Grilled Portobello Sandwich

I enjoy stuffing mushrooms with rice, garlic, cheese. However with the Portobello mushroom I wanted it to be the star of the dish.  This healthy and delectable sink in your teeth kind of loaded sandwich has to be my best sandwich creation to date.  The mushroom acts as a meaty substitute and the rest of the flavours are mellow untill you get glorious chunks of crumbly feta that brings a salty and sour taste to your tastebuds!  I could eat this sandwich over and over again!

Come join me, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

2 Portobello mushroom cups
1 large tomato sliced
1 avocado sliced
Handful of baby spinach
Feta cheese
Chilli & garlic dry mix
Mayonnaise
Toast 4 slices seeded bread
Butter
Salt to taste
Olive oil

METHOD

With a brush lightly oil both sides of the mushroom, having taken out the stalks.  Grill for 7 to 10 minutes until soft and slightly shrivelled

Take out of the the grill and generously season with salt, chilli and garlic powder

Butter the 2 toasts liberally, place the mushroom along with the rest of the ingredients, layer, season and then crumble feta over the top.  and complete with the second piece of toast

(Optional, a peri peri mayonnaise can be made by mixing a peri peri spice mix with a dollop of mayonnaise)

Serve your loaded mushroom toasted sandwich with lots of french fries!

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The Weekend Detox Soup

This week has been a very naughty week in regards to food for me. A ll I have been munching on is chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. I didn’t feel guilty so much during the week as I did this morning!  I had to eat something good for me, healthy and yet have a detoxing effect. 

I’ve always heard my Mum telling me and practically feeding me the goodness of green mung beans.  A natural cleanser, full of protein and a general all rounded nutritious bean.  Normally I cook them as an Indian Curry but that won’t help me with the detox side of things.  I took my large jar of mung beans and created this healthy dish.  Simplicity at it’s best!  Enjoy friends…

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mung beans
3/4 cups water
Vegetable stock cube
1 garlic clove crushed
Salt and chilli powder to taste
Fresh lemon juice

METHOD

Boil the mung beans in the water along with the vegetable stock cube, once brought to the boil place on a medium simmer for 15 minutes

Add in the crushed garlic, salt and chilli powder, simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the beans are soft and tender

Serve up in a large bowl and squeeze in a generous amount of lemon juice.  Start eating and let the detox begin!

Sweet Corn and Spinach Curry‏ – Guest Post by Dimple of Shivaay Delights

I am absolutely honoured to write for our dear friend Aruna @ Aharam. Hope you all enjoy this curry! See you soon, much love D x

Loving My New Cards…

I finally got round to designing my name cards. From being an optician to writing about food…What a career change! But I would have it no other way! I am really loving exploring and cooking all types of vegetarian food. I can’t wait to get into my kitchen and start cooking some more.

Hope you are all well friends. Do please come join me on Facebook and Twitter for lots more foodie interaction!

Have a beautiful day friends..Much love, D x

Butter Bean Quesadilla

I make cheese and tomato quesadillas a lot but I’m trying to up my fibre intake and I thought beans were the way to go. I didn’t want to cook the beans twice over, so prepped a quick filling within minutes. This way the beans remain nutritious and I’ll have a happy healthy me!

They were really yummy that I ended up eating more than I should have. I really have to start controlling my portion control!…Today we are having chilli and mushroom penne. I’m already thinking about our next meal! I am terribly addicted to food! Lol!

See you all soon with the pasta recipe, much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

1 tin butter beans, drained & rinsed
1 onion chopped crescent shaped
2 plum tomatoes sliced thinly
2-3 handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp cumin & coriander powder
Sprinkling of chilli flakes and garlic powder
Salt to taste
Olive oil to pan fry

Ready made tortillas

METHOD

Take all the ingredients apart from the oil and mix well, until all is combined and nicely coated/seasoned

Heat a non stick frying pan on a medium heat with a little olive oil. Place the tortilla in the pan, add a few tablespoons of the butter bean mix on one half and fold over

Cook on both sides until the cheese has melted and the beans have warmed through

Low Calorie Onion Soup

I was checking my pantry for which vegetables I had to make a soup today especially as it’s very chilly here in the UK and everyone seems to have a cold and sore throat.  My husband being one of them, however he is very lucky! because I happened to find two bags of onions sitting there untouched.

All I could picture was a soothing hot onion soup with lingering notes of garlic dancing through the sweetness of the caramelized onions.  I looked up a few recipes and noticed that mostly all used a lot of butter and beef stock.  So I decided to create a vegetarian onion soup and low in calories!  Win, win for me…ultimate flavour and a healthier option!  It’s cooking on the stove right now and I can’t wait to tuck into a big bowl with a little mature cheddar and bread…
Oops less of the cheddar! Forgot…meant to be a low fat meal! 😉

Hope you enjoy my version of a classic soup…much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

3 medium onions sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbsp low fat butter spread
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste
Sprinkling of sugar
1 litre vegetable stock

METHOD

Heat up the butter and oil in a deep saucepan, sauté the onions until soft on a low heat. Sprinkle with sugar and carry on cooking until caramelized, can take up to 15 minutes

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Add the garlic and cook through for a minute or two pour in the vegetable soup stock with salt to taste and simmer gently for 30 minutes

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Serve with some fresh baguette and cheese of your choice

Comforting Food Always!

I always find myself making and discovering new recipes but don’t tend to make recipes that I’ve previously developed. Not because it becomes repetitive, more that I’m always looking for new things to cook!

So, this weekend I decided to change things up a bit and go back to a recipe that I made a while back and adored the first time round. I made the tomato sauce a bit more Mexican and spicy and reversed the filling and sauce around. This is The first dish and now for what we had at the weekend. I think it makes for a nice winter meal as the heat of the spices warms you through.

So very easy to prepare in advance if you have guests coming round or so quick to make when you want a simple, fast meal. Hope you all enjoy it!
Have a mesmerising Monday, much love D x

INGREDIENTS

For the filling

A large bag of baby spinach 400g
1 large garlic clove
150g full fat soft cheese
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce

430g tomato passata
1 small white onion chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 tsp taco/mexican seasoning
1/2 veg stock cube
1/3 tsp cayenne pepper/paprika
1 level tsp salt

6 large tortilla wraps
Grated mature cheddar cheese

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 190°c

Blitz all the filling ingredients together in a food processor…DONE!

For the sauce

Heat up the Olive oil. Sauté the chopped onion on a low heat until golden brown. Pour in the tomato passata along with all the seasoning, stir well. Cook through for 10 to 15 minutes

To see the set up of the enchilada go to…Mexican spinach enchiladas

Once all layed out in baking dish, pour over the tomato sauce. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and has is all golden

Serve with a salad of your choice

A Chilli & Garlic Red Sauce For Ravioli

I love pasta and find that making your own pasta sauce is very comforting.  You can add extra vegetables or make it spicy and vary it each time depending upon the type of pasta you are using.

My recent pasta dish allowed me to explore the simplicity of the red sauce.  All I wanted was a strong garlic and chilli hit to accompany some spinach and ricotta ravioli I had.  Which we polished off with a nice crisp glass of white wine.  A perfect sauce for ravioli..not too much going on in the sauce, just enough to add and bring out the flavours of the ravioli

I think I’m going to go and make some more! Ummmm…Have a relaxing weekend friends!, Enjoy…Much love, D x

INGREDIENTS

4 garlic cloves crushed
500g crushed tomato passata
Salt to taste
1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
1 large chilli chopped

METHOD

Heat the olive oil along with the crushed garlic and chilli on a low heat for 5 to 7minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn

Slowly pour in the tomato passata, season with the salt and leave to simmer on a low heat still

I cover the saucepan and leave the sauce to cook through for at least 20 to 30 minutes.  If it gets to thick then add a little water to thin in down

Serve the sauce drizzled over a ravioli of your choice

Taking some over to the weekly party over @ The Novice Gardener

A Creamy Chapati Curry

Lunchtime yesterday was about using up food that I already had ready to eat! My husband discovered some chapatis and fancied them hot. I thought to curry them up in a creamy yoghurt sauce laced with garlic and chilli. I have watched my Mum make this wonderful dish when it was just me and her for lunch, when I lived at home. We both love tangy yoghurt and this spicy sour sensation really is something very enjoyable!

A light yellow silky sauce to accompany and soak into the pre cooked chapatis! A definite staple in our home when we have left over chapatis!

INGREDIENTS

4 pre cooked chapatis/tortillas torn into bite size pieces
4 tbsp mild natural yoghurt/greek yoghurt
½ cup water/100 ml water
1 large garlic clove crushed
¼ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
pinch of dried red chilli seeds
⅓ tsp garam masala
⅓ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander & cumin powder
⅓ tsp chilli powder
⅓ tsp salt or to taste
Fresh coriander to garnish

METHOD

• Whisk the yoghurt and water together

• Heat the oil in a medium non-stick saucepan, add the chilli, mustard and cumin seeds along with the crushed garlic

• Once the seeds start to pop slowly add the yoghurt mixture, stir in the seasoning and spices and whisk on a low heat, throw in the chapati/tortilla and whisk

• Keep on a low simmer and stir to avoid separation of yoghurt. Do not boil just let the sauce warm through and serve with a sprinkling of fresh coriander