Sausage Rice

Try out this easy recipe for mid-week inspiration! Uses mostly store cupboards and freezer ingredients too.

Serves: 4 (with maybe some leftovers)

Cook: 30mins

Prep: 20mins

Ingredients: 1 cup of cooked white rice (basmati or long grain is fine), 1 can of beans or your choice such as chickpea, pinto etc, 1 cup of frozen peas, 2 – 4 (depending on how many you want), decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, 4 eggs, small bunch of chives or spring onions (keeping a little back for garnish), 1 clove of garlic, 1 veggie or chicken stock cube, splash of oil.

Method:

1. Cook your rice as per instructions and set aside
2. Meanwhile boil your eggs for 10mins and leave to cool
3. Cut your sausages into slices and fry on a medium heat with a little oil in a large pan with the garlic until browned
4. Mix in the chopped chives or spring onions and stir quickly
5. Crumble over your stock cube and add your frozen peas and beans with a little water and mix well
6. Add your rice and stir, so that the rice is coated in all the lovely flavours
7. Peel and slice your eggs and use to top the rice with the remaining chives or spring onions
8. Dig in!

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!

Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Summer Meatballs

Love meatballs but looking for a lighter, healthier gluten free option? Then try this delicious lemony almond meatball recipe, with easy peasy tomato sauce!

Makes: 18 meatballs

Prep: 15mins
Cook: 40mins

Ingredients: For the Meatballs – 500g Pork Mince, 1 medium onion, 3 heaped tbsp. of ground almonds, 1 egg, zest of one lemon, 1 heaped tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, 1 heaped tsp. dried oregano, salt and pepper, drizzle of oil.

For the Tomato Sauce – Handful of cherry tomatoes, 400ml of passata, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 220f
2. Finely dice your onion and add to all of the other ingredients and work well to combine all of the ingredients together
3. Once combined, make into walnut sized balls and pop into a baking dish, drizzle with oil and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until browned
4. While the meatballs are cooking start on your sauce:
5. Finely chopped the garlic cloves and add to a pan with the olive oil
6. Cook for a few minutes on a medium heat then add roughly chopped cherry tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar
7. Cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down, you can break them down a little with a wooden spoon
8. Add the passata and cook on a low simmer for 20mins
9. Serve the meatballs on gluten free pasta and your choice and veg and drizzle over the sauce
10. Enjoy!

The Lockdown Larder Homemade Tinned Tomato Soup

Remember the taste of the very popular branded canned soup from your childhood…well this is a close second!

Serves: 4

Prep: 5mins

Cook: 25mins

Ingredients: 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (drained weight 240g), 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, vegetable stock made with 300ml of boiling water, 2 tbsps of cream cheese, 1 tbsp of tomato puree and a little oil for frying.

Method:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and soften in a little oil for a few minutes

2. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and then keep on a low simmer for 20mins

3. After 20mins add the cream cheese and puree and cook for a few minutes more until melted

4. Blitz in a food processor

5. Slurp and enjoy!

 

The Lockdown Larder – Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo

Want a tasty treat this evening without having to make an unnecessary visit to the supermarket? Then try this…my Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo, something that can be enjoyed by all the family! 

Please note that this dish can easily be made to suit a vegan or veggie diet by omitting the chorizo and using veggie stock. 

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 20mins

Ingredients: Thumb sized piece of chorizo, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of rice (long grain, basmati or risotto will work), three cups of frozen veg of your choice, I used sweetcorn, peas and butternut squash, 1 stock cube like chicken or vegetable, 2 tsp of harissa paste if you have, if not 1 tsp of tomato puree and 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of dried oregano or dried thyme, a little oil for frying, jarred black olives and lemon slices to serve if you have.

Method:

1. Cut the chorizo, onion and garlic into small pieces and fry in a lidded pan with a little oil for a few minutes, until the onion is softened and has taken on some of the colour from the chorizo
2. Add your rice and give it a good stir, so that it is coated in all of the juices from the onion mix
3. Make up 1 stock cube with two cups of boiling water, (same cup you used to measure the rice)
4. Pour the stock into the pan and give it a good stir
5. Add you frozen veg and tomato puree or harissa paste with the dried herbs
6. Give another good stir, bring to the boil and then simmer lid on for 10mins
7. After 10mins the rice should be al dente, but if you prefer it softer, add 1/2 a cup of water and cook for a further 5mins lid on
8. Serve with a few olives and fresh lemon slices if you have
9. Dig in!

.

 

The Lockdown Larder – Vegan Chickpea and Coconut Curry with Pea Raita

Friday nights can still be curry night with a few store cupboard ingredients!

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 20mins

Ingredients: 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 large can of chickpeas (drained weight around 500g), 100ml of passata, can of coconut milk, 1 – 2 tsp of curry paste, depending on how hot you like it, a little oil for frying.

For Pea Raita which uses frozen peas, please click here Inspired by India – Potato and Sweetcorn Samosas with Pea Raita

Method:

1. Chop your garlic and onion and gently fry in a pan with the oil until softened
2.  Add your curry paste and mix well
3.  Pour in the coconut milk and passata, give it all a good stir
4. Add your chickpeas and bring to a simmer and cook for 20mins or until the chickpeas have softened slightly and taken on all of the curry flavour
5. And that’s it…serve with rice and the pea raita if you wish
6. Enjoy!

The Lockdown Larder

As we live through these uncertain times, I wanted to help those of you in lockdown, staying at home and self-isolating to find easy and nutritious ways to keep cooking without having to make a trip to the supermarket or local shop until it’s really necessary or spend hours week on week in an online shopping queue.

Last year I set myself a task of creating new dishes from around the world for 52 weeks. Through this experience I gained a huge insight to the different ingredients and types of cooking used throughout the world especially in countries that do not have access to the abundance of ingredients that many of us have in the Western world.  My family and I have been on lockdown for two weeks so far and I am already finding that I am able to use the information gathered last year to better prepare for cooking within limits.

So as of now I will re-share some of my old recipes and create new ones, some of The Lockdown Larder Recipes are already there waiting for you, just click on the pink link, focussing on making the most of what you already have in your store cupboard, freezers and other staples that hopefully you will have at home. For some of the recipes created so far using mostly store cupboard and freezer ingredients, please click on.

I have also put together a list of products and ingredients you might want to add to your next shop. You may notice that this does not include that many fresh products as these need replenishing more often.

This is not a definitive list and should be used only as a guide to help you prepare for the weeks ahead…So here goes:

Fresh Produce 

Bread (to then be frozen and used as needed)
Cream cheese
Cheeses like parmesan and strong cheddar
Butter or spread
Eggs
Bananas (can be peeled, frozen and added to smoothies)
Lemons/Limes
Potatoes
Garlic
Onions

Freezer 

Frozen fruits like berries
Frozen veg like peas and butternut squash (great for tagines)
Chicken
Quorn
Mince
Fish
Fish fingers (of course!)

 

Store Cupboard  

Porridge Oats (can also be used to make flapjacks)
Long life milk/Oat milk or alternatives
Pasta any type
Rice any type
Noodles
Coconut milk
Baked beans
Other various types of beans
Lentils (dried goes further than canned)
Tinned tomatoes
Flour self-raising, bread flour (can be used as pizza bases)
Sugar
Baking Powder
Tomato puree
Passata
Sweetcorn
Jelly cubes
Stock cubes
Dried herbs and spices
Honey or syrup
Harissa
Pesto
Curry paste
Olive oil/Sun flower oil
Vinegar
Mayonnaise
Jam
Peanut butter
Tinned Tuna
Mustards like wholegrain and Dijon
Sweet chilli sauce
Soy Sauce

Some little extras 

Chorizo
Pancetta
Chocolate
Olives
Dried fruits
Nuts to add crunch, for baking and stir fries.

 

STAY SAFE, STAY HOME

Good luck 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. 

 

Carribean Style Slow Cooked Pork

This is a really easy, delicious slow cooked pork dish packed with loads of flavour, great served with mash and veg to keep you warm this winter – I don’t have a photo of the finished dish as it didn’t last long!

Serves: 4 – 6

Ingredients: 800 – 1kg of Pork Shoulder (fat removed), 2 x celery sticks, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 a lemon, 1 onion, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 small chillies (whole), more if you like it hot! 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. dried thyme, 500ml ginger ale, good pinch of salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 130F
2. Roughly chop all of your vegetables
3. Place the pork in an oven proof lidded dish
4. Scatter all of the vegetables and dried herbs plus the lemon all over the pork with good pinch of salt and pepper
5. Pour over the ginger ale put the lid on and pop into the oven for 4 hours, checking half way through cooking time that it is not drying out, if it is add a little water, at this stage also pour some of the juices back over the pork
6. Pop back in the oven until cooking time is up
7. Allow to rest for 10 – 15mins then you should be able to shred the pork easily
8. Serve with some extra veg, potatoes or rice and drizzle over some of those amazing juices…
9. Enjoy!

Inspired by China – Prawn Party Puffs

The Party Season has definitely started in our house, so if you are entertaining this December and looking for some tasty treats with mainly freezer and store cupboard ingredients then have a go at the tasty puffs! 

Makes: 26

Prep:20 mins
Cook: 15mins

Ingredients: 460g ready made puff pastry, 250g frozen shrimps/prawns, 4 tbsp. of mayonnaise, 2 heaped tbsp. of tinned sweetcorn, 2 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds 2 tbsp. sweet chilli sauce, 1 small bunch of spring onions or chives thinly sliced, 1 tsp. dried ginger, a little oil for frying.

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 160F
2. Using a pastry cutter or a cup, cut out 26 circles in your puff pastry, prick with a fork and add to a lined baking tray
3.  Cook in the oven for 15mins until golden and puffed up
4. Take out and leave to cool
5. To make the prawn filling, fry your prawns in a little oil to remove any excess water, allow to cool
6. Make the prawn sauce, by mixing together all of the remaining ingredients, except the sesame seeds and add the cooled prawns
7. Take each of the little puffs and using the back of a spoon bash the top a little to make a small hole in each
8. Fill the hole with the prawn mixture and finish off with a sprinkling of the sesame seeds
9. Enjoy!

Save The Children are working in China to improve the quality of life for the children of China, working with childrens rights organisations, to keep children protected from neglect, illness and abuse. They have also developed the Helping Babies Breathe programme, and are supporting local health workers to better treat and diagnose childhood illnesses.  In China around 50% of the population also live in natural disaster-prone areas, Save The Children are working locally to ensure that communities are better prepared for future emergencies, to find out more please visit their website:

https://www.savethechildren.org.uk/where-we-work/asia/china

Remember all recipes are created for you not only to enjoy, but to also raise awareness of the struggles these countries face on a daily basis, so if you would like to make a donation to Save The Children, who are working everyday to support children around the World, please visit my just giving page by clicking the link Just Giving for more information.

So where will we go next? Come back on Monday to find out!

See you soon!

Thanks

Rosalyn x