Carrot & Sweet Potato Mash

I was planning on cooking sausage and mash for my family tonight but wanted to make it with a difference, so we had sausage, homemade potato wedges and vegetable mash with onion gravy. It was delicious.

Ingredients:

5 medium carrots, peeled & sliced

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

25g butter

black pepper

Method:

1. Place the carrots, sweet potatoes and garlic cloves into a pan of water and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer until the vegetables are nice and tender (easy to mash).
3. Drain the vegetables and add the cumin, butter and other seasoning if required and mash.

Serve as an alternative vegetable side dish to many amazing meals or as I did an alternative to sausage and mash!

Spring has Sprung in the Garden

Daffodils

Violas

Spring has finally sprung, which is allowing me to get out in the garden. This is the first spring I have lived in a house with a garden, so I am very excited about what we might grow this year. We visited the local garden centre a few weeks ago and I spent lots of my Christmas money on garden equipment including a raised bed, seeds and plants, etc (my husband says I can't go back for a while as I spent too much money!).

Carrots

I have planted:

• herb seeds - coriander, basil & parsley
• daffodils along the edge of my lawn
• blueberry bushes
• raspberry canes
• runner bean seeds
• pea seeds
• butternut squash seeds
• spinach seeds
• a tomato plant
• carrots
• violas

My windowsill

Many of the potted seeds are sat on my window sill in the conservatory whilst they germinate and I am really enjoying watching new shoots appear most days with the beautiful warm sunny weather we have been having. I cannot wait to get them planted outside especially if this beautiful weather continues.

Blueberry bush

Previously I have not been so successful at growing plants and keeping them alive so this year is my year to prove myself wrong and harvest bumper crops to feed the family!!!

Tomato 

Daffodil

Carrot, Cumin & Coriander Salad

Carrot, Cumin & Coriander Salad

Ingredients:

3 carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander

Method:

1. Peel the carrots & chop off the ends, then using either a grated or vegetable peeler, grate the carrots.
2. Add the oil, lemon juice, cumin and coriander to the bowl of the grated carrot and mix together well.
3. Serve immediately as an alternative salad side dish to a meal.

Colourful Couscous

Colourful Couscous

    Ingredients:

    A red pepper

    A small courgette

    100g green beans (frozen or fresh)

    100g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)

    200g couscous

    4 tbsp sultanas

    1-2 tbsp olive oil

    500ml boiling water

    8 tbsp fresh orange juice

Method:

1. Chop the pepper and courgette and slice the green beans finely.
2. Steam the pepper, courgette, green beans and sweetcorn for 5 minutes.
3. Place the couscous and sultanas in a bowl, pour over the boiling water and leave for 5 minutes for the couscous to absorb the water.
4. Add the orange juice and steamed vegetables to the couscous and mix whilst fluffing up the couscous with a fork.

Serve as a dish on a buffet or as a lovely healthy lunchtime meal.

Slow-cooked Moroccan Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

Leg of lamb

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

1 onion

400g tin of tomatoes

350g chicken stock

dried coriander

olive oil

Method:

1. Add the spices and chopped onion to the bottom of the slow cooker casserole dish.
2. Add the tomatoes and stock and place the joint into the casserole.
3. Sprinkle the skin with dried coriander and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Put the slow cooker on high for the first 2 hours and then another 6 hours or until cooked through on low heat.

Enjoy with some delicious couscous or rice and green beans.

Kiwi & Apple Smoothie

I love the colour of this smoothie, it looks sooo green and full of vitamins :)

Ingredients:

4 kiwis

1 banana

splash of apple juice

1 tbsp honey

Method:

1. Chop the banana & kiwis into small pieces.
2. Put the chopped fruit, apple juice & honey into the blender.
3. Blend and serve as a nice refreshing drink.

Healthy Apricot Slices

Healthy Apricot Slices

Wanting to eat something sweet but on a diet? Well, this could be a great recipe for you...

Ingredients:

150g oats

150g plain flour

110g soft light brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

175g margarine

175g dried apricots, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180C.
2. Place oats, flour, sugar, baking powder and margarine into a bowl and mix together.
3. Place half of the mixture into a square baking tin and press down.
4. Sprinkle the chopped apricots on top and top with the remaining mixture, again pressing down into the tin.
5. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden.
6. Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into slices.

ENJOY with a good cuppa!!

Broccoli & Fig Pasta

I created this recipe after receiving a fruit and vegetable box with both broccoli and figs in it. I was not sure what to make for tea and this is what I came up with...

Broccoli & Fig Pasta

Figs

Broccoli

Ingredients:

300g pasta

350g broccoli, cut into small florets

6 figs, quartered

3 tbsps lemon juice

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

100g grated cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Frying the figs and broccoli

1. Place the pasta in the bottom of a pan with the broccoli on top and boil for 5 minutes before removing the broccoli, but allow the pasta to continue boiling until cooked.
2. Gently heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic for a minute.
3. Add the figs, broccoli and lemon juice and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the cooked pasta and grated cheese to the pan and toss together ready to serve.

Add the pasta and cheese

As an alternative you could also add seeds or nuts to the recipe and fry with the garlic.

Ruth's Beef Goulash

Beef Goulash

Ingredients:

800g beef, diced
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
4 tbsps Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsps paprika
4-5 small carrots, peeled & sliced
2 peppers, sliced
600ml of beef stock
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 heaped tbsps flour
black pepper
2 tbsps oil

Method:

1. Place the flour in a bag with a sprinkling of black pepper, place in the diced meat and toss until coated with the flour.
2. Heat the oil in a pan until hot, place the flour coated meat and allow it to sizzle away until nicely browned.
3. Put the meat into the slow cooker and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes until beginning to brown.
4. Add the beef stock, tinned tomatoes, paprika, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce, mix & heat until simmering.
5. Pour over the meat and add the carrots and peppers to the mix.
6. Cook in the slow cooker on low for approximately 6 hours.

Serve with rice or garlic bread or potatoes and creme fraise or soured cream.

Nectarine & Banana Smoothie

Ready to be blended

This has got to be one of my all time favourite smoothie recipes!!

Ingredients:

4 nectarines
2 bananas
5 tbsps lemon yoghurt
1 tbsp oats

Method:

1. Chop & de-stone the nectarines & chop the bananas.
2. Add all the ingredients to the blender...and BLEND!
3. Pour into glasses and...

...ENJOY a really sweet and refreshing smoothie.

Nectarine & Banana Smoothie

Slow cooked chicken surprise

Slow Cooked Chicken Surprise

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken
2 large fresh chillies
2 onions
1 garlic clove
2 tbsps BBQ sauce
400ml chicken stock cube
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp paprika
Butter

Optional extras:
Carrots, Sweet potatoes, Peppers

Gravy:
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp oil

Method:

1. Halve the onions, place 1 half into the middle of the chicken and slice the other halves.
2. Chop finely the garlic and chillies.
3. Place the onion, garlic and half of the chillies into the bottom of the slow cooker, with any chopped optional vegetables.
4. Smear the butter over the chicken and put the chicken on top of the vegetables and onions in the slow cooker.
5. Sprinkle the rest of the chillies and half of the paprika over the chicken skin.
6. Mix together the chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, rest of the paprika, BBQ sauce and pour over the chicken.
7. Leave in the slow cooker on high for the first hour and then on low for another 5-6 hours.
8. Remove the chicken and allow it to rest for 5 mins before carving and serving.
9. To make a gravy with the left over juices, mix the cornflour and oil together to form a dough in the bottom of a small pan.
10. Add some of the juices and whisk with the cornflour & oil mix whilst gently heating over a low heat, after a few mins it will start to thicken, so gradually add more of the juices slowly continuously stirring.

Serve with rice or potatoes and a selection of seasonal vegetables.

NB If there are any leftover gravy after the meal you can add it to couscous over a pan to make some beautifully flavoured couscous!

Pineapple, Plum Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 banana
2 plums, destoned
Small can of pineapple slices in juice
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsps oats

Method:

1. Chop up the pineapple, banana & plums.
2. Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

ENJOY!!!!!

Corned beef hash

Fry the onion, potatoes, carrots & swede.

Ingredients:
500g small potatoes
2 carrots (Optional)
half a small swede (Optional)
1 onion
1 tin of corned beef
3 tbsps Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbsp mustard







Method:

Mix it all together

1. Cube the corned beef to 1cm cubed pieces.
2. Mix the Worcestershire sauce, cubed corned beef and mustard together.
3. Cube the potatoes and swede to approximately 1cm cubes and slice the carrots.
4. Boil the potatoes, swede and carrots for approximately 5 minutes until soft and drain.
5. Slice an onion.
6. Heat the oil in a pan until hot and fry the onion for a few minutes. 
7. Add the potatoes, carrot & swede for a few minutes.
8. Add the soaked corned beef for a few minutes until warmed through.

Serve with garden peas or salad.

Corned Beef Hash

Old adventures... climbing Maranguape

From the city Fortaleza in Brasil there is a mountain on the horizon which is called Maranguape.

Towards the end of our stay in Fortaleza in 2005 we challenged ourselves to climb it with a guide in the 30+C temperatures, and this is our triumphant picture once we reached the top!

At the top of Maranguape!

Banana & Kiwi Smoothie

Banana & Kiwi Smoothie

Ingredients:

1 banana,
2 kiwis,
3 tbsps of lemon yoghurt (or another flavour or natural yoghurt),
1 tsp of honey
Milk (Optional)


Method:

1. Slice the banana.
2. Chop kiwis into approximately cm squares.
3. Place all the ingredients (except milk) into a liquidiser or blender.
4. Blend until smooth.
5. Add a splash or two milk to mixture to make a little thinner as required.
6. Blend again until all mixed together.

Enjoy your very healthy and delicious drink!!!