Hello and welcome to my kitchen…From having a glut of green bananas for the last two weeks it seems watermelon is now on the menu this week…Although I like watermelon I don’t love it…It tends to be too sweet for me…which is why I love the pickled watermelon rinds the best…

Who knew you could pickle watermelon rinds…? Ronit did and that was where I first discovered how to pickle them…

I am all for using the whole part of a vegetable or fruit as although yes you can compost fruit and vegetable peelings I  however much prefer to use what I can before I do that…

Did you know? You can dry and grate an avocado pit?

Kitchen Waste Tip ( 1)

Avocado pits are dried then grated with a fine grater and used in enchilada sauce. This is a traditional ingredient in parts of Northern Mexico. Don’t use too much about 1 1/2 teaspoons should do the trick or you will make the sauce bitter.

Why? The health benefits of avocado and its pit are legendary and manyfold…

Prefer a smoothie? 

1/2 a dried pit(enough) for 2 persons, the flesh of the avocado, green apple and cucumber and blitz for a healthy smoothie…

Prefer tea? 

Dry the pit and break it down using a spice blender. Add a tablespoon of this powder to a cup of hot water and drink it slowly.

We love Indian Curry as much as we love a Thai curry…This week we thought as we had some bell peppers to use we would make our version of a Jalfrezi.

Chicken Jalfrezi.

Ingredients:

500 gm of chicken skin removed and cut into cubes.

For marinade:

• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and either grated or as I do I blitz it together with the garlic.
• 4-6 pieces of garlic peeled and grated.
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp of garam masala powder
• Salt to taste.

For the vegetable mix:

• 200 gm of onions peeled and thickly sliced or chopped
• 1-2 green chillies sliced
• 250 gm fresh tomatoes quartered
• 2 tbsp ghee/oil
• Salt to taste.

For cooking curry gravy:

• 2 tbsp Ghee/oil
• 1/2-1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp tomato paste

Mix the ginger, garlic turmeric, garam masala powder and salt together. Coat the chicken and marinate for 2-3 hours.

To cook the jalfrezi heat your ghee in a wok then add your sliced onions, chillies, peppers and salt and stir fry for 5 minutes.

Add your tomato wedges and cook until the onions are translucent and the tomatoes half-cooked about 10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set to one side.

Add 2 tbsp of ghee and heat then add your chicken pieces..sometimes I use legs or thighs. Cook on high heat for 5 mins, stirring.

Add the chilli powder and the tomato puree. lower the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked. If it is too dry add some water we prefer a thinner sauce rather than thick and dry. Add the vegetables and cook for 5-10 mins.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary…You can also add yoghurt/cream if using…If using a low-fat yoghurt rather than full-fat yoghurt then make sure the yoghurt is at room temperature or add some of the sauce to the yoghurt before adding back to the pan. Low-fat yoghurt can curdle.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice, mango chutney and flatbread or nan bread.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Waste Tip(2)

 

Orange Peel Marinade

Dry your orange peels and then blitz to a powder…

For chicken…mix some of the powder with soy sauce and honey.

For a stew…mix some orange powder with cinnamon, rosemary and thyme.

For crumble… Add some orange powder to your topping before cooking or add to the fruit mixture.

N.B… Make sure you only dry the zest/rind remove the white pith as it will make your powder bitter.

You can also make powder with lemon or limes…great with fish marinades…

We are now in February…Did you opt and participate in Veganuary? Many people did and it was far more successful than originally thought…I didn’t although I did cut down on meat …we already eat a lot of fruit and vegetables …I have increased my purples though, Purple sweet potatoes, purple carrots, aubergines, beetroot and red cabbage and added some blueberries to my bread pudding…

The dairy industry is much maligned and is fighting back…They have decided to up the ante and we now have Februdairy…

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-42990941

Of course, we could take the middle ground and look at becoming a flexitarian …Personally, that is more me and us as a family…After all, we need a healthy balanced diet and cutting out a whole food group doesn’t stack up as regards to our health.

What are your thoughts?

I am throwing this out here and inviting comments but ask that you remain polite and factual at all times…xx

Thank you for reading I invite your comments as always 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.

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!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a fabulous weekend xxx