Asparagus, Courgette, Feta and Sesame Salad.

Hello again! It's been a while since my last post as I was really busy last week attending my Auntie's wedding which was absolutely stunning. My Auntie and I have really similar taste so naturally I absolutely adored everything about her wedding, from the gorgeous cake to the beautiful flowers and delicious three course meal complete with my favourite Heidi Pieminister pie and a delicious dessert trio of; lemon tart, chocolate brownie and raspberry meringue. Yum.

The venue was stunning, the Cham 69 cocktails were particularly delicious and I definitely could have helped myself to a few more of those. We danced along to 80s songs all night and even broke out the air guitar a fair few times to some rock classics which was pretty hilarious and more importantly my incredible cousins; Alfie and Hugo also looked completely adorable and handsome in their little blue suits as the page boys for the day too.

My Auntie's dress was absolutely gorgeous and I actually couldn't believe just how beautiful she looked and how amazing her dress was when I saw her. It was honestly breathtaking. I was also really lucky to be asked to be her bridesmaid which, was very exciting as I am really close to her and I felt really privileged to be part of her special day. 

It was honestly just an amazing day for an amazing couple and they really deserved it and I wish I could do it all over again. Weddings are incredible, people should definitely get married more often. 

I am back now though and on a mission to keep healthy and lose a few pounds so here I am sharing with you this yummy salad recipe so, that I can hopefully one day look lovely in my own wedding dress but, for now as a lonely, singleton I'll just take getting that nice bikini body and who knows, it might just help me bag that future husband of mine too.

This is a lovely, simple, light and refreshing salad and I really enjoyed it and hope you do to! The lemon zest and juice gave a delicious fresh and summery burst to a nice healthy and tasty salad which, will hopefully help towards trimming down the old waistline unlike the homemade banoffee tart I will be munching on later. Sorry! No one can munch on lettuce leaves all the time though, can they? Unless of course you add a nice crumbling of creamy feta, some juicy courgettes and a handful of delightful, crunchy spears of asparagus, then it's not so bad.

Recipe

3 tsp. sesame seeds

280g asparagus

100g peas

2 courgettes

2 tsp. sesame oil

rocket leaves

125g feta, crumbled

grated zest 1 lemon

juice 1/2 lemon

small handful of mint leaves, finely chopped

Method

1. Heat a small frying pan and add the sesame seeds. Cook, shaking the pan and making sure the seeds don’t burn. When they are fragrant and have turned a light teak colour, tip them onto a saucer.                                                                                                               

2. Steam the asparagus for 3-4 mins until almost done. Drop into a bowl of iced water to cool, then drain and wrap in a tea towel to dry really well. Cook the peas for 3 mins in the boiling water used to steam the asparagus, then drain and cool under a cold tap. Slice the courgettes on the diagonal, about 0.5cm thick.

3. Heat a griddle pan until very hot. Brush the asparagus and courgette slices with the oil, and cook in batches until nicely striped with dark brown. Cut the asparagus into 5cm lengths.

4. Mix the asparagus, courgettes, peas, rocket, half of the feta, mint, lemon juice and lemon zest. Grind over some black pepper and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and remainder of the crumbled feta before serving.

And now, just to leave you with possibly the cutest pictures you have ever seen in your entire life of my adorable nephew Charlie who may just be the most gorgeous boy in the world!

Onion Bhaji Burger and Homemade Chips.

7 years ago my 13 year old self decided to stop eating meat and now I couldn't imagine anything different. I love cooking veggie food and I try my best to make unique tasty dishes which, you often can't get as a vegetarian when you go to restaurants or buy foods in supermarkets as the choice is more limited. Last weekend I decided to make these quirky and yummy onion bhaji burgers which, I served with the Hairy Biker's special homemade chip recipe and rest assured that Si and Dave certainly know what they're doing when it comes to making chips as these chips are delicious. Deep fried chips and deep fried onion bhaji's, so obviously not the healthiest of meals I've ever made. Come to think of it, do I ever really make healthy meals? Nevermind though, a little bit of what you fancy does you good is what my Nan always says so, if you do fancy giving these onion bhaji burgers a go, please do and let me know what you think!

Recipe
Serves 4
For the Onion Bhaji Burgers-
For the Onion Bhajis-
2 red onions, one finely chopped and one thinly sliced
100g gram flour (chickpea flour)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. curry paste (I used Tesco finest Goan Massala paste which was very yummy but, it is a mild coconut flavoured paste so feel free to use a spicier curry paste like rogan josh or madras if you'd prefer a kick)
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
For the Garlic, Mint and Cucumber Raita-
150g natural yoghurt
2 tbsp. chopped mint
1 small garlic clove, crushed
8 slices of cucumber, each cut into 8

Mango Chutney
1 Beef tomato, sliced
Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
White english muffins  

For the Chips-
4 large Maris Piper potatoes
sea salt

Method

1. Start by preparing the chips. Peel the potatoes and cut lengthways into roughly 1cm thick slices. Cut each slice into fairly thick chips and rinse in a colander under plenty of cold water to remove excess starch. (If you have time, it's worth letting the chips soak in a bowl of cold water for several hours, or overnight.) 

2. After soaking, pat the chips dry with kitchen paper. Heat an electric deep-fat fryer to 130C. Using a large, metal, slotted spoon, gently lower half the chips into the hot oil and stir carefully. Fry for ten minutes, or until cooked through but not browned.

3. Remove the chips from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on plenty of kitchen paper. Repeat the process with the remaining chips and set aside. (The chips can be left for several hours at this stage.)

4. Next, mix together the raita ingredients with a little salt and pepper, then spoon into a small bowl. Refrigerate until needed.

5. Prepare the onion bhajis. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the curry paste, chopped chilli and a good sprinkling of salt. Add about 80-100ml of cold water to make a thick batter. Stir in the chopped and sliced onions until they are well coated.

6. When the onion bhaji batter is prepared, heat the oil in the deep-fat fryer to 180C. Add heaped tbsps of onion mix to the pan, a few at a time, and cook for a few mins, turning once, until they are evenly browned and crisp, about 3-4 mins. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remaining bhajis.

7. Once all of the bhajis are prepared, finish cooking the chips. Increase the temperature of the deep-fat fryer to 190C. With a slotted spoon, lower all the par-cooked chips gently into the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Tip into a serving dish and sprinkle with salt to serve.

8. Finish by assembling the onion bhaji burgers. Halve and lightly toast the english muffins. Spread one half with mango chutney and one half with the raita. Place lettuce and tomato on top of one of the halves of each muffin. Add the onion bhaji (or two bhajis if they are quite small), place the lid on and hold together with a cocktail stick. Serve alongside the chips and enjoy!

Homemade Nachos.

Last week I decided to branch away from the old mixing bowl and cupcake tin to make some homemade nachos which, are something I've never made before but, they are now something I will be making time and time again. I love nachos and they are actually one of my favourite foods so I thought I would try making them from scratch and they are honestly completely delicious! Crispy tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese, refreshing salsa, cool sour cream and tangy guacamole. They are perfect! Not so good for the old waistline but, the best food never is. The diet starts tomorrow I promise... unless there's another giant bowl of homemade nachos on offer again! There are lots of components to the dish but, none of them actually take very long to make so if you do have the time and you are a big nacho fan, give these nachos a go and I really hope you enjoy them!

Recipe

Serves 3-4

For the Salsa-

6 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 medium red onion, very finely chopped

1 small garlic clove, crushed

Small splash of white wine vinegar

Squeeze of lime juice

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Guacamole-

1/2 large ripe tomato

2 small avocados, very ripe but not bruised

juice 1/2 large lime

small handful coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

For the Sour Cream and Chive Dip-

5 tbsp. sour cream

4 tbsp. chopped chives

2 tsp. lemon juice

Pinch of salt

For the Tortilla Chips-

4 Flour tortillas

Vegetable oil

A hefty noggin of cheese

Method

1.First, prepare the salsa. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl, stir. Refrigerate until ready to use. To peel the tomatoes; make slits all over the tomatoes, place in a bowl and cover with boiled water. Leave for 2-3 mins and then peel.

2. Next, prepare the guacamole. Use a large knife to pulverize the tomato on a chopping board, then tip into a bowl. Halve and stone the avocados (saving the stones) and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and add to the bowl with the tomato. Tip all of the other ingredients into the bowl, then season with salt and pepper. Use a whisk or potato masher to roughly mash everything together. Sit the stones in the guacamole to stop it going brown, cover with cling film and chill until needed.

3. To make the sour cream and chive dip; mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate.

4. Next, prepare the tortilla chips. Take the 4 tortilla wraps and use scissors to cut each into 3 strips of equal thickness, then snip into triangles and other fairly large shapes ready for frying. Heat your deep fat fryer to 190°C or heat oil in a large pan. When heated to the correct temperature, start to add 4-6 tortilla chips to the deep fat fryer at a time and turn until bronze and crispy. If using a pan to cook, test the oil with a small piece of tortilla wrap to see when the oil is hot enough for frying. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tortilla chips from the oil and place on to a kitchen towel on a plate to drain off some of the oil. You can sprinkle and season with salt if you like but, it isn't essential. 

5. Finally, when all of the tortilla chips are cooked, take a large dish or casserole bowl and place a layer of tortilla chips into the bottom, scatter with grated cheese and melt under the grill. Place another layer of tortilla chips on top, scatter with cheese and some tomato salsa and melt the cheese under the grill again. Place a final tortilla chip layer on top and scatter with salsa and cheese, melt the cheese under the grill one last time and spoon a large scoop of sour cream, salsa and guacamole onto the top of the nacho stack.

Then most importantly...Tuck in! Devour! Indulge! And don't you dare leave a single crumb!

Enjoy the rest of your week everyone!