Chorizo, Chickpeas & Spinach Chilli

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Chorizo, Chickpea and Spinach Chilli with rice

I am now back to work after a long furlough period due to this Covid19 pandemic. Being back at work means that I prefer quick and easy cooking meals for mid week dining. Last thing I want is to finish a long work day and stand cooking for an hour, who’s with me?

This dish takes just 15 minutes, so its a quick throw together in one pan kinda dish, but packs flavour and spice. Good on its own or can serve with some rice. I also used freshly picked Spinach from my new veggie beds (furlough project).

Homegrown spinach

Serves 2

200g chickpeas

200g chopped tomatoes

80g chorizo – sliced or cut into bite size pieces

1 brown onion – chopped

1 yellow pepper – chopped

Handful of Spinach – chopped

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp basil flakes or fresh leaves to serve if you have

Salt & pepper to taste

100g Wholemeal or Basmati Rice if serving. (cooked as per packet instructions)

  1. Spray a pan with oil and heat on a medium to high heat
  2. Brown onions in pan for a few minutes
  3. Add in the pepper and chorizo with garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a few minutes
  4. Add in the tin tomatoes and chickpeas, mix through, bring to the boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. 1 minute before serving, add in the spinach and basil flakes, mix through. Season
  6. Serve on a bed of rice. Yum!
Plate of Chorizo & Chickpea Chilli

Potato & Chorizo Bake

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Since we are still in lockdown, we fancied something special for lunch today, sun was shining through the window, temperature was rising, so we thought we’d treat ourselves to this lovely little dish. Oh & of course we had a cheeky glass of wine with our meal too, just to help wash it all down.

Serves 2 portions.

3 medium size potatoes – cut into small cubes

1 red onion – diced

80 g Chorizo – sliced

2 eggs

200g tin tomatoes

50g grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp paprika

Salt & pepper to taste

Spray oil

1 tbsp butter

  1. Preheat oven to fan 190 deg.
  2. Place cubed potatoes into a pan of salted water and bring to the boil, simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain.
  3. Meanwhile, in a pan brown and cook the chorizo for a few minutes, remove with a slotted spoon.
  4. Add the onion & chilli flakes to the chorizo pan and fry until browned, then add back to the pan the potatoes with tin tomatoes, butter & paprika, stir until combined and cook for a few minutes.
  5. Place mixture into an oven proof dish, make 2 wells and crack the eggs in, season the eggs then sprinkle grated cheese over.
  6. Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes depending on how you like your eggs.
  7. Serve. Yummy!

Jambalaya

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This was a little dish I tried from Pinch of Nom’s Latest Cookbook. It was super tasty and low in Kcal’s too at just 398 per portion.

 

Serves 4

Low cal cooking spray

300g diced chicken

2 red peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

2 celery sticks, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp cajun seasoning (1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps garlic powder, 2 tsps paprika, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp oregano dried, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

1 x 400g tin tomatoes

200g long grain rice

400ml chicken stock

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

3 low fat sausages (I sliced them after they were cooked)

 

  1. Spray a large dish with oil, add the chicken and cook over medium heat to brown.
  2. Then add in the onion, peppers and celery, cook for a few minutes
  3. Add in the garlic, cajun spice, paprika and oregano, stir and cook for a few minutes.
  4. Add the rice, chopped tomatoes, stock & worcestershire sauce. Place the sausages in and bring to the boil then reduce to a low heat and cook covered for about 30 minutes.
  5. Serve, Yum!

This is a great dish that you can batch cook with and freeze.

Pork, Oat & Chive Square Sausage

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There is nothing more I like than a lazy sunday morning breakfast (well after my little morning workout to wake me up). Good breakfast, fresh coffee and orange juice, catching up with the world, reading a little, planning my meals.

Today, I was using up leftovers in the fridge so pork sausages it was, with a little bit of cookingwithluce twist. 🙂

 

Made 2

2 Pork Sausages (meat removed from skin)

1 tbsp scottish oats

1 tbsp chopped chives

1 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

 

  1. Mix everything in a bowl, take a small handful and flatten to about 1cm thick
  2. I used my Crisperplate to cook these and it took just 6 minutes. (Turned after 4 minutes)
  3. I also added a few cherry tomatoes onto plate.
  4. I then added 1 large egg onto the crisperplate 1 minute before sausages were ready.
  5. Serve. Yummy good protein breakfast.

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Italian Smokey & Spicy Sausage & mushroom pasta

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Oh yummy. I had some pasta left over and some Italian sausage that I bought recently that needed to be used up, so looking in my cupboards this is what I threw together and it worked an absolute treat. Super tasty and filling.

 

Makes 2 servings

100g pasta (of your choice)

50g spiced italian sausage (any of your choice)

4/5 mushrooms – sliced

handful of piccolo tomates (or cherry if you have) – sliced in half

Cheesy White Sauce (find my recipe here)

 

  1. Cook pasta as per instructions
  2. Gently fry the sausage, tomatoes and mushrooms in a pan
  3. Drain the pasta the add the sausage, mushroom and tomatoes to the pasta pan then pour over the sauce and mix through.
  4. Serve. Yummy quick 10 minute meal.

I add some extra dried chillies to mine (optional)

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Scottish Square Sausage

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I’ve lived in Scotland most of my years now, I’ve always ate square sausage without actually thinking about what I was eating. Square sausage or (Lorne sausage) is a much loved and favourite breakfast item of the Scots.  The most popular way to eat it is in a good Scottish morning roll:-                                                                           20180916_144243

In the past, Scottish ­emigrants have taken Lorne ­sausage with them wherever they go, with Australia’s ‘steakette’ and the North American ‘sausage pattie’ both ­bearing an uncanny resemblance to the original.

Here is the recipe below which I tried from Maw Broons Cookbook:-

Makes 15 sausages:-

500g at least 20% Fat Scottish Beef Mince

500g at least 20% Fat Pork Mince

1 egg – whisked

100g Rusk (ideally), I didn’t have this so I used twice baked bread (method below)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp white pepper (make sure its a level tsp)

1 tsp dried coriander seed

 

  1. First mix together the pork & beef mince in a bowl, then add the egg and bind together.
  2. Add in the rusk (twice baked bread) and combine together with the white pepper, salt, coriander and nutmeg. It should be slightly firm, if too firm add a little water.
  3. Using your hands make into an oblounge shape and square off. Place on an oiled tray/tin and place in the freezer for about 1/2 hr to slightly firm up (this makes it easier to slice). Do not freeze.
  4. Slice into at least 1cm thickness and place a bit of greaseproof paper in between, then re-freeze if storing or cook if eating…..Yummy!                                       20180916_153707

 

TWICE BAKED BREAD

Take slices of bread (brown or white its up to you), place in an oven at 90 deg for 1 hour, then turn oven up to 120 deg and bake for a further 30 minutes. Remove and crush up.

 

Spicy Sausage, Bean & Lentil Stew

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This was originally a slimming world recipe I found but thought it needed more flavour so I added my own spin on it. It was very delicious, if I do say so myself, and very filling.

I made some wholemeal baguettes to go with it too which went perfectly for soaking up the left over sauce on the plate.

 

Serves 2

6 Chorizo Style Sausages

3 sweet peppers – chopped

1 tsp garlic granules

1 tsp dried chillies

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

500g passata

150ml chicken stock

250g red kidney beans (or any other bean can be used)

4 spring onions – chopped

150g red lentils

knob of butter

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

 

  1. Spray a large pan with little oil on medium to high heat, gently fry the garlic, peppers and onion for a few minutes.
  2. Add in the sausages and brown all over, about 5-10 minutes
  3. Meanwhile put red lentils into a pan and add about 5cm water, bring to the boil, once boiling remove the white foam then add the knob of butter and mix through, remove from heat.
  4. Add into the pan with sausages and vegetables the chilli, paprika, worcestershire sauce, passata, stock, beans and lentils then mix through. Gently bring to boil then reduce to a medium simmer for about 20 minutes.
  5. If sauce is still too runny, bring to boil and boil gently for about 5 minutes until it thickens.
  6. Slice the sausages diagonally into thirds.
  7. Garnish with some parsley and serve.

 

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Breakfast Tartlets

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This was a quick throw together breakfast this morning. Being out the night before, we woke quite hungry and a simple bowl of cereal or toast was not going to cut it….lol! It’s amazing sometimes what you can put together when you just take 2 minutes to look in your fridge and cupboards! Using my crisper plate these little tartlets baked in just 8 minutes.

 

Makes 4

1 Roll of Puff Pastry

4 Chipolata Sausages or Wee willy winkies (cocktails sausages!)

4 tsp tomato pasta with Chilli

4 medium eggs

handful of tomatoes (small) halved

8 rashers of smoked bacon

Salt & pepper to season

 

  1. Preheat the crisper plate for 2 minutes.
  2. Place bacon and sausages onto plate and cook for about 3 minutes                                 20180513_120523
  3. Meanwhile, cut the pastry into squares and with a sharp knife score a 1cm border around the pastry, like a picture frame. Do not cut all the way through.                                                                                                         20180513_121538
  4. Remove the bacon and sausages to a plate and wipe dry the crisper plate
  5. Spoon 1 tsp of tomato paste over the centre of the pastry.                                      20180513_121658
  6. Chop the cooked bacon and sausages into small pieces and place onto the tomato paste, leave room in the middle for the egg later.                                                          20180513_122110
  7. Place onto crisper plate and bake for 6 minutes, the edges will start to puff up.
  8. Remove plate and crack the egg into the middle of the pastry, add the tomatoes and season. Bake for a further 2m 30 secs. or until desired egg setting.                              20180513_123031
  9. Remove and devour! Yummy!

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Spicy Sausage & Bean Stew

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Sundays are all about Stews……good home cooked food. Sundays are my chillout day and also my home comforts day, so there’s nothing better than a tasty Stew. This one was full of flavour, very spicy and full of protein too. I served it with some homemade crusty baguettes.

 

Serves 2

6 Sausages (to your own taste. I used Black pepper Beef sausages) you could use low fat sausages to make it even healthier.

1 Cal cooking Spray

1 red romano pepper (the long pointy ones), deseeded and cut into 1cm strips

1 clove garlic crushed

1 tbsp hot chilli powder – less if you don’t like it too spicy

1 tbsp hot smoked paprika

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

300g passata

100ml chicken stock

200g cannellini beans, drained

200g red kidney beans, drained

6 spring onions, finely chopped

chopped parsley to garnish.

 

  1. Spray a non stick fry pan and heat on a medium heat.
  2. Gently fry the spring onions, pepper and garlic then add 3 tbsp water and cover. Cook on a simmer for about 5 minutes until soft.
  3. Meanwhile, gently brown sausages in a fry pan with spray oil.
  4. Once browned, remove and cut into 3 diagonally.
  5. Add chilli powder, paprika and worcester sauce into the pepper mix and stir, then add the passata, chicken stock, sausages and beans,  bring up to a boil, then simmer for about 10-15 minutes uncovered.
  6. Serve in a soup bowl and garnish with parsley. Serve with some fresh crusty bread. Yummy!

 

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Beer Battered Square Sausage

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O.M.G…..I just had to try this. A Glasgow based Chippy called The Kents advertised beer battered square sausage a few weeks ago and it went viral, so yes of course, I had to try my own version. You really don’t get any more Scottish than this. It was surprisingly delicious.

 

Makes 8

For the Batter:-

125g Plain Flour

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp garlic granules

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

250ml Beer or Lager (I used Tennents to go all Scottish)

*

Sausages x 4 – preferably from your local butcher

4 tbsp flour to dust

 

  1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl then crack in the egg.
  2. Gently start to whisk together and slowly add in the beer/lager little at a time until you get a nice smooth, lump free batter. It should be runny but not too thin.    20180309_182327 20180309_182336
  3. Heat some oil in a pan. To tell the right temperature, drop a little of the batter in and if it gently starts to cook and turn brown then its hot enough.
  4. Dust each sausage with a little flour then dip into the batter.
  5. Gently drop the sausage into the oil and cook for about 8 minutes, don’t over cook or it will go rubbery.
  6. Serve on a lovely Scottish Morning Roll. Yummy!

 

Italian Sausage Dinner on Crisper

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I can’t tell you how this little crisper has changed my cooking methods and even given me quicker cooking times too.  It is used in my Combination oven by Hotpoint, the microwave heats up the crisper plate and maintains the heat to cook and crisp from the bottom while the grill comes on to cook and crisp from the top……genius.

Serves 2

4 Italian Sausages (of course you can use any sausage flavour) – cut into thirds

6-8 charlotte potatoes – cut in half

1 red onion – cut into wedges

1 yellow and red pepper – sliced

1 clove garlic

Seasoning:- Pepper, Salt and rosemary

 

  1. Preheat crisper plate using dynamic crisp setting for 3 minutes
  2. Put all ingredients onto the plate and season
  3. Cook using the metal round stand for about 10 minutes then remove, shake (ensuring sausages are getting browned all round) and put back in for another 10 minutes.
  4. Remove and serve, if you like your sausages well cooked then put back in for another 5 minutes.
  5. Just keep your eye on them.

Yummy quick dinner, NO pans, NO baking trays….simple cleaning up too!

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Sausage, Bean & Chorizo Stew

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I love this time of the year, autumn colours outside, crisp fresh air, long walks, cosy comfort clothes, roaring fires, candles on, a good book and a really good one pot hearty warming meal.  You really can’t go wrong with this little stew, filling, warm, comforting and easy to do. Oh and one pot…..yes we do like very little washing up in our house.

 

Makes for 2-4 (depends on how hungry you are…lol)

6 x good quality sausages

15cm approx length chorizo – (good quality like a picante)

1 tin of 400g baked beans (branston are our fav)

1 red onion

1 red pepper

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp hot smoked paprika

2 tsp tomato paste or puree

Salt & pepper

Coriander to garnish

 

  1. Heat up a little oil in a fry pan
  2. Firstly cook the sausages until browned and cooked, remove from pan
  3. Gently cook the garlic, slice the chorizo, pepper and onion then add to the pan and cook until the red pepper is slightly soft (about 5-10 mins)                                                              20171015_162743
  4. Cut the sausages in half and add back to the pan with the baked beans, paprika and tomato paste/puree, mix and gently simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with Salt & pepper.                                                                                                                                                       20171015_162749
  5. Garnish with coriander and serve with either some crusty bread, crispy potatoes or rice, its entirely up to you. Oh and not forgetting a wee glass of red.

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Sausage and Root Veg One Pot Delight

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It was snowing outside and got down to -2 deg here at home in central Scotland and I was desperate for some warm home cooked Sunday Food (by Sunday food, I mean Hearty). I had sausages, winter veg and some harissa paste I needed to use, so this was my Sunday Meal and it didn’t half warm me up too. Happy Sunday!

The thing I loved about this was, it is a 1 pot wonder, chuck everything in 1 pot and cook, not only is it easier but it saves my boyfriend on the washing up…lol! We have a nice little agreement, I cook, he cleans……think I got the better deal! lol!

 

Serves 2

5 Scottish Beef Sausages (I used Beef, but you could use pork also if preferred)

1/2 White onion – sliced into wedges

1/2 Red onion – sliced into wedges

1 Parsnip – peeled and halved lengthways, then halved again (about 10cm length)

2 Carrots – peeled and halved lengthways, then halved again (about 10cm length)

1 Medium Sweet Potato – peeled and cut into cubes about 2cm sq.

1 Clove Garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp harissa paste

3/4 pint hot vegetable stock

250g Tin of Chickpeas

250g Tin Tomatoes

Black pepper to season

Fresh Coriander to serve

 

  1. Firstly prepare your vegetables.              DSC_0011.NEF
  2. Heat oil in a pan and brown the sausages then place to the side.
  3. In the remaining oil fry the onions until browned and soft.
  4. Add in the garlic, tomato puree and harissa paste and cook for about 1 min.
  5. Add in the sweet potatoes, parsnip, carrots and sausages, pour over the stock and season. Bring to the boil then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         DSC_0014.NEF
  6. Add in tin tomatoes and chickpeas and warm through for about 5 minutes
  7. Remove from heat and plate up, sprinkling some chopped coriander on top.

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YUMMY!

Nutrition Facts
Sausage and Root Veg one pot delight

Servings Per Recipe: 2

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 531

  • Total Fat: 25.9 g
  •     Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
  •     Trans Fat: 0.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 19.9 mg
  • Sodium: 1217.4 mg
  • Total Carbs: 123.3 g
  •     Dietary Fiber: 31.3 g
  •     Sugars: 31.8 g
  • Protein: 32.6 g