Perfect Monday night dinner - Lean Steak Mince and Mixed Veg in Tomato Sauce

Loosely inspred by Spaghetti Bolognese or Chilli Con Carne, here is my take on beef mince in tomato sauce, whatever you wanna call it. For added nutrients, I've packed it full of colourful vegetables. Yellow and red bell peppers are in season right now. They come quite cheap, so why not use what they offer? And they come oozing with vitamin C, carotenoids and other antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients. No need to follow an exact recipe. It's very much about what you have in your frindge right now.  So a perfect Monday night dinner then... :)

LEAN STEAK MINCE AND MIXED VEGETABLES IN TOMATO SAUCE 

WITH PASTA

Prepare your vegetabes: chop the onion (I've chosen the red spring onions for their vibrant colour and spicy sweetness), crush the garlic (4-5 cloves), wash and roughly cut your peppers (any colour, I've chosen yellow and red as they are full of antioxidants) and some white mushrooms. Throw in some frozen peas (or fresh if you prefer). Put them all into a large pan and fry briefly until softened. You can choose any vegetables you feel like. Your fridge should be the main inspiration as no one really has time to go shopping on Monday, straight after work. Beware however, that some vegetables (like carrots or green beans) will require longer cooking time. Move the mixed vegetables to a bowl when cooked.

 

Toast the spices (paprika, black pepper, tumeric) on the same pan you used for vegetables, until fragrant. You can add cumin, cinnamon or even a bit of cocoa powder for the chilli con carne flavours, or some basil, oregano for the more spaghetti bolognese feel.

Fry the steak mince on no or very little rapeseed oil until it's brown. Add some tomato paste, tip all the cooked vegetables into the meat. Mix thoroughly. You can add some cream cheese or flavoured Boursin to take the edge of the sour tomato sauce. Season to taste.

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. :)