Jolly Ol' England

Cheerio!

Yes, that was quite cheesy, hopefully you will get over it within your lifetime. If not, leave a comment down below and you will get extra love from me. Though, that too, would probably be cheesy. Sorry. 

Anyway, so today was a trip to the great misty country. No, not Scotland, the other one. Yes! Great Britain. The good ol' GB. I don't think anyone calls it that... awkward.... moving on. 


For today's #EatAroundTheWorld meal, I chose something very simply, yet delicious, and of course, added a bit more simplicity and a twist. Fish and chips! But not just fish and chips, Bubbly Fish with Two Tone Chips and Fresh Veg. Yes, that is a long name for the recipe, but it's more a meal than anything else, so hopefully it works for the situation. I think if Rachael Ray can pull it off in her cookbook then so can I. 

I used a couple of cheats for this recipe, actually. The first, Fish Crisp. Yes, good old Fish Crisp. I used the beer batter kind. Only, I didn't have any beer, being on a budget and all, so I used seltzer water instead; which is exactly why it is called Bubbly Fish, because I had to use some sort of fizz, and "Seltzer Battered Fish" didn't sound very appetizing or fun. 

Yes, this is me cooking with HelperBaby on my shoulders 

I also am not some great master chef who spends hours in the kitchen everyday perfecting her recipes, which means I used frozen veggies(though not pureed like in the traditional meal) and I used store bought mayo. I know, lazy, lazy Caitlynne. 

Let's get on with the recipe so that I can get on with sleeping. Because boy, am I exhausted. 

First thing's first: always look at your meal and prioritize. What takes the longest? Is there something that takes a long time to heat up, or preheat? Is there something that can cook and I don't have to watch it?

In this meal, that was our Two Toned Chips. I call these Two Toned Chips because they are sweet potato and russet potato fries. I cook them in my Actifry. This is seriously one of the best inventions ever. I am a huge food person, as you might have already guessed, and part of that is loving things that are crunchy and deep fried. Now, the Actifry does not deep fry things, more like lightly fries things. Which, in my head, is great, but in my heart, makes me cry. While I will always love a deep fried mozzarella stick, the Actifry does an amazing job. It can make sauces and even whole dishes in it, and when it comes to french fries, it's the best. The french fries in the Actifry take 23 minutes. You use about 1 TBSP of oil altogether, and they come out crispy but soft on the inside. So good!

Two Toned Chips:
2 medium russet potatoes, washed and cut into sticks or wedges
1 large sweet potato, washed, cut into stick or wedges
Canola oil
Salt
Pepper
Curry Powder

One of the key things about this recipe, isn't just that it doesn't have any splattering oil, but it is so much healthier because of the small amount of oil that is being used, and because we leave the skin on our potatoes, amping up the nutritional level. 

Also, I soak my potatoes after they have been cut up. I put them in a large bowl of water and let them soak for about an hour before I start actually cooking. this helps remove as much starch as possible and allows the potatoes to brown on the outside, even though we are frying them with a method that doesn't use a lot of oil.

After the potatoes come out of the Actifry, they are screaming hot, so make sure to be careful, but season them liberally with the salt, pepper and curry powder. I like my fries to have a kick to them. If you aren't a fan of curry, them you can skip it, but it is so unique, and really gives this traditional dish a twist. 

Bubbly Fish:


This is so simple, it hurts. And yes, I completely cheated, but I like to think that a few cheats here and there won't ruin my reputation. 

A happy smile after dinner; she cleaned her plate!

2 fillets of haddock, cut in half horizontally
Beer Batter Fish Crisp
1 can of club soda
salt
pepper
paprika
4 TBSP canola oil (or another oil with a high smoke point)

All you have to do is add the can of club soda to the beer batter and whisk them together. The batter is so light and fluffy, I couldn't get enough! Then I add in 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper, along with 1.4 tsp paprika. If you like your fish to have a bit of zip, you can add 1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne here, that would taste amazing. 

In order to make sure your oil fries your fish correctly without your fish being oily, soggy and limp, I only do two at a time, and I don't add all the oil in; it's a TBSP of oil for each fillet half. I add the oil into the preheated pan (I put my pan on Medium) and gently lower the fish fillet in away from you so you don't burn yourself. Then I cook them on each side for about two to three minutes. I like mine dark golden brown and very crunchy, but if you like yours light, then go for less time. I put a paper towel on a plate and let the fillets sit for as long as I cooked them for. 

While those are sitting, I can make one of the easiest sauces on the planet: tartar sauce. 

Scratch Tartar Sauce:

1/2 cup light mayo
2 TBSP relish or diced pickles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice

Yes. that is all that is in tartar sauce. Mix all these ingredients together and you will have enough for a family of four or five to have a generous scoop. I only use 1 TBSP on my fish. 

The last step is the veg

A cheeky rip off of classic mushy peas... peas and corn with salt and pepper. 

Yes, this is the simplest thing by far. Simply steam your peas and corn in a steamer, then put them into a serving dish and spray with all natural cooking spay. Mine if canola oil, but whatever you can get is good. Then season with salt and pepper. 

That is it for this meal. The dog is begging to go out, and the bed is calling me. I hope you guys have a lovely week, and hopefully i will see you tomorrow!

If you have any comments, requests or suggestions, make sure to check me out on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, pr leave a comment here. And if you try a recipe, use the hashtag #EatAroundTheWorld to let me know what you though of it and how it turned out! I would love to see pictures! 

See you soon! Warm wishes

Mexican Fiesta!

Hello everyone!

Today on our #EatAroundTheWorld week, we are doing some very simple Mecian dishes, including super simple ground pork taco filling, mango salsa, pico de gallo, and guacamole. 

I hope you enjoy these super easy and simple recipes from my kitchen. 

Mango salsa:

1/3 of a ripe mango
1/2 a yellow pepper
1/2 jalapeno (seeded and de-ribbed if you want it mild, or are cooking for children)
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 a ripe tomato
2 tsp fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp white vinegar

 Chop all of your ingredients into large chunks

Throw them all into a food processor and press "chop" until it becomes the consistency you like

Serve with your Mexican favorites!

You see how easy that is? All of these recipes for the day are like this. It is just good, wholesome, simple cooking, that anyone can accomplish with the right tools and ingredients. I love cooking food like this, and I try to whenever possible. It is so fun to see the bright colors, smell the aroma in the kitchen,
and hear the silence after you let everyone dig in. Mom
made this? 

Yes. Oh, and hell yes. 

Our next recipe is just as simple! 

Pico de gallo:

1 ripe tomato
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 jalapeno
1 tsp garlic
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 lime, juiced (aka the juice of 1 lime)
1 TBSP fresh cilantro

 Place all your ingredients, cut up into large chunks, into a food processor. Chop into thick chunks. I simply washed my food processor out with dish soap in between dips, but you can make these days in advance if you don't have the time/energy to stand in the kitchen and make salsas one after the other. I would recommend that the guacamole is made the night of, so that it doesn't oxidize, otherwise, all these salsas can be made in advance. 

Also, this next stp completely depends on what is happening in your area, but in our home we compost. So I leave the clean compost bin out on the counter the entire time I am cooking so that all the peels, shells, rinds, seeds, piths, and ribs can go into the compost without me having to touch the cabinet to get the bin out every five seconds. It helps me keep my work area clean and helps me keep my mind on composting, otherwise, like most people, I forget. 




Small batch Guacamole:

This is perfect for a family of four or five. There might even be cries of outrage at the end of the night because it will have disappeared magically during dinner. I served this to HelperBaby and my hubby, while I was cooking as an appetizer of sorts, so that HelperBaby wouldn't get mad over the fact that there was food that she couldn't have yet. I served all the dips with the Tostitos Baked Scoops, a very healthy and delicious alternative to regular tortilla chips. 

2 ripe avocados
1/2 yellow onion
2 TBSP fresh cilantro
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tsp garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt 
The juice of half a lime

 Place into food processor and chop until creamy.

Serve as an appetizer, snack, or with your main meal. 

Avocados are a great source of healthy fat and the freshness of this guac is sure to please. 

 

Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
3 TBSP fresh cilantro
1 lime, fully juiced and zested






Simply place the quinoa and the water into a pot and set on medium high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let simmer until the water is fully absorbed. This normally takes about 15 minutes. this serves about four to five people. 

After all the liquid is absorbed, chop the cilantro and lime zest together and add in the mixture as well as the lime juice to the quinoa. Stir well until full combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Yes, quinoa is that easy! It is such an amazing super food, a great grain, and so delicious, even my hubby likes it! We have quinoa over rice most days, and rice is reserved mainly for Chinese or Japanese night. Quinoa is too versatile and too fast and delicious to pass up. We buy ours in bulk from Costco, this way it isn't as expensive, and it lasts us quite a while. But, if you are not accustomed to buying in bulk, I would recommend Bulk Barn so that you can decide how much you want, and you aren't paying for the packaging. Just remember to grab a directions card! 

The rest of the meal is very straight forward. I served warm whole grains tortillas with ground lean pork seasoned with home made taco spice. Warmed black beans, Firey Habenero cheese (normally I wouldn't buy pre-shredded cheese, but desperate times called for desperate measures), lettuce, tomato, yellow pepper, diced jalapeno, and 1% sour cream. 

 I hope you enjoyed coming to Mexico with us today! Again, these dishes are very simple, fresh and filling. I am not claiming to be a personal chef, or an expert in authentic Mexican cuisine, I just know what my family and I like, and I wanted to share it with all of you. Thank you for reading, and come back tomorrow for another day of great food and some beauty reviews. 

Warm wishes.