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).