Lentil and Black Bean Chili Non Carne

Look, it's not photogenic. But it tastes good, I promise.

So I guess we are all looking to our cupboards for what we can make from pantry staples. And I've basically got chilli without the meat, but with the same punchy flavour and very similar texture.

And it's also meat-free! It isn’t strictly veggie the way I made it, I had just fried some chorizo for quesadillas so I used that oil to fry off my onions for some extra smoky depth of flavour. But you can very easily just use vegetable oil and make this veggie/vegan.

I find it easier to stick to flavour profiles I know and textures I like when I'm trying something new. I LOVE lentils and beans. I LOVE Mexican flavours. And I love the versatility of Mexican food. Note - I did not use kidney beans because I hate them. Feel free to use them if they're your fave.

You could serve this on top of nachos, or with some guac, sour cream, or salsa on top. It would be a lovely meat-free filling for tacos or enchiladas. I had mine with mozzarella stirred through it while hot which gives it some cheesy goodness, and scooped it up with a soft tortilla wrap.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Sorry about the hiatus, I was on my holidays eating obscene amounts of pizza, pasta and gelato.

BUT I'M BACK BABY. And with a corker of a meal.

I am excited about this post. It's nearly the weekend, and this is the perfect meal to pop in the slow cooker on Saturday morning, to give bountiful meals all weekend.

I love my slow cooker because it takes large hunks of meat that I would normally be super intimidated to cook with, and turns them into tender, flavourful meals with almost no effort.

And when you have that big plate of delicious meat, you can go ahead and cook up whatever you want with it! I got three meals out of this, it was basically the best week’s dinners of my life. None of the dinners took much time to do, and the meat was the star ingredient.

Day one, we had quesadillas:

Tortilla wrap, cheese, meat, veg, fold over and cook. Dream

Day two, we had nachos:

Tortilla chips, meat, veg, cheese. Sense a theme?

Day three, we had bbq mac and cheese:

For this, I mixed the pork with homemade BBQ sauce, topped with mac and cheese, and baked in the oven.

Baked and Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

I’m in love! With a tuber!

Seriously, in my eyes there’s nothing that a sweet potato can’t achieve. They make all meals better, and you can even use them in brownies – versatile is what that is.

I have eaten them baked before, with a little butter and salt, which is a perfectly delicious way to eat them. But, if you feel like going a bit decadent, a bit over the top, a bit STUFFING SPILLING OUT FROM ITS POTATO SHELL then you need to give this a go.

The filling part can be anything of your choosing. Lamb mince would be delicious. And actually, a drier Bolognese would be incredible as a filling (with mozzarella on top, BRB making this now). But I went for my recipe for Mexican-style Pytt I Panna, since it already uses sweet potato, so I knew the flavour would be right.

I am still doing this healthy eating malarkey, so you can see that I’ve served my cheesy, spicey potato with salad. Progress!

Serves 4 (I had it for dinner for two, two nights in a row. I am smart)

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned
• 1 tbsp oil
• 400g turkey mince
• 3 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 leek
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pepper
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• Salt and pepper
• 75ml pasatta
• 150ml chicken stock
• 1 can of pinto beans
• A good handful of cheese – I went with spicy Mexicana

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.

Put your sweet potatoes on a baking tray and pierce a few times with a fork. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Baked and delicious!

Meanwhile, make the mince filling. Begin with the turkey mince – heat half the oil in a large pan. Fry the turkey mince with 1 tsp paprika and oregano. Set aside when cooked, and heat up the rest of the oil.

Now, chop the leek, scallions, garlic and pepper in preparation. Add this to the pan, along with the rest of the paprika, oregano, chilli powder and seasoning. Stir well, then add in the pasatta.

Give another good mix and add the cooked turkey mince back into the pan. Then gradually add in the stock until all incorporated.

Allow to simmer away for 5 minutes, then stir in the beans/sweetcorn. Turn down to a low heat and allow to simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked (give it at least 10 minutes on low).

Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, and sit for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Begin by slicing  off the top, and carefully scoop out the insides. Mash them up in a bowl, and add the mince mixture. Mix until well combined, and put this all back into the sweet potato shell.

Stuffed full of flavourful goodness!

Top with cheese and stick back in the oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and the top is golden.

Serve with a side salad, and enjoy!

Fajitas, Tomato Rice and Salsa

Oh, you know I love a bit of Mexican food!

I can't help myself, and I know that I have done fajitas before on the blog (and this recipe is much the same) but I’ve added some absolutely scrummy sides which just serve to enhance the whole shebang, so I’m posting them again, this time as part of a full meal.

The sides in question are a flavourful roasted tomato salsa and some spiced tomato rice. Now, I know. I am not the biggest fan of tomatoes, and this meal is fairly tomato-heavy. But we all have whims, and I just felt like having tons of tomatoes that day! Feel free to make the salsa and go with plain rice if it all feels a bit  much, or ditch the salsa altogether. Speaking of salsa, you can use this recipe at other times, especially excellent for dipping tortilla chips.

I will finish by saying that I love fajitas. I don’t know who doesn’t (well, apart from my long-suffering boyfriend). For me, fajitas are the perfect midweek meal – meaty morsels of succulently spiced chicken, balanced on top of some flavourful rice and wrapped up warm in a tortilla blanket. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Slow Cooker White Bean Chilli

It's not the prettiest bowl of food, but it is damn delicious!

I love chilli. I have always, and will always love chilli. I thought everyone felt the same. But then I shacked up with someone who DOESN’T LIKE IT. I assume he must be the only one. He’s certainly the first person I’ve met who doesn’t care for it. My mum and I could live off a big pot of chilli con carne for days!

I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried not making it spicy. I’ve tried not putting beans in, I’ve tried slow cooking it with hunks of stewing beef.. Nada. So, I decided I should take a different approach entirely. Let’s turn the notion of chilli on its head. Using typical chilli spices, with shredded chicken instead of beef mince, and with a white, creamy sauce instead of a dark and tomato-y one. And of course, I’m using my slow cooker.  The finished  product is a bit like a cross between a roasted chicken soup and a chilli con carne, and I’m well on board for that – comfort food and spice, a killer combination!

As an aside, apparently beans/no beans is a huge argument in the chilli world – I couldn’t imagine a decent chilli without some beans. This chilli could easily work with just one tin of beans, but I went with two because I'm a bean-fan. I used to hate beans, but I have grown to love them, they are great at bulking out a dinner and are so wholesome and filling. You still won’t catch me eating baked beans on toast, YUCK.

Mexican Style Pytt i Panna

Happy Valentine's day, my lovelies. This is not a themed post, however I think any date would be extremely happy with this cheesy, spicey, meaty, beany triumph served up for dinner! Equally, for the single among you, it is delicious eaten from a bowl, smothered in sriracha, in PJs in front of the TV. Seriously. It's amazing both ways.

I found this delicious-looking recipe a few weeks ago and it reminded me so much of pytt i panna that I had to give it a whirl (with my own tweaks!). Full disclosure – I had planned to make this way  earlier in the year, but have you ever tried buying turkey mince in early January (aka diet season)? Can’t be done.  The shelves are empty.

So, I had to wait a good few weeks to actually find the damn ingredients for this bad boy. I didn’t really know what to expect with this meal, but I love one-pot meals. So once everyone's diets had lapsed I managed to get the mince in my possession and I made it immediately!

This is an interesting concoction, like a Mexican-spiced pytt i panna mixed with lasagne. I am a big fan – it’s comforting, spicy, and packed full of my favourite things (sweet potatoes not least!). I also like the versatility, just put in the veggies and beans you like – I made it once with pinto beans and once with sweetcorn, and I think next time I’m going to put BOTH in. Whoa, calm down, son.

Easy to serve up, I have gone with salad leaves for a quick side, and paired it with guacamole the second time. Also would be amazing with baked sweet potato or served on top of a tortilla wrap.

I’m getting really hungry just typing this up. That’s how good this meal is.

Taco Pie aka Tacopaj

This is one of my boyfriend’s favourite meals. And, believe it or not, it is pretty traditionally Swedish. Apparently there was a drive in Sweden many years ago to bring TexMex to the masses. And they clung to taco pie like their lives depended on it.

This is NOT authentic Mexican. This is Sweden-does-Mexican, and they love it. This is also NOT fine dining. This is a really quick mid-week dinner (even quicker if you just use pre-made pastry).

I’m sure I’ve said it before, but I don’t have many firm principles. I’m pretty flexible in some of my opinions and I’m fairly easily swayed. But I HATE taking detrimental shortcuts in my cooking. It’s why I make my own custard, and why I pretty much always make my pastry and spice mixes/pastes from scratch (more on this later..)

But sometimes, a recipe just “feels” like it is asking for shortcuts. This is one of those recipes. I have made this before dutifully in my normal style, with homemade pastry and with my own taco spice mix – boyfriend was not a fan. He said it didn’t taste like the one from home. Fair enough.

And then I remade it with a taco seasoning kit (going against all my better judgement) and pre-made shortcrust pastry, and it was declared a triumph! I even sneaked in some extra spices and veggies, and it was still a success!

So, if you want a close-to authentic Swedish “Tacopaj” then you’re in luck! If you want haute cuisine, just keep walking.

Spicy Adobo Chicken

Who is up for a little mid-week heat?

What I love about this dish is the unashamed spicy heat. Don’t serve this if your loved ones can’t handle a bit of spiciness in their life! All the heat is down to the gorgeous little chipotles in adobo sauce:

..which I managed to find a teensy can of in a specialty grocery shop here in the UK. It wasn’t cheap, but I have seen this ingredient in SO MANY Mexican recipes and I felt like I was missing out by not having it and having to do some of my classic substitutions. I have also found a great looking recipe for the "make your own" version of this which I shall be trying as soon as my bulk order of chipotle chillies comes in the post.

The great thing about this chicken dish is that it is incredibly versatile. To serve mine, I just created a kind of “open” fajita by placing a cooked tortilla on a plate, spooning some rice in the middle, topping with chicken, cheese and beans and then eating with a knife and fork, using the tortilla as a delicious base. Now, some may say I have discovered a whole new way to eat Mexican food, and some may say that I just piled too much food on the tortilla for it to be able to be folded up.

Whatever, it was delicious!

You could also serve this chicken in tacos, or in burritos, or just by itself with some rice.

Chicken Quesadillas

Am on a bit of a quesadilla kick these days. I can’t think of a more perfect quick and delicious weekday meal. This is honestly the kind of food which just makes me happy.

So, this is a much lighter version of the chorizo and black bean ones I made before- the flavours are less intensely rich and it has a beautiful delicate spicing. I used leftover roast chicken (I usually have this hanging around because I LOVE to roast up a chicken) but feel free to slice some raw chicken and add it up to the pan after the veggies are cooked, frying until golden and cooked through.

I was also very pleased at how well this held together as well, the key I think is adding a small amount of cheese between each layer which will help “glue” everything together when melted.

Anyway. You need these in your life. Especially with some sweet potato fries (of course!). Stay tuned for the next version where I am thinking of putting some sweet potatoes inside the quesadilla! It is all go in my house!

Black Bean and Chorizo Quesadillas with Sweetcorn Salsa

How's that for a slice of fried gold?

A type of Mexican food I’ve never made before!! YAY!

I love Mexican food. I love it a lot. I once ate so much Mexican food it was painful to breathe, and I would do it again. And probably will. NO REGRETS.

The only thing that puts me off cooking Mexican cuisine at home is the time consuming nature. And that is where a quesadilla comes in. Cheese, tortillas, meat, cheese, beans, cheese, spices, more cheese. Cook, assemble and grill until cheese melted- so simple and quick. Obviously the beans in this recipe took a while (because they were dried) but you could use canned beans and cut the cooking time drastically. Or leave the beans and add more potato and onion and maybe throw in a pepper and other vegetables you have laying around.

The versatility of these bad boys knows no bounds. I think these will become a weeknight dinner staple for a long time and even just typing this I want to eat them again.

Mexican Style Cheesecake

The crack is *supposed* to be there, I swear!

Hello Mexico, hello desserts!

For me, the best part of a cheesecake is the buttery biscuity base. Which is why I kind of pretty much tripled the quantities here so I had a massive amount of it. Feel free to halve or even reduce the quantities by a third if you are the kind of person who eats a normal amount of base. I’m all about the base.

Alright, now that my shame is exposed, I should tell you about this bad boy. It is slightly adapted from a fantastic Mexican cookbook which was calling my name one day as I clutched a book token and was wandering around Waterstones. I’ve not made any of the desserts yet, but the description of the crack on the browned top showing the creamy fluffy centre had me intrigued. My cheesecakes always end up with a big crack down the centre, so I was excited for the prospect of a cake for which this was actually expected!

Anyway, enough chat, this cake is fantastic. Spicy and creamy and crunchy and YES please.

Makes a cake which could easily serve 6-8 greedy people

Refried Beans aka the BEST side-dish ever

Black gold

Oh Lordy. This is going to be a good one. Gutted I missed posting it on Cinco De Mayo, but rest assured I ate a lot of Mexican food that day, so it's OK.

Tears dripped down my face in delight as I tasted the majesty of this impressive bowl of spiced, mashed, EPIC beans.

I used black turtle beans which my amazing boyfriend bought in bulk off amazon (3 kilos.. I really like these beans, okay) and I regret NOTHING. As an aside, did you know that some of the sub-varieties of these beans include nighthawk, and zorro? BAD. ASS.

Serve this with whatever Mexican stuff you have closest to you. My preferred vehicle for these beans is a massive burrito, but you could always just shovel it in your mouth with tortilla chips, whatevs, no judgement.

Chilli Chicken Enchiladas

Shortly after, I eated this.

Good God, you say, has she found another way to shred some meat and cook it with Mexican spices, wrap it up and eat it?

Yes. Yes, I have. I shall never stop searching for tasty ways to eat meat in a tortilla with guacamole. NEVER!

So, the cold weather is setting in, it's dark when I leave home and dark when I leave work. These are my perfect winter-warmers.

Remember I said life was too short to peel a roasted pepper? I take it back. This original recipe used “hatch chillis” which is something I just couldn’t find in the UK. *shakes fist* So I improvised with peppers and chillies and it was delicious.

Beer-cooked Pulled Pork Tacos with Avocado Cream

OH MY GOD.

Taking a little break from the sugary sweet theme that the blog has had for the last forever, with some savoury perfection.

So, I am making it my mission to find and make that *perfect* recipe from all my favourite cuisines. I’ve nailed Japanese: DAT RAMEN. I’ve kicked ass for Swedish desserts.

And now.. Mexico, it's ON. 

These tacos are the best things I’ve eaten in a long time, and one of the best things to come out of my little old kitchen. It is incredibly simple, you brown the meat, then saute the veggies, make a spicey sauce with beer and broth, and then stick that whole mess in the oven. Then it’s just tearing the meat, reducing the sauce, mixing and serving. And then commence a food coma.

The avocado cream is simple, smooth, flavourful and awesome. It also stays green for AGES! No browning guacamole style disappointment here!

I would make this every day of the week. I recently saw a guy at a barbeque place (where you can pretty much find me skulking around at any time) with these awesome gloves that allowed him to pull the pork hot, by hand. Christmas list!!

serves four, or just one if you really can't share
adapted from OMFG. So Good blog

Chipotle Chili Chicken Burritos

Chipotle chili on the bottom, fresh jalapeno on the top

Okay, the blog has been leaning a little to the sweet-toothed side this last month, so I think this is the perfect time to post one of my favourite recipes of the last year.

My life has been transformed! And it’s all because of a roasted, dried, smoky chilli. For so long I have seen these in recipes and just subbed in a jalapeno because I didn’t know any better OR where to find the damn things. I was wrong. SO WRONG. I should have made it my life’s mission to find one of these suckers as quickly as my feet would take me.

And where did I come upon these little morsels of spice and flavour?  I picked up my chipotle chilis at my teeny local Tescos! High five for high-street grocery shops. So, there is no excuse.

Burritos are fast becoming my favourite food ever, and I order them whenever possible. Zapatista’s in Newcastle is my kind of fast-food. Forget a burger and ketchup, I want the burrito and guacamole. I thought I should have a go at making my own, and OH HEAVENLY FATHER they came out amazingly.

You need these in your life. You don’t know it yet. But you do.

Beef and Chorizo Enchiladas

Mexican food is kind of my spiritual savoury cuisine. I only started making and eating it for reals a little while ago, aside from the Ol Del Paso fajita kits of my childhood. I am in a bit of a chorizo phase at the minute, and the only Mexican food that my boyfriend really likes is enchiladas, any rational brain would therefore come up with what follow. 

An aside, I don't measure out cheese ever, hence just calling it a handful here or there. Just listen to your heart (if it sounds clogged and like its begging for mercy, maybe hold back on the cheese).

The sauce is thick and delicious, and the addition of a touch of orange peel really makes it tasty and zesty. My mostest favourite ingredient, however, is the Sriracha rooster sauce. This is so delicious and versatile, it’s spicy with a depth to the heat and goes well on EVERYTHING. Makes grown men cry. And should be easily located in your local Asian supermarket. It will change your life.

One thing: you need a bigger rectangular dish for this than the one I used. I'm on it, the scouting mission for cut price Le Creuset has begun!

Chicken Enchiladas with Refried Black Beans

I am in love with Mexican food these days. Literally cannot get enough of it, where has guacamole been all my life?! However, as will become apparent, I’m really not a big red meat fan. I like putting chicken in EVERYTHING. And that’s how this meal came about. You don’t have to go with the beans, but you definitely should because they’re delicious. You can even find them in Tescos.