Fish and Cheese - breaking the taboo: Oven Roasted Fillets of Hake with Crunchy Courgette 'Chips'

Whilst reading cookery books or watching cooking programmes, I have repeatedly heard this particular rule: DO NOT MIX FISH WITH CHEESE! Chefs all over the world seem to agree that the contrasting natures of the two make it impossible for them to cooperate - delicate and slightly bland fish gets easily dominated by strong and overpowering cheese. Well, being the rebel that I am, I have to disagree. They can work beautifully together, as long as you don't overdo it.

I stumbled across a very fun and healthy recipe and after altering it a bit, I came up with this little treasure:

 

OVEN ROASTED FILLETS OF HAKE WITH CRUNCHY COURGETTE 'CHIPS', ASPARAGUS AND CREAMY PESTO

• Make the crust: mix a handful of grated Parmesan with a cup of fine breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
• Rub 4 fish fillets with a little bit of olive oil and cover it with the breadcrumb mix.
• Cut 2 courgettes into 'chip' like shapes, rub them with crushed garlic and cover with the remaining breadcrumb mix.
• Prepare a flat roasting pan by spraying it with a very thin layer of olive oil and lay the fillets and courgette 'chips' on it. Roast in around 190-200 degrees for 20-25min.
• For the creamy pesto you can either make your own one, or if it's a week night use a shortcut and mix the ready made one (Always buy fresh pesto! It's much tastier than the one from the jar. I especially recommend the fresh green pesto from Waitrose) with a teaspoon of natural yoghurt (or cream if you're feeling naughty). 
• Serve the fish and 'chips' with boiled but still crunchy asparagus or even mushy peas.

And if you're feeling brave, then here's many more recipes breaking the taboo of fish and cheese not going together: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/02/fish-and-cheese_n_5417507.html

Have fun!

 

The tale of the Saturday night dilemma and spicy chicken and mushroom and peas stir fry

Last night I was dealing with an age-old Saturday night dilemma: home cooked dinner or takeaway? When I asked my husband about his opinion, he said: 'Home cooked, please...' As lazy as I felt, it did flatter me and I quickly came up with this beauty:

SPICY CHICKEN WITH ASIAN MUSHROOMS, PEAS AND PAK CHOI 

STIR FRY

• Season your chicken (I used thighs, by far my favourite part of chicken as they are deliciously tender and always juicy) with ginger, paprika, garlic, black pepper, ground chilies, salt and a pinch of.... cinnamon (!!!) 'Cinnamon?' you ask. Yes, cinnamon, as it gives the chicken a bit of spice and some delicate sweetness. Be careful with it though, as you're not making an apple pie after all. Whack the chicken into the oven and roast for around 40-45min, as it is on the bone.
• Prepare the glaze and the sauce. For the glaze, mix 1/3 cup of chicken stock, 1 tbsp of honey and 2 tsps of soy sauce. For the sauce, mix: 3/4 cup of chicken stock, 3 tbsps of soy sauce, 3 tbsps of honey, 1 tbsp of rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar if you don't have the rice one) and 1 tsp of corn flour. Set both concoctions aside.
• Fry the washed mushrooms on a bit of oil until they let out their water. Then add the glaze and cook until almost all liquid is gone. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and set aside.
• Toast your spices: ginger, garlic and chilies, add some chopped spring onions, peas and Pak Choi. Cook for 2-3min. 
• Add the mushrooms and pour in the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens.
• Take the chicken out of the oven and plate up. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
• Bob's your uncle!

Now there's nothing left to do but to put your feet up and put the Netflix on while the husband does the dishes...

Chicken breast chunks and mixed veg parcels with Parmesan and rosemary parsnip chips and gem lettuce salad

Came home from work today and all I had in my fridge was lots of vegetables and chicken breast chunks. Not really feeling like cooking up a stir fry, I came up with and idea of throwing everything into one bag and chucking it into the oven, so that I had spare time to get on with other things. And I think it worked. This simple and cost effective recipe will help you use up veg that could otherwise be left at the back of your fridge, forgotten until it goes bad and save you some valuable time. As messy as it looks, it was delicious. 

What is more, there is nothing bad in it for you. It is full of nutrients and vitamins and packed with protein.

CHICKEN BREAST CHUNKS AND MIXED VEG PARCEL WITH PARMESAN AND ROSEMARY PARSNIP CHIPS AND GEM LETTUCE SALAD

• Marinate the chicken breast chunks in your favourite herbs and spices. I used paprika, basil, black pepper, garlic and a bit of salt.
• Get your parsnip chips going: cut raw parsnips into chunks and par boil them briefly.
  
  Then spread them on a flat roasting pan, sprinkle with rosemary, rock salt and parmesan and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in 200 degrees for about 30min, or until golden.
  
• In the meantime prep your vegetables. Almost any veg would do. This time I used cauliflower, green pepper, asparagus, green beans, courgette and mushrooms. Cut them into bite sized chunks.
• Prepare your baking paper by cutting out heart shaped parcels.
  

• Now fill your parcels with a portion of the marinated chicken breasts and the prepared vegetables. Arrange the filling in the middle, leaving enough paper on the edge to wrap it up later. Add a bit of salt and pepper to taste and drizzle with the smallest amout of olive oil. 
• Then wrap them tightly with the filling-free paper edges so that they look like giant pasties or dumplings and arrange on a flat roasting pan.
  
  
  
  
  Put them into the oven together with the roasting parsnips and cook for around 20-25min.Now prepare the gem lettuce salad: boil the corn on the cob with a bit of butter and salt, when soft, cut it off the cob. Saute the gem lettuce leaves on a large pan. Sprinkle with sweet corn and drizzle with fresh pesto and yoghurt dressing. Add a tomato for colour.  
•   Serve everything hot.
  
  
  
  
  

Sweetcorn and cottage cheese pancakes with caramelised bananas and crispy bacon

For the last month or so, I've been testing some recipes from Jamie Oliver's latest book 'Everyday Super Food'. 
Although I am not hoping to lose as much weight as Jamie (gosh, he looks great, doesn't he?!), I do need to try and live healthier lifestyle.
Jamie's book seems to be a great tool helping me with it.
It's packed with wonderfully colourful, healthy and quite simple recipes, you just don't know where to start!
Well, couple of Sundays ago, I've decided to break our weekly tradition of preparing a Full English Breakfast and decided to give these little bad boys a try:

SWEETCORN AND COTTAGE CHEESE PANCAKES WITH CARAMELISED BANANAS AND CRISPY BACON

As this meal has (once again) heavily inspired by Jamie's recipe, I will send you straight to his website. Do check it out and if you fancy, buy his latest book as it's definitely worth the money.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/healthy-cheese-corn-pancakes/ 

One small step at a time (in my case swapping the Full English for cute sweetcorn pancakes on a Sunday) will gradually make a massive difference.

#JamieOliver #EverydaySuperFood

 

Eggy Bread with Balsamic Strawberries and Greek Yoghurt

There seems to be an ongoing discussion concerning the difference between Eggy Bread and French Toast. Whether it's about the 'poshness' of the name, the technique, the combination of flavours, I am not sure... In fact, call me blasphemous, but I believe the recipes for both of them are interchangeable.

My husband, however, hinted that French Toast is more about the sweet breakfast treat, whereas Eggy Bread is much more savoury. Well, as it was him who prepared it as a Saturday afternoon snack (I love him so much, you know...), we're going to go with the English name. Believe me when I tell you, that despite the strawberries, it is very much a savoury dish. Also, don't be scared of the strawberries-vinegar combination. It really works. So here you have:

EGGY BREAD WITH BALSAMIC STRAWBERRIES AND GREEK YOGHURT

(Serves 2)

Eggy Bread:

2 thick slices of wholemeal bread
2 eggs

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

2 tbsp milk

Strawberries:

handful of quartered ripe strawberries

splash of balsamic vinegar

Pour the balsamic vinegar onto chopped strawberries and leave to 'marinate'.

Whisk eggs with salt, pepper and milk.

Soak both sides of your bread in the eggy mixture.

Heat up a drizzle of olive oil or a bit of butter on the pan.

Fry the soaked bread on both sides until golden.

When dishing, cut the slices in halves, scatter the balsamic vinegar strawberries on top.

Serve with a dollop of natural Greek yoghurt.

Shout out to Jamie Oliver for inspiration with this recipe!

Maple and Balsamic Glazed Lamb Chops with Feta and Pear Couscous

MAPLE AND BALSAMIC GLAZED LAMB CHOPS WITH COUSCOUS

This is hardly my idea (this dinner has been heavily inspired by the wonderful Lorraine Pascale), so (as much as I am tempted to) I will not be taking 100% credit for it. Instead, I'll send you to check out her recipe on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/maple_and_balsamic_26200  

I have, however, twicked it a bit to add flavours that are more to my taste.

I have swapped thyme for lots of rosemary. Rosemary and lamb, does life get any better than that?

I've added feta AND PEAR to the couscous.

Instead of almond flakes, I've toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds (for those healthy oils and ever so important fiber).

Lastly, I've decided to serve it with asparagus and some fresh watercress for a shot of vitamins and the visual effects. And it does look STUNNING, if I say so myself. :)

 

                  
                  

Peppery Salmon and Loadsa Goodness

OVEN ROASTED PEPPERY FILLET OF SALMON WITH A SUPER HEALTHY COUSCOUS SALAD 

Just like the title suggests this juicy piece of fish is accompanied by a mountain of nutrients. Very easy to prepare, this dish is perfect for a weekday night - it does not take longer than 25-30min.

Salmon is a wonderful source of protein. Consuming it also has numerous health benefits, and just to mention some of them:

• increases cardiovascular health - high levels of omega-3 fats, EPA and DHA help to keep the blood from clotting excessively and dilating the arteries; regular consumption can help with preventing heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure
• is beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory joint conditions -
  it increases, regulates and stabilizes collagen synthesis in human osteoarthritic cartilage
• helps you sleep (!!!) - being a source of natural sedatives, salmon shortens the time it takes to fall asleep 

Well, who knew...?

Black pepper relieves respiratory diseases, coughs, common colds; peppery foods are beneficial when trying to lose some weight. Broccoli needs a special mention as it lowers cholesterol, detoxifies and gives our bodies a shot of vitamin D (the lack of which became an epidemic!). And kale! This super fashionable green is an excellent source of vitamins and antioxidants. 

What's not to like?

Prepare your salmon and season it with a tiny bit of salt, a whole lot of black pepper (freshly ground would be awesome) and drizzle it with virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Place it on a baking paper covered roasting pan, in the middle of the oven and cook for around 25min.

To prepare your salad, put half a cup of dry couscous in a bowl and cover it with boiling water. When it soaks in all the liquid, uncover it and leave to cool. 

In the meantime, wash and chop half of a small broccoli into small chunks. Wash and finely slice a spring onion. Wash and dry your baby kale leaves. Drain and rinse a small can of red kindey beans. Add all of those ingredients to the couscous, mix thoroughly, drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. 

  

Finally, take the salmon out of the oven, dish it up with the freshly made salad and serve with a dollop of natural youghurt.

                                                  ENJOY!      

The Great Chinese Improvisation - spicy and crispy chicken skewers

Now, I am no specialist, don't know much about cooking Chinese dishes. But once you get that craving (and don't have spare £15), there's not much you can do, but improvise.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you:

                    

SESAME SEED COATED SPICY CHICKEN SKEWERS 

WITH EGG FRIED RICE AND STIR FRIED GREEN BEANS 

AND ASPARAGUS IN SOY SAUCE (SERVES 4)

Warning: this is not a professional recipe, but my own interpretation (heavily improvised). Still pretty damn tasty though...

Chop 4 skinless and boneless chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. Prepare a marinade using a thumb-sized piece of ginger (peeled and finely chopped), 3 gloves of garlic (again peeled and finely chopped), 2 spring onions, 2 teaspoons of sesame seed oil, a splash of soy sauce. Cover your chicken with the marinade and leave for at least 45min.

Stick the marinated chicken breast pieces onto the skewers, put on a flat(ish) roasting pan, cover generously with sesame seeds and chuck it into the oven. Roast for around 30min, or until sesame seeds start getting golden.

In the meantime, boil the brown rice (or even better, use leftover rice as it fries better and gets less sticky) and cool it. Fry with spring onions and peas on 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil, beat an egg and pour into the rice. Stir quickly until egg is firm and rice dry. Season to taste.

Parboil your green beans and asparagus, rinse and transfer to a large, flat pan. Stir fry briefly with a dash of soy sauce.

Serve everything hot.

                               

This little beauty is full of nutrients. Apart from the obvious load of protein in the chicken breast and egg, fibre in brown rice, you will find that sesame seeds are a great source of copper and calcium, green beans prevent heart disease and regulate diabetes and asparagus is packed with antioxidants and vitamins. 

Do be careful with the amount of soy sauce though, as it has got a high salt content.

ENJOY!

Not such a gloomy morning after all

You know that feeling when you wake up after a lie in at 7.30am, stretch your muscles and smile to yourself at the thought of having a day off? Yeah... You've planned a trip to the park, a long walk or being a tourist in your city, you've promissed yourself to stay active all day.

Well then, there is nothing more annoying than having that perfect day off ruined by British weather. The gloominess will mess up your mood and kill your motivation. With so many plans, that's the last thing I needed.

And with the view from my window looking like this today:

I had to act quick. 

But quick doesn't have to mean boring. You don't have to stick to the boring cereal only because you've got no time. Breakfast should be cherished as it gears us up for the day ahead.

Today I've spent 5-7min preparing mine and it sure gave me motivation to get going and complete all the tasks I've planned for today.

So here it is...

BRUNCH OF CHAMPIONS: SALMON, EGG AND AVOCADO and BACON AND EGG OPEN SANDWICHES

Start off with preparing yourself your favourite hot drink. For me it's got to be a smooth and light latte. No sugar though! Xylitol instead (no sugar, far less calories, far more benefits, still awesome taste).

Toast two medium slices of multigrain/wholemeal/granary bread.

Scramble two eggs (I do it without any milk, just eggs, black pepper and a pinch of salt) and grill two rashers of bacon. 

Peel and slice half of a super-ripe avocado and arrange it on one of the toasts. Drizzle with lemon juice. Then dish half of your eggs onto avocado and place salmon slices on top. A tiny bunch of cress will add it colour (something you definitely need on a gloomy morning) and nutrients. 

Slightly butter the other toast and dish the rest of scrambled eggs onto it. Arrange crispy bacon on top and decorate with spinach leaves.

ENJOY AND GO CONQUER THE WORLD!

Autumn Blues and the Squash Stew

Colder days and longer evenings are upon us. Autumn is slowly creeping into our daily routine.

With that comes a change in our diets. Crispy light salads, fruity drinks and light deserts will gradually make way for heavier, more filling and warming meals.

This, however, does not need to mean ditching your healthy summer diet and hiding your foodie indiscretions under a comfy blanket. On the contrary! As the high street shops, and the trees around us, fill with dark greens, warm burgundies and deep oranges, so can our fridges.

Dark green of savoy cabbage, warm burgundy of purple sprouting broccoli and deep orange of ripening butternut squash, bursting with flavour and nutrients are all waiting impatiently to jump straight into your dishes!

In fact, autumn is by far the tastiest of all the seasons in the northern and central European climate. Therefore, there are no excuses for lazy and unhealthy junk food shortcuts. And if you do take those shortcuts because of the constant lack of energy, well, healthy, wholesome food is where you will definitely find it.

Today, as the autumn officially begins with strong winds and heavy rains, I’ve decided to cook something hearty and filling, yet wholesome and healthy. The colours reflect the changing seasons: warm orange, fresh green, gentle creams. The recipe is easy and perfect for a week night.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, SWEET POTATO, CHICKEN BREAST AND BACON 'STEW' WITH A ZINGY ROCKET, PEAR AND PECAN SALAD (Serves 4)

Stew:

1 leek

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

3 rashers of unsmoked bacon

2 sprigs of rosemary

½ of butternut squash

2 small sweet potatoes

100g white mushrooms

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

tomato puree

paprika

salt

pepper

olive oil for frying

Salad:

fresh rocket leaves

½ ripe pear

5-7 pecans

honey

squeeze of lemon juice

Peel and cut your butternut squash and sweet potatoes (or buy them ready prepped to save some precious time) and parboil them until just about soft.

Whilst the oven preheats to 190-200C, peel and chop the onion and garlic and slice the leek. Peel the rosemary leaves and chop the bacon (not too finely). Place all of the ingredients on a warmed up pan with a drizzle of olive oil. When it’s sautéed, add some paprika and black pepper and cook for around 5-7min.

In the meantime prepare your chicken breasts and cut them into quite big chunks. Throw them into the pan and cook until only sealed.

Put the washed, but still whole mushrooms into the casserole dish, using a spatula transfer all the ingredients from the pan into the pot.

To use up the delicious juices off the pan, pour in a little bit of water and stir in the tomato puree. Keep stirring until it boils, season to taste and pour it over the rest of ingredients in the casserole dish.

Place the beautiful concoction in the oven and cook for around 25-30min.

Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Peel and slice the pear, crush pecans and mix up with the salad leaves. Drizzle a tiny bit of honey and squeeze a wedge of  lemon over it.

Serve the chilled salad as a side to the steaming hot main.

ENJOY!