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.

Woodland Egg and Smoked Salmon Salad

Seasonal Food

I had never cooked asparagus or deliberately cooked in season, unless for special occasions like Christmas, so I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about.  Now that I have done it I really understand the values of cooking in season.  The woodland salad I made was so fresh and the asparagus tasted lovely with the simple lemon dressing accompaniment. 

This recipe has been adapted from Sainsbury's Everyday Easy magazine (2012)

Ingredients:

1 medium egg, 3 asparagus stems, 1 handful of broad beans, a handful of watercress, 2 strips of smoked salmon (or as much as you desire), 1tsp olive oil, zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/4tsp black pepper.

Method:

1. Boil water in a  pan, enough to cover the egg.
2. Boil the egg for 10 minutes.
3. Drain and then run under a cold tap to cool.
4. Remove the shell then cut the egg into segments.
5. In another pan cook asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes maximum.
6. Add the braod beans in the last minute.
7. Drain the vegetables and skin the broad beans.
8. Toss vegetables and watercress.
9. Cut the salmon then add this to the vegetables. (You can heat up the salmon before you add it to the salad.)
10. Serve on a plate with egg.
11. Mix oil, lemon juice, zest and black pepper, then drizzle over salad.

Kale, Spinach and Potato Soup

"Greens Glorious Greens"

I love green food and thanks to mum who introduced me to kale I have a new vegetable to cook with.  I was going to make a watercress soup, but decided to substitue it for kale.  I am so glad I did because this soup tasted so yummy!  Iron is something that I need a lot of, so it's a good thing that I'm not a whimp when it comes to veggie goodness.  I admit this may look like something Shrek would eat, but you can always serve it with some croutons and/or single cream.




This recipe was adapted from 'Morrisons Magazine' March/ April, (Result Customer Communications 2012)

Ingredients:

1tbsp sunflower oil, 1 medium leek (trimmed and chopped), 400g potatoes (peeled and chopped into small chunks), 1/2 tsp cumin, 85g bag of kale (washed), 300g bag spinach leaves (washed), 2 dollops of creme fraiche, 1 litre of vegetable stock from 1 and 1/2 vegetable cubes.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in the pan then add the leek and the potato.  Season with the cumin and cook the vegetables until they are soft and not browned.
2.  Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
3.  Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
4.  Season to taste.
5. Add the kale and the spinach.  (If you have never cooked with these vegetables before don't worry if you think there are too many leaves in the pot.  The kale and spinach will wilt down so stick to the measurements.)
6.  Cover and cook for 1 minute.  (Only cook until the greens are wilted, make sure they do not loose colour.)
7.  Remove from the heat and add the creme fraiche.
8. Blend with the hand blender until smooth.
9. You can warm the soup up again, but do not let the soup boil again or bubble.  If you are using cream instead it may split if you do this.

Spinach and Watercress Soup

Seasonal Soup

Though this was meant to be a starter this seasonal soup became my main meal.  It was just so filling and tasty I had to go back for seconds.  I was a little shocked to hear that there was such as thing as watercress soup and it was only until I started making the recipe when I found out there is more than one type of watercress. Despite not using the giant watercress (and instead using that which kiddies use to make funny egg charachters) the soup still provided a strong flavour even amongst all the spinach.  This soup definately made me love soup again, it's one of the best soups I've tasted .... plus I added creme fraiche South Park Stylie :)

This recipe was adapted from the 'Good Housekeeping' Magazine (April 2011)

Ingredients:

1tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 medium garlic cloves (chopped into very small pieces), 2tbsps ground nutmeg, 2 packets of fresh growing watercress, 500g frozen spinach, 1.6 litre of hot vegetable stock, 1tbsp lemon juice, 1tsp ground coriander,1tsp black pepper, 2 tbsps creme fraiche, wholemeal seeded baguette slice to serve.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently cook the onion until it is soft.
2. Stir in garlic, coriander, black pepper and nutmeg. Cook this for literally a minute.
3. Add 1 and a half packets of watercress, and the frozen spinach and then pour over the stock.
4.  Bring this to the boil.
5. Once boiled remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender.
6. Start toasting seeded baguette rolls.
7. Reheat the soup if needed.
8. When ready to serve add the creme fraiche and lemon juice to the pot and stir in.
9. Pour into serving bowls and garnish with watercress.

Aubergine Cheat's Tart

New Vegetables

I have no idea why people are not very enthusiastic about vegetables because they are so wonderful.  My oh my though I never cooked  aubergine in my life and it's definately a vegetable I want to cook again.  Vegetables are so important for our diets so go out there and try new vegetables and if you are not a vegetable fan spice up the vegetables you like so they don't seem so boring. 

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

Ingredients:

1 pack ready made easy roll puff pastry, garlic granules, 1 medium aubergine, 3 tbsps olive oil, grated parmesan, grated cheddar, herbs of your choice, black pepper, milk to brush pastry.

Method:

1. Slice your aubergine.
2. Fry it with a little oil until lightly browed. When cooked leave to one side.
3. Mix your tomato paste with some of your herbs and garlic.
4. Roll out your pastry and cut off thin strips at the sides to put around the edges. Or create your own pastry shapes. I used rectangles.
5. Brush the pastry with milk.

6. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C/ 400 degreesF/ Gas 6
7. Place your aubergine on the pastry and add some fresh herbs.
8. Sprinkle your cheese and layer if you like.
9. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes until browned and the pastry has risen.

Coronation Chicken Salad

Awesome Salad

I do not usually hear people raving about salads, but this one was just great. According to Sam Stern it was made for the Queen for her 1953 coronation, so as Caribbean royalty I thought I'd put this dish to the test. The mix of fruit and spicy ingredients in  the salad  is definitely a crowd pleaser and proves that salads so not have to be boring.  So stop giving salads a bad rep!

Recipe was adapted from 'Sam Stern's Student Cookbook' (Walker Books)

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, apple (chopped into bits), a few grapes, 2 spring onions, 1/4 red onion, rocket, 1tsp curry paste, 2 tsps mango chutney, tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp plain yoghurt, 4tbsps mayonnaise, 1 clove of creushed garlic.

Method:

1. Wash and prepare the chicken (cut into chunks as well).
2. Then fry with a little oil in the wok.
3. Chop up the onions and spring onions.
4. When chicken is white and is beginning to cook through add onions and garlic.
5. When chicken is nearly cooked add spring onions, curry paste and mango chutney.
6. While chicken is cooking prepare salad.
7. Slice a few grapes in half and put into a salad bowl with 2 handfuls of washed rocket.
8. Chop up apple into small pieces and add into bowl as well.
9. Mix in the yoghurt, mayonnaise and a little lemon juice. Mix well.
10. Serve chicken on top of the salad.

Top Tip's

1. The chicken salad can be served cold for a quick snack.
2. To make a spicy dressing add the curry paste and mango chutney and garlic to the yoghurt mix.  Then you can make any salad with the dressing like a cold turkey salad.

Broccoli and Bean Soup

Healthy Leftovers

As a student it is very important that I know how to use up the leftover food in my kitchen.  This way I can make healthy and cheap food during what student's like to call "Empty Pocket Month".  Soup is one of the best dishes to achieve this and you might even invent a new soup recipe.  I decided to use only a few ingredients as I wanted something light.



Ingredients:

1/4 of a medium brocolli (cut into chunky bits), 1 green chilli (chopped), 1/4 of a red onion (chopped into small pieces), 2 gloves of crushed garlic, 1 can of mixed bean salad, 1/4 red pepper, 1.2 litres vegetable stock.

Method:

This dish was inspired by 'End - of Term Pasta & Bean Soup' in Sam Stern's Student Cookbook, (Walker Books)

1. Heat oil in a pot and fry garlic and onion until they are soft.
2. Then add broccoli, beans, chilli and red pepper and stir for 4 minutes.
3. Add the stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste.

Saffy's Top Tips

1. Add potatoes or pasta to make it more filling.
   2. You can grate cheese on the top if you feel you're missing something.
   3. Eat with some thick toasted bread.
   

Rocket Pesto Filled Mushrooms with Camembert

My Own

I made my very own pesto for the first time ever! Go Saffy Go! It didn't taste like the stuff in the jar because it was rocket based, but I changed the recipe as usual and added some spinach.  It tasted superb with the mushrooms and the tomato, homemade breadcrumbs and melted camembert was just delicious.  I also made my own breadcrumbs! It was really exciting, I am not usually a fan of the food processor but I have to admit this was kinda cool :)

Ingredients:

2 garlic cloves (crushed)
25grams of fresh rocket and 10 grams of spinach (change this if you like, to be honest I just did it by handfuls)
5 tbsps olive oil (I just poured in what i felt was needed)
65 grams of white breadcrumbs
4 large mushrooms
Camembert
Salad to Serve

Method:

1. Put the garlic, rocket, spinach and oil in food processor and whizz to give a thick green oil.
2. Mush it up some more if it's not pasty enough for you.
3. Add 50g of breadcrumbs, seasoning and mix this well. Put it aside.
4. Preheat oven to Gas 6
5. Cut tomato into slices and place on top of mushrooms
6. Divide rocket mixture between each
7. Lay a few pieces of camembert across the mushrooms then transfer onto a baking tray. ( I just did it all on a baking tray, it's less likely then to fall to pieces.)
8. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until breadcrumbs are light and golden and cheese has melted.
9. Serve with salad (and crusty bread if you are really hungry).

Saffy's Daffy's Tips

1. I served my mushrooms with a chutney, this gave it an added sweetness.
2. You don't need to put on so much camembert because it is a strong cheese.
3. I served mine with delicious fresh rocket.
4. I cut out a little of the mushrooms so I could fill them, the rest of the mushroom could be used in my chilli recipe, stir fry or any other dish which could use some extra veg.
5. I used pumpkinseed bread to make my breadcrumbs, I do not eat white bread so this is a great alternative.

Mum's Tips

Mum always gives me tips after I cook, she enjoyed it a lot but gave me a few points for next time to improve the recipe.
1. I need to cook the mushrooms for about 5 minutes with the rocket mix and breadcrumbs before I ad the cheese for 15- 20mins
2. I could remove an extra layer of skin from the mushrooms.

Trout with Onion & Avocado Salad

Fresh Salad and New Dishes

I wanted to use up the left over sping onion I had from the chicken to use in a salad and I came across one which combined it with avocado and french dressing.  I could eat avocado all day it is one of my favourite healthy options.  The fish was just seasoned well and baked.  It's a light simple dish that gives you plenty of brain power.  When I finished preparing this dish I had a whole bunch of spring onion left as I got such a great deal at the market.  My mother gave me this great tip to put spring onion on my cheese on toast.  It tastes fantastic.  My Aunty and Grandmother once told me you never have to waste any food. I rarely do to this day.

Ingredients:

Avocado, Lemon Juice, Lettuce, Spring Onions, Red Pepper, Peanuts, French Dressing.

Method:

1. Peel and slice the avocado.
2. Plave in serving bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice.
3.  Add the lettuce, red pepper, peanuts and french dressing.
4. Toss well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Chill Before serving.

The salad can also be made warm if you rather have cooked red pepper rather than raw.

Serve this meal with seasoned baked fish to keep it light.

Roasted Vegetable Houmous Wrap

Hard at work

When I made this dish it was near the end of term and I new I had to be well prepared with food so I did not end up getting late night study takeaways.  So what I would do is chop my vegetables in the morning ready for my houmous wrap and then cook tomato flavoured wholemeal rice at the same time.  The preparation ensure that I could have a quick light dish inbetween breaks to get back to the library and preparing my rice meant that I got to have a lovely dinner and it was something to look forward to.  I love mexican food and this put a smile on my face at my  most stressed moments.

Busy Lifestyle

If you are a busy person prepping your food int he morning saves you loads of time and hassel. If I want to prepare rice in advance my trick is to cook it while I'm in the shower and/or getting ready for Uni.  Also planning your meals doesn't leave you worrying about what to eat causing you to buy the cheapest and quickest thing possible.  It also gives you something to look forward to.  

Ingredients:

I got this recipe on the back of a reduced fat houmous fat from Sainsbury's :)

Tortilla Wraps, 1 small Red Onion, Red Pepper, Courgette, Reduced Fat Houmous, Carrot, Tomatoes, Coriander (something I added), Salt, Pepper.

Method:

1. Put onion and pepper on a non stick baking sheet.
2. Drizzle onion and pepper with oil, then season with salt, pepper and coriander.
3. Roast at gas mark 6 for 20mins.
4. Add cougettes at 15mins and other ingredients which do not take long to roast like tomatoes and carrot.
4. Spread wraps with houmous and add roasted ingredients.

You can also add spinach!

Birdspeed Salmon Tart

This is one of the best tarts I have ever made! It may not look like much but it was packed full of flavour, though I could only eat 2 I still wanted more! I call it 'Birdspeed's Salmon Tart' because it's quick, easy to make, and it's healthy.  Birdspeed is my dance name... it means to move real fast in Bajan (Barbadian) creole.

It's basically Puff Pastry with a variety of toppings that you like.

The idea was from Sam Stern's Student Cookbook so here is his version.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry (depends on how much you want to make), 3 - 6 tbsp Passata, Garlic, Aubergine, Olive Oil, Parmesan/ Cheddar, Fresh Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Salt, Black Pepper.


Method:

1. Cut pastry into rectangles and brush with water or milk.
2. Cut strips of the length and press the strips on the base.
3. Prick base with a fork.
4. Mix passata and garlic and spread over base.
5. Fry aubergine till lightly brown.
7. Place aubergine on base with passata, cheese, oilive oil, herbs.
8. Bake for 20mins till the base is crisp and brown and the pastry has risen.

Be creative

Making this dish is just like making a pizza, so make up your own toppings and experiment.  The day I made this I used salmon and big tomatoes, served with creme frieche and avocado.