Quick, Low fat prawn salad (serves two)

A friend said to me recently "I have no time to make healthy dinners that taste good", wrong. Everyone has the time to make a whole array of quick healthy meals. This salad doesn't even require any heat and makes minimal mess! This quick easy recipe is a personal favourite of mine :)

• 3 Tbs of light mayonnaise
• 3/4 tbs of tomato puree
• 3/4 bag of pre-cooked and peeled prawns (defrosted)
• 6 leaves of Romain lettuce
• 1 Tomato
•  5cm chunk of cucumber

1. Bunch lettuce leaves together and cut into ribbons.
2. Cut Tomato and cucumber into small cubes.
3. Mix together the mayonnaise and tomato puree until smooth and the whole mix is the same pink colour - there should be no blobs of tomato puree left unmixed.
4. Mix together the salad and place on two tea plates, cover with prawns.
5. Spoon on sauce into the middle of both piles of prawns.
6. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and a lemon twist if desired :)

What did i tell you? Simple :) This salad also makes a great starter, instead of two large servings divide between 6 wine glasses and add a capful (whiskey cap) of whiskey into the dressing.

Next week I'm going to show you how to make a magic lemon pudding - It's as good as it sounds :)

Thanks For Stopping By :)
Siobhan xoxo

Healthy Granola Cake Bites

This recipe was an experimentation with an unwanted box of tropical muesli that went right I guess! These slices are great for a quick breakfast, lunch box fillers or even an afternoon snack :) Sorry about using the cup volume system for this recipe but as it was an experiment I don't have the grammage (exact amounts).

• 1 Cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 Cup of natural honey
• 2 Tbs of brown sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cup of tropical muesli or a muesli with a large amount of rolled oats.

1. Pre-heat your oven to 190
2. Mix the oil, honey and sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth, don't worry that the oil remains separate at this point.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and using a whisk mix until all the mixture has become one (no oil should be separate at this point) smooth mix.
4. Sift in the flour and salt, and using either a silicon spatula or wooden spoon, work the mixture until it is lump free and creamy in colour.
5. Now stir in the granola, ensuring it is distributed evenly in the mixture.
6. Carefully pour the mixture into a small baking tray lined with grease proof paper, and gently spread into the corners. Make sure the mixture is evenly spread and flat as possible - if mixture is sticking up or higher in places it will burn.
7. When the cake is golden in colour remove from the oven, it should be springy to the touch and when a skewer is pushed into the center no uncooked mixture should be visible on it.
8. Turn the cake out carefully onto a plate, and peel away the grease proof paper.
9. Turn the cake up the right way, cut length way in half through the middle, then proceed to cut each half into small slices.
10. If the slices still look gooey in the center place the slices onto a larger baking tray and bake for a few more minutes.
11. Once the slices are done place on a cooling rack and leave until completely cool.

I found these slices great when dieting or on the move as they are really filling, but if you prefer your cakes to be very sweet I would double the amount of sugar or honey :)

Next week I will show you how to make a really quick and easy prawn salad :)

Thanks For Stopping By :)
Siobhan xoxo

Gooseberry and Rhubarb Compote

It's that time of year where British Gardens are brimming with strawberries, raspberries and all sorts of other natural delights, but no one knows what to do with all their gooseberries and rhubarb :/ Simple, Compote. Quick, easy and tasty, and leaves room to create various deserts with.

• 250g washed gooseberries
• 3 stalks of Rhubarb
• 1 Lemon
• 4tbs of boiling water
• 3 slightly heaped tbs of caster sugar

1. Twist off the remainders of the stalks from the gooseberries, as well as the fur from the bottom.
2. Cut the rhubarb into 1 inch chunks.
3. Place the rhubarb chunks into a fairly large sauce pan with 3tbs of boiling water (if necessary more can be added later but the fruit should reduce enough and produce its own fluids) and 3tbs of the sugar. Add 1/4 of the rind from the lemon, with a good squeeze of its juice.
4. Put lid on pan and simmer on a medium-low heat until the rhubarb has softened.
5.  Occasionally turn the rhubarb to ensure it does not stick to the pan. 
6. Add the gooseberries whole to the pan and replace lid.
7. Simmer until the fruit has reduced to a puree, do not remove any excess fluids.
8. Add the final tbs of sugar to the pan, turn up the heat to high, and while constantly moving the mix (to prevent it burning on the bottom of the pan) reduce the mix until it has thickened.
9. Place in a large bowl and leave to cool and thicken.

I love this recipe, its so easy and tastes so summery, and the best bit is that you can make an array of summery desserts with it too. For example using a tub of whipped cream with a table spoon of caster sugar mixed into it, fold in the compote to taste you can create a delicious fruit fool! Or even use it as a base to a fruit crumble. Another good thing about this compote is it freezes well so you can keep it or any leftovers to be used again, or for the coming winter months to serve with custard as a fab winter warmer :)

Next week I'm going to be making healthy granola cake bars.

Thanks For Stopping By :)
Siobhan xoxo

Grubs Up!

Hay,
It's me again if you know me from my other blog, if you don't I'm Siobhan and its nice to meet you! In a nut shell I'm an A level student with a passion for blogging! I have been debating for some time whether to create a craft blog of some time and I have decided to give it a shot! The gist of this blog is to experiment with and trial different recipes, to save you the time and effort!

I adore cooking, I find it relaxing and satisfying! So, if there are any recipe's you want me to trial, offer a variation on or even if you need a suggestion for a meal or dinner party, anything you like, then pop a comment with your request, or if you know me you can always do it via facebook :) and I will do my best to help. Feedback is always helpful so let me know what you think :)

Thanks For Stopping By :)
Siobhan xoxox