Thursday 27 August 2015

It's Caribbean Food Week!......{Jerk Chicken Wraps}









Did you know that this week is Caribbean food week? That's right, it runs 24-31 August culminating in the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival. When Grace Foods offered me the chance top create some yummy recipes using their wide selection of Caribbean products I couldn't wait to get involved. Caribbean food is something I have tried on a few occasions but don't really cook myself so I was up for the challenge. 


For my first recipe I decided to create a really healthy but incredibly tasty chicken dish using the Dunns River Jerk Season that I was sent. I love Jerk Chicken and when the chicken was cooked on my grill plate it went all smoky and delicious - the marinade would work so well on chicken legs and wings for a BBQ. The spiciness of the chicken is cooled down by the mango and lime juice and you basically just have a taste sensation in your mouth! H absolutely loved these and if you marinade your chicken overnight they literally take 10-15 minutes to cook and get onto the plate so they are great as an after work quick and easy dinner!



Jerk Chicken Wraps with Mango Salsa  


300g chicken (breast of thigh), sliced into large strips 

for the marinade:
1 tbsp Dunns River Jerk Seasoning 
3 spring onions roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled 
inch of fresh ginger, peeled
1 dried ancho chilli or one fresh red chilli
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar will work)
1 tbsp algarve syrup (treacle would also work)
s&p
juice of 1 lime 

For mango salsa:
1 mango, peeled and cubed 
handful coriander, chopped 
juice of 1 lime 

to serve:
iceberg lettuce, shredded 
tortillas   

place all of the ingredients for the marinade in a blender and blend until smooth. pour over the chicken and mix until coated. cover and place in fridge - ideally overnight. to make the salsa combine the mango with the coriander and lime juice. warm a grill pan and cook off the chicken - let it get a bit charred as it tastes even better this way. in a separate pan warm up the tortilla. to serve place a bed of lettuce, add on the chicken and top with the salsa. 
Simple but full of  flavours of the Caribbean sunshine!   





Why not follow along all the Caribbean fun and check out more recipes via @caribbeanfoodwk on Twitter and on Facebook www.facebook.com/caribbeanfoodweek


Disclaimer: The lovely people at Grace foods sent me some of the ingredients to create this recipe. All thoughts and ideas are my own. 

Wednesday 12 August 2015

SOmetimes good food isn't pretty...........{tomato zoodles}



 
 
As a (sorta) food blogger I sometimes find myself stuck on whether or not to post a recipe as the photos don't make it look the best or its just not a "pretty" recipe and sometimes food just isn't that pretty. But then I didn't start this blog to be popular, or pretty. I just wanted to make tasty food, share my love of flavours and perhaps inspire a few people in their kitchens. So these zoodles are quick easy and really tasty. Like all my zoodle recipes the sauce would taste just as good if it went over some spaghetti or pasta.



Cherry Tomato Zoodles


2 tbsp. olive oil
120g cherry tomatoes - I used red and yellow, cut into halves and quarters
2 tbsp. red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and squashed down but kept whole
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. tomato puree
S&P
1 tbsp. parmesan, grated
2 courgettes (zucchini), spiralized to make noodles

warm olive oil in the pan and add in the onion, cook until softened and then add in the garlic clove. when fragrant add in the tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook through for 10 minutes. Add in the tomato puree to thicken the sauce. season. add in the zoodles and cook through for a few minutes. sprinkle over and serve. 

I served this alongside a stuffed mushroom and it was lovely

Tuesday 4 August 2015

The Man Made Food.........{Greek Style Lemon Chicken & Rice}






You know how it is, you're late leaving work, the man calls and asks what time you will be home. When you tell them that you've only just left you can hear his brain whirring as he realises that it will be a long while before dinner is made, so he actually offers to cook. To be fair to H, if I wasn't such a little chef I'm sure he would do more cooking but when I love it so much he kind of just lets me get on with it.... what can I say, he irons my creased shirts - it works for us. It was a lovely meal, all cooked in one pot (bonus) and pretty healthy as we are trying  to eat more healthily and I am trying to loose quite a bit of weight. We ate this out in the garden which was just lovely. He is lovely. How lucky I am.

 This recipe is adapted from RecipeTin Eats which is fast becoming a favourite blog of mine!






Greek Style Lemon Chicken and Rice



for the marinade:
5 - 7 chicken thighs / legs
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp dried oregano
1tsp salt

for the rice:
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup long grain rice
500ml chicken stock
200ml water
1 tbsp. dried oregano
lemon quarters
S&P

take the chicken and marinade ingredients and combine them in a bowl. cover and refrigerate - H left it for a couple of hours but the original recipe suggests overnight. heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy based pan and place the chicken in skin down. brown both sides of the meat and then remove from pan and set aside. add a tbsp. of olive oil to the pan and cook the onions until translucent then add the garlic. after a minute add in the rice, reserved marinade from the chicken, the oregano and the stock and water. bring the pan to a simmer , season and then place the chicken on top of the rice. put lid on the pan and then cook covered for 40 minutes (180oC)  then take the lid of and cook for a further 15 minutes. serve - we served with some broccoli which was lovely.



Linking up with Honest Mum for #tastytuesdays


Tasty Tuesdays on HonestMum.com

Monday 3 August 2015

My type of comfort food........{Spicy Lentils}






I'm really getting back into healthy eating thing - I've found that using My Fitness Pal and Instagram to record my progress really does make a difference and helps keep my on track - I do well with accountability! Last night I was feeling hungry but really just wanted something quite light but I was also tired and when I'm tired I crave all the comfort foods! So in lieu of a steaming bowl of mash potato I went for I nice healthy bowl of lentils. This can be served as a side dish but last night we let it be the star of the show and served it with a warmed pitta and a bit of Greek yoghurt. They are also great the next day - I had mine for lunch!


Spicy Lentils 


1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced 
1 red chilli, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
approx. 350g green lentils (this would work well for red lentils too, although you may have to amend quantities)
1 tin plum tomatoes
250ml water
1 fresh tomato, diced  

in a little olive oil add the onions, carrot and chilli to a pan, once softened add the garlic for a minute or so before adding in the lentils. stir and make sure the lentils are coated in the vegetable juices and then add the tomatoes and water. simmer for 20-30 minutes until lentils are softened. and yes, its that easy