Dont throw out the pumpkin seeds.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are yummy and very healthy. They are very easy to make, so don’t them out.

Seperate the seeds from the strings. Give them a rinse in the strainer. Take a baking sheet and add a touch of oil and spead it with a piece of paper towel to keep them from sticking.  Pour the seeds into a bowl and add just a drop of oil and mix to coat. Then put them on the tray and spread them out into one layer.

preheat oven to around 180c. Put the seeds in for about 25 mins total. Stir at around 10 mind. They should be golden brown.

Spinkle just a bit of salt when you take them out and let them cool.

Enjoy.

Lime and Cilantro Chicken and Quinoa

I have discovered Quinoa again. Its been a good few years since I had any and found some at the store. Quinoa is a seed and is a super food. Extremely healthy and good for you. I decided to make some with what I had in the house. Turned out really good.

To make the Quinoa

I used 1 cup Quinoa to 2 cups boiling water with 2 chicken oxo cubes in it. This was enough for my husband and me and a small plate for my 2 yr old. No left over and no seconds. First, rinse the Quinoa really well as its got a coating that, if left on, makes it bitter. I use one of those little hand held strainers. I think you can use a coffee filter too. Boil for 10 mins then cover and take off heat. Just let it absorb the rest of the water.

I put some red peppers and Green Bell peppers under the Grill (broiler) to blacken the skin. This also makes them sweeter. Do remove the skins.

I take 2 boneless chicken breasts and put them in the freezer. If they are softly frozen it easier to cut them into small chunks. Then put in a frying pan with a little oil.

Cut up a few shallots and add to the cooking chicken bits.

Cut up mushrooms into chunks and add it.

Add the peppers.

Add some fresh Cilantro (coriander) at the end of cooking the chicken.

Juice a few limes and add the juice to the Quinoa.

Mix or just pile on a plate and enjoy.

Chicken and Stock

Every week I go to the farm store and buy a free range Chicken and some free range eggs. If I can’t make it to the farm store I go to the grocery store, but its always free range. Yes, its a little more expensive, but not much. And I can get 3 meals out of a chicken, usually.

It doesn’t matter if you roast the chicken or boil it you can get broth. The best broth comes from a boiled chicken. It is so easy. Just take a huge pot and plop the chicken in. I usually cut off any bands or ties that may be on it. Then fill the pot with water. I add a few bay leaves and Thyme. Rinse a stalk of celery and drop in, no need to cut it up. Take a small onion and peel the skin and cut in half and drop in. Peel a small carrot and cut off ends and drop in. These are for flavor not really for eating. Put on lid and turn on heat and boil the bird for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. You may need to add a little more water half way through. The bird is cooked when the legs and wings just fall off.

I just turn off the heat and let the bird sit in the water until it cools a little. Then with two big forks pull the bird out and sit it on a plate. This is like a roast bird, but not as greasy. When its cool enough to touch pull all the meat from the bones. This meat can be used in any dish that calls for chicken.

Once the stock has cooled down I pour it through a strainer to stain out veg or bones that may be in it. Strain it into a container with a lid. Put it in the fridge. The stock will thicken into a jelly consistency when its cold. The best bit is that all the fat will be sitting on top. Just take a spoon and scrap it off. Now you have a low fat, home made stock. Great to make soup, or anything that requires stock. As soon as the stock heats up it goes back to liquid so don’t worry about the jelly consistency.

Veggie Paella

I love Spain. I love going to a beach side restaurant and having freshly made Paella. There is nothing like it. You will, however, find me picking out all the fish, Mussels, and shrimp. I can’t  be doing with seafood. Ever since I got seafood poisoning in Dallas Tx at a lovely seafood place I can not stomach the idea. So here is my version of Paella. It is no where as good as the stuff in Spain, but I don’t live in Spain so I have to make due.

Veggie Paella

1 bag of Paella Rice

1 onion finely chopped

1 Bell Pepper finely chopped

1 carrot peeled into strips and chopped

3 stalks of celery finely chopped

1/2 cup peas

(any other veg you may have can go in the pot. I am not picky)

Olive Oil, enough to cover bottom of pan nicely.

Garlic  powdered or fresh

1/4 tsp of Saffron  (yes its expensive, but you can get it for about £2 at Tesco. Not the highest of quality. or leave out. It just wont be yellow)

1/2 to 3/4 tsp of Paprika to taste.

3 or 4 veg Oxo cubes

2 or 3 chicken Oxo cubes

1 can of chopped tomatoes

salt to taste

Boiling water or broth

Very similar to Risotto.

In pot, put in Olive oil and heat up. Add garlic, Paprika, saffron for 30 sec to flavour oil then add veg. Cook until onions have softened. Add rice and cook a bit more.

Now add boiling water or broth in ladle fulls. Then add Oxo cubes. Stir and let it boil then add more of the water. Repeat as its cooking rice. towards the end, about the time of the last ladle fulls add tomatoes and peas (if frozen, fresh add with other veg.) Taste and make sure that the rice is cooked. This wont be as creamy as Risotto.

My family loves this.  Makes a really nice meal.

Somethings wrong

The world is out of wack. There is something wrong with the Fridge. Its been to warm for days.  We may need a new one. Thank goodness the freezer “Seems” to be working. This is not in the plan. This is not in the budget. To top it off, I will have to throw out all the stuff in it.

They say it comes in threes. First it was the computer… dead. Now the fridge. Whats next… the TV? KNOCK ON WOOD!

My love for Risotto

Up to a few years ago I had never even eaten Risotto let alone made it. I kept seeing it being made on telly and it looked fairly easy. So I looked up a recipe  and dove in. My first try was okay, nothing special. It kind of turned hubby off but my step daughter loved it and I thought give it another shot. After all, I had never eaten it before so I really didn’t know what it was supposed to taste like.  So for 3 or 4 years now I have been perfecting it and I must say, its pretty damn good.

Here is my basic Risotto recipe.  Feel free to add any veg you want.

1 bag Risotto rice.

chopped onion

sliced Mushrooms

chopped red and yellow bell peppers

Chopped celery

use a peeler and peel carrot strips then chop up

1 container of low fat creme fresh  (or sour cream)

1 container of marscapone cheese (or ricotta)

Fresh  Parmesan cheese. Grated. I can not stress fresh not the crap that comes in the container.

1 big panfull of boiling water or stalk if you have it. On the hob on a low boil.

3 or 4 oxo cubes

Olive oil

White wine if you have it.

A couple of tablespoons of butter

In a large pot heat  up olive oil add spices. (what ever you like, thyme, oregano, basil, what ever) put it in for 30 seconds then add veg. fry up for about 10 mins. Then add rice and fry in for about 5 mins. This softens the rice a bit. This is a good place to add any additional veg you may want. Add white wine.

Now, by the ladle full, add water or broth. Add a few ladles at a time. Add your Oxo cubes. Stir and let it cook into the rice. Add more water/broth and cook into rice.  Repeat until rice is tender. (How do you know? taste it silly)  When rice is tender add butter.  Stir it in. Turn off heat. Add Creme fresh and Marscapone cheese and stir it in. Then grate the Parmesan cheese over the top and stir in. Taste. If it needs salt add a bit.

This is pretty basic and really really good. It will make a lot. Great for leftovers. My 2 year old son devours it. My step daughter is the same so its great for kids, with the bonus of them getting their 5 a day.