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 

Healthy Weekday Meal #12.........Coconut Salmon Zoodles

My how I love spiralizing! So quick, so easy and so healthy!

Rewinding a bit, the past few months I feel that I have definitely lost my path on the whole healthy eating journey. I blame Italy, and Ice cream and pasta. I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't totally frustrated with myself. I hate that I can be a bit of a quitter. So I decided that it's time to stop and start again. No fads, no gimmicks just healthy eating and exercise. I believe in me.

Back to spiralizing. It's great and no doubt in the coming months there will be many more zoodles and coodles and all the other things.......

Coconut Salmon Zoodles 

2 fillets salmon

1 tin coconut milk

3 tbsp Thai green curry paste 

200g prawns (optional)

1 tbsp coconut oil 

2 leeks finely sliced

3 courgettes, spiralized (or use a peeler to make ribbons if no spiralizer)

handful of soya beans 

season the salmon fillets. in a ovenproof dish mix the coconut milk and the curry paste and add in the salmon fillets and the prawns. put in moderately heated oven for approx 20 mins until the salmon is cooked (if your prawns are already cooked then add them in the last 5 minutes rather than at the beginning). in a pan heat the coconut oil and add the leeks, once they have softened add the courgette and soya beans. take the pan from the oven and add about half of the Thai sauce to the noodles and cook off for a few minutes. serve the salmon and prawns on a bed of the courgette noodles, leeks and soya beans. 

Linking up with Honest Mum for #tastytuesdays

How to make Rye crisp breads more interesting....... {Smoked Mackerel Pate}

With H and I really hitting the healthy eating and the dry January we are always on the look out for healthy lunches and snacks.  Step up to the mark Ryvitas! We love them but they can be a bit dry and a bit bland sometimes so we like to find scrummy toppings (peanut butter with banana is a favourite). I had bought some smoked mackerel and decided to make a pate which worked perfectly on top of the crisp bread. It's very easy to make but tastes lush.

Smoked Mackerel Pate

300g smoked mackerel (I used the one with crush black peppercorns)
150g low fat cream cheese
3 spring onions
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
S+P

take the mackerel, cream cheese and onions and roughly blend. season and stir in lemon juice. taste and add more lemon juice or black pepper if needed. spread on crackers, crisp bread or toast. Yes, it's that easy!

End of Summer Pasta..... {Lemon, garlic and chili Pasta with Halloumi}

The summer days are coming to an end and the time spent in the garden is becoming less and less. There's still some produces growing away but mainly they are getting ready to hibernate as the days get colder. I have a glut of home grown chillies and garlic that seem to glare at me when I wander in to my little kitchen “you put so much effort into growing me, cook with me, eat me". And so I did. 

End of Summer Pasta

1 green chilli, finely diced 
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 small red onion, diced
1DSP lemon zest, finely grated 
6TBSP Olive oil
couple of squeezes fresh lemon juice
slice of halloumi
Spaghetti / Linguine 

Cook pasta according to instructions. place the oil, chilli, onion and garlic into  pan and then warm through gently until softened (10 - 15mins). Add pasta and stir through with lemon zest,. Lemon juice and S&P. Grill halloumi and serve on top of the pasta. Eat outside and lament the end of al fresco dinners for 2014.      

Moules Mariniere; it's easier than you think (trust me)

Obviously my trip to Whitstable has not satisfied my hunger for all things seafood as last night I cooked some of my own in my little kitchen. Mussels are just so darn cheap... £1.99 for a bag (500g) in the supermarket and yet they are a great source of protein and cooked well they can be very filling. I guess because you buy them "live" people can be nervous cooking them but they are very easy and they cook fast... This very traditional sauce/broth the mussels are cooked in is simple and light but full of flavour and is the perfect accompaniment for your plump and juicy mussels

You do have to do a bit of prep first but don't worry it's dead simple!

Moules Mariniere

(Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter)
500g live mussels
3 shallots slice finely
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
200ml dry white wine
50g butter
70ml double cream
Handful of parsley, chopped (I had to omit this as pesky slugs ate my parsley!)
S&P

Preparation

Place mussels in a large bowl of cold water (or in the sink) and one by one pull of any beards and use a knife to scrape off any nasty bits on the shells. Discard any that have opened as that means they are dead and they won't be good. Give them another rinse and you are good to go.

Cooking

Melt the butter in a large lidded pan, add shallots and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until they have softened. Add the white wine and S&P and cook of for a minute before adding the mussels. Put lid on firmly and give pan a shake. Keep giving pan gentle shakes here and there and when the shells have opened up (literally took 3 minutes) take of lid and stir in cream and parsley. Told you it was easy! Just divide into two bowls and you are ready to go!

Serve with crusty bread and butter or chips if you are that way inclined. We ate this out in our garden him with a glass of wine me with some sparkling water. It was a very easy, cheap weekday meal that felt like a treat to eat!

Linking up with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

Sweet like..... Sweetcorn

I have a funny relationship with sweetcorn. Without meaning to put you off your breakfast they are the one food that your body cannot digest (that's what I heard anyways) so it leaves me wondering why we bother? But then when I taste its crunchy sweet golden goodness it suddenly doesn't matter that its going to go straight through me, it tastes amazing!

These fritters are a go-to recipe for me as I always have the ingredients lying around the kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make but taste great and I often add any other vegetables going off in my fridge.

Sweetcorn Fritters 

2 heads of sweetcorn or 1 can of sweetcorn - fresh is best, tinned is ok, frozen doesn't work!

sprinkle of fresh red / green chilli

30g / 1 heaped TBS self raising flour 

1 egg 

1 egg white

Butter for frying 

S&P

Using a large knife, remove kernels from the cob, put into mixing bowl with whole egg, chilli, flour and season. in separate bowl beat an egg white until stiff and fold into the sweetcorn mixture. Melt some butter in a frying pan with a touch of oil so it doesn't burn. Place large TBSP of the batter into the pan, this amount will make around 6 decent sized fritters. Leave the patties to go brown on one side then flip them over and cook over side. Drain them on some kitchen paper and eat as soon as you can bear the heat in your mouth. Keeping it fairly healthy I had these with some cooked beetroot and some salad but I've had them before with some smoked mackerel (good) and on another occasion with fresh sausages (great)! Once I had them with a bit of cream cheese and chilli jam - terribly bad for me but tasted sensational. 

A Surprising Dish

 

 

Apparently all great chef's have a "signature dish" the one dish above all others. Perhaps If I had a signature dish it would consist of lentils....lentils?! I hear you say. Yup, lentils. It's the dish that whenever I make it, people want the recipe, the one where there they say "My husband doesn't like lentils but he loved this dish", the one that surprises people. I'm kind of relaxed about the ingredients list, I add things to it all the time - any vegetables can be thrown in especially Mediterranean ones. Eat it with some chicken, or a piece of grilled salmon or its fab on its own! Sometimes with the leftovers I just blend it up and add a bit of stock to make a creamy lentil soup which tastes great!

Rachy's Lentils

1-2 onions, chopped (I use red or white)
1 red chilli, finely chopped (use less if you want less heat)
pinch dried red chillies (use more if you have no fresh chillies or just omit completely if you don't want it spicy)!
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (again use as much or little as you like)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 -2 carrots, diced
1 stick of celery, finally chopped
around 300g red lentils, rinsed
1 cartoon passata
1TSP paprika
Some stock, I used low sodium vegetable but you can use chicken if you want
S&P
Any other vegetables you want - this time I added some diced aubergines and yellow peppers

Put a bit of olive oil in a pan, add the onions, chilli and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the celery, carrots,  red pepper and any other vegetables you want to add. Cook until softened. Add the lentils and stir for a minute or so. Add the passatta and as much stock as it needs to cover the mixture by about an inch. Leave to simmer, it takes about 30-45 minutes and if you need too you can add more stock.

If you wanted a richer dish add more passatta rather than stock, if you want an even healthier dish add water rather than stock!

An unusual vegetable .... And my 2014

.... or Okra if we want to use its correct name.

Okra, or ladies fingers

I love Okra, I often order it when I'm having an Indian takeaway. I am not having takeaways any more. It doesn't fit with the "new year, new me" kind of thing. No processed food, no cheeky cigarette (yeah i do that), more exercise - who am I trying to kid?! I've actually started exercising, no sugars, just good clean food. Maybe this will become a more "healthy" eating blog. Maybe. I've lost 7lbs in two weeks it makes standing on the scales not as scary as it used to be. Add to this dry January. Dry as in no drinking alcohol. I haven't touched a drop since New Years Eve; that in itself is intoxicating. And surprising.

The boyfriend has made a chart - I get a blue dot sticker everyday that I go without booze and every Sunday I get a purple sticker for the weight loss. I'm not sure what that makes us but it works for me, I like seeing progress. Those 12 dots on there this morning made me happy.

Back to Okra. A healthy curry for you to enjoy which is pretty simple to make.

Okra Curry

3 DSP Vegetable oil
125g Okra, cut into pieces
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 green chilli, sliced thinly
1DSP ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1" fresh ginger, finely chopped
1DSP Garem Marsala
1TSP Cumin seeds
1TSP Turmeric
1TSP Hot chilli powder (go for mild if you want less of a kick)
300ml water
4 small or 2 large tomatoes, diced

Heat 2DSP of the oil in a wok and add in the Okra, I know this is technically frying but you only use a bit of oil and the rest of the dish is so healthy that this is a small niggle only. Plus you have to fry okra so its not slimy! Cook for around 7-9 minutes and then add the coriander and cook for a further couple of minutes. Take the okra out of the pan and then add the rest of the oil along with the chilli and onion. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the garlic and ginger. After another few minutes add the rest of the spices and the tomatoes and water and then let it simmer for 10 minutes or so. Stir in the okra and cook for another 5 minutes or so and then its all ready. I served with a baked chicken breast

Pumpkin Passion

It's been a while I know, a long while...... I'm still not really sure about blogging, I know it's hard work and I'm not sure I have the time to really dedicate to blogging but I do know I've missed cooking and I've missed writing about food. I was talking to my man (there's a change in my life already) last night, almost wistfully, about this blog and what I wanted it to be. He read some of my old posts and told me that I have a voice and I should use it. So this post is a bit for him but mainly for me, in the hope that this little old blog of mine comes back to life......

Pumpkin fever is the only way to describe my blog list, twitter, Instagram etc etc I think the Americans are a lot more into the whole pumpkin thing, it seems to be everywhere over there. Here in Blighty it is not so crazy, but Autumn (Fall) is my favourite season and I love that pumpkins are readily available in the produce aisle.

Today I was tired and cold and feeling not that great so I decided the best thing to do with the pumpkin that has been sitting in my kitchen for the last couple of weeks would be to make a soothing soup with a bit of a kick to help sweat out the cold I think may be coming.....

Spicy Pumpkin Soup

 

1 small pumpkin
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 1/2 red onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic
Some red chillies (I used the jarred ones as I wanted a subtle flavour rather then lots of spice)
Sprinkle of cumin
Sprinkle of Paprika
Approx 1 pint of vegetable stock (I used a low salt version)
Couple of bay leaves
Greek yogurt and chrizo for garnishing

 

 

Cut your pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds - DON'T waste these, I'll be posting a recipe for these tomorrow! cut in to chunks and add to roasting tin with the peppers, cut in to chunks as well, and the garlic cloves (don't worry about peeling them). Slosh a bit of olive oil in the pan and mix so all coated. Roast in oven for about 45mins, turning occasionally, until the pumpkin is soft.

In a separate pan slowly cook of the onions in olive oil until soft. Stir in about a teaspoon of the red chillies and the paprika and cumin. Place in blender and then add the roasted pumpkin, peppers and squeeze the roasted garlic in if you wish. add some stock and blend, adding stock bit by bit until you get the consistency you wish - I like mine quite thick. Add soup back in the pan and gently simmer with the bay leaves - ad more stock if you wish.

I served this with some cubes of chrizo I fried of in a pan and a spoonful of Greek yogurt - perfect!

This makes about 4 servings - some for lunch tomorrow and some for the freezer!