Simple Chicken and Noodle Laksa Soup

This is probably one of my favourite quick week day recipes. Not only does it only take 10 minutes to cook it's also got a bit of everything; spice, chicken, noodles and veg. I love to make a little extra so I can take it into work for lunch too. YUM!

To make this you'll need the following:

1 400ml tin of coconut milk

1 180g jar of Laksa paste 

1 pint of vegetable stock

325g rice (vermicelli) noodles

200g cooked chicken (breast)

100g sugar snap peas

100g baby corn (roughly chopped)

1 glug of olive oil

Ideally you want to cook this in a wok but if you don't have one, cook the Laksa paste, baby corn and sugar snap peas in a frying pan and then put them in a saucepan ready to add the chicken, stock, coconut milk and rice noodles. 

 Heat the oil in the pan/ wok and add the sugar snap peas and baby corn. Cook for roughly 3 minutes or until the veg starts to brown. Add the whole jar of Laksa paste and cook together for a minute. Make sure you give the combo a good stir to release all the yummy flavours.

Next you want to add the whole tin of coconut milk followed by the chicken. Stir together for a minute and then add the stock. Allow to cook for 5-10 minutes until the soup has reduced slightly then add the rice noodles. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes and then you're done! Feel free to add a handful of fresh chopped chili if you're feeling brave, or maybe some coriander if you're not. Then serve up in soup bowls!

 
This serves 2 comfortably with enough leftover for 1 large lunch or 2 small lunches the next day.

Let me know if any of you cook this yourselves! I'd love to see some pics!

Lots of Love,

DML

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Tomato, Egg, Chorizo and Feta Dip & Share

This is one of my favourite meals at the moment. Mainly because it encompasses all my favourite ingredients but also because you can eat it directly from the saucepan. Yep. I'm that adverse to washing up! The chili flakes make it really warming and there's just so many ways to cook it too; add any leftovers you've got in the fridge and you've got yourself a yummy brunch or dinner.

So here's what you'll need:

Olive oil

  2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped/ crushed

1 small uncooked chorizo sausage

1 can of tinned tomatoes

6-8 cherry tomatoes

  1 pepper, chopped

Sprinkle of salt, smoked paprika and dried chili flakes

A teaspoon of honey

  2 hand fulls of chopped coriander

2 eggs

Handful of feta

And sourdough bread (or whatever you fancy!)

If you've got a rustic style griddle pan then I'd use this, but if not a standard non stick frying pan ill do just fine. 

Put your pan on the hob and heat up a glug of olive oil. While you're waiting for the pan to warm up chop the chorizo into slices, the cherry tomatoes into halves, the garlic as finely as possible and also the peppers into slices. This will save you some time later on. 

 One the oil has heated up, put your chorizo and garlic into the pan and heat until the sausage is cooked and the garlic is golden. Then add your cherry tomatoes and your peppers. Stir for about 2-3 minutes to get all the flavours together. 

Next you want to add the chopped tomatoes. Stir until all the ingredients has been mixed together and then add a sprinkle of salt, paprika and chili flakes. Stir again until mixed and leave to reduce for around 15 minutes. 

Now you want to add one of the two handfuls of chopped coriander. Stir together and then make two little "holes" in the mix ready to add your eggs. Crack the two eggs directly into the tomato mix and let them poach until they are cooked to your liking. If you like a well cooked egg you may want to put the saucepan under the grill for a few minutes.

Finally you want to sprinkle your feta and the last handful of chopped coriander and your done! 

We love eating this with some toasted sour dough bread but you could easily eat it with some greens and chicken or alternatively some rice. It's entirely up to you! We've also been known to add some mozzarella as well as the feta which can be super yummy. Equally some butter beans and/or some kidney beans would be really yummy in this too. The possibilities are endless!

If you decide to give this a go be sure to show me some pics of your finished dish! Tweet me @Dizzy_Miss_Liz or tag me in an Instagram pic @sophy_victoria.

Lots of Love,

DML

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2 Simple Autumn Inspired Side Dishes

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted something food related. I'm going to try and post a bit more of my cooking from now on, promise.

I thought I'd start off the season with a simple recipe (or 2...) so I'm going to tell you how I make some really yummy, simple, autumn inspired side dishes. They don't take much preparation and they certainly aren't difficult but they make the perfect healthy accompaniments to any meal!

First up, we have my spiced kale and asparagus! To make this you'll need:

3 handfuls of curly kale
1/2 a teaspoon of chili flakes
a 1/4 of a log of soft goats cheese
4 stalks of fresh asparagus
Salt & pepper to taste


First you want to wash your kale and the asparagus stalks thoroughly. After you're done, chop the asparagus stalks into 1-1.5 inch sections and put into a bowl. Get your kale and mix in with the asparagus. 

Now you want to steam the kale and the asparagus together. We don't have a steamer so to cook ours, we fill about a third of a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. We then put our asparagus and kale into a colander and put it on top of the saucepan. The water should only just be touching the bottom of the colander, if at all. You then want to cover the colander with a saucepan lid so the steam remains inside the colander. 

It takes about 6 minutes in total for the asparagus and kale to cook, depending on how al dente you like your veg. If you're not sure just keep a close eye and stick a fork into the asparagus and ensure it's soft but not mushy. The kale wants to have wilted but still have a crunch to it.

Once cooked, you want to take the colander off the boiling water (or take your veg out of the steamer if you have decided to use one) and spoon it into a serving bowl. Get a teaspoon and start spooning little bits of goats cheese and mixing them into the asparagus and kale mix. Once you've got a good goats cheese to veg ratio, grab your chili flakes and sprinkle over the top. Stir together and then serve!


Variations

If you don't like chili then you can leave it out.
If you're not a fan of goats cheese then any other soft cheese will do; cream cheese or La' Roulle would taste nice.
Sometimes I put a bit of butter into the veg before I add the goats cheese, for a richer taste. 


We eat this side with a roast or sometimes with a garlic chicken breast and some roasted vine tomatoes. Yum!!



Next we have my honey roasted sweet potato's! To make this you'll need:

1 large sweet potato (this feeds about 2 people)
2 tablespoons of runny honey
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Start by washing your sweet potato/s. Then peel them. You then want to cut them up into smallish chunks; it's entirely up to you how small or large you want them! Use the picture above for a guide if you're not sure.

Once you're done prepping the sweet potato chunks you want to arrange them on a baking tray; make sure they are all on one layer as opposed to on top of one another. Then drizzle over the olive oil followed by the honey.

To cook, place them in the centre of the oven for around 25-30 minutes at 170 degrees (fan), 190 degrees or gas mark 5.


Let me know if you have any autumn inspired side dishes!

Sophy's Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pesto and Goats Cheese Tart

Hey there guys!

I'm so sorry it's been a while since my last food related post. I've been really busy with my YouTube channel and my beauty blog (check it out if you haven't done so already!) and I really apologise for neglecting you all. To those of you who are new to my food corner -  as well as all things fashion and beauty related, I cook too (mutli-tasking o'clock!) I cook pretty much everything and anything and I love experimenting with flavours and ingredients.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to try and focus on quick meal ideas. I work Monday to Friday and myself and my boyfriend are at the gym or training pretty much 4 evenings a week which leaves little time for gourmet meals! I know that many people out there are strapped for time during the week too so I wanted to share with you a few of my simple, quick and easy meals to help keep your dinners fun but not too time consuming. 

So here's my first recipe in the series! Sophy's Roasted Butternut Squash and Goats Cheese tart. It's a recipe that I can take full credit for as I made it up myself! Granted, with a little bit of inspiration from a few other recipes.. But hey! It's still mine :)

Here's what you need:

Half of a medium sized butternut squash, precooked.
I like to have one of these already roasted in the fridge as there are a few recipes I like to cook using a good old squash! To cook one, I prick the skin and put it in the oven whole for around an hour - an hour and a half depending on it's size. Half way through cooking take it out of the oven and cut in in half. This will make it cook quicker and believe you me, its easier to cut half cooked than fresh! You'll only need half a squash for this recipe so wrap the other half up and put it in the fridge for another recipe... Maybe my butternut squash, chilli, and blue cheese rigatoni? ;) 


1 sheet of puff pastry, ready made
If you can make it yourself then by all means go for it. I'm lazy and I like to save time. Pre rolled puff pastry still does the job!


1 Jar of red pesto OR tub of fresh red pesto
Either or. It's up to you. I bought some fresh for mine but the jarred stuff would taste just as yummy.


1 roll of goats cheese
You're only going to be using around 6-8 teaspoons of this so I would recommend getting the long tube like rolls of goats cheese, or the 175g tub of the French stuff they do in Sainsbury's.
 

Small tub of single cream
You're only going to need to use a few drizzles of this so just a small tub will do fine.


Dried chilli flakes (optional)
I think Butternut Squash and chilli go together perfectly, so I like to add some to the top of mine. Don't feel like you have to though if chilli isn't really your thing. 

 

Step 1
Roll out your puff pastry sheet onto some baking paper, or onto a clean baking tray. You'll be using the whole rectangle so don't worry about cutting it or shaping it. I find the pastry works better when it's been out of the fridge for a good 10 minutes so try and leave it to warm up a little before rolling it out.

Step 2
Get your chosen butternut squash halve and scoop out the pips if you haven't done so already. Then start scooping out the inside of the squash and spreading it onto the sheet of puff pastry. Leave a good inch or 2 round the edge though as we're going to be folding that in when we're done to make a puff pastry crust... Mmmm!

Step 3
Once you've spread a nice even layer of the squash onto the puff pastry sheet, you're going to want to season with salt and pepper and drizzle a little single cream on top. I'm not sure why squash cooks better with cream but it just does... It makes it a little more creamy and yummy!

Step 4
Even add between 6-8 teaspoons of goats cheese onto the squash layer. Think of it a bit like a pizza, you want there to be little blobs of goats cheese on top all evenly spaced out. Then drizzle some pesto on top, again as evenly as you can.

Step 5
Finally you want to add your chilli flakes if you're using them. Just sprinkle them lightly and evenly on top.

Step 6
Now you're going to want to fold in your edges. You should have amount half an inch to an inch of crust when you're done folding. You can rub some melted butter round the edges if you fancy a slightly more crispy golden crust but it's entirely up to you!

Put the whole tart into the oven for around 30 minutes, gas mark 7/ 200 degrees for a fan assisted and 220 for a non fan assisted. If you're using a fan assisted oven then keep an eye on the tart during cooking as you may need to reduce the time slightly. 


So there you have it! My Roasted Butternut Squash, Red Pesto and Goats Cheese tart! I hope you enjoy!

DML xxx

Christmas Food Ideas - Chilli & Red Pepper Chutney

Hey Dizzy Miss Lizzies!

I wanted to share some yummy Christmas recipes with you over the next few weeks. Not all of them will necessarily be your typical Christmas foods but they'll all be wintery and warming so I hope you like them!

I'm going to start with Chilli and Red Pepper Chutney. Not only is this a great accompaniment for any cheese, it can make a great Christmas present when labelled and done up in a nice jam jar! You want to start making this around mid to late November to allow it to preserve before you eat it over Christmas. Obviously you can make it and eat it straight away but I personally think this kind of thing tastes better when it's had some time to settle. If you are going to preserve it until Christmas, remember to seal it in sterilized jars - I'll explain how to do this a little later on.

So, the ingredients!

You'll need around 8 chillies. Average size, red or green - it's up to you
8 red peppers - make sure they're really ripe
2 medium red onions
1 5cm stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaves
A glug of olive oil
A sprig of rosemary
100g of golden sugar
150ml of balsamic vinegar


First, you need to take the red peppers and chillies and put them under a hot grill. You want to cook them them until they're all burnt and blistered so they'll be easy to peal. Once they're done (you'll need to turn them a few times to ensure they're evenly cooked) put them all in a large bowl and cover them with cling film. Leave them to cook in their own steam until they've cooled down enough to touch.

Once they've cooled, peal off as much of the skin as you can. It should come off pretty easily. Remove the stalks and take out the seeds then chop and put to one side.

Heat up a pan and add a splash of olive oil. Add the chopped onions, rosemary, bay leaves and the cinnamon stick and cook at a low temperature for around 15-20 minutes. The onions need to be soft and a little golden.

You're going to want to start sterilizing your jam jars now. There's two ways I do it, either in the dishwasher on a high heat (the highest), or boil the jars and the lids in a pan on the hob. The former is probably easiest but I don't always have an almost full dishwasher load to add the jars to! Keep the jars in the dishwasher/ in the boiling water until you're ready to fill them with the mixture.

Once the onions are cooked, add peppers, chillies, balsamic vinegar and the sugar. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes darker and a little more sticky. This may take a while but you're looking for a soft yet thickened consistency.

Now, add the mixture while it's still warm to the sterilized jars. The jars should also be warm to avoid any of the glass shattering. Seal the jars with the sterilized lids and ensure the seal is air tight.

Chilli & Red Pepper Chutney

If you're planning on giving these jars to a friend or family member for Christmas, feel free to cover the top with a piece of cream material/ gingham and tie a brown luggage label round the lid.

So there you go! A yummy chutney for the Christmas season and the perfect Christmas gift!

Enjoy!

Lots of Love,
Dizzy Miss Lizzy xxx

Sicilian Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Last week I decided to make Jamie Oliver's Sicilian Squash and Chickpea Stew. It's a lovely winter warmer and doesn't take all that long... Minus the cooking time of the Butternut Squash obviously ;-)

So, before you start you need to make sure you have the following ingredients:

1 butternut squash (about 1.2kg)
olive oil
1/2 bunch of fresh coriander (15g)
40g raisins (optional... I don't use them as I'm not a fan)
50g mixed olives, stones in (stones out is OK too!)
1 can of chickpeas in water (400g)
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 onions
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (this is to taste... The hotter you like your food, the more you can use)
1 mug (320g) couscous (I used 2 packets of dried for 2 people)
Fat free natural yoghurt


First you want to cook your squash. Now, I absolutely hate peeling these things and chopping them so I cheat a bit.... I put the whole thing in the oven to cook instead! Set the oven to around 200 degrees C/ Gas mark 6 and prick the skin with a fork. Leave it to roast for about 40 minutes. I would usually cook it for way longer but we'll be chopping it up and adding it to the stew to cook for a further 40 mins later.

Once the 40 mins are up, chop the squash in half length ways and scoop out the pulp and seeds. If it's really tough to cut then you might want to leave it in for a little longer. Once it's in 2 halves you want to score the squash into squares. You can leave it now while you cook the stew.

Put a full kettle of water on to boil. 

Put a lug of oil in a large pan (a casserole one if you have it.. If not a normal one will do) on a low heat and roughly chop both the onions. Add these to the pan along with the chilli, the cinnamon and the raisins if you're using them. Finely chop the stalks of the coriander and add these to the pan too. Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on, adding a little boiling water to allow the onions etc to sweat. You don't want the pan to be swimming with water, just enough water to stop the cinnamon from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once the 20 minutes are up you want to add the squash, followed by the olives (bash the stones out of them first if you've got ones with the stones in), the chickpeas (juice as well!) and the chopped tomatoes. Crumble in the stock cube and add 500ml of boiling water (if you feel you need to add a little less then that's OK) . Turn the heat up to medium and simmer for 40 minutes, lid off, until the stew is lovely and thick. Stir occasionally.

Cook the couscous how the packet instructs and tip it onto a large plate once it's done. Spoon the stew over the top and drizzle the natural yoghurt over the whole thing. Then scatter the fresh coriander leaves around the edge. And you're all done! Enjoy!

DML xxx

Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto

I've been experimenting with a few of Jamie's recipes from his cook book entitled "Save with Jamie" over the past couple of weeks. There are some recipes that are a bit.. "meh" but some of them are real keepers. Last week it was the turn of Jamie's Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto...

So... Most people I speak to about Risotto seem to be petrified of it! It seems to have gained itself quite a reputation for being the hardest thing to cook. I can categorically say that's not the case - it's the best "no brain power" meal to cook and doesn't really take all that long. You can jazz it up with rocket, keep it simple with chicken and mushroom or go for something more colourful like roasted butternut squash. Whatever you chose to use as the starring role, the basis of the meal will always be the same:

1 large, finely chopped onion ( I actually used some shallots for my sweet pea risotto but it's entirely up to you)

Optional - 1 finely chopped carrot

Optional - Finely chopped celery (about 2 sticks, give or take)

3 cloves garlic (or however much you fancy. I love garlic so the more the merrier for me!)

Arborio risotto rice (you can get this from all good supermarkets)

Grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. A healthy chunk - about 100g

Good stock. (If you have some left over from a roast then great but if not, Knorr stock pots are perfectly adequate. Use the chicken one or vegetable, depending on your ingredients).
 The added extras will depend entirely on what you fancy. For the purpose of this recipe I've chosen frozen garden peas (about 3 handfuls) and some diced chicken. I actually used some frozen cooked chicken from a roast I’d cooked the night before but fresh chicken works just as well. In this recipe you'll be using uncooked chicken.


Make sure you prepare your stock first. Whether you're using homemade or a stock pot have it ready in a Pyrex style jug so you can add it when you need to. About a pint of stock should do. Ensure you have a full kettles worth of boiled water as well - this may come in handy later on.

So, firstly fry off the onions/ shallots in a little olive oil or butter. If you're using celery and carrots add them here too. Cook for a few minutes or until the onions are soft and see through and then add the garlic and some chicken, if you're using it. Cook for a minute or two more or until the chicken has browned and then add the Arborio rice. Stir for 2 - 3 minutes, making sure the rice has had a chance to heat up. I know it seems odd adding rice to pretty much dry pan but the rice needs a chance to warm through to ensure it achieves the right consistency later on.

Once you've stirred the rice through, you need to begin adding the stock. Add it a little at a time and only add more when the last lot has been absorbed by the rice. A splash at a time will be fine, or you can use a ladle. Keep stirring and adding until all the stock has been used up.

Once you've used up all the stock it's time to do a bit of "try it and see" style cooking! From now on keep adding boiling water from the kettle until the rice has cooked through. You want an aldante texture - a little bit of bite but not too much. Add some frozen garden peas for the last 2 minutes of cooking.

When you're happy with the texture add some grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese along with a chunk of butter. Mix it through until you have a soft consistency. Add some extra boiling water from the kettle if it's a bit sticky.

Once you're happy with the consistency serve up, adding some rocket on top with some shavings of Parmesan or Pecorino. And that's it! A great recipe for a dinner party or if you're planning a romantic meal in ;-)

Happy cooking!

Lots of Love,
Dizzy Lizzy xxx

 

Sweet Pea and Chicken Risotto

Dizzy Lizzy's top tip - if you fancy trying butternut squash instead, make sure you roast it in the oven first for around 30 minutes or until golden. I like to roast mine with some fresh thyme but it's entirely up to you. Soften the chunks of squash up with a potato masher or fork before adding to your Risotto, right at the end after you've added the Parmesan or Pecorino. You can also add some roasted beetroot for an added special touch along with the rocket on top!