Its not very often I crave salad in the winter, I tend to be attracted to warmer foods. Yet, on this day, I saw a range of ingredients in my kitchen and just started putting them together - I loved the result! Do you notice that you crave certain foods at certain times of the […]

Roasted Parsnip soup: As the autumn air and the shorter nights approach, I am drawn towards warmer foods and soups. Roasting vegetables before adding to soup can be a great way of enhancing the taste and making the soup richer. I have used root ginger to add even more warmth to this roasted parsnip soup […]

The Muscles of Brussels This week I’ll be talking about one of the most powerfully beneficial greens for our health. The Brussels sprout is synonymous with Christmas dinners but given their positive impact on health, you should make them a vegetable for throughout the winter. Brussels sprouts health benefits are far reaching. The fibre in […]

Parsnip and Haricot bean Soup The Autumn is well underway and I’ve just received my first batch of parsnips from my community growers scheme. I’ve realised that is it becomes colder, our tastes begin to change and our eating patterns change with it. Root vegetables seem to sum up winter eating: whether you are talking […]

  Starting again with good health It’s like all of a sudden the new season has started! In the markets, delis and supermarkets, we have the first round of the new crops from Spring. It’s so great to see all of the tasty local produce coming from Irish fields that have been recently pickled and […]

Friday 3rd June Check out my article in the Cork Independent featuring asparagus or read below: http://www.corkindependent.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/food-for-living-%11-the-new-year-of-food-20110602/ The New Year of Food It’s almost like New Years Eve again. We are finished with May, the ‘Hungry Month’, where the crops from the last growing season have come to an end while the new round of […]

The Perfect Pea I was out to lunch the other day as part of the Network Cork’s Business Womens awards, where some of Cork’s top business women were awarded for all their hard work and success. It was a fabulous lunch, at Augustines restaurant at the Clarion, and one of the things on the menu […]

Friday 13th May Check out my article in today’s Cork Independent or read below: http://www.corkindependent.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/food-for-living-%11-12th-may-2011/ Trying Something New I’ve been having an ongoing discussion with Cork Independent’s Editor, Deirdre O Shaughnessy, about the great taste of sweet potatoes. I had done a sweet potato recipe that had involved baking the potato and Deirdre didn’t like […]

Friday 29th April Check out my article in the Cork Independent today or read below: Something in the air There has been something in the air for the last few weeks and I think it’s something other than love… Sneezing, itchy eyes and running noses generally mean one thing: that hay fever time of year. […]

Thursday 26th January Check out my article in today’s Cork Independent for some simple and easy to use tips on how to stay hydrated throughout the day. The article also discusses why drinking enough water during the day is so important in terms of health. Check out fluid filled soup below, one of my favourites […]

Thursday 13th January Check out my article today in the Cork Independent, teaching you how to pack the goodness in to what you are eating: http://www.corkindependent.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/packing-the-goodness-in/ I’ve also wrote a great Asian Broccoli soup which is packed full of broccoli goodness.I often promote broccoli and all green leafy vegetables as part of people’s healthy eating […]

Kale is a great vegetable for the liver and for a healthy digestive tract. Collard greens are in the same family and can also be cooked like this: Tasty Kale ¼ teaspoon ground cumin seeds ¼ teaspoon ground coriander seeds ¼ teaspoon of turmeric 1 clove of garlic - crushed 1 small bag or 150g […]

Wednesday December 1st Check out my blog today on Local markets or see below: Leeks are part of a family called the Allium, containing its great cousins garlic, onions and shallots and chives. This family is well-known for its health benefits and its great if you try to include these in your diet everyday. Why? This family contains […]

Monday 15th November I just found this on the Good Food Mood Blog and loved it!! I would always ensure that I was having protein with my meal so would add a handful of red kidney beans or a tin of tuna to this. Mushy Roast Garlic and Cherry Tomato Pasta Serving this little supper […]

Wednesday October 27th I’m loving the recipe for local markets this week - Halloween is such a great time of year.. I think pumpkin goes great with those warming spices such as ginger, garlic, chilli or cumin… I’ve adapted this from Global Gourmet Pumpkin and Coconut soup 1 medium (peeled and cubed) pumpkin – remember to cut […]

I’m not sure if I should even call this a recipe as it contains so few ingredients!! I rarely use oil in cooking but sometimes you want that crispy taste and with crispy kale - it goes perfectly. I find a great way of getting extra vegetables into my diet (making sure I’m getting as […]

Tuesday 20th July Even though the weather hasn’t been great, I still find that most evenings I just want a tasty salad for dinner. They are so quick and easy to make and involve little or no preparation. I came up with this the other day for dinner. Courgettes are an excellent source of Manganese […]

The markets and vegetable shops are just bursting with greens at the moment and they are all so fresh and tasty… I’ve recently joined the Kinsale Community Growers scheme which is the next best thing to growing your own! Each week I get a box of everything that has grown that week and this week […]

Wednesday 23rd June Sometimes I forget that making a quick healthy meal is so easy and tasty. People think that it needs hours of preparation.. no it doesn’t! What it does need is planning so that when you open the cupboard or fridge there are plenty of options. I had this simple side salad for […]

More than Just a Salad Prepared salads feature a lot in supermarket shopping baskets. People often feel relatively satisfied that they are buying a healthier option, but there are a few things to watch out for. Firstly are the salad leaves. Try to pick salad leaves that have washed in spring water only or buy […]

Wednesday 26th May I keep meeting Mary Kay at the Kinsale Farmers Market and sampling all her lovely food. I trained with Mary Kay in Ballymaloe Cookery School and since then she has gone and set up her own bakery and sells at many of the markets around Cork. Personally I think her range is […]

Thursday, May 20th Check out my article in the Cork Independent on how to eat real food this summer by making all of your meals yourself! http://www.corkindependent.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/eat-real-food-this-summer/ Tomato sauce Serves 4 400g of cherry tomatoes - halved 2 medium red onions – finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic –finely chopped A handful of fresh basil […]

Monday - May 17th I was over at a friend’s place for dinner last night and I felt a silent revolution happening! There has been a real move over the past few years to ‘grow your own’, with community gardens and allotments popping up all over the country. There has also been a large increase […]

Wednesday 20th April Even if it starts getting a little cooler, you can still have salad but just make them a little warmer!! This is perfect for the bright evening and I’d place a fillet of salmon under the grill for 5 minutes each side and place it on top of this for a full […]

Thursday 8th April Check out my gorgeous butternut squash recipe in this week’s Cork Independent. I’m having it as part of my healthy eating plan, for lunch today as I think its just lovely. I’ve just baked up some rosemary and cheese scones to with it - perfect late afternoon lunch. http://www.corkindependent.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/foods-that-help-with-treating-eczema/ By the way, […]

150g of broccoli (a small head) 150g savoy cabbage 1 leek 2 spring onions 1 inch root ginger (grated) 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 tablespoon tamari (or other soy sauce) 2 tblsp Mirin Some freshly cracked pepper Cut all the veggies and set aside for 5 mins to allow the health promoting properties to […]

Half a small red cabbage 2 beetroots 70g cashews 70g raisins Dressing 4 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil 2 tblsp vinegar (whatever you have) 1 teaspoon honey Salt and freshly cracked pepper Wash and peel beetroot and place in a little water and steam for 30 mins. this should soften the beetroot slightly but it should still […]

Friday, March 12th The cookery demo in Brennan’s went really well last night and I was reminded of how its the basics that are important in terms of cooking and health eating. We really need to keep it simple, seasonal and tasty so the idea of venturing off the track of healthy eating is inconceivable!!! […]

Hey All Here is a comment from one of my latest home based healthy eating cooking demos: I think it’s a great thing for families to do together. Since the demo Mum has been over to my house and we have been food shopping together discussing the whole concept of healthy eating etc Let me […]

Healthy Eating recipes: Roast Root Vegetables Salad Try this as a warm salad with some chopped up leftover meat from the night before, a great healthy eating meal. 2 beetroots 2 parsnips 2 carrots 2 small sweet potatoes 1 inch root ginger - grated Salt and pepper to taste Chopped parsley Selection of salad leaves Pre […]

Healthy Eating recipes : Spiced Cauliflower soup I made this healthy eating soup for a family dinner this weekend and I thought it was yummy - not sure about the colour though - turmeric seems to give everything this off yellow colour - this is where lashings of chopped coriander comes in!! A great part […]

Healthy Eating recipes: Asian steamed Broccoli I’m introducing another taste here which is good for healthy eating vegetables. Firstly, Thai fish sauce is a great flavour to add to any stir fries, curries or Asian dishes. Unusual on its own (to say the least) but its great when it works with other flavours. It keeps […]

Healthy Eating recipes: Chinese Green Salad The vegetables are lightly cooked (the best method for healthy eating) and then covered in the dressing straight away to ensure that the flavours are absorbed. Mikawa Mirin is available from all good food stores and some supermarkets and is great for stir fries – its a match made in […]

Pumpkin and Rocket Gnocchi I just love these tasty gnocchi from the cookbook ‘Soup and Beyond’ and I think they are great with just a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil and some grated Parmesan. One little tip is take out a little extra rocket and nibble it while you are cooking these. The bitter […]

Healthy Eating recipes: Spicy Pumpkin Soup This is a great winter warming healthy eating soup and is just so tasty. If you are going to have it as a meal, its great as a lunch at work or when you get home late from work and don’t have much time, then always add a little […]