Asparagus, Goats Cheese & Bacon Frittata

So tonight's meal was supposed to be goats cheese and asparagus frittata, but we had a few leftovers in the fridge so decided to use these up as well. That's the great thing about frittata, you can pretty much use up everything you have left and it will taste good.

To say this meal was pretty inexpensive and used up some of the leftovers in the fridge, it was really tasty. It had a great flavour to it and I enjoyed the vegetables. Any excuse to have asparagus ;-) .

Now cheese is something I really love, particularly the soft type like Brie. I could literally eat this all day, which is why I don't tend to eat it often so I don't get carried away. 

Serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs, beaten
• Small amount of milk
• 1 small bunch of asparagus, blanched
• 1 pack of tenderstem broccoli, boiled and cooked through
• 100 g french goats cheese, chopped into cubes
• 100 g mature cheddar cheese, chopped into cubes
• 100 g bacon
• Salt and Pepper
• 100 g mushrooms, sliced
• Knob of butter

Method

1. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan
2. Fry the mushrooms and bacon in the pan, until the bacon starts to cook through and any of the water from the bacon has started to evaporate.
3. Add the asparagus and broccoli to the pan.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture over the vegetables, season and cook a little.
5. Add the cubes of cheese on top of the eggs.
6. Heat the grill up to a medium - high heat, put the pan under and cook for about 5 minutes until its cooked through and starting to brown.

Mushroom and Bacon Risotto

This is a meal that I made at the weekend. I love risotto and to be honest this was quite an easy one,  it was also just what I needed on Saturday night after having a cheeky slice of banana bread in the afternoon. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 150 g of risotto rice
• Knob of butter 
• Approx 500 ml of vegetable stock (be sure to check it's gluten free)
• Approx 50  - 80 g of cooking bacon
• Grated hard cheese
• 125 g mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tsp of dried parsley
• Glug of oil (optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter on a medium heat in a sauce pan. Cook the bacon for a couple of minutes until the bacon starts to cook through, then add the mushrooms. Cook for a few more minutes until the mushrooms start to cook through.
2. If the pan is a little dry then add a little oil to the pan. Add the rice to the pan and coat with the oil / butter.
3. Start to add the vegetable stock to the pan a ladle by ladle, until the stock has completely evaporated.  Add the parsley and keep on adding the stock until the rice is cooked through. 
4.  I sprinkled some of the grated hard cheese onto the risotto and stirred through. I then sprinkled a little bit more on the top.

Notes: I would normally add a handful or chopped fresh parsley rather than dried.

Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Salad

We both love salads when the weather isn't quite as cold, I know today has not been the best example of this with the windy and rainy weather that we've had (at least here in South Yorkshire anyway). We also cooked a full turkey leg yesterday for a Sunday roast, so are making the most of the leftovers.

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag mixed leaf salad (mine had watercress, rocket and chard)
• A few leaves of iceberg lettuce, torn off and ripped into small pieces.
• 1 handful of of chopped tomatoes
• Leftover cooked turkey 1 - 2 cups
• 1 avocado, stoned, peeled and sliced
• Approx 100 g of cooking bacon

Method:

1. Fry the bacon and add the turkey to the pan if you prefer it warm.
2. Share the rest of the salad ingredients between the 2 plates, then add the bacon and turkey.

We served ours with honey & mustard dressing.

I thought I'd put the method for this up, but it was really simple. This was just what I needed after a long day at work and it tasted really good. I did follow it by a slice of banana bread though..... oops!

Meal Plan 12/05/13 - 18/05/13

We will be using the turkey from the freezer for some of this weeks meals. I'm also starting to have a few more salads now that the weather isn't quite as cold and we have the odd warm day here and there. 

My boyfriend will not be eating with me on  4 to 5 nights this week, as he's eating some mackerel soup concoction. I'll be cooking my meals as usual, any leftovers that are not taken in for lunches for work will be frozen. This will mean that on days where I don't feel like cooking, I will be able to have a quick meal.

Meal Plan 12/05/13 - 18/05/13

Roast Turkey Dinner with Mashed Potato, Carrots, Cabbage and Broccoli

Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Salad

Turkey Soup

Jacket Potatoes with Tuna Sweetcorn Mayonnaise

Turkey, Bacon and Avocado Salad

Asparagus and Goats Cheese Frittata

Goats Cheese and Leek Risotto

Shopping List 

Sweetcorn £0.60

Soup £3.89

Mackerel £4.25

Allinson white bread flour (3 kg) £2.00

Wholemeal seed and grain bread flour 1 kg £1.38

Milk 4 pints £1.00

Organic cornflakes £1.48

Cereals weetos £2.00

Satsumas £2.00

GF Ciabatta £2.00

Green Cabbage £0.80

Trimmed leek  (2 - 0.520 kg) £1.28

Lettuce £1.00

Garlic £0.30

Onions £1.00

Casserole veg £1.20

Carrots (0.335 kg) £1.00

Asparagus £1.00

Avocado x 2 £2.00

Jacket potato (0.275 kg) £0.36

Mixed salad £1.20

Red onion (0.130 kg) £0.10

Bananas (1.095 kg) £0.74

Reduced Broccoli £0.72

Bisto best chicken gravy £1.89

Cooking bacon £0.81

Extra mature cheddar cheese (350 g) £2.00

Goats cheese (100 g) £1.14

Cherry tomatoes £1.00

Cooked Ham £4.00

Smart Price Grapes £1.45

15 Smart Price Eggs £1.34

Sugar £0.88

Pepper corns £2.38

Total £50.19

Breakfast: Cereal, Toast, Eggs, Bacon

Lunches: Sandwiches, Leftovers, Salad

Leftovers from previous week: potatoes, porridge, risotto rice, non gluten free bread for the boyfriend, gluten free spaghetti, tuna.

The shopping bill came to a little more than I wanted it to, but I've decided to start making the most of the bread maker and to make home made bread, so we've stocked up on bread flour. The shopping was a bit more than I would have wanted, but there will be leftovers for the freezer and to take into work.