Menu Plan Tuesday

Last week got rather mixed around, so my Menu plan didn't get anywhere near as planned! Hopefully this week will be better although I have already fiddled with this one a couple of times as things come up! This naan pizza is from the week before last but it was so tasty that i thought it was worth sharing.



It uses a naan bread as a base, I then put about 3 tablespoons of home made tomato sauce on the base, added some spinach, olives and goats cheese and baked it in the oven for about 8-10 mins. It was so quick and easy to do and delicious to eat

This week's Menu Plan Monday I am trying out loads of new recipes, I'm still slowly working through the cookbooks on my shelf and trying different recipes from them. I wasn't a big fan of Sunday's dinner, but I will write more about that later in the week. I am looking forward to the toad in the hole, Its the first time I've tried to make it for just one, so I'll see how the batter goes.

Sunday
Lunch:Dumpling Noodle Soup
Dinner: Chicken Breast in a bag with cannellini beans, leeks, courgettes, cream and marjoram(Happy Days with the Naked Chef)

Monday
Lunch: Out with my Mum
Dinner: Crispy Prawns, Egg Fried Rice, Spring Rolls and Wontons

Tuesday
Lunch: Kipper Cakes, Salad
Dinner: Out

Wednesday
Lunch: Croque Monsieur, Salad
Dinner: Toad in the Hole with Parsnip and Potato Mash, Veg

Thursday
Lunch: Macaroni Cheese, Salad
Dinner: Maple Salmon with Courgette and Pesto Pasta

Friday
Lunch: Chicken Tenders with Egg Fried Rice, and Soy Sauce and Ginger Courgettes (Bento)Dinner: Smoked Haddock with Cannellini Beans and Leeks (Nigella Express)

Saturday
Lunch: with my parents
Dinner: Enchiladas

Sundried Tomato, Sage and Goats Cheese Stuffed Chicken Leg with Gravy

I love roast chicken, it is my ultimate comfort food, but a whole chicken is too big for just me. Sometimes I have a Poussin, which is much smaller, but I found some chicken legs in a farm shop in Northumberland, which are easier to stuff. I also love goats cheese and chicken and goats cheese seemed like a winning combination, so I added a few things to it and stuffed the chicken leg.



I served it with steamed broccoli and pasta with cabbage and pesto. The chicken was delicious, but I didn't really like the cabbage. It left a very strange after taste in my mouth!

Sun dried Tomato, Sage and Goats Cheese Stuffed Chicken Leg with Gravy
(Serves 1)

1 chicken leg
1/4 small log soft goats cheese
2 sun dried tomato pieces, sliced
3 sage leaves sliced

Preheat the oven to 200C

Make a pocket between the skin and the flesh of the chicken leg.

Slice the goats cheese, sun dried tomatoes and sage thinly and stuff the pocket with the cheese, sun dried tomatoes and sage.

Cook the chicken leg for about 30-40 mins until the skin is golden and crispy.

I left it to rest a bit whilst I made gravy with the pan juices by adding a little plain flour to the roasting pan and then some hot water and stirring. I put it back in the oven for about five mins
and voila lovely thick gravy.

Menu Plan Monday

My Mum gave me a packet of sliced smoked duck breast which she had left in her fridge, I used half of the packet in a bento and then the other half in this smoked duck and sesame potato salad. I didn't have any plum sauce so I used hoisin instead and it tasted delicious.

Last weeks Menu Plan went OK, the highlight was definitely the Miso Salmon with Green Tea Noodles and Mushrooms which I made for my Mum. The flavours went really well together. I have found a recipe for Tuna Steak with Green Tea Noodles which I'm hoping to try soon. This week is quite mixed with some tried and tested recipes and some new ones. I bought a pot of double cream when I went shopping on Friday and I still can't remember why I bought it! I'm using it in the veal stroganoff and a potato and courgette gratin that I can't think of anything to go with, I'll have to have a think during the week.

Sunday

Lunch: Croque Monsieur, Tomato and Goats Cheese Salad
Dinner: Cheese and Ham Orzo Casserole, Garlic Bread

Monday

Lunch: Out for sushi with my Mum
Dinner: Beef Yaki Soba

Tuesday

Lunch: Hummus, Artichoke and Olive Pitta Bread
Dinner: Pesto Pasta Salad with Mushrooms, Garlic Sausage and Green Beans

Wednesday

Lunch: Three Mushroom Rice
Dinner: Veal Stroganoff with Parsnip and Potato Mash, Veg

Thursday

Lunch: Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne, Salad
Dinner: Kipper Cakes with Veg

Friday

Lunch: Battered Prawns with Broccoli, Mushrooms and Noodle Stir Fry (Bento)
Dinner: Cassoulet with Smoked Sausage

Saturday

Lunch: Game Pie and Salad
Dinner: Potato and Courgette Gratin

Grilled Salmon with Green Tea Noodles and Mushrooms

My Mum came to stay on Tuesday evening and I wanted to cook her something special, but easy, for dinner. She loves Asian food but doesn't get to eat much of it, as my dad doesn't really like noodles or rice, so she chose Asian style salmon and I chose the recipes. I found this recipe from Wandering Chopsticks, adapted it, and teamed it with Green Tea Noodles, an impulse buy from the Japan Centre, and mushrooms.

I'm not a big fan of almonds or nuts in general, as was suggested as an accompaniment for the noodles the original post, so I used mushrooms instead. I also had problems with the glaze, what I got was more liquid, more like a marinade, So I left the salmon fillets in it for about half an hour to marinade and then rubbed miso paste on the salmon before I grilled it. I then heated the marinade in a small saucepan to create a sauce. It was delicious and the two parts of the meal went really well together, and my Mum loved it too!

Green Tea Noodles with Exotic Mushrooms

(Serves 2)

1 bundle of green tea noodles

100g mixed mushrooms

handful mangetout

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp soy sauce

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Saute the mushrooms, until they are lightly browned and the mange tout are cooked but still crisp.

Add the cooked noodles to the pan and add the mirin and soy sauce, stir fry for a minute until it is warmed through and serve.

Chinese Style Fish Soup

I haven't been very good at posting here recently, mainly due to college and work. I have just finished writing my first essay in about 3 years and boy am I glad that it's over! I'm not sure how happy I am with it, but if I fiddle with it anymore its going to drive me insane!

I also went to Lille for the day yesterday with my Mum and sister and we had a fantastic time. We ate lunch at La Compostelle, where I had an Asian beef salad and then dourade with red pepper and walnut pesto, a cream sauce and courgette risotto, and they were both delicious. We then looked round the shops and went to the supermarket where I stocked up on all the things I love but can't buy here. We also had tea in Meert and bought the most delicious cakes to eat on the train on the way back, it was a little tricky to eat them as we had no forks, but really tasty none the less.

As the evenings get colder here, although this week its been unseasonably warm, I start making lots of soups and casseroles. I love Asian style soups, especially noodle soup. This one was originally just a fairly plain Chinese fish soup with no noodles and not much veg, so I used the basic recipe and jazzed it up a little, adding egg noodles, spinach, sugar snap peas and mange tout. It was delicious.



Chinese Style Fish Noodle Soup (Adapted from Ken Hom's Hot Wok)
(Serves 4)

450g cod fillets
1 egg white
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
1.2 ltrs chicken/veg/fish stock
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp finely shredded root ginger
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp chilli oil
2 tsp rice vinegar
mixed stir fry veg
2 packets of straight to wok noodles

Remove the skin from the fish fillets and then cut them into small pieces, about 2.5cm square. Combine the fish, egg white, salt, pepper, sesame oil and cornflour and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 20 mins.

Pour the stock into a wok and bring it to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, shaoxing rice wine, ginger and spring onions and simmer for 30 secs. Then add the veg and noodles and simmer for 2 mins.

Add the fish and stir gently for 1 min. As soon as the fish turns white, immediately turn off the heat. Add the chilli oil and vinegar. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Menu Plan Monday and Rabbit

I am actually late with this again, things just got away from me at work again yesterday, so i started the post and never actually posted it! I also managed to print off the paper copy and leave it at work! I leave it down to the new pills I'm taking which are sending my head a little squiffy!

Anyway on Saturday night I made a delicious rabbit casserole from a recipe found through google. It was Provencal Rabbit Stew with Olives and Capers from We Are Never Full.



It ended up being a little too salty for me, but I made a fantastic pasta sauce by watering down the leftover liquid and adding sour cream to the leftovers for dinner yesterday.

This weeks Menu Plan Monday is like normal full of quick and easy meals. My Mum is coming to stay on Tuesday night as we are off to Lille for the day on Wednesday. I told my friend that I was basically going to Lille to grocery shop and she laughed and said that was typically me! So on Tuesday evening I'm trying something different to feed my Mum! I bought green tea noodles and had absolutely no idea what to do with them, but I found a fantastic mushroom noodle recipe so I'm going to try that as a side dish with some miso salmon.

I am so looking forward to going to Lille and all the exciting ingredients I can buy which I can't get here, especially lots of cheese!

Sunday
Lunch: Smoked Duck and Sesame Salad
Dinner: Goats Cheese and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Leg, Pasta with Pesto and Veg

Monday
Lunch: Onion Bhaji with Curry Fried Rice, Indian Spinach, Raita and Mango Chutney (Bento)
Dinner: Leftover Rabbit with Creamy Sauce and Pasta

Tuesday
Lunch: Pesto and Tomato Potato Salad, Sausages with Ketchup and Mustard (Bento)
Dinner: Miso Salmon with Green Tea Noodles and Mushrooms

Wednesday
Lunch: Out for lunch in Lille
Dinner: Picnic from Lille

Thursday
Lunch: Hoi Sin Smoked Duck with Yakisoba Noodles (Bento)
Dinner: Pitta/Naan Bread Pizza with Goats Cheese, Spinach and Olives

Friday
Lunch: Quiche and Salad
Dinner: Goan Fish Curry, Lentil Curry, Rice

Saturday
Lunch: Courgette Soup, Bread
Dinner: Chicken Nuggets, Baked Beans and Chips

Menu Plan Monday, Actually on a Monday!

This week I am actually posting this on a Monday! Hurrah! Last week went pretty well, only a few last minute changes were made. I ended up having take away on Friday evening so the Chinese Fish Soup rolls over to this week, and I still haven't braved my deep fat fryer to make the chicken and potato croquettes, I will have to work up the courage.

I spent a couple of days at my parents last week and was cooked for by my Mum. We had a lovely swordfish dish on Tuesday night and then steak and chips on Wednesday, and there really is nothing better than a home made chip! The highlight of last week for me was the Shrimp and Grits, I completely forgot to take a photo of it, but I loved the texture of the grits, which I added loads of cheese and butter to. I adapted one of the recipes from Jamie's America, which I bought last week, which added meatballs to the recipe, and the meat and prawns worked really well with the smokey flavour of the Old Bay.

I also participated in a snack swap through Live Journal this month and received my box of goodies over the weekend. I swapped with a lady in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and all the snacks she sent were local to her area, the nearest five minutes away and the furthest an hour away!

I rifled through the box a bit before I remembered to take the picture, but this is all the fantastic stuff I got, all laid out.

I have already eaten the whoopie pie, which I loved, and demolished half the block of Hershey's chocolate, which I kinda like, although its not as creamy as English chocolate. The pie is a shoofly pie, made out of molasses and looks really tasty, and I cannot wait to try the apple butter.

This week is fairly simple fare, mostly from my freezer stash as I have to write an essay and won't have much time for cooking.

Sunday

Lunch: English Muffin Cheese on Toast
Dinner: Out at an Asian Fusion Restaurant

Monday
Lunch: Macaroni Cheese, Salad
Dinner: Vegetarian Chilli in a Tortilla with Cheese and Sour Cream

Tuesday

Lunch: Hot Smoked Salmon Pasta Salad with peas
Dinner: Chinese Style Fish Soup (Ken Hom)

Wednesday

Lunch: Fish Finger Sandwich, Salad
Dinner: Steak Pie, Potato Gratin, Veg

Thursday

Lunch: Coriander Potatoes with Chickpeas, Salad
Dinner: Chicken and Bamboo Shoot Stir Fry, Jasmine Rice (Chinese Food Made Easy)

Friday

Lunch: Pesto Potato Salad with tomatoes, Frankfurters with Mustard/Ketchup (Bento)
Dinner: Out for dinner with a friend

Saturday

Lunch: Salad with Cheese, Smoked Duck etc
Dinner: Spaetzle with Sausage and Tomato Sauce