Curly kale with pancetta and roasted pine nuts

In our family, what we eat seems to goes in trends. I think that is the same for most people.
You find a recipe or an ingredient that you like, and then you use that about once a week, until you start getting bored of it, and something new tickles your fancy. I suppose the seasons are a big factor to how we eat as well (at least it should be).
At the moment, kale is THE ingredient in the Colgan household. We all love the taste, and as a mum I find it extremely satisfying when my daughters enjoy eating something so nutritious.

Luckily both girls, 4 and 7, quite happily try new foods (not that kale is new by any means..). I like to think that it's because I,ve always fed them what ever me and my husband eats, and never cooked a separate "kiddy meal". I think the danger of starting to cook different meals for different requires (unless health related), is that it will soon be expected to be the norm. And the family kitchen turns into a restaurant where the child is choosing between the usual "yellow dishes" ie fish fingers, chicken nuggets e tc. A child would very rarely (or dare I say, never..) be born with a natural desire to try new foods. We are naturally cautious, and it's up to the adults to introduce the child to the wonderful flavours of different kinds of food. Even if it's just the smallest bite. The pallet will soon get used to a new taste, and enjoy the array of flavours that are on offer. I try to introduce my family to a new flavour every week. And it has actually worked out so well, that we all get quite exited about what to try next.
This is a side dish that I served with pork chops and sweet potato chips at the weekend. It was a hit with the whole family. Hope you'll enjoy it too.

Curly kale with pancetta and roasted pine nuts

• a hand full of curly kale per person
• 1 cup of cubed pancetta
• a hand full of pine nuts
• black pepper

Start by roasting the pine nuts in a dry pan until slightly golden. Set aside.
Fry the pancetta until crispy, and set aside with the pine nuts.
Place the chopped up kale in the hot pan, stirring occasionally until weltered.
Mix in the pine nuts and pancetta. Season with black pepper. The pancetta will provide the salt.
Enjoy with some white meat, or fish.

Nettle soup

There is nothing quite like springtime in a country that has been covered in snow for months on end. The first sign- the snow on the roof tops, melting and dripping down outside the window.
The next step- the once so white snow is turning grey and slushy, revealing the "business" the dogs have left behind the whole winter (not my favourite part..).

Photo www.sarajson80.blogspot.com

But then, evenings getting brighter, birds begin to sing. The rain and the sunshine taking turns to get rid of the last remaining snow.

And slowly, slowly the earth begin to thaw, and crocus and snowdrops are popping out of the ground. And so does the less popular stinging nettle, absolutely bursting with flavour and nutritional goodness.
Pick the nettles when they are small and tender (make sure to wear rubber gloves).
Once cooked the lose there "sting" and is an amazing vegetable.
You could also use it to make pesto or mixed with ricotta cheese in cannelloni et c. But this is how to make nettle soup, the way my grandma Ingegerd use to make it (although I've added the shallot, I'm sure she wouldn't mind..)

Pick your nettles using rubber gloves to prevent your hands from getting stung, that's an unpleasant experience that we'll rather do without.
I won't give any measurement, because it would depend on how well your nettle hunt goes, but also on how thick you want your soup. I'll throw you some guidelines though.

Nettle soup

• Nettles, a couple of hands full per person will be sufficient.
• 1 or 2 shallots
• a knob of butter
• chicken stock
• cream (only about a 1/4 of the amount of stock you are using)
• salt and pepper
• Half a semi hard boiled egg per person

Rinse the nettles thoroughly.
Finley chop the shallot and fry in butter on low heat until soft, but not coloured.
Add the nettles and leave until weltered.
Pour in some of the chicken stock and using a blender or a mixer ( I just use a hand held mixer), run until smooth.
Bring it back to the heat and add the cream and season to taste. Make sure not to boil the soup, as you would loose most of the nutrients and the colour would look dull.
Serve with half an egg, slightly creamy in the middle.
Now go on, get you vitamin boost!

Enjoy!

A healthy salad with mackerel, avocado and pink grapefruit

This is a very nutritious salad, packed with vitamins and minerals.
Many of us spend a lot of many buying vitamins and minerals in a jar from the pharmacist.
One brand trying to out do the other. Super-mega-multi-complete best-ever vitamin/minerals, you
know what I mean, and I think we've all tried them.
And sure, we Do need and extra "vitamin boost", especially this time of year.
But the best way of getting all the vitamin and minerals you need, is to eat a healthy and balanced diet.
I know you have heard it all before, but that is just because it's true.
Try to eat colourful food, they generally contain lots of yummy vitamins. Tomatoes, peppers, spinach, oranges. Be brave, try new fruits and vegetables, that you've never tried before.
If you can't buy it fresh (if it's not in season), by frozen. Frozen vegetables often contain more vitamins then the vegetables you can get from the supermarket.

I am going to kick off this new year with some healthy recipes to sort the immune system out. I know I need it and hopefully it will benefit you too.
I am using smoked mackerel in this salad, because it makes a nice change to the tuna always used in salads and sandwiches in Britain. But mostly because mackerel has great health benefits:

• It helps reducing cancer-causing agents in cells.
• It regulates the hormone level and makes blood vessels and capillaries more elastic.
• Mackerel also helps in reducing the bad cholesterol (LDL) and lowering blood pressure.
• It prevents cardiovascular diseases, strengthens the immune system, improves functions of organs weakened by illness and regulates metabolism.
• Mackerel helps in easing the pain of migraine and arthritis.  

I will also be using avocado and baby spinach, and grapefruit packed with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

Healthy salad with mackerel, avocado and pink grapefruit 
(2 people)

• 2 fillets of smoked mackerel, tarred into bite sized pieces
• 2 handful's of baby spinach
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 pink grapefruit (don't have to be pink, just makes it prettier) segmented
• 3//4 of a red chili finely chopped

Assemble on two plates, season moderately with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
I serve this salad with toasted wholemeal pita bread. Either fill the pita pocket and tuck in, or cut into manageable strips.

Enjoy!

Roasted tomato and sweet potato soup with a drizzle of basil oil

I'm back!
Sorry, it's been a while.. Hope you are all well, and dodging all the seasonal germs that are out there. Happy new year by the way, better late than never.
The new year often comes with the sudden need to revalue ourselves and the way we live our lives. We have this urge to better who we are. Stop smoking, lose weight, drink less alcohol, get more physically active and so on.
I agree that it's good to try to improve ourselves. In fact, that should be an ongoing activity throughout the year, and throughout are lives for that matter.
I am however sceptical to new year resolutions. I think as soon as we call it "a new years resolution" we're heading for a fall. Realistically, how many new years resolutions have you actually followed through?
Speaking for myself, I can't even mention one.
I believe that change will come when you are well prepared, you are in the right mind set, and you are ready to make the commitment to change.
And that will not just happen automatically, because you need to change your calendars.
The "home improvement" I am working on is to get moving more.
It so easy when the weather is cold and grey to get a bit lazy. That has definitely happened to me. Leaving me feeling tired and sluggish. I can't wait for the spring to come and lift this old grey woolly blanket and shower the ground with pretty flowers.
But until that happens I'll make a head start with this revitalizing delicious soup followed by a quick power walk across the back fields. Who knows, maybe I'll find some early signs of spring.

Roasted tomato and sweet potato soup serves 6

• 16 tomatoes
• 1 big sweet potato
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 table spoon of tomato puree
• 200ml single cream
• chicken or vegetable stock
• salt, pepper and granulated sugar to taste

Cut the sweet potato in half (length ways) and place in the oven with the garlic (skin on) and the tomatoes (whole). Roast on a baking tray for about an hour in a medium hot (200C) oven, or until the skin of the tomatoes start to turn black. 
Leave it to cool down slightly, before you remove the skin from the tomatoes. It is very important to let the tomatoes cool down, since they will be extremely hot. 
Use a spoon to dig out the soft flesh of the sweet potato and place in a blender with the tomatoes and the garlic. You can easily squeeze out the soft centre of the garlic ones roasted. The roasted garlic has a much milder taste than if used fried or raw. 
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Use only as much stock as you feel necessary, to achieve the  right thickness  of the soup. I prefer a slightly thicker soup, but if you use more stock it will feed more people.
I use sugar to counteract the sourness in the tomatoes on offer in England this time of year. If your tomatoes has been grown in a warmer climate, sugar might not be needed.
Ones you are happy with your soup, heat it in a pan to ensure it is hot enough. But do not boil.
My finishing touch to the soup is a drizzle of basil oil. 
Simply bash a hand full of fresh basil in a pestle and mortar, slowly adding 100ml of  virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Heaven!
Enjoy!