Greek Feta and Potato Balls.

Crispy crunchy coating with delicious cheesy potato inner makes these Feta cheese and potato balls simply delectable.

Ingredients:

240 g Kataifi  Pastry (shredded Greek Pastry)

4 medium boiled potatoes

60 g feta cheese

1 tablespoon plain flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon white pepper

¾ teaspoon salt

1 small carrot finely grated

6 mint leaves finely chopped

600 ml sunflower oil for frying.

Method:

1.       In a bowl add the boiled potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Add the grated carrot,

2.       Crumble the feta into the potatoes, add the salt, nutmeg, pepper and mint leaves and mix well.

3.       Make walnut sized balls from the mixture and keep them to one side.

4.       Separate some strands of the kataifi pastry, dip the potato ball in the flour water mixture and wrap it with the strands of kataifi pastry. Repeat for all the balls.

5.       Heat the oil in a deep pan, once it is moderately hot, deep fry the potato balls on medium heat until golden brown.

6.       Remove the golden brown potato balls from the oil and fry the remaining balls in small batches.

Serve the Feta potato balls with yoghurt and mint dip.
To make the yoghurt and mint dip- 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt, pinch of salt, pinch of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of mint sauce and 1 clove garlic finely minced. Mix all the ingredients together and serve as a dip. 

Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes

I am not a fan of rich butter cream frosting on my cakes and I always prefer to have a simple plain cake with my cup of tea. These eggless cupcakes are really easy to make and not too rich and sweet. They make the perfect guilt free teatime treat.

Simple easy and simply decadent eggless strawberry cupcakes that make any teatime special.

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

1.75 cups plain flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Nesquick strawberry flavour milkshake powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
6 strawberries hulled and diced.

Wet Ingredients:

1/3 cup  sunflower oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/ 375 degrees F
2. In a bowl add the sugar and Nesquick powder and mix together.
3. In the same bowl sieve together the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarbonate powder.
4. Fold the flour and sugar together.
5. In a jug add the water, oil, apple cider vinegar and the vanilla essence and whisk together.
6. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry gently.Fold in the chopped strawberries.
7. Spoon the mixture into cup cake liners and bake the cakes for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. You can check if the cakes are cooked by inserting a skewer into the centre of the cake , if it comes out clean cakes are baked.
8. Remove cakes from oven and transfer them to a wire cooling rack.


NB-This recipe is using American size cups later I will update it with grams and oz.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup~5-2 diet

Delicious roasted red pepper and tomato soup with a garlicky smoky flavour.

Ingredients:

1 red capsicum

8 medium ripe tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder

1 teaspoon olive oil

Method:

1. Brush a roasting pan with the olive oil and keep aside

2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C

3.Wash the capsicum and cut it in half. Remove the stalk and seeds and chop it into chunks.

4. Wash the tomatoes and cut into quarters.

5. Add the tomatoes and capsicum to the roasting pan.

6. Using a knife squash the two cloves of garlic with the skin on and put them into the roasting pan.

7. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes until soft.

8. Take the roasted vegetables out of the oven and fish out the garlic. Pick the skin off the garlic and discard  it and add the garlic back to the pan.

9. Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, peppers to a blender jug. Blend to form a smooth purée.

10. Strain the mixture and add it to a saucepan. Add 150ml water and bring the soup to a slow simmer.

11. Add the salt, pepper, paprika and reheat the soup on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Transfer to serving mugs and Serve with toasted bagels.

NB-Bagel not included in calorie count.

Calories per serving	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
158	26	4	5	667	15

Submitting to:

In my VEG BOX ~Tomatoes

Javelin Warriors cookin /with luv
Submitting to :
In my VEG BOX ~Peppers

Giveaway~ Tickets to Creative Stitches ExCel London

Creative Stitches

3-5 April ExCel London

Visit the popular Creative Stitches & Hobbycrafts show and find all the very latest supplies and ideas in the world of stitching and creative crafts, with lots of special features to enjoy, plus FREE workshops, talks and demonstrations.
This year’s London creative shows get a Fashion & Embroidery twist, with the renowned textile arts show running alongside the popular Creative Stitches and Hobbycrafts shows. Discover a variety of amazing displays, an unrivalled range of supplies, plus exciting catwalk shows.

Tickets can be bought on line here:
Adults: £8.00
£10.00 on the door

Seniors: £7.00
£9.00 on the door

Complete your order before 5:00pm on 31st March 2014 to receive discounted prices.

Creative Stitches have been very kind and they have agreed to provide 5 pairs of tickets for citrusspice readers

How To Enter

·         Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries

·         Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc

·         Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway

·         Closing date – 28th  March 2014. Open to Uk residents over the age of 18 only

How Rafflecopter works:

• You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
• Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
•  Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 
• Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
• For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. 
• For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. 
• If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Splash Chopping Board Giveaway

Chopping boards one can never have enough in the kitchen. I love my chopping boards to be fun and colourful and I recently discovered this really fun splash chopping board from Mustard.  

It is red in colour and splash-shaped chopping board. It has a cool design where the drip part fits on the edge of the counter to make it stable on the worktop. This part is removable for easy storage and cleaning and the material itself is nylon which s very durable. It is an acceptable size 367.0 mm (w) x 108.0 mm (h) x 281.0 mm (d) but could be more useful if it was slightly bigger. If you like innovative things in the kitchen this chopping board will definitely fit the bill.You can purchase it from Mustard it Retails at £ 15.00

I have not received any payment or product for myself to host this giveaway.

Just Mustard have kindly agreed to send one of these chopping board to one citrsuspice reader

How To Enter:

• Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
• Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
• Answering the mandatory question will open additional optional entries.
• Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this
• Open to UK Residents Only and you must be over 18 yrs old.
• Closing date - 12th April 12.00 am

How Rafflecopter works:

• You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
• Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
•  Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 
• Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
• For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. 
• For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. 
• If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.

For another chance to win this chopping board visit simplyfood

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hakka Noodles- Indo Chinese

Crunchy vegetables stirfried with noodles and lots of vegetables in a spicy sauce.

Ingredients:

240g dried egg noodles
1 red capsicum deseeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow capsicum deseeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 green capsicum deseeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 carrot peeled and cut into thin slices
1 courgette cut into thin slices
1 red onion cut into thin slices
2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
8 green beans cut into 1 inch pieces
4 button mushrooms cut into thin slices
10 mangetout cut into 1 inch pieces
8 baby corn cut into 1 inch pieces on diagonal
3 tablespoons garlic chilli sauce
2 tablespoons dark soya sauce
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper
12 cashew nuts
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Method:

1. Place the dried noodles in a large dish with a lid. Pour over the noodles boiling water and leave them covered for 3 minutes.
2. After three minutes drain the noodles and keep them aside.
3. In a large wok add the oil and heat it on medium heat. Add the cashew nuts and stir fry until golden brown and remove them from the oil and keep aside.
4. To the oil add the garlic followed by the onions, beans, carrots, peppers, mangetout, courgettes,corn and mushrooms and stir fry for 3-4 minutes on high heat.
5. Add the chilli garlic sauce, soya sauce, salt and pepper and toss all the vegetables.
6. Add the precooked noodles and sesame seeds and toss again until noodles and vegetables are blended together and coated with the sauce.
7. Transfer the noodles to a serving dish and garnish with the fried cashew nuts.

Submitting to:
Lets cook with Seeds event by simply.food

In my VEG BOX ~Peppers

Courgette and Cherry Tomato Curry ~ 5-2 diet

Seasonal courgettes cooked with tangy cherry tomatoes makes this curry perfect as a side dish to rice or chapattis.

Ingredients:

2 medium tender courgettes
1 small onion
1 clove garlic finely chopped
12 cherry tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Method:

1. Wash the courgettes and pat them dry.
2. Remove the top and bottom and cut each courgette in half lengthways.
3. Slice the courgette in thin slices approx 5 mm thick.
4. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into halves.
5. Peel the onion, cut it in half  and slice it thinly into thin slices
6. In a large wok add the oil and wait for it to heat up. Once oil is hot add the mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 1 minute.
7. Add the courgettes and saute the courgettes for 4-5 minutes until courgettes are almost cooked and tender.
8. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric and toss the tomatoes and courgettes for another 3-4 minutes until the spices infuse and tomatoes start to wilt but still retain shape.
9. Transfer the curry form the wok into a serving dish.
Serve with boiled rice or chapattis.

NB- Make sure courgettes are tender and thin. Don't be tempted to buy large fat ones as they release too much water and are often bitter in taste.

NB-Rice not included in calorie count.

Calories per serving	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
115	11	8	2	585	6

Submitting to :
Javelin Warrior cookin /with luv

In my VEG BOX ~Tomatoes event by citrusspiceuk

Home made Tomato Sauce

Fresh tomato sauce tangy, sweet and sour with a spicy kick.

Ingredients:

8 ripe medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder or chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon jaggery or brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Method:

1.Wash the tomatoes and chop them up finely.
2. Add oil in a pan and heat it on medium heat. When oil is hot add the chopped tomatoes and simmer them on low/medium heat for 10 minutes until the tomatoes breakup and form a pulp.
3. After 10 minutes add the salt,chilli powder, jaggery and lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Once the tomatoes have absorbed the spices they should be thick and pulpy. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
5. Transfer to a sterilised jar and keep in the fridge.

NB -I left the seeds in my sauce but if you prefer remove the seeds from the tomatoes before chopping them by cutting them in half and scooping the seeds out first with a spoon.

Submitting to:

In my VEG BOX ~Tomatoes

A collection of assorted spoons~ another addition to my prop collection

When I started citrusspice I promised that together with foodie posts I would bring you stories of how I fuel my obsession for collecting foodie props. Its been awhile since I have been out for retail therapy, in fact I haven't really been out for almost 6 weeks apart from the quick visit to the supermarket to pick up supplies.

Whilst at the local hospital I was scouring for parking, it seemed that everyone was at the hospital and all available spaces were taken. I was forced to go and put my car in the pay and display car park. The extortionate charges that hospitals charge  for their car parks is disgraceful, a whole £ 2.40 per hour and that in change as too so if you have to be at the hospital for 2-3 hours thats a lot of change one requires!!As I rummaged in  my purse for change, I could barely make two pounds even after counting all the coppers. I had  no choice but to go and source some loose change, I put a note in the car window explaining to the traffic warden that I had gone to get change and NOT to book my car.
Luckily there was league of friends shop near the car park. I went in there to buy something so that I could get change for the car park and it seems everyone had the same idea so the poor volunteer apologetically said she could not change my £ 10.00 note. Frustrated I was about to leave when I saw in the corner two little old ladies manning a table selling bric a brac. As I walked towards them thinking to buy something so that I could change my note I saw a box full of odd cutlery. Not giving them a second glance in fear that my car was going to be towed away, I picked up the container asked how much and promptly paid £ 2.50 the ladies asked for and got change for the car park.The box I threw in the boot of my car and I was able to purchase the ticket to park my car safely.

The box long forgotten was found again when I was clearing my car almost 4 weeks after purchasing it. To my surprise this collection of spoons were in the box amongst some other bits and bobs. I am sharing here my treasures that I found in the hospital shop.

I am sure these spoons will feature somewhere in my food pictures and they have certainly been the most unexpected find.

 

The little fork has been  featured in my recipe posts of the Tropical Fruit Salad and the  spoon with a little clip on the handle has been featured in my Mango Pudding recipe.

Strawberry and Chocolate Chip Pancakes~ Eggless

Soft spongy pancakes that are delicious with luscious strawberries and a drizzle of chocolate and strawberry sauce. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time 10 minutes

Makes 6 mini pancakes

Ingredients:

100 g ground oats

45 g rice flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 handful chocolate chips

Enough milk to make a semi-thick mixture (approx 100 ml)

1 tablespoon olive oil to fry with or spray oil

For serving:

6 Strawberries

Chocolate sauce

Strawberry Sauce

Method:

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground oats and sugar.

2. Add the milk and mix to make a semi-thick mixture, stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Lightly oil a frying pan and set it on medium heat .Using a ladle  spoon the mixture into the frying pan.

3. Wait till bubbles appear and the edge of the pancake starts to lift, now flip the pancake to cook the underside.

4. Pancake is cooked when both sides should are golden brown in  colour.

5. Stack the pancakes I used three per serving (or as high as you like), garnish with sliced strawberries and a squirt of chocolate sauce and strawberry sauce.

Alternatively serve with cream  / ice-cream / jam for a sinful brunch.

This post is a guest Post by Roshni Kanabar.

Event Round Up- In my VEG BOX ~POTATOES

In my VEG BOX ~POTATOES  was guest hosted by Mina from Give me some spice. Thankyou Mina for guest hosting this event for citrusspice.The event had some mouthwatering recipes sent and here is the wonderful roundup.

Announcing Event In my VEG BOX~TOMATOES

The tomato plant originated in South America and was domesticated by the Incas as early as 700 A.D. It is now the most commonly grown "vegetable". although most people call it a vegetable tomato is actually classified as a fruit. Tomatoes are a valuable source of food minerals and vitamins, particularly vitamins A and C. Research has shown that people who eat large amounts of tomatoes or tomato products may be at lower risk of some kinds of cancer.

There are many types of tomatoes such as cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, beef tomatoes and standard tomatoes. Tomatoes come in a range of colours from deep reds through orange to bright yellow with some rarer varieties being striped, green when ripe and very dark.

Tomatoes are very versatile, they can be eaten raw in salads, salsas, cold soups, chutneys and juices and also used in a variety of dishes of cooked dishes such as soups, curries, sauces and condiments.
  

The month of March (1st March -31st March 2014) In my VEG BOX we shall have Tomatoes. This event is all about cooking with tomatoes.

To Participate:

1. Prepare any vegetarian recipe using tomatoes  (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL
2. Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory. Any entries without this link added to their post will be deleted.
3. Use of logo is not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.

4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.

5. Please make sure that you follow this blog via googleplus, google friend connect or face book so that you can get regular updates of future events in this series and also so that you can receive notification of the round up of the event.

6.In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at citrusspiceuk@gmail.com

Please use this format:

Your Name: Recipe
Name Recipe URL
Image no larger than 300 pixels.