Lamb Steak with Broccoli Artichoke Tagliatelle

I came up with this pasta dish basically to use up some of the leftovers I had from making other recipes. It all came together very well and made a cheesy veggie pasta dish.

I'm not a huge fan of cottage cheese though. I remember my mum eating it as part of a diet when I was a child and it has always had that reputation of being a rubbery white tasteless yucky thing that you only ate when trying to loose weight. I was sure I could do better though and make it actually taste palatable. Mixing it with other ingredients helped, the Parmesan also helped but I still don't really like the texture of the curds. Hmm maybe I'll never like this stuff!

Lamb Steak and Broccoli Artichoke Tagliatelle
(Serves 1)

1 lamb steak
1 tsp Old Bay or Cajun Seasoning
60g tagliatelle
3 artichokes, from a can or jar, cut into quarters
1/2 small head broccoli, cut into florets
1 tbsp creme fraiche
1-2 tbsp cottage cheese
Parmesan, grated

Preheat the grill.

Shake the seasoning over the lamb steak and leave for a few mins.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the past according to packet instructions, adding the broccoli for the last 3-4 mins. Drain.

Meanwhile cook the lamb for about 3-4 mins on each side.

Combine the pasta, broccoli, artichokes, creme fraiche, cottage cheese and Parmesan and mix together.

Serve the lamb with the pasta and a green salad.

Lemon Chicken Stir Fry

I'm still not sure about this stir fry. To me the lemony taste didn't come through enough, it just tasted of soy sauce. I have upped the amount of lemon in the recipe below as I think it needs it. I also changed the veg, as it's a stir fry and easily adapted to whatever you have in the fridge, one of the reasons I love stir fries. I served it over a bowl of rice, but noodles would have been just as good. It might also benefit from a bit of something sweet, honey maybe, to liven it up a bit too.

Lemon Chicken Stir Fry (adapted from Eating Well)
(Serves 4)

juice 1 lemon

100ml chicken stock

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp cornflour

1 tbsp oil

4 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal

2 red peppers, cut into chunks

150g sugar snap peas 

85g beansprouts

1 bunch spring onions, cut into 1-inch pieces, white and green parts divided

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Grate 1 tsp lemon zest and set aside. Whisk the lemon juice with stock, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate with tongs.

Add the peppers and carrots to the pan and cook until the carrots are just tender, about 5 minutes. Add sugar snap peas, scallion whites, garlic and the reserved lemon zest. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Whisk the broth mixture and add to the pan; cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spring onion greens, beansprouts and the chicken and any accumulated juices; cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with noodles or over rice.

Smoked Mackerel Pate

I love smoked mackerel pate, but it's not exactly one of the most picturesque of foods! My first memory of making it was at the after school cookery club I went to when I was 11. It was one of the first things we made and I have kept the recipe carefully taped into a cookery book every since. The only other thing I remember making in that class is a Christmas cake, complete with marzipan and icing, which was so much fun to make even if I don't actually like eating it!

The mackerel pate recipe from that class calls for cream cheese but in an effort to use what I do have rather than buying more stuff I only had creme fraîche, so I went hunting for a suitable recipe and found this one. The original recipe calls for butter but I didn't have any so I just left it out and the pate still tasted great. I had this in a sandwich with wholemeal bread and lettuce, so not even a photogenic sandwich!

Smoked Mackerel Pate (adapted from BBC Food)

2 whole smoked mackerel
1 tsp freshly grated horseradish
2 tsp Dijon mustard
black pepper
2 tbsp crème fraîche
½ lemon, juice only

Remove the skin from the fish. Add the fish to the blender.

Add the horseradish, mustard, black pepper, crème fraîche and lemon juice and blend to a paste.

Season to taste with salt. Serve.

Roasted Veg Israeli Couscous with a Poached Egg

Today I have an author visit at school, this is something that I organise and sort out, the run up to this one has not been smooth even less so as I managed to schedule it for the day after a bank holiday! But in a couple of hours it will all be over and I will be able to enjoy the sunshine for a little bit! It really is beautiful out there today.

Last Monday I went to a new zumba class last week in Westminster after work and I knew that I would be back much later than normal so I wanted something quick for dinner. This turned out to be a dinner of kings. I made the couscous and roasted veg mix the day before and just reheated it in a pan as the egg was poaching, sprinkled over the cheese and I was good to go. It was delicious and just what I needed after a hard work out!

Roasted Veg Israeli Couscous with a Poached Egg (adapted from For the Love of Cooking)
(Serves 4)

 cooking spray
1 aubergine, diced small
1 small sweet yellow onion, diced small
1 fennel bulb, diced small
1 red pepper, diced small
5 cloves of garlic, skins kept on
salt and pepper, to taste
24 cherry tomatoes
300g Israeli/giant couscous
4 eggs
Goat's cheese
Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with tin foil then coat it with cooking spray.

Place the veg onto the baking sheet then add the cloves of garlic (skins on). Spray with cooking spray and then season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven and roast for 20 minutes, stirring the mixture, after 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to roast for 15-20 more minutes. Carefully remove the garlic cloves from the tray and squeeze the garlic out of the skins.

Meanwhile, Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the Israeli/giant couscous according to the packet instructions.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and poach the eggs.

Add the roasted veggies to the couscous and gently mix until well combined. Pour into a serving dish, top with the poached egg then sprinkle the top with goat's cheese and Parmesan.

Prawns in Avocado Yoghurt Sauce

I love a traditional prawn cocktail. We had it a lot at home when I was a child but sometimes I want soomething a little bit different and this makes a nice change from prawn cocktail. It's refreshing and creamy. I served it on a bed of salad with plently of crusty bread to mop up the leftover sauce!

I have also been growing sprouts and I sprinkled a few alfalfa sprouts over the lettuce leaves for this salad and they added a lovely extra flavour. However people don't seem to be selling sprouting seeds anymore, all I could get were alfalfa and mung bean seeds, I'm not sure if this is because they have gone out of fashion and been overtaken by people wanting to grow more exotic fare, in the garden centre they had seeds for mooli and calaloo! But I still love them and I love the fact that I can grow them on my window sill and see them growing and that they appear in a week or so! It's so much fun.

Prawns in Avocado Yoghurt Sauce (adapted from Better Recipes)
(Serves 4)

375ml plain low-fat yogurt

2 avocados, peeled, stoned

1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped roughly

juice 1 lime

salt

1 chilli, halved, seeds and membranes removed

small bunch coriander leaves

300g cooked, peeled prawns

 

Put all of the ingredients, excluding the prawns into a blender and blend until smooth and mixed together.

 

Add in the prawns and stir until the prawns are well covered.

 

Serve on a bed of salad or in a sandwich.

Meal Planning Monday

Today is bank holiday Monday and so I am hopefully out enjoying the sunshine somewhere but I thought I schedule my meal plan so it came out on Monday. Today is actually Friday and in light of watching people do the Live Below the Line challenge this week, I am trying to use up some of the stuff I have in my cupboards, fridge and freezer instead of going out and buying more new stuff I don't really need. The only thing I need to buy for next week is some salad.

Next week is not too bad but we are now three weeks into term and I am starting to get exhausted again, the sunny weather is helping a little though and I really enjoyed sitting out in the sunshone eating my lunch today. I have a big author visit on Tuesday and an after school book group on Wednesday but A Chorus Line and lots of zumba should help to lift my mood somewhat. I have also finally got my hands on some fresh kaffir lime leaves so I cannot wait to try them out in the Corn and Coconut Milk Soup, however they are currently stuck at the Post Office Depot, who hopefully will let me have them tomorrow!

Monday
Corn and Coconut Milk Soup
Mushroom Wellington with Salad

Tuesday
Vegetable Soup
Out at the theatre - A Chorus Line this time!

Wednesday
Broccoli and Rice Casserole and Salad
Chicken and Barbecue Sauce Wrap with Crisps

Thursday
Cheese and Pickle Sandwich with Crisps
Out at Byron Burger with a friend

Friday
Tomato Pasta Salad (WeightWatchers Cooking for One)
Sardines Stuffed with Orange and Bay with Potato Salad and Veg

Saturday
Smoked Salmon Pitta Pizza
Mushroom Pesto Burger with Potato Wedges

Baked Chicken and Chicory in a Mustard and Tarragon Sauce

This used up the last of my chicory and was absolutely delicious. It was lovely and creamy and mustardy. I served it with boiled new potatoes and steamed carrots and beans.

Baked Chicken and Chicory in a Mustard and Tarragon Sauce
(adapted from Good Food Magazine February 2004)
(Serves 4)

3 head of white chicory
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp dry white wine, chicken stock or water
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped

For the sauce
25g butter
1 tbsp plain flour
300ml milk
150ml low fat crème fraîche or soured cream
1 tsp dried tarragon
2-3 tsp smooth Dijon mustard
2-3 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
50g cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 180C. Trim away the stalk ends of the chicory, discard any limp or tired outer leaves, then cut the vegetable lengthways into quarters. Pour the oil over the bottom of a large shallow baking dish and arrange the sections of chicory, cut-side up, in a single layer. Pour over the wine, stock or water and cover with foil. Bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile slice the chicken into strips 1cm thick. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large frying pan until foaming, add sliced chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is just turning golden brown. Stir in the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the dish from the oven and add the chicken mixture to the chicory. Replace the foil and set the dish aside while you make the sauce.

Melt the butter for the sauce in the frying pan (no need to wash it) then stir in the flour. Gradually pour in the milk, stirring all the time until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the crème fraîche or soured cream, tarragon and 2 tsp each of both mustards. Taste and add extra mustard plus salt and pepper if you think they're needed.

Pour the sauce over the chicory and chicken and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden.

Spinach, Artichoke, Egg Grilled Sandwich

This sandwich was born out of this recipe from Six Sisters and this one from The Sweets Life. I saw both of them and using what I had leftover in the fridge I concoted a similar sandwich of my own. It was delicious.

Spinach, Artichoke and Egg Grilled Sandwich
(Serves 1)

50g spinach
oil
1 egg
2 tbsp cottage cheese
salt and pepper
2 artichokes, cut into quarters
1 panini or ciabatta roll

Wash the spinach and put into a colander. Tip a kettle of boiling water over the spinach and then run under cold water, squeeze out as much water as possible.

Meanwhile heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the egg to your liking i did mine fried on both sides.

Split the roll in half and place the spinach on one half, put the cottage cheese on top and then the artichokes. Season with salt and pepper and top with the egg and then the other half if the roll.

Grill on your panini press until the bread is golden and crunchy.

Pork in a Mushroom Paprika Sauce

This was delicious if it did nearly kill me! I have these little sacks of paprika that have been hanging around in my kitchen for a while and by a while I mean a few years. I assumed that because they'd been there a while the flavour and potency would have decreased somewhat. This proved not to be the case!! I used all hot paprika in this recipe and nearly blew my mouth off!! Next time I make it, it's going to be half hot half sweet or smoked as I loved the flavour but it was a little bit too spicy!

The original recipe used pork chops but I swapped them for loin steaks and I grilled rather than fried the meat, which probably meant that there was less meaty flavour in the sauce but it still tasted pretty fantastic. I served it with spaetzle as I had some from the Christmas food parcel that my Mum had given me but it would be just as good with pasta.

Pork in a Mushroom Paprika Sauce (adapted from Closet Cooking)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp oil
4 loin steaks
salt and pepper
1 tbsp low fat spread
1 onion, chopped
225g mixed mushrooms, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp paprika
250ml beef stock
120ml sour cream
2 tbsp dill, chopped

Preheat the grill.

Season the pork loin steaks with salt and pepper.

Grill the pork until just cooked all the way through and golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side and set aside.

Meanwhile melt the low fat spread in a frying pan. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste, flour, paprika, dill, salt and pepper and stir. Add the stock and let it bubble and scrape to deglaze the pan. Simmer until the sauce thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in the sour cream and dill. Serve with pasta or spaetzle.

Crab Sushi Salad

I only have brown sushi rice at the moment and the first time I tried to make this salad I cooked the rice according to what I knew from making white sushi rice and it failed, I ended up with crunchy lumps of rice. So second time round I actually read the packet! All I had to do was add a bit more water. This is a delicious Asian inspired salad, I've been growing sprouts recently so I decided to add a few of them, but if you haven't got any they are not integral to the dish.

I also as you can see took this to work for lunch. I packed almost everything up the day before, but did the avocado in the morning to try and stop it going brown. I also packed the dressing in a separate tub and poured that over when I got to lunch time.

Crab Sushi Salad
(Serves 1)

60g sushi rice
1 spring onion, chopped
4 slices cucumber, diced
1/2 avocado, chopped
1/2 tin lump meat crab
handful alfalfa sprouts

for the dressing
rice wine vinegar
pinch sugar
1/4 tsp wasabi powder

Cook the rice according to packet instructions, I do mine in a rice cooker as I find it easier.

In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the dressing.

Layer up the ingredients and pour over the dressing.