The original recipe includes a pickle made with gherkins , onion and parsley – but we are not gherkin or parsley fans so I left that out.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the rice
1 mug (300g) of 10-minute wholegrain or basmati rice
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
200g baby spinach

For the stroganoff

300g mixed mushrooms (I used chestnut and mini portobello)
Olive oil
3 cloves of garlic
2 x 200g sirloin steaks, fat removed
1 heaped tsp sweet paprika
Zest of 1 lemon
1 swig of brandy
4 heaped tbsp fat-free natural yoghurt
1 swig of semi-skimmed milk

Method

1. Put 1 mug of rice, 2 mugs of boiling water, the thyme leaves and a pinch of salt and pepper into a medium sized pan and put the lid on, stirring occasionally.

2. Tear or slice the mushrooms into a frying pan with 2 tablespoons of oil, then squash the unpeeled garlic through a garlic crusher and add to the pan.

3. Slice the steaks about 1cm thick and toss with salt, pepper, the paprika and lemon zest. Tip the mushrooms onto a plate and add two more tablespoons of oil to the pan along with the steak, turning when golden.

4. Add the spinach to the rice pan and replace the lid. Add the brandy to the steak (carefully light it with a match if you want to, letting the flames subside) and then return the mushrooms to the pan. Add the yoghurt and milk and bring to the boil.

5. Plate up the rice and spinach before adding the stroganoff on top. Enjoy!

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I’ve never made falafels before and was a bit surprised by the texture of these, but I think that’s because I was comparing them to shop-bought, solid ones. Whilst cooking them I was worried that they would be too squishy, but they were absolutely fine so don’t worry if you feel the same. I’ll never get them to look like Jamie’s, but they tasted great!

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the falafel:
1 x 400g tin of mixed beans
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
1 lemon
1 tbsp harissa paste
1 heaped tsp allspice
1 heaped tbsp plain flour
1 bunch of fresh coriander
Olive oil

Sides

2 mixed-colour peppers
4 spring onions
8 small tortillas (we used tortillas with herbs in for extra taste)
1 tbsp chilli sauce (or tobasco)
250g low-fat cottage cheese

Method

1. Drain the beans and chickpeas and put them into a food processor. Finely grate in the lemon zest, then add a pinch of salt and pepper, the harissa, allspice, flour and coriander stalks (reserving the leaves).

2. Blitz until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed. Scrape out the mixture and then use clean, wet hands to quickly divide and shape it into 8 patties about 1.5cm thick.

3. Put 1 tbsp of oil into a frying pan and add the falafels, turning when golden and crisp.

4. Chop the peppers into bitesize chunks and put on a griddle pan with the trimmed spring onions (if you don’t have a griddle pan you can roast in the oven with some olive oil – you’ll need to do this before frying the falafels).

5. Heat up the tortillas in the microwave for 45 seconds, while you marble the chilli sauce into the cottage cheese. Remove the peppers and spring onions from the pan/oven and squeeze over half of the lemon juice.

6. Either take all of the elements to the table so that people can construct their own wraps, or stack the peppers and onions, cover with some cottage cheese and then top with the falafels. Enjoy for tea or as a yummy lunch!

The post Falafel Wraps with Grilled Veg appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the rice:
1 mug (300g) of quick cook basmati rice
1 big pinch of dried porcini mushrooms (or a handful of field mushrooms)
1/2 a lemon
A few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme

For the pork:
500g pork fillet
1 heaped tsp ground coriander
1 heaped tsp sweet paprika
Olive oil
1 small red onion
A few sprigs of fresh sage
1 swig of Marsala
70ml single cream (we used 2 heaped tbsp low fat creme fraiche instead)

For the broccoli:
250g trimmed tenderstem broccoli
Zest and juice of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
30g parmesan (freshly flaked or supermarket tub)
1 x 15ml tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Put one mug of rice and two mugs of boiling water into a pan, tear in the porcini mushrooms and add a pinch of salt, the lemon half and lemon thyme. Put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer. (If you’re not using porcini mushrooms, follow the steps minus the mushrooms – we cooked ours separately and added them later.)

2. Score lengthways halfway through the centre of the pork, open it out like a book and then flatten it slightly with your fist. Rub it with salt, pepper, the ground coriander and paprika, then put it into the frying pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil, turning regularly until cooked through.

3. If using fresh mushrooms, chop them into pieces and cook in a little olive oil. Finely chop the red onion, pick the sage leaves and add them both to the pork to fry for a few minutes. Heat a pan of water (we pre-boil the water to speed up the process) and add the broccoli, which should be cooked until the stalk is tender.

4. Once the pork is cooked through, add a good swig of marsala – you can light it if you wish (we didn’t) and then let the flames subside. Then transfer the pork onto a board, add the single cream or creme fraiche to the pan and reduce to a good consistency.

5. Fluff up the rice (adding the mushrooms if you have cooked them separately) and carve the pork into 1cm slices. Drain the broccoli and transfer into a warmed bowl, adding the lemon zest and juice. Toss to coat before adding the parmesan flakes and the olive oil, tossing again.

6. Pour the sauce over the pork with the greens and rice to the side.

The photo on this post isn’t amazing (sorry!), but I promise that this Pork Marsala with Mushroom Rice and Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan tastes amazing. You might also enjoy Jamie Oliver’s chicken pie or Nigella’s chocolate olive oil cake.

The post Pork Marsala with Mushroom Rice and Broccoli with Lemon and Parmesan appeared first on Hello! Hooray!.

This does make an excellent mid-week meal and you could also use pasta instead of pastry to make a yummy, creamy pasta bake. And it won’t break the bank either! The recipe below is my adapted version of Jamie’s recipe.

Ingredients

4 x 180g skinless chicken breasts

A knob of butter (leave this out if using bacon or chorizo – see optional ingredients)

Olive oil

A bunch of spring onions

150g button mushrooms

1 heaped tbsp plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 heaped tbsp low fat creme fraiche

300ml chicken stock (I use a stock cube)

A few sprigs of fresh thyme (or a tsp of dried mixed herbs works well too)

1/3 a nutmeg, grated

1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry

1 egg

Optional ingredients: 2 rashers smoked bacon/100g chorizo, chopped into small pieces/1 leek instead of spring onions

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°c/400°F/Gas mark 6. Cut the chicken into chunks (I use my kitchen scissors for this – so much easier!). Put a lug of olive oil and butter into a hot, large pan. Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes until sealed. If adding bacon or chorizo, wait until the chicken is sealed before adding to pan.

2. Meanwhile, make the stock and then wash and trim the spring onions (or leek) and slice. Cut the button mushrooms in half before adding to the pan with the onions. Leave for 2 minutes before adding 1 heaped tbsps of plain flour and creme fraiche. Stir well.

3. Add the chicken stock and stir again. Add the herbs and the nutmeg, and season. Leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes or so.

4. Pour the mixture into an oven proof dish. Roll out the pastry (luckily, my dish is just the right size for the pastry so I don’t need to do any rolling out) and place on top, tidying up the edges. Add a little decoration if you like! Beat the egg and brush a little over the pastry.

5. Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden. Serve with some steamed vegetables and enjoy!

Post updated 24th June 2016.

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