Soothing thyme & rosemary tea

Yes, it's July. I know. But i just came back from Italy and after two days I started to get ill, a cold that slowly turned into a chest infection. No reason to panic, I am now on antibiotics (sometimes you just have to..) and hopefully I will be able to enjoy normal interaction with other people soon, as at the moment all my energy goes into trying not to cough into everybody's face.. 

In the meantime though, I really needed something to help soothe the cough and my painful throat.

As studies have shown that rosemary possesses anti inflammatory, antibacterial and anti fungal properties amongst others, and thyme contains compounds that might be helpful in respiratory infections, I thought these two ingredients should definitely end up in my tea!

I added them to my regular fresh ginger (anti inflammatory), lemon (vitamin C hit) and raw honey (antibacterial and anti fungal) concoction...

This tea that felt so soothing in my throat, was also incredibly delicious and smelled heavenly.

I knew I had to share this discovery with you. 

So if you find yourself in need of some TLC for your throat, give this a try and let me know what you think.

I hope you are enjoying this gorgeous summer day, 

Love.

Foodolina

REFERENCES:

Ribeiro-Santos R, Carvalho-Costa D, Cavaleiro C, Costa HS, Goncalves Albuqurque T, Conceicao Castilho M, Ramos F, Melo NR, Sanches Silva A (2015) 

A novel insight on an ancient aromatic plant: The rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.). Trends in Food Science & Technology, 45: 355-368.

1. A. Fabio, 
2. C. Cermelli, 
3. G. Fabio, 
4. P. Nicolet, 
5. P. Quaglio (2007)
Screening of the antibacterial effects of a variety of essential oils on microorganisms responsible for respiratory infections. Phytotherapy Research, 4: 374-377.




Sasikumar, B. (2012) Rosemary. In K. V. Peter (Ed.), Handbook of herbs and spices,
pp. 452e468.


Shigeharu Inouye, Hideyo Yamaguchi, Toshio Takizawa (2001) Screening of the antibacterial effects of a variety of essential oils on respiratory tract pathogens, using a modified dilution assay method.Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy, 4: 251-254. 

WOKIT baby, WOKIT!

This is a place I discovered just before Christmas, my flatmate Patch swore to me I would have loved it and boy, was he right.

I as a little sceptical on my way there, Patch said they did stir-fries and I thought it would just be another Wagamama.. I was wrong.

Wokit is just in front of Borough Market, it's cosy and colourful inside. Just a couple of regular tables at the back, and two high ones with tall stools just next to the cooking area. And that's the great thing, you can see everything that's happening, it's all out there, right in front of your eyes for you to take  in: the fresh ingredients you can choose from, and the fabulous smells from the different types of dishes being sautéed just next to your table.

They have anything you might need, gluten free noodles, vegan options such as tofu if that's what you want. If not, then you can add some delicious salmon, beef, duck, pork and chicken...

But what I loved the most were the noodles, oh wow the noodles! I was looking for a gluten free option and decided to try the buckwheat and sweet potato noodles. Absolutely incredible, trust me, light and tasty.The stir fry comes with a mix of vegetables ( carrot, garlic, ginger, beansprouts, cabbage and spring onions) to which you can add some extra one from their menu. You add your source of protein,  I chose salmon, and a miso coriander dressing. Yes, you also choose your dressing people! You create a stir fry that is perfectly tailored just for you.

The prices are affordable and the portion is large. I couldn't finish mine, but Patch was very happy to finish it for me. Kind man.

Take a look at their menu and start drooling. Then get yourselves down there and enjoy every single bite, you'll be back for more. I know I will.

This is where you are headed:

Borough Market

3 Stoney Street

London, SE1 9AA

Tel: 0207 74032111

Happy Monday!

xxx

Love,

Foodolina

The "Baby it's cold outside" soup

The other day it was pretty chilly and miserable outside and all I could think about as I was shivering on the train platform, was how much I wanted to curl up on the couch with a hot, heart-warming and delicious bowl of soup while watching one of my favourite movies..

As soon as I got home I turned on the fairy-lights in the living room and headed straight to the adjacent kitchen to get cooking.. My evening Jazz playlist on and I was ready to get started.

This recipe, as most of the ones you'll find on this blog, is very easy and quick to prepare. If it's already 7.30pm and I had a double shift...I don't really want to wait over 40 minutes to eat...

And this is how long this soup takes, 40 minutes. It gave me time to have a shower, get in my comfy clothes and choose which movie I wanted to watch: Crazy Stupid Love. Go on, judge me..

In your warm bowl of goodness you'll find a protein source from the legumes and immune boosting action of garlic, onion, ginger and turmeric (the last two are also anti-inflammatory ingredients. Boom.)

Anyway, let's get to it!

INGREDIENTS

1 CAN OF COOKED CHICKPEAS (you could easily have the dried ones and soak them the night before if you planned this in advance. Soaking legumes will make them easier to digest).

1 CUP OF DRY LENTILS ( I love Puy lentils but I only had regular green ones so I used those, however if you can choose...Go Puy all the way. And you should soak these too if you can but this soup was not planned...)

1 CHOPPED RED ONION (you can also use white ones)

1 CHOPPED GARLIC CLOVE

1 THUMB SIZED PIECE OF PEELED AND CHOPPED GINGER ROOT

1 HANDFUL OF CHERRY TOMATOES CUT IN HALF

1 TBSP OF BOUILLON POWDER

1/2 LARGE BAG OF SPINACH

1 TBSP EXTRAVERGIN OLIVE OIL (plus a swirl to add raw as a topping)

1/4 TURMERIC POWDER

1/4 GROUND CUMIN POWDER

SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE (use Himalayan or sea salt as regular processed table salt won't get you any useful minerals...)

NOW GO AND DO IT...

Turn the heat on to medium and start boiling some water in a kettle on the side. In a pan add the oil, onion, garlic and ginger till soft. Add turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper and mix everything up. Cook for a further minute before adding dry lentils, tomatoes, bouillon and hot water. Bring to the boil and then down to a simmer for about 30/40 minutes (check the cooking time behind the pack of your lentils). Then add your chickpeas and cook for 5 more minutes before adding the spinach and cooking for a further minute. Done.

Pour in your favourite bowl, add a swirl of olive oil and go curl up on your couch. Keep warm and enjoy.

Love,

xxx

Foodolina

Quinoa Stuffed Round Courgettes

Every Sunday morning I head to the Brixton Farmers Market to do my weekly grocery shopping.
I love it there, I can always talk to the farmers and be sure my veggies won't be covered in nasty pesticides.
Last week I found some beautiful round courgettes which I had never tried so I was seriously excited and got the three prettiest ones!
I also bought some lovely cherry tomatoes and an aubergine and here's what I did when I went in my kitchen...x

INGREDIENTS
3 Medium/Large Round Courgettes (I had 2 Green and  a gorgeous Yellow one)
1 Pack Cherry Tomatoes cut in half or quarters
1 Small aubergine chopped in small cubes
2 Garlic Cloves chopped teeny tiny
Feta Cheese to crumble on top
Dried Mediterranean herbs
1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
1/2 Cup Quinoa
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper to season

Preheat the oven at 180 C, gas mark 4, 375 F.

Wash your courgettes then pat them dry.
Cut the top off but don't throw it away! It's going to become their little hat :)
Scoop out the inside of the courgettes, chop it and keep in in a bowl to the side.
Drizzle the inside and outside part of these little veggie bowls and season with salt and pepper before placing them in the oven with their tops on for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, rinse your quinoa and pop it in boiling water (remember to put some coarse salt in it) for 10 minutes.
As the quinoa cooks you can  grab a pan,  drizzle with extravirgin olive oil and add garlic, tomatoes, aubergines and the inside of the courgettes. Cook on low/medium heat for 15 minutes stirring every now and then, should it become too dry while cooking just add a little water.
When the quinoa is ready, drain it and leave it to cool.
By this point your kitchen should already be smelling heavenly and your pan should be filled with soft delicious veggie mix. Add the quinoa and walnuts to it, mix it up for a minute and take off the heat.

When the 30 minutes have passed take your courgettes out of the oven and move them face down on a plate layered with some kitchen towels to absorb the extra water that will have collected inside them.
Time to stuff them!!!!
It's all about layers baby. First some crumbled feta on the bottom, then some quinoa filling, then more feta and filling again and top up with a little more feta on top.
Place under the grill for about 5 minutes (or just till your feta goes a little golden), then take these beauties out and add their little hats before serving.

Cute and delicious, hope you'll love them as much I did.x

Summer Bruschetta

Since coming back from Italy last week, I cannot believe how lucky we've been with the weather here in the UK! How wonderful is it to wake up every single morning and see the sun shining outside? 

It makes me jump out of bed full of energy and with a big smile on my face, it really makes all the difference.

This also means that me and Patch have finally had the chance to make the most of our garden again (which I'll admit after a very wet summer last year and an incredibly long winter this year does look a bit like a jungle) eating and chatting with friends under this blue blue sky.

The first lunch we had was a quick but super tasty one. 

We had walked all morning under the sun and were feeling a bit lazy by lunchtime so I had to make sure we could enjoy something easy to prepare but colourful and delicious. 

Enter the Summer Bruschetta.

This is a variation on an "almost classic" bruschetta I prepared on a shoot we did in Tuscany in June (recipes from that wonderful experience will come out soon)..

The result was absolutely fantastic so here's the simple recipe for all of you to enjoy!

SUMMER BRUSCHETTA (serves 2)

1 Loaf of Bread (you can choose your favourite but we got a round stonebaked Sourdough and used half of it to make 4 perfectly sized bruschettas)

3 Big juicy tomatoes chopped 

Half a red onion chopped really small

2-3 tbsp extravirgin olive oil

2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to season

A few pimiento olives cut in half (but you can also use plain green or black, it'll work equally well)

Half a block of Halloumi, cut in 4 slices (grilled)

Very Simply start with a medium sized bowl and add the tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar.

Mix everything together then cover with a lid or some foil and pop into the refrigerator to marinate (NB: ideally you'd want to leave it for at least 30 min to 1hour to let the favours mix really well and become deliciously intense but we were starving and 15 min worked just fine).

Cut your loaf into 4 thick slices and grill them, quickly grill the halloumi but keep an eye on it (you don't want it to melt..). All you need to do now is assemble!

Get your favourite plates out, pop the bread on, followed by the marinated tomatoes and halloumi (I broke it into pieces and sprinkled it a bit here and there) and add the little olives last.

Then, take a spoonful of the juice from the bowl that had the tomatoes mix and pour it on top as a final touch.

Time to eat!x

PS: This recipe can also be done on a grilled gluten free bread for any specific diet needs ;)

Spinach and Walnut Penne

As some of you might know, I'm not only a nutrition student but first and foremost an actress and as much as i love this unstable job with all my heart, it also means that I'm often on a very tight budget..
Oh, the glamorous life...Anyway, having only a small amount of money to spend doesn't necessarily mean that you can't prepare tasty food that's also good for you.
Enter Abel and Cole's Spinach and Walnut Penne.
I actually made this for Easter lunch when we had two of our dearest friends over and they both really liked it which made so happy!
Unfortunately this recipe isn't on the Abel and Cole Website but you can find it in their cookbook.
It saved my life so many times so I had to write a post about it. I'm currently off dairy so mine is a vegan version which means I omitted  the grated Parmesan but if you have no problem with cheese then by all means add some at the end.To be honest the sauce is so creamy and filling that i really do not miss anything else.. Also I add more spinach than the original recipe as I LOVE my greens!!!

RECIPE  (serves 4)

500gr WholeWheat Penne
1/2 Mug Walnuts (standard tea mug)
4 Mugs of freshly chopped spinach
Salt and Pepper
Extravirgin Olive Oil























Cook your penne in salted boiling water (I use Hymalayan salt but regular sea salt is absolutely fine), mine take about 10 minutes but just follow the instructions on your pack.

While the penne are cooking, pop your walnuts in a food processor and grind them to a soft breadcrumbs consistency, then slowly add some cooking water till you reach the consistency you want.I like mine smooth and creamy. I would suggest to keep some cooking water on the side in case it gets a bit dry when mixed with the pasta.
1 minute before your pasta is done add the spinach.
Drain penne and spinach, add the sauce, season with salt and pepper and drizzle some lovely olive oil then
mix all together, serve and enjoy!Whoop!xxx