Butternut Squash Chilli

More or less my usual chilli recipe, but I had a butternut squash lurking in the fridge so I thought I'd try using it instead of meat.

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 red onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin beans in chilli sauce
1/2 tsp each of paprika, thyme, coriander, worcestershire sauce, lazy red chilli
1/2 tsp sunflower oil

* fry the onion, garlic and squash in the oil for a few minutes
* chuck in the tinned tomatoes and beans, and the seasonings
* simmer for 45 minutes or until the squash is nice and soft
* serve with rice

Nutritional information
Calories: 133, Fat: 1.2g, Carbs: 23.1g, Protein: 6.9g

Apple and cinnamon jam

Totally experimental this one. I had more apples than I was ever going to eat and I'm just getting into making preserves, so I decided to give it a go.

Ingredients
600g apple, peeled cored and chopped
250g caster sugar
50g brown sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
200ml water
1 sachet pectin

* chuck all the ingredients into a large pan
* bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for around an hour
* pour into sterilised jars

Cherry and Blackberry Clafoutis

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 tin black cherries, drained and stoned
100g blackberries
80g sugar
2 large eggs
90g flour
150ml milk
Vanilla extract

* lightly butter a shallow 20cm dish and sprinkle with 1tbsp sugar
* tip the cherries and blackberries into the dish
* beat the remaining ingredients together to form a batter
* pour the batter over the fruit and bake for 35 minutes at 180C
* serve warm and dusted with icing sugar

Blackberry and Apple Chutney

The allotment is still yielding plenty of blackberries, and there's only so many pies and cakes I can eat so I decided to make my first foray into the realms of chutney. I got 6 jars of various sizes out of this batch, which will make great gifts this Christmas.

Ingredients
3 bramley apples, peeled, cored and chopped into small chunks
3 eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
1 large red onion, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns
1/2 tsp chopped red chillies
25g fresh ginger, finely chopped
220g sugar
150ml white wine vinegar
400g blackberries

* first prepare the jars. Wash them in hot soapy water then place in a roasting tin and put in the oven at 100C to dry out for an hour, or as long as it takes to make the chutney
* put all the ingredients except the blackberries in a big pan and heat whilst stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for half an hour or until the apples and onions have softened and the liquid has reduced and stopped being watery.
* add the blackberries and cook for another 10 minutes so the blackberries soften but still hold their shape
* spoon the chutney into the hot jars and screw the lads on tightly
* store in a cool dark place and refrigerate once opened

Blackberry Vodka

The allotment/field is still yielding plenty of blackberries and there's only so many pies you can eat so I decided to try making something to give as gifts this coming Christmas.

Ingredients
1 bottle of cheap vodka
100g caster sugar
Lots of blackberries

* pour out around a quarter of the vodka and save to drink later
* tip the sugar into the bottle and shake to mix
* add blackberries to the bottle until full
* shake well and store for a few months, shaking occasionally

In December I plan to filter out the blackberries and decant into nice bottles. I might add a bit more sugar if it doesn't seem sweet enough. It's a bit experimental!

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

I got a Hummingbird Bakery cookery book for my birthday, and this recipe is my version of their cupcake recipes

Ingredients (makes 20)

For the cake:
70g unsalted butter, softened
210g plain flour, sifted
250g caster sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
210ml milk
2 eggs
Zest of 1 lemon

For the icing:
250g icing sugar, sifted
160g unsalted butter, softened
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp lemon juice

Approx 60g lemon curd for filling

* heat oven to 170C
* put the flour, butter, sugar, baking powder and lemon zest in a big bowl and beat together with an electric mixer until the mixture looks like crumbs
* mix the eggs and milk together, then slowly beat into the flour mixture until it is smooth and free of lumps
* spoon the batter into muffin cases. I use my smallest measuring cup to portion out the mix so the cakes are all evenly sized
* bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are golden brown and springy to touch
* leave on a wire rack until completely cool
* put the icing ingredients into a big bowl and whisk together with an electric mixer until well combined, light and fluffy
* with a sharp knife, cut a hole in the top of each cake. Fill the hole with a couple of grammes of lemon curd then replace the plug of cake to seal the hole
* top each cake with the icing

Paprika Chicken and Chickpeas

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 chicken breast fillets
1 tin chickpeas, drained
120g baby plum tomatoes

* heat the oven to 180C
* mix together the oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper
* put the chicken in an ovenproof dish and rub 1 tbsp of the oil over them
* put the chickpeas and tomatoes in a bowl, add the rest of the oil mixture and mix together
* pour the chickpeas and tomatoes all around the chicken and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, but still moist

Nutritional info
Cal: 470, Fat: 11.9g, Carbs: 23.7g, Protein: 48.1g

Blackberry and Apple Pie

My husband and I have decided to start a vegetable plot on a field which his family owns. At the moment it's mostly covered in brambles, so before we started to clear the ground we picked as many ripe blackberries as we could find. It's early in the season, but we ended up with over a kilogram! Time for pie! :-)

Ingredients (makes a 9 inch pie)
150g cold butter, cubed
275g plain flour
30g icing sugar
1 beaten egg
1/2 tbsp cold water
1 cooking apple, cored peeled and chopped
400g blackberries, washed
75g brown sugar
Beaten egg to glaze

* rub the butter into the flour and icing sugar until it looks like breadcrumbs and there are no big lumps of butter left
* add the egg and water and mix by hand until it forms a dough. Shape into a ball and chill for 30 minutes
* heat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a 9inch pie tin. I bought a disposable foil one since I don't currently own a pie tin
* roll out half the dough to line the tin. Try not to handle it more than you need to
* mix the fruit and brown sugar together and fill the pie base, then roll out the remaining pastry to put on top
* cut off any excess pastry and crimp round the edges of the pie with your fingertips. Make a couple of small holes in the lid to allow steam to escape and glaze the top with beaten egg
* bake for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp

Nutritional info (per 1/8 pie)
Cal: 330, Fat: 16.4g, Carbs: 41.7g, Protein: 4.9g

Gingerbread

Great British Bake off is back on TV tonight, so I felt inspired to do a bit of baking myself.

Ingredients (makes 18)
225g plain flour
2tsp ground ginger
1tsp mixed spice
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g soft brown sugar
100g unsalted butter
150g black treacle
75g golden syrup
150ml semi skimmed milk
2 eggs, beaten

* heat oven to 150C and grease a brownie tin
* sieve together the flour, ginger, spice and bicarb and stir in the sugar
* melt together the butter, treacle and syrup, then beat in the milk and allow to cool
* add the eggs to the mixture and beat in well, then beat the treacle mix into the flour
* pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 75 minutes

Nutritional info
Cal: 146, Fat: 5.3g, Carbs: 20.8g, Protein: 2.3g

Vegetable Domoda

Domoda is a Gambian peanut stew, which is awesome with chicken or beef but I decided to go veggie this time. It generally involves sweet potato or pumpkin, but the cauliflower is my own addition just because I love cauliflower!

Ingredients (serves 3)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
250g (approx) sweet potato, peeled and chopped
250g (approx) cauliflower, broken into florets
2 medium tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp tomato puree
1 or more chopped red chillies, according to taste
100g unsweetened peanut butter
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tsp sunflower oil

* heat the oil in a large pan or wok and fry the onion until golden
* add the garlic and tomato and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes
* add the tomato puree, peanut butter and chilli. Stir in to combine then add about 400ml of water and the stock cube
* bring to the boil then add the sweet potato and cauliflower, then reduce heat and simmer from 45 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked
* serve with rice

Nutritional info:
Cal: 363, Fat: 18.9g, Carbs: 35.5g, Protein: 11.7g

Fish Yassa

I recently spent two weeks in Gambia with the school where I work, and I loved the food so I decided to have a go at a bit of Gambian cooking. I used salmon for this recipe because it's what I had in the freezer, but any firm fish would work and chicken yassa is also good.

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 medium onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tbsp lazy chilli
1 cup water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 salmon fillets

* mix together the onion, garlic, vinegar, lemon, mustard and chilli then add the fish and marinate for at least an hour but preferably longer
* remove the fish from the marinade and grill or griddle until lightly browned
* remove the onions from the marinade and lightly fry until golden brown and softened
* add the marinade to the onions and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the water, stock cube and salmon
* cover and simmer for 20 minutes
* serve with rice

Nutritional info
Cal: 305, Fat: 16.3g, Carbs: 13.0g, Protein: 19.5g

Poultry keeper's Pie

Similar principle to a shepherd's or fisherman's pie, but using chicken left from Sunday's roast hence the name. I couldn't be bothered to make mash so I thinly sliced the potato with my mandolin. Mash would work just as well though.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 leek, sliced
125g mushrooms, sliced
220g cooked chicken
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
400g potato, thinly sliced or mashed
250g milk
5g butter
5g plain flour
1/2 tsp wholegrain mustard

* in a little oil gently fry the leek, mushroom and garlic until softened
* mix with the chopped chicken in a casserole dish
* make a white sauce by combining the milk, butter and flour in a small pan. Bring to the boil, whisking continually, then simmer for a couple of minutes and stir in the mustard
* stir the sauce into the chicken mixture and top with the potato
* bake at 180C for 40 minutes or until the potato is cooked

Chocolate Biscuits

Ingredients (makes about 30)
225g self raising flour
100g caster sugar
3 tbsp cocoa powder
100g butter
5 tbsp milk

* heat oven to 190C and grease a couple of baking trays
* mix the flour, sugar and cocoa together then rub in the butter
* add the milk and mix to a soft dough
* turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and bring together into a ball, kneading gently
* roll out to about 0.5 cm thick and cut into rounds or any other shapes you fancy
* bake for about 10 minutes then cool on a wire rack

I topped them with chocolate glace icing

Nutrition (per iced biscuit):
Calories: 64, Carbs: 10g, Fat: 2g, Protein: 1g

Fruit crumble

Any fruit works in a crumble, but I love tinned fruit as you don't need to stew it first. On this occasion I used peach and pineapple.

Ingredients (serves 4)
120g plain flour
80g butter
80g caster sugar
20g porridge oats
Ground nutmeg or other spice
1 tin sliced peaches, drained
150g pineapple chunks

* put the flour and 1/2 tsp of your choice of spice in a mixing bowl and add the butter, chopped into cubes.
* using your fingertips, rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs
* stir in the sugar and oats
* tip the fruit into an ovenproof dish and sprinkle over the crumble topping
* bake at 190C for 30 minutes
Best served with custard or cream

Egg and 'chips'

Not chips at all!

Ingredients (serves 1)
190g potato, diced
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 mushrooms, quartered
1 egg
1 tsp sunflower oil
Paprika and thyme

* put the potato, onion and garlic in a roasting dish and sprinkle over the oil, paprika and thyme (or other seasonings of your choice)
* cook at 180C for 20 minutes then add the mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes
* make a gap in the middle of the potato and crack the egg into the space
* return to the oven for 4 minutes or until the egg is cooked

Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

We didn't get through our hot cross buns quite quickly enough, and the last few started to go a bit stale so I decided to turn them into a yummy dessert.

Ingredients
4 stale hot cross buns
Butter
2 eggs
25g caster sugar
350ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Brown sugar to finish

* slice the buns and thinly spread with butter then cut into triangles
* beat together the eggs, caster sugar, milk and vanilla
* arrange the bun pieces in a buttered baking dish and pour over the milk mixture.
* sprinkle brown sugar over the top and bake at 180C for around 35 minutes or until golden.

Hot Cross Buns

Ingredients (makes 12)
500g strong white flour
300ml milk
75g sugar
1tsp salt
7g fast action yeast
50g butter
1 egg, beaten
150g Sultanas
70g mixed peel
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg

* heat the milk to hand hot
* in a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, yeast, butter and egg, then gradually add the warm milk until a sticky dough is formed. Mix in the fruit and spices
* tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth
* put the dough back in the bowl, cover the top with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place for an hour until it has roughly doubled in size
* divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll each into a ball. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, spaced slightly apart so they have room to expand
* leave to prove for about an hour
* to add crosses to the top, mix 50g of plain flour with about 6 tbsp water to form a thick paste. Pipe crosses on top of the risen buns
* bake at 220C for 20-25 minutes
* to glaze the buns, brush the tops with a little melted apricot jam

Easter Nest Cakes

These are a bit of an Easter tradition in our house, ever since my daughter was little. She may be 18 now but it wouldn't be Easter without them.

Ingredients (makes about 18)
200g milk chocolate
100g plain chocolate
25g butter
4 shredded wheat
Bag of mini eggs

* melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water
* crush the shredded wheat very finely so it looks like little twigs and stir into the chocolate until well coated
* put spoonfuls of the chocolate mix into cake cases. Make a dip in the middle and put 2 or 3 eggs in
* leave to set

Chicken Stir Fry

This is a great way to incorporate a load of veggies into a meal. I used leeks, courgette, red pepper and mushroom because that's what was in the fridge but all sorts of veg work well.

Ingredients (serves 2)
1/2 tsp five spice
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
4g grated ginger
1 clove garlic
1 chicken breast, sliced
45g cashew nuts
Veg of your choice, finely sliced

* mix together the soy sauce, mirin, garlic, ginger and 5 spice and pour over the chicken. Leave to marinade for at least 30 minutes
* heat a little oil in a wok and fry the chicken until browned
* add the vegetables and cashews and continue to cook for a few minutes until the veg have softened
* add any remaining marinade towards the end of cooking

I served it with noodles, but rice is good too.

Nutritional info

Calories: 296, Carbs: 17g, Fat: 19g, Protein: 23g 

Pasta with Anchovy Sauce

This recipe is from Nigella Lawson's 'How to Eat', but the original called for marsala and parsley, which I didn't have, so this is my simplified version.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 tsp sunflower oil
6 anchovy fillets
50 ml semi-skimmed milk
85g pasta (I used tagliatelle)

* Drain the anchovy fillets of oil and pat dry on some kitchen towel. Place in a small bowl and cover with milk
* heat the oil in a pan and add the onion. Cook gently on a low heat for at least 25 minutes until softened and golden.
* heat up a pan of water and put the pasta on to cook
* remove the anchovies from the milk and finely chop.
* add the anchovy to the onions and stir well, then stir in the milk and remove from the heat
* Drain the cooked pasta, return to the pan and stir in the sauce

Obviously if you don't like anchovies - steer clear!

Seafood Risotto

I love risotto. Today I made mine with seafood, because I still had some left in the freezer from the spaghetti dish I had the other week, but it works equally well with other meats and veg. A particular fave of mine is chicken and asparagus.

Ingredients (serves 1)
100g Arborio Rice
120g cooked seafood
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 veg stock cube, made up to 1 pint
1 tbsp grated parmesan to serve

* heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan and soften the onions for 5 minutes or so, until they start to go translucent
* add the garlic, mushroom and rice and mix thoroughly, then add enough stock to cover the rice
* simmer, stirring frequently adding more stock whenever the pan starts to look a bit dry. Continue until the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. It'll take about half an hour
* when the rice is almost done stir through the seafood and heat
* add parmesan to serve

Nutritional info

Calories: 506, Carbs: 84g, Fat: 4g, Protein: 24g 

Seafood Spaghetti

I picked up a pack of cooked seafood from the reduced section in the supermarket today so this is what I came up with for it.

Ingredients (serves 1)
100g cooked seafood
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp single cream
85g spaghetti

* put the spaghetti on to cook
* meanwhile heat 1/2 tsp sunflower oil in a small pan and fry the onion and garlic until softened
* add the seafood and heat through
* stir in the cream and season with salt sand pepper
* Drain the pasta and pour over the sauce

Nutritional info:
Calories: 452, Carbs: 70g, Fat: 7g, Protein: 23g

Sultana Soda Bread

I got this soda bread recipe from the New book by the fantastic Jack Monroe(www.agirlcalledjack.com) I added sultanas and cinnamon to the basic bread recipe.

Ingredients (makes 1 loaf)
400g self raising flour
300ml semi skimmed milk
2 tsp lemon juice
1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
80g sultanas
1/2 tsp cinnamon

* heat the oven to 180C
* add the lemon juice to the milk and leave for a few minutes to curdle
* weigh the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl, mix together well the stir in the sultanas and cinnamon
* make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in most of the milk
* get your hands in the bowl and mix the milk into the flour to form a soft sticky dough
* tip the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead then roughly shape into a cylinder and place in a greased loaf tin
* bake for 40 minutes. The finished loaf should sound hollow when you knock on the base

Quorn Bolognese

My daughter won't eat minced meat, so quorn is a useful compromise. I've labelled this as vegetarian, but if you're cooking for a real veggie then leave out the beef stock and worcestershire sauce as they are not veggie-friendly!

Ingredients (serves 3)
150g frozen quorn mince
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1tsp vegetable oil
2 large mushrooms
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp ketchup
Herbs - basil, oregano, thyme, paprika
1 beef stock cube
Few big shakes of worcestershire sauce

* heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion, mushroom and garlic for a couple of minutes
* add the tomatoes, ketchup, stock cube, herbs and worcestershire sauce, then add the quorn mince
* stir well and simmer for 30 minutes or so, then serve wwith pasta, rice or a baked potato.

Sausages and Lentils

I came across this recipe in this month's Tesco magazine. It's quick, easy and satisfying.

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 sausages, any type but I used Cumberland
1 tin green lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, sliced
Herbs etc of choice - paprika, thyme, oregano, black pepper
1/2 tsp vegetable oil

* heat the oil in a pan, add the sausages and cook for around 10 minutes, turning regularly so they brown on all sides
* add the onion and pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes to soften
* tip in the lentils and tomatoes, add your choice of herbs and seasoning and cook for around 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens

Nutritional info:
Calories: 449, Carbs: 33g, Fat: 24g, Protein: 25g

Pancakes

Hey hey hey, it's pancake day!
I love pancakes so will use any excuse to eat them

Ingredients (makes about 8 pancakes)
100g plain flour
1 egg
100ml semi skimmed milk
125ml water

* put the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre
* crack the egg into the well
* add the milk and beat well until all the flour is incorporated
* add the water and continue to whisk until there are no lumps
* heat a little oil in a nonstick frying pan
* when the oil is good and hot pour in just enough batter to coat the base of the pan
* when the underside has set, flip or turn the pancake and cook until golden
* roll or fold with your choice of filling or topping

I'm a fan of the traditional lemon juice and sugar, but nutella and banana is also a winning combination.

This year I decided to have a 2 course pancake meal with cheese and bacon filled savoury pancakes for my main course, followed by lemon and sugar for dessert.

Nutritional info (per pancake)
Calories: 60, Fat: 1.2g, Carbs: 9.5g, Protein: 2.5g

Bread and Butter Pudding

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 slices bread, buttered
Several handfuls sultanas or other dried fruit
75g soft brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 eggs
450ml semi-skimmed milk

* preheat the oven to 190C and lightly grease a baking dish
* mix together the sugar and cinnamon
* cut the bread into triangles and arrange, point up, in the dish. Between the layers add a sprinkle of fruit and the sugar mix
* mix together the milk and beaten eggs and pour over the bread. Top with any remaining sugar
* leave for 5 minutes so the milk soaks into the bread
* bake for around 35 minutes

As a variation, you could spread the bread with jam or marmalade

Nutritional info:

Calories: 318, Fat: 7.5g, Carbs: 48.7g, Protein: 11.2g

Chickpea and Cauliflower Korma

Ingredients (serves 3)
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1/2 cauliflower, about 250g, cut into florets
1 onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
4 mushrooms, cut into chunks
1/2 jar Korma paste
1/2 tin reduced fat coconut milk
1 tsp vegetable oil

* heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and pepper for a few minutes until slightly browned
* Add the korma paste and chickpeas and stir well
* Add the coconut milk, cauliflower and mushroom and mix thoroughly
* cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the chickpeas and cauliflower are cooked.

Nutritional info:

Calories: 306, Fat: 18.5g, Carbs: 22.0g, Protein: 7.8g

Split Pea Soup

This is fab just as it is, which is why I labelled it as vegetarian, but since I still had some gammon in the freezer I added that and had a meaty version

Ingredients (serves 4)
250g Yellow Split Peas
1 onion, diced
1 leek, sliced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp thyme
2 tsp sunflower oil
150g roast gammon, cubed (optional)

* heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, leek and carrot. Cook for around 5 minutes then add the garlic and cook for a further minute
* stir in the split peas, stock and thyme
* cover and simmer for 1 hour
* if using gammon, stir it in about 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Nutritional info
Calories: 236, Fat: 6.4g, Carbs: 26g, Protein: 19.1g

Cauliflower Rice

I've come across cauliflower rice on a number of websites lately. The idea is to use cauliflower as a lower calorie and lower carb alternative to rice, so I thought it was worth a try. The version I used came from nomnompaleo although I used sunflower oil rather than coconut.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 cauliflower (approx 200g) chopped into medium chunks
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp sunflower oil
Salt/pepper

* heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until translucent
* grate the cauliflower. Blitzing it in a food processor would be quicker, but I don't have one.
* add the cauliflower to the pan, season and stir well then cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
* serve in place of rice

Obviously it doesn't actually taste like rice, it tastes of cauliflower, but the texture is pretty good.

Nutritional info
Calories: 92, Carbs: 11g, Fat: 5g, Protein: 3g

Sausage Stew

This was a 'what's lurking in the fridge that needs using up?' creation. The tomatoes were left from the chicken stew I had the other night, the sausages had been in the freezer since christmas and then I just added veggies.

Ingredients (serves 1)
6 cocktail sausages
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 leek, sliced
1/2 courgette, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp ketchup

* heat a little oil in a pan, add the veg and sausages and fry for 5 minutes or so.
* add the tomatoes, herbs and spices
* cover and simmer for 15 minutes

Nutritional information (calculated on myfitnesspal)
Calories: 329, Fat: 16.7g, Carbs: 25.5g, Protein: 17.2g

Nutritional information

For about the last year I've been tracking my diet and exercise using a website called myfitnesspal. One of the really nifty features is a recipe builder, where you can enter all the ingredients you are using and it calculates the nutritional content per portion.

Since I enter a lot of my meals into myfitnesspal anyway, I thought I would start giving the nutritional information as well just in case anyone is interested. So look out for that on future recipes. In fact I just went back and added it to last night's chicken and quinoa stew. :-)

Chicken and Quinoa Stew

I saw this recipe somewhere online, but forgot to bookmark it and now I can't find the same one, so this is my own version. I think the original included aubergine which I'm not too keen on, so I used courgette.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 small chicken breast, cubed
35g dry quinoa
1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 courgette, sliced
2 mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

* heat a little oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes
* add the chicken and fry until browned
* add the other veg, tomatoes, quinoa and herbs/spices. Add some water, cover and cook for around 20 minutes until the quinoa is cooked through.

Nutritional info (calculated using the recipe builder on www.myfitnesspal.com)

Calories: 442, Carbs: 57g, Fat: 3g, Protein: 32g

Pork Chilli

I made my chilli with pork purely because, at Tesco anyway, you get so much more for your money compared to beef mince. It would work equally well with any meat though, or make a veggie version by using quorn or soya mince.
This is a great meal for bulk cooking and freezing.

Ingredients (serves 6)
850g pack pork mince
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground coriander
Big squirt tomato ketchup
1 tsp very lazy red chilli

* in a large pan, dry fry the mince. Drain off the fat and add the onion and garlic
* add the tomatoes and kidney beans
* Add all the herbs and chilli plus the ketchup. Season well with salt and pepper
* stir well and simmer for 45 minutes
* serve with rice or on a baked potato

Swede and Parsnip mash

I really fancied sausage and mash last night, but I didn't have any potatoes and this close to the end of the month I couldn't afford to buy any. What I did have in the fridge though was half a swede and some parsnips.

Ingredients (serves 1 greedy person)
1/2 a swede (200g approx)
1 parsnip
Knob of butter
Salt/pepper

* peel the veg and cut into even chunks
* bring a pan of water to the boil, and the veg and cook for around half an hour, or until soft
* drain, then put the veg back into the pan and return to the heat for 30 seconds or so to get rid of excess moisture
* add a knob of butter to the pan, with a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper
* mash the veg 
* eat!

I think I actually prefer this to potatoes.

Gammon Risotto

I had a load of gammon left from a roast, but obviously this would work just as well with other meats, or just use more mushrooms for a veggie option.

Ingredients (serves 2)
150g arborio rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 mushrooms, sliced
600ml vegetable stock
30g sweetcorn (optional)
150g cold roast gammon, cubed
Black pepper

* heat a little oil in a pan, add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and mushroom and cook for another minute
* add the rice and cook for 30 seconds, then pour in about 100ml of stock and the sweetcorn and stir.
* cook gently, stirring frequently, and add more stock whenever it starts to look a bit dry.
* when the rice is almost cooked stir in the gammon and season well with plenty of pepper.
* top with a bit of grated cheese to serve if you like.

Veggie Tagine

I'm sure this isn't remotely authentic, but it's easier to say tagine than 'vaguely Moroccan stew type thing'!

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas
1/2 tin apricot halves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp lazy chilli
Salt and pepper to taste

* heat a little oil in a large pan and saute the onion, garlic and carrot for a couple of minutes
* add the tomatoes and spices and season to taste
* simmer for 25 minutes, then add the chickpeas and apricots and cook for another 10 minutes
* serve with couscous

Parsnip and Leek soup

Leek and Potato is a classic soup combo, but I don't think potato really adds anything flavour-wise. Parsnip, on the other hand, is lovely so since I had some in the fridge I thought this would make a good soup.

Ingredients
3 large parsnips
1 leek
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
85g pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube

* peel and chop the veg
* heat a little oil in a large pan and fry the onion and leek for a couple of minutes
* Add the parsnip and barley, cover with water (a couple of pints) and add the stock cube plus any herbs etc
* simmer for 45 minutes or until the veg is cooked and the barley softened.

Toad in the Hole

First recipe of 2014!

Ingredients (serves 4)
12 thin sausages
100g plain flour
1 egg
300 ml semi-skimmed milk
Pinch salt
1 sage leaf, finely chopped

* heat oven to 210C
* sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg. Add half the milk and beat until smooth. Add the rest of the milk and beat well. Add the sage.
* Arrange the sausages in a baking dish and bake in the oven for 10 minutes
* pour over the batter and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown and risen.