Miss Q's Quick Bites and Blogs

Here it is: the third and final blog post for tonight! My easy make vegetable soup.

Ingredients: 30g butter 1 white onion (chopped) 4 carrots 2 baking potatoes 1 parsnip 2 vegetable stock cubes A sprinkle of oregano A dash of salt and pepper

Recipe: Melt the butter on a low heat in a large saucepan. While that’s melting, peel and chop the vegetables into roughly similar sizes.

Once the butter has melted, add in the onion and keep stirring until it has softened. Get the kettle on the boil!

When the onion has softened, add the vegetables, oregano, stock cubes, salt and pepper. Pour over boiling water, enough to cover the vegetables and bring to the boil. Then, turn the heat down so that it’s simmering, pop on a lid and let it cook!

Check on it every so often, but it should take roughly 40 minutes for it to be cooked enough. Test this by sticking a knife into the vegetables; they should just fall off! Once ready, turn off the heat and hand-blend that crazy mix up!

Ta da! Yet another easy recipe from me.

Healthy breakfast cups to go!

Me again! Twice in one day, aren’t you all lucky? I’ve made these in the hope that I will eat them for breakfast for the next three days and then make another batch to last until Saturday. We’ll see how that works out anyway!

Ingredients: 130g spinach A pack of Sainsbury’s Basics diced smoked cooking bacon 10 cherry tomatoes A dash of salt and pepper A sprinkle of chilli flakes 4 eggs

Recipe:

This should make six egg cups!

Heat the oven to 180 degrees (fan) and line six spaces in a muffin tray with muffin cases. You can just use olive oil straight in the tin, but, as you can see, mine is well-loved and not amazingly clean to look at, so I decided against that idea.

Heat a little vegetable oil (my new favourite thing) in a frying pan and begin to fry off the bacon. Once cooked through, wilt the spinach in with it and then turn off the heat and leave to one side.

Chop the tomatoes into quarters and crack the eggs in with them (I’ve started to use the edge of the top of my microwave to crack the eggs as it works every time and with no mess). Add the salt, pepper, chilli flakes, spinach and bacon and then mix.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the six cases and place into the oven for between 15-20 minutes. As I’m planning on having them the next day, I decided to go for 20 minutes so that I didn’t have to panic about them making me ill.

There you go: another easy recipe. I’m finally getting the hand of this; although, it’s a shame about the pile of marking I have to look forward to this evening.

Keep your eyes peeled for a third recipe! I’ve got soup on the go…

Holy crap: candied-maple-pecan bacon, with maple-pecan chicken and roasted veg.

I’m back and man is this one of the best thing I have ever made. If you’ve been on my Instagram (@quickbitesandblogs), you’ll have seen my latest baking adventure, which was a batch of candied bacon cupcakes. Using the the leftover maple-sugar-pecan mix, I then came up with the recipe below.

Ingredients: For the candied bacon: 10 rashers of rindless bacon (smoked/unsmoked idk) ½ cup brown sugar 4 tbsp maple syrup ¼ cup pecans (blended to a crumb, should take seconds)

For the chicken and vegetables: 2 chicken breasts A courgette (cut into cm thick slices and then halved) A sweet potato (cut into chip-sized chunks) Tomatoes (as many as you want)

Recipe: Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Once at temperature, bake the bacon for 10 minutes and then turn it and bake for a further five.

Mix the sugar, maple syrup and pecans in a bowl. It should form a thick paste. Coat the bottom of two baking trays (Pampered Chef stone oven dishes are my favourite) with the paste and put the bacon in the trays. You should cover it on both sides, but don’t worry too much if it’s not sticking at this point. Put it in the oven for approximately 10 minutes. Turn the bacon and make sure it’s covered and cook it for a further 10 minutes. Repeat turning the bacon until it looks like the picture on my Instagram!

Once the bacon has cooked, put it on a wire rack to cool. Put the chicken breasts in one of the baking trays (don’t wash them up!) and spoon the leftover paste from the other tray on top. Make it so that the paste is covering the chicken on all sides. Cook for 25 minutes. At the same time, cover the sweet potato in olive oil and pop it in the oven.

After the timer has gone off, add the tomatoes and the courgette to the sweet potato. Mix it around so that the vegetables (I know tomatoes are fruits, but give me a break) are evenly covered with oil etc. Turn the chicken and spoon the mixture over the top. Cook for another 20 minutes.

Et, voilà! You’re all done. You should be able to serve up the chicken and vegetables onto the plate and pop some of the candied bacon on top.

Hangover halloumi and pineapple beef with cranberry couscous.

After a heavy night on Saturday, I awoke with a craving for halloumi, pineapple and beef and I wouldn’t have been true to myself if I hadn’t gone to the supermarket and shopped for a classic three item food date.

Ingredients (for the beef): Pineapple chunks, as many as you can handle, plus keep 2 tbsp of the juice 150g halloumi, cut into cm squares 200g beef (I used cheap diced beef, but this would be MUCH nicer with rump or fillet steak) 3 tsp honey 1 tsp ras el hanout spice mix A clove of garlic, crushed

Recipe: Put everything into a bowl and stir it all up. Let it sit and marinate in the fridge for anything from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Pop the oven on low to 60 degrees (fan). Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan and empty the beef mixture into it on a medium heat. Once you’ve browned the beef on all sides, transfer just that the beef to an ovenproof dish and let it sit in the warm oven.

Continue to cook the halloumi, pineapple in the wet mixture, turning the heat up so that it begins to caramelise. The halloumi should start to blacken, but will keep a somewhat gooey outer. Once it has caramelised, put the beef back in and give it a good stir. You’re good to go!

This is one of my spicier recipes, but I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I stuck to my guns with the combination. The ras el hanout has an earthy taste, with the rose petals in the mix keeping it nice, light and floral. Serving it with couscous (with dried cranberries added in) really kept the taste all on the beef mixture and has definitely made me want more! Next time, I’ll be sure to keep some plain yoghurt to hand as it was a little more spicy than I had bargained.

Lively lime and coriander lunch box!

Recently I’ve overhauled my diet and given it a breath of planned fresh air! Planning my meals on a Saturday for the following week and shopping only for the necessary ingredients on a Sunday has made a huge improvement in my general health and well-being, albeit a few minor tweaks needed. (Guys, don’t overdo it on the fruit and veg. if you’re not used to it in large quantities!) I’m lucky in that I’m naturally slim, but boy have I noticed those few extra pounds over the last couple of months. So far, I’ve been eating this way for two and a half weeks and I have lost a total of 6lbs. Don’t worry though, I still give myself a treat most days and I haven’t cut anything (especially not brownie) out of my diet.

Ingredients (makes two lunch boxes): 100g basmati rice 300ml water Sugar Snap peas, or fine green beans roughly chopped (I used around half a pack of sugar snaps, but the quantity is really a personal preference) Two chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized slices (they cook better when sliced) Coriander Lime juice (I have a bottle in the fridge at all times) Oil

Recipe: Put the 300ml water on the heat and, when boiling, turn down low, add the rice and cover with a lid. Set a timer for ten minutes and do not take that lid off!

Put a second pan of water on and throw in the greens. Let them cook for as long as you like. I like mine a little al dente.

Heat a little oil in a medium frying pain and start to cook the chicken. The aim is to have it turn white all over; do not let it brown!

The timer for the rice has probably gone off by now, or is about to. Take it off the heat and set to one side, with the lid still on. Do not take the lid off! Set the timer for another ten minutes.

Put your desired amount of coriander in with the chicken. As useless as I am, I generally mean to put a dash in and forget that my pot only has one of the wide mouths and not the little holes, so I end up with something in between a teaspoon and a tablespoon each time. Add in enough of the lime to cover the bottom of the frying pan and cook it on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. The chicken should soak up the lime whilst cooking, making it have a nice tangy flavour paired with that lovely coriander.

Mine worked out so that the second rice timer went off about the same time as the chicken had finished cooking. When it does go off, take the lid off the rice and fluff it up. After that, all that was left to do was drain the greens, stir them through the rice and portion the rice mix and the chicken into my tupperware. Job done!

This is a really simple, but delicious (obviously: I made it) lunch and takes no time at all. Why not try the healthy option yourself? Rude not to when it’s just so tasty!

Loaded courgette boats!

I’m trying to eat a bit cleaner at the moment and had some courgettes lying around, but no idea what to do with them. I also had an ice cream scoop to hand and some fridge/store cupboard essentials.

Ingredients (serves 2): 2 courgettes A tin of tuna, drained A couple of handfuls of spinach 12 tomatoes 4 tablespoons of Sainsburys’ own pasta sauce Paprika, cumin and coriander to taste A teaspoon of oil

Recipe: Turn the oven to 180 degrees (fan) and put four tablespoons of water into a deep baking tray. The water should just cover the bottom of the tray.

Top and tail the courgettes and cut them in half longways. Scoop out the inside with an ice cream scoop and chop it up. Halve the tomatoes at the same time.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the courgettes with the rest of the ingredients for five minutes, until the spinach has wilted and the ingredients have softened slightly. Load the mixture back into the courgette halves.

Place the courgettes into the tray and bake them for 20 minutes.

That’s all it takes! This was such an easy meal to make and genuinely satisfying, unlike so many healthy recipes I’ve tried before. I crumbled chopped walnuts over the left courgette half, and I drizzled balsamic glaze over the one on the right. I want to put goat’s cheese in the mix in the future. Unfortunately I was met with a rather bad smell when I opened up my packet this evening!

Sweet soy and mirin chicken and prawns with edamame, sugar snap peas, babycorn and cashew quinoa! Fresh tomatoes added last minute 👌🏻

Not sure whether to blog this one as it was quite long. What do you guys think?

So, yesterday afternoon I was craving chocolate brownie and then realised that I also had some Ferrero Rocher to hand. Naturally, I decided to combine the two!

Make the brownie mix as per the instructions below, but skip the tray and go for cupcake brownie instead. It should make 9 in total (they’re a hefty size). This way they’re pre-portioned and easy to give away, if you can bear to part with any.

Once you’ve spooned mix into all of the cases (keeping about two tablespoons worth behind), unwrap a golden ball of goodness and push it into the centre so that it touches the bottom of the case. The mix should form around it. Pop a little of the leftover mix on top to cover each Ferrero Rocher and place a marshmallow half on top. Bake for the same amount of time as the usual recipe.

Bangin’ chocolate brownie 🍫

Possibly the easiest and definitely my favourite baking go to.

Ingredients: 8oz caster sugar 3oz self-raising flour 1.5oz cocoa powder 2 eggs 4oz butter Tbsp milk Pinch of salt A bag of milk chocolate chips 5 medium sized marshmallows

Recipe: Oven to 180 degrees (fan). Line a 6 x 6 baking tin with baking parchment, or grease it up.

Ok, now onto the good bit!

In a large mixing bow, sift the caster sugar, flour and cocoa powder. Make a hole in the middle so that it looks like a volcano. Ensure that you have pushed all of the dry ingredients to the side and that you can see mixing bowl in the middle.

Crack the eggs into the hole and mix carefully with a fork. Pop that butter into a microwave for roughly 30 seconds (850w) and stir until it has melted. Be careful not to overheat. Stir in the butter to the eggs and add the milk, salt and chocolate chips. Mix all of the ingredients together so that it forms a gooey mixture of greatness. It should be fairly thick.

Empty into your baking tray and spread it around. There’s no real need to do this though as it will spread out as soon as it goes into the oven; evening out the mixture is just the most satisfying thing.

Cut the marshmallows in half and place them on top of the mix. There should be a half left over to dip into the mix and then eat!

Place into the oven - middle shelf - and cook for between 16-22 minutes. You should be able to slide a knife in (or one of those nifty baking pokey sticks) and have it come out dry.

Once it’s out, cut it into sections and leave to sit for five minutes before taking it out and letting it cool on a tray. It is best eaten hot though, so don’t be surprised if you eat one slice to try it and then end up guiltily making a second batch and pretending it’s your first (I’m so not speaking from experience 😅).

This is a real comfort food of mine and so dangerously tasty that it’s not often made. You should definitely try a cheeky spoonful of the raw mix though. It’s so good that you’ll question whether you should bother to put it in the oven.

Tomato chicken with new potato ‘chips’ and salad!

Ingredients: 1 red onion Mini chicken fillets Button mushrooms (sliced) Mange tout (roughly chopped) Babycorn (roughly chopped) 1 carton of chopped tomatoes Fresh tomatoes (halved) Paprika Basil Salt Pepper Oil

Crumbled feta to top!

Recipe: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan).

Cut the onion in half and then slice into half moons. On a low heat, fry the onion in a splash of oil until starting to soften then add the chicken fillets. Add salt, pepper, basil and paprika and fry off the chicken.

Empty the chopped tomatoes into a casserole dish and add the fresh tomatoes, Worcester sauce, mange tout and babycorn. Pop it in the oven to heat up while the chicken is cooking.

Once the chicken has a bit of colour on all sides, add the mushrooms and continue to heat.

When satisfied that the chicken has cooked through, add the mix to the casserole dish and mix thoroughly. Cook for around 20 minutes in the oven, stirring halfway through.

Et, voila! Serve up with potato wedges/chips (or something of that ilk) and salad. Crumble the feta on top of the chicken and you’re ready for some decent food!

Well, this was a bit of a sneak attack as far as blog posts go as I had no intention of cooking tonight, but then hunger hit! Aimlessly wandering around Sainsburys, I had the urge for chicken, tomatoes and mushrooms and no idea what to do with it all. So, of course, I just put it all together in one pot!

Fish swimming in everything; buttered new potatoes and capers, and spinach.

Hello, I’m back again and this time with my go to summer meal. It’s refreshing and light and you can use virtually anything, which makes it ideal for most people’s tastes. This is just what I could find in the supermarket today, as every time I make it, it changes; you just need to buy what you like and get a feel for what will work as you go along.

Ingredients: For the fish: 250g basa fillets (any white fish works) A large handful each of chopped babycorn, mange tout and broccoli Sainsbury’s chilli and coriander prawns 1-2 spring onions, chopped Sainsbury’s quinoa sprout mix A handful of asparagus Cherry tomatoes on the vine 2 cloves of garlic, crushed Sprinkles of coriander and paprika Salt and pepper to taste A big splash of any white wine (although do try and match it to the ingredients that you are buying. I went for a citrusy one) A splash of olive oil ¼ pink grapefruit, sliced ½ lime, sliced

On the side: A large handful of baby new potatoes 1-2 teaspoons of capers A tablespoon of butter Fresh baby spinach

Recipe: With the oven set to 200 degrees (fan), place the cherry tomatoes, a handful of the quinoa sprouts, broccoli and asparagus in a casserole dish. Lay the fish flat on top; drizzle the oil over and then sprinkle with the salt, pepper, paprika, coriander and garlic. Throw in the prawns and add the babycorn, mange tout and spring onions. Splash the white wine over everything. Put the lid on and pop it in the oven for 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes are up, leave it in the oven while you bring a saucepan of water to the boil for the potatoes and then start to cook them. Check on the fish (try to shake the dish a little so that the juices splash over the fish) and cook for another 10 minutes.

Once the timer has gone off for the fish the second time, take it out of the oven and delicately mix the ingredients around, trying not to break the fillets. Cover the fish with as much of the liquid as possible. Squeeze the lime and grapefruit over the top and add the squeezed pieces to the dish. Pop it back into the oven for a minimum of 10 minutes with the lid off.

Once you know the fish has cooked through, leave it in the oven, but turn the heat off. I may have tried to serve mine too early and ended up with half-raw fish! Quickly back into the oven it went.

Take the potatoes off the heat (check they’re cooked by putting a sharp knife in one and if it slips off easily they’re fine) and drain them. Mix them with the capers and butter.

Put a handful of spinach on your plate, a scoop of the potato mix and a generous serving of the fish and vegetables etc.

Honestly though, it sounds more complicated than it is. I usually end up changing the order of how I put things into the dish, or I just throw everything in at once and hope for the best. The most important thing is that you let the fish cook in the juices as much as possible as it helps it keep that lovely flaky texture.

Well, it’s been a while, but I’ve finally put something together that I think is worth talking about: edamame hummus! Having just got back from a trip to Cleveland, Ohio, I was adamant that I wanted to try this bad boy out asap as it was one of the many food choices I tried during my stay. While I realise that it isn’t exactly a unique delicacy and that I most likely would have come across it in jolly old England at some point, I hadn’t so far and man am I glad I found it.

Ingredients: 2 cups cooked edamame soya beans (shelled) 2/3 cup chickpeas 1/3 cup fresh basil (I originally tried ½ cup, but found this too strong for my delicate taste buds) 3 cloves crushed garlic ¼ cup lemon juice 1/3 cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whizz until smooth, et voila! That really is it.

My choice of food processor is the Kenwood FPM 250, which I cannot recommend enough. It’s replaced the desire for a partner and is most likely a lot more useful 😂 enjoy.