All That I'm Eating

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

Salmon Nicoise Quiche

By 6 Comments

This quiche is full of vegetables and that is a great way to disguise the fact it’s actually got double carbs in. Potatoes AND pastry; who doesn’t love that? My salmon nicoise quiche is a great way to take leftovers to another level. I made the nicoise salad, so everything was prepped and cooked, and then assembled the quiche the next day. Served alongside some mustard flecked dressed lettuce, this is a perfect lunch for me.

Delicious served warm from the oven you can slice this nicoise quiche into portions and freeze them individually, ready to be defrosted and warmed up another day. read more

Vegetable Box Recipes

By 14 Comments

If you’re sat there looking at your kohlrabi wondering why on earth you’ve been sent a vegetable that has tentacles, fear not. I’ve been getting an organic veg box for years and I wanted to share some of my favourite vegetable box recipes. Sometimes you can end up with a vegetable you’ve never cooked with before so hopefully you can find a recipe for almost everything here! In this post I’ll take you through the contents of my most recent veg box and how I used everything up. read more

Smoked Bacon and Kale Soup

By 11 Comments

There’s something special about watching the steam rise from a hot bowl of soup after you’ve been working in the garden all morning; you just know it’s going to fill you up. My smoked bacon and kale soup came about simply to use up some ingredients in the kitchen. I cooked up enough for six portions so there’s plenty in the freezer for a wet and windy day. We have rather busy weekends and when lunchtime comes it’s nice to stop, take some time and eat something nourishing. read more

Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

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Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

I love koftas in a curry. More often than not they are lamb based and I wanted to try and make a vegetarian version. My spinach and potato kofta curry came about because I wanted the main part of it to be roughly based on saag aloo. This is a bit more effort than some of my other recipes, but, I’ve made double batches of both the koftas and the sauce and frozen them so I can have it again with no effort at all!

ingredients

You will need (for four portions):

For the koftas:
  • 600g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • Pinch turmeric
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 5 nuggets frozen spinach (you can use fresh, wilt it and chop it before using)
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • Salt and pepper
For the sauce
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • 200ml water
  • 75ml double cream (you can leave this out or use a plant based alternative to make it vegan)
  • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

method

For the koftas

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until they are cooked. read more

Spring Vegetable Tray Bake

By 13 Comments

There’s a certain time of year where the contents of the veg box are suddenly more vibrant. There’s something red or orange which isn’t a carrot and something green which isn’t cabbage. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against a good brassica but when the first spring vegetables come through you know that it’s not long until the spring and summer veg are in full swing. To mark this occasion I made a spring vegetable tray bake; to celebrate all that is delicious at this time of year. read more

Greek Chicken Tray Bake

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Greek chicken tray bake

I love a straightforward dinner. However being straightforward doesn’t mean there’s any skimping on flavour. Grabbing a few ingredients out of the fridge and cupboards, chucking them in a roasting tray and miraculously taking the finished dish out of the oven at the end is the weeknight dream. My Greek chicken tray bake is a two tray affair (I know, slightly more involved than one tray) and really delivers on flavour. The flavours of Greece; oregano, tomatoes, olives make this a wonderful dish for this time of year.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 350g potatoes, scrubbed and diced
  • 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

For the chicken:

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1-2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 lemon, quartered
  • Tomatoes, still on the vine if possible
  • Handful stoned olives
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by adding the potatoes to a pan of cold, salted water. Bring the pan up to the boil and boil the potatoes for 5-10 minutes or until just softened when tested with a knife. Drain the potatoes and put to one side.

In a roasting dish add 2 tbsp olive oil, the garlic cloves and rosemary ad mix everything together to ensure the garlic and rosemary are well coated in oil. Tip the potatoes into this dish with some salt and pepper and give everything another good mix.

Bake the potatoes in a preheated oven at 180C for 30 minutes.

Once the potatoes are in the oven, start on the chicken.

Place each chicken breast between two sheets of cling film or baking paper and flatten slightly with a rolling pin, you want each one to be around 1cm thick.

Sprinkle the oregano and paprika over each piece of chicken with a little salt and pepper.

Put a large frying pan on a medium/high heat with a little olive oil. Fry the chicken until golden on both sides then turn off the heat and put to one side.

In another roasting tray put the lemon wedges, tomatoes and olives. Arrange the chicken on top of the tomatoes then add a little more salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

Add this to the oven with the potatoes for around 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with salad if you like.

I think a small red onion, cut into wedges and nestled in amongst the potatoes would be a fantastic addition to this tray bake. It would also be worth adding a little sprinkle of feta over the chicken for a deliciously salty kick. When the chicken has finished baking, don’t discard all the tomato and lemon juices that have gathered in the roasting tray. They are absolutely delicious and need to be savoured and poured over the chicken. My Greek chicken tray bake even manages to make its own sauce; what more could you need?

Chargrilled Broccoli, Potato and Pesto Salad

By 11 Comments

chargrilled broccoli, potato and pesto salad

It was one of those evenings. You know the ones, where you look in the fridge expecting a sudden moment of inspiration and the fridge just stares blankly back. I’d put something down on the meal plan but for one reason or another didn’t manage to cook it; sometimes I forget to buy an ingredient or I use it all in another meal forgetting to save any for later in the week. My potato, chargrilled broccoli and pesto salad came out of seemingly nowhere. This meal’s saviour turned out to be a little pot of pesto; it transformed a sorry looking collection of vegetables into a rather tasty meal.

ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 2 large handfuls new potatoes
  • 1 small head broccoli
  • Small handful green beans, sliced diagonally
  • 3-4 tbsp pesto (fresh from a deli or homemade if you like). You could use a vegan pesto to make the meal vegan
  • Small handful pine nuts
  • 2 handfuls washed rocket

method

Start by scrubbing the potatoes and then chopping them into halves or quarters depending on their size and how you like them. Leaving them a little larger just means they will take a little longer to cook. Put the potatoes into a pan of cold salted water and bring the pan to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until cooked through.

Chop the broccoli into small florets and pop them in a steamer over the potatoes for 1-2 minutes until bright green but still crunchy.

Get a griddle pan onto a medium/high heat and tip the broccoli in. Keep the broccoli moving occasionally but allow it to get chargrilled at the same time.

Re-use the same steamer and pop the green beans above the potatoes for the last few minutes of the potato cooking time.

Drain the potatoes and green beans and put to one side.

Put a small frying pan onto a medium heat and add the pine nuts, moving them round the pan often until they are toasted.

Mix the broccoli and pesto into the potatoes and beans and then serve up with the rocket and top with the pine nuts.

The chargrilled broccoli adds such a great flavour to this salad, if I was having a barbecue I’d definitely try the broccoli on there before mixing into the salad. This is a really hearty and filling dish and would be a great side but I enjoyed it just on its own. A few halved cherry tomatoes, some leftover chicken or salmon would be delicious additions and would probably leave you enough for lunch leftovers the next day.

Moussaka – without frying the aubergines

By 14 Comments

Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes to eat. It’s a bit of an involved one to make, you need four different cooking pans going to make all the component parts; that’s why I don’t make it very often! Frying the aubergines, I think, is one of the most laborious parts of making the moussaka so I’ve got a different way of doing it. My moussaka without frying the aubergines is every bit as good as the original and you use far less oil than if you fry them. Win win.

Leaving the bay leaf in the sauce while it bakes really helps to impart a lovely flavour into the béchamel sauce. I’m not sure the potatoes on top are necessarily that traditional but I know so many people who add them to the top that I can’t imagine eating moussaka without them. This is a rich, full of flavour meal and cooking the moussaka without frying the aubergines does make things easier. The once or twice a year I make moussaka I try to make a double batch so that I can keep one in the freezer for a rainy day. read more

Simple BBQ Sides

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Simple BBQ Sides

We bought our first ever BBQ this year. Not knowing how much it might get used we went for a basic entry level one which has been great, and it’s getting used at least once a week at the moment. When the BBQ is on I like to be outside, nice cold drink in hand, to watch everything cooking. That’s why these simple BBQ sides are my go to recipes whenever we’re cooking al fresco. I can make them quickly in the kitchen so they are ready to go once the hot food is ready.

Mustard Pickled Cucumber

You will need (for two as a side):

  • 1 small or half a large cucumber
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • Pinch salt
  • 1 generous tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper

Peel the cucumber into strips using a vegetable peeler and put to one side. You could salt the cucumber if you wanted to, I have tried salting it and leaving it to drain then squeezing the water out but I don’t think it really makes much difference for this.

Put the vinegar, salt and sugar into a small bowl and whisk together. Add the mustard and give it another quick mix.

Pour in the oil and whisk until all the ingredients are combined; a big whisk and a small bowl are helpful for this.

Check the seasoning, add a little black pepper and then pour the dressing over the cucumber.

Variation

If you add a little dill to this mix with some very thinly sliced onion is makes a great Scandi inspired side.

Balsamic and Herb Tomatoes

You will need (for two as a side):

  • Large handful really ripe cherry tomatoes
  • Pinch salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • Black pepper

Start by halving all the tomatoes and putting them into a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt, mix it all together well and then leave for 10-15 minutes.

Add all the other ingredients and mix together well.

The reason I add the salt first is because it takes a little of the excess water out of the tomatoes which is delicious for two reasons: firstly it helps intensify the tomato flavour and secondly, you’re left with the tomato juice, oil, herbs and vinegar at the bottom of the bowl which is just asking to be mopped up with some bread.

Variation

I love adding avocado, torn mozzarella and loads of fresh basil to this. It’s also great if you roast this mix in the oven for 20 minutes if you want something hot.

Classic Potato Salad

You will need (for two as a side):

  • 400-500g potatoes, any will do but new potatoes (especially Jersey Royals) are best
  • 4-5 spring onions, ends removed and finely sliced
  • 3-4 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper

    • read more

    Chipotle Sweetcorn Hash

    By 10 Comments

    sweetcorn and potato has with chipotle and paprika chicken

    I love looking in my fridge and cupboards and finding ingredients and flavours to try together. Recently I wanted to try adding chipotle chillies to more than just chilli con carne and I thought it would be worth trying a pinch with sweetcorn. This chipotle sweetcorn hash came out of a mish mash of ingredients I happened to have to hand and the end result was delicious. Sticky, sweet, spicy and moreish I’ll be making this one again soon!

    Ingredients

    You will need (for two):

    • Knob of butter
    • Rapeseed oil (for cooking)
    • 1 small onion, finely sliced
    • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • ½ tsp chipotle chilli flakes
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 mug frozen sweetcorn
    • 300g potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1cm cubes
    • Juice ½ lemon
    • 2 chicken breasts
    • 2 tsp paprika
    • Salt and pepper
    • Plain yoghurt
    • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

    Method

    Heat the butter and a glug of oil together in a frying pan and add the onions. Fry for around 10 minutes on a medium heat before adding the garlic and all the spices and oregano. Continue to fry for a few more minutes.

    Add the potato and continue to fry for around 15 minutes with a lid on, stirring from time to time. After 15 minutes add the sweetcorn and continue to cook with the lid off for another five minutes.

    While the potato cooks put the chicken breasts between two sheets of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten. Sprinkle the paprika and a little salt and pepper onto each side.

    Get another frying pan onto a medium heat and add a little oil. Fry the chicken on both sides until cooked through and golden.

    Add a little seasoning and the lemon juice to the potato pan. Stir the coriander through the yoghurt.

    Serve up the sweetcorn hash topped with the chicken and coriander yoghurt.

    This would be delicious with tofu rather than chicken if you wanted to make it veggie.

    The smokiness of the chipotle is so good with the sweetness of the sweetcorn, it would be great with a few peas too I think. I love how the golden strands of onion become entwined with the cubes of potato. The chicken is succulent and the yoghurt takes the heat off the chilli. All in all, for a few ingredients I already had and threw together, this was a delicious dinner!

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