Pork, Nduja and Fennel Ragu

April 22, 2021May 14, 20212 Comments

I adore Nduja. What is that, you ask? It’s the most wonderful spicy, spreadable pork sausage which comes from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. Having tried it for the first time at an Italian restaurant in Manchester, it’s an ingredient that until recently, I struggled to get my hands on regularly enough to cook with at home (now we are back in the North east). You can imagine my joy then, when I discovered that my local deli now sells it! Cue me always having a pack in the fridge, ready to add to dishes whenever the opportunity presents itself.

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Harissa Lamb and Goat’s Cheese Flatbread

February 25, 2021February 24, 20212 Comments

Some nights you need a dinner that you can throw together with minimal cooking but still enjoy the dish as much as if it took hours to make. This dinner is exactly that, provided you have all the ingredients in, you can have it on the plate within around 15 minutes.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

February 2, 2021February 2, 20212 Comments

This recipe is so quick to prepare but it’s really important you do everything at the same time so it’s nice and hot when you serve it. In the main recipe I’ve included my take on a traditional carbonara but below I’ve also included a couple of variations which you can try if you want to either mix things up or bulk the recipe out further. Continue reading →

Beef Stroganoff

January 21, 2021February 2, 20215 Comments

I’ve previously posted a recipe for kangaroo stroganoff but I thought, since beef is slightly more common, I should probably post my recipe of the more traditional version of the dish. You can serve the stroganoff with whatever you fancy, pasta, rice or potatoes, the worlds your oyster! I’ve pointed it with pasta here so just be sure to amend the points if you use an alternative.

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Sticky Chilli Chicken

January 8, 2021January 28, 202121 Comments

Usually I would test a recipe two or three times before I post it but since I cooked this one on my Instagram stories the other night, I have been inundated with requests for the recipe, even in its draft form so I thought, since it was pretty delicious first time around, I’ll pop the first test here for you all for easiness if you want to make it this weekend!

I love a Chinese takeaway however they are usually very points heavy and so I’m always trying to convert new dishes into the perfect fakeaway. I cooked this one up in the week after realising I had most ingredients in already and I was over the moon with how quick, easy and absolutley delicious. Don’t be put off by the longish list of ingredients. Most of them are store cupboard staples (well they certainly are if you cook lots of my recipes) and it’s worth having lots of them in to add instant flavour to many dishes.

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Sticky Hoisin Pork Fillet with Sesame Greens and Noodles

December 7, 2020January 28, 20211 Comment

Pork fillet is a great, lean, cheap and cheerful addition to any meal plan. I often pick one up in Aldi for £3.49 and it easily serves 4 people, a bargain, I think. Always keen to come up with new ways to incorporate it into my meal plan, a few weeks ago I came across a recipe in Good Food magazine that looked delicious and I knew it could be easily adapted to reduce the points and up the flavour. The recipe below is the result. It really is delicious and best of all, its packed with greens so feels uber healthy at the same time. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

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Harissa Prawn Orzo

October 14, 2020January 28, 202111 Comments

I always have a bag of frozen, raw king prawns in the freezer as they are so flexible and can be thrown into most dishes to make them extra special. This week I also had some left over harissa and so thought I would get the two ingredients together to make a quick and easy dinner. The result was lovely. Fresh and lively flavours, filling and best of all, so quick and easy to make.

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Pizza Fries

September 28, 2020January 28, 20211 Comment

At the very start of my maternity leave, pre all of this lockdown madness, a friend and I went out for lunch with the babies to a local restaurant. On the menu were the most delightful looking ‘pizza fries’ and, not being back on the WW wagon at that point, they sounded right up my street! Now I’m back at it however, I thought it would be the perfect thing to try and make WW friendly.

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Fakeaway Doner Kebab

August 27, 2020January 28, 20219 Comments

My hubbie LOVES a doner kebab. I’m more of a chicken kinda gal myself as I can’t stand all the grease that comes off the takeaway doner meat and the oddly crusty edges that rear their head from time to time. Now that we are both trying to reduce our takeaway intake I thought it was about time I tried to create my own fakeaway doner kebab recipe. The result surprised even my hubbie who said not only did it taste like the real thing, but he would happily eat it over the takeaway version of the dish! I’ve tested this recipe a few times now and each person who has tried it has agreed, it tastes like the real deal!

I get my lean lamb since in Sainsbury’s but if you are struggling to find 10% mince you could use 12% or 16% for 7sp per portion of Doner meat and 20% for 8sp per portion of Doner meat.

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Tandoori Roast Chicken

August 18, 2020January 28, 20212 Comments

I think I’m one of the only people I know who doesn’t LOVE a Sunday lunch. Don’t get me wrong, I’m partial to a roast every now and then, but as a fan of spice I often find a normal roast to be a bit plain and unexciting. A few weekends ago when I was brainstorming what to make for Sunday lunch, I decided to mix things up a little and put together an Indian style affair. Gorgeous, tandoori roast chicken, spiced potato wedges, garlic and coriander flatbreads, kachumba and raitha all on one plate made for the perfect Sunday roast alternative.

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