Comments Off on Wild Rice Bowl with Fried Egg and Peanuts
The brown and wild rice used in this dish is not only healthy but makes for a filling yet light meal. We love the flavour that the Chinkiang Black Rice Vinegar adds to the rice. It is easily found at Chinese Grocery stores, but you can substitute regular rice vinegar instead.
Written by Robert
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes (plus 30-40 minutes for rice to cook)
Ingredients
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 cups cooked brown and wild rice (1 cup uncooked rice)
If using uncooked rice, cook the rice either in a rice cooker or sauce pan to the instructions on the package.
Dry toast the peanuts in the frying pan until slightly browned, remove to a separate dish.
Once the rice is cooked or warmed, mix in the vinegar, soya sauce, sliced spring onions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Heat the peanut oil in the frying pan until decently hot then fry the eggs 2 at a time, for about 1 minute a side seasoning with salt and pepper then flip and fry for a further 30 seconds. This will yield a runny yolk.
Divide the rice into bowls and top with eggs, peanuts, avocado, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, hot sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil.
My 5-year-old must ask for this meal 2-3 times a week. I do try and vary mealtimes a little more than that, but his demands are met at least fortnightly, if not weekly!
The recipe is so quick and easy to make, it is packed with the good stuff and is perfect for making the night before when I know we’re going to be back late from an after school club (usually football in our house!) – 10 minutes heating up while the pasta cooks and voila!
Written by Rachel
Kids in the Kitchen
Chorizo – A challenge for little fingers, get your kids to try and peel the skin off the chorizo. This isn’t necessary though will make the chorizo more tender having removed it but may be fun for them to try and also may keep them entertained for a while.
Pasta – Get out the scale and measure how much pasta you need. If each person typically eats 100 grams pasta and there are 4 of you altogether, how many grams is that in total! If they are into this you can have a more fun with the scale by weighing 10 or 20 pieces of pasta and work out how many pieces will feed one person and so on.
Gently fry the sliced chorizo in the sauté pan over a medium heat. There is plenty of oil in the sausage so no need to add any extra.
Whilst this cooks, chop the onions, peppers and mushrooms.
When the chorizo has started to brown (5-10 minutes), drain about half of the oil from the pan and throw in the chopped vegetables. Fry for about 5 minutes.
If you are going to eat immediately turn on the pasta at this point.
Once the vegetables have softened, add in the jar of passata and the drained sweetcorn. Cook for a further 10 minutes to allow the flavours to fuse.
Drain the pasta and serve topped with Chorizo pasta sauce and a dusting of grated Parmesan.
For some of you Chia Seed Pudding may be ‘so last year’ or even 5 years ago for that matter, but I’ve only this year discovered Chia seeds/Chia seed pudding and I am definitely an enthusiast. Despite being so tiny, these little seeds are packed with good stuff. They’re full of antioxidants, omega 3’s, calcium, protein and fibre. Chia Seed pudding is a great way to start your day, as a healthy snack or even a dessert. Below are a couple of my favourite ways to top Chia Seed Pudding, but feel free to experiment with different fruits, nuts and toppings to your taste – that’s the fun part!
Place the chia seeds in a bowl or container. Add the plant milk along with the vanilla. Mix with a fork or whisk until incorporated. Leave to rest for 5 minutes then stir again thoroughly. Now leave for 3o minutes to an hour, or overnight in the fridge.
Distribute chia pudding into bowls/glasses or mason jars, whatever you’d like to eat them from. Then using the garnish ideas below begin mixing/ topping/garnishing your pudding. Enjoy!
Types and Garnish Options
Mango Ginger Breeze
Fresh ginger, finely chopped (best to mix this in at the chia seed and plant milk stage)
1 tablespoon cacao or coco powder thoroughly mixed into the ready chia pudding
1 tablespoon maple syrup
3-4 strawberries, sliced
1 tablespoon (per person) nut butter
Top with cacao nibs or grated dark chocolate
The Colada
1/4 of a pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces
Dollop of coconut cream (this is made from 1 can of coconut milk, pour out the liquid and only use the thick coconut cream. Add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before using.)
My friends and I can’t seem to get enough of guacamole at the moment. Someone brings it to every gathering or get together we have. We have it with tortilla chips, freshly cut vegetables, flat bread, anything really. This recipe can be served as a snack for a group of people or split between a few people as more of a main. BUT Avocados can be expensive, so give your local markets a try as they sometimes have amazing deals. My friends swear by the Moor Market in Sheffield if you’re local. Also a great way to save is to buy them on offer. The avocados I’ve used in this recipe are from the co-op but were reduced and perfectly ripe, bar one which was slightly too far gone.
Another safe bet with avocados, as timing can be tricky, is frozen avocados. Yes, you can freeze avocados! This is fab if you buy a bunch at a market or on offer, just make sure to remove the stone and skin before freezing. Even more exciting is that Tesco stock bags of frozen avocado halves at a pretty reasonable price too. (Quick Tip – these are in with frozen vegetable, not fruit section!) Perfect for keeping in the freezer for your last minute avocado needs. I must admit I’ve even defrosted them slightly in the microwave or in a freezer bag in some warm water, when in a hurry to use them.
This recipe is packed with so much vegetable goodness it’s unbelievable. The seasonal foods for June we’ve used are tomatoes, garlic, red onions and coriander, as well as carrots and courgettes served alongside to dip in the guacamole.
Written by Corin
Serves: A crowd as a side dish/dip or 2-3 as a light meal Prep time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
4 medium/large ripe avocados, stones and skin removed then flesh chopped
100g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 stick celery, finely chopped
Half of any colour pepper, chopped
1/2 -1 small red onion or 1 shallot, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
juice from 2 limes
Half of a small chilli pepper, or a pinch of chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the chopped avocado in the bowl or saucepan. Mix in the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, coriander, lime juice, chilli or flakes and ground turmeric. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Then lastly add the tomatoes and mix gently to incorporate.
I don’t know if you’re like me, but I have a basket of packages of half used seeds, nuts, dried fruit and grains in my cupboard, some of which have been there for so long it’s slightly embarrassing! It is very good though if you are making your own granola as you can throw in pretty much anything and it still tastes great.
The other day my husband came home from the supermarket with these Caramelised Sesame Peanuts which were so moreish it made me upset because the package was way too tiny, a measly 80g! I looked at the ingredients and thought ‘I can make these’. In fact, I could make them that very moment thanks to my lovely basket of miscellaneous packages and that’s what I did. I had some raw unsalted peanuts which I bought ages ago to use as a topping for homemade Pad Thai, which were begging to be used. The result was really similar, I would say that the store bought version is slightly sweeter, but I prefer to err on the side of making things healthier if I can so I am happy with the result. Also, the store bought version had honey on the ingredients list, but I swapped this for a mix of maple syrup and coconut sugar.
Feel free to experiment with whatever nuts and seeds you have lurking in your cupboards and I hope you enjoy!
Written by Corin
Makes: 300g
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cooking time:20 minutes
Ingredients
300g unsalted raw/plain peanuts
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons maple syrup (substitute honey)
65g coconut sugar (substitute white or brown sugar)
Half a teaspoon of crushed or fine sea salt (I used vanilla flavoured sea salt)
Place the peanuts in a bowl, add in all other ingredients and mix well.
Line baking tray with silicone mat or grease proof paper and pour nuts onto tray. Spread the nuts out as much as you can.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes, stirring at this point, then for a further 10 minutes keeping an eye on them to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven, let cool slightly if you can and enjoy!
This trio of Christmas vegetables is a fantastic option for your festive dinner. The vivid, jewel-like colours of the red cabbage, carrots and sprouts will make an enticing accompaniment to any center-piece. Obviously we think that the best way to serve the vegetables is in our mini pans! We put portions for two into each mini-pan and served them on wooden trays designed to be shared.
The red cabbage is sauteed in red wine vinegar. The pine nuts & sweet, juicy raisins balance against the vinegar to create a lovely ‘sweet & sour’ flavour.
We chose not to over complicate things with the carrots and the sprouts … the carrots were lightly boiled and dressed with parsley butter. The sprouts were sparingly trimmed and boiled in salted water for about 5 minutes so that they kept their vibrancy in terms of flavour, colour & crunch.
Gently toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, over a medium heat, until they just start changing colour.
Boil the red cabbage for 5 – 7 minutes. Drain & set aside.
Heat the olive oil in the saute pan and add the cabbage. Saute for 5 minutes over a medium heat.
Turn up the heat and add the raisins and the red-wine vinegar. Use the wooden spoon to scrape in any of the ingredients that have caramelised on the base of the pan.
Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the pine nuts and cover.
Allow the cabbage to cook down for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This simple apple sauce is a fabulously festive condiment, perfect for serving alongside pork. It is finished with a very simple lemon twist and crumbly, dried lemon zest! It will keep in the fridge for a few days and will freeze for months so can easily be made in advance.
Written by Faye
Makes approximately: 300-500g depending on the size of your apples
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 6 minutes
Ingredients
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and quartered
3 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
Cooking Method
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
Place the cooking apples and sugar into a microwaveable dish with a splash of water.
Cover the dish and microwave on a high heat for 4 minutes.
Add the lemon juice to taste. If necessary, add a little more sugar.
Put the lemon zest onto an oven proof dish and dry in the oven for 2 – 3 minutes.
Crumble the zest over the top of the sauce, adding a lemon twist to garnish.
Move over cauliflower cheese…it’s time for broccoli to shine in this cheesy gratin. This bright and tasty side dish will make a fabulous addition to your roast dinner or any meal.
Simple to make and delicious, this dish will impress, and is a great alternative for those who don’t like cauliflower, because pretty much everyone likes broccoli don’t they? And if not, this pooch will happily take it off your paws, or hers.
Large rectangle oven proof dish (The size we used was 30cm x 21.5cm)
Strainer
Cooking Method
Using a saucepan melt a small knob (approx 10 grams) of butter over a medium heat and add the chopped onion, garlic and bay leaves. Fry gently for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and transparent.
Add the milk and bring slowly to the boil, stirring periodically and keeping an eye on it so that it doesn’t boil over. Then remove from heat and set aside for approx 20 minutes to let the spices infuse.
Remove and discard the bay leaves from the milk mixture. Then bring the infused milk back to the boil. Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in another saucepan, stir in the flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Remove the flour mixture from the heat and gradually beat in the hot milk.
Once all the milk has been incorporated, return to medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring now and then, letting it simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir in the double cream, nutmeg, chilli flakes, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Then lower the heat and keep warm while continuing to stir the mixture periodically to avoid a skin forming on the top until it thickens.
Preheat the grill in your oven to high.
Bring a saucepan (suitable for steaming) of water to the boil. After preparing the broccoli as per the above cut the stems in half. Place the broccoli in the steaming basket over the boiling water, cover with a lid and steam for 3-5 minutes. You may need to do this in two batches depending on how large your steamer is.
Strain the broccoli and let cool slightly until it is cool enough to handle. Then lay the broccoli over the base of a large, slightly buttered, shallow oven proof dish. Cover with the warm sauce, then sprinkle over the grated cheese.
Grill in the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the top is golden brown in places and bubbling. Serve and enjoy!
Comments Off on Baked Salmon with Spinach and Basil Pesto Pasta
Have you ever tried making your own pesto? It’s so simple, quick to make, fresh and you can substitute so many of the ingredients to suit what you have in your cupboards. Below are the various versions I have made finally settling on the Spinach and Basil Pesto.
Pesto Versions:
Curly kale, hempseed, garlic, lemon and flax oil pesto (with and without adding a cup of basil) – This yielded nice results. Use the same amount of hempseeds as you would Pine nuts and 3-4 cups Kale. The hempseeds can be hard to find in UK supermarkets, but are very good for you and packed with protein. So if you’re interested in trying this, finding them online or at a health store is probably your best bet. Flax oil brings a lovely nutty flavour to pestos, but make sure not to heat any left over pesto made with flax oil because it should not be heated, however it will be ok if added to warm pasta.
Cavolo nero kale, hempseed, garlic, lemon and flax oil pesto (with and without adding a cup of basil) – I found this type of kale quite bitter, which was refreshing, but not my favourite of all the different types I tried. Make sure to remove the centre rib of this kale before adding it to the food processor.
Curly kale, Pine nuts, garlic, lemon and olive oil pesto – I found the pine nuts yielded a smoother pesto than the ones made with hemp-seeds as they seemed to break down more in the food processor.
Spinach, walnut, garlic, lemon and olive oil pesto – Tasty, not much different to the full recipe below.
Baked spaghetti squash with homemade pesto – This was absolutely delicious and a fabulous alternative to traditional spaghetti if you are going gluten free. A friend of mine brought a spaghetti squash over, we baked this in the oven (how to bake spaghetti squash) and mixed in some pesto. Since then I’ve looked everywhere in order to recreate it but can’t find them anymore, hence why this version didn’t make the final cut. Do keep your eye out for this squash next autumn though because they are a very tasty, low-carb alternative to spaghetti.
In the below recipe, I’ve used whole wheat organic pasta, wild salmon and limited the amount of Parmesan to a light sprinkling before serving in order to make this healthier.
I’ve also added spinach to the pesto which ups the usual vegetable content of pesto.
Peel the garlic and blitz it in the food processor until finely chopped.
Add the spinach, basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and chilli flakes (if using). Blitz again a few times, then gradually start to add the olive oil. After it is slightly mixed, open the food processor and use the spatula to scrape down the edges of the bowl.
Continue to blitz the mixture until it is smooth. If you would like a more creamy pesto add 1-2 tablespoons of water and blitz until the desired smoothness is achieved.
Cooking Method – Salmon and Pasta
Preheat oven to 200°C and bring a medium to large saucepan with water on to boil.
Put the salmon fillets on a foil lined baking dish or on a tray, skin side down. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel. Season lightly with salt and pepper then spread a heaped tablespoon of pesto onto the top of each fillet. Reserve the remaining pesto on one side for the pasta.
Transfer the salmon to the oven and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes. Salmon can cook quite quickly depending on its thickness, so keep an eye on it as it is done when it is easily flaked. At the same time, start your pasta in the boiling water and cook according to instructions on packaging.
Strain the pasta when it has reached desirable tenderness and mix in the remaining pesto. Serve the pasta in pasta bowls or plates.
Remove the salmon from the oven when ready and place on top of the pasta to serve. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
These nuts are so tasty – lightly coated, sweet and delicious smelling. They are perfect for Christmas entertaining as they are quick and easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time too, or make them as a quick snack just for yourself.
Nuts are in season in December, in particular almonds, walnuts and of course chestnuts.
