Tangy Caraway King Prawns

This vibrant dish is a slimmer's dream. It's packed full of flavour - the caraway and fresh coriander give it a very distinctive taste that will stick in the memory. If you want something more substantial, you could add some cooked spaghetti or linguine when you stir in the prawns.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 green pepper, finely diced

400g can of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp tomato puree

215g raw king prawns

1 tbsp fresh coriander, torn

Salt and pepper

Optional: 100g spaghetti or linguine

Method:

Firstly, cook your prawns by bringing a pan of lightly salted water to the boil, adding the prawns and reduce the temperature to medium. The prawns will turn pink and most will start to float when cooked (not all though). Don't let them curl up too tightly or they will be tough! Stop them from continuing to cook by draining and rinsing them under cold water. Score them all a few times on each side with a sharp knife, just using the weight of the knife as you run the blade across them. This will give them more flavour when they take on the sauce. Set aside the prawns until the end.

If you are adding pasta, cook this according to the pack minus 1 minute, rinse under cold water and set aside until the end.

Brush a medium sized saucepan with the oil and bring to a low heat. Gently fry the garlic for a couple of minutes, then add the caraway seeds and chilli flakes, stir and fry for a further minute.

Increase the heat, stir in the green pepper and fry for another minute before adding the tomatoes and puree, salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the peppers softened.

Stir in the prawns (and pasta, if using) and heat gently for 2 more minutes, stirring to make sure that they are well coated with sauce. Serve in bowls with some fresh coriander scattered atop.

Smoked Mackerel Florentine

This ridiculously healthy dish can be made in just 10 minutes and it is dead easy! It's full of vitamins, looks great and is surprisingly filling for it's size. What more needs to be said?

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 smoked mackerel fillet, cut in half
100g fresh spinach
Black pepper

Method:

1. Place the fish halves in a small pan and pour over just enough water to cover the fish. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-6 mins.

2. Meanwhile, start to bring a shallow pan of water to the boil. Also, wash the spinach leaves in a colander, then place the still wet leaves into an empty saucepan and cook over a medium heat until they have all wilted and look a little soggy. Sieve and pat down with the back of a spoon to drain any excess water.

3. When the shallow pan starts to bubble gently, stir to make an eddy and pour your eggs in. I always break my eggs into 2 separate cups to begin with to both ensure that the eggs are fresh and that I don't break the yolk, as well as to be able to put both eggs in to the pan fairly quickly after one another. Skim off any scrum that forms on the surface of the water and remove the eggs once the white has set right up to the yolk. Lift out with a slotted spoon.

4. The dish should be arranged spinach on the bottom, followed by fish (remove the skin first) and sit the poached egg on top. Season with plenty of black pepper and serve while the egg is hot and yolk nice and leaky.

Ras el hanout Chicken with Tabbouleh

This is a super easy (and healthy) meal that we frequently have for lunch or supper throughout the summer months. In my opinion, nothing beats the fresh bold flavours of a tabbouleh. Technically, the recipe for this tabbouleh has been stolen from my brother but he won't mind. Anyway, this time I have used bulgur wheat instead of couscous, so 'technically' it is a different recipe! The lightly spiced chicken breast and spoonful of natural yoghurt (low-fat, of course) complete this dish perfectly.
Ras el hanout is actually a special blend of spices from Morocco that can vary considerably from household to household. You can have a go at making your own if you like, or you can just go down the local shop. Most supermarkets will stock at least one version, but they can vary from quite sweet to very spicy, so be wary if you can't handle the hot stuff!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, all visible fat trimmed
4 tbsp ras el hanout
100g bulgur wheat
175g cherry tomatoes, quartered (or halved, if small)
1/4 cucumber, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
a handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt

Method:

Preheat your grill to 200C.

Meanwhile, cook your bulgur wheat in a saucepan that has a lid by covering the bulgur wheat with plenty of cold water and bringing to the boil. Stir once, put the lid on and reduce the heat to low, and don't take the lid off for 15 mins. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside to drain thoroughly.

Place your chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film and hit (not too heavily) with the end of a rolling pin to flatten them so that they cook evenly throughout. Using a sharp knife, score the chicken breasts lightly and rub the chicken with the ras el hanout making sure to get some of the rub in the newly made cuts. Grill your chicken for 12 mins or until there is no pink in the middle, turning half way through. There is no need to rub the chicken with oil or butter at this point - the chicken will not dry out.

Once the bulgur wheat has drained, fluff up with a fork and pour into a serving bowl. Mix in the salad vegetables, lemon juice, garlic and herbs with a serving spoon. I don't see any need to season this dish but if you like your sea salt and black pepper, go ahead.

Separate into four bowls, slice your chicken and layer on top with a spoonful of natural yoghurt each.

Fibonacci Stir-fry

The Fibonacci sequence is found in the most unusual places as it is with this simple stir-fry. The first four numbers (1, 1, 2, 3) represent the numbers of tablespoons of different ingredients I use to make the sauce to this wonderfully flavoured dish. 1 tablespoon of cornflour, 1 of rice vinegar, 2 of fish sauce and 3 of light soy sauce. This is the perfect amount to coat a stir-fry for two people. Simply multiply the numbers in the sequence by as many couples as you are cooking for to get the right balance of flavour. I guarantee this will work every time - it truly is the golden ratio. Anyway, enough geeky stuff and back to the cooking...as is now standard with all of my new posts, this recipe aims to reduce the amount of fat and calories in it.

Serves 2 with plenty of leftover veg (add another steak and it will feed 4)

Ingredients:

1 x 175g Sirloin Steak, trimmed of fat and thinly sliced across the grain

1/2 a head of broccoli, cut into inch sized florets

1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks

6 chestnut mushrooms, wiped and halved

6 baby sweetcorn, halved

A handful of mangetout, ends trimmed

1/4 Savoy cabbage, shredded (or 1 pak choi, if available)

1/2 green pepper, sliced lengthwise

4 spring onions, halved and finely sliced lengthwise

2 birdseye chillies, deserved and sliced lengthwise

An inch of root ginger, peeled and grated

2 garlic gloves, crushed

1 tbsp groundout oil

1 nest of fine rice noodles

For the sauce:

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla)

3 tbsp light soy sauce

Method:

Thoroughly wash your vegetables and bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil. Make up the sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a fork.

1. Brush a large wok with the oil, bring to a low heat and fry the ginger, garlic and chillies for a few minutes, before increasing the heat and adding the carrot for another minute.

2. Add the broccoli, peppers, baby corn, mushrooms and mangetout and stir-fry over a medium-high heat for a few minutes. At the same time, add the noodles to the boiling water and reduce to a simmer for 3 mins. Drain and reserve the noodles til the end.

3. Increase the heat again, move the veg to one side of the wok and add the steak strips to the other side to flash fry for about 30 secs before adding the spring onions and sauce, remembering to give the sauce one last quick whisk before it is added. Add the cooked noodles and mix it all together so that everything gets a light coat of sauce. If you're finding it tough to stir together add a little water, but not too much. Remember, everything should just have a light coating of sauce. If it's swimming in sauce at the end, you've added too much.

4. Serve hot and use chopsticks, it'll slow down your eating so you won't eat as much because you'll be full before you finish. If you don't, it doesn't matter as the veg all counts towards your 5-a day and are nil points if you're on weight watchers. If you're being extra careful, leave out the noodles and bulk it out with trimmed beansprouts.

Healthier King Prawn & Smoked Salmon Risotto

I know last year I posted a similar recipe, but Laura and I started a healthy eating plan earlier this week so I've started adapting our favourite recipes to include less calories but with just as much flavour! I actually prefer this recipe to the full-fat version, so it just goes to show that you can eat sensibly and not miss out on taste.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
225g arborio rice
1 small onion (finely diced)
1 large garlic clove (crushed)
150ml dry white wine
850ml vegetable stock
1 medium courgette (finely diced)
1 red bell pepper (finely diced)
50g frozen peas
220g smoked salmon
220g raw king prawns
2tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Method:

Firstly cook your prawns by bringing some lightly salted water to the boil, add the prawns and simmer for a couple of minutes until they turn pink and start to curl slightly. Rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside until the end. Make up your stock and keep in a pan on a low heat.

1. Brush a large wok or deep-sided frying pan with the olive oil and heat gently. Add the chopped onion, garlic and rice and gently fry for a few minutes, then stir in the wine. Increase the heat to medium.

2. Once the wine is bubbling, add 2 ladlefuls of stock and stir continuously for 5 mins.

3. Add the vegetables and keep ladling in the stock as it is absorbed by the rice, until all of the stock has been added. This should take approximately 15 mins.

4. Add the prawns, salmon and parsley, and plenty of cracked black pepper, and stir for another couple of mins until the last of the stock has been absorbed. Serve and enjoy.

As tempting as it is to have some crusty bread with this, we found that we didn't need it as the rice is filling enough.

chicken fajitas with naga lime pickle

We have fajitas about once a month and today I decided to play around with a few ingredients and what a treat we have had. The key to this success - Naga lime pickle! Don't worry, it's not too spicy...just full of flavour.

Ingredients:

385g Chicken breast (diced)
100g bacon lardons
1 medium brown onion (half sliced, half finely chopped)
1 red bell pepper (sliced lengthwise)
1 green bell pepper (sliced lengthwise)
2 garlic cloves (crushed and finely chopped)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 burdened chilli, finely chopped
1 chicken stock cube
1 tsp Naga like pickle
As many tortillas as you can eat

Method:

1. Melt some butter in a wok over a low heat. Gently try the onion for about 5 mins, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute.

2. Mix together the puree, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt and pepper to form a paste. Increase the temperature and fry the paste for a min, stir in the bacon lardons and diced chicken, and cook through for about 6 mins, then add the peppers and stir in the maple syrup and chilli.

3. Crumble in the stock cube, add a splash of water, and stir in the lime pickle. Simmer until the liquid has reduced completely and serve immediately atop your favourite fajita combos. I like a bit of salad, guacamole, soured cream and cheese in mine. Fold and scoff!

Kedgeree

We absolutely adore kedgeree and will eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (if there's any left by dinner time). Adding the coriander and chilli at the end gives the dish a real zing that will get the taste-buds tingling.

Ingredients:

1 cup of basmati rice
300g of undyed Smoked fish (I used mackerel here but traditionally it should be haddock)
3 eggs
1 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp hot curry powder
1 handful of fresh coriander leaves
A knob of butter
2 bay leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 medium brown onion
2 garlic cloves
An inch of fresh root ginger
2 small red chillies (I use bird's eye)

Method:

How to perfectly hard-boil an egg:

Cover the eggs in cold water - there should be a thing's width between the top of the eggs and the surface of the water. Bring to the boil over a medium-hot temperature. Once you have a rolling boil (large bubbles rising from the sides of the pan), boil the egg for 1 minute and take off the heat, cover and leave for 11 minutes. Plunge the eggs into iced water to stop them cooking further and peel under running water, once Cool.

How to perfectly boil rice.
In a pan, cover your rice with twice as much cold water, salt lightly and stir once before rapidly bringing to the boil. Once boiling, turn the heat right down to it's lowest setting and leave until the liquid has been completely absorbed. Rinse under cold water, drain thoroughly and allow to cool, cover and keep in the fridge until required.

Preparing the fish:

At the same time, put the smoked fish fillets and bay leaves in another pan and barely cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 6 mins, then drain and leave to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and break up the fish meat with your fingers and set aside for later.

1.  Now that your fish, rice and eggs are ready, gently heat the butter in a large saucepan or wok. Finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger and gently fry for about 5 mins or until the onions have softened.
2. Add the mustard seeds and curry powder and try for a further minute before adding the tomatoes and lemon juice.
3. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and add the rice and fish meat. Stir while it heats gently.

Potato and chorizo soup

Surprise surprise, another recipe with chorizo in it. Cannot get enough of the stuff! This one's not spicy at all though as the potatoes calm it down somewhat.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, for frying
125g chorizo sausage
1 large onion, chopped
300g sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
300g floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
900ml chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives, to garnish
1 tbsp greek yoghurt per person to serve

Method:

1. Finely slice a quarter of the chorizo, then chop up the rest;

2. In a large casserole, fry the sliced chorizo in olive oil over a moderate heat until crispy, then set aside until the end;

3. Add the rest of the chorizo to the pan with the chopped onion and fry until the onions have softened;

4. Add both sets of potatoes and fry for a further 5 mins;

5. Stir in the chicken stock, put a lid on and simmer for 45 mins or until the potatoes are fully cooked;

6. Puree the soup in a blender in stages and return to a saucepan. Reheat gently and season to taste.

7. Stir in a swirl of greek yoghurt or soured cream and sprinkle over the chives and the crispy chorizo slices.

8. Serve with warm ciabatta and enjoy.

Roasted garlic and lemon chicken on top of a bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it'

The bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it' was a staple lunchtime choice for me at uni. Extremely quick and very tasty. I've added some marinated chicken legs for a more substantial meal that can be served at tea time.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

8 Chicken Legs

2-3 garlic cloves (crushed)

lemon-infused rapeseed oil (enough to coat the chicken twice)

some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

a splash of white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

some honey (optional)

For the bacon, cabbage and leek 'fry-it'

1/4 of a head of savoy cabbage (shredded)

2 leeks (sliced)

6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

half a glass of dry sherry

a knob of butter

a splash of lemon-infused oil

salt and pepper

Method:

Early Prep: Combine all of the ingredients for the marinade thoroughly, coat the chicken legs and marinate for at least 6 hours;

1. Preheat the oven to 190C and roast the chicken legs for 25-35 mins until cooked throughout, turning half way through to coat in more marinade;

2. Whilst the chicken is cooking, heat the butter and lemony oil over a moderate-high heat and fry the bacon until it starts to crisp;

3. Chuck in the chopped garlic and fry for a further minute;

4. Add the shredded cabbage and leeks and fry until the cabbage has shrivelled to about half its original size;

5. Add the sherry, salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sherry has all but disappeared;

6. Serve the chicken on top of the 'fry-it' and scoff immediately. It'd be nice with some roasted vine-ripened tomatoes on the side.

Alternatively, you could use grilled chicken breasts, which have been rubbed with dry spices for a different take on the dish, or simply eat the 'fry-it' on its own as a lunch or snack.

Chinese style lemon chicken soup

My recipes over the coming weeks will be focused on eating more healthily. As part of my weight-loss regime, I have been looking for low-fat, low-calorie meals that are still packed with flavour. I imagine soups will feature heavily in this - and why not?! This one is so tasty, it deserves to be in everyone's repertoire, whether they are dieting or not. The ginger and chilli pack a subtle punch but aren't overpowering and the beautiful poached chicken adds a bit of substance to this quite delicate dish.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (skinned)
3 lemongrass stalks (outer green leaves removed and inner white leaves sliced lengthways)
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 inches of ginger (trimmed and finely sliced) [For a more authentic asian flavour, try using galangal instead if you can find it)
1 large red chilli (seeds removed and sliced into rings)
1 litre chicken stock (the better the stock the clearer the broth will be)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp light brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
a carrot (thinly sliced into strips)
pak choi (cut off and discard the thickest part of the leaves)
mangetout
baby corn (halved lengthways)
baby spring onions (halved lengthways)
tenderstem broccoli
coriander to garnish

Method:

1. Put the lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and chilli in a stock pot. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes.

2. Gently poach the whole chicken breasts in the broth for 5 minutes, then set aside and cut into strips. (Don't worry if there is a tiny bit of pink in the centre of the chicken at this point as it will cook through fully at the end.)

3. Add all the vegetables and simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the sliced chicken, fish sauce, lemon juice and sugar and simmer for another minute or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Season to taste and garnish with sprigs of coriander before serving.

4. Enjoy!

P.S. For a more substantial meal you could add some cooked rice noodles when you reintroduce the chicken.

Smoked Salmon and King Prawn Risotto

Lovely fresh flavours combined with creamy richness make this recipe a winner any time of the year. It is quite labour intensive but, if you're anything like me and find stirring things therapeutic, it really is a doddle. Enjoy!  

Ingredients:

180g Raw King Prawns (peeled and de-veined)
120g Smoked Salmon
100g Frozen Peas
400g Arborio Rice
150ml Dry White Wine (I recommend Sainsbury's Peccorino - yum!)
1.2l Chicken Stock
1/2 large Onion (Finely Chopped)
4 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)
Tabasco Sauce
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
2 Tbsp Creme Fraiche
Salt & Pepper

Method:

1. In a large saucepan or wok, gently fry over the onion for about 5 mins until softened but not browned, then add the garlic for a further minute.

2. Add the rice and stir in the wine until it has been fully absorbed.

3. Add the hot chicken stock one ladle at a time, stirring continuously as you do, ensuring that each spoonful is absorbed before adding the next. (It may take some time before all of the stock is absorbed so you might want to keep the stock hot in a separate saucepan on the hob.)

4. Add the salmon, king prawns, peas, lemon juice and tabasco and cook until the prawns turn pink throughout.

5. Stir in the Coriander and Creme Fraiche until fully incorporated, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately on a bed of baby spinach or rocket with some lovely warm ciabatta for dunking.

Rosemary Lamb Chops with Garlic Mash and Port Jus

Simple British food at its best - I just don't think you can beat the flavour of Welsh lamb, especially when cooked like this. The garlic mash makes this dish a little more special and the gravy made from the juices of the meat with a cheeky shot of Port finishes it off wonderfully.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Mash:

2 Large floury potatoes (diced)

2 Large garlic cloves

2 Tbsp Soured Cream

50g Salted Butter

For the Lamb chops:

4 Good quality lamb chops

2 Tbsp Garlic infused rapeseed oil

2 Tbsp Rosemary infused rapeseed oil

Tbsp Chopped rosemary

Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, coat the chops in the oils, rosemary, salt and pepper, cover and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.

2. Preheat the oven to 190c.

3. Chop the ends off of the garlic cloves, dip them in oil and roast alongside the chops for 20 mins. Remove from oven and leave to rest in a warm place, reserving the juices in a small pan.

4. Whilst the chops are roasting, bring the potatoes to the boil in salted water for 25-30 mins or until soft, then drain and return to the pan.

5. Add the butter, soured cream and squeeze out the roasted garlic pulp from its papery skin and mash all together, whisking and mashing until there are no lumps left. Keep warm.

6. Heat the meat juices on the hob, add a shot of Port and some water and reduce until it reaches the desired consistency. If your meat didn't leave you with much juice, add a lamb stock cube.

You could always cheat and use granulated gravy and just add the port and meat juices to it and stir well!

7. Serve the chops on top of the garlic mash, with some of your favourite steamed vegetables and add the gravy. Simple!

Smoked Salmon and King Prawns with Horseradish Cream and Sourdough Toast

I had this as a starter in Llandudno at the weekend and it was divine so last night I tried to replicate it for tea and we were simply amazed with the results. This isn't really what I would call a recipe as there is very little in the way of actual cooking, but it definitely deserves a place on this blog as it is amazingly tasty.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Thick Slices of Sourdough Bread

1 Tbsp Horseradish Sauce

4 Tbsp Double Cream

350g Smoked Salmon

350g Raw King Prawns

Mixed Peppery Salad Leaves

An inch Cucumber (quartered and sliced)

A Couple of Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)

2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
1 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

Method:

1. Lightly toast the bread on both sides.
2. Mix the horseradish and cream and spread over the toast.
3. Layer the salmon on top, followed by the salad leaves and scatter the remaining salad around the dish.
4. Heat some butter in a wok or frying pan and fry the garlic and parsley for a minute before adding the prawns. Cook the prawns until pink then scatter around the dish.
5. Pour the remaining garlic butter over the salad and serve with a basket of chips.

Penne Arrabiata with Chorizo

This is an extremely mouth-watering dish that tastes as good cold as it does hot. I make a big batch up on a Sunday most weeks and take it to work with a salad for lunch all week - it never gets boring!
Arrabiata means angry in Italian and usually contains chilli peppers or powder in it. The spice in my dish, however, comes from the chorizo and paprika. You can use any pasta you like, but I like penne because it holds the sauce nicely within it.

Ingredients:

250g penne pasta

400g chopped tomatoes

1 medium brown onion, finely diced

1 red pepper, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

half of a chorizo ring, finely diced

A generous glug of good quality balsamic vinegar

Recipe:

Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan over a moderate heat and fry the onions for 7 mins until softened, then add the crushed garlic and fry for another minute. Pour in the balsamic and turn up the heat until the onions start to caramelize. Add the diced pepper and chorizo and fry for another 5 mins. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, paprika and parsley and lightly simmer, stirring frequently whilst you cook the pasta.

To cook the pasta, bring some salted water to the boil, add the pasta and boil for 9-12 mins depending on how you like your pasta. I like mine the traditional al dente, so I cook mine for 9 mins. Once the pasta is cooked, drain well in a colander and rinse with boiling water from the kettle. Add the tomato purée to the sauce and mix the pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with garlic bread and my home-made coleslaw with a punch!