BIG GIRLS DIET LOADED SWEET POTATO WITH BAKED EGG

This is so gorgeous I could have eaten two!  The rich creamy sweet potato is loaded with spring onion, grated raw beetroot and spinach seasoned with sea salt and black pepper along with a hint of turmeric and fresh chillies, finished off with a creamy egg baked in the centre of all that wonderful loaded baked sweet potato.

Prep Time 5 minutes / Cooking Time 1 hr

Ingredients

(serves 1)

(If I am turning the oven on I will generally cook a batch of potatoes)

1 sweet potato

1 spring onion diced

1 small beetroot grated

8 large spinach leaves torn

1 red chilli diced

1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric

Sea salt

Black pepper

1 organic egg

Pre heat your oven to 180 C  / 360 F and place your sweet potato in the oven, a medium size potato will take around 40 minutes to bake to perfection.  Meanwhile prep the rest of the ingredients, once your potato is cooked and fork tender, cut a line in the top of the potato and scoop out all the sweet potato keeping the skin intact, place the potato in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients except the egg, mix well and stuff back in to the sweet potato skin, at this point I would place the potato on a baking tray and then make a well in the centre and crack the egg in to the potato, because the potato is already on the baking tray it is easy now to pop it back in the oven for around 15-18 minutes, if you like a soft runny yolk 15 minutes, then tuck in and enjoy.

VEGETABLE VINDALOO

ANOTHER BEST EVER CURRY 

VEGETARIAN COOKING

This is a slight twist on the best ever vindaloo recipe and it is even more lip smackingly gorgeous, in fact my family feels it is even better being meat free, it is one of those sustainable taking less from dinners, as meat free wannabes.

Prep Time 20 minutes / Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2 as main or 6 as side dish)

The Vegetables

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 large tomatoes chopped

3 fresh green chillies sliced length ways

1/2 butternut squash diced

1 potato pink fir peeled and diced

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

1 cup of peas

The Vindaloo Marinade

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

seeds from 12 cardamoms

2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

5 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp tamarind liquid

2 tbsp grated ginger

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion roughly chopped

First make the marinade, in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar grind the peppercorns, cloves, cumin and cardamom to a powder and place in a bowl along with the salt, pepper, sugar, chilli, turmeric, tamarind and vinegar.  In a food processor blitz the onion, ginger and garlic and add to the bowl, mix to form a paste, throw in the potatoes, squash, peas, fresh chillies and tomatoes, leave to marinate for half an hour to 24 hours, the longer the better.

To Cook The Vindaloo

Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the ghee then the diced onion, garlic and ginger, cook for around ten minutes without colouring the onions, add the marinated vegetable mix along with all the paste and 300ml of water, turn the heat down low and pop on a lid.  You may have to add a little more water as the vegetables cook to stop them sticking until you have fork tender vegetables and a thick sauce made from the marinade paste and tomatoes, check the seasoning and adjust if needed, then enjoy with some flat breads, cool sour yogurt and mint dip and a onion and carrot mint salad.

Quick Chapatis Breads

500g gram flour

water

Place the gram flour in a bowl and add the water until you form a medium stiff dough, wrap in paper and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.  Cut the dough in to large golf ball sizes and roll out into 6 inch flat breads.  

To Cook

Heat a cast iron skillet or non stick frying pan to a high high heat, once up to temperature add a flat bread and cook for around 45 secs to 1 minute on each side, wrap in a tea towel to keep warm until needed, these will store well for a day or too in a air tight container.  To freshen up run the day old flat bread under running water and pop in the oven for 5 minutes this brings them back to new.

Carrot and Onion Mint Salad

1 carrot grated

1 onion finely sliced

10 leaves fresh mint sliced

1/4 lemon juiced

Combine all the ingredients.

Yogurt and Mint Dip

1 cup fresh sharp yogurt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

10 mint leaves finely sliced

Combine all the ingredients.

Enjoy this delicious carnival of food and as a bonus any leftover potato could be crushed and pan fried crispy and served for breakfast with a soft poached egg and watercress and avocado salad.

VEGETABLE VINDALOO

ANOTHER BEST EVER CURRY 

VEGETARIAN COOKING

This is a slight twist on the best ever vindaloo (chicken) recipe and it is even more lip smackingly gorgeous, in fact my family feels it is even better being meat free, it is one of those sustainable taking less from dinners, as meat free wannabes.

Prep Time 20 minutes / Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2 as main or 6 as side dish)

The Vegetables

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 large tomatoes chopped

3 fresh green chillies sliced length ways

1/2 butternut squash diced

1 potato pink fir peeled and diced

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

1 cup of peas

The Vindaloo Marinade

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

seeds from 12 cardamoms

2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

5 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp tamarind liquid

2 tbsp grated ginger

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion roughly chopped

First make the marinade, in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar grind the peppercorns, cloves, cumin and cardamom to a powder and place in a bowl along with the salt, pepper, sugar, chilli, turmeric, tamarind and vinegar.  In a food processor blitz the onion, ginger and garlic and add to the bowl, mix to form a paste, throw in the potatoes, squash, peas, fresh chillies and tomatoes, leave to marinate for half an hour to 24 hours, the longer the better.

To Cook The Vindaloo

Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the ghee then the diced onion, garlic and ginger, cook for around ten minutes without colouring the onions, add the marinated vegetable mix along with all the paste and 300ml of water, turn the heat down low and pop on a lid.  You may have to add a little more water as the vegetables cook to stop them sticking until you have fork tender vegetables and a thick sauce made from the marinade paste and tomatoes, check the seasoning and adjust if needed, then enjoy with some flat breads, cool sour yogurt and mint dip and a onion and carrot mint salad.

Quick Chapatis Breads

500g gram flour

water

Place the gram flour in a bowl and add the water until you form a medium stiff dough, wrap in paper and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.  Cut the dough in to large golf ball sizes and roll out into 6 inch flat breads.  

To Cook

Heat a cast iron skillet or non stick frying pan to a high high heat, once up to temperature add a flat bread and cook for around 45 secs to 1 minute on each side, wrap in a tea towel to keep warm until needed, these will store well for a day or too in a air tight container.  To freshen up run the day old flat bread under running water and pop in the oven for 5 minutes this brings them back to new.

Carrot and Onion Mint Salad

1 carrot grated

1 onion finely sliced

10 leaves fresh mint sliced

1/4 lemon juiced

Combine all the ingredients.

Yogurt and Mint Dip

1 cup fresh sharp yogurt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

10 mint leaves finely sliced

Combine all the ingredients.

Enjoy this delicious carnival of food and as a bonus any leftover potato curry could be crushed, pan fried crispy and served for breakfast with a soft poached egg, watercress and avocado salad.

VEGETABLE VINDALOO

ANOTHER BEST EVER CURRY 

VEGETARIAN COOKING

This is a slight twist on the best ever vindaloo recipe and it is even more lip smackingly gorgeous, in fact my family feels it is even better being meat free, it is one of those sustainable taking less from dinners, as meat free wannabes.

Prep Time 20 minutes / Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 2 as main or 6 as side dish)

The Vegetables

1 onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

3 large tomatoes chopped

3 fresh green chillies sliced length ways

1/2 butternut squash diced

1 potato pink fir peeled and diced

1 sweet potato peeled and diced

1 cup of peas

The Vindaloo Marinade

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 cloves

1 tsp cumin seeds

seeds from 12 cardamoms

2 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp kashmiri chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

5 tbsp white wine vinegar

2 tbsp tamarind liquid

2 tbsp grated ginger

4 cloves garlic chopped

1 onion roughly chopped

First make the marinade, in a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar grind the peppercorns, cloves, cumin and cardamom to a powder and place in a bowl along with the salt, pepper, sugar, chilli, turmeric, tamarind and vinegar.  In a food processor blitz the onion, ginger and garlic and add to the bowl, mix to form a paste, throw in the potatoes, squash, peas, fresh chillies and tomatoes, leave to marinate for half an hour to 24 hours, the longer the better.

To Cook The Vindaloo

Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the ghee then the diced onion, garlic and ginger, cook for around ten minutes without colouring the onions, add the marinated vegetable mix along with all the paste and 300ml of water, turn the heat down low and pop on a lid.  You may have to add a little more water as the vegetables cook to stop them sticking until you have fork tender vegetables and a thick sauce made from the marinade paste and tomatoes, check the seasoning and adjust if needed, then enjoy with some flat breads, cool sour yogurt and mint dip and a onion and carrot mint salad.

Quick Chapatis Breads

500g gram flour

water

Place the gram flour in a bowl and add the water until you form a medium stiff dough, wrap in paper and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.  Cut the dough in to large golf ball sizes and roll out into 6 inch flat breads.  

To Cook

Heat a cast iron skillet or non stick frying pan to a high high heat, once up to temperature add a flat bread and cook for around 45 secs to 1 minute on each side, wrap in a tea towel to keep warm until needed, these will store well for a day or too in a air tight container.  To freshen up run the day old flat bread under running water and pop in the oven for 5 minutes this brings them back to new.

Carrot and Onion Mint Salad

1 carrot grated

1 onion finely sliced

10 leaves fresh mint sliced

1/4 lemon juiced

Combine all the ingredients.

Yogurt and Mint Dip

1 cup fresh sharp yogurt

1/2 tsp lemon juice

10 mint leaves finely sliced

Combine all the ingredients.

Enjoy this delicious carnival of food and as a bonus any leftover potato could be crushed and pan fried crispy and served for breakfast with a soft poached egg and watercress and avocado salad.

HOMEMADE BUTTER

I WILL NEVER BUY BUTTER AGAIN...

How fabulous is this, I cannot believe how quick and easy butter is to make, in just 5 minutes you will have your own homemade butter which is much more flavoursome creamy and decadently rich, well that is it for me I will never buy butter again...

The instructions that came with the churn said 10-12 minutes of churning, I thought I had butter after 2 minutes but this being my first time churning I carried on for another minute and then relied on my inexperience at making butter and my experience as a cook to judge the situation, as I thought I was right I had separated the buttermilk from the cream leaving butter in the jar, I am guessing I might be a quicker churner than the instructions expected !

Equipment: Kilner Butter Churn or Electric Whisk / Butter Paddles or Equivalent

Churning Time 3-5 minutes / Patting Time 2 minutes

Ingredients

(makes 250g)

500ml double cream (organic)

1 tsp Himalayan Sea salt (optional)

Place the cream in your churner or in a small bowl if you are using a electric hand whisker or a kitchen aid and start to churn if you are using a electric whisk set the speed to the slowest.  First you will achieve thick whipped cream and the churning will be stiffer, keep going until the churning becomes easy again and this is where you will have separated the buttermilk from the cream leaving you with butter.

This is how your separated butter and buttermilk should look when you are ready to start the butter patting stage this is to squeeze out the remainder of buttermilk 

Drain off the buttermilk and keep in the fridge, this is what the best pancakes are made from, the buttermilk will keep for a couple of days.  Now the fun part of squeezing the remainder of buttermilk from the butter and at this stage you can salt and or flavour your butter with anything you fancy.  I will update on this, right now I fancy a Mexican zing as the corn in my garden is almost ready and I think I will flavour the butter with zesty lime, coriander and chilli for a Mexican butter coating for my corn on the cob.

If you do not have butter pats to hand then a pair of spatulas will suffice, place your squeezed butter on the worktop and roughly shape in to a rectangle then using the pats firm up the butter, wrap in grease proof paper and store in the fridge, this will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.

HEALTHY KOFTE KEBAB'S YOU CAN EAT EVERY WEEK

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THESE FABULOUS KOFTE KEBABS

Bursting full of wonderful lip smacking, food noises, so please don't judge me while I am eating these gorgeous kebabs !!!

Local, Natural or Organic Spicy Lamb and fresh oregano juicy pan seared kofte kebabs drizzled with a sharp slightly sour mint goats yogurt, served in a three layer wrap of rhubarb chard, beetroot leaf and giant spinach, just divine, so much more healthier than a regular kebab way more tasty which means you can have these glorious wraps more often.  

Even better than the flavour is the comfort in that by buying local, natural, organic or raising your own as we do, your dinner has been raised to a high standard and in our case named, loved and hugged every day, for most small holders or hobby farmers a emotional but also exciting journey from field to fork raising livestock as it should be, naturally not rushed.

Prep Time 15 minutes / Cooking Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

(serves 4)

The Kofte

500g organic minced lamb

1 tbsp olive or coconut oil (for cooking)

1 small onion finely diced

1 clove garlic grated

2 tbsp fresh oregano (1 tsp dried)

Sea salt

Black pepper

1 tsp dried red chillies

The Wrap

4 rhubarb chard leaves

4 beetroot leaves

4 giant spinach leaves

(any salad leaves will do)

Yogurt Dip

4 tbsp goat yogurt

12 fresh mint leaves finely shredded

Making the Kofte Kebabs

First I like to make the lamb kofte, prep all the ingredients and place in a large bowl, add the mince and using your hands squish the lot together several times so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed.  Divide the mixture into four and form in to 6-8 inch batons, you can also divide the mixture in to eight and make smaller batons that will cook quicker and serve two per wrap, but my husband likes a big one in his wrap as he says it is easier to handle !!!

Cooking the Kebabs

Heat a non stick pan/skillet to medium heat, add the oil and then the kofte kebabs and sear each side until browned all over and lots of extra caramelised flavour has been added, then add a egg cup of water, turn the heat down low and pop on a lid or plate and leave to cook the kebabs for a further five minutes, take off the heat and leave with the lid on to rest while you set up the rest of the meal.

Yogurt Dip

Quick and simple shred the mint leaves finely and add to the goats yogurt..that's it...

Salad Wraps

Take your leave and layer up, there is no rule here, any leaves will do, big ones work better as you can stuff more in like a burrito and have two or more bites per wrap, but small ones work just as well, just fill them smaller so they are mini bites.  I like to layer the leaves on top of each other and then fill with the kofte kebab and mint drizzle, wrap up and take three or so bites, just divine...