04May / 2016

Refried Beans, Coconut Green Rice, Grilled Peppers and Avocado

I decided to cook this to use up some ingredients I had in the fridge but it turned out rather tasty so I will write it down and definitely cook it again! The refried beans I have cooked many times and go well with tacos if you want to skip the meat as well. I don’t add any spices to the beans as I just enjoy the sweetness from the onion to flavour them but you could use spices such as cumin, coriander, smoked paprika if you wanted an extra kick to the recipe. The good thing about having things like limes, coriander, coconut milk and peppers in the house is that you can go either way – Thai or Mexican! As you might have guessed – two of my favourite cuisines!

Serves 1

Rice:

60g brown rice

75g spinach

a handful of fresh coriander

1 tbsp coconut milk

Refried Beans:

1 onion

3 tsp of olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1 can of kidney beans

100ml vegetable stock

salt and pepper

Sides:

1/2 each of two different coloured peppers

1/2 avocado

1/2 lime

salt and pepper

fresh coriander to garnish

Boil the kettle and heat up 2 hobs, preheat the grill to medium high.
Put the rice into plenty of boiling water, bring up to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes
In the meantime, prepare everything else.
Blitz the coriander and spinach in a food processor until fine
Heat 2 tsp oil in a small saucepan and then turn down to low (3).
Dice the onion and add to the saucepan to slowly cook through for 10 minutes until translucent. Any time the pan gets too hot or there is no oil left, pour in a splash of water from the kettle until it has evaporated or been absorbed. We want the onions soft and sweet not crunchy.
Meanwhile cut 2 sides off each pepper, discard any internal flesh and cut each side into 2. Line a grill pan with foil and put under the grill skin side up. This should take about 10 – 15 minutes to brown. You can either brown the skin or char it black and remove it at the end.
Remove the skin and slice the avocado half. Dress with the juice from half the lime, salt and pepper.
Crush in the garlic into the pan of onions and stir fry for 1 minute.
Drain and rinse the beans in a colander and add to the pan with the stock. Turn up high and cook for about 5 minutes until nearly all of the stock has evaporated or been absorbed.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mash in the pan. Then add the last teaspoon of oil and a splash of water if it looks too dry and refry the beans on a medium heat.
Drain the rice when ready and return it to the pan. Stir in the spinach and coriander mixture and the coconut milk. Return to the hob to heat through for a minute.
Arrange all on a plate and serve.

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01May / 2016

Thai Steamed Sea Bass with Sesame Noodles, Garlic Pak Choi and Beetroot

My mum is on a Slimming World diet which doesn’t allow oil unless you count it as a syn. So I decided to create something that she could cook. This recipe does include oil but you can omit it as it’s not used in the cooking process or you could swap the noodles for cauliflower rice if necessary. To make cauliflower rice, simply blitz up raw cauliflower in a food processor until fine, put in a bowl covered in cling film with a small slit in the top and microwave for 2 minutes. I definitely cook this for her next time she comes around as she loves fish, loves Thai food and it’s really tasty! I bought my thai ingredients from an oriental wholesaler, they were very cheap. I have about 100 lime leaves in my freezer now!

Serves 2

Paste:

6cm ginger root

1 garlic clove

Juice of 2 limes

4 lime leaves

2 tbsp water

1 birds eye chilli

1 stick of lemon grass

2 large handfuls of fresh coriander

Fish

2 sea bass filleted or 4 sea bass fillets

Salt and Pepper

Vegetables

2 fresh raw beetroot

2 pak choi

1 clove of garlic

Noodles

2 nests of wholewheat noodles

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp sesame seeds

Unsweetened desiccated coconut to serve (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Peel the ginger and lemongrass and blend it together with the other paste ingredients in the food processor.
Get 2 1 metre pieces of kitchen foil to make your 2 packets for your fish, 1 per person. Divide the 2 portions of fish between the 2 pieces of foil and place them in the middle with space either side to seal. First, lay the fish skin side up and season with salt and pepper. Then turn them over and spread on the paste on each of the fillets.
For each packet, bring the two ends together and scrunch so that there is some space above the fish to make steam. Then seal the sides.
Place in the oven on a baking tray for 15 minutes, then open each packet up and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the vegetables and noodles.
Boil the kettle
Meanwhile, chop off the root and tops from the beetroot, scrub any mud and remove any gnarly bits with a knife. Using a mandolin on its biggest setting (about 2mm) cut the beetroot into slices. Put in a small saucepan with the boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes.
Put a large dry non stick frying pan on a medium heat.Slice the pak choi lengthways into 5mm thick slices. Add to the pan and wait for it to sizzle. Add about 5mm of water from the kettle to the bottom of the pan. Crush in a clove of garlic. If all the water evaporates, add more, don’t let it go dry until near the end. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side.
Add boiling water from the kettle to a medium saucepan and simmer the noodles for 5 minutes with a pinch of salt.
Once cooked, drain and return to the pan, stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.
Plate up and sprinkle on the coconut if using.

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19Apr / 2016

Stuffed Peppers with Non Cheese Cheesy Topping

This week I’m trying to eat more vegetarian food for my health, my wallet and for ethical reasons. However, whenever I eat veggie I try and make sure that I get protein from another source.

Serves 2

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

50g brown rice

1 can quality chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree

700ml boiled water

50g red lentils

3 large or 4 medium red peppers

1 courgette

Salt and pepper

Topping

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 leek

90g celeriac

4 sun dried tomatoes

4 sprigs of thyme

5 tbsp creme fraiche

To serve

1 aubergine

Salt and Pepper

100g spinach

Pinch of grated nutmeg

Splash of boiled water

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan on the hob.
Peel and finely chop the onion. Saute in the saucepan on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
Fill and boil the kettle
Crush in the garlic and stir fry for a further minute
Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, herbs, salt and pepper, 700ml of boiled water and rice. Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes until the rice is cooked. Add the lentils 20 minutes before the end. You can cook let this cool if it’s ready too soon as it will be baked in the oven at the end.
Meanwhile, heat the rest of the oil (1/2 tbsp) in a medium saucepan on a medium heat.
Slice the courgette into 5mm slices and each slice into quarters. Saute for 10 minutes then set aside.
While the courgette is cooking start to prepare the peppers. Cut each pepper into half and remove the stalk and the seeds.
Line a baking tray with foil and place the peppers face down onto it. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes and then leave on the side to cool.
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways and each half into 3 wedges. Rub with oil, sprinkle over salt and pepper and bake in the lower part of the oven for 8 minutes with the skin side down and then 4 minutes on each side.
Heat the oil for the topping in a large saucepan on a medium high hob.
Roughly chop the leek into small pieces as well as the sun dried tomato. Cut off the tough outer edge of the celeriac and grate. Pick the leaves from the thyme.
Stir fry the leek, sun dried tomato, celeriac and thyme in the oil for 4 minutes.
Add the creme fraiche and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
Blitz the topping in a food processor until it’s as smooth as is possible.
Stir the courgettes into the rice, tomato and lentil mixture. Fill the pepper halves with the mixture right to the top.
Spoon on the topping and roast for 10 minutes. Warm the aubergine by putting it into the bottom part of the oven.
Boil the kettle and 2 minutes before the end, put the spinach with the pinch of nutmeg in a saucepan with a splash of water and stir until wilted.
Arrange on a plate and serve.

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10Apr / 2016

Pork Loin with Sweet Potato Colcannon

This is pork loin cooked with mustard and rosemary on a bed of sweet potato and celeriac colannon served with broccoli. You can cook this under 30 minutes but it’s a bit hectic so you might want to prepare all the vegetables in advance and take a bit more time. It depends on how confident you are in the kitchen.

Serves 2

350g celeriac cut into 1 cm slices

250g sweet potato

4 spring onions

20g butter

2 pork loins

2 sprigs of rosemary

2 tsp of mustard powder

1/4 of a savoy cabbage with outer leaves removed (about 250g)

10 florets of broccoli

salt and pepper

Boil the kettle and warm up the hob on a medium-high heat (4)
Peel and chop the celeriac and sweet potato into 1cm chunks
Put the celeriac into a medium saucepan, cover with boiling water and put on the warm hob. Add a pinch of salt. Bring up to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes
Peel and chop the spring onions into 3-4mm rounds
Melt 10g of the butter in a medium frying pan over a medium heat (3)
After 5 minutes of the celeriac simmering, add the sweet potato to the same pan.
Add the spring onion to the frying pan and stir fry until soft, then remove the onion from the pan into a separate bowl.
Remove the leaves from the rosemary and chop finely.
Put the frying pan back on the heat, it should have some butter still in it. Turn it up a little (4) and add the pork loins. Sprinkle over a quarter of the rosemary and half a teaspoon of mustard powder on each loin, season and then turn immediately. Add the remaining mustard powder and rosemary and fry for 4 minutes. Turn and fry for another 4 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the kettle again, remove the stem from the cabbage and shred. Boil in a small saucepan for 5 minutes.
Drain and set aside with the spring onion.
Boil the kettle again
When the celeriac and sweet potato is done, drain and put back into the medium saucepan. Add the other 10g of butter and using a hand blender, blitz the celeriac and sweet potato mixture until smooth.
Add the broccoli to the small saucepan, put back on the heat, cover with boiling water and a pinch of salt and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add the spring onion and cabbage to the sweet potato mixture and stir through.
Serve and enjoy. Delicious and simple!

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03Apr / 2016

Healthy Tacos

Tacos are made in a factory so strictly speaking, they’re processed but when I looked at the ingredients list it said cornflour and oil so it didn’t look as if they were full of chemicals and life’s too short to make your own tacos! Plus only 2 ingredients makes it under the 5 ingredients rule of clean eating.

My boyfriend swears that if you use guacamole and creme fraiche as cement when building the taco then it doesn’t go everywhere when you eat it. I tried it and it still didn’t work!

Serves 2-3

1 brown onion

1 clove of garlic

1 finger/birds eye chilli (add more if you like it hot)

500g minced beef (I used 10% fat)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp oil

Salsa

1/2 green pepper

1/2 yellow pepper

1 spring onion

3 medium tomatoes

Half a lime

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Handful of fresh coriander

To serve:

Creme fraiche or sour cream

1 5cm slice of Iceberg lettuce shredded

Grated cheese for those not dieting!

8 taco shells

Guacamole

Peel and chop off the root end of the spring onion. Finely slice and place in a bowl of cold water for at least 10 minutes to get rid of the tart flavour of raw onion.
Heat the oil for the beef in a large saucepan over a medium hob (3).
Finely chop the brown onion and when the oil is hot enough, add and saute for 10 minutes.
Finely slice the chilli and add with the crushed garlic and saute for a further minute. You can also add the stalks from the fresh coriander, finely chopped at this point.
Add the spices, seasoning and the meat and brown the meat turning up the heat slightly (4).
Once brown turn down (2) and leave to absorb the flavours for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the salsa, drain the spring onion and gently pat dry with some kitchen roll. It doesn’t have to be bone dry.
Chop the coriander leaves finely, chop the peppers into 5mm squares and the tomatoes as finely as you can.
Add all the ingredients into a bowl, squeeze in the lime and drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil. I don’t like to season it as the salt draws all of the water out of the tomatoes.
Make the guacamole, shred the lettuce and serve everything in bowls so people can help themselves.
Separate the tacos on a plate and microwave for 1 minute.
Let everyone tuck in and enjoy!

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16Mar / 2016

Moroccan Chicken with Pomegranate Salad

Serves 2 large portions or 3-4 small lunches

Salad

50g Quinoa

1 small handful mint

2 large handfuls parsley

6cm cucumber

4 tbsp pomegranate seeds

2 tbsp flaked almonds

1 lemon

1/2 red onion

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chicken

2 tsp each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon

4cm ginger root

2 cloves of garlic

2 oranges (for zest)

2 birds eye chillis

4 tbsp full fat probiotic yoghurt

2 breasts of chicken

4 small good quality tomatoes

1/2 courgette

Salt and Pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Boil the kettle, heat one hob and preheat the grill
Put the quinoa and 600ml water in a small saucepan on the hob, bring up to the boil and simmer for 23 minutes until the water is absorbed. In the last couple of minutes stir the quinoa to prevent burning. Leave enough time after it is done for it to cool a little.
In a bowl place the cumin, coriander and cinnamon with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Crush in the garlic. Grate in the ginger. Zest the oranges and finely chop the chills and add to the bowl. Finally, add the yoghurt and mix well.
Cut each chicken breast in half lengthways and then into 3-4cm chunks. Add to the yoghurt mix and stir to ensure everything is completely coated.
On a new chopping board, cut the courgette in half lengthways and into 1cm thick half moons. Quarter the tomatoes.
Skewer the ingredients in the following sequence, courgette, chicken, tomato, chicken ending at tomato on each skewer. If you run out of ingredients just ensure that 2 chicken pieces are not directly next to each other. Leave a gap if needs be.
Place under the grill for 8 minutes each side.
Meanwhile, continue with the salad. Finely chop the herbs and onion. Cut the cucumber into 1cm slices and each slice into small cubes.
Toast the almonds in a dry pan over the hob until very light brown.
Add all the ingredients to a bowl reserving some almonds for a topping.
Add the cooled quinoa, juice of the lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
Stir well and serve with the chicken. Sprinkle over the remaining almonds.

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13Mar / 2016

Mackerel with Roasted Beetroot, Lambs Lettuce, Lentils and Horseradish Dipping Sauce

I managed to source some fresh horseradish from my local farmer’s market. So I relished (excused the pun!) the opportunity to make something with a horseradish flavour without mayonnaise or vinegar in it.

Serves 2

50 mins

4 raw beetroot

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

60g lentils

Sprig of thyme

4-5 parsley stalks

Fresh horseradish (4 tsp when finely grated)

4 tsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp full fat probiotic yoghurt

50g lambs lettuce

1 lemon

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

4 fresh mackerel fillets (skin left on)

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C
Chop the leafy tops off the beetroot and scrub away mud under the tap.
Chop off top and tail and slice away any rough edges. Cut into about 6 wedges per beetroot.
Place in a baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Toss with your hands so all the wedges are covered. Spinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes until cooked through turning halfway through.
Boil the kettle
Put lentils in with thyme, parsley stalks and half a litre of hot water, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until the water is absorbed, the lentils are cooked through but not mushy.
Grate the horseradish, chop the parsley and add to the yoghurt for your dipping sauce.
Dress the lambs lettuce with the juice of half the lemon and extra virgin olive oil
8 minutes before everything is ready heat up a frying pan on the hob with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
After 3 minutes turn down to medium and add the mackerel one fillet at a time, skin side down, pushing down with a fish slice so it doesn’t curl up. Once all are added, squeeze over the juice of the other lemon half and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the top is almost all white then flip over and cook the other side for 1 minute.
Remove all from heat. Arrange the lambs lettuce on plates, sprinkle with lentils, add beetroot and fish. Drizzle over some dipping sauce but put the rest in a little bowl for dipping!
Delicious and healthy!

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04Mar / 2016

Sweet Potato Dauphinoise

Serves 2 as a side dish

1 sweet potato

1/4 red onion

2 tbsp creme fraiche

40g pumpkin seeds

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C
Wash the sweet potato and keeping the skin on, cut into 5mm thick rounds
Cut the onion in half and chop half of one half into 5mm half moons
Place the onion and sweet potato in a mixing bowl with the creme fraiche, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is covered.
Arrange the drenched sweet potato and onion in a small baking dish (I used an oval dish about 20cm x 12cm) and pour on any remaining mixture.
Blitz the pumpkin seeds in a small chopper but keep it roughly chopped and not too smooth. Top the dauphinoise with the blitzed pumpkin seeds.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Keep an eye on it, if the pumpkin seeds are getting too brown move to a lower shelf.

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25Feb / 2016

Edamame v Eggs

Non processed, portable protein

50g of Edamame is about equivalent to a boiled egg so a good breakfast substitute for those on the go.

	50g Edamame	Medium Boiled Egg
Energy	76.5 KCal	72 KCal
Protein	7.0g	7.1g
Sodium	–	75mg
Fibre	3.0g	–
Carbohydrates	2.4g	–
Of which sugars	1.0g	–
Price per serving at Tesco	£0.17	£0.15

Sources: Tesco.com, My Fitness Pal, Tesco Soya Bean packet. Price based on pack of 6 medium free range eggs and 600g frozen soya beans. Tesco sells what it calls Edamame which is exactly the same as what they call frozen soya beans except they are still in their pods so you get less beans in the weight and you get 500g instead of 600g for £2.00. Prices as at 4th March 2016.

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20Feb / 2016

Leftover Pulled Chicken, Sweet Potato Wedges and Sides

Today I made a roast chicken so that I could use the bones and white meat for a soup I’m making tomorrow. I didn’t know what to do with the brown meat so I did this. I didn’t realise how good it was going to be so I didn’t take a photograph unfortunately! Next time!

Serves 2

Pulled Chicken

Legs and wings from a roast chicken

2 tbsp juices from a roast chicken or 1 tbsp of stock and 1 tbsp of oil mixed

1 small brown onion finely chopped

1 red pepper diced

1 birds eye chill sliced into rounds

1 small garlic clove

1 sprig of fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

1.5 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 lemon

1/2 lime

Sweet Potato Wedges

2 sweet potatoes cut in half and then into wedges

Guacomole

1 avocado

1 tbsp natural full fat yoghurt

2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

1/2 lime

Serve with corn on the cob

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade
Place the sweet potato wedges in a baking tray, add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of oil and mix around with your hands so that the oil is evenly distributed
Cook for 8-10 minutes each side
Put the chicken juices into a large saucepan heat until hot
Turn the hob down to medium and fry the onion in the juices for 5 minutes
Add the peppers and fry for another 2 minutes
Crush in the garlic and fry for another minute
Add the chilli, thyme and spices and 1 tbsp of boiled water to make a thin sauce
Stir in all the meat pulled from the legs and the 2 chicken wings, stir everything together and gently fry for 15 minutes until the meat heated through, stringy and the flavours have been absorbed. Make sure you also include the crispy skin from the roast chicken legs, this is the best bit!
Squeeze in juice from the lemon and lime
Add salt and pepper to taste
For the guacamole, put all of the ingredients into a chopper or blender and blend until smooth
Heat boiling water on the hob and add the corn on the cob – if it is frozen cook for 7-9 minutes, if fresh only cook for 3 – 5 minutes
Plate up and enjoy!

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Refried Beans, Coconut Green Rice, Grilled Peppers and Avocado