Green Smoothie

Absolutely delicious and filled with goodness

There are hundreds of variations of the green smoothie but this is my favourite recipe.

Feel free to change it up and swap any ingredients you like - it's just important to use leafy greens like spinach or kale, with liquid like water or almond milk, and then any fruit of your choice.

Banana is probably essential since it makes it thick and smooth when blended.

Tip: Boost your smoothie by adding linseed mix, chia seeds, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, protein powder or whatever you wish!

I add Juice Plus complete vanilla powder to mine which makes it sweeter so perhaps add a little honey if it doesn't taste sweet enough for you.

Ice cubes are also essential - I find that the colder the smoothie, the better it tastes!

Makes 1 large smoothie

- 1 large handful of fresh spinach leaves

- 1 cup of cold water

- 1 small-medium banana, sliced

- 1 large handful of green grapes

- 1 large handful of chopped pineapple (fresh or tinned)

- 1 scoop of Juice Plus complete powder (or protein powder) - optional

- Ice cubes

1. Start by blending together the spinach and water until  smooth - it should just turn into green water!

2. Next, add all of the fruit (banana, grapes and pineapple) and powder (if using), and blend until completely smooth.

3. Place some ice cubes at the bottom of a large glass, then pour in the smoothie.

Enjoy :)

Poached egg, pea & bacon spaghetti

Inspired by a Sainsbury's recipe card, I whipped up the most delicious spaghetti.

So simple - smoked bacon, peas & spinach mixed with spaghetti just with a little olive oil and some cheddar

 The best part is the oozing yolk of the poached egg 

And the garlic with the smoked bacon, ooof.

Serves 2

- 200g spaghetti

- 4 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped (I used the Sainsbury's be good to yourself smoked medallions)

- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 125g frozen peas

- olive oil

- generous handful of extra mature cheddar cheese, grated

- 100g fresh spinach leaves

- 2 eggs

- black pepper

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, fry the smoked bacon and garlic until cooked then keep warm.

3. When the spaghetti is 5 minutes from being cooked, add the peas to the same pan. When both the pasta and peas are cooked, drain and return to the pan.

4. Add the bacon and garlic to the pasta and peas, drizzle with some olive oil, and add the grated cheddar and the spinach. Over a low heat, stir until combined and heated through. Serve onto some pre-heated plates to keep warm.

5. Bring a pan of water to the boil and gently crack in both eggs - poach for two minutes then remove from the water with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen paper to drain before carefully placing on top of the pasta. Finish with some black pepper, and voila!

Enjoy :)

Chorizo & rosemary pasta

This comforting pasta dish has amazing flavour from the smoky chorizo, rosemary and rich tomato sauce.

And the best part is - it all cooks in one pan, so it is a perfect quick and easy mid-week meal!

And a great way to incorporate spinach into your diet.

Serves 2
- olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- few sprigs of rosemary, leaves chopped
- 400ml chicken stock (or vegetable)
- tin of chopped tomatoes
- 200g farfalle (or any other pasta)
- 250g chorizo, sliced
- 200g baby leaf spinach

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, and fry the garlic and onions for a few minutes, then stir in the rosemary.
2. Make up the chicken stock in a jug then pour into the pan with the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil.
3. Add the pasta to the pan then cover and simmer for about 10-12 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked. Keep checking and stirring to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom, and add more water if needed.
4. When the pasta is cooked and the sauce is reduced, stir in the sliced chorizo and spinach until wilted and all mixed together. Then serve with some fresh rosemary on top!

Enjoy :)

Smoked salmon, spinach & blue cheese toastie

Treat yourself to a crisp, toasted sandwich oozing with blue cheese, soft smoked salmon & spinach

For 1 toastie

- 2 slices of good quality bread (wholemeal seeded is my favourite)

- butter

- creamy blue cheese (whichever you prefer)

- few slices of smoked salmon

- handful of fresh spinach leaves

The smellier the ingredients, the better

1. Turn your toastie maker on, and generously butter each slice of bread.

2. When fully heated, place one slice of bread, butter-side down, into the toastie maker. Top with as much blue cheese as you would like, then layer on the smoked salmon. Finish off with the spinach, and then the other slice of bread butter-side facing up.

3. Pull the lid down on the toastie machine and leave to toast for a couple of minutes, then serve hot!

Enjoy :)

Smoothie & pumpkin seed hype

So I am a massive fan of making smoothies and although they're not always super 'healthy' since they are loaded with sugar from fruit, they are still a great way to get some good nutrients in and I love that you can put absolutely anything you want in them!

Below I have linked two smoothie recipes I have posted before, the pineapple and spinach one I particularly love and it is nearly always the one I go for when making a smoothie. It has such great, tangy flavour from the pineapple and you get all the goodness from the spinach and oooof just is too good.
http://eatrainbowlove.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/pineapple-and-spinach-smoothie.html
http://eatrainbowlove.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/peach-and-raspberry-smoothie.html

My boyfriend has got a new blender recently which he is obsessed with so we've been making a lot of great smoothies. One of our favourites has had pumpkin seeds in which I've recently discovered and love (what have I been doing this whole time!?) - they make smoothies more filling and add a new dimension of flavour. Plus they are a great source of fibre so you can't really go wrong. I also expected them to be quite pricey since nuts and seeds tend to be, but I got these from Lidl and they weren't bad at all and they seem to last ages so I would definitely pick some up. You can also use them in baking, add them to cereal or yogurt etc.

Makes 2
- 2 bananas, broken into smaller pieces,
- big glug of almond (or soya) milk 
- 4 heaped tbsp of low fat natural yogurt
- big handful of frozen berries
- big handful of pumpkin seeds
- big handful of spinach (optional)

(Sorry nothing is very specific - the good thing about smoothies is you can add as much of anything as you want)

Another one we tried was a garlic smoothie which was a shock to the taste buds as you can imagine. Lets just say it kept the vampires away... But, garlic is really good for the immune system as well as many other things, so eating it raw is the best way to benefit from it. We used the same recipe as above but just added two cloves of garlic (one each) and a bit of honey as well. It was so strong! So I wouldn't recommend it if you want to sit back and enjoy your smoothie, but if you want a good detox, health-kick smoothie then that is the one!

I also made a garlic smoothie recently but replaced banana with pineapple hoping it would mast some of the garlic flavour but I was very wrong...

Hope you try out some of these ideas and jump on the pumpkin seed bandwagon! Just to prove how much I love them, here is a picture of the breakfasts I've been having

It's bran flakes, dried fruit (raisins, sultanas and cranberries), pumpkin seeds and soya milk - so delicious!

Enjoy :)

Pasta, pasta, pasta

Just a quick post on three pasta dishes I have made over the last couple months. Two I have posted about before so I will link them below, and one which is pretty simple but delicious.

Carbonara

This is the best carbonara recipe I've ever come across and it turned out even better the second time - just make sure you let the sauce reduce enough! You can find the recipe here

Pesto pasta with salmon and green beans

If you've read my other posts you will know I love pesto pasta - and this is exactly that, with green beans, spinach and salmon which I brushed with olive oil and fresh garlic before baking in the oven (wrapped in foil, 180 degrees) for 20 minutes. Finish it off with lots of fresh parmesan mm mm.

Macaroni cheese

This is the amazing Lisa Faulkner recipe that I've posted about before here. This time I left out the leeks and added a lot more bacon (I made it for my sister and she's very fussy!) This is perfect comfort food for this cold month.

Enjoy :)

3 simple pasta dishes

Spaghetti bolognese, carbonara, macaroni cheese, and even pasta and pesto can get boring (can't believe I just said that!) so I have come up with 3 really easy pasta meals that taste delicious. They may not be the lowest in fat but they are still fairly nutritious with chicken or tuna, and a variety of different veg. Give them a try - they will not disappoint!

1. Chicken and bacon pasta with garlic and herb cream cheese

This is so delicious, I had this tonight and the flavour is amazing from the smoked bacon and garlic. It was really filling as well and contains a variety of different vegetables. 

Serves 2

- olive oil

- 1 chicken breast, sliced

- 3 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped

- 175g pasta

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

- handful of mushrooms, sliced

- green beans, cut in half

- 1/3 200g pack of garlic and herb Philadelphia cream cheese

- handful of fresh spinach leaves

- sprinkling of cheddar cheese

1. Fry the chicken breast in olive oil until browned, add the bacon and stir for a few minutes.

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

3. Add the garlic and onion to the bacon and chicken - cook until softened, then add the mushrooms.

4. Add the green beans to the pasta water about 5 minutes till the end of cooking time. Then drain and add to the chicken and bacon pan.

5. Stir in the garlic and herb cream cheese until all coated, and serve on a bed of fresh spinach leaves (or stir them in if you prefer them more wilted) with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese. Voila!

2. Cheesy, tuna pasta

This was a really thrown together meal when I couldn't decide what to have. I had some leftover tuna and mayo that I had in a sandwich the previous day and decided to have this with pasta. This was such a delicious meal but fairly naughty with butter and lots of cheese. Thinking about it, I should have added peas or sweetcorn, or both, to make it a bit more exciting and nutritious. I really love tuna and mushrooms together but for those of you who don't like mushrooms, you don't have to add them!

*This is an instagram photo so sorry for quality - follow me on instagram for photos of food, fashion etc. my user name is 'lottierainbow'*

Serves 1

- 100g pasta

- olive oil

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

- handful of mushrooms, sliced

- 1/2 tin of tuna mixed with little bit of mayo

- knob of butter

- big handful of cheddar, grated

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.

2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil and fry the garlic and mushrooms until softened.

3. Stir in the tuna and mayo. Drain the pasta and add to the pan.

4. Stir in the butter and cheese and serve!

3. Creamy pesto pasta

The basis for this recipe came off the campbells condensed, creamy chicken soup tin! It is just a more interesting way to enjoy pesto, since it's really creamy and comforting. I decided to add peas and onion as well, and I used turkey instead of chicken.

Serves 2
- 175g pasta
- 1 chicken/turkey breast, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tin of campbells condensed cream of chicken soup
- 120ml milk
- 1/2 jar of green pesto
- peas
- cheddar cheese, grated

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
2. Fry the chicken and onion in some olive oil then add the soup and milk, stirring. Bring to the boil then simmer.
3. Add the peas to the pasta about 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time.
4. Stir the pesto in with the chicken and soup mix and simmer for around 5 minutes.
5. Drain the pasta and peas and add to the sauce, stirring until all mixed together.
6. Serve with grated cheese on top!

Enjoy :)

Honey and lemon glazed chicken

I found this recipe in my friends cookbook (Good food 101 cheap eats) which was perfect since I'd just bought 4 chicken drumsticks in Sainsbury's (for only £1!) I don't like citrus but I love lemon in sauces and this makes a perfect sticky glaze over the chicken and potato wedges. It has amazing flavour - you can taste the lemon, the honey and the garlic all at the same time. It's so quick and easy to do, you just make the sauce and bung it all in the oven for 45 minutes. The sauce makes the chicken so moist and the wedges soft - I transferred the wedges to a clean baking tray 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time to crisp up. This is a really good student meal if you want something a bit more special and tasty, yet chicken and potato are still cheap to buy in the supermarket. The original recipe used fresh rosemary, but I didn't want to buy a whole bunch so just used dried mixed herbs instead.

Serves 1

- 2 chicken drumsticks
- 1 large baking potato, cut into wedge shapes
- 25g salted butter
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 1/2 large lemon
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- sprinkling of dried mixed herbs
- fresh spinach leaves, to serve

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees / gas mark 6
2. Place the chicken drumsticks and wedges in a deep baking tray
3. For the sauce, melt the butter in a pan and add the honey. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and add along with 3/4 of the crushed garlic clove (you can use the whole clove but it will be quite strong). Add some dried mixed herbs and stir together.
4. Drizzle the sauce all over the chicken and potato, turning everything until coated. Sprinkle with some more herbs then bake in the oven for around 30 minutes. Turn the chicken drumsticks and remove the wedges from the pan onto a clean baking tray so they can crisp up. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the wedges are soft.
5. Serve with fresh spinach leaves or vegetables of your choice

Enjoy :)

Feta and spinach filo triangles

These make the perfect starter or buffet food, they are so delicious and surprisingly easy to make. I used ready-rolled filo pastry from Sainsbury's and was really worried because I knew working with filo pastry could be quite tricky as it tends to dry out and crack, but I had no problems with this one at all! The textures were really good and spinach and feta go so well together. These will definitely impress at a dinner party so give it a go. I served this with a salad of mixed lettuce leaves, cucumber, tomato, feta and lemon. 

Makes about 10

- olive oil

- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

- 150g frozen spinach, thawed and drained

- 100g feta cheese, crumbled

- 50g cottage cheese

- 1/2 egg, beaten

- 10 sheets of ready-rolled filo pastry

- 100g slightly salted butter, melted

1. Heat some olive oil in a pan and gently fry the onions until softened. Add the spinach and cook until the water is evaporated.

2. Mix together the egg, cottage cheese and feta cheese in a jug and add to the onion and spinach. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until thickened.

3. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 / 200 degrees.

4. Place a filo pastry sheet on a clean work surface and brush with melted butter all over.

5. Cut the pastry sheet into 3 equal strips 

 6. Place the sheets on top of one another. Next, place a spoonful of the filling at the end.

 7. Fold into a triangle like below

 8. Then continue to fold into a triangle, until the filling is completely encased.

 9. Butter the end of the leftover pastry and fold over. Brush both sides of the completed filo triangle with butter and place on a baking tray.

10. Repeat until all the mixture has gone then bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until hot in the middle and golden brown.

11. Serve with a greek salad!

Enjoy :)

Summer smoothies

It's been such a lovely sunny, hot day here today even though it's September now, woo, so these cold smoothies were perfect for today. I have also had a really bad cold these last few days (surprise surprise) so although I haven't had much of an appetite, I've been trying to eat as healthy as possible. I really wanted to make the pineapple and spinach smoothie that I've posted on here about before because it has lots of yummy and nutritious ingredients in, and in the end I made two different smoothies. The purple (and more attractive) one is exactly the same as the pineapple and spinach one, just without the spinach! They are both really delicious, I had the spinach one with my lunch and am going to have the sweeter one after dinner later!

You can find the recipe for the smoothie here - it is low fat natural yogurt, frozen berries, fresh pineapple, fresh spinach leaves and some water.
This time I added a little more of everything (particularly yogurt) so it made two drinks rather than just one. I also added some fresh blueberries as well as the frozen berries. Add everything but the spinach into the blender then pour half of it into a glass.

Add the spinach to the remaining smoothie in the blender, continue to blend, then pour that one into a glass too!

Enjoy :)

Beef cannelloni

Although this dish never looks particularly appetising (hard to dish up neatly!) it is absolutely delicious. Fairly similar to lasagne but much more fun to make and more delicious in my opinion. Cannelloni is pasta tubes (or lasagne sheets rolled up) stuffed with a filling - in this recipe it is mince and onion, but spinach and ricotta is also very popular, and vegetarian. I then used a passata to cover the tubes in a dish, and made a bechamel sauce to finish, with lots of cheddar cheese of course. This is a real comfort food treat, and I guarantee you will love it! I served this on a bed of spinach leaves with sun-dried tomato flat bread. Mm mm.

Serves 3-4

- drizzle of olive oil

- 500g beef mince
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 small red onions, chopped
- pinch of mixed dried italian herbs
- large jar of passata
- salt and pepper
- handful of fresh basil, torn
- handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 egg, beaten (for binding)
- cannelloni tubes (about 12)
(For bechamel sauce)
- 25g butter
- 25g plain flour
- 300ml milk
- lots of cheddar cheese, grated
- spinach and cherry tomatoes, to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and brown the mince, with the garlic, onion and dried herbs. Once cooked, set aside to cool.
2. In a bowl, mix the passata with the salt and pepper, fresh basil, and cherry tomatoes. Set aside.

3. Grease a large baking dish with oil and pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.
4. Once the mince mixture is cool enough to handle, mix with the beaten head and stuff the pasta tubes. Warning - this can be tricky and messy - the key is to stuff them quite full so the mixture is stuck together. Place the cannelloni tubes in the dish

5. Pour over the passata until the pasta is covered.

6. Next, make the bechamel sauce. Heat the butter in a pan, and once frothing, stir in the flour. Stir for about a minute, then very gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly. This can take around 20 minutes to thicken over a low heat but it is worth being patient because a white sauce can go wrong so easily.

7. Once the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, pour over the top of the passata covered pasta tubes, and top with lots of grated cheddar.

8. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Then, remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes or until golden brown and the pasta is soft.

9. Serve on a bed of fresh spinach leaves, with cherry tomatoes.

Enjoy :)