Sticky Kicking Chicken

I drive the other half potty sometimes watching cookery programs, I enjoy watching though and they give good ideas. A while back I saw this Jamie Oliver make Sticky Kicking Chicken with Watermelon Radish Salad & Crunch Noodles. This really appealed to us both and we've finally got around to trying it.

I think this turned out really well, was quick to cook (we were slightly longer than 15 minutes) but it was a very tasty dish and an ideal mid week meal. It would be great to have if you're having company. I would definitely make this again.

I did use gluten free soy sauce to make it gluten free.  We also left the radish out as we're both not keen on this, but that's just our personal taste.

I'm actually considering buying Jamie's 15 minute meals book (you can find it on Amazon here), as it seems like a good book to have around when you need some ideas for quick meals.

Meal Plan 06/10/13 - 13/10/13

I've tried to keep a couple of nights free this week as I'm going to be eating at my family's house for 2 nights. We should hopefully have plenty of leftovers this week as well, to take these to work for lunch. 

As we ending up eating out unexpectedly, I didn't manage to have the Carbonara that I was looking forward to so I've brought that into this weeks menu. We've also got a couple of new recipes that were trying, so very much looking forward to these too.

Meal Plan 06/10/13- 13/10/13

Pulled Pork with salad

Spaghetti Carbonara

Sticky Kicking Chicken - Jamie Oliver

Harissa Cous Cous with Chicken

Thai Pumpkin / Butternut Squash Soup

Shopping List:

Milk £1.00

GF Bread £1.75

Bananas 7 - 0.94 kg £0.64

Oranges £0.50

2 x Mangos £1.00

Bisto Best £2.00

Bread £1.50

Free From Soy Sauce £2.80

Lettuce £0.50

Activia Yoghurts £1.00

Mint £0.70

Cooking Bacon £0.81

Coriander £0.70

Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs £3.58

Fish Sauce £1.68

Fresh Ginger 0.55 kg £0.11

3 Limes £0.75

Spring Onions £0.50

Water Melon £2.97

Garlic £0.30

Chipotle Paste £1.60

Cherry Tomatoes £1.00

Lemon £0.30

Butternut Squash - 1.42 kg £1.21

Lemongrass £0.67

Mayonnaise £1.18

Coconut Milk £1.50

Pork Shoulder 1.65 kg £4.96

Muscavado Sugar £1.38

Avocado £1.00

Cider Vinegar £0.84

Dijon Mustard £0.58

Watercress, Spinach, Rocket £1.50

Sugar £0.88

Organic Cornflakes £1.48

Total  £44.87

Roast Vegetables with Lancashire and Feta Cheese

We've been trying to eat a lot more vegetables lately and this particular recipe is something we tried a while back from the BBC Good Food website. The original recipe we used it here, but since then we've been tweaking it to our own taste and also trying to use up some leftovers in the fridge!

We really enjoy this recipe and apart from the preparation of the vegetables, you actually just put it in the oven and don't have to do much at all. You can serve this on the side of some roast chicken portions or your favourite meat if you prefer.

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash

1 large courgette

1 large handful of cherry tomatoes

1 pepper 

1 red onion

100 g Lancashire Cheese

100 g Feta Cheese

3 - 4 garlic cloves

Sprig of fresh sage

1 tsp mixed herbs

Glug of Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat fan oven to 180 C / 200 C conventional / Gas 6.
2. Chop your squash in half, scoop out the seeds and cut into small chunks and peel. Cut into chunks and put into the roasting tin.
3. Chop the courgette and pepper and put into the tin.
4. Peel the red onion, chop in half and cut each half into 4 chunks and put in the roasting tin
5. Scatter the tomatoes with the rest of the vegetables.
6. Chop up the sage and add with the mixed herbs and garlic to your chopped vegetables. Pour a good glug of oil over, season and mix round a little. Don't over season with salt as you will be adding the Feta later.
7. Roast for approx 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked through, stirring half way through.
8. 5 minutes before the end, crumble the cheese over and pop back in the oven for 5 minutes.

The cooking juices from the vegetables are lovely mopped up with a bit of bread!

Meal Plan 29/09/13 - 05/10/13

We've decided to keep one night free this coming week, as I think we may be going out for dinner. If we don't we will have leftovers to use up. We've tried to make sure there are plenty of vegetables in this weeks meal plan, we will be trying to eat a little healthier and make sure there's more focus on vegetables. That being said, I really am looking to trying out the Thornley's Carbonara Sauce Mix!

Meal Plan:

Roast Chicken Dinner

Chicken or Beef Stir Fry

Roasted Autumn Vegetables with Lancashire Cheese

Leftover Chilli / Fish Cakes with Mushy Peas

Spaghetti Carbonara (Thornley Packet)

Vegetable Medley (Beans), Cabbage, Bacon

Shopping List:

Cooking Bacon £0.81
Chobani Yoghurts x 4 £1.50
Activia Fig Yoghurts x 4 £1.00
Smart Price Whole Chicken 1.584kg £3.93
Milk - 4 pints £1.00
2 X Carrots £0.21
Sweetcorn £0.69
Savoy Cabbage £0.80
Green Beans £0.50
Broccoli £0.60
15 Smart Price Eggs £1.35
Stir Fry Vegetables £1.00
2 x Stir Fry Sauces £1.00
1 Butternut Squash -0.86 kg £0.73
Sage £1.00
Lancashire Cheese 100 g £1.00
String Beans £1.00
Single Cream 150 ml £0.55
Kingsmill Seeded bread - little big one £0.75
Free From Wraps £2.80
Bananas (4 - 0.655 kg) £0.45
Clementines £1.75

Total £24.42

All of the above prices were correct at time of publication.

Breakfast: Cereal, Toast, Eggs

Lunch: Chicken Mayonnaise and Sweetcorn / Egg and Bacon Sandwiches,  Tuna, Lerftovers

Snacks: Bananas, Clementines, Yoghurts

Leftovers: Cereal, Bread, Eggs, Chilli, Potatoes, Spaghetti, Lentils, Frozen Spinach, Frozen Broad Beans, Frozen, Peas, Garlic, Fish Cakes, Bananas

Prawn Tempura

I tried my hand at prawn tempura recently and it turned out pretty successful. I did however have a slight accident with the oil and succeeded in burning myself. Anyone who knows me will know how clumsy I am, so the other half did have to take over this half way. 

The original recipe I used was from the BBC Food website here. 

I did make a few changes to this recipe to make it gluten free:

• I swapped the plain flour for plain gluten free flour
• Instead of beer I used cider, as this is what I had in the house. You can of course you gluten free beer if you have this available.
• I also used gluten free soy sauce.

I found the batter a little too loose, so I added a bit of extra flour to mine. It's definitely one I will be trying again. 

Leftover Beef Chilli with Thornleys Chilli Con Carne Mix

I was nicely sent some Thornleys Gluten Free Sauce mixes to try out, you can see their website here.  We went on a bike ride yesterday, so by the time it came to dinner time we were pretty tired and didn't really feel like cooking much.

We'd previously bought a fairly large brisket (I think it was about 1.4 kg raw), we slow cooked the joint and had some as part of a dinner with some vegetables on Sunday. I was happy to have the Thornleys Chilli Con Carne mix on hand. It was easy to use and I loved the flavours in it. It was also just around the right amount of spice for me, although the other half likes things a bit spicier so did add some extra to his.

We basically followed the instructions on the packet, the only change we made was that we subbed the minced beef for 400 g of cooked beef brisket. Aside from the beef, you only need a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of kidney beans. I did add a fried onion mine as well.

Meal Plan 22/09/13 - 28/09/13

Were not at work this coming week, so I've left 2 nights free as were hopefully eating at one of the family's house one night and then we are also wanting to go out to eat one night. 

Meal Plan 22/09/13 - 28/09/13

Braised Beef Dinner with Vegetables

Leftover Beef Chilli

Fish Cakes & Mushy Peas

Leftover Beef Stir Fry

Mackerel, Fine Beans & Fried Cherry Tomatoes

Shopping List:

Bananas (11 - 2.26 kg) £1.54

Clementines £1.75

Bran Flakes 1 kg £1.94

Organic Gluten Free Cornflakes £1.48

12 Free Range Eggs £1.98

Butter £2.00

Brisket £10.00

Onions £1.00

Mixed Beans £0.62

Chopped Tomatoes x 3 £0.93

4 x Carrots £0.41

Broccoli £0.60

Courgettes £1.00

Kidney Beans £0.27

Gluten Free Bread £1.75

Bread £1.50

2 x Stir Fry Sauces (from B&M) £0.58

Stir Fry Vegetables £1.00

Smoked Mackerel £3.00

Fine Beans 90 g £0.50

Red Onions £1.00

Feta Cheese £1.50

Milk £1.00

Cherry Tomatoes £1.00

Olive Oil 1 lt £4.00

String Beans £1.00

Cavolo Nero Cabbage £1.00

Total £44.35

All of the above prices were correct on 22/09/13

Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit, Toast, Eggs

Lunch: Egg / Tuna Mayonnaise , Leftovers

Snacks: Bananas, Clementines

Leftovers: Frozen vegetables, Baked Beans, Frozen Peas, Fish Cakes, Bacon, Tuna, Tinned Fruit, Free From Cous Cous, Frozen Chicken