This is an Asian style soup which is by no means authentic but I love the fresh hot and sour taste. This version is easy to make (don’t let the list of ingredients scare you, they are predominantly store cupboard staples) as well as being light and healthy. I use a mixture of fresh and…
Category: Healthy
Smoked Mackerel Paté
This is another very simple recipe and great to serve with drinks and other nibbles when entertaining. If the portion size below is too much you can keep this in the freezer and simply defrost and enjoy another day. If you’re using plan soft cheese I would add some fresh herbs, like chopped chives to…
Cannellini bean soup
This is very much a store cupboard meal idea. A hearty and healthy soup that really doesn’t take long to cook at all! If you’d like to make this vegetarian, you can swap chicken stock for veg stock. If you’d like to go vegan, you can remove the Greek yoghurt and Parmesan cheese. It’s delicious…
Curried Roast Cauliflower
Cauliflower is such a flavour carrier when you roast it and you can mix it up with so many flavour combinations. This is my curried combo but you can make it with garlic, herbs and Parmesan or even sumac spice for a bit of a citrus zestiness. To be honest, you could just roast cauliflower…
Italian Baked White Fish
This is such an easy midweek supper and is virtually just an assembly job. The most effort you’re going to put into this dish will be in frying the onions and the garlic. You can use just about any piece of white fish for this recipe and should just pay attention to the cooking time…
Pork and apple with cider and new potatoes
My husband loves the left over sauce with a pasta the following day, potatoes and all. It’s very Italian to have a “pasta con patate” (pasta with potatoes). It’s not the most attractive dish, it’s very “beige” but it is delicious! Ingredients: 500g pork fillet, cut into bite sized chunks 500g new potatoes 1 chopped…
Curried Beef Mince
This is such an easy and healthy mince to make. I make it in a larger portion so that I can freeze portions for another day. I have also loaded this version with extra veg to bulk it out and make it better for you 🙂 To make my life easier I have used frozen…
Pork and fennel mince with cabbage
Pork and fennel are perfect flavour pairs. In this recipe I’ve used fennel seeds as well as chopped fennel bulbs. You can serve this as a one bowl wonder with a slice of crusty bread or as a ragu for pasta with some Parmesan cheese grated on top. It might take a few minutes to…
Low and Slow Courgette Soup
I like to make a soup over the weekend so that we have something ready for dinner one evening during the week. Inevitably they are veg soups, they’re easy, tasty and healthy. This one is similar to most of the other soups that I make but the only difference is that I cook the courgettes…
Lentils with mushrooms and spinach
This is a really earthy and filling side dish. It goes well with roasted or pan fried white meat such as chicken or pork, a nice piece of pan fried cod or served with griddled halumi cheese. Ingredients: 250g puy lentils (I bought ready cooked ones) 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed…
Oven roasted mixed squash soup
This year in the garden we planted courgette and a yellow squash which we’ve never had before and to be honest I didn’t quite know what to do with it until I made this soup. If you’re South African, it’s similar to a gem squash inside but about 3 times the size with a much…
Cherry tomato pasta sauce
This summer we had a bumper crop of tomatoes in the garden. We had tomato salad almost every night, sun dried tomatoes and of course I made tons of tomato pasta sauce to store for rainy days. Another super easy, super tasty sauce. To store the sauce for longer, top the sterilised jar you’ve put…
Insalata di riso (rice salad)
You don’t find rice salad often enough. It’s a great way to use up left over cooked rice too. Once again this is not much of a recipe and more like another chop and assemble job. Very simple. Very delicious. It’s great for a barbecue or served with grilled chicken or fish. Try it with…
Broccoli salad
This is a really tasty, fresh and healthy salad. There are many ingredients but they are all important and add to the overall flavour. For the salad: 1 head of broccoli cut into small pieces and blanched in boiling water 70g smoked bacon bits or pancetta, fried until most of the fat has rendered down…
Store cupboard chicken marinade
This is another one of those non-recipe recipes. Too easy. Just a mix, save and cool job. I’ve used ingredients that I tend to always have to hand, in the cupboard or the fridge. 6 – 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 1 tsp…
Celeriac remoulade
Celeriac is such a versatile veg. You can roast it, pan fry it, make it into soup or serve it raw like this salad recipe. Having grown up in South Africa I had never heard of it until I arrived in the UK and now I’m slightly obsessed with celeriac. It’s got such a fresh…
Broccoli and cauliflower soup
This is such a delicious soup and so easy to make, not to mention cheap. Serves between 2 and 4 depending on whether you’re serving as a starter or a main course. Ingredients: 900g fresh or frozen broccoli and/or cauliflower – I’ve used both in this recipe but you can use one or the other A…
Slow cooked pork and fennel with apple and cider
This is a great slow cooked pork recipe, the pork, fennel, sage and apple combo is a match made in heaven. I used pork fillet (tenderloin), cut into bite sized pieces but you can use pork shoulder if you let the pot simmer for a bit longer, about 20 minutes longer than if you’re using…
Creamy baked ravioli and smoked haddock
This is a variation on a recipe I’ve made before (Baked ravioli with cauliflower white sauce) but instead of a tomato based sauce I’ve used my creamy cauliflower white sauce. To mix it up a bit I’ve added some frozen peas and smoked haddock. Serves 2 Ingredients: See cauliflower white sauce recipe 1 bag of…
Fennel salad with cucumber and red onion
This is a fantastically crunchy salad that can be enjoyed with pork or chicken, great as an alternative salad at barbeques. 1 or 2 fennel bulbs (depending on how many people you’re serving) Half a red onion, finely sliced Half to 1 whole cucumber, peeled and sliced (again, use as much as you require) For…
Cabbage, mince and tomato one pot wonder
This is another one pot wonder. A really lean, tasty and healthy dish. Enjoy with rice, topped on a baked potato, with crusty bread or just on it’s own as a low carb meal. Serves 4 Ingredients: 500g shredded cabbage 750g lean beef mince 1 or 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (depending on how juicy…
“Creamed” spinach
This is another one of my seriously easy cheat recipes. Simple and healthy, once again I have used one of my favourite “seasonings”, parmesan cheese. 200g frozen spinach 2 tablespoons of low fat natural yoghurt 2 tablespoons greated parmesan Salt and pepper to taste Cook the spinach according to the instructions, I put mine in…
Healthy baked and crumbed chicken thighs
I’ve already shared my recipe for traditional Chicken Milanese (i.e. crumbed chicken breasts) but this is the low fat, “low” mess version. Serves 2 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, you can also use mini chicken breasts 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons grated parmesan 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs, I used oregano but you can…
Left over pasta frittata
This is a great brunch idea, or a “cook once, eat twice” type idea too. Ideal for a mid week dinner served with a salad or just on its own. Serves 2/3 – add more eggs to serve 4 people Left over pasta, any type really, I’ve used spaghetti but you can even use penne…
Hidden Veg Mince
This is a very standard issue beef mince sauce. All I’ve done is add a few more veggies to stretch it out, make it tastier and HIDE them from children who don’t like to eat their veg! The secret to getting this to taste extra special is to allow it to cook for at least…
It's my kitchen... 