Jamie Oliver's Greek Chicken with Herby Vegetable Couscous & Tzatziki

I try very hard to limit myself to two new cookbooks a year - one at Christmas and one in the summer. I  already have way more than I need but not buying any new books is, obviously, unthinkable! Having said that, I had already failed by mid-March thanks to the new Clandestine Cake Club book and Paul Hollywood's Bread (both brilliant). Nevertheless, I still allowed myself my summer purchase and invested in Jamie Oliver's recent book, Jamie's 15-Minute Meals.

Both with this book and it's predecessor, 30 Minute Meals, there has been plenty of comment about how the titles are misleading. I would ignore any negativity, however, and buy this book because, so far, I've had nothing but success with it and if you get organised in advance then the timings aren't too far out. You have to have everything ready before you start the clock, pans heated, kettle boiled etc, so you will be in the kitchen longer than 15 minutes but even taking that into account you can get some great dishes on the table in a relatively short space of time.

Jamie uses some clever techniques to speed things up. In this recipe, for example, the chicken is flattened to decrease the cooking time and vegetables are finely chopped in a food processor, rather than by hand.

It's also clear that a lot of time has been spent making the recipes well balanced and relatively healthy so even the pasta dishes are served with a salad or something similar. Big flavours are also a key feature with various herbs and spices being used in most recipes to add interest.

On the negative side, Jamie does like to use a wide variety of ingredients that will leave you with leftovers to find a home for - half a bunch of dill, 2 teaspoons of harissa, 40g feta etc - so you might find you need to do a little extra research to find other recipes to use up what's left. He also uses chillis and coriander in a large number of the recipes, neither of which I like, however I've had no problems with leaving them out or replacing the chillis with a few dried chilli flakes.

This particular recipe was a real hit when I made it. The oregano and all spice gave the chicken an amazing flavour and the tzatziki was the perfect match with the warming heat of the peppers and chilli in the couscous. Once I had everything ready it took me around 20 minutes to get it on the table. I took a bit longer because I didn't want the pepper mix to be raw so fried it for a couple of minutes and I also didn't flatten the chicken quite enough so it took a little longer to cook.

I made half the recipe for two of us and the portion size was pretty much spot on.

I'll definitely be making this again and I urge you to try it too! You can find the recipe here.

Prawn & Coconut Satay Broth

It's no secret that I'm a fan of a quick, after-work dinner so I was especially happy when this recipe turned out to be a success. It's yet another find from one of my favourite recipe books, In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt which contains so many great recipes that it's must for, well, anyone really.

This particular recipe comes under the chapter headed-up "Lazy" so I was on to winner from the start. I find some quick-to-make dishes can end up a bit disappointing, taste-wise, but that definitely wasn't the case this time. Coconut and peanut are always a great combination and both flavours are boosted by the salty soy sauce and sharpness from the lime.

The problem I had with this dish was the fact that I only have one suitable bowl for this sort of thing. I had to eat my portion out of a pyrex bowl! I'll have to get shopping as I'll definitely be making this again.

Prawn & Coconut Satay Broth
(adapted from In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt)

2 strips of medium egg noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons smooth or crunchy peanut butter
200ml coconut milk
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
200g cooked king prawns, defrosted if frozen (I used uncooked prawns and just cooked them through in the wok before starting on the rest of the recipe)
1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
a pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of soy sauce (or more to taste)
a squeeze of lime juice
a large handful of coriander, roughly chopped (most definitely optional in my case)

1) Cook the noodles as per the instructions on the packet

2) Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan and briefly fry the garlic. Stir in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix together before adding the stock.

3) Bring to a simmer then add the prawns, spring onion, chilli flakes and soy sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the prawns are heated through, and then add the cooked and drained noodles.

4) Return to a simmer and finally add a squeeze of lime juice and the fresh coriander. Serve straight away.

Serves 2

Stir-fried Pork with Hoisin and Greens

I don't know about you but, as is usually the case at this time of year, I'm a bit sick of cakes and sweets and have been scouring my recipe books for lighter, healthier dinners. Stir-fries are one of my favourite options in this situation as they usually include plenty of veg and are easy and quick to throw together. 

This recipe is a recent discovery that has quickly become a hit with the whole family. It's yet another successful recipe from one of my favourite books, Every Dayby Bill Grainger, and I've yet to make something from it that I didn't like.

As with all good stir fries this is quick to make and, thanks to the five-spice marinade and the combination of hoisin sauce, soy sauce and chicken stock, it has bags of flavour. I've tweaked the recipe slightly as this suggests cooking the broccoli in the wok rather than boiling or steaming. I know broccoli doesn't benefit from being over cooked but at the same time I'm not keen on it when it's too crunchy and I can never manage to cook it enough in a frying pan or wok.  Also, I often buy a 600g pack of pork steaks from the supermarket and use half for each meal, instead of the 400g suggested below, which provides enough for two adults and two children.

Stir-fried Pork with Hoisin and Greens

(adapted from Every Day by Bill Grainger)

2 teaspoons cornflour

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice

400g/14 oz pork leg steak, cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

3 tablespoons chicken stock

1 tablespoon peanut oil (I just use sunflower oil)

3cm/1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 bunch tender-stemmed broccoli, cut into long florets and boiled or steamed for a couple of minutes until just cooked

6 spring onions, chopped

1) Mix together the cornflour, sesame oil and five-spice. Put the pork in a non-metallic bowl, pour the cornflour mixture over the top and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

2) Mix together the soy, hoisin and chicken stock. Heat the peanut or sunflower oil in a large wok or frying pan over a high heat. Add the ginger, spring onions and pork to the wok and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, or until the pork is light golden. Add the broccoli to the wok, add the sauce and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Serve with jasmine rice or similar.

Serves 4

Eggy Rice

Now here's a nice recipe. This another one from the best cook book I acquired last year, Hungry?, by the people who make Innocent Smoothies. You can see from my original post here, that this was sent to me to review so I'm aware that my praising it seems like a bit of a sales pitch but I honestly love this book. I've tried maybe a dozen of recipes from it so far and pretty much all of them have been winners. And if you don't believe me then have a look at the reviews on Amazon via the link above.

This recipe is one of my favourites. If you like stir fries but fancy a change from noodles then this is ideal. I love the flavour combination of soy, oyster sauce and lime and there's enough veg included to make it feel like a really healthy meal. Plus, like most stir fries, it doesn't take long to bring it together once all your ingredients are ready.
















Eggy Rice
(adapted from Hungry by the Innocent Smoothie People)

a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
8 spring onions
2 pak choi, washed
2 carrots
groundnut oil
4 large free-range eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon runny honey
2 tablespoons rice wine
600g cooked rice
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 limes
a glug of soy sauce
chilli sauce (optional)

1) Peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic, finely slice the spring onions and pak choi, and grate the carrot. Set all these aside.

2) Put a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and let it get really hot. Add a splash of groundnut oil and lightly scramble the eggs for about a minute. When just cooked through, remove the eggs from the pan and drain on some kitchen roll.

3) Give the wok or pan a clean and add a splash more oil. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes, then stir in the honey and rice wine and cook for another minute.

4) Add the cooked rice, egg, spring onions, pak choi, carrot, oyster sauce, a splash of sesame oil, juice of 1 lime and a big glug of soy sauce. Turn up the heat and cook for 5 more minutes, until the rice is piping hot.

5) Serve with a wedge of line and a dash of chilli sauce for an extra kick.

Serves 4

Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin

This recipe for Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin comes from Jo Pratt's In the Mood for Entertaining. I love Macaroni Cheese, both the traditional version and varieties with a bit of twist. This definitely falls into the latter category with the inclusion of blue cheese, wine, roasted peppers and spinach.

In her recipe notes Jo describes this dish as not being too stodgy or rich. Hmm.....I'm not sure you can say that about any dish that includes pasta (and plenty of it), cheese and cream. Not that I'm complaining mind - if you're looking for a hearty, warming dinner then this definitely ticks all the right boxes. It provides the comforting carb-richness of your usual macaroni cheese but with an extra hit of flavour from the blue cheese and pepper and a bit of balancing greenery from the spinach. For me it didn't quite beat the 5 star fabulousness of Delia's Souffled Macaroni Cheese but I still enjoyed it very much and will definitely make it again.

Blue Cheese Macaroni Gratin

(adapted from In the Mood for Entertaining by Jo Pratt)

250g macaroni

20g butter

1 bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced

1 sprig of thyme

20g plain flour

200ml white wine

125ml single cream

150g blue cheese, such as Cashel Blue, Gorgonzola, Danish Blue or Stilton

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 roasted red pepper (from a jar), cut into strips

2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

olive oil, for drizzling

1) Start by cooking the macaroni until tender. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the spring onions and sprig of thyme. Cook for a couple of minutes until the spring onions are softened. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute or so, stirring most of the time so the flour doesn't burn.

2) Gradually pour in the white wine, stirring continuously. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Remove the sprig of thyme.

3) Thinly slice half the blue cheese and keep to one side. Crumble, break or chop the rest and stir into the sauce. Season with a small pinch of salt and a good twist of black pepper. Cook until the cheese has melted.

4) Drain the macaroni well and mix into the sauce. Finally, stir in the red pepper and spinach leaves. Spoon the mixture into two individual shallow gratin dishes or one larger one to share. Lay the sliced blue cheese on top, add a twist of black pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the surface.

5) Heat the grill to the highest setting. Place the dish or dishes on a baking sheet and grill for about 5 minutes until the top is lightly golden and bubbling. Serve straight away just as it is or with a nice green salad.

This dish can be made ahead of time. Just place the dish/dishes in the fridge and when you're ready to eat, bake in the oven (180c/fan 160c/gas mark 4) for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Serves 2

Duck, Orange and Honey Stir-fry with Lots of Greens

I recently came across this lovely stir-fry in Jo Pratt's In the Mood for Food, a really nice cookbook full of tempting recipes and great photography that I dip into on a regular basis. Before I made this recipe I was a bit concerned that it might turn out to be a bit, well, unexciting. But I'm pleased to say that I was proved wrong. The orange, honey and soy sauce provided lots of flavour with the orange in particular really standing out and adding something a bit different.

I also liked the fact that the stir-fry is designed to be a complete meal with noodles being just an optional extra - great if you're trying to cut back on the carbs a bit.

Duck, Orange and Honey Stir-fry with Lots of Greens

(adapted from In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt)

Grated zest and juice of 1/2 small orange

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 knob (about 15g) fresh ginger, peeled and chopped or finely grated

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

1 large or 2 small skinless duck breasts, cut into strips (I used chicken which worked just as well)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1-2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil

2 pak choi, cut into quarters lengthways

100g thin asparagus tips

200g Chinese, tenderstem or traditional broccoli

1 bunch spring onions, cut into 2-3 cm pieces

1) Mix together the orange zest, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey in a bowl. Add the duck strips and leave to marinade for up to 30 minutes.

2) Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the sesame seeds and toss around until they are lightly golden. Remove from the pan and return the pan to the heat.

3) Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and when it is beginning to smoke remove the duck from the marinade (leaving behind as much marinade as possible) and add to the wok. Stir-fry for a few minutes until it is browned and sticky and then transfer to a plate.

4) Add all of the vegetables to the wok with a little extra oil if it looks like it needs it. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Mix the orange juice into the remaining marinade and pour in. Cook for a couple of minutes longer for the sauce to thicken and the vegetables to become tender. Return the duck to the wok, stir, then spoon into bowls and scatter with the sesame seeds.

Serves 2

Guacamole

I love guacamole (or Piquant Avocado Salsa as Anthony Worrall Thompson calls it - is there a difference?) and would happily eat it all day long if avocado wasn't quite so heavy on the calories. This is the best thing that can happen to an avocado if you ask me. I'm not really a fan of them in their natural state - I find their bland, smooth texture a bit weird and icky. Add some tomato, spring onion, lime juice and spice though and they just come alive. This is gorgeous served just as it is with plain tortilla chips.

Piquant Avocado Salsa

(adapted from Anthony Worrall Thompson's GI Diet)

1 ripe avocado, peeled and stoned

1 tomato, de-seeded and diced

2 spring onions, sliced

Juice of 1/2 - 1 lime

1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of ground coriander

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (or not in my case)

1 teaspoon chilli oil

Salt and ground black pepper

1) Mash the avocado with the back of a fork but don't make it too smooth.

2) Fold in the other ingredients and season to taste.

Serves 2

My Next Project - Unloved Cookbooks

I have amassed a fair number of cook books over the years. Some of them I return to time and time again, some are reliable reference books, some I take to bed with me now and then to look at the pictures and plan some fantasy dinner party or baking bonanza (I'm not the only person who does this right?!). A few, however, get overlooked entirely for one reason or another - maybe the recipes didn't appeal to me as much as I thought they would or take more time to make than I have available. Some have just been superseded over time by new favourites.

So, in an effort to get a bit more value for money out of some of these poor rejects I have chosen a selection of the most unloved from my shelves and have set myself the challenge of cooking two or three recipes from each one.

The books I have selected are as follows:

The Best - Silvana Franco, Paul Merrett & Ben O'Donoghue

Sunday Lunch - Gordon Ramsey

Indian Food Made Easy - Anjum Anand

Everyday - Bill Granger

Real Fast Food - Nigel Slater

The River Cottage Cookbook - Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Jamie's Italy - Jamie Oliver

The first book off the top of the pile is The Best by Silvana Franco, Paul Merrett and Ben O'Donoghue. You may remember the BBC series where the aformentioned each had to create a dish based on a different theme every week, for example Best Sweet Breakfast, Best Summer Soup etc. I really enjoyed the programme and bought the book off the back of it but I can't remember the last time I actually cooked a recipe from it.

So, here are the first two I've tried....

Curried Scrambled Eggs

I nearly didn't make this - I just couldn't get my head round the egg/curry combination. However, I'm really glad I did as it actually tasted great and was a nice change from regular scrambled eggs. A perfect dish for lunch or a light dinner.

1 Naan Bread, warmed as per instructions (I used two small ones)

a large knob of butter

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

a pinch of cumin seeds

3 eggs (this seemed like quite a lot to me so I just used two)

1-2 teaspoons curry paste

a handful of coriander leaves

S & P

1) Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan and cook the spring onions and cumin seeds for a minute or so until beginning to soften.

2) Meanwhile whisk together the eggs and curry paste together with two tablespoons of cold water and some salt and pepper. Pour into the pan and leave for a minute or two.

3) Continue to cook for another couple of minutes, stirring until almost set. Stir in the coriander leaves and spoon on to the warmed naan.

Goat's Cheese & Cranberry Toast

Now this was really good. So easy and SO yummy! I reckon this would make a great dinner party starter if you scaled down the portions a bit. I will be making this again a LOT.

1 thick slice of sourdough bread *

1-2 teaspoons of cranberry or redcurrant jelly

100g/4oz disc of goats cheese

about 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

a handful of wild rocket leaves

balsamic vinegar

S&P

* I couldn't find sourdough bread so just used a slice of plain white bread, which was fine but a bit on the thin side. Next time I'll cut myself a nice thick slice from an unsliced loaf.

1) Toast the bread on one side under a medium grill. Spread the jelly on the uncooked side and sit the cheese on top. Drizzle over some olive oil and season.

2) Return to the grill for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is golden and beginning to melt. Top with a handful of rocket leaves and a splash of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

A good start by all accounts. I also have my eye on a couple of sweet recipes in this book and will report back in a few days.

A Blue Cheese Tart

It's been a long time since I last paid a visit to one of my very favourite foodie places. Too long. I am, of course, referring to the fabulous, wish-I-lived-in-London, cookbook lovers dream, Books for Cooks in Notting Hill. For those of you who don't know, Books for Cooks is a shop entirely devoted to selling Cook Books. I know....I come over all funny just thinking about it! Aswell as selling books they also have a little test kitchen at the back of the shop where they try out two or three recipes every day, plus a selection of cakes. These are then served up to the lucky few who manage to find a seat at the handful of tables until it's all gone. They also host a variety of worskshops throughout the year. I haven't managed to attend one yet but this year I'm determined to schedule one in somewhere!

Aswell as selling other people's books, Books for Cooks also produce their own books which contain collections of the best-tasting recipes made in the test kitchen over the past year and as you might expect, these are a veritable treasure-trove of varied and wonderful recipes.

It was in one of these books that I found the following recipe. I was in a tart-making sort of mood and this was the one that appealed to me most.

Blue Cheese and Spinach Tart with Caramelised Onions

(adapted from A Taste of Australia - The Bathers Pavilion Cookbook by Victoria Alexander and Genevieve Harris. Brought to me via Books for Cooks Favourite Recipes from Books 1,2 and 3)

4 onions, finely sliced

90g/3oz butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

black pepper

125g/40z spinach leaves

175g/6oz blue cheese (Roquefort or Gorgonzola) crumbled

6 tbsp mascarpone

1 organic egg, beaten

24cm (91/2 inch) shortcrust pastry case, baked blind

(175g/6oz flour, pinch of salt, 90g/30z cold butter, 1 organic egg yolk)

1) Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a low heat, stir in the onions, salt and sugar and cook gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meltingly soft and deep golden brown. Season to taste.

2) Prepare the spinach by stripping the leaves of their stalks, then rolling up the leaves and slicing them into thin strips.

3) Mix together the mascarpone, blue cheese and egg until fairly smooth.

4) Spread the caramelised onions over the bottom of the pastry case, then press the spinach gently on to the top. Pour over the mascarpone mixture and spread it as evenly over the tart as possible so that the spinach is well covered and does not scorch.

5) Bake the tart at 190c/375f/Gas 5 until the mascarpone topping is puffed and golden (about 30 minutes).

Serves 4-6

The Lunch Challenge - Part 3

This next recipe was a real hit with me. Easy to put together, tasty and healthy - a real winner all round. As part of my lunch challenge I decided to try the Bulgar Wheat Salad with Feta, Pomegranate and Lots of Herbs from In The Mood for Food by Jo Pratt.

This book must surely be a contender for the prettiest cookbook award. Call me shallow but I do particularly like cookbooks that look nice, with lots of enticing pictures, and this book definitely falls into that category!

I had never tried Bulgar Wheat before as it just didn't sound very appealing and I nearly substituted it for couscous. I was worried that it would be a bit like brown rice, which I find a bit of a chore to eat, but I'm pleased to say that my fears were unfounded. It just tasted like a slightly larger version of couscous and, mixed with all of the other ingredients, was a pleasure to eat. I'll definitely be making this salad again.

Bulgar Wheat Salad with Feta, Pomegranate and Lots of Herbs

(adapted from In the Mood for Food by Jo Pratt)

100g bulgar wheat

125g feta cheese, finely crumbled

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate (I used half a tub of seeds from the fresh fruit section of the supermarket)

1 large handful of mint leaves, roughly chopped

1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

2 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

1/2 bunch spring onions, finely sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Cook the bulgar wheat according to the packet instructions and the rinse under the cold tap to cool it down. Drain really well and tip into a large bowl

2) Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well. Serve straight away or keep in the fridge overnight. I found this tasted nicer when it was closer to room temperature so you might want to take it out of the fridge half an hour before you plan to eat it.

Serves 2

The Lunch Challenge - Part 2

The second recipe I chose to try out as part of my lunch challenge was the Spanish Omelette from Nigella Express.  It took a little while (compared to making a sandwich anyway) to gather all the ingredients together, boil the potatoes, mix it all together and cook it but on the whole it was all pretty straightforward.  Plus it can be made the night before and stored in the fridge until needed.  The end result was really good and I've been left with three more good sized portions, so enough for a few days of lunches!  As you can see I served it with a bit of salad on the side and it all went down very nicely.  

(My light box is coming in useful already!)

Spanish Omelette

(adapted from Nigella Express by Nigella Lawson)

225g baby new potatoes (Jersey Royals please, if at all possible!), halved

4 eggs

75g chopped caramelized or flame-roasted peppers from a jar (I used a handful of ready-chopped and roasted frozen peppers, defrosted first of course)

3 spring onions, finely sliced

75g grated Manchego or cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon butter

drop of oil

salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat the grill.  Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes until cooked through.

2) Whisk up the eggs and then add the peppers, spring onions, cheese and season with S & P to taste.  Mix in the potatoes.

3) Heat the butter and oil in a small frying pan and then pour in the egg mix and cook gently for 5 minutes.

4)  By this time the bottom of the omelette should be set, but if not just leave a little longer. Then sit the pan under the grill for a few minutes to set the top.

5) Turn the omelette upside down on to a plate and leave to cool to room temperature before eating.  Don't worry if it feels a bit wobbly in the middle - it will continue to cook as it cools.

Serves 4 or more, depending on what else is available.

My next challenge - lunches!

I have been set another challenge!  This time I need to find some easy packed lunch solutions - another task which I am more than willing to undertake.  Lunches, and particularly ones I need to take to work with me, are a bit of a bugbear with me. I spend so much time thinking about dinner, what to feed the children, the next cake I want to make that lunches don't tend to get much of look in.  Homemade sandwiches can be a bit uninspiring and more often than not I don't even bother to make one and instead opt for a slice of bread and an egg to scramble in the breakout room microwave.  Cheap and simple no doubt, but interesting? Hardly.

So, the criteria are - easy to prepare, ideally the night before (fine by me), suitable for taking to work or out and about, healthy if possible and vegetarian or easy to convert (or my friend who suggested this challenge won't be very impressed!)

My first port of call was Nigella's recent book Nigella Express (I do use other author's books I promise....maybe my next challenge should be "No Nigella for a Month"!) as there is a whole chapter dedicated to just this sort of thing.  I have earmarked a few recipes from the book, the first one being Peanut Sesame Noodles.

This certainly filled the criteria mentioned above.  It was very easy to make (just mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl) and can be prepared in advance.  I think it's pretty healthy too - I know peanut butter is quite high in fat but there's only a small amount in each portion.  

Due to larder limitations I made a few tweaks to the recipe.  I only had crunchy peanut butter but figured this probably wouldn't make much difference (it didn't) and, instead of using raw pepper which I'm not very fond of, I used a handful of ready chopped and roasted pepper from a  bag in the freezer.  Oh, and I didn't add the chopped coriander at the end because, frankly, I think it's the work of the devil.  

The recipe apparently serves eight so I thought I'd make half the amount to start with.  However, the portion sizes weren't particularly generous (the picture below shows one portion).  For those of you who have the book, I reckon the three very well filled tubs in the picture probably contain the full eight portions.  I think next time I might add more beansprouts and peppers.  Nevertheless I really liked the end result and will definitely be making it again.

The recipe can be found here on the BBC website.

Spring! (..onions and more beansprouts).

I think these flowers prove that Spring is definitely here!  Not really food-related, I admit, but they looked so pretty this morning I couldn't resist.

Anyway, on to dinner.  In order to use up the bag of beansprouts I opened for the previous recipe I made Sweet & Sour Beef Noodles from Wagamama - Ways with Noodles, and very nice it was too.  I'm definitely in full-on stir fry mode at the moment - they're quick and healthy, what's not to like! 

This recipe calls for a handful of beansprouts, one or two spring onions and half a red pepper (although I found) a small one in the supermarket and used all of it. 

Beansprouts & Spring Onions

The first recipe I'm going to post about on this blog is one I made two nights ago - Chicken Chow Mein from Chinese Food Made Easy by Ching-He Huang.  This is a really good recipe, super quick to make and pretty health to boot - ideal when you don't have much time in the evening.  It's great if you have some spare beansprouts (you need 150g - about half a bag) or spring onions (1 required).   I didn't take a photo of the finished result but will try to post pictures of future dishes I post about.