Pan-fried Fish

Italian Pan-Fried Fish with White Bean Puree

Okay so this recipe serves 4 and says it should only take 25 mins to prepare and cook so brilliant after a hard day at work or university. I have used haddock but feel free to use any white fish.

Ingredients
2 large baking potatoes , peeled and cubed
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
4 x 150g Haddock fillets
2-3 tbsp. Olive Oil
4400g Cannelloni Beans, drained and rinsed
25g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tsp Dijon Mustard
2 x 240g Broccoli Spears (If you use normal broccoli I'm sure it will not completely ruin your dinner)

Method

1. Put the potatoes in a ran, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 12 minutes.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, mix together the flour and the seasoning and cover the fish fillets with the mixture.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the fish over a fairly high heat for 3-4 mins on each side , until golden and crusty.
4. Add the beans to the potato pan and cook for 2-3 mins until piping hot, then drain lighly and return to the pan. Add a splash of olive oil and using a blender, puree until smooth. Stir in the parsley and mustard.
5. Divide and serve.
   

Cranberry and Rice Salad

I love this salad, you can have it on it's own, with a bit of chicken or as a side in a barbecue.

Ingredients

1/2 cup wild rice
1/2 cup basamati rice
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1/2 cup coriander leaves

Thai Dressing

3 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons or limes
2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sugar

Method

1. Cook wild and basmati rice separately according to packet directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain again.
2. Combine rice, cranberries, almonds, spring onions and coriander in a serving bowl.
3. Combine dressing ingredients and drizzle over salad.
4. Serve at room temperature.

Green Smoothie

Green Smoothie
1 banana
150g green grapes
200g vanilla yoghurt
1/2 apple, cored and chopped
50g fresh spinach leaves
1 tsp honey (optional)
Blend and done

This has got to be my favourite of all the smoothies. I added a teaspoon of local honey to help with my hay fever but you don't have to.

Spicy Rice

One Pan Spicy Rice

So tonight I will be going vegetarian, I thought about going vegetarian but then I remembered that meat was a thing and I just couldn't do it. But still a vegetarian meal every now and then is good. I'm cooking for my family so this should feed four and its 380 calories per serving.

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp medium curry paste

250g basmati rice, rinsed

450ml vegetable stock

400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

handful raisins

175g leaf spinach

handful cashew nuts

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, then fry the garlic and curry paste over a medium heat for 1 minute.
2. Tip the rice into the pan with the stock, chickpeas and raisins, then stir with a fork once. Cover and bring to boil.
3. Reduce to a medium heat, then cook for 15mins or until all the liquid has been absorbed.
4. Mix in the spinach and cashews. Then serve with natural yoghurt if you like.

Friday Smoothie/Juice

So I don't know about you but when it gets to Friday I am completely wiped and just want to curl up into bed. But I have found a smoothie that promises to get your energy level up without the crash you get from caffeine and it's super easy!

One (or Neo as I call it)

1 carrot (top and bottom removed)
1 orange (peeled)
1 large apple (cored and quartered)
2 tsp ginger

So you juice the carrot, orange and apple and then blend the ginger. I then strained the liquid to remove the gross ginger bits.

Apparently it stimulates circulation, eases aches and pains and helps to relive colds but I haven't tried it for that yet.

Groovy Smoothies

I feel like in this fast paced society we live in we are expected to be at school, university and work too early in the morning. By the time you've got up and got yourself looking as presentable as possible you have no time to eat breakfast and so you go without. I don't think I've eaten breakfast consistently since I was 10 and my mum would sit me down with cereal and orange juice. So I have come up with a plan. A plan to have what has been dubbed as the most important meal of the day and to have some fruit and veg. Smoothies, they are so quick and simple and filling, so I have conformed and bought myself a very hipster looking mason jar to drink them on the go and am attempting a different smoothie each day. I'll but down the ones I have tried so far but be ready for more.

Banana Berry Smoothie
2 bananas
1 handful of frozen blueberries
1 handful of frozen raspberries
1 handful of frozen blackberries
a few mango chunks
Put all this in a blender or a jug or whatever
Then fill 1/3 up with pineapple juice and the rest with water so that the liquid ends with the fruit.
Blend and there you go done. Takes about 5 minutes.

Golden Smoothie
125g chopped carrot
1 banana
1 kiwi
1 apple, peeled, cored and slices
170g chopped pineapple
1 handful of ice cubes
Blend and done

Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie
400g peeled and chopped ripe mango
250g fat-free mango yoghurt
250ml skimmed milk
lime juice
4 passion fruits, halved
Chuck the mango and passion fruit 'meat' in then add the rest, blend and done.

Blueberry Smoothie
2 frozen bananas
25g blueberries
225ml orange juice
1tbsp honey
1tsp vanilla extract
Blend and done

Tropical Smoothie
3 passion fruits
1 banana
1 small mango, peeled, stoned and chopped
300ml orange juice
ice cubes
Blend and done.

Melon Smoothie
1/4 cantaloupe, diced
1/4 honeydew melon, diced
1 lime
1tsp honey
Blend and done.

Spanish Chicken

Spanish Chicken

Now this recipe probably isn't held dear by a spanish community but does use ingredients which have spanish links so the name spanish chicken no matter how tenuous does make me feel a bit like I'm cooking something extravagant rather than a one pan chicken bake.

This dish is about 370 calories per portion and is lowish in fat. I've added chorizo as it is the food of the gods but it's really the only fatty thing in the dish. 

Ingredients

1 small onion, cuts into wedges or just a handful of frozen diced onion

100g new potatoes, quartered

2 garlic cloves, unpeeled but left whole (DO NOT EAT!! LEARNT THE HARD WAY)

1/2 bell pepper, diced

20g chorizo, sliced

1 skinless chicken breast

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Method

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark 6
2. Put the onions, potatoes, garlic and bel peppers in a large roasting tin, toss everything together and roast for 20 minutes
3. Take the roasting tin out of the oven, chuck in the chorizo and toss everything again. Place the chicken on top and sprinkle the paprika and oregano. Return to the oven for 30 mins or until the chicken is cooked through.

And thats literally it. Simple as that, I find this recipe really good for when I just can not be bothered but I still get protein and vegetables.