, masssaman butternut squash curry and Asian pork wrapped in iceberg lettuce leaves. But my favourite dish was courgette fries which were actually roasted in the oven, so quite healthy and in season. I served it with a truffle mayonnaise but ailoi or a chilli dip would go well with this starter to share.

KitchenJoy

More physical classes at KitchenJoy, with No Sugar and numerous vegan classes in person and online.

Worked with Google UK online with an interactive vegan class. The clients mirrored me online making cauliflower buffalo wings, hoisin mushroom pancakes and chocolate mousse.

As we had to adapt online after lockdown, it just shows you how far afield you can reach people as I now working weekly with a client in Perth, Australia on a 121 on anti-inflammatory. I love the scope of reaching people virtually across the globe!

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.

COURGETTE FRIES

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

olive oil spray

2 large courgettes (abut 400g) cut into 6 cm length batons

2 tbsp cornflour

salt & pepper

80g panko breadcrumbs

40g parmesan, grated

1.5 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic granules

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 200c/ 180c fan. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and spray evenly with a little olive oil spray.

Pat the courgette batons dry with kitchen paper. Place the cornflour on a plate and season with salt & pepper. Mix together the panko breadcrumbs, grated parmesan, oregano and garlic granules and place on another plate.

Whisk the egg whites a little in a small bowl until foamy.
Dust the courgette batons in the cornflour then dip in the egg whites and roll in the panko breadcrumbs to evenly coat. Place the courgettes on the prepared baking tray.

When all the courgette batons are coated, spray the tops with the olive oil spray and bake in the oven for 20-25 mins or until golden brown and crispy. Serve straight with with garlic mayo or a chilli dip.

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

MAY 2021

Asparagus fries and bacconaisse

SocialJoy

Welcome to my May blog and all the news from this month. I think we are all happy that we can actually go inside a restaurant or cafe to eat, considering the weather has been terrible. At least it is glorious sunshine now though ! My first visit was to my local High Road Brasserie, Soho House for a perfect lunch to ease back into eating out inside!

Meghan’s cafe has also opened in Chiswick, and am a big fan of their brunches which are generally Turkish cuisine, with lots of flatbreads, halloumi, baked eggs etc.

We managed to get away to the countryside and stay in Dorset with a trip to the coast to the Crab House and eat fresh fish overlooking the ocean. Rhubarb, my pooch, went in the sea for the first time, so a great experience for her!

A visit to Darcy’s restaurant in Vauxhall, which is well know for their succulent oysters. however, we had smoked eel skewers to start and mini goats curd & pea filo tarts. Mains were minced beef and marrow pie with grilled courgettes. Even though we were sitting outside, there was still a great ambience for a fab evening out.

I tried our new local restaurant Republic - which is Indian small plates. I would say it was the best Indian food I have tasted! With a twist on the classic english asparagus and a cauliflower starter, we also had hake in spicy sauce too. They will be expanding across London with x4 restaurants in the planning and the next one in Soho.

I am happy that the classes are back inside in the gym, which is great for bodypump and stretch classes.

Had a Spanish themed dinner party this month, with roasted tomato gazpacho shots, followed by a seafood paella and another Nigella salted chocolate tart. All delicious!

Now it is supposed to be summer? I have been replenishing the live herb wall with lots of different mints, such as tangerine mint, moroccan mint, apple mint and ginger mint, plus thyme and oregano.

It is great it’s asparagus season and making the most of eating this English veggie. Just lovely steamed with poached eggs on top or try the recipe below and as per the photo above.

WorkJoy

I have launched another new course this month - Authentic Japanese cooking. The reason for this is, I have had many requests for Japanese food which is clean, fresh and a healthy cuisine. I had a masterclass at my school, with someone teaching me how to make authentic prawn gyoza’s and a seafood ramen soup with soba noodles. Both were very tasty and will be incorporated into my new class, along with a few options on dessert such as matcha green tea energy balls or matcha green tea cookies.

I am experimenting with new dishes and made sticky cauliflower wings with sesame seeds which worked out well. I often make the vegan cauliflower wings which are always a winner so it is good to have an alternative. Also made ginger crunch bars for a sweet but healthy snack, made with coconut oil, dates and oats.

I have been making a few video’s for my website and to launch my new Japanese course and promote my vegan classes. This meant posing in front of my live herb wall and editing it a few times, but was fun making a few takes.

KitchenJoy

More physical classes at KitchenJoy, with vegan, gut health and gluten-free so far this month.

I had a lovely group of Americans from Alaska for a FODMAP cookery friendly class, making chicken kebabs marinated in dairy free yoghurt, brown rice infused with green tea and steamed veggies with a caper dressing. We finished with a vegan lemon drizzle cake.

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.

Asparagus fries & bacconaisse

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 bunches of  asparagus, you want about 20 spears in total      plain flour 

3 eggs  

50g parmesan, finely grated

50g panko breadcrumbs

4 tbsp olive oil 

For the baconnaise

250g smoked streaky bacon 

2 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra to top up

1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk (from above)

1 tbsp dijon mustard  

1 tbsp cider vinegar

Method

Separate one of the three eggs for the asparagus. Put the white in a bowl with the remaining two eggs, beat with a fork and set aside until needed. Now, make the baconnaise. Chop the bacon as finely as possible. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the bacon and stir over a low heat for 15 mins, so it ends up sizzling in its own fat and becomes brown and crisp. Sit a metal sieve over a jug and tip the bacon into the sieve – you need about 200ml of fat in total, so top up the bacon fat with extra oil as necessary. Leave to cool for 10 mins.

Tip the egg, egg yolk and mustard into a bowl, whisk to combine, then slowly add the bacon fat and oil mixture – first a drop at a time, then gradually quicker when it starts to come together. (You can also make this in a mini chopper, by blitzing the egg and mustard then slowly adding the oil with the blade running.) Once you have a thick mayonnaise, add the vinegar and chopped bacon, and season to taste. Can be made up to three days ahead and kept in the fridge.

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

APRIL 2021

Rye, hazelnut and pumpkin bread

SocialJoy

Welcome to my April blog and all the news from this month. I hope we have been enjoying going to the pub, albeit in the garden and it is still freezing out in the evenings but at least lovely blue skies in the daytime and meeting friends in our gardens.

I had a big 0 birthday this month, so was spoilt rotten. My only request was for seafood and the bar was set high, with oysters to start and Chapel Down English fizz, followed by tuna tartare, sautéed octopus and lobster. What a treat! Five friends joined me in my garden in the evening to continue the celebrations! And really it is a month for ongoing mini parties, any excuse for socialising ! And thank you to all my friends for all the wonderful flowers and pressies :)

I have gone back to my gym for outdoor classes on the tennis courts and it is actually invigorating and uplifting working out, outside.

I hosted my book club this month and made an Ottolenghi style dish with minced lamb, fresh mint leaves, aubergine, crumbled feta, pine nuts & sumac spice - all baked in the oven, so all the flavours married together. I also made a vegetarian version which i swapped the mince to slice potatoes, with aubergines and goats cheese. This was followed by a salted chocolate tart by Nigella, which was decadent but delicious!

WorkJoy

It is a really exciting month, as I have launched three new courses, not only “in person” but an online option too!. Firstly “breads” which means healthy non yeast breads that I have made many times, two savoury and one sweet. The above photo and recipe below, is one of my favourite breads, Rye, hazelnut & pumpkin seed bread, which is delicious toasted. Other recipe samples are soda bread with fennel seeds & dried cranberries, plus a goats cheese, potato and thyme bread. Secondly, “vegetarian” as my vegan classes are so popular, thought it would be a good idea to have a general vegetarian class as well. And finally “foods around the world” which incorporates the many countries I have lived in and experienced different cuisines from West African peanut stew, a twist on a gazpacho shot, Japanese miso glazed salmon, Swedish blueberry yoghurt cake and a Lebanese flourless chocolate & coconut cake. I think these courses will really appeal to my Not on the high street (NOTHS) platform customers.

KitchenJoy

I have now opened up the cookery school so clients are coming back for in person classes and started with No Sugar at the end of this month. It is lovely to actually teach and see people face to face. But the online classes will continue and as ever popular, the chocolate online class replicated many times over this month. The final class of this month will be a No sugar online. The intention is to use recipes without sugar, or at least no refined sugars and incorporate natural sugars such as honey or maple syrup which is a better choice if you are craving something sweet.

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.

SEEDED HAZELNUT RYE LOAF

Makes 12-15 slices

Ingredients

100g milled flaxseeds

250g rye flour

125g ground oats

100g hazelnuts

1 tsp sea salt

60g pumpkin seeds

100g runny honey

3 tbsp light olive oil

 Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C.  Line a loaf tin with baking paper and grease lightly with oil.

Stir together the linseeds, rye flour, oat flour, hazelnuts, salt & pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.

Combine the honey, oil and 350ml warm water in a jug.  Pour into the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.  Spoon into the loaf tin.

Bake for 1hr 20 mins, or until a skewer poked into the centre, comes out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin, then turn out to cool completely for a few hours or until the next day.  Slice thinly and toast to serve.   Store in an air tight container.    Can also freeze

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

MARCH 2021

Chickpea pancakes

SocialJoy

Welcome to my March blog and all the news from this month. At last we can meet up with up to x6 friends in a garden and socialise. On 29th March I was at my first garden party - hurrah ! and with pubs and restaurants opening from 12th April, surely this is uplifting and positive.

I had the vaccine last week, probably like a lot of people in my age group, and we seem to be ahead on the vaccine programme compared to the rest of Europe, to protect us against Covid-19.

Am still doing the usual walks in the parks, same as everyone else and a few trips to Kew Gardens, to admire the beautiful spring flowers out. With the clocks going forward end of this month, it can only mean one thing, lighter evenings and spring is on its way !

At least we can now go to some of our gyms from end of March, and can participate in group workouts in the grounds of our club. Apart from the physical exercise, it is just great to see other people and be part of a workout group which is so much more exhilarating than online zoom classes.

WorkJoy

I have been expanding my recipe portfolio to accommodate more class uptakes and mix up the subject menus. It has been fun experimenting with new dishes that I have to eat for my dinner ! New recipes are vegan chickpea pancakes with a cauliflower puree, roasted cauliflower, red onion, pea shoots and dairy free yogurt, as per the photo above and recipe below. It is always good to add new brownie recipes, as everyone loves these treats! My favourite so far are the miso caramel brownies which are just gooey, and purely decadent! Other brownie recipes are raspberry and beetroot brownies, courgette paleo brownies and brazil nut brownies. Savoury dishes include vegan sticky chilli aubergine with brown rice,. freekah grain with poached salmon & courgetti, roasted pistachio crusted salmon with wilted spinach, salmon in coconut milk with sun dried toms, seeded hazelnut rye loaf, and peach, cherry & goji crumble and vegan rocky roads.

I received the lovely products from goodhemp.com in Devon. So now I need to incorporate and experiment with them in my cooking. The raspberry & beetroot brownies were made with the hemp milk and also the vegan rocky roads. Also made smoothies with the hemp protein powder and my porridge was made with the hemp milk too. It tastes quite refreshing as a type of plant-based milk and not sweet at all. It is full of goodness with omega 3’s and low in calories, a winner all round! I also have some hemp flour and citrus hemp oil I will be using as well.

KitchenJoy

The 02 Good Mood Foods class for a 1,000 online went very well in March. They brought their own camera & lighting man and a couple of administrators to respond to users on zoom by text. I felt it was my best performance to date, as I think the adrenalin kicked in! The time went really quick, considering I needed enough content on one subject to talk about for 1.5 hours! But for me, this is a really interesting subject on brain vs gut axis and discussing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that enhance our mood and mental health through food. Dopamine is good for motivation, mood and memory, whilst serotonin is responsible for happiness, sexual desire and sleep. That seems to tick most people’s boxes!

KitchenJoy also ran a promotion with 02, users, offering 25% off all my classes across the board, so now I have more online classes lined up.

Another Company approached me, redletterdays.co.uk and buyagift.co.uk which is a huge platform for me to be part of and very exciting to be selling my classes as experiences. This will go live next week.

Classes continue with NOTHS customers with vegan, brain health and chocolate course this month and It seems the chocolate course is the most popular so I am thinking of looking at different themes to compliment this class. Perhaps a fish feast? Open to offers, please ping me an email if you think of any delicious ideas!

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 CHICKPEA PANCAKES WITH PUREED CAULIFLOWER & ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp black mustard seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Chickpea Pancakes

150g chickpea flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 spring onions, finely sliced

2 cm piece fresh ginger, peeled & grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 green chilli, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

handful of coriander, roughly chopped

To serve

dairy free yoghurt or greek yoghurt

1 small red onion

pea shoots or rocket leaves

1 green chilli

handful of coriander leaves

radishes (optional)

pomegranate seeds (optional)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 220c. Place half of the cauliflower florets on a baking tray . Drizzle with oil and season with salt. Roast for 15 minutes, or until beginning to char. Reduce the oven to 200c, stir in the spices and chilli flakes and roast for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a pan of boiling water on and cook the other half of the cauliflower florets for about 10 minutes until soft. Drain and season with salt & pepper and a little plant based milk. With a stick blender, puree and leave aside.

Mix the pancake ingredients, flour, salt and cumin together in a large bowl. Slowly pour in 250ml of water stirring to make a smooth batter. Add the spring onions, ginger, garlic, chilli & coriander. Mix well and set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Ladle a quarter of the batter into the pan and tilt to spread evenly. Cook for 3 minutes. Turn over and cook for 2 minutes until golden. Cook the remaining batter to make 4 pancakes.

Spread the pureed cauliflower over the cooked pancakes and top with the roasted cauliflower, red onion, leaves, and other garnishes you desire.

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

FEBRUARY 2021

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 ……..
  

JANUARY 2021

Vegan meatballs in thai coconut broth

SocialJoy

Happy New Year! Let’s hope it will be better year than 2020, although we are still in a strict lockdown, its winter, cold and possibly people are suffering from January blues in these challenging times. Looking after our mental health takes a lot of emotional energy especially if one lives alone, or in a small confined space, furloughed or not working at all. It is essential to get out every day for a walk, possibly meet one other person. I have discovered many YouTube videos to work out to, especially as I have a broken leg, exercises designed to help strengthen my core. Today I just did a 15 minute abs, so you do not need to spend hours on work outs.

It does seem the vaccine is being rolled out very quickly, so hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I am thinking Easter time to not get my hopes up beforehand.

My leg is certainly on the mend, and still taking nutrients to support my bone health. At the hospital last week, they took my bloods for bone density to see if I need extra Vitamin D or other supplements.

I have also discovered Astaxanthin which is s a naturally occurring carotenoid found in nature primarily in marine organisms such as micro-algae, salmon, trout, shrimp, and other marine life. It is a potent anti-inflammatory, making it particularly important for your bones. and full of antioxidants.

I was given the new Nigella cook book for Christmas which has delicious recipes in and so far have made the one pot chicken with lemon & orzo and to jazz things up a bit, put the fire pit on outside and ate under the stars.. The black pudding meatballs were yummy too! And elderflower cake was very moist and even better than a lemon drizzle cake. Highly recommend this book with new exciting recipes.

WorkJoy

I am organising the online classes for NOTHS customers, mainly vegan, chocolate and immune classes.

I am now live on the Wellbetter site https://wellbetter.com/ which already has brought a deal in with 02 customer. This is very exciting and the topic will be Good Mood Foods online with 450 of their customers. Along with a few individual customer deals, a good start for the new year!

This week I had a 121 with a lovely couple from the USA in Rhode Island, which their son bought the voucher for Christmas, what a wonderful idea! This was on the FODMAP diet, which is dealing with severe symptoms of IBS and the gut. The class was a great success and its so rewarding to get great feedback! I will paste over what they said!

“Oh Joy...you have the perfect name ...you certainly brought us all JOY today!  We loved the low-key pace , volumes of information, the true compassion about living with IBS and the YUMMY food we got to enjoy afterwards.  Everything was delicious and we are going to have the pancakes later this evening as a fun ending to a great culinary  day!

I am going to dig into your website and see what you may suggest for a possible mother-daughter anti-stress type class.  Any thoughts?  I was thinking 6 of us.

Thank you so much for your lovely energy and delightful class!

Amy, Rick , Jane and Tillie(doggie)

P.S.  Say hi to Rhubarb...great name! “

Many of us have spent the last year stressed, scared and tired – so its no wonder I personally am not participating in “dry January” this year as I think its quite miserable enough with the lockdown restrictions, but am experimenting with Veganuary, and new recipes, such as vegan (meat)balls made with black beans, ginger, and oats in a coconut thai curry broth. Very tasty! Recipe as below the photo above.

I also made some chickpea, spinach pancakes, and filled with hummus, sun dried toms and avocado. This was a Madeline Shaw recipe from her Instagram.

I do love crispy duck, but as an alternative to this Chinese favourite, i made a vegan version with mushrooms. It worked really well, as mushrooms are quite meaty in texture and the hoisin sauce completed it!

KitchenJoy

I have started the online classes now as I can just about manage to stand for one hour on my broken leg. in the kitchen. The main topics are vegan and as always been making the Seitan as its so much more delicious home made and easy to store in the fridge or freezer for future cooking. You can then add your favourite spices such as ginger, garlic and soy, as it seems to go well with asian flavours. This is more for people who are missing meat, as the texture is similar and very LOW in carbs and high in protein. Winner all round !

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.

RED THAI VEGAN MEATBALL CURRY

SERVES 5

INGREDIENTS

Balls

1 can of black beans rinsed

100g of porridge oats

1 tbsp of cashew butter

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp of red Thai curry paste

2 tbsps of tamari

1 tbsp of grated ginger

Curry

1 can of coconut milk

2 tsp of tamari

1 lime juiced

1 tbsp red thai curry paste 

DIRECTIONS

For the bean balls – Blend everything together and roll into balls. Bake in the oven at 200 C for 15 mins.

Place the coconut milk, tamari, thai red curry paste and lime juice in a pan. Add the balls and simmer for 10 mins.

Serve with rice and kale

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..
  

NOVEMBER 2020

Flu buster soup

SocialJoy

Hello everyone and welcome to my November blog and into a 2nd lockdown for the whole month. Sure we will be eager to get to the shops come 2nd December and cheer us all up buying Christmas presents, along with our online shopping too. And back out socialising and enjoying the restaurants and getting into the Christmas spirit.. We did try to fit in a few local eateries before the restrictions though! This time round instead of continuing my exercise with daily online gym classes, I have been changing it up with long puppy walks which has been rewarding. The puppy has doubled in size since she joined our family and still a bundle of fun and energy and looking like a huge teddy bear !

There do seem to be a lot of people walking, cycling and out and about, enjoying the mild autumnal weather and a little socialising. Richmond Park is glorious this time of year with the trees changing colours to reds and oranges and you do not feel as though you are in London with the feel of vast open space of countryside.

WorkJoy

I have been working with a new company called Wellbetter.com which is a platform for looking after your wellbeing, launching on 7th December. They are backed by Amazon and have some substantial clients, which will give me the opportunity to work and develop contacts with some larger corporate clients and enhance my cookery classes at my school.

In lockdown, I have been making some new creative recipes, such as a vegetarian lasagne with a pureed cauliflower & parmesan sauce, lamb chops with anchovy and caper dressing, feta & olive bread, butter beans with preserved lemons and chilli. A tomato and courgette loaf with tomato chutney, a christmas slaw made with pumpkin seeds, grated carrots, grated parsnips and nuts, roasted duck on sliced pots (must admit a Nigel Slater recipe!) with savoy cabbage, plus a clementine and olive oil cake, getting into the Christmas festivities.

I am always intrigued and very excited when I discover a new ingredient. This month it is camu camu powder, which is a berry native to the Amazon rainforest. Its classed as a superfood and extremely high in Vitamin C., in fact 60 times more serving than a large orange. They are tart in flavour and ideal to be used in pancakes, smoothies, on muesli, yoghurts and salad dressings. I am going to make some cookies with them, photo next month!

KitchenJoy

I had to sadly postpone the KitchenJoy classes at my school this month due to lockdown, but hope they will resume in December. But the online classes are still active. This month I had a large online class with a Bank and made Flu buster soup (as per prep ingredients above & recipe below) which consists of shitake mushrooms, goji berries, sweet pots, turmeric, garlic and ginger, so very good for your immune, especially this time of year. Followed by an Asian mixed grain bowl with tahini dressing and date energy balls with cacao chips & matcha green tea.

I have now added new class dates for 2021, up until June. And also added a new online vegan class by popular request!

Gift vouchers are now selling for Christmas. And a few orders flowing in from Not on the High Street. You can contact me directly to buy an E Vouchers for your loved ones or foodie friends!

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.

FLU BUSTER SOUP

Serves 4

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped

2 tsp ground turmeric

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced, skins left on

1 punnet shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 handfuls goji berries

vegetable stock to cover

salt & pepper

Put the onion, chilli, garlic & ginger in a large saucepan with the olive oil.  Cook over a medium-high heat for about 5 mins.

Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms to the pan along with the goji berries.  Stir well,

Then add enough vegetable stock to cover all the ingredients.  Simmer well for 10-15 mins,

Until the potato is soft.  Season with salt & pepper.

Carefully add the soup to a blender in batches, & blend into a smooth, vivid orange, spicy soup.

. 🙂

Enjoy ……..