How to peel Ginger!

It's so easy and yet I only learnt this fantastic trick last week! I went along to Anna's cookery class on making jams and pickles and how to preserve food and low and behold apart from learning some fantastic things about preserving I learnt this simple trick to peel ginger and thought I just have to share this!
 If you are interested in learning about preserving and jam making please do get in touch with Anna through facebook or her website http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/  based in London near the Arsenal stadium her home kitchen is a joy to work in and Anna is adorable and very knowladgeable to learn from! There are many other courses Anna offers to and at amazing value compared to the big name cookery schools where you're really just paying for a brand...Check her out! And thank you again Anna for this wonderful trick!

Hubby's alternative fry up, healthier and tastier than a traditional one!

OK so this is how it goes, I want to eat more healthy food and my husband wants a fry up on a Saturday! So after many weeks of cooking two meals or compromising and one week his way one week mine....David came up with this delicious dish which actually could be eaten any time! We usually have it on a Saturday morning. The best part is that instead of feeling over full and bloated and like doing nothing we feel satisfied and full but ready to get up and out and do some fun things instead of letting the day go by! It's also very versatile and can be changed and mixed up so why not give it ago!
 Ingredients (we used everything from riverford farm for this but you can get it all where ever you like shopping!)
Olive Bread or your favorite yummy bread!
Butter/almond butter or pesto
Smoked streaky bacon
Field mushrooms
Cherry tomatoes
Watercress or other salad leaves
Olive oil
Himalayan salt
Black pepper

And remember you can all ways substitute ingredients to suit you! So maybe a poached egg if you a veggie or some courgettes if you're a vegan instead of the bacon! Some pumpernickel bread if you're not good with wheat! You get the idea and if you don't just drop me an email and I'll help you out! Or post your suggestions on utube or this blog!

Happy cooking :)

Pesto Recipe Video!


Hey pesto! 2 minutes and its all good to go! Use it as a spread, a pasta sauce, a dip, in a lasagna, as a dressing for steamed veggies it goes on and on! And best of all it's so simple and quick to make so especially satisfying to the novice cook!

Ingredients List
Any soft green herbs, spinach or watercress or all of the above
garlic
Salt and pepper
Pine nuts or any of your favorite nuts
Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan or other hard cheese (optional)

Top tips
A must buy for the kitchen it's worth getting a hand blender and if you can spending a bit extra to get the extra attachments!
To store in the fridge scrape down and flatten into a container and drizzle a little extra oil on the top to seal the pesto and stop it going brown. Then use a lid or cling film. will last for up to 10 days!
Add as much garlic and nuts as you fancy, play around with it and have fun.

And remember if you have and questions, suggestions or problems email me! alex@yourchefis.com 

Slicing and Dicing! 2 minutes on this video will save you hours over the next few years!


It seems like such a simple thing that we should all know how to do doesn't it? But if no one ever really showed you properly how would you know! So here it is a simple quick video that will change your onion dicing forever! I am always amazed at my cooking demo's how many people can't do this, so please if you can already do this spare a though for those who have been missing out  on a trick and pass this video on!
One thing not mentioned in the video is my best ever friend in the kitchen, my trusty Victorinox Serrated Utility Knife 50833W it will set you back about £3 to £4 depending on where you buy it and will be the best money you ever spent! One word of caution though, the first couple of times you use it it will be extremely sharp and even a gentle brush of it on your finger will draw blood! But after the first couple of times it will be perfect and stay sharp for years! So no need of loads of knifes, this trusty little gem will do just about all you vegetable prep for you! In fact you will see in most videos its the only knife I use!
So good luck and as usual all feedback on the video and blog much appreciated!

Restoring faith in healthy eating with this tasty Salmon and Veggies recipe!

It seems we are at a time of all or nothing, in so many things especially food and eating.  Everyone telling us opposites about the food we eat, common sense has been thrown out with the bath water and we get bombarded with mind numbing adverts about "low fat" and "healthy" and "steaming in the microwave!" Well enough is enough, if you think ready meals are the answer think again! it's time to get in the kitchen and cook. And I'm not talking about slaving away for hours either! This latest video shows you how to cook fish and steam veggies and will give you skills that you can use in many other dishes, plus it will only take a few minutes and be far more satisfying than any ready meal will ever be! And I haven't even started talking about the health benefits of it yet! Which actually I'm not going to on this occasion! You'll see for yourself after eating how you feel!

Ingredients:
Sesame oil

2 Fillets of Wild Alaskan salmon or any fish you fancy!  (keep it sustainable tho!
Fennel and cumin seeds

Sliced Onions
Sliced celery
1 garlic clove grated
1 piece if ginger peeled and grated
frozen peas
Chopped up green veg (broccoli, cabbage or what ever you fancy!)
Baby spinach

Coriander and parsley roughly chopped
udo's Oil  
Bragg Liquid Aminos
Salt and pepper

Please email me any  feedback, questions or suggestions you have for future videos or recipes!
alex@yourchefis.com
Happy Cooking!





 

Buckwheat wraps! Never tasted so good!

Okay so we all love bread right? But it doesn't necessarily love us! So here's an amazing alternative that is not only delicious but incredibly satisfying to make! I'm using Dove's Farm buckwheat flour for this recipe, they are a fantastic resource for gluten free recipes and ideas and their flour is fab too!
Other links in this film include Udo's oil which is a fantastic must have in the kitchen for healthy and tasty cooking and salad dressings!
More ideas for wrap flavours and fillings:
Thai style!
Add ginger and finely chopped lemongrass to the batter.
Fill the wrap with cucumber, spring onions, sliced chili, coriander, mint, iceberg lettuce, sesame oil and bragg liquid aminos. 
Italian Style!
Add Italian seasoning and garlic to the batter mix.
Fill with roasted peppers, aubergines, courgettes and pesto.
Chinese Style!
Fill with bean sprouts, grated carrot, spring onions, sliced chillies, grated courgette, Chinese cabbage and dressing made with grated ginger, garlic, bragg liquid aminos, sesame oil, sesame seeds.
 There are so many combinations I could go on forever! Let us know what you've tried!

It all starts with shopping! here's how veg box deliveries work and why they are so fab!

If you want to cook healthy and tasty food it all starts with the shopping! Sounds so obvious but so many of us blindly wonder around the supermarket wondering what the hell to cook this week. What is healthy eating and how do we make it tasty! Well here is a suggestion! Veg box deliveries! Watch this short video to see what they look like and how they work and even better discover that they are 20-30% cheaper than supermarket veg. Videos to follow with recipes for the box ingredients. I personally use Riverford Organics and love them to bits and if you really want to get inspired get down to their farm in Devon and have a tour and eat in their farm kitchen! Just wonderful!
Once you have a kitchen stocked full with loads of veg and a few extras your on the way to eating yourself healthy! It's hard to stay focused when you come in and all that's in your kitchen is biscuits, crisps and snacks that you know really aren't going to make you feel all that good, yes there is a time and a place for chocolate and treats but in the main it feels so great to eat fresh vibrant food that doesn't make you feel sleepy and bloated. So that all starts here! with the shopping and planning.