Smoky haloumi and quinoa salad

Smoky Haloumi and Quinoa Salad

• Bag of microwaveable quinoa
• 450g mixed tomatoes, cut into wedges
• Handful of rocket leaves
• 500g haloumi, sliced
• 6 sprigs lemon thyme
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for the dressing)
• 60ml lemon juice
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp honey

Method:-

Cook the quinoa in the microwave and allow to cool.  To make the dressing, place the lemon juice, paprika, oil and honey into a large bowl and whisk to combine.  Add the tomato, rocket and quinoa and toss to combine.  Place the haloumi, thyme, lemon zest in a bowl and toss to coat.  Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat.  Add the haloumi and cook for two minutes each side until golden.  Serve with the salad and enjoy this light meat free Monday dinner (OK, you can eat it any day of the week)...

This is (adapted very slightly) from a Donna Hay recipe.

Machos

Machos

This is a dirty old recipe, packed full of carbs but man is it tasty, ideal for a weekend treat!  If there was an 8th Deadly Sin, this would be it!  If you have any leftover Mac n cheese, pop it into a freezer container, make sure it is level, put it into the freezer and I will show you what to do with it in due course...

• 400g Macaroni
• 1 X portion starter sauce (for the recipe see The Don Macaroni)
• 230g Mature Cheddar, grated
• 90g Monterey Jack cheese grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• 200g Plain corn chips
• 1 X portion chilli (follow the link for recipe - Kankun Chilli Con Carne )
• 4 tbsp guacamole (follow the link for recipe - Guacamole)
• 4 tbsp pico de gallo (follow the link for recipe - Pico de Gallo)
• Handful of jalapeño pepper slices
• 4 tbsp sour cream
• Small bunch of coriander 
• 2 Limes cut into quarters

Method:-

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente.  Tip into a colander and leave to drain completely.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.  Add all the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the drained pasta to the sauce and mix thoroughly.

Spread the corn chips over a large serving plate.  Spoon the Mac as evenly as possible over the top, followed by the chilli (which you would have cooked earlier).  Add the guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeños and sour cream.  Garnish with the coriander and lime wedges.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Maes - Mac N Cheese (available on Amazon)

Smashed avocado and scrambled eggs on toast

Smashed avocado and scrambled eggs on toast

This is a great dish, suitable for anytime of the day and quick and simple to make which is always a plus.  Just had this as a late breakfast, such a great start to the day!

• 1 Ripe avocado
• 4 Eggs
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• Dash of milk
• Knob of butter
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Bread of choice to toast

Method:-
Preheat a nonstick frying pan and melt the butter.  Peel the avocado, remove the stone and then cut the avocado into chunks, place into a bowl, season and squeeze over some lemon juice.  Roughly smash the avocado, leaving chunks.  Beat the eggs together, season and add a dash of milk, add to the frying pan and scramble away, this should only take a few minutes.  Toast your bread, spread on the avocado and top with the scrambled egg.  As I like it spicy I added a few dollops of Kankun Habanero Sauce to the avocado and also to the scrambled eggs.  

The Don Macaroni

The Don Macaroni

I am one of the biggest lovers of MacNCheese and to say I was chuffed to bits to receive  "Anna Maes Mac N Cheese" cookbook for Christmas is an understatement.  Anna Mae has a food van and they sell Mac N Cheese, that is it, but oh my god, the variations on such a simple recipe is amazing.  I am going to work my way through the recipes and thought I would start with their most popular dish, The Don Macaroni.  I will detail the starter sauce within this post and will refer back to this when posting further recipes.  Anyone interested in obtaining a copy of the cook book, visit Amazon, the book is amazing, not only a cook book but funny as well, enjoy.

Starter Sauce

• 600ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g plain flour
• A pinch of salt

Place two heavy bottomed pans over a medium heat.  Heat the milk in one pan until hot, but not boiling.  At the same time melt the butter in the second pan, then reduce the heat to low and gradually stir in the flour using a wooden spoon until you have a paste - this is a roux.  Continue to cook, stirring continuously, for 3-4 minutes, or until the roux turns golden in colour, being careful not to over brown and burn the mixture.

Add the hot milk to the roux a little at a time, stirring vigorously.  Once the mixture is fully combined, turn up the heat to medium and cook for a further 5-8 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon.  Make sure you stir continuously to keep the sauce smooth and so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Season with salt.

Now for the ingredients for The Don Macaroni

• 400g macaroni
• 1 portion starter sauce
• 230g mature cheddar, grated
• 90g Monteray Jack, grated
• 30g Parmesan, grated
• 8 rashers of dry-cured streaky bacon
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the pesto

• 75ml good quality olive oil
• 25g grated Parmesan
• 25g pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• 10 fresh basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
• A squeeze of lemon

Method:-

First make the pesto.  Pop the ingredients into a small bowl and blitz with a hand blender or bash in a pestle and mortar until lovely and smooth.  Set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, until al denote.  Tip into a colander and leave to drain completely.

In a heavy bottomed pan make the starter sauce, then reduce the heat to low.  Stir in all the cheese and leave to melt, stirring occasionally to stop the mixture sticking to the pan.  Add the drained pasta to to the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly.

Meanwhile fry the bacon until crisp, pouring any fat that collects in the pan into the cheese sauce, mixing well.

Spoon the Mac n cheese into 4 serving bowls, drizzle the pesto over the top and place two of the bacon rashers across each dish.  Garnish with the basil and season with freshly ground pepper.

This was a truly amazing comfort food dinner, I can't wait to get stuck into more of the recipes.

Recipe courtesy of Anna Maes Mac N Cheese cookbook, well worth a buy if you are a lover!

Mexican Meatball Tortilla

Mexican Meatball Tortilla

For the tomato sauce

• 35ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 2 X 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• Pinch of sugar

For the meatballs

• 1 red onion, grated
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 red chilli finely chopped, remove the seeds for less heat
• Splash of olive oil
• 500g beef mince

• 4 tortillas
• Tbsp chopped jalapeños
• Grated mozzarella cheese
• Kankun chipotle sauce
• Kankun habanero sauce
• Thinly sliced pepper
• Thinly sliced red onion
• Sour cream
• Pea shoots

Method:-

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan then add the onion and garlic and fry over a gentle heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened but not coloured.  Add the chopped tomatoes with the sugar, season well and turn the heat up so the sauce is bubbling gently, cook for 40 minutes, stirring often.

Meanwhile make the meatballs.  Put all the ingredients apart from the oil in a bowl.  Season and mix with your hands then roll into 24 walnut sized balls.  Heat the oven to 220 degrees or 200 for fan assisted.  Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat.  When hot add the meatballs, frying on all sides for 5-6 minutes until golden.  Drop them into the sauce for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Place your tortillas onto baking trays, spread a tbsp of Kankun chipotle sauce over each base then sprinkle a handful of the grated mozzarella over the top of each tortilla.  Divide the meatballs and sauce over each tortilla and add a further handful of mozzarella over the top.  Add the peppers, red onion and jalapeño and place into the oven for around 10 minutes until the cheese has melted.  Remove from the oven, dollop some sour cream over each tortilla along with a few shakes of the Kankun habanero sauce and garnish with the pea shoots.  This is a really tasty dinner and quick and easy to make.

Tostadas Deluxe

Tostadas Deluxe

• 2 tbsp light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 400g tin pinto or black beans drained
• 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small red onion finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped jalapeño
• 1 avocado, halved, stoned, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander 
• 1 tbsp lime juice (approx half a lime)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ready made corn/flour tortillas
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• Pinch of sea salt 

Method:-

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan, add the beans and partially mash them with a fork, then add the garlic, ground cumin and jalapeño, fry for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the red onion, tomato, avocado, coriander and a pinch of sea salt.  Add the lime juice and extra virgin olive oil and toss the ingredients together.

Heat the tortillas in the microwave for a minute.

To assemble the tostadas, spread the bean mixture over the base of each tortilla, then spoon the salad mix over the top and finish with a crumbling of the feta cheese.  For an extra kick I also added Kankun habanero sauce over the top.  This is an ideal meat free Monday dinner with plenty of flavour.  

Recipe courtesy of Mary McCartney "At My Table"

Turkey Melt

Turkey Melt

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and a happy new year, fingers crossed those hangovers are all gone.  Anyone got any leftover turkey, here is a quick and easy recipe to use it up.

• 1 French baguette 
• Turkey slices
• Salad leaves
• Blue Brie (or cheese of choice)
• Mustard & mayo (or cranberry if you still have any knocking around)
• Sliced tomato
• Fries

Method:-

Cook the fries according to instructions, I gave these French fries a good dusting with piri piri seasoning.  Cut your baguette into an appropriate size to accommodate your turkey slices and cut down the middle. 

On the bottom half lay your turkey slices and top with slices of the cheese.  

When the fries are nearly done place the baguettes onto a baking tray and place into the oven until the cheese melts.  Plate up the fries, remove the baguettes from the oven and top with salad of your choice.  

On the top part of the baguette smother with a mix of mayo and mustard (or cranberry) place on the tomatoes and place this onto the bottom portion on the baguette and enjoy.  

A quick and easy supper idea to use up that turkey!

Mexican Open Omelette

Mexican Open Omelette

• 2 tsps olive oil
• Handful of chopped jalapeño peppers
• 1/2 diced red onion
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 eggs, whisked
• Handful of chopped coriander 
• Handful of crumbled feta & cheddar cheese

Method:-
Heat the oil in a medium sized frying pan.  Add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes then add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for a further 3 minutes.  Once done transfer to a plate and leave to one side.  

Preheat your grill to high.  Return the pan to the stove, add the whisked eggs and cook for around 5 minutes.  Cover the omelette with the cheddar cheese and place the pan under the grill until the cheese has melted and the omelette has puffed up slightly (remember to make sure the handle of the frying pan is outside the oven).  Transfer the omelette to a plate, scatter over the tomato and onion mixture along with the jalapeños, feta and coriander.

This was a late breakfast which was quick and easy to make and oh so tasty.  I drizzled some Kankun habanero and jalapeño sauce over the top for an extra zing.  An ideal recipe for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Avocado would be great with this as well, unfortunately the "perfectly ripe avocados " I had ordered were far from ripe!  Oh well, there is always next time.

Griddled Chicken with quinoa Greek salad

Griddled Chicken with quinoa Greek salad

• 225g quinoa
• 25g butter
• 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove crushed
• 400g chicken mini fillets
• 1 ½ tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 300g vine tomatoes, roughly chopped
• Handful pitted black Kalamata olives
• 1 red onion finely sliced
• 100g feta cheese, crumbled
• Small bunch of mint leaves, chopped
• Juice and zest ½ lemon

 Method:-

Cook the quinoa following the pack instructions, then rinse in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Meanwhile mix the butter, chilli and garlic into a paste.  Toss the chicken fillets in 2 tsp of the olive oil with some seasoning.  Lay in a hot griddle pan and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Transfer to a plate, dot with the spicy butter and set aside to melt. 

Next tip the tomatoes, olives, onion, feta and mint into a bowl.  Toss in the cooked quinoa. Stir through the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and zest, season well.  Serve with the chicken fillets on top, drizzled with any buttery chicken juices. 

This is a nice light zesty dinner with scope for chopping and changing the ingredients to suit your own taste.  As an addition I added some rocket to the dish, you could also add roughly chopped cucumber.  The recipe is courtesy of BBC goodfood    

Mexican tuna nicoise

Mexican tuna nicoise

Well, originally we were due to have tuna salad this evening however it was pretty chilly out and I got to thinking what can I do to pep this up, and this is what I came up with and boy was it tasty....

• 1 red pepper thinly sliced
• 2 flour tortillas
• 2 tbsp of kankun chipotle sauce
• 1/4 block of feta cheese (cubed)
• 4 tbsp sweetcorn
• 1 jar of line caught tuna
• Couple of handfuls of pea shoots
• Handful of sliced black olives
• 2 soft boiled eggs
• Drizzle of rapeseed vinaigrette

Method:-

Spread the kankun sauce over the flour tortillas, place on a baking tray and place in the oven at 200 degrees for around 10 minutes.  Once done remove and leave to one side to cool slightly.  Bring to the boil a small pan of water and boil the eggs for 5 and a half minutes, then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.  

Scatter the pea shoots over the tortillas along with the sweetcorn and sliced peppers.  Break up the tuna and place on top of the tortilla and crumble the feta on the top and scatter the black olives over it.  Carefully peel the soft boiled egg and place on top of each tortilla.  Drizzle with the rapeseed dressing (or dressing of choice) cut into the egg so the yolk oozes out and enjoy.

I really hope you enjoy this as much as we did, was something different and spur of the moment and it worked.