Tobias' Kokos bollar, (coconut balls) vegan, gluten free, sugar free

 Kokos bollar are a wonderfully calorific treat from sweden that I have grown up with, they consist of butter, sugar, chocolate and a little bit of booze, basically all the naughty things that eventually contribute to a kardashian bottom, as if this little ball is not bad enough a bakery would usually serve this spherical treat with lashings of whipped double cream. Don't get me wrong I am not about to bad mouth one half of my culinary roots, it's naughty food sure, but every once in a while it can be a treat. 
 My current situation is that I am fighting an uphill battle against the bulge, even more unfortunate is that I live with two absolute freaks of nature who can pretty much each anything that they desire and never gain an ounce. It is a difficult thing to eat healthily in a house full of cake loving midnight scoffers, especially when I love food in all its guises, I live to eat not eat to live. 
I really felt like I need to come up with a little sweet treat containing only natural good foods, something that you would not require a lot of in order to appease a sweet craving, but something that is so delicious that even my sugar addicted family would also appreciate, ridding myself of all temptation and the dreaded kardashian bottom! I decided to adapt this Swedish recipe, making it vegan for a start, no dairy, no gluten, no sugar (sounds scrummy??) I have to say that everyone who has tried them so far has all said exactly the same thing, it tastes like a snickers bar, and it really does, now i'm not telling all you dieters out there to make these and eat a batch, but if you feel temptation is looming pop in one of these kokos bollar and you are good to go. Kids love them and even my cake-a-betic husband does too.

5 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter 

1.5 cups of rolled oats 

5 tbsp of agave nectar. This can be subbed with honey but it would not be vegan anymore.

a pinch of salt 

3 tbsp of cocoa powder

10 plump dates remove the pips please

1 tbsp of date syrup or you can substitute this with extra agave 

1 tbsp of left over black coffee 

1 cup of desiccated coconut 

Place all of the above ingredients into a food processor apart from the coconut and blitz until is looks like a dough, roll into small balls and then roll in desiccated coconut. Thats it!

Tuna Ceviche in soft tacos

I'm sure at some stage or another everyone has had a little battle with the bulge, I'm currently in the midst of banishing my post baby bulge from my behind forever. I think for most people "dieting" and "healthy food" can be deeply uninspiring, the mere utter of the word Diet usually has most people reaching for the nearest chocolate bar in a frenzy of shear dietary panic. Imagine a world that meant you could not only eat great tasting healthy food, you  would also crave it, that's right I kid you not, this was so tasty it felt like a guilty pleasure. I know for most people the thought of eating raw fish can be really off putting, to those of you who are currently wrinkling their noses with disgust all  I have to say is this, firstly it is not exactly raw it is cured in citrus juice which effectively cooks it, secondly don't knock it until you have tried it picky eaters.

 The benefits of using sashimi grade tuna apart from it's obvious freshness is that tuna is not an overly fishy tasting meat, it absorbs all the flavours whilst still standing up to the robust citrus flavours and the punch of chilli. Traditionally this would be served with a great big plate of nacho chips, in an ideal world they would also be healthy but alas they are not, so I have teamed my tantalising tuna with soft corn tacos, handmade, no additional fats to tie in with this virtuous theme. I do urge people to step outside the culinary comfort zone and give dishes like this a little try because it can often open your eyes to a world of flavours you did not even know existed, besides don't you think you owe it to your bulge?

You will need: (for the Ceviche)
200g of sashimi grade tuna steak into a fine dice
70ml of fresh orange juice
30ml of lime juice
3/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 a Finely chopped red onion
2-3 finely chopped fresh green jalapeno chillies (seeds and membrane in for heat, or without for wimps)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 large diced hass avocado
4 tbsp of freshly chopped coriander
1 1/4 tsp Maldon salt

For the Pico di Gallo salsa:

100g of chopped cherry tomatoes (or large tomatoes if in season)
1/2 a finely chopped Red onion roughly 3 tbsp worth
4 tbsp of freshly chopped Coriander
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp of maldon salt
1 Freshly chopped green Jalapeno chilli
the juice of a Lime 
1 small finely chopped garlic clove
2 tsp of sugar

For the corn tortillas
150g of masa harina
75g of plain flour
250ml of water
a pinch of maldon sea salt




For the ceviche, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and allow it to cure for at least an hour.

For the Pico di gallo, combine all of the ingredients for the salsa and allow to infuse.

For the flour tortillas mix all of the ingredients in a food processor and allow to mix for at least 10 minutes to stretch the gluten in the wheat flour, take a ping pong sized amount of dough and roll a disc roughly 3mm deep between two sheets of greaseproof paper, peel the disc off the greaseproof and fry in a dry frying pan for a couple of minutes each side until lightly golden and air bubbles appear on the surface. Wrap all the tortillas in a tea towel to stay soft.

Place a couple of tablespoons of the ceviche onto a tortilla and a little salsa, wrap it up and wolf it down.

Beef Pho

 Beef Pho (pronounced Fur) is undeniably the national dish of Vietnam, it consists of a beef broth heavily flavoured in cinnamon, star anise, cloves and various herbs. Pho derives from the french dish Pot-au-feu that similarly is a beef broth based dish. Pho itself is a delicious dish but the accompaniments skyrocket this humble dish into the gastronomic atmosphere. Before I travel to a country I like to research the country in depth, culinary speaking of course, so that I know what is authentic, and I know where is the best places to find these dishes, this may have landed me in trouble a few times, and yes I have had food poisoning more times than I care to remember but I would not change my ethos, no pain to gain right? Pho Came as a total surprise to me because at face value it is noodles in what looks like beef stock with a few slices of beef to go with, but it is so much more than that, the beef broth itself packs such a huge flavour punch that it makes eating healthily seem like a glutenous binge. 

 The beauty about South East Asian food is that they always serve their meals with an insane amount of condiments so that you can adapt your food to your palate, in Vietnam they raise the bar on its neighbouring countries by serving a huge bowl full of fresh herbs to add into your Pho, making it taste like a really good noodle soup on steroids. I know that not everybody has the time to make the beef broth as it is a long drawn out process so I have come up with a way simplify the Pho without compromising on flavour, it is addictive I assure you.

You will need:
1000ml of water
2 beef stock cubes (know stock pots)
200g of steak (flat iron or denver works well)
1 large cassia stick
4 whole star anise
4 cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp of dark soy
3 tbsp of sugar
5 crushed white peppercorns
2 tsp of maldon salt
1 clove of sliced garlic
125g of pho noodles white are rice stick noodles
a small handful of bean sprouts per bowl of soup
fresh herbs such as coriander, mint, dill and Thai sweet basil
lime wedges
Finely sliced white onion
dried crushed birds eye chillies
a small amount of sugar on the side as a condiment
fresh birds eye chillies steeped in fish sauce

Firstly place the noodles in a bowl  and cover them with boiling water, set aside to soften.
Bring the water and stock cubes to the boil, add the cassia, star anise, cloves, sesame oil, soy, sugar, garlic, salt and peppercorns. 
Turn down to a slow simmer for at least fifteen minutes so that the flavours can infuse. 
 Finely slice your steak. Drain the noodles and divide the noodles between four bowls, place a few slices of the steak on top because the  hot stock will cook it. Ladle over the hot stock so that the meat is submerged, top with the onion, bean sprouts and fresh herbs and chili if you wish. Be warned the broth is very hot!!

Ginger and Spring onion Pollock

There are times when a detox is necessary whether it is for body or mind, after indulging on all things comforting over the winter months there is nothing better than eating a meal that feels like a hug from the inside. I love Chinese food, and I'm not talking those gloopey bright red sauces rich in MSG, i'm talking about the most wonderfully simply and fragrant food. There is no doubting that ginger and spring onion compliment fish so well but it this particular recipe it brings the humble pollock to life. Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are so great, the bonus is that you do not have a guilty conscience afterwards.

You will need:
For the marinade

2 pollock fillets
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp of light soy sauce
50g of julienned ginger
3 spring onions finely chopped
2 tbsp of shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp of caster sugar
1/2 tsp of salt 

For the sauce:
4 tbsp of the broth from steaming the fish
2 tbsp of garlic
2 tbsp of sesame oil
2 tbsp of ginger
2 spring onions (green part only)
4 tbsp of good oyster sauce
2 tbsp of caster sugar
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
100ml of water
1 tsp of corn flour

Place all the marinade ingredients into a small bowl or foil parcel, one that can fit into either a bamboo steamer or conventional steamer.
 Allow the fish to marinate for at least ten minutes. Steam the fish in the bowl full of marinade for roughly ten minutes (depending on the size of the fish) the flakes will separate  very easy when cooked. 

To make the sauce fry the garlic, ginger and spring onions in the sesame oil, add 4 tablespoons of the broth from cooking the fish and the oyster sauce, sugar and soy sauce. To finish stir the corn flour into a 100ml of cold water and add it to the pan, it should take no more than a minute to thicken the sauce. Remove the fish from the bowl and pour the sauce on it, serve with steamed white rice.

Beef waterfall salad

I know that what most people love about the Thai Cuisine are the curries, but what I love most of all are the salads. They are nearly always fat free, packed with heat and aromatic to the nth degree. When you eat a thai salad every possible taste bud in your mouth is set alight by the clever balance of flavours that the Thai's encompass in all of their dishes, they are Sweet, Salty, sour, spicy and Aromatic, the combination of these flavours make Thai food addictive. 

Don't be alarmed by the fact that this beef is not cooked, it is extremely common to let the beef marinate in the lime juice as the acid actually cooks the meat. This beef Waterfall salad was the very first salad I tried when I finally made my way to Thailand, I know I am a total chilli junkie and am usually dissatisfied unless I either sniffing, crying or sweating, I love the burn, but on this occasion I think I had bitten off more than I could chew pardon the pun, it was as though I had swallowed a stick of dynamite. I have toned down this recipe for our gentle British palates but don't be afraid to add more chillies because despite it's bite it packed a huge flavour punch. Why is it called waterfall salad? I have heard that it is because it the if grilled the juices from the meat drip onto the charcoals or makes your mouth water, I prefer the latter.

You will need:
100g segmented pomelo (not traditional, I just like the freshness and presentation)
350g of flat iron steak or fillet of beef
1 red birds eye chilli
2 green birds eye chillies
1 garlic clove
50g of shallots
1/2 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of palm sugar
1 lemon grass stalk inner
1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp of fish sauce
2 tbsp of raw rice that has been dry fried in a frying pan until toasted, then pounded to a fine powder
the juice of two limes
2 tbsp of coriander stalks
75g of sliced cucumber
About 20 thai sweet basil leaves

In a pestle and mortar bash the garlic, chillies, shallots and coriander stalks along with the salt and palm sugar until you have a smooth paste. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and water until you have a dressing. Very thinly slice the beef and pour over the dressing and allow it to marinate for at least and hour. Arrange the pomelo segments and cucumber slices on a plate ready for the beef. Sprinkle the beef with the toasted rice powder and toss the thai sweet basil through, pour the beef onto the cucumber and pomelo and serve with very sticky rice. Heaven on a plate.

Green Mango salad Yam mamuang

This is without a shadow of a doubt one of my most favourite Thai dishes, it's incredible aromatic and fantastic if you are trying to lose a few pounds of Christmas bulge. Green mangoes are just under ripe mangoes and are readily available in all good Asian stores or on line, they are not the cheapest but they are definitely worth trying. I do have extremely fond memories of walking down Khao San Rd in Bangkok during the evening with a plastic container in hand filled with mango salad that only cost me a mere 20p. Street food is so cheap in Thailand but it tastes so great that there is really no need to go to a restaurant, I would find a step and a hawker and munch to my hearts content. This just sums up everything that is great about Thai food, fresh, spicy, sweet, salty and sour. Perfect!

You will need:

2 green mangoes peeled and shredded
1 lemon grass stick (peel the outer leaves of the lemongrass until the inner part is revealed)
1 shallot
1 large garlic clove
1 red birds eye chili
1 tsp of salt
6 tbsp of palm sugar
1 tbsp of fish sauce
the juice of a lime

In a pestle and mortar crush the shallot, garlic clove, red chili and the lemon grass stick using the sugar and the salt as an abrasive, pound it until it has become a paste. Add the fish sauce and lime juice, add the shredded mango and serve. To make this into a meal add prawns and serve with sticky rice.

Thai Green Papaya Salad Som Tum

If you have ever been to Thailand there is no doubting that you have tried Som Tum, green Papaya Salad. This is by far the most delicious salad I have ever tasted, and if you are trying to shift a few pounds its an absolute winner. The Thing about thai salads is they never use oil in their dressings, but what they do use to flavour their salads are some seriously aromatic components, Thai food for me hits every flavour note, salty, sweet, sour, spicy and aromatic, this dish encompasses all of those elements. 
 Som Tum is eaten everywhere in Thailand and is a firm favourite with Hawker vendors, you have to be in awe of the street food in Thailand when you compare it to the lack lustre burgers, sausage sandwiches and chips that dominate English street food culture. Each Hawker cooks one dish only and they spend their lives perfecting it. Green papaya is the unripened version of the fruit and is not something that is not easily available, you can buy them in good asian supermarkets, but you can always substitute it with carrot. I really have to urge you to try this, I lived on this salad for three months and I never got sick of it, yes maybe sometimes I asked for too many chillies but I can assure you it's truly amazing.

You will need:

I tsp of maldon salt plus 1/4 tsp
1 garlic clove
2 red birds eye chillies (be careful they bite back)
5 tbsp of brown sugar
1 lemon grass stick, the inner part only
50 g of cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp of fish sauce
3 tbsp of salted peanuts
1 large green papaya julienned 
the juice of one lime
20 sweet basil leaves
a handful of snake beans or use french beans if you cannot get snake beans, cut into inch long pieces

Firstly peel the papaya and using a julienne peeler peel until you get down to the seeds, if you do not have a julienne peeler you can always peel long ribbons and finely slice the ribbons.
In a pestle and mortar crush the chillies, garlic and lemon grass using the teaspoon of salt and the sugar as an abrasive, when you have a fine paste add the cheery tomatoes and crush very carefully, you still want to have chunks of tomatoes. 

 Add the fish sauce, lime juice and the salted peanuts, lightly crush the nuts. Add the papaya into the dressing and give it a good bruising to break down the fibrous nature of the fruit. Add the Snake beans and the basil leaves to the salad and mix well. Serve this salad with steamed sticky rice and plump pink King prawns.