Get Well Soon Soup

Working in a school I find that I am frequently exposed to a number of germs, as a result I feel tired, worn out and run down most days. This soup takes no more than 5 minutes to make, which is why I love it. I can quickly whip it up and sit back and enjoy.

Ingredients

-Half a tsp of chilli flakes or fresh chilli (more if you like it spicy)

-3 different types of green veg (chopped into thin slices)
-1 clove of garlic chopped.
-Half of a spring onion sliced.
-1 piece of ginger (size of a thumb) chopped
-1 handful of cooked meat chopped into small pieces.
-1 nest of egg noodles.


Place all of the prepared veg and meat in a saucepan, and add water (approximately three times the amount of vegetable or 3 cups).
Place on a medium heat and bring to the boil. As it is boiling add a 2 caps of soy sauce, and half a veggie stock cube.
After 3 mins add the noodles and cook till the noodles are done. Then pour into a bowl and enjoy.

• 2-3 days of this and you will feel fab.
• If you want to make this for the family, leave off the chillies to make it less spicy.

25 Minute Jacket Potatoes

I refuse to believe that you have to cook a potato for an hour or more to get the 'perfect' jacket potato. By the time I get in from work and the school run I do not have this kind of time to wait for dinner. My way cuts the time in half, but still produces lovely jackets that are crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. 
I am serving mine with some left over 'Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chilli' that I got from the Freezer, it is a great pairing.


Ingredients: 
- Potatoes (preferably Maris Piper)
- Butter
- Topping of choice (cheese, chilli, tuna mayo)

• Pre-heat the oven on to 200 degrees (gas mark 7-8).
• Get a sharp knife or fork and pierce each potato on the top, bottom and each side. Then set them on a plate.
• Place in the microwave, cover and switch on for 5 minutes. Once it goes off, turn the potatoes over (careful they are hot) and put back in for another 5 minutes.
• Use the time that you are waiting to get your topping ready, I have placed my chilli in a pan and simmered until I need it.
• Once they are done squeeze them to see if they start to  give way. If they do not, put back in for another 5 minutes.
• Place the potatoes directly on the rack in the oven, you don't need a tray. Leave for 10-15 minutes, checking and turning after 5 minutes have passed. 
• The potatoes should be nice and crispy, take them out, cut open, put a little butter in the middle and spoon your topping over. 

All Wrapped Up Leftover Sunday Roast

This is a dish using my leftover Sunday dinner roast. It can be for a lunch at work, or dinner. Either way, it is super filling, super tasty, super healthy and your kids will love it too. 

My six year old prided herself on the mayonnaise, and I have to say, it tasted wonderful. 

Ingredients:

- Leftover roast (I have used chicken)

- Leftover gravy (I am using homemade, but if you have gravy granules go for it)

- Mayonnaise

- Spring Onion

- 1 cooked clove of garlic

- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs

- 6 wraps

- chopped lettuce

- Chopped up quick cook vegetables (sweet pepper, Courgette, mushrooms)

- Falafel

• Squirt some mayonnaise into a bowl, chop your cooked garlic, spring onion and add to the mayonnaise. Next add the herbs to the mayonnaise, mix together and set aside.
• Cut up the meat and add it to a frying pan, along with the gravy and chopped veg and fry until the vegetables are cooked and everything is nice and hot, then set it aside.
• Chop up the lettuce until you think you have enough and place the falafel on a plate, and put in the microwave for 10 seconds. 
• Now you are ready to assemble, place the items in the wrap in any order that you like, roll up and enjoy. (I have made one to look like a sandwich, as my youngest prefers this to a wrap.)

Extra Hands: If you want the kids to get involved in the cooking process, place the mayonnaise in one bowl and the other items in another bowl. Get them to add the extras to the mayonnaise and stir it. then taste a little and see if they think it is right. It really gets them involved and they seldom complain that they do not like it if they have made it.)

Super Speedy Pasta

This dish literally takes me 5-7 minutes, from pan, to plate. it is simple and the kids n hubby love it. I make this usually mid week when I am shattered from work and really am not fussed with spending any more than 5-10 minutes in the kitchen. 

Ingredients:
-1 pack of meat filled tortellini (I use chicken and bacon)
-1 pack of veg filled tortellini (I use spinach and ricotta)
-1 large knob of butter
-1 handful of quick cook veg (I have used spinach, but chopped mushrooms or sweet pepper will do)
-1 spring onion
-1 piece of cheese

• Put some water on the pan to boil, whilst this is going start chopping your spring onion (and chopping your veg if need be).
• Put your tortellini in the hot water and leave to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• After the 3-4 minutes of cooking, draining the pasta and put straight into a large bowl. 

For spinach or sweet pepper:- 

• put the butter and spring onions straight on the pasta and stir till it is all melted. The tear in the spinach and stir in again. 

For mushrooms:-

• Melt the butter in the same pan used for the pasta, add the spring onion and mushrooms and sweat off for 2 mins. 
• Once done, pour over the pasta and stir in.

Now just plate up and grate some cheese and serve. 

By mixing the two flavour pastas I have made sure my little ones get meat, veg, cheese and carbs in one dish, and I don't feel exhausted by having spent loads of time in the kitchen. 

'Everything but the kitchen sink Chilli'

This is a super high in fibre dish, packed full of items I have left over in my fridge. For a family of 4, this should make enough to have a meal now and a meal for another day (or use the rest to make lunches for work for the next 3-4 days, depending on how greedy you are hehehe).


Ingredients:
-1 500g pack of beef mince (for veggies use 1 tin rosecoco beans and 1 tin kala chana beans)
-1 large clove of garlic
-1 spring onion
-1 packet of taco seasoning (medium)
-1 packet of passata
-1 packet of stew mix
-1 tin of kidney beans
-1 chilli
-2 of what ever veg you like (I have used baby corn and chestnut mushrooms)

• First things first, your stew mix needs to be simmered in boiling water for 30 mins,so get that on the heat.
• Prep everything next as this will be so much easier on you. Chop your veg,onion and garlic to how you and family will like it. Once done, put a pan on a low heat, and add a little olive oil, garlic and spring onion. 
• Once they have sweated and are nice and soft, add a tbsp of taco seasoning, add your mince and then add another tbsp of the taco seasoning on top. Stir a few times as it is cooking through for about 5 mins.
• Add the vegetables to the mince and stir to cook through for another 5 mins, then drain off your kidney beans. once drained and rinsed, add them to your mince and veg. 
• Add a third of the pack of passata and then add roughly about the same of cold water. Stir and then leave to simmer for 5- 10 mins whilst you clear up some of the mess. 
• By now the stew mix should be done, drain it off and then add to the chilli. I don't add the chilli to mine until after I have served my little ones, so if you are not partial to loads of heat, add an extra tbsp of taco seasoning. 
• Leave to simmer for another 5-10 mins whilst you get your rice ready. Once the rice is done you are ready to plate up, and enjoy.

I sometimes like to add cheese to the top of mine, but this is just down to preference.

Dibble's Alphabetty Spaghetti

I found some Alphabet Spaghetti in Sainsbury's one day for 95p and I could not resist buying them. I am so glad I did, as it went down a real treat with my kids. 
Not only does this dish take 10-15 minutes to make, but it is good for your little ones and you. 
Enjoy cooking

Ingredients:
-1 bag of alphabet pasta 
-1 shallot
-1 pot of double cream
-1 small (or half large) passata 
-1 block of cheese (mature is better)
-1 handful of spinach
-2 large mushrooms
-1 loaf of bread (I have used Hardough bread for mine)

• Start by putting a pan of water on the boil, and adding 2 handfuls of the pasta to the boiled water to cook for 4-5 minutes.
• Whilst the pasta cooks chop your shallots and mushrooms into small pieces, and finely chop the spinach. 
• Strain off the pasta (use something that has small holes, I made that as the pasta is small. pour a tsp of olive oil over the pasta, mix it in and leave to the side. (The olive oil is nothing remotely fancy, it just stops the pasta from sticking together)
• In the same pan, place a little olive oil and the shallots, then bring to a low heat. After a few minutes,add the passata and veg, then stir on a medium heat for a minute.
• Add a tbsp of double cream to start and stir in, then add a little more (I estimate 1-2 egg cup size). Add a pinch of mixed herbs if you want and bring back to a low heat. 
• Grate a small handful of cheese, add to the sauce and stir in well. 
• Now add the pasta and mix into the sauce. Turn off the heat and put your bread in the toaster. 
• Once your bread has popped up you can butter it, and then arrange on a plate (you can even grate a little more cheese if you want).

All that is left now is to enjoy. I made mine after work and it took me 15 minutes. My youngest is very fussy and this was one of the few times that she cleared her plate. You cant get better feedback than that. :)

Yumbers Burgergines

My burgergines went down a real treat at home, I was looking for another way of cooking with aubergine and when a colleague gave me the idea of slicing them nice and thick like a burger, it gave me the idea of turning them into a burgergine so that the kids would not be put off by eating them. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.



 Ingredients:

-1 large aubergine

-1 pot fresh tomato salsa

-1 courgette

-1 tomato

-4 burger buns (or cheese and black pepper muffins)

-1 shallot 

• Start by slicing the aubergines the about 1.5cm thick. once you have four of these rub each side with olive oil, sprinkle some seasoning of your choice on each side(I prefer Cajun seasoning on mine), then set them aside. 
• Slice your courgette, shallots and tomato finely, then set the tomato aside for later. 
• Switch on the frying pan on a mid-level heat and leave for a few minutes to heat up. Once hot, place the aubergine slices in the frying pan and press lightly with a fish slice.
• Whilst they are frying get the rolls and cut in half. I like to put mine in the toaster for 1 minute and put butter on one half. Flip the aubergine over then put in the courgette and shallots to fry. flip the courgette after 20 seconds and keep tossing the shallots. 
• Once the aubergines are done, you start building your burgergine. you can also add lettuce and cheese to yours.

Once built you can sit back and enjoy this tasty veggie dish. I enjoyed mine as an extra with hot-dogs and wings on USA Night in my house. My hubby is not usually one for aubergine, but he wolfed this down and asked for more so I guess I did something right.