Moroccan Root Vegetable Stew (V)

I'm at it again with the slow cooker. Let combine this with something Vegetarian (also realised it's Vegan too). After mulling over I came up with this spicy yet fruity concoction. It's sure to warm you up in the cold nights. Key to cooking vegetarian is to utilise herbs and spices to amplify flavour. Should contribute to your 5 fruit and veg a day (So bonuses all round).

Serves 6

Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, crushed

½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Cumin

½ tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Ground Ginger 

1 Cinnamon Stick

Few Strands of Saffron

1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and diced

3 Medium Carrots, peeled and diced

3 Parsnips, Peeled and diced

Small Butternut Squash, peeled and diced

400g Can Chickpeas, drained

1.25ml Vegetable Stock

½ Mug Sultanas

3 tbsp Plain Flour

3 Handfuls Spinach

1. In a frying pan/removable pot in the slow cooker heat olive oil over a medium heat on the hob. Add the onion, garlic, flour and spices to the pan. Cook until the onions have softened.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the spinach and sultanas to the slow cooker. Give a stir. And leave for the following:

- Low - 7 - 8 Hours
- Medium -  5 - 6 Hours
- High - 3 - 4 Hours

3. An hour before the food is done add the sultanas and spinach to the slow cooker and give a stir then leave to cook.for the final hour. Then serve. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka

I'm on  a roll with these slow cooker recipes. But lets get British with this one. There is much talk with where this meal originates from. Some believe it was first created in an Indian subcontinent and others believe is Glasgow, Scotland. Either way this dish is lovely and will bring everyone to the table.

Serves 4

5-6 Chicken Thighs, cut into chunks

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Paprika

1tsp Ground Coriander

1 Large Onion, finely chopped

3 Garlic Cloves. crushed

2 tbsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Fresh/Lazy Ginger

2 tbsp Plain Flour

2 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 Can Chopped Tomatoes

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

400ml Coconut Milk

1 Red Chili, deseeded (keep seeds it you want hotter), diced
Olive Oil
Fresh Coriander (garnish)

1. In a frying pan/removable pot in the slow cooker heat olive oil over a medium heat on the hob. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken has changed colour. Add the onion, garlic and chili until softened. If using a frying pan put the chicken mixture mixture in the slow cooker. If not place the pot in the slow cooker.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the coconut milk to the slow cooker. Give a stir. And leave for the following:

- Low - 7 - 8 Hours
- Medium -  5 - 6 Hours
- High - 3 - 4 Hours

3. Half an hour before the curry has finished add the Coconut Milk. Serve with rice and/or naan bread. Optional Garnish with Coriander.

Dark Chocolate, Orange and Ginger Biscuits

As the seasons change so does my baking. These are three different flavours but work well together. Give them a go and share them with your friends

Makes 36-40 Biscuits

150g Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

175g Golden Caster Sugar

Juice and Zest of 1 Large Orange

2 tsp Ground Ginger

2 level tsp of Baking Powder

350g Plain flour shifted

100g Dark Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted. Line baking trays with greaseproof paper. 

2. Cream the butter and sugar together until combined. Then add the juice and zest of an orange and ginger and mix. 

3. Add the flour and baking powder and mix. Before all the flour is combined and add the dark chocolate and mix till combined. If too wet add more flour. 

4. Form into a ball and wrap in cling film. Then put in the fridge for up to an hour. 

5. Take out of the fridge and roll on a floured surface with a rolling pin. The mixture should have a thickness of just under 0.5 cm (similar to a £1 coin). Another way to tell you have the correct thickness is you can feel the bumps of the chocolate chips when you roll the dough. I used a 6 cm circular cutter and place on the tray with space between each biscuit. Then put in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 minutes on the tray. Then move to a wire rack until cooled fully and put in an airtight container. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Gareth's Mild King Prawn Curry

I need to work on my heat strength this is mild and it you want it to be spicier then add more chillies and chilli powder.If you want to make curries then it is worth investing in a wide variety of spices. 

Serves 2

200g King Prawns, peeled
1 Onion, finely chopped
2 Garlic Cloves
200ml Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 tbsp Mango Chutney
6 Curry Leaves

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

Spices
1 tsp Ginger
½ tsp Ground Coriander

½ tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Fennel seeds

½ tsp Cumin Seeds

¼ tsp Turmeric

½ tsp Coriander Seeds

1. Hea the pan on a high heat. Then add the spices to the pan. Dry fry for 1 -2 minutes to release the flavours.

2. Then add the olive oil and fry the onions, garlic and chillies and fry for 5 minutes on a medium heat. 

3. Then add the prawns and curry leaves, cook til the prawns changes colour from grey to pink. 

4.  Then add the coconut milk, mango chutney and tomato puree. Mix all the ingredients together and put on a low heat. Cook for about 20 minutes til the sauce has thickened. Serve with rice and/or naan.

Plum Jam (V)

Jam Session.

Been meaning to upload this recipe for a while. For those who froze their plums and need a jam recipe. This is for you :) Makes about 1.25 litre of jam. Also I know I am breaking the rule of 1:1 of sugar to fruit but it doesn't need all that sugar. 

1.25 litres Jam

1.5kg Victoria Plums

900g Sugar (should get sugar for high pectin fruit)

2 tsp Ginger

3 tsp Cinnamon

Lemon Juice

150ml Water

Jars for the Jam







1. This is probably part of the recipe which will take a lot of effort. For the plums you need to cut them in half and de-stone them.

2. Put the oven on a low heat (Just over 100c). Clean the jar with warm soapy water and rinse. Then place the jars in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the jars are dry. This will sterilise the jars so the jam can stay fresh for longer. Make sure you take any metal clips or rubber seals before putting in the oven.

3. Use a large pan or a preserving pan, add about 150ml of water and a bit of lemon juice and add the plums to the pan. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

4. The skin should be falling from the flesh of the fruit. Add the sugar and spices. Allow the sugar to dissolve slowly. Then bring to a boil once the sugar has dissolved and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

5. If you don't have a thermometer, to test if the jam is done, take a bit of jam and place it on a small plate. Leave it 5 minutes and if you poke it and it wobbles, its done. It doesn't leave it for another 10 minutes and test again. If you do the ideal temperature is 105c.

6. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. Then spoon the jam into your jars and leave to cool further. The jam is good for toast, Roly Polly or use in a Victoria Sponge.

Root Vegetable and Lentil Curry (V)

So I am in this expert patient programme and one of the task I set myself was to cook healthier this week. So here it is a curry with I don't know how many of my fruit and vegetables for the day.

Serves 4

Vegetable Oil
600g Sweet Potato, peeled and cut into chunks
3 Parsnips, peeled and sliced
3 Carrots, peeled and sliced
750ml Vegetable Stock
1 Onion, finely sliced
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
250 g Low Fat Yoghurt
1 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tbsp Curry Powder (strength- Personal preference)
Naan Bread
150g Red Lentils
Fresh Coriander

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the oil until softened. Add the carrots, parsnips and sweet potato to the pan and fry for about 10 minutes.

2. Add the curry powder, turmeric, ground coriander and ginger to the pan and stir in. Continuously stir over the heat for about 2 minutes. Add the stock and lentils to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat. Cover and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. The sauce should reduce and thicken and the vegetables should be tender.

3. Add the yoghurt to the pan and heat through for about 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander and serve with the naan bread.

Rhubarb Crumble (V)

A classic pudding ready to harvest for this time of year. Perfect with custard

Serves 8

Crumble

180g Plain Flour

120g Butter

2 tbsp Almonds

110g Brown Sugar

3 tbps Oats

8 sticks of rhubarb

130g Caster Sugar

2 tbps Runny Honey

1 tsp Ginger

1. Preheat the oven at 180c/160c fan assisted.  Wash and cut the rhubarb pieces into 2 inch pieces. Put into a dish and roast in the oven for 15 minutes with caster sugar and a bit of water.

2. While the rhubarb is in the oven make the crumble. Get a mixing bowl and rub the butter, flour and brown sugar between the fingers until mixed in and crumbly.

3. Once the rhubarb has finished in the oven add the ginger and honey. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the rhubarb. Then put in the oven for 30 minutes or when the crumble is golden and the rhubarb is bubbling. 

I grow my own rhubarb

Served with either; double cream, ice cream or custard.