Pepper and kidney bean "risotto"

Not a very good picture - but a nice, comforting dinner.  Spicy rice mixture, creamy kidney beans and sharp pecorino.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek
2 celery stalks
1 large pepper (yellow today)
1 courgette
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 tsp mixed herbs
pinch chili flakes
small mug of rice
1 tin kidney beans
1 pint water
1 tin tomatoes
50g pecorino

1. Sweat chopped leeks and celery in olive oil, add other chopped vegetables.
2.  After a couple of minutes add garlic, herbs and chili.
3.  Add rice, turn over in pan until each grain is separated, and all ingredients have a film of oil.
4.  Add about half a pint of water, simmer until it starts to be soaked in.
5.  Add tin of kidney beans (rinsed), simmer for 5 minutes, add more water if it looks as if its going to dry out.
6.  After about 5-10 minutes add tinned tomatoes (chop on back of wooden spoon in the pan, if they are not already chopped).
7. Keep simmering, stirring occasionally.  Should be ready after about 10 minutes.
8.  Turn heat off, allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Serve, sprinkled with cheese.

This has made about 5 portions.

heavy sigh

Today is an end.  It is sad, for me.  I believed in some things.  I was wrong.

Veg box pasta with feta and salami

Yesterday my veg box arrived.  Now, I don't mind a challenge, but this is probably the oddest veg box I have ever had delivered.  (orange peppers, portabello mushrooms, broccoli, courgette, kholrabi,  green cabbage, runner beans, baby spinach) all separately really nice - but an odd mixture I thought - no onions, no spuds!  Anyway, had a leek, cherry tomatoes some feta and some salami - so....


1 tbsp olive olive oil
1 leek, cleaned and sliced.
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 kholrabi, peeled and chopped
6 runner beans, bite sized pieces
1 courgette chopped
1 tsp mixed herbs
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp chili flakes
500ml (+) stock
handful cherry tomatoes
1/2 pack feta, and some left over lancashire
8 slices salami
big handful baby spinach
200g (ish) pasta spirals

1.  Soften veg (leek, carrots, kholrabi, beans, courgette) in olive oil for a couple of minutes.
2.  Put pasta on to boil - follow packet instructions - boil for 2 minutes less than it says.
3. Add garlic, herbs, stock, chili, cherry tomatoes and seasoning to veg, stir, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or so.  (I would have added a glass of white wine if there was any knocking about).
4.  When pasta is cooked (almost) drain and add to veg, squish tomatoes down a bit.
5.  Add in chopped cheese, stir, lid on for a couple of minutes.  Add salami, chopped into pieces.
6.  Put spinach on top, lid back on for a minute, lid off stir spinach in until it is wilted.
7. Lift into bowl, season with more black pepper.
8. Scoff.

Apple and strawberry sponge

Lovely victims for lunch was also an excuse for a pudding, but continued the no shopping philosophy, so had strawberries and apples from veg box, and the usual staples in the cupboards.  I would normally have made the sponge a bit lemony with lemon rind, but didn't have any lemons, so added vanilla instead.

I also couldn't be bothered to measure things so just did it by eye.  I think the result was slightly less sweet than "recipe" sponge, which I preferred.  Victims scoffed happily, one with ice cream, and one with cream.  Tiny victim munched around the fruit in a very accomplished fashion.

2 apples
8 strawberries
Juice 1/2 orange
Sugar
Butter
2 eggs
Self raising flour
soya milk.

1.  Grease flan dish with butter, sprinkle some sugar on the bottom.
2.  Slice apples, spritz with orange juice to stop them going brown, slice strawberries.  Lay fruit on bottom of dish.
3.  Cream butter (about 75g) and sugar (about 75g) until light and fluffy.
4.  Add 1 egg, beat in, add self raising flour (about 75g) beat in.  Add the other egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract beat, add flour beat.
5.  If it looks a little stiff add a splash of milk (or soya milk in my case)
6.  Blob and smooth over fruit, and bake at 180C for about 30 minutes.

Delicious warm or cold.  People who have eaten with me know that I don't really "do" pudding when I am supposed to, so the victims had theirs yesterday, and I had mine for breakfast with natural yogurt.  Tsk, tsk... but it is Sunday.

Chipati wraps - spicy chicken and salad

Had some lovely victims come for lunch, and set myself the challenge of making something health and tasty without having to go to the shops.  Now, those of you who know me know that this is not much of ask, because I always have so much stuff knocking about.  However, one of the victims is a small sort of victim, so I wanted something which he would find bits to like as well.  So, my inspiration was fajitas/ burritos ... you know the kind of thing.  Trouble was I didn't have any avocado, salsa, cheese or sour cream - or indeed tortillas!  But what I did have was chipatis, chicken, yogurt, carrots, celariac and red pepper.  So, I made these....  I made mexican spicy chicken for bigger victims, and some chicken nuggety ones with breadcrumbs for the tiny victim.

1 pack chapatis
3 chicken breasts
Mexican spices
3 tbsp natural yogurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
2 tbsp flour, lightly seasoned
1 piece wholemeal bread, blitzed into breadcrumbs
1 tsp mixed herbs
6 carrots
Bunch radishes
1 small onion
1/2 celeriac
sesame seeds
mustard seeds
juice of 1 orange
Lettuce (cos and chinese leaf) shredded
1 red pepper, in strips
4 tbsp light mayonnaise

1.  Cut chicken breasts into strips.
2.  Mix mexican spices and garlic into yogurt and 1 tbsp olive oil, chuck in 2/3 rds of chicken - cover and put in fridge to marinade.
3.  Whisk egg, put seasoned flour on one plate, egg on the next and breadcrumbs mixed with herbs on a third.
4.  Cover the remaining chicken pieces in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs - cover and put in fridge.
5.  Slaw - grate and mix carrots, radish, onion, celeriac - add small handful mustard seeds, some sesame seeds and orange juice.  Chill.
6.  Cut up other salad ingredients.
7.  To make up - fry chicken nuggets in olive oil, and marinated chicken in another pan with a tiny amount of oil.
8.  Wet sheet of greaseproof paper under the tap, scrunch it up, smooth it out, and wrap chipatis in it - microwave for 2 minutes.
9.  When chicken bits are cooked, drain nuggets on kitchen paper, pile everything on table and let victims make their own dinner.

A round of applause from littlest victim for his chicken nuggets, but he wasn't keen on the red pepper.  Bigger victims demolished most of the rest.  The carrot, celeriac slaw was the best bit for me.   Success, I say.

Morrocan-ish pasta bake

Terrible pic - delicious dinner.  I have claimed it to be lower fat, because there is no thick cheesy sauce, some yogurt and some strong parmesan adding the savoury creaminess.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 leek, chopped
400g minced beef
1 red pepper, chopped
1 courgette chopped
a few mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch chili flakes
pinch mixed herbs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp tomato puree
500ml (ish) chicken stock
Big handful baby spinach
Small handful of pinenuts
100g feta, crumbed.
About 300ml natural yogurt
30g grated parmesan
Nutmeg
Pasta - about 200g

1.  Soften leek in olive oil.
2.  Add minced beef and brown.
3.  When mince is browned add chopped veg, garlic, herbs and chili, season.  Stir in for a couple of minutes.
4.  Cook pasta in boiling water.
5.  Add tomato puree, cinnamon and stock to mince mixture, stir in a simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6.  Drain cooked pasta, chuck into meat mixture with spinach and pinenuts.  Stir in until spinach has wilted.  Stir in crumbled feta.
7.  Mix half of the parmesan into the natural yogurt, add a tiny grating of nutmeg.
8.  Put meat and pasta into oven proof dish.  Spoon over cheesey yogurt, and sprinkle with reserved parmesan.
9.  Bake for 20 minutes at 180C.

Spicy beef stir fry with noodles

A stir fry is not the best thing to make when you have a hurty hand as there is too much chopping involved, and vigorous stirring and flipping can be a challenge - but I managed.

I used peanut oil, cos I had some, but any neutral flavoured vegetable oil would be fine, avoid olive oil.



1 tbsp peanut oil
about 100g steak - in bite sized strips
1 small leek
Fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
Chili flakes
1/2 red pepper, in strips
1/2 Kholrabi, peeled and chopped into strips
Small handful green beans
4 mushrooms
Chinese rice wine
Chinese rice wine vinegar
Soy sauce
Sweet chili sauce
1/2 tbsp cornflour
1 cup water
Beansprouts
Shredded chinese leaf
1 nest noodles
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp sesame oil

1.  Heat wok, add peanut oil.  Sear beef in hot oil.
2.  After a couple of minutes flipping meat about add chopped leek, garlic, ginger and chili. (set smoke alarm off)
3.  When leek is slightly softened, chuck in harder veg - beans, kholrabi and pepper.
4.  Splash in chinese rice wine, chinese rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Keep stirring around for a couple of minutes, add sliced mushrooms.
5. Add water, and boil quickly.
6.  Slake cornflour in water and stir in quickly to thicken sauce.
7.  Chuck in cooked, drained noodles, beansprouts and shredded cabbage.
8. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top, scoff.