Spinach and pesto spaghetti (V)

This was a handy recipe I adapted as a meal-for-one. It was originally vegetarian but I used some shredded cooked chicken in mine.
Ingredients
75g wholewheat spaghetti
2 tbsp green pesto
Handful of spinach leaves
Handful of sugarsnap peas
1 egg
Optional: Handful of cooked chicken, shredded

Method
Cook the spaghetti in boiling water for around 10 minutes, adding the sugarsnap peas and cooked chicken after 5 minutes.
In a separate pan of boiling water, poach an egg. I always find this a rather laborious and messy process. The best way I can find (without resorting to a plastic microwave egg-poacher) is to crack the egg into a ladle and slowly lower it into the boiling water so that it doesn't fly out everywhere and boil over. Luckily it only takes 4-5 minutes to cook so you don't have to stand there for long. If you're tempted to skip this part, don't. I did initially, tasted the dish and thought, maybe the egg will make a real difference. So I then cooked the egg and yes, it was amazing! Totally worth the extra effort. But that's why there's no egg in my picture above. True story.
Drain off the water from the spaghetti and stir in the pesto and spinach. Serve with the poached egg triumphant on the top. Take a picture so I have a replacement for my blog. (OK that part is optional. But I would appreciate a pic!)

"Healthier" Cakes

OK so cake isn't exactly high up on the nutrition stats, but I am someone who likes treats! And I thought I'd try out some recipes of healthier versions of cake to see if they still taste good...

Beetroot Brownies
I've decided this is the only way I will eat beetroot from now on. Joking! But seriously, I am not a fan of beetroot and I really love this recipe. I've tried it three times now. The first time, I didn't grate the beetroot. That was a mistake! So don't be tempted to skip the grating. It's not a massively healthy recipe (it was originally in Sainsburys magazine), but I replaced the butter with vegetable oil to lower the amount of saturated fat, and the beetroot's got to be one of your 5-a-day right?
Ingredients
150ml vegetable oil
200g dark chocolate
3 eggs
225g dark brown sugar (like molasses style)
2 tsp vanilla extract
50g plain flour
50g self raising flour
100g grated cooked beetroot (from the vacuum packed stuff but not in vinegar)

Method
Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
Break the chocolate into squares and melt it down in the microwave in a large bowl, taking out to stir frequently.
Pour in the oil then add the three eggs and beat together.
Add in the vanilla extract and the sugar. Beat and mix together.
Fold in the flour (I used half self-raising because I found it tended to sink in the middle otherwise).
Stir in the grated beetroot, transfer to a baking tin, and bake for approx 35 minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs on after this time. Leave the brownies to cool in the tin.

Dairy free Chocolate Cake

From the Co-operative Food magazine
It says dairy-free but it does still use eggs!

Ingredients
200g light soft brown sugar
150ml olive oil
3 eggs
50g cocoa powder
200g self-raising flour
100ml unsweetened soya milk, warmed
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method
Preheat oven to 170 degrees.
Beat the sugar and oil then gradually add the eggs with a little of the cocoa powder.
Fold in the remaining cocoa powder and half of the flour.
Mix the soya milk and bicarb together in a jug, then pour in. Fold in the rest of the flour.
Pour into a round tin and bake for 40-50 mins.

Verdict: It doesn't taste too different from my normal chocolate cake, but I felt it went dry pretty quickly, after just a day. Perhaps would need a chocolate sauce with it. The recipe had a chocolate icing element which I didn't do, for the sake of trying to be a bit healthier, but it does mean you perhaps need a squirt of cream or creme fraiche when serving.

Banana and almond cake

From Sainsburys magazine, with some adaptations
No sugar (except natural sugars) or wheat (though I did use some flour)

Ingredients
75g melted butter (I used soya milk, just because I wanted to use more of the ingredient up as I bought it for the other cake!)
4 mashed up bananas
4 large eggs
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
200g ground almonds (I only had 150g, so I used plain flour to make up the rest)
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the icing:
100g soft cheese
1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
A dash of lemon juice

Method
So you may well say I've already butchered up this recipe by using soya milk. Well when it comes to the method the magazine said to blend everything in a food processor and I thought 'no way!' So whether this cake actually resembles anything like its original version is up to you to decide!
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Mix the mashed up bananas with the melted butter / soya milk and the eggs. Add the syrup and the dry ingredients.
Pour into a cake tin -don't use a springform or loose-bottomed one.
Bake for 45-55 mins until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely before icing.

Verdict: The cake works, which is perhaps impressive given the lack of ordinary ingredients like flour and sugar and butter (if using soya milk like me!). But it is definitely more on the pudding consistency than cake - a bit moist for me. It tastes good, the banana isn't too strong. Nice subtle flavour.

Sausage and chorizo casserole

Ingredients
1 onion
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
A big clove of garlic / 1 tbsp garlic puree
1/2 chorizo ring
6 pork sausages (I used chipolatas 90% pork)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp thyme
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin cannellini beans
A few cooked baby potatoes, halved

Method
Chop the vegetables (inc garlic) and gently fry them till soft.
Add the sausages and, after 5 mins, the spices. Cook for a few mins.
Add the tin of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the chorizo, chopped, and simmer for 30-40 mins.
Add the cannellini beans and potatoes and cook for an additional 5 mins.

Cheat version: Make up a tomato soup at the beginning of the week using tinned tomatoes, a few sticks of celery, one or two onions, a few carrots and garlic. Use a blender to make it smooth. Then use this as the sauce for this casserole, which cuts out needing to prepare all the veg.

Curried pumpkin soup (V)

This used up all the rest of the pumpkin after the lasagne :)
Ingredients
1/2 a large pumpkin, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
A few cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
Black pepper and salt, to taste
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika

Method
Fry the onion and celery and garlic till softened, then add the spices and curry powder. Add a little water if the pan starts to brown.
Microwave the pumpkin in batches and add it to the pan as you go, adding a little water each time.
Simmer over a low heat, stirring frequently. The pumpkin should break up nicely and be very tender.
Using a hand blender, pulp the soup and add boiling water a little at a time, stirring in well. You don't want too much water but you don't want the soup to be a puree. When you're happy with the texture, add salt and pepper to taste. You could use a veg stock cube if you wanted.

Pumpkin lasagne (V)

Ingredients
1/2 a medium-sized pumpkin
1 onion
1 tsp garlic puree
1 yellow pepper
1 courgette
300g passata
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 packet cheese sauce mix
6 lasagne sheets
100g goats cheese

Method
Start with the pumpkin. Slice off the botton end, creating a hole so you can spoon out the seeds. Then cut from the hole down the natural indents of the pumpkin, to around the halfway point. Snap off the slice of pumpkin, then you can cut any remaining skin off. You should end up with slices of pumpkin that are a crescent shape.
In batches, microwave the pumpkin slices in a dish for 5 mins until soft and tender.
While the pumpkin is being microwaved, fry the onion until soft, then add the garlic puree, yellow pepper and courgette, both cut into large slices. By using a high heat you can get a nicely charred effect on the veg.
Add the passata into the pan with the herbs and heat through (turn the heat right down for this).
Make up the cheese sauce according to packet instructions. You want it to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, so add more flour if necessary.
Time to assemble the lasagne! I started with a layer of the pumpkin slices, lightly brushed them with cheese sauce, then added 2 lasagne sheets. After coating the sheets with cheese sauce, I poured in all the passata mix, then put 2 more lasagne sheets on top. I then made another layer of pumpkin and crumbled the goats cheese all over before adding the final 2 lasagne sheets. I covered the top with cheese sauce. You might like to grate more cheese on the top, or perhaps add some fresh basil and halved cherry tomatoes.
Bake in the oven - I used a fairly low heat of 160 degrees - for around 30-40 mins.
Serve with salad leaves (I used spinach).

Sweet potato stew (V)

Ingredients
2 small sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 tsp garlic puree
1 red pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of saffron
A pinch of chilli flakes
A few tbsp passata
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tin chickpeas
500ml veg stock

Method
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork then microwave them, whole, for 6-8 minutes, until they feel easy to skewer with a knife. Set them to one side.
Meanwhile, fry the onion and red pepper with the garlic puree in a casserole dish. Add all of the spices and cook gently until the veg are soft.
When cool enough, peel the skin off the sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Add to the pan.
Add the passata, orange juice and veg stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 mins.
Drain the tin of chickpeas and add to the pan. Cook for another 5 mins and season to taste.
Use a hand blender to roughly blend the stew - don't puree it, just thicken the sauce up.
Serve with bread, soup-style.

Chocolate fridge cake

Ingredients
250g biscuits
100g butter
150g dark chocolate (pref 70% cocoa solids)
4 tbsp golden syrup
100g mixed dried fruit
50g rice krispies

Method
Place the biscuits (I used shortbread but digestives work well) in a sandwich bag, seal, then use a rolling pin to crush them. I usually keep some chunks in there so it's only 50% fine crumbs. Pour out into the cake tin. Add the dried fruit and the rice krispies.
Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a small pan, then pour over your biscuit mix inside the tin. Use a metal spoon to stir it in thoroughly and give an even coat.
Place in the fridge to set (probably takes about an hour).

Honey & orange cake

Adapted from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients 100g butter 175g clear honey 3 eggs 75g soft brown sugar 275g plain flour 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp ginger Zest of 1 orange 200ml creme fraiche (Topping - icing sugar and juice of the orange, with some orange slices to garnish). Method Melt the butter and honey into a saucepan. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar, then add half of the flour and mix in. Pour in the butter and honey, then add the rest of the flour and mix well. Then add your bicarb of soda, spices and zest. Finally, stir in the creme fraiche. Bake in a tin at 180 degrees for around 40 mins. Prepare the icing by pouring the icing sugar into a bowl, and gradually squeezing in juice from the orange, a little at a time, until the icing is the right consistency (you will only need to use a small piece of the orange for this). I probably used between 100-150g icing sugar, but I only wanted a glaze, not a thick covering. Garnish with a few slices of the orange.

Korma noodle broth

Inspired by Anjum Anand's recipe which uses her Spice Tailor Keralan coconut curry sauce. I used a Tesco Finest korma sauce instead. Ingredients Mix of fresh veg - I used 3 chestnut mushrooms, a few baby corns, some tenderstem broccoli pieces, and 1 carrot. Straight-to-wok noodles - I used Singapore variety which are a nice yellow colour. Jar of mild korma-style sauce. A few diced chicken mini-fillets. Naan bread to serve - I used Lloyd Grossman's Peshwari naan. Method In a saucepan, cook the chicken until sealed and no longer pink on the outside. Add in your chopped veg and stir-fry for a few mins. Once veg is softened, add your sauce. Cook until bubbling hot, then add your noodles and stir well. Toast your naan bread and serve up as broth in bowls.

Cod with chorizo crumble and mediterranean veg

The cod with chorizo crumble comes from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients (serves 2) 50g diced chorizo 50g breadcrumbs lemon juice 2 skinless and boneless cod loins 1 red pepper 1 red onion A few mushrooms A few cherry tomatoes Cooked baby/new potatoes (mine were leftovers) Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Prepare the vegetables by chopping and placing into an ovenproof dish. Pour over some olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, also adding a pinch each of basil and oregano. Roast them in the oven for 30-45 mins. Meanwhile, prepare the cod loins. Mix the chorizo and breadcrumbs in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon (I just used a lot of lemon juice from the bottle! Too much hassle otherwise). Place the cod loins in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper, then press the crumb mixture over the top of each cod loin. Roast the fish in the oven as well - it will need less time than the veg, probably 20-30 mins, until the fish is cooked through. Serve with salad.

Honey-glazed ham joint with goats cheese salad

Lush textures and sweet! Ingredients (serves 2-3) Unsmoked gammon joint 2-3 carrots 5 tbsp honey 5 tbsp English mustard Cumin seeds Sesame seeds New potatoes Rocket leaves Goats cheese Optional: Green beans Method Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Glaze the ham joint with a mixture of 5 tablespoons honey and english mustard and roast in the oven. After an hour in the oven add the carrots to the roasting dish and scatter over cumin seeds and sesame seeds. Boil up some new potatoes. Carve the ham after about 1hr30mins of cooking (you can probably reserve some to make lentil and bacon broth). Serve with rocket and goats cheese perhaps runner beans too.

Gnocchi, bacon, cheese and tomato bake

Got the idea for this from a Tesco recipe (originally gnocchi and courgette bake). It's quick and easy. Ingredients (serves 2 adults) Pack of fresh gnocchi 4 rashers bacon, cut into strips 1/2 onion, finely chopped Tomato passata Prepared green beans Goat's cheese Parmesan cheese Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Fry the bacon strips, and after a few minutes add in the onion. Once both are turning golden brown, turn off the heat and stir in some tomato passata. Don't use too much, just enough to make a small sauce. Warm the gnocchi for 2 mins in boiling water, then drain off and place into a casserole baking dish. Pour the tomato/bacon/onion mixture over. You should have enough sauce to coat the gnocchi, but you don't want them swimming in it. Add seasoning - I used basil and black pepper. Add some green beans then crumble in some goat's cheese, shaking parmesan over the top of the whole dish. I also added a last minute garnish of halved cherry tomatoes. Bake for 10 mins in the oven, until hot through. Serve with salad.

White fish with coconut sauce and mixed pepper couscous

This works well with any white fish fillet; I used basa. I also had some leftover beansprouts in the fridge so I used them as well.

Recipe
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Place the white fish fillet onto a sheet of aluminium foil, drizzle with the oil and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pull the sides of the foil together to form a parcel and fold to seal well. Transfer the parcel to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and has cooked through.
Prepare 2 peppers, dicing them, and make up 50g cous cous in a lidded saucepan, adding half of the diced peppers, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 crumbled chicken stock cube, salt and pepper and just enough boiling water to cover the cous cous. Set aside for 10-15 mins.
Fry the rest of the peppers and 2 chopped spring onions in a pan of melted butter, and add 1 tsp ginger. Add some frozen peas too. Then add 200ml coconut milk and simmer.
To serve, remove the lemon sole from the foil and place it onto a serving plate. Spoon the mixed pepper couscous alongside, then drizzle everything with the coconut sauce.

Wholewheat penne and cauliflower cheese (V)

This is basically a variation on Macaroni Cheese. I used wholewheat penne instead of macaroni, because it's much higher in fibre. And I confess I'm not a massive cheese fan, so these quantities make for a palatable dish for me, but for the cheese lover, you may want to double the cheese amount!

Recipe (serves 4)

1. Prepare the vegetables: Half a cauliflower and half a broccoli, chopped into florets, and either a sliced leek or a large onion.

2. Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Cook enough for 4 servings.

3. At the same time, boil the cauliflower and broccoli till tender. (around 10 mins)

4. Melt 50g butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the leek or onion and saute for 5 mins till softened.

5. Grate 75g cheddar and 25g Parmesan cheese into a bowl while the leek/onion cooks.

6. Stir in 4 tbsp plain flour to the leek/onion pan and cook for 1 min, stirring continuously. Gradually add 350 - 500ml milk, stirring all the time. You want to achieve good consistency, so be flexible with the amount of milk. Remember you'll be adding cheese and creme fraiche later.

7. Preheat the grill to high.

8. Bring white sauce to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 mins, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, drain off the pasta (but leave a little water) and the cauliflower and broccoli, and tip them all into an ovenproof dish. Mix well.

9. Finish off the white sauce by stirring in 2 tbsp creme fraiche and your grated cheese. Heat through until all the cheese has melted.

10. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, cauliflower and broccoli, coating everything evenly. Sprinkle cheese over the top and grill until the top is golden.
(around 10 mins)

Variation: Add bacon or chicken for some meat in the dish. You could also serve with sweetcorn or carrots.

Beef Steak with warm sweet potato salad

This takes about 30 mins to prepare, and has a lovely combination of flavours and textures. If you don't have a microwave, you can oven bake the sweet potato and baking potato, but it will take around an hour.

Recipe (serves 4)

1. Prepare 2 baking potatoes by scrubbing well. Prick with a fork then microwave on full power for 10 mins.
2. Prepare your vegetables: chop up 1 large or 2 small red onions, a handful of mushrooms, 3 green peppers, and 2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes should be scrubbed then cut into 3-4 big chunks. You don't need to peel them.
3. When your baking potatoes have finished cooking, wrap them in foil and set them aside. Put the sweet potato chunks in a microwave dish, add 2 tbsp water, a sprinkling of oregano, thyme and black pepper, then cover and microwave for 10 mins (you may need to stir half-way through).
4. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan and a saucepan. Fry the red onions in the frying pan and put the mushrooms and peppers in the saucepan with the lid on, to cook slowly.
5. Once the onions have softened, add 4 steaks to the frying pan. You can add seasoning here- Cajun spice, chilli powder and black pepper. You could always marinade the night before if you're organised!
6. Prepare a lettuce by washing and cutting into thin strips, and halve 4 tomatoes. You can fry the tomatoes with the steaks or keep them raw for the salad.
7. Cook the steaks on both sides to your preference, and stir the vegetables so they are nice and tender.
8. Once the sweet potatoes are done, put them into a salad bowl with the lettuce (and tomatoes, if you aren't cooking them). Add a sprinkling of lemon juice. Add the mushrooms and peppers and mix well.
9. Serve up the steaks (with fried tomato if applicable) and halve the baking potatoes. People can help themselves to the sweet potato salad. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, mayonnaise and mustard work well as condiments with this meal too.

Chicken pasta salad with pesto

A great way to use up leftover chicken from a roast; otherwise buy a pack of cooked strips of chicken.

Recipe
Cook 150-200g pasta according to packet instructions (I like using wholewheat fusilli).
Prepare salad by shredding some lettuce and quartering a handful of baby tomatoes.
Heat up the chicken by microwaving for a few minutes. Make sure it's piping hot.
Microwave a tin of runner beans for 2-3 minutes.
Once pasta is cooked, drain it and stir in 3-4 tsp green pesto. Add the runner beans and chicken and mix well.
Serve up the green salad with the pasta mix on top. You can also add black pepper for seasoning.

Chicken and leek stroganoff

Recipe (serves 2)
Fry 2 chicken breasts in a pan till golden. You could add some white wine- I tried white wine vinegar but the resulting flavour was a bit too tangy!
Prepare 1 leek by cutting into 3 lengthy chunks, then halving across the middle. Wash carefully, then add to the pan.
Put on 100g long grain rice to boil.
Prepare around 6 mushrooms, slicing them thinly. Add to the pan.
After another few minutes, add 2-3tbsp creme fraiche and stir in well. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Use some herbs to add extra flavour, such as thyme and oregano. 1 tsp is enough.
Serve up with the rice once the stroganoff is heated through.

Sausage and apple bake

Nice and easy, and great for autumn suppers.

Recipe (serves 2)
Place sausages in an oven-proof dish with 1 onion cut into large chunks, and 2 apples (peeled and sliced). Mix together 1 tbsp mustard and 1 tbsp honey and pour over as a glaze. Put into the oven, heated to 180 degrees.
Prepare a sweet potato by cutting into wedges, then put into a bowl with 1 tbsp water and microwave for 4-6 mins. This cuts down cooking time in the oven. Once you've done that, add them to the dish with the sausages. Add some herbs like thyme to the dish.
Prepare a Savoy cabbage by cutting into thin strips, and put into a steamer. Don't start cooking it until the sausages have been in the oven for 25 mins.
Steam the cabbage and use leftover water to make up some gravy (good old Bisto).
Serve up once sausages are cooked through and turning brown, and the sweet potato is tender. Total cooking time for the sausages will probably be around 40 mins.

10 week meal planner- version 2

This is an updated version with new meals I've been cooking recently.

Week 1
Spaghetti bolognaise (double sauce)
Fajitas (using leftovers)
Lentil and bacon broth or Cajun red bean soup
Curried bean risotto
Goats cheese pizza with salad
Sticky pork steaks with sweet potato

Week 2
Griddled beef with sweet potato
Fish and lemon risotto
Chilli black bean stew
Beef adobo
Mushroom tagliatelle
Lentil & veg cottage pie
Warm green veg and farfalle salad

Week 3
Roast chicken with potatoes and veg
Tomato and chicken pilaf (using leftover chicken)
Poached chicken with pesto
Chickpea and spinach curry
Tomato and feta potato salad
Bacon and pea pasta
Veggie gratin

Week 4
Beef and courgette burgers
Peppers, pork and mash
Mexican bean melt
Bacon, peppers and pasta in tomato sauce
Chunky pistou
Sausages with aubergine and haloumi salad

Week 5
Hungarian goulash
Vegetarian lasagne
Sweet and sour turkey
Picadillo
5 spice veg stir fry
Bacon risotto
Sausages with cannelini bean salad

Week 6
Ginger chicken
Chicken risotto
Chilli con carne
Goats cheese and grilled veg and salad
Vegetable stir fry
Sausage, pea and feta salad
Penne and roast veg pasta bake

Week 7
Mediterranean chicken
Leek and broccoli bake
Chicken and veg hotpot
Lentil casserole
Veggie Pizza
Ratatouille with penne
Grilled chicken with pasta salad
Moroccan lamb with aubergine

Week 8
Pork steaks with redcurrant jelly sauce
Chicken casserole
Beef, mushroom and broccoli stir fry
Coronation chicken with jacket potatoes and salad
Moroccan spiced veg with halloumi
Tagliatelle
Chicken curry

Week 9
Beef stew
Apple and sausage roast with mash and greens
Chicken and leek stroganoff
Jambalaya
Mackerel with potatoes and salad
Moussaka stacks
Corned beef hash
Pork stir fry with black bean sauce
Tortellini with tomato sauce and salad

Week 10
Beef lasagne (spare half the sauce)
Beefy jacket potatoes
Pork chops with creamy apple sauce
Chicken casserole
Creamy poached chicken with bacon and greens
Fish and chips with peas
Mushrooms, haloumi, red pepper and rocket salad

Griddled beef with sweet potato and peppers

A light summer supper.
Serves 2

1. Peel a sweet potato and cut into chunks.
2. Cut a red pepper into strips.
3. Toss together in a bowl with 1 tsp paprika and 1 tbsp olive oil, then fry until lightly charred in a heavy, non-stick pan. You may need to add a few tbsp water to help soften the sweet potato.
4. Preheat a griddle pan and use to cook 2 beef escalope steaks to your preference (or use the frying pan).
5. Serve with crusty baguette and some salad.