Mediterranean Rice with Vegetables, Sopressa Salami and Fresh Mozzarella

This is a fantastic way to use up leftover cooked rice and a few veggies, the salami and cheese aren’t essential but work well for the boys.

Feel free to modify, goats cheese is lovely with a few cherry tomatoes or leftover roast veggies are a great addition too.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

50g butter

2 leeks  trimmed, quartered lengthways, sliced and washed

15 green beans, topped, tailed and cut into 1-2cm pieces

300g cooked rice, I use basmati

1 capsicum, deseeded, cubed

4 spring onions, topped, tailed and sliced thinly

10 slices of Sopressa salami, cut into 1cm pieces

150g fresh mozzarella

salt and pepper

Method

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, add the butter.

Once the butter has melted add the washed leek and sauté until soft.

Add the beans and cook for 1-2 mins.

Add the cooked rice and break up with the back of your spoon so it becomes individual grains.

Cook for 3-5 mins, stirring regularly, the leeks might colour a little, that’s ok!

Pour in the capsicum and spring onions, stir through and then add the salami.

Cook for 5 mins, turning the rice and veggies over regularly.

The salami should become a more solid pinky/red and loose any sign of fat as it melts away.

Tear up the mozzarella and sprinkle on top.

Either leave the cheese to melt on the stove top or whack it under the grill.

Serve with salad.

 

Lime, Oregano and Smoky Chipotle Roast Chicken

I seem to be cooking with a lot of limes at the moment, maybe it’s with the start of summer and the temperature rising. This chicken is in the oven for longer than normal, this is to allow me to runaround picking up and dropping off the boys at their various playing fields and it makes the most succulent chicken that I pull off the bones and chop, skin and all, and serve with tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa and sour cream. Leftovers are perfect for filling quesadillas and the stock from the bones  makes an amazing stock for black bean soup. Serves 8-10. Ingredients 2 x 1.2-1.4kg chickens 3 limes 4 tablespoons oil A handful of fresh oregano 4 cloves garlic 4 teaspoons chipotle chilli powder 2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika 2 teaspoons salt freshly ground pepper Method Preheat the oven to160 degrees Centigrade. Process the zest and juice of the limes, oil, oregano leaves, garlic, chipotle powder, paprika, salt and pepper to make a smooth sauce. Place the chicken in a roasting tin. Take the squeezed limes and oregano stalks and place them in to the chickens cavity. Pour the sauce over the chooks and rub well in with your hands. Take a piece of baking parchment, the size of your roasting tin, scrunch it up and run it under a tap. Squeeze the water out and place it over the top of the chicken, tucking it into the sides. Now, cover tightly with foil. Pop in the oven for 2 hours. After two hours, remove the foil and paper and baste, return to the oven. Baste regularly for a further hour. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 20-30mins before taking the meat off the bone, with the skin attached, and chop into bite sized pieces.

Quesadillas

I often make these at the weekend instead of a toasted cheese sandwich.

Using corn tortillas makes these gluten free and the fillings vary depending on what’s in the fridge.

I use a sandwich press or a large non stick frying pan to cook the quesadillas, a sandwich press is easier but the frying pan works well too, just flip the quesadilla when the bottom tortilla has crisped up.

This recipe is is for the quesadilla in the picture. Other filling ideas are, drained black beans, chopped avocado, spinach, jalapeño, leftover fajita chicken or beef. As a family we all have favourite fillings and the boys  make their own!

Ingredients

2 corn tortillas

2 Roma tomatoes,  deseeded and diced

handful of cooked chicken, diced

small bunch of coriander, leaves and stalks roughly chopped

40g Cheddar, finely grated

1/4 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

1/4 teaspoon Cajun spice rub, recipe in the blog

 Method

With one tortilla as a base top with your ingredients.

Top with the second tortilla and place on the sandwich press.

Bring the lid down to sit just above the top tortilla and toast until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Shepherd’s Pie

This is where leftovers get elevated to another delicious dinner.

I have used the leftovers from the Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic.

Once we had the roast lamb I stripped the meat and froze it, boiled water in the roasting pan to get all the gooey brown juice off the base and added this to the bones in a pressure cooker, cooked it under pressure for 30 mins, drained the stock and froze it to use with the lamb for this pie.

However, this tastes just as good using stock powder so feel free to save time and get the stock cubes out!

If you have any left over cooked vegetables these can go in to the pie too.

Today I topped the pie with sliced potatoes but to save time you can use left over mashed potatoes, the mash will soak up a little of the juice and will taste delicious.

If you choose to top with the sliced potatoes, you can peel them if you want to be fancy but I don’t, there’s never enough time!

Ingredients

50mls olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

3 carrots, finely diced

400-600g leftover roast lamb

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

600mls stock

80mls Worcestershire sauce, gluten free

80mls tomato ketchup

4 medium potatoes, finely sliced

100mls cream

salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.

Add the onions and carrot and slow cook until the onion is translucent.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add the meat and cook over medium heat until the meat is beginning to get crispy bits all over as you stir it regularly.

Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce,tomato ketchup, salt and pepper,  mix well and leave to bubble until the sauce has reduced to a minimal amount.

Pour the meat mix into a casserole, set aside.

Bring a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil.

Add the potatoes, bring back up to the boil.

Boil for 3 mins, drain and refresh with cold water.

Layer the potatoes over the pie mix until they are all used.

Pour over the cream and season well.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Centigrade.

Bake the pie for 45-50 mins until bubbling and golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TexMex Roast Chicken

This makes a fab change to our usual roast! I serve it with red rice, guacamole, salsa and salad.

Leftover chicken is great for making quesadillas or try burritos with some warmed leftover rice too.

I make stock with the chicken bones and then use it for a corn chowder, makes sense when it already has so much great flavouring to it. The stock can also be used for sour cream enchiladas, a massive favourite in our house and easy to make gluten free.

Ingredients

60mls Dijon mustard

1 jalapeño chilli, seeds removed, chopped

2 limes, juiced

4 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 bunch coriander, cut just above the lowest leaves on the stems

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

2 x 1.8kg chickens, back bones removed, flattened

Method

Process the mustard, jalapeño, lime juice, garlic, fresh coriander, ground coriander, cumin and honey, salt to taste.

Gently lift the chicken skin all over to allow you to rub the marinade all over the skin and under the skin.

Set aside for at least 2hrs, overnight is fine too.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Centigrade.

Place the chickens in a roasting tin as above and roast for 1hr 30mins, basting for the last 45mins.

Once cooked set aside to rest.

 

Stir Fried Rice

 

Fast food is essential in my family some nights, add to this the fact I seem to always have leftovers this is a great way to cover both bases.

Although not authentic this has a lovely mild flavour that kids love.

Ingredients

450g cooked white rice

2 tablespoons sesame oil

100g roast pork/ham, cubed

200g frozen peas

2 eggs

3 spring onion, sliced

50g baby spinach

Method

Take the peas out of the freezer to allow time to defrost.

Beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat until the oil is smoking.

Add the rice and stir fry for 3-5mins, keep it moving in the pan to avoid sticking.

Add meat and peas, stir fry for 2mins.

Add the egg mixture, stir fry for 2mins.

Add spinach and spring onion, stir fry for 1min and serve.