The weekend I turned 30.....{Fish Pie Stew}

Well I made it to 30. Amazing! I had a fantastic weekend with lots of fun and laughter and I can honestly say I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.

So now that the celebrating is over its time for me to put my head down and overhaul my lifestyle a bit. I have been trying to loose weight for so long and I always put it off or had an excuse. Time to get focused and get exercising!

This is a new-ish recipe that has become a really nice staple evening meal. I started off by making the original but I've changed it around a bit to make it a really nice alternative to fish pie, It's also much less time consuming so there's that as well...

Fish Pie Stew 

Inspired from the recipe here 

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

3 sticks of celery, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

175ml white wine

300ml chicken stock or vegetable stock if you prefer

1 tbsp cornflour, mixed to a paste with 1 tbsp cold water

200g raw prawns 

300g fish pie selection (the one I used had smoked haddock, cod and salmon)

small bunch flat leave parsley, chopped

300ml half-fat crème fraîche

150g new potatoes, already boiled and slightly squashed with a fork

heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and celery until soft. add the garlic and cook for another minute them pour in the wine and simmer until most has disappeared. p

our in the stock and cornflour mix and simmer for 5-10 mins, stirring often until thickened. season, then add the fish, new potatoes and most of the parsley. simmer for a few mins until piping hot, then stir in the crème fraîche. serve with a sprinkling of parsley. you could have this with some bread, but I find that the addition of potatoes makes this plenty filling. 

Healthy Weekday Meal #14.........{Miso Salmon with Stir Fry Veg}

This is one of those great meals that takes next to no time to throw together and cooks really quickly as well. Inspired by a meal that my friend Paul ate when we met up for a drink the other day (non-alcoholic for me). Do what I do and buy some of the pouches of microwavable brown rice (50p in Sainsburys) and save yourself even more time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm training hard at the moment and the amount I am exercising has increased beyond recognition. Healthy eating supports all that I am doing and so this meal I have found to be perfect when coming in from a run or a swim - gets to your plate fast and fills you up nicely whilst being extremely good for you! Play around with the veg in this, Paul's one had red peppers in it which as H hates them I didn't bother with but they would work well! The Sriracha adds the heat so add more or less depending on how spicy you want it, this had a nice kick! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miso Salmon with Stir Fry Vegetables

 

2 salmon fillets

 

for the marinade:

4 tbsp. teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp. Sriracha

1 1/2 tsp. miso paste

 

1 tbsp. coconut oil

4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal

4 large shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 carrot, sliced into ribbons (I used a peeler to do this)

1/2 head of broccoli, sliced into florets

fresh ginger, thumb sized piece finely grated

leaves of 2 pak choi

 

to serve - brown rice (or whatever rice you like or noodles)!

 

place all the ingredients of the marinade in a bowl and whisk together. place the salmon into a oven proof dish and cover with half of the marinade. cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven at about 200oC for about 20mins until the salmon is cooked (I uncovered it for the last 5 mins so the marinade went nice and glazed). In the mean time warm the coconut oil in a wok and then add all of the vegetables apart from the pak choi and cook for a few minutes. add the remaining marinade and the pak choi and cook for a further 4 minutes or so until the vegetables are cooked to your liking. serve over brown rice with the salmon on top.

 

 

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

Healthy Weekday Meal #11..........{Fish Tacos with Avocado and Mango Salsa)

Sometimes it's really hard to get back into the swing of things after a holiday and this blog has probably been the biggest casualty of my holiday blues. Oh how I miss the sun and sea and food of Italy. At some point I will actually get round to doing a post on our time there but until then i have a lovely healthy fish taco recipe for you which is perfect after a week of eating a lot of pasta!

Fish Tacos with Avocado and Mango Salsa

selection of fish - I used a piece of cod and a couple of handfuls of raw prawns 

2 limes

2 large tomatoes, diced 

1 medium avocado, diced

1 red onion, diced

1/2 red chilli, finely diced

1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped 

1/2 mango, cubed

lettuce leaves

mini tortillas 

season the fish and squeeze over juice of 1/2 lime, cook of in the coconut oil and leave aside to cool. in separate bowl mix together the tomatoes, avocado, onion, chilli, coriander and mango. season and squeeze over the juice of 1 lime. warm the tortillas in a dry pan. take the tortilla wrap, add a handful of lettuce leaves, a couple of spoonfuls of the salsa and then top with the fish (which i shredded up a bit). Serve 

Healthy weekday Meal #9........{Fish Pie Parcels}

I love me a fish pie - huge chunks of fish, creamy glossy sauce, flavoursome leeks and mounds of mash potato. It's a dreamy British staple but it's not dreamy to the waistband and it also doesn't lend itself that well to the summer days that are creeping up on us. In my quest to find an alternative I came up with this dish - Fish Pie Parcels. You may not think the use of pastry is particularly healthy but I am using filo pastry and a few sheets go a long way....Use what ever combination of fish you desire and for heaven's sake make sure you keep an eye on the oven - as you can see from the photos i left mine in a couple of minutes too long. but I am no professional, these are my recipes and little slip ups sometimes happen! It still tasted great and that's all that matters to me and that's all that should matter to you - relax and just give the recipe a go!

Fish Pie Parcels

2 leeks, finely sliced

unsalted butter

couple of splashes of white wine 

100ml milk

bay leaf

500g fish - I used large chunks of smoked haddock, cod, salmon and raw prawns 

4 tbsp creme fraiche

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

filo pastry 

1 egg, beaten 

in a pan cook your leeks with a small amount of butter and a couple of splashes of wine, once soft remove from pan. add in the milk, bay leaf and the fish and put the lid on the pan, allow the fish to stand for 5 minutes until it is almost cooked through. remove the fish, give it a little season and then set aside. mix the creme fraiche with the lemon juice and mustard and then season. lay out a sheet of filo pastry, brush with melted butter, place another sheet over and then repeat the process - i used three sheets for one parcel and four for another - I didn't make much difference and two would be fine I'm sure. in the middle of the square place a couple of spoonfuls of the leeks then a spoonful of the creme fraiche and then add half the fish and top with another spoonful of creme fraiche. bring up the sides of pastry and twist the top so you have a parcel. repeat the process. brush the two parcels with egg wash and place on a baking tray. cook at a moderate to high heat for around 30 minutes or until the pastry is nicely golden. serve with vegetables or a salad. 

Healthy Weekday Meal #6........{Spicy Lentils and Baked Cod}

This dinner came about by using up things that were in my cupboard, fridge and freezer. And boy were they tasty. A healthy and nutritious dinner that really didn't take long to throw together. I share the recipe so you can bung it together yourself! Don't feel limited by the cod you could serve the lentils with salmon, chicken, pork etc the options are limitless!  

Spicy Lentils and Baked Cod

250g dried green lentils, rinsed and soaked overnight

1 TBSP coconut oil

1 red onion, finely chopped 

1/2 green pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated 

handful of fresh coriander, chopped  

2 TSP dried red chillies 

1 TSP cumin

1/2 TSP chilli powder 

3 large tomatoes, diced 

vegetable / chicken stock 

2 fillets of cod (or however many you need)

slices of fresh lemon / lime 

melt your coconut oil in a pan and then add in the onions. once they have softened add in the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and peppers. after a couple of minutes add in the lentils, the remaining spices and the coriander and make sure that the lentils are coated in all the flavours. cover with stock and then simmer for 10 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and season. continue to simmer until the lentils have soften, although i do like them to retain a bit of bite - personal preferences people! in the meantime quite simply season your cod and bake in foil/greaseproof paper parcel in the oven for 20minutes or so. Serve the cod on the lentils and sprinkle with a bit of coriander and a squeeze of lemon or lime juice! 

These lentils taste even better the next day - I had them for my dinner with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt. Yummy!    

Valentines Day Starter.........{Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail boats}

Valentines Day is fast approaching and today I share with you an old classic which makes a great starter! It's a old favourite of mine - a twist on a classic, and whilst it's not the healthiest, omitting the bread makes it that much healthier!

Prawn and Crayfish Cocktail Boats

250g large peeled prawns
120g crayfish tails 
3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise 
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
Couple of drops of Tabasco 
Squeeze lemon juice 
Half a cucumber, shredded into ribbons (I use a peeler to do this)
Little Gem lettuce, remove the outer leaves you will need around three depending on size

take the mayonnaise and ketchup and mix them together. add the Tabasco and lemon juice and season. have a try and adjust to taste (I usually end up adding a bit more lemon and black pepper). add in the prawns and crayfish tails (reserving some of the tails for garnish). take your lettuce leaves and use them as “boats";  first add a couple of ribbons of cucumber and then the prawn cocktail and finish with a garnish of a couple of crayfish tails. Serve on a lovely wooden platter and let people just help themselves. 

 

Linking up with Vicky at Honest Mum

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!

An easy option.....{fish tacos with avocado and corn salsa}

Ah this blog of mine, how I have neglected you. I can only blame impending Christmas and so much going on at work. Still, Christmas shopping is nearly done and I'm looking forward to two weeks of work soon! Will be good to rest.

When time is short we turn to tacos a lot in our household. This is a favourite which is really easy and made up of ingredients I always tend to have in the kitchen!

Fish Tacos with Avocado and Corn salsa 

fish, cooked - I used just some breaded fish and cut it in to pieces but I have used steamed salmon and baked cod on occasion (depending on healthy I want to be)

tin of sweetcorn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

green chilli, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, diced 

2 avocados, diced

small handful of coriander, chopped 

splash of olive oil

juice of a lime 

wholewheat tortillas 

put corn in a dry pan and cook over heat until the corn is charred, combine all the the other ingredients in a bowl and season. add in the corn and taste - you may want to add more lime. take your cooked fish and lay on a tortilla that has been warmed and add on a healthy amount of the salsa. Devour. 

you can add some cheese if you so wish and I quite often make the salsa minus the sweetcorn. 

The days are getting colder.........{Stuffed Pumpkins and Baked Cod)

I swear it hasn't stopped raining in London/ Kent the last few days. I'm kind of over grey skies and drizzle, and I'm a self confessed rain lover. I don't know it's all a bit melancholy. Still December is just around the corner and then the dark nights become more magical and there's the end in sight to the exhaustion of work as we have the Christmas holiday to look forward to.  On these dark and cold autumn nights we need food that will nourish and warm us. These pumpkins are a great side dish although we sometimes have them on their own. I did them with cod this time as I like cod and chorizo - they go well together. If you are vegetarian feel free to omit the chorizo the stuffing will work just as well without it

Stuffed Pumpkins and Baked Cod

1 medium pumpkin, cut in half and de-seeded
1/2 aubergine, diced finely
1 small onion, diced finely
1/4 orange pepper, diced finely
50g chorizo, diced finely
3 tbsp. breadcrumbs, I used panko
50g blue cheese, gorgonzola works well here
sprinkling of grated parmesan or cheddar
2 pieces of fresh cod
couple of lemon slices

take the two halves of pumpkin rub them all over with olive oil and bake for about 30mins. in a pan cook the onion and pepper with chorizo, remove from the pan and add a couple of glugs of olive oil and then cook the aubergine. once the aubergine is cooked then add the bread crumbs and the other already cooked ingredients. take the pumpkin from the oven and scoop out the flesh so there is a cm left(this will help you pumpkin remain sturdy) add the flesh chopped up a bit into your stuffing mix and crumble in the blue cheese. give the stuffing a good mix and then stuff the pumpkins, top with grated cheese and cook on a medium to high oven for approx. 45mins until lightly brown on top. I cooked the cod in a bag made from greaseproof paper (as I did in this recipe here) I just seasoned the fish well and laid it on a couple of slices of fresh lemon, wrapped it in its parcel and cooked for around 25mins.

Fish in Paper........ {Fish en Papillote}

It's a funny thing when people say to me that they think cooking fish is laborious and a pain. Many a friend of mine will turn their nose up at cooking fish but to them I say "try this dish, it's simple, healthy and tastes delicious"

Cooking en papillote basically refers to the parcel you cook it in - this is a French dish and it's basically a parcel encasing the fish and vegetables which then steam cook in the oven. Mmmmm so delicious. You can be adventurous on what veg you want to use - celeriac and fennel as well as cherry tomatoes work particularly well. You don't have to make my simple creme fraiche sauce, often I will just use a bit of white wine which works just as well.

The best thing is that this dish takes very little prep and is quick to cook - a fish supper couldn't be simpler but at the same time its a pretty fancy way of cooking so you could serve it at a dinner party to much fanfare and no one would ever know - you're welcome. 

Fish en Papillote

2 fillets of halibut, or you can use any white fish plus salmon is good too

1 potato very thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced batons

1 leek, thinly sliced

4 TBSP creme fraiche

4 TBSP dry white wine

zest half lemon

2 bay leaves

S&P

Mix the creme fraiche, wine and lemon zest in a small bowl,  season. take a piece of grease proof paper and create 1 or two layers of the potato - I often add a couple of bits of butter in between to help cooking. season. layer on the leek and carrot, a bay leave and a spoonful of the sauce. place fish on top with another spoonful of sauce and season again. 

fold the grease proof paper loosely and then tuck in the sides to create a parcel (see photos). 

Cook at 200oC for approx 25mins. when out of oven make a small cut in the top so that the steam escapes and leave for a couple of minutes before serving. I just serve these in the parcel as I like the rustic look but feel free to serve nicely on the plate.

Linking up with Honest Mum 

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

The Sandwich Sessions, #1 Fish Finger Sandwich with Homemade Tartar Sauce

A food fanatic like myself  often gets asked "What's your favourite food?" and oh my I have so many, I'm not sure I could possibly pick a favourite... but one of my favourite food groups is the sandwich, and yes I truly believe that the sandwich is a food group. Comforting and so versatile I don't think there is anything humble about a good sandwich, they are the perfect food often H and I will just have a good sandwich for our dinner and that's just fine and dandy with us.

My eldest little sister (who blogs over here) gave me the idea yesterday that I should do a blog on sandwiches and whilst I'm loyal to this blog only I'm going to make this a little series (maybe a link up one day) and every couple of weeks I'm going to show you how to take your sandwiches to a whole other level and enjoy this most perfect of comfort foods.

I'm starting with the Fishfinger sandwich which seems to have become a bit of a staple on UK pub menus and rightly so. Nothing screams nursery food more than fishfingers and by putting them in a sandwich its like we are saying that its acceptable to eat as adults. Make your own tartar sauce because it's not difficult and tastes so much better than shop bought rubbish. You can also make it to your tastes them; I hate too many capers so only add a few.  I used sub rolls as I like the texture with the filling, although you could just use white bread or baguette. However it should be white,  this is not a time for wholemeal. Please forgive me for my use of a processed cheese slice, this is the only occasion where I feel that it is totally acceptable to use them!

Fish Finger Sandwich 

Fishfingers (I used 2 jumbo ones per sandwich but use whatever ones you prefer)

Submarine rolls 

Optional: thinly shredded Iceberg Lettuce, processed cheese slice 

For the Tartar Sauce:

3 - 4 TBSP finely chopped gherkins 

1 TBSP very finely chopped onion

1 TSP Capers 

8 TBSP Good quality mayonnaise

2 TSP freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 TSP of the pickle juice from your jar of gherkins (trust me it makes all the difference)

Cook the fishfingers according to the directions. Put all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, taste and make any adjustments you think it may need - maybe some more lemon juice? Slice your rolls along one and spread the sauce along the top and the cheese and lettuce on the bottom, add the fishfingers and then push the sides together. Eat, preferably with your lovely housemate whilst watching Great British Bake Off, and be transported to your childhood when life was ever so simple.  

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