Clare’s Tasty Tapas (2)

Here is part two of Clare’s Tasty Tapas. These are super as a main meal any evening, ideal for lunchtime leftovers and you will impress many a dinner guest if you were to sever mini ones of these as canapés.

tapas1

Today we have our simple mango salad, Mushroom bruchetta and Tomato bruchetta.

Makes: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Total Time:  20 minutes

tapas2

Ingredients

Mango Salad:

  • 100g Mixed Salad leaves
  • 1 sliced mango
  • 1 sliced red onion
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of black pepper

tapas8

Mushroom Bruchetta:

  • 8 slices of french bread
  • 200g button mushrooms
  • half a glass of white wine
  • 1tbs smooth mustard
  • 1tbs grated garlic
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • handful of fresh chopped parsley
www.clarewiththehair.com
http://www.clarewiththehair.com

Tomato Bruchetta:

  • 200g vine ripe tomatoes
  • 2-3 chopped spring onions
  • 2tbs olive oil
  • 1 grated clove of garlic
  • 1tbs of sugar
  • pinch of salt and pepper
www.clarewiththehair.com
http://www.clarewiththehair.com

PREPARATION

Mango Salad: Mix the salad leaves, mango, red onion and dress with the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Mushroom Bruchetta: Cook your sliced mushroom in a pan for 4-5 minutes, until soft and tender, add the wine and cook until almost evaporated, add your mustard, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. toast your bread slices and top with the mushroom mixture.

Tomato Bruchetta: Chop your vine ripened tomatoes, add your chopped spring onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Toast your bread and top with the tomato mixture.

www.clarewiththehair.com
http://www.clarewiththehair.com

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Clare’s Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup

Soup is one of those foods I can love or hate, I love a good home-made soup and I love the filled with cream and butter soups you can get at lunchtime in most placing offering a lunchtime carvery, Ideally we should opt for the home cooked low fat alternative 🙂

MS
Clare’s Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup

Making soup is so easy, you do not need any fancy equipment, you do not need to be exceptional in the kitchen and you do not need tonnes of time to get a big pot of fabulous home-made soup on the table for you and your family.

Today I bring to you my super Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup

Makes: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Total Time:  45 minutes

MS3

Ingredients

  • 600g Mix of Mushroom’s (I used Chestnut and Button)
  • 2 shallots Diced finely
  • 2tbs Coconut oil (or use a low fat oil spray)
  • 4 cloves of grated Garlic
  • 1cm piece Ginger grated
  • 1tbs chilli flakes (optional but adds a little heat in the colder months)
  • 2 spring onions Diced finely
  • 500ml Low sodium Vegetable stock
  • 2tbs Chopped Parsley
  • 2tbs Chopped Rosemary
  • 2tbs Chopped Thyme
  • 1/2tbs of Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2tbs of Flour to thicken (optional)

MS4

REPARATION

1/ Melt the Coconut oil in a pan, add the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and cook until soft but not coloured, add the mushrooms, spring onions and herbs and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes.

2/ Add the flour and cook this off for 2-3 minutes , top with the stock and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, server on its own or with some crusty bread.

MS
Clare’s Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup

Top Tip: I make 2 or 3 times this and freeze in batches, also I diced the mushrooms, you can slice them and blitz afterwards for a smooth soup, I personally like the texture of this un blitzed .

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

RSVP Magazine with Claire’s Tasty Thursday

Today #TastyThursday was launched with RSVP Magazine featuring my food blogs 🙂 Look out for this today and every Thursday x

I initially began speaking with RSVP and a few other publications at the beginning of October and many telephone calls, emails and meetings later the decision was made to work with RSVP and today this went live for the world to see 🙂

I am beaming, I could not be happier with how this blog is going, Being nominated in the food category for a UK Blog Award 2015 (no news yet as to weather I have made the next round) was incredible and if I get to the next round I think I may actually burst with excitement and now this, My food in a real life national publication for the world to enjoy 🙂

RSVP choose a super simple, super christmassy food blog to begin with and I was thrilled with this as it is currently the most viewed this week and the one I am receiving emails and enquiries about daily 🙂 Here is the link to view this http://rsvpmagazine.ie/blog-claires-smooth-silky-bake-christmas-chocolate-tart/

tart
x x x Claire’s Smooth and Silky No bake Christmas Chocolate Tart x x x

It is a scrummy treat any time of the year but with the addition of Baileys and the lushness of this I think it should be saved for a super time treat 🙂

2014 has been an incredible year, I am actually emotional looking back at it and all the amazing moments and I can’t wait to see what 2015 brings 🙂 This year I began working with TV3, began my own weekly Radio show, Started this my new baby Clare with the Hair, became ‘The Face’ of Boudoir Darlings and we created a Charity Calender with monies raised going to Clare’s Wish Foundation (a charity who grant wishes to adults with life limiting illnesses), Nominated in the UK Blog Awards and now working with RSVP. So many changes, so many new ventures yet all enjoyed and loved so much.

2015
The cover of Boudoir Darlings / Clare’s Wish 2015 Calender http://www.boudoirdarlings.ie/

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Clare’s Baked Cheesy Chicken Fingers

So here we are flying through the week again, and as always I am looking for a meal I can have on the table for my family, nice and quick after a long day’s work. This is a great one for the kids to help with, always great as a finger food when you have people over and ideal to over make and pop next week’s portion in the freezer or to take to school / work with a wrap or salad the next day, these always go down a treat with my family and I hope you enjoy them too. In my opinion these are far tastier than any chicken take outs 🙂

bakedchicken
>>>>>>>>>> Claire’s Baked Cheesy Chicken Fingers <<<<<<<<<<

Makes: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Total Time:  55 minutes

bakedchicken

Ingredients

  • 125g/4½oz fresh breadcrumbs using really nutty brown bread

  • 2 tsp parsley

  • pinch of salt and pepper to taste

  • 4 boneless and skinless chicken breast, cut into strips

  • 50g/2oz plain flour

  • 3 medium / 2 large free-range eggs,  beaten

  • 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

  • 4 tbsp of finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 100ml of milk

bakedchicken

PREPARATION

  1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Oil two baking trays with melted coconut oil.
  2. Mix the breadcrumbs, parsley in a bowl. add the finely grated cheese and mix well, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Place the flour in another  bowl.
  3. Dip the chicken pieces in the milk, then the plain flour, then in the beaten egg and finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Shake off the excess and lay the cheesy chicken fingers on the oiled baking tray.  This is much easier if you keep one hand clean from the egg and milk for dipping into the flour and bread crumbs.
  4. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, turning once. Remove from the oven when completely cooked through and golden-brown all over.
  5. Serve the cheesy fingers with a variety of dipping sauces, use red sauce, barbecue sauce , the curry dip I used for chips, or any you like best. My family love these with a green salad in summer and with baked chips and beans during the colder months.
db
This was done with a whole chicken breast but works equally well with the fingers

Tip: Over prepare these and freeze additional batches (before placing in the oven) in your freezer containers and over cook a few for your lunch the next day, to bring to work with a salad, or in a wrap or for the kids chopped up with some pasta in their lunch boxes.

profile
Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people    <

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Reminder, The UK Blog Awards 2015 Public vote is still running, it is free to cast your vote, if you like this post then please consider casting your vote for me in the UK Blog Awards 2015 here http://clarewiththehair.com/2014/11/13/national-uk-blog-awards-2015/

Not so bad for you, Claire’s Banana & Blueberry Muffins.

I am not really a baker or making of many sweet treats but with easy meals being such a hit and many of our readers asking for snack idea’s in the form of sweet treats that are not all that bad for you, we came up with these little beauties 🙂 This as with all area’s of Claire with the hair McCarthy . com will develop over the days and weeks ahead.

muffin3

A low-fat muffin that tastes better 🙂 than it looks and they will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days or you can even freeze for up to a month. This are very easy and almost impossible to get wrong. Lovely sweet treat when you are having serious cravings.

Makes: 12 Muffins

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Total Time:  30 Minutes

muffin1

Ingredients 

  • 300g self-raising flour, use wholemeal or half and half if you wish
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 100g light muscovado sugar
  • 50g porridge oats, plus 1 tbsp for topping
  • 2 medium bananas, the riper the better
  • 284ml carton buttermilk, remember if you can’t get this, use skimmed milk with a dash of lemon juice.
  • 5 tbsp melted coconut oil, this adds a fantastic additional flavour
  • 2 egg whites
  • 150g blueberries, use fresh or frozen.

muffin2

PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Tip the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Hold back 1 tbsp of the sugar, then mix the remainder with the flour and 50g oats. Make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until nearly smooth ( if you have a metal sieve you can press it through this),  Stir the buttermilk, oil and egg whites into the mashed banana until evenly combined.
  2. Pour the liquid mixture into the well and stir quickly  with a wooden spoon, do not over work this. The mix will look lumpy and may have the odd fleck of flour still visible, but don’t be tempted to over-mix. Tip in the blueberries and give it just one more stir. Divide the mix between the muffin cases ,then sprinkle the tops with the final tbsp of the oats and the rest of the sugar. Bake for 18-20 mins until risen and dark golden. Cool for 5 mins in the tray before lifting out onto a rack to cool completely and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee , delicious 🙂

muffin3

 

❤ Clare with the Hair ❤

Chicken Satay Skewers ‘Fake Away’

 ‘Fake Away’ Chicken Satay Skewers 

I use this tasty, versatile peanut sauce not only as a dip for grilled satay skewers, but also  for Stir Fried Rice or Noodles with Chicken and Peanut Sauce.. The sauce contains a little bit of heat, but you can cut back on it or eliminate it altogether if you wish. The sauce keeps for days in the fridge so make ahead of time for a simple go to sauce mid week. You also can thin the sauce with a little coconut milk, water, or chicken stock.

fb

Makes: 4 servings (main meal) 8 (starter)

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Total Time:  minutes

Ingredients

4 Skinless / Boneless Chicken Breast Fillets

1⁄2 cup  peanut butter ( I used Almond Butter, reasons in week 6 Food & Activity Dairy)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon chilli paste / I clove of minced Garlic (Fresh can be unpredictable heat wise hence opting for the paste option)      1⁄2 teaspoon fresh chopped  coriander
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice.

fb1

PREPARATION

In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, chilli, garlic and coriander. Stir in the water. Heat the ingredients over medium heat, stirring to combine. Do not let the sauce boil or it will separate. The consistency of the sauce should be pourable, like double cream. When the peanut sauce is hot, stir in the lime juice. Taste the sauce and add a little more lime juice if you like more acidity. The sauce will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for about 1 week. Then take the  chicken fillets and slice  into finger size lengths.  Thread onto skewers ( you can buy these in your supermarket or pick them up in your butchers.) then smother the chicken in your satay sauce, leave to sit for 30 minutes, place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and grill, turning after 6-8 minutes and brushing with remaining sauce as you go.

fb2

Tip: Soak the Skewer Sticks in water while you prepar all the other bits, this will help them not to burn under the grill

I served these with some sweet chilli Prawn Skewers and Brown rice for our Saturday Night ‘Fake Away’ (I will add full details for both.

If you have a favourite Take away and would like me to create a ‘Fake Away’ version then please get in touch 🙂

fb9

Thank you for reading you FABULOUS people

❤ Claire with the hair McCarthy ❤