Butternut squash bruschetta

I asked the wonderful Jamie Magazine for suggestion to use butternut squash and they sent me a wonderful recipe for roasted squash topped with sage and goats cheese.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/magazine/recipes-view.php?title=squash-aamp-goat-s-cheese-bruschetta

However I'm not a fan of goats cheese and didn't have much in my cupboards so I decided to have a go with what I did have. So this is a much simpler version with NO OIL.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash (unpeeled, deseeded)
Fresh spinach (sliced)
Feta cheese (crumbled)
2 cloves garlic
Ciabatta sliced
Black pepper
Pinch dried oregano

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Cut the squash into wedges
3. Bake wedges on a baking tray for 30minutes
4. Put the ciabatta slices on a tray in the oven with the squash for a further 10 minutes
5. Remove from the oven, and rub each slice of bread with a peeled garlic clove
6. Put the wedges of squash in a bowl and mash with a fork
7. Add the pepper and oregano to the squash and mix in
8. Spread the squash on the bread
9. Sprinkle with the spinach and crumbled feta
10. ENJOY!

Kofta kebabs and Moroccan Style couscous

This recipe takes 15-20 mins start to finish and you can choose exactly how you want to cook the kebabs and the cous cous just needs a kettle and bowl. The only fresh stuff you need is the mince, coriander and pomegranate. Everything else can live quite happily in the store cupboard till you want them.

Ingredients

For the koftas you'll need:
Extra lean beef mince or good quality lamb mince
Curry paste of your choice (tikka, madras etc)
Runny honey
Sesame seeds

For the cous cous you'll need:
Dried cous cous
Sultanas
Dried apricots (chopped)
Flaked almonds
Chopped pistachios
Pomegranate (ready prepped from the supermarket is fine)
Moroccan spice blend (ready mixed is just easier)
chicken stock cube(s)
Boiling water
Fresh coriander (chopped)

For the  raita you'll need:
Natural yoghurt
Mint sauce


Method

1. Open the mince and remove the (in the words of Sean Lock) "meat nappy". Break up the mince in the packet with a fork.
2. Add a couple of heaped spoonfuls of the curry paste. Work on about half a heaped desert spoon per person.
3. Work the paste into the mince until thoroughly combined.
4. Pack handfuls of the mince onto metal skewers till they're about the thickness of a sausage. They don't need to be perfectly smooth, just about the same thickness all the way along.
5. Your choice how you cook them: grill, oven bake, pan fry, griddle, BBQ, etc. just remember you want to cook them hard and fast so the outside caramelises but the inside remains moist. 10-15mins tops.
6. For the cous cous, add a couple of spoonfuls of the spice blend and mix together.
7. Make up some stock using the cube(s).
8. Following the instructions on the pack for how much to use rehydrate the cous cous using the hot stock. Cover the dish in cling film and leave to steam.
9. Once fully hydrated and plumped up, add the nuts, dried fruit, pomegranate and coriander to the cous cous and mix in.
10. 5 mins before the end if the cooking time brush the kebabs with the runny hunny.
11. Once cooked, roll the kebabs in sesame seeds. The honey should help them stick
12. For the sauce, Stir 2-3 teaspoons of mint sauce into half a cup of natural yoghurt.
13. Serve the kebabs with the cous cous and sauce.

Warning! These are not healthy! But they are scrummy! Crunchy Chewy Oat Cookies

In homage to The Great British Bake Off I've decided to share my favourite cookie recipe. Never had a complaint so far and super super easy.

I use salted butter simply because the first time I made this I didn't have unsalted and found the level of salt perfect. They're sweet and very slightly salty - think salted caramel but with homely comforting oats. The brown sugar helps with the caramel vibe.

I make these every year at least 5 times a year especially at christmas. And in honesty it's becoming tradition.

Foolproof recipe. Crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle and they make the best ice cream sandwiches. Or so I'm told.

Makes 30-35

Wet:

250g salted butter

3tbsp golden syrup

Dry:

250g self raising flour

250g soft light brown sugar

250g porridge oats

1.5tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 180•C and line 2 trays with grease proof paper.

2. In a saucepan, gently melt the butter and golden syrup together until totally liquid.

3. In the meantime mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

4. Pour the wet into the dry and stir well until combined.

5. Using a tablespoon measuring spoon pack the mixture in, level it off then tap it out onto the tray. Repeat stacking two scoops on top of each other. Make sure you leave plenty of room on the tray between each one because they spread when cooking.

6. Bake for 10-13 minutes and remove from the oven when still soft.

7. Remove from the grease proof while still warm and cool on a wire rack.

8. Store in an airtight container ... If they last that long ;-D

King prawn, chilli and tomato risotto

I decided to do this as an alternative to Sunday lunch today and am so pleased I did. Less dishes no worrying about whether everything will be ready at the same time and goes rather well with a little glass of chilled vino (white or rose). I added prawns and chicken stock to this but you could just as easy use vegetable stock and at the last minute add cubes of halloumi or just leave it as is.

Traditionally you would use a separate pan for the stock to bring it to the boil and keep it hot. I use stock cubes in a jug of boiled water from a kettle so no ladling hot stock from one pan to another. I just pour it straight from the jug I make the stock up in.

 


Ingredients:
2tbsp olive oil
300ml arborio risotto rice
700ml boiling water
2x chicken oxo cubes
1/2 diced onion
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic
2tbsp tomato purée
200ml passata
20g finely grated cheddar
King prawns
1tbsp Fresh basil chopped
Salt and pepper

Method:
1.  Gently fry the onion in the olive oil
2. Add the chilli and garlic and cook on a low heat for a minute to let the flavours infuse the oil.
3. Add the rice and stir until coated in the oil.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the tomato purée and stir until mixed into the rice and the pasta has cooked out a little.
5. Add the passata in two stages stirring in each portion and ensuring some of the liquid has cooked off before adding the next bit.
6. Turn up the heat to a medium heat and start adding the stock in small amounts, stirring all the time, ensuring that each addition is fully absorbed by the rice before adding more.
7. Towards the end of the stock additions add the prawns and stir them in.
8. Finally add the finely grated cheddar and chopped basil and serve. The cheddar needs to be finely grated as you want it to dissolve into the creamy juices.

Chorizo and courgette frittata

Chorizo and courgette frittata
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 courgette grated
6 chestnut mushrooms chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 ring chorizo, diced
3 spring onions, chopped
100g grated cheddar
200g crumbled feta
Pinch oregano
1tsp smoked paprika

 
Method:
1. Pre-heat your grill
2. In a non-stick pan gently fry the chorizo until the oils have rendered out and the chorizo is crispy
3. Add the mushrooms and cook down until golden
4. Add the other veg and cook until all the liquid has evaporated and the veg has started to colour
5. Add the cheddar, feta, oregano and paprika to the eggs
6. Pour the eggs into the veg and chorizo in the pan and quickly stir to mix everything together then turn down the heat
7. Gently cook until the frittata is mostly cooked through and set
8. Put the pan under the grill on high to set the top and get the cheese on the surface bubbly and golden (careful if your pan has a plastic handle like mine so keep it out if the heat)
9. Slice and serve

Spinach and feta filo pie

Spinach and feta filo pie

Ingredients:

1 pack of chilled filo pastry

For the filling:
8-10 bricks of frozen spinach, thawed
5 eggs
300g crumbled feta (1 & 1/2 packs)
100g grated mature cheddar
1/2 fresh nutmeg finely grated
1/2 bunch mint finely chopped
100g pine nuts

 



Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Lay out a sheet of grease proof (approx. 50cm long). Oil the grease proof and rub it all over the paper.
3. Open the filo and lay all the sheets opened out onto the grease proof
4. Carefully lay the grease proof into a round ovenproof dish and press it in until the dish is fully lined with the grease proof and filo
5. Squeeze all the excess water out of the spinach and finely chop
6. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and add the remaining ingredients and spinach and stir together
7. Pour the filling into the dish lined with the filo and fold up the excess filo to cover the top
8. Tear off the excess grease proof from round the sides
9. Bake for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp and the filling is set

10 minute - Chorizo and butter bean pan fry

My lovely husband managed to get away from work early today so I got to do something a bit different for our lunch.

This one has a real feel of tapas but obviously a bigger dish and takes only a few minutes to cook from start to finish.

Ingredients:
Thinly sliced chorizo
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 red onion
Pinch oregano
1tsp Moroccan style seasoning
2 tins butter beans
Small handful of coriander
1/2 iceberg lettuce
1/2 block of feta

Method:
1. Chop the chorizo into smallish strips. Heat a dry non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add the chorizo. You want the oils to render out of the chorizo.
2. Chop the onion and peppers into strips and add them to the pan.  Fry everything until the chorizo starts to brown and the veg starts to soften.
3. Drain the butter beans and add them to the pan along with the oregano and Moroccan seasoning.
4. Turn the heat up and let the beans start to scorch a bit. You want the skins to dry out and the beans to start going a little fluffy. Stir occasionally so they don't burn.
5. Chop the coriander and add to the pan.
6. Shred the lettuce and plate up. Add the butter bean fry up to the plate and top everything with a crumble of salty feta.

Mushroom and lentil lasagne

I know there are a million veggie lasagne recipes out there but I can honestly say this one gives others I've tried a real run for their money. This one offers the texture and slightly caramelised flavour you'd get from browned minced beef.

I have made a massive lasagne! I mean truly huge! We're talking 9 very generous portions but there's a reason for this. Lasagne is fairly labour-intensive by nature so I always make lots so I can freeze the leftovers. That means I've got frozen lasagne handy that beats the pants off of the per packed ones you'd get from the supermarket.

The essential step in this recipe for texture is chopping the mushrooms. There's a lot of them and you want them a very fine dice. I should imagine you could do them in a food processor but you'd need to be careful not to over-process them or you'll end up with mush. My processor is only a mini one so I hand chopped my mushrooms. It took a while but once cooked the texture was perfect.

Also, for the veg base it's tradition to use an onion, celery and carrot but I didn't have any carrots in but I did have some parsnips. So I used one of them instead. And it worked great. Essentially you just need a slightly sweet root vegetable to counter the herbal, savoury notes of the celery and the parsnip seemed to do that perfectly well but I would leave it up to you.

Ingredients:

For the Bolognaise:
2 big family packs of supermarket mushrooms (mine cost under £3 for both), wiped clean of all muck and very finely minced
1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
3 sticks celery finely chopped
1 large parsnip finely diced
4 cloves chopped garlic
2 veggie oxo cubes
1tsp dried oregano
1tbsp Worcester sauce
Few drops of Tabasco sauce to taste
Pinch of salt to taste
1 cup dried red lentils
2 boxes of pasatta
2 cups water

For the white sauce:
50g butter
50g plain flour
500ml milk warmed (I use the microwave)
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Dried Lasagne sheets (15-20)
Grated cheese to top

Method:
1. In a dry frying pan on a high heat cook the mushrooms in batches. You need to cook them till all the water comes out of them, boils away and then they start to brown. It will look like you've got far to much mushrooms at first but once you cook them and the liquid evaporates they at least halve in volume. Once they're all cooked set them aside.

2. In a very large saucepan/stockpot, gently cook off the onion, celery, parsnip and garlic until the veg is translucent and tender. Adding a pinch of salt encourages the veg to leach there water preventing them from frying and colouring.
3. Add the mushrooms, oxo, oregano, Tabasco and Worcester sauce and stir together.
4. Add the lentils, pasatta and water, stir and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes then turn off the heat and allow the Bolognaise to cool. The lentils will continue to cook in the heat of the pan and will finish swelling and cooking in the oven.
5. For the white sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Cook over a low heat whisking constantly to prevent the mixture from burning but making sure the flour cooks out. Add the hot milk gradually, whisking constantly until thickened and add the nutmeg.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 190•C
7. To start building the lasagne, Pour a little of the Bolognaise mixture into the bottom of a very large lasagne dish (my dish only just fits in my oven).
8. Add a layer of the dried pasta sheets and top with more Bolognaise. Break the pasta sheets in half etc to fill all the gaps. Repeat until the dish is almost full.
9. After the last layer of pasta pour over the white sauce and top with the grated cheese.
10. Cover the dish with foil ensuring the foil doesn't touch the sauce or cheese.
11. Bake for 45 mins before removing the foil and return to the oven for 15 mins until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
12. Cut into 9 servings and serve with salad.

Creamy spring veg pasta

Creamy spring veg pasta

Feel free to substitute any if the veg in this recipe with tender spring veg of your choice I can imagine, spinach, asparagus and pea shoots would have worked wonderfully in this but I went with what was in my fridge and freezer: peas, broad beans and curly kale.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice (portion per person)
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
Half a bag of shredded curly kale
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup frozen broad beans
Big bunch if basil chopped
Half a bunch of mint chopped
Pinch dried oregano
Pinch black pepper
1/2 tub low fat cream cheese
2/3 pint of skimmed milk
2 tsp cornflour slaked in a little milk


Method:
1. Add a little salt to a pan of boiling water and add the dried pasta.
2. Bring to the boil then simmer as per the packet instructions
3. In a large frying pan/wok, Gently dry fry the onion and add the kale and garlic.
4. Gently stir fry until the kale starts to soften and wilt.
5. Add the peas, broad beans and pepper
6. Once the rest of the veg is tender add the cream cheese and milk
Simmer gently until the cream cheese has melted into the milk.
7. Add the cornflour mix and stir in
8. Simmer gently until slightly thickened
9. Add the herbs and drain the pasta
10. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and bring back to the simmer, stirring until the pasta is coated in the sauce
11. Serve

Spicy skinnier sloppy joes

Well I decided to try and tackle this all American favourite. Not the easiest of challenges. I'm afraid I didn't manage to cut out quite as much stodgy stuff as I'd have liked but it is beef, bun, sauce and cheese. There's only so much you can do with that combo without it no longer resembling the original. Plus this one's certainly not for every day so just enjoy the slightly pared back treat.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
400g extra lean beef mince (less than 5% fat)
1 large onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 beef oxo crumbled
1/2tsp dried oregano
1 heaped tsp Moroccan seasoning from asda
3tbs worschester sauce
4-5tbs tomato ketchup
4 large wholemeal buns
Reduced fat mature cheddar grated

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Place split buns on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 mins until lightly toasted
3. In the meantime dry fry the mince, pepper and onion until gently browned.
4. Add the seasonings and sauces and simmer on a low heat until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
5. Serve the mince on the buns topped with a little grated cheese.

 

Sunday brunch - cowboy style (huevos rancheros)

These could be made veggie simply by leaving out the bacon but for those of us who are partial to a bit of  meat the flavour can't be duplicated.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
4 rashers smoked back bacon chopped
1 onion chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 red chilli deseeded and chopped
1 tin sweet corn drained
1 tin kidney beans rinsed and drained
2tsp chilli powder
1/2tsp black pepper
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp smoked paprika
Tabasco sauce to taste

2 wholemeal wraps
4 large eggs
Grated cheddar
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 200*C
2. Fry the bacon until any water has evaporated and it has gone golden and crispy
3. Add the onions, chilli and peppers and cook gently until the onions are translucent and soft
4. Add the spices and Tabasco and cook for a couple of minutes
5. Add the sweet corn and kidney beans and cook gently till everything is piping hot through
6. Line two ovenproof bowls with the tortilla wraps
7. Divide the hash mix between the wraps (without overfilling)
8. Top with the grated cheese and crack in 2 eggs on top of everything
9. Bake in the oven at 200*C for 10-15 mins. Keep an eye on them as you want the yolks still runny
10. Serve

Chicken fajitas

My lovely hubby constantly goes on about the chicken fajitas they make at his work and how amazing they are. In his opinion mine are never as good ... Until now!!! He finally explained what mine was lacking was a sauce. So I tweaked my recipe and voila! This one has lots of veggies, lots of flavour and makes one chicken breast go a long way.

Serves 2
1 chicken breast sliced into strips
1tsp olive oil
1 onion sliced
1/2 red, yellow and green peppers sliced
1 clove garlic crushed

Spice mix:
1tsp oregano
1tsp cumin
1tsp black pepper
Pinch salt
2tsp smoked paprika
1tsp chilli powder

Tabasco sauce to taste
Hot water

Accompaniments:
4 wholemeal wraps
Salad
Grated cheddar
Natural yoghurt

1. Fry the chicken strips turning once till sealed
2. Add the onion and cook down a little
3. Add the peppers and garlic and cook till softened
4. Sprinkle over the spices and cook gently stirring often
5. Add the tomato purée, Tabasco and water to make the sauce. You want to add what looks like a little too much water as it will reduce down to make a rich sauce
6. Warm the wraps in foil in the oven
7. Serve as a build-your-own

Turkish style pizza

Rightio, first off, the original recipe used lamb but I don't much like it so I switched to beef. Nothing to do with ethical issues, I just never had it as a kid (excuse the pun) and never acquired a taste for it so it's a bit strong for my liking so I always just swap beef for lamb. Secondly, as I got part way through this I realised something was missing -salt! The original recipe I found was just spiced meat in a tomato paste on the wrap and while that's good and healthy it meant the dish lacked balance. So I made a last minute addition of some crumbled feta, giving it the creamy, fresh saltiness that balances the dry, spicy meat and the crispy nutty wholemeal wrap.


Ingredients:
2 wholemeal tortilla wraps
250g extra lean beef mince
1/2 ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
Pinch cinnamon
2 cloves garlic crushed
4tbsp tomato purée
1tsp lime juice
10-15 drops Tabasco sauce
6-8 chopped cherry tomatoes
1tbsp chopped fresh mint
1tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 pack feta cheese crumbled



Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220*C
2. Dry fry mince in a non stick frying pan breaking up into crumbled bits
3. Add the spices and cook out on a low heat
4. Add the tomato paste, lime and Tabasco
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and mint. Cook gently until the tomato juices evaporate
6. Spray foil with fry light and lay on a wrap
7. Divide the mince between the two wraps and spread out
8. Bake for 10 mins
9. Crumble over the feta and sprinkle with the chopped basil and serve

Nandos style lunch

When is a Sunday lunch not a Sunday lunch? When it's a nandos style chicken and sides.

Sometimes a Sundays dinner is just a bit too much of a chore so I tried this instead. You could easily do this with a whole roast chicken by spatchcocking it but for two of us I opted for a couple of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I served it with corn on the cob, green salad and jalapeño coleslaw (I didn't make the coleslaw but imagine it wouldn't be too hard to do a healthier version using natural yoghurt and puréed chilli paste instead of mayo).

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts in a food bag
1tsp olive oil

For the dry rub:
1 chicken oxo cube
2tsp chilli powder
3tsp smoked paprika
2tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground black pepper

Sides:
4 mini corn on the cobs
Green salad
Jalapeño coleslaw

1. Open the top corner of the food bag so the air can escape. Using a rolling pin etc, bash the chicken in the bag until it's flattened out. The thinner it is the faster it will cook and the greater the surface area to soak up the rub and have contact with the pan to go crispy.
2. Put the corn in a pan of boiling waster. Bring to the boil again and boil for 10 minutes until tender.
3. In the meantime preheat the frying pan on a low heat
4. Mix the spices in a bowl along with the oxo cube crumbled up.
5. Pour the spices into the bag and scrunch around until the chicken is totally coated.
6. Add the oil to the pan and add each piece of chicken carefully ensuring it's fully opened out.
7. Fry on a medium heat turning occasionally until the chicken has a dark spice crust but is cooked and tender inside.
8. Drain the corn and serve with the chicken and the other sides.

Butternut squash and spinach rotolo

I decided to give this one a go as it's veggie and pretty substantial. And I have to say it made an excellent Sunday dinner. Took a while to make as I had to wait for the squash to roast in the oven but it was well worth it!  Another recipe my hubby loved. I reckon this would be good for having friends round as you could make it in advance, bung it in the fridge then cook it off when everyone arrives.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/squash-spinach-pasta-rotolo

I didn't have any fresh pasta so instead I used dried lasagne sheets but I softened them in boiling water for a few minutes then laid them out on grease proof spritzed with fry light. Careful they don't stick together.

I didn't have a big enough butternut squash but I had a large sweet potato kicking around and so i roasted this off at the same time and mashed them together and it worked a treat.

I also tweaked the spinach bit by adding some fresh mint and lots of freshly grated nutmeg. I didn't bother adding the Parmesan to each of the rolls. I just put plenty on top.

Patatas bravas topped with fried eggs

Cheap easy and rather tasty. Serves 2 but easily multiplied to serve more.  This dish is usually fried to give crispy spuds but you can get the same effect done in the oven as long as you keep them in one layer.

Ingredients:
2 floury red skin potatoes skin on diced
1 red onion peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic crushed
2tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1tbsp grated Parmesan
2tbsp tomato purée
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 eggs
Fry light

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Spray 2 ovenproof dishes with fry light
3. Split the onion between the dishes and use it to line the bottom of each dish
4. Add the diced potatoes and spritz with fry light
5. Bake for 30 mins until crispy and golden
6. In the meantime combine the other ingredients apart from the eggs in a jug or bowl
7. Once baked add the tomato sauce over the potatoes and replacd in the oven for a further 10-15 mins until the sauce is piping hot
8. In the meantime fry the eggs in a non stick pan with a little fry light on a very low heat. Make sure the yolks are still runny
9. Remove the dishes from the oven and top each one with an egg. Serve

Blueberry, banana and cinnamon pancakes - no flour, no dairy, no sugar, no fat!

I promise these taste a million times better than they look. They are totally gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and no fat either. In short they are fruit, eggs and cinnamon. Sounds like a fruit omelette right? I suppose to a point they are. And for all that doesn't sound very appealing, these are so worth a go.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 really ripe bananas (the blacker the skin the better as they are much sweeter and less starchy)
3 eggs
1 punnett blueberries
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:
1. Peel and Mash the bananas in a bowl
2. Beat in the eggs until thoroughly combined. This is your batter.
3. Add the cinnamon and blueberries and whisk in.
4. Preheat a non stick pan on a very low heat and add the batter 2 spoonfuls at a time. Only put about 3 pancakes in at a time. You need room to turn them.
5. Once bubbles start to appear on the surface

Aberdeen Angus beef shish kebab, spicy wedges with yoghurt and mint sauce

Can you have a kebab on a diet? YES!

I managed to get my hands on some lovely Aberdeen Angus minced beef that's less than 10% fat.  I'm not adding egg or breadcrumbs or any fillers. The meat is so good it doesn't need it.  These kebabs are spicy, crusted and moreish.

Ingredients:

Wedges:
1tsp ground cummin
1tsp paprika
1tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1tsp dried oregano
1 chicken oxo cube crumbled
2 big red skin potatoes cut into wedges (skin on)

Kebabs:
400g beef mince (less than 10% fat)
1tbsp balti curry paste

Sauce:
1 cup low fat natural yoghurt
2tsp mint sauce

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220*C
2. Mix all the spices together in a big bowl and toss the wedges in the spices
3. Place in a single layer on a baking tray lined with grease proof
4. Put the mince in the same bowl to pick up any leftover spices
5. Add the curry paste and stir together thoroughly until the paste is totally combined with the mince
6. Divide into 4 portions. Scrunch each portion into an egg shape
7. Slide a metal skewer into the meat and then squeeze it to make it thinner and make it stretch along the skewer until it's covered
8. Place on a baking tray lined with grease proof
9. Put the wedges in the top of the oven and the skewers in the bottom
10. Cook for 30 mins turning both the wedges and kebabs halfway through
11. For the sauce simply stir the mint sauce into the yoghurt and at da!!!!
12. Serve with salad, low fat coleslaw and a little mango chutney

Mushroom-stuffed peppers, bean salsa and cous cous

Slight adaptation on a hairy dieter's recipe. And no giving me stick about using chorizo.  I know it's got fat in it but the flavour you get can't be replicated. Also I don't add any oil when frying the mushrooms, I just use the little oil that comes out of the chorizo.

Ingredients:
Stuffed peppers:
2 peppers halved and deseeded but leave the stalk intact
1/2 chorizo ring diced
8-10 mushrooms chopped small
2 garlic cloves crushed
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp paprika
1tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 slice brown bread  crumbled
2tbsp tomato purée
1/4 block feta crumbled

Bean salsa:
1/4 can mixed beans drained
1/4 can sweet corn drained
Small handful fresh coriander chopped
6 splashes lime juice

Cous cous:
1/2 cup cous cous
1 cup boiling water
Mexican spice mix

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Fry the chorizo in a frying pan on a low heat till it releases it's oils.
3. Add the mushrooms and bread, turn up the heat and fry until dark and all the moisture has evaporated
4. Add the other ingredients stir together and stir together
5. Spoon the stuffing into the pepper halves put on a baking tray and bake for 30 mins
6. In the meantime combine the ingredients for the salsa and stir together
7. Add the spice mix to the cous cous, pour over the boiling water and cover with cling film for 10-15 mins until the liquid is fully absorbed. Then fluff it up with a fork
8. Serve

Lunch box - lentil salad

Okay so gonna try this tomorrow. Keep the veg a little chunky, say 2cm dice.

Ingredients:
1 can green lentils, rinsed and drained
1 red pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped
1/2 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cummin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Put all the veggies on a baking tray lined with grease proof, add the herbs and spices and toss till they're all coated and bake for 20 mins till golden and tender
3. Allow to cool slightly and mix into the drained lentils
4. Serve with red pepper hummus, celery and carrot sticks, and mixed leaves

Chicken and butter bean broth

Decided to use up the rest of Sunday's roast chicken. Last night the other half went into a Thai green curry but I cheated and used a jar of sauce so I won't be posting that recipe.

This one however, is light, herbal, flavourful, satisfying and feels ... No IS very virtuous.

Ingredients:
1 large onion chopped
2 sticks celery chopped
2 carrots Chopped
1/2 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
Stems from a big bunch of coriander chopped
2 veggie oxo cubes
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 can butter beans
Boiling water
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp black pepper
Leftover chicken
Leaves from a big bunch of coriander

Method:
1. Dry fry all the veg and coriander stems
2. Once they start to brown pour in the butter beans including the water from the tin. The starch helps thicken the broth.
3. Add the oxo cubes, rosemary, pepper and ginger
4. Add the chicken
5. Add boiling water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until everything is tender.
6. Stir in the coriander leaves and serve.

 

Another Sunday Lunch with a Twist - roast chicken and root veg crumble

 

My husband grew up where every Sunday meant a roast chicken dinner. And I love the idea of that tradition but find it hard to keep up when it's just the two of us. If we had company coming I'd definitely do it but  I find it easier to do stews, casseroles or things like toad I the hole. I love chicken leftovers but my hubby has a bit of an aversion where chicken on day 2 is concerned. For my family we only got a proper Sunday's dinner when my sister and I went to my dad's for the weekend. He would cook everything from scratch. No frozen veggies or gravy granules in sight.

Well this week I'm going to try and persuade my husband to love leftover chicken so doing a full roast. Because I'm using the leftovers in a number of ways, I'm not messing about with the chicken. A drizzle of water in the bottom of the tray and a quick squirt of fry light on the skin of the bird.

The twist here is what I'm doing with the veg. I spotted a river cottage recipe for a root veg crumble and thought I could have a bash at something like that. By roasting the veg you intensify all the flavours and nothing is lost into boiling water. I had a packet of sage and onion stuffing mix hanging around my kitchen since christmas and wondered if I could substitute this for the breadcrumb and oat base topping that Hugh fearnly wittingstall uses.

Ingredients:

Chicken:
1 large chicken
Fry light spray
1/2 cup water

For the crumble:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 floury potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 chicken oxo cube crumbled
Fry light spray

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190*C
2. Put chicken in tin on a wire rack and pour the water in the bottom of the tin. Spray the skin with fry light. Tent in foil and put in the centre of the oven. 
3. Spray a dish with fry light. Mix the veg and put in the dish. Spray the veg with fry light and crumble over the oxo cube to add extra flavour. Tent in foil and put in the top of the oven.
4. Cook the veg for 45 mins. In the meantime follow the packet instructions for the stuffing and leave the mixture to cool so you can handle it to crumble over later.
5. Cook the chicken as per the packet instructions and for the last 20-30 mins remove the foil.
6. Once you've taken the chicken out of the oven at the end of the cooking time. Tent with foil and let the meat rest.
7. At this point take the foil off the veg and sprinkle over the stuffing. Put back in the oven for 20 mins. Until the stuffing is crispy and golden.
8. Carve the meat and serve with the crumble and some gravy (yes made with granules ;-)

Better than a takeaway burger

So my hubby asked for a takeaway for tea. Not a chance! But I decided to cook something that felt like a really naughty treat but in fact wasn't too bad. Homemade beef burgers with Mexican inspired accompaniments. I keep the burger itself pure though. I managed to get my hands on Aberdeen Angus beef so didn't want to mess with something so good. I don't even season it with salt or pepper. I find that salt draws all the moisture out of the meat so I don't fuss with it at all.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Burgers:
400g less than10% fat minced beef
2 ciabatta buns
Lambs lettuce
Ketchup

Sides:
2 corns on the cob

Mexican coleslaw:
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 yellow pepper sliced
1/2 red onion sliced
2 large carrots grated
1 can kidney beans
30g grated cheddar
1tbsp extra low fat mayo
1tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cummin
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp black pepper
2tsp lime juice

Fajita veggies:
Lea and perrins
1tbsp tomato purée
1tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cummin
1/2 red pepper sliced
1/2 yellow pepper sliced
1/2 red onion sliced

Method:
1. For the coleslaw mix the spices and lime juice into the mayo. Then add in the rest of the ingredients and stir together.
2. Pre heat the oven to 200*C
3. For the burger, divide the mince into 2 portions and lightly pack together to make a pattie.
4. Preheat a non stick pan and put the patties in. Do not move them till they have a caramelised crust underneath. Carefully turn and cook the other side. Then put them on a baking tray and put them in the oven for 10 mins. Also put the buns in the oven to toast up.
5. In the same pan dry fry the veggies and add the spices once the veggies are tender. Then add the tom purée and lea and perrins and cook down.
6. Microwave the corn in an covered dish
7. Assemble the burger with ketchup and lambs lettuce, serve with the accompaniments.

Squash and butter bean stew, cous cous and feta

This recipe was to make a dent in a rather huge butternut squash I had loitering in my cupboard. I love how long a whole squash keeps unopened. However, a butternut squash rarely hangs around in my kitchen for long. I love how versatile they are, their sweetness,  and richness. The monster one I prepped tonight should make 3 separate dishes but first up.......

Squash and butter bean stew:

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 small red onion sliced
1 red pepper chopped
1 green pepper chopped
4 small carrots chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
3tbsp balti paste
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 can butter beans drained
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can hot water
1 veggie oxo cube
2 cups of butternut squash diced
A few splashes of Tabasco
A few splashes of worschester  (yes I know I can't spell) sauce. Let's just say lea and perrins. Ha ha.

Method:
1. Dry fry the onion, pepper, carrot and squash
2. Add the garlic, tomato purée, balti paste and crumble in the oxo cube. Stir together until the tomato purée has cooked out a little
3. Add the tinned tomatoes and water. Stir to combine.
4. Stir in the butter beans, Tabasco and Lea and Perrins
5. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 mins until the squash and carrot are tender through.
6. Serve with cous cous and crumble over some feta

Risotto primeviera

I've not given quantities below except for the oil as it depends on how many portions you're making. Estimate about 75g dried rice per person but follow the instructions on the packet about how much liquid you need. Also, you want about a third of the volume of the finished dish to be veg so best do it by eye.


Ingredients:
Risotto rice
1tsp olive oil
Oxo veg cubes
Boiling water
Crushed garlic
Onion finely chopped
Frozen peas
Frozen broad beans
Frozen spinach
Grated Parmesan

Method:
1. Heat the oil and gently sweat the onions until translucent and soft.
2. Add the rice and stir well until slicked with the oil
3. Add the garlic and stir through.
4. Make up the stock using the oxo cubes in a jug with boiling water
5. Gradually add the stock, stirring well in between additions (approx. a ladle full). Wait for each ladle full of stock to be fully absorbed  before adding the next one.
6. Once all the stock has been used add the veg and simmer until everything is piping hot.
7. Serve with a sprinkle of finely grated Parmesan.

Mexican lasagne

This is the way I used all of that leftover bean chilli. My husband quickly cleared his plate and went back for seconds. So seems I'm on to a winner. There is cheese in this so you'll need to decide how much you want to use for flavour vs fat.

Ingredients:
Leftover really beany chilli
3 wholemeal flour tortillas
Reduced fat cheddar grated (you need to decide how much you want)
1 pot low fat cottage cheese
1tsp corn flour

1. Preheat oven to 200*C
2. Layer the chilli and tortillas up in a round dish (or cut to fit the dish you've got). If you're freezing for later do it now.
3. In a food processor whizz together the cottage cheese and cornflour until the curds in the cottage cheese have blended into the liquid. The cornflour helps thicken it in the oven
4. Pour over the bake and top  with the grated cheese
5.  Bake for 40 mins until piping hot through and golden on top.

Sweet potato and chickpea balti

I've just served up a really punchy veggie curry and my wonderful husband just said to me that he's happy we're eating less meat. And I started telling him how not only is it healthier but a damned sight cheaper.  And the more I think about it the more sense it makes to me. I can go to my local green grocer and spend £5 and I walk out  with my arm aching with a big bag full of healthy veg of every kind and usually seasonal. Or I can blow that fiver on 2 chicken breasts from battery farmed chickens.  Conclusion? More veg! Less meat! I'm never gonna go veggie altogether it's not in my nature but I'm seeing my meat as more of a treat.

Ingredients:
2 small red onions sliced
1 large sweet potato peeled and diced
1/4 jar Balti paste
1 can chickpeas
2 handfuls of fresh spinach

Method:
1. Dry fry onions and once softened, add the sweet potato and dry fry until it starts to catch on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add the balti paste and cook for 2 mins.
3. Add the chickpeas including the water in the tin and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer for 15 mins then add the spinach. Put the lid on the pan and let it simmer for a further 5 mins until the spinach has wilted. Then stir everything together and serve with rice.

Really beany chilli

I started making this with the intention of adding dried veggie mince from holland and Barrett but once I'd started I realised we'd run out. So I decided to replace the mince with dried red lentils and it was just as tasty and higher in fibre and vitamins.

There was so much of this left (including after my husband had seconds) that I used the leftovers to make a Mexican lasagne (recipe to follow) to tuck in the freezer.

Ingredients:
1 large red onion chopped
1 & 1/2 peppers chopped
1 large carrot chopped
4 cloves garlic crushed
1 red chilli deseeded and chopped
2tsp dried oregano
1tsp ground cummin
1tsp ground cinnamon
3tsp chilli powder
1tsp black pepper
3tbsp tomato purée
2 veggie oxo cubes
1 cup dried red lentils
1 small box pasatta
1ltr boiling water
1 can sweet corn drained
1 can mixed beans drained

Method:
1. Dry fry the veg until tender
2. Add the spices, oregano, oxo cubes, tomato purée, garlic and chilli
3. Add the lentils, pasatta and water
4. Add the drained beans and sweet corn
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 mins until the lentils are swollen and tender
6. Serve with boiled rice and a drizzle of fat free natural yoghurt

Butternut squash pasta bake

I had tons and I do mean tons of the soup leftover so decided to use it to make a nice healthier pasta bake. Lots less cheese but much more flavour.

Serves 8 (this made two whopping big pasta bakes)

Ingredients:
Leftover soup from the previous recipe
Handful of chopped mushrooms
500g dried macaroni or similar pasta
Mature cheddar grated (around 2 matchboxes size)

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 220•C. Heat up the soup. Once simmering add the mushrooms and pasta.
2. Stir regularly and simmer for 10 mins until the pasta has swollen.
3. Once the pasta has pretty much doubled in size, pour it all into 2 lasagne dishes
4. Top with the grated cheese (at this point allow one bake to cool and once cold pop it in the freezer).
5. Bake for 15-20 mins until the cheese is bubbling

Butternut squash soup

This creates a really flavoursome velvety soup and although there's no cream, I do add some lowest fat cream cheese with garlic and herbs. It gives it real tang and a creaminess that you can't fake. But considering how many  servings it makes , I don't worry so much.

Serves 4-6  plus half left for the pasta bakes (recipe to follow)

Ingredients:
1 large onion chopped
1 large butternut squash, peeled deseeded and chopped
2 large carrots peeled and chopped
4 cloves of garlic peeled
1tsp chilli powder
2 veggie oxo cubes
1.5ltr boiling water
1/2 pack lowest fat cream cheese with garlic and herbs

Method:
1. Dry fry all the veg for 10 mins in a large stockpot
2. Add garlic, chilli powder, oxo and boiling water
3. Bring to the boil and simmer until all the veg is tender
4. Using a stick blender whizz up the soup until velvety and smooth
5. Add the cream cheese and blend again to incorporate.
6. Serve

300 calorie meat and potato pies

I decided a while ago to have a go at these. The recipe makes 6 individual pies and will be using 2 today and freezing the rest for another day. The "pastry" is actually pizza base.

They've turned out fab!!!! And my hubby thinks so too!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/low-fat_minced_beef_and_34423

spicy veggie beanie burgers

Using up my leftover mash to make these spicy babies. This makes a lot of burgers so I've frozen most of them. Think I'll serve these with salad and homemade salsa.

makes 12 patties

ingredients

2-3 cups leftover mashed potato
1 tin kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 tin chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 red onion finely chopped
2 eggs
1tsp ground corriander
2tsp ground cummin
1tsp ground turmeric
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp mild chilli powder
1tsp ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds to sprinkle

method

1. puree the chickpeas and kidney beans in a food processor.
2. Put all ingredients except the sesame seeds into a big bowl and mix really really well.
3. Form into palm sized patties and sprinkle each side with about half a teaspoon of sesame seeds and pat until they stick. Put on a non stick baking tray.
4. Cover in clingfilm and refrigerate for an hour, to ensure they set up properly. At this point freeze any you're not going to use immediately.
5. preheat a non stick pan on the hob for a couple of minutes and place them in the pan dry. Cook until a crust forms then turn over and repeat.
6. To finish cooking through put on a baking tray lined with greaseproof and bake in a moderate oven for 15-20 mins until piping hot through.

Ham and pickle salad

Such a simple but refreshing salad. Leftover ham, beet root from a jar, pickled red cabbage, red pepper, salad leaves. Toss handfuls together as desired and enjoy. The sweet juices from the beet root mix with the vinegar from the cabbage and create a tangy and characterful dressing.

lunchbox revolution! why didn't I think of this sooner?!

Caught River Cottage Everyday yesterday and had a lunch appiphany.   What's wrong with my packed lunches at the moment?

They're repetative, dull, and ultimately not exciting.

I'm going to start looking at my lunches from a different perspective. Instead of the usual ham or cheese sandwiches or tuna pasta salad ... I'm gonna treat my fridge like my own personal deli and build my lunches like a pick and mix with 5 main components.

My husband got really excited at the prospect of this style of meal and as long as everything is prepped, he can put together whatever he wants and we can have what we each want rather than me avoiding foods I like but he doesn't as its easuer to make one batch rather than two.

The fun stuff is the sprinkles and condiments as they add the excitement to the lunchbox.  But I figure, if I fill my fridge with some of these prepped up I can put together any number of combinations to keep it exciting:

Starchy fillers:

Rice
pasta
New potatoes
cous cous
chickpeas
lentils
noodles
sweet potato
pitta bread
crutons
jacket potatoes
wraps


Tasty protein:

Leftover roast meat (chicken, beef, pork, lamb etc)
Tuna
smoked fish
prawns
quorn
bacon
sausages
chorizo
cheeses (feta, halloumi, cheddar, cottage etc)
Boiled eggs
butter beans
meatloaf/meatballs


Veg and fruit:

salad leaves
spinach
rocket
Carrots
asparagus
cucumber
beetroot
broad beans
tomatoes
red onions
peas
butternut squash
peppers
broccoli
beansprouts
cress
mango
apple
strawberries
citrus fruits


Sprinkles:

Herbs (basil, parsley, chives, mint, thyme etc)
Nuts and seeds
spribg onions
capers
dried fruit
chillies


Condiments:

Dressinds
hummus
pesto
curry paste
ground spices
mayonnaise
chutneys
pickles
chilli sauce
Natural/greek style yoghurt
soy sauce
sesame oil
peanut butter
homemade veggie pate`s (beetroot and mint, butterbean and chilli)

Broccoli cauliflower cheese bake - all frozen veg!

Cheese and broccoli sauce made for cauliflower cheese for tea. Not a lot of cheese but seems really creamy so should be nice. And you get to use frozen veg. Having a go at a jamie Oliver recipe:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/the-best-cauliflower-broccoli-cheese