Portobello Burger

This is a burger version of the portobello mushroom steak that is a perfect summer dish! The basil-mustard sauce is delicious and can be used on other burgers and BBQ.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

For the burgers you need:

1 portobello mushroom per person

A taste of olive-oil mixed with minced garlic

Pre-heat oven to 400 F/ 200 C. Then brush the portobello mushrooms with the olive-oil, garlic mix (according to your tastebuds). Place in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove. In the meantime, toast the buns in the oven and prepare the basil mustard sauce.

Basil-Mustard Sauce

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup shopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk these four ingredients together in a small bowl. Top the burgers with basil-mustard sauce to your liking. You're done!

Portobello Mushroom Steaks

If you veggies are craving something substantial and meaty, look no farther! This is absolutely delicious and I savored every bite. If I were to make this again I would definitely use large portabello mushrooms rather than medium sized, and serve fried potatoes as well. (otherwise you may be a little hungry)

Serves 2
15 minutes prep, 30 min cooking

You need:
4 large portabella mushrooms
1/3 pack (85 g) soft butter
2 garlic cloves
3 heaped tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp olive oil
s/p

Set the oven to 400F/200C. Wipe mushrooms and cut off stalks with a sharp knife. Mash butter in a bowl with the crushed garlic and finely chopped parsley, season with s/p. Pour one tbsp of the olive oil in a baking dish large enough to take mushrooms in a signel layer. Lay out the mushrooms stalk upwards and divide the garlic butter btw mushrooms, spreading it evenly inside the cups (a butter knife helps). Drizzle olive oil over edges and bake for about 25-30 min until they are cooked through. Make sure you serve with some carbs!

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

This recipe is a healthier version of the usually fried fare. I've only made it once and it turned out okay (although Claire thinks it was good...). Anyway though, try it for yourself, its good for takeaway lunch in tupperware! And let me know if you have an idea to spruce this dish up.

Serves 3 people

20 min prep/35 min oven

You need:

1 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced

1 egg, beaten in a bowl

150 g Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 large clove garlic, chopped

Basil

Some fresh mozarella

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 175 C, 350 F. Place the can of chopped tomatoes in a saucepan and very gently heat with the chopped garlic. Season the sauce with s/p and basil. After, leave the sauce on the side to cool. In the meantime, dip the eggplant slices in the egg bowl and then dip in the bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet and heat in the oven for five minutes each side. In a baking dish, lay some of the sauce on the bottom and then layer with eggplant. Season and lay some sauce on top, then repeat with another layer of eggplant, until all eggplant slices are used. Top with mozzarella and extra parmesan. Add basil leaves for a pretty touch!

Creamy Garlic and Potato Bake

Also known as potatoes au gratin. Make a big batch and you can have plenty for dinner and leftovers for lunch the next day. It is sooo good. It can work as a side meal as well.

Serves 6 (in the picture I made less by using less potatoes)
15-20 min prep/ 60 min oven

You need:
284 ml carton whipping cream
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into thin slices
750 g potatoes
25 g soft butter
100 ml semi skimmed milk
2 tbsp fresh parmesan

Heat the oven to 375f. Pour cream into a small saucepan and heat gently with the sliced garlic. Leave to cool while you peel potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Butter a shallow ovenproof dish and place a layer of potatoes over the bottom. Dot a bit of butter on the potato and season with salt and pepper. repeat until all potatoes are used. Pour over the warm cream and enough milk to come almost to the top of the potatoes. Sprinkle over grated parmesan and bake for 50-60 min until the top is browned and potatoes are cooked through.

Couscous with Spinach, Roasted tomatoes, Feta

Couscous is very difficult to flavor, but this recipe will change your mind! This dish is quite fancy, so if you have the left over ingredients to cook this use it as a side for an elegant dinner for your veggie *friend*. First you need to roast some cherry tomatoes so see the recipe below before you go ahead.

For four people side/ or two very hungry!
35 minutes not including the tomatoes

You need:
45 g couscous/person
a tbsp instant mushroom soup
1 red chili chopped and deseeded
1/2 lemon
Fresh basil (4 leaves, broken 2-3 pieces)
250 g roasted tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
Feta cheese

Directions: Cook the couscous according to directions on the pack. Sautee some spinach and garlic in some olive oil until cooked. Then add the soup, the chili, and the roasted tomatoes, and mix in with the couscous. Sprinkle the feta cheese and mix in the lemon juice, as well as the fresh basil. That's it! So easy

Elegant Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes are great for salads and for sprucing up dishes to make them fancier. If you have cherry tomatoes that are about to go bad, this is a simple recipe that will keep them usable! Simply roast the tomatoes and put them in the freezer and you can intermittently use them for months.

How to do it:
Preheat the oven at the lowest temperature. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a baking tray. Sprinkle with a little sugar, rock salt, and pepper. Place in the oven for 2 hrs and 15 minutes. YUM

TIP 1... Bread can go in the freezer, did you know that? Get some french rolls and store in the freezer for when you want some french bread with dinner or for sandwiches.

Spicy Homemade Black Bean Chili

This dish only takes 20 minutes and is very CHEAP to make. But the best part of this dish is that it can be used for multiple purposes. It's versatile in the sense that you can make it if you want a feast for four, or a dinner and next day lunch for one + fridge raids. Mexican food novice cooks, this dish is for you!

20 minutes
Serves 4 people/ 1 person 2 meals

You need:
1 can of black beans
1 green pepper (optional but do it)
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 level tsp chili powder (or more!)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 tbsp fresh coriander

- Cook black beans on a low heat in a pot
- Meanwhile, wash pepper, cut into quarters, cut away white pith and seeds and cut into chunks
- Heat oil in saucepan and add the onion and pepper and cook for 7-8 min or until the onions soften
- Add garlic, chili powder, and stir; add tomatoes and stir again
- Turn heat down, and simmer for 15 minutes
- Drain the beans, add to the tomato mixture, stir, and cook for another 10-15 minutes
- Just before serving add salt and coriander

TIP 1… You can serve with the following items: sour cream; 1-2 avocados, chopped; ½ small pack of crumbled white cheese/goat cheese; tortilla chips; baked sweet potatoes
TIP 2… Leftover beans are good as a filling for pita bread or a wrap.

Spaghetti with sweet cherry tomato and basil sauce

This sauce tastes better than anything you can buy in the store and can be made while cooking the pasta. It’s really decadent and seems fancy but if you like the flavor of cherry tomatoes it can be very affordable!

15 minutes
Serves 2-3/ extra sauce for later

You need:
250 g cherry tomatoes
1 small clove garlic, peeled and crushed
Pasta
6-8 basil leaves, torn into 2-3 pieces

- Heat oil in a frying pan and add the tomatoes, frying for 2-3 min until the skins split
- Cover pan with a lid or with foil and cook for 4-5 min until soft
- Crush them with a fork or wooden spoon so the juices run out, turn the heat down, add garlic
- Stir and cook for 8-10 min until sauce begins to thicken
- Cook pasta in the meantime, drain and return to the pan
- Season the sauce with salt, sugar, and plenty of pepper; then add basil; pour on top of of pasta

TIP 1… You can add meat to this dish to make it fancier, such as prawns.
TIP 2… A spoonful of crème fraiche makes the sauce creamy! If you like creamy sauces you can do this with most tomato based sauces.

Healthy, Versatile, Filling and Yummy Cold Salad

45 minutes
For 3-4 people/servings


2 small avocados
6 new potatoes
8 cherry tomatoes
spinach
carrotes (4 big ones)
some frozen peas (thaw or steam them)
1 onion
creme fraiche
red wine vinegar
dijon mustard
red chilis (i used 2 small ones)
fresh parsley
3 eggs
Some feta cheese

- chop new potatoes in quarters, boil.
- Cut carrots into sticks an inch long, steam.
- Steam peas. Chop onion, not diced but in strings, saute in olive oil, cook over low heat for 10 mins, covered.
- boil eggs, then slice.
- Mix a glug of red wine vinegar with creme fraiche, add a good dollop of mustard, season with salt and pepper, add chopped red chili pepper. Add fresh parsley.
- Let potatoes, eggs, carrots and peas cool.
- Chop avocados, cherry tomatoes. Then put layer of uncooked spinach leaves on plate, pile potatoes/carrots/peas/onions/tomatoes/avocado/onion/eggs etc on top. Pour creme fraiche mixture over, mix it up a bit. Then top off with feta cheese.
No meat in it, but could prob put some bacon in it to appease the omnivores.

TIP 1... Creme fraiche is an effective ingredient in making cold salads. Cold salads are very versatile (you can use any leftover veggies) and are easy to take away for lunch the next day(s) in tupperware!
TIP 2... Steaming vegetables is easy, just place vegetables in a steamer over boiling water. Make sure you buy a steamer with multiple tiers if you want to steam 2 or 3 vegetables at once. Do this on a night you have a bit of free time.

The Cheapest Soup made with items already in the fridge

Hello my fellow foodies! I made a delicious soup tonight and I have to share this recipe because it is CHEAP, TASTY, and serves 4 (or 4 meals for you!!) This potato, onion, and garlic soup is a free meal if you have the leftover items necessary in your kitchen. It takes a while to make but the prep time is short (15 min) so if you are studying you can steal a look at your books while the soup simmers! All in all you need 45 minutes but you can eat it for at least three meals afterwards.

15 minutes prep/45 minutes cook
4 people/servings

You need: 2 onions, 1 large clove garlic, one large/two medium sized potatoes, one vegetable stock cube, and of course butter and oil
It would be nice (basically you should include this): a handful of parsley, 1/2 tbsp of thyme

prep: chop the onions in slices, and chop the garlic in to fine pieces. Place 4 tsp of olive oil in a pan and add a good chunk of butter. Once melting at medium heat, add the onions and garlic and allow to cook until the onion smells sweet and is nice and soft while stirring very occasionally (should be 25 minutes).
In the meanwhile quarter the potato(s) and chop into slices. Roughly chop the parsley as well. After the onions have cooked for 25 minutes add the potatoes and onions, salt and pepper the mixture, and allow it to fry for a few minuts. In the meantime boil 1 litre of water and add a stock cube. After frying for a few minutes, dump everything in the pan into the pot of boiling soup and cook for a minute before reducing the heat to a simmer (medium heat). Slow cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add lots of salt and you are ready to enjoy!

TIP... slow-cooking onions makes them sweet and really brings out the flavor. make sure you cook this dish sloooowly

its delicious, trust me.

A very beginner's first meal

1. Scrambled eggs! (with cheese)
Scrambled eggs are a good first meal because you probably have eaten them numerous times but have never made them well yourself. This is a very easy way to introduce yourself to the joy of cooking and it will help increase your low level of confidence in the kitchen. Will not take more than 10 minutes.
Recipe: Heat a saucepan at medium heat. Crack two eggs in a bowl and whisk until the yolks are at a liquid consistency. Add a little salt and pepper in to taste, and if you like, a dash of milk. Place a dollop of butter in the saucepan and once it melts pour in the egg mixture. Cook the mixture over a low heat, stirring until it starts to solidify. If you like cheese, you may grate some cheddar on top. Once the eggs are no longer runny place on a plate and serve.
This recipe is the bare essentials... when you increase your cooking abilities you may add peas, bacon bits, tomatoes, whatever you like.
TIP 1... Remember, you almost always cook at a low heat!!
TIP 2 ... For your caffeine fix make some English breakfast tea! use your kettle to boil water quickly, then add to a cup along with a tea bag and some sugar. LESS THAN A MINUTE = better than coffee


2. Fried eggs over toast
Another variation. Add butter into saucepan at low heat, then crack the eggs in. do not touch! Wait until egg is fully cooked through and add onto toast.