Recipes, blogs and heart disease

As of today, I have added 76 recipes to my Conversations and Recipes Page on this blog, as listed below. There are many more in my files at home, but so far, I am thrilled to have kept up with the goal of adding one per day whilst travelling. The aim was to write recipes for things we have been trying each day, but there have been so many days when this would have been uninspiring for us all as most often the food was fatty deep-fried anything, or breakfast has been our main meal. I have such a renewed love for our fresh produce and the amazing restaurants we have back in Australia, and look forward to getting back to our family dinners too. The other thing we have realised is the UK seems behind the times when it comes to what is healthy to eat, and we have heard news reports telling us fatty food or even too much meat is bad for us! Our young friends living over here tell us the food is more often than not rather awful, and that it is not a unique experience for us, which was not such good new to hear in some ways, at least for the health of those living here. Their Scottish friends mentioned Scotland has the highest incidence of heart disease in the world, not difficult to believe after our meal of deep-fried everything last Sunday night – haggis, fish, hamburgers, pizza, sausages and chicken snitzel – all battered and deep-fried, served with chips, plus one tiny salad between about 10 of us! I felt physically sick the next day, even though I had hardly eaten any of it, but as they say, it is good to do in Rome as the Romans [or Scottish] do, so we joined in happily. After all, it was only one night! The experience has encouraged me to start writing up all the healthy recipes I have created when I get home, for a specialty health food cook book, things such as my own muesli and my bird seed slice recipes, which are sugar free, gluten-free, and brimming full of all the healthy nuts and seeds. My healthy recipes are not things you just would not want to eat, and are full of flavour and choice, not just tofu and seeds, and I look forward to trying to put them all together. I can’t imagine there would be much of a market here in the UK, but hopefully at home there might be, rather than just for the cake recipes from my business, which although delicious and preservative free, are absolutely full of sugar. Sugar is an ingredient currently in the news worldwide as toxic to us in so many ways, and I have often thought some of my symptoms are worse if I eat a lot of sugar, so was not surprised to read this recent report. I often write about food, and how I believe it is the glue that keeps our friends and loved ones together, and eating healthy food is important to reducing the risk of things such as heart disease. I’m pretty sure the sharing of food and the happiness and love this brings is just as important, and for me, so is my blog as it is my form of therapy, helping to heal my soul and keep me connected.

  1. Deep fried lasagne (Day 96 Project 366)
  2. Red wine jus
  3. Raspberry coulis
  4. Jules and Holly’s Scottish black pudding entrée
  5. Goats cheese and honeyed fig salad
  6. Moroccan lamb
  7. Hussar’s cheesecake
  8. Rock cakes
  9. Sticky chocolate date puddings
  10. Hot chocolate sauce
  11. Quick mix chocolate cake
  12. Kate’s favourite fruit salad
  13. Scrambled eggs
  14. Penne with spicy sausage and tomato sauce
  15. Butter chicken
  16. Roasted pumpkin soup
  17. Eccles cakes
  18. Tomato and capsicum soup
  19. Green chicken curry
  20. Asparagus and potato soup
  21. Fettuccine with chicken and mushrooms in a creamy sauce
  22. Scallop salad
  23. Chocolate and macadamia nut biscuits
  24. Cheats Basil Pesto Pasta
  25. Cranberry Jam
  26. Baby spinach and cucumber salad
  27. Pancakes
  28. Anzac biscuits
  29. Melting moments (repeated)
  30. Osso bucco
  31. Salt and pepper squid
  32. Aioli
  33. Basil and garlic and sauce
  34. Kate’s version of Jamie Oliver’s Basil sauce
  35. Prawns with mango and avocado timbale
  36. Baked mushrooms with pancetta and garlic bread
  37. Kate’s spicy Asian sauce
  38. Tomato and chilli sauce
  39. Salsa Verde
  40. Kate’s easy smoked salmon roulades
  41. Mums pastry (for sausage rolls)
  42. Gluten free carrot, banana and walnut cake
  43. Apple cake
  44. Strawberries in balsamic
  45. Self saucing chocolate coffee pudding
  46. Herb crusted fillet of beef
  47. Steamed treacle and currant pudding
  48. Treacle ice cream
  49. Honey crackles
  50. Basic scones
  51. Lemonade scones
  52. Honey soy chicken
  53. Coffee Mocha fingers
  54. Basic short crust pastry
  55. Kate’s Greek Moussaka
  56. Baci D’Alassio (Day 45)
  57. Lamb Tajine
  58. Cantucci Di Prado
  59. Hollandaise sauce
  60. Blender Hollandaise sauce
  61. Melting moments
  62. Strawberry and hazelnut gateaux
  63. Limoncello
  64. Very easy brandy sauce
  65. Foaming brandy sauce
  66. Hazelnut fingers
  67. Nan’s meringues
  68. Berry pie
  69. Kate’s Laksa
  70. Mushroom sauce
  71. Thai pumpkin and prawn soup
  72. Healthy salad of celery and beans
  73. Rocket and pear Salad
  74. Maggie Beer’s QUINCE PASTE
  75. Roasted pumpkin salad (Day 28, Project 366, 28 January 2012)

I hope you swing by and try some of these recipes, and as always, would love your feedback on my blog or over a cup of tea in my kitchen.

5 thoughts on “Recipes, blogs and heart disease”

  1. Hello darling, love this blog! Just like you are finding on your trip, food maketh the experience, or NOT as the case may be. Trip to Brazil/Argentina was very average, with food being a major issue. Note to self— do not travel to mostly meat eating countries with a bloody vegetarian!!!!!!!!
    Like North America, the good produce IS available in South America, shame it rarely makes it to the dinner plate. Breakfast was half reasonable, then the daily meals went downhill from there. had x3 reasonable (no not exciting, just reasonable) meals in 14 days, BAD! They serve the meat with rice and potatoes, not a green leafy anything in sight.
    Although most things in Vietnam pissed me right off, the food was unbelievable everywhere we went- street stalls were the best! Realizing in a major way that food, and sharing food, has such an impact on our enjoyment of daily life. Hurry home, time to have a wonderful meal together and share travel stories. Xxxxxx

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  2. Hi Kate,
    Have only just got onto your blog and spent a fair while reading through it. Gave Mandy the link this morning. It is a wonderful inspiring heart rendering journey that you and Pete have been on and will continue to be on. I wish I had the talent to write as you do, to express feelings and emotions so well. Tell Pete that we will try to organise a movie night for a bit of R & R. Charles is doing a great job!!!! Been a terrific help while Pete has been away.
    Travel safe, see you soon.

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  3. When I first saw this title I thought you were talking about how blogging keeps us from exercise. I am more determined than ever to get up off my blogging couch, exercise, and eat healthy foods. I’m glad you will be posting some healthy recipes (I have a recipe printed out from One French Word on my coffee table right now – can’t wait to try it). If you think the UK is bad as far as healthy foods are concerned, you would be shocked my middle America (the only food color is various shades of brown – sorry middle America, but it is true). We have plenty of fresh fruits and vegies here on the California coast so I have no excuse.

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    • Oh dear, I had no idea you would think I’d want anyone to do something as radical as get off the blogging couch (I hardly ever do!)… and I love the recipes from One French Word too, wonderful and so easy with her brilliant descriptions of the methods and translations. My dear husband tells me the food is worse in America, but I’ve not been there so cannot say for sure! Some of my recipes on this blog are very yummy, and very healthy, so give them a go and let me know what you thnk of them. Take care, and don’t stress about not exercising or not eating enough fresh fruit and veg! 😉

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