It kid you not this takes 15 minutes to make so no excuses not to try. We are also introducing 2 new ingredients in this recipe for those who aren’t familiar. Tahini is the base of hummus and Seasame oil is one of my personal favourite ingredients.
Ingredients
For the dressing
3 tbsp Tahini
1 1/2 tbsp Peanut Butter
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
1 tsp Ginger grated
4 cloves Garlic crushed
For the noodle salad
4 nests Noodles
2 Carrots thinly sliced
2 Peppers thinly sliced
1 head Broccoli chopped into florets
Small Bunch Coriander chopped
Lime Wedges to serve
Instructions
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and refresh under cold water.
Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Thin slightly with water if needed.
Heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in a wok over a high heat, add the vegetables and stir fry for 3 minutes. Tip out into a large bowl, add the noodles and sauce and toss. Serve topped with coriander and lime wedges.
This is nothing fancy its simple easy cooking excuse the pun, its excellent to get the kids involved and plus it is a crowd pleaser in our house because it involves pastry. The only tricky bit is the roux or in a fancier French cooking terms a Bechamel which is basically butter, flour, and milk. Do not panic I will take you through it, Enjoy.
Ingredients • 4 tbsp of unsalted butter • ½ cup of Milk • ¼ of flour • 1 cup of chicken stock • 3 carrots diced • 100g potatoes diced • 100g of mushrooms diced • 1 onion chopped • 3 garlic cloves • 100g of chicken breast shredded • 1 tsp of Nutmeg • 1 tsp of dried thyme • 1 egg beaten for egg wash • 100g of puff pastry • Salt and Pepper to taste. Pre heated oven 200 degrees
In a pot of boiling water cook the carrots and potatoes for about 10-12 minutes do not cook them all the way through.
In a pan with butter and oil cook onion and mushrooms for 5 minutes until they are soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the flower and keep stirring to get rid of the raw flour taste cook for 2 minutes, them add your milk stirring for another 2-3 minutes.
Add you chicken stock, shredded chicken, carrots, potatoes, thyme and nutmeg to the pan and cover for 3-4 on low heat.
Once you lift the lid you will see the sauce has thickened from the roux turn of the heat and leave for 3 minutes.
Lay the puff pastry out flat on a smooth floured surface (so it does not stick) place your Pyrex or pie dish upside down and run a knife about 1.5cm from the edge around the whole dish.
Egg wash the edges of your dish so the pastry will stick.
Add your filling to the dish, place the pastry on top and pressing down on the sides to it sticks to the dish. Cover with egg wash along with slitting a small whole in the middle so the pie does not explode in the oven.
We are twisting this Italian classic. Every restaurant I went to i Rome without fail would have a tomato and mozzarella plate for starters,and the way the Italians do their business in terms of fresh products. I was in one restaurant where I saw them being delivered and 5 minutes they where on my plate infront me. A fresh and simple recipe for lunch
Ingredients
1/2 pound red grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (2 cups)
1/2 pound yellow grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (2 cups)
2 avocados , diced
8 ounces small fresh mozzarella
1/2 cup fresh basil , chopped
Dressing ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey , warmed
salt to taste
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients, except Mozzarella cheese balls. That is, combine halved red and yellow grape or cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, chopped basil.
In a small bowl, combine all dressing ingredients: whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey until nice and smooth.
Add the salad dressing to the large bowl with salad, sprinkle with a small amount of salt, and toss to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if needed. Add Mozzarella cheese balls on top only at this point – so that they don’t brown from the dressing.
Traditionally, a mille-feuille of course comes from France. Now a popular pastry all over the world. We have plenty of requests to do these so here we go. Please keep in kind it’s a french pastry so we need to be percise on our mesurements. Hope you try these.
Ingredients
250g-300g ready-to-roll puff pastry 250ml cream 1-2tbsp icing sugar 50g good raspberry jam
For the coffee glaze 1-2 tbsp boiling hot coffee 25g butter 100g icing sugar, sifted
Method Preheat oven to 200 Celsius.
If not pre-rolled, roll out puff pastry into a rectangle. Cut pastry into at least eight even strips (about 9cm x 5cm each).
Place the pastry strips on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover the pastry with a second sheet of parchment paper and weigh it down by resting another baking sheet on top (this prevents the pastry puffing up like a pillow). Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden and risen (the top layer of parchment and baking tray can be removed for the last five minutes or so of baking to help give a golden colour to the pastry). Remove from the oven and allow to cool, transfer onto a wire rack after five minutes.
Whisk the cream until it forms soft peaks. Stir in one-two tablespoon of icing sugar to sweeten the cream to your taste.
For the coffee glaze, add the butter into the hot coffee and stir until fully melted (alternatively briefly microwave, until the butter melts). Stir in the sieved icing sugar to create a smooth, thick, liquid glaze, whisk to remove any lumps and add more hot water if the mixture is too stiff. Set aside to cool slightly.
To assemble the coffee slices, spread half the baked pastry strips with a layer of jam. Spread whipped cream evenly over the jam.
Lastly, spread the coffee glaze over the remaining strips and place them over the cream (coffee side facing upwards). Transfer to the refrigerator for the icing to set and until ready to serve
While we are on the subject of grilling it wont get any easier than this. You can do the I’m the oven on a BBQ or on a grill pan your choice. Best of all they are a healthy snack or dinner.
Ingredients
3 x 120g skinless chicken breasts
2 red onions
3 medium-sized beetroot (cooked)
3 medium-sized mushrooms
1 sprig fresh parsley or coriander
1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
3 tbs Olive oil
1 lime
Recipe
Chop chicken into large cubes
Peel the onions and chop into quarters
Wash and chop the beetroot into quarters
Place all the ingredients onto a skewer in order of preference
Mix the olive oil, grated fresh turmeric, salt, pepper and lime in a bowl and drizzle over the kebabs.
Cook in the on a grill pan for 18 minutes
Remove from the pan and enjoy. If you wish to do then in oven 180°c for the same amount of time.
This is quick and simple, great for putting on the BBQ or you can do it in oven also. For this recipe I just used a simple grill pan. The buttermilk breaks down the muscles in the chicken and softens the chicken so when it cooks it just melts in your mouth.
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breasts
1 litre of Buttermilk
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Cajun Spice
Salt and pepper
Using 2 sheets of cling film one on the bottom another on top place the chicken in between the 2 and bash the chicken down with a rolling pin.
In a bowl place the chicken with the buttermilk and spices and leave to marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or preferably over night.
Cook on the grill for 10-12 each side, dont worry about the grill marks it hasn’t burned it called char and it adds to the flavour.
When done serve as burger or with some rice and salad and enjoy.
How do you pronounce that you ask? You don’t need to worry about that however it’s a must try. Which leads me to today’s final dish I empty my fridge at the end of my shopping week with not a lot going to waste. shakshuka comes from Israel and it basically eggs poached in tomatoes, onion and garlic I really recommend you give this a try.
Ingredients • 1 onion chopped • 2 garlic cloves • 200g of mushrooms • 100g of chorizo • 1 red pepper • 1 yellow pepper • 100g of cherry tomatoes • 100g of greyer cheese • 400g of tinned tomatoes • 1 tsp of paprika • 1 tsp cumin • Juice of ½ lemon • Salt and Pepper
• In a pan place onion, mushrooms, peppers, and chorizo cook for 10 minutes until softened.
• Add the garlic, paprika and cumin cook for 1 minute. Add the tinned tomatoes and lemon juice and cook for 2 minutes.
• In the mixture make little pockets with a spoon, reduce the heat to low and carefully crack the eggs into each pocket.
• Sprinkle cherry tomatoes and greyer cheese on top place the lid on the pan and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with some fresh bread.
All in Spinach Salad with a Lemon and Garlic Dressing. Recipe number 2 for todays theme is really an all in salad I looked in my fridge and I took out what goes into a salad and put it all together with a very simple dressing, That’s the great thing about salads they can be anything you want them to be. I hope you give this one a try maybe adding something is in your fridge.
Ingredients. • 250g of Spinach • 2 scallions chopped • 300g of Mushrooms • 3 hard boiled eggs • 2 Bacon Medallions • 150g of Cherry Tomatoes • 50g Greyer Cheese For the Dressing • 4 tbsp of olive oil • 1 garlic clove crushed • Juice of 1 lemon • 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard • Salt and Pepper to Taste
• In a small jam jar, add the oil, garlic, lemon, mustard salt and pepper. Close the lid shake it up and leave to one side.
• For the eggs hot boiling water cook for 6-8 minutes, also the bacon cooks in the grill usual amount of time.
• Chop some up mushrooms place in a pan with some oil and cook for 5 minutes you can also grill them if you prefer.
• In salad bowl combine your spinach, scallions, tomatoes, bacon, boiled eggs and mushroom. Pour over the dressing and grate some greyer cheese on top. Toss up the salad making sure all everything is coated. Enjoy
Easy Cooking 