Inspired by Portugal – A Kinda’ Caldo Verde

I tried Caldo Verde recently in Portugal and it, is delicious as it is simple.

Have a look at the recipe below on my own take on this Portuguese comfort food, perfect for autumn.

Serves: 4
Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 2 pints of chicken stock, 1 large potato, 1 large courgette, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 a ring of chorizo (I used turkey chorizo for this recipe as it’s a little healthier), tin of chickpeas rinsed and drained, good handful of spinach, a little oil and salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Start by gently frying one diced onion and garlic in a little oil to soften
2. Cube both the potato and courgette and add to the onion and garlic
3. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to boil
4. Simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the potato is soft and blitz all in a food processor to make a lovely soup base
5. Cut the chorizo into smallish chunks and dry fry in a pan for a few minutes to brown and remove any fat
6. Place the soup base back on a low heat and add the chopped chorizo, spinach and chickpeas for a further 15 minutes until all flavours have melted into this soup
7. Add seasoning and enjoy!

I also came across this lovely article recently on all things Caldo Verde!

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/10/how-to-make-the-perfect-caldo-verde-recipe-felicity-cloake

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Date, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Flapjacks

Treat yourself to a yummy tea break this week with these moreish little bites…with just a little hint of that naughty snickers bar taste!

Makes: 12 squares

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 300g porridge oats, 150g of butter (or vegan alternative), 150g of golden syrup, 135g of brown sugar, 80g of pitted chopped dates, 2 tbsps. of peanut butter, 50g of dark salted chocolate (or vegan alternative).

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C fan
2. Weigh out your butter, sugar and golden syrup and melt gently in a pan until runny and all ingredient combined
3. Pour the wet ingredients over your oats and dates and mix well until the oats are completely coated in the buttery mixture
4. Swirl in your peanut butter and pour into a lined baking tray so that the flapjack mixture lays an inch thick
5. Pop in the oven for 30mins
6. Allow to cool
7. Melt your chocolate and drizzle over the flapjacks, leave to set or cut into 12 squares and eat straight away…
8. Enjoy!

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta

Need something that’s quick, healthy and delicious too this week? Then give this Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta a try…great for kids too!

Serves: 2

Cook: 10mins
Prep: Less than 5 minutes

Ingredients: 120g of Pasta of your choice, (I used gluten free spaghetti), half a head of broccoli, handful of walnuts, squeeze of lemon juice, 3 tbps. of soya cream, 1 tbsps of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Cook your pasta as per packet instructions
2. While this is cooking cut your broccoli up into florets and boil for around 6mins
3. Drain the broccoli and add to a food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend to a thick sauce like consistency, if you prefer more liquid add some more olive oil
4. Drain your pasta and mix in the broccoli and walnut sauce
5. Add more seasoning if you wish and enjoy!

Just when you thought Banana Bread couldn’t get any sweeter… Banana Bread with Dates and Chia Seeds

Just when you thought Banana Bread couldn’t be any sweeter… the addition of the chia seeds and dates makes this moorishly good! Don’t worry if you don’t have chia seeds or dates just add some raisins and it will still taste great! 

Makes: One large loaf

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 45mins – 1 hour

Ingredients: 285g of wholemeal flour, 4 ripe bananas (mashed), 200g of sugar, 2 eggs, 100ml of olive oil, 85ml of milk, 1 tsp. of bicarbonate soda, 1 tsp. of baking powder, 30g of chia seeds, 50g of pitted dates (chopped), 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, pinch of salt.

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Combine the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in a bowl
3. Mix the eggs, oil, vanilla extract and milk together then add to your dry mix
4. Mix well, then add the dates, chia seeds and mashed bananas and fold all together
5. Pour into a deep lined baking dish and pop in the oven for 45mins to one hour until golden brown on top
6. Allow to cool…
7. Enjoy with a cuppa

Baking Bread…Corn Bread!

We are running low on bread this morning and as we are only going out when really necessary I thought I’d experiment with making my own…and here it is freshly baked cornbread with scrambled eggs and chilli oil…I’ve never made it before but was so simple and have loads left to keep me going, I searched a few different recipes online and managed to find one using what I already had in the cupboard!

Have a look online for loads of ideas and different types, I just added a bit of strong grated cheese to mine before popping it in the oven.

Let me know how you bake yours…

Happy Sunday x

Store Cupboard Vegan Green Lentil Hummus…

Looking for ways to stay healthy with ingredients you already have in your cupboards?Then lentils are your new best friend, cheap, filling and full of protein and fibre, have a go at whipping up this lentil style hummus…

Makes – As much as you want by adjusting quantities.

Cook – 5 -20mins if cooking lentils from dried.

Ingredients, (based on two cups of cooked green lentils), 2 cups of cooked green lentils, 1 tbsp. chilli oil, 2 tbsp of garlic infused oil, 2 tbsps of lemon juice, 1 tbsp of toasted sesame seeds, seasoning to taste.

Method:

1. Blend all your ingredients together, except the sesame seeds, using hand mixer or blender

2. Add more of the oils and lemon juice to suit your tastebuds and the consistency you want

3. Season

4. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds

5. Enjoy served on toast, with wraps, crudites, tortilla chips and more!

Have a look below at some of my other recipes using lentils and pulses:

How do you Dahl? With my Chickpea, Lentil and Coconut Dahl…

Inspired by Sri Lanka – Prawn and Yellow Lentil Curry with Cheats Pol Sambola

Indian Inspired – Chickpea Dahl with Eggs and Homemade Raiti

Inspired By Ecuador – Slow Cooked Pork and Bean Stew with Cheesy Potato

CakesInspired by Ethiopia – Berber Style Peas and Broad Beans on Toast with Feta

 

How do you Dahl? With my Chickpea, Lentil and Coconut Dahl…

 

I absolutely love dahl, it is one of my favourite comfort foods and I like to mix it up sometimes so please see recipe below for my latest version, using chickpeas, bay leaf and fennel seeds.

Serves: 4 with rice or Indian style bread

Cook: 1 hour

Prep: 10mins

Ingredients: 1 can of drained chickpeas, 400ml of coconut milk, 2 small cans of cooked lentils, (I used green), 1 onion finely chopped, 2 cloves of garlic finely sliced, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and finely sliced, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp. of tomato puree, 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of tumeric, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 cardamon pod, 4 dried chillies crushed, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf, salt to taste.

Method:

1. Start by frying your spices in the oil until they start to pop
2. Add your onion, ginger and garlic and allow to soften for a few minutes
3. Add your chickpeas and lentils to the pan and coat well in the mixture
4. Add your coconut milk, bay leaf and cardamon pod, bring to the boil
5. Allow to simmer for at least an hour, using a potato masher to break down the chickpeas, top up with a little water if it’s getting too sticky
6. Season with salt to your liking and serve with rice or indian style bread
7. Enjoy!

If you are looking for some further inspiration then, check out my other spicy dishes below…

Inspired by Bangladesh: Carrot Bhajis with Raita (also included extra recipes for homemade Lime Pickle and Spicy Tomato Chutney)

Spicy Oven Cooked Aubergines with my Bangladeshi Inspired Spicy Tomato Chutney!

Inspired by Yemen – Scrambled Eggs with Green Beans and Hot Spiced Yogurt, Served with Clove and Cardamon Black Tea

Inspired by Indonesia: Slow Cooked Beef Noodles, with Spinach, Fried Egg and Peanut Sambal

Inspired by Vietnam – Aubergine Buns with Veggie Pickles and Spiced Mayo

Inspired by India – Potato and Sweetcorn Samosas with Pea Raita

Inspired by Sri Lanka – Prawn and Yellow Lentil Curry with Cheats Pol Sambola

Thanks x

Japanese Style Slow Cooked Turkey Leg with Red Wine and Miso

Looking for something different this week? Remember turkey isn’t just Christmas with this Japanese style, slow cooked turkey leg with umami flavours!

Prep: 5mins
Cook: 3 hours

Ingredients: 1 large turkey leg, (male if you can get it, as it’s even bigger), 1/2 a bottle of red wine, 1 heaped tbsp. of white miso paste, 2 tsps. Sesame seeds 4 peeled garlic cloves, 2 star anaise, 2 cinnamon sticks.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 130F
2. Make some slits in the skin of the turkey
3. Pop the turkey leg into a deep lidded, oven proof pan
4. Add to the pan the rest of the ingredients, making sure to pour some over the top of the turkey
5. Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1.5 hours
6. Take the turkey out and baste
7. Pop back in the oven for a further 1.5 hours
8. Allow the turkey to rest and serve with juices from the pan, which makes a great gravy
9. Enjoy!

Goes well with your choice of veg, rice, noodles and even roast potatoes. 

 

Easy Oaty, (with a little bit of dark chocolate), and Dried Apple Cookies

My daughter came home from school today feeling tired, a bit run down and in need of some comfort and asked ‘Mummy can you make me some cookies’, I raided the cupboards and these were the results – yummy! 

Makes: 10 -15 Cookies

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 10mins

Ingredients: 75g of flour, 75g of oats, 50g of caster sugar, 40g of dried apple rings, (broken into pieces), 25g of dark chocolate, 1 tsp. of baking powder, (broken into small pieces), 75g low fat spread or vegan substitute, 1 tbsp. of agave syrup, 2 tbsp. of milk or vegan substitute.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180′ degrees
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together
3. Melt the wet ingredients
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well, until all combined
5. Make 10 – 15 dollops on a lined baking tray, making sure you leave plenty of space in between each cookie
6. Cook for 10mins
7. Allow to cool
8. ENJOY!

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Five Spiced Whole Roast Chicken

Celebrate Chinese New Year with a comforting, nourishing bowl of chicken, broth, veggies and rice, all gently spiced in authentic Chinese flavours.

Serves: 4 – 6 maybe with some leftovers too!

Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 2 star anise, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. fennel seeds, 1 tsp. peppercorns (green/black or szechuan pepper if you can get it), 1 large carrot or two smaller ones, cut into chunky batons, 2 celery sticks cut into batons and 1/2 tsp. of sea salt.

Method:

1. Pop all your ingredients into a large lidded pan (big enough to fit a whole chicken!), pop the chicken on top, breast side up
2. Top up with water, until you the covering the chicken
3. Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer with the lid on for 1 hour
4. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 20mins
5. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan and cook on a high heat for 10minutes to reduce the stock down and intensify the flavour
6. Cook your rice or noodles if serving with the chicken
7. Carve your chicken and serve on a bowl or rice or noodles with the veg and pour the stock over
8. Can season with sesame oil and soy sauce if you wish
9. Enjoy!