Jambalaya

Image Leave a comment

20200202_153404

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.

Breakfast Tartlets

Image Leave a comment

IMG_20180513_131817_560

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!

20180513_123505

IMG_20180513_131817_562

IMG_20180513_131817_566

Spicy Sausage & Bean Stew

Image Leave a comment

20180325_194729

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!

 

20180325_194712_001

 

 

Italian Sausage Dinner on Crisper

Image Leave a comment

20170924_191625

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!

20170924_183841

 

Sausage, Bean & Chorizo Stew

Image 2 Comments

20171015_163834

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.

20171015_163834

20171015_163813

20171015_165207

 

Quality Scottish Local Produce – Skinni Style

Leave a comment

20160820_124546

Was so excited on Saturday as my food package arrived from West Coast Foods in Prestwick, the packaging was excellent and fully lined to help keep the produce fresh and cool.

20160820_124516

At West Coast Foods their ethos is all about quality and service, they strive to bring the finest local Scotch produce direct to our homes, produce that has been butchered and prepared by their award winning team. They also aim to deliver the fresh & chilled food within 24 hours of ordering. By bringing back the traditional high street butcher and offering a delivery service, we are able to eat quality butcher meat with ease. I’m all for supporting local small producers the taste and service is so much better than your marketwide retailers, and we are also supporting the communities.

Check out their website for more information:- http://www.westcoastfoods.co.uk/

I decided to try their Skinni range of black pudding, square sausages, chicken, curries, sauces and burgers to start with and I have to say so far I’m really impressed with the taste. The Skinni range is very low in fat but still delivers full flavour.

Some I’ve had to date:-

20160821_111507 20160821_111548

20160820_180737 20160820_180718 20160820_180604 20160820_180651 20160820_180627

Sausage and Root Veg One Pot Delight

Image Leave a comment

DSC_0024.NEF

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.

DSC_0026.NEF

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

 

 

Chorizo, Sausage and Lentil Stew

Image 2 Comments

IMG_20150322_175657_resized

Had some leftover Chorizo in fridge, so I decided to mix up my Lentil stew recipe. Please trust me…it tastes better than it looks..lol! Still learning my photography.

Serves 2

200g Brown Lentils

1 red onion chopped finely

1 carrot sliced

1 garlic clove

1 tsp chilli

1 tsp parsley

220g tin chopped tomatoes

250ml beef stock

1 bay leaf

pinch salt and pepper

50g-75g Chorizo

4-6 Aberdeen Angus Beef Sausages (halved)

 

1. Brown onions and garlic in a saucepan with spray oil or tsp olive oil until soft

2. Add in lentils, carrot, chilli, parsley, chopped tomatoes, stock, salt & pepper and bay leaf, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile brown sausages and chorizo in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 mins, remove with slotted spoon and add to stew, simmer for a further 25-30 minutes.

4. Serve with some crusty bread. Yum!