Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Egg Noodles

In honour of my engagement this week I thought I would share a recipe that I am lucky enough to have made for me, sometimes not cooking is fun too, by my amazing Fiance. This recipe is his own twist on one found in Gordon Ramsay’s Cookbook. Here is his recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Egg Noodles;

Ingredients

• 200g of Wide Egg Noodles
• 250g of Chicken Breast Fillet cut into chunks.
• 4tbsp of Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves, peeled and sliced
• 200g of Broccoli, cut in half lengthways
• 2tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Wedges of Lime to Serve

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Egg Noodles

Method

1. If using dried noodles, soak them in warm water until softened, according to packet instructions. (This will take about 10 minutes, depending on the brand.)
2. Whilst the noodles are soaking heat a wok over a high heat and add a dash of oil.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and stir-fry for about 3 minutes until golden brown all over but not quite cooked through.
4. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds
5. Then add the broccoli and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until tender; add the soy sauce to season.
6. When the broccoli is tender, remove the contents of the wok and set them to one side. Wipe out the wok, add a dash of oil and heat through.
7. Drain the soaked noodles.
8. Add the eggs to the hot wok, season and stir over the heat, allowing the bottom of the egg to cook.
9. Add the noodles and toss well, breaking up the egg as you do so.
10. Return the chicken and broccoli mixture to the wok and heat through, stir-frying over a medium heat.
11. Serve with 2 wedges of lime

I can vouch whole heartily that this recipe for Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with Egg Noodles is absolutely delicious. This recipe was for 2 but we usually use it to serve 3 or even 4 and no one goes hungry. The addition of the lime is really refreshing and compliments the noodles perfectly.

What are your favourite meals that are cooked by your other (or better) halves?

Curried Cauliflower Soup

So although I love my delicious soup recipes it had been a while since I tried something new and I felt it was time to branch out. This Curried Cauliflower Soup recipe I have wanted to try for while and here it is;

Ingredients 

• 1000ml of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Large Chopped Onion
• 600g of Cauliflower
• 3tbsp of Curry Powder
• Black Pepper
• 1tbsp of Oil

Curried Cauliflower Soup

Method

1. Fry the onion in the oil for 3 minutes
2. Add the curry powder and black pepper and cook for 1  minute
3. Add the cauliflower and cook for a further 30 seconds
4. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
5. Once boiling turn down to a simmer and put a lid on the pan
6. Simmer 30 minutes
7. The blend the soup and serve

Serving Suggestions

With a dollop of yogurt in the middle of the soup

This recipe for Curried Cauliflower Soup was really delicious and had a taste of that Indian takeaway I miss whilst dieting! It is so easy to make and really low calorie too, the perfect light dinner or starter for any day!

I am always looking for soupspiration so I would love to hear your favourite soups too!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

New Years Resolution – lose a lot of weight, easier said than done when I just love baking, so this year baking has been cut down to treats, real treats, not every week treats and birthdays! This started my quest to find meals that are low calorie but not low portion, otherwise I will just eat more than I should, during my quest I stumbled upon the Hairy Biker’s Diet show ”The Hairy Dieters‘ where they set out to lose a substantial amount of weight by still eating good food and not eating like a rabbit! This show has become the source of my imagination as they created loads of great recipe where they just use more of the good bits so you can still eat well and lose weight. But first I decided to try out their recipe for creating  a takeaway Sweet and Sour Chicken at home;

Ingredients

• 425g of Pineapple Chunks in Natural Juice
• 2tbsp of Cornflour
• 2tsbp of Soy Sauce
• 2tbsp of White Wine Vinegar
• 2tbsp of Brown Sugar
• 2tbsp of Tomato Ketchup
• ½ tsp of Dried Chilli Flakes
• 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into even chunks
• 2tbsp of Sunflower Oil
• 1 Onion cut into Wedges
• 2 Peppers cut into large chunks
• 225g of Water Chestnuts, Drained and Sliced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled and Crushed
• 25g of Fresh Root Ginger, Peeled and Grated
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Method

1. Firstly you need to prepare the sauce, to do this drain the pineapple in a sieve over a bowl so you keep all of the juice (you need around 150ml), set the pineapple aside
2. Place the cornflour and 3tbsp of pineapple juice in a bowl and mix together to create a smooth paste
3. Add the remaining juice and 150ml of water, then stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ketchup, and chilli flakes until thoroughly combined and set aside for later
4. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan and stir fry onion and peppers for 2 minutes over a high heat
5. Add another tbsp of oil and the chicken to the pan and stir fry for another 2 minutes until coloured on all sides
6. Then add the garlic, ginger, pineapple chunks and water chestnuts and stir fry for another minute
7. Give the sauce mixture a good stir and add to the pan with the chicken and vegetables and stir well
8. Season with some black pepper and bring to a simmer
9. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and glossy and the chicken is tender and cooked throughout stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestions

Serves 4 and tastes great with boiled rice!

The idea of this Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe was to be low calorie and taste great and it really did achieve both for under 500 calories you get a large meal that reminds you of a takeaway! Win win! One warning I have for this recipe is, prepare everything first, most of your time will be spent preparing then when you start cooking it all goes so fast and I was glad to have been organised, if you try to do it as you go it won’t work! However, after the first time you make it, it seems easy and you will want to make it again and again! In fact this is on the menu tonight in our house and will certainly become a regular treat for us!

I have one more low calorie takeaway recipe to share with you but if you have any I would love to hear them!

Sweet Potato Soup

I eat soup a lot and I mean a lot! Although I have a few recipes up my sleeve soup can kind of become boring, so I thought it was time for a new soup! So this week I made Sweet Potato Soup for the first time, I have not really used sweet potato in my cooking before but I thought it was about time that changed! Here is my recipe;

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 Sliced Onion
• 600g of Chopped and Peeled Sweet Potato
• 1 Pinch of Dried Chilli Flakes
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1.2 Litres of Vegetable Stock

Sweet Potato Soup Cooking

Method

1. Heat oil in a large pan
2. Add the onions, chilli, salt and pepper
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften
4. Then add the sweet potato and cook for 1 minute
5. Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the potato is tender
7. Whizz with a hand blender until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Sweet Potato Soup

Serving Suggestion

Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!

This Sweet Potato Soup was another successful recipe to add to my list, as an added bonus it is really low in calories but still filling on a cold winters evening.

I am looking for even more soup recipes to try out so if you have a suggestion I would love to hear it!

More Than Just Mac & Cheese

It has been ages since the last time that I had Mac & Cheese, this is for 2 reasons: I have never made it before but relied on it as lazy comfort food, straight out of a tin and secondly the last time I had it, it was made by my boyfriend, who is usually a great cook but this was not one of his successful ventures and it was, to be honest gross! But enough time had passed that I had almost forgotten that awful encounter with Mac & Cheese, and for the first time in ages I actually wanted to eat it! However, if I was making Mac & Cheese, it had to be More Than Just Mac & Cheese, I mean it hardly puts you through a culinary challenge! So I added my own little twists and here is my recipe;

Ingredients

• 100g of Breadcrumbs
• 400g of Macaroni
• 1 Chopped Red Pepper
• 1 Chopped Red Onion
• 40g of Butter
• 40g of Flour
• 200ml of Milk
• 200ml of Double Cream
• 200g of Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 115g of Grated Parmesan
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper

My Mac & Cheese Ready for the Oven

Method

1. Boil the macaroni for 12 minutes
2. Whilst boiling fry the onion and pepper for 5 minutes then add to the drained pasta and set to one side
3. Put the butter, flour and nutmeg in a small pan on a medium heat
4. Cook until the butter had melted whilst continually stirring
5. Mix the milk and cream in a jug and add to the pan of flour and butter little by little continually stirring to keep the sauce smooth
6. Once all the milk has been added turn up to boil for 2 minutes to allow to thicken
7. Remove from the heat and add 135g of the cheddar cheese and 75g of the Parmesan and stir well
8. Add the sauce to the set aside macaroni and combine with the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper
9. Pour into a oven dish
10. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs over the top
11. Bake in the oven at 180C for 20-30 minutes until golden and crisp

More Than Just Mac & Cheese

Serving Suggestion

This recipe is ideal for 4 people served with garlic bread, but if you have any leftovers it is delicious the following day for a cold lunch

It was delicious and the cheesey goodness, one of my favourite things, was not in short supply with this dish and it truly was More Than Just Mac & Cheese. I served it when our friends came over for dinner and it was the perfect portion for 4 and the garlic bread made the perfect accompaniment to dip in the cheese sauce. The only downside was that the top may have been a little too crispy so if I were making it again I might look at cutting down the amount of breadcrumbs sprinkled on the top!

If you have any Mac & Cheese recipes with a twist I would love to hear them!

Sweetcorn Fritters and Yoghurt Dip

I am truly loving my new cookbook! I have spent hours just going through it deciding which recipe to make next, as truthfully I want to make them all! However, last weekend we were having our friends over for dinner and I really needed inspiration for a starter and that is when I discovered this recipe for Sweetcorn Fritter and Yoghurt Dip:

Ingredients

• 100g of Plain Flour
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1 Beaten Egg
• 4 tbsp of Whole Milk
• Olive Oil
• 2 Spring Onions (Finely Sliced)
• 1 Red Chilli (De-seeded and Finely Chopped)
• 2 tbsp of Fresh Chopped Coriander Leaves
• 250g of Sweetcorn (Drained and Dried on Kitchen Towel)
• Salt and Pepper to Season

Ingredients for the Dip

• 250g of Natural Yoghurt
• 1/2 Red Chilli (De-seeded and Finely Chopped)
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• 3 tbsp of Fresh Chopped Coriander Leaves

Sweetcorn Fritters and Yoghurt Dip

Method

1. Begin with making the dip by mixing together all of the ingredients and putting in the fridge for later
2. The sift the flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl
3. Season with salt and pepper and mix together
4. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and add the egg and milk
5. Whisk together gradually bringing the flour into the wet ingredients until it forms a smooth batter
6. Add 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and whisk again until smooth
7. Stir in the spring onions, chilli, coriander and sweetcorn into the batter and mix well
8. Heat a large frying pan and add olive oil
9. Once the oil is hot put a heaped tbsp of mixture (per fritter)  into the pan and push down lightly
10. Fry for 2 minuted on each side until golden
11. Repeat with the rest of the batter and make sure you keep the cooked fritters warm
12. Serve the fritters warm with the Yoghurt Dip

The thing that amazed me about this recipe was that at first I was dubious of how they would taste and decided to make them on a ‘let’s see how this goes’ idea, but the Sweetcorn Fritters and Yoghurt Dip tasted really great! They were really easy to make and they can be made in advanced and kept warm which makes them even better for when you are having a dinner party or want a snack available when needed. The consistency when cooked was delicious too and the fritters did not fall apart as I had suspected that they might, also a really cheap recipe for when you are living on a grocery budget! I can definitely recommend that you try them!

Mixed Vegetable Soup Recipe

To continue the soup-based success I have had on this blog; this weekend I made a Mixed Vegetable Soup. The ingredients basically consisting of the weeks leftover vegetables; it is a great way to use anything leftover in the fridge for Saturday lunch before you go shopping for a new week of food. Here is the recipe which is as always low calorie and really simple to make:

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of Oil
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Paprika
• 1 tsp of Coarsely Ground Pepper
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 500g of Mixed Vegetables
• 500ml of Vegetable Stock

Mixed Vegetable Soup Simmering Away

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the onion, paprika, pepper and garlic
3. Fry for 3-4 minutes until softened and beginning to brown
4. Add the the vegetable and fry for a further 2 minutes
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the ingredients are soft
7. Blend until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Serving Suggestions

As always serve with freshly baked crusty bread

The thing I love about this recipe is its frugality, in honesty a few months ago I would have probably thrown these ‘old’ vegetables away at the end of the week instead of making good use of them. This recipe however, definitely makes good use of them as this Mixed Vegetable Soup was truly delicious and ever so slightly spicy. It also took less than 45 minutes to make, the perfect solution for a Saturday morning!

Broccoli Soup

As you all know I am on a quest to find new soup recipes and more specifically recipes that do not use cream or anything else with a lot of calories as a thickening agent. This task has not been as easy as I had hoped so I have been using my own brain to come up with delicious soups. Luckily using the first steps of my Potato and Chilli Soup I have found a good starting point for many a yummy soup. On the menu this week Broccoli Soup; and this is my recipe:

Ingredients 

• 1 Knob of Butter
• 1 Chopped Onion
• 1 tsp of Coriander
• 2 Chopped Cloves of Garlic
• 750g of Broccoli
• 800ml of Vegetable Stock
• 1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes

 

My Broccoli Soup Simmering

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan
2. Add the onion, chilli, coriander and garlic
3. Fry for 8 minutes until softened and beginning to brown
4. Add the broccoli and fry for a further 2 minutes
5. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil
6. Once boiling turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the ingredients are soft
7. Blend until smooth
8. Pour into a clean pan and reheat

Delicious Broccoli Soup Ready to Serve

Serving Suggestions

As always serve with freshly baked crusty bread

This recipe for Broccoli Soup is yet again another quick and easy recipe and most importantly a really filling low calorie meal. I also used frozen broccoli florets which means that this recipe can be made at any time without worrying about getting the ingredients, I will definitely be making this soup again.

If you have any soup suggestions or would like to guest post one of your recipes on my blog, I am going away at the end of the month and am looking for posts whilst I am away!

A British Favourite – Cottage Pie Recipe

One of my Favourite British recipes is for my delicious Cottage Pie, I am truly thankful that all of the ingredients are readily available here as this is one thing I am not sure I could live without! My Cottage Pie is really simple to prepare and cook and the results are guaranteed to be great every time, so if you are craving some British food (I am aware this doesn’t happen often) be sure to make this Cottage Pie Recipe;

Ingredients

• 1000g of Peeled and Chopped Potatoes
• 150ml of Milk
• 1 Large Knob of Butter
• 400g of Beef Mince
• 2 Peeled and Chopped Carrots
• 1 Chopped Red Onion
• 750ml of Gravy (I cheat and use Bisto)
• 1 Pinch of Mixed Herbs
• 1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

My Cottage Pie Ready for the Oven

Method

1. Put the potatoes on to boil for 25 minutes
2. Whilst the potatoes are boiling begin to fry the mince, carrots, red onion, herbs, chilli, salt and pepper in a pan
3. Once the mince has completly browned add the gravy and simmer for 10 minutes
4. Once the potatoes are soft add the milk and butter and mash
5. Then pour the mince mix into an oven dish and spread the mash evenly over the top
6. Add a few small knobs of butter across the top to help the cottage pie to brown
7. Place into an oven preheated to 200C for 30-35 minutes or until the top has browned

My Cooked Cottage Pie Ready to Serve

Serving Suggestions

For me there is nothing better to enjoy cottage pie with than Heinz Baked Beans, but whatever you do, do not put tomato ketchup with it, you will offend the cook!

This cottage pie was served for our friends for dinner at the weekend and everybody thought it was as delicious as I do. It is so simple and can be prepared earlier in the day then put in the oven when required making it a great dish for a busy day! I for one will always keep Cottage Pie on my list of British Favourites.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup

In my quest to broaden my soup making horizon as it were, on the menu this week, Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup. Another great simple recipe for a really low calorie soup!

Ingredients

• 5 Large Tomatoes
• 20 Basil Leaves
• 2 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 500ml of Chicken Stock
• 4 Medium Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Medium Onions

My Roast Tomato and Basil Soup Simmering

Method

1. Preheat the Oven to 200C
2. Quarter the tomatoes and remove the seeds
3. Place skin side down into a lightly oiled pan
4. Roast in oven until soft / around 45 minutes until they just start to brown
5. As the tomatoes are almost done / sauté chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil
6. Chop the basil and add to the garlic and basil
7. Season to taste and sauté for 30 seconds
8. Then add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan and bring to the boil
9. Simmer for 15 minutes
10. Purée with a hand blender
11. Pour into a clean pan and heat through before serving

The Finished Product Garnished with Basil

Serving Suggestions

Garnish with basil leaves and serve with crusty bread for dipping, the only way to go!

Now the outcome was delicious, but I would be lying if I did not say that this recipe was problematic, this recipe apparently for 4 only just made 2 bowls of soup with the serving size of a meal. Also, once you got to the bottom of the bowl you were faced with the unsightly task of fishing little bits of tomato skin out of the inside of your mouth. However, I think that next time I will double up on ingredients and sieve the soup before serving to ensure the perfect dining experience of Roasted Tomato and Basil Soup!