Herb 101 - Lemon Balm

Whilst on a trip with my friend to a garden centre recently, I picked up a rather nice pot of herbs for just £9.99, which I thought was a bargain!  Unfortunately most of the herbs in the pot aren't ones I use very often in my cooking. I tend to be a creature of habit, and stick with coriander and basil when using fresh herbs, as they are my favourites. I love a good thai curry or noodle/rice dish with lots of tasty coriander, and I have a weakness for basil in a sandwich with some tomatoes and cheese!

I realised that learning what to do with most of these herbs would require a little bit of research, so research I did!  In the interest of sharing knowledge, I thought I would pass on some of the information I learned with you!

And so, I give you my herb of the week... Lemon Balm!

Lemon Balm is a herb I had heard of (bit of a tongue twister!), but had no idea what it looked like or what to do with it. Of course I knew it would smell lemony, but other than that I was at a loss. It turns out that it is a fantastic herb for attracting bees to your garden, which I am all for! Its latin name 'Melissa', is derived from the Greek name for Bee. When the plant flowers it will apparently attract lots of Bees from far and wide. Hurrah!

It is a herb that is known for its medical properties against stomach ailments and nervous conditions.

But what can we do with it? As it turns out, a whole heap of stuff! ;

• Make a pesto. Great recipe found at The Healthy Green Kitchen. You can use this as a  pasta sauce, as a sandwich spread, or on crackers as an appetiser. I'm looking forward to giving this a go!

• Use it as a substitute to lemon grass. Perfect for Thai dishes when you have forgotten that all important ingredient, or are trying to save your pennies.

• Make candied lemon balm. I gave this a go and I think these would be a fantastic edible garnish for a dessert!  They taste wonderfully sweet and lemony! To make them you just need to dip each leaf in some lightly whisked egg white mixed with a dash of water, then dip in sugar. Lay them on a baking tray and pop in the oven at about 100c and leave for about 20 minutes.

• Flavour cold drinks. You can add the leaves as a garnish, or create a simple syrup from its leaves like I did in this post with mint.

• Add it to a fruit based dessert like apple pie.

• Make a tea. Steep the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes to made a deliciously lemony tea! It is meant to have wonderful calming properties! I've tried this and it's actually really good.

• Make a tasty lemon balm flavoured butter to spread on toast like I did here. This was really easy to do, I just mixed 100g of softened butter with about a teaspoon of finely chopped lemon balm, and a dash of honey. To make the butter presentable I filled an ice cube tray with the mixture and popped them in the freezer to set quickly. I think they look rather good!

• Add to a bath and enjoy its delightful lemony scent. Use a little mesh bag to keep it from straying into your nooks and crannies.

Wow, I think Lemon Balm is my new favourite! What do you like to do with Lemon Balm?

Some of the ideas above were inspired by The Nerdy Farm Wife whose blog is full of wonderful tips on herbs and flowers!

Laura xXx

Take care when using Lemon Balm if you are on hypothyroid medications, are pregnant or have any other medical conditions. Always consult a doctor if you are unsure.

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Simple Syrup Recipes

While Chris and I were away on our honeymoon, I made a list of things I wanted to do when we got home. One of those things was to host a little cocktail party! In preparation for the day I decided to make my own simple syrups to make things a bit easier for myself. Basically these are used to sweeten any cocktail, since sugar tends to not dissolve, which you will have already discovered if you are Mojito lover like me!

It turned out to be really easy, and I had most of the things I needed to make it already in the cupboard. The most basic ingredients are granulated sugar and water in equal parts, but you can add different flavourings depending on what you have in mind for your cocktail!

What you will need:

Ingredients

Sugar

Water

Flavouring (optional)

Equipment

Saucepan

Wooden spoon

Glass bowl or large jug

Cling film

Sieve for straining

A bottle to decant your syrup into

First of all I made some plain simple syrup using 2 cups of demerera sugar and 2 cups of water. The trick is to always use the same amounts of these two ingredients. I simply heated the water in a saucepan until simmering, and then added my sugar. I left it on a low heat for about 15 minutes until the sugar had fully dissolved, and stirred continually.  I let the syrup cool in a covered bowl, then decanted into this rather pretty little bottle, which I got from Dunelm Mill. It made slightly less than 500ml  I imagine if you want a clearer coloured syrup you could try giving white sugar a go instead.

Then I got a little more adventurous and tried a couple with flavourings, since I was having a watermelon cocktail and a mojito style cocktail.

The mint syrup was easy, I just added about 2 packed cups of fresh mint after the syrup was made, but before cooling.  I left this to steep all day, then once it was cool I put it in the fridge overnight.  In the morning I strained it and decanted it into my bottle

I found it trickier to find a recipe for watermelon syrup, so in the end I made up my own. I decided to blend some chopped watermelon to make a juice, I used about the same amount as I did water, and I added this right at the beginning. I also added a few chunks of watermelon. I left this one to simmer a bit longer since there was more liquid. Again I left it to steep and then strained it into a bottle.

Amazingly, although it was my first go all three simple syrups worked really well, and the drinks I made went down a storm.  I'll fill you in on the full recipes and how the rest of the party went later in the week!

What are your favourite cocktail recipes?

Laura xXx

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DIY Chocolate Protein Bar Recipe

Since we moved into the new house we have joined the local gym. I am being very good and have been going regularly 3 times a week. I've really noticed it making a difference, and it has been helpful having one on one sessions with a trainer.

The usual routine is to go at about 11am and then be back in time for a nice lunch full of protein, which  is usually an omelette. Or if not we will sometimes have a protein shake to help repair our muscles.  But, I know that you should really have protein BEFORE you work out too, which I have not been so good at. I normally only have a smoothie for breakfast as I don't get particularly hungry until later, but this can sometimes leave me slightly less energetic than I otherwise would be.

The other day I was speaking with my friend about protein bars and which ones were good. Then she suggested that I could make my own! I thought this was a brilliant idea as Chris has tons of protein powder that I could use as a base. So, the next day I set to work trying out some recipes.

First of all I tried out a sort of protein cake recipe which If found here. The main ingredients in this were chocolate protein powder, oat flour and apple sauce (which I made myself simply by stewing some apples with a dash of water for about 30 minutes.)

It was a little bit of a strange consistency and taste, not quite like anything I had had before. Having said that it was definitely edible and it was one of those things that the more you eat the more you like it! I did have a bit of an issue with it sticking to the cake tin though, which resulted in lots of half portions being served. Whoops!

Next I decided I wanted to make more of a brownie rather than a cake. I found a recipe here that looked really good. The main ingredients in this were black beans and protein powder, lots of protein there! It also had the addition of chocolate chips, which I was really not adversed to!

I have to say this was absolutely delicious! I think it was helped along a lot by the chocolate chips, and I know that they are not particularly healthy, but it is totally worth it. Plus, the rest of the brownie is all goodness, so why not tray yourself a little? Plus, they say dark chocolate is good for you in small amounts! It is really yummy after being heated up too!

I will definitely be making this again! I will probably try to find some tinned black turtle beans though,  rather than the dried ones I had, as that will save me a lot of time and hassle!

What food do you eat to stock up your protein levels before and after exercise?

Laura xXx

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Tri-This - Avocado

I've got a bit of a thing about avocados, I could eat them all the time! Hence why I have chosen them to be the subject for todays Tri-This! Aside from delicious guacamole, (which I made in this post), there are soo many things you can make with Avocados, some even rather unexpected! 

1. Avocado and Haloumi Salad

This might look simple, but eating avocado's in a salad is as delicious a way as any! And now that I have discovered Haloumi, I'm sure I will be eating lots more too!

Ingredients;

1 Avocado

Haloumi - Pan fried

Tomatoes

Tinned Sweetcorn

Spinach

I don't think I really need to give you instructions how to make this, it's pretty self explanatory!

2. Avocado and Chocolate Brownies

Ok, so this might sound a bit weird. But I'm sure you are used to me putting avocado in desserts, and if you aren't you can see my last try here. I found the original recipe, which I adapted slightly, here. I'm not going to lie, this isn't the healthiest recipe I have ever done featuring avocados, but it is better for you than a normal brownie, plus it is wheat free and you would never know! These are yummy and I highly recommend you try them!

Ingredients;

1 large avocado (well mashed)

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 tablespoons coffee (not coffee grounds, mixed with water)

1 large egg

1/4 a cup melted butter

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup gluten free flour

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Essentially just mix it all together well, then put the mixture in an 8in x 8in baking tin. I baked mine in an aga for about 50 minutes, but you can refer to the original recipe if you are unsure.

3. Avocado and Tuna Sandwich

And last but not least, this is one of our all time favourite lunch go-to recipes. It is so simple and healthy too!

Ingredients;
1 Avocado
1/2 tin of tuna
Bread
Tomatoes (optional)
Mayonaise (optional)

Again, I'm sure you don't need much guidance with this one. The key is to mash the avocado before adding the tuna, then mix it all together well. Sometimes I chop up some baby tomatoes and pop them in the mix. And when I'm feeling naughty, and Chris isn't watching, I PUT MAYONNAISE IN IT! Shh, don't tell Chris.

What are your favourite Avocado recipes?  

Laura xXx

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Eco-Market - DIY Body Scrub Recipe

Today I am teaming up with eco-market, who have kindly given me the secret recipe for a wonderful organic body scrub!  It smells delicious and it is super easy to make! Want to learn how? Read on!

What you will need;
A Small Organic Lemon
A Small Organic Lime
1 Cup Organic Pure Cane Sugar
1/2 Cup Organice Coconut Oil
1 Teaspoon Organic Peppermint Essential Oil/Extract
An airtight container, jar or pot.

I actually decided to halve this recipe because the jar I had was quite small.

Process;

Simply mix the coconut oil, peppermint essential oil, lemon and lime juice together. Then pour in the sugar and mix well. If you like you can add the lemon and lime peels at this point, or some fresh mint leaves if you are feeling fancy.

I found the consistency of mine a little watery, probably because my lemon and lime were too juicy! So I just added a little more sugar until it felt about right.

I used this for the first time last night and the smell is to die for! It kind of reminded me of mint choc chip ice cream, which made me want to eat it, but I managed to resist since I really don't think consuming an essential oil is a good idea! Anyway, it worked wonderfully and my skin is feeling silky soft as promised!

Remember that you should only exfoliate once or twice a week, otherwise you can damage your skin. Also, don't use immediately after shaving, or on any damaged or broken skin. And don't get it in your eyes.

I'll definitely try this again in the future. It will keep for at least 2 months happily in its airtight container, although I'm sure I'll get through it much quicker than that!

I think coconut oil is absolutely fantastic and I am keen to try out some more natural beauty products that use it. So watch this space!

Thanks to eco-market for sending me the recipe to try out. If you haven't heard of them they are a marketplace where you can buy and sell eco-friendly products. Go and check it out, there have some fantastic products, I think these seedbom's have got to be my favourite!

Have you ever tried making any beauty products yourself? I'd be really interested to hear any of your favourite recipes.

Laura xXx

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Tri-This - Blueberry Recipes

I don't mind admitting that I'm having a little bit of a creative slump at the moment. The same thing happened last year after I came back from my holiday too. I like my routine it seems, and whilst my holiday was fantastic and relaxing, it seems to have gotten me out of the swing of things somewhat.

Anyway, to get out of this rut I thought I would challenge myself to a new series of blog posts. Each week I will be picking one of my favourite foods and making 3 (because good things come in threes)  different recipes that use it.  It might be my first ever try, or it could be something I've made before, or maybe even a twist on an old recipe. And I've wittily named it 'Tri-This"! Actually you can thank Chris for that! It does sound a bit like something the candidates on The Apprentice would come up with, not sure if that is necessarily a good thing!

So today I am going to suggest you Tri Blueberries! 

Blueberries are one of my favourite fruits and they are also a superfood, hurrah! Whats not to love?

1. Cooked blueberries with vanilla yoghurt and fried oats.

This is something I have made a couple of times before, you may have even seen it on my Instagram feed, but it is becoming a firm favourite! It would be perfect as a breakfast, although I have been eating it as a healthy dessert!

Ingredients;

Blueberries

Vanilla yoghurt

Oats

Coconut oil

Agave nectar

Heres the deal - Cook your blueberries (I used frozen) in a frying pan until they are nice and juicy, then pop them in a glass, and add your yoghurt. Next use same pan as you had your blueberries in and heat up some coconut oil, pop in some oats and add a little agave syrup. Continue to heat whilst occasionally stirring until they have gone a golden brown colour and soaked up some of the delicious blueberry juices. Then add them to the top of your dessert to finish off.

 2. Blueberry and Banana Smoothie

You may remember that I love a good smoothie, I have one first thing nearly every morning. Whilst I like to change it up and have something different most days, I always keep some blueberries handy in the freezer, and a banana and blueberry smoothie always goes down well!

Ingredients;

Blueberries

Banana

Water

Pretty simple this one, grab a large handful of blueberries and one banana and throw in a blender. Add water until you are happy with the consistency. If you like it a bit sweeter you can always add a dash of agave syrup. Or if you like it super healthy why not pop in a little bit of watercress?

3. Blueberry and Vanilla Yoghurt Ice Lolly

This one was a bit of an experiment but it turned out really great! Since we have been having a bit of a heat wave I thought it was time to try out a new type of ice lolly. I really love the taste of cooked blueberries and I had some vanilla yoghurt hanging around in the fridge, left over from the earlier recipe. The rest is history.

Ingredients;

Blueberries

Vanilla Yoghurt

Agave Nectar

Cook your blueberries in a frying pan until squidgy and juicy, then mix with vanilla yoghurt and a little agave syrup. Then decant into your ice lolly moulds (this is the messy bit) and leave in the freezer over night! Yummy!

I hope you enjoyed my blueberry recipes this week. Are you a blueberry fan? I'd love to hear some of your recipes too! 

Also, any suggestions for future 'Tri-This' posts will be most welcome!

Laura xXx

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