Proper Chinese Curry without the guilt

We LOVE a Chinese Takeaway in our house, but with the recent restrictions, our beloved local has temporarily had to close it's doors.

Rather than be unfaithful, I thought I would give it a go myself and the results have not disappointed either of us. This version of a Chinese chicken curry is free from gluten, dairy, MSG and is low fat too.

Chinese Chicken Curry and Slim Rice

Serves 2 hungry people (Or Northerners)

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, diced

2 white onions, diced

2 cups mushrooms, diced

3 carrots, grated

1/2 cup frozen peas

2 tbsps medium curry powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

pinch of chilli flakes

2 garlic cloves crushed

1/2 tsp grated ginger

750ml chicken stock

3 tbsps gluten free flour

seasoning

2 packets slim rice (Follow instructions for cooking)

1. Heat some fry light in a wide, large pan. Add the onions, carrot, garlic and ginger, add a little water and cook until soft. 
2. Add the spices and flour and cook off in the pan, adding a little bit more water if necessary. Add the mushrooms and soften for a minute. 
3. Pour in the chicken stock and mix well to distribute the flour and spices. Bring to a low simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. In a frying pan, dry fry the chicken breast pieces until tender and cooked through. 
5. Add the chicken and peas to the curry sauce and allow the flavours to soak in for a few minutes. Season to taste.
6. Serve alongside the slim rice. Be generous with the sauce!

TIP: 

We had this 2 weeks in a row, but the second time around, I served it with low fat oven chips and slim rice, to make it even naughtier but still nice. 

King prawns or Tofu cubes make a great substitute for the chicken. They don't take as long to pan fry, but can still be added to the sauce at the same time as the peas to soak up the flavours. 

Lazy Vegan burger and dirty, clean potato skins

I have to admit, this meal was a mid week cheat, I didn't have a great deal of time on my hands and so I reached for a few ready made items that I could use to create something new.

Mais, Je ne regrette rien! It was delicious and gave me holiday vibes with the heat.

Spicy tomato and sweet potato burger, crispy potato skins and raw, salsa salad

(GF, V)

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 pack of spicy tomato vegan balls (Aldi)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp paprika
pinch of chilli flakes

6 medium size potatoes
salt and pepper for seasoning
1/2 tbsp paprika
2-3 tbsps cooking oil
Seasoning

3/4 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup diced cucucumber
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 red pepper diced
3 tbsps mild salsa

1. Scrub the potatoes under cold running water to prepare and then pat dry. Using a knife, peel the potatoes, leaving a good amount of flesh still on the skin to create your potato skins. 
2. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C. Take a large oven tray and grease the base with a little oil. 
3. Space out your skins on the tray and drizzle over your cooking oil. Sprinkle the paprika evenly and season well. Using a spatula, give the skins a toss in the oil and spices. 

4. Place in the preheated oven for 40 mins until the skins are crispy and browned. 

 5. In a bowl, put the vegan balls, red onion, paprika and chilli flakes. Using a fork, break up the balls and combine the new ingredients evenly to the mix.

6. Shape in to two flattened balls and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Cook in the oven alongside your skins for 20 mins.

7. For the raw, salsa salad, combine the raw, chopped vegetables with the salsa and dish up, ready to be served alongside your burger and skins when cooked.

We had ours with a ramekin of low fat, paprika mayonnaise for dipping, but to keep it vegan, replace with sweet chilli or BBQ sauce.

For the Love of Cod!

As part of our attempts to cut down on red meat and poultry last year, we started cooking with a lot more fish and seafood.

It's super healthy, easy to digest and so quick and easy to cook.

In general, we eat a lot of hake, basa, mackerel and tuna as these are more sustainable, but on occasion we will push the boat out ( excuse the pun!) and will opt for a cod loin.

Here is a recipe I put together which is wheat, gluten, dairy and soya free. Don't let the list of ingredients put you off, I used the same herbs throughout.

Pan fried Cod Loin

With garlic and herb spuds, Green vegetable medley and Spicy tomato sauce

Serves 2 hungry people

Ingredients

2 fresh cod loins
4 tbsp gluten free plain flour
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lemon wedges

1 bunch asparagus-each stem broken in half
1/2 head of broccoli cut in to florets
Handful of frozen green beans
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried garlic
Frylight cooking oil spray
seasoning

4 medium size potatoes (scrubbed)
2 tbsp avocado oil
1/2 tbsp crushed garlic
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp dried basil

Himalayan pink salt

300g passata

2 small red onions, finely diced

1 tsp capers

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes

1tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp dried basil
Frylight cooking oil spray

1. Put your potatoes in a pan of water and bring to the boil, simmer for 25 minutes until soft when poked with a knife. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Lightly oil a baking tray and place your potatoes on top. Cut a small cross in each and pinch the sides so that the middle fluffs up a little.
3. In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic and herbs then trickle across your potatoes. Grind salt across them and place in the oven for 25-30 mins. Once cooked, they should be brown and crispy on top.

4. In a medium size pan, spray a little frylight and when hot, saute the onions and garlic for your sauce until softened. Add the passata, capers, herbs and spices and bring down to a low heat for the flavours to infuse. Cook for 10 mins on a low heat with a lid on and then place to the side.

5. On a large plate, scatter your GF flour evenly and then season with salt and pepper. Take your cod loins and roll them gently in the flour so that they are evenly and lightly covered. This will help the cod stay in one piece when you cook it.

6. When you have about 10 minutes left on the cooking time for your potatoes, heat some frylight for your vegetables in a wide pan or griddle pan and add the green vegetables. Stir through the oil and add the garlic, herbs and seasoning. Occasionally stir the vegetables to allow them to cook evenly for about 7 minutes.

7. Whilst the vegetables cook, heat the oil for your fish in a frying pan. Once hot add the fish by lowering in to the pan, one end at a time and lying it down in the opposite direction to you to stop the oil spitting back.

8. The fish needs roughly 3 minutes per side and should be soft in the middle to the touch when ready. Once slightly browned, remove from the heat and leave it in the pan.

9. Reheat the sauce a little and place a few tbsps on each plate. Sit the cod loin on top of the sauce and serve your vegetable medley and baked potatoes alongside.

10. Garnish with a lemon wedge to finish.

Pad Thai variations

Thai food is ideal for so many diets where people have restrictions to consider, as is most Asian cuisine.
Not only that, but it's delicious! And many a Thai curry have been cooked in our kitchen.

Pad Thai is a staple choice for me when we go out for dinner and I have been meaning to try this at home for a long time.

You can use prawns, chicken or tofu as your main protein, or just leave it out and make vegetables the star of your dish.

Prawn Pad Thai-Serves 2

240g rice noodles (wet weight)
100g cooked king prawns
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 green pepper deseeded and sliced
1 carrot peeled and sliced
1 courgette diced
1 cup sliced white cabbage
1 egg

2 tbsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Brown sugar
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tsp red chilli puree
1 tsp agave nectar 
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp Tamari
3 tbsp fish sauce
vegetable oil

To finish:

lime wedges
chilli flakes
crushed peanuts

1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large wok or deep pan and add all the chopped vegetables. Add the crushed garlic and chilli. Stir fry until softened, adding a little water if necessary to stop from sticking. 
2. In a bowl, mix the tamarind, sugar, agave nectar, lime juice, peanut butter, tamari and fish sauce.
3. Once the vegetables are softened, reduce the heat a little and push them to the side to leave a gap in the centre. Break the egg in to the space and mix with a spatula to scramble the egg. 
4. Toss in the cooked rice noodles and king prawns, mix in to the vegetables and egg for 2 minutes whilst continuing to cook. 
5. Pour over the sauce mixture and stir through for a couple of minutes until the dish is hot and ready to serve. 
6. Dish up in pasta bowls with chopsticks.
7. Arrange the finishing toppings on a small side dish for your diners to add as they please.

(Note: If your rice noodles are bought dry, put them in to a bowl and pour over boiling water from the kettle. Within 2 minutes, you can drain your noodles and they will be ready to use.)

If you would prefer to use tofu, cut this into squares and pan fry it separately in a little oil to give it some colour. Add to the main pan when you stir in your cooked rice noodles. 

This dish is gluten free for those who need it! If you would like to make it vegetarian, simply remove the fish sauce and use extra tamari. 

Batch cooking with dried lentils

Here are a couple of ideal recipes for you to try if you're spending more time in at home, and want to batch cook healthy recipes for you and the family that are still hearty and warming. 

Lentil Casserole with dumplings

Lentil & Tomato Soup

These are vegetarian, dairy free and can be made gluten free if you find substitutes for the flour and suet. 

They use dried cupboard ingredients which you can store away and are environmentally friendly due to the lack of animal products.

The lentils mean both recipes are high in protein, low in fat and very filling!

Lentil casserole with dumplings-Serves 4

Served with swede mash, roast parsnips, spinach and pickled red cabbage

Ingredients

1 white onion diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

2 celery sticks finely chopped

3 small to medium potatoes peeled and diced

1 garlic clove crushed

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 400g carton tomato passata

240g dried green lentils

130g vegetarian suet

260g self-raising flour

Frylight

Water

Worcester Sauce

Dried herbs and seasoning

Black pepper

Salt

Paprika

Oregano

Basil

Thyme

Parsley

Rosemary

1. Dice onion, 2 carrots, 3 small to medium size potatoes and 2 celery sticks. 
2. Measure out 240g dried green lentils and place in a pan with 1.5ltr water. Bring to the boil and keep on a rolling boil for 10 minutes, before reducing the heat to a simmer for a further 25 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, in a large pan, heat a few sprays of frylight and add your diced vegetables, add 1 clove crushed garlic and seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes on a medium to high heat, stirring regularly and add a splash of water if the mixture starts to stick to the pan. Add a tbsp of tomato puree and  mix in. 
4. Add 1 carton (400g) of tomato passata and stir. Add 1.5 tsp of dried oregano, paprika and basil and season again. Turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 
5. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius. 
6. To make the dumplings, weigh out 130g vegetarian suet in a large mixing bowl and add 260g of self raising flour. Season and add 1.5 tsp dried parsley, thyme and rosemary and mix with a fork. Gradually add water to the mix to bind and mix with your fork until mixture comes together but is not wet. It should be crumble mix like texture where you can handle the mixture and mold in to balls that keep their shape. The mixture should make 9 balls which are similar size and shape to a clementine (slightly flattened.) Place them on baking paper whilst you then return to your cooking mixtures. 
7. Drain the lentils and add them to the vegetable mix. 
8. With a square oven proof dish that is suitable for 4 portions, carefully spoon in 2/3 of the lentil mix without taking too much of the liquid out as you don't want it to be too wet that your raw dumplings sink in. 
9. Add your dumpling balls in 3 x 3 neat rows. 
10. Place in to the preheated oven for 25 mins and check to see if your dumplings have risen, are slightly brown and have hard tops when you touch them. If it needs a further 5 minutes in the oven, allow for this. 

I serve my lentils and dumplings with mashed swede. I make this by dicing a full swede, placing in a pan with enough water to cover and a vegetable stock cube. Bring to the boil and then allow to cook on a high simmer for 30 minutes. When soft, drain and mash with seasoning. 

For my roast parsnips, I allow for 1 per person, peel and chop them in to 5cm by 1cm wide batons. I place these in an oven proof dish with several sprays of frylight, seasoning and a sprinkle of dried rosemary and thyme. These cook at the same temperature for about 30-40 minutes. 

I serve the whole dish with a handful of fresh spinach per person and a tbsp of pickled red cabbage. 

Lentil and Tomato soup-Serves 2

1. Return to the leftover lentil mix, add 2-3 cups of water depending on how liquid you like your soup to be in texture.
2. Add 1 tbsp of Worcester sauce, a grind of black pepper and another 1 tsp of paprika. 
3. Reheat the mixture to serve immediately or decant into 2 tupperware tubs, chill and then refrigerate or freeze. 
4. To reheat from chilled, microwave with a handful of fresh spinach for 4 mins (stirring half way through)
5. Great to serve with vegetable crudites.