Chicken Livers with Pomegranate and Coriander

October 29, 2017October 29, 2017 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 6 Comments

Super quick and simple yet extremely satisfying dish which combines some wonderful flavours creating an unforgettable dining experience. Soft livers, slightly sour hard pomegranate seeds finished off with the citrusy aroma of fresh coriander leaves… what’s not to love?

If you like livers (and even if you don’t) you should really give this recipe a try. I know your first reaction might be “meh” but trust me, give it a try and you will love it.

I am a huge fan of quick meals. Often there is nothing better than a yummy dinner or supper on the table ready within minutes, not hours.

Livers cook quickly but they can be tricky… The longer you cook them the tougher they become, so overcooking them is a big no-no. Another tricky part relates to salt… added to soon makes them tough in the same way as overcooking, so salt goes always last when it comes to cooking livers.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

400g chicken livers
1 large pomegranate
1 large bunch of fresh coriander
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp butter
1/4tsp salt
1/4tsp pepper

Method:

Wash and chop the livers into smaller, bite-size chunks.

Wash and finely chop the coriander.

Deseed the pomegranate.

Preheat a heavy bottom frying pan, once hot add both butter and oil.

Once piping hot add the chopped livers, cook for 7 minutes stirring and tossing them continually.

Then add ¾ of the pomegranate seeds; cook for additional 2 minutes, continue stirring.

Add salt and pepper and ¾ of the chopped coriander; cook for an additional 1 minute.

Serve onto a plate or shallow bowl. Garnish with the remaining coriander and pomegranate seeds.

Serve with some nice buttered bread or best of all some nice hot buttered toast.

Enjoy!

Sugar Free Prunes Muffins

June 30, 2017June 30, 2017 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 12 Comments

Light, fluffy and full of flavour, these sugar-free and low-fat muffins make for a perfect treat at any time of the day or night.

Light, fluffy and full of flavour, these sugar-free and low-fat muffins make for a perfect treat at any time of the day or night. This recipe is a spin-off from my Sugar & Wheat Free Fruit and Nut Breakfast Muffins. It has more defined flavours, has less fats due to the reduce amount of coconut oil used and with the addition of the optional dark chocolate and almonds I find it works perfectly as a breakfast muffin too 🙂

Ingredients:

250g prunes; chopped
1 tin / 400ml coconut milk
175g self-raising flour
25g raw cocoa powder
2 eggs; beaten
1tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp nutmeg
50g almonds; chopped coarsely (optional)
50g dark chocolate; chopped coarsely (optional)

Light, fluffy and full of flavour, these sugar-free and low-fat muffins make for a perfect treat at any time of the day or night. Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C fan and prepare a 12 space muffin tin by lining it with paper muffin cases or silicon ones if you have them.

In a medium size cooking pot place the chopped prunes, add the entire 400ml tin of coconut milk after a good shake and bring slowly to a gentle simmer.

Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes or until most of the milk has incorporated itself into the fruit.

Put aside and allow it to cool for 10 minutes; then add 1 table spoon of coconut oil into the mixture and mix well until it has melted and combined into the mix.

Meanwhile sift the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, into a large mixing bowl and then add the bicarbonate of soda and mix.

In a seperae bowl, beat the eggs till they are uniform and fully mixed.

Once the prunes have reached room temperature add the vanilla extract, beaten eggs and again mix well.

Finally, fold in the flour mixture. At this stage, if you have opted for using the chopped chocolate and nuts then add them now and fold in gently.

Light, fluffy and full of flavour, these sugar-free and low-fat muffins make for a perfect treat at any time of the day or night. Spread the finished mix evenly between the 12 muffin casings and pop into the earlier preheated oven. Try to work as fast as you can… as the slower you are, the less fluffy the muffins will be when they come out of the oven.

Bake for 18 minutes at 180C fan.

When the time is up, remove them from the oven, remove from the baking tray and place on a wire rack and allow them to cool completely (if you can).

Enjoy all day and night 🙂

Honey & Pepper Braised Radishes

December 8, 2016December 8, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 6 Comments

Soft, sweet and buttery with a spicy finish, this recipe for honey & pepper braised radishes will make a wonderful starter, side dish or even a main dish for any vegetable lovers out there.

Soft, sweet and buttery with a spicy finish, this recipe for honey & pepper braised radishes will make a wonderful starter, side dish or even a main dish for any vegetable lovers out there. Who knew that radishes could be the size of a large grapefruit? They come not only in pink but also white and even pitch black… well, I for one didn’t know that’s for sure.

Our first trip to our local farmers market left us very puzzled. We returned home with bags full of weird and wonderful veggies, which to be honest we had no sensible idea for what they were, let alone what to do with them… Using tried and tested methods we deciphered most of them (some are still a mystery to this very day) and as it ended up some of the large black, white and rose-pink “balls” were not swedes or turnips but lovely giant radishes. Normally we would use a radish in our salads but let’s be honest how many salads can two people eat… we had to come up with something else to do with them all…

Soft, sweet and buttery with a spicy finish, this recipe for honey & pepper braised radishes will make a wonderful starter, side dish or even a main dish for any vegetable lovers out there. As the radish cooks, it loses its “bite” as well as some spiciness and becomes sweet. We were surprised just how sweet they can get when cooked on their own but then we started building on it and after a few tries we think we have perfected a dish of braised radishes which delivers the perfect mixture of sweet and sour. How do you do this you may ask, well you are going to need….

Ingredients:

250g radishes
60ml boiling water
25g butter
1tbsp organic honey
1tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/2tsp salt
Splash Worcestershire sauce
3 drops Tabasco sauce (more to taste)
Spring onion, to serve

Method:

Wash and, if needed, chop radishes into smaller chunks.

In a heavy bottom pan, melt the butter, once melted add radishes and salt and cook for a minute or two.

Add the boiling water and honey. Cover with lid and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

Add both the Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce, crack black pepper and cook further until most of the water has evaporated and you are left with a lovely thick honey glaze.

Serve on a plate and spoon the glaze over the top. Finally, finish with finely chopped spring onions.

Enjoy!

Coconut and Almond Truffles

November 24, 2016December 8, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 7 Comments

These Coconut and Almond Truffles are the perfect way to indulge in some festive cheer without overloading on sugar. Quick and easy to prepare they will provide you with a sweet fix with the addition of a nutritional kick.

These Vegan Coconut and Almond Truffles are the perfect way to indulge in some festive cheer without overloading on sugar. Quick and easy to prepare they will provide you with a sweet fix with the addition of a nutritional kick. The recipe was created by Amanda Hamilton, a TV Nutritionist working in connection with digestive health brand Udo’s Choice.

Ingredients:

80g dates
60g almonds ground or 60g of almond pulp from a Soyabella machine
30g desiccated coconut
15g cocoa powder
2tbsp maple syrup
1/2tsp vanilla essence

Method:

In a food processor blend together the dates, almonds (or leftover almond pulp) until they form a crumbly paste. If it’s too thick, add a little water, but only enough for it to just come together. Depending on personal taste, the truffle mixture doesn’t need to be totally smooth; some nutty pieces and chunks can be a good thing.

Add the cocoa powder and blend until mostly incorporated.

Remove the nut mixture from your food processor and place it in a large bowl. Stir in half of the shredded coconut, maple syrup, vanilla extract and mix until smooth.

If the truffle mixture is too sticky at this point, place it in the freezer for about 30 minutes so it firms up slightly. Measure the truffle mixture out as about 1 heaped tablespoon each.

Roll it into balls by rolling the mixture between your palms then roll the truffles in the remaining shredded coconut.

Truffles are at their best when cold so for the best results place the truffles in the freezer and allow to them harden for at least 1 hour. Store the remaining truffles in the freezer removing only what you are planning to eat now and allow them to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.

If this recipe takes your fancy you should definitely pop over to Udo’s Choice website and check they extended selection of nutritional healthy recipes.

Kids Friendly Fresh Carrot Juice

August 8, 2016August 8, 2016 ~ Agata @BarkTime ~ 15 Comments

When we think about juices most of us will end up visualising orange or apple juice, not a lot of us will have carrot juice in mind. Of course carrot juice has a lot of benefits; it contains a large amount of beta-carotene, vitamin A and potassium, yet it is often forgoten.

When it comes to the taste of pure carrot juice you will love it or hate it. Depends an awful lot on what carrots are used; it can end up being a bit bitter and have a strong earthy taste, really not to everyone’s liking. This is the reason why I started to mix sweet tasting fruits with my carrots; this allows me to create kid friendly juice which will disappear from the glass in no time at all, with no fights or bartering.

We recently had the privilege to try out a Panasonic MJ-L500 slow juicer as part of their Come Round project. A slow juicer squeezes the fruit or vegetables instead of slicing, dicing and spinning them, as a result you end up with more juice containing more nutrients and much less separation. If you are planning on getting a new juicer any time soon, then this is the type of machine to get.

Kids Friendly Fresh Carrot Juice The amount as stated below will make around 1.5 litres of juice. It might seem to be a large portion but a family should (will) devour it within hours with no problems whatsoever. If you have no need for such a large amount, simply reduce the amount of the ingredients or make a large portion as stated and refrigerate the rest. Just remember the shelf life of fresh juice is around 48h if refrigerated in an airtight container; to be safe do not store it for longer.

Ingredients:

1.5kg organic carrots
3 organic apples
2 organic oranges
1 medium sized organic pineapple

My Kids Friendly Fresh Carrot Juice

Method:

Wash and chop carrots and apples (size will depend on how large the feed is on your juicer, my juicer has quite a small feed so I need to prepare small chunks). Do not peel them, there is no need.

Peel and segment both oranges.

De-skin the pineapple (do not remove the core, it will get juices as well) and chop it into smaller chunks.

Once ready feed all the ingredients into your juicer, interchanging them every couple of pieces so the juice is nicely mixed without the need for stirring.

Serve as it comes or over ice and enjoy!