Sweet Chilli and Lime Prawn Stir Fry

21 May

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In my opinion, chilli and lime is a combination that just never seems to tire. Whenever it’s used it just creates a taste explosion in my mouth and I want it more and more. This is quite an easy take on the flavors because it uses only the lime juice, no nasty zesting (Which I loath doing!) and no cutting up chillis required either. Win win situation.This is real speedy to throw together as long as you have all your prep done which I highly recommend. Nothing spells disaster more then making stir fry with no prep done, unfortunately. The prawns are a nice basic flavor to carry the power of the chilli and lime and I personally couldn’t stop eating this. Great cold too if you want a super yummy lunch the next day :)

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Sweet Chilli and Lime Prawn Stir Fry (Serves 2)

2tsp sesame oil

1/2 courgette, cut into thin discs

1/2 red onion

2 small carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 orange/yellow pepper, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 x 175g pack of cooked ready to eat prawns

For the Sauce:

Juice of 2 limes

2tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1tsp sesame oil

1tbsp honey

2tbsp soy sauce

1tsp cornflour mixed with a drop of water to make a  paste

  • Firstly, whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Then heat the sesame oil in a wok over a medium heat then add all the veggies except the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3mins until all the veg are starting to soften. Add the garlic, ginger and prawns and cook for a  further 1-2mins.
  • Pour in the sauce and mix to combine then add the cornflour mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a final 2mins until the sauce is thickened and everything is steaming hot.
  • Serve immediately over brown rice.

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Super Simple Lunch Salad

20 May

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I had a bit of leftover brown rice from last night and I just had to use it up this morning, I couldn’t let it go to waste.I wanted to make a super healthy and yummy lunch really quickly because I was very close to being late for the bus so I pulled out everything yummy I could find in the fridge and threw it together in a cute little lunch box drizzled with my mom’s secret scrumptious dressing. I would share the recipe with you guys but mom refuses to unleash the awesomeness of this one on you guys yet :P This would be a great picnic food as well.

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Super Simple Lunch Salad (Serves 1)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 200g tin tuna in brine, drained

1/4 red onion, cut into thin slices

1/4 red/yellow pepper, in thin strips

a small handful of spinach, roughly chopped

2tbsp sunflower seeds

2tbsp goji berries

3 cherry tomatoes, halved

a drizzle of your favorite dressing

  • The method to this could not be easier, combine everything in a lunch box and pop in your bag for later :)

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Spicy Honey and Mustard Chicken Enchiladas

18 May

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I do love a good enchilada but I like to switch up the flavors to keep it interesting. Today was just the nicest day I have seen in such a long time, it was warm and sunny all day and me and my mom spent pretty much every minute outside doing one thing or another whether it was going for a run, walking the crazy doggies or working on the garden.

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It was heavenly, I have been in the best  mood all day and that also reflected on my dinner making as well. I wanted something fresh and summery and this fit the bill to a tee. It is sweet yet spicy with a tang from the mustard and packed with veggies and all that good stuff. It was such a good change from original enchiladas and I will definitely be making it lots more in the near future.

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Spicy Honey and Mustard Chicken Enchiladas (Serves 2)

1tbsp honey

1/2tbsp olive oil

1tsp dijon mustard

2tbsp ketchup

1/4tsp sweet paprika

1/2tsp medium curry powder

salt and pepper

2 chicken breasts, sliced

1/2 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

a handful of spinach

1/2 cup tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes

4 small tortilla wraps

1/2 cup tomato sauce

grated cheddar cheese

  • Preheat the oven to 190°c/375°f.
  • Place the sweet potato in a small pan and cover with water, place over a high heat and cook for about 10mins until the potato is tender. Drain then set aside.
  • Whisk together the honey, olive oil, mustard, ketchup, paprika and curry powder and season with salt and pepper. Add in the sliced chicken and mix to combine.
  • Heat a large frying pan and add the chicken, leaving a bit of the marinade in the bowl for later.
  • Fry until the chicken is cooked all the way through then add the cooked sweet potato, spinach, tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes and remaining marinade.
  • Cook for a further 1-2mins and season with salt and pepper.
  • Divide the mixture between the four tortillas, fold in the top and bottom and roll up. Place in a large baking dish. Repeat with all four wraps.
  • Drizzle with the 1/2 cup tomato sauce and sprinkle generously with grated cheese.
  • Bake in the oven for 10-15mins until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are going golden around the edges.
  • Serve immediately with a fresh salad.

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Grilled Tuna, Veggie and Red Pepper Pesto Wrap

17 May

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Lunch has never been my favorite meal, probably because sometimes I end up eating the same thing day in and day out for about a month straight and I always end up being bored out of my mind and dreading having to eat my plain old sandwiches. I am quite restricted because of school but when that is a whole other topic! When I’m eating lunch at home, I have free range to make what I fancy and it can even be hot and not soggy from sitting in my lunchbox all day, the privilege!

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So the other day I was really craving something hot but still a summery dish because it was actually sunny out for once, I couldn’t believe it. So I pulled out the wrap and let my senses guide me as to what I would put on it and it ended up so yummy. I hadn’t intended to share it with you guys but I just couldn’t keep this to myself. Quick and delicious, what more could I ask for? :)

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Grilled Tuna, Veggie and Red Pepper Pesto Wrap (Serves 1)

1 tortilla wrap

1/2-1tbsp roast red pepper pesto

1/2 x 200g tin tuna in brine, drained well

1-2tbsp sweet corn, from a tin

1 small spring onion, finely sliced

1tsp fresh chives, finely chopped

grated cheddar cheese

3 cherry tomatoes, halved

4-5 spinach leaves

salt and pepper

  • Preheat a george foreman grill.
  • Lay the tortilla out and spread the pesto all over the center of the wrap.
  • Layer in the tuna, sweet corn, spring onion and chives.
  • Sprinkle generously with grated cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Layer the tomatoes and spinach on top of that.
  • Fold up the bottom and top of the wrap and then the sides and grill for 5-10mins until the tortilla is crisp and golden and the filling is hot.
  • Slice in half diagonally and serve.

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Sundried Tomato, Mushroom and Feta Stuffed Roast Peppers

16 May

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My history with stuffed peppers isn’t very good. Every recipe before now has had something wrong with it and to be honest I was beginning to conclude that I would never find a good recipe. The problems I’ve faced so far have been that the peppers weren’t cooked, the filling was bland, the consistency wasn’t appealing or a combination of reasons. Is was just disastrous until I found this little beauty.

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It has renewed my faith in the humble stuffed pepper and I can now see the deliciousness of it. This pepper is absolutely loaded with flavors. The chestnut mushrooms are a nice change from plain button ones, the sun dried tomatoes are oozing with taste and the feta gives a deep tang to the dish. It is quite simple and the peppers could be assembled ahead of time and then just popped in the oven when needed, simple.

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Sundried Tomato, Mushroom and Feta Stuffed Roast Peppers (Serves 2)

5 sun dried tomatoes (Not in oil, the dried kind although if you can’t find the dried ones just drain as much oil out of the other ones as possible)

1tbsp rapeseed oil

175g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

30g hazelnuts, roughly crushed (Fold them up in a tea towel and bash with a rolling pin)

4 garlic cloves, minced

50g breadcrumbs, preferably wholemeal

a small bunch of chives, finely chopped

1/2tsp sweet paprika/dried chilli flakes

80g feta, cubed

2 peppers, preferably red or yellow

salt and pepper

  • Preheat the oven to 210°c/410°f and line a baking sheet with some baking parchment or tin foil. 
  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the mushrooms for 3-4mins until they begin to release their juices. Add the crushed hazelnuts and fry for a further 1-2mins. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the hob.
  • Add in the garlic, breadcrumbs, chives and paprika/dried chilli flakes. Give it a good stir to combine then gently toss through the feta cubes.
  • Slice the peppers in half down the middle cutting through the stem. Bake in the oven for 5mins.
  • Divide the mixture between the pepper halves and place back on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven again for 20-25mins until the peppers are soft and the filling is crisp and golden.
  • Serve straight away with a huge salad.

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Healthy Bean Enchiladas

15 May

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Oh how I adore tortilla wraps… Personally I regard them as one of the superior bread types. I mean they are just so darn versatile , how could you not love these fantastic little things? There are countless ways of using them from fajitas to toasted nutella, pb and banana quesadillas and grilled tuna wraps to crunchy tortilla chips. I mean I could probably eat these everyday and have pretty much a new way of using them every time. My addiction to them also stems from my childhood where I had a weird fondness of folding them over as many times as I could them taking little bites out of it and unfolding it to reveal a beautiful snowflake pattern.

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Those were the days but I’ve since learned so many new ways of making them uber yummy that my quirky habits as a child almost seem unnecessary but then I remember the joy of unfolding the gorgeous snowflake and my heart yearns for it again :) Anyway to get back on track, these enchiladas are definitely one to add to my go to tortilla recipes. They are so super quick especially if you had cooked sweet potato that you could just throw in instead. The flavors are simple but deliver exactly what I wanted which is a sweet yet slightly spicy enchilada full of flavor and healthy benefits.

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Healthy Bean Enchiladas (Serves 2)

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1tbsp rapeseed oil

4 small wholemeal tortillas

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 x 400g can mixed beans, drained

2 small handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped

1 cup jarred tomato sauce or 1/2 recipe of the tomato sauce in my pizza recipe

1/2tsp cumin

1tsp medium curry powder

salt and pepper

grated cheddar cheese

natural yogurt/sour cream, to serve

  • Preheat the oven to 180°c/350°f.
  • Put the cubed sweet potato in a pot of salted boiling water and cook for about 10mins until the potato is tender when pierced. Drain and set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat then add the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4mins until soft over a medium heat.
  • Add the beans, spinach, tomato sauce, cumin and curry powder and mix to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Divide this mixture evenly between each wrap then sprinkle with grated cheese. Roll up the wraps tightly and place in a large baking dish.
  • Bake in the oven for about 10-15mins until the tortillas are golden and crisp.
  • Drizzle with the yogurt or sour cream and serve with fresh salad.

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Pork Loin and Root Veg Casserole

12 May

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Last Sunday, I took part in a 10km mini marathon in aid of Cystic Fibrosis. This was the first time I had ever done a mini marathon so I didn’t really know what to expect but I was up for anything! I did the first 2km with my friend Lorraine but unfortunately we didn’t have the same pace so I had to leave her and run by myself. I did a steady jog for the rest of the run and I ended up finishing it 1hr 1min. I was so proud and honored to have done it for Cystic Fibrosis. I’m still in the process of raising money for them but I hope to get quite a bit more.

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Needless to say, I was absolutely wrecked after and wasn’t really in the mood to go making dinner so you can imagine how grateful I was when the aroma of this casserole hit me on the way in the door. My mother had been busy and rustled up this heavenly dinner so I must thank her for the recipe and letting me post it up here. It is an absolutely heart warming dish and is a great one for Irish people when it seems like its raining nine times out of ten! The apple and herbs flavor the pork beautifully and you end up with tender, moist meat and veggies. We serve ours on a bed of shredded cabbage to give it a light touch but feel free to serve it with whatever you wish such as creamy mashed potatoes.

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Pork Loin and Root Veg Casserole (Serves 4)

2tbsp rapeseed oil

600-700g pork loin, cut into 1/2inch cubes

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, diced

3cups chicken stock

1/2tsp salt

1/2tsp dried rosemary

1/2tsp dried sage

2 bay leaves

1/2 small turnip, peeled and cubed

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cubed

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

2 large parsnips, peeled and cubed

  • Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, add in the cubed pork and cook over a medium/high until lightly browned all over. Add the onion and garlic and continue cooking for about 5mins until the pork is cooked all the way through and the onion is nicely softened.
  • Pour over the chicken stock and season with the salt, rosemary, sage and bay leaves. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 20mins with a lid on.
  • Add in the turnip, apples, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and bring back to a simmer. Cook uncovered for a further 20mins or until all the veggies are tender.
  • Serve hot on a bed of shredded cabbage or with a chunk or crusty bread, or both!

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