Top Five Recipes For Diabetic Meal Plan

In previous days many housewives used to divide their meal planning for the week into five main recipes. For instance Monday used to be their meatloaf day. On Tuesday they normally serve pork chop and Wednesday was reserved for spaghetti. This method no doubt was convenient. Even if somebody didn't want to stick to that particular routine; still it was better to have some recipes under the belt. Nowadays we generally do not eat like people used to do in previous years. Diabetics must adjust their eating habits. There are many delicious recipes they can eat.

Top five recipes are mentioned here for diabetics.

Chicken Vegetable Pasta: Cook chicken in oven and then cut it in small pieces. Boil some pasta. Add mixed vegetables into water in which pasta is being boiled. Drain pasta and vegetables and take it out in a bowl. Add some salad dressing and then add shredded lettuce and dressing.

Spanish-Style Egg Roll-Ups: Dice onion, pepper and some cayenine. Add these into a pan of scrambled egg. Sprinkle cheese on top. Spoon in a tortilla and simply roll it.

Go Green Pasta: Cook pasta and put it aside. Heat olive oil in skillet and add some green beans, broccoli, green onion or zucchini. Add few drops of water and cook until the vegetables are done. Mix pasta and vegetables. Finally top with cheese.

Baked Chicken with a Zing: Take skinless, boneless chicken breasts. Marinate it in Italian dressing. Place it in the fridge overnight. Roll it in a mixture of herbs, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Put it in a pan and bake it at 350 degrees for around 30 minutes or until brown. Serve with fresh vegetables.

Cream Cheese and Jam Toast: Mix creme cheese (low fat) with a spoon of strawberry jam. Spread it on whole wheat toast.

Have more delicious recipes at Signs Of Diabetes. Also enjoy free diabetic meal plan specifically designed according to your requirements. Feel free to check Diabetic Testing Supplies.

Snow Fungus and Fish Maw Soup Recipe

Soup have always been the mainstay of my family meals, as this is the easiest dish to imbibe especially for my daughter. After hours of simmering, all the essence of the ingredients must have been incorporated into the soup and this ease body digestion.

To make it flavorful, I added in some spiced vinegar and it's really stimulating the appetite upon first sip of soup!

Fish maw (large fish gas bladder, in Chinese) is usually served braised or in stews, and mostly used in soups. It often served in Chinese households during Chinese new year and is considered a food delicacy in some Asian cultures and one of the luxury ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Fish maw is regarded as a nourishing tonic which is said to promote blood circulation and general health.

Fish maw need to be soaked for an hour until it's pliable, then rinse and scrub clean with paper towel. If you're not comfortable with fishy odour (which most of us do!), the pre-soaked fish maw then bring to boil with a stalk of spring onion, a slice of ginger and half a litre of water, for roughly 10 minutes. Then remove the fish maw and shred.

Ingredients :

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 50g fish maw, soaked until soft and shredded
• 1 piece canned bai lin gu (Pleurotus ferulae mushroom), shredded
• 1 piece snow fungus, soaked and cut into small pieces
• 6 water chestnuts, peeled and shredded
• 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
• 150g shrimps

Seasoning :

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chicken stock granules
• 1/2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 2 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Dash of pepper
• 1000ml water
• 2 tbsp corn flour, mixed with
• 4 tbsp water, for thickening
• 2 egg white, beaten

Method :

1. Heat up oil, add in shaoxing wine and followed by all the ingredients and seasoning. Bring to boil and then simmer at low heat until all vegetables are cooked.

2. Thicken with corn flour water and then mix in beaten egg white. Serve hot.

A passionate home cook, a discerning wife and mother, also a webmaster for http://gladyskockhomeculinary.blogspot.com/ This blog features an easy Asian recipes encapsulating Chinese, India, Malay, Nyonya and Thai cuisines. If you wish to explore wonders of molecular gastronomy with Asian cuisines, please feel free to visit http://gladyskockhomeculinary.blogspot.com/

Exciting Chicken Salad Recipes

Salad is versatile and can be an appetizer, a lunch, a snack or a dinner. If you are going to serve salad as an entree, it will need to be satisfying and filling enough. Lettuce leaves are a nice garnish but they do not tend to satisfy a hungry person very much! If you enjoy grilled chicken recipes, what about making a grilled chicken salad for dinner?

Grilled chicken has an incredible flavor and you can use it to make the most delicious chicken salad recipes. One great idea is to serve a warm chicken salad. Make a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped cabbage and anything else you want, for the base, and then top it with a mixture of warm grilled chicken and crumbled bacon.

Add blue cheese and walnut halves and serve some Caesar dressing or ranch dressing on the side. Chopped pineapple, pine nuts, maraschino cherries, black olives or raisins would also be nice with such a salad.

Instead of serving grilled chicken with a salad, what about a smoked chicken salad? Smoked chicken tastes fantastic and you can add it to any salad recipe to give an extra flavor dimension.
Even processed chicken slices can be chopped and added to a mixed salad, but cooking some boneless chicken pieces and adding those to a salad is the best way to make the most appealing and wonderful chicken salad recipes.

How to Make a Fancy Chicken Salad

If you are looking for chicken salad recipes which are suitable for a dinner party, you will also want them to look elegant. Use mixed salad leaves and arrange smoked chicken or grilled chicken on top.

For a buffet you will want to serve the dressing on the side, else the salad might go soggy after a while. Use fresh herbs for an elegant garnish and perhaps some colorful ingredients like cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh peach or fresh cilantro to add visual appeal.

Recipe for Grilled Chicken Salad with a Lime Dressing

This recipe is simple to make and the warm grilled chicken is served on a bed of lettuce which has been tossed with a lime dressing. A smooth, delicious peanut butter sauce is drizzled over the top and this Asian inspired recipe is sure to thrill anyone you serve it to. This recipe makes enough for two people.

You will need:

2 warm grilled chicken breasts
4 tablespoons hot water
4 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon ground ginger
4 teaspoons honey mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper
7 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 head iceberg lettuce
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

How to make it:

Combine the peanut butter, hot water, soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil in one bowl. Mix together the lime juice, honey, honey mustard, salt, pepper, oil and garlic in another bowl and stir in the lettuce.

Divide the lime and lettuce mixture between two bowls. Slice the chicken breast and arrange it on top of the lettuce. Drizzle the peanut butter sauce on top and serve.

You can serve chicken salad recipes at any occasion and these recipes range from basic and healthy to luxurious and gourmet. If you enjoy grilled chicken recipes why not make a grilled chicken salad, pairing the warm, juicy chicken with your favorite salad leaves and salad dressing?
BonelessChickenRecipe.com - Chicken so delightfully moist, you can almost smell it through your monitor.

Cooking Vegetarian Family Meals

Every family can benefit from increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables in their diet. Even if you are not vegetarians, consider cooking a couple of "meat free" meals each week. People who follow a vegetarian diet tend to have lower cholesterol, stronger immune systems and are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight.

Here are some tips to help you make the switch:

• Start with a "family favourite" recipe, such as lasagna or bolognese, and modify the recipe for a meat free version. Remember, you don´t have to make the meal solely from vegetables. Use one of the many soya-based meat equivalents.
• If you find the thought of cooking a vegetarian meal from scratch a little daunting, buy a couple of supermarket ready meals first. Most stores offer a great choice of dishes and it should be easy to find one that appeals to the family´s taste.
• Buy a cheap vegetarian cookbook or download recipe ideas from the internet. There is a wealth of information out there, so there are no excuses for serving limp salads!
• When eating out, try to switch to a vegetarian option. Even the fast food chains offer vegeburgers and bean burritos, so making the switch is easy. Just make sure that you go easy on the side orders. French Fries might be made of potato but they are still loaded with fat!
• If you find the taste of some vegetarian meals a little bland, use herbs, spices and seasoning to add taste and flavor.
• Think of all the recipes that your family enjoys and eats anyway. Chances are that there are quite a few vegetarian meals in the list! Tomato soup, bean salad, coleslaw, macaroni cheese..it should be easy to put together a vegetarian menu a couple of times a week.
• Go easy on the higher fat foods such as cheese. It is still possible to gain weight on a vegetarian diet if you eat the wrong foods in large portion sizes. Remember to check that any cheese you buy is vegetarian, as some cheeses are made from animal rennet. Increase your consumption of beans and pulses in tasty stews and casseroles. Legumes are a good source of protein.
• If you don´t think you can miss meat out of your recipes altogether, try giving up red meat instead. Switch to chicken or turkey mince in pasta sauces and burgers, as the fat content is considerable lower.
• Most cooking styles will have a wealth of vegetarian options available, meaning you can have an extensive and varied repertoire of family meals. Italian pasta sauces, stir fry recipes, mexican food, curries.. the choice is endless.
• Many vegetarian dishes can be easily cooked in your slow cooker. Vegetable stew, Winter Vegetable Casseroles, soups and curries. Save time, effort AND calories with these healthy choices.

Try making the switch and see if your family can tell the difference. The first time I made lasagna to the usual recipe, but with soya mince, no-one around the table even noticed. And if your family enjoys the meals so much that you decide to make a lifestyle change, remember that you will have to start checking the ingredients on every food item that you buy. Read the nutritional labels of every product carefully, as animal products do turn up in the strangest places!

You can even adapt your favourite crock pot recipes to be vegetarian. Lisa has with these vegetarian crock pot recipes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Paterson

Three Crockpot Chicken Recipes

My crockpot gets quite a bit of use. In the winter, it's wonderful to have a hot meal ready after we all get home in the evening. And in the summer, it's great to not have the oven going during the hot days. I'd like to share some of our favorite chicken crockpot recipes with you:

Chicken and Veggies in the Crockpot

4-6 pieces of chicken

16 ounces of frozen veggies

1 can cream of celery soup

8 ounces of shredded cheese

There are many combinations for this recipe. If you're using chicken breasts, use 3-4 of them. If you use thighs, use 4-6 of them. When I buy the frozen veggies, I look for the combination pack of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. You can also use artichoke hearts or asparagus. It really depends on the flavors you want. If you prefer fresh veggies, chop up celery, carrots, onion, broccoli, cauliflower and even onions.

I'm not a mushroom fan, so I don't use cream of mushroom. Play around with the many cream soups. Try cream of celery or cream of broccoli or any other family favorite. When it comes to the cheese, I try to use a combination of cheddar and Monterey jack. I think this provides a wonderful taste. Other people really like the taste of swiss cheese or Italian blend cheese.

Place the chicken in the crockpot. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low five to six hours. For a great finish, place a bit more cheese on top ten minutes before serving.

Our other favorite crockpot chicken recipe is chicken and stuffing:

1 box of stuffing mix

4 -6 pieces of chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

Follow the package directions on the stuffing mix to moisten. Instead of putting the stuffing into a casserole dish, spread it into your crockpot. Place the chicken on top of the stuffing. Now pour the soup on top. Depending on the size of your crockpot, one can of soup might be enough. If you do use two cans of soup, consider using one can cream of chicken soup and one can cream of broccoli soup.

Cook six to eight hours on low.

The last recipe I'd like to share with you is chicken and fruit. I call it chicken and fruit because you can use whatever fruits you like:

4-6 pieces of chicken

1 can of fruit

1 onion, quartered

Plain chicken broth (optional)

We have tried this with peaches, with apricots and with pineapple. Each recipe came out great. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crockpot. Put the onions around the chicken. Place the fruit on top along with the liquid from the fruit. If you do not have enough liquid from the fruit add in plain chicken broth until you have the correct amount of liquid. Cook on low six to eight hours. I hope your family enjoys these dishes as much as my family does.

Audreys mom always entertained when she was growing up. Audrey learned to prepare for large groups and has often entertained 15-30 people in her home at a time. You can find more great recipes at http://www.recipe-barn.com

The Honey and Black Pepper Beef Recipe

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Total cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients for the honey and black pepper beef recipe:

oil, for cooking

500 g (1lb) round steak, cut into thin strips

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, sliced

300 g (10 oz) sugar snap peas

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

3 teaspoons cracked black pepper

Directions for the honey and black pepper beef recipe:

1. If you are interested in combining honey with black pepper beef recipe into making a nice meal, first you should heat the wok until very hot, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl it around to coat the side. Stir-fry the beef in batches over high heat. Remove and drain on paper towels.

2. Next step begins by heating the wok. Then add 1 tablespoon of the oil and stir-fry the garlic, the onion and the sugar snap peas until softened and the remove from the wok and set aside.

3. Step 3 begins be adding the honey, the soy sauce, the oyster sauce and the cracked pepper to the wok. Then bring to the boil, and after reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes

4. In last step you should increase the heat. Soon after return the meat and the vegetables to the wok, and then toss for 3-4 minutes until well heated through.

Nutritional Value for the honey and black pepper beef recipe:

Protein 30 g; Fat 15 g; Carbohydrate 20 g: Dietary Fibre 4.5 g: Cholesterol 70mg; Energy 1400kJ (335cal)

Hints for the honey and black pepper beef recipe:

1. Heat the wok, then add the oil and swirl it around to coat the side of the hot wok.

2. Once the beef is cooked, remove it from the wok and drain on paper towels.

3. Add the honey, soy sauce, oyster sauce and cracked pepper and bring to the boil.

Shirley M. Duran is a mother of two and a cooking enthusiast and at her website you can find recipes like the rotisserie chicken recipe and others similar as well. For more informations you can visit: http://rotisseriechickenrecipe.info/
Copyright © Shirley M. Duran, All Rights Reserved. If you are interested in using this article make all the urls (links) active. Thank you!

Cooking Vegetarian - Simple Ways To Cook Vegetarian Food

In all forms of cooking there are some principles to bear in mind that can make it easier. Vegetarian dishes are no exception. Even the simplest recipe can look really complicated unless we understand the basics.

The simplest of all dishes is a one pot stew or casserole. There are vegetarian versions that taste just as good as meat based ones. If you have the essential ingredients to hand you can make a very simple vegetarian casserole.

All you need to do is add a tin of beans such as kidney beans, pinto beans, butter beans of flagellate beans to a root vegetable casserole. You can develop some variations on this theme by adding a topping of breadcrumbs with or without grated cheese and putting it in the oven for a few minutes. You could even add a pastry crust or a cobbler topping and bake it. Dumplings are an excellent addition and make a hearty vegetarian meal.

Vegetarian soups are just as simple. If you cook some lentils, carrots and onions for about 15 minutes you can whizz the whole thing in a food processor to make soup. Season to taste and stir a spoonful of yogurt or creme fraiche into each dish as you serve it. A sprinkling of chopped coriander or parsley adds a special touch.

A pea soup is even easier. Cook some frozen peas in boiling water with a sprig of mint. When they are cooked put them in the food processor. Season to taste and serve. A slice of wholemeal bread makes a satisfying vegetarian lunch.

Another one pot stand by is risotto. A mushroom risotto makes a quick and easy vegetarian supper. Arborio rice cooks in about 10 minutes and it will take about the same to chop up some onions, garlic and mushrooms.

Stir fry is a great vegetarian stand by. The great advantage of this kind of cooking is that you can adapt it to whatever vegetables you have available. If you have some tofu in the store cupboard it is easy to make a vegetarian stir fry. Mushrooms also make a good vegetarian stir fry.

A stir fry is not quite a one pot dish because you will need to cook some rice or noodles to go with it. But noodles are very easy and only take about 10 minutes or less.

Cooking brown rice can be a slow business which puts many people off using it. But the best way to make this essential vegetarian food easy is to invest in an electric rice. cooker. Your rice will be done perfectly every time and become the basis of many easy vegetarian meals.

Abhishek is really passionate about Cooking and he has got some great Cooking Secrets. up his sleeves! Download his FREE 88 Pages Ebook, "Cooking Mastery!" from his website http://www.Cooking-Guru.com/770/index.htm. Only limited Free Copies available.

Orange & Lemon Poppy Seed Cake Recipe

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Since there are many people who cannot eat dairy, eggs or any other animal by-products for ethical, environmental, and health reasons, I wanted to create a quick and easy alternative treats book in the easiest format that you can take full advantage of straightaway. Thus, here's a sample recipe from our book for you to enjoy, rich in flavour, yet quick and easy to prepare.

Lemon & Orange Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients you will need:

1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 Tbsp pure orange juice
1 Tbsp pure lemon juice
Grated rind of 1 small orange
Grated rind of 1 small lemon
3/4 cup water
2/3 cup raw cane sugar
13/4 cups wholemeal Self Raising Flour
1/4 cup vegan margarine (May be substituted with 4 tsp vegetable oil)

This is a dairy-free vegan suitable recipe.

Method for Making ths cake:

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, bicarbonate soda, and poppy seeds in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix.

2. Add the margarine, juices, rinds, and water. Mix well with wooden spoon.

3. Pour the mixture into a well greased cake tin.

4. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until the cake springs back up when lightly pressed. Leave to cool.

Then ice it with your favorite icing recipe or simply serve dusted with icing sugar and dairy-free vegan ice cream. You will find vegan and dairy-free alternatives to cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, chocolates, truffles, ice blocks and ice cream, plus healthy based treats and raw foods.

And you will also find some helpful tips on substituting certain ingredients in your cooking in the 'Vegan Secrets Wicked Treats Recipe Ebook' - follow the below link for more information. Rebecca has worked in the vegetarian and vegan industry for many years. She is the founder of http://www.Vegetarian-Secrets.com and http://www.VeganSecrets.com portals with many interesting vegan and vegetarian books, articles, veg living tips, tricks and information on everything vegan, vegetarian and cruelty-free.

Sushi Made Easy - Top 5 Tips to Making Authentic Sushi

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After all fattening ourselves with chocolates and bacon and lots of wine throughout the festive months, it is time to start thinking and eating healthy.

What better way than to try our palates on some sushi? If you are squeamish about raw fish, don't worry. Sushi is much much more than raw fish. There are gorgeous California rolls, Avocado rolls and literally any kind of rolls that you can conjure which does not involve raw ingredients.
'Credit Crunch', I hear you say? Yes, indeed, I know just too well how expensive sushi is. I have been a victim to my addiction for sushi and had paid silly prices in sushi bars and restaurants. However, I have found a sure proof way to get around this problem.

I was lucky to be let into a little secret, which taught me just how easy it is to carve my own authentic sushi! I just have to share this secret with all Sushi Lovers.

It may sound unbelievable, but you are only 5 Steps away from dishing up an Authentic Looking and Tasting Sushi Platter.

5 Steps to the Perfect Sushi

1) Sushi Rice

This is the essentially the heart of sushi, so if you get this right, you are 80% to making the perfect sushi! It is therefore not surprising that Sushi Experts place so much emphasis on how to prepare Sushi Rice.

Unlike normal long grains, sushi rice grains are a lot starchier. Therefore, the rice grains have to be rinsed in clear water for about 5 times before actually cooking it.

Once the sushi rice has been cooked, loosen it with a wooden ladle and transfer it to a wooden (preferred) or glass bowl. Use a damp clean cloth to cover the bowl to prevent the sushi rice from losing moisture.

*Important* Never store sushi rice in the fridge as the sushi rice will lose its moisture and taste exactly like the hard and gunny sushi that you get from supermarkets or even some sushi restaurants and bars

2) Nori

Very often, we think of nori as just the seaweed sheet for rolling sushi. However, nori plays a very important role in delivering the flavour and aroma of sushi.

To get the most out of a nori, lightly toast it over the hob for 2 seconds. That will give it a crisp texture when you sink your teeth into the sushi roll. Toasted nori are also more aromatic.

Over handling of the nori is a mistake that many sushi amateurs made. Remember to wipe your hands dry before handling the nori and minimise touching the surface of the nori unnecessarily. This will prevent the nori from becoming damp and losing it crispiness.

3) Rolling the Roll

A pretty sushi looking sushi will whet a person's appetite even before he/she bite into the sushi. Hence, care must be taken in rolling the sushi.

Rolling the sushi roll is actually not difficult. The key to this is not to overstuff the sushi with rice and ingredients. You want the sushi to look sufficiently pack, but not overflowing to the point that the nori is not large enough for all your contents.

A thin layer of sushi rice that covers the surface of the nori is sufficient. It may look very little when you spread the rice onto the nori, but once you add your strip of cucumber and carrot or other ingredients that you fancy and roll the sushi, the sushi will get its bulk.

The other trick is to always remember to leave 0.5 inch border on one length of the nori when you spread your sushi rice i.e. there should be a 0.5 inch border on one length of the nori that is not covered with sushi rice. This will allow the nori to sealed easily when you roll it.

4) Cutting the Roll

Have you ever been amazed at how clean cut each piece of sushi looks in restaurants? If you drive a knife through a sushi roll and try to cut it, you will find it very hard to complete your sawing motion. This is because sushi rice is sticky, so the knife will not be able to move smoothly through the roll.
What you need is a sharpen knife so you can avoid excessive sawing motion and more critically, you need a slightly wet knife so that it will run smoothly through the roll. The knife needs to be lightly wet for every single cut.

5) Garnish & Decorations

When it comes to packaging, Japanese is King. It is no different when it comes to their local delicacy. What makes sushi so attractive is not just the colours in the sushi, but also the garnishing and decorations that goes with the sushi platter.

Of course it helps if you are an expert at vegetable carving, but in reality, how many of us are that proficient? That's where play dough cutter comes into play. Just use small vegetable cutters to cut out flower from carrots and cucumbers. To give it more colours, you can use red, green or yellow capsicums as well. Even just strips of these colourful vegetables will spice up your platter tremendously.

Sushi is a very neat dish, so don't scatter your garnishing all over, but place them neatly along side the sushi.

Just remember these tips and tricks and you can most certainly present a platter that's of restaurant standard.

To find out more about how to make sushi, watch a video demonstration of making sushi and obtain more information about The Art of Sushi Dining and get more Sushi Recipes, visit http://www.HowtoMakeSushi.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maggie_Tan

A Great Foccaccia Bread Recipe

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I adore bread. Indeed, it is almost an addiction with me. My favourite is probably brown bread. I love its nutty taste and what can be better than a few slices of fresh brown bread with either homemade marmalade or thick slices of cheddar cheese? It also brings back memories of childhood, when brown bread was baked daily in houses throughout the land and shop-bought bread came to the table as a treat.

Of course, brown bread is very easy to make. All that you need to do is mix the dry ingredients together with the buttermilk and then pop the mixture into the oven. I mention all this because I have often thought that it is because our traditional brown bread is so easy to bake that we Irish have been deterred from making yeast breads. My own Mother is a good example of what I mean. She was an excellent cook but dismissed any baking with yeast as "too complicated, dear". The truth of the matter is that the baking of most yeast breads is a simple culinary task, only appearing complicated when compared to the ease with which a cake of brown bread is produced.

I am Continental in my habits insofar as I invariably eat bread with any meal that comes with sauces. I particularly have in mind pasta dishes. For example, it would be a misery for me to eat Spaghetti Bolognese without some decent white bread to mop it all up. In this case, brown bread simply will not do. On the other hand, apart from being simple to make, to the point of being foolproof, the recipe which follows delivers a bread that is perfect for this purpose and, like so many of the recipes shared with you, is much appreciated by my adult children. It has been largely inspired by Nigel Slater.

450g strong white bread flour
1½ tsp salt
1 7g packet of fast-acting yeast
400ml warm water
cornmeal
1 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves
olive oil
sea salt flakes

Put the flour, salt (it seems a lot but focaccia is a salty bread and if you want to achieve the required taste, this is the amount needed.) and yeast into a baking bowl and stir in the water. You will end up with a sticky dough.

Flour the work surface, turn out the dough and knead lightly.

Incorporate the flour from the work surface and if the mixture is still wet and sticky (it should be wetter than a normal bread dough).

Knead in a little more until it no longer sticks to the board. Knead in no particular fashion for five minutes or so, then put it into a floured bowl and set aside, covered with a tea towel, until it is has risen to twice its size.

This part of the process will take a good 40 minutes to an hour.

Lightly oil the bottom of a baking tin 30cm in diameter and sprinkle it with a thin layer of cornmeal. The tin is a requirement of the original recipe and it so happened that I had one with the necessary measurement. However, if you don't, I can see no reason why this bread could not be cooked on a large baking tray. In such circumstances, you will then have to roll out the dough until it is roughly 30cm in diameter. Needless to say, it doesn't matter if you fail to produce the perfect circle that is the inevitable result of using a tin. Set the oven at 240C/gas mark 8.

Remove the dough from its bowl (it will sink, but no matter) and then push it into the baking tin.
Cover as much of the bottom as possible but don't worry if this does not prove possible.
Set aside, covered with a tea towel, for a further 20-25 minutes until well risen.

Then, using a floured finger, push several holes into the dough before brushing it all over with olive oil. Scatter on the chopped rosemary (or thyme, if you would prefer) and salt flakes and bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread is a pale gold, crisp on top and springy within.

While the bread is still warm, free from the tin, with a palette knife if necessary.

Now, I live on my own and this recipe clearly serves more than one person. Thus, as soon as it has cooled, I cut the bread into twelve triangular pieces, wrap them in cling film and shoot them into the freezer. Thereafter, I extract them as and when required. Happy eating!

This article is part of The Mutation, an Irish arts and culture blog. The Mutation is the voice of http://www.mutantspace.ie, an online arts co-operative, based in Ireland. We publish articles on everything from music to visual art, theatre to food, book reviews to websites and travel to fiction.
We're always interested to hear what you have to say so if you have something to contribute email admin@mutantspace.ie The Mutation is a free publication and can be found at http://themutation.com