Hot and cold salad

As you've seen from previous posts I'm loving the summer salads with hot elements as well as cold at the moment. This is not even vastly different from the recipe I shared last week but it was so good I couldn't resist writing it down - if nothing else so I remember the combination!

This served two people but could easily be stretched to more if needed, just add a bit more veg. I would still probably give two patties per person unless you are making your own in which case just make them a bit larger.

Hot and cold salad aka Burger salad!

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato cut into wedges

1.5 onions divided into eighths

0.5 red pepper cut into strips

6 mushrooms halved

4 whole garlic cloves (small) left in skin

Handful of baby plum tomatoes

Rocket

Greek basil (fresh)

Finely chopped parsley (fresh)

Olive oil

Balsamic

Salt and pepper

Two mini burger patties (buy preformed or better yet form your own from mince)

Grating of fresh parmesan

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C (fan assisted) and cut all your vegetables.

Initially put just the sweet potato for 20 minutes then add the onions, garlic, red pepper and mushrooms for a further 15-20 minutes depending on the colour and whether the sweet potatoes are cooked. Season to taste.

While the veg is cooking make the dressing, very finely chop the parsley and then just pick off the greek basil leaves to leave them a bit larger. Combine the herbs with oil and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Once the vegetables are all cooked stir through the dressing and baby plum tomatoes - I prefer to cut the tomatoes in half or thirds but they could be left whole. Let them sit for a moment so the tomatoes can soften slightly.

While the is happening fry off the mini patties, they should only need a minute or two on each side - let them colour but make sure they are still soft.

Stir through the rocket, pile onto plates then top off with the burgers and a grating of fresh parmesan.

Breakfast ideas

Breakfast is one of my favourite meals of the day when I've actually got time to enjoy it. During the week I admit to being terrible at organising myself enough to take the proper time for breakfast at home. I struggle to eat first thing so normally end up eating at my desk - breakfast bars come in handy here! If it's the weekend or I'm on holiday I like to take a bit more time to make a hot breakfast, these are often eggs in some form. Here's a few of my favourite options below...

Steamed and buttered asparagus with soft eggs - before and after

Holiday special (I went to Alnmouth in Northumberland recently so was lucky enough to have access to lots of lovely locally caught fish). This is local crab on rye topped with steamed asparagus and freshly podded peas, finished with a perfectly poached egg.

Alternatively if I'm at home it's mostly rye topped with avocado and poached eggs - if I'm feeling really adventurous I'll add some tomatoes in there too :)

If you're in a bit more of a rush you can't beat yoghurt topped with whatever you've got handy. Left is a dried fruit and nut mix topped off with a bit of honey. On the right we've got fresh British strawberries, chopped nuts and some bee pollen for sweetness and crunch - also because I've read it can help with hay fever and I live in hope!

I also think avocado can improve any meal at all - even in this case the humble slice of toast! This is goat's cheese and avocado on spelt topped off with a bit of pesto and parmesan.

Hope this has helped give you a few ideas to jazz up your breakfasts whether it's on the weekend or during the week. I'll try and put a breakfast bar recipe up soon as well.

Sunday roast salad

Everyone loves a roast on Sunday and although there are lots of clean and lean options as the weather gets warmer it's nice to try something different. In our flat we are getting to the 'we really must do a food shop' stage of the week so tonight's dinner was a raid the fridge type challenge - sort of ready, steady cook but self imposed. We ended up with a surprisingly delicious salad so I wanted to share the recipe with you.

Sunday roast salad

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato
2 parsnips
4-5 new potatoes
1 red onion
4 large garlic cloves
18 asparagus spears
Burrata (or mozzarella is fine too) - about 100g
Rocket
1 avocado
Pine nuts, toasted
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Hot smoked paprika
Coconut oil - about 1 tablespoon

Method:

Preheat a fan oven to 180C (if you've not got a fan assisted oven increase it by 20).
Cut the sweet potatoes and parsnips into wedges, the new potatoes can just be halved or left whole depending on size.
Melt the coconut oil and coat the root veg, season with salt, pepper and a heaped teaspoon of the paprika. Stir together to ensure everything is evenly coated.
Roast the root vegetables for about 30 mins, then add in the onion (peeled and divided into eighths) and whole garlic cloves (skin on so they don't burn).
After 15 more minutes cooking time add your asparagus and burrata.
Check after 10 minutes to see how your asparagus is doing, once it's tender take everything out.
Divide your roasted veg between two plates (we didn't need all the root veg but it depends how hungry you are feeling!) reserving the garlic cloves.
Add the rocket, avocado (chopped or just scooped out in chunks if you're feeling lazy like me), balsamic and olive oil.
Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and finely chop before adding to the rest of the veg.
Toss everything together, check for seasoning and adjust if necessary then top with the pine nuts (I would suggest toasting these as the flavour is better but it's not essential).
Enjoy!

Spicy chicken casserole with quinoa

One of my favourite things to do when I have a bit of time is to make a casserole. There is something comforting about doing very little and letting a pot blip away on your stovetop or in the oven for a couple of hours while letting the house fill with delicious smells. Flavours seem to meld together in a much tastier and smooth way than a speedy cook; meat also becomes tender and succulent. In this case I've used chicken thighs but beef or lamb stewing meat would work equally well. You could also cook the chicken bone in - just remember to warn your guests/housemates/family!

Spicy chicken casserole with quinoa

Ingredients:

6 free range chicken thighs, de-boned
2 large white onions
3 courgettes
1 aubergine
1 red pepper
Pack of chestnut mushrooms
Garlic, 3-5 cloves depending on size
Tin of chickpeas, drained
Tin of tomatoes
Bomba tomato paste (or normal if you prefer)
Dried oregano
Dried basil
Ground coriander
Hot smoked paprika
Chilli flakes
Chicken stock (preferably homemade but use an organic stock cube if not)
Salt and pepper
Coconut oil
Quinoa, around 50g per person
Pesto, homemade or jarred

Method:

Put your quinoa on to soak, you can rinse before cooking instead but as we've got hours in makes sense to just soak in cold water.
Brown the chicken thighs in coconut oil then set aside.
While browning slice the onions and garlic.
Once you've set the chicken aside, use the same pan to fry the onions and garlic until they have become soft. I add a pinch of salt here to help the onions soften. They will need 5-10 mins to soften thoroughly, you want them to almost melt away in the cook.
Again while doing this chop your courgettes, aubergine, red pepper and mushrooms. I did large chunks for this as it is a long slow cook so leave any small mushrooms whole and only half the larger ones. You'll see from the pictures above the vegetables soften and shrink down.
Add the vegetables and let them start to fry, you can also add your herbs and spices here, I just shake them in then adjust to taste but if you prefer measurements I would do about a heaped tablespoon of each herb and a heaped teaspoon of each spice.
After the vegetables and spices have fried together for a few more minutes add the chickpeas, tinned tomatoes (rinse the tin out with water and add to the pan) and Bomba/tomato paste.
Stir everything together, transfer your chicken back into the pan and top up with chicken stock - you want the stock to cover everything generously as this is going to cook for a good few hours.
Turn the heat right down and leave for 2-3 hours to bubble away, stirring every so often if you are cooking on a stovetop to stop things sticking.
Once the liquid has reduced and everything is looking/tasting good then cook your quinoa according to packet instructions (it varies but around 15 minutes in boiling salted water).
Have a final taste of your casserole and season with salt and pepper.
Serve up with quinoa and top with a drizzle of pesto (or a few dollops if you're me!) - I almost always use jarred pesto because I'm lazy but by all means make your own, it will add another level of freshness to the dish.

Store cupboard soup

I made a beautiful roast chicken last week for our dinner (pictured below) and can't bear to waste the carcase. I pick every bit of meat of the bones and then make stock. Homemade stock is so much better for you than shop bought (although I will readily admit to using both). It can be used to improve risottos or simply to make soup. Having made my stock I decided to go down the soup route although you can easily freeze stock as well to use as and when you need it.

Spicy tomato, pepper and chickpea soup

Ingredients:

Chicken stock, I would guess I had approximately 3-4 pints but can't be sure
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin tomatoes
1 jar roasted peppers (I use Cooks & Co so 460g)
1 whole red chilli, seeds and all
Generous quirt of tomato puree or Bomba
Oregano
Basil
Salt and pepper
Handful of dried, gluten free pasta (I happened to have some left in the bottom of a bag so chucked it in to thicken the soup, you can easily leave this out)

Method:

Roughly chop any ingredients that need it then chuck everything into the hot stock.
Let it bubble away for approximately half an hour until everything is nicely softened.
Blitz with a hand blender and reduce further if needed.
Serve with rye bread or alone - it was particularly nice with avocado on rye with grated Parmesan over the top.

NB: To make your stock you simply put your bones in a large pan with a few stock veggies - I used onion, carrot and the ends of my two celery hearts along with about a tablespoon of pepper corns. Cover with water and simmer for a couple of hours, the more you reduce it the stronger the flavour will be.