Roasted Red Pepper & Butternut Squash Soup

 

Roasted Red Pepper & Butternut Squash Soup. 

This is a simple, deliciously healthy recipe, 

that you can eat as part of a low carb diet. 

Ingredients

2 tblsps Olive Oil

4 Red Pepper, de seeded and halved

400gr Butternut Squash, diced

1 Medium Onion, diced

500ml Vegetable Stock

½ tsp Chilli Flakes

Salt & Black Pepper to taste. 

Method

Heat oven to 180c

Place the peppers, onions and Butternut Squash in an oven tray. Season well and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of oil over. 

Cook in the oven until the edges of the peppers blacken ( 20-30mins).

Allow to cool, then dice the peppers. 

In a large saucepan, heat the remaining oil and add the roasted veg. Pour in the veg stock and chilli flakes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 25mins, until the veg is soft. 

Now just blitz it in a food processor, until smooth. Check for seasoning and serve. 

Delicious! 

Chickpea & Lentil Curry.

 

Chickpea and Lentil Curry. 

This is a very tasty side, or even a main dish if you prefer, packed full of flavour and goodness! 

INGEDIENTS

1 Tblsp Veg Oil

1 Tsp Mustard Seeds

5-6 Curry Leaves

1 Large Onion chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

2 Tomatoes, seeds removed and chopped

1 Red Pepper deseeded and sliced into strips

1-2 Fresh Green Chillies, finely chopped

2 tsps Garam Masala

½ tsp Turmeric

½ 400g tin Green Lentils, drained washed

½ 400g tin Chickpeas, drained & washed

1tsp Salt

1tsp Ground Black Pepper or to taste

METHOD

Heat the oil on medium and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. 

When the mustard seeds start to pop add the onions and fry until soft and golden in colour (about 5-8 minutes). 

Now add the garlic and green chillies. 

Fry for another 2 mins, then add the turmeric, pepper, salt and 1 tsp of Garam masala, stirring to make sure the spices don't catch, turn the heat down a little. 

Fry for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, red pepper and a splash of water. Cook the tomatoes until that break down to form a thick Masala sauce, add more water if needed. Now add the Chickpeas and Lentils and allow to cook in the sauce until it all comes together. Break down some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon. 

Finally add the other tsp of Garam Masala, taste for seasoning, stir and serve. 

Tandoori Chicken

 

Tandoori Chicken

This is a delicious recipe.

The chicken is marinated overnight to infuse the spices. It goes really well with a nice salad and a yogurt & mint raita.

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken thighs (bone in, skin removed). 

1 tblsp cooking oil

Juice from 1 lemon

3 or 4 Garlic cloves

2cm piece of grated Ginger

1 Green chilli chopped

200ml of Greek style Yogurt

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Cumin seeds crushed

1 tblsp Red Kashmiri Chilli powder

1 tblsp Dried Fenugreek leaves. 

Method:

Slash the chicken a couple of times down to the bone. 

Blend or pound the Garlic, Ginger and Green Chilli to a pulp. 

Put the chicken in a large bowl and mix in the Garlic, Chilli and ginger mix. 

Now stir in the Lemon Juice and Cooking Oil. 

In a separate bowl mix the yogurt with all the other ingredients. 

Add this mixture to the Chicken and mix well using your hands. 

Once mixed, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours. 

Next, place under a hot grill and cook, turning occasionally, allowing to blacken slightly to give that authentic charred look. 

Make sure the Chicken is cooked right through and juices run clear. 

Enjoy! 

Healthy Ham and Cheese Salad

 

Healthy Ham & Cheese Salad

Serves 1.

Nice and easy, healthy lunch with a touch of the Mediterranean. 

Ingredients

1 little gem lettuce torn into pieces

3 Cherry Tomatoes halved

2 Spring Onions chopped

¼ of a Cucumber cut into chunks 

30g Hard Cheese (Cheddar or similar) cubed. 

3 slices of Ham cut into strips

A small handful of Pumpkin Seeds

4 or 5 Green Olives halved

Juice of half a Lemon

1 Tblsp Olive Oil 

3 Tinned Anchovies cut into pieces

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Spread the salad ingredients on a plate

Layer with ham and cheese

Mix the lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the top. 

Finally top with Anchovies, Olives and pumpkin Seeds

Season well and enjoy! 

Punjabi Chicken Curry!

 

Staying in tonight, how about a nice curry?

Try a Punjabi Chicken recipe, it's delicious!

You will need:

500g Chicken pieces bone in

15g ginger chopped

8 cloves of garlic sliced

4 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

2" piece of cinnamon

4 cloves

salt to taste

3-4 green chillies whole but pierced

1 large onion sliced

3 tomatoes

1 tbl spoon of ground coriander

1.5 tsps of ground cumin

half tsp turmeric

quarter tsp chili powder

handful of chopped coriander leaves

To Cook:

brown the onions well in 5 tablespoons of veg oil for about 8mins

meanwhile in a blender blitz the tomatoes, garlic and ginger with a little water until smooth

add the cardamoms, green chillies, cinnamon and cloves to the pot and cook for a further 2 mins.

remove skin from the chicken and add to the pot and brown for 5 mins.

add the blended ingredients powdered spices and salt  with half a  cup of water cook for a further 5 mins.

add enough warm water to come half way up the chicken and cook on a low heat for 20 mins or until the chicken is cooked turn off the heat and add the chopped coriander and serve.

Brinjal, Paneer & Spinach Curry

 Brinjal, Paneer & Spinach Curry

I had an Aubergine in the fridge, so I thought I'd try and cook up a new recipe and it turned out really well. Full of flavour, with the added luxurious taste of coconut milk. 

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Aubergine plus veg oil

2-3 tblsps oil

1tsp Black Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

8-10 Curry leaves

5cm Cassia bark

1 Red Onion finely sliced

4 Garlic cloves chopped

1 thumb size piece of Ginger finely chopped

3-4 mild green Chilli's finely chopped

1tsp ground Cumin

1tsp ground Coriander

1tsp Kashmiri Chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric 

1tsp Salt or to taste

3 Tomatoes chopped

100gr Baby Leaf Spinach

150gr Paneer diced

3 tblsps Coconut Milk

1tsp Garam Masala 

Handful chopped Coriander 

METHOD

Aubergine. 

Heat an oven tray in a hot oven 220c

Slice aubergine into 10mm slices, then each slice into 3 batons. 

Toss the Aubergine in some oil in a bowl. 

Tip into the hot tray and roast until browned but not burnt. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

Masala Sauce. 

Heat the oil over a medium heat

Add the Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Curry leaves and Cassia bark. Cook until Mustard seeds begin to pop. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 10mins.

Now add the Garlic Chillies and Ginger. 

Cook for around 2mins, then add the ground spices and salt, stir, cook for a minute, adding a splash of water. 

Throw in the chopped tomatoes and cook on low-medium heat until the tomatoes break down. Add a splash of water if the sauce starts to catch. 

To Finish. 

Stir in the Paneer and 3 tblsps of coconut milk. Cook for 5mins on low, then add all the Spinach. Cover the pan and cook on low until the Spinach has wilted down. 

Now stir in the roasted Aubergine, warm through, add the Garam Masala, stir and remove from the heat. Add the chopped Coriander and serve!! 

My Homemade Wholemeal Loaf.

 

My Homemade Wholemeal Loaf. 

You will need:

2lb Bread tin

Mixing bowl

2 jugs. 

INGREDIENTS

400g Wholemeal Flour

100g Strong Plain Flour

50g Softened Butter

1 Tsp Salt

1Tsp Nigella Seeds

15g Active Yeast

1Tsp Caster Sugar

300ml warm water. 

METHOD

Make up 150ml of warm water in a small jug, sprinkle over the yeast and sugar. 

Whisk well and leave until the top froths to about 5-10mm. 

Place the flour, salt & Nigella Seeds into a large mixing bowl and using a fork, mix well. 

Now add the butter, using your fingers, rub in well, until you almost have a breadcrumb mixture. 

Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the warm water. Bring together to form a dough. 

Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and begin to knead. 

Knead for 5 - 10mins until the dough becomes smooth but pliable. 

Return the dough to the bowl,(tip: wipe a little oil around the bowl first) cover with cling film and leave in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size. Up to an hour. 

Turn your oven on 200c/180c fan, 

Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead again for 5-10mins.

Shape dough and place into your bread tin, cover with lightly oiled cling film or a damp tea towel. Leave to rise, so that it is just above the bread tin. 

Remove the cling film, dust with a little flour and put on the middle oven shelf. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Turn the bread out onto a wire rack and allow to cool. 

Enjoy!