Returning to London with grey and rainy skies doesn’t sound very exciting. Especially when it seems everyone else in the world is enjoying a bit of fun in the sun.  This is why a hump day activity such as the 32nd edition of Woman Crush Wednesday is key to bringing happiness and sunshine into our world here on Yankee Doodle Paddy!  No offense to the gastronomic guys, but as a chef myself, I’m just trying to give the female foodies some attention.  And what better honoree to shower with love today than the amazing Rozanna Purcell!

I met Roz at the IBA16 Conference and she was as lovely and sweet in person as you would imagine by looking at her gorgeous photos.  She is a Miss Universe Ireland (2010) and a world famous model, but her beauty radiates from inside out.  And her passion for real, whole, natural food is apparent.  Along with her healthy lifestyle of staying fit and active, she is an inspiration to many.  Her blog and her book Natural Born Feeder, are loaded with delicious recipes to keep people on track, especially with the delectable photos!  One look at her instagram and you’ll be drooling too!

When I met her at the IBA16 conference, I gave her one of my S’Mores bars.  I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but she said she is actually an 80/20 eater, meaning she’s mostly good, but allows herself the little treat.  So for today’s recipe, I decided to make one of her treats, the amazing NBF Protein Balls.  While my S’mores bars are in the naughty category, these are nice.  They are packed with goodness and fiber from the chick peas (garbanzo beans), and with the addition of peanut butter I had to give it a go.  The Yankee Doodle part of me gives in to the American obsession with all the nut butters!  Her recipe looks fab and also not too difficult.  Since I am doing the demonstration live on Snapchat (my username is blissbakery), I want to share something that all would feel comfortable re-creating as well.

Ingredients
1 can chickpeas (also called Garbanzo Beans, and  I drained out the liquid)
2 scoops whey protein (about 50 g total)
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tbsp. honey
50g (1/2 cup) Flahavan’s Oats (if you can’t find them, use other oats, preferably organic)
70g Dark chocolate for dunking!- optional

Method
In a food processor blend the oats into a fine flour and place into a medium sized bowl.
Place the chickpeas in the food processor and blend until smooth (we don’t want to give away any idea these are made of chickpeas!)
Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until fully combined (I folded in the oat flour with a rubber spatula at the end)
Using your hands take sections and roll into balls (I placed on a parchment lined tray)
Melt the dark chocolate, dunk the balls into the chocolate and allow to cool. These will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

These NBF Protein Balls turned out amazing.  So moist and nice and chocolate-y.  I love the texture with the ground oats too.  Once the balls had cooled and the chocolate had hardened I also dusted a bit of Green & Black Organic cocoa powder on top.  The recipe actually seems quite adaptable and one could roll the balls in desiccated coconut or chopped pecans.  The options are endless.  I think these would be a nice treat to have when you’re trying to be on the straight and narrow, but still have the urge for a goodie.  You won’t feel deprived at all.  And because they are so healthy you actually feel compelled to eat more!  Ooops!  Self control!

What I really admire about Roz is her honesty about her relationship with food.  Not only when I heard her speak live, but also on her blog, she admits that she wasn’t always healthy.  And while in the past she might have tried every diet imaginable, these days she sticks with whole foods.  Nothing processed, and not a restricted diet either.  She mixes things up with veggie and meat, paleo and raw.  So long as it is pure then it gets the green light.  It is about balance and is what fuels her to keep up her exercise regime.  Not just a fan of the gym, she’s also an avid cyclist!

While she is certainly in the lime light and appears often on television and magazines (as well as having a clothing line), she is down to earth.  Roz is a very caring and generous person.  She’s involved in a number of charitable causes and interweaves that with participating in foodie shows like Come Dine With Me and The Restaurant.  Of course, because she is also a mommy to her lil Jack Russell named Wilko, she has stolen my heart.  Especially since I am missing my girl doggie Stella who is hanging with her friends in Ireland at the moment.  Probably glad she missed my bad singing and dancing  on the tutorial today! LOL!

Thanks Roz for the inspiration! Great balls of fiery love!

YDP

P.S. A little side note that Roz and I have both had our likeness drawn by the incredible Holly Shortall (@hollywoulddublin)!

If there is a foodie heaven, it is here on earth, at this very moment!! The epicenter is Ireland.  This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Ballymaloe Lit Fest, as I mentioned in the last post.  And I also met the amazing Yvette van Boven who is this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday.  Though she won’t be surprised when she finds out.  I mentioned it when I saw her at the Lens and Larder talk in which she participated. This is actually the first time since I started this series that I have told the chef in advance of their honor.  Which to recap, Yankee Doodle Paddy has seen 30 gorgeous gourmet gals grace this blog with their culinary expertise.

What I find so incredible about Yvette is that she is not only a chef and cookery book writer, but also a sought after food stylist, illustrator and magazine contributor.  She is oozing with creativity that is quite inspiring.  Her book Homemade is world famous for its tasty recipes, sensual food photography (by her husband Oof Verschuren), along with whimsical drawings and lettering.  It is beyond just a cookbook, it is an adventure that leaves you wanting more.  Lucky for us she has followed that up with other books just as delectable and there is even a companion notebook to guide the dedicated fans along the journey!

And for today’s #WCW journey I am going to re-create Yvette’s Sweet Potato Soup with Buttered Cashew Nuts recipe. So let’s get to it then shall we?

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced
2 leeks, washed and cut into rounds
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 garlic cloves, chopped
dab of butter
1 glass white wine (236 ml)
4 cups veal or chicken broth also called stock, (946 ml) I used chicken
1 bay leaf
pinch of cayenne pepper, to taste (I didn’t have any so used mild chili powder and some chili flakes)
1 can of tinned (14 oz. or 425 g) chickpeas also called garbanzo beans
a few sprigs of fresh oregano (I couldn’t find any in the shops so I used fresh thyme)
Garnish

4 tbsp. cashews
5 tsp. butter
Sea salt
1 tbsp. crème fraîche per bowl (I used Glensik Greek Yogurt instead)

Instructions:

Braise the onion, leeks, sweet potatoes, and garlic in the butter and add the white wine. Blend in the broth as well as the bay and cayenne pepper. Simmer on low heat for 25 minutes.
Remove half of the vegetables from the pan and purée the other half with a hand blender. Replace the removed vegetables and add the chickpeas and a few leaves of fresh oregano.
Serve the soup in individual large bowls, each with 1 tablespoon cashew nuts (briefly fried in the butter and sprinkled with a little sea salt) and a generous dollop of crème fraîche.

Can I just tell you how delicious this soup is?  I was really delighted with how it turned out and will surely be making it again for my Hubby since he is at home in London as I write this.  I am in Dublin, which if you watch on snapchat you’d know (my username is blissbakery) as I did the tutorial live here in my friend’s house.   Anyway, this soup is light and at the same time filling.  I love the textures in it, with the crunch of the cashew nuts and the chunks of veg.  It isn’t too complicated and can be made in no time at all.  And there’s plenty for a hearty family dinner if served alongside some crusty bread (I served it with sourdough).  Perfect for a nice lunch too. I am a massive fan of sweet potato and it has so many health benefits.

As part of Woman Crush Wednesday, I always make a recipe that I haven’t made before.  So while I have made many of Yvette’s other fab dishes, I especially love her lentil and apple salad, I decided a nice soup was in order since I am in Dublin.  It is the soup capital of the world I think!  Even in summer it can be cold here and having loads of soup recipes in one’s arsenal is important.  So thank you Yvette for providing me with my new fav!

While I don’t have my own copy of her book with me, I do have this photo (below) to share.  I used the book at a foodie themed rehearsal dinner party that I put together for my son and daughter in law.  I used it as one of the centerpieces.  It’s quite substantial and I love the colors of the book cover too.  I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to learn how to make things from scratch but needing the proper guidance.  Yvette goes step by step (and her drawings are very helpful along with the photos) on how to make things such as cheese and ice-cream.

This pic was just a practice one when I was doing a mock up of the table scape, the full story of the party and pics can be found at Koko Likes . But I only include it to share that the LOVE and collaborative friendship I have with my Hubby, and indeed my son and his wife have, reminds me of what Yvette and Oof also embody.  It is something that is so important for a working woman to have, whether a chef, teacher or sales assistant.  Women need support!  The saying, “behind every good man is a good woman” can easily be turned on its head in this instance.  I am sure Yvette’s support from her husband is so vital to her ability to expand and push the boundaries of her work.  And for that I am so grateful to both of them! We all reap the rewards!

So thank you Yvette and also Oof, for your love and passion for food. You are leading the way to a greater appreciation for not only tasty cuisine, but also capturing its natural beauty in pictures.  They will  live long beyond the actual meal that is savored, but the images and recipes will continue to provide inspiration.

Sweet Potato Love!

YDP

P.S. Thanks to my dear friend Ali for allowing me to do my Woman Crush Wednesday tutorial at her home. And also thanks to her dog Puca for putting up with me.

We all love the weekend don’t we?  Sure an average weekend can be filled with errands and chores, but it is also a time to sleep in a bit and let loose with friends without the worry of it being a school night. The dose of fun and relaxation helps keep us going during the work week.  Something to look forward to, which is why Wednesday is coined the hump day. But then there are weekends that are just beyond expectations.  I call them Winning Weekends.  And I am still coming down from the high of my past weekend which was a clear winner with the Dream it, Do it event and the Ballymaloe Lit Fest.

I had already planned to take the ferry over from London to attend the Ballymaloe Lit Fest.  But a massive blessing appeared in my lap when the lovely Nicola Carolan of The Naked Blondie kindly invited me to join her and her partner Fiona Dillon at the Dream It, Do It event at the Dundrum Airfield on Saturday morning.  So I delayed my trip down to Cork and I couldn’t be happier with that decision.  Besides finally meeting Nicola in person (she and I know each other through snapchat) I met so many other amazing people for the first time.  And I was treated to a day of inspirational stories of success and practical advice about blogging among other things.

The event started at 10 am (though I arrived a bit late as I had to get my doggie Stella sorted with a friend) and concluded at 3pm with a lovely lunch in between provided by the Foodie Cafe.  The goodie bags (swag as we call them in Hollywood) were phenomenal with delish foodie treats such as Glenisk yogurts and Cahill cheese.  We also received some beauty items from Dove.  There were laughs, tears, hugs and of course photo opps!  It was the most amazing morning and the beautiful locale only added to the treasured memories I am still savoring!  I was able to spend more time with my Snap Sista Jennifer Byrne of Jen’s Gym Life whom I adore. Finally getting a proper hug from another of my Snap Sistas Jen from Too Dolly Makeup was a treat.  And seeing Sue Jordan from Cherry Sue, Doin’ the Do and her sister Corrina from Stone Travel again after meeting them at the IBA16 was awesome.  I was able to meet the phenom wife/husband duo of My Nutrition Ireland and boy am I looking forward to what is in store there!  And I got to meet fellow snappers Ash from The Dotty Lemon and Tracy Quinn in person just to name a few.  Everyone was so so lovely!  Thank you all for the most wonderful experience. Only my second blogger event but ’twas very special indeed!

As I have mentioned before I attended the Ballymaloe Cookery School back in 2007 and try to go back for visits as often as I can.  I missed the Litfest last year, but was delighted I could go this time.  Especially since Miriam from Bake My Style is currently taking the 12 week course (along with the lovely Yvonne who was a student in my cookery classes in Dublin).  Of course it is always magical going back to this very special place. The Lit Fest is a foodie’s dream come true with so many opportunities to mingle with your favorite chefs, attend demonstrations, or just kick back in the Big Shed and enjoy some delicious food with wonderful music and atmosphere.  Because my decision to attend was a bit last minute dot com, I missed out on tickets to the many events, as things get booked out from the day they come online in January.  But since I had been before,  I was actually just looking forward to visiting with my former teachers Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell.  I said hello to some of my fav folks who keep the school afloat, such as Sharon, Florrie and Pam.  However, somehow I missed seeing my other teacher Rachel Allen (there are two locations where events take place, the school and the Ballymaloe House) so it was understandable we didn’t cross paths.

But I did get treated to the Lens and Larder talk by the generous Imen McDonnell.  It was a fantastic jam packed hour learning about food photography and styling as she was joined by her parter Cliodhna Prendergrast and also the husband wife duo Yvette Boven and Oof Verschuren.  Besides learning so much in such a short span of time, of course there were some wonderful chats afterwards. And I am just yearning to take one of Imen and Cliondha’s weekend long workshops!

There is something so ethereal about the entire Ballymaloe vibe, the location and the warmth of the people.  Along with my inclusion in the Dream it, Do it event I feel like I feasted on not only food, but love itself!  So thank you to everyone who made it possible.  Especially my dear Hubby who took me on holidays to the Ballymaloe House back in 2002. That trip forever changed my life.  I put my deposit down at the school (though it took me five years before I actually went on the 12 week course).  I wouldn’t be writing on this computer at the moment sharing my experiences if it weren’t for my soulmate and best friend.  So thanks Hun from the bottom of my heart for your support and LOVE!

Overwhelmed with love,

YDP

P.S. I wrote a blog back when I was at the school called Karen in Cork.  Just re-reading my last post really sums up my feelings. Though I didn’t start this blog now eight years later, I realize it was all part of the journey that got me to this Winning Weekend!  And if you’re on Snapchat come watch, it’s loads of fun!  My username is blissbakery.

How fun to be able to spend my favorite day of the week with one of my favorite people on this planet!  I am currently in L.A. attending some major milestone events in our family.  Besides being with my loved ones, I get to soak up the joys of my former home town and top of the list is getting time with friends.  So how perfect that for Woman Crush Wednesday I get to share the love for a fabulous female chef and also one of my besties at the same time?

And my choice for this week is actually inspired by my friend Jane.  She herself is a phenomenal cook (she has alot of mouths to feed as she is the mom to 6 kids and 6 grandkids) and an avid cookbook collector.  But if you have a look at her bookshelf, one name dominates all the others and that is Ina Garten also known as the Barefoot Contessa.  Jane loves the simplicity of the recipes, yet the complexity of flavors.  Whether sweet or savory you can’t go wrong with any Ina Garten dish!  And I have been converted too!  Ina is an amazing choice for #WCW and I am so excited to make one of her recipes for my snapchat cooking tutorial (my username is:  blissbakery) and of course on here too!

Ina Garten is one of the most recognizable foodies in America.  With numerous successful cookbooks and Food Network television shows for which she has been nominated and won an emmy award.  Therefore,  since I am in the U.S.A , why not recreate one of the most recognizable American treats (a peanut butter and jelly sandwich) with the Barefoot Contessa at Home’s Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars.

Ingredients

1/2 pound, 8 ounces or 227 grams (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (312 g) sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (18 ounces) or 500 g creamy peanut butter
3 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (18 ounces) or 500 g jam/jelly/preserves of your choice
2/3 cups  (85 g) salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350f/180c degrees .
Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch cake pan. Line it with parchment paper, then grease and flour the pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light yellow, about 2 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla, eggs, and peanut butter and mix until all ingredients are combined.
In a small bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture. Mix just until combined.
Spread 2/3 of the dough into the prepared cake pan and spread over the bottom with a knife or offset spatula. Spread the jam evenly over the dough. Drop small globs of the remaining dough evenly over the jam. Don’t worry if all the jam isn’t covered; it will spread in the oven. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and cut into squares.

These peanut butter and jelly bars turned out so amazing.  I can honestly say they will be on weekly rotation in my house.  Melt in your mouth good!  They are the perfect combo of a “PBJ” sambo minus the bread.  Almost like a peanut butter cookie, but in bar form, with the lovely jam center.  I can hardly wait to get back to London to make a batch for my hubby!  But I am ever so grateful to my friends Jane and Oliver for letting me use their home to host this week’s Woman Crush Wednesday.  And it wasn’t such a bad trade for them as they seemed to enjoy these treats too!

While the world knows Ina Garten as a culinary queen, she never went to culinary school. She is in fact self taught.  Ina worked in Washington D.C with the White House and earned an MBA (masters in business) from George Washington University.  But she put the business acumen to good use when she opened her wildly successful Barefoot Contessa specialty food store in New York.  The “elegant but earthy” ethos has stayed with her and she continues to inspire so many professional chefs and indeed home cooks.

I supposed because my hubby is my best friend, one of the things I have always admired about Ina Garten is the fact that her husband plays such an integral role in her culinary journey.  He makes appearances  in her Food Network show, and even when he is away at work, she still speaks fondly of him as if he is right there with her.  She even wrote a cookbook titled “Cooking for Jeffrey” which I like to think of as a gastronomic love letter to her partner.  Not only is she inspiring chefs, but also couples on how to keep the love and appreciation alive in a long term relationship.

A massive thank you Ina for being you and sharing yourself with the world.  You make it look so easy and I supposed that is because you love what you do.  You embody that Barefoot Contessa way of life, elegant and earthy, that so many others are striving towards.  And your courage to change your professional path towards the foodie world is an example of how we all need to reach for our dreams! God bless you!

PBJ Love!

YDP