Sushi by the Sea

It is so easy to get tangled in the chaos of work, friends and endless commitments. Time can slip away from you and before you know it it has been months since you've even seen your own family.

I feel like the last couple of month have been spent working tirelessly, with so much effort and energy going into getting stuff done and weekends and bank holiday taken away from me by nature of what I do I feel I've barely had a moment to take a deep breath and relax.

With a lot of the big projects I've been working on getting ticked off I can finally start to reclaim my time, and yesterday I took a day of to spend my big sister. Having not seen her over my birthday a couple of weeks ago I was in for a treat.

After spending the morning doing some much needed summer wardrobe updating we worked up an appetite. Both lovers of food and eating out we headed for Australasia's Grand Pacific in Manchester's Spinningfields. Taking a seat in the chilled out and airy canopied garden we sipped champagne and took in the tastes of the Pacific.

Sashimi, nigiri, California rolls; soft shell crab tempura and grilled aubergine. Beautifully blissful. Content and well fed I felt the most relaxed I had in weeks.

The relaxed feeling has not left me yet, as I write this I sit in the sunshine of my balcony with the laid back sounds of Swim Deep. Don't let this weekend ever end. Now someone get me a Gin & Tonic.

Great Manchester Run 2014

Yesterday I ran the Great Manchester Run, the largest 10k in Europe with 40,000 people taking part.  It was a scorcher of a day which made it pretty tough going luckily I had a good soundtrack to keep me motivated. 

Admittedly this isn't the greatest running soundtrack I've ever created, I tried to pick songs with a beat that would help keep my pace, I think some of it might be a bit slow though.  Still, I love all the songs so it keep me happy all the way around.  The playlist is also the perfect length for a 10k.

You can't beat a bit of D&B mid way round to get you motivated.  You can listen to my Pavement Pounding playlist via Spotify -

Ez-eeh Prawn and Chorizo Stew

I ran the Great Manchester 10k today. Managed it in under and hour which I was pleased about but it was a scorcher in the city today and the heat made it pretty tough going. All that running and sun made me pretty lazy this evening. I caught up with the Master Chef finals and cooked a easy supper to eat slumped on the sofa. 

This was very much a throw what ever I had in without measuring supper - 

1 red onion roughly dices

1 clove garlic crushed 

Passata

Half a zucchini cute into small cubes 

Zest and juice of half a lemon 

Handful of fresh basil

Small piece of chorizo diced

King prawns 

Glug of olive oil

Goats cheese to serve 

Add olive oil to a frying pan and cook the onions and garlic until softened then add the zucchini and stir fry for a minute. 

Pour in the passata, stir and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Add in the chorizo, half the fresh basil and the lemon zest and juice. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

Turn the heat back up and add in cook king prawns, allow them to heat through and then serve. 

Sprinkle the remaining basil on top and crumble a little goats cheese. 

I had a good wedge of crusty brown bread to go with this quick, easy Spanish still stew. 

Speaking of easy, or should I say Ez-Eeh, how awesome is the new Kasabian single?

Trouble in Paradise

It's 5 years, can you believe it, since La Roux released her debut album.  Today she announced she'll be back with her second, Trouble in Paradise, on July 7th.

Let Me Down Gently is the first single off the album, to quote the Guardian "it's full of synths and sighs, melancholy and determination"



Paradise conjures up ideas of summer for me so here's a little summer recipe to go along side La Roux. Summer tart (No, I'm not suggesting that La Roux is a tart).

1 sheet of ready made puff pastry (who has time to make their own)
Leek
Courgette cut into ribbons
Spring onions
Peas
Asparagus
Green beans
Pinch of tarragon
tbls flour
300ml milk (I used skimmed)
1 vegetable stock cube
tsp olive oil

Take a leek and cut in half, with one half spilt down the middle and slices, the other half cut into rings. Heat a frying pan with the olive oil and fry the split leeks until softened.

Crumble in the stock cube and add a splash of water to the leek mix and stir well.

Sprinkle the flour on to the leeks and mix in well to cook off the flour, then add the milk a little at the time to create a white sauce. Adding a little at a time will avoid lumps. Then sprinkle in the tarragon.

Add in all the other vegetables.

Cut the pastry sheet into 4, divide the mixture between the pastry, placing in the centre. With a little milk wash the exposed pastry so it goes golden when cooking.

Bake in a oven at 200oC for 20 minutes until the pastry has risen and is golden.

Serve with salad or if like me you fancied a little less green on the plate then a tomato salsa works wonders.

Glorious

This post is a long time coming, the crazy whirlwind of life has kept me away from a week or so. Taking on extra stuff at work, birthdays and visits from friends from afar have taken priority the last few days and left me feeling pretty exhausted.

Late nights in the office, late nights dancing and late nights just trying to do my washing means I've needed a soundtrack that gets your foot tapping but keeps a certain level of calm at the same time. Foxes - Glorious does just that.

Foxes won a Grammy with producer Zedd for the dance anthem - 'Clarity', a good song to get you off your feet but certainly not my favourite.  The rest of the album showcases evocative vocals and big drum beats. Lyrically it might not be anything ground braking but the massive crescendoing (is that even a word?  I'll take it anyway) choruses on song such as 'Holding Onto Heaven' and 'Let Go For Tonight' will certainly get you singing at the top of your voice. 

 

All in all I think it's a decent debut from Foxes and good pop album to stick on anytime. Take a listen on Spotify here -

Summer Squash Supper

My boyfriend happens to be a really rather good cook so I'm always pleased when he offers to rustle up dinner. This is a perfect little summer supper which I recommend enjoying on a sunny balcony with a tall, dark handsome man and a cold creamy Chardonnay. 

Pappardelle pasta

Butternut squash

Chorizo (omit for veggie) 

Cherry tomatoes 

Chilli finely chopped

Sage

Smoked paprika 

Parmesan 

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Peel and cube the squash and toss with a little olive oil, chilli and paprika and place on a baking try in the oven at 200oC for 25 minutes.

Boil a pan of salted water and cook Pappaedelle. 

Slice chorizo and quarter then dry fry in a pan for a couple of minutes until the oil starts to secrete. 

Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely chop the fresh sage and then toss into the cooking squash for the last five minutes.

Remove the cooked pasta from the water and toss with the vegetables then add the chorizo.  Serve with shaves of parmesan and freshly milled black pepper.

We enjoyed this dinner on Thursday night which was the start of our extra long bank holiday, so a suitably upbeat party song is needed.  I'm loving ZHU - Cocaine Model at the moment, summer vibes.

Fad Thai

Tonight I got home late so needed to cook something quick and easy for one to satisfy my grumbling tummy which does not like being left empty until 9pm. I call this Fad Thai because I fancied Pad Thai but didn't have all the appropriate ingredients so kinda made do with what I'd got. This recipe is perfect for something quick, simple and fresh. 

For one - 

Chicken (I had cooked left overs from a whole roast the other night) 

1 spring onion

1 small carrot, thinly sliced

1/4 of a red pepper

1/2 'basket' of noodles (larger appetites my want more) 

1 egg beaten

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp crunchy peanut butter 

2 wedges of lime

Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

If using dried noodles, boil a pan of water. While the water is heating up prep all the veg. Once veg is prepped and water boiled place dried noodle in the water to cook as per packet guide. 

In a wok heat the olive oil and throw in the chopped spring onions and pan fry for a couple of minutes then throw in all the other veg and chicken (if using raw chicken cook this off separately first). Stir fry these for a minute and then add in the fish sauce and peanut butter and mix well to combine with other ingredients. 

By this point the noodles should be cooked. Remove cooked noodles from the water and add to the wok. Then add the beaten egg and mix well to spread evenly throughout the ingredients. 

Once the egg is cooked, which should only take a couple of minutes, squeeze in a wedge of lime and stir in half the coriander. 

Serve quickly and garnish with the other lime wedge and sprinkle with coriander. 

Easy peasy lime squeezey!

I'm loving Damon Albarn's new album, Everyday Robots.  The title track is helping me chill out after a hectic day. 

Gooey Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies

This musical and culinary pairing comes courtesy of one of my team members at work, Helena.

There's absolutely nothing healthy about these brownies but it around Easter so we deserve an indulgent treat. 

275g dark chocolate (minimum 60% cocoa solids, chopped into pieces)

100g butter

200g chunky peanut butter

275g caster sugar

4 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

120g gluten free flour

75g icing (or powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 160°C / 325°F / Gas Mark 3.   Line a 23cm x 23cm (9" x 9") square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

2. Melt the butter, 200g of the chocolate, and 100g of the peanut butter in a saucepan, or in a large mixing bowl in a microwave. Stir at regular intervals. Remove from heat or microwave when the chocolate is almost melted, stir well, and leave to sit for a few minutes until the chocolate is completely melted. 

3. Add the sugar to the chocolate mixture and mix well. 

4. Add eggs one by one, incorporating each egg completely into the mixture before adding the next. Add vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.

5. Add flour to the mixture and stir until completely incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin.

6. Mix the remaining peanut butter and icing sugar together. If the peanut butter is quite firm, just use your fingers to mix it with the icing sugar. You may want to soften the peanut butter in a microwave or over a bowl of boiling water. Add the remaining chopped chocolate to the peanut butter and icing sugar mixture.

7.Pour or spread the peanut butter & chopped chocolate mixture over the brownie batter, distributing it more or less evenly. It won't cover the batter completely - instead you should have little pockets of it. 

8. Bake for approximately 40 minutes, but check after 35. The brownie should be risen and nicely cracked on top. If you smell chocolate, it's probably done. Leave to cool and cut into pieces. 

Kelis - Food

Kelis has long since been associated with food ever since she sang about her frothy beverage bring all the boys to the yard 10 years ago (yes, it charted in Dec 2003!!). Since then the R&B singer has retrained as a chef. Now back to music and her new album Food has a song for Breakfast, she sings about Friday Fish Fry and even serves up a Cobbler. With a track list like that it would have been foolish of me not to feature Kelis - Food on my blog. Food references aside, it's a great album and well worth a listen.

The Guardian manage to spoon in as many food related adjectives in their review of the album but in my own words this is a saucy album, a brilliant record that grabbed me from the first listen with songs that feel familiar but fresh at the same time.  The old school soulful and jazzy R&B vibes result in a timeless sound. Much less milkshake and more rich espresso. 

Relying on Homemade

It's Easter weekend, the sun has been shining and we've too extra days off work.  That's definitely something to be happy about, we should dance to celebrate.



This song is so funky, doesn't fail to get my feet moving.

Speaking of moving, that's what I've been doing all weekend. Although less of the hip shaking kind and more of the house kind. I think I'm just about organised and settled in now, but you know what it's like... I'd been trying to eat all my food up so there was less to move. This did however actually result in a domestic goddess like feast. Fajitas with guacamole and corn salsa, nothing from a packet or jar, I even made my own wraps. Homemade tortilla are amazing, take a little time not make but are not too difficult. Worth the effort. I'm just going to share the tortilla recipe today, I'm sure I'll come back to the other bits another time.

Makes 4 -
1 cup (stupid American measures but I was packing, a cup is all I had!!)
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup of warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, add the salt to the flour and then the oil and begin to mix with your hands, add the water a little at a time to form a dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and flour and water are combined. Add more flour or water as needed.

Once kneaded form into a ball, cover in cling film and leave to rest for  10 minutes.  I turned the volume up at this point, did a little wiggle and then made my side dishes.

After the dough has rested, uncover and spilt into 4. Form each quarter into a ball and then on a floured surface role into thin tortillas with a rolling pin.

To cook heat a little oil in a frying pan, make sure it's really hot, and toss the wrap in. Heat for a couple of minutes on one side until golden and then flip and do the same on the other side. Keep on a plate in a warm oven while you cook the rest.

There you have, your perfect homemade tortillas. Yum.

Picnic, Meet Me There

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, spring has definitely sprung. In the office we declared that it was time to crack open the Pimms for another year, and dust off the plastic plates and glasses. It is picnic weather for sure.

The other day I was in the Lake District. My boyfriend spent his childhood holidays here, staying at his grandma's, so he knows all these sweet little spots unspoilt by tourists. We went a bit mad with picnic fodder, quiche, pastrami, goats cheese, strawberries to name but a few.

Lazy summer days lying in the sun and admiring beautiful views needs a suitably sleepy, chilled out soundtrack. I'm really loving Nick Mulvey at the moment, his jangling folky sound sends me right to golden sandy beaches, drinking rum while watching the sun go down. Pretty much what I'm sure he was doing when he was studying music in Cuba.

Here's his latest summery single, Meet Me There

Healthy Banana and Walnut Muffins

I love this recipe, I can literally have my cake and eat it. Contains no butter or sugar and made with whole wheat flour. But don't be fooled, it still tastes sweet and indulgent.

Makes around 16 muffins (or one loaf if you prefer) 

240g wholemeal flour

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

1tsp baking powder

3 ripe bananas (around 300g) 

4 tbsp honey (maple or agave syrup works too) 

3 large eggs beaten

150ml natural yogurt (either low fat or fat free) 

25g chopped walnuts

Heat the oven to 160c paper cases optional, you can just grease your tin if preferred. 

In a bowl mix the honey, banana and yoghurt. A little at a time add in dry ingredients and a little of the egg, fold in as you go. Once combined add a little more and continue until all ingredients are folded in. Finally fold in the walnuts. 

Spoon your mixture into your muffin tin - an icecream, scoop makes this easier. Sprinkle with oats.

Bake in he oven for around 45 minutes, but keep and eye on how they are doing.  Test with a knife if it come out clean, they done. 

Leave to cool on a wire rack, or not. If like me you're impatient then just dive in.

While stuffing your face listen to this track, I'm obsessed with it. Why not solo dance while stuffing your face with cake, maybe down a bottle of wine too!

Seriously though, Joe Goddard is always good on the remix and I predict big things for Indiana this years.  She playing in her home town of Nottingham tomorrow night. Well worth checking out.

Sleepy Saturday Mornings with Smoked Salmon and Dreamy Electronica

I know it's Tuesday and the weekend is both a distant memory and flipping miles away but I can't help dreaming of Saturday mornings. There was once a time I hated Saturday mornings, every one of them brought me hangover hell. But more recently I've become a little more civilized and now I wake fresh and ready to make the most of the two precious day off a week we get.

If I'm feeling really energetic I will bust a gym session out on a Saturday morning, a spin class followed by a long soak in the Jacuzzi (well this working out has to have some perks). But more often than not my boyfriend and I will lounge around, he watching some sport related thing on TV and I slaving away over breakfast. [Boyfriend wishes to state that this is inaccurate and mildly slanderous. I should not portray him as a lazy sport watching boyfriend, he is not lazy!] I say slave, it's more a pleasure than a chore. We always treat ourselves for Saturday breakfast and smoked salmon is the ultimate indulgence.

We'll have smoked salmon all sorts of ways but on this occasion opted for wholegrain bagels with low fat cream cheese, rocket leaves dressed in a little lemon juice for a peppery kick topped with smoked salmon with a squeeze of lemon and cracked black pepper.

Leisurely mornings need a leisurely soundtrack. This weekend I will be making sure the sport is turned off and that SOHN - Tremors is turned on. Tremors came out this week and SOHN quotes saying he wanted to 'feel like fresh air', you can read album review on Line Of Best Fit or make your own mind and just listen...

Classic G&T

It's Friday night, after a long week at work there's nothing better than a good old G&T. This evening I'm going to my first ever Shabbat dinner. I'm not Jewish (clearly having never been to a Shabbat dinner before) but my flat mate is. We've lived together for over three years but she always visits friends on a Friday to uphold her tradions. This week the invite was extended to me as well and I'm really excited for it... I hear there's a lot of food involved. Always good in my book. 

So no partying tonight but I still like to unwind on a Friday with a cheeky drink and some upbeat music, usually of the house variety. Defected Records never fail to dissapoint I hear this track a couple of weeks back and it doesn't fail to get your feet moving. 

The G&T? Simply Bombay Saphire over ice with Schwepps tonic water and a slice of lemon. 

Banks

Last week I went to see Banks live at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music. An odd venue I thought, as I'm used to attending the cities, how shall I put it, less polished establishments to see live music. But it provide the perfect setting for the LA singers mesmerising electronic R&B. The pitch black, amazing acoustics and dazzling light show meant you couldn't help but be immersed in her seriously cool, sultry sound. 

Banks deserves a much better food pairing than what she's going to get, but my boyfriend and I sank rather too many pints after the gig and stumbled into the nearest pizza shop for a take away meat feast. We proceeded to have an argument as to what's better, ketchup or mayo (mayo, obvs) which led to me being branded 'discussing' for smothering my side in the good stuff!! 

Kicker Veggie Burgers

Doesn't this just look like the tastiest rainbow plate of food you've ever seen. This was a bit of an experiment but worked really well. Sweet potato veggie burgers with a kick with beetroot, radish and horseradish slaw. 

To make four burgers - 
2 medium sweet potatoes 
1 can of sweet corn (or frozen) 
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbl sp tomato purée 
1 chilli, thinly sliced (flakes or powered rework too) 
Handful of coriander chopped (I used the lazy stuff in the jar so I always have some in the fridge)
2 tbl sp of breadcrumbs 

Pierce the potatoes and roast in the oven at 200c for around 35 - 45 mins, until soft and cooked through. In a mixing bowl add all other ingredients apart from the breadcrumbs and mix, if you're using frozen corn make sure you've cook this through first. 

Once the potatoes are cooked scoop out the soft flesh and add into the bowl with the other ingredients. Mix really well so the ingredients are even throughout. The mixture might be quite sticky so add a little breadcrumbs to help bind the mixture, a sprinkling of flour can help too. 

Shape into burger patties and place on a baking tray, and bake in the oven until golden and crunchy on the outside. If you don't want right away these freeze really well and can be cooked from frozen when you need a quick fix dinner. 

For the slaw
Thinly slice beets and radishes and add a spoonful of horseradish and light mayo, add a little salt and pepper and combine. Simple! 

This plate might be a bright ray of sunshine with a warm kick, but it's certainly not like that outside.  I'd been fooled by the odd day of sunshine that it was ok to go out without a coat today and swiftly regretted it. This made me think the perfect track for this dinner would be Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood which I'm hearing everywhere at the moment and love. 

Homemade Granola

I love granola but the ones available in supermarkets are a little pricey and often full of sugar.  This recipe is so easy that I've wondered why I've not been making it for ever. 

Serves 4 people
120g - oats
4tbl sp - pure maple syrup
2 tbl sp - of linseed (mine was mixed with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and goji berries)
20g - flaked almonds (or any chopped nuts of your choosing)
20g - dried fruit (mine was a mix of cranberry, raisins and sultanas)

Pre heat the oven to 180 - 200 degrees. In a bowl mix the oats and maple syrup until the syrup coats all the oats, add a little more if needed.  Then stir in the linseed mix and flaked almonds and combine thoroughly. 

Pour the mix out on to a large baking tray and spread out evenly, you may need more than one tray. Place the trays in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turn the mix every 5 minutes to ensure toasting evenly and avoid burning.  The granola is finished when golden and toasted. 

Allow to cool then add in the dried fruit.  Store in a sealed container.  The granola should last for several weeks.

Serve simply with milk or yogurt, or add fresh fruit or compote for an extra boost. A granola breakfast need pairing with a song that got equal bite and makes you want to jump up and face the day ahead with gusto.  For that I've chosen Catfish and Bottlemen - Pacifier