Pork Chops and Sweet and Sour Peppers

Looking for something a little different for a Sunday dinner?

My usual weekend plans include grand dinner plans, with involve lots of time - from the prep to the actual cooking. And then sometimes it gets to 3pm on a Sunday and you're in the middle of a netflix binge and getting up to cook a mammoth meal doesn't seem very appealing.. Well step on up. porkchops.

I am always on the lookout for quick meals and this one had been getting a lot of buzz around the internet. I am wary of “omg best recipe ever!” reviews, but this one intrigued me. I don’t eat pork chops very often, because I didn’t think they were good. It turns out, I just didn't know how to cook them well.

Turns out, you don’t have to cook them for very long at all! 3 minutes on each side, and dinner is cooked. Buttery, herby, garlicky deliciousness.

Obviously you can serve the pork chops with anything, I think they could also be delicious with some mash and roasted veggies.

Chorizo and Pepper Risotto

I LOVE RICE!

I don’t like to mess with perfection, and I was so pleasantly surprised by the last time I made a risotto in the oven that I’ve decided to do it all over again! Of course, I’m changing the flavours around a little, but the basic method is the same.

I really stand by this kind of cooking, it is really simple to change recipes around by adding a different meat, or adding some spices, or even just changing the veggies can make a big difference and stop you getting fed up with dishes.

I decided to go kind of Mexican style with this risotto, with peppers, paprika and chorizo. Delicious for dinner and for leftover lunch the next day!

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.

Red Pepper Hummus

I could very easily eat hummus for every meal. It is my standard lunch (with a tortilla wrap) and I bring it to any party I go to.

Of course, it took me forever for me to find tahini paste, and in the mean time I did a very lovely peanut version. But one day, in my local random Asian corner shop (we’ve all got one!) I stumble upon tahini paste (and cayenne pepper, and coconut oil.. *hyperventilates*). The clouds parted and my heart sang!

That is seriously how much I love hummus.

Have you ever tried to roast and peel a pepper? I have. It is doable but fiddly and pretty annoying. And that is where jarred roasted peppers come in.  Should be simply found in any supermarket, they are a lifesaver and make this recipe ridiculously easy. And you all know I love a quick recipe that I can then shove in my mouth.

Lamb Lasagne

New Year’s resolution FINALLY activated! Basically, I wanted to cook with a more varied meat selection. Lamb, bring it.

This is my first foray into the world of lamb, and I chose a simple way to start: lamb mince.  Recipe gratefully stolen from my aunt, who cooked it on a recent family outing and it went down a storm. Clearly, I had to try it out myself.

This is a great recipe if you’re not a fan of the creamy, occasionally stodgy, béchamel because it just leaves it out. Instead, you get a great meat ragu topped with some crème fraiche and peppers. Really scrummy.

The flavours from the lamb give a brilliantly exotic taste to the dish, and it is something I’ll definitely be making again. Leftovers are also a sheer delight, it reheats beautifully.

Spinach and Pepper Chicken

You should by now have a feel of what I am about with my cooking. I like chicken, and I have a list of veggies which I will come back to again and again. I'm a boring gal. This dish combines a lot of my most-used ingredients, to the point where I can pretty much whip it up at any time because my fridge is fully stocked with the goodies to make it. As such, it is one of my all-time favourite suppers.

This recipe combines some of my 3 favourite attributes in a meal; simple, fast, delicious. There’s not much else that can be said about this classic meal, it’s a tasty twist on chicken and veggies.

Best served with a few roasted new potatoes, but I think this could be equally delicious with some couscous or rice. I love couscous. But that is a story for another day.