Chicken and Broccoli Bake

I absolutely love this recipe, it is healthy and yummy - and most people eat it, whether they like broccoli or not!

Ingredients:
pack of chicken fillets/ quorn 'chicken' pieces
head of broccoli
tin of chicken/ chicken and mushroom or mushroom soup
curry powder - mild or strong
cheddar/ parmigiana, to sprinkle on top
brown rice

Directions:
If using chicken, boil the chicken first. If using quorn/ vegetarian substitute - put directly into oven proof dish. Chop up broccoli, and mix with 'chicken'. Pour in tin of soup, and some curry powder, and mix it up until well blended. Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 mins.

If you are using brown rice, be advised that it takes about 30 minutes to cook.
Serve with side salad!

Buon appetito!
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Kale Pesto Pasta

I love making a good pesto, and I recently found a fantastic new recipe. For this special green pesto recipe, you can use any green leafy veg. I used Kale, but you could use Spinach or Cavelo Nero, etc. You can really be quite creative with pesto.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of almonds

about 4 handfuls of kale (only the green leaves)

about 1/4 cup of olive oil

75g parmigiana/ pecorino

2-3 garlic cloves

salt and pepper 

fresh chilli (optional)

Directions:

Blend everything in a food processor, it should be slightly lumpy. The pesto needs to be very moist, so add more olive oil, if it is too dry. Because pesto is in olive oil, it lasts quite well in the fridge. Just put in an airtight container, glass is best, and use within about 2-3 weeks.

For the rest of the dinner

Ingredients:

ham

a handful of cherry tomatoes

pasta

Directions:

Dice ham and cut tomatoes in half. Fry ham and tomatoes until slightly brown. Boil pasta. Drain and mix in the pesto (you only need about half of the pesto batch for 500g pasta). Mix in the ham mix, sprinkle with more parmesan and voilà! 

Buon appetito!

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Spaghetti Bolognese

This is always a HUGE hit, and by adding this one secret recipe, it is packed with healthy veggies too!

Ingredients:
250g minced meat
onion
garlic
veggie purée
chopped tomato tin/ tomato passata (if you don't like lumps)
olive oil
salt and pepper, and mixed herbs (if you like)
spaghetti/ linguine (as much as you would eat)
mild curry powder

Directions:
For the veggie purée, you are basically making baby food - boil some yummy vegetables, add stock if you like. Strain and blend. Use the purée in all sauces for an extra kick of goodness. You can freeze it for about 3 months, so make a lot, and then just add to pan (frozen) when needed.

Fry the onions and garlic till browned, add mince. I then add about a tsp of curry powder as it really brings out the flavours of the meat. Once cooked, add tomato sauce and veggie purée, season and cook for about 10min.

For the pasta, make sure the water is boiling. Hold the pasta in a bunch at the centre of the pot, twist and let go. The pasta should fall evenly in the water. That is how you ensure that the pasta is all cooked the same. After about 8-10 min the pasta should be cooked, but check first. Strain, top with sauce and some parmigiana/ regular cheddar and serve!

You can use short pasta too, and then you could pop it in the oven so the cheese gets crispy - a Pasta Bake!

Buon appetito!
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Delicious Broccoli Soup

I love making easy dinners, that are healthy, easy and quick - and it warms you up on a cold winters night! And, even my husband enjoyed it (and he CANNOT STAND broccoli)...

head of broccoli

about 750ml chicken stock

onion, chopped

a knob of butter

garlic (if you like)

about 2 carrots, sliced

about 70ml cream/ milk for a lighter option

salt, pepper and spices

a few tablespoons flour

bacon and feta, to garnish

Put knob of butter in pan, and gently fry onion and garlic - don't allow to brown. Add carrots, broccoli and flour; and make sure everything is coated. Add chicken stock and allow to boil, until broccoli is cooked (approximately 15min). Add cream or milk. Put in food processor and blend. Add more cream/milk or more flour, depending on the consistency you like.

Sprinkle with feta and bacon bits, if you like.

I also made lovely crispy bread to go with it.

Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Cut up a baguette, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and some chilli flakes (if you like) and bake for about 10min!

Buon appetito!

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