• Lamb

    Delicious Lamb stuffed Aubergine

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    This lamb stuffed aubergine is a lovely dish, easy to make and easy to impress. This typical Mediterranean recipe is a regular offering on an Arabic or Turkish family table and combines textures, colours and flavours. It’s even tastier served a day after preparing, so is a great meal to cook in advance. Lamb is also a Slimming World free food.

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    To make these lamb stuffed aubergines you will need:

    One pack of minced lamb
    3 crushed garlic cloves
    1 finely chopped onion.
    Handful of chopped parsley.
    3 soft tomatoes peeled and grated.
    1 tsp nutmeg
    1 tsp cumin
    1tsp salt
    1 aubergine

    Rice….
    4 cups of rice
    2 chicken stock cubes
    1 tsp salt
    Spoon full of butter

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    Place the oven on a medium to high setting.
    Cut the aubergine in half length ways, scoop out some of the centre and set aside, season and splash with some olive oil.
    Place into the oven and let it cook while you prepare the lamb.

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    Fry off the mince until it starts to brown, if there is lots of oil from the lamb, drain it off. Add the onions and garlic and fry for about 3 minutes, add the scooped out aubergine, parsley, salt and spices cook for another 2 minutes and add the tomatoes.

    You might also like these lamb recipes:

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    Fresh tomatoes are often in the reduced bin and if used in place of tinned tomatoes, this will often make the dish taste much nicer. The best way to prepare the tomatoes, is to drop them in boiling water for a minute, then cold water and the skin will slide off, grate the rest of the tomatoes and chuck away the centre stem. Add this to the mince and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    The aubergines should be soft now, so remove from the oven and fill with the mince. Turn the oven down, place the filled aubergines back into the oven and let them cook away while you prepare the rice.

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    Take a handful of rice and put it with the butter and salt in a pan. Fry the rice until the grains turn golden.
    Add the rest of the rice and stir into the golden rice, add boiling water so that is about 3cm higher than the rice, stir in the stock cubes so that they dissolve, cover with a lid and down the heat, so that it does not boil too quickly and burn.

    When the water has been absorbed, let the rice stand for 10 minutes so that it goes fluffy and then serve with the lamb stuffed aubergines

    lamb stuffed aubergine

    I hope you enjoy these lamb stuffed aubergines.

  • Food, Pork

    Cooking Bacon Recipes – Best Secrets To Buying

    Cooking bacon recipes – the secrets to buying cooking bacon and what to make with it!

    Cooking bacon recipes
    Cooking bacon recipes – how to buy and what to make

    Cooking bacon is one big swizz !!!!! This super little hack can save you heapssssss !!

    Did you know that cooking bacon is actually off cuts of the regular bacon that you would pay a fortune for?

    I have honestly always found that when I buy this cooking bacon, it is often much better than reformed gammon pieces.

    It can be very lean, is often very thick and is a fab, fab, fab buy !!!

    A great Tip is to look at the packs before you buy and try.

    Choose the leanest looking pack, and the really good news is that it is often under £1.50 !!

    Great for cooking or a chunky bacon sarnie, cutting up and adding to a pasta dish, sauce.

    It can even be cooked as Gammon, because believe me there is nooooo difference ! 

    Kelly XX

    Try these Pulled pork buns for 75p each !

     

  • Dessert, Food

    Lassi Recipe – Lychee & Passionfruit

    This lassi recipe, made with lychee and passionfruit, is so tasty!

    lychee and passionfruit lassi recipe

    Lassi is a delicious and health conscious drink. It’s normally a yogurt based and salt or spices are added. I’ve popped some lychees and passion fruit in and popped it in the nutriblender. Read more about lassis here.

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    Blend it all together and add honey to sweeten it further.

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    Try this other tasty recipe using yogurt. You might like this Midori Illusion cocktail!

  • Baking, Recipe

    Chorizo bread for just £1.30 – made by the kids!

    This scrumptious chorizo bread, made by the kids, cost just £1.30 to make!

    making chorizo bread
    Chorizo bread

    This a great way to get the kids interested in cooking. I gave the boys the task of thinking up something to make and they came up with Cheesitzo, a homemade bread with mozzarella and chorizo. There are so many benefits to getting kids in the kitchen.

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    You will need……

    Strong bread flour 10oz
    Yeast 1tsp
    Half tsp of salt
    Half tsp of sugar
    200ml warm water.
    Mozzarella
    Quarter of a stick of choritzo.
    Salt and pepper.

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    Put the flour, yeast, s&p, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix together.
    When it all sticks together, pop it on a floured service and knead for 5 mins.

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    Pop it in a bowl and cover it with a damp tea towel. Place it in a warm place and leave for a minimum 30 mins.

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    Prepare the filling by chopping it all up and mixing together.

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    Slowly fold it into the dough and knead it through.

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    When its all folded in, roll out into a circle.
    I seen a great idea online for twist and pull bread, so the boys followed that idea.
    Place it into an oiled baking tray and pop in the oven, medium heat for around 20mis.

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    I had some parmigiano cheese left over, so i grated that over the bread when it had almost finished cooking.

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    It’s safe to say that the boys loved making it and eating it.

    We hope you enjoy it as much as us.

    Love chorizo? Check this recipe out!

  • Recipe, Vegetarian

    Delicious Couscous Recipes For You To Try

    Do you love couscous recipes? Then you need to try these!

    Delicious couscous recipes
    Try some tasty couscous recipes today!

    A colourful and tasty meal or accompaniment, which can be served hot or cold, is great for lunch boxes and also looks great on a buffet table. Couscous is a North African dish and super delicious.

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    This can be a great dish to chuck as many colourful things in as possible.
    You will need…..
    Pkt of cous cous ( only use half which works out around 50p per box)
    2 veg stock cubes
    2 tsp curry powder
    2 tsp
    2 tsp garlic paste
    1 tspPaprika
    2 spring onions
    Red onion
    Corriander or basil or parsley
    Yellow or orange pepper
    Cherry tomato
    Sultanas ( i had a trail mix to use up)
    Sunflower seeds

    Feel free to pop in whatever.

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    Pop the dry cous cous in a pan and pop in tomato puree or passata, and the other spices.
    Pour boiling water over it and stir ( aim to get the water about 1 to 2 CM above the cous cous), stir it all up and put a lid on the pan to stop the steam escaping.
    Leave for about 10 mins, then check to see the water has been absorbed. If it looks too dry add more water.

    Please note that no heat is needed for this.

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    Chop up all the veg finely and mix into the cous cous, add the seeds and sultanas and serve.

    I hope you enjoy it

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  • Food

    Lidl Chocolate Is Great Store Cupboard Stash!

    This Lidl chocolate is what I do my cooking with, and also it is really nice on its own.

    Can you bake with this simple chocolate?

    YES & at 30p a bar it’s a no brainer.

    Cooking chocolate is a lot more expensive and not as nice. You can easily pick it up instore.

    Lidl chocolate shelf

    What other store cupboard essentials do you have?

  • Baking, Recipe, Vegetarian

    A Super Tasty Bruschetta Recipe

    This simple and delicious bruschetta recipe is always a winner!

    bruschetta recipe

    You will need….
    A nice decent bread
    Fresh Basil
    Tomatoes (your local green grocer has a bargain basket, these tomatoes were 50p)
    Onion
    Olive oil
    Balsamic vinegar
    Mozzarella

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    Cut lots of holes into the bread and pop in some mozzarella.
    Place in the oven to slowly heat up.
    Meanwhile, chop up some tomatoes, basil and onion, season with salt and lots of black pepper. Add a glug of olive oil and mix up.
    Add the balsamic vinegar slowly and add as much or as little as you like.
    Take the bread out of the oven when the cheese has melted and pour the mixture on top.

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    Serve while warm.

    I really hope you enjoy this tasty bruschetta recipe. It makes a wonderful side dish or bruschetta can even be a delicious main!

  • Fish, Recipe

    Easy Mackerel Pate With Dill For Just £2.80

    This easy mackerel pate with dill is simple to make and can be made for just £2.80.

    easy mackerel pate

    A super quick dish, which is ideal as a starter or lunch dish.

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    You need…..
    1 packet of mackerel,
    1/4 packet of dill,
    Half a lemon,
    150g cream cheese,
    Salt and pepper.

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    Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
    Add salt and pepper as you go.
    Plate up and eat with toast or crackers.
    Enjoy……

    *This easy mackerel pate recipe only uses 4 ingredients, when you go shopping next, have a look at the packaging on a fish pate and see how much rubbish they put into such a simple dish. Check serving suggestions here.

  • Dessert, Recipe

    Baby fig, passion fruit and oat pudding

    oat pudding

    I love a sweet dessert, but finding a healthy one can be tough. That is why I love this fig, passionfruit and oat pudding.

    It is a quick, easy dessert which has some decent yet also naughty ingredients.

    Very easy to put together and even easier to eat.

    Baby fig, passionfruit and oat pudding ingredients

    To make this recipe you will need:

    • Baby figs
    • Passion fruit coulis
    • Oats – 100g
    • Chia seeds –  2 table spoons (or Something easy enough to hide i.e flax seed)
    • 2 cap fulls of coconut rum ( coconut essence will also work but use drops)
    • Vanilla essence  2 drops
    • Large bar of dark chocolate ( Aldi has a great bar for 39p)
    • 100g of dessicated coconut.

    oat pudding

    Chop up the figs and mix with the oats, chia and Coulis ( runny jam would also work).

    Pop into your serving dish and place it in the fridge.

    oat pudding

    Pop your cream, essence and coconut rum in a mixer and mix until thick.

    oat pudding

    Melt your chocolate in a bowl over some boiling water, be careful not to burn the chocolate.

    oat pudding

    When it has melted, slowly fold the chocolate into the cream mix.

    oat pudding

    Once mixed, take the pudding out of the fridge and smooth the cream over the top.

    I have added some coconut that i toasted in a dry frying pan and some plain desiccated coconut onto the top for extra crunch and decoration.

    oat pudding

    I hope you enjoy your little masterpiece – this baby fig, passionfruit and oat pudding is absolutely delicious!

    If you liked this, you might also like:

  • Recipe, Vegetarian

    Honey mustard coleslaw recipe

    A honey mustard coleslaw is a great side dish for lunches or summer barbecues. Yes, summer will be back one day! If you are preparing for lunches and dinners outside in the warmer weather then this is the perfect side for you.

    honey mustard coleslaw

    What I love about supermarket reductions, like the Co-op reductions, is that you can always pick up good quality vegetables in the reduction basket.

    When making this honey mustard coleslaw I managed to get some great bargains.

    The red cabbage was down to just 19p and the radishes were also 19p.

    To be fair, the other ingredients are stock cupboard, but are all stocked at greatly reduced prices at various discount stores like Home Bargains or B&M Bargains.

    Why make a homemade dressing?

    Homemade dressing is not only 100% nicer but cheaper and maybe has 4 or 5 ingredients rather than 30 on the ready made stuff.

    How to make honey mustard coleslaw

    I chopped up the above veg and put it to one side while I made the honey mustard coleslaw dressing.

    honey mustard coleslaw

    I blended mayo, honey, mustard, white wine vinegar and seasoning.

    I tend to add it little by little, but go easy on the mustard!

    White wine vinegar is so cheap and it is the backbone to a lot of good dressings. Store this top tip for future because you will love it.

    honey mustard coleslaw

    I made a large batch for around 50p and I promise it is cheaper than any smartprice stuff and nicer than any finest ranges.

    This honey mustard coleslaw will go well with the following meals:

    And if you are wanting to serve a vegetarian meal then this cheese and onion plait recipe is sure to be a winner.