Oriental Beef Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 bag of coleslaw mix, shredded 
• 2 packages of Ramen noodles (chicken flavor)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
•  2-3 TBSP sesame seeds
• 1 seasoning packet from Ramen Noodles
• 1 cup rice vinegar 
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 TBSP sesame oil
• 4 TBSP sugar
• 1 flank steak
• 2 cups soy sauce 
•  salt/pepper

Instructions

1. Marinade the flank steak in the soy sauce for 30 minutes or more in the fridge. 
2. Season the steak with salt and pepper. In a grill pan, sear the steak over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes per side for medium rare; transfer to a plate to rest.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together rice vinegar, vegetable oil, sesame oil, sugar, and Ramen seasoning packet. 
4. In a large bowl, combine the slaw mix and dressing and toss. 
5. Crush the Ramen noodles into small pieces and spread out on a baking sheet with the almonds and sesame seeds. Broil until medium brown.
6. Add the dry Ramen noodles (right before serving) and toss again. Divide evenly among 4 shallow bowls.
7. Cut the steak into thin slices and distribute among the salads.

 

Another Beef and Broccoli

Another Beef and Broccoli

Once again, inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe, but sadly it was not orangy enough for my taste. But it was a delicious Beef and Broccoli recipe. So I've adjusted the recipe to make it a bit less misleading about the orange flavor. This also provided great leftovers for a good portioned lunch the next day. We made some homemade fried rice, but this would also go well with some plain rice, because the sauce is so flavorful. It served two of us with a third leftover comfortably.

Ingredients

• 4 cups broccoli
• 1 1/4 cups beef broth
• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons plum sauce
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1 3/4 pound flank steak sliced thin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a pot, bring water to a boil.
2. Cut the broccoli into 1-inch florets.
3. Boil the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes, then drain the broccoli and rinse under cold water. Save the pot.
4. In the pot, stir together the broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, plum sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Simmer on medium, whisking occasionally.
5. Slice the steak 1/4 inch thick, then cut the slices crosswise into thirds; toss with the remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch.
6. In a pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the steak and  cook, turning, until the meat is barely pink, about 2 minutes. Transfer the meat to a paper-towel-lined plate.
7. Stir in the meat, broccoli and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Indian Chicken Wraps

Indian Chicken Wraps
Inspired by the Food Network recipe "Indian Chicken Wraps."

 Ingredients

• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled
• 2 Serrano chile pepper, halved, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt
• 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
• 4 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 4 pieces naan bread, warmed

Instructions

1. The night before, pick apart the rotisserie chicken and seal in 1 cup of chicken stock with 2 tablespoons curry powder.
2. The next day, combine the ginger, chile, onion, cumin and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mini food processor and pulse to make a thick paste.
3. Mix the yogurt, lime juice, cilantro and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Cover and chill until ready to use.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
5. Add the ginger-chile paste and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is slightly toasted, about 5 minutes. 
6. Stir in the chicken, carrots, 2 tablespoons curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 cups chicken stock and continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and the chicken is heated through, about 2 more minutes. Season with salt.
7. Heat the naan bread according to the directions.
8. Spoon the chicken filling down the middle of each piece of bread. Drizzle with some of the yogurt sauce and roll up.

Moo Shu Pork

Moo Shu Pork
Inspired by Rachael Ray's Moo Shu Pork Kebabs.

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 12 ounces boneless pork chops, cut into thin strips
• 16 white mushrooms (cut into small chunks)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3-5 cups shredded coleslaw mix
• flour tortillas or rice pancakes (layered in 3s)

Instructions

1. Heat on Hi a pot on the stove.
2. In a bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Pour half of the mixture into a second bowl and stir in the cornstarch.
3. Toss the pork strips in the cornstarch and liquid mixture. Put into the hot pan to cook through.
4. When cooked through, throw in the mushrooms, shredded coleslaw mix, and the last of the liquid mixture.
5. Soften the coleslaw to taste.
6. Serve with tortillas or make the rice pancakes per directions and layer three on top, wrapping the mixture in the pancakes.

Note: Add more or less coleslaw per the ratio of your meat. Fried rice is a good side dish.

Crab Egg Rolls

Crab Egg Rolls

This recipe was inspired by one from Emeril Lagasse on foodnetwork.com. My store did not have any wonton wraps, so I used egg roll wraps instead, which turned it into an egg roll, instead of a Fresh Crab Spring Roll. These turned out beyond delicious and I would definitely make them again.

Ingredients

• 2 ounces Chinese cellophane or glass noodles, cooked
• Sesame oil
• Soy Sauce
• 1 bunch of green onions, chopped into strips
• 8 egg roll wrappers (or just a package, depending on how much you fill them)
• 1 pound jumbo lump crab meat (imitation works well, too)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons chili paste
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup julienne carrots
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
• Sweet Chili Sauce (for dipping)
• Vegetable Oil (or preferred frying oil)

Instructions

1. Cook the cellophane noodles by directions. It should say boil water, then remove from heat and let noodles sit in water until ready. Should only take 5-10 minutes, depending on how firm you want your noodles.
2. Once the noodles are done, spread them on a cookie sheet to dry and drain off as much water as possible. They will still retain moisture, which is ok. Spread 1 TBSP of Sesame Oil and 1 TBSP of Soy Sauce over the noodles and let them continue to sit.
3. Fill a high pot with enough oil to cover your egg rolls (so about 3-5 inches). Heat on almost high (so 8-9 on the nob) until a test piece of egg roll covering crisps.
4. In a bowl, mix the crab, mayonnaise, chili paste, and salt and pepper. It should be a thin coating on the crab.
5. Make sure your carrots of thin and the proper length of the egg roll. Then cut thin strips of the green onions so that they fit in the egg roll. Halve the green tops, quarter the whiter bottoms.
6. Form an assembly line of your ingredients. First the cellophane noodles, then the crab, then the carrots and onions and lastly some of the parsley (just add as is to the roll).
7. Have your egg roll wrapper face you like a diamond. About an inch from the corner closest to you, lay some of the cellophane noodles, then 1 tsp or 1.5 tsp of the crab mixture, then layer or vegetables and herbs. Take the corner closest to you and roll/fold it over the mixture. Then fold in the left and right sides and roll to the other corner. Use a little dip of water to close the flap if just rolling it does not.
8. Test the oil with an imperfect piece of egg roll. When ready, put 1-2 egg rolls in at a time and watch them. Cook for about 5 minutes or until a deep golden brown on all sides. 
9. Take out and put on a paper towel to soak up any leftover oil. 
10. Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice. A Peanut Sauce or a Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.

Storage: a Tupperware or other airtight container. Keeps for about 5 days.

Sesame Chicken Stir Fry (Sainsbury's Experiment Night 10)

Sesame Chicken Stir Fry
(from Sainsbury's)
Serves: 2
Per Serving:410cals; 15g fat

Ingredients
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg white
2 skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 tbsp sesame seeds
for frying sunflower oil
1 x 270g pack oriental vegetable stir fry
a splash each of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil

Method
1. Whisk the cornflour and egg white until smooth, then toss with the chicken to coat.
2. Remove and toss with the sesame seeds. Heat a shallow layer of oil in a nonstick pan and fry the chicken for about 5 minutes until cooked and golden all over. Set aside.
3. Tip off most of the oil and cook the vegetables according to pack instructions.
4. Return the chicken to the pan.
5. Season with the soy sauce and sesame oil. (Good with rice or noodles.)

Note: Our chicken was substituted by Sainsbury's, so instead of the chicken breasts, we were given chicken tenders. These worked out really well, because I didn't need to slice up chicken or anything. I just had to dredge, coat, and cook.

We also added an extra yellow onion and a courgette (zuchinni), because I like to have my vegetables be the main attraction on dishes like this. I also made some basmati with egg rice for my husband to eat with this and he LOVED it.

This dish was easy, delicious, and we will definitely be cooking it again.

Oriental Pork Noodles (Sainsbury's Experiment Night 8)

For those of you who don't know, I have been getting these recipes off of Sainsburys.co.uk. If I use another site, I will link it. So I haven't made any of these up, they are recommended as cheap, quick meals by the grocery store website. That also means that the ingredients are sometimes certain brands, so work with what you have at home.


Oriental Pork Noodles
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-7 minutes

You will need:
500g British diced pork,
4x65g packs basics instant chicken noodles,
500g basics vegetable stir fry,
500g black bean stir fry sauce
(items from your store cupboard: olive oil, salt and pepper)

Method
1. Cook 4 x 65g packs of basics instant chicken noodles, following pack instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a hot wok, stir-fry 500g diced pork with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 4–5 minutes. Ensure the pork is thoroughly cooked, season with salt and pepper and remove.
3. Add a 500g bag of basics stir-fry vegetables to the wok with a little water and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add a 500g jar of black bean stir-fry sauce and combine with the noodles. Add the pork and heat through until piping hot. Serve immediately.

This dish was really disappointing. There was no flavor. The sauce was immediately soaked up by everything in the dish. And it doesn't have a good reheat quality about it, because of the noodles. I just couldn't believe how flavorless it was. We added Chinese 5 Spice at the end, just so it wasn't bland vegetables with bland meat with bland noodles. Don't think we're going to cook this again.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 2

Tonight we made our second dinner from my Sainsbury's shopping experiment. I chose to make the Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles dish. I was a little unsure about this dish, mostly for Ray, because he doesn't like avocado very much, but it had hints of oriental noodle flavors that I have played around with in the past. My only personal concern was for the rice noodles, which I struggle with cooking.

Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles

Ingredients
60g (2½oz)Thai rice noodles
2 large avocado
2 large red chillies
2 limes, zest and juice
1 pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1 handful Frozen Soya beans, defrosted
1 x 220g pack Cooked jumbo king prawns
3 tbsp Chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp Chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp Chopped peanuts

Method
1. Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, then leave to cool.
2. Peel and chop the avocado, and finely chop the chillies, removing the seeds. Toss the lime zest and juice in a bowl with the chillies, sugar, sesame oil, avocado, soya beans and a pinch of salt.
3. Add the prawns to the bowl with the herbs and noodles.
4. Toss together and serve in bowls, scattered with the peanuts.

Serves: 2
Per Serving:602cals, 38.8g fat, of which 7.1g saturated fat; 31.5g carbohydrate; 31g protein; 1g added sugar; 0.6g salt; 6.1g fiber

Tonight's dish was almost a miss. I originally forgot the pinch of sugar and my portion had a few too many soya beans. I ended up cooking the shrimp in some garlic and a little bit of butter before adding, which really helped enhance the dish. I have no pictures, because I thought the dish would not be a re-do, but Ray ended up enjoying and we're going to try to make it again at a later date. It was very easy to make and very filling, because of the vegetables.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1

Night one of the experiment will be the Thai burgers and since it was just the burgers, we decided to add a soup. Our Damhead order came this afternoon, so we decided to make a parsnip and leek soup. I'm not really sure how the two will go together, but I'm thinking the playful flavors of the two will pair well.

Thai burgers (would cook again)
Per Serving: 376kcal, 41.3g protein, 11.4g fat, of which 2.8g saturated fat, 28.9g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 1.6g fiber and 1.2g salt

Ingredients
500g Turkey mince
1 bunch Spring onions, finely sliced
1½ tbsp Thai green or red curry paste (we used green)
½ x 25g pack Coriander, chopped
a little Sunflower oil, for frying
4 Crusty white round rolls
½ Round lettuce



Method
In a bowl, mix the turkey mince, spring onions, curry paste and coriander together until well combined.
Season and shape into 4 burgers, about 2cm thick.

Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Halve the rolls and fill with lettuce leaves and a burger.

Note: We used an ale whole grain mustard, as well as ketchup and fresh tomatoes, which worked wonderfully with the burger.



Recipe for Parsnip and leek soup
3 parsnips
2 large leeks
Knob of butter
Olive oil
500ml vegetable stock
Bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
250ml milk
4 tbsps crème fraiche

Heat a dash of olive oil and the knob of butter in a large, lidded, heavy-bottomed pan. Wash the leeks and slice thinly then add to the pan when the fat starts to bubble. Stir thoroughly until the leeks are covered and then cook on a medium heat until the leeks are soft and translucent, then crush and add the garlic and cook for five more minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the parsnips, then add to the leeks and garlic, stir to combine well, then cover and sweat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After 10 minutes the parsnips should be soft. Turn the heat up a little and add the stock and bay leaf, plus salt and pepper, then cover and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until it has a soft and mushy consistency. Remove the bay leaf, then add the milk, stir to combine then remove from the heat. Then blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth, return to the heat, and finally, add the creme fraiche for a special creamy finish.

Serve immediately with crusty bread and a bit of grated cheddar. The soup can also be frozen in separate portions. It can be reheated in the microwave, but it’s best heated up in a pan with a little milk.


Note: Next time I would rather cook the parsnips, garlic, bay leaf and leeks in the vegetable stock until tender. Then strain the stock and put the vegetables (minus bay leaf) into a food processor and slowly add back in the stock, which would mean adding a bit more stock than this recipe calls for, since some will boil off when cooking. Then after getting a good texture, but not too thin, add back to the pot and add the milk or double cream. We did not use creme fraische.


Overall, Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1 was a great experience and everything is off to a great start. That is not to say that there won't be some not-super recipes, but at least tonight makes me hopeful.

My Sainsbury's Experiment

I did something crazy today, which was simply on a whim, but I was so taken by the idea, that I couldn't help myself. I was trying to purchase something on Sainsburys.com, but I didn't spend £40, so it wouldn't let me order it. So I was bouncing through recipes (those Fiver recipes that Sainsburys boasts about) and I found some great ideas. And as I looked at them, I noticed you could order the groceries online. You could hit the "order ingredients" and it would take you to a page where you could order all of the ingredients! I was blown away. I ended up picking 6 meals and ordering the ingredients. Some even shared similar ingredients, which allowed me to only purchase some items once. I did notice that sometimes some items weren't listed and I had to hunt them down and add them myself, but that's okay.

So when I did the math, minus the 4 silly cheap items I bought and the £3.50 delivery fee, £42.50 for 6 meals. That's £7 a meal, most of which will have leftovers for the following day (don't do the conversion, because its not applicable to you if you aren't paying according to the living standards of here)! I think that's absolutely brilliant! So here are the recipes from Sainsbury's that I'll be trying:

Chorizo and pasta hot pot
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
100g pack Spanish chorizo
2onions
390g carton chopped tomatoes
250g pack conchigliette
400gWhite farmhouse loaf

Method
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or saucepan and add 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped. Add 1 x 100g pack Spanish chorizo, with each slice halved, and fry until crispy.
Add 1 x 390g carton chopped tomatoes and stir in 120g conchigliette.
Add 1 liter vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add a handful of frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the peas are cooked.
Serve in large bowls with chunks of bread on the side

Spinach and ricotta pasta bake
Serves: 3
Per Serving: 546 kcal, 22.7g protein, 28.2g fat, of which 16.8g saturated fat, 53.7g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 4.0g fiber and 1.0g salt

Ingredients
50g Butter
A bunch of Spring onions, finely sliced
250g Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
200g Dried penne or fusilli pasta
A generous grating Nutmeg
30g Freshly grated grana padano
250g Ricotta

Method
Heat 40g butter in a pan, add the spring onions and cook for 2 minutes.
Squeeze excess water from the spinach and add to the pan. Leave over a low heat to absorb the butter.
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions.
Season the spinach and onions with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
Add 20g grana padano.
Drain the pasta and tip into the spinach.
Stir in the ricotta mixture and spoon into a buttered dish.
Scatter with the rest of the grana padano.
Melt the remaining butter, trickle over, place under the grill and heat until golden.

Thai burgers
Per Serving: 376kcal, 41.3g protein, 11.4g fat, of which 2.8g saturated fat, 28.9g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 1.6g fiber and 1.2g salt

Ingredients
500gTurkey mince
1 bunch Spring onions, finely sliced
1½ tbsp Thai green or red curry paste
½ x 25g pack Coriander, chopped
a little Sunflower oil, for frying
4Crusty white round rolls
½ Round lettuce

Method
In a bowl, mix the turkey mince, spring onions, curry paste and coriander together until well combined.
Season and shape into 4 burgers, about 2cm thick.
Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Halve the rolls and fill with lettuce leaves and a burger.

Penne with prawns and courgettes
Serves: 4
Per Serving:440cals; 10g fat

Ingredients
350g Dried penne
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 Courgettes, trimmed and cut into batons
2 Garlic cloves fat, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 glass Dry white wine
1 x 220g pack Cooked large king prawns
½ Lemon zest grated
a handful of Flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the penne according to pack instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the oil, add the courgettes and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and golden, stirring in the garlic and chilli for the final 2 minutes.
Next, add the wine and prawns, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Drain the pasta and toss with the prawn mixture, lemon zest and parsley.
Season to taste.

Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles
Serves: 2
Per Serving: 602cals, 38.8g fat, of which 7.1g saturated fat; 31.5g carbohydrate; 31g protein; 1g added sugar; 0.6g salt; 6.1g fiber

Ingredients
60g (2½oz) Thai rice noodles
1 large avocado
1 large avocado
2 large red chillies
2 limes, zest and juice
1 pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1 handful Frozen Soya beans, defrosted
1 x 220g pack Cooked jumbo king prawns
3 tbsp Chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp Chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp Chopped peanuts

Method
Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, then leave to cool.
Peel and chop the avocado, and finely chop the chilies, removing the seeds. Toss the lime zest and juice in a bowl with the chilies, sugar, sesame oil, avocado, soya beans and a pinch of salt.
Add the prawns to the bowl with the herbs and noodles.
Toss together and serve in bowls, scattered with the peanuts.

Jerk chicken with coconut bean rice
Serves: 4

Ingredients
200g Long grain rice
1 x 410g tin Black-eye beans
1 x 400ml tin Coconut milk
8 Chicken thighs
1½ tbsp Jerk seasoning mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 Zest and juice of lime

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, and simmer the rice for 10 minutes.
Drain, return to the pan with the black-eye beans and their juice and the coconut milk.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
Toss the chicken thighs with the jerk seasoning mix and the oil.
Fry over a high heat for 3 minutes in a large ovenproof frying pan.
Add the sliced onions to the pan, lift the chicken on top, fry for 2 minutes, place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes until cooked through
Serve on the coconut bean rice sprinkled with lime zest and juice

My delivery is on Tuesday, the same day as my fruit and veg delivery from Damhead, so I hope to incorporate the two. EXCITEMENT!!!!

Damhead Organic Deliveries Week 1

We got our first Organic Fruit and Veg box delivered on Tuesday from Damhead farms. Here is a breakdown of what we got:

Small Fruit Bag (23 fruit items 9.80pounds/0.41p an item)
4 oranges
5 bananas
7 apples
4 plums
3 pears

Small Fruit & Veg Box (43 total items 10pounds/0.23p an item)
2 oranges
5 bananas
5 apples
1 courgette
3 leeks
2 little lettuce heads
3 tomatoes
4 parsnips
1 rutabaga
4 carrots
4 small onions
8 potatoes (various sizes)

By Satuday, November 1st, we have already gone through almost everything. Here is what we have left:

4 oranges, 2 bananas, 6 apples, 4 plums, 1 pear, and 1 courgette.

We only ate out once since the delivery. The fruit we didn’t do anything special with. A recipe came with the bag of Fruit and Veg, but we didn’t find it until we were cleaning out the bag to return it. It was for Winter Vegetable Minestrone Soup. I hope to cook it, as it looks very delicious and hearty. Here are some of the recipes I made with the items we received:

Parsnip, Carrot, and Potato Pancakes
(Makes 10 medium pancakes)
2 parsnip
2 carrots
3 potatoes
2 onions
1 cup all purpose flower
3 eggs
Salt and Pepper
Butter or Olive Oil for cooking

1. Peel and shred parsnips, carrots, and potatoes. Dice the onion.

2. In a bowl, at 1 cup all purpose flour and 3 eggs (pre-whisk the eggs before adding). Add salt and pepper as you prefer.

3. In a hot pan, add the butter/olive oil and start spooning in mixture to make little pancakes. Cook through on one side and then flip to cook the over side.

4. Lightly salt when you take them out of the pan. Serve with apple sauce, sour cream or ketchup, as you prefer!


Parsnip, Carrot, Rutabaga and Leek Cream Soup
(Serves 3-4)
2 parsnip (peeled and diced)
2 carrot (peeled and diced)
1 rutabaga (peeled and diced)
2 leek (cleaned, chopped, don’t use dark green area)
2 Knorr Vegetable Cubes
8 cups water
1 cup heavy cream

1. Heat the water and Vegetable Cubes to boiling.

2. Add the parsnips, carrots, rutabaga, and leeks. Cook until tender.

3. Drain, saving broth, and put into food processors. Blend until smooth, adding liquid. Put through a fine strainer if you want it really smooth, but otherwise it’ll have a few lumps.

4. Put back into pot and add 1 cup heavy cream. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Oriental Lettuce Cup
(Serves 2-3)
2 heads lettuce (tiny cups)
2 pound ground beef
2 TBSP Chinese 5 Spice
3 eggs
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp diced garlic
1 jar Housin Sauce

1. Cook the ground beef in a pan with the Chinese 5 Spice. Drain off grease and set aside.

2. Mix three eggs in a bowl with soy sauce and diced garlic. Salt and pepper as preferred. Put 2 TBSP butter or margarine in a pan and scramble the eggs while they cook in the pan until light and fluffy and cooked as you prefer.

3. Lay out the lettuce slices, so that they appear like little cups. Make sure they’re dry.

4. Lay some of the egg on the lettuce. Then cover it with the ground beef. Add a tsp of housing sauce over the top. Wrap and eat.


Potato and Leek Cream Soup
(serves 2)
4 potatoes (skinned and diced)
2 leeks (chopped, don’t use the dark green part)
3/4 cup double cream (heavy cream)
2 Knorr Chicken Cubes
6 cups water

1. Heat up the water and chicken cubes. Put in the diced potatoes and leeks.

2. Cook until extremely tender. Drain and save the broth.

3. Put the potatoes and leeks in a food processor with 1 cup of the broth from the cooking. Puree until smooth. Add more liquid as needed.

4. Then pour back in pan and add 3/4 cup double cream and mix thoroughly on very low heat until fully combined. It should be a very smooth, thin cream soup.

Tuna and Potato Bake
(serves 2)
4 potatoes (skinned and diced)
3 tomatoes (+4 non-organic tomatoes)
2 small onions (diced)
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp yellow, spicy mustard
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 can preferred tuna (drained)
Salt and pepper

1. Roast Tomatoes in halves and then chop into quarters. Dice small onions and cook them in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil until slightly soft. Skin and dice potatoes and cook them in water under soft.

2. Let the tomatoes and onions cool. When cool, add mayonnaise, mustard, and tuna.

3. Drain potatoes and spread on the bottom of a small baking dish. Let cool slightly. Salt and pepper. Pour tuna mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle grated cheese on top.

4. Put under broiler for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly brown. Serve.


Next week we’re debating over what box we want to get. We like the amount of fruit, but we want more veg, I think. There was a salad bag they had listed which gives us peppers and things. We’re actually discussing testing the Large Fruit and Veg box which seems to have everything and will probably give us the amounts we want, since we do cook at home pretty much every night.

As of week one, I think it was really great. I’m worried about how soup seems to be the primary recipe to work with having so many vegetables. So I have a lot of research to do to try to find out how to expand what I can cook, because Ray does not like having soup every single day, despite it being winter. I can't wait to see what next Tuesday will bring.