Category Archives: CarolCooks2

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Food and Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – Chinese Chicken/Pork with Water Chestnuts, Quick Pickling and Bread Rolls.

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If you love pickles then I have a couple of different recipes for you using cucumbers, A lovely olive oil bread roll recipe and a couple of meat recipes, especially for those hot days…A nice Beer Butt Chicken…it would go down well with a pint or two….

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine

Good morning form sunny Thailand where the weather is either steaming hot or we have a fierce tropical storm with the loudest thunder I have ever heard in my life.

Well Wimbledon is done and dusted for another year with the men’s title going to Djokovic who was my favourite to win and a new ladies champion…Will she become one of the greats or will she be a one time winner? Nethertheless I will extend a well done and well deserved…

On the political front will the outcome be as predicted and Boris will be the New Prime Minister or will Jeremy pip him at the post? By the time this post is published we will know the answer to that one…

I think it is generally much safer in the kitchen…Don’t you?

Well unless it is me having one of my bad days…which has its upside as I wasn’t…

View original post 1,974 more words

Plastic, Waste and recycling…Latest News…Shoes made from coffee grounds, Plastic eating Mushrooms…

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Monday the start of another new week…and two important days in the Buddhist calendar Asalna Puja Day and Buddhist Lent Day which means for 3 days schools, banks and public offices will be closed and selling alcohol is prohibited… Thais will be celebrating so party time it will be both serious and fun…Asalha Puja Day (Asanha Puja, Asarnha Bucha, Dhamma Day) is a Buddhist festival that occurs on the full moon of the eighth lunar month, which is usually in July. The festival pays homage to the Buddha and commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon and the founding of the Buddha’s Sangha – four noble truths.

Monk sitting

Buddhist Lent Day in Thailand is the day after Asalha Bucha marking the beginning of the three month period where monks stay in their temples with no travelling.

An update on last weeks post…Should children be taught to grow food in school as part of the school curriculum…The Answer was a resounding YES!

The lovely Pete Springer is very proud of his former pupil Melissa and said:

I have to brag about one of my former students, Melissa Applegarth, who is all in when it comes to healthy eating. One of the big projects she is pushing is called The Tower Garden. Here’s the link if you are intrigued, Carol. Melissaapplegarth.towergarden.com… 

Do check the link out it is a very impressive project…

I have been very impressed and heartened about just how many, many innovative people there are who really care about this beautiful world and doing what they can to ensure its survival…

Take DopeKicks…We are a team of entrepreneurs trying to disrupt this very dirty industry with 100% vegan, ecological solutions, made with cool materials and that everyone can afford. We also love cannabis and we think it is one of those super materials that can change the world.

The 1st waterproof Hemp Sneakers ...They need backers but it seems like a good idea…There are many of these projects springing up now and many seem very good …

N.B These hemp sneakers are NOW 1500% funded on Kickstarter: “We wanted to outperform all the other shoes in every category, and that is exactly what we have done.”

The second one is Rens...The Worlds First Waterproof Shoe made from Coffee...Made from the coffee grounds …Circular recycling at work another great Kickstarter idea…

Many people are asking could seaweed be a solution?

What a brilliant idea…

Plastic eating Mushrooms???? Is there no end to all these ideas that are popping up…Looking for solutions does seem to be reaping benefit upon benefit…

Fungi Mutarium mushroom …

 

I love this idea…Circular Fashion …The future remade…

Products designed to be sent back when they’re worn out. Then new products from the material recovered… again and again.. How brilliant is that idea?…

Every year 100 billion new items of clothing are produced while a truck full of clothing is burned, or buried in a landfill every second. Slowing fast fashion down a bit won’t fix it. But when we take the waste material at the end and make new products from it at the start, it changes everything. That’s what is now being done.

 

Dandelions… A weed?… I remember my father making Dandelion Wine and I also remember the neighbours joining him in his shed at the bottom of the garden… I also remember how much he giggled and laughed and remember my mother and the lady next door getting a bit cross with them…I now know why?… Haha

By many called a stubborn weed but also used for years and years in herbal medicines and tasty recipes and teas…

dandelion flowers

 

Image by Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay

 

That’s all for today…We need to think about recycling, reusing and the plastic we use as well as the food we waste…It is too important not to…Buy local think about your carbon footprint and importantly your foods carbon footprint we all have a role to play…

Thank you so much for reading this post and if it made you think THEN please share and or comment on how you deal with plastic and recycling what do you think is the way forward xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx

CarolCooks2…Weekly roundup…Recycling, Recipes, Banana Fertiliser and so much more…

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Where is the time going? My regular readers know the drill…A comfy chair, a drink, settle down time for a good read…Lots of goodies for you this week…A good mix and something for everyone…Well unless you are a rocket scientist…haha.

great reads a weekly roundup lady with electronic reader

The Kombucha scoby is getting fatter and showing some white so I am guessing from what I have been reading that it is happy and doing its thing…Any hints and tips would be gratefully received for this newbie ( hopefully) successful Kombucha brewer…x

To any new readers…Welcome and if I haven’t personally thanked you for the follow it is because either your blog shows as private or your profile doesn’t link to your blog…I do however appreciate the follow…Thank you 🙂

To all those spammers...unlucky if I can block you I will or just get rid…You are not wanted or even read you are wasting precious energy and time…Begone!

Monday’s post was once again...Plastic, recycling any news I think is interesting and I will never run out of ideas…I watched a beautiful programme yesterday about Japan’s Earths, Enchanted Islands and the water which comes down in abundance from the mountains to the rice fields and the villages below …when it reaches this village …where no detergents are used when washing up the scraps are just washed in this beautiful water and each house has a carp pond underneath being bottom feeders they eat all the scraps and the water stays crystal clear as it was from its source it was amazing to watch…Absolutely amazing programme…A simple, effective system…

I explored using banana skins as fertiliser, Growing food without soil and should we be teaching kids how to grow food in schools…The answer was a resounding yes to that and it is happening around the world so many good news stories in the comments which I will go into tomorrow …

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/07/08/plastic-waste-and-recycling-latest-news-seaweed-and-banana-skins/

Eat Smart, Eat Healthily is now starting to reap the benefits for me …I have so much more energy..even in this heat…I am the lightest I have been for many, many years and I can’t believe I have taken this long to get my brain in gear and realise that…Yes, I still enjoy the odd treat…I eat food I love I just watch my portions…The best thing is I can go shopping here as the clothes sizes are smaller than the UK equivalent …I can pick from the racks for the first time in a long time and it is fun…Between my ideas and recipes and Sally’s health tips, I have cracked it…I hope you can too xx

Thai Duck Larb

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/07/09/eat-smart-eat-healthily-recipes-wacky-diet-corner-and-some-commonsense/

I am back! Wednesday every fortnight over at Sally’s….This week I kicked off with measurements as they vary around the world and ingredients as well I still get stumped at times and have to look it up…I kept seeing a stick of butter in the ingredients list …We don’t all know what it is…I didn’t…I do now…So a plea to all you lovely home cooks spare a thought for those of us who may not know what some of your ingredients are…Pretty please…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/07/10/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-the-cookery-column-with-carol-taylor-cooking-terms-weight-conversions-and-foods-names/

Thailand…My home and The Land Of Smiles…I was told today at the market that my Thai was good…Go me…I was certainly smiling at those words…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/07/11/travel-and-traditions-the-land-of-smiles/

Beetroot…One of my favourite vegetables…and it seems many of my readers favourite as well…Please if you have any recipes using beets share with us and I will link back to you…

Red Beetroot with leaves and one cut beet

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/07/12/this-week-in-my-kitchen-beets-week-2-and-kombucha/

Healthy Eating I can’t stress the benefits enough…However, stress can also kill…Of course, it can provide us with thrills and get that adrenaline going…But it can also KILL…Sally is the lady to listen too as she knows her stuff she delivers her knowledge clearly and concisely…She doesn’t( like) me pull any punches she tells it like it is… but leaves the reader feeling positive and knowing what to do…Keeping our heart and other major organs healthy can ensure we have a chance of living a longer life …Worth a read? I think so…x

heart-care-1040248_640

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/smorgasbord-health-column-major-organs-of-the-body-part-three-the-heart-and-stress-connection-by-sally-cronin/

I hope you have enjoyed this post and the variety and found something which you enjoyed or learnt about…Thank you for reading…x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you are all having a great weekend and your week ahead is a joyous one xx

This week in my kitchen…Beets… Buttermilk Bread…

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I am so pleased you have joined me once again for a peek into my kitchen…Welcome…I am still pickling… almost run out of fridge space. I think I need a third fridge maybe one like a wine cooler would be good for pickles and things…What do you think? Bearing in mind I live in tropical climes so much has to be refrigerated…

I have always loved beetroot but it has only been since living here that I have used beetroot in different ways…I had only ever eaten it pickled with a salad…

Beetroot grows here which is good it seems that only the root vegetables that need a frost or cooler which don’t, Beetroot is also very healthy and my new favourite smoothie is Beetroot and Orange…

Red Beetroot with leaves and one cut beet

A little about the beetroot before I show you some recipes…Packed with essential vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, some of which have medicinal properties. They are low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals…

Beets have high water and low-calorie content. Both of these properties are beneficial for weight loss. I wonder if drinking the juice is what has helped kickstart my weight loss now I am drinking it regularly…

What’s more, they are delicious and easy to add to your diet.

Beetroot Chutney…I first made this when we lived in Phuket and had a request from one of our customers who was an Australian who love beets and even have beetroot in their burgers…I mean I love beetroot but in a burger but customers come first so my first foray into beetroot chutney was born and it was a hit and from that day forward on the menu at Sugar Reef…

Homemade beetroot chutney

 

 

Beetroot Chutney:

Ingredients:

  • 1.5k Beetroot.
  • 3 Brown Onions.
  • 3 Apples (Granny Smiths)
  • 450ml Balsamic vinegar.
  • 80ml Fresh Orange Juice.
  • 350gm raw sugar.
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves.
  • 2 large sprigs Rosemary.

Let’s Cook!

Set oven to 200c. Wrap Beetroot in foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Chop Onions and Apples finely, chop cooled Beetroot and put in large pan.

Add remainder of ingredients. Except for Rosemary.

Stir until sugar dissolves, add Rosemary, reduce heat and simmer for at least 1 hr or until mixture thickens slightly. When ready, remove Rosemary and spoon into sterilised Jars.

Store in a cool, dark place and once open refrigerate…Can be added to your burger or eaten with cold meats…

Beetroot Tartare. The first time I made this was for Christmas last year I now make it if we feel we want a light starter or if I want just a starter and a pudding…

Beetroot tartare with capers

Ingredients:

• 160 gm of cooked beetroot.
• 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp of double cream or horseradish cream( our preference)

For Fried Capers:
• 10 capers
• Oil to fry about 3 tbsp.

For the crisp bread:
• 2 very thin slices of stale bread
• 1 tbsp of olive oil.

Let’s Cook!

Make the crispbreads by cutting the bread into squares allow 3 to 4 squares per person.

Heat the grill on its highest setting and put the bread on a tray and drizzle with the oil. Grill on each side for 1-2 mins until crisp and golden being careful not to burn (like I did)

To make the tartare, finely chop half the beetroot and blitz the other half with the olive oil to make a rough paste, and then combine with the chopped beetroot and cream and season to taste.

Rinse the capers and pat dry then heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat add the capers and fry for 30 seconds until they have started to open up then drain on kitchen paper.

Our favourite bakery is still not open it went from opening April to now opening soon and it is July…

So time for me to get baking…Buttermilk Bread…

Homemade Buttermilk bread

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups of lukewarm water.
  • 1 cup of Buttermilk.
  • 1 tbsp quick yeast.
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 6 1/2 cups of unbleached bread flour.

Let’s Bake!

Mix water, buttermilk, yeast, salt, sugar in a bowl. Add the flour. No need to knead..lol

Just combine all the ingredients  together..lightly cover the bowl and leave to rest/rise for 2 hrs.

The bonus of living here is dough rises quickly...I love using yeast now.

You can use the dough immediately, store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

If you are using now preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dust the dough with flour and very lightly knead, shape into a round. Cover and rest for 90 minutes.

Oh, and I made a cut into the top of my dough just like a cross.

Bake in the middle of the oven for approx 40 minutes until golden brown and delicious.

Remove from the oven and brush the top with melted butter.

Leave to cool before slicing.

Enjoy!

I am now going to sort out my Kombucha and get this starter going…More on that next week…

I hope you have enjoyed this week in my kitchen if you have any recipe requests please let me know and I will be happy to find them and try them…x

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have had a creative week and enjoy the weekend xx

The Culinary Alphabet …The Letter Q…

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The culinary alphabet 11th June 2019

It is that time of the month when I am over @Esme’s Salon for my posts on the Culinary Alphabet…Have you visited her new look blog?…. I am trawling through the Culinary Alphabet and today it is the letter Q FOR quince ( they make) lovely jelly and quadriller…Have you heard of that culinary term ???

The quince looks similar to the pear and is bright golden when it is ripe although that creamy white flesh turns into a deep, dusky red colour when it is cooked.

quince jam-276805_640

The quince is high in pectin which makes it perfect for preserves and jellies and that is what I remember my mum making with quinces a lovely jam. Raw it has a tart, astringent taste and the smell is likened to that of a tropical fruit it is also packed with Vitamin C.

Quadriller

Is a term used for crosses cut on food for food presentation.

Queso

Queso Blanco is Spanish and is unaged fresh cheeses made from cows milk although sometimes goats milk is added to the mix it is also said that it is known in some cases to be the cause of food poisoning.

Quail

The Quail is a small ground resting game bird which is very popular in French cuisine and often seen on TV cooking shows looking very fancy. Part of the peasant family the Common Quail has been replaced by the domesticated Japanese Quail as the bones in a quail are small they are commonly eaten and not removed from the carcass. The quail is very popular in Thailand and often found on the street markets here…Roasting away and very delicious.

Quail’s Eggs

Quails eggs are something of a delicacy and often made into small scotch eggs on posh menus.  Here they are classed as street food and sold fried and served with fish sauce and are one of my favourite snacks.

To read the rest of the post Click Here

Thank you so much for reading my posts.  I do hope you have enjoyed them if you have please share on your favourite social media and thank you to Esme who hosts me every month. xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

MeWe

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all are having a great weekend and have a creative week ahead xx

 

 

Healthy Eating…Eat Smart…Lemongrass Salad…

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Good morning…I hope all of you who celebrate Easter have had a great one…I hope you have enjoyed the Easter goodies, Hot Cross Buns and Easter eggs…I don’t think now there are any official holidays and celebrations before Christmas where copious amounts of Chocolate are on sale …Are there???

Then let’s begin our healthy eating in earnest… But before we do let’s just take a minute to remember all those poor souls who lost their lives, limbs or a loved one(s) in the Easter bombings…Pray for universal Peace…

Lighted candles

Photo credit: abitarroza on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Nelson Mandela…No One is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, background or religion. People learn to hate and if they can learn to hate they can learn to love…

Eat Smart…Now to the way forward… Luckily (as) I really did fancy an easter egg…There are not any for sale here…My weight loss so far so good…It was the 5th February that I stopped drinking alcohol and the soda which went with it also the biscuits with my morning tea which I changed to green tea as biscuits are not the same dunked in Green Tea…Are they? I also stopped the haribos and any processed food although I didn’t eat much-processed food as I cook from scratch…

The results so far...It is 11 weeks without a drop of alcohol…Do I miss it actually honestly …No!…I have had a visit from my son and we went out and about and I didn’t waver…

Total weight loss is 6.6 kg ( 14.5 lb) approx just over a lb a week…Which I am happy with it is a steady loss and I feel much better…I am walking more although the heat is a killer I have to go earlier in the day than normal as it gets too hot…I am also sleeping much I am not waking up with those palpitations I was getting…I do believe if we listen to our bodies they do tell us when we need to take action and I feel far more awake and lively…

Thai Lemon grass Salad…Yum Takrai

Thai Lemongrass Salad with tamarind dip

I personally love this salad it is so fresh and vibrant, you could leave out the dried shrimp if you really eat no meat or fish products, slightly different taste but still good as if I don’t have any to hand then I leave them out.

Yum Takrai (Spicy Lemongrass Salad)

  • 15 stalks fresh lemongrass.
  • 1⁄4 cup finely chopped ginger
  • 2 tbsp. toasted cashews
  • 2 tbsp. whole dried shrimp
  • 1 1⁄2 tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 1⁄2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1/2-1 1⁄2 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tbsp. whole dried shrimp, finely ground
  • 4-6 red Thai chillies stemmed and thinly sliced
  • 2 shallots, very thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 3 raw stemmed long beans, cut into 4″ pieces for garnish.

Let’s Cook!

Trim and slice lemon grass very finely. Transfer lemongrass slices to a medium bowl, separate rings with your fingers. Add ginger, cashews, shrimp, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, ground shrimp, Thai chiles, and shallots, and toss well. Garnish with long beans. Serve on Banana Leaf or Betel Leaf as in my picture.
Serve with steamed jasmine rice or cauliflower rice if eating Gluten free.
We also serve with a tamarind sauce made by combing 3 tbsp tamarind pulp with cup water in a small pan, bring to boil and simmer 5 mins.
Remove from heat and stand 15 mins you can help break tamarind down with a spoon, strain through sieve extracting as much liquid as possible.
Add 2cm peeled finely chopped ginger and 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, 11/2 tbsp palm sugar,2 tsp fish sauce,1 tbsp chilli/garlic sauce and 1 tsp soy sauce to tamarind liquid. Bring to boil, simmer 5 mins.
Whisk 1 tbsp cornflour with little water whisk into sauce cook 1 min or until thickens.
Taste and adjust seasoning add more sugar if required.
Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
I hope you enjoy this little salad, if you love Thai food then please have a look around my blog for more authentic Thai Recipes.
Smartwatch Corner.
smart phone and watch
My morning message today was “You slept for 7 hrs 40 mins last night. Your sleep quality was good”
I don’t get that message every day but it is amazing how much your sleep actually varies…But I am getting more similar type messages when I get a good night’s proper sleep and I am getting to know why and how my lifestyle and eating habits reflect on my sleep. and the quality
The  benefits of a good nights sleep are:
1. Lower risk of diabetes…people who get enough sleep (seven to eight hours) per night have the lowest risk of diabetes.
2. Lower risk of heart disease…seven to eight hours lowers your risk…It does seem to be the magic figure as less as well as higher increases that risk.
3. Your mood improves …I think we all know that one when we are deprived of sleep we get a little grouchy don’t we?
4. Improved focus and concentration…No surprises here is there?
5. Lower Blood Pressure…Other factors like food and salt come into play but so does sleep…
6. Fewer stress hormones… Cortisol levels out of sync can cause health problems like headaches and heart disease…Stress is one of the biggest causes…A study in the journal Sleep showed lack of sleep increased cortisol the following evening…Getting a good nights sleep showed no such increase.
7. Improved memory… While asleep your body performs miracles and the body and brain heal and restores themselves…I find the science behind all this fascinating.
8. Better muscle repair…Doctors induce sleep in patients with certain injuries to help them heal faster particularly with brain injuries also bodybuilders know the benefits of sleep
9. Improved creativity…REM Sleep is when we dream…After REM sleep our creativity improves…
Sleep and its benefits now hold a fascination for me…Personally, I am feeling much better for being aware of how long I sleep and the stages

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then I bid you welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/ 

MeWe is a new social media and one which many of us are turning to mainly migrating over to as FB has banned many of my friends and for what seems no good reason that we can see I hope you will join us there.

MeWe: mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3

Last chance to vote if you want to vote for me and your other favourite blogs the Bloggers Bash annual award voting is live but only just... until the 24th April which is tomorrow so please if you haven’t already voted for your favourites then please do as there are some great blogs who writers have been nominated…

bloggers-bash-logo

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all are having a great Easter holiday xx

CarolCooks2…Weekly roundup…Jackfruit, Jerk Fish, Bioplastics, Intermittent Fasting and more…

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My doesn’t time fly when you are having fun? Welcome to my weekly roundup if you have missed any posts  …Take a pew, grab a drink, settle down and enjoy!

great reads a weekly roundup lady with electronic reader

There is something for everyone this week…Who enjoyed their pancakes? I sure did and had maple syrup and lime juice on mine…

I am kicking all those foods out that have little nutritional value in my healthy eating plan and focusing on things which have more nutritional value …Like a pancake…What does it contain?  Eggs, milk, maple syrup, lime juice, grass-fed butter…5 out of 6 sounds good to me…In moderation…I thoroughly enjoyed mine…

After my weekly roundup, it was over to Sally’s where again there was something for everyone from how to cook the perfect roast dinner, numerology, book reviews, music and so much more…Enjoy!

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/03/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-weekly-round-up-estate-agent-code-gardening-roast-dinners-numerology-italian-cookery-editing-music-and-books-galore/

Now it’s time for pancake recipes…From the Shrove, Tuesday pancake remembered from my childhood to the Traditional Thai pancakes…

 

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/04/pancake-day-5th-march-aka-shrove-tuesday-mardi-gras-or-fat-tuesday/

The myths around intermittent fasting and the do’s and dont’s uncovered…simplified…

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https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/05/healthy-eating-intermittent-fasting/

The new series from Sally and myself over at Smorgasbord Magazine…Healthy Eating and cooking from scratch the essential Vitamins explained…In this issue Vitamin B1.

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/smorgasbord-health-column-with-sally-cronin-and-carol-taylor-cook-from-scratch-to-prevent-nutritional-deficiency/

Waste Not! Want Not! This week I looked at the good news about bioplastic…How agave, corn and avocado waste are being utilised…

 

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/07/waste-not-want-not-week-14-waste-to-bioplastics/

Lent something I have always observed since a child…Who remembers making the palm crosses?

What will it be this year? I think we need to get creative and one of the comments was giving up holding grudges I thought that was brilliant …What will you be giving up?

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/07/lent-a-40-day-fast-what-will-you-be-giving-up/

Rounding off the week by joining me in my kitchen…Grandad loved his organic homegrown radishes which Lily brought him they were lovely and hot as a radish should be…

https://carolcooks2.com/2019/03/08/week-10-in-my-kitchen/

Thank you for reading I hope you now feel refreshed and enthused and ready to enjoy  a wonderful weekend  xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

More and more of my blogging friends have joined me on MeWe…A social media site which is fairly new and which promises much without the restrictions some other social media sites are choosing to impose on many of us…Join me if you will on  mewe.com/i/caroltaylor3 

 

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://carolcooks2.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great weekend xx