Five a day prawn tandoori

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Per serving

 

1)) In 1tbsp hot oil fry 1 finely diced onion and 50g shredded white cabbage and dark green cabbage for 10 minutes on low heat.

 

Preparation:

Defrost 4 king size prawns overnight and when thawed carefully cut and discard the shell from the prawns also the head, tail, feelers and any vein if still attached.

Peel and grate 1 carrot and 1 small white potato

Slice 1 mushroom

Matchstick slice one quarter courgette

Rinse and dice 2 fresh green beans, 2 snap peas and half a runner bean

 

To make the curry paste blitz the following for 10 seconds:

A bunch of coriander leaves with stalks, 2 peeled garlic cloves, 3 heaped tsp tandoori powder, 1tsp cumin and turmeric, 3 cardamon pods, 2 cloves, 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. 1tsp cold water.

 

2) Turn the hob heat up to high and stir in the carrot, potato and curry paste. Drain a 454g can of plum peeled tomatoes from the tomato juice and stir the juice only into the cooking pan. Stir in 2 tomatoes from the tin and bowl the remainder for another day. Put 1 tbsp cold water into the empty tomato tin can, swirl around to gather residue from the sides and add to the cooking pan. Leave with a lid on for 5 minutes.

 

3) Lower the hob heat and stir in the mushroom, courgette, greens and 1tsp each of red and green lentils. Add the prepared prawns and a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp full fat Greek yoghurt before serving.

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My April 2018 recipes:

Biryani

Thai green curry

Mixed baked veg with borlotti beans

Pulled pork with apple cider sauce in pastry

Squash tomato tagliatelle

Beefburger in the hole

Choc orange snack bites

Tzimmes

My March 2018 recipes:

Spatchedcocked chicken with mustard and honey glaze

Rich aubergine sauce with wholemeal pasta

Classic Ratatouille

Pulled lamb pie with kalettes, carrot and mushroom

Greek style pulled lamb

Cheese soufflé using left over mash

Pork apple meatballs with quinoa crisped base and roasted bell peppers

Chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie

Stuffed sweet long pointed red peppers with herby greens

Stuffed squash with homemade red pesto / Provolone Dolce topping

One pan Ostrich and mushroom orzo

My February 2018 recipes:

Teriyaki tofu bake

Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

Red Kidney bean and buckwheat curry

Tandoori chicken with roast veg and chickpeas

Tomato and rosemary focaccia

No cook anytime snack

Baked sockeye salmon with mayo / cumin topping

Mung beans with homemade spinach pesto

Chilli peppers with oyster mushrooms

Maple bacon with baby corn and easy veg

Dry cured back bacon with tangy tofu bites

Chilli hot with apricot pork

Tomato chickpea hash

Chicken pot pie with seasonal greens
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My 2018 ongoing Nutshell:

Jan Post - What I learned - Believe first, act on your faith and your feelings will catch up

Feb Post– What I am learning - Make each day worthwhile for someone else

March Post– What I am learning - If the only prayer you say in your entire life is 'thank you' , it will be enough

April Post - What I am learning - For change to happen in your life, you can’t be a prisoner of your circumstances
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Buttered calamari with creamed orzo

Biryani

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Serves 2

Over night marinade either 2 duck breasts / 2 cod loin / 6 lamb culets / 2 seabass fillets / in a mixture of 4 tbsp full fat yoghurt, the zest of one lime, 2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp each dried garam masala, cumin and ginger, pinch salt and paprika and one grated garlic clove. Rub the marinade well into your chosen protein. I used duck breasts for this recipe but shall give alternative cooking methods depending on the cuts of meat / fish you are using. Per person, just cover 4 tbsp rice (I used wild rice as I like the texture and the grains plump up nicely overnight) with water in a bowl and leave over night in the fridge.

Next day prepare a paste by blitzing together 1 bunch fresh coriander including stalks, 1 diced shallot, a thumb size piece of fresh ginger and one garlic clove, 1 diced red chilli (remove the seeds if you prefer a milder version).

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a deep fry pan on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the paste and fry slowly on low heat for 10 mins. Add 2tsp dried turmeric and 1 tsp dried garam masala and 2 bay leaves. Drain and rinse the rice and add to the pan with enough stock just to cover the rice,. Bring to boil then add a lid reducing the heat to simmer for 20 mins until all the stock is absorbed. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Add some toasted cashew nuts (pre dry fried for 10 seconds in a hot pan) and 2tbsp frozen peas to the cooked rice and cook 3 mins more. Turn off the heat.

For the duck breasts:

Bake in a preheated 170 fan / 190 C oven for 15 minutes over a draining trivet so any excess fat is drained off. Increase the oven heat to 190 fan / 210 C and cook for 10 minutes to crisp. For the last 5 minutes of cooking, remove the spine from 4 cavelo nero leaves, rinse, roll up and pop into the baking dish with the duck breasts so they bake in the duck fat juices.

Remove the breasts from the oven and leave wrapped in cooking foil for 5 minutes before serving with some of the rice topping the cavelo nero leaves and to the side of the duck breasts.

For the cod, lamb or seabass grill for 5 minutes each side under a hot grill timed so that cooking will match the completion of the cooked rice.

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Veg and Lentil Thai green curry

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Prepare paste by blitzing all of the following for 10 seconds until smooth:

1 green chilli, deseeded

1 shallot

1” piece of fresh peeled and grated ginger

1 garlic clove

Small bunch fresh coriander, stalks included

Half stalk lemongrass (or 1tsp dried)

2 kaffir lime leaves (or grated zest of 1 lime)

1tsp crushed coriander seeds

Half tsp ground cumin

Half tsp crushed black peppercorns

1tsp Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

 

Prepare:

Rinse and slice 2” leek

Grate 1 carrot

Long slice 1 shallot

Rinse 1 white cabbage leaf, remove the spine, roll it up into a thin sausage shape and thinly slice

Small cube a half inch round of sweet potato

Rinse and cube a half inch round of aubergine

Lightly brush any debris and slice 1 chestnut mushroom, including the stalk

Rinse 2 baby sweetcorn

Remove the stalk from 1 cavolo nero leaf and roughly chop

1tsp of both red and green lentils in a small bowl

 

Cook the carrot, shallot, white cabbage and leek for 10 minutes in 1 tbsp hot oil and a pinch of salt over medium hob heat.

Add the sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes with a lid on.

Stir in the green curry paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the aubergine, cavolo nero, mushroom and baby sweetcorn. Stir in 4 tbsp water and the lentils.

Add a lid and leave for 10 minutes on low / medium heat.

You can have boiled rice to serve but this is substantial for 1 person.

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Mixed baked veg with borlotti beans

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A simple way to get more than your ‘five a day’ and a portion of essential omega3.





Rinse half an aubergine and slice into 1” slices then place on the edge of a large oval baking dish.


Cut the spine from one large kale leaf, discard the spine. Rinse and roll he leaf into a sausage shape then cut into 1” slices and put into the centre of the baking dish.


Rinse and half one each red, yellow and green bell peppers and remove the seeds and white pith completely. Then slice all peppers into 1” slices. and arrange half of them randomly in the centre of the baking dish.


Peel 3 garlic cloves and add to the dish whole.


Add a sprinkling of black pepper and salt. Drizzle 2 tsp of oil over the veg and arrange the other half of the peppers on top.


Peel one shallot. top and tail the rough parts and put in the baking dish along one edge with one whole chestnut mushroom on the other edge. Add more black pepper and drizzle over another 2 tsp of oil.


Place in the top of a preheated 200fan / 220C oven and bake for 20 minutes.





Meantime prepare a second smaller baking dish as follows:


Rinse a handful of spinach and put into the baking dish.


Drain the water from a small can of borlotti beans, discard the water an top the spinach with the beans.


Mix in a small can of mackeral fillets (or sardines).


Rinse 3 asparagus tips and arrange in the middle of the baking dish.


The second baking dish will only need to be placed into the oven for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.


Use the smaller baking dish to serve adding a generous portion of the baked vegetables from the first baking dish.





Serves 1 with the remaining baked veg retained for another day as a booster to another meal.


This would also be nice to accompany any kind of fried steak (4 minutes each side for medium rare) if you don’t fancy the fish addition.
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My April 2018 recipes:

Pulled pork with apple cider sauce in pastry

Squash tomato tagliatelle

Beefburger in the hole


Choc orange snack bites


Tzimmes


My March 2018 recipes:

Spatchedcocked chicken with mustard and honey glaze

Rich aubergine sauce with wholemeal pasta


Classic Ratatouille


Pulled lamb pie with kalettes, carrot and mushroom


Greek style pulled lamb


Cheese soufflé using left over mash


Pork apple meatballs with quinoa crisped base and roasted bell peppers

Chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie

Stuffed sweet long pointed red peppers with herby greens


Stuffed squash with homemade red pesto / Provolone Dolce topping


One pan Ostrich and mushroom orzo

My February 2018 recipes:

Teriyaki tofu bake


Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick


Red Kidney bean and buckwheat curry

Tandoori chicken with roast veg and chickpeas

Tomato and rosemary focaccia

No cook anytime snack

Baked sockeye salmon with mayo / cumin topping

Mung beans with homemade spinach pesto

Chilli peppers with oyster mushrooms

Maple bacon with baby corn and easy veg

Dry cured back bacon with tangy tofu bites

Chilli hot with apricot pork http://rosesjustquicksnacksblog6.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/chilli-hot-with-apricot-pork.html

Tomato chickpea hash

Chicken pot pie with seasonal greens

Pulled pork with apple cider sauce in pastry

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Once the pork is cooked using a slow cooker for 4 hours whilst you do other things it is easy to prepare and cook something quickly like this tasty, succulent pie.

Thinly slice a small white onion and place half into the bottom of your preheated slow cooker on high heat setting. Put 3lb pork shoulder on top of the onions then top with the remaining sliced onion.

In a bowl whisk 240ml apple cider, 60ml apple cider vinegar and 55g brown sugar, 2tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground sea salt, 1tsp black pepper and 1 bay leaf. Pour this mix on top of the pork and onions. Add the lid and cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low setting.

Discard the bay leaf. Remove the pork when able to shred using 2 forks and discarding any large fatty pieces. Mix in some of the juices to coat well but not drench the pork. It can then be served hot / cooled and refrigerated or frozen.

Per pastry:

Unwrap flat a pack of 375g ready rolled short crust pastry and put half on a lightly oiled baking tray. Spoon a generous amount of the pulled pork over one half of the pastry leaving an edge to seal. Brush some beaten egg around the edges. Brush the outside with egg and use a fork to neaten and further seal the edges and indent the middle of the pastry case.

Bake in the middle shelf of a 180fan / 200C oven for 25 minutes. Serve with veg of your choice or simply an easy can of mushy peas.

 

For an alternative Mix 2tbsp paprika, 2tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp pepper, 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1tsp salt and rub into the pork.

Put 60ml apple cider vinegar. 180ml water in the bottom of the slow cooker, add pork and cook on low 6-8 hrs or high for 4.

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Cumin / chilli spiced potato with egg

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Cumin / chilli spiced potato with egg

(Parsi Kanda Papeta per Eda)

 

Serves 1

 

Peel and long thin slice 1 shallot, rinse and slice a 1” piece of leek and chop 1 green chilli then cook for 7 minutes in 1 tbsp oil and a pinch of salt over medium hob heat.

Peel and small cube 1 white potato, add to the onion mix and cook for 5 minutes.

Thin slice 1 chestnut mushroom, cube a half inch piece of rinse aubergine, rinse 2 baby sweetcorn and add all of these to the potato mixture.

Stir in 2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp chopped coriander, half tsp of crushed cumin seeds and quarter tsp freshly ground black pepper.

Add a lid and leave for 4 minutes. Season to taste.

Make a space for a fresh egg and cook on a low heat for 3-4 minutes depending on whether you want a soft or firm egg.

Sprinkle dried cumin and freshly ground black pepper over the egg to serve with a fresh bread roll.
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My March 2018 recipes:

Spatchedcocked chicken with mustard and honey glaze

Rich aubergine sauce with wholemeal pasta

Classic Ratatouille

Pulled lamb pie with kalettes, carrot and mushroom

Greek style pulled lamb

Cheese soufflé using left over mash

Pork apple meatballs with quinoa crisped base and roasted bell peppers

Chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie

Stuffed sweet long pointed red peppers with herby greens

Stuffed squash with homemade red pesto / Provolone Dolce topping

One pan Ostrich and mushroom orzo

My February 2018 recipes:

Teriyaki tofu bake

Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

Red Kidney bean and buckwheat curry

Tandoori chicken with roast veg and chickpeas

Tomato and rosemary focaccia

No cook anytime snack

Baked sockeye salmon with mayo / cumin topping

Mung beans with homemade spinach pesto

Chilli peppers with oyster mushrooms

Maple bacon with baby corn and easy veg

Dry cured back bacon with tangy tofu bites

Chilli hot with apricot pork http://rosesjustquicksnacksblog6.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/chilli-hot-with-apricot-pork.html

Tomato chickpea hash

Chicken pot pie with seasonal greens

My January 2018 Recipes:

Easiest baked fish and chips

Banana honey stir fry

Asian spiced squid n roasted peppers

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Squash tomato tagliatelle

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Whenever I use my oven I roast a batch of other veg to make an easy meal next day. For this one I pre roasted a butternutsquash and used half in this dish.

 

Thoroughly scrub a medium butternutsquash. Remove the end hard pieces and cut into quarters removing the seeds. Then cut each quarter into 4 wedge shapes. Spread in one layer on a baking sheet, brush with oil and sprinkle on a good serving of white pepper and sea salt. Peel a garlic bulb and put alongside the buttersquash then bake in a preheated 200C / 180 fan over for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and fridge overnight.

Next day:

Using half of the roasted wedges, put them into a small ovenproof bowl which will fit into the top basket of a 2 tiered steamer with the lid on, and top with a can of mackeral fillets in tomato sauce and 2 diced sundried tomatoes. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of their casing. Press all of the garlic into flat disc paste and put on top of the mackeral.

 

In the lower part of the steamer bring to the boil 200ml water, add a handful of tagliatelle and place the 2^nd tier as described above on top. Boil for 12 minutes. Drain the tagliatelle.

 

Layer the tagliatelle on a serving plate with the tomato / squash mixed in.
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Pulled pork with apple cider sauce in pastry

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Rich aubergine sauce with wholemeal pasta

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Pulled lamb pie with kalettes, carrot and mushroom

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Favourites:
One pan Ostrich and mushroom orzo

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Stuffed squash with homemade red pesto / Provolone Dolce topping
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Turkey Shepherd’s pie with a kick

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(Chicken) Meatloaf

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Scallops, chorizo with white kidney beans

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Chicken and mushroom puff pastry pie

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Steamed sweet potato and dill crab cakes

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Beef burger in the hole

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This is a simple, quick and tasty version of a fry-up to use up any leftover root mash.

 

Prepare:

Cut the dark green leaves from one leek. Rinse well and dice.

Rinse and sieve a handful of spinach

Grate 3 garlic cloves

Drain half a large can baked beans from its tomato sauce and reserve / save the sauce in the fridge for another day to juice up some sad tomato sauce

 

Brush a large frying pan with oil and heat on the hob using high heat. Add the leek and stir for one minute.

Make a well in the centre of the pan and add one quality quarter pounder beef burger and leave to fry for 2 minutes.

Spread left over root mash evenly over the leek only, then top with the grated garlic.

Check the underside of the burger is okay and if necessary lower the heat slightly (depends on your cooker’s hob retention). Lid and leave for two minutes before turning the beef burger over.

Lower the heat to medium.

Place the spinach over the leek only, add a sprinkling of salt, white pepper and 1tsp balsamic vinegar. Lid and leave for one minute.

Top with the drained baked beans. Add a lid and leave for two minutes. Turn the hob heat off and leave for a further minute. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of oil and parmesan.

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Another of my recipes using left over mash:
Cheese soufflé

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April 2018 recipes (more to follow):
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Squash tomato tagliatelle

Tzimmes  is a traditional stew for Passover, made from a combination of sweet potatoes and dried fruit. I’ve added a few other roots and chicken for variation.

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