If I am in a hurry, nothing beats PB & J sandwiches. For snacks, I like popcorn with melted spice infused (usually garlic, cayenne pepper, basil and oregano plus anything that might be in season) butter and topped with nutritional yeast.

1 hour ago, MigL said:

How about less than a min, or 30 sec.

Right! I correct my humble contribution to less than a minute microwaving. The whole thing should take about a minute, or little over a minute.

And packed with essential nutrients.

3 hours ago, joigus said:

Focaccia with a bed of tomato sauce, scraps of sliced black olive and tuna, mozzarella, oregano or basil. A minute to melt the cheese in the mw oven.

You can use other kinds of bread, but focaccia is best.

Very similar to the coca valenciana = the Spanish version of a pizza.

Very substantial.

Nice thread. I'm hungry!

If that's your idea of a snack then your meals must be wondrous, epic events! 😄

2 hours ago, MigL said:

10 minutes is easy; plenty of time to whip up something.
Even 2 min is kind of easy.
How about less than a min, or 30 sec.

Am I the only one who keeps a large jar of peanut butter in the fridge, and when feeling peckish, will indulge in a couple of spoonfuls ?

You and my son. I am more likely to seek a structural carb to spread on. My moistener, to prevent mouth-sticking, is slices of cucumber atop the PB. That's not weird, right?

2 hours ago, exchemist said:

All this talk makes me think it could be time to make cheese scones again.

Those are wonderful, but when I eat one it resides in my stomach for about three weeks. I wonder if adding some psyllium husk would be a defilement? Probably. Regarding cassava, chips made from cassava are popular here - there's a large Indigenous community here and gluten intolerance is very common in that group, so stores have a lot of GF options. Many incorporate cassava.

14 minutes ago, TheVat said:

If that's your idea of a snack then your meals must be wondrous, epic events! 😄

Homeric! 🤣

I understand your concern. But you can always cut the bread twofold or threefold to suit your caloric needs.

Anyway, in my defence, I burn a lot of calories cycling every week.

A spoonful of mushroom soup base / better than bouillon in a mug. Pour over hot water from the kettle. Sip and enjoy.

6 hours ago, TheVat said:

If that's your idea of a snack then your meals must be wondrous, epic events! 😄

You and my son. I am more likely to seek a structural carb to spread on. My moistener, to prevent mouth-sticking, is slices of cucumber atop the PB. That's not weird, right?

Those are wonderful, but when I eat one it resides in my stomach for about three weeks. I wonder if adding some psyllium husk would be a defilement? Probably. Regarding cassava, chips made from cassava are popular here - there's a large Indigenous community here and gluten intolerance is very common in that group, so stores have a lot of GF options. Many incorporate cassava.

If cassava is better for your digestion I recommend pāo de queijo. Any Brazilian community will have access to these. There are ready made varieties.

15 hours ago, joigus said:

Homeric! 🤣

I understand your concern. But you can always cut the bread twofold or threefold to suit your caloric needs.

Anyway, in my defence, I burn a lot of calories cycling every week.

Yes I remember younger days when cycling was my primary transport, as well as recreation. It takes a lot of fuel. I would eat like a farmhand and stay rail-thin; I remember getting asked things like "Do you have a hollow leg?"

9 hours ago, exchemist said:

If cassava is better for your digestion I recommend pāo de queijo. Any Brazilian community will have access to these.

Thanks. Will investigate further. The also S American quinoa has become popular here, too. This is interesting, re pão de queijo.

With the discovery of mines near Ouro Preto in around 1700, some 20% of the Brazilian population at that time, mainly slaves, occupied a vast territory in southeast Brazil. Since wheat was not available, local cooks created a kind of bread from starch derived from the cassava tubers shown to them by Tupiniquins indigenous groups. In the late 19th century, grated hard cheese was added.^[3]

Not entirely sure what Polish delicacy this is, but my grandson seems happy with this little snack.

Looks like an icing covered donut. Maybe the kid has a future as a cop. 😜

The similarity of the Polish doughnut to the American doughnut is remarkable! I like the way the sack has been ripped open, as if by some ravenous animal. This creates a dramatic tension with the superhuman restraint which the young gentleman is displaying.

I just ate an odd snack: mashed a leftover potato, mixed in butter, green beans, a spoonful of crushed almonds and some dill pickle relish. It works.

2 hours ago, TheVat said:

I just ate an odd snack: mashed a leftover potato, mixed in butter, green beans, a spoonful of crushed almonds and some dill pickle relish. It works.

Carbohydrates ✅ Fat ✅ Protein ✅ Fibre ✅ Micronutrients ✅

Not to mention textural interest and (I'm sure) a more than satisfactory taste!

for quick easy snacks I often make bannock and add various berries, chocolate chips or whatever is at hand I think would go well with it lol.

38 minutes ago, Mordred said:

for quick easy snacks I often make bannock and add various berries, chocolate chips or whatever is at hand I think would go well with it lol.

I'm intrigued. Which kind of bannock? Recipe?

flour, baking powder with a bit of salt and enough water or milk to make a soft dough then fry it with a bit of butter or oil add other ingredients to suit your taste I particularly like adding blueberries

Lammas bannock near enough I guess (which I also guess is the inspiration behind Tolkien's Elvish lembas bread).

Solid Celtic fare.

6 hours ago, TheVat said:

The similarity of the Polish doughnut to the American doughnut is remarkable! I like the way the sack has been ripped open, as if by some ravenous animal. This creates a dramatic tension with the superhuman restraint which the young gentleman is displaying.

Except that it's not a Polish doughnut. Because Polish doughnut don't have holes in them. They look like this, for example:

It's hard for them to have holes when they're filled with jam or cream inside.. The jam can be rose, currant, cherry, cream chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, etc. Rose jam is the most popular.

Here is the procedure for making them:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUGgJuLCF47/

Statistics show that 45-55% of all doughnut sold are filled with rose jam.

5 hours ago, Sensei said:

Except that it's not a Polish doughnut. Because Polish doughnut don't have holes in them. They look like this, for example:

It's hard for them to have holes when they're filled with jam or cream inside.. The jam can be rose, currant, cherry, cream chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, etc. Rose jam is the most popular.

Here is the procedure for making them:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUGgJuLCF47/

Statistics show that 45-55% of all doughnut sold are filled with rose jam.

So similar to English doughnuts then, or Dutch oliebollen or French beignets. Apple can sometimes be used as the filling too. Though the Dutch ones often have raisins in the dough and no separate filling.

The other 'Polish' doughnut in my WhatsApp feed. (Grandson #1)

28 minutes ago, sethoflagos said:

The other 'Polish' doughnut in my WhatsApp feed. (Grandson #1)

Some kind of bagel, perhaps? I see, having looked it up, that bagels may have originated in Poland.

Edited March 5Mar 5 by exchemist

7 hours ago, Sensei said:

Except that it's not a Polish doughnut. Because Polish doughnut don't have holes in them.

I strongly suspected as much.

I admire putting that space to use. Like people who live in attics. The latter helps the housing crisis, the former helps the jam crisis.

4 minutes ago, exchemist said:

Some kind of bagel, perhaps?

Looks like. Cinammon, perhaps. I normally wait an hour before breakfasting, it's a little after seven a.m. here, but that ship has sailed I can see.

10 hours ago, Mordred said:

flour, baking powder with a bit of salt and enough water or milk to make a soft dough then fry it with a bit of butter or oil add other ingredients to suit your taste I particularly like adding blueberries

I think the indigenous tribal people in my area adopted bannock from early traders, and it became "frybread," which is now an important part of cultural identity. It's wonderful. Blueberries would fit in with the local native tradition.

1 hour ago, exchemist said:

Some kind of bagel, perhaps? I see, having looked it up, that bagels may have originated in Poland.

My son confirms that they''re both doughnuts. Though the kids both like bagels too. Or anything edible apparently.

On 2/26/2026 at 4:03 PM, exchemist said:

Yes my son used to make those for munro expeditions. At my instigation he used to include chopped dried apricots, which add some balancing acidity and a bit more flavour.

Unfortunately, Nigeria doesn't meet the winter chilling requirements for apricot flowering. However, a 600g mango can be had for about 40p and has a similar texture, so I made a batch of flapjacks with some diced mango I'd let dry off a bit in the fridge.

Really nice! The fruity taste and slight acidity certainly take it to the next level, so thanks for that!

On 3/12/2026 at 2:43 PM, sethoflagos said:

Unfortunately, Nigeria doesn't meet the winter chilling requirements for apricot flowering. However, a 600g mango can be had for about 40p and has a similar texture, so I made a batch of flapjacks with some diced mango I'd let dry off a bit in the fridge.

Really nice! The fruity taste and slight acidity certainly take it to the next level, so thanks for that!

Oh good. I must say I have always struggled with things that are just sweet and usually try to cut it down or else balance with acidity. When I make the Christmas puddings each year I use 3/4 the quantity of sugar in the recipe, substitute a cooking apple for the eating apple and chopped prunes for the sultanas. I also buy the "moins sucrée" version of French jam. The snag is the reduction in sugar affects the keeping qualities, so I need to keep the jam in the fridge after opening and I only make the puddings on "Stir Up Sunday", i.e. the week before the start of Advent.

One of the minor trials of living in the USA as I did for a couple of years was that so many things were too sweet, from the jam which I found inedible to - believe it or not - the wine. Even the damned bread and potato crisps had added sugar. I couldn't believe it at first. But it was Texas (Houston) - I might have done better in one of the E. Coast cities.

Edited March 13Mar 13 by exchemist

22 minutes ago, exchemist said:

One of the minor trials of living in the USA as I did for a couple of years was that so many things were too sweet, from the jam which I found inedible to - believe it or not - the wine. Even the damned bread and potato crisps had added sugar. I couldn't believe it at first. But it was Texas (Houston) - I might have done better in one of the E. Coast cities.

I had much the same impression of New England when I worked there (Maine, mainly).

For years, I tried to avoid using sugar entirely except for that naturally contained in the fruit and veg I was using, but that meant I was rarely successful with eg. piccalilli (which I love) which really needs the sugar to keep undesirable microbes at bay.

As with most things, I think it's a question of balance. I tend to stick to the BBC and Indian or Nigerian cuisine websites for recipe ideas as these are less inclined to wander off into the sickly sweet territory of most English language foodie sites.