Chilli Garlic Prawn Pasta

Chilli Garlic Prawn Pasta

I adore the combination of garlic and chilli and it works like a dream with prawns. This dish is so super healthy especially when eaten with Wholemeal pasta, however the best thing is, it is so delicious you don’t feel like you have compromised flavour!
250g Raw Prawns, deveined (you tube it!)

1 Red Chilli, Chopped (you can de-seed if you want)

2 Cloves Garlic, finely sliced
For the Sauce

1 Clove Garlic, crushed

1 Small Onion, finely Chopped

400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
Wholemeal Spaghetti 
Olive Oil
Malden Salt and Black Pepper.
Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley to serve.
Cook the spaghetti then move on to the rest of the recipe as it is cooking.
Start by making the sauce. Add some olive oil to a pan and when hot fry the onions gently over a medium to low heat until softened for around 5 mins.
Add the crushed garlic and cook for another 3 mins.
Add in the tin of chopped tomatoes and a splash of water.
Season with Salt and pepper.
Cook for around 10-15 mins until it is all softened and a nice consistency. You may need to add a touch more water if it thickens too much.
 You can make the sauce in advance and reheat if you want.
In a separate pan, add a dash more olive oil when it is hot, chuck in all the prawn ingredients at the same time, this way it all combines well and the garlic does not burn.  Cook for around 3-4 mins or until the prawns are cooked. Add a generous pinch of salt and lots of black pepper and stir well.

Now to assemble.
Chuck the cooked spaghetti into the tomato sauce and ensure it is really well combined.
Put in a nice pasta bowl, top with the prawns, garlic and chilli and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

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Protein Rich Healthy Curry

Protein Rich Healthy Chicken Curry
Are you just loving the catchy wee name of this curry!?😂


I created this last night as I wanted a curry to fill me up without the need for too much rice! I guess a kind of curry/stew!

Full of chicken and kidney beans and super low in fat it is an all round wonderful tasty curry. I also love a curry as you never feel cheated on taste and flavour when eating healthily. Steamed chicken and veg is simply 🤢
4 Large Chicken Breasts

1 pack of Fine Green Beans cut into pieces

1 or 2 Large Onions, finely Chopped

2 Cloves Garlic Crushed

4cm Ginger Grated

1 Can Chopped Tomatoes

1 Can Kidney Beans

2 tsp Mild Curry Powder

2 tsp Medium Curry Powder

1 1/2’tsp Turmeric 

2 tsp Garam Masala

2 Large Handfuls Baby Spinach

1 Can Light Coconut Milk

Juice of one Lime

Rape seed oil

Maldon Salt and Black Pepper
Add oil to a large pan and add the onions, cook gently for around 8 mins until nice and soft and golden.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another few mins.
Chuck in the chicken and cook it until it is beginning to brown.
Add all of the spices and cook for two minutes.
Add the tomatoes, beans and coconut milk. Bring to the boil, turn down and cook for twenty minutes.
Add the drained kidney beans, cook for a further ten mins.
At the end throw in the spinach and the lime juice.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
❤❤❤

Lush Raspberry Overnight Oats

Raspberry Overnight Oats

I totally love this, it is packed to the rafters with health and goodness but yet tastes like a total treat! Not to mention the ease of just leaving it in the fridge to wake up to or grab on your way to work!
60g Organic Oats

60g Raspberry (fresh or frozen)

1-2 tsp Chia Seeds

1-2 tsp Maple Syrup

Flaxseed

Greek Yoghurt

125ml Semi-skimmed Milk (feel free to use coconut or almond milk!)
In a jar or bowl chuck in the oats, raspberries, chia seeds, maple syrup and milk.
Give it a stir, cover tightly and place in the fridge.
Next morning, put into a bowl with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkling of flaxseeds and boom! Perfect start to the day!!

Think healthy/clean eating is boring….you are soooo wrong!!

ZINGY, HEALTHY ASIAN STYLE NOODLE SALAD

This salad is totally lush on its own or a great accompaniment to any meat or fish. I used it for dinner and then lunch the next day. As you can see steak was my chosen meat….❤

Feel free to play around with the veggies, sugar snap peas, mangetout and many more veggies would be perfect too!

100g Wholewheat Noodles

1 1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds

1 tbsp Crunchy Peanut Butter

1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3/4 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Juice of 1 Lime

Pinch of Chilli Flakes

1 Carrot Cut into Ribbons (use a potato peeler)

1 Red Pepper, sliced into matchsticks

Large Handful Red Cabbage, finely sliced

50g Beansprouts, or more if you love them!!

1-2 Spring Onion, White bit sliced on the diagonal 

Sea Salt
Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.
Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan for a few mins and remove as they become golden. Set aside.
Mix the peanut butter, lime juice, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, chilli flakes and salt and use a small whisk or fork to really combine until it is nice and thick and glossy.
In a bowl add the noodles and veggies, give them a good mix up before pouring over the dressing and mix again so everything is well coated.
Sprinkle over the sesame seeds. (Which as you can see from my photo, I totally forgot about!!)

Healthy Takeaway Alternative 

Healthy Chicken Korma


Just because you have decided to make a healthy start does not mean you have to miss out on your favourite dishes. A bit of creativity and boom, a healthy alternative with no cream is created! The fact that my husband did not even notice it was the healthy option speaks volumes!!
Serves 5
5 Chicken Breasts, chopped into big cubes

2 Onions, roughly chopped

1 Green Pepper roughly chopped

1in Piece Ginger, chopped

3 Garlic Cloves, chopped 

2 tsp Turmeric

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 Cinnamon Stick

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1 tsp Ground Ginger

2 tsp Garam Masala

2 tbsp Ground Almonds

1 Tin Low Fat Coconut Milk

2-3 tbsp 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt (the nice thick Fage one!)

1 tbsp Mango Chutney 

Rapeseed Oil or Coconut Oil 

Fresh Coriander to Serve
Add the onions, green pepper, ginger and garlic to a food processor and whizz until it is a nice fine paste.
In a large casserole (preferably non stick as you can get away with less oil!) heat a splash of oil. Add the paste and cook gently for around 5 mins.
Add the chicken and cook for a few mins.
Add the rest of the spices and cook for 2 mins.
Add the coconut milk and cook for 20 mins with the lid on. Stir periodically.
Stir through the Greek yogurt and the mango chutney add a little more yoghurt if it is too thick.
Serve with brown basmati rice and some fresh coriander. Delish!

Healthy Start to the New Year!

The New Year will see me up the ante with my fitness regime and this includes the food I eat! In a nutshell you will see a lot of healthy alternatives this year.

What I do promise is no compromise on taste.  Bland steamed chicken and veg does not do it for me, but simple tweaks and boom, you can have you cake and eat it…so to speak!!

Tonight I was tight for time and this is what I rustled up….

Fillet Steak, Stir Fry Veg and Brown Rice

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serves 1

I feel guilty putting down an ingredient list it is sooo simple!

1 Top Quality Fillet Steak

1 Bag of M&S Peashoot Stir Fry

1 Red Chilli Finely Sliced

1/2 tbsp Fish Sauce

1/2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce

Juice 1/2 Lime

1/4 Pack of Microwave Brown Rice

Dash Rapeseed Oil

Simply add a dash of oil to a frying pan, heat until super hot, add the steak and cook both sides to your preference, in my case, rare.

Set aside, add a dash of oil to the frying  pan and heat.  Throw in the stir fry and the chilli, after a couple of mins, chuck in the soy, fish sauce and lime juice.

Serve with the rice!

Boom, too simple, full of flavour and beyond healthy!

 

 

Christmas Countdown

Last year I Shared with you my get ahead of the game plan for Christmas and I feel a sense of duty to do the same this year!!

so yesterday I started off by making my Christmas stuffing.

Christmas Herb Stuffing

Herby Stuffing

First part to my stress free Christmas….stuffing! I actually prefer the stuffing to the turkey!! The one I have for you is a basic herb stuffing, feel free to change it around, add or take away! Get creative.  You could add other herbs, pork, bacon or cranberries.

The most important thing is, once you are done, bung it in the freezer and forget about it until 23rd!

Pour yourself a large glass of wine to celebrate having one step of a stress free Christmas dinner completed!

You could add 1 tbsp sage, 500g pork sausage meat, apricots or thyme.
1 x 800g Loaf Plain Bread (Nutty Krust) preferably a bit stale, crusts removed and broken into pieces
1 Large Onion skin and roots removed and cut into four.
175 Butter
70g Parsley (remove all the stems. This is roughly 2 supermarket packs)
Sea Salt and Black Pepper

You will need a nice large bowl!

In a food processor add the bread and blitz in batches. Tip each lot into your bowl.

Put the butter in a pot and place on a gentle heat to melt.

Add the onion to the food processor and blitz.

Stir the onion through the bread crumbs.

At this point I would season the stuffing with a generous amount of salt and pepper to ensure it is thoroughly incorporated.

Now blitz the parsley until it is nice and fine and stir it through your mixture.

Finally add the butter bit by bit to bind it all together. You may not need it all but it should be moist but still quite crumby looking.

Spicy Italian Sausages with Mixed Wild Mushrooms

Spicy Italian Sausages with Mixed Wild Mushrooms 🍄

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I first made this when I was living in London and wonderful spicy Italian sausages were readily available at super little Italian deli’s. I came back to Belfast and never found those bad boys ever again! I have built up great wee relationship with my local butcher and after a chat Neil agreed to make the sausages for me if I could write the recipe. A bit of research later, one recipe was produced and Neil came up with the goods….and it was perfect! I have lots of lush uses for my new found Belfast Italian Sausage, but first up the pasta!

Serves 4

1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 Garlic Clove, peeled and crushed
260g Top Quality Spicy Italian Sausages, meat removed from the skin
2 Handfuls of Thyme Leaves (picked)
1 Small Dried Chilli, crumbled
400g Mixed Wild Mushrooms, torn. If you can’t get wild mushrooms just use Chestnut Mushrooms
3 Knobs of Butter
2 Handfuls Parmesan Cheese
Pappardelle pasta for four

Fry the onion and sausage meat in a little oil until nicely golden.

Throw in the Thyme, Chilli and Mushrooms.

Cook until all of the moisture has disappeared.

Cook the pasta and reserve a little of the cooking liquid.

Remove mushrooms and sausage mixture from the heat, season and loosen with the butter and some of the pasta cooking liquid .

Toss in the drained pasta and combine really well.

Serve sprinkled with parsley and Parmesan and a huge glass of Shiraz!!

Hearty Beef Stew with Horseradish Dumplings

It has started to get a bit chilly and with Autumn in full swing, nothing beats a hearty stew. I did this in my slow cooker, it can be done in the oven too. Pour a large glass of red wine and get tucked in….food heaven!!

1kg Braising Beef
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
3 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp Plain Flour
400ml Good Red Wine
300ml Beef Stock
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
1 Sprig Thyme
3 Carrots, cut into chunks
2 Leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
3 Sticks Celery, trimmed and sliced
Maldon Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Horseradish Dumplings

150g Self Raising Flour
75g Shredded Suet
2 tsp Creamed Horseradish
3 Tbsp Chives, finely snipped
5-7 tbsp Water
Salt and Pepper

Prepare the slow cooker or a large casserole dish.

Heat oil in a casserole dish or frying pan and fry the beef, browning well a few pieces at a time.

Remove from the casserole, add the onion. Fry gently for 5 mins, then add the garlic for another few mins.

Put the beef back in and stir well, stir through the flour and cook gently for a minute or so.

Mix in the wine gradually then the stock and stir well.

Add the tomato Purée and stir again.

Add the thyme, bring to the boil and transfer to the slow cooker at this point if you are using and stir through the vegetables.

Cover and cook for 7-9 hours on low.

Meanwhile make the dumplings. Mix the flour, suet, horseradish, chives, salt and pepper. Stir in enough water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Using floured hands, shape into eight balls.

Add to the slow cooker and cook on high for another hour or until the dumplings are fluffy and light.

If you are not using a slow cooker, transfer to an oven heated to 170c for 3-4 hours. Add the dumplings after one hour.

Enjoy!!

PEA RISOTTO

Pea Risotto

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Risotto…difficulty rating is nearly zero! However it requires constant attention so, pour yourself a large vino and get your spoon ready for a lot of stirring!
Serves 4
50g Butter

2 Shallots, finely chopped

300g Fresh or Frozen Peas (If frozen, defrosted)

1.7l Vegetable or Chicken Stock

350g Risotto Rice

200ml White Wine

40g Parmesan Cheese, grated

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Maldon Sea Salt and Pepper

Melt the butter in a pan and gently fry the finely chopped shallots.
Add 100g of the peas to a food processor along with a dash or two of stock, and purée.
At this point, add the rice and increase the heat a little and cook for one minute.
Pour in the wine and let it bubble until absorbed. Turn down the heat a little as you do not want it bubbling vigorously.
Add a ladle full of stock and stir really well until completely absorbed.
Keep ladling the stock one at a time and stirring until it is lovely and creamy and all the stock absorbed.
Now add the pea purée and the remaining peas, stir well.
Add the Parmesan and season.
Now add a little knob of butter and give it a good vigorous stir.
Leave to stand for a few mins, stir and serve in some shallow bowls topped with a few Parmesan shavings.
This can be eaten like this alone or if you have someone in your house that craves meat, a nice pan fried chicken breast would go beautifully with it!

#risotto #vegetarian #peas #lovefood #arestaurantinmykitchen