Baked beans make a tasty topping to many things including toast, jacket potatoes, crumpets and baked sweet potatoes. Straight from a tin they are quick and simple but can often contain more sugar and salt than is necessary. Making them yourself helps to control this…
This is another quick and healthy, vegetable packed stir-fry recipe that is ready in minutes. This time I served it with grilled mackerel fillets but in the past I have also made it with sliced up chicken breast, which I added to the stir-fry when…
If not careful, turkey can be really dry and not pleasant to eat. This is because it is an incredibly lean meat. It is a great substitution for chicken and if cooked well is very tasty. I buy these meatballs ready-made from Muscle Food, but…
I do enjoy a big bowl of roasted vegetables, especially when the edges have started to caramelise and go crispy. It just intensifies the flavour and the varying textures keep it interesting. This recipe works with most vegetables and most protein sources. It is incredibly…
A caponata is a mixed Mediterranean vegetable stew, traditionally starring aubergine. However I came across this one on BBC Good Food using pepper, tomatoes and celery, which were all the ingredients I had at the time and so I decided to give it a go.…
The dish gumbo originates from Louisiana, USA. It is similar to jambalaya in that it has two typical versions, the creole and the Cajun varieties. Cajun is traditionally meat based, whereas creole is seafood. Jambalaya is a rice based dish, while gumbo is more of…
About 7 years ago now, when I was still very new to cooking from scratch, I found and followed a recipe for lemon chicken. It was something Neil used to make when he lived on his own, but from using a sauce from a jar,…
Jambalaya is a Creole/Cajun one pan rice dish, very similar to the Spanish paella, that is designed as a cheap, but wholesome dish to use up any leftovers. This time I made it with turkey, but it can be made with chicken, chorizo, prawns or…
Ok, so this might not be the prettiest of meals to look at, but its tasty and nutritious. Its also quick to make and a little different to your usual noodle stir-fry. Often fish fillets are quite small and so don’t contain enough protein for…
As a child I used to say I hated peanut butter. I’m not sure I had ever actually really tried it. My mum isn’t a big fan and so we never really had it in the house. Now I eat it a lot. Spread on…
Adding fruit to savoury dishes is something you either love or hate. I love it, as I have a sweet tooth, but I understand if it is a no go for you. The key to make this dish work really well is to make sure…
If you can’t get hold of these steak-shaped, minced meat patties I buy from Muscle Food then feel free to just use normal beef steak. You could also use meatballs, just add them to the pan at the same time as the Cajun spice mix…