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
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It has been a whole year since I first started using The Happiness Planner. At six months I wrote a review on how I was getting on, which you can find here. I have decided to write my one year review and how The Happiness Planner has helped me in more ways than I thought it would.
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.
It has been two weeks since we have been back from North Cyprus and I still have the holiday blues. We had such an amazing and memorable time with family and friends and not only did I watch my little sister get married I also got to show my babies where their family are from. I will be honest I didn't pay much attention to taking photos for my blog because it was a family holiday and I wanted to be laid back and enjoy every moment instead of stressing about what to take photos of or write about for my blog. Now if you know me you know I TAKE TOO MANY PHOTOS so looking back through my holiday snaps I have enough of them to make a few blog posts haha!
The two UFIT protein drinks I tried were the Iced Latte Protein and Coffee Milkshake and the Chocolate High Protein Milkshake.
First I tried the Iced Latte Milkshake one afternoon as a pick me up snack around 3pm when I felt like I needed a caffeine boost. Now, I don't drink a lot of coffee and try to avoid caffeine but when I feel the afternoon fatigue set in I tend to reach for a cup of cafe au last to boost my mood and energy to get me through the rest of the day, this is a great alternative. With 113mg of Natural Caffeine and 22grams of Protein this milkshake is a great source of energy in a tasty drink perfect for on the go or in a rush during a busy day. With 100% Arabica coffee the taste of this protein milkshake was so enjoyable with it's subtle coffee flavour makes it perfect for anyone not just coffee lovers.
On my gym training day I took my Chocolate High Protein Milkshake as my post workout fuel. As you may of read in my previous fitness posts, I like to drink protein shakes and whey protein powders after my workout to refuel and replace protein and vitamins that I lose during my sessions. This protein milkshake was so refreshing and tasty. The bottle is such a nice size and shape which fits easily into my gym bag. With no added sugar and 22grams of protein this shake tasted just like a chocolate milkshake with none of the bad stuff, just full of vitamins and minerals as well as fibre.
Both these protein milkshakes tasted amazing and a great alternative to naughty snacking, just pop one in your workbag, handbag, gym bag or even lunch box for a healthy protein boast and a tasty snack.
After trying a variety of UFIT protein drinks I am definitely a fan and will be purchasing them in the future.
You can find UFIT in Boots, Holland & Barrett's and online.
*this post contains PR samples
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.
I have always been one for a bedtime routine, yes even as an adult. No matter how tired I am, some nights it can take me a little while to fall asleep. This has improved since I started regular exercise but some nights I just can't drift off to the land of nod!
After years of trying, I have now got myself into a good bedtime routine. Here are a few of my bedtime secrets to help me relax and de-stress for a good nights sleep.
* A warm shower (maybe a bath if I have the energy after a day with the kid)
* A good skincare routine
* A mug of Camomile tea
* Lavender oil on a muslin cloth hung over headboard
* Sleep Eye Mask
I was recently sent a Spacemask to try and review; from what I have read about Spacemasks, this product sounds perfect for me and my bedtime routine.
Since my second pregnancy I struggle a lot with my sinuses and periodically suffer with acute sinusitis, which is no fun anyway let alone when running around after two kids every day. I usually use a cold migraine pad (I suffer from migraines too!) to soothe my head and eye area; before trying the Spacemask I had never thought to use a heat pad on that area. One afternoon my plan of using the Spacemask at bedtime went out the window as I decided to use it for an afternoon nap (I struggle to fall asleep in the day as I can never switch off) so that's when I gave my Spacemask a try.
Spacemask is a self-heating eye mask, which is activated when removed from it's little pouch. The mask unfolds and has a little loop on each side that goes behind your ears to secure the mask over your eyes.
Not long after wearing you can feel the heat from the mask, as oxygen molecules activate the iron particular's to create natural heat through the mask. The calming scent of Jasmine transported me back to my happy place in Cyprus, where my favourite plant in my Nene's garden would be where I would sit and make jasmine flower chains for my Dede to hang in his car, a scent that always relaxes and soothes me to this day.
I was able to completely relax and feel the tension in my forehead and eye area completely disappear, feeling stress free and unaware that after nearly 20 minutes of laying there I relaxed into a great half an hour power nap and felt amazing when I woke up.
I will 100% be purchasing Spacemasks to use when I'm suffering from sinus tension or struggling to switch off at bed time.. something so simple has really helped me complete my bedtime routine.
I will be purchasing mine on my next payday direct from Spacemasks where you can get 5 in a box for £15 and I will be taking some on my next holiday for the plane journeys...bliss!
*this post contains PR samples
Love & Light
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