Pumpkin and Chickpea curry

All the years of being young and trick and treating and carving pumpkins I've never before tried pumpkin – so I thought it would be worth a try – at least I will know one way or another if I like it or not. I brought a medium sized pumpkin and good lord you get a lot of flesh on those things! It felt like I had pumpkin coming out of my ears! I swear I was close to overdosing on it!

Ingredients – Serves 4 – ready in 30 minutes

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  
• 3 tbsp Thai yellow curry paste
  
• 2 onions , finely chopped
  
• 3 large stalks lemongrass , bashed with the back of a knife
  
• 6 cardamom pods
  
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
  
• 1 piece pumpkin or a small squash (about 1kg)
  
• 250ml vegetable stock
  
• 400ml can reduced-fat coconut milk
  
• 400g can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
  
• 2 limes
  
• large handful mint leaves
  
• naan bread , to serve

Now for the How To:

• Heat the oil in a sauté pan, and then gently fry the curry paste with the onions, lemongrass, cardamom and mustard seed for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
  
• Stir the pumpkin or squash into the pan and coat in the paste, and then pour in the stock and coconut milk.
  
• Bring everything to a simmer, add the chickpeas, and then cook for about 10 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.
  
• The curry can now be cooled and frozen for up to 1 month.
  
• Squeeze the juice of one lime into the curry, and then cut the other lime into wedges to serve alongside.
  
• Just before serving, tear over mint leaves, then bring to the table with the lime wedges and warm naan breads.

The good thing about this recipe is that it is vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and it is only 293 calories per serving – so you get a great tasting curry which is really good for you – so any of you still on your New Year diets – this is one to try!
Next up is another cake.... this time pumpkin cake! Its wonderful!

Gumbo Style Chicken

I’ve often read about gumbo and I tried it in a restaurant once and ever since then I have been hooked on the stuff! It is a must try! 

Serves 2 – Ready in 1 hour

Ingredients 

·         4 skinless chicken thighs (or breasts if you prefer) cut into chunks

·         Groundnut Oil, or other flavorless oil

·         2 Rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped

·         1 onion, finely chopped

·         2 garlic gloves, chopped

·         2 celery stalks, finely chopped

·         2tsp plain flour

·         1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes

·         300ml chicken stock

·         1 green pepper, cut into chunks

·         2 bay leaves

·         2 sprigs thyme

·         1 tsp cayenne pepper

·         100g cured smoked sausage (EG Kabanos) sliced

·         Crusty bread to serve

Now for the How To: 

·         Season the chicken then brown in 2 tbsp oil until golden. Scoop out of the pan.

·         Add the bacon and cook till crisp

·         Add the onion, garlic and celery.

·         Cook until softened and starting to colour.

·         Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring until the bacon, vegetables and flour turns golden.

·         Tip in the tomatoes and break up with a spoon, and keep stirring till everything is combined.

·         Stir in the stock then add the pepper, herbs, cayenne pepper and sausage.

·         Add the chicken and season really well.

·         Simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is really tender and the sauce reduced. Serve with crusty bread. 

This dish is so tasty – I would highly recommend it! Next up Dandelion and Burdock cake! YUMMY

Bye for Now! X

Cinnamon Nutella Cake

I had a day off work, and what better way to spend it than by baking a cake! I was going to make this for father’s day, but my dad decided he wanted me to bake something else so I thought what better time to try it!

Serves – about 12 slices - ready in 60 - 70 minutes

Ingredients:

·         175g softened butter

·         175g golden caster sugar

·         3 eggs

·         200g self raising flour

·         1tsp baking powder

·         2tsp ground cinnamon

·         4tbsp milk

·         4 rounded tbsp nutella

·         50g hazelnuts, chopped.

Now for the How To:

·         Preheat the oven to 180c / gas 4 / fan 60c. Nutter and line the base of a 20cm round cake tin.

·         Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

·         Add one egg at a time along with a spoonful of milk and spoonful of the sieved flour, cinnamon and baking powder, and gently mix together.

·         Continue to do this until all flour is mixed in and the mixture remains light and fluffy.]

·         Tip three quarters of the mixture into the tin, spread it level, spoon the nutella into the mixture in 4 blobs.

·         Top with the remaining mixture, swirl a few times with a skewer then smooth to cover the nutella.

·         Sprinkle with the nuts

·         Bake for 60 – 70 minutes, until risen, nicely browned and feels firm to touch and springs back when lightly pressed (use a cocktail stick to poke the cake, if it comes out clean its cooked)

·         Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack.

·         Wrap up tightly in double thick foil to keep fresh for up to a week! 

I LOVED this cake! It was so moist, it came out of the tin with complete ease, it was easy to make and good lord it was amazing! 5 days later and it was still as moist as the first day! I was surprised this was still the case, although be warned, you will have to restrain yourself if it’s going to last that long!

My grandparents even tried a bit of the cake and they loved it, at first they thought it was made, this made me so happy! I love my grandparents anyway but this confirmed it!

You really need to try this cake! It will beat any of the cakes that you will buy!

Do you have a favourite sweet / desert?

Next up is a smoky chicken & bean stew!

Bye for Now! x

Mini Meatloaves with chive Mash

I’ve often heard of meat loaves in American TV shows and movies, and so I decided its worth giving it a go to see what all the fuss is about, I'm not sure if it’s exactly how the Americans do it, but there’s no harm in trying!

Serves 4 – read in 1 hour including prep

Ingredients:

For the Meatloaves:

·         4 tsp olive oil

·         1 onion, finely chopped.

·         1 carrot, finely chopped

·         50g fresh breadcrumbs

·         175ml passata

·         2tsp Worcestershire sauce

·         1 egg, beaten

·         500g lean beef or pork mince

·         2tsp thyme leaves

·         2 plum tomatoes, halved, seeds scraped out

·         1 tsp sugar

For the Chive Mash:

·         4 large potatoes (Maris Pipers)

·         2tbsp butter

·         100ml milk

·         chives

Now for the How To:

·         Heat oven to 200c / 180 fan / gas 6 and heat 1tsp oil in a large frying pan.

·         Add the onion and carrot and soften for 10 minutes.

·         Once cooked add to a large bowl, add the breadcrumbs, 5 tbsp of the pasta, the Worcestershire sauce, egg, mince half the thyme and some seasoning. Mix well.

·         Brush 4 large ramekins, or 6 muffin tins with the remaining oil (if using the silicone muffin trays, the extra oil isn’t needed)

·         Press the mince mixture into them, and pour the remaining cassata over the top.

·         Top each one with a tomato half, sprinkled with a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper and the remaining thyme.

·         Bake for 50 minutes.

·         Meanwhile peel and chop the potatoes and boil for 15 minutes in salted water until tender.

·         Drain and return to the pan, mash with the butter and the milk.

·         Season to taste, fold through a small bunch snipped chives and serve.

I didn’t really know what to expect from this recipe, as I didn’t really know what a meat loaf was! But the only way I can think of describing it is a mix between a meatball and a faggot it was delicious and I can understand exactly why it’s so often mentioned in American TV shows and films! I will be trying this recipe again soon!

Next up is a desert and cinnamon Nutella Cake!

Bye for Now! X

Chicken Chow Mein

So again my dad decided on this dish, I have no idea what makes him decide on what he prefers, but this time it was chicken chow mein, now I’ll be honest, I’ve never tried this dish before now, whenever I go out for a Chinese it’s something I always bypass thinking it’s not going to be worth the money and it won’t fill me up etc, I will certainly spend a minute or two searching the chow mein section.

Serves 2 – ready In 35 minutes (or less)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

·         Thumb sized piece fresh root ginger

·         2 garlic cloves

·         3 tbsp tomato ketchup

·         2 tbsp oyster sauce

·         2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce

For the noodles:

·         1 large red pepper

·         5 spring onions

·         200g bean sprouts

·         2 small chicken breasts

·         3 nest medium egg noodles

·         1tbsp sunflower oil

Now for the How To:

·         Using a potato peeler remove the skin from the ginger and grate 1tbsp from the root.

·         Put into pestle and mortar and crush in the garlic, add the ketchup, oyster sauce soy sauce and 3 tbsp of water and mix well.

·         Cut the pepper into quarters, removing the seeds and stalk and slice diagonally into strips.

·         Cut the ends off the spring onions and cut the onion lengthways.

·         Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

·         Boil a large pan of water on the hob, when the water is boiling drop in the noodles, turn off the heat and leave for 4 minutes, then drain.

·         With everything prepared you can now start cooking.

·         Heat the wok, when it starts to smoke its hot enough, add the oil and the chicken. Keep moving the chicken around until it’s cooked.

·         Add the pepper and stir fry for a further minute.

·         Pour the sauce into the wok and stir well until bubbling.

·         Add the noodles, bean sprouts and spring onions a handful at a time, making sure they are well coated with the sauce and stirring until the bean sprouts have wilted. 

I was surprised by this dish; it was quick, easy, tasty and very filling. I didn’t really know what to expect and I really enjoyed it, the pepper still have a bit of a bite to it, and the noodles were cooked perfectly, and the sauce had a brilliant mixture of flavours! My dad said it wasn’t quite as good as the local take aways but it’s a very close second and that’s good enough for me!

What do you normally order when you have a Chinese? I used to like the sweet and sour chicken balls, but the batter just got too much for me, I now like the shredded chicken, and prawn toast is always a winner in my books!

Next up is mini meatloaves with chive mash

Bye for Now! x

Pork Burgers with Herby Wedges

I only ever made beef burgers  before, so I thought attempting pork burgers would be something different, and I was willing to give it a go, I hope you do as well.

Serves 4 - Ready in 40 minutes including preparation

Ingredients:

·         3 Large Baking Potatoes, cut into wedges.

·         1 Red pepper, deseeded, cut into quarters.

·         1tbsp vegetable oil, plus 1tsp extra.

·         2 tsp dried mixed herbs.

·         500g pack pork mince.

·         3 garlic cloves, crushed.

·         2 tsp smoked paprika.

·         1 large egg

·         5 tbsp mayonnaise

·         Burger buns, lettuce and onion, to serve.

Now for the How To:

·         Heat oven to 230C / 210C Fan / Gas 8. Toss potatoes and pepper with 1 tbsp oil and 1 tsp of the mixed herbs on a large baking tray.

·         Roast for 25 minutes, turning once, until the chips are golden and the pepper soft.

·         Meanwhile, mix the mince, two – thirds of the garlic, the paprika, egg, remaining herbs and seasoning in a bowl.

·         Shape into 4 burgers (this mix can now be frozen)

·         Heat a frying pan, add 1 tsp oil, and cook for 15 minutes, turning halfway.

·         Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining garlic.

·         Season the wedges.

·         Serve the burgers in buns with lettuce, onion, red pepper and garlic mayo, with the wedges on the side. 

They were rather different to the usual beef burgers that I make, but the only real difference is the meat, and I include onions in with the mince with the beef burgers. The pork burgers have a completely different texture, but I will say I would be tempted to make them again!

I used ciabatta buns, which I lightly toasted in order to give them a crunch, a bit more of a flavour and stops them from going soggy! I think it worked well.

This recipe can be made easier, by leaving out the garlic mayo if you don’t want it, or by using oven chips, or chip chop chips rather than making your own wedges, it’s versatile, and quick and easy, you must try it!

Do you have a favourite type of burger? Are you a mayo fan? Or just use ketchup?

Next up is Pork, Chilli & Bean Stew!

Bye for Now!x