Chicken Souvlaki

Yummy chicken kebabs are perfect for a sunny day. Today is the hottest day of the year so far and we have decided that these are for tea! I love making the marinade the night before and leaving the chicken in it overnight so that the next day the flavoursome chicken is ready to simply skewer and grill or barbecue. Yummy served with pita bread and salad.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts (diced)
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Put all of the marinade ingredients into a large bowl and stir well.
2. Add the diced chicken breast and stir to ensure all of the meat is coated in the marinade.
3. Cover the bowl and chill for a few hours or overnight.
4. Place the chicken pieces onto skewers and put into a roasting tray lined with foil.
5. Put the chicken under a hot grill and cook for 15-20 mins, brush with oil and any juices from the bottom of the tin regularly, and turn halfway through cooking.
6. Once cooked, remove from the oven and rest for 5 mins.

Elmlea Plant double cream is double delicious!

We find that dairy alternatives can be VERY hit and miss. We decided to give this a go to see what it was like and it didn’t disappoint. Poured over hot chocolate pudding it was lovely and tasted very similar to “normal” pouring cream.

We also tried whipping it up for a trifle. It whipped well although took a little longer than “normal” cream to thicken. It made a lovely trifle!

All in all a very good dairy free alternative which we will be buying again!

Patatas Bravas

We are huge tapas fans! Bursting with flavour, patatas bravas are a favourite in our family. Quick and easy to make they are a definite winning dish.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 pinch chilli powder
• 1 pinch sugar
• fresh parsley to garnish
• 1kg potatoes
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Dice the potatoes (I like to leave the skin on put you can peel them if you prefer).
2. Pat the potatoes dry with kitchen roll before tipping into a roasting tin and tossing in olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Roast at 200 degrees for 40-50 mins until crisp and golden.
4. While the potatoes are cooking make the sauce by heating oil in a pan and frying the onion for 5 mins until softened.
5. Add the garlic, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, paprika, chilli powder, sugar and a pinch of salt, stir well.
6. Bring to the boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 10 mins.
7. Tip the potatoes into serving dishes and spoon over the tomato sauce.
8. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve.

Chicken and chorizo rice

Super quick and easy to make and easily adapted for all tastes and eating needs/preferences. I make this without the meat for me but with feta cheese. My daughters have it with the meat and feta. Hubby has it without the feta for his dairy free option.

Ingredients

• 1 mug rice
• 2 rashers streaky bacon
• 1 chicken breast
• 80g diced chorizo
• Half a red onion
• 1 tomato
• Half a cucumber
• diced feta (optional)
• 20g quinoa
• 20g pine nuts
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Put the mug of rice and quinoa into a saucepan with two mugs of water. Cover and bring to the boil. Once boiling reduce the heat to simmer.
2. Chop the chicken breast into bite sized pieces and fry in a little oil, stirring until cooked on all sides.
3. Chop the streaky bacon into bite sized strips and add to the chicken. Continue to fry until the bacon begins to brown.
4. Add the diced chorizo to the pan and continue to fry until all ingredients are cooked through.
5. Finely chop the onion, tomato, cucumber and feta.
6. Toast the pine nuts in a hot saucepan for a couple of minutes.
7. Once all of the water has been absorbed by the rice and quinoa remove from the heat.
8. Stir in the meat mixture and chopped onion, tomato and cucumber.
9. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese.

Pulled pork

Tender melt in the mouth slow cooked pulled pork is another dish you can prep the night before and then cook all day whilst at work.

Ingredients

• 2kg pork shoulder with the skin removed
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp gluten free plain flour
• 2 tsp oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 160ml cloudy apple juice
• 1 tbsp black treacle
• 2 tbsp honey
• 3tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 50g onion chutney

Method

1. Slice the onion and lay at the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Mix together the salt, ground black pepper, paprika and cinnamon in a small bowl. Rub over the pork.
3. Put the flour onto a plate and roll the spiced pork in the flour.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and put the pork into it to sear it on all sides.
5. Once the meat is starting to turn a golden colour put it on top of the onion slices in the slow cooker.
6. In a jug combine the black treacle, honey, crushed garlic, apple cider vinegar, cloudy apple juice and onion chutney then pour over the meat.
7. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on the low setting for 8 hours.
8. Take the meat out of the slow cooker and put on a roasting tray or bowl leaving the cooking liquor behind.
9. Pull the meat into bite-size chunks and shred with 2 forks.
10. Ladle a little of the cooking juices over the pork and mix together.

Chicken and sweetcorn soup

Super quick and easy soup recipe to make a yummy Chinese style chicken and sweetcorn soup (my eldest assures me it takes like the soup you get in a Chinese restaurant).

Ingredients

• 500ml water
• 4 teaspoons cornflower
• 1 cup cooked chicken
• 2 chicken stock cubes (I use knorr)
• Half cup sweetcorn
• Ground pepper
• Chopped parsley to garnish

Method

1. Put water into a saucepan and heat to simmering.
2. Sprinkle in the stock cubes, chicken and sweetcorn and stir well.
3. Simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring regularly.
4. Mix cornflower with a bit of water until smooth before stirring it into the soup.
5. Continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes as the soup thickens.
6. Season with pepper, garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

Scouse

I remember the first time I made Scouse for my hubby. I was so nervous that I could never do the “National dish of Liverpool” justice and would never live up to his Mum’s standard! I’m happy to report that my Scouse is a roaring success in our house and is regularly requested by all of the family! Really easy to make and a great slow cooker recipe for working days. It also freezes and reheats well.

Ingredients

• 400g Diced beef
• 2 beef stock cubes (I use knorr)
• 1 onion
• 500g Carrots
• half a Swede
• 1 kg Potatoes
• Water
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Fry the beef in a little oil to brown before putting in the slow cooker.
2. Finely chop the onion, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks, dice the carrots and Swede.
3. Add all of the vegetables to the slow cooker and sprinkle with the stock cubes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add enough water to the slow cooker to just cover the mixture.
6. Heat on auto for 7 hours.

West African jollof rice with chicken

This is easy to make, tasty and spicy (but you can alter the spice level by changing the amount of cayenne pepper and chilli added).

Ingredients

• 250g long grain rice
• 500ml chicken stock
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 1 chilli
• 1 onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• A couple of sprigs of Fresh thyme + a few extra to serve
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 320g chicken breast cut into mini fillets

Method

1. Parboil the rice with 500ml of chicken stock for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat; the rice will still be slightly hard and not all of the stock will be absorbed.
2. Blend the onion, tomatoes and chilli to a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil, and add the paste along with the curry powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, leaves from the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. Put the chicken breasts on a tray with a drizzle of oil and add a spoonful of the sauce you just made onto each piece of chicken. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 190 degrees.
5. Add the parboiled rice and remaining stock to the sauce. Cover and cook for a further 15 minutes. Give it a stir after 10 minutes and add more stock if it feels sticky.
6. Once the chicken has cooked, add to the rice to serve up with some more of the fresh thyme.

School cake

Who doesn’t love school cake? This recipe is one that I love to bake and the family love to eat. Great one for baking with the kids too. Win, win, win!

Ingredients

For the sponge cake

• 180g dairy free butter (I use vitalite)
• 180g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 180g Free From self raising flour (I use Asda free from)
• 60ml dairy free milk (I use oatly semi skimmed)
• 1tsp vanilla essence

For the icing

• 200g icing sugar
• 4 tbsp dairy free milk
• sprinkles

Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
2. Add the eggs one at a time mixing each egg into the mixture well.
3. Add the flour a tablespoon at a time stirring well each time.
4. Add the milk and vanilla essence and mix well.
5. Pour mixture into a greased and lined square cake tin (I use one which is 8”).
6. Bake for 25-30 mins at 160 degrees. The cake should turn golden brown and if you stick a skewer into the cake it should come out clean).
7. Leave to cook in the tin for 15 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cook fully.
8. Measure the icing sugar into a bowl.
9. Add the milk bit by bit stirring well each time. The icing should be a thick paste consistency which falls from the spoon.
10. Spoon the icing over the cake and spread with a knife.
11. Add sprinkles to the top of the cake to decorate.
12. Leave for 10 minutes to allow the icing to set.

Salt and pepper chicken

This is a tasty Chinese dish which is quick to cook so perfect after a busy day.

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken breasts or 3 boneless skinless thighs cut into strips 2cm wide
• 3 spring onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• One red chilli
• 1 tbsp Chinese 5 spice
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper
• 60g cornflower
• 250ml Vegetable oil

Method

2. Combine the cornflower, salt, pepper and 5 spice in a bowl.
3. Toss the chicken in the flour mix to coat well.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan.
5. Add the coated chicken to the oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once cooked remove the chicken from the oil and place on kitchen roll.
6. Finely chop the chilli, spring onion and garlic.
7. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Add the chopped vegetables and fry for 4-5 minutes.
8. Spoon the cooked vegetables over the top of the cooked chicken and serve.