Healthy Weekday Meal #13........{Chicken and Sweet Potato Chilli}

For  a while now I have been seeing lots various posts for turkey and sweet potato chilli - and for a while I have been intending to give it a go. When I got in from work yesterday I was going for a run so I wanted to make something that was quick and healthy so I could devour it when I got back form said run. I didn't have any turkey mince but I did have some chicken so I just ground that up in my food processor and it worked just as well. You can do what I did and blend up all the sweet potato for quite a thick chili or you can keep half as chunks and just blend the other half. Both seem to work.  

Chicken and Sweet Potato Chilli

400 - 500g chicken breasts, blended until small chunks / or just use turkey mince

1 onion, sliced 

3 cloves garlic, finely diced 

2 dsp chilli powder (i used hot but you can use medium if preferred)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried red chilli flakes (optional)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 medium sweet potatoes , diced (i kept the skins on but you can peel if you want)

400g tinned chopped tomatoes 

2 fresh tomatoes, diced

200g black beans, drained (alternatively use kidney beans)

300ml chicken stock

water

S&P

Greek yoghurt to serve 

in a tbsp of olive oil cook the chicken, onion, garlic and spices until chicken is browned and onions are soft, make sure you season well. I added a bit of water at this stage to keep the mixture moist. remove from pan. add the sweet potatoes to the pan and cover with the stock (add some extra water if you need to) then let boil until soft. blend the potatoes and stock until smooth. Add back in the pan with the chicken and onions and the tin of tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. simmer and add some water until you have the desired consistency. after 10 minutes add the beans  and cook for a further 10 minutes, season. Serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt. You can serve it with rice or a salad and avocado but I found it filling enough on its own! 

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. 

When your BBF goes on a holiday......{Thai Seafood Salad}

 

 

So my wonderful bestie Paul decided to go and spend a month in Laos, lucky thing! Although I missed him desperately, I loved that every few days he managed to find the time to send me pictures such as these;

 

 

 

Hard life huh?! He also sent me a recipe - the boy knows me too well! He proclaimed it the best salad he had ever eaten so I had to give it a go myself - it was delicious with lovely fresh flavours which are perfect for the summer. I changed a few things, his version had mint leaves instead of coriander and the shallots were in the salad not in the dressing, but hey recipes are meant to be played around with. How lucky I am that even when half way across the world lovely Paul things of me and this little blog of mine! And whilst I love the photos and food stories and the fact he is having amazing experiences I am so very pleased that he is home safe and sound, he has been missed.

 

 

 

 

 

Paul's Thai style Seafood Salad

 

 

salad:
 

2 gem lettuces, roughly chopped 

small bunch of coriander, chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

200g cooked basmati rice

1 dsp coconut oil

3 squid, cut into rings

10 unpeeled raw prawns (shell on)

dressing:
 

4tbsp fish sauce

1 shallot, very finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 1/2 lemons (or limes), juice of

1 dsp light brown sugar

 

 

put all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and mix together. warm coconut oil and toast the rice - you want to be scraping it off the pan so it looks crusty and it is more flaky then rice grains - don't be scared you need to just stand by the pan and keep on scraping and stirring. remove from pan and set aside. in the same pan cook the seafood, this takes no time at all about 5 mins for the prawns and 3 mins for the squid. take the salad vegetables and herbs and toss in a large bowl with 1/2 the dressing. and the toasted rice. divide the salad in two bowls and top with the seafood and the remaining dressing. Eat outside, dreaming of warmer climates and beautiful beaches!

Today I'm linking up with the lovely Miriam at Farm girl

When you find a brilliant curry recipe ....... {Dan Toomb's (The Curry Guy) Chicken Chasni}

I'm a big fan of spicy food and I love a curry, I'm not a big fan of the calories from an Indian takeaway. I love making my own curries and my "go to" blogs for curry recipes is The Curry Guy. I love his recipes and when I saw this one I had to give it a go myself. It was a great recipe that H and I shared on a Friday night whilst watching a film and congratulating ourselves on resisting the temptation to go out! I pretty much followed the recipe to a T and I really wouldn't change much about it - I just used coconut oil instead of oil so its a tad healthier, although at the end of the day a homemade curry is always a better option over a takeaway or even a jar of sauce!

Chicken Chasni

recipe can be found here

3 chicken breasts – skinned and sliced
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 onions – finely chopped
4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 x 2cm piece of ginger - finely chopped
2 x green chillies - finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp turmeric

400ml chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp mango chutney
2 tbsp mint sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
200ml milk
200ml double cream
 juice of one lime and one lemon
 4 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander

place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and stir in the turmeric and the lemon juice. marinate for about 20 minutes while you make your sauce. heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. when the oil begins to bubble, throw in the chopped onions and fry for about five minutes until translucent and soft. add the chopped garlic, ginger and chilli and allow to sizzle before adding the cumin and paprika and fry for a further minute. pour in the chopped tomatoes and the fresh coriander. place the onion mixture in a blender with the mango chutney, mint sauce, ketchup and the coconut milk. blend for about a minute until very smooth. wipe the pan clean and add a drop more oil into it if needed.
add the chicken pieces and brown them for a couple of minutes. add the blended sauce and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. then add the double cream and simmer for a further few minutes.
season to taste, squeeze the lime juice over the top and garnish with coriander.

40 Days of Fitness.......... {Thai Red Prawn Curry}

 

 

 

 

 

So Sunday is a day of rest on 40 Days of Fitness although yesterday I went on my first run with H. Feeling pretty proud of myself and I loved finally being able to run with him! The programme suggested that rather than a roast we have a healthier Thai red chicken curry. We don't really do roasts in our house but we love Thai curry so rather than use shop bought paste I rustled up my own and used prawns and veg rather rather than chicken as I'm trying to use up bits in my freezer but the paste can be used with any protein combination. Making your own pastes are quick and easy and really are much more flavoursome and fresh - give it a go.

 

Thai Red Prawn Curry

for the paste:
2 red chillies, chopped
4 cloves garlic
thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 lime leaves
1 lemongrass stalk, roughly chopped
1 TSP paprika
1 lime, juice
1 TBSP fish sauce
1 TSP sugar
2 TBSP coriander stalks

for the curry:
coconut oil
1 red onion, sliced
4 baby aubergines, cut into chunks
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 tin (400ml) coconut milk
150g raw king prawns
100g small peeled prawns
couple of handfuls soya beans
2 TBSP Coriander leaves, chopped 
1 lime, juice

to serve:
brown rice
lime wedges, sliced red chilli and some coriander  

place all of the paste ingredients in a blender and blend until a smooth paste. heat the coconut oil in the pan and place in the onions, cook until soft and then add in the aubergines and peppers, cook until aubergines have softened. add in the paste and coast all of the vegetables. add in the coconut mil, fill the tin up with water and add that in as well. bring to boil and then turn down to simmer. add in the prawns, soya beans, coriander and lime juice and then leave to simmer for 10 minutes or so until prawns are cooked through. serve over rice in lovely deep bowls  

 

 

 

The Sandwich Sessions #2........ {Courgette Quesadillas}

My eldest little sister (who blogs over here) gave me the idea a while ago that I should do a blog series on how to take your sandwiches to a whole other level and enjoy this most perfect of comfort foods.

Sandwich #1: Fishfinger sandwich 

Today I'm going for a Mexican toasted sandwich - a quesadilla which I make with courgette, chorizo and lots of gooey melted cheese. You can omit the chorizo if you want this to be vegetarian and you can also omit the spice if you so wish - which I never do! Perfect served with an ice cold beer!

Courgette Quesadillas

1 onion, diced 

50g chorizo, cubed 

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2tsp cumin 

2 tbsp tomato puree 
1 tin black beans, drained 
2 courgettes, sliced on the diagonal 
200g cheddar, grated 
green chilli, finely chopped
handful of coriander
limes
tortillas 

take a griddle pan and heat it up, using a pastry brush, brush the courgette with olive oil and then place them on the pan and char-grill them on each side, set aside to cool, season and squeeze over a bit of lime juice. in a separate pan fry off the onion and chorizo in a pan with a tiny splash of oil. once they have softened add in the garlic, cumin and tomato puree and cook off for a couple of minutes. add in the beans along with around 6 tablespoons of water and mash the beans a bit with a fork until you have a rough paste. in a bowl combine the cheese, chilli and  coriander. take a shallow pan and place on tortilla on one half add the beans, courgette and the cheese and then fold it over, pressing down slightly, cook for a few minutes and then turn over and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side. remove from pan and then repeat until you have used all the ingredients. 

I'm linking this "session" with Honest Mummys blog's link up - Tasty Tuesdays! 

How do you like your eggs in the morning?......... {huevos rancheros}

Sunday mornings are usually spent in bed and lets be honest quite often with a slightly sore head from the night before. H usually loves one of my bacon sandwiches on a Sunday morning but recently we have been a bit more health conscious so said sandwich have kind of come of the menu. Instead this weekend I rustled up some Mexican Eggs (Huevous rancheros) which are so tasty with a real kick and totally get rid of any lingering hangover. There are a number of recipes out there for Huevous rancheros and this mine. Enjoy. By the way - this recipe works best when you make it listening to the soundtrack to Chef. 

Huevos Rancheros

handful of chorizo, diced 

1 small onion, diced 

1 green chilli, finely chopped 

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

2 tomatoes, diced 

1 tin chopped tomato

handful of coriander, chopped 

1 tsp smoked paprika

a little grated cheese 

lime 

tortilla wraps, I used wholemeal 

eggs 

fry off your chorizo for a couple of minutes and then add the onion and chilli and a bit of oil if it needs it. cook until soft. add in the garlic and after a few minutes add the fresh tomato. cook until the tomatoes have soften and add the tinned tomato along with the paprika and 2/3rds of the coriander - as always when using tinned tomatoes add a tsp of sugar and season with salt and pepper. allow to simmer for 10 minutes. in the meantime fry as many eggs as you need. brush your tortilla with a little oil and place in hot frying pan and allow it to puff up on each side. place your tortilla on the plate, add a couple spoonful of the tomato mix, squeeze over some lime juice and a sprinkling of cheese. top with the egg, another squeeze of lime and some coriander. 

A Blast from The Past ...... {Thai Grilled Chicken}

When I was young Sainsbury's did a load of adverts that I guess were the first kind of supermarket celebrity endorsed adverts ever made. A celebrity would basically talk you through a recipe usually one that was slightly exotic (apparently it's thanks to these adverts that mozarella became mainstream on supermarket shelves) and then you could pick up the recipe card in store and get all the ingredients. Apparently when an advert came out Sainsbury's shelves would be empty of the ingredients on the card. Any how my Mum had a folder of these recipes and when she had people for dinner she would often make the Thai chicken that Shirley Bassey (I think) endorsed and I loved it, so after finding the video on YouTube (the recipe folder has long gone) I decided to make my version of this last night, and it was every bit as good as I remembered. Strange how tastes can evoke such strong memories.... anyone else remember the adverts? Guess its a UK thing......

Thai Grilled Chicken 

200g block of creamed coconut
300ml hot water
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
3 fresh green chillies, de-seeded and chopped - I had to use 1 red as I ran out of green 
1-2 TBSP fresh ginger, chopped
3 TBSP rich soy sauce
grated zest and juice of 2 limes
2 level TBSP caster sugar
1/2 pack of fresh coriander

3 boneless chicken breasts (this makes enough for 4 chicken breasts though)

Wild rice

mangetout 

cut the coconut cream into large chunks and place in a bowl. Pour the hot water over the coconut and stir to dissolve. place this in a blender with all the other ingredients except the chicken. Blend for a few seconds until well mixed and allow to cool slightly. make diagonal cuts across the chicken breasts, arrange in a dish and pour over half the coconut mixture. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins - overnight is best though. arrange the chicken skin side down in a grill pan and spread over the marinade grill for 15 – 20 mins, turning and basting occasionally. heat the remaining coconut mixture in a saucepan stirring occasionally and simmer gently for 2 or 3 minutes but do not boil. Serve the chicken with the sauce wild rice and some steamed mangetout. 

Linking up for the first time with Honest Mum - Thanks for inviting me to join in Tasty Tuesdays! 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with Eat Drink and Be Mary and Full Time Mama 

"Vegetables are all the colours of the Rainbow, don't you know".......{Peanut, chicken and veg stir fry}

"what do you want for dinner"? says She
"whats the choice"? asks He
"something made with Chicken and or chorizo or tuna" She says "oh and lots of veg"
"chicken noodles, lots of green stuff...... you know veg" He replies excitedly
"sure thing, but vegetables are all colours of the rainbow, don't you know" She laughs

Noodles, veg and protein - staple diet for our small and humble household.

Rainbow Stir Fry 

Serves 4

for the sauce:

2 TBSP oyster sauce 
4 TBSP soy sauce 
splash white wine
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
thumb sized piece ginger, finely sliced
spring onion, finely sliced
1/2 green chili, finely sliced
1/2 red chili, finely sliced - if you don't want it to spicy half amount of use 1TSP dried chilli 
juice of 1 fresh lime 
1 DSP honey
1 DSP smooth peanut butter 

3 breasts skinless chicken, finely sliced 
handful of tenderstem broccoli
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 carrot, sliced into thin batons 
1/4 butternut squash, roughly grated
1 leek, cut into thick batons 
groundnut oil
around 200g noodles, cooked according to instructions 


Take all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk together in a bowl. Add more soy sauce, lime juice etc to taste. Add in chicken and make sure all coated, leave to marinade whilst prepping your veg. Prep veg. Warm oil in wok and add in marinated chicken, cook out for 5 minutes or so until chicken is pretty much cooked. Add in veg and any remaining sauce, Stir fry for a further 4-5 minutes. Mix in noodles coating them with meat, veg and sauce. Serve. 

 

Turkey Shawarma {Arabic Street Food}

I have waxed lyrical about the health benefits of using turkey in your cooking on this blog before and so when I saw that "I Love British Turkey" was launching a blogging competition I knew that I had to get involved. The competition is also run alongside The Red Tractor standard which is something that I have been passionate about since my university days (I did go to Harper Adams after all). I like that as a consumer I can see a little logo on the back and can be assured that I am buying quality British produce, whilst supporting British farmers and as British food is some of the best in the world it's win win really! 

Back to the challenge - the theme was "Arabian Nights" and I spent a great deal of time thinking about what I could do... maybe a tagine or a moussaka (both delicious of course) but I wanted to do something a bit more funky and fresh and a bit less "stereotypical". So I started to think more along the lines of street food and I suddenly came up with the idea of doing a Shawarma, which is a Arabic wrap. I usually make the dish with the more traditional chicken or lamb which is served hot in a warm wrap with crunchy veg and a garlic sauce. However, in my version I like to just make a garlic oil with a good quality British rapeseed oil and let that lightly coat the salad and add a bit of a kick!  Knowing how versatile turkey is I was confident it would take on the spicy, aromatic flavours of the dish perfectly and it did. Don't be put of with the long list of ingredients everything gets thrown in to a couple of bowls, so to speak, so this dish really doesn't take long at all.  So here you have a very fresh and incredibly tasty Turkey Shawarma - enjoy!

Turkey Shawarma

For the meat: 

400g diced turkey

1 1/2 TBSP HillFarm rapeseed oil (Red Tractor logo) 

200g Greek Yogurt (Tesco - Red Tractor logo)

1 egg, beaten lightly 

Juice 1/2 lemon

1 TSP Ras el Hanout

1 TSP cinnamon powder

2 TSP freshly ground black pepper 

Couple of pinches salt

1/2 - 1 TSP red chilli flakes (to taste, i like mine spicy)!

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated 

For the garlic oil:

150ml HillFarm rapeseed oil (Red Tractor logo) 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

Squeeze of lemon juice 

For the salad:

1/2 Iceberg lettuce, finely sliced 

1/4 cucumber, shaved (with a peeler)

1 tomato, halved and thinly sliced 

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 

3 TBS coriander, chopped 

3 TBS pomegranate seeds

6 small or 4 big wraps or flat breads (pita bread would also work well) 

Marinate the turkey in all of the ingredients listed for the meat. You want to marinate it for at least and hour preferably a few. Heat a non stick pan and cook the turkey until it is cooked through and quite dry - this is where the yogurt cooks out don't be alarmed if it looks a bit grainy whilst you cook just stick with it. This usually takes around 10 minutes, keep stirring as it cooks. 

Take the oil and crushed garlic and whisk (or blend in a blender), add in the lemon juice to taste and season - you should have a lovely sunshine yellow sauce which is heady with the smell and taste of garlic. 

Assemble the salad ingredients and toss with about a TBSP of the garlic oil.

To make your Shawarma, warm the wrap in a dry pan. Add the salad and then top with the meat and a drizzle of the oil. You can also add a few dollops of yogurt or hummus, both work well. Serve immediately and preferably with and ice cold beer or iced tea.     

The Healthy Way to do Chilli

Spicy Turkey Chilli

I've been adjusting my eating habits for a quite a while now and I'm now approaching the two stone mark on my weight loss journey... makes me happy and quite proud, although these things take time. I try not to deprive myself (see my dinner on Monday) as I think that leads to failure and I hate to fail.

One thing I look to do is to make healthy versions of my favourite meals or to replicate great healthy meals that I have out. Chilli is a favourite of mine and I used to love eating a really slow cooked chilli full of beef, chorizo and red wine smothered with sour cream and cheese and preferably served over a jacket potato. Hello calories, fat and carbs....  and I wonder why I put on weight. Duh!

So here is my alternative- a yummy chilli made from turkey mince (which is a great ingredient for all you dieters out there). Mine is pretty spicy so adjust the spice ratios if you want it a bit milder. Feel free to add whatever veggies you like to bulk this up - its a great way to clear the contents of the veg drawer.  I served this with gem lettuce leaves (zero carbs and means I can justify a small sprinkling of cheese) but other healthy alternatives would be a baked Sweet Potato or some Bulgar Wheat.

Turkey Chilli 

Serves around 4 to 6 depending on how hungry people are!
300g Turkey Mince 

2 onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 fresh red chilli, chopped finely

1 Green Pepper & 1/2 Orange Pepper, cut into chunks

1 carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped

2 TBSP Tomato puree 

2 TSP Cumin

2 TSP chilli powder 

2 TSP Paprika 

1 tin chopped tomatoes 

200g Kidney beans, drained 

Olive Oil

S&P

Simmering away in the pan 

Fry off the onion, garlic and chilli, add the pepper, carrot and celery and allow them all to soften. Add the turkey mince and cook for around 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Once the mince is cooked then add the spices and puree and cook for a few minutes. Season. Add tomatoes and then leave to cook for 30 mins or so - simmering over a low heat. Add the drained kidney beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Serve with gem lettuce leaves, some Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of cheese. 

Messy but yummy!

This Dish has been picked as a featured favourite for Delicious Dish Tuesday! Thanks so much guys.... I encourage everyone to get involved - its a great link up!

Linking up with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

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!