What’s For Dinner?

15th April 201919th May 2019
by thefoodwife

The week ahead is sure to contain a fair amount of chocolate but I thought I’d share some of the recipes we’ll be having over the next week to give you some inspiration too.

Since I posted my recipe for Chinese Lemon Chicken a couple of weeks ago, I’d been thinking about when I can have it again. I probably mentioned it a couple of times a day to The Food Husband, So I decided it was back on the menu this week and it made an excellent accompaniment to the new series of Game of Thrones!

We’ve also been using up previous batch cooking stores from the freezer and have had an easy meal of bolognese, simply defrosted and reheated and stirred through freshly cooked pasta.

As the freezer supplies need replacing I’m planning to make a new batch of my Moroccan-inspired chickpea and preserved lemon tagine later this week. I love the zingyness and potent flavour from the preserved lemons and it makes a cheap yet hearty meatless meal.

And of course Easter Sunday: we will be having lamb. Last year we had the glorious Mechoui leg of lamb. This year we are having a roasted shoulder with the classic garlic and rosemary. But on Monday we will be turning the leftovers into lamb rissoles to have with salad.

And for the Food Baby? I’ve just restocked his cheesy vegetable fritters in the freezer; this time a combination of carrot, broccoli, sweet potato, potato and sweetcorn with cheddar and smoked paprika instead of curry spices. And I’m replenishing the successful cheese and vegetable scones, switching the courgette for grated broccoli. A couple of veg-filled winners!

Hopefully that’s given you some inspiration for your meals ahead. If you are still in need of inspiration then head over to www.thefoodwife.co.uk and if you haven’t already, why not sign up to the newsletter, sending you recipe inspiration each week. Wishing you all a happy Easter, The Food Wife.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

1st April 20191st April 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2-3

Growing up, it was much to my sister’s annoyance that if we were getting a Chinese take away I would always request lemon chicken. I love its astringent sourness whereas she does not! Luckily though, the Food Husband shares my love of it. However, I’m struggling to think when we last had a Chinese takeaway, but I’ve been working on my own version, and it is a pretty good dupe. It’s fairly quick to cook (it’s all in the preparation) and I’m sure it’s much healthier than the takeaway version.

I made this totally gluten-free in order to cater for my husband’s dietary requirements, but it’s the soy sauce, stock and flour that are the ingredients you need to ensure are gluten-free if necessary.

Preparation is key to this recipe. Have everything ready to go into the wok and it will then be ready in no time. I’ve also done steps 1-3 an hour before we’re going to eat so that I know that after the Food Baby is in bed, dinner will be ready to eat not long after.

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 egg white, beaten
300g chicken (thigh or breast) cut into thin strips
5 tbsp corn flour
Pinch of ground white pepper

For the stir fry:
Vegetable oil
1 onion, large dice
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 inches of ginger, julienned (thin strips)
1 pepper, large dice

For the sauce:
2 lemons (juice and zest)
2 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tsp sugar
150ml vegetable/chicken stock (gluten-free if required)

Step 1: Begin by marinating the chicken strips in a bowl with the soy sauce and beaten egg white. Allow to marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Step 2: Next you are going to coat each piece of marinaded chicken in the cornflour which has had a pinch of white pepper stirred through it.

Step 3: In a wok, heat some vegetable oil over a high heat and then cook the floured chicken in batches, until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and leave to drain on kitchen paper (it does not need to be cooked through at this stage as it will go back in the wok later).

Step 4: Add a little more oil to the wok and start to stir fry the onion, garlic, ginger and pepper. Cook over a high heat for three or four minutes and then reintroduce the chicken. Keep everything moving and after a couple of minutes, add all of the sauce ingredients. Stir for a couple more minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.

Serve immediately with rice.

Chicken and Leeks in a Cream and Wine Sauce

20th March 201920th March 2019
by thefoodwife

Serves 2

This recipe definitely reminds me of the 1990s, specifically the dish I would always order at a local restaurant we went to for birthdays. It was always chicken in some sort of creamy sauce, served with long grain rice and a chopped salad with vinaigrette.

This recipe was born out of using up some wine and cream left over from some weekend indulgence. It is simple and quick to make but also wonderfully versatile as it can be served with rice or potatoes, stirred through pasta or even used as a pie filling. Creme fraiche could replace the double cream, in which case omit the vinegar. A spoonful of whole grain mustard could also be stirred through before serving. If making this as a vegetarian meal then replace the chicken with Quorn pieces.

Ingredients:
Oil
1 leek, trimmed, thoroughly washed and sliced into rounds
1 stick of celery, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
250g chicken (breast or thigh meat), cut into thin strips
1 tbsp plain flour (gluten-free if required)
1 large glass of white wine
50ml double cream
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

Step 1: Begin by heating a little oil in a frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the celery and leeks and start to soften (but not brown).

Step 2: After three or four minutes add the garlic and cook out for a minute or two.

Step 3: Dust the sliced chicken with the flour and then add to the pan. Seal on all sides and then add the wine. Stir frequently so that it thickens from the flour and cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickened.

Step 4: Finish the sauce by stirring through the cream and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with rice, pasta or mashed potatoes and a green vegetable (or salad!).

What’s for dinner?

13th March 201913th March 2019
by thefoodwife

This week we’ve been revisiting some recipes from The Food Wife so here are some ideas to help you with some meal planning for the week ahead. All are gluten-free (or easily adaptable).

At the weekend we had some friends round for dinner and I went for the low prep, no fuss chicken and potato tray bake with peppers and artichokes, served with a large green salad. It meant I could minimise my time in the kitchen and maximise my time socialising! We also had some of the marinated olives to nibble on with drinks before hand which I had set marinating the night before so they were full of flavour.

We’ve also had a firm favourite midweek, simply defrosted from the freezer and reheated; the yellow split pea daal. We had it with nutty brown basmati rice and some blanched green beans. So healthy and nutritious but utterly delicious too!

Another freezer staple was ragù; stirred through pasta it makes a really quick and satisfying meal. And also with pasta we’ve had the creamy spinach and pea pasta making a 15 minute meal perfect for a week night.

Lunch times have been soup-focussed and the sweet potato and butternut squash Thai coconut soup has been spicing up lunchtimes.

New to the menu was a Thai-inspired beef and noodle salad. Fresh flavours making the most of leftovers as I used left over roast beef and green beans from a family roast on Sunday.

The Food Baby has not been forgotten. At the start of the week I had a mammoth cooking session making batches of toddler-appropriate food. My main aim has been to try and get as much fruit or vegetables into him without him realising, as he appears to be able to identify and reject anything obvious at 20 paces. A batch of baby oaty ‘carrot cake’ cookies have gone down well with half being popped in the freezer for another time. I also made a big batch of veggie curry fritters, although I split the vegetables and batter and did half with the curry powder, and the other half with a teaspoon of smoked paprika and 100g grated cheese. Each batch made seven good size fritters which have been popped in the freezer for future dinners.

Hopefully our week’s meal plan has offered you some inspiration for all the family, catering for a variety of different diets, including gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan. If you haven’t already, why not sign up to The Food Wife Newsletter at the bottom of the homepage, to ensure you get every recipe each week, direct to your email.

Wings, Two Ways.

4th March 20194th March 2019
by thefoodwife

Makes 2kg

We recently had a bit of a wing-feast with my brother and sister-in-law. I can’t say we remembered to take a photo of the wings, so you’ll have to believe me when I say they were good. But I did get a photo of the dry rub! The marinades below are each enough for 1kg of wings.

Ingredients:
Mexican dry rub:
1 tbsp sumac (or the zest of 1 lemon)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar

Korean wet marinade:
1 big heaped tbsp of gochujang (gluten-free if required)
3 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
3 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp caster sugar

Step 1: For each of the rub/marinade, combine the ingredients in a large bowl or sealable bag.

Step 2: Toss the chicken wings through the rub/marinade until completely coated and leave to marinate for an hour or two.

Step 4: Spread the wings in a single layer on baking trays (keep the rub/marinade separate).

Step 5: Cook in a preheated oven (190-200c fan) for 50-60 minutes.

Delicious served with potato wedges and coleslaw.