Squash, Spinach and Coconut Soup

I live in Northern Ireland and to date, we don’t have the asian fast food chain ITSU here. I only discovered it this summer during a stay in London and was so taken with the fresh, healthy style of food on offer that I bought one of the cookbooks as soon as I returned home…

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Speedy Storecupboard Pasta

I’m not a big fan of thick, tomatoey pasta sauces and much prefer something light and not at all gloopy. This is a dish I return to time and again, often adjusting it depending on whatever I’ve got in the fridge or the cupboard, but it generally always includes rocket or spinach leaves, tomatoes, pine…

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Tomato sauce for pasta

I like to make my own tomato sauce for pasta, particularly if I have a glut of tomatoes that need used up, but I have no issue using tinned tomatoes. Either way, this is better than any jar of pasta sauce and, made ahead in large batches, just as convenient. Almost. This one uses a…

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Chicken Parmigiana with Tagliatelle

This is such a delicious dish – succulent chicken, rich tomato sauce and silky parsley butter coated pasta. It’s special enough for a dinner party dish with friends and just perfect with a chunk of foccacia or garlic bread to mop up any excess sauce. Serves 4   |  20 mins prep plus 30 mins cooking…

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Roast Pork with Crackling and Apple Sauce

We try to have a roast dinner on a Sunday and often it’s roast chicken, but when it’s not, it’s very likely to be roast pork with crackling – a favourite of mine and number one son’s. If it can be served with homemade apple sauce, so much the better! Serves 4   |  1hr…

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Empanadas

These little pasties are really moreish and pretty simple to make, albeit there’s a few different elements to prepare. Given that, I have no compunction about using ready made puff pastry, though if you’re prepared to make your own, these could be even nicer I imagine! When I’m making these, I do extra black beans…

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Thai Chicken Patties

I’d like to say this was inspired by my lovely friend Julieanne who we visited in South Africa last month, but in truth it was just downright stolen. In fairness, I did adapt it a little, but by necessity, as I didn’t have all the ingredients required and I did have a few limes knocking…

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Date, Cocoa and Linseed Energy Balls

These are perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth who also wants to cut down on sugar and processed foods. All totally natural ingredients here and a couple of these should satisfy any post-lunch chocolate cravings or keep you going during full on exercise sessions. They’re also a great source of fibre (from the dates)….

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Apricot, Ginger and Cashew Energy Balls

These are perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth who also wants to cut down on sugar and processed foods. All totally natural ingredients here and two of these should satisfy any post-lunch sweet cravings or keep you going during full on exercise sessions. They’re also a great source of iron and potassium (from the…

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Date, Cardamom and Tahini Truffles

These make a perfect after-dinner treat to follow a Middle Eastern or Asian meal. They are also a somewhat exotic-tasting energy ball and great for keeping the chocolate at bay when a sweet craving hits! To round things off, these are also gluten and dairy free, so ideal for those on specialist diets. Thanks to…

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Chilli-Beef Macaroni Cheese

This dish combines two great comfort food favourites of mine – chilli beef and macaroni cheese. It’s one of my kids’ top meals too and a great one to make if they have friends over and they want something filling. I’ve given a recipe for the chilli, but if you already have your own failsafe…

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A ‘Weekend Special’ Prawn Laksa

I’ve never made a Laksa before, but had read numerous recipes and posts where the author claimed it was one of their very favourite dishes, so it had been on my ‘to do’ list for a while. The list of ingredients is fairly hefty, lets be honest, so this isn’t something I’m likely to whip…

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