Bulgur wheat stuffed pepper

This is an even healthier version of cous cous stuffed pepper, where the cous cous is swapped for bulgur wheat (lower in calories, higher in fibre etc), and goats cheese swapped for spring onions. The flavour is still amazing thanks to the red pesto, sun dried tomatoes, spring onion & parsley, so you really can enjoy a nutritious meal.

Serve with green vegetables or a big handful of fresh spinach leaves!

Serves 1 as a main, or 2 as a starter
- 1 large red pepper
- olive oil- 75g bulgur wheat
- 2 tsp red pesto (I used a Napolina tomato & garlic one)
- salt & pepper
- fresh parsley, chopped
- sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- spring onions, chopped
- 1/2 slice of bread, crumbled

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Cut the red pepper in half and de-pip it. In a baking tray, brush the pepper inside and out with olive oil. Place in the oven for 10 minutes to soften.
3. Meanwhile, cook the bulgur wheat according to packet instructions - on the hob in boiling water for around 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove the peppers from the oven (they should be softer and have a bit of colour).
5. When the bulgur wheat is cooked, stir the pesto, season with salt & pepper, and stir in as many sun dried tomatoes, spring onions and parsley as you wish.

6. Stuff each pepper half with the bulgur wheat mixture, sprinkle with the chunky breadcrumbs then bake in the oven for another 15-20 minutes, or until the pepper is cooked and the breadcrumbs crisp. Serve straight away!

Enjoy :)

Simple Scrambled Egg

I wasn't sure if this post would be condescending but if it does anything at all, it will hopefully inspire you to fill yourself up with some delicious scrambled egg in the morning! And since breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it seems only fitting to add my favourite fresh herb to it to make it taste even better.

Serves two

- 4 eggs

- splash of milk

- pinch of salt

- black pepper

- handful of fresh parsley, chopped

- butter

1. In a jug, beat the 4 eggs until smooth.

2. Whisk in some milk, salt, pepper and parsley.

3. Heat a saucepan, and melt the butter. Pour in the egg mixture and stir intermittently over a low-medium heat, making sure the egg doesn't stick to the pan and turn into an omelette, but scrambles.

(don't forget to prepare the other parts of your breakfast!)

4. When scrambled (varies from person to person - I like my eggs fairly solid but still a bit soft and moist), serve with some hot, buttered toast, or a full English!

Enjoy :)

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was craving creamy pasta so bad the other week that I had to whip up a classic carbonara. It was so delicious it didn't stay on my plate for very long. This dish is right at the top of my favourite comfort foods, and is great for a special occasion if you don't have much time but want something that will impress. Perfect served with some oozing garlic bread.

Serves 2
- 100g pancetta, cubed
- 150g mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 200g spaghetti
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150ml double cream
- pepper
- fresh parmesan, grated

1. Fry the pancetta in olive oil or butter until it starts to crisp, then add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened.
2. Meanwhile, in salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions (about 10 mins).
3. Mix together the beaten egg and cream in a jug and add as much black pepper as you like. Stir in a generous amount of grated parmesan.
4. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the pancetta and mushrooms.
5. Pour in the egg and cream to the pasta and stir until combined over a low heat for a few minutes.
6. Serve immediately and grate a generous amount of parmesan on top and some more pepper, et voila!

Be sure to follow me on instagram if you like to look at pictures of food and see what I've been eating! 'lottierainbow'

Enjoy :)

Pasta bows

This is my absolute favourite meal, and for the first time ever I actually cooked it myself. This is one of those special meals that my mum always cooks and it is just absolutely delcious (even better when she makes it) - I guarantee this will be up there with your favourite pasta dishes. I had no clue what to call this since in our family we just call it 'pasta bows' and the original recipe is called 'McEvitt's bows with meat sauce' as it's named after someone that made it. I wanted to give more of an indication of what it actually is in the title but 'pasta in mince, cream, parsley, white wine and parmesan sauce' didn't really sound all that special... I love how this is a creamy dish but is perfectly balanced with the mince and parsley and therefore isn't rich and sickly like other creamy pastas can be. The flavours in this are just amazing together - what is better than cooking with wine and fresh parmesan and herbs!? My mum changed the chilli powder to cayenne pepper and I would use all olive oil and not butter for frying but other than that this is the original recipe from an old cookbook. Definitely stick to pasta bows, it would not be the same with any other pasta!

Serves 2

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 onion, finally chopped

- 250g minced beef

- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper

- 100ml white wine

- 150ml double cream

- generous amount of fresh parsley, finely chopped

- 50g parmesan, grated

- 250-300g pasta bows

1. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the onions, cooking for about 5 minutes until softened.

2.  Stir in the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, and cook until browned. Add the pepper and seasoning.

3. Pour in the white wine and bring to the boil for a couple of minutes to reduce.

4. Reduce the head and add the cream and parsley - cook for a further ten minutes.

5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

6. Add the parmesan to the sauce, leaving some for sprinkling on top.

7. Drain the pasta and stir into the sauce to heat through, then serve with the remaining parmesan and a sprig of parsley

Enjoy :)

Quick sausage casserole

This is just a really simple but good recipe I got from a student cookbook. It's a perfect student or family meal as it is fairly inexpensive, using mainly store-cupboard ingredients, and is very satisfying and warming for the upcoming colder months! This recipe made enough for 3 big portions - the first time I had it we had mash with it, and the second time I served it on a jacket potato with green veg. In the recipe it says just to used baked beans but I wanted more types of beans so instead of using cannellini as well I bought the new Heinz 'five beans' which has the normal baked bean in plus kidney, cannellini and 2 others. I definitely recommend doing this!
(Sorry for the not-so-great photo - I've started using my phone now instead)

Serves 4
- 6 sausages
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 green peppers, chopped
- tin of chopped tomatoes
- tin of Heinz five beans

1. Fry the sausages in some oil until browned, then set aside.
2. In the same pan, fry the onion and pepper until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil then simmer.
3. Cut up the sausages and add back to the pan, followed by the baked beans. Stir and heat through for a few minutes.
4. Serve with anything you like - mash, wedges, jacket potato, or even rice or pasta!

Enjoy :)

Perfect potato wedges

This is just a quick post to show you how to make some really good wedges to go with every meal. They are  soft inside even without parboiling, and really crunchy with tons of flavour. I made some to go with chicken drumsticks the other night, mm mm (perfect with BBQ sauce too!)

Serves 1

- olive oil

- 1 baking potato

- schwartz season-all spice (salt, paprika, pepper, garlic etc.)

- mixed herbs

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

2. Drizzle some oil in a baking tray and place in the oven to heat.

3. Meanwhile, cut the potato into wedge shapes - fairly thin. (Do this by cutting the potato in half lengthways, then in half again, and keep doing this with each part until you get a number of wedges!)

4. Take out the oiled try, and place the potato wedges on, turning over so coated in the oil.

5. Cover with a sprinkled of season-all or some salt, pepper, paprika etc. followed by some dried mixed herbs.

6. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, or until golden brown, crisp and soft in the middle!

Enjoy :)

Lasagne

 This is the perfect comfort food now we're getting into the winter months. This is just a standard lasagne recipe, nothing special, just absolutely delicious pasta, mince, sauce and cheese! It takes a fair bit of time but it is definitely worth it and this made enough for two huge portions for my boyfriend and I, plus 3 extra meals for me to freeze for other dinners - yipee! I served this with some make-shift garlic bread - my mum bought me up some home made soda bread which is yummy on it's own, but we made some garlic butter (just melted butter and crushed fresh garlic, believe it or not) and spread it on top and baked in the oven, mm mm.

Serves 4-5
- 500g lean beef mince
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 red peppers, chopped
- handful of mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 a jar of tomato pasta sauce (or more chopped tomatoes)
- handful of cherry tomatoes
- dried mixed herbs (basil, oregano, parsley etc.)
- pack of dried lasagne sheets
- 25g butter
- 25g flour (plain or self raising)
- 500ml milk
- generous handful of cheddar cheese, grated

1. Brown the mince in a large pan, then add the onion and garlic, cooking until softened. Add the peppers and the mushrooms, and cook for another few minutes.
2. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, then simmer. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees / gas mark
3. Spoon some tomato pasta sauce in the bottom of some baking dishes and place some lasagne sheets on top. Put a layer of the mince mixture on top then layer with some more lasagne sheets.
4. Meanwhile, to make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly until thickened. This can take up to 20 minutes - be patient and just keep stirring, it will be worth it!
5. On top of the pasta sheets place another layer of mince, followed by some bechamel sauce. Finish with a final layer of lasagne sheets, followed by bechamel sauce and lots of cheddar
6. Bake in the oven for around 45 minutes, or until piping hot, the pasta is soft and the top is golden brown.

Enjoy :)

Moroccan Lamb

I made this meal a few weeks ago in an attempt to make two lamb steaks a bit more interesting. I looked up various Moroccan lamb recipes and most of them were slow cooked and different cuts of meat so I had to make quite a few adjustments. I nearly always use smell to decide what I should put with what, and this is especially important when adding spices in this dish, but I had a blocked nose at the time so cooking this was a bit of a nightmare. It also meant I couldn't really taste it  very well when eating it - all I know is that it was very hot in my mouth (spicy hot), but I am a massive wimp when it comes to spice so if you enjoy spicy food this will probably seem very mild. My mum said it had a lovely flavour so I'm trusting her and sharing this with you guys! The honey and apricots will add a sweetness to counteract the spice, which will go perfectly with the warm cinnamon and tomato flavours.

Serves 2
- 2 lamb steaks
- olive oil
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tbsp turmeric
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 300ml lamb/beef stock
- handful of dried apricots, quartered
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- handful of pine nuts
- handful of parsley, chopped

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3 / 160 degrees. Rub oil on the lamb steaks.

2. In a dish, combine all the spices, and rub the lamb steaks in the mixture until coated. Keep in the fridge for half an hour.

3. Fry the onion and garlic in a large pan until soft. Add the lamb steaks, browning each side. Then, add the tinned tomatoes and stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until the liquid has started to reduce.

4. Next, add the apricots, pine nuts, honey and parsley and stir.

5. Return the mixture into the dish and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for about an hour, or until the meat is tender and the sauce reduced. Serve with rice and vegetables!

Enjoy :)

Leek and potato soup with brie

Another wintery recipe - sorry I know it's only August! I had all the ingredients for this in the house and had never really made soup before so I was really excited to try it out. I didn't expect the texture to be so thick and smooth so was really pleased and it tasted so creamy and delicious! If you prefer a chunky soup then feel free to alter the recipe slightly - you don't have to blend it in a food processor, you could just chop the potatoes smaller to begin with. This tasted great on it's own, but once I added a few chunks of brie it just made it so much better - more creamy mm mm. I served this with a tear and share bread.

Serves 2 

- knob of butter

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

- 1 leek, sliced or chopped

- 1 large baking potato, cut into chunks

- 1 chicken stock cube with 300ml water

- dash of milk

- salt and pepper

- few slices of brie

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the onions, garlic and leek. Cook for around 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the potato.

2. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Then cover with a lid, and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the potato is softened.

3. Put the soup into a food processor and add some milk. Blend until smooth (a minute or two). Season to taste.

4. Return the soup to the pan to heat through, and add the slices of brie. Stir until melted, then serve!

Enjoy :)

Stuffed red peppers

I made these with the stuffed mushrooms - I love meals like this, I just think it's a really good way to eat the vegetable as opposed to just having them chopped up in something - it's much more interesting and you actually get the flavour of the pepper. I made a simple tomato and basil risotto to go inside and then just topped it off with lots of cheddar cheese!

Serves 2
- 1 large red pepper, cut in half
- olive oil
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube with 300ml water
- 125g rice
- cherry tomatoes, quartered
- basil leaves, torn
- cheddar cheese, grated

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4 / 180 degrees, and remove the seeds from the pepper.
2. Brush the pepper halves with olive oil and place on a baking tray.
3. Meanwhile, to make the risotto, prepare the stock and pour into a pan, bringing to the boil. Add the rice and cook over a moderate heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is soft to taste. (You can always add more water)
4. Add the tomatoes and basil to the rice, and stir, heating for a few minutes.
5. Stuff the pepper halves with the risotto and grate lots of cheddar cheese on top.
6. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the pepper is softened and the cheese is melted.

Enjoy :)

Cheesy broccoli pasta bake

I made this the other night - it's nothing too special, I just really fancied some comfort food and a pasta bake is the ultimate comfort food for me. I made a simple cheese sauce and although I'm not a huge broccoli fan, I do love it in pasta bakes (what doesn't taste good when it's coated in cheese sauce anyway?) We also had some bacon in the fridge, and of course I always like to use onions and garlic with pasta so voila, this dish was born! And it is scrummy...

Serves 2-3

- 200g whole wheat penne

- olive oil

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 small onion

- 3-4 rashers bacon, cut into chunks

- 150g broccoli florets

- 20g butter

- 20g plain flour

- 200ml milk

- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard

- 75g cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra for sprinkling

- pepper, to season

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5 / 200 degrees. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions, and add the broccoli florets around 5 minutes to the end of the pasta cooking time. Drain and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, soften the onion and garlic in the olive oil, then add the bacon until beginning to brown and crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Using the same pan, to make the cheese sauce melt the butter and stir in the flour over a low heat until it forms a paste. Gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce begins to thicken. (Be patient, it may take a while!) Once the sauce is coming together, add the mustard and the cheese; at this stage the sauce should be thick and smooth from the cheese. You can always add a little more milk if it is too thick 0 keep stirring!

4. Return the pasta and broccoli to the pan, add the bacon and onion and stir through the cheese sauce. Pour into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle with the remaining cheddar. I added some brie too because we had a bit leftover. Parmesan would work too and add breadcrumbs if you want a crunchy texture.

5.  Season with pepper and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until bubbling and golden brown and crisp on top.

Enjoy :)

Pasta and meatballs

A twist on the normal spaghetti bolognese! Although this takes a little longer than just browning mince, the dish is automatically transformed into something more special and exciting, so it is definitely worth it. I made half the meatballs with lamb mince and half the meatballs with beef mince (just what we had in the freezer) which made it even more interesting because there were two different flavours of meat - it was fun guessing which was which (clearly spend too much time with food...) It can be quite tricky cooking meatballs from scratch because they tend to crumble and fall apart when turning them in the frying pan. I found that the lamb meatballs didn't fall apart at all, and cooked perfectly, whereas the beef meatballs crumbled a bit (something to do with the type of meat? not sure what exactly though.) I love this meal, since I love cooking with fresh garlic and fresh herbs - the flavours in the meatballs and sauce were delicious. This meal will never fail to impress - people always think meatballs are more difficult to make than they really are (shh)!

Serves 2 (makes 12 meatballs)

- 250g mince (beef or lamb, or both)

- 3 garlic cloves, crushed

- 2 small red onions, chopped

- few handfuls of fresh parsley, chopped

- salt and pepper

- olive oil or egg yolk, for binding

- olive oil, for frying

- 1 red pepper, chopped

- tin of chopped tomatoes, or passata

- fresh basil, torn

- fresh parmesan, grated

- 200g pasta

(Above is the passata we used. It's a huge jar so I used just over half - it's basically the same as tinned tomatoes but just crushed rather than larger pieces of tomato. I think this brand was from Costco)

1. In a bowl, combine the mince, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 chopped onion, chopped parsley, salt and pepper, and oil or egg. Shape into medium sized balls - it should make around 12.

2. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan (I used 2 smaller frying pans) and fry the meatballs over a low-medium heat, turning occasionally to ensure they are cooked in the middle. They should be browned.

3. Set aside. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions (around 10 mins) in salted water. Meanwhile, fry the remaining onion and garlic in some olive oil. Once softened, add the peppers, cook for a few minutes, then add the passata or chopped tomatoes. Season to taste with fresh basil, salt and pepper, and some parmesan.

4. Return the meatballs to the sauce and heat through for a few minutes. Drain the pasta and serve topped with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with some more basil leaves and some freshly grated parmesan!

Enjoy :)

The best carbonara

I love anything pasta, hence why a lot of my posts are pasta dishes - and when cream, parmesan, bacon and garlic are involved, how could anyone say no? I have two similar posts - fettucine alfredo here and baked spaghetti carbonara here. I didn't use egg in this carbonara recipe, because the cottage cheese has a similar texture of coating the pasta. I wouldn't usually use onion in carbonara (I don't know why, it just seems weird?) but it was perfectly fine; I guess because it's chopped so fine you barely notice of it - it isn't particularly needed but it does add extra flavour. I have also started using fresh garlic cloves (as opposed to ready-ground) and I'm so glad because the flavour and aroma is sooo much nicer, I would definitely recommend! If you don't like mushrooms then don't add them, and likewise with the bacon if you are vegetarian. Such a simple but impressive meal to whip together, and I like to think it's healthier than a standard carbonara, since I used a little bit of single cream and the majority of low fat cottage cheese (which is so high in protein). I served this with tomato and basil bruschetta mmmm,

Serves 2
- 200g spaghetti
- large dollop of butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves,  crushed (less if you aren't a garlic fan)
- 4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, cubed
- 150g mushrooms
- 250g cottage cheese
- 100ml single cream
- handful of parmesan, grated
- ground pepper

1. Soften the onion and garlic in a pan with the melted butter for a few minutes. Add the bacon and fry until cooked through and beginning to crisp.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted water according to packet instructions (around 10-12 mins)
3. Add the mushrooms to the garlic and onion and cook until softened, then add the cottage cheese. Stir until the cottage cheese has completely melted. It will look watery a this stage, especially with the mushrooms, but don't worry, it will thicken up as you keep cooking!
4. Add the cream and keep stirring until it has reduced and thickened to your liking, add some pepper to taste.
5. Drain the spaghetti, return to the pan, stir through the sauce, and serve.

Enjoy :)

Simple sweet and sour chicken

I've been having a lot of Chinese-style food recently, and although this is nothing particularly clever or special, I thought I would post the recipe I used anyway, because it was delicious! This dish is best served with rice; any style you like.

Serves 3
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large, or 3 medium chicken breasts, sliced
- 2 small red onions, chopped
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
- 1 large jar of sweet and sour sauce e.g. sharwood's, chicken tonight, uncle ben's. (we used Sharwood's with pineapple and pepper pieces)
- frozen peas (as many as you like)
- 1 small tin of pineapple rings (usually has 4 rings), chopped


1. Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan, and add the chicken, cooking until brown all over.
2. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, then add the pepper.
3. Once the chicken is cooked through, and the onion and pepper is soft, add the sweet and sour sauce. (TIP:  instead of scraping round the jar with a spoon to get the remains of the sauce, add a splash of water to the jar, screw on the lid and shake. Then pour into the pan!)
4. Add the peas and pineapple and cook until the sauce is bubbling and the peas are cooked.
5. Serve with rice and a side of prawn crackers!

Enjoy :)

Perfect pizza

I love making pizza, I've made it from scratch so many times since I got this amazing Italian pizza magazine last summer (picture of magazine at bottom of post). It's actually quite simple to make pizza dough, healthier, and tastes so much more authentic! It is so versatile as well, you can choose the thickness of the dough depending on how you like your base, use half wholemeal flour to increase the nutrition, or even make your own stuffed crust (which I can't wait to try). You can buy a passata to spread on the base, or make your own. I usually buy a plain tomato passata, season and add fresh herbs. The best part is you can top your pizza with whatever you want (although mozzarella is a must have for the base).

The toppings I used in the photos are:
- Goats cheese and red onion
- Tomato, mushroom and pepper
- BBQ chicken and extra cheese
- Italian ham, mushroom and pineapple

(They all have passata topped with ready-grated or freshly sliced mozzarella, and a sprinkling of cheddar or parmesan)

Other toppings I have used on home-made pizza are:
- Proscuitto, mushroom and parsley (my favourite!)
- Chicken, rosemary and pepper
- Red onion and sausage/meatball

Next time I really want to try making a fiorentina (spinach, parmesan and egg) and a gorgonzola cheese and caramelised onion pizza

Makes 2 large, or 4 small pizzas
Ingredients for pizza base:
- 400g plain white strong flour
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried yeast or 1 sachet of easy bake yeast
- 25 ml hot water and 25ml milk, mixed together
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for brushing over base
- 1/2 tsp salt
- tepid water, to add to the dough
- extra flour for dusting surface


1. Pile the flour in a large bowl and make a centre in the middle.
2. Mix the yeast with the water and milk (and/or follow packet instructions as this varies depending on what type of yeast you are using)
3. Wait for the yeast to react and become foamy, then pour into the flour with half the olive oil and the salt, and knead for 10-15 minutes on a work-surface dusted with flour. The dough should be smooth, elastic and stretchy - add more liquid if needed - the dough must not feel tacky or sticky at the end of the kneading process.
4. Grease a large bowl with the remaining olive oil and place the ball of dough inside. Cover with cling film or a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an 1 hour 30 minutes, or until doubled inside.
5. Next, gently knead the dough and split into 2, or 4, and roll out on a floured work-surface. Place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with oil. Cover with passata, fresh herbs and mozzarella and any other ingredients you desire.
6. Bake in the oven at 200 or 220 degrees/gas mark 6 or 7 for 10-15 minutes, or until the base is cooked through, crisp and golden.

Enjoy :)