Chickpea Dip

Similar to houmous this dip is easy to make.

You will need:-

1 large tin of chickpeas
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 tablespoons of tahini paste
3 tablespoons of natural yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

In a food processor place the chickpeas and garlic, process until smooth, add the lemon juice, olive oil and tahini paste, blend for a further 2 - 3 minutes, then add the yogurt and blend for a final 2 minutes, ensuring that mixture is well combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with warm pitta bread or nan bread. Can also be used as dip for pizza crust.

Keeps for approx 3 -4 days in sealed container in fridge.

Cheeky Dessert

Great simple recipe for festive dessert for adults!

You will need: vanilla ice cream, amaretto biscuits and Baileys

For each serving place 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream in a small dessert bowl, crush 2 amaretto biscuits and sprinkle over ice cream, finally pour over 2 tablespoons of Baileys and serve.

Turkey Pizza Bites

A quick suggestion for left over turkey

Thickly slice french stick or crusty loaf, spread each slice with a generous amount of Tesco Pizza Toast Tomato and Herb (located near or with sandwich spreads in store), top with finely chopped turkey, sprinkle over a small amount of cheese and place on grill pan and cook until cheese has melted. Serve hot.

You can also add finely chopped strips of salami, ham, maybe even add some olives, fresh herbs etc.

Very simple to make and ready in minutes, taste and look great!

Spice Up Your Mash!

A few suggestions to spice up the plain old mashed potatoes

Assuming potatoes have been mashed with small blob of butter and a little milk;

Add 1 clove of crushed garlic, freshly ground black pepper and finely chopped spring onion, when mixed sprinkle with Parmesan cheese; or

Add 1 tablespoon of grated cheese and two finely chopped spring onions; or

Add 1 tablespoon of horseradish sauce and a little sour cream; or

For an adventurous meal, try mixing mashed potatoes (about 3 potatoes boiled and mashed) with 1 tin of baked beans and 1 small tin of tuna (drained), season with salt and pepper. Sounds like strange combination but tastes great!

Tuna Pasta Salad

Very quick and easy recipe for light lunch

Cook 250g pasta, drain and rinse under cold water

In a large bowl mix together; 1 small tin of tuna chunks , drained (in spring water is healthiest option), 1 small tin of sweetcorn, 1 small red onion finely chopped, 3 medium sized gherkins thinly sliced, 1 tomato finely chopped, 1 tablespoon of black olives halved.

Add the drained pasta to the bowl and mix well.

In a small bowl mix together 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of English mustard and 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Pour the dressing over the tuna pasta and stir well to ensure all pasta coated in mayo dressing. Season with salt, pepper or aromat seasoning and serve.

Pork Roast in Cider

Nice idea for Sunday roast, pork roast with cider and apples and you can add the potatoes and parsnips (also any other vegetables you fancy experimenting with such as carrots, sprouts, swede) to the roasting pan as well to give some extra flavour to the veg.

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5.

In a medium sized roasting tin put the joint of pork (I used a leg joint), pour over half a cup of dry cider and add to the pan 1 apple roughly chopped. Season with freshly ground pepper and aromat seasoning and place in oven. Cook for length of time as directed on meat packaging according to the weight (usually half hour per pound plus a further 35 minutes) basting occasionally during cooking with the juices in the pan, ensuring that it is thoroughly cooked through before removing from oven. Serve with freshly cooked vegetables, apple sauce, sage and onion stuffing and gravy.

Chilli Bean Burgers

Very simple recipe for quick and easy burgers, healthy as they contain kidney beans, onion, garlic and lean minced beef. Also dry fried and then finished of in oven to provide a burger with a little less fat content. Can also be cooked over hotcoals on braai.

You will need to mix together in a large bowl the following ingredients:-

500g lean minced beef
1 tin of kidney beans, drained and rinsed under running water
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, finely diced
1 or 2 whole red chili peppers (only use one if you don't want a hot chili burger)
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon each of oregano and marjoram
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix together all the ingredients ensuring that everything is blended well together. Shape into small patties (or meatballs if preferred).

Heat griddle pan and when very hot cook 4 patties/burgers at a time, cook on each side for approx 5 minutes then place on baking tray. When all burgers have been browned on each side for 5 minutes cook for a further 20 - 30 minutes in a hot oven. For serving I would suggest savory rice or baked potato, a pasta sauce and side salad.

Stuffed Courgettes

Really tasty courgettes, which can be eaten on their own as a snack or as side dish to main meal. Quick and easy to prepare and cook.

Serves 2

You will need:-

2 large courgettes, halved lengthways and flesh removed (do not discard)
1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs
120g feta cheese, finely sliced
12 black olives finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
10 - 12 basil leaves roughly chopped
1 teaspoon of olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl add half the breadcrumbs and half the flesh from the courgettes (chopped) together with the chopped olives, tomatoes, basil leaves and black pepper to taste, mix together.

On a baking tray place the courgette halves open side up and divide half the feta cheese between them evenly, then carefully spoon the breadcrumb mixture into each half and level out. Top with the remaining feta cheese, sprinkle over the olive oil and a little black pepper and place in the oven (gas mark 5) and cook for approx 25 minutes.

Serve with small salad and new potatoes.

You could add some chopped nuts (such as pine, sunflower or pumpkin) to the breadcrumb mixture if desired.

Curried Parsnip Soup

Great soup for cold winter's day, full of flavour and warming

You will need:-

3 large parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1 leek, washed and roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 vegetable stock cube mixed with 1 1/2 pints of water
1 tablespoon of curry powder
2 tablespoons of single cream
1 tablespoon of margarine or butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan melt the margarine and add the chopped vegetables, saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder and stir. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, simmer for 30 minutes and then remove from heat. Using a hand blender, blend the contents of the pan until it is smooth and there are no lumps, then return to the pan and bring back to the boil. Add the cream and stir to mix, heat for a further minute and then serve with crusty bread.

NB. For those dieting you can omit the cream as the soup tastes just as great without it.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

A simple way to cook chicken, the bacon adding a smoky flavour. Great served with new potatoes and salad.

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts, skinned and removed from the bone
4 rashers of smoked bacon
2 tablespoons of herbed cream cheese (Boursin is ideal)
1 spring onion finely chopped
1 tomato, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon of margarine or butter

1. Mix together in a small bowl the cream cheese, spring onion and tomato.

2. Cut each chicken breast part way through lengthways and spread each one with a heaped tablespoon of the cheese mixture.

3. Wrap 2 bacon rashers around each piece of chicken (one lengthways and one across the width to cover chicken), secure with a toothpick or skewer.

4. In a small frying pan melt the margarine and when hot add the chicken to the pan. Brown the chicken (covered with bacon) on both sides for approx 5 minutes and remove and place on baking tray.

5. Place the baking tray in a hot oven (gas mark 5) and cook for 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and serve with freshly cooked vegetables.

Dr Gillian McKeith's Aduki Bean Stew

This is a recipe from Dr Gillian McKeith's 'You Are What You Eat Cookbook', one of the more palatable recipes and great for detox, very tasty, full of vitamins and ultra healthy. Very simple to make, you will need:-

200g of aduki beans, pre-soaked for 12 hours (or alternatively you can buy a tin of aduki beans from one of the larger supermarkets, which cuts out the soaking time)

1 wheat free vegetable stock cube (I used a Kallo Just Bouillon vegetable stock cube)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

1 leek finely sliced
Half a butternut squash, peeled and cut into bit size chunks

250g curly kale (I only used half this amount as found that 250g was far too much)

Half teaspoon of ground cumin (I used one full teaspoon for extra taste)

Half teaspoon of ground turmeric

4 tablespoons of freshly chopped chervil (I used fresh parsley as I wasn't able to get hold of any chervil and only used 2 - 3 tablespoons rather than 4)

If using dried beans which have been soaked for 12 hours, drain and rinse, then place in large pan and cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse.

If using tinned aduki beans you will not need to boil them for 15 minutes but you must drain and rinse them before use.

Put the beans in a pan with one litre of cold water, add stock cube and bring to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, cumin and turmeric and continue to simmer for a further 10 - 15 minutes.

Add the kale and cook for a further few minutes until kale is tender, add the chervil, mix well and serve with millet mash (as described in the book) or with mashed potatoes, rice, couscous or salad. You could even serve as side dish to accompany cooked meat.

Serves 4

Butterflied Garlic Prawns with Coriander and Lime

These prawns are great served with garlic bread and a green salad

Serves 2

16 raw tiger prawns, shell removed and de-veined
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of lime juice
1 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper

To marinate the prawns; Cut each prawn length ways halfway through and place in a medium size bowl. Add one tablespoon of olive oil, the sweet chili sauce, one tablespoon of lime juice, the ground coriander and half of the garlic, mix well and leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

to make the dressing; In another small bowl mix together the remaining oil, lime juice, garlic with the freshly chopped coriander, tomato, spring onion and freshly ground pepper.

If frying; heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frying pan or wok and when hot add the prawns, cook for approximately 5 minutes, until they have turned pink and are cooked through. Remove and serve with the dressing drizzled over.

If grilling; place the prawns on the grill pan and cook on each side for approximately 3 minutes, until they turn pink and are completely cooked through. Remove from grill and serve as above.

Garlic Bread

Delicious Garlic Bread, perfect with pasta, barbecue, snack, salads

In a small bowl mix together 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, 2 cloves of garlic (crushed or finely chopped) and 1 teaspoon of basil and oregano.

For the bread you can use a French Stick, Bread Rolls or Ciabatta

If using French Stick, thickly slice and spread with the garlic butter, place in hot oven and cook for 5 - 10 minutes until the butter has melted. Remove and serve hot.

Extremely Fattening Chocolate Sauce

A really simple recipe for 'cheats' chocolate sauce, great with ice cream, cheesecake, pies

Take two Mars Bars, slice and put into microwave proof bowl, microwave on full power for 1 minute or until Mars Bars have melted then remove from microwave and add 200ml of single cream, stir well to mix together. Pour over dessert and enjoy.

Garlic Mushroom Salad

Nice addition to any salad, best made a few hours before.

You will need:-

300g of mushrooms, roughly sliced
3 cloves of garlic crushed

3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 heaped tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard powder and black pepper.

In a large bowl mix together the sliced mushrooms, crushed garlic and chopped parsley.

Pour over the olive oil dressing and mix well. Transfer to serving dish, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 hours. Stir well before serving.

Delicious Creamy Pasta Sauce

A very simple recipe for a speedy pasta sauce.

Thinly slice an onion, fry in one tablespoon of olive oil until starting to brown, pour in half a glass of white wine then add two cloves of garlic finely chopped, stir and fry for a further minute. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon of basil, 1 teaspoon of marjoram and half a teaspoon of thyme, stir to mix. Stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato puree and 1/4 cup of water, mix well and bring to the boil, simmer for 5 minutes. Finely add 2 tablespoons of herbed soft cheese ( I use Tesco Light with garlic and herbs), stir until cheese melts and has blended in with other ingredients. Cook for a further 2 minutes then remove from heat and serve with freshly cooked pasta.

You could add cooked seafood such as prawns, mussels, squid or fish such as tuna or salmon, or even some cooked chicken; add during last two minutes of cooking and ensure thoroughly heated through before serving.

Chili Corned Beef One Pot Special

This is a recipe from camping/sailing days, a one pot meal that is both warming and tasty, great on a cold winter's day or when you want a quick meal.

Serves 4

1 large tin of corned beef
1 tablespoon of oil
1 onion finely chopped
3 large carrots chopped
4 potatoes cubed
1 tin of kidney beans in chili sauce
1 oxo cube dissolved in 1 cup of water

In a large pan heat the oil and when hot add the onions, brown and then add the carrots and potatoes, stir and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Add the kidney beans and oxo cube dissolved in the water, stir. Cook for a further 5 minutes then add the corned beef roughly chopped. Cook over low heat for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, stir occasionally and add more water as required to prevent sticking to bottom of pan.

Serve with salad, steamed or boiled vegetables or even chips.

Cantaloupe and Crab Salad & Ginger Dressing

This is a recipe from what I consider to be one of the best diet books ever. 'Fat Girl Slim' by Ruth Watson contains mouth watering recipes such as Smoked Fish & Japanese Rice, Grilled Scallops and Tomato & Ginger Sauce, Thai Style Mussels. I love fish and the book contains plenty of recipes for the fish lover but it also has a good selection for meats such as chicken, lamb and pork and most importantly it gives advice on how to stick to the diet, to be positive, but when temptation gives in the final recipe is for chocolate mousse.

Cantaloupe and Crab Salad & Ginger Dressing

Serves 6

You will need:-

Dressing:-
3 lemons, zest and juice
1 clove of garlic crushed
1 inch of fresh ginger roughly chopped
1 stick of lemon grass, roughly sliced
2 tablespoons of clear honey
6 tablespoons of olive oil

Salad:-
2 cantaloupe melons, de-seeded and rind removed
1/2 cucumber halved lengthways and de-seeded
2 tablespoons of chopped chives
1 tablespoon (not heaped) of freshly chopped parsley
350g fresh crabmeat (or tinned if fresh not available)
watercress to garnish

1. Put all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat.

2. Bring to the boil, boil until the liquid has reduced to half. Then press the contents of the pan through a sieve, season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

3. When cool whisk in the olive oil, add more seasoning if required.

4. Cut melon into bite size chunks. Cut the cucumber into thin slices lengthways.

5. Put the melon, cucumber and herbs in a large bowl and mix together. Pour over dressing and mix again.

6. Using slotted spoon divide the melon mixture between the plates. Add the crab to the remaining dressing in the bowl and mix well. Top the salad with the crab and serve garnished with watercress.

Meatballs - Everyone's Favourite

Meatballs can be served either with or without a sauce, great with a tomato based sauce served with rice or pasta, or 'dry' as party of a buffet or picnic. They can be fried or grilled.

Serves 4

You will need:-

500g minced beef
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon mixed herbs (fresh if possible such as parsley, coriander, thyme, basil etc)
Freshly ground black pepper

I a frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and when hot add the onion and garlic, fry until the onion is browned (not burnt).

In a large bowl mix together the minced beef, the cooked onions, mixed herbs and lots of freshly ground pepper. When well blended together form into small balls and shallow fry in the remaining tablespoon of oil, brown on all sides, cook gently for approximately 15 minutes ensuring meatballs cooked through. Best cooked in batches.

When I cook these I fry them to brown them and then place on baking tray and cook in the oven for half and hour as I find this the healthier way, removes a lot of excess fat.

I was actually above Jamie Oliver once! LOL

Third one down for those with poor eye sight :))))))

Quick and Easy Spicy Prawns

This is my all time favourite recipe for prawns, really simply to make and is ready within a matter of minutes. Ideal as starter for 2 or main course for 1. Serve with couscous or rice and a side salad.

You will need:-

16 raw tiger prawns, with shell removed
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/2 glass of white wine
2 tablespoons of passata
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
6 spring onions
1 tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander
1 tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon of chili flakes
1 tablespoon of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the flour, ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika into a small plastic sandwich bag, shake to mix, then add the prawns, shake well to coat.

In a wok or large frying pan heat the oil, when hot add the chopped garlic, chili flakes, finely chopped spring onions and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add the wine, lemon juice and passata to the pan, stir and cook for further minute. Add the parsley and coriander together with the prawns and lower heat to simmer, cook until prawns turn pink. Season with freshly ground pepper.

Remove from heat and serve hot.

2 Recipes From 2 Great Cook Books

Today's recipes come from another two of my favourite books, they contain great healthy recipes.








The first one is 'Quick Meatless Stroganoff' from Linda McCartney's book entitled Linda's Kitchen, packed with great vegetarian and vegan recipes.

The second is 'Stir Fried Prawns with Red Pepper' from The Plant Programme by Professor Jane Plant CBE and Gill Tidey, contains recipes for healthy living and said to fight breast cancer, a great book for any kitchen!

'Quick Meatless Stroganoff'

Serves 4 - 6

You will need:-

50g margarine
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of plain flour
150ml vegetable stock
300ml white wine
250g button mushrooms, halved
2 tablespoons of olive oil
250g vegetarian steak chunks or quorn pieces
300ml soured cream
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

1. In a large saucepan heat the margarine and add the onions, cover and cook until soft.

2. Add the flour, stir well, then add the stock and wine, stir well again to ensure that there are no lumps in the sauce.

3. Add the mushrooms, simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.

4. In another pan heat the oil and brown the vegetarian steak chunks. When browned add to mushrooms.

5. Stir in the soured cream, season with freshly ground pepper and continue to cook over low heat for a further 6 - 8 minutes.

6. Serve garnished with freshly chopped parsley.

'Stir Fried Prawns with Red Pepper'

Serves 2

You will need:-

250g raw tiger prawns, peeled with tails left on
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium red peppers, thinly sliced
16 small asparagus spears, cut into small pieces
2 large mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of fresh coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in and a wok, add the garlic, red pepper, asparagus and mushroom and stir fry for 3 minutes.

2. Add the prawns and fry until they turn pink.

3. Season with salt and pepper, add the coriander and serve.

Lamb with bulgar wheat

Today's recipe is one of my favourites from 'Fish & Figs' Recipe Book by Jacques Fricker & Dominique Laty. So simple to make and tastes wonderful.

Serves 6


You will need:-

750g diced lamb
250g bulgar wheat
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 onions, halved and finely sliced
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
6 whole cloves
6 cardamon pods crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 pint natural yogurt
pinch of paprika
3 garlic cloves
125g black olives
125 ml lemon juice
salt and pepper
Mint leaves to garnish


Soak the bulgar wheat in a bowl of water overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Heat oil in large pan and cook onions until browned.

Add cinnamon, cumin, cloves, crushed cardamon and bay leaf and mix well.

Add the meat, yogurt, paprika, unpeeled garlic and olives, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. (Depending on the quality of the lamb you may need to cook for up to 1 hour to ensure meat is tender)

Cover the meat with the drained bulgar wheat and pour over the lemon juice, cover the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped mint leaves and serve with side salad.

Rich Chocolate Glaze

A yummy cake covering, perfect to cover any sponge cake or could even be used as a chocolate sauce for ice cream

Break up 1 175g bar of dark chocolate and place in small pan, add 1/4 pint of single cream and 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee. Over a low heat melt the chocolate, stirring continuously to mix in the cream and coffee, when all the chocolate has melted remove from heat and pour over the cake, smoothing over the top and sides.

Carrot and Coriander Salad

Great simple salad that goes with anything!

Serves 4

You will need:-

3 large carrots, peeled and grated
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon of sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon of sultanas
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

To make the salad place the carrot, coriander, sultanas, pumpkin and sunflower seeds in a large bowl and mix together.

In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice with the olive oil and the freshly ground pepper, stir well and pour over the carrots, mix together and add more pepper or add salt if required.

As an alternative to the pumpkin and sunflower seeds you could add nuts such as pine nuts, salted peanuts, cashew nuts, and for those that want a totally healthy salad you can omit the olive oil and pour the lemon juice directly onto the carrots together with the pepper.

Looks and tastes great, prepared in just a few minutes.

Spicy Lamb Burgers

Similar to lamb kofta kebabs, these can be served as a main dish with some rice, salad and nan bread or as a burger on a bread roll, or even cold with a picnic.

Makes approximately 10 burgers

You will need:-

500g minced lamb
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 red chili
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2 yellow pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander
1 tablespoon of ground cumin
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of cooking oil

Put the onion, garlic, chili, yellow pepper and coriander in a food processor, process for approx 2 minutes until all the ingredients are finely chopped.

In a large mixing bowl add the contents of the food processor, pepper and the minced lamb. Mix well using your hands to combine the ingredients.

Pre-heat oven to 190C or Gas Mark 5

Shape the mince mixture into 10 small balls and then flatten to a thickness of approx 1 inch

In a large frying pan add the oil and place over medium heat, when the oil is hot add the burgers, cooking in batches. Brown the burgers on all sides, remove from pan and place on baking tray. When all the burgers are browned put the baking tray in the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.

Remove from oven and serve hot.

Fragrant Yellow Rice

Saffron rice is delicious, it can be served with curries, tandoori chicken or as a side dish to any other meal.


Serves 4



You will need:-

1 cup of basmati rice
2 whole cloves
2 cardamon pods
Pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon of ghee or butter/margarine
1 teaspoon of black onion seeds

In a large pan place the rice, cloves, cardamon pods and saffron, cover with water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, add more water if necessary during cooking. Remove from heat and strain off water using small colander, place the colander over the pan and leave to drain for another 5 minutes. Stir in the black onion seeds and serve.

Healthy Fish Pie

This is a great recipe, very simple and the end result is delicious!

Serves 2

You will need:-

300g diced fish, I buy fish pie mix from Tesco, but any supermarket will sell the same
300g of potato mashed with 1 tablespoon of milk and 1 tablespoon of grated cheese
1/2 pint of skimmed milk
2 tablespoons of soft cheese spread (I use a herbed one so I don't need to add any other herbs)
1 tablespoon of cornflour
1 stock cube
approx 100g of vegetables of your choice, chopped (I used broccoli and asparagus)
breadcrumbs
salt and pepper

To make this great dish you will need to do the following:-

1. Boil and the potatoes then mash with the milk and cheese. Leave to one side.
2. Heat the half pint of milk in a pan, when starting to simmer add the cheese spread and cornflour, mix well and continue to stir to prevent any lumps forming.
3. Add stock cube to pan and, if not using cheese spread with herbs, a teaspoon of mixed herbs. Mix well. Continue to simmer.
4. Add the fish and continue to simmer for a further 3 minutes.
5. Put the vegetables in an oven proof dish and then pour over the fish mixture ensuring evenly spread out. Top with the mashed potato sprinkle over the breadcrumbs, add a pinch of nutmeg and put in the oven. Cook for approx 25 to 30 minutes. Gas Mark 5 or 190C

Serve with side salad.

Delicious Crab & Sweetcorn Soup

Well this recipe is for my friend in New Zealand who asked for a healthy recipe.

The recipe is one from Weightwatchers Low Point Spice, great small book of recipes that are both low fat and tasty. Their recipe uses frozen sweetcorn but I have substituted this for creamed sweetcorn as it gives it a more authentic Chinese texture and appearance. You could also substitute the crabmeat for a small skinned chicken breast, boiled and then shredded before adding to the stock.

It makes a great lunch for two or starter for four, serve with some nice and healthy bread.

You will need:-

1 225g tin of crabmeat
1 200g tin of creamed sweetcorn (or if you prefer really healthy option just tin of plain sweetcorn)
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 pints of chicken stock
1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a small bowl beat the egg white and sesame oil together.
2. In a large pan add the stock and bring to the boil.
3. When the stock is boiling add the sweetcorn and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add the soy sauce, chopped ginger, pepper and cornflour paste, stir well to mix, continue simmering for 2 minutes then add the crabmeat.
5. Add the egg white and sesame oil mixture, stir continuously for 2 minutes.
6. Add the spring onion and stir. Remove from heat and serve.

Chorizo & Cheese Toast Topper

An ideal snack for brunch or even lunch, again simple to make and tastes great, serve with a small salad.

Enough to cover 4 slices of bread





You will need:-

6 cherry tomatoes, chopped
1 slice of onion finely chopped
2oz chorizo sausage chopped into small pieces
3oz cheese chopped (I used Wensleydale but you could use other such as Cheddar etc)
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise to bind together
Pinch of black pepper

Mix all the ingredients together in small bowl.

Toast the bread, top with the chorizo mixture and heat under hot grill for approx 5 minutes until the cheese has melted, remove and serve.

Turkey Tikka Chunks

The Turkey Marinading









Another nice and simple recipe, ideal to cook on barbecue, grill or on a ridged griddle and served with a salad, Nan bread and a yogurt dip such as cucumber or mint raita.


What you will need:-

1/4 packet Shan Chicken Tikka BBQ Mix
800g Turkey (I used Tesco Value Turkey as it is already chopped into various size chunks)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic
1" piece of fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of fresh coriander


What you need to do:-

1. Put the peeled garlic, peeled ginger and coriander in a food processor and chop until finely chopped.
2. In a large mixing bowl add the olive oil, lemon juice, 1/4 packet of tikka mix and the contents of the food processor, mix together well.
3. Add the turkey to the bowl and mix well to ensure the turkey is well coated with the marinade.
4. Leave to marinade in fridge for 2 hours.
5. Cook by prepared method, i.e. barbecue, grill or cook on hob in griddle.

Slightly Overcooked Lemon Pie

This is a photo of my recipe for ex mother-in-law's lemon pie which I baked last night, my version is baked in the oven but last night I left it a bit too long and the result was more of a cake. However, it tasted great with vanilla ice cream!

The version my ex mother-in-law makes is not cooked in the oven but left to chill in the fridge, she also makes a deeper pie in a larger dish by using 2 tins of condensed milk.

Refer to my recipe for ex mother-in-law's lemon pie for ingredients and instructions on how to make it. This can be found in Archive for July 2008.

'Cousin' Tinkerbell sleeping on the job

back by popular demand!

Oven Baked Tuna Steak

Another quick and simple recipe

Serves 1

You will need;

1 portion of fresh tuna steak
Half a fresh lemon
1 tablespoon of fresh coriander
1 tablespoon of olive oil
salt and black pepper

Place the tuna steak on a piece of foil big enough to wrap the tuna, squeeze over juice from half a lemon, sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander, pour over 1 tablespoon of olive oil and finally season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fold the foil over the tuna and seal the sides. Place on baking tray and bake in the oven on Gas Mark 4 for 30 minutes. Serve with fresh green salad and new potatoes.

The tuna could be replaced with fresh salmon if preferred.

Quick and Easy Spicy Oven Baked New Potatoes

For a very simple way of cooking potatoes and adding a bit of spice to them, especially if you are busy and don't have a lot of time spare this is a recipe you should try!

Heat oven to Gas Mark 6 or Electric 200C

You will need:-

500g of new potatoes, scrubbed clean and halved
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of margarine or butter
1 fresh red or green chili, finely chopped
3 spring onions, chopped
1 large tomato roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Fresh herbs finely chopped, whatever you have in the house, I use fresh coriander, mint or thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste

In a roasting tin put in the oil and margarine then put it in the oven, leave for approx 3 minutes until you hear the oil sizzling.

Remove roasting tin from the oven and add all the other ingredients; the potatoes, tomato, spring onions, garlic, chili, fresh herbs, pepper and salt. Mix well ensuring that the potatoes are covered well with the oil.

Return roasting tin to the oven and cook for approx 45 minutes to one hour, until potatoes are well browned. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Also taste great cold.

If you want to cook them over hot coals on a barbecue they should be covered with foil and stirred occasionally. They go great with grilled or barbecued food and a nice green salad.

Cheats Trifle

This is an easy way to prepare a semi traditional trifle, it also tastes great, I recommend everyone try it.

You will need:-

1 McVitie's Jamaica Ginger Cake, thickly sliced
1 small tin of fruit salad or fruit of your choice
1 carton of ready made jelly (any flavour)
1 tin of Ambrosia custard
1 250ml carton of Thick Devon Cream

To make the trifle:-

You will need a deep serving dish

Put into the dish the sliced cake, covering the bottom of the dish. On top of this pour over the fruit salad together with juice from tin. Cover this with the ready made jelly, you will have to spoon small portions over the fruit salad trying to make sure it is evenly divided. Then you pour over the tin of custard, spread out evenly. Finally pour over the cream ensuring that the top of the trifle is covered (I found using thick Devon cream that it does not require whipping as it is already thick enough).

Approximate time to create this masterpiece is 2 minutes, looks and tastes great. Enjoy.

Maderia Cake

This cake can be either decorated with icing or left plain, either way tastes great

You will need:-

8" round cake tin

450g plain floor
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
350g margarine
350g caster sugar
6 eggs beaten
2 teaspoons of lemon juice (or you could use vanilla essence)

What to do:-

1. Heat oven to 160C or Gas Mark 3

2. Grease cake tin.

3. In a large mixing bowl add the floor, using a sieve add the baking powder and mix well. Then add all the remaining ingredients and mix well, this will take approx 5 minutes. When mixture is creamy and smooth pour into cake tin.

4. Bake in middle of oven for approx 1 1/2 hours until browned on top and when skewer inserted comes out clean, if it browns too quickly whilst cooking cover with piece of foil.

5. Leave to cool then remove from tin.

You can then leave cake as it is or carefully cut into two horizontally and spread over one half butter icing, put the two pieces back together and cover with butter icing or icing of your choice.

Smoked Salmon & Watercress

Today's recipe is a very healthy, low fat dish, ideal as a starter, lunch or quick snack.

Serves 1

You will need:-

50g smoked salmon
Watercress, about 1/5 of a bag
1 teaspoon of capers
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper

What to do with all the ingredients:-

Place the watercress on a plate, sprinkle over the capers, top with the smoked salmon and drizzle over the lemon juice and season with ground pepper. Serve with slice of nice bread or Ryvita.

Simple to make but yet delicious!

Beef Bake

An interesting and very tasty dish, simple to cook , smells and looks great!

You will need:-

1 1/2 cups of basmati rice
500g lean minced beef
2 tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 courgette
1 pepper (yellow or red)
1/2 butternut squash
10 cherry tomatoes
1 tin spicy mixed taco beans or kidney beans in chili sauce
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander
1 teaspoon of mixed spice
1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
pepper

1 tablespoon of tomato puree
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of milk
water

To Cook It:-

1. Put rice in a pan with 3 cups of water, bring to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain and leave to cool.
2. Finely slice the onion, heat ghee or oil in large pan and when hot put in onions. Fry over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Finely chop garlic and add to pan, stir to mix, cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Chop courgette and pepper into small bite size pieces. Peel and chop butternut into small pieces. Add to pan and stir to mix. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add mixed spice and chili powder to pan, stir to mix.
6. Add taco beans and chopped tomatoes, mix well. Cook for a further 10 minutes then remove from heat.
7. In a measuring jug mix the tomato puree, mayonnaise and milk, add water to make mixture up to 250ml.
8. In an oven proof dish layer the rice and mince mixture, pour a small amount of the tomato/mayo mixture over each layer of rice, ending with a fine layer of rice on the top with the remaining tomato mayonnaise dressing.
9. Cover and bake in oven for 40 minutes. Gas mark 4 or electric 180.

Potato Salad

Creamy potato salad which is always good with any grilled meat or fish, or even just on its own with a green salad.

You will need:-

500g of salad potatoes, do not peel them
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of natural yogurt
1 egg, hard boiled
4 spring onions finely chopped


What you need to do:-

1. Boil the potatoes until just cooked, not so that they are soft but still slightly firm. Remove from pan and leave to cool.
2. Mix together the mayonnaise and yogurt.
3. Chop the potatoes into small chunks and put in mixing bowl.
4. Chop the boiled egg and add to the potatoes. Add chopped spring onions to the potatoes and egg and mix well.
5. Add mayonnaise mixture to the potatoes and mix gently. Put the potatoes in dish and serve.

For a variation you could add 1 tablespoon of curry powder, some crushed garlic, fresh herbs such as parsley, mint, coriander or 1 teaspoon of mustard to the mayonnaise to give it a different flavour.

Chicken Kebabs

A very simple recipe for delicious kebabs, which can be cooked on the barbecue or under a conventional grill, either way they taste great!

You will need:-

4 Chicken breasts, skinned

For the marinade:-

1 small onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons of clear honey
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of aromat seasoning (if you can't get hold of this just salt and pepper will do)
1 teaspoon of paprika
Freshly ground black pepper to taste (probably about 1/2 teaspoon should be enough)
Skewers

What to do:-

1. Chop chicken into small 1 inch chunks.

2. Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade and then add the chopped chicken.

3. Leave for at least 2 hours, overnight is best if you want to prepare for the next day.

4. Thread the chicken onto the skewers and cook under grill or on barbecue for approx 20 minutes, turning occasionally until meat is cooked.

Garlic and Capers Mayo Dressing

Quick and easy salad dressing/dip, again you have to love garlic, but is so tasty it will have you going back for more.

You will need:-

2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
1 tablespoon of capers, chopped
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of milk
Ground black pepper to taste

Next:-

Mix together all the ingredients and pour into serving dish.

Corned Beef Stew

One for the colder days, or as comfort food. Also a nice cheap meal which will comfortably feed 4 and have some left over for the following day, when it has to be said it always tates nicer.

You will need:-

1 tin of corned beef
4 large potatoes chopped into big chunks
2 carrots cut into small pieces
4 oz peas
1 onion chopped
3 oz pearl barley
1 pint of stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
1 bouquet garni or a bay leave will do
1 tablespoon of butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to taste

To cook it all:-

1. Heat large pan and melt the butter, then add the onion and carrots and simmer for approx 5 minutes.

2. Add the potatoes, peas, barley, herbs, salt, pepper and stock, cover and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.

3. Add the chopped corned beef, stir to mix and cover. Cook for a further 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, add more water if needed.

Coriander and Garlic Pork Chops

I cooked this again the other day and remembered how easy it was to make. Smells and looks great, one for the garlic lover.

What you need:-

4 pork chops or loin steaks
4 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped
1 teaspoon of crushed peppercorns
1 tablespoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of sugar
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander
salt to taste

What to do with it all:-

1. Place chops in a bowl.

2.Mix together the soy sauce, pepper, ground and fresh coriander, crushed garlic, sugar and salt
and pour over the chops. Leave for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Heat grill and cook chops for approx 20 - 30 minutes until fully cooked, turning occasionally and basting with the remaining marinade.

These can be eaten hot or cold. One suggestion for having them cold is to slice the meat on each chop thinly and serve with a green salad and some mayo dressing, or dressing of your choice.

They could also be cooked in the oven on a medium heat or on a barbeque

Quick Tasty Chicken

For a super quick meal for one place a skinless chicken breast in an oven dish, mix together 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard, season chicken with some salt and pepper then pour over mayo sauce, put in oven (gas mark 5) for approx 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked, then you have yourself a tasty chicken dish which you can serve with steamed veg and a salad. Nice and healthy (if you use low fat mayo).

Aromatic Rice Salad

This is a recipe which has been developed over the years, not sure if I have got it quite right yet but it is very tasty and goes well with barbecue, fried foods or even just with a salad. Smells great. You could try adding some finely diced green/red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions or whatever takes your fancy.

You will need:-

1 cup of rice (I use a mixture of basmati and long grain)
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 inch approx of fresh ginger finely chopped
1 handful of fresh coriander
1 handful of fresh parsley
1 handful of sultanas
1 handful of salted peanuts (but you could use any type of nut whether salted or not for an alternative flavour)
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

What to do with the ingredients

1. Cook rice, drain and leave to cool.
2. Put garlic, ginger, coriander and parsley into a food processor, when herbs are finely chopped mix with the rice. Add the peanuts and sultanas and mix well.
3. Mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil and pour over rice. Mix well. Serve garnished with some fresh coriander or parsley.

Ex Mother-In-Law's Lemon Pie

My ex mother-in-law had lots of weird and wonderful concoctions and this was one of the better ones, a nice dessert for any occasion

Things you will need:-
8" Flan or pie dish
1 450g tin of condensed milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 lemon (juice only but you may want to add some zest to give it extra zip)
1 packet of Marie biscuits (if you can't get hold of these then digestive or nice will do)
2oz low fat margarine or butter (melted)

Step 1
Crush all the biscuits in a large bowl then add the melted butter, mix well and put butter biscuit mix in flan or pie dish and smooth out to cover bottom of dish, firm down with the back of a spoon.

Step 2
Mix together the condensed milk, beaten egg and juice from the lemon (if you want to use zest you can add it to mixture at this point or alternatively sprinkle over top at end).

Step 3
Pour condensed milk mixture into flan base you now have two options, you can either put the pie in the fridge and leave to chill for an hour or so, or if you prefer a firmer pie you can put it into an oven on medium heat (gas mark 4) and cook for 30 minutes

Step 4
Eat and enjoy!

For a deeper pie or if using an 11" flan dish you need to double up the condensed milk and add another egg, ingredients for base will remain the same.

Yummy Mango Chutney (spicy +++)

For a nice accompaniment to salads, cooked meats, fish etc when you want it spicing up try this simple to make Mango chutney;

Simply put all the following ingredients in a food processor and you have yourself a chutney that will keep for approx a week;

1 small mango roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic
4 red chillies
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh coriander to garnish