Home made Thai Green paste...and curry!

As with pesto this tastes so much better made at home then out of a jar and is so simple there really is no excuse!

Ingredients:



(this isn't really the 'proper' thai curry paste recipe but you're more likely to have these things at home and it works just as well!)

For the paste:
Fresh corriander - the more the better in my opinion!
Ground Corriander
Ground Cumin
Lime Juice/Fresh Lime
Green Chillies
Fish Sauce
Garlic
Ginger

For the curry:
Coconut milk
Noodles/Rice
Meat or Fish
Onions
Veg of your choice (spring onions, peppers, carrots, pak choy)

Method:

I dont really use exact measurements as everyone likes a bit for chilli, corriander, lime depending on preference so just mix it up to make it work for you!

1. In a pestle and mortar or little blender put a good couple of handlefuls of fresh chopped corriander, chopped chillies (as many as you want depending how scipy you like it) a theaped easpoon of ground corriander and cumin, a tablespoon of lime juice, a good sized teaspoon of fishsauce, grated garlic and ginger, and mix, sauce done!

2. Place your noodles or rice on the hob to cook, following instructions on the packet!

3. In a wok/pan put your sliced onions, carrots and meat if you are using any and oil and cook until softened, then add your paste and fry for 30 seconds or so to release the flavours.

4. Add you coconut milk and fish if you are using any, the rest of your veg and bring to the boil then simmer, if you want your veg crunchy add once the dish has come to the boil then simmer for a short amount of time.

5. Add some more fresh chopped corriander at the end and possibly a dash more lime juice if it needs it!

Posh Smoked Salmon Pasta... in minutes!

I tried this one up as I had a load of Smoked Salmon to use up and it turned out really well so thought I would share! It's pretty basic but seriously yummy!

Ingredients:

Smoked Salmon

Pasta

Rocket

Cucumber

Cream Cheese

Creme Fraiche (optional)

Lemon Juice

Salt and Pepper

Courgette/Mangetoe/Sugar snap peas

Salad dressing (preferably a Balsamic one)

Olive oil

Method:

1. Put your pasta on to cook

2. In a mixing bowl slice you 3/4 of your smoked salmon, add rocket, salt and pepper, lemon juice, cream cheese and a tablespoon of creme fraiche to lighten it slightly if you wish.  Mix it all up so you have a creamy, not too thick sauce, you can add a drizzle of olive oil also if you want.

3. Made a nice green salad using the rocket and cucumber and in a fry pan just very quickly fry off you thinly sliced courgette/mangetoe or sugarsnap peas in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper so they are still crunchy but slightly browned on the outside.

4. Once the pasta is cooked drain it and mix in with the sauce.

5. Serve up with the salad and add the remaining smoked salmon to the salad, dress your salad and you're ready to go!

Two minute tasty Peanut Noodle dish!

This literally takes minutes and uses things you normally have at home, it's a perfect post gym meal, full of protien and quick!! 

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/3 cup veggie broth (or water)

1/4-1 teaspoon red chiles, crushed

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon ginger, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tamari (soy sauce)

Everything Else:

4 oz brown rice noodles or any you have

1 tablespoon olive oil – groundnut if you have it

1/2 medium onion

4 cups assorted veggies (cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, peppers, celery etc)

Chicken/Tofu if you want

Optional Toppings:

Bean Sprouts

Corriander

Lime juice

Instructions:

In a bowl, whisk together ingredients for sauce, tasting and adding more of anything you may want. If you like it mild, add less red chiles (1/4 teaspoon) and if you like it hot, add more! Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onion and cook until onion is fragrant and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Stir in choice of veggies and cook for two more minutes.

Next, add in peanut sauce and reduce temperature to low. Cover and let cook until veggies are tender, 6-8 minutes.

Cook brown rice noodles according to package while veggies are cooking.

Add drained rice noodles to the veggie mixture along with the meat/tofu if used.

Serve with bean sprouts, coriander, and lime juice.

Homemade Pesto...and a pasta recipe too!

What is pesto?? Everyone loves it but few know what's actually in it and it tastes sooo much better when you make it yourself and will take you seconds!!

For the pesto:

75 g2¾ oz rocket
75 g2¾ oz baby spinach
75 g2¾ oz basil
75 g2¾ oz mint
2 garlic cloves, minced on a grater
120 g4¼ oz mixed nuts such as peanuts, salted cashews and pistachios
150 ml5¼ fl oz olive oil
½ lemon
Black pepper, to taste

Pesto usually uses pine nuts but they are expensive so go with whatever you have at home! It also usually has parmesan in but as you will see later in the recipe we have left it out of this stage so that it lasts a lot longer in the fridge and have mixed it up with a bit of feta instead.

To make the pasta dish:

2 rashers of bacon
1 courgette, peeled into long, thin strips
300 g10½ oz dried pasta shells or conchiglie pasta if you can find it
100 g3½ oz feta, crumbled (could also use goats cheese or mozarella)

Method: 

1.    Cook the pasta shells in lightly salted water according to the packet instructions. Stir the pasta once at the start of cooking to prevent sticking.

2.    Heat a griddle, or a non-stick frying pan, and dry fry the bacon until crispy on both sides. Once crisp, remove and drain then add the peeled courgette strips to the same pan and griddle for a couple of minutes to colour and crisp up but be careful not to burn them.

3.    Meanwhile, PESTO RECIPE: add in the herbs, leaves, minced garlic and nuts into a blender and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Blitz until roughly combined, then gradually pour in half of the olive oil and blitz into a paste consistency. Add the rest of the olive oil.

4.    At this stage you can transfer the pesto to a sealable container and store in the fridge until needed. It should keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. If you dont add the cheese at this stage it keeps for a lot longer!

5.    Drain the pasta and place into a bowl. Pour the pesto on top and crumble over the feta cheese. Mix together so the pasta is well covered and the pesto collects in the pasta shells. Transfer to a serving bowl.  

6.    Chop the bacon into small pieces and scatter over, along with the griddled courgette strips. Squeeze over some more lemon juice and drizzle with a little olive oil, then serve.

Steak and Blue Cheese Salad

An awesome summer salad, quick but sooo tasty, inherited from Mumma Ju this is a family favourite!

Ingredients:

2 steaks

Blue cheese

Cherry tomatoes

Pine nuts or walnuts

Cucumber

Lettuce

2 red onions

Brown sugar

Olive oil

Butter

Potatoes

Method:

1. Cut the potatoes in wedges, drizzle olive oil and season and place in the over at 250 degrees, if you want to cook them faster par boil them in a pan of water first.

2. Cut your red onions into thin strips and place in a fry pan with butter, olive oil and brown sugar and leave to simmer on a low heat to caramelise.

3. Get out your dinner plates and cover with salad and chop cherry tomatoes in half and cucumber in slices and place on top.

4. Cut the cheese into small cubes and scatter along with the nuts.

5. Heat up a frying pan or griddle with a large knob of butter until its very very hot.

6. Season the steaks with salt and pepper before placing in the frying pan, turning and cooking until they are cooked the desired amount.

7. Remove steaks and slice into thin slices before place over the salad.

8. Finally place the caramelised onions on and around the steak and salad.

9. Serve with potato wedges or fresh bread.

Homemade ginger and orange Granola

Want to be healthy but it still taste soooo yummy then try out this for breakie...! Make a batch and it will last you for weeks!

 

Ingredients:

250g jumbo rolled oats

50g nibbed or flaked almonds

50g pumpkin seeds

50g sunflower seeds

1tsb ground ginger

Pinch of salt

50g butter

5-6 tbsp honey

1 large orange

Method:

1. Pre heat the oven to 180oC.

2. Mix the oats, almonds, pumkin seeds, sunflower seed, ginger and salt in a large bowl.

3. Melt 50g butter with 5-6 tbsp honey, and then add the grated zest of 1 large orange.

4. Pour the melted butter over the oat mixture and stir well.

5. Spread the mixture on wide baking tray and bake for 15 – 20 minutes until golden brown, giving it a stir every 5 minutes to ensure it colours evenly.

Tip: Dont put the oven too high and take time to stir often and just be patient, its worth the wait if you let it just cook slowly and get nice and brown!

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

This is a big favourite of all my friends, quick easy and healthy healthy healthy!!.. Nutrious and delicious!

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts x 2
Fresh ginger about 3cm
Garlic x 2 cloves
Fresh Coriander, roughly a handful finely chopped
Noodles - whatever type you like, rice, flat, vermicelli, egg, instant!
Red chilli x 1
Chicken stock cube or miso soup sachet
Onion x 1
carrot x 1
celery x 1 or whatever veg you have got in your fridge
Spring onions x 2
Soy sauce
Pepper
Maggi sauce and Sweet Chillie sauce are optional additions


All veg is optional and can change with what you've got.
 
Method:

1. Wack the chicken breasts in an oven proof dish, season and then cover with foil and put in a preheated oven (around 200 degrees) to cook for roughly 20 minutes. Cut up red chilli really small, take out seeds depending how spicy you want it
2. Take off the skin from ginger and garlic and then finely grate

3. Cut onion up really small and finely chop coriander.

5. Put garlic, ginger, onion, half coriander and chillie in pan with onion and gently fry until onions are soft.
 
6. Add stock/soup and hot water (as much as u want start with a pint or so then can add more later if you want more soup but flavour is stronger with less water.
 
7. Bring to the boil, when boiling add carrots and celery and cook for 2 mins
 
8. Turn heat off and add few swigs of soy sauce, rest of the corriander and the spring onions.