I love crêpe pancakes! They are one of my favourite treats that I can enjoy guilt-free. I love just throwing ingredients together and seeing what happens and this recipe was exactly that, throwing together these ingredients made such a lovely and healthy crêpe for the whole family to enjoy.
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I was recently sent some products from Crosta & Mollica to try and review. These included Crosta & Mollica Classic Piada and Wholemeal Piada. If you know me and read my blog you know just how much I love to try new foods. This was my first time trying a Piada and oh my, they were very delicious indeed.
If you love Turkish cuisine you would of come across many different types of börek and fillings. This is one of my favourite types of börek, Sigara Böreği. It is a filo pastry or in Turkish it is known as Yufka, which is rolled like a cigarette, filled with cheese and parsley. These beauties can be enjoyed hot or old and usually as a Meze or as a snack. I make these in advance and put them in my freezer so whenever I feel I want some I can take them out and cook them fresh.
You may come across different recipes for Sigara Börek but I always keep it simple and they are so moreish you just want to keep eating them.
Traditionally this type of börek is made with a soft white cheese like feta but you can use grated halloumi (Turkish Cypriots like to mix feta and halloumi together) either option tastes amazing. Yufka is a little bit thicker than your usual filo pastry so if you can't find Yufka in your local Turkish shop or Middle Eastern food shops you can use filo pastry, you may need a couple of sheets at a time to stop it from splitting.
INGREDIENTS
1 packet of Yufka, triangular are best, if not cut them
200 ml of Olive Oil or Sunflower Oil
200g Turkish White Cheese or Feta
1/4 Fresh Parsley, about the size of a handful, finely chopped
Milk or Egg Wash
METHOD
In a small mixing bowl, break up the cheese and add the chopped parsley and with a fork mash/mix the two together until all the cheese is soft
Using a chopping board, lay out a yufka sheet
Using a tablespoon spoon a small amount of mixture and place onto the wide end of the pastry (not too close to the ends)
Fold in the bottom corners in and roll the pastry into a cigar (try not to roll too loose) use a little water to wet down the point at the end of the roll
Place onto a plate and repeat until you run out of mixture
TIP: When using filo pastry/ yufka remember to cover the left overs well and put it in the fridge to keep it fresh and use within a couple of days
Before frying, brush the pastries with the milk or egg wash
In a large frying pan heat the olive oil on a medium heat for a few minutes and slowly add the pastries
Make sure you turn them frequently to get an even golden colour, and serve hot.
Other filling suggestion are spinach and feta, minced lamb or beef with tomato pureè, onions and fresh or dried herbs or even cooked sausages, like a turkish style sausage roll.
I hope you like this recipe, let me know what you think.
Enjoy!
Love & Light
Recently I was sent some protein milkshake drinks from UFIT which I have reviewed here & here. They also sent me this product to try, Collagen+ Beauty Milk milkshake. I was more than happy to try this product as my skin lacks collagen and scars really easily, so I was willing to try anything that would boost my collagen levels.
Lahmacun is a round shaped flatbread-style pizza with spicy lamb or beef mince which is a traditional meal enjoyed in Turkey, North Cyprus and Turkish communities around the world, served with fresh lemon and salad which is rolled up and enjoyed.
On Sunday I organised an Afternoon Tea Hen Party for my sister at Rowhill Grange Hotel & Utopia Spa in Kent. This place is a lovely hidden gem tucked away in the Kent countryside with beautiful gardens and a beautiful 19th Century Victorian Manor house, this venue is perfect for weddings, weekends away and even Spa days.
Continuing on from my post Santorini - Our Villa my travel diary continues onto Where to Eat.
I love Greek food it is very similar to Turkish food and growing up eating a variety of Mediterranean dishes it has always been my favourite to indulge in a meaty dish with a side of salad and tzatziki/cacik with warm homemade pitta bread. I have travelled to a lot of the Greek islands and have never been disappointed with the selection of food on offer and Santorini didn't disappoint.
Recently I was sent a sample package to review, which included a variety of products by UFIT, a high protein drink brand. They aim to reach people that are looking for a healthier snack alternative for a healthy lifestyle and that is great for on the go.
I recently took a beginners Cake Decorating Class which lasted for six weeks on a Tuesday evening. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen some of the bits I made in class each week. If not then here is a little post sharing my cake decorating journey and how I got on in my classes.
Recently I decided to do a 14 day Teatox using BOOTEA. This was the first time I had ever done anything like this before, I've never even done a diet. Firstly, I chose BOOTEA because it is a brand I have seen and heard of a lot over the years so I decided that I would use their 14 Day Teatox for my first try. My decision to do a teatox was not to lose weight but to have a full cleanse and detox in my body.
I eat healthy all the time (if you follow my Instagram and Instagram Stories you will know by how many food photos I post!) and I exercise 2-3 times a week, so I have a balanced and healthy lifestyle and eating habits. This is recommended before starting a teatox to see the best results and it is a good habit to get into, I feel amazing for it. Check out my My Top Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle post for some great tips and suggestions.
The BOOTEA 14 Day Teatox kit is £19.99, I got mine from Boots while doing a toiletry shop. I did wait a while before I started as I wanted to be 100% sure I wanted do the detox.
The kit came with two bags, one had 14 daytime teabags and the other had 7 bedtime teabags. The daytime teabags were to be drunk as soon as or just after waking and to be brewed in nearly boiling water for 3 minutes. The bedtime teabags were brewed the same but drank every other night starting on the first day of the teatox.
In case you are wondering what the teabags are, here is the list of ingredients of each teabag.
The daytime teabags:
Oolong tea
Yerba Mate
Ginger
Lemongrass
Fennel
Danelion Leaf
Siberian Ginseng
Nettle
Gotu
The bedtime teabags:
Peppermint
Fenugreek seeds
Psyllium Seeds
Liquorice
Burdock root
Hawthorn leaves
Dessicated Coconut
So here is how I got on..
WEEK 1
I drink a variety of herbal teas daily so knowing that I had to drink these every day was no issue for me. These teabags were slightly more pungent than my normal herbal teas and the night time ones tasted even more sour; but that was nothing a quarter teaspoon of honey couldn't sort out. I drank the daytime tea within the first half hour of waking every morning. After the first day I noticed that I looked less bloated (I usually get bloated when eating any carbs and some fruits) and even after meals my stomach didn't looked bloated at all.
The bedtime tea, at first was difficult to drink as the taste was very strong but I did get used to it after a few days.
On the second day I noticed upon waking that my stomach looked "flatter" and this actually continued on for the full 14 days of the teatox.
After 7 days I weighed myself and I had lost 2 lbs which surprised me as my aim wasn't to lose weight. My waistline also looked slimmer and overall I was very impressed with the results I was seeing.
WEEK 2
Continuing my teatox into the second week I was very positive at what my end result would be as I felt good and full of energy. However, on day 11 I started to notice some stomach cramping and mood changes. I developed regular stomach cramps like I've never experienced before (and I suffer from IBS!) I was feeling full really quickly when I ate and actually lost my appetite by day 12. On day 13 (sorry to be so graphic but I want to be honest here) I wasn't able to go to the toilet. Now, I usually drink at least 2 litres of water a day and eat very good and whole foods so this was not normal for me. I however continued to finish the final day 14 and it wasn't until the following day when I had not drank anymore tea that my stomach cramps had disappeared completely. A few days later I got my appetite back and felt normal again.
Overall I lost 4 lbs and physically saw a reduction in my waistline so this Teatox obviously works but at what cost?! After talking to a few friends and colleagues, who had also done this exact teatox, it surprised me that they too had the same symptoms of cramping, trapped wind and constipation towards the end of their teatox.
Now I'm wondering was it really worth me putting myself through those painful last few days just to lose a few pounds that I know I could do on my own with changing my food portions and more exercise?!
I personally WON'T be doing this BOOTEA teatox again but it hasn't put me off trying alternate styles or brands of teatox as maybe some of the ingredients in these teabags really didn't agree with my body.
Have you tried the BOOTEA teatox? What did you think? If you have any alternative teatox recommendations please leave them in the comments, thank you - Pinar
Love & Light
I love burgers and if it is a healthy burger then even better! I love making homemade burgers, like I have said before on my post Quick & Easy Beef Burgers, I prefer homemade burgers to shop bought ones as I know what I am adding into the mixture.
This Turkish dish is similar to the one that I would eat when I was a young child and before I made this I hadn't eaten it for many years. So in true Turkish style I threw in all the ingredients I thought would make up the recipe and voila! it was pretty damn close and tasted so scrumptious.
Last Friday night Hubby and I went out for a Date Night dinner to a local restuarant, Alberello, an Italian Restaurant in Bexley Village, Bexley. Alberello is a family run business serving lots of delicious traditional Italian cuisine. The last time we ate at this restuarant was 6 years ago, before we got married and had children. We had such a lovely evening with great food and brilliant service and a chance to have some husband and wife time, as 'date nights' are rare for us.
I would highly recommend this restaurant if you love Italian food. Both the food and service was exceptional, we had a bread basket to start while searching the menu trying to decide what delicious dish to pick. We both decided on a fish dish to start, Stuart had Mussels in a garlic sauce and I had fried Calamari with a wedge of lemon and Tartar sauce.
For our main meal, Stuart had the 'Special of the Day', Veal Chop cooked at the Chef's recommendation of medium. I had a very succulent grilled Sirloin Steak cooked medium well done. Both dishes were served with a selection of homemade Cauliflower Cheese, Green Beans and Roast Potatoes. I can honestly say that this steak was by far one of the best steaks I have ever eaten, it was cooked to perfection, it was lovely and tender to eat and the Cauliflower Cheese was something else. I can be very fussy eating meat when out at a restuarant and this was definitely a good choice.
For dessert, (because it would be rude not too!) the dessert cart was wheeled to our table (it is hard to say no when you see all those yummy desserts staring at you!) We got two different desserts to share. We chose the Italian Berry Cheesecake, as it is my favourite type of cheesecake and Profitoroles, which were two giant profiteroles filled with ice cream and covered in a light chocolate cream.
We had a lovely evening at Alberello, here are a few snaps of our delicious food...
Now I will admit I have pancakes more than once a year, they are by far my favourite breakfast of all time. I usually make them on a special occasions like a family members birthday and the children love it as a treat for breakfast once in a while.
A little while ago I wrote a post on my recipe for Zeytinli / Olive Bread which is a favourite of mine, so I thought I would add a recipe for Hellimli / Halloumi Bread; because who doesn't like halloumi and bread?!
I really do enjoy a nice warm vegetable soup for lunch during the colder months. Making your own soup gives you the freedom to use whatever ingredients you want and it doesn't have to take hours to cook. Two of my favourite vegetables are courgettes and peppers so I thought I would make a yummy afternoon soup for me and the kids using some of the left over vegetables in the fridge.
These Philadelphia Stuffed Peppers are a great dish to serve on its on or as a side to a chicken dish. The cooking time is a little long but the preparation time is quick and easy. My mum used to make these and now I make them for my children. This is a quick and healthy dish for all the family to enjoy together.
Recently I was sent a lovely selection of Polish food from Polish Village Meals. I have always enjoyed trying new cuisines, as I grew up eating a lot of Turkish food and have always appreciated different flavours. This was my first time trying Polish food, so I was very excited and intrigued to try the meals I had been sent.
This meal is a perfect winter dish for the whole family which is really easy to make. This is also a good dish to make and freeze for a later date or great to reheat any left overs for lunch or dinner the next day.
Last night the whole family went out for dinner in celebration of my Mum's birthday. We surprised her and took her to a restaurant she had never been to before, one that we had all been to and enjoyed before.
The Meze Turkish Grill in Bexleyheath is our closest Turkish restaurant (yes, even though we are Turkish we still like to go out for turkish food!) Hubby and I first ate here with friends in the Summer of 2015 when I was pregnant with our second and we had such a lovely time.
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