One easy dish I really like--tell me yours?

[Cuddleczar]

This is the dish I like to cook on Friday nights, nice and easy and I never get bored eating it. Please let me know yours, as I would like more like this! Veggie ones particularly welcome.

Adjust quantities according to number of people you are cooking for...
Some baby plum or cherry tomatoes
Some pitted black olives (I like Sainsbury's, a small jar)
Olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per person)
Crushed garlic cloves (about one per person)
Mozzarella cheese (a small packet will serve between 2 and 5 people)
Penne pasta

(The recipe was originally from a Sainsbury's mag I think and the original had dried chilli flakesomitted by me as DCs don't like itand fresh basil leaves to garnish, which I do if I have some but isn't essential. You can add chunks of red pepper to the tomatoes if you have some you need to use up.)

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Wash the tomatoes and dry on kitchen towel (so the oil will cling to them). Rinse the olives and dry. Place both in shallow oven-proof dish. Add garlic and olive oil, stir well to coat. Bake for 30 mins till tomatoes are soft. 20 mins before end of cooking time, put on large pan of water to boil. 10 mins (check time on your pasta packet) before end of cooking time, put pasta on to cook. Chop the mozzarella into smallish pieces. When pasta and tomatoes are ready, drain both and add tomatoes and olives mixture with all the oil to the pasta. Stir well. Then stir through the mozzarella. Add basil if using. Enjoy!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Mine's crispy chilli beef in green veg chowmein. It's a cheaty one as I buy these Blue Dragon kits with a jar of sauce on the bottom and some batter mix on the top.

Chop beef into thin strips and coat in the batter powder. Fry on a hot heat and put aside. In a wok, fry whatever green veg you like (I prefer sugarsnap peas, broccoli, mushrooms.) Add egg noodles and the fried beef. Add the sauce.

Delicious and take about 15 minutes!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Mine's crispy chilli beef in green veg chowmein. It's a cheaty one as I buy these Blue Dragon kits with a jar of sauce on the bottom and some batter mix on the top.

Chop beef into thin strips and coat in the batter powder. Fry on a hot heat and put aside. In a wok, fry whatever green veg you like (I prefer sugarsnap peas, broccoli, mushrooms.) Add egg noodles and the fried beef. Add the sauce.

Delicious and take about 15 minutes!

[JonSnowKnowsNothing]

Ah, the dish so nice it needs posting twice!

[TyneTeas]

This chicken and bacon casserole is really easy but tastes like you have worked quite hard : )

tyne-teas.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/chicken-and-bacon-casserole.html

[pregnantpause]

Rissoto is mine

250g arborio rice
A chopped onion
Bacon lardons
Garlic sliced
A litre of stock
Frozen peas
Parmesan

On a low heat fry onion in butter till translucent, add bacon and fry for a few mins more, add rice and garlic , fry a little more before adding (a glass of white if you have it) the stock - all of it. Shove pot in oven with lid on for ten mins, stir, pop back in oven for another ten. Take out once stock is absorbed , add your peas and Parmesan. Eat. Good carby comfort.

[Cuddleczar]

Ooooh these are lovely! I will try them next week and let you know how I get on!! Any more ideas anyone?

[FriedFishAndBread]

My easy quick meals, put pasta on fry onions, peppers and garlic add tinned tomatoes and hot sauce mix with the cooked pasta.

Or put rice on, fry onions and peppers add tinned mackerel bit of ketchup and hot sauce. Eat with rice.

[FriedFishAndBread]

The first one is add tinned tomatoes and tuna

[Cuddleczar]

By hot sauce, you mean chilli or similar, Friedfish? Sounds nice and easy!

[JamNan]

Baked potatoes with homemade coleslaw and tuna fish

[SilkStalkings]

Salmon ceviche salad - waffer thin raw salmon, mango and bean sprouts tossed in dressing of raw garlic, raw ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, sweet chilli sauce and fresh coriander. Amazing & refreshing taste explosion.

[FriedFishAndBread]

Its supposed to be scotch bonnets in the mackerel but I just use a west Indian hot sauce instead. any chilli would work.

jacket potatoes can go in a slow cooker to make life even simpler. They do change colour but are really nice.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

We're having ours tonight.

Chorizo Pepper Pasta (Serves 3)

• Box of passata
• 100g Chopped chorizo
• 2 x Red peppers, prepped and sliced thinly
• 1 x Onion, peeled and sliced
• Herbs and seasoning
• Pinch of sugar
• Cooked pasta shapes (180g dry weight)

Cut the chorizo into small chunks and cook in a non-stick sauté/chefs pan until the fat runs a little. Add the onion and peppers and cook until softened. Finally add the passata and herbs etc. Cover and simmer very slowly for about 40 minutes so that the sauce reduces and the flavours develop

Finally stir through the cooked pasta shapes and serve with some parmesan.

[JamNan]

FF&B
We are doing a house move next weekend.
I would love to know how to cook jacket baked potatoes in the slow cooker - I've never tried it.
May I your recipe please?

[Haahoooo]

Prawn couscous in 5 minutes

Defrost some spinach
Pour water on couscous
Mix spinach and couscous
Add block of feta (in cubes)
Add prawns (box of around 200-300g)
Add some pressed garlic
Stir

[zipzap]

Easy hot chocolate sauce to put on ice cream or use to dip fruit in or just eat from the bowl or for brownies or anything really that goes well with chocolate...

1 large bar of bournville (approx 200g)
Small knob of butter approx the size of half a walnut
Honey to taste (start with a really good squirt or about a tablespoon and add more if required - I usually use about the equivalent of 3 tablespoons)
1 small carton of double cream

• Break chocolate into a bowl and add butter and honey.
  
• Melt gently in the microwave (or over a pan of simmering water).
  
• Leave to cool a little
  
• Pour in some of the cream and mix it in quickly (if there is too much of a temperature difference between the cream and chocolate, the cold of the cream can cause the chocolate to seize up, you can melt it again afterwards if this happens. Or pour in the cream in a thin stream, stirring it all in as it goes and you should be OK)
  
  
• warm it up again gently in the microwave when you need it. Keep it in the fridge and it allegedly lasts for up to a week. But not if you do a little quality control test each time you go past
  
  That will do quite a lot if there are lots of you.
  
  I sometimes will also make a much smaller version for each ds - a small pot each (those little glass ramekins that you sometimes buy puddings in are good) with 2-3 squares of chocolate in, some cream, squirt of honey and a small pea sized knob of butter. Then melt all together in the microwave. Doing it in 10 sec increments means that you can keep an eye on it and swoosh it around each time, rarely takes a minute sometimes only 30 seconds.
  
  It's a treat thing but they love to dip fruit into it so a little chocolate goes a long way. They are also rubbish at drinking milk and eating dairy stuff so it gets a little cream into them (and I stir as much as I can get away with into their portions!)

[magimedi]

Chicken Zorba - it was a Saisbury's recipe card from about 15+ years ago & I still enjoy it!


juice of 2 limes
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
½tsp turmeric
pinch of salt
1tbsp freshly chopped mint
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
150g tub Greek style natural yoghurt
170g tub houmous
2tbsp olive oil
8 pitta breads
To serve mixed salad leaves, sliced tomato and sweet pepper or cucumber or whatever you have around!

How to do it:

In a bowl mix together the lime juice, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt and mint.

Cut the chicken into thin strips.

Add the chicken to the marinade and mix well to coat the chicken, cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Mix together the yoghurt and houmous, cover and chill until required.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally until golden.

Toast the pitta breads and then cut in half crossways, open up and spread with a generous spoonful of the houmous and yoghurt mix.

Fill with mixed salad, sweet peppers, tomato and chicken.

[hallamoo]

OP said 'veggie dishes particularly welcome', so everyone posts recipes with either meat or fish in them.....

[GraduallyGoingInsane]

Chicken and tarragon.

Heat large pan.
Fry onions, garlic.
Add chunks of chicken.
Add mushrooms.
Add salt, pepper and tarragon, fresh if possible. Caution though, tarragon is a very strong herb so start with a little and add more if needed.
Add half a tub of low fat creme fraiche and a teaspoon of mustard.

Taste test and add more tarragon/mustard if you like.

I serve it with rice and steamed broccoli, yum!

[SizzlesSit]

Bacon or lardons
2 leeks
Tub of boursin
Milk
Pasta

Cook bacon. Cook leeks. Mix together. Add boursin and enough milk to make to sauce liquidy. Cook pasta.

Can also add mushrooms if you like, or onions.

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

From Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Everyday book.

Dressed puy lentils, serves 4-6.

250g puy lentils (other green lentils work too.)
Veg stock (I use a cube) or water
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed
A few stalks of parsley (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Squeeze of lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Put lentils in pan, add water. Bring to boil, simmer one minute, drain. Return lentils to pan, add just enough stock or water to cover. Add bay leaf, garlic and parsley. Simmer gently for about half an hour.
Drain (if necessary, I usually find the lentils absorb all the fluid anyway) and discard bay leaf and garlic. Dress with oil and lemon juice, season to taste. Eat hot or cold.

Very yummy with his

Honey Roasted Cherry Tomatoes. Serves 4.

500g cherry tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon clear honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 190C/Gas 5. Lightly oil roasting dish. Halve the tomatoes and place in the dish, cut side up. Try to have them sitting snuggled together, not much space between them.

Crush the garlic with a pinch ofbsalt, then beat it with the honey, olive oil and pepper. Spoon the mix over the tomatoes, and roast for about 30 minutes.

[ELR]

Salmon, capers and pasta with lemon, parsley and olive oil. Serves 4

Put a pan of water onto boil and add pasta shapes about 250g
Pan Fry 2-3 skinless pieces of salmon in a little olive when nearly cooked break up with a wooden spoon. Add a few tablespoons of capers and the juice of half a lemom, cook for a few minutes then add the cooked pasta a handful of chopped parsley and some of the pasta water. Mix well and then drizzle over a nice amount of extra virgin olive oil and the zest and juice of the other half a lemon. Season and eat. Simple and delicious.

[BikeRunSki]

Cook pasta
Grate a courgette on the really fine grater
Grate some hard cheese
Stir it all together with some Philly while the pasta is still hot.

[Cuddleczar]

Wow! These all sound lovely--I can't wait to try them. (Will have to wait untill next week as off for short break in a caravan...don't want to get too experimental in a caravan!!)

Has anyone tried mine yet? If you did, I hope you liked it!

I am not complaining hallamoo, but if anyone wants to contribute their easy peasy veggie dishes, I'd love to try them! My DP is always going on rants about "too much meat in our diet" so I am always looking for inspiration...

[scater]

Cuddleczar, we tried yours tonight, yummy, yummy. 'Twas gorgeous and easy.