Wednesday 14 March 2012

My Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff

My Chicken and Mushroom Stroganoff is a simple and healthy recipe to cook, and you don't have to buy any special ingredients! 

For 1 portion all you need is:
1 Chicken Breast, diced
3 medium sized mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of Low Fat Creme Fraiche
Parsley, finely chopped

You can also add peppers too!

  • Begin by cooking your rice, have a look at my Sweet Chilli Prawn recipe to see how to do this.
  • Whilst your rice is cooking you can prepare the rest of the dish. Heat your pan with some butter, being careful not to burn it, and add your chopped onion and diced chicken breast. 
  • Allow them to brown slightly and then add your mushrooms(if your using peppers, then add these a few minutes after the mushrooms).
  • Once the chicken and mushrooms look cooked add your creme fraiche and stir. 
  • Once the sauce is fully combined with the chicken, add your parsley and stir. As soon as the sauce has turned a golden colour, its ready!
  • Serve with rice and an extra sprinkling of parsley on top!
 

Friday 17 February 2012

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

My Spicy Sweet Potato Soup is easy and cheap to make, not to mention healthy and the perfect lunch to fill you up on in between lectures or during those long hours of revision!

All you need is:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 medium potato
1 green chilli, finely chopped
Finely chopped coriander leaves
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp of creme fraiche
1 litre of vegetable stock

You will also need a hand held blender, you can buy these reasonably cheaply from most supermarkets or electrical shops...a food processor or smoothie maker will also do the trick!

  • Heat a sauce pan with a little oil and fry your garlic, onion and green chilli together until softened.
  • Then add the stock to the pan, along with the peeled and chopped potatoes. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Then add the chopped coriander to the pan and continue to boil for another 5 minutes.
  • Once cooked take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled blend the mixture. Just before it reaches your desired consistency add the creme fraiche to the soup and blend again. 
  • Allow the soup to completely cool before storing it in the fridge. 
There you have it, an easy, cheap and filling soup with only 210 calories per bowl!!!

Thursday 9 February 2012

Thai Prawn Curry

On Sunday it was my turn to cook for my house mates (some rather scary costumers)! I wanted to choose something that was cheap and relatively easy, something that impressed them all, and also hopefully cured their lingering hangovers!!! Not easy! 
I decided to go for my Thai Prawn Curry, as it's quick, easy and pretty cheap to make... for 8 people I spent just £20.00!!! If you don't fancy cooking for such a large amount of people why not impress on Valentines day; it will be loads cheaper then going out and a bit more effort...you could earn some extra brownie points!!

For 2 people all you need is:
200g of prawns (fresh tastes better, but cooked is easier)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 can of coconut cream
1 fresh green chilli deseeded and finely chopped(you can add more if you prefer your food spicier!)
1/2 tablespoon of Fish sauce(optional)
Coriander, stalks removed
4 spring onions cut into shreds

  • If you have time, marinate the prawns in the grated zest and lime juice and cover in the fridge for a few hours before you begin cooking. If you don't have time then prepare the marinade first and allow the prawns to rest in it as you prepare your rice.
  • Before you begin to cook start the rice. Just add double the measure of water to your measure of rice, and boil.
  • Heat some oil into a pan or wok and add the chilli's allowing them to cook for 1 minute, then add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the curry is pipping hot!! 
  • Serve spooned over the rice, and if your really aiming to impress you can garnish your dish with a sprinkling of coriander and spring onion on top!
There you have it, a quick and simple curry! Let me know what you think!! 

Tuesday 31 January 2012

Sweet Chilli Prawns

My Sweet Chilli Prawn recipe is the perfect alternative to the classic Chinese dish of sweet and sour chicken. Its lots healthier and lots cheaper!!! Its also the perfect dish to impress your housemates with, just make sure that if you've done the cooking then its there turn to do the washing up!!!

To serve 4 all you need is:
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves(you can buy ready chopped garlic in jars...its a lot easier!!!)
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 Lime
225g of prawns (fresh tastes better, but cooked is easier - if you don't like prawns swap it for chicken!)
Chopped coriander...only if your really trying to impress!!

  • Before doing anything, start cooking the rice. Many people think rice is hard, but its really not!! Just add double the quantity of water to rice and let the water boil down. Give the rice 10 minutes to cook until you begin cooking the rest of the dish, this way the rice should be ready by the time your prawns are finished cooking. 
  • Firstly chop the onion finely and add to a hot frying pan or wok. Cook until soften, add the garlic to the pan and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. If you'd like your dish to have an extra kick add some finely chopped fresh chilli to the pan when adding the garlic.
  • Then add the sweet chilli sauce and the prawns. Cook until the sauce and prawns are piping hot! Serve with rice.
And there you have it a, quick, easy and cheap version of a Chinese sweet and sour dish! Let me know what you think!!