If you’re still mulling over what to do with that leftover turkey and you’re sick of the usual turkey curry or sandwiches, why not try this turkey and chorizo paella. It’s quick, easy and full of flavour.
Plus do you know what I love most about paella? It’s that there are no real rules when it comes to creating a good one. Sure you may think that paella has to be seafood based but in truth, you can bung anything in there – including left over veg (which is what makes it the perfect post Christmas dish).
So here is the recipe for my super quick turkey and chorizo paella.
This recipe serves 4
You will need:
Left over turkey (I used breast but you can use any part of the meat you enjoy and if it’s outside of christmas, I usually use about 500g for 4 people)
100g chorizo
15g flat leaf parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 large red pepper
250g paella rice
115g frozen peas
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
500ml chicken stock
1 tsp of smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Method:
Peel and crush the garlic, crushing the garlic will give off a slightly sweeter flavour. Next roughly chop the chorizo and turkey breasts and add to a heated pan. You may want to add a bit of olive oil but I prefer to use the oils that are extracted from the chorizo when cooking. Next add the onion, pepper, garlic, parsley, paprika and turmericand cook for a couple of minutes.
Next mix in the tomato puree with the chicken stock and add this to the pan along with the paella rice. Bring to the boil and add salt to taste.
Cook on a medium heat for around 15 minutes.
Add your frozen peas and cook for a further 10 minutes (or until the rice has absorbed the stock).
A post from last year. But since it’s Halloween and I’ve seen plenty of pumpkins around – here are some top tips on what you can do with your pumpkin after tonight…
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I’ve got to admit that I don’t enjoy Halloween. I find it all so over the top and wasteful. But since so many pumpkins are going to find themselves in the landfill this weekend, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite finds to help you dispose of your pumpkin.
Foodie Ideas
Scroll down to the bottom for my Pumpkin and Chilli Soup
Of course, it wouldn’t be St David’s Day without tons of Welsh Cakes and a dish made out of leeks.
You’ll be glad to know that I’ve pretty much covered all bases today, I’ve had more Welsh cakes than is healthy and I’m serving up these delicious Arancini balls for dinner.
If you don’t know what Arancini is, it’s an Italian dish (I know it’s not very Welsh for St David’s day the weather has been way too nice to make cawl) that’s essentially fried rice balls. They’re typically made from leftover risotto and you can experiment with them by adding different flavours or stuffing them with tomatoes or cheese.
Now, let me tell why I love this arancini so much.
It’s delicious
It has peas in it
It’s a cook once, eat twice meal so perfect for busy lives
It’s kind of fancy without being too fancy
It is delicious the next day when cold (just like good pizza)
When it comes to arancini you need to make the risotto first, leave the leftovers in the fridge overnight so that it gets all sticky and firm and THEN you’re ready to make your arancini balls. If you try to do it whilst the risotto is freshly cooked or still warm, it’ll fall to pieces.
When it comes to the size, that’s up to you. Personally, I make mine Maltese style and go big. But if you’re having them as a starter or as a snack, a golf ball size works well.
So first your risotto – what you’ll need:
(Serves 2)
• 300g arborio rice
• 1 leek, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• A little olive oil
• A hearty glug of white wine
• 500ml vegetable stock
• A large handful of garden peas, frozen are fine
A large handful of parmesan cheese, grated
What to do…
Begin by frying the leek and garlic together in a little olive oil. Once the leek is translucent add the rice and stir until it has been coated with oil. At this point add the wine and cook until it has been absorbed. Repeat this process with the vegetable stock.
Once the rice has become soft but retains a little bite, add the peas and cook for a few minutes longer. Stir a little oil and parmesan and remove from the heat. Pop a lid on and allow it to stand for 2-3 minutes – this is the most critical part of the risotto making process. Serve immediately.
Then part two! Your arancini balls (how many you make depends on how much risotto you’ve left and also how big you roll your balls)
What you’ll need…
Leftover Leek and Pea risotto (about 300g)
150g breadcrumbs
1 beaten egg
3 tbsp flour
Method…
Preheat the oven to 180ºC
Place the breadcrumbs evenly on a baking tray and bake for around 5 minutes to toast
Place the flour and oat milk into separate dishes in preparation
Roll the leftover risotto into balls just smaller than a golf ball
Coat them one by one in the flour, then the egg then roll them in the toasted breadcrumbs
Repeat this until all your balls are made then add them to a non stick pan with 3tbsp rapeseed oil on a high heat
Keep an eye on the arancini in the pan, turning when golden brown
Once cooked add them to a place on top of kitchen roll to soak up any excess oil
I served with a salad and some fresh out of the oven garlic bread (because carbs are life).
The one thing I love about this food is that you can experiment with it, add a bit of extra wine or some different herbs – it’s so versatile. The balls also last a couple of days in the fridge and are delicious cold.
I whipped up a batch of coffee almond gummies last weekend. It’s a recipe from Sarah Wilson that I’ve been desperate to make for a while. But since I’ve had quite a few messages asking for the recipe I thought I’d share.
You don’t have to do these in a gummy bear mould, they work just as well in a baking tray and then cut into squares.
I have to confess I actually like my bananas REALLY ripe, but there is a point at which I’ll turn them away. I also hate waste so I tend to buy things like bananas when they’re on the yellow sticker section (who doesn’t love a good yellow sticker?) and either throw them in the freezer or make them into something – like banana bread.
This banana bread is so simple even those who are time poor will have time to whip one up. My method of cooking is always quite messy anyway, I don’t have time to gently fold in ingredients, so my advice, just dump it all into your mixer and switch on.
There are a few reasons why I love this soup recipe. For a start I’m obsessed with all things coconut at the moment. Secondly, it’s one of those dishes that you can play around with and add your own twist to. Thirdly, it’s also great for using up left over veggies as you can throw anything you’ve left over in there.
Now, the other ideal thing about this soup is that it can be a quick lunch or you can turn it in to a main meal by adding chicken, tofu and/or noodles. I served mine with just some cut up slices of chicken breast and it was both satisfying and filling.
What you’ll need.
1 Can of Coconut Milk
500ml Vegetable or chicken Stock
2tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
½ Stalk Lemon Grass*
About 1” Ginger*
Mushrooms
1 red pepper
Salt
Turmeric
Extra chilli powder to taste
Garlic
Sesame oil
Method.
Did I mention that this is really easy to make?
Slice the peppers, mushrooms and garlic and add to hot sesame oil. Fry for at least 5 minutes or until soft.Continue reading “Thai Coconut Soup”
Quite simply if you don’t have time to faff around making breakfast or you need something to give you a boost when you’re on the move – these little bliss balls are amazing.
I’ve made a huge batch up for breakfast the rest of the week because I know it’s a busy one and without them I’ll end up living on coffee or air so they really are the perfect busy girl solution.
These little balls of goodness are great because they’re no fuss, no baking, no long winded prep. It’s simply a case of whizzing up the dates and dumping them in the bowl with the rest of the mixture. What more could you want? Oh yeah and numerous health benefits as they are full of protein, fibre and vitamins and minerals that will leave you feeling full all morning, give you a big, old energy boost and they’re super easy to transport so great for taking to work.
This recipe makes 12 large balls
What you need to make the bliss balls:
2c of pitted dates (I use medjool and it works out about 14/15 dates)
1/4c warm water (to start with)
3/4c oats
1/2c coconut flakes (you’ll need a bit more for rolling)
I went to a talk last night on fatigue in brain injury patients. One thing that was mentioned was mindful eating {this is due to diet playing a part in recovery}.
The occupational therapist who was leading the talk posed the question:
“how often do you actually taste or think about what you’re eating?”.
Honestly? Probably not that often.
It’s a well known fact that factors such as boredom or depression can see us heading straight for the biscuit tin but hand on heart how many times do you just reach for food and not really take in the taste, smell or texture of it?
A recent piece in the New York Times suggested mindful eating as a way of fighting bingeing. It explored how we all eat so fast these days because our lives are fast and as a part of that we end up eating more than we should. Mindful eating therefore becomes the psychological barrier for overeating because the slower you eat the more time you have to recognise that you’ve had enough.
Mindfulness is a bit of a buzz word at the moment. It comes from Buddhist teachings and is the art of fully being aware of what’s happening both inside and outside yourself. It’s all about taking in what’s going on in your body, heart and mind as well as your environment.
OK when I say quick, you’ll need to prepare it the night before but you can do it whilst you’re making dinner and it’s done. One of the main things that turns me off eating breakfast is the thought of having to prepare it. Usually I’m buzzing around or I’m working so I can’t really be bothered, but when it’s there waiting for me in the fridge, especially a breakfast pudding, well that’s another matter.
I’ve blogged about the benefits of chia seeds before (see here) but just a quick recap, these little beauties are so good for your health. They are packed with protein, fibre, calcium, manganese, phosphorous plus omega-3 fatty acid and amino acid. PLUS, when you’re making a smoothie or a smoothie bowl, they expand so they’ll thicken up your drink and help you stay fuller for longer.
Essentially, they are a little wonder seed.
This breakfast pudding took me around 10 minutes to make (and that’s probably over estimating). I made my chia seed base the night before then added the topping in the morning so that it layered, otherwise it’ll all seep in to one. Also you can substitute a lot of the ingredients for your own personal tastes, I’ve made some suggestions below.
What you’ll need (this makes one)
1/3 cup chia seeds
3/4 coconut water or a nut milk whichever you prefer
2 tbsp skyr (natural yogurt or greek yogurt again whatever your preference)
50g blueberries (raspberries, mixed berries etc also work)
2 tbsp granola
How to make your chai breakfast pudding
First of all add your chia seeds to the liquid and give them a little stir. I usually put mine in a mason jar so I can pop a lid on it.
Next add your skyr and blueberries to your blender and blitz. Set this aside.
Leave the chai seeds soak overnight (note you can add a small dash of cacao or protein powder in with them if you want to flavour it a bit) and in the morning add your blueberry yogurt and layer with granola.
