Quick and Easy Recipe Suggestions.....

noonoo

Hi

Having asked Elna for her Squash Soup recipe I thought it would be good to start a thread on here for us all to swap recipe ideas.

So here's my first entry: Very Easy Chocolate Muffins

7oz SR Flour
2 tbsps Cocoa (I use Green and Blacks Organic)
4oz Caster Sugar
75g Chocolate Chips
2 fl oz oil (rapeseed or sunflower)
8 fl oz milk (can use soya milk)
1 egg
2 drops vanilla essence

Makes approx 8

1) Combine the dry ingredients in large bowl (flour,sugar,chocolate chips)

2) Measure out the oil and milk in a jug. Add the egg and vanilla essence. Beat together.

3) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with large spoon until combined.

4) Put muffin paper cases into muffin tray and spoon in the mixture.

5) Bake in a moderate oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. Test with a skewer - if it comes out clean, they will be cooked.

Quick and easy to make but delicious. You can adapt this to make other varieties. Leave out the cocoa and chocolate chips and add fresh blueberries instead. I have also made these with glace cherries when not had any fresh blueberries.

noonoo

Ooops .... forgot to say, if you leave out the cocoa powder you wil need to increase the SR flour to 8oz.

Noo Noo

elnafinn

Malt Loaf

1 lb self raising flour
quarter teaspoon salt
2 ounces sugar
4 ounces any dried fruit
2 ounces malt extract ( from health shops)
1 ounce warmed golden surup
quarter pint water
quarter pint milk

Method

Put milk , water, syrup and malt into a pan and warm.
Remove from heat
Sieve flour and salt into a large basin and stir in fruit and sugar
Add the liquid and beat well.
Put mixture into a greased 2lb loaf tin and bake at Gas mark 3 for one hour.
On taking out of oven, glaze with sugared water to give a nice glaze.

This is a loaf that keeps extremely well and is eaten cut in slices and spread with butter.

Freezes well too.

vonski

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 & 3/4 pt. chicken stock
1in piece stem ginger peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
3oz fine egg noodles
200g sweetcorn rinsed and drained
8oz cooked chicken shredded (can use turkey)
2tbsp soy sauce (dark works better)
1 tbsp nam pla
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garnish fresh choppped coriander

Put chicken stock, ginger, garlic and chilli into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins.
Cook noodles as recommended on packet they do vary slightly.
Drain and cut into small lengths 2 or 3 ins, easier with scissors.
Add the sweetcorn, chicken and noodles to the saucepan of stock. Season with soy sauce and nam pla, salt and pepper simmer until warmed through.
Serve with a sprinkle of corriander.
Can use rice noodles but they soak up a lot of liquid.

elnafinn

The Reluctant Gourmet's Basic mustard Vinaigrette
(the best salad dressing I have tasted) :-D

1 glove of garlic ,smashed (or much more if a garlic fan like I am!
2 tbs balsamic vinegar (I use cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
5 - 6 tbs oil (vegetable, corn, canola, olive or some combination)
pinch of dried parsley
Pinch of dried thyme (I just use mixed herbs)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Makes about one jar full of dressing

Method:

In a clean jar or small bowl add the vinegar, garlic, mustard and mix well. Slowly add the oil while either whisking or stirring rapidly with a fork. Add the herbs, seasoning - taste and adjust seasonings

Simple you bet, but this straightforward recipe will blow away any store bought salad dressing on the market. Start experimenting with your own ingredients and you will have Paul Newman getting nervous. ENJOY.
(not my words, but in the recipe)

And it is indeed the BEST!!!! I treble the ingredients each time I make it and keep the bottles in the fridge. Does not last long in our house!

XXX

elnafinn

Sage & Onion Stuffing

(I never buy the bought dried packets now) I double/treble the quanties and freeze in dishes enough for two when we have roast dinners.

8 oz onions
4 ozs fresh breadcrumbs (I always have a box of them ready in the freezer)
1 oz butter
half tsp dried sage
Milk
Salt and pepper

Quarter onions and cook in boiling water until tender
Drain and finely chop
Mix with breadcrumbs, sage and seasoning
Bind loosely with melted butter and mild

Use to stuff chicken or place in a greased baking dish, dot with butter and bake for 15 minutes.

elnafinn

Houmous

1 tin of drained chickpeas (hold onto the liquid)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (I use much more garlic)
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and ground peper

Put all ingredients into a blender or liquidiser and blitz after adding some of the liquid from the drained chickpeas bit by bit until you have a soft, smooth texture.

Put into ramekin dishes and freeze to whip out and serve with nibbles/on bread/savoury biscuits ......

Lasts in fridge for a few days.

noonoo

Quick, Tasty Chicken

Allow 1 chicken breast for each person
Punnet of cherry tomatoes (on the vine have better flavour)
1/2 Garlic bulb
Packet of bacon
Olive Oil
Rosemary (fresh if poss)

Place the chicken breasts in a roasting dish.
Lay a strip of bacon over each breast.
Place the tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves around the breasts.
Lay sprigs of Rosemary over the chicken and tomatoes
Pour a good glug of olive oil over all the ingredients.
Bake in the oven for approx 35-40 mins.

I usually serve with pasta penne which I drain and add to the roasting dish after serving the chicken and tomatoes to coat in the juices plus a salad or broccoli florets.

vonski

Found this in a magazine ages ago

Chocolate orange creams with Grand Marnier serves 6

200g orange-flavoured dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa content) Green & Black's Maya Gold recommended.
570ml tub single cream
2-3 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp Grand Marnier

Break chocolate into small pieces and put into a large mixing bowl. Pour cream into a pan and gently bring almost to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for a few minutes. Whisk to blend with icing sugar and Grand Marnier. Pour into 6 suitable pots or cups and chill for several hours until set. I left mine overnight. To serve decorate with fine strips of blanched orange, a candied orange or a orange sugar flower, the small cake decoration ones.

elnafinn

Raison Bread (I have used sultanas in this recipe)

3lbs flour (can use half wholemeal and half strong white)
12 ozs marg
12 ozs sugar
1 lb 8 ozs raisins
4 and a half ozs mixed peel (if not keen on that, add more raisins)
a little mixed spice and a pinch of salt
2 sachets dried yeast
warm water

Rub the marg into flour and salt. Add sugar, raisins, peel, dried yeast and spice and mix well . Add enough warm (not hot) water to make a not too soft dough and knead into a ball. Leave, covered in a bowl to rise in a warm place. Place on a floured surface and divide and knead again and place in two rectangular, greased tins. Makes two large loaves. Let them rise (covered with eg. a tea towel) in a warm place again. Bake in a medium oven for about one and a half hours or so.

Can glaze with sugared water after removal from oven.

Serve sliced with butter.

elnafinn

Chocolate Chip Squares

4 ozs soft marg
6 ozs Demerara sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
8 ozs self raising flour
4 ozs chocolate chips

Prepare moderate oven Gas Mark 4. Grease a square tin 11 by 7 and about 1 inch deep.

Place all ingredients together in a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into the tin and press down and bake for 35 -40 minutes until golden brown and has shrunk slighlty from the sides.

Leave to cool and cut into 16 suqares.

They do not keep fresh for TOO long but that is not usually a problem as they are soon devoured!!!

elnafinn

Baked Beans, Potato and Cheese Dish

800g Potatoes
2 x 400g Tins Baked Beans
400g Cheddar, Cheshire, Edam or other cheese
Seasoning to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4

Peel and cut potatoes into small roast potato size pieces and boil until tender. Drain.

Pour beans into a baking dish and add the potatoes and seasoning to taste.

Arrrange grated cheese on top and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until cheese is melted and beans bubbling!

Real comfort food, I say!!

elnafinn

'Rosolli' Salad

4 boiled potatoes
4 boiled carrots
4 boiled beetroot or pickled beetroot
1 gherkin
1 small onion
Seasoning
2 Hard boiled eggs (for garnish)

Dressing: Mayonnaise, salad cream or similar .....

Cut all the cooked vegetables, onion and gherkin into small, equal-size small cubes. Mix them together and season with a little salt and pepper.

Add dressing.

Garnish the salad with hard-boiled eggs, the yolks and whites chopped separately and laid in stripes on the top.

elnafinn

'Tsatsiki' Dip Recipe

4 - 5 cloves garlic crushed to death (juices saved with the garlic)
8 ozs plain yoghourt/Greek yoghourt
half tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning
about quarter of a cucumber, peeled, grated and drained

Optional: quarter of a cup of chopped mint/dill weed

Method:

Mix first 4 ingredients
Store in fridge until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes)
Mix in cucumber immediately before serving.

Serve as a dip or use as a sauce for french fries....or anything!

Rainbow77

This is definitely my kind of thread!!!

This is a favourite comfort soup!! - Cauliflower and ginger soup.

1 big onion
5cm piece of fresh ginger grated
1 medium/large cauliflower
2 stock cubes - @1200 mls of chicken or vegetable (Thick soup)

Chop the onion, sweat in a bit of oil with the ginger. Chop the cauliflower into florets and add to pan and brown a little.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins.

Blend and serve with some sprinkled parsely on top.

Enjoy

Fayann xxx

noonoo

Ah Kath,

If you lived near me and I had your address I would bake you something and deliver it to you. I hope you are feeling brighter soon and up to trying some of the recipes out.

Here is a delicious moist cake which is also good for you - yes, honestly!!

CHOCOLATE COURGETTE CAKE

120G Butter
125ML Sunflower or Rapeseed oil
100g Caster Sugar
200g Soft Brown Sugar
3 Eggs, beaten
130ml Milk (can use Soya)
350g SR Flour
4 tbsp Cocoa (yes, that Green and Blacks again!)
450g Courgettes, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper (20 x 35cm)

Mix the butter, oil and sugars until creamy

Add the eggs, milk and vanilla essence

Fold in the flour and cocoa

Stir in the courgettes and pour into the lined tin

Bake for approx 40 mins at 180c.

Cut into squares while still warm

This is can be eaten cold as a cake or served warm with cream.

elnafinn

Cheese Pudding

4 - 5 ozs grated cheese - Cheddar or Edam
4 ozs white bread
2 ozs butter
seasoning
12ozs milk
2 eggs

Cut the bread into neat dice and put into a basin. If preferred make bread into crumbs. Heat the butter with the milk, pour over the bread and allow to cool slightly.
Add beaten eggs, and most of the grated cheese.
Season well. Pour into a greased large dish and cover top with remainder of cheese.
Bake Gas Mark 4 for 30 - 40 minutes until firm.

kate21

Cassoulet (of sorts)

This is a bit of a made up one, but it's really tasty and well worth a try, even if it sounds a little wierd.

6 sausages/veggie sausages
4 slices of bread
1 onion finely chopped
tin of sweetcorn + or tin of kidney beans
gravy (I think onion is best)
grated cheese

Chop the sausages and fry with the onion until cooked through
Place in a pyrex dish with the sweetcorn/kidney beans
Pour over enough gravy to cover (tastes better the thicker the gravy is!)
Cover the mix with the bread, rip them to fit the shape of the dish and push them into the gravy slightly. If there's bread left, push it down the sides of the dish.
Bake in the oven for about 40mins
Add the grated cheese on the top and cook until melted.

It's the strange mix of cheesy bread soaked in gravy that is so great! Serve it with any veg.

(you can also try adding some bacon for an extra flavour!)

elnafinn

Ooooops!
Cheese Pudding recipe

Should read: three quarters of a pint of milk NOT 12 ounces!!!!!!

kate - cassoulet sounds great! Thanks!

Take care
Elna xx

bluesky05

Great recipes, guys keep them coming. Noo Noo the chocolate courgette cake sounds fascinating. I have never heard of a courgette cake before.

Do any of you know how to make a decent chocolate sauce to go over ice-cream etc.? x

noonoo

Hi Bluesky

I don't actually like courgettes and was rather dubious about this cake but it really is delicious. You can't taste the courgette, it just makes it really moist. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed, everyone who has tried mine has loved it.

Not sure about the chocolate sauce but my sons like melted chocolate over ice cream - it sets when it touches the ice cream - magic!!!!

Noo Noo

noonoo

I have just prepared this to have tonight with our chicken, it's so tasty thought you guys may be interested:-

OVEN ROASTED VEGETABLES

1 Sweet Potato
1/2 Butternut Squash
1 Celeriac
1/2 Garlic Bulb (broken into cloves but left unpeeled)
handful of Shallotts
Fresh Rosemary
Olive Oil

Peel and cube (into approx 3/4" cubes) the sweet potato, butternut squash and celeriac. Peel the shallotts and put all the ingredients into a roasting dish with the garlic cloves.

Drizzle liberally with the olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary

Bake in a moderate oven for approx 30 minutes.

You can also use other root veg if you wish eg. swede, carrots, turnip, parsnips.

Rainbow77

Another easy and yummy dish ...

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAUSAGE BAKE

The perfect autumn meal! Serve with mashed potatoes and green veggies of your choice. For a one-dish meal, add 2 large chopped potatoes to the recipe and serve with crusty bread. Serves 4
400 g sausages (preferably with herbs), cut into 3 chunks
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large bit- sized chunks
2 onions, peeled and sliced into rings
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 1.5 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon dried rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5. In a large bowl, combine the sausages, squash, onions, herbs and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish or baking tray, so that everything is in one layer. Bake for between 40 and 60 minutes, stirring once, until the sausages are cooked and the edges of the vegetables have browned.

daisee

This is for a weightwatchers banana bread,its really simole and almost fat free so you can indulge lots
i have it for lunch/breakfast every day.
200 grams all bran
200 grams porridge oats
4 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/2 pint skimmed milk
teaspoon baking powder
rind of one lemon
teaspoon cinneman

combine the all bran and oats in a bowl and add the milk,mix well and let stand for 10 mins
mash the banana ,add the egg,cinneman and lemon rind(finely chopped/grated)and the baking powder.
mix well and add to the oaty ,mixture,mix again
put in a 2lb lightly greased loaf tin and cook for 45 mins at gas mark 4
leave to cool in the tin,loosen with a knife round the edges
slice to serve,
yum yum

elnafinn

Fruit Flapjack Pudding OR just Syrup Crunchies (Flapjacks)

Use stewed apples, rhubarb, whatever cooked fruit you like and place in the bottom of ovenproof dish.

Topping

6 oz margarine
4 oz demerara sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 level teaspoon powdered ginger
8 oz oats

Put margarine, sugar, syrup and ginger in pan and heat gently untill it all melts together.

Stir in oats.

Spoon mixture over the cooked fruit of your choice in dish and bake in the centre of preheated oven Gas Mark 4 - 5 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Same quantities and method makes Syrup Crunchies (flapjacks)

Spoon prepared mixture into a greased shallow 11 inch by 7 inch, 1 inch deep tin and smooth the top. Same cooking time and same temperature..

Optional - Can add 8 whole almonds on the top before cooking.

When cooked - leave in tin until cold and then cut into pieces and eat!

Do not freeze.

elnafinn

Baked Camembert Cheese (for pure indulgence!)

Can be used as a shared starter.

1 Camembert cheese round in a wooden box
Garlic slivers (optional)
Crisp baguette cut into chunks/grissini breadsticks/crudites

Heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 (375 degrees).
Remove and discard any paper labels from the front or sides of the cheese box. Unwrap the cheese, and discard the wrapping.

Place the cheese back in the box
Stud the cheese with garlic slivers (optional)
Cover with the lid and place on a baking sheet.
Bake until cheese is completely soft on the inside, 20 - 30 minutes.
Transfer to a work surface and remove the lid of the box.

Use a serrated knife to lightly pierce the centre of the cheese and cut and fold back about four triangular sections of the crust off the top of the cheese to reveal the cheese underneath which has become a hot, creamy, sticky, lovely smelling , bubbling pool.

Serve IMMEDIATELY with crudites, breadsticks or slices of baguette to dip into the box and eat. SCRUMMY!

Do any of you get the impression that I love this starter!!!! I first tasted it cooked this way in a restaurant.