Are you a master at getting your family’s 5-a-day of fruit and veg into their meals? Do you have to sneak it in or are they willing consumers? Well new research shows that a lot of us aren’t quite up to scratch at getting enough fruit and vegetables into our diets, so we need your help!
I want to hear about your best veg and fruit-tastic recipes and the best one will win the princely sum of £50 to spend at Sainsbury’s – that’s got to be good news at this time of year!
Simply submit your original recipes in the comments box below, and the lovely people at Sainsbury’s will decide which recipe they like the best!
Please provide the recipe title, a list of ingredients with amounts, followed by the step-by-step method.
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*****
Update 24th January 2013: AND THE WINNER IS….
Kayleigh Dawn, with her delicious sounding Sweet Potato and Red Pepper soup.Sainsbury’s said: “The team here picked it because the recipe was warming, simple and wholesome. A hot bowl of sweet and healthy soup is a perfect accompaniment to the snowy weather we’ve been having!”
Well done to Kayleigh who wins a £50 voucher to spend at Sainsbury’s! Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter – I really enjoyed reading all your brilliant recipes 🙂
TERMS & CONDITIONS
This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a postal address in the UK.
The recipe must be your own original recipe and not copied directly from another source!
I am running this competition on behalf of Sainsbury’s who will be organising the prize for the lucky winner. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The winner will be contacted by e-mail, if they do not reply within 7 days another winner may be chosen. Instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
***THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*****
pasta special
pasta
frankfurters
tomato sauce
peppers
onion
courgettes
cheese
fruity trifle!
2 sachets sugar free jellydissolved and made according to instructions,add a tin of drained satsumas to the jelly mix and leave to set, make asimple custard and leave to cool when cool palce on jelly and top with 2 chopped bananas, then using whisk cream with a dollop of cream friache and place strawberries and cherries on top. Everyone loves it in my hosue even the fruit haters!
This is so simple and basic I feel a bit of a fraud calling it a recipe. I use it for pasta, as a pizza topping, bake sausages, prawns in it etc. It is yummy and my three girls love it and it is ‘tomato and sweet pepper sauce’. The peppers sweeten the sauce which children like and I find it doesn’t need any herbs but you can add them if you want. When peppers are cheap you can cook them and freeze them and just add them from the freezer when you make the sauce.
The quantities really don’t need to be accurate and you can adjust to taste:
3 good sized onions (white or red – whatever you have)
3 tins of good quality plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
olive oil
minimum of 3 yellow, orange or red peppers, clean, core and bake on the oven until they colour and soften, you can peel the skins off especially if they caught and are a bit black on places
Finely dice the onions and fry in a generous amount of oil, when they are soft add the garlic, gently cook off and add the tomatoes. Let it simmer, add the peppers and use a hand blender, season to taste.
vegetable curry
2 large onions
crushed garlic and ginger
green chillies to taste
salt to taste
turmeric 1/2 tsp
garam masala 1tsp
2 large potatoes peeled and chopped
3 carrots peeled and chopped
frozen peas, handful
1/2 tin tomatoes
optional: cumin and corriander
fry chopped onions in oil until golden (add cumin seeds if you have any)
add ginger, garlic and chillies
fry for a few minutes
add tomatoes and stir thoroughly
add spices and seasoning
stir and cook through for about 5 minutes to make sure the turmeric has cooked otherwise it leaves a horrible taste.
add the vegetables and stir until the veg is coated in the masala. Cover the pan and turn the heat low. Keep checking that it hasnt stuck to the bottom as there isnt any liquid. Stir it occasionally but not too often otherwise the potatoes will turn to mush.
When the potatoes are soft, add some chopped corriander leaves and turn off the heat.
Serve with indian breads and plain yogurt.
Chicken Tikka Stir Fry
Feeds about 3 people with these quantities and makes a lovely colourful, healthy, tasty meal
1/3 each of Red, Green and Orange or Yellow peppers sliced into strips
1 small courgette sliced into rings
Tablespoon and ½ peas
Tablespoon and ½ sweetcorn
½ to 1 Tablespoon of sultanas
2 Tsp of curry powder
Cooked Chicken Tikka cut into small pieces
Sainsbury’s Long Grain & Wild Rice (about 2 cups worth)
Method
Boil the rice in a saucepan, I normally add some tumeric or curry powder to the cooking water
In a large frying pan
Fry courgette slices and sliced peppers till they are just beginning to brown
Add the curry powder, Chicken Tikka, peas, sweetcorn and stir till heated through
Add the sultanas and the rice and mix it all together.
Serve.
This is even better eaten the following day as the curry flavour and tikka seasoning infuse the whole dish and the sultanas swell slightly absorbing the flavours of the cooking liquid
Prawns, mango and kiwi kebab
Prawns Cooked
1 kiwi peeled and chopped into pieces
1 large mango – peeled and chopped into cubed pieces. Other fruits can also be used but mango and kiwi work really well.
For the dressing you need:
3 limes, 1 tbsp of grated ginger, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 chopped deseeded red chilli, 1 tbsp chopped coriander.
Marinade the prawns in the dressing for 1 hour.
Arrange the prawns, kiwi and mango alternatively on the skewers. Yummy
This sounds really good. I am pregnant at the moment so not eating prawns but will definitely be trying this out at a later date.
Soosies Pizziola Sauce.
This can be a side dish for steak, chops, sausages . You can also add some smoky bacon lardons or slices/chunks of chorizo to the sauce and serve with pasta (or leave plain for non vegetarians).
For 4 generous servings:
2 onions sliced
1 clove garlic – crushed
2 or 3 sweet peppers chopped- ues mixed colours for good impact!
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsps Tomato puree
1 tsp dried basil (or oregano)
1 tsp sugar
black pepper
METHOD. – Heat a little olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and fry until softened, add the garlic and fry for a minute. Add all other ingredients and season to taste (I don’t use salt but use if you want to). Bring to boil, turn down heat and simmer with a lid on for 20 minutes. Add a little water if getting too thick. Check seasoning and serve as suggested above.
Any left over can be served cold with sliced meats or used as a dip.
This is an easy one, my boy is only six so he likes all the usual kids stuff but I make my spaghetti bolognaise so packed full of veg that I’m happy if he asks for it 3 times a week… And generally does. It also freezes really well so I make a huge batch at a time. Another added bonus is that the amount of mice you need to buy is at least halved! We all love a bargain….
Small pack of mince 200g
1 large carrot
1 medium leek
1 medium red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 small red pepper
A handful of chestnut mushrooms
1 box passage
1 tin tomatoes
Mixed herbs
Beef stock
Teaspoon of marmite
Tablespoon of tomato purée
The key here is to chop all the veg super small, I use an electric chopper which takes seconds… Then place all the veg in a large frying pan with a small amount of organic rapeseed oil. Sweat the veg together for about 5 mins or until it is soft and reduced in size.
Push to one side of the pan and brown the mince on the other side
Mix the two halves together and add all the other ingredients, bring to the boil and simmer for at least 10 mins.
If you make it in the morning or night before and leave it until you are ready to eat even better. The sauce will look like a bolognaise but is actually about 80% veg with all the vitamins!
Perfect for people who don’t want to face a plate of ‘normal veg’
Serve with spaghetti or pasta of your choice.
Enjoy!
Sausage and vegetable bake.
Peel and chop a selection of vegetables – e.g. potato, sweet potato, onion, garlic, butternut squash, carrot swede, etc. whatever you have available. Heat a tin with 2 tbsp olive oil in a hot oven and then toss the veg in so it gets coated with oil. Add fresh or dried herbs to taste or even spices such as cumin or coriander according to your family’s preference. Season lightly and leave for 40 minutes, shaking occasionally to turn the vegetables. Then chuck in 1lb of good, high meat butchers’ sausage – not the cheap pink type but real meaty ones. I sometimes even add a bit of finely chopped chorizo too. You can add soft veg like peppers or courgette if you like too. Roasting the veg makes them really sweet and luscious and the juices and the sausage juices mix to make a little juicy sauce. After about 20 minutes or when the sausages are browned and the veg is all cooked serve it up – a whole meal in one dish!
Yummy Pancakes
Batter: 50g plain flour, 150mls milk, 1 egg, pinch of salt. Oil for frying
Filling: 3 or 4 spring onions(finely chopped),1 carrot (finely grated) a small can of corned beef (cubed), 25g butter
Topping: A can of tomatoes (whizzed in a blender, or sieved) 50g fresh breadcrumbs,
25g grated cheese(optional)
Method
1. Combine the batter ingredients in a blender until smooth.
2. Fry 3-4 tablespoons of batter at a time in oil – makes 4 pancakes.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and soften the onions and carrot. Add the corned beef and cook for 3 mins.
4. Divide the filling into 4 and use one portion for each pancake – roll up and arrange in a serving dish.
5. Pour the tomatoes over the pancakes.
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and cheese on top and then bake for 30 mins in the centre of the oven at 200C/Gas 6
Serve with a green salad.
Cheesy vegetable baked peppers
Halve, and de-seed some red and yellow peppers, drizzle with olive oil and season, place on a baking tray and bake in medium oven for about 25mins until soft. Fill with diced cooked vegetables i.e. carrot, broccoli, sweetcorn, courgette ,cauliflower florettes or anything else you fancy. Top with cheese sauce either packet or home made and breadcrumbs and place under the grill for a few minutes to brown to form a crunchy topping. Yummy served with lovely crunchy green salad
Simple Sausage Risotto
This is a great one for using up left overs so there are no amounts for the ingredients just use what you have. Its a simple way to make a risotto and packed with veggies. My kids love it and don’t even notice its more veg than sausage!
Ingredients
Cooked sausages (last nights left overs!) cut into small pieces
onion
carrots
mushrooms
tinned chopped tomatos
tin of sweetcorn (or leftover cooked fresh)
peppers
packet of microwaveable rice
Herbs/seasoning
plus any other veggies you want to use up
1.Dry fry all onion, mushroom, carrots, peppers until just soft
2.Place into oven proof dish, add tinned tomatos and 1/2 a can of water. Add Herbs (sage works well) and seasoning. Cover and cook in a low oven 180 degree C for 30mins
3. After 30 mins add chopped up sausage and tinned sweetcorn, return to oven. Make sure it is not too dry but take care not to add too much water, you don’t want it runny.
4. After a further 20 mins cook Microwaveable rice in microwave (we use one packet for two people) according to the packet.
5. When rice is cooked add it to the sausage/veg pot and return to the pot uncovered oven for a further 10mins, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
6. Serve with salad to be extra healthy
Hearty Chicken Stew
I think this is a great stew for all the family, especially in winter. It contains about three of your five a day. It’s also good for people who aren’t big vegetable fans in general, and I’ll explain why at the end.
Ingredients (for 1 person with a large appetite or 2 people with moderate ones):
Half a packet of diced chicken or one chicken breast fillet diced yourself
1 medium sized carrot
1 medium sized baking potato or 3 or 4 new potatoes
Pre-diced onion, fresh or frozen
1 leek
4 or 5 stalks of broccoli
1/2 pint of chicken stock
Black pepper
Sage (fresh or dried)
Olive oil
Method:
Wash and cut up the carrot and the potato into small but thick pieces, but don’t peel them. I don’t know whether it’s true that most of the nutrients are in the skin or not, but there’s no reason not to eat them in a stew like this, so you may as well. Next cut up the leek.
In a medium saucepan, add some olive oil and brown the chicken, making sure it’s brown on all sides. Transfer to a larger saucepan and add the onions, carrots, potatoes, leek and broccoli, then the stock. (You can choose to fry the onions before adding the other ingredients if you wish, but I don’t find it necessary unless I want to thaw frozen onions.) Season with black pepper and sage. You can always experiment with different herbs and herb combinations. There is no need to add salt as it’s in the stock. Cover the saucepan, bring to the boil and then allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring every fifteen minutes.
When it’s done there should still be some liquid left but not too much. The vegetables should have gone very soft and the broccoli should have broken up, with everything flavoured by the other ingredients. This is what makes the stew ideal for people who aren’t big vegetable fans in general because you don’t get so much of the individual flavours and textures, but the overall flavour is wonderful.
Sausage Surprise:
10 sausages
200g baby new potatoes
2 chopped carrots
1 onion, chopped
100g mushrooms, sliced
tin of baked beans
tin of chopped tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 beef stock cube.
Grill the sausages separately.
In the meantime use a wok or big saucepan, fry the chopped onion in a little oil, adding garlic ,when soft, add the tomatoes, throw in the mushrooms, carrots and potatoes and let them cook mostly through on a low heat.
Throw in the beans and stock cube
Chop the cooked sausages while that’s simmering for a minute then throw those in too. Stir for a minute then serve!
Fluffy Veg Pancakes with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
150 g Wholemeal Flour
150 ml Skimmed or Semi-Skimmed Milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
2 Leeks
200g Mushrooms
Handful of Frozen Sweetcorn
2 Red Bell Peppers
400g Chopped Tomatoes or Passata
Squeeze of tomato puree
Small Knob of Butter
Herbs and Seasonings – Optional
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Remove stalks and seeds from bell peppers, chop in the half, and place skin-side up on a baking sheet. Roast in oven for 20-30 minutes until the skin is starting to blacken. Allow to cool.
2. While peppers are in the oven, finely chop leeks and mushrooms, and gently fry with sweetcorn and a small knob of butter (or dry fry for an even healthier dish). Cook until all veg is softened.
3. Sieve flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
4.Whisk milk and egg together in a jug.
5. Add milk mixture and softened veg to the dry ingredients and mix until any flour lumps in the mixture have smoothed out. You can also add any herbs and seasonings. Paprika is a good choice. This can be cooled, clingfilmed, and placed in fridge until needed.
6. Peel blackened skins from cooled peppers, and blend the flesh with chopped tomatoes or passata and small squeeze of tomato puree. Add any herbs and seasonings. Paprika, garlic, or Italian style herbs work well.
7. Gently heat the tomato and pepper sauce on the hob.
8. Preheat oven to 100 degrees.
9. Cook pancakes in a non-stick frying pan. You may prefer to use a small amount of oil or butter to prevent sticking. Cook for a few minutes each side until there is no visible raw batter. Transfer pancake to a baking sheet in oven until all pancakes have been cooked and are ready to serve.
10. Dish pancakes onto plates and top with tomato-pepper sauce. Add a small sprinkling of grated cheese if you wish.
A great way to incorporate veg into a classic guilty treat.
Pancakes served without sauce and cut into strips are great for toddlers eating finger foods.
I manage to to some healthy fruit into my boys by making fruit kebabs,
the kebabs look appealing to the boys, and they enjoy them even more because they help make them
Take a few wooden skewers, & prepare/ wash your chosen fruits
we have peeled apple, pineapple, melon, strawberries, orange etc
once the children have skewered the fruits, you are good to go. You could also try various yoghurt dips to make it even more fun 🙂
you cannot go wrong with either a vegetable soup or stew
Potatoes, Parsnips, Carrots, Sweet Potatoes, Leeks, Red Onions All roughly chopped. Sprinkle with Olive Oil, and roast in a baking tray for 40 minutes at 180.
Use Roasted Veggies in for Veggie Lasagne…. topped with some lovely crispy grilled Parmesan. Loads of your Five a day in one portion!
Cheesy Winter Vegetable Potato Bake
Ingredients
500g Charlotte New Potatoes (sliced)
300g frozen baby carrots
300g frozen broccoli florets
300g frozen cauliflower florets
500g low fat fromage frais
100g Lancashire cheese
Heat oven to 220, gas mark 7
Place sliced potatoes in boiling salted water, bring back to the boil & simmer for 10 mins
Place carrots, broccoli & cauliflower in boiling salted water, bring back to the boil & simmer for 5 minutes
Transfer vegetables into an ovenproof dish
Spoon over the fromage frais
Top with potatoes
Crumble cheese on top
Cook for 15 mins
Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 25 minutes
This is a very healthy but tasty dish. Fromage frais is a great low calorie alternative to a cheese sauce. It’s also very quick I easy to prepare, just 30 minutes from start to finish
Turkey Tacos!
So easy to prepare and fun to eat as everyone can build their own!
1 pack of Old El Paso Taco shells
1 x cucumber
1 x pack baby tomatoes
1 x pack of salad
340g turkey
Cheese
Sour Cream
Tabasco sauce (optional
Dice the turkey into cubes and fry in a pan until browned. Then either add the sauce that comes with the taco pack or you can make your own using chopped tomatoes, and dried chilli flakes/paprika/seasoning powder/whatever you fancy! Slice the baby tomatoes into halves and lightly drizzle with olive oil and maybe a splash of salt and pepper. Cube the cucumber into tiny pieces and wash/prepare the salad. Put into individual dishes ready for everyone to pick and choose. Heat the tacos in the oven for 10 mins on 180 degrees and grate the cheese. Take the sour cream out of the fridge and put tabasco sauce on table with everything else. Once the turkey’s ready place everything out on the table with serving spoons and allow everyone to build their own tasty tacos and watch and laugh as they try and eat them whilst keeping the ingredients in the shells!
This is a family recipe to use up tomatoes when we had a glut of them – we called it Kassat.
In a shallow ovenproof dish put a layer of tomatoes chopped into smallish pieces (tinned chopped if you do not have any home grown to use up). Season well and add any herbs you can find in the garden chopped finely (or mixed dried). If you have any leftover veg stir this in (use frozen mixed veg if you do not have any leftovers). Make four wells into the tomato mix and crack a large egg in each well. Cover with a layer of grated cheese.Takes about 1/2 hour in a medium oven ang goes well with crusty bread or a few chips.
this is a recipe that goes down really well with all my family and is a good way for us to get our 5 a day
chicken casserole
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks
2 red onions
4 large mushrooms
4 carrots sliced
6 brocolli floretts
6 cauliflour florets
2 pints of stock or gravey or a packet mix also works well
put chicken and all vegetables into a casserole dish pour on stock/gravey
cook for 1 hour
serve with mash potatoes or boiled potatoes
serves 5 people
Butternut and chickpea curry
Serves 2-3 as a main dish, 4 -6 as a side
1medium onion, finely chopped
½ medium butternut squash, cut into pieces roughly 1.5 cm cubes
100g green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
1 tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 clove garlic, crushed
1.5 cm piece fresh ginger, grated
1 fresh green chilli, seeded and chopped
¼ jar Madras curry paste
½ tsp cumin seed
½ tsp black mustard seed
¼ tsp fenugreek seed
1 tbs sunflower oil
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and toss in the cumin seed, mustard seed and fenugreek seed. Sizzle for a few seconds then stir in the onion, reduce the heat and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the butternut squash, beans, chilli, garlic and ginger and mix together well. Stir in the curry paste and mix well so that all veg are coated with it, then blend in enough water to cover and add the chickpeas.
Simmer gently until the squash is very soft, about 25 mns, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on the water level- it should reduce to a thick sauce so you may need to add a little more during the cooking or boil it hard to reduce towards the end of the cooking, depending on how much water there is in your squash.
This can be varied by using other kinds of tinned beans – black eyed beans are delicious in it.
Middle Eastern Vegetable Hotpot
This is a very tasty dish and can be left in oven on a low heat for some time if all the family do not eat together
Ingredients
carrots sliced thinly
courgette sliced thinly
peppers diced
onion diced
potatoes diced small
tin chick peas
tin chopped tomatoes
fresh chopped mint (or dried if not in season)
pepper, salt, garam marsala, mixed herbs, curry powder – teaspoon of each
veg stock – half cup
In an hob to oven casserole dish make a paste with herbs and stock, cook for a minute, add tomatoes and bring to boil, add all veg, stir well and cook for approx 15 mins stirring ocasionally. Put casserole in oven and continue to cook for about an hour gas 6
This is a such a simple yet yummy recipe, that only takes a matter of minutes to put together. The first time I made it was upon returning home from a bicycle run with my partner; we were hungry, tired, and in need of a trip to the supermarket! So with what little food there was left in the house I was able to throw this together. It has since become one of our regular post-cycle snacks. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Healthy Hummus Wrap
x1 Tortilla Wrap
x2-3 Dates (chopped)
Walnuts (chopped)
Plain Hummus
Mixed Leaf Salad / or Ice-Berg Lettuce
Lay out the Tortilla Wrap, spoon out a dollop or two of Plain Hummus and spread it out down the centre of the tortilla. Sprinkle the chopped Dates and Walnuts over the top of the hummus (I like to use Medjool Dates). Place your Mixed Leaf Salad or a couple of leaves of Ice-Berg Lettuce on top. Then wrap your Tortilla around the filling, and enjoy!
On colder days it’s nice if you heat up your wrap. This can be done easily, by briefly putting it in a panini grill to warm it slightly before devouring! For the harder to fill tummies, you could pair this tasty wrap with a bowl of soup or a lightly dressed salad.
My risotto recipe contains
Chicken
Butternut Squash
Onion
Mushrooms
Cream
Chicken Stock
Parmesan shavings
Arborio Risotto rice
Literally put all the contents into my Pampered Chef Square Stoneware dish and cook in the oven for 40 mins on 180c.
I love this dish as it’s easy, tasty and has opened up my choice of food as I’ve always been a bit fussy before.
Super Sunday Breakfast Pancakes with Blueberry Topping
For Pancakes
180g plain flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
300g cooked sweet potato, mashed
2 eggs, lightly beaten
60g butter, melted and cooled slightly (plus a bit more for frying)
For Topping
500ml non-fat, natural Greek yoghurt
3 tbsp honey
250g blueberries
Start by gently mixing the yoghurt, honey and blueberries. Set aside.
Sift flour, baking powder, nutmeg, ginger and salt into a bowl.
Beat together sweet potato, eggs and butter in a separate bowl, then fold in the flour mixture – stir until combined.
Heat frying pan on medium heat and add a small knob of butter – rub off any excess with kitchen towel.
Drop mixture in a pan in large table spoonfuls, pat down lightly with a Spain to form circles.
Fry for about 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Serve the pancakes with a good dollop of topping – loved by kids of all ages!
Monster Pie
1 Cauliflower
25g butter
25g flour
1/2 pint milk
60g Mature Cheddar Cheese
1tsp wholegrain mustard
5-6 cubes of frozen chopped spinach
25g breadcrumbs, a crumbled cracker or some crunched up crisps
Method
Prepare and boil the Cauliflower for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile make a cheese sauce by melting the butter and adding the flour, cook for a minute. Slowly add the milk, stirring the whole time, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in grated cheese, mustard and the defrosted and drained spinach. Pour over the cooked Cauliflower. Spinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs and brown under the grill.
It is basically Cauliflower cheese with hidden veg. We nicknamed it monster pie as it comes out bright green and the covered lumpy cauliflower looks like a monster hiding 🙂 I find the mustard means you don’t need to season, which is healthier for little ones, but if needed, you of course could. You could also try hiding extra veggies, like peas, but my son adores peas, so I wouldn’t dare try to hide them!!
corned beef stew cheap meal and full of goodness cook in day and ready for warm up when they come home from school or work. 1 large tin of corned beef 4 leeks 3 onions 3 parsnips 4 large pots cut to chunks 5 carrots few frozen peas and dumplins made with flour and olive oil.and water, put carrots onions leeks parsnips in water in saucepan boil then add potatoes dumplins frozen peas and corned beef and simmer until soft. turnips lentals swede can be added if you like them sweet potato too, good for a snow day warm you up and when you are stuck in and can not get out because of snow now thats your five a day or more.
Strips of mackerel gently grilled, sprinkled with freshly chopped chilli and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, on the side a beautiful rocket saled with avocado, beet root a boiled egg topped with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, along that a portion of steamed purple broccoli and mixed beans. For dessert, a bowl of blueberries, Greek yoghurt and honey, topped with chopped mint
Vegetarian Chilli
1 Onion
1 Garlic Clove
6-8 mushrooms
1 yellow pepper
2 Tomatoes
425g red kidney beans
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dried herbs
Salt and ground black pepper to season
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan , add the onion until soft and then the garlic cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining ingredients, stir well, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve with Brown Rice
Ideal for busy Mums as its Easy, Quick and Healthy.
Healthy Spicy chicken casserole with quinoa for helping to boost your immune system
This dish is a great healthy way of consuming lots of veg and filling you up in a healthy manner. With a load of spice to set a fire in any firefighter’s mouth!
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion , sliced
2 red peppers , deseeded and chopped into largish chunks
3 tbsp chipotle paste
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
4 skinless chicken breasts
140g quinoa
2 chicken stock cubes
1 x 400g can pinto beans , drained
small bunch coriander , most chopped, a few leaves left whole
juice 1 lime
1 tbsp sugar
natural yogurt , to serve
Takes 25 minutes to prepare
Cooking time 30 minutes
Method
1. Heating the oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions and peppers for a few mins until soft. Stir in the chipotle paste for a minute, followed by the tomatoes. Add up to a tomato can-full of water to cover the chicken and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken breasts and gently simmer, turning the chicken occasionally, for 20 mins until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with the stock cubes. Add the quinoa and cook for 15 mins until tender, adding the beans for the final min. Drain well and stir in the coriander and lime juice, then check for seasoning before covering to keep warm.
3. Lift the chicken out onto a board and shred each breast using two forks. Stir back into the tomato sauce with the sugar and season. Serve with the quinoa, scattering the stew with some coriander leaves just before dishing up and eating with yogurt on the side.
Spicy Fajitas
4 Tortilla wraps
200g chicken breast
Half an onion
6 mushrooms
6 cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper
Chilli powder
Sour cream
Salsa
Grated cheese
Heat a little oil in a pan while you dice the onion and slice the mushrooms tomatoes and pepper.
Add the onions to the pan and then cut the chicken breast into bite size strips.
Next add musrooms, peppers, tomatoes and chicken to pan and leave until chicken is cooked.
While this is cooking regularly stir and add chilli powder to taste.
Once cooked seperate mixture between the wraps then add sour cream, salsa and grated cheese.
Wrap up and enjoy!
Make a big pot of roasted vegetable soup. Any combination of veg can be roasted when you have the oven on – eat some with your dinner and use left-overs for soup. Add veg to some stock with some herbs and garlic (optional). Simmer and then blltz with a stick blender and hey presto and Winter warmer soup that’s full of veggie goodness!
any fruit or any frozen fruit liquidise add to saucepan simmer add a spoon of sugar if liked, add bananas and just eat, what a winter warmer.
Tarte Legume with a kick
line greased pie dish with ready made short crust pastry blind baked for 10 mins until just turning golden.
in frying pan add very small amount sunflower oil and add chopped onion.large chopped leek,chopped red pepper, chopped courgette,small can yellow corn and fry gently for around 5 mins add sprinkling of chilli flakes and 125gms roquefort or similar blue cheese cook 2/3 mins more
spoon contents into pie case
beat 3 free range eggs and couple tablespoons semi skimmed milk pour into pie dish
bake 180c fan oven until golden brown on top and firm to touch
Delicious served hot or cold with salad or veg
Hearty Lentil Soup with home made quick flatbread.
500g lentils (red is best)
2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic
A little oil
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Vegetable stock cube
Salt/Pepper
For the bread:
Plain flour
Water
Salt/Herbs/Cheese can be added to the mixture to add flavour but are not necessary
Method:
Heat the oil in a medium sizes pan. Finely chop the onions and crush the garlic. Fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add a teaspoon of ground coriander and a teaspoon and a 1/4 of cumin to the onion and garlic. Stir in until onions and garlic are nicely coated. Don’t let it burn. Add the lentils and mix everything together in the pan. Crumble over the vegetable stock cube then add enough water to cover the lentils by an inch or so. Simmer on a medium heat until it becomes a thick soupy consistency. Taste and add cumin and coriander accordingly. Be careful not to let the water dry up by adding a little every time it runs low.
WHILST SOUP IS COOKING
Add a few cups of flour to a large bowl and add cold water. (If using additional mentioned ingredients, add now) Mix water and flour with a dinner knife until able to roll dough with a rolling pin. If the mixture is too runny add more flour. If too dry, add more water. Put a non stick frying pan on the heat (no oil) and wait until it is very hot. Tear pieces off the dough and roll out until no thicker than around half a centimeter. Put rolled out dough into pan and cook until both sides have nice dottings of brown. Usually around a minute or so on either side. NB If the pan is not hot enough the quick flatbreads will become heavy and stodgy. If unsure, do a test fry with a little rolled dough first.
When soup is a nice and thick spoon into a bowl and enjoy with warm flatbread. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
Spanish Chicken
Sear 4 chicken breasts on hot griddle, put to 1 side in an oven proof dish,
Saute 1 large onion and 2 cloves of garlic in tablespoon of good olive oil,
Add 1 sliced red pepper and 1 yellow pepper
Add 2 tins of chopped tomatoes or passata
mix in 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp oregano and season well to taste
Pour mixture onto the chicken and bake 30 minutes,
serve with crusty bread and jacket potatoes.
I think this is a nice recipe for healthier lunch box fillers, you can use carrot instead of pumpkin and add lots of dried fruit too, to pack in more of your five a day. I added a few dried cranberries at Christmastime.
It is healthier to use the oil rather than butter, too.
My son grows the pumpkins with his nanna and my little girl and I bake the cakes, this adds to the kids’ enjoyment and understanding on where their food comes from.
INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN PASSION CAKES
175ml sunflower oil
175g light muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
200g coarsely grated pumpkin flesh or butternut squash
100g sultanas
grated zest of 1 orange
2tsp cinnamon
200g self raising flour
1tsp bicarb
TOPPING
200g low fat cream cheese
85g icing sugar
bit of orange juice
walnuts/pecans/orange zest to decorate
METHOD makes about 20
heat oven 180C, line a couple bun trays with cake cases
pour oil in large bowl, add sugar, eggs and vanilla, beat then add the pumpkin, sultanas and zest.
Stir in cinnamon, flour and bicarb, making a fairly wet mixture.
Spoon into cases.
Bake for around 10-15 mins until springy to touch.
Cool on wire rack
Topping : beat cream cheese & icing sugar til smooth, add teeny bit orange juice to taste, spread on top of cakes.
Decorate with nuts and/or zest.
Store in fridge but bring to room temp when you want to eat them!
Cheese and Veggie Bake
pototoes peeled and sliced
onion chopped
curly kale
leek
beans
caulifower chooped into florettes
Make Cheese Sauce
15g butter
1 tbs flour
milk
grated cheese-kids LOVE grating cheese!
Layer the vegatables in a dish with cheese sause-cover with cheese sause and a sprinkling of grated cheese. cook at 180 c for one hour until all veggies cooked and serve hot
Warming Winter Soup
I love this recipe because it is simple to make, the ingredients are all easy to source at this time of year and it suitable for all the family! It is lovely served with some warm crusty bread and butter!
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
3 medium carrots
1 large potato
1 large parsnip
1 small swede
1 onion
1.5 litres of water
300ml milk
3 tbsp natural yoghurt
salt and pepper
1. Chop the vegetables into equally sized chunks.
2. Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan.
3. Add vegetables and lightly fry before leaving on a low heat (covered) to sweat for 15 minutes.
4. Pour in water and bring to boil.
5. Season and then leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Strain vegetables (keeping stock to one side) and then purée in a food processor.
7. Return puréed vegetables and stock to the pan, add milk and reheat gently.
8. Remove soup and stir in natural yoghurt.
9. Enjoy!
Minestrone Soup but more like a stew (serves 4)
4 rashers Streaky bacon diced
1 med Onion Chopped
1 clove Garlic crushed
1 med Carrot diced
1 small Turnip diced
2 sticks Celery chopped
1 med Leek sliced
2 -4 tsp pesto
2 tbs Tomato puree
2 Tom’s skinned and sliced
¼ Cabbage sliced
1 oz Spaghetti in 1 ½ inch pieces
1 ½ pints White stock
S+P
Parmesan
Method
Fry bacon and onion
Add carrot, turnip, celery, leek and cook for 5 mins
Add toms, puree cabbage and stock and bring to boil
Add spaghetti
Simmer for about 20 minutes
Serve with crostini
pan fried vegetables with bacon in a creamy cheese sauce
4 rashers of bacon
2 carrots
onion
mushrooms
courgette
basmati rice
creme fraiche
1 italian herbs stock cube
50 g cheddar cheese
chop up all vegetables and place in a frying pan or wok over a medium heat, add olive oil or spray oil to line the pan first, saute for approx 5 mins, meanwhile make up the oxo cube with boiling water and add to the pan, turn heat up slightly and reduce for approx 10-15 mins. lower the heat again then add 1-2 tablespoons of creme fraiche – according to taste. then add the grated cheese and stir until melted. Serve with basmati rice ( I do mine in the microwave for 10 mins, then add a knob of butter and put on for a further 2 mins)
Delicious!
MONSTER EYES!
Ingredients:
1 avocado
2 eggs
Method:
Heat oven to 220.
Cut avocado in half, remove stones and bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, poach the eggs using your prefered poaching method.
Drain the poached eggs, remove avocado from oven, and serve the egg into the ‘well’ of the avocado.
Season with salt and pepper as desired.
This soup, is a great way to use up leftovers. With a kick of chorizo and and finished off with Tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream no-one will be the wiser about all the nutritious goodness packed into it!
1 tbsp olive oil
150g cooked chicken
300g Potatoes/Carrots/Sprouts/Parsnips/Leeks/Sweet potato (any mix that you have leftover)
1 Onion
1 Chilli
75g Chorizo
800ml Chicken stock
Tortilla Chips
Sour cream (optional)
Put some olive oil in a saucepan and gently cook onion and chilli for 4 mins.
Add veg, chicken and half chorizo for another 5 mins.
Cover with stock, put a lid on and simmer for 15mins.
Use a handblender to whizz it up and then add rest of chorizo and warm through. Finish off with a handful of crushed tortilla chips and a dollop of sour cream.
One pot vegetable chilli with cornbread
This recipe is great, packed full of vegetables, tasty, a true “one pot” meal as its all cooked in the slowcooker so saves on fuel costs too. My family loves it!
For the Chilli
2 medium onions, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
4 medium carrots, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tins red kidney beans, drained
2 tins plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato puree
small glass red wine
2 teaspoons chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tablespoon oil
For the Cornbread
250g cornmeal (polenta)
2 tablespoons wholemeal flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg, beaten
300ml milk
Fry the onion, celery and garlic in the oil until slightly softened.
Put slowcooker on high and place onion mix in along with all other chilli ingredients. Stir well and cook for 1.5 hours.
Make the cornbread – combine the dry ingredients, make a well in the middle and add the egg and milk, combine thoroughly.
Spread the cornbread over the chilli and cook for 1 hour until firm and golden.
a really simple and easy way to increase your fruit intake – my kids love this, and we make it every morning with a few variations…
Simple fruity smoothie:
200g frozen berries / frozen chopped fruit
3 bananas
half a pineapple
half a large mango or 1 pear
100g blueberries and/or raspberries and/or strawberries
50 – 100ml apple juice
1 passion fruit
blend all these together in a blender / smoothie maker
Top with granola or pumpkin seeds
Serves 4 and provides 3 portions of fruit each
Vegetable ‘pie’
10 oz pack of frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets thawed and drained (or use fresh boiled for 5 minutes.)
1 small onion chopped finely
1 small green or red pepper chopped finely
2 oz grated cheddar cheese
sprinkle all of these in a greased 9″ flan dish.
Mix together to crumbs
4 oz self raising flour
1 oz butter
Add
6 oz fat free cottage cheese (drain off the water that sits on top)
2 eggs
a pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp dry mixed herbs
Pour over the vegetables
Bake at 400′f for 35 – 40 mins
It’s just like a pie because the outside turns to crust as it cooks.
a great way to get veg into kids.
Eat a Rainbow Salad
This is along the lines of an Italian 3 Coloured Salad but with a twist!
It is designed to appeal to children and help them achieve their 5-a-day. Get them involved with making it which will encourage them to eat it!
Basically use the salad vegetables you have to hand and arrange them alternately in slices around the plate to create a colourful creation. You could try the traditional mozzarella, avocado and tomatoes (the colours of the Italian flag) and/or beetroot, cucumber, peppers, radishes, iceberg lettuce leaves or any other appropriate salad ingredient that you can think of!. Dress simply with olive oil. You could sprinkle some cress over the top to add more colour. And that is it.! Enjoy
Vegetable pasts bake!
Boil some carrots until tender, cook some pasta,
Slice Sweet Red Peppers, Orange Peppers and Yellow peppers, Onion and cherry tomatoes,
Add to oven proof dish with some tomato passata and vegetable stock powder with a little water, cook until tender,
Add the cooked carrots and pasta to the oven dish and cover with grated cheese then bake for 20 mins until the cheese has melted! Enjoy!
This is fab for getting the kids to eat their veg because they love pasta and lots of brightly coloured veg makes it very eye catching!
Fruit Cake
Ingredients
200g Butter
200g Dark soft brown sugar
1 tbsp Black treacle
4 Eggs
120g Mixed peel
900g Mixed fruit
2 tsp Mixed spice
2 tsp cinnamon
Zest 1 lemon
225g Plain flour
50 ml Brandy
Fajita fiesta
Ingredients
For the fajitas:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion (chopped)
4 skinless chicken breasts (diced)
1 red, 1 green and 1 yellow pepper (chopped)
handful of mushrooms (chopped)
1 packet of fajita mix
8 soft flour tortillas
To serve:
tomatoes
cucumber
lettuce
tomato salsa
Sweet potato & Red pepper Soup
Serves 2
(I use a soup maker, a pan and blender can be used)
Take 4 medium sized sweet potatoes, peel and chop into squares.
1 Ripen red pepper, de-seeded and chopped into squares.
Place into the soup maker and add 1 pint of water and 3 veg stock cubes/pots
20 mins later you have a quick, simple, healthy tasting soup. Brilliant for the winter.
I make s basic tomato sauce, lightly fried onions, mushrooms, with or without mince (husband loves it with, I like it without), 2 tins of tomatoes, 1 carton of passata, 1 clove of garlic, splash of Worcestershire sauce, squirt of tomato puree, couple of stock cubes. Bring to the boil then turn down & simmer until thickened – add seasoning & a tip of a teaspoon of sugar. Layer an over dish with courgettes then the sauce mix, pasta if you want, a layer of sliced tomatoes, another layer of sauce, more pasta – keep going until you get to the top of the dish – sprinkle with cheese and pop in the over for 20 mins! Husband likes it with potato thinly sliced insstead of pasta too just cook for a little bit longer – delicious! You can put any vegetables you like in there but remember some hold more water than others. Roasted peppers go really well with this also.
home made cheese burgers with salad
200g mince beef seasoned with home grown chives and a pinch of salt. roll into even fist sized balls and squash flat into burgers.
cheese slices halved and fold into the quarter placed between to burgers and squash so it is not able to seep out during cooking.
cook for about 20mins on 180 in oven or grill will take less time in grill but i like oven as i get more time to prep fresh salad……
fresh produce : carrots chopped into stick celery chopped into sticks cucumber and tomato sliced
wholemeal baps with lettuce on no butter then add the burger and salad and your ready to go BE CAREFUL THOUGH CHEESE INSIDE IS VERY HOT
can add red sauce or i love the burger and bbq sauces nice fresh cheap and very easy meal 😀
Roast vegetable parcels (This is my OWN RECIPE)
Large quantity of your favourite roast vegetables cut up small e.g.
(Red Onion, Mushrooms, Peppers Red/ Green/Yellow, Courgette, etc)
Garlic Crushed
Sprinkle on seasoning (I used Schwartz Spanish Chicken etc.) your choice.
Oil For Roasting Vegetables
Pack of Ready Made Puff Pastry
Egg (beaten) for glaze
Method
1. Heat oven 190 degrees or equivalent
2. Roast all the vegetables in a large ovenproof dish; add garlic, sprinkle on seasoning pack and add oil. Cook for about 20/30 minutes, I like mine to go brown slightly.
3. Leave the vegetables to TOTALLY COOL.
4. Cut the pastry into about 4/6 squares. Spoon in some of the COOLED vegetable mix and press the edges with your thumb and fingers.
5. Add beaten egg.
6. Cook for about 10/15 minutes in a hot oven, or until golden brown.
Our favourite meal has to be Cod in butter sauce (Or in parsley sauce) with…….
Potatoes (boiled or mashed) with Carrots, swede, mushy peas and cauliflower
Tastes beautiful with all the veg blended with the mash & a splash of semi skimmed milk & butter which is great for babies on a puree diet too or kept as seperates which is also the perfect meal for baby led weaning. It’s filling and healthy for the whole family and doesn’t take long to make.
Sneaky Curry.
(My own recipe)
Cover cauliflower in chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until very soft. Blend until completely smooth. Add curry powder (about 2 tbsps) to a very small amount of water to make a paste. Add to the blended cauliflower . (repeat this step until you are happy the cauliflower taste is covered and the curry is hot enough). Add in cooked vegetables (onions, mushrooms, peas) and cooked chicken chunks and serve with rice.
Tastes amazing and a sneaky source of great vegetables!
Make a portion of sainsburys porridge with a friut yoghurt and top it with apple, banana , orange and any other seasonal fruit. This is filling as well as being healthy.
Algerian Lamb Stew.
Ingredients
750g Lamb (cubed)
1 large onion (finely sliced)
6 carrots cut into irregular chunks
3 courgettes also cut into irregular chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 or 2 small green chillies (depending on how much heat you like) finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder or crushed cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried mint (can add extra finely chopped fresh mint too if desired)
1 teaspoon dried coriander (can add extra chopped coriander too, if desired)
2 stock cubes
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for frying.
Method
1. Fry the onions, garlic and chillies, until the onions are softened.
2. Add the lamb and continue frying for 5 minutes.
3. Add the cumin, cinnamon, mint and coriander, stirring until coated. Then add the carrots and courgettes.
4. Cover with boiling water, add the stock cubes and salt to taste.
5. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours.
Serve with cous cous, rice or jacket potatoes.
Easy mince
large onion
carrot
mince
tin of baked beans
tin condensed tomato soup
mushrooms
Chop up the onions mushrooms and carrots and cook in a little oil till soft. Add the mince and brown it. Add the baked beans and tomato soup and simmer until cooked though. Can be served with rice, spaghetti or mashed potatoes
Sunshine Orange Salmon Butternut Squash Layer Baked
1 butternut squash (peeled, deseeded and sliced)
200g salmon fillet (poached and flaked)
100g red lentil
1 red onion (chopped)
2 large tomatoes (sliced)
100g grated carrot
200g sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced)
100g grate red Leicester cheese
150ml milk
2 teaspoon cornflour (blended with water)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1.Heat olive oil in a pan. Soften the red onion and carrot. Add in lentil, lemon juice, bay leaf, cumin and 200 ml water. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
2.Arrange the butternut squash slices in a large oven proof dish. Transfer the lentil onto the top of the butternut squash as the next layer.
3.Arrange the flaked salmon and the slice tomatoes on the next layer.
4.Top with sweet potato slices.
5.Heat the milk in a sauce pan. Add in blended cornflour . Stir till the sauce thicken. Stir in 50g grated Red Leicester cheese. Season to taste. Pour the cheese sauce over the sweet potato in the ovenproof dish. Sprinkle with grated Red Leicester cheese.
6.Bake in the oven at gas 4/180C /350F for 45 minutes till the cheese is melted and the sweet potato is soft.
This dish brings a bright sunshine colour to the dinner table. It is also the colour of Sainsbury supermarket.
This is one of mine and my family’s favourite dinner: ‘Italian Shepard’s Pie.’ (serves 4-6 people)
I came up with it when I didn’t have any stock or potatoes to hand, so used cauliflower mash and chopped tomatoes instead. The result was so delicious and it added 2 extra servings of vegetables to the dish without anyone noticing! It’s a healthy dish that helps kids get extra veg into their diet, and it’s also low carb meaning it’s ideal for diabetics and dieters. It’s also inexpensive to put together and the ingredients go a long way.
Ingredients:
-2 Heads of Cauliflower
-2 x Sainsbury’s Extra Lean Minced Beef 500g
-150g Sainsbury’s Frozen Finely Chopped Vegetables
-1 tin of Chopped Tomatoes
-3-5tbsp Grated Parmesan
-2tbsp Olive Oil
-1tbsp Butter
-1sp Sainsbury’s Italian Herb Seasoning
-Salt and Pepper To Taste
1) Preheat the oven to 200 °C
2) Chop the cauliflower into small florets then add to a big pot, fill with water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender.
3) Whilst the cauliflower is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan then add the beef. Season and cook meat through on a medium heat. When the meat is browned, add the veg, herbs and tomatoes and cook on a high heat for 5-8 minutes to let the liquid reduce.
4) When the cauliflower is ready, drain the water and either add the cauliflower to a blender or return it to the pot, also adding the Parmesan and tbsp of butter. Then use a masher or hand blender to create the mash. (Blending will create a much smoother texture than using a masher.)
5) When the meat is cooked and the liquid has reduced, add the contents to an oven dish. I recommend using a strainer to make sure the excess liquid is removed before adding it to the dish, as too much liquid can spoil the recipe.
6) Using a spatula or knife, smooth on the creamy mash over the beef, covering gaps well.
7) To create a crispy top, score the mash with a fork by drawing diagonal lines across it in opposite directions.
8) Put on the top shelf of the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
9) Serve and enjoy!
chicken and mushroom curry
4 chicken breasts( diced)
250gms of chestnut mushrooms( chopped)
200gms frozen peas
1 red pepper (deseeded and finely chopped)
1 can of 400ml coconut milk
2 cm of fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic crushed or finely chopped
2 tbsp mild curry powder(or hot if you like)
100ml water
2 tsp garam masala powder
3tbsp olive oil
1. toast garam masala,curry powder,garlic,ginger in a saucepan
2. add oil and add chicken. Gently coat chicken with spices and fry for 5 minutes
3. Add mushrooms and pepper, fry for 5 minutes
4.add coconut milk and water, bring to boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is almost cooked.
5. add peas and cook for another 5 minutes( make sure chicken is cooked
6. season with salt and pepper (optional)
7. serve with warm basmati rice ( white or brown)
Packet of rocket
2 beetroot ( organic pre packed )
1 red pepper ( skinned or use jar version )
5 or 6 sundried tomatoes ( cut up in pieces ).
Half an apple (sliced )
50g Goats cheese
Put rocket on plate, then add other ingredients,
Crumble Goats cheese in top, use done of the oil from the sundried tomatoes as a dressing.
Very easy to make and tastes great.
Sneaky Cottage Pie. Just add lots of extra veg to the meat in the cottage pie. So in addition to fresh potato on top and chopped onions with the steak mince,I add as many extra veg as I can (all chopped very small), such as sweetcorn, chopped swede, chopped leeks, peas, chopped carrots,chopped red, yellow and green peppers, tomatoes. Allow extra time to cook all the veg through. I also serve with fresh apple sauce – not traditional but yummy, and definitely a sneaky way to get more than 5 a day into one meal!
Super Duper Fruit Surprise
You will need
2 Apples
1 400g tin of pears in fruit juice
Strawberries (75g)
Raspberries (75g)
Blueberries (75g)
2 teaspoons of honey
Peel, core and chop the apples into small chunks
Drain the pear juice into a medium sized pan, add the honey and heat gently
Add the apples to the pear juice/honey and simmer
Chop the pears and add to the pan and stir
Add in all the berries and stir gently until the fruit is warmed through
Now for the SURPRISE part. Before you serve the fruit mixture, in the bottom of your sundae dish place a delicious treat that your kids love, then pour all the lovely juicy fruit on top. That way they enjoy all the fruity goodness AND get a treat if they eat it all up!
I have used a variety of treats in the past and here are a few ideas:
a Jelly Baby
a marshmallow
one of Sainsburys mini donuts/yum yums
a small square of chocolate brownie
a chunk of banana dipped in melted chocolate and left to harden
During the summer months I change the type of fruit I use (kiwi/watermelon/pineapple in juice/peaches in juice) and serve it cold with a different kind of treat at the bottom of the dish – either a small scoop of strawberry ice-cream, or a spoonful of pomegranate seeds or a lychee.
Delicious!
Soup is an esasy way to disguise veg and I serve it with potato wedges instead of bread –
1 small squash
1 sweet potato
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
6 cherry toatoes
Roast all above for half an hour
Meanwhile fry half an onion and a bit of garlic in a pan
Add veg to pan and add about 500ml of veg stock – less or more depending on how thick you like it
I add italian seasoning because my children dont like anything too strong and S&P
If the sweet potatoe doesnt thicken it up I put a small amount of lentils in
Simmer for 30 minsand whizz
I’ve found you can use any red/orange veg and it works well whatever I use – I just say its tomatoey …
I microwave a potatoe – slice it up – put most of the potatoe in the soup , spray the pot skins with a light oil and then crisp in the oven – yummy
Fussy Boyfriend Fish Supper (Sea Bass with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Creamed Cabbage with Celeriac and Bacon – has 3 of his five a day in it and he wolfs it down without noticing) – feeds 2.
Roast some sweet potato wedges in the oven with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt – usually 45 mins at Gas Mark 6 does it for me.
Meanwhile thinly slice up a rasher of streaky bacon and fry it in a non-stick pan over a med-high heat 3-4 mins or until just about to go crispy. Remove from pan.
Cut the ugly bits off half a small celeriac and cut into rough 1cm dice. Add to bacon fat, turn heat down to med-low and cook gently 8-10 mins til soft and translucent (may need to add a splash more olive oil depending on how much bacon fat there was).
Add big handful of shredded savoy cabbage (third or half a cabbage usually enough) and stir fry 2-3 mins or until softened. Add the bacon back to the pan with a good splash (say 200ml) double cream, turn heat to low, and simmer gently til cabbage cooked or all cream absorbed (few mins at most). Check for seasoning, add salt/pepper if wished (usually salty enough for me, just a crack of black pepper is enough).
When sweet potatoes are five mins away from being ready, heat a large non-stick pan to high with a splash of olive oil. Slash skin side of sea bass fillets, season well with salt and pepper, and add to hot pan skin side down. Fry 1-2 mins until skin starting to go crispy and golden brown.
Flip the fillets, add a knob of butter to the pan, tilt pan and spoon butter over fish for a futher minute, then turn off heat. Squeeze in juice of half a lemon, a handful of chopped parsley, swish around the pan and then serve on a bed of the creamed cabbage with a handful of roasted sweet potatoes on the side.
Oriental twist fruit salad
1 tin of lychees drained and saved
1 tin of mandarins drained
Half a melon scooped into melon balls
A cup of cranberry juice or grape juice (wine can be used for a dinner party, if desired instead of the grape juice or cranberry)
Put the drained lychees/mandarins and melon balls into a bowl. Add the lychees juice and a cup of cranberry juice or grape juice.
Chill in the fridge and serve on its own or with cream or ice cream.
It’s that simple
Chicken Macaroni Pie
165g macaroni
4 eggs
135ml milk
100g cheddar cheese (grated)
cooked chicken, sweetcorn, grated courgette (or whatever else you wish to add – 135g total)
seasoning
Preheat oven to 200deg. Grease a 23cm round/20cm square dish.
Cook macaroni according to packet instructions.
Whisk together the eggs, milk and season to taste, add the cheese.
Stir in the pasta, chicken and vegetables and transfer to dish.
Cook covered for 35-40 mins until set & brown on top.
It works really nicely with bacon and tomato too, and can be eaten hot or cold – it’s a bit like a pasta filled quiche without the pastry.
By grating the courgette, it is hidden. By kids love this meal, but won’t eat sliced courgette.
Tuna Pasta
1 Onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 can tuna
1 can tomato soup
dried pasta
grated cheese
fry the onion for a couple of minutes in a little olive oil, add the frozen peas and fry for 2 minutes.
Add Tuna and tomato soup, simmer for 5 minutes.
Cook Pasta and add to the tomato soup mix.
serve topped with grated cheese
Ingredients:
1 Large Cauliflower (or frozen florets)
Chicken Stock
Curry powder
Method:
Break the cauliflower up into florets and wash thoroughly.
Place in a large pot and put in enough chicken stock to just cover the florets.
Boil for about 15 minutes or until Cauliflower is very soft.
Once softened, blend with a hand blender until totally smooth.
Add curry powder to your liking.
spag bol
i use tomatoe based sauce
onions
mixed peppers
mushrooms
chopped tomatoes
garlic
mince
and sprinkle of cheese on top
I made this last night : my own recipe. It has a east european twist
Dave’s Pork Mousakka
500 g tray of lean pork mince,1 onion, 3 gloves of garlic,2 carrots, 2 turnips, 3 red peppers
2 large potatoes sliced
2 teaspoons of Paprika, pinch of mixed spice, 2 dried bay leaves, a little dried chilli, black pepper
Half tube of tomato puree, pork stock cube
3 tablespoons of plain flour
Knob of butter (or I used a mix of benecol and olive oil)
3/4 pint milk
1 teaspoon of french mustard
Grated cheddar
1 egg
Chop and fry the veg, onion and garlic gently until soft. Brown the mince. Combine in a saucepan. Dissolve the stock cube in hot water and add to pan to cover meat and veg. Add more water if required. Add the puree, spices and crumbled bay leaf. Simmer for 30 minutes until nicely cooked. Meanwhile make a bechamel with the flour, fat and milk. Add a teaspoon of mustard. When done let cool slightly and whisk in an egg. Parboil the potato slices. Put the meat/veg in a cassorole. Top with potato slices then bechamel. Put in a hot oven for 20 minutes putting grated cheese on after 10 minutes.
White chocolate fruit tart
170g butter, softened
60g icing sugar
190g plain flour
Filling:
275g good quality white chocolate, chopped
60ml double cream
225g cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Topping:
350g fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.)
2 kiwi fruits
1 mango, diced
Glaze:
120g apricot jam or conserve
2 1/2 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 25 mins | Extra time: 1 hour 30 mins, chilling
1.
For the base: In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Press the mixture into an ungreased 28cm loose-bottomed fluted tart tin. Bake at 150 C / Gas 2 for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
2.
Meanwhile, make the filling: Melt the white chocolate in the microwave on medium power, at short 30-second intervals, stirring between each time. Once melted, beat the white chocolate together with the cream, then add the softened cream cheese and beat till smooth.
3.
Once the pastry base has cooled, spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the base. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4.
Meanwhile, prepare your fruit: Hull the strawberries, and cut into halves or slices. Peel the kiwi fruit and cut into slices, or half circles. Peel, stone and dice the mango.
5.
Arrange the prepared fruit over the chilled filling, working in concentric circles.
6.
For the glaze: Heat the apricot jam or conserve, lemon juice and water in a small pan over medium heat until liquid. Pass the hot mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps of fruit. Gently brush the glaze over the top of the tart. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Sea Bream roasted with new potatoes, tomatoes and fresh herbs.
This recipe is so delicious that even the children will want fish for tea. Like all good Italian cooking my recipe relies on using the freshest ingredients cooked simply so that your food is transformed into something truly wonderful.
Serves 2
2 fillets sea bream
Olive oil
1 red onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
8 small vine tomatoes halved
A handful fresh basil and thyme chopped
12 new potatoes
Salt and pepper to season
15g butter
1) Preheat oven 200C/180C Fan. Boil new potatoes in salted water until nearly done. Drain and then when cool enough thickly slice and use to cover bottom of a baking dish.
2) Soften onion and garlic in olive oil in a frying pan. Do not allow to brown. Pour onion, garlic, olive oil and tomatoes over potatoes. Scatter over chopped herbs and season with salt and pepper.
3) Roast in oven for fifteen minutes until edges of potatoes have browned.
4) Take out of oven and place the two fillets of sea bream over vegetables. Rub olive oil over fish and then place a knob of butter on each one. Season with salt and pepper.
5) Bake in oven for twelve minutes.
6) Serve with French beans. Delicious!
You can make the same recipe with Sea Bass fillets if you prefer.
salmon Poached in Orange juice
Simply put the salmon fillets in an oven proof dish and cover with fresh orange juice and pepper to taste.Put in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with steamed carrots and broccoli and small roasted potoatos. Spoon the juice over the salmon to serve. 3 of your five a day – light and delicious
MEDITERRANEAN BUTTER BEAN DISH
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
I medium courgette, sliced
I red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
4oz mushrooms, quartered
3 plum tomatoes
ground black pepper
a small can of sweetcorn, rinsed and drained – use only 2/3 of the can
a small can of butter beans, rinsed and drained
3 oz extra mature cheddar, grated.
pre-heat oven to:
180 degrees Centigrade
350 degrees Fahrenheit
Gas Mark 4
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onion until soft but not browned.
Add red pepper, courgette, mushroom and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, score the tomato skins and plunge into boiling water for a couple of minutes . Carefully remove and peel off skins. Chop roughly. Add to vegetable mixture. Season with ground black pepper to taste. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Add butter beans and sweetcorn and heat through. Put into a large ovenproof dish and sprinkle grated cheese evenly over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden and the vegetables are sizzling.
Can be served with new potatoes/crusty bread/potato wedges
Fruit cake salad ……
Mash potatoes until smooth then beat in some crème fraiche, season then add finely diced cooked beetroot and grated apple. Shape the mixture into little cakes then refrigerate until firm. Meanwhile prepare the spinach and strawberry salad by tossing together bite size pieces of spinach with sliced strawberries in a large bowl. Make a dressing by whisking together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, paprika and poppy and sesame seeds. Fry the cakes in a pan until crisp and golden, dress the salad and place in the centre of the plate with the cakes placed on the top.
Spanish Rice
Dry fry mince beef with onions, mushrooms, green pepper and celery. Add jar of passata and 2 cups of cooked rice. Sprinkle a little grated cheddar on the top.
Our family loves this dish 🙂
RECIPE: JAMAICAN JERK CHICKEN, RICE & BEANS
Preparation time: 60 minutes
Time to cook: 30-45 minutes
Serves: 4
Heat rating: Hot
Difficulty Rating: 3/5
WHAT YOU NEED
Large packet of mini chicken breast fillets
For the dry jerk rub:
4g allspice
70g salt
20g garlic powder
25g sugar
1g chilli powder
2g ground cloves
4g dried thyme leaves
6g ground black pepper
10g cayenne pepper
3g ground cinnamon
For the rice and beans:
400g tin black eye beans
400g tin coconut milk
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups long grain rice (not easy cook)
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon thyme
2-3 Scotch Bonnet peppers
HOW TO MAKE
Mix all of the ingredients for the dry jerk rub in a large bowl until they are all well mixed together. You can store an remaining jerk rub in an airtight container and it will keep for around a month.
Pierce the chicken fillets a few times and rub in 1-2 teaspoons of the dry jerk rub. For best results, leave to
marinate overnight, or put in the refrigerator for 1 hour prior to cooking. Or as in my case above, I only left it for 10 minutes as I was short on time, which doesn’t produce the best results, but does taste good nonetheless.
As a suggestion, my husband is vegetarian, so if you or someone you are cooking for is too, simply replace the real chicken with some Quorn chicken alike fillets. I make that for Paul, but real chicken fillets for me and David.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 5 and put the chicken fillets on a baking tray in the middle of the oven for 30-45 minutes (may take more or less time depending on the size of fillets you choose).
In the meantime, put the oil and coconut milk into a large pan and bring to the boil.
Once boiling, add the water, onion, garlic, black eye beans (including juices) and thyme and simmer.
Thoroughly wash your rice, then add this to the pan and stir briefly. Place the whole Scotch Bonnet peppers on the top and cover tightly.
Cook for approximately 30 minutes, until all of the water has evaporated. Try not to uncover the rice to check on it until it has been cooking for at least 20 minutes.
Serve the chicken on a plate with the rice and beans. I would highly suggest serving with hot pepper sauce
too as it adds to the enjoyment of the rice.
Toby’s Mighty Burger (chickpea, spinach & red pepper)
My son has issues with eating food that doesn’t have a certain crispiness to it so I made up this burger to get some important nutrients into him.
1 onion
Small red pepper
fresh spinach
Tin of chickpeas, rinsed & drained
2 garlic cloves
2 slices of wholemeal bread
1 egg beaten
1/2 tsp turmeric ( add this for it’s special health benefits)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp corriander
Sprinking of chilli flakes
25g grated cheese
black pepper
1tbsp tomato ketchup
1tbsp olive oil
1. Blitz the onion and the red pepper in a food processor and then lightly sautee with the crushed garlic, leave to cool and then put into a large mixing bowl.
2. Blitz the chickpeas and a large handful of the fresh spinach, add them to the bowl.
3. Blitz the slices of bread and add to the bowl.
4. Add the cumin, corriander, chilli flakes, paprika, turmeric tomato ketchup, cheese. Season with black pepper.
5. Add the beaten egg and mix everything together well.
6. Form burgers, place on a plate, cover with clingfilm and place into the fridge for at least an hour – I find this keeps them together better.
7. Put a drop of olive oil into a skillet and cook for 6-7 mins on each side on a medium heat until the outside is crispy
They are delicious and my son eagerly eats them which makes me very happy.
Sam
Recipe
Disaster Volcano Eruptions
(I used to make this for my boys when they were little and the interest was worth the effort of peeling)
You will need (for 2 to 3 little ones)
2 parsnips peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 large good quality potatoes peeled and chopped
1 dinner spoon of sour cream
A small bunch of finely chopped chives
A knob of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
For the eruption ..
A tin of sweet corn or baked beans (depending on child’s preference) beans look more gruesome though and have protein to balance things out..
To decorate… Two slices of toasted bread,( use up those unwanted crusts.)
gingerbread men cookie cutters
3 black pitted olives
Add the chopped potato, parsnip,carrot and swede to a pan of hot salted water and cook for 20 minutes, drain well, add the sour cream, butter and finely chopped chives and mash with a masher so that it is not too creamy but quite “rubbly”. Add salt and pepper to taste Meanwhile, heat the beans or sweet corn on a low heat. Add a ladleful of mash to each plate and fork upwards to create a volcanoe shape whilst leaving a hollow in the centre. Then add the “eruption” of beans or sweet corn to the hollow and let them pour down the sides a little.
My children loved the addition of fleeing villagers so if you are amusing v young children you can toast the bread and use gingerbread cutters to make a couple of fleeing locals on the edge of the plate , I have reviously used olives to make eyes and scared mouths!
It’s simple but always works. I love making soup with whatever veg and/or pulses I have on hand!
Start by frying off the chopped veg in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. The base vegetables I always use are celery, onion and carrot. Extra vegetables can include squash, pumpkin, parsnips or potatoes. You can’t really go wrong! After the vegetables are almost cooked through, I add vegetable or chicken stock, preferably homemade as it’s lower in sodium. I add a fresh herb, most often coriander, as well as some dried herbs such as peppercorns, star anise, cloves, bay leaf or kaffir lime leaves. The combinations are endless! Simmer the soup for about an hour so all the ingredients infuse the soup. If adding leafy greens such as spinach or cabbage, or even fresh tomatoes, I add these near the end. I prefer the soup clear and as is, but to make it more interesting, you can blitz all or half of it with a hand blender, or even add some milk/cream! This “recipe” is the best way I use up leftover veg and also to get my 5 a day. 🙂
I forgot to mention that if the soup isn’t blended, pulses or barley work extremely well in it to give the soup a bit more substance!
At 70 Kcal a bowl on average, do not hesitate to eat as much of this soup as you like.
Ideally the soup will be made with chicken stock. However, if you are vegetarian or entertaining some vegetarian friends, do not hesitate to substitute the chicken stock by vegetable stock.
In any case, use some good quality stock, ideally home-made.
If you are using commercial stock, try to find some in the chill/fresh produce department of your store or some sous-vide stock. In any case, do not use concentrate (cube or liquid)
Be extra careful with seasoning if using commercial stock as most of them will already be very salty.
A food processor or mandolin are ideal to chop the vegetables.
If using the traditional knife method and you are finding it difficult to julienne the carrots and celery, do not hesitate to slice them (in rounds) but still as thin as you can.
The most important is that all vegetables are cut in the same way and with the same thickness to ensure even-cooking.
1 large carrot
1 leek
75 g mushrooms
1 stick celery
150 g tomatoes
1 1/4 l chicken stock
1 tbsp parsley (leaves only)
1 tbsp chervil, leaves only (if you cannot find chervil, use a little more parsley and a little more tarragon)
1 tsp tarragon, leaves only
1. Peel the carrots and wash the celery
2. Cut the carrots and celery in thin strips. Use 50g carrots and 25g of celery for this soup
3. Wash the leeks and finely slice them lenghtways in strips of 4cm. You will need 25g of julienne
4. Finely slice the mushrooms and cut into strips. You will need 50g
5. Bring the stock to the boil and check the seasoning
6. Plunge the vegetables into the stock and reduce the heat to a bare simmer. Cover with a lid but leaving space for some steam to escape
7. Simmer for 15 mins. The vegetables should be softened but retain some bite
8. Meanwhile, peel and de-seed the tomatoes
9. Chop the tomatoes into a concasse (small cubes). Use 80g of concasse in the soup
10. Place a small mound of concasse in the middle of each plates
11. Finely chop the parsley, chervil and tarragon
12. When the soup is ready, check the seasoning and place some of the julienne around the tomatoes on each plate
13. Pour the broth over
14. Sprinkle with the chopped herbs
My children like rice so I add extra vegetables to it to help get to their 5 a day.
We make the rice in a rice maker & while the rice is cooking I fry up:
One diced red onion & one diced white onion until starting to brown, sometimes I also add a leek cut into small rings & fried with the onions
Then I add
1 Red pepper diced
1Yellow pepper diced
& 1 Orange pepper diced
(sometimes I use a half pepper of each of these depending on how many people I’m cooking for)
Then I add either Sainsbury’s carrot batons cut into smaller square chunks, or I grate a carrot & add to the stir fry.
After that I add some peas and sweetcorn & continue to fry until cooked.
Then I mix it all into the rice & serve with whatever food I made for the kids – this way they all get their 5 a day added in & the rice & don’t seem to mind & the rice is colourful & tasty.
Peanut Satay Sir fry (does family of four)
1/2 bag of egg noodles
bag of bean sprouts
mushrooms
Tomatoes
onion
peas
red onion
yellow and green peppers
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 pack of Asda Satay Sauce
1/4 pack of Chicken tikka
few sprays of one cal spray
Fast and good for you!
Feeds me,my man and 2 growing boys and so simple and easy to make
Garlic Mushroom Risotto.
Serves 4.
4x Portobello Mushrooms
100g Dried Mixed Mushrooms
10 Chesnut Mushrooms
50g Butter
5 Cloves of garlic, crushed.
1 1/2 Onions, chopped.
250g Aborio Rice
3/4 pint vegetable stock.
Fresh Parmesan and Parsley to garnish/taste.
First soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for around 15 minutes, then strain them and keep the juice for the risotto.
Then fry the onions and garlic in the butter, once the onions are soft add the fresh mushrooms and fry off, now add the soaked mushrooms and rice.
Make up the vegetable stock and add the mushroom juice to it
Now it is time to add the stock to the rice, you have to add one ladle of stock, and keep stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid , then add another ladle full, you do this until all the stock has gone.
Once all the stock has gone, it’s time to serve, I serve mine with lashings of parmesan and a good crack of black pepper, delicious!
Tangy baked cod
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
1 can of chickpeas
1 onion finely diced
1 aubegine chopped
1 green pepper diced
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 cloves of crushed garlic.
1 tbsp sugar or sweetner
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp oregano
juice of 1 lemon
1 chicken stock pot
salt and pepper to taste
bunch of chopped fresh basil.
cod fillet.
fry the chopped onions in a little oil and add all the herbs and garlic. Cook until onions are soft. Add to an oven proof dish along with all other ingredients apart from the cod and fresh basil, add a lid. Cook in the oven on a low heat for around an hour, or until all the vegetables are soft and tender. Place the cod fillet on top of the vegetables in the oven dish, along with the lid, and cook for a furher ten minutes, or until the cod is cooked through.
Firstly plate the vegetables in a bowl and place the cod on top. Sprinkle the freshly chopped basil. Serve with wholemeal warm crusty bread.
My favourite way to cram lots of veg into one meal is in ratatouille. It’s also great for using things up, so if there are offers on at the supermarket or you’ve got something in the bottom of the fridge that needs using, you can chuck them in.
You’ll need: a few types of starchy veg (potato, sweet potato, butternut squash, parsnip–all good!), some standard cheap ‘n’ wholesome veg (tomatoes are important, carrots and leeks are nice too) some green veg (I like green beans and courgette but you can get away with swapping it around) some bits for taste (salt, pinch of sugar, bit of honey if you fancy it). You’ll also need a chopped onion, canned tomatoes and some chopped garlic. Ideally you’ll have about 8 different types of veg (go for ‘one courgette’ or ‘two potatoes’ for size) which have a variety of colours and flavours–tomato is the most important to get in.
Method: fry all the bits and bobs–if you can’t get them all in a pan, do it bit by bit. They should all be a little bit soft. The point of ratatouille is to over-cook everything, so you can be quite sloppy. Then, bung them all in a big pan with the chopped tomatoes and simmer for half an hour. If you find the mixture is getting too dry, add water. You’ll need to preheat the oven to around 180C, so that when the half hour is up, you can pop the mixture in the oven in a deep dish for another half an hour. After that, it’s ready to eat–I like it with couscous, my boyfriend likes bread, but brown rice or bulgar wheat are the healthiest options. Enjoy!
The thing I love about this dish is you don’t have to stick to the rules–it’s the veg that provides all the flavour, so you can’t really get it wrong!
I make vegetables into a bhajee. Fry an onion in sunflower oil with some curry spices (to taste), add some finely chopped vegetables and fry until soft. I flavour with a variety of things – honey, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, ketchup, chutney, it’s a different dish every time and my daughter loves it. Her favourites are mushroom bhajee done with mild spices and coconut milk, aubergine bhajee done with ketchup and honey, and mixed done with white cabbage, carrot, sultanas and chilli.
Easy Cheesy Chorizo Pasta Bake
Ingredients
300g Penne pasta
200g mascarpone cheese
200g Chorizo
200g Port Salut cheese
2 heaped teaspoons of whole grain mustard
4 spring onions
Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.
Chop the chorizo and Port Salut cheese into small chunks
Slice the spring onions
Drain the pasta, return to the pan and stir in the Mascapone and mustard until it all melts.
Stir in the chorizo, Port Salut and spring onions.
Turn into a Pyrex dish and put in the oven at 200c / 400f / gas mark 6 and cook for 20 minutes.
Beef Stew
2 Tins chopped tomatoes
Frozen pack of stew vegtables 900g
Mushrooms
Peppers fresh or frozen
2 Onions
450g Pack of stewing beef
Garlic
Beef stock cubes
Herbs and spices
Sliced potatoes
Dry fry beef with spry light
Same with the onions and crushed garlic for 5 mins until soft
Put all other ingredients to above in a large pot and simmer slowly for 30 mins perfect low fat filling dinner with way more than 5 a day and serve with broccoli and carrots to boost your intake!
quorn risotto and chunky chilli salsa with roasted veg
take a full tin of chopped tomotoes
chop 3 medium white onions
place in a bowl
add a dash of worcester sauce, mild chilli powder, half a finely chopped medium hot green chilli, smoked paprika and garlic to taste – voila – chunky chilli salsa
chop / slice – 4 carrots, 4 parsnips, 2 courgettes, half a butternut squash, 2 peppers and as many mushrooms as you like – different sorts give lovely flavour – try closed cup and chestnut
add mixed seeds and roast in the oven on setting 7 for roughly an hour.
cook 40g of risotto rice until soft. place 3 quorn fillets, or quorn sausages (either tastes good) in the oven until cooked. chop into fine pieces. add a little piri piri spice to the rice, then stir in the chopped quorn
serve the rice, with the roasted veg, and a large helping of chunky chilli salsa. the tastes are divine and its all low fat, low cal, healthy vegetarian grub. delish!!!