Tag Archives: Dairy Diary recipes

Spinach Pancakes

Savoury pancakes make a delicious light meal

Makes 8 pancakes
Time 20 mins
Calories 280 per pancake
Fat 16g of which 7.6g is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians

Spinach 900g (2lb), stems removed, or 2 x 225g packets of frozen chopped spinach
Butter 25g (1oz)
Salted peanuts 50g (2oz), chopped
Paprika ½ tsp
Stilton cheese 50g (2oz)
Plain flour 4 tsp
Single cream 150ml (¼ pint)
Ready-made pancakes 8, warmed

1 Place spinach in a pan, sprinkle with salt (do not add any liquid) and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes. Drain well and chop.

2 Heat butter in a small pan, add peanuts and paprika and fry gently for 1 minute. Cut rind off Stilton and crumble most into pan. Stir in spinach, flour, cream and seasoning. Bring up to boil and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring.

3 Divide filling between pancakes and serve with remaining Stilton crumbled over top.

A Dairy Diary recipe

Happy New Year!

Have you all opened your new Dairy Diary? What do you think?

We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.

I made the pitta crisps for New Year’s Eve to nibble on whilst partying with a bottle of Prosecco (partying may be an exaggeration, two of us on the sofa watching TV with three sleeping children above!) They were delicious.

I am also looking forward to cooking the Pesto Chicken on p75 and the Peanut Noodles on p95. They look delicious but quick enough to fit in with our uber-hectic lives.

There’s so much to look
forward to this year.
We will be producing the 2014
(yes 2014!) Dairy Diary and
two brand new cookbooks!

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

In Britain, we can enjoy patriotism once again with the Olympics in July and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June. The Queen came to the throne on 6 February 1952 and her coronation took place on 2 June 1953. The only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee was Queen Victoria in 1897.

There will be a special bank holiday for the Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday will be moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday will be on Tuesday 5 June 2012. For information on celebrations around the country visit http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_197517

This one is fab http://www.thebiglunch.com As we are new to our cul-de-sac, I think it’s a fantastic way of getting to know all our neighbours – although losing a cat works quite well too!! (she is home safe now). The Big Lunch is a very simple idea from the Eden Project. The aim is to get as many people as possible across the whole of the UK to have lunch with their neighbours in a simple act of community, friendship and fun.

Try this favourite from the 2012 Dairy Diary.

Pesto Chicken
A super-tasty chicken dish cooked up in less than 30 minutes.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

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Food Hospital

Television is positively saturated with food programs nowadays, it seems that we can’t get enough of watching people chop, stir, braise and bake their favoured dishes.

One quite different program has just begun though – Food Hospital.

This program attempts to alleviate medical problems, simply by making dietary changes. This is a subject quite close to my heart – after months of daily headaches, I discovered that I had an intolerance to onion and had to eradicate it from my diet. This small step made a huge difference to my daily health and, despite my GPs reservations, proves to me that diet has a radical impact on the way we feel.

There is a fun quiz on the Food Hospital website to see how much you really know about nutrition http://foodhospital.channel4.com/the-truth-about

Of course, what we eat impacts on our future health as well as how we feel now. Indeed, in the news only this week it is reported that scientists have discovered that eating a diet high in fibre, such as oats and brown rice, can significantly improve your chances of avoiding bowel cancer.

It is also reported that diet-related illnesses cost the NHS £9 billion every year. My wonderful Grandad never smoked or drank, ate loads of fruit and vegetables, cooked all his meals from scratch and hardly ever indulged in junk food. He lived a full and happy life well into his nineties.

So, I am not going to follow any faddy diets (as the Food Hospital website shows, these are often detrimental to our health), but eat as well as I can as often as I can (though the odd chocolate or glass of wine may pass my lips!) and hopefully I will be as healthy as he was.

Start the day a super-healthy way with this delicious Homemade Muesli breakfast.

Homemade Muesli
A Dairy Diary recipe.

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Eggs, the Student Staple?

As many youngsters embark on life at university, full of excitement and anticipation, many parents will worry about their wellbeing and particularly if they are eating properly!

Over the years I have many phone calls from anxious parents asking for copies of the Dairy Book of Home Cookery to pack up along with the bumper packs of loo roll.

Though many are sceptical about students cooking, they may be surprised to know that many do.

My student-speciality was broccoli topped with chopped tomatoes and grated Cheddar (let’s hope student skills have improved since my day!)

There are several student cooking blogs, Facebook pages and even a dedicated website www.studentcooking.tv.

Uni-goers, of course, are always on a budget and for economical reasons (even if it is only to save more beer money!) home cooking may be essential. Eggs are the frugal cook’s best friend as they are so cheap yet versatile. They should grace any students’ fridge alongside the mouldy carrots and crate of lager.

Coincidently, this week is National Egg Week – so let’s celebrate the magic of the egg with recipes from www.wakeuptoeggs.co.uk or the 2012 Dairy Diary, from which this delicious omelette is taken.

Green Omelette
A delicious watercress omelette made in just 10 minutes

Recipe taken from 2012 Dairy Diary.

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Bonfire Night

The bonfire and firework extravaganza has already begun, with colourful explosions filling the night sky.

Maybe I haven’t quite grown up yet, but I think I love the magic of Bonfire night just as much as my two year-old!

We enjoyed an organised firework spectacle on Saturday and have our own version this weekend coming – no doubt with spectacularly unimpressive fireworks!

So, I shall be busy making some warming food for us to savour while watching the fireworks fizzle. If you’re planning a Bonfire party give Red Pepper Soup a try. It’s perfect in a mug with a hotdog or cheesy toast on the side.

Competition

Don’t forget, you still have a chance at winning a Good Grips Apple Corer/Slicer http://www.dairydiary.co.uk/competitions.html

Ideal for a quick and tasty snack. Try crisp English Cox apples; serve with a couple of crackers and a chunk of your favourite cheese.

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Red Pepper Soup

Perfect warming food for a cool Autumn evening.

Serves 4
Time 1 hour 10 mins
125 calories per portion
6G fat of which 0.4G is saturated
Suitable for vegetarians
Suitable for freezing

Red peppers 2 large
Light olive oil 1 tbsp
Onion 1 large, peeled and chopped
Tomatoes 450g (1lb), roughly chopped
Sun-dried tomato paste 2 tbsp
Vegetable stock 600ml (1 pint)
Dried oregano 1⁄2 tsp
Green pesto for drizzling, optional

1 Preheat grill to high. Place peppers on rack in a grill pan and cook, turning frequently, until the skin is lightly charred all over. Then put into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to cool.

2 Place a sieve over a bowl (to catch juices) and then, holding peppers over sieve, remove skin and seeds. Roughly chop peppers.

3 In a large saucepan, heat oil, add onion and cook until slightly softened, but not browned.

4 Add peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and oregano. Bring up to boil, then reduce the heat, cover pan and cook for 40–45 minutes until tomatoes and peppers are soft. Allow soup to cool.

5 In batches, pour soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve into a bowl, season to taste and serve with a drizzle of pesto, if using. To freeze, allow to cool, pour into containers and freeze. Thaw and reheat when required.

A Dairy Diary recipe.

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Tag Archives: Dairy Diary recipes

Spinach Pancakes

Savoury pancakes make a delicious light meal

Happy New Year!

Have you all opened your new Dairy Diary? What do you think?

Food Hospital

Television is positively saturated with food programs nowadays, it seems that we can’t get enough of watching people chop, stir, braise and bake their favoured dishes.

Eggs, the Student Staple?

As many youngsters embark on life at university, full of excitement and anticipation, many parents will worry about their wellbeing and particularly if they are eating properly!

Bonfire Night

The bonfire and firework extravaganza has already begun, with colourful explosions filling the night sky.

Competition

Red Pepper Soup

Perfect warming food for a cool Autumn evening.

Don’t miss exciting competitions, new recipes and exclusive offers!

Savoury pancakes make a delicious light meal

Share this:

Have you all opened your new Dairy Diary? What do you think?

Share this:

Television is positively saturated with food programs nowadays, it seems that we can’t get enough of watching people chop, stir, braise and bake their favoured dishes.

Share this:

As many youngsters embark on life at university, full of excitement and anticipation, many parents will worry about their wellbeing and particularly if they are eating properly!

Share this:

The bonfire and firework extravaganza has already begun, with colourful explosions filling the night sky.

Share this:

Perfect warming food for a cool Autumn evening.

Share this:

Don’t miss exciting competitions, new recipes and exclusive offers!