Meatloaf in a tomato sauce

Meatloaf in a tomato sauce

Ingredients:
1 onion finely diced
Garlic salt
Mixed herbs
Salt and pepper to season
1 packet of fresh coriander chopped finely
1 packet of sun dried tomato sauce ( if you cannot find this a tin of chopped tomatoes will work just as well. Alternatively you can just use passata)
450g pork mince ( this is optional you could just use 1kg worth of beef mince however I think the combination of the two makes a nice flavour)
450g beef mince
6 rashers of bacon
2 baking potatoes
Olive oil
1 egg
Breadcrumbs
Sprinkling of lea and perrins worcestershire sauce
400g tin of baked beans


Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C fan oven. In a saucepan add a little oil on a medium heat. Add the onion until soft and transluscent. Add the mixed herbs, garlic salt and salt and pepper. Stir occasionally. Leave to one side to cool

2.   In a large bowl combine the pork mince, the beef mince, and the coriander. Using your hands combine the mixture so that both meats combine well with the coriander. Add the egg and mix again. Now add breadcrumbs, enough so that the egg binds the breadcrumbs to the meat mixture, you don't want it too runny.

3. Meanwhile par cook the baked potatoes in the microwave for about 3 minutes on each side but this will largely depend on the size of the potato. Place onto a baking tray and rub olive oil into the skin and season with salt and pepper on both sides.

4. In two little loaf tins or one large loaf tin, add a little spray to stop the meatloaf sticking. Cover the tin with bacon on all sides. Add the meat mixture to the tin pressing down the edges.  Pour over the sun dried tomato sauce and sprinkle with some lea and perrins.

5. Bake in the oven along with the potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour.  Leave to cool slightly and cut in the loaf tin.. Slice the meatloaf and serve immediately with the baked beans or a green salad and a baked potato.

Creamy Salmon and Courgette Pasta

Creamy Salmon and Courgette Pasta

Ingredients:
2 fillets of leftover cooked salmon
1 courgette coursely grated
Cup of frozen peas
Enough tagliatelle pasta to serve four people
1 tub of philadelphia cream cheese
Parmesan to garnish
Lemon juice
Salt and Pepper to season
Garlic salt
Mixed herbs
1 onion chopped finely
Olive oil
Heinz mayonnaise

Method:

1.  Put a little olive oil in a frying pan, on a medium heat, add the onion, mixed herbs garlic salt (sprinkle) few dashes of lemon juice (from a bottle is fine) until onion is transluscent. Add the grated courgette stirring occassionally for 5- 10 minutes. Add the frozen peas and stir occasionally.

2. Meanwhile heat another pan with boiling water. Add the pasta and cook according to instructions.

3. Add the cream cheese to the frying pan stirring, to combine to cover all of the vegetables. Before adding the salmon squeeze some heinz mayonnaise over them, add to the pan and flake using a spatula. Ensure everything is covered in the sauce. Add a sprinkling of parmesan and combine again.

4. Drain the pasta into a colander and tip back into the pan. Add the sauce mixing well to combine all sauce with the pasta. Serve immediately add more parmesan if desired.

Ham, red pepper, potato and cheese fritatta

Ham, red pepper, potato and cheese fritatta

Ingredients:
2 potatoes cooked and diced
1 onion diced finely
1 red pepper roughly diced
2 slices of ham cut into pieces ( omit if you want to make vegetarian)
6 eggs beaten
Grated cheddar cheese ( as little or as much as you want)
Salt and pepper to season
Ina Parmaan garlic and herb seasoning ( just use garlic salt and dried mixed herbs if you don't have this)

Method:

1.  Place a frying pan on a medium heat, with a little oil. Add the onion, salt and pepper, garlic and herb seasoning. Stir occasionally with a spatula, until transluscent. Add the red pepper and cooked potato until pepper is soft and tender.

2. Meanwhile in a jug crack six eggs (seems a lot but I assure you it will be well worth it) and beat with a fork until well combined.

3. Add the egg mixture to the frying pan swirling it along the pan to make sure all filling area is covered. Sprinkle on the ham and leave to cook for 5-10 minutes or until just set.

4. Preheat your grill .Sprinkle on the cheese leaving for a few minutes until the cheese has melted a little. Place frying pan under the grill until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Miso Chicken with Rice and Stir-fried Vegetables

Miso Chicken with Rice and Stir-fried Vegetables

Ingredients:
500g chicken breast diced into smallish pieces
1 onion finely chopped
Enough cornflour to coat the chicken in
3 spring onions roughly chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely grated or chopped
2 tbsp miso paste (can find in local sainsburys or any oriental supermarket)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp of ketchup
1 tbsp of vinegar
2 cloves of garlic grated finely ( one clove kept aside to cook the corn and sugar snap peas)
Some water to loosen miso paste mixture
Sprinkle of chilli powder
Sugar snap peas topped and tailed  pull the string off along each seam
Corn chopped roughly
2 tbsp of sunflower oil
 Enough cooked rice for four people cooked according to packet instructions
Sprinkling of sesame seeds


Method:
1. Mix the miso paste,sugar,  soy sauce vinegar, ketchup, chilli powder together in a small cup. Add a little water, enough to loosen the mixture. Put to one side.


2. Meanwhile in a bowl combine the chicken in enough cornflour to completely cover the chicken, season with salt and mix with your hands, to combine.

3.  Turn your hob to a medium high heat adding the sunflower oil. Add the chicken stirring constantly until the chicken is golden brown, make sure it doesnt catch if it does add a little water. Put into a bowl and set aside.

4. Add a little more sunflower oil to the wok and add the spring onion and onion, 1 clove of the grated garlic and the ginger. Stir occassionally until translucent. Add the chicken back into the bowl stirring occassionally to combine. Add the miso paste. Stir until all the sauce has covered the chicken.

5. Meanwhile in another saucepan add a little oil and the other clove of crushed garlic stirring to make sure it doesnt burn. Add the corn and sugar snap peas, and stir until very slightly caught. Add a little water to cook the veg and stir occasionally for 5 minutes. Once the water has evaporated add the sesame seeds and stir until the seeds are golden brown.

6. Serve miso chicken and vegetables immediately with the boiled rice.

Easy mango chicken curry slow cooker style

This is a great recipe if you love curry, but cant be bothered to cook. I know homemade korma is much better but when you have little time and want something warming and comforting, I would recommend this dish. The mango combined with the butternut adds a sweetness that is delicious! Even better served with some sweet chutney.

Easy mango chicken curry slow cooker style

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts roughly diced
1 onion chopped finely
1 jar of korma sauce
1 tin of mango pulp ( not always easy to find try oriental supermarkets, ocado or waitrose where you will have better luck)
1/2 a butternut peeled chopped and diced
300ml light coconut milk
Enough rice for four people

Method:

1. Add the chicken breast, onion, korma sauce, mango pulp butternut and light coconut milk. Place onto a high heat for about two hours stirring occassionally.

2. Once the sauce is bubbling and it has been doing so for about 2 hours, turn the heat down to low for another couple of hours. Stir occassionally.

3. Serve immediately with boiled rice and some mango or onion chutney if desired.

Cottage Pie Slow Cooker style

Ingredients:
800g beef mince
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1 onion roughly diced
3 tbsp of worcestershire sauce
1 oxo cube
1 beef stock melt
900ml hot water
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic chopped finely
Salt and Pepper to season
Sprinkle of garlic salt
2 cups of frozen peas
Enough grated cheddar to top the pie


For the mash
1.5 kg potatoes peeled and chopped into pieces
Knobs of butter
Splash of milk
5 teaspoons of cornflour with a little water mixed



Method:

1.  Place your vegetables into the slow cooker along with the garlic, bay leaf worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper and garlic salt.  Place 900ml of boiling water into a jug along with the stock melt and the oxo cube and stir to combine. Sprinkle the beef mince into the cooker and pour the stock over the mince. Stir to combine all the ingredients together. Put your cooker onto low for a couple of hours stirring every so often.

2. Meanwhile place the chopped potatoes into the saucepan. Place onto a high heat until the water is boiling, once boiling turn down to a medium heat for about 20 minutes. Drain away the water. Mash well then add the butter and the milk until creamy. Put to one side.


3. Do not be alarmed if your mince mixture is a little watery. Turn the heat up to high on your slow cooker and cook for another 2-3 hours. Stirring occasionally. Add the cornflour to the mince mixture and stir until thickened. If not thick enough feel free to add a little more.


4. Place the mince mixture into two oven proof dishes and allow to cool. Place the mash over the mixture and using a fork spread over the oven dish. Repeat with the second dish. Grate as much cheese as desired over the top.

5. Preheat oven to 160 C fan oven and cook for an hour or until the cheese is golden and brown. Serve with gravy and green beans.

Easy French Toast

Easy French Toast

Ingredients:
4 slices of thick bread preferrably a day old ( something like a bloomer works well)
1 cup of double cream
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 eggs
Butter


Method:

1.  Beat the eggs, double cream sugar and cinnamon together with a fork in a plastic jug. Transfer to a shallow dish. Put the bread slices into the eggy mixture. Leave to soak for at least a minute each side and then turn over.

2. Meanwhile heat a frying pan on a medium high heat. Grease the pan with a little butter turn the pan to allow it to coat all over.

3. Place the eggy bread into the frying pan cooking for about two minutes each side until golden brown, you can tell when its cooked as the bread will spring back when touched with the spatula.

4. Serve immediately, I like it best with golden syrup and a sprinkling of sugar. Perfect comfort food.