Lemon risotto with asparagus

I am in Lemon love. Never before have I been so besotted with a citrus fruit, but the lemon has captured my heart. It's the old friend who you never really saw in a romantic way until, well, you did. And then, Oh! Lemon Love! Here the lovely lemon acts as the acidic lip-smacker in the place usually taken up by white wine. I am not one to discard wine time lightly, so you can be assured that this recipe really is a cracker. Most defo worth a punt, particularly if you're trying to stay off the alcamaphrolic stuff and/or up the vitamin C factor to stave of the pesky summer cold (its already got me, sniffle..save yourself).

Ingredients for 2

1 small knob of butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 sticks of celery, finely chopped

160g Arborio risotto rice

Juice & zest of 1 lemon

1/2 stock cube - chicken or veg

40g Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Freshly boiled kettle with at least 1.25 litres in it

10 Asparagus spears - (allow 5-6 per person)

Salt

Method

Soften the onion & celery in a heavy-bottomed, over a medium heat, with the butter, olive oil & a little salt. Add the garlic, stir & then the rice. Turn up the heat, and stir to coat the grains with the pan juices.

When they are hot (after a few mins), add the lemon juice, and keep stirring until this has evaporated. Chuck in the stock cube and then you're ready to start adding the freshly boiled water from the kettle. Start with 2 cups, allow this to boil away. Then 1 cup & allow this to boil away, then add half cups until the rice is tender, stirring regularly. 

In the meantime, in another pan sauté the asparagus (purple sprouting broccoli is also yum) in a little olive over a medium-high heat. Pop a lid on & turn the heat down to medium and cook until burnished & tender. Remove from the heat and season. This can sit with lid on until the rice is done.

When the rice is cooked to your liking, turn off the heat and add the grated cheese, stir in with gusto & serve immediately, piled high with asparagus & lemon zest.

The good cookie

Tastes good and does good! This cookie recipe has no sugar, no flour, no egg and no nonsense! It will satisfy your inner Cookie Monster on diet days and fatso days alike! If you need a little more sweetness add in a squish or 2 of honey.

Ingredients

1 banana, mashed

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1/4 cup dark choc chips

1 hefty dessert spoon of smooth peanut butter

A little honey if you wish

Method

Mix all and dollop onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 15 mins in a preheated oven at 175 oC.

Carrot & coriander noodle (Vegan)

Swift, simple and super fresh. This is the salad for sunshine and belly bliss! There are days when only the most virtuous meal will suffice and this is a perfect example of such fare. If this dish could chat, it'd say... "I can make you feel good. Also you're awesome".

Ingredients for 1

1 carrot, cut into fine julienne

a generous half tsp of coriander seeds, ground

1 small red onion, finely sliced

1 pack of straight to wok rice noodles

A good glug of rapeseed oil

1 tsp sesame oil

Juice of a quarter of a Lime

Small bunch if coriander, roughly chopped

A few black sesame seeds and a chopped spring onion to garnish (if u hav them)

Salt

Method

Put the oils, lime juice a pinch of salt & ground coriander into a frying pan and stir. Add in the carrot & onion and warm over a medium heat for 5 mins to soften. Turn the heat up to high, Add in the noodles and stir fry for a further 5 mins stirring constantly. Serve with some sesame seeds & a chopped spring onion on top and a little more Lime juice if needed.

Raspberry & rose lemonade

Signs that spring has sprung are starting to peak through in blightly. So in order to capitalise on this summery feeling here is a deliciously fragrant and refreshing beverage that reeks of summer sunshine. Made with lemon juice, mint, raspberries and rose water this pink lemonade makes a wonderfully different non-alcoholic fruit punch. Although a good splash of gin is a welcome addition for a summertime social. 

Ingredients

For the Lemonade

3/4 cup golden castor sugar

1 cup water

4-6 Lemons (approx 1 cup of juice)

4 cups of cold water

2 teaspoons Rose water

For the Garnish

1 cup frozen Raspberries

Small bunch of Mint leaves

1 Lemon, sliced

Lemon zest

Ice

Method

Firstly make a simple syrup by putting the sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan and warm over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the sugar is dissolved and the liquid is clear. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Juice the lemons (retaining some zest) & decant to a large jug; add in the rose water; water and the cooled sugar syrup. Top up with ice and through in the raspberries, mint, sliced lemon and zest. Stir and serve.

Caramel Apples & Salted Pecan crumb

If you are looking for a comforting warm hug of a pud on a snowy (March!!) weekend, this is a winner. Easy, Quick and deliciously sticky-sweet. Any tart green apple will do for this one, but Bramleys are brilliant.

Ingredients for 1

2 Medium Bramley Apples

3 tsp Lemon juice

A large knob of Butter

2 tsp of golden syrup

1 dessert spoon of golden castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon

4 or 5 Pecans

Pinch of Salt

Serve with Cream

Method

Peal, core and slice the apples into quarters and then each quarter into 3 or 4 equal chunks. Put the apples in a saucepan with the lemon juice, butter, syrup, sugar, vanilla & cinnamon. Stir to combine and cook over a medium heat for 5 mins, stirring occasionally. 

Crush the pecans in a pestle & mortar with a pinch of salt (or bash 'em in a sealed bag with a rolling pin). Spread out on a baking sheet and toast under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes. Keep your eye on them as they will burn quickly if you don't pay attention.

When the apples are done, they will be just starting to break down into a purée and the syrup should be thick and sticky.

Serve topped with the toasted nuts and lashings of cream.

Tomato & black bean soup with a poached egg & avocado toast

I have been on a bit of a soup mission for a while now. Buying lunch in the city is turning out to be seriously unaffordable, so a Thermus has been purchased and soup recipes perused. This particular soup pulls together some fairly standard store cupboard ingredients to create a hearty, gloriously smoky sumptuous soup. It really is dependant on how good the paprika you use is, so get the good stuff out. Served with a poached egg & avocado toasts turns it into a bit more of a lunchtime feast. Expect more soup recipes to come!

Ingredients for 2

1 Tin of tomatoes

1 Tin of black beans

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp good sweet paprika

A pinch of garlic flakes or garlic salt if you have some

1 medium free range egg

A little vinegar for poaching

2 chunky slices of Rye bread, toasted

Half an avocado

2 tsp lemon juice
2 spring onions

A little salt

Method

Put the beans, tomatoes, oregano & paprika in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat. Allow it to bubble for 10 mins stirring occasionally. To poach your egg put a pan of water over a high heat and when it's at a ferocious rolling boil, stir the water to create a whirlpool and crack the egg into the centre. Put a lid on the pan and remove from the heat. Allow to sit covered for 4 mins. In the meantime put you toast on & mash the avocado with the lemon and season to taste. Spread on your toast.

Remove the egg from the water with a slotted spoon and sit in top of a hefty bowl of the soup & garnish with sliced spring onions.

Apple porridge & baked raspberries

This breakfast beaut is a version of Cranachan - a traditional Scottish dessert, usually made from whipped cream, whisky, honey, and fresh raspberries, with toasted oatmeal soaked in whisky. I've never really been a fan of the desert but this sober, trimmed down, breakfast version is delish.

Ingredients for 2

Oats - half a cup

Apple juice (the good stuff)- just enough to cover the oats

Raspberries - 1 punnet

Honey - 1 or 2 teaspoons

Pecans - a few if ya fancy

Greek yoghurt - at least 4 heaped teaspoons plus extra to serve

Method

Preheat oven to 200oC. Put the raspberries in roasting dish and drizzle with the honey. The amount of honey will depend on your fruit so taste them. You can also use frozen fruit rather than fresh raspberries, although they will break down a little more when cooked. Chuck the pecans into the roasting dish (if using) and bake for 15 mins in the oven.

Meanwhile, Mix oats and apple juice and cook briefly in microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring in between, until the oats have expanded and soaked up the juice. (You can also do this in the stove-top if you are microwave-averse). 

When the raspberry time is up, remove the roasting dish from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Mix the yoghurt with the cooked oats and transfer to the serving bowl/jar/cup. Add the raspberries and top with more yoghurt, the nuts and a couple if extra raspberries.

Pea, Mint & Apple Soup

There are some Winter days that demand comfort food and then there are days when I crave something lighter and wholly more virtuous. Whether it be because of over indulgence of the alcoholic nature or otherwise, this soup is a proper kick starter. The necessary slap around the face to break through any brain mist. Pea and Mint you already know is awesome, but the addition of apple is surprisingly goo-ood! Ya could also add a brick or two or frozen spinach if you have some to amp up the green. 

Ingredients for 2

1 cup of frozen peas
1 small sweet Apple, cored & sliced
Half a small bunch of fresh Mint
Salt & Pepper
Freshly boiled Water
Dribbles of Single cream, a few small Mint leaves and a few mustard cress sprigs to serve.

Method

Put the peas in the blender cup and cover in freshly boiled water and allow to sit and defrost whilst you cook the apples.
Put the sliced apple in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of water and cook over a medium heat until soft. Add to the blender cup, chuck the mint in on top, season and blend until smooth (add a little more water if you need to).
Pour back into the saucepan to warm through over a gentle heat.
Serve with some dribbles of cream, little mint leaves & mustard cress.

Carrot (Happy Birthday) Cake

Light, moist and heavily spiced, this cake is fantastic as a celebration cake. But equally its lack of fuss and effort means it can be your everyday speciality as well. Plus there's veg in it.. what's not to love!? I usually find that carrot cake recipes are a little lack lustre, I like big flavour..So I can assure you that this recipe wont disappoint your taste buds. 

Ingredients
175g soft light brown sugar
175ml ground nut oil
3 eggs
200g grated carrots
175g self-raising wheat flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Icing
100g (Half a tub) low fat cream cheese, 50g of soft butter, 100g icing suger, 1 tbsp golden syrup, 1 tsp vanilla extract, zest of a lemon or a lime or both. A handful of chopped, toasted nuts, I like almonds & pecans.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of a square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut a strip the width of the tin and place in the tin so that it covers the base and 2 sides of the tin, (leaving 2 sides exposed). This will give you 2 sticky-outy ends to lever the cake out of the tin with.

Mix the sugar, oil, grated carrot and eggs in a large mixing bowl. 

Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices. Mix until just combined evenly. The mixture will be fairly wet.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out (you may need to run a knife around the edge of the unlined sides), peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point).

Beat together the icing ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Refrigerate it whilst the cake is cooling. Once the cake is completely cool, put it on a serving plate and splodge over the icing. Liberally cover in toasted nuts. 

Tagliata

Tagliata is simple, easy and flipping delicous. Everyone should eat this!

Ingredients

A beef steak (a 300g steak between 2 is ideal)

A sprig of Rosemary per person

A garlic clove per person

30 ml Olive Oil per person

Lemon Juice

Salt & Pepper

Rocket leaves

Parmesan

Method

Heat a frying pan over a high heat, then add a glug of olive oil and heat until it is smoking hot. 

Remove the steaks from the fridge. Season them with a little salt and place them in the smoking-hot pan for 15-20 seconds. Then turn the steaks over and fry for a further 15-20 seconds. Repeat this, turning the steaks for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest.

In the meantime, remove the pan from the heat and discard the oil (but don’t clean the pan). Allow the pan to cool for a couple of minutes, then add another good glug of olive oil to the pan. Bash the garlic the side of a knife and add it to the oil. Add the rosemary sprigs. Leave this for 5 minutes while the meat is resting, then squeeze in the lemon juice. Strain the dressing through a sieve and add any juices that have come from the steak.

Toss the rocket leaves with half the dressing. Slice the steaks thinly. Season with salt and black pepper and place on top of the rocket. Spoon over the remaining dressing. Finish with Parmesan shavings and a sprinkling of sea salt crystals.

Vanilla whole spelt & oat pancakes

This recipe is actually foolproof and makes me feel particularly smug of a lazy Sunday morning! It'll give you about 10 fluffy & yummy mini pancakes.

Ingredients to feed 2

1/3 of a cup of rolled oats

1/3 of a cup of whole spelt flour

2 tsp golden sugar

1/4 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 egg

Half a tsp of vanilla extract

1/3 cup of milk

Sunflower oil for frying

Runny honey, salted butter and some lightly stewed fruit to serve

Method

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add a little oil. Add the batter to the pan in teaspoon dollops and allow to colour on the under side (for about a minute), turn with a spatula and cook for a further minute or 2. Transfer to a plate. Keep adding a little more oil to the Pan for each couple of pancakes to make them super easy to turn. Serve with some butter melting over the top and warm stewed fruit. i stewed up some frozen cherries. a little runny honey is also awesome especially with some fresh lime juice.

Braised beef cheek in Guinness & Cocoa

Cheeks are a beautiful cut of meat. They should not be overlooked if what you seek is depth of flavour from your stew. They need slow and gentle cooking (I flash fried a piece as an experiment and I was chewing for a whilee) which ensures the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender. The inclusion of Guinness & Cocoa powder yields a deep, dark, unctuous envelope for the incredibly tender meat. 

Ingredients

500g beef cheek

2 onions

1 can of Guinness (425ml)

1 heaped teaspoon of Cocoa (unsweetened)

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 star anise

Salt

Cooking Oil

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy oven-proof pot over a moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the beef, without crowding, on all sides, and transfer with tongs to a bowl. Add the onions & Star anise to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 160oC.

Add the cocoa powder to the pot, stir and then add the stout. Stir again and increase heat to high. Boil rapidly for about 5 minutes.

Fish out the star anise and add the tin of tomatoes to the pot. Bring to a simmer and return the cheek (with any juices) to the pot, then cover and place in the middle of the oven. Leave this to braise for about 3 hours.

Once the 3 hours is up, remove the pot from the oven and shred the beef (this can be done with a spoon the meat will be that tender)! Season to taste and serve alongside some buttery mash and steamed greens. 

The flavour of the cheek will intensify over a few days in the fridge so should you not wish to serve immediately or have left overs, you will be rewarded in the next couple of days with an even deeper deliciousness! 

Apple Flapjacks

Flapjacks are usually chewy and quite crisp, however I am a firm believer in squidge. A bit of squidge is a beautiful thing! In cookies and in people. I have a bit of squidge and I will not be making any (half baked!) resolution to relieve myself of it :). So this is a recipe for squidge-some oatilicious flapjacks. YUM.

Ingredients

160g oats

125g golden granulated sugar

125g butter

2 tablespoons of golden syrup

2 Apples, grated

Pinch of Salt

Method

Melt the Sugar, butter & syrup in a pan over a medium heat until syrupy and well combined. Put all the other ingredients in a large bowl and stir together. Add the melted mixture and stir well. Pour into a greased and lined 8 inch square baking tin.

Bake at 180oC for 30- 35 mins. Allow to cool in the tin, then remove and cut into squares.