A Catch Up

We held our January meeting at the Cancercare Centre in Kendal, as we were unsure of weather conditions at this time of year.

Our grant has now been received and banked for the coming year, we have decided to discuss further, our future intentions for the group prior to purchasing the computer etc. During 2013 we did raise sufficient funds to contribute to Cancercare for the use of their Meeting Room, and purchase mobile phone credit & stationery for 2014.

We do however, need to encourage more members to join us, as we are only a small group at present. Further advertising etc. is to be arranged during 2014.

Our main topics of conversation in January was the agenda for the coming year. It was decided that a Thai Cookery Class would be arranged for February with a friend of Bab's called Helen Pateman.

We arranged to meet for lunch at Wilf's Cafe in Staveley in March which has a good selection of vegetarian meals.

Unfortunately, I was unavailable to go ito the April meeting due to holiday commitments but, Afternoon Tea was to be arranged for those available.

Living in the Lake District we can always find an activity to suit all our members and we aim to get out and about whenever possible.

Thai Cooking In February

We had an extremely interesting cooking experience with Helen teaching the group to cook Thai food for our evening meal. It was explained that a large number of vegetarians prefer Thai Cookery recipes due to the ingredients being mainly vegetables and spices. We did however, use chicken in a few dishes but these could have been prepared without meat. 

It was interesting to note that all the ingredients used were fresh and the preparation time took longer than the actual cooking time. So ideal for entertaining.

I particularly enjoyed the Spring Rolls which took very little time to prepare but, were delicious and much better than the frozen variety! So you now know how many times I have actually made these.

Many thanks to Helen for her patience!

I have provided the following recipes for you to try.

PAD THAI

Ingredients

125g Rice noodles
3 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp light muscovado sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tsp vegetable oil
200g cooked & peeled tiger prawns, tails left on
4 spring onions sliced
140g beansprouts
25g salted peanuts freshly chopped
a small handful of coriander leaves

To Serve: 1 or 2 lime wedges & sweet chilli sauce

Method

Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold running water.
Put the lime juice, cayenne, sugar and fish sauce in a bowl and mix well. Have all the rest of the ingredients ready next to the cooker.
Heat the oil and fry the prawns until warm through. Add spring onions and noodles and toss around. Tip in the lime juice mixture, then stir in the bean sprouts and half the peanuts and coriander. Cook for 1 minute until everything is heated through.
Pile into a large dish, scatter the rest of the peanuts and coriander, and serve with lime wedges and chilli sauce.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

140g soba or wholewheat noodles

100g beansprouts

2 pak choi , leaves separated

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

juice 1 lime, plus wedges to serve

4 spring onions, sliced 

1/2 bunch of mint roughly chopped

For the broth

1 roast chicken carcase and wings

thumb size piece of ginger, bashed and sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 spring onions, sliced

5 peppercorns

Method

To make the broth, place the chicken carcase and wings in a large pan, cover with cold water, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hour.

Strain the chicken broth into a clean pan. Carefully pick out any pieces of chicken and return them to the broth. Put the broth back onto the heat and bring back to boil.

Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes until tender, then stir in the beansprouts, pak choi, red chilli. soy sauce, honey and lime juice adding the squeezed lime halves to the pot too. Can be frozen at this point. Cook for 2 minutes more. Ladle into soup bowls, scatter over spring onions and mint leaves, and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

I like the idea this can be frozen so can be made in advance for guests.

Helen very kindly gave us her recipes which we cooked on the day.

Green Curry

For green curry paste (for veggies, leave out fish sauce and use salt or soy sauce)

Half medium onion, 1 garlic clove, 3 fresh green chillies, 1 dessert spoon fresh coriander and stalks

1 inch fresh lemon grass, 1 lime leaf, blend in processor until smooth.

Method

Fry green paste in oil with chicken breast

Add one can coconut milk and dessert spoon fish sauce, then one chicken stock cube and 1 dessert spoon of sugar.

Simmer until cooked and add fresh basil leaves, bamboo shoots, red chillies to taste and chopped fresh green beans.

Spring Rolls

For the mix inside

Fine vermicelli noodles or glass noodles soaked for 5 minutes,

Take 2 shredded carrots, 1 garlic clove minced and quarter of a cabbage shredded.

Fry gently until soft, add half teaspoon of turmeric and dash of salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar and a little dry veg stock.

Allow to cool and add noodles.

Place about a dessert spoon of mix into the centre of the spring roll pastry and shallow fry for 4-5 mins on medium heat

Pad Thai

Soak flat rice noodles – half a pack in warm water until al dente.

In a large wok, heat 2 dessert spoons of oil until smoking, add chicken or veg with one clove of garlic and fry for 2 mins until cooked.  Add one egg plus teaspoon of crushed peanuts, 2 chopped spring onions, tofu (if want for veggies) chopped and all the drained noodles.

Keep turning and add 10 dashes lemon juice, 10 dashes of fish or soy sauce, one and half dessert spoons of sugar, dash of white pepper, 2 teaspoons of dry chicken stock.

Cook until noodles begin to stick together and add beansprouts, add a little water last min, turn and serve, topped with chopped coriander/slice of lime if wish

Ladies who Lunch at Wilf's Cafe in Staveley - March 

This cafe is well known and used by local residents within the area. It provides good food in a tranquil, riverside setting with decking overlooking the River Kent, as well as plenty of room inside for when the weather is less than kind. (Dog friendly too!)

The cafe provides all kind of dishes on the menu and has a good selection for vegetarians.

We have been on numerous occasions and never been disappointed.

April Meeting

  

Apparently, the April Meeting had to be cancelled due to several members with hospital appointments, illness or holidays. This is extremely unusual but it was near the Easter Bank Holiday.

Unfortunately, the Vicar had to cancel the Craft Fair at the church which, was also booked for the Easter Saturday due to the lack of interest. We were hoping to sell some of our hand made jewellery but this was not to be! We are now hoping the local hairdresser will be able to sell some on our behalf.

Afternoon Tea at Sedgwick House in May

 

Susie and I decided to invite the group to Sedgwick House for  Afternoon Tea once again and the weather was extremely kind to us.  We were able to use the patio area and eat outside. Members also provided cakes and the afternoon was enjoyed by all. ( I hope!)

Sedgwick House was built in 1869 as a Gentleman's Residence and was converted into 19 apartments in the early 1980's, when Mary Wakefield who is famous in this area for her Music Festivals decided to sell to Lancaster Council.

 Sedgwick House overlooking the Cricket Club 

We would like to welcome new members to our group and as you can see from our blog we like to get out and about. We are hoping to visit the Transport Museum and take a boat trip on Windermere in the near future. We are all treating cancer as being in our past and looking forward to a brighter future!