Gourmet Turkey Burgers

GBK Here I come!

I love the burger restaurant GBK! I have always wanted to make my own gourmet burger from scratch and I finally did even the wholemeal bun. I felt a huge sense of achievement when I finished it.  The seasoning is just right and the best thing about making your own burger is you can stck it up as high as you like and be creative with the toppings.




Ingredients:

Breadcrumbs made from 1 slice of soya and linseed bread with the crusts removed, 4 big white mushrooms (washed and chopped), oil for frying burgers, 1 medium red onion (chopped), 3 small cloves of garlic (washed and chopped), 350g lean turkey mince meat, tbsps lemon juice, 1 large egg (lightly beaten), 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp black pepper, 1tbsp maggie liquid seasoning, 3 radishes (peeled and chopped).
To Serve: beef tomatoes, lettuce, freshly made wholemeal buns, tomato chutney, cheese, low fat mayonnaise.

Method:

1. Apart from the oil put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and get ready to get your hands messy.
2. Form the turkey meat mix into burger patties ready to fry.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and start frying the burgers.
4. Fry the burgers until the turkey meat is cooked all the way through.
5. Serve with the other ingredients and create your burger.

Vegetable Phyllo

Left Overs

This is a very quick way to use up your left over vegetables.  Washing and preparing your vegetables in advance allows your to add more vegetables to your dishes. Add while you're cooking it's better to snack on the vegetables then sweeter snacking foods.  This phyllo concoction is a tarty pizza thingy.  It's crunchy, cheesy and gives you more time to do other things... like spring cleaning and shopping :)




Ingredients:

4 sheets of phyllo pastry, egg was from 1 egg, 4 cubes of frozen spinach, 40g cheddar cheese (grated), 1/2 red peper (washed, chopped and desseeded), 3 spring onions (chopped), 1/4 red onion, 2 big mushrooms (chopped), 2tbsps tomato chutney, hot pepper sauce.

Method:

1. Layer the phyllo sheets on a baking tray and brush some egg wash between each layer.
2. Cook the spinach, drain and then place on top of the pastry.
3. Scatter the vegetables then the cheese.
4. Bake for 20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the pastry is crispy and brown.

Spicy Chicken Pizza

Friendship Food

Friendship food is food that cheers you up and food that you can share. Pizza is perfect friendship food, definitely not for a Bridget Jones lonely moment.  This pizza is gooey, but much lower in fat and salt then the average pizza, especially lower than those in Pizza chains.  I decided to make my own spicy tomato sauce and added elements that just make pizza perfection.

Ingredients:

450g strong white bread flour, 1tsp salt, 1 tsp, caster sugar, 2 x 7g sachets of super fast action dried yeast, 300ml warm water, 3tbsps oil, 2tbsps garlic granules, 400g passata, 1/2 tbsp mixed herbs, 1/2tbsp oregano, 1/2tbsp basil, 3 chicken breasts (washed, prepared and chopped into small pieces), 1 red pepper (washed, deseeded and chopped into small pieces), 1 red onion (washed and chopped into small pieces), 2tsps paprika, 3tsps cayenne chili pepper,  1tsp black pepper, hot pepper sauce, 250g low fat grated cheddar cheese, 2 spring onions (washed and chopped into small pieces).

Method:

1. Sift flour and salt into a large bowl.
2. Add sugar, yeast, water, garlic granules and oil.
3. Work into a soft dough, if it is too sticky add flour, it is is too dry add water.
4. Knead the dough for 18 minutes on a floured flat surface.
5. Put the dough in a bowl and cover with a wet tea towel.
6. Leave to double in size in a warm place for an hour.
7. During this time fry the chicken in the oil until it is browned and cooked all the way through.
8. Chop up the vegetables and put them to the side.
9. Heat up the passata in a pan and add the herbs and spices. Keep stirring till heated through.
10. After the dough has risen knead again for 2 minutes.
11. Roll out the dough and leave to rise for 10 minutes on a lightly oiled tray.
12. After 10 minutes spread the sauce on the dough.
12. Top the pizza as you like with all of the ingredients except the spring onions and hot pepper sauce.
13. Pre heat the oven to 230 degrees C / Gas mark 6
14. Bake for 17 minutes.
15. Sprinkle on the spring onions and drizzle on the hot pepper sauce.
16. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Heinz Creamy Chicken Pie

Sick Days

The best ways to recover from sick days involve drinking lots of fluids and eating lots of chicken.  I decided I would make this simple chicken pie to assist in my speedy recovery from a sore throat.  It is packed full of protein and much more fulfilling than Heinz tinned chicken soup.  The recipe was adapted from the back of a soup can. 

Ingredients:

4 washed and prepared diced chicken breasts, 2tbsps olive oil, 2 leeks (washed and chopped), 250g button mushrooms (Washed and chopped), 1 can of Heinz cream of chicken soup, black pepper, 4 - 5 sheets of filo pastry, egg whites from one egg.

Method:

1. Brown chicken in oil.
2. Add the leeks and the mushrooms in the pan and cook until soft.
3. Pour in the soup and season with black pepper. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C / Gas mark 5
4. Pour in an oven proof dish and cover with filo pastry sheets, brushing with egg whites per layer.
5. Cover the chicken with the sheets.
6. Bake for 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.

* Serve with any type of hot sauce to help with a sore throat.

Spicy Black Eyed Beans

West Indian Pasta

This is a really fantastic vegetarian meal.  It is very filling and full of flavour to get your taste buds tingling.  You do not always need a heavy rich sauce to accompany your pasta.  The West Indian flavours are enough to take on wholemeal pasta.  No cheese, no meat, just tomatoes, black eyed beans and some wicked flavours.

This recipe was adapted from Vegetarian Cooking (Combe Books, 1993)

Ingredients:

225g black eyed beans (drained), 4tbsps, 1 large onion (peeled and chopped), 2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped), 1tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2tsp ground cumin, salt and pepper, a few drops of maggie liquid seasoning, 140ml water, 2tbsps tomato puree, 1tbsp soy sauce, 2 large tomatoes (chopped).

Method:

1.  Heat the oil and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
2.  When the onion and garlic are soft stir in the cinnamon, cumin and seasoning (including a little salt and pepper) and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the beans, water, tomato puree, soy sauce and tomatoes.
4. Stir and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Season more to taste.

Easy Beef Chili Con Carne

With Love

My number one rule when cooking every meal is to cook with love.  If you don't believe in what you are cooking then it will not have that special something which puts a smile on your face as you take that first bite.  I have never cooked beef before because I do not eat red meat, but as I know how to make a good chili I believed I would be able to pull it off.  It is difficult to cook so many different recipes when you are on such a strict diet, but as long as you control yourself and learn how to alter recipes to suit your lifestyle then you can cook pretty much anything.  When cooking beef I used the same technique to cooking turkey mince.  It worked and I recieved very positive reviews.  I don't think I have converted myself to be a red meat eater, but I made sure I didn't offend red meat eaters.

This recipe has been adapted from the Asda Fit For Life recipe range

Ingredients:

250g extra lean minced beef, 3tsps sunflower oil, 1 large onion (chopped), 2 garlic clove (chopped), 500g passata, 1tbsp tomato puree, 2tsps chilli powder, 2tsps ground cumin, 1 red pepper (deseeded and chopped), 1tsp marjoram, 1tsp mixed herbs, 150g mushrooms, 410g tin kidney beans, 150ml vegetable stock, 1tsp ground black pepper, rice of choice to serve.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and when this is hot add the beef a little at a time.
2. Keep stirring so the beef does not stick to the pan, keep cooking until the beef has browned.
3. Start cooking the rice of choice as the packet instructs.
4. Add the onion and garlic then cook for 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, puree, spices, herbs, black pepper, red pepper, mushrooms, kidney beans and stock. 
6. Bring this to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Season to taste and serve with rice.

Tuna Lasagne

The Town Chef

My portions usually tend to be for more than one person, but that is not a bad thing.  It is good to have leftovers because it saves you time and money.  Also, it is good practise for when you feel like cooking for friends and family.  One must also be prepared for unexpected visits, which happens often to me, especially amongst West Indian and African communities.  So it is good practise to make extra food. When people come to my house I never want them to leave hungry or thirsty.  Good hospitality goes a long way. :)



This recipe was adapted from 'Morisson's Magazine' (Result Customer Communications, 2012).

Ingredients:
1tbsp olive oil, 1 onion (peeled and chopped), 2 garlic cloves, 1 1/2 courgettes (chopped), 2 spring onions (chopped), 2tsp dill, 2tsps marjoram, 2tsps oregano, 2tsps diluted fiery tomato ketchup, 2 x 121g cans of tuna in spring water, 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes, 1tbsp tomato puree, 2tbsps green pesto, 40g low fat sunflower spread, 40g plain flour (sifted), 450ml semi skimmed milk, 200g reduced fat soft cheese, 15 lasagne sheets, 50g parmesan cheese (grated).

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan then add the onion, garlic and courgettes.
2. Stir for 10 minutes then add the tuna, herbs, chopped tomatoes, puree and pesto.
3. Add the ketchup and spring onions then season again to taste.
4. Leave this to one side.
5. Start pre cooking the lasagne sheets ( I find that pre boiling each individual lasagne sheet helps to keep the pasta soft.  I advise you to do this even if the sheet claim you do not need to cook them.  There is nothing worse then eating a lasagne where the pasta sheets are still rock hard.)
6. On another hob, melt the spread in a pan and stir in the flour.
7. Cook for 1 minute then gradually add the milk. (This sauce requires much attention, so keep your eye on the prize.)
8. Stir continuously, until you have a smooth, thick and creamy sauce.
9. Beat in the cheese. (Aim for the same consistency, but a little thicker.)
10. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C / Gas 4.
11. Spoon half the tuna mixture at the bottom.
12. Layer with lasagne sheets, then sauce, then lasagne sheets, then tuna, then sheets, then sauce.
13. Scatter the parmesan over the top of the last layer.
14. Bake for 35 minutes.



Saffy's Top Tip

If you are not a fan of parmesan or do not fancy cream cheese, try other cheeses such as mozarella, cheddar or even gorganzola.

Sunshine Tortilla Wraps

Sunshine

These tortillas are so much fun to make and eat.  I named them 'Sunshine' because they are colourful, great to eat in hot weather and include the best guacamole I have ever eaten! 



Fajitas

For your fajitas assemble spicy chicken, sour cream, grated mild cheddar cheese, homemade guacamole and salsa in a wholemeal tortilla wrap which has been warmed for 20 seconds in the microwave.

Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:

Chicken breast (I used 4 which were washed and chopped into small pieces), 1 red chilli (chopped and deseeded), 2 1/2tbsps reggae reggae sauce, juice from 1 lemon, 1 garlic clove (peeled and chopped), 1 orange pepper (desseded and chopped), 1 medium courgette (chopped), 3tbsps (diluted fiery tomato ketchup or 1tbsp of Bajan hot pepper sauce) 1tbsp oil.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Add the chicken and fry until the meat turns white.
3. Add the garlic and lemon juice.
4. Keep frying and occasionally stirring until the meat has nearly cooked.
5. Add the vegetables.
6. After 2 minutes add the chilli.
7. Add the reggae reggae sauce and fiery tomato or pepper sauce.
8. Let the stir fry simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked.

Homemade Guacamole

I made up this recipe while I was in the supermarket.  I am so pleased with how well it turned out. I never want to buy guacamole again!

Ingredients:

1 avocado (peeled, mashed up and seed removed), the juice from 1/2 lime, the zest from 1 lime, 1 medium tomato (chopped), 1 red chilli (chopped and deseeded), a pinch of salt, 2 spring onions (chopped into small pieces), 1tsp cumin.

Method:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together, but when adding the lime, salt and cumin keep tasting.  Too much of any of these ingredients will ruin the flavour.

Sausage and Bean Stew

Life of the Lowly

There is no shame in eating peasant style food, when you come from humble beginnings you should never forget the foods that kept you going and reminded you of home.  Beans definitely remind me of hard times, but I still love them because they are delicious and filling.  This stew is great, it is so simple and it really put a smile on my face.  I love food that is just comforting and lifts up your spirits when you have a 3 hour exam to prepare for.



Bean Madness

I have never cooked with butter beans before. Infact the only beans I think I have cooked are kidney beans and baked beans :)  I would suggest using a variety of beans and experimenting.  It's good to try something new.

This recipe was adapted from Asda's 'Fit 4 Life' menu plans

Ingredients:

2 quorn sausages or reduced fat sausages, 2tsps olive oil, 1 large onion (peeled and chopped), 2 garlic cloves (finely peeled and chopped), 400g passata, 1 tin of butter beans (drained from water), 1 big sweet potato (peeled), 1 medium courgette (chopped), 5 button mushrooms (chopped), 2 tsp dried mixed herbs, fresh avocado or basmati rice to serve or both.

Method:

1. Cook the sausages.
2. Cut the sweet potato into random segments and boil for a few minutes until soft.  Then cut into even smaller pieces.
3. While the sausages are cooking heat up the oil in the pan.
4. Gently fry the onions and the garlic for roughly 4 minutes.
5. Add the passata, and all of the vegetables including the herbs.
6. Let the stew simmer for 20 minutes and when vegetables are cooked.
7. Chop the sausages and mix in with the stew.
8. Stir for 2 minutes then remove from the heat and serve.

Fiery Pasta Bake

1st Pasta Bake

I thought I would make a pasta bake to help out a fellow final year by making sure they got some extra study time.  I have always avoided making this because I just felt it was boring dish.  I decided I would give it a try and realised I should never have dissed this student classic.  Once I put my own twist on it I felt it was a dish I could be proud of.  Anything can be tasty once you spice it up, unless of course it really is unedible.

Ingredients:

4tbsps fiery tomato ketchup (diluted with a little water), pasta shapes (enough to fill a pasta dish halfway), 1 can of chopped tomatoes, 300g grated mozarella and cheddar, 2tbsp mixed herbs, 1tbsp rosemary, 1tbsp oregano, 1 onion (chopped), 1 medium courgette (chopped), 1 garlic clove (chopped), 1tsp sugar, 1tbsp basil, a few shakes of paprika, 1tsp red chilli flakes a little oil.

Method:

1. Cook the pasta.
2. Fry the onion and garlic in a little oil until the onions become soft.
3. Add the chopped courgette.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, herbs and spices, diluted ketchup and sugar.
5. Stir and cook for 7 minutes.
6. When the pasta has cooked drain and put into the baking dish.
7. Stir in enough tomato sauce to cover the pasta.
8. Mix in 200g of cheese.
9. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
10. Bake for 20 minutes.

Tomato Meatball Soup

Heinz Moments

On the back of my Heinz tomato soup tin I found a new meatball recipe using the soup as sauce.  I don't know why I never thought of this before.  I think it's a great idea because it feels you up a lot more than just the soup alone and provides some added protein. It can also be eaten with pasta or just eaten like a soup.



Ingredients:

1 can of Heinz tomato soup, 2 handfuls of frozen green beans, 1 garlic clove (chopped into small pieces), 1 red pepper, 1 onion (chopped), 8 - 10 frozen quorn meatballs, 1tbsp sunflower oil, 1tsp mixed herbs, 1tbsp liquid seasoning.

Method:

1. Fry the onion for 4 minutes then add the garlic.
2. Add the green beans and meatballs and fry for 4 more minutes.
3. Add the red pepper and stir for 2 minutes.
4. Add the tomato soup, seasoning then herbs.
5. Cook until the meatballs are cooked all the way through.

Student Chicken Ready Meal

Live like a student / Eat like a graduate

This meal is meant to look like one of those rough meals you get on the plane or at the supermarket.  Looks however can be decieving because this meal tastes so juicy and comforting.  I used extra lemon to make the chicken really succulent and added a few drops of reggae reggae sauce for a little kick.

This recipe was adapted by 'Sam Stern's Student Cookbook' (Walker Books, 2009)

Ingredients:

(numbers based on how much you can eat) small potatoes, a few carrots, a few green beans, washed and prepared chicken breast, 1/2 sliced lemon, basil/ rosemary and parsley, 2 salad onions (chopped into small pieces), 2 gloves garlic chopped up, salt and black pepper, reggae sauce, 100ml stock. (Again depending on how much food you are making you will need enough stock for roughly 4tbsps per chicken breast).  The stock must be made from no more than 1/2 a cube.

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes for 4 minutes, then add the carrots and beans and boil for 2 minutes.
2. Drain the vegetables.
3. Take out the potatoes and squeeze them so they bruise and crack.  Put them back in the pot then season with the herbs.
4. Put diagonal slices in the chicken breast and place on top of a large piece of foil.
5. Put the lemon wedges in between the cuts.
6. Place the vegtables around the chicken and shake a few drops of reggae sauce on the food.
7. Cook at 220 degrees C/ Gas Mark 7.
8. Drizzle some stock after 5 minutes.

Middle Eastern Meatballs

Spices

Never be afraid to season your food.  The more you practise the more you will learn how to balance flavours.  I adapted the spices of this dish to the original recipe becuase while I was making the meatballs I could just smell... very little.  I like my food to be flavoursome.  Salt and pepper for a Caribbean girl sometimes just isn't enough.  However, a good tip for spicing up your food is remembering that you can always add, but never take away.  So never go over the top or you might just end up insulting your taste buds.

This recipe was adapted from 'Asda Magazine' (Publicis Blueprint Ltd, 2012)

Ingredients:

1 slice of soya and linseed bread (crusts removed), 450g turkey mince, 2 salad onions (trimmed and chopped to small bits), 1tsp ground cinnamon, 2tsps cumin, 1tsp coriander, 3tsps chilli podwer, 1tsp paprika, grated zest of an unwaxed lemon, 1 medium egg (beaten), olive oil for frying, 1 chicken stock cube. To serve: 1 carrot, 1/2 courgette, wholewheat spaghetti pasta.

Method:

1. Make bread crumbs.  (You can whizz in a food processor but I just use my hands.)
2. Put in a large bowl.
3. Add turkey mince, onions, spices, zest and egg.
4. Mix with your hands and season some more.
5. Shape the mix into 12 balls.
6. Heat oil in a pan (not too much, just enough to fry.)  This is not deep fat frying!
7. Fry a few meat balls at a time, fry until the turkey mince is cooked all the way through.
(If you are making pasta start cooking it now.)
8. Meanwhile dissolve stock in 500ml hot water, and clean the frying pan or get another one.
9. When meatballs are done put into a saucepan.
10.  Cover the meatballs in the saucepan with the stock.
11. While the meatballs are simmering fry carrots in a clean frying pan, after 5 minutes add the courgettes.
12. Mix the veg with the drained pasta.
13. Place meatballs on top of the pasta and drizzle some stock over it.

Saffy's Top Suggestions:

1. Try the meatballs with wild rice.
2. Put the meatballs in homemade pitta bread, with lots of sauces to make a meatball slider.

Cauliflower Chowder

D Day

I made this cauliflower chowder the evening before my deadline day.  I had two essays to submit, so I knew I needed to prepare a healthy meal in advance.  All of the ingredients in the chowder are great for my diet and it's very comforting so it doesn't feel like healthy food at all.  That's if you're a fan of vegetables.





This recipe was adapted from Morrisons Magazine (Result Customer Communications, 2012)

Ingredients:
1tbsp sunflower oil, 1 onion (peeled and chopped up), 400g cauliflower (chopped into small pieces), 1 sweet potato (peeled and diced), 1 red pepper, 100g sweetcown, 100g frozen peas, 400ml vegetable stock (made from 1 cube), 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour, 400ml skimmed milk, 60g mild cheddar cheese, dried parsley to serve.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, cauliflower, sweet potato and red pepper.
2. Cook and stir for 5 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
3. Add the sweetcorn, peas and stock.
4. Bring the vegetables to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
5. Mix the cornflour with 2tbsp of cold water and stir into the soup with milk.
6. Add the cheese and heat through, stirring, until the cheese melts.
7. Season to taste and scatter parsley when serving. 

Saffy's Top Tip

After peeling and slicing the sweet potato put the potato in a pan of water and let it simmer for 10 - 15 minutes.  Sweet potato is a very hard root vegetable, so it is important to make sure it cooks for the same time as the red pepper and cauliflower to get the best flavour out of it.

Prawn and Mascarpone Pasta

1 recipe, a thousand interpretations

When I was a first year student my method of cooking tomato sauce was simply throwing chopped tomatoes in a pot with a little seasoning.  Now I am adding new seasonings and sauces and I'm becoming much braver when it comes to re inventing simple dishes.  When I mean simple I mean simple student food, of course to the Italians making just a good tomato sauce is a skillful technique to master.
 




The recipe has been adapted from 'Asda Magazine' (Publicis Blueprint Ltd, 2012).

Ingredients:

1 onion, 2tbsps olive oil, 3 garlic cloves, 400g plum tomatoes, 3tbsps tomato puree, 1tsp brown sugar, 3tsps basil, 2tsps dried oregano, 3tbsps of slightly diluted fiery tomato chilli ketchup, some frozen peas, 1 small bag of defrosted prawns, 1 large spoonful of marscarpone.

Method:

1. Chop up the onion and garlic. (Keep separate on the chopping board.)
2. Blend the plum tomatoes.  Then cook pasta to instructions.
3. Gently fry the onion in a pan with the oil on a low heat until the onion is soft.
4. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Pour in the plum tomatoes.
6. Add the sauce, puree and sugar.
7. Cook through for 7 minutes (roughly), then add the peas and prawns.
8. When the peas and prawns have almost cooked and the herbs and marscapone.
9. Season to taste.
10.  Serve with pasta when everything has been cooked.

Saffy's Top Tip:

To defrost the prawns put them on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 6 hours.  If they are still slightly frozen, put them in a bowl with boiling hot water and leave for about an hour before using them.  They must be used the day you defrost them.  Always refer back to the packaging.

Lemon and Spinach Cous Cous

Lovely Surprise

I was not expecting this quick snack to be as tasty as it was.  It was so light, fresh and fragrant.  I will definitely be aiming to take this dish up to the next level. 

Ingredients:

Measure out perhaps an American cup of cous cous, use 2 chunks of frozen spinach, 1tbsp lemon juice, 2tsps mixed herbs, 2tsps oregano, a pinch of pepper, a small handful of chopped up chive

Method:
1. Place the cous cous in a pan and add water so it is just an inch about the cous cous.
2. Add the spinach to the pan, try not to use big chunks as it will take longer to cook.
3. Put on a medium heat and keep stirring with a wooden spoon so the cous cous fluffs up.
4. Add the other ingredients except for the chive.
5. Add the chive just before all of the spinach has defrosted and the cous cous is almost done.
6. Keep stirring and adding little bits of water at the time so the cous cous does not become too dry.  Do not add too much water or the cous cous will become too fluffy.
7. Serve when the spinach is cooked and the cous cous has the preferred texture.
8. Season to taste.

Crunchy Quorn Spag Bowl

"It's all in the mix!"

Making this dish really reminded me of that Twix advert with that song 'It's all in the mix!' and it included different charachters which represented each aspect of the chocolate bar.  I say this because although each component of  my quorn dish is pretty simple, the combo of flavours tasted pretty awsome.  I was surprised by how tasty this dish actually was.  I am definitely getting to grips with this flavouring ting and ting.  I hope I can keep improving my skills.  When I made this I was really tempted to just buy chinese noodles from a local takeaway, but I'm glad I chose to try something new and experiment.  The hard work is starting to pay off. :)

I do not really have measurements so this is kinda just based on how much you feel like eating.  I made enough for 3 meals.

Ingredients:

1 can tinned plum tomatoes, frozen quorn mince, frozen green beans, wholewheat spaghetti, 1/2tbsp basil, 1/2 tbsp oregano, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, 2tsps lemon juice, 1tsp brown sugar, 1tsp parsley, 2tsps all purpose seasoning, a few leaves of fresh coriander.

Method:

1.  Blend the tomatoes in a blender.

2. Start boiling the water for the spaghetti.

3.  When the spaghetti is in the pot, pour the tomato puree into another pot.
4. Add enough mince so the tomatoes cover it.
3. Turn on the stove to a low heat.
4. After roughly 6 -7 minutes add the green beans and other ingredients apart from the parsley.
5. Keep cooking until the mince meat and green beans are soft.
6.  Drain the pasta when it is cooked and serve with the quorn mix.

Birdspeed's Yummy Mini Roast

Mini Roast

I woke up with the urge to have a roast dinner, but I decided to include a West Indian twist.  I used sweet potatoes rather than the traditional British spuds and included lemon reggae chicken with a side dish of red cabbage and peas.  I cheated with the gravy, but nonetheless it was delicious and gave me a lovely feeling of satisfaction. Gran Gran would be proud :)




Saffy's Top Tip

Elevate your chicken before it goes in the oven. I creased tin foil into a rope shape to place underneath the chicken.  This way the juices run from the chicken easily to the sides of the pan and it doesn't end up sitting in it's own fat. 


This recipe was inspired by the 'Asda Fit For Life' recipe range and 'Levi Roots' Reggae Reggae Cookbook' (Harper Collins Publishers, 2008)

Ingredients:

A whole chicken (washed and prepared), 1 large sweet potato, garden peas (as much as you like for a side), 1/4 red cabbage, 1 lemon, 1 onion, all purpose seasoning, 2tbsps dill, 1tbsp all purpose seasoning, salt, Reggae Reggae sauce.

Method for Chicken:

1.  Chop up the onion into 4 segments and push inside the cavity of the chicken.
2. Do the same with the lemon.
3. Place the chicken ontop of the foil or rack to elevate it. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ Gas 6.
4. Rub your seasonings into the chicken, but not the Reggae Reggae sauce.
5. Drizzle a little oil over the chicken, this should be the only moisture.

6. Roast the chicken for an hour. 

7. Spread the reggae sauce over it, then cook for a further 20 minutes.



 

Method for Sweet Potato and Veg:

1. Peel the potatoes then slice into quarters.
2. Put the segments in a large pan and cover them with water.
3.  Add a little salt, cover the pan and then leave the roast potatoes to boil.
4. Drain the potatoes in a colander.
5.  Shake the potatoes around the colander to roughen up the edges.
6. Put a little oil in the roasting tin.
7. Chop up the potatoes into the sizes you want then splace in the pan.
8. Sprinkle the potatoes with a little salt.
9. Roast for 30 minutes then turn and cook for 20 minutes.
10. Place the cabbage in a pan half full of water, cook on a medium heat for roughly 8 minutes, then add the peas until they are both cooked.
11. Drain these vegetables and serve with the rest of the food.