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.