All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Paprika Pepper Pasta

By 4 Comments

Life is busy. I have a toddler. Dinner that can be ready in a flash is what it’s all about in my house. This paprika pepper pasta is a dish I keep coming back to, and variations of it, because it’s so quick and simple. The ingredients are easy to get hold of and inexpensive: exactly my kind of weeknight cooking. And, with three portions of veg in one meal everyone’s happy!

A smoky, sweet and savoury pasta sauce it is also delicious served with baked potatoes. The fresh basil really lifts the dish and parsley would work just as nicely. read more

Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup

By 9 Comments

I am still making an effort to have interesting lunches. Soup is perfect at this time of year as it freezes well and just needs heating through for an (almost) instant lunch. This is my Thai Vegetable Noodle Soup and I make it with plenty of chilli. I love the heat of the chilli with the creaminess of the coconut but you can make it as hot as you like.

This is a great recipe for using up any vegetables you have in the house. I like to use a few different colours if I can to brighten up the soup a little. The lime and coriander really lift the flavours and give it a zing and freshness which is just what I want from this soup. read more

Five Minute Salmon Noodles

By 14 Comments

I blinked and it is the end of January! I can’t believe this is my first post of 2021. But these five minute salmon noodles are quite an apt recipe for now. I’ve been working from home and the appeal of toast and sandwiches has worn pretty thin. However, I don’t want to be making a time consuming lunch each day. So I started to think about food I could make in a few minutes; a few basic recipes which will add variety to my working week and be a doddle to make.

I used some sweet chilli hot smoked salmon for these noodles. It was reduced and I used it for two lunches (the other of which I’ll tell you about below). A handful of fresh vegetables, dried noodles and a soy dressing made from store cupboard ingredients are all you need for a delicious lunch in minutes. read more

Easy Vegetable Lasagne

By 18 Comments

Easy Vegetable Lasagne after baking

There’s a very good reason why this is an easy vegetable lasagne: there’s no béchamel! One of the things I love most about lasagne is how comforting it is, all those layers of pasta and sauce, so I didn’t want to miss any of that by cutting out a few steps. It’s still creamy and cheesy but only uses one sauce. This is such an easy recipe and you can use whatever vegetables you have to hand.

ingredients

You will need (for four portions):

  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 1 aubergine, roughly chopped
  • 2 peppers (whatever colour(s)) you like, seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Any other vegetables you like, such as courgette, carrot, etc. prepared and roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed but left whole
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • Salt and pepper
  • 600ml passata
  • 200ml crème fraîche
  • 1 tbsp red pesto
  • 25g Parmesan, grated

Method

Start by preheating an oven to 180C.

Put all of the prepared vegetables onto a baking tray and drizzle over enough oil to give everything a light covering. Add a little salt and pepper and give everything a good mix with your hands. read more

Creamy Lentil Pasta Bake

By 22 Comments

Creamy Lentil Pasta Bake with cheese topping

You know those small pasta shapes you can buy which are ideal for minestrone? Well, it turns out they make a really good pasta bake. I found this out by accident when making my creamy lentil pasta bake and looked in the cupboard to find only teeny tiny bows to hand. This is a seriously tasty and very filling vegetarian pasta bake which is crammed full of veg with a little added double cream for a touch of weeknight luxury.

Ingredients

You will need (for two plus leftovers):

  • 180g pasta
  • 250g cooked puy lentils
  • Handful grated cheese, cheddar or Parmesan both work well

For the creamy tomato sauce

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 pepper, finely chopped
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 600g tomato passata
  • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
  • 3 nuggets frozen chopped spinach (you could use fresh that has been wilted and chopped)
  • 150ml double cream
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by making the sauce. Get a saucepan onto a medium heat and add the onion with a glug of olive oil. Fry gently for 10 minutes. read more

Chicken and Chorizo Tray Bake

By 10 Comments

finished chicken and chorizo tray bake

It’s late autumn. I want the food on my plate to reflect the leaves on the trees outside and my chicken and chorizo tray bake does exactly that. A sizzling tray of orange, red and purple it smells so good while it’s cooking and also tastes divine. Those orange juices at the bottom of the dish? Don’t waste those. Tear open some crusty bread and get dunking.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and chopped
  • 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
  • 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 75-100g cooking chorizo, sliced or diced
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • Salt and pepper
  • Crusty bread to serve

Method

Preheat an oven to 180C.

Put the peppers, tomatoes, onion and chorizo in a baking dish; one big enough to almost hold everything in a single layer. Drizzle over a little olive oil and some salt and pepper then roast in the oven for 10 minutes. read more

Artichoke and Red Pepper Gratin

By 11 Comments

artichoke and red pepper gratin

It was one of those days where I wanted something simple but interesting. A dish which would take a few minutes to make and take plenty of time to enjoy eating it. I tried something similar to this artichoke and red pepper gratin when in France last year and have wanted to have a go at making it myself for ages. It’s a perfect recipe for a rainy Sunday afternoon and although made from a few simple ingredients is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

You will need (for two greedy people or four less-so-greedy people):

  • 2 red peppers, thinly sliced
  • 2 tins artichokes – see note below
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp olive oil plus extra for roasting
  • 200g soft goats cheese
  • 150ml double cream
  • Salt and pepper

Note – I used tinned artichokes in water. If I made it again I would use the chargrilled artichokes in oil because they would give a lovely, smoky flavour but they would need draining really well.

Method

Put the sliced peppers onto a baking tray and mix with a little oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes until starting to char at the edges.

While the peppers are roasting add a tbsp olive oil to a frying pan with the garlic and thyme. Add the artichokes and fry gently for a few minutes.

Add the artichokes and peppers to a roasting dish.

Gently warm up the double cream in a small saucepan. Stir through the goat’s cheese and a good grinding of black pepper and carry on stirring until the cheese has fully melted into the cream.

Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables then put everything back in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on the top.

Serve with crusty bread.

The best way to serve this is at the table with a plate each and a serving spoon. You can scoop up as many artichokes and peppers as you like onto your plate and then load them onto crusty, ripped off pieces of bread and enjoy every mouthful. The sweetness of the peppers with the delicate, slightly grassy artichokes and smooth cheese sauce is truly delicious. A little bit of added thyme finishes everything off beautifully and if I could have got my hands on a fougasse to serve it with it would have been even better.

Chipotle and Bean Soup

By 11 Comments

mixed bean, sweetcorn and chipotle chilli soup

I really struggle to know what to have for lunch sometimes. Usually I am scrambling round in the cupboards trying to find some sort of suitable sandwich filling but I do get terribly bored of sandwiches. If I’m lucky I’ll have some keptovers to warm up and I do pay a visit to a local independent café from time to time too. Well enough is enough. I have decided to batch cook and freeze a range of healthy, filling, vegan soups; one of which is this Chipotle and Bean Soup. So that I can grab whichever soup I fancy and not have to think about what’s on the meal plan for dinner I am making them vegan, stuffed full of veg and flavour packed. I hate to have the same thing for lunch and dinner you see!

Ingredients

You will need (for six portions):

  • 1 large onion, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • ½ chipotle chilli, chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 700ml passata
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
  • 1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 mug frozen sweetcorn
  • Juice 1 lime
  • Oil for cooking
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by heating a little oil in a large saucepan and adding the onion and pepper. Fry on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until softened. Add the spices and chipotle chilli and cook for two minutes more.

Pour in the passata then refill the jar to half full with water, rinse the jar then add the water to the pan with the vegetable stock and beans.

Simmer for 15 minutes then add the sweetcorn, bring back to a simmer and cook for five more minutes.

Squeeze in the lime juice then add a little seasoning.

Leave to cool and divide between freezable containers then leave to cool completely before freezing.

Currently I have two soups on the go in the freezer, this one and my Autumn Vegetable Minestrone. The problem is that I don’t have enough Tupperware left to make any more soup at the moment; I shall need to rectify that and get some more ASAP! Another soup that I will be making a big batch of to add to the soup drawer is my Split Pea Dahl. I’m also planning some sort of chickpea harissa soup and maybe a nice pea, potato and mint too. Five in total, one for each day of the week. And yes, before you ask, I do label each of my soups up and stack them neatly in the freezer; the satisfaction and uniformity brings me much joy.

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry

By 15 Comments

Slow Cooked Lamb Curry with naan bread

This slow cooked lamb curry came about because I decided I was the proud owner of far too many spices. I hope it’s not just me that has drawers, jars and bags full of various spices. They were of course all originally bought for a specific recipe but some of them get used less often than others; I use a lot of paprika and cumin but not so much caraway or allspice. I’ve got three different types of dried chilli hanging around (ancho, chipotle, kashmiri) and pretty much every spice and spice blend imaginable. And I am committed to using them up. A great big curry or chilli is one way, marinades and rubs are another, soups, baking and all sorts. Watch out spice cupboard, I’m planning on emptying you out.

Ingredients

You will need (for four big portions, or six with plenty of sides):

For the marinade

  • 1kg diced lamb, any large pieces of fat removed (I used shoulder but leg or neck would be good too)
  • 2 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp cardamom pods
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Thumb sized piece ginger, very finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp natural yoghurt

Method

Prepare the marinade the night before. Toast the cumin and coriander in a dry frying pan until smelling fragrant. Tip into a pestle and mortar. Dry frying spices not only makes them taste lovely but makes it so much easier to grind them up.

Remove the seeds from the cardamom pods (a lot easier if you crush the pods) and add to the mortar with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Grind the spices up well then pour into a large bowl. Add the turmeric, garlic, ginger and yoghurt and mix everything together.

Add the lamb and stir well to ensure it’s coated then cover and place in the fridge overnight.

For the curry

  • 3 onions, roughly chopped
  • 1 pepper, roughly chopped
  • 2 chillies, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves
  • 2 tsp paprika (not smoked)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Large pinch dried fenugreek leaves
  • 6 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 200ml water
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Fresh coriander
  • Salt and pepper

    • read more

    Sticky Chilli Pork and Noodles

    By 9 Comments

    Sticky Chilli Pork

    I’m not sure quite what’s happened but all of a sudden I find myself spending over £50 a week on food shopping. I know, it’s not a shocking amount and it’s certainly less than I know other people spend but it’s twice as much as I used to spend. I didn’t really notice it creeping up over time and I haven’t really changed what I eat (less meat if anything) but it irritates me nonetheless. There’s only so many beans and lentils one person can eat in a week so thrifty meals are essential to give plenty of variation. My sticky chilli pork is quick, tasty and feeds four people for less than £6.

    You will need:

    • Oil for cooking £0.02
    • 2 pork chops £2.00
    • Salt and pepper £0.02
    • 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce £0.25
    • 4 noodle nests £1.00
    • 2-3 spring onions, sliced £0.10
    • 1 tbsp sesame seeds £0.07
    • 1 small pepper, sliced £0.60

    For the dressing:

    • 2 tsp soy sauce £0.07
    • Juice 1/2 lime £0.15
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed £0.02
    • 1 small piece ginger, peeled and grated £0.05

    Total cost: £4.35

    Cut any fat off the pork chops and slice into strips. Season with salt and pepper.

    Heat a frying pan or wok and add a little oil. Add the pork strips and fry until golden.

    While the pork is cooking cook the noodles according to packet instructions.

    Mix the ingredients for the dressing together.

    When the pork is cooked through, add the sweet chilli sauce and continue to cook until the pork is coated and glossy. The sauce will thicken a bit.

    Drain the noodles and stir the dressing through to stop them sticking.

    Serve the noodles with the pepper, spring onion and sesame seeds and top with the sticky chilli pork.

    I think this is a pretty well balanced meal; veg, carbs, protein and a little bit of naughty sweet chilli sauce on the side. For something to enjoy in the week when I want something quick and simple this is the kind of thing I cook. It is also delicious with chicken and I’m yet to try it with tofu. I’ve got a few other budget meals to see here and I’m trying to grow these recipes more and more. If you’ve got anything you’d like to see thrifty, let me know!

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