Just Quick Snacks : October 2017

Sunday 29 October 2017

Jumbo prawns with 3 root mash

I’ve never tried a slimming diet but have always used a simple cooking method when I see my waistline and tummy expanding. For maybe two days a week I simply cook my main meal of vegetables with fish or meat steamed so I can still enjoy my indulgent food.

I used my 3 tiered steamer (the best £11.99p spent for a simple hob steamer from Wilko).

Prepare veg:

Peel and cut into wedges then thin slices 1 medium white potato, half a medium sweet potato and a qaurter of a small swede.

In the base of the steamer put 200ml boiled water and 2 tsp fennel seeds. In the next tier add the above root veg along with one peeled, top, tailed and quartered red onion around the sides. Top with 3 unpeeled, uncooked frozen jumbo prawns. Heat your hob on high and begin cooking with the lid on.

Prepare the next tier - in the middle add 1 portion of frozen grated carrot (I get a packet of carrots, grate them all then freeze them into portion sizes to use like this because I find carrots do not remain firm for very long and I hate waste).

Shred 1 pointed cabbage leaf and place along the edges. Arrange a few frosen broccoli florets, broad beans, green beans, and peas around the carrot or whatever greens you fancy. Put this tier in place and steam all for 15 minutes.

Turn off the heat, remove the top tier and put the lid on top to keep hot whilst you mash the root veg adding freshly a portion of my rosemary garlic butter (see this recipe Kangeroo steaks with rosemary garlic butter ; how much you use depends on your guilt level).

Plate up, drizzling 1 tsp olive oil on the non root veg and sprinkle on some roasted butternutsquash seeds (also described in my recipe Kangeroo steaks with rosemary garlic butter; omit if you are being saintly for your figures sake, but you need a bit of classy taste because you’re worth it).

Remove head, tail and the crunchy outside layer of the jumbo prawns to enjoy. Uncooked prawns used like this have more flavour than the regular cooked scimpy processed packaged variety. You will also need a finger bowl to rinse your hands.

Saturday 28 October 2017

Kangeroo steaks with rosemary garlic butter

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If you made my Honey glazed baked gammon with roasted veg use the fridge leftover butternutsquash cubes to save time or make as follows:

Wash and quarter a small butternutsquash, remove the seeds and discard the pith. Cut the butternutsquash into wedge shapes then small cubes. Put into a baking dish in one layer, sprinkle over some dried rosemary, brush with oil and roast in a preheated 180fan / 200C oven for 30 minutes. Also peel one whole garlic bulb, brush with oil and bake alongside the butternutsquash.

Roast the oiled brushed butternutsquash seeds for the last 10 minutes of cooking in a small baking dish.

Wash, remove the middle stalk and slice into thin strips one pointed cabbage leaf. Gather the strips one on top of each other and snip small strips widthways. Mix in with the leftover butternutsquash.

Make the rosemary garlic butter portion by squeezing the roasted garlic out of the bulb shell.

Use half the bulb and mash on a chopping board until you are able to flatten it out into a 2” x 2” square shape. Sprinkle dried rosemary over the flattened garlic and fresh ground black pepper. Use a serrated knife to peel curls from a pack of room temperature butter (about 8) and add these. Use your knife to mix well and again flatten out to the square shape.

Prepare defrosted overnight thick cut 2 kangeroo leg steaks by patting dry with a kiten towel. Put a tbsp of plain flour with a pinch of salt on to a small plate and press the steaks into the flour to coat. Use a sharp pairs of scissors to cut into the thickest part of the steak and make a gap big enough to take a generous amount of the rosemary garlic butter. Peel a small shallot, cut in half lengthways and plug the pocket you have just made in the leg steaks. Sprinkle the top of the steak with the remaining flour. (Use the remainder of the rosemary garlic butter to make Jumboprawns with 3 root mash another day).

Brush a fry pan with oil and turn the hob on to high heat. Place the steaks in the middle of the pan and the roasted veg around the sides. Cook on high for 1 minute, turn the heat to medium and cook for 2 minutes (don’t move the food just allow it to cook). Carefully turn the steaks over and veg, turn the heat up to high and cook 1 minute, reduce heat to medium and cook 3 minutes.

Plate up and serve the butternutsquash seeds and fresh pomegranate seeds as garnish.
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My quick snacks blog –

October recipes –

Jumboprawns with 3 root mash

Ostrich steak with onion bhaji

Baked chicken bell peppers

Baked egg and bacon medallions

Steamed jumbo prawns with wild rice

(Chicken) Meatloaf

Scallops, chorizo with white kidney beans

Pork and chorizo bake

Breaded white fish with simple cabbage rosti

My most viewed September recipe

Tomato Jasmine Rice with Kale Crisps topping

September recipes –

Steamed sweet potato and dill crab cakes

Kale Crisps

Roasted veg pasta bows

Savoury Polenta Bake

Mackerel Fillet Layer

Lemon& Rosemary Fried Brown Rice

August recipes –

Banana Fudge Muffins

Banana Tofu Mousse

Spelt Dahl

Brunch bake

Korean BBQ tofu and duck breast

Baked Sweet Potato Rosti

Popular recipes:

Pulled pork salad with goat's cheese dressing

Lamb stir fry with home-made Teriyaki sauce

Crispy half duck with hoisin sauce

Jasmine chorizo fried rice

King prawn sweet potato rogan josh

Quorn Jasmine Rice What is quorn?

Fish Pie

Chilli quorn stir fry

My latest pudding recipes No butter chocolate pudding

Lemon drizzle muffins

Giant lemon pancake n Maple Syrup Dessert

If you want to know more about tofu check out
Check out my recipe Mushroom Tofu
and
another of my recipes
Tofu in pulses

Tofu n sweet potato lasagne

vitamins and minerals (a guide)

omega 3 (a guide)

5 ways to serve fish

Click on the link for more info on -.

Italien Gorgonzola Dop used in my Scallops, chorizo with white kidney beans recipe.

Friday 27 October 2017

Honey glazed baked gammon with roasted veg

Ask your butcher for a 200g thick cut gammon steak. (If you use prepacked gammon there will be liquid leaked during cooking which I think spoils the gammon).

Prepare veg:

Rub a medium butternutsquash clean using a clean pan scrubber and some water. Half the butternutsquash, then quarter and remove the seeds, discarding the pith. Cut into wedge sizes then cut these into small cubes.

Peel 1 medium potato and cut into similar sized cubes.

In a separate layer, arrange the butternutsquash around the outside of a large baking dish and the potato in the middle. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp dried marjoram and use a pastry brush to brush with oil.

Place on the top shelf of a preheated 180 fan oven / 200 C for 30 minutes.

After 10 minutes put the following into the oven on the lower shelf -

Using a large baking dish which will also be your serving dish. Use a pastry brush to brush both sides of the gammon steak with oil. Grate 1 carrot, place alongside the gammon with some broccoli florets and a thick ring of fresh pineapple and use a pastry to brush all with oil.

After another 10 minutes –

Put the butternutsquash seeds into a separate small baking dish, add some freshly milled blackpepper and use a pastry brush to brush with oil, place on the bottom of the oven.

Use a pastry to brush to coat the gammon with runny honey and other veg in the baking /serving dish.

Move the cubed veg around to even up roasting (no honey on this).

Plate up with the roasted veg also on the baking /serving dish and butternutsquash seeds sprinkled over.

There will be leftover butternutsquash cubes which you can use in soup, thicken homemade sauces or make the following recipe.
Kangeroo steaks with rosemary garlic butter