Piccalilli

All the veggies I used in this recipe came from our garden and I'm really pleased with the result.

Ingredients (makes 3 or 4 jars)

500g vegetables, washed and peeled - I used onion, cauliflower, French beans, cucumber and carrot
25g salt
15g cornflour
5g ground turmeric
5g English mustard powder
7g mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
300ml cider vinegar
75g sugar
25g honey

* cut the veggies into equal bite-sized pieces. Put into a bowl, sprinkle over the salt and mix well. Cover with a cloth and leave for 24 hours then rinse and drain well

* put the cornflour and spices into a small bowl and mix to a paste with a bit of the vinegar
* put the rest of the vinegar in a pan with the honey and sugar and bring to the boil.
* pour some of the hot vinegar onto the spice mixture and mix well then add back to the pan and bring to the boil.
* cook the sauce for 3 or 4 minutes or until thick
* take the pan off the heat and mix in the vegetables, then put into sterilised jars and seal. Tastes best if left for a few weeks, but we had some the next day and it was really good.

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