Chicken & Chorizo Quesadillas

Double Meat

Funnily the day I made this quesadilla there was an article in the newspaper about how eating food with an abundance of meat inside like a hamburger is bad for you.  Sometimes I cannot believe that this information is actually published when it seems so obvious, but I guess it has to be proven.  I think that anything in abundance will of course cause problems, but high amounts of protein every now and again is actually good for your metabolism, especially when the meat is covered in cheese.  So… as long your not at risk of having a heart attack, go for it.

This recipe was adapted from Tacos, Quesadillas and Burritos (Ryland Peters & Small, 2012).

Ingredients:

Tortilla Wraps, 1tbsp olive oil,  1/2 onion (chopped), 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsps mixed herbs, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 cup tomato pasta sauce, 100g spicy chorizo (chopped and pre cooked), 100g spicy chicken breast (chopped and pre cooked), 80g grated cheddar (strong), jalapeños.

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan heat up the oil.
2. Add the onion, paprika and mixed herbs.
3. When the onions are soft add the tomato purée and pasta sauce.
4. Add the chorizo and chicken.
5. When the food has been heated through pre heat the grill to a medium/ high heat.
6. Place tin foil on the grilling tray and place a tortilla on top.
7. Place your desired amount of meat and sauce on top.
8. Sprinkle your cheese and jalapeños on the top.
9. Sandwich the other tortilla.
10. Grill for 5-10 minutes each side until lightly browned.

Saffy’s Serving Tips:

1. Corn on the Cob
2. Sour cream with chive
3.  Sweet potato fries
4. Minted pea purée

Sweet Potato, Chicken & Feta Quesadillas

Happy Dance

In ode to the song I am obsessed with at the moment I have made up this dance called the happy dance.  It is hilarious and it’s for people who do not feel like taking themselves seriously at that particular moment in time.  Like eating food that makes you feel good because you want to be happy at that particular moment in time.  I ate this amazing quesadilla and I did my happy dance.  I didn’t take myself seriously the whole evening and I woke up happy.  So there!

This recipe was adapted from Tacos, Quesadillas & Burritos (Ryland Peters & Small, 2012).

Ingredients:

Corn tortillas, 1 sweet potato (boiled so it is soft, peeled and chopped), 2oog feta cheese (chopped), 200g Mexican spiced chicken breast, jalepenos, sun dried tomatoes.

Method:

1. Pre heat the grill to a medium/ high setting.
2. Place tin foil on the grilling tray.
3. Place the base of the quesadillas on the baking tray.
4. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl and season to taste.
5. Divide the mixture in between the quesadilla bases.
6. Sandwich the other tortilla on top.
7. Grill for 5 – 10 minutes on each side.
8. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
9. While cooling do the happy dance.

Pineapple Peach Fool

Creamy, Sooo Creamy

I would not eat this dessert on its own because it is super creamy so I therefore recommend that it is eaten with ginger biscuits.  I cannot eat creamy desserts very often, so if I do make one it has to be extra special.  So I added a super dose of fruit. Pineapple and peach, cream and yoghurt. Simple and can be made in advance before and evening dinner.

This recipe was adapted from Ainsley Harriot’s Just Five Ingredients (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

100g tinned pineapple, 50g tinned peaches, 150ml double cream, 2 tbsps yoghurt.

Method:

1. Blend the fruit together before placing it in a dessert bowl.
2. Whisk the cream until it becomes thick.
3. Stir in the yoghurt and fold in the cream.
4. When everything has been mixed in the dessert bowl leave to set in the  fridge for at least 4 hours.

Cornmeal Chilli Muffins

Polenta 

In Barbados the national dish is called cou cou.  We eat it with gravy and fish with spices and vegetables.  I loved my Gran Gran’s cou cou, cornmeal always made me feel happy.  It was wonderful when I discovered that cornmeal/ ground polenta is eaten all over the world in a variety of ways.  For example I recently discovered that in south east Asia they use polenta to make bubble tea!  How wonderful! I decided to make Cornmeal Chilli Muffins because I wanted a healthy muffin with a kick and one that reminded me of Barbados during the English storms.  These did just fine thanks!

This recipe was adapted from The Complete Low – Fat Cookbook (Bay Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

1 cup fine polenta, 1 tbsp caster sugar, 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1/2 tbsp baking powder, 2 tbsps vegetable oil, 1 egg, 25ml skimmed milk, 150g drained tinned sweetcorn, 4 spring onions (chopped), 2tsps chilli flakes.

Method:

1. In a large bowl add the polenta, sugar, flour and baking powder.
2. Beat the oil, egg and skimmed milk together before adding to the dry ingredients.
3. Add the sweetcorn, spring onion and chilli flakes to the mixture.
4. Place muffin holders in a baking tray and pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
5. Spoon the muffin mixture into the paper cases.
6. Bake for 40 minutes.
7. When browned and cooked all of the way through.  Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Museli Cookies

Laughing out aloud

When I told my mother what these cookies were called she laughed out as if I had said something odd.  She said this treat is very old fashioned and sounds like I ran out of stuff to put in the dough so I apparently loaded it with museli.  I guarantee this is a legitimate recipe from Mary Berry which tastes fantastic.  So good infact that my mother stopped laughing as soon as she tasted then.  Another job well done.  A few were eaten before had even cooled.

This recipe was taken from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

175g butter, 100g caster sugar, 1 egg, 175g self – raising flour, 175g museli.

Method:

1. Beat the butter and the sugar together.
2. Mix in the egg.
3. Sift in the self – raising and museli.
4. Mix together to form a dough.
5. Place a baking sheet on a baking tray and pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
6. Mould the dough into biscuit shapes placing them at least and 1 1/2 away from each other.
7. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. Cool for 5 minutes.

Chocolate Almond Cake

Sweet 

My great aunty loves to have a sweet after her meals.  My Gran Gran was an ice cream fan but my aunt likes all sorts of cakes and biscuits.  I made this really lovely chocolate almond cake.  It was the perfect consistency and  tasted like a spongy chocolate cloud.  The almond gives the chocolate cake a sophisticated taste and I also sprinkled mixed spice over the top which created an awesome aroma.

This recipe was adapted from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible (BBC Books, 2009).

Ingredients:

175g caster sugar, 175g softened butter, 175g self- raising flour, 3 eggs, 40g dark chocolate (melted), 50g ground almonds, 1 tbsp mixed spice.

Method:

1. Beat the caster sugar and butter together until creamy.
2. Beat in the eggs.
3. Add the self – raising flour, ground almonds and stir.
4. When well combined fold in the dark chocolate.
5. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
6. Prepare a baking tin with a large cake baking holder.  (This will make it easier to present the cake as a present.)
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
8. Sprinkle the mixed spice over the top of the cake mixture.
9. Bake in the oven for an hour.

Potato, Courgette and Leek Bake

Vegetable Hot Pot

The storms were actually quite ridiculous and as I trudged through the rain I saw people packed in fast food places and opting for convenient food.  The problem with bad weather is that it hardens your mood and causes you to make quick decisions without thinking of the best possible outcome.  Your priorities are to get warm, get comfortable and get fed.  Here is what I did… I made some beautiful hot chocolate then I sat down and looked around the kitchen for some inspiration.  My aunty had an abundance of vegetables, some cheese and some milk and some flour.  If you cannot work with the simplest ingredients you are never going to be resourceful.

This recipe was adapted from Helen Aitken’s The Really Useful Ultimate Student Vegetarian Cookbook (Murdoch Books, 2008).

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil, 1 large leek (chopped),  300g potatoes (peeled and sliced), 2 courgettes (chopped), 25g butter, 25g flour, skimmed milk, 50g smoked mature cheese (grated), 1 beef tomatoes (sliced).

Method: 

1. In a large pan heat the oil over a medium heat.
2. Boil a large pot of lightly salted water.
3. Put the potatoes in the water.
4. Fry the leeks and the courgettes.
5. Drain the potatoes when softened and place half at the bottom of an oven proof dish.
6. When the leeks and courgettes have softened place over the vegetables.
7. Layer on the rest of the potatoes.
8. In a small pan melt the butter and mix the flour together quickly.
9. Slowly pour in the milk and keep whisking.
10. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheddar.
11. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and top with the sliced tomatoes.
12. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Turkey Curry

Politics

While I was doing my A levels I was the politics students would usually discuss their classes over a curry night.  I was invited once and it was actually quite stimulating and fun.  I spent a night discussing politics and religion so I thought I would do an ode to the the A – Level students and make a nice quick curry to round up my evening.  I used turkey instead of beef and kept it simple using only what was available to me at the time.

This recipe was adapted from The Complete Low – Fat Cookbook (bay books, 2009).

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 onion (peeled and chopped), 2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped), 300g turkey steak (prepared and chopped), 2 tbsps mild curry powder, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 250ml vegetable stock, 200g potatoes (peeled and diced), 1 big leek (sliced), 3 medium carrots (peeled and sliced).

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Fry the onion and garlic for 2 minutes before adding the turkey.
3. When the meat has been sealed add the curry powder and tomato paste.
4. After 8 minutes add the vegetable stock and the vegetables.
5. Bring to the boil.
6. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.
7. When the turkey has cooked through serve hot.

Debate Serving Suggestions:

1. Poppadoms
2. Garlic Naan
3. Pilau Rice
4. Carrot and Onion Salad

Trout Omelette

Happy

It has been such a long time since I have said I am happy and actually felt it.  I am back at university and after such a bad year I can feel that things are really turning around for me.  There is no way I am going to go back to the way things were and a recent study revealed that certain foods like fish and eggs help to keep the brain happy and your skin glowing.  So I made a trout omelette which was a lovely delicately seasoned light snack.  It does not matter if you get a perfect flip, just make sure everything is cooked well.

This recipe was adapted from Silvana Franco’s The Really Useful Ultimate Student Cookbook (Murdoch Books, 2007).

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil, 1 small onion (peeled and chopped), 1 garlic clove (peeled and chopped), 100g boiled new potatoes (peeled and chopped into small chunks), 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 100g trout (skinned, de boned and flaked), 2 large eggs (beaten), 2 tbsps skimmed milk, 1 tsp dried herbs, salt and pepper.

Method:

1. In a large frying pan heat the oil over a medium heat.
2. Fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
3. Fry the potatoes for a few minutes.
4. Add the trout and sprinkle on a little cayenne pepper.
5. Mix the milk with the eggs and dried herbs.
6. Pour into the pan.
7. Season with a little salt and pepper.
8. When the omelette is lightly browned and set on the bottom flip.
9. Serve when the omelette has cooked though.

Upside Down Cake

Too Sweet

When I am in Barbados rarely a day passes without being called “too sweet” and I guess I am in more ways than one. I keep my blood sweet by eating lots of fruit and I love to make cakes for other people.  Eating lots of fruit and having a kind nature is what keeps the compliments rolling off of other people’s mouths.  You can try this cake to be an extra sweet princess like myself.  I said try, it takes a lot of work to be as sweet as I am.  I used two types of sugars becuase I wanted to use brown sugar to caramelise the pineapple.

This recipe was adapted from The Sainsbury’s Vegetarian Cookbook (Reed International Books Limited, 1992).

Ingredients:

For the Top: 75g butter, 75g soft brown sugar, 200g chopped fresh pineapple pieces.

For the Cake: 125g butter, 125g caster sugar, 2 eggs, 125g self – raising flour.

Method:

1. In a saucepan over a low heat melt down the butter with the sugar.
2. Add the pineapple pieces and coat in the mixture.
3. After a few minutes remove from the heat.
4. Place the pineapples and syrup at the bottom of a loose bottomed cake tin (no bigger than 8 inches).
5. In a bowl cream together the butter and soft sugar.
6. Beat in the eggs.
7. Sift in the self – raising flour.
8. Combine well and add a splash of milk to loosen the mixture.
9. When well beaten pour on top of the pineapple.
10. Once spread evenly pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C.
11. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
12. Turn upside down using a plate after the cake has cooled for a few minutes.
13. Pineapple side up leave to cool on a wire rack before serving on a plate.