Hawaiian Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

Posted on April 18, 2016 by TheRobbInn

My mouth was watering as soon as I saw this recipe and I knew I had to make it as soon as possible, and I wasn’t wrong as it tasted absolutely delectable.

My turkey burgers were a little difficult to keep whole when turning over but I believe this was down to my error as I misread the recipe and started off using just 2lbs of turkey mince.  I quickly adjusted the liquid ingredients but feel I still had a bit too much liquid in my mix which caused the burgers to crumble slightly.   Never-the-less, they tasted awesome and the mix of flavours with the grilled pineapple and mango salsa was one which I will soon be repeating.

My pineapple was huge so a couple of slices gave plenty of juice for the recipe, ample slices for the burgers and enough left over to trial some pineapple chutney (recipe to follow at a later date).

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup pineapple juice
2 ½ tablespoons coconut aminos
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
3lbs minced turkey (dark meat)
1 pineapple

SALSA:
1 mango, peeled and diced
½ cup baby tomatoes
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 garlic clove
¼ teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:

Mix together the pineapple juice, coconut aminos, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, salt and red pepper flakes. Add the minced turkey and knead well together with your hands making sure everything is fully combined. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

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Delicious Mango Salsa

Combine all of the salsa ingredients in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Refrigerate to let the flavours meld.

Peel, core and slice the pineapple into rounds or sections.

 

 

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Form patties with your hands from the marinated turkey meat. Place on baking sheet and grill them for 4 – 5 minutes on each side, making sure they are cooked thoroughly (internal temperature of 180°F).

Remove patties and tent loosely with foil while you grill the pineapple on both sides for at least 1 minute or until starting to brown.

Serve the burgers over lettuce topped with a pineapple slice and some mango salsa.

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Hawaiian Turkey Burgers with Mango Salsa

My 2lbs of turkey mince yielded 10 good sized burgers, some of which have been frozen for another day, although we managed to eat all of the salsa as it was so yummy.

Recipe adapted from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain.

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

Posted in Brunch, Dinner | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

North African Tagine with Cauliflower ‘Couscous’

Posted on April 16, 2016 by TheRobbInn

2016-04-13_153355029_B277A_iOSI dry roasted my pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds at the start of this dish, then promptly nibbled at them as they were so tasty causing me to have to roast some more whilst the vegetables were cooking !!

 

This deliciously warming spiced tagine is perfectly complimented by the cauliflower ‘couscous’ or ‘rice’.     As I had a chicken fillet left-over in the fridge, I roasted it along with the sweet potato and courgette, diced it, then added it to the tagine with the vegetables and it mixed in really well making this an extremely filling and tasty dish.

Ras el Hanout ( “top of the shop” ) is a spice mixture from Morocco that can contain anywhere from 10-100 different spices but my local supermarket stock it in handy sized tubs which saves me from making it from scratch.

INGREDIENTS:

160g sweet potato, cut into 2cm cubes (keep the skin on for a nutty flavour)
1 courgette, cut into 2cm cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, finely chopped (160g)
2 teaspoon ras-el-hanout
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes halved (160g)
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
10g sultanas
10g dried apricots
10g flaked almonds
10g pumpkin seeds
Small head of cauliflower, florets only (160g)
Small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped
Small handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Place the sweet potato and courgette in a roasting tray with 1 tablespoon of the oil and plenty of seasoning and roast for 20-25 minutes until soft.

Meanwhile, fry the onion in the remaining oil for about 10 minutes until soft and golden.

Add the ras-el-hanout and cook for two minutes over a medium heat, stirring continuously and adding a little water if the spices look like they are catching.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, sultanas and apricots. Pour in 300ml of water, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the roasted vegetables and continue to cook for a further ten minutes.

Toast the pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds in a dry pan until lightly golden. Set aside.

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Cauliflower ‘Couscous’ roasted in the oven and mixed with herbs

Put the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse for a few moments until you get the consistency of couscous. Put the cauliflower into a microwaveable bowl with 1 tablespoon of water and a sprinkling of salt. Cover with cling film and microwave for about 5 minutes until cooked.

Alternatively, spread on a baking sheet and roast in a hot oven for about 12 minutes stirring half-way through cooking.

 

When ready to serve, mix the herbs into the cauliflower ‘couscous’ and ladle the tagine on top. Sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds.

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North African Tagine with Cauliflower ‘Couscous’

Another superb recipe adapted from the book Thrive on Five by Nina and Jo Littler.

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

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Sweet Potato Chips (and chicken)

Posted on April 14, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Sometimes I want to make something very quick and simple; and there is nothing easier than popping a chicken in the oven to roast (I usually cover it in herbs) and serving it with some sweet potato chips and whatever vegetable I have to hand.   As chicken can be fairly bland, I love adding chilli flakes to my sweet potato chips to give the dish some ‘oomph’.

Peel some sweet potatoes and slice into chunky chips and place into a bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and toss.  Add some crushed chilli flakes and toss again then tip the chips onto a baking sheet.

Bake at 175° for about 45 minutes until the edges are nicely and browned and the chips cooked through.

Chilli Sweet Potato Chips with Chicken and Cabbage

I served these chips with some roasted chicken and lightly steamed buttery cabbage which I had sprinkled with pink sea salt, and they completely transformed the dish.

One of the reasons I like roasting a whole chicken is to have a small bowl of left-over pieces of meat for the next day; doesn’t really matter how much or how little is left – there is always a recipe to use it up.   Try my Spicy Chicken Wraps which I serve with a lovely raw carrot slaw,  and I substituted left-over chicken for bacon in Grilled Corn and Quinoa Salad the other day and it worked so well.  Another recipe using up left-over chicken is Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles.

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

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Lemons, Lemons, Lemons !!

Posted on April 12, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I use lemons, as I’m sure most people do.    I use loads of lemons and always have plenty in my fruit bowl.

Every morning, when I wake up I have the juice of one lemon in a mug of hot water and every so often, I think to myself that I should zest the lemon before pressing out the juice but I never do.  The good thing about lemon skins is that they make the waste-disposal unit smell great!

I use lemons in cooking, often using the zest then forgetting I have an unprotected lemon lurking in my fridge and it goes rock hard.  I do occasionally freeze thin slices of lemons to pop into drinks to chill them as I don’t like ice in my drinks.

And then I saw a clip on YouTube – freezing a whole lemon (organic of course, thoroughly washed and dried);  finely grating the WHOLE lemon and storing the gratings in a clip top box and keeping in the freezer.   This I had to try!

The gratings stay free-flowing and are absolutely amazing to use in cooking, sprinkling over  breakfast cereals (my husband always has bircher, and I often have  porridge), over ice cream, soup, salads, noodles or spaghetti.   I often poach salmon fillets in the oven and the gratings are perfect for sprinkling on to the salmon along with black pepper.  Same goes for chicken fillets or even a whole chicken.  A whole range of food and recipes can benefit from these gratings and the beauty is that the WHOLE lemon is used, not just the zest or juice.

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A whole grated frozen lemon

Even as I write this blog, ideas keep flowing in – add to smoothies, turn a plain yoghurt into a lemony one, sprinkle over a fruit salad etc.  The gratings almost immediately thaw and release their wonderful citrus smell and flavour.  No more waste.

“An excerpt from from the Health Extremist blog:  The health benefits of lemons and lemon juice are pretty well-known. But if you’re like the majority of people, you are probably squeezing out the lemon juice and tossing the left over lemon peel in the trash! I used to do that too!

But wait, wait, wait, that lemon peel contains even more nutrients, vitamins, and health benefits than the lemon juice.

Nutrients and Health Benefits in Lemon Peels

Lemon peels contain about 5 to 10 times more vitamins than lemon juice! Yep, that’s what you’ve been wasting!

They are also an excellent source of fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, folate, and beta carotene. Lemon peels improve bone health too! Since they contain high amounts of calcium and vitamin C, lemon peels have been shown to aid preventing osteoporosis, inflammatory polyarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.”

I am going to start experimenting using this grated lemon for my morning drink;  I might even try freezing some ginger root and grating that too so that I can add a little to my drink as I know the health benefits of ginger are amazing.

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

Posted in Miscellany | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

Posted on April 11, 2016 by TheRobbInn

Looking for a recipe to use up the remains of a roast chicken, I came across this salad in the book The Art of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley.

I adjusted it slightly to suit the ingredients I had in the cupboard.  Rather than using two cucumbers, I used one together with a sweet potato spiralized.   I had pak choi, but used baby gem lettuce instead of the romaine or cos.  Not having any spring onions, I finely sliced a white onion instead.  The result was just as delicious and tasty.  A refreshing salad with Asian flavours using up my left-over chicken.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons black or white sesame seeds
2 cucumbers
1 small head of romaine or cos lettuce
1 small head pak choi or 150g Chinese cabbage
3 spring onions
A handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
250g cooked shredded chicken
1 finely sliced red chilli to garnish (optional)

For the Sesame Dressing:

5 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted) or extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons raw runny honey
1 teaspoon tamari or sea salt

METHOD:

Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant.

Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons. You might want to cut the long strands in half to make them easier to eat.

Prepare the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Slice the lettuce and pak choi into thin ribbons. Add to a bowl with the spring onion, coriander and cucumber noodles.

Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best). Toss with the chicken.

Mix well together, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and sliced chilli.

Serve immediately.

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Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

If you want to make this in advance, everything can be mixed together except the cucumber noodles.  Leave these until the last minute to spiralize and stir them in along with the dressing just before serving.

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

 

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Black Bean Soup

Posted on April 6, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I find recipes in the strangest places. Apart from the obvious recipe books, reading online blogs, Facebook, Instagram etc., I have found wonderful recipes in my chemist’s shop, doctor’s surgery and even down in my favourite café on the beach – Wonky Café on the Isle of Wight.

I was in there recently sheltering from an April shower, glancing through the magazines which come with the Sunday papers, when I spotted this recipe for Black Bean Soup and knew immediately my soup-loving husband would enjoy it. A quick photo taken with my phone and the recipe was mine. I believe it was a magazine from the Sunday Mail – so a big thank you to them as the soup is scrumptious.

INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1.5 teaspoons sea salt
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
12 sprigs fresh coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ – ½ teaspoon chilli powder
¼ – ½ chipotle chilli powder
2 x 400g tins/cartons black beans
3 cups chicken stock

To garnish: grated cheese, sliced avocado or fresh coriander

Heat oil and sauté onion and sea salt for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, coriander and spices, cover and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add beans and stock. Bring to boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Blend with an immersion blender and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve with a garnish.

image

I used dried black beans which I soaked then cooked for an hour. I didn’t have chipotle chilli powder but added half a teaspoon of Kashmiri instead. I used chicken stock from my freezer which I make in bulk and store in handy amounts.

This is a deliciously earthy, thick soup with a touch of heat from the chilli. Very warming and filling and the bonus is it’s healthy too.

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Strawberry Coffee Smoothie

Posted on April 4, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I woke up on Easter Sunday morning and spotted this smoothie recipe on Facebook and immediately decided to make it for breakfast along with our favourite banana pancakes.

Although I had fresh strawberries in the fridge, I included a couple of frozen ones which I always keep in the freezer for our favourite fruity ice cream dessert. This worked well as we had a deliciously cold smoothie ready in just a minute.

This fruity smoothie with a hint of coffee really went well with our pancakes and set us up for the day.

INGREDIENTS:

5 large strawberries
½ teaspoon instant coffee
1 banana
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 scoop protein powder (I didn’t include as I had none)
Vanilla from one bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

Add all ingredients to a blender/Nutribullet and blitz until smooth. Serve chilled.

Processed with MOLDIV

Strawberry Coffee Smoothie / Banana Pancakes

Recipe adapted from Incrediblesmoothies.com

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey

Posted on March 30, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I love Brussel sprouts, steamed or even raw in salads but when I saw the recipe for roasted sprouts with balsamic vinegar and honey,  I knew I had to try them asap.  I wasn’t disappointed as they were fantastic and I could have eaten the whole bowlful but unfortunately I had to share them !!

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ lbs Brussel sprouts, halved, stems and ragged outer leaves removed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon honey

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 425°

Use a non-stick baking tray, or line one with aluminium foil.

2016-02-24_163232688_65BFD_iOSIn a large bowl, toss the Brussel sprouts with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper.

Transfer the Brussel sprouts to the baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally to ensure even browning, until tender and caramelized – about 20 minutes.

Place Brussel sprouts back in the bowl. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and honey and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve and enjoy.

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Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic Vinegar and Honey

Recipe by Jennifer Segal,  Once Upon a Chef

NB: All the photographs used in this blog have been taken by me, and are of food I have prepared myself.

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Thai Beef Stew (Slow Cooker)

Posted on March 24, 2016 by TheRobbInn

I knew I had an extremely busy time on the day I wanted to try this new dish so I prepared it all the night before.

I browned the meat and made the sauce and put it all in the base of the slow cooker, cooled it quickly and popped it in the fridge overnight.    I cut the broccoli into florets and stored them in a bowl;  to save time I coarsely grated the carrots and sealed them in another dish.  I was unable to get jicama so I used a little bit more carrot and broccoli.

Everything was ready for the morning when I turned on the slow cooker to cook for 8 hours on a low setting.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3lb lean braising steak, diced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 (13.5oz) can full-fat coconut milk
1/3 cup tomato paste
½ cup Thai Red Curry paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups julienned carrots
1 cup peeled and julienned jicama
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

METHOD:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, transfer each batch into a slow cooker. Wipe out the skillet between batches if a lot of liquid has accumulated to ensure even browning.

Wipe out the skillet and add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil. Saute the onion, garlic and ginger over medium high heat for 5 minutes.

Pour in the coconut milk and stir continuously to release the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomato paste, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice and salt, then pour over the beef in the slow cooker.

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Chilled quickly and popped in the fridge overnight

Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours. Add the broccoli, carrots and jicama during the last 30 minutes if cooking on high, or the last hour if cooking on low.

Serve garnished with cilantro.

I served this beautiful stew with a plain, roasted cauliflower rice and the flavours matched perfectly.  The beef was so tender; the broccoli still had a bite to it; the carrots would probably have been better julienned to retain a ‘bite’ but the grated ones were just as tasty in this delicious dish.

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Thai Beef Stew with Cauliflower Rice

Recipe taken from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain

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Chocolate Breakfast Bread

Posted on March 19, 2016 by TheRobbInn

This ‘bread’ is absolutely AMAZING !!

So quick to make and so tempting to eat straight out of the oven which unfortunately gave me a dose of the hiccups.  Moist, chocolatey, rich and very filling with no gluten (no flour at all) and you can avoid dairy if you use dairy-free chocolate chips.   I used cashew butter instead of sunflower seed butter as I tend to have large quantities of this in the cupboard, and I used 90% dark chocolate chips.  I really didn’t expect the result to be so very tasty and it is one I will be making again, and again.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sunflower seed butter (I used cashew butter)
4 eggs
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cacao
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chocolate chips (dairy free or the darkest you can buy)
¼ teaspoon baking soda

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8” x 8” baking tin.

Cream together the butter, vanilla and honey.

Add in the eggs, one at a time.

Once the batter is creamy, add the cacao powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon. Mix well until everything is incorporated.

Pour batter into the lined baking dish and sprinkle with chocolate chips if using.

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Pour into lined 8″ x 8″ tin

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It’s cooked when a toothpick comes out clean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lift out with lining paper and leave to cool before slicing into chunks.

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Deliciously moist Chocolate Breakfast Bread

This might be called Breakfast Bread, but it is more ‘any-time-of-day’ bread in this household!!

Recipe adapted from PrimalPaleo.com

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