Chilli, chilli popcorn!

Crunchy, salty and hot! Sensational popped corn with immense flavour.  The heat got to us but did we stop?..No! Lol…
A must try for this weekend! Hope you’re all good.

Go ahead! Pop some corn!

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup popping corn

2-3 tbsps rapeseed oil

1 tsp dried chilli flakes 

1 tsp garlic granules 

Smoked paprika to taste

1 tbsp salt

METHOD 

In a large saucepan, on a medium heat. Pour the oil and sprinkle chilli flakes. Once the oil sizzles, slowly add the popcorn kernels

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon

Turn up the heat to maximum and cover the saucepan

The corn will start to pop.  Once it kicks off, lower the heat to medium again

Wait until all the corn has popped

Transfer into a big serving bowl And munch!

A Spicy Chipotle Tomato Sauce

The perfect sauce for your gnocchi. Smoked Chipotle chilli flakes with fleshy tomatoes crushed with garlic salt and pepper and a little bit of rape seed oil. Which in turn gives you a wonderful aromatic spicy and yet tantalizing sauce for any pasta dish!
All you do is blitz all the ingredients and gently cook through to fuse all the flavours.

INGREDIENTS 

1 tin crushed/whole tomatoes

1 medium white onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

2 pinches chipotle dried flakes

1 tsp garlic salt

Ground black pepper to taste

Dried Oregano to taste 

Salt to taste 

METHOD 

Blend the tomatoes, onion and garlic cloves together

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle in the chipotle flakes, pepper, dried oregano  and garlic salt as the oil heats up

Keeping on a slow heat, pour the tomato blended mix. Season with salt, stir and cover the saucepan

Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally 

Serve with gnocci or your favourite pasta

Enjoy!

Crunchy Quinoa & Roast Aubergine Salad

Summertime calls for easy and fresh salads. Full of goodness and yumminess!  Here I bring you my new recipe made today.  Extremely healthy and incredibly tasty!  I am one happy lady!

INGREDIENTS

2 large cups quinoa cooked
1 aubergine
1 tin pinto beans drained
1 medium carrot grated
15 mini plum tomatoes quartered
Handful of coriander chopped
2 heaped tablespoons flax seeds

Dressing
6 tbsps olive oil
2 tsp whole grain mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
4 tbsp water

METHOD

I roasted the aubergine directly on the gas of my stove.  Very Indian style!  I kept the gas on low and kept turning the aubergine as it was slowly roasting.  When the skin wrinkled and the flesh was tender.  I removed it and let it cool down

Gently removed the skin and then cut the aubergine into small chunks

Placed in a large salad mixing bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.  I then combined all thoroughly.  Lastly the dressing was added and infused in

Butter Bean, Kale & Tagliatelle Soup

A wholesome soup. Filled with some much goodness and the Kale just takes it to that super soup level!

INGREDIENTS

1 tin 400g butter beans drained
100g kale
100g tagliatelle
50g crushed tomato
800ml water
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste

METHOD

Place all the ingredients into a soup maker or in a saucepan on a medium heat to simmer.  Cook through until soft. 

Kiwi & Celery Smoothie

A refreshing smoothie with sweet, sour and earthy notes.  An interesting combination of banana, kiwi and celery.
Replenishing energy, natural sugars and salts.

Definitely a favourite of mine now!

INGREDIENTS

1 banana
1 kiwi skinned
1 stick celery
80ml water

METHOD

Blitz all ingredients and serve in a pretty wine glass!  Simple!

Chilli & Garlic Flatbread

My 3 year old son kept eating these flatbreads despite the fact that he occasionally got the odd chilli flake. He just kept on going. So very moreish are these flatbreads! That once you start, you won’t be able to stop!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup wholewheat/chapati flour
1 cup self raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp dry chilli flakes
2 tsp sunflower oil
Boiling water to knead
Sunflower oil for cooking

METHOD

Place both types of flour in a large mixing bowl with the salt, garlic granules, chilli flakes and 2 tablespoons of oil.

Use fingers to make a crumble consistency. Add boiling water gently to form a soft dough

Bring together and knead for 5 minutes

In the meantime heat a non stick frying pan on a medium heat

Take about a tablespoon and a half of dough. Roll flat to about a 10cm diameter disc

Place in the frying pan.  Cook on both sides until golden brown, using a little oil to aid the process

Serve hot with lashings of butter

Cauliflower Crumb

A different way to eat cauliflower.  Either on its own or used as a crumb.  I quite like it as it is. 

This crumb couldn’t be simpler!  Something to snack on and it’s actually good for you!!!

INGREDIENTS

1 small raw cauliflower grated finely
A little broccoli is desired
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Extras to spice the mix up a bit

Smoked paprika
Garam masala
Roasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds

METHOD

Combine all ingredients. If using the plain lemon version this can definitely be used as a crumb to coat ingredients instead of breadcrumbs

The Carrot, An Orange Delight

The carrot…not one of my vegetables of choice but now is, as both my boys love them as does our pet house rabbit Alfie!

I’m just about getting myself to eating them raw, like them in a fruit & veg juice mix and now I have made them a little tangy to add them as a side dish to any Indian meal

INGREDIENTS

3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
½ tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp black mustard seeds
Salt to taste
Fresh lime juice to taste

METHOD

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and mustard seeds. As soon as the seeds start to pop, gently add in the carrots

Sprinkle with the cumin powder, mix well so that all the carrots are coated. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes til slightly soft

Season with salt and fresh lime juice, cover and cook until the carrot is a little more tender.

Serve with your favourite Indian meal

Roasted Vegetable Quinoa With Lime

A winter warmer, so quick. I think it’s too good to be true. Very tasty, healthy and comforting on a cold winter’s night…
Makes a lovely main or even a side dish to go with your Christmas dinner. Have a look and give it a go. Do let me know how you all like it. Love feedback! Until then, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 large cup precooked quinoa upon instruction

1 aubergine diced
1 bell pepper diced
12 plum or cherry tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
2 courgettes diced 2cm chunks
1 chilli sliced finely
Coriander to garnish
Fresh lime juice to taste
Olive oil
Salt to taste

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200°c, place all the vegetables in a large deep roasting tray.  Season with salt and a generous drizzle of olive oil

Roast for 20 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked through and a little charred

Carefully fold in the cooked quinoa, drench in lime juice to taste.  Use freshly cut coriander to garnish the quinoa

Serve hot with a sprinkling of grated cheese

Pizza Dip for Popcorn

We are so used to now having different flavours of popcorn with chilli and chocolate and lime and lemon infused through the kernel.  However how about a popcorn dip?

You’re either a salted or a sweet popcorn fan. I love both! 😉 I had popped a bag of salted corn in the microwave and then thought I wanted pizza too.

So this is how the inspiration came for the fresh tomato pizza dip!

Easy, quick and healthy!!! Great if you want to snack on something light but it’s bursting with flavour

INGREDIENTS

1 punnet of mini plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small green chilli optional

METHOD

Blitz the  tomatoes, garlic, salt and chilli together in a blender

In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil with the oregano on a slow heat

Pour in the tomato mixture, stir well. Bring the dip to a medium boil and then simmer for 15 minutes

Serve your tangy dip with fresh salted popcorn