Thai Green Prawn Curry

For the last couple of weeks I haven't been eating meat, not just by choice as I'm also finding it difficult to stomach! Reducing our intake of red meat in particular (pork, beef and lamb), has been proven to have a protective effect on our health. For example the National Cancer Institute conducted a study on 500,000 people and found that those who ate red meat daily were 30% more likely to die during a ten year period of any cause than those who ate the least amount of red meat. Regular consumption of processed meats like sliced ham or sausages further increased the risk.

Vegetarians generally consume fewer calories and less fat, have a lower incidence of obesity and a lower risk of heart disease than meat eaters do. Plant based diets that emphasise fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes are rich in fibre, vitamins and minerals but are naturally lower in protein. As a result I've been trying to up my intake of fish, something I have to admit I don't cook at home that often. This recipe however is super easy, quick and is packed full of flavour. 

Ingredients  

• 1tsp coconut oil
• 2 shallots  
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2tbsp green curry paste
• 1 tin of "light" coconut milk
• 1tsp fish sauce
• Mixed vegetables of your choice  (I've used tender stem broccoli, mange tout, baby sweet corn, green pepper)
• 100g of cooked prawns, in our out of the shell
• 1tsp palm sugar
• 1 lime
• 1tbsp chopped coriander to serve 
• 1 finely sliced green chilli to serve
• Plate on brown rice or wholegrain noodles

Heat the coconut oil in a large wok then add in the finely sliced shallots and minced garlic. Let that stir fry for 1-2 mins before adding in the curry paste. Heat the paste for a further minute before adding the coconut milk and fish sauce. Bring this mixture to a simmer and then add in your vegetables. Leave them to cook for a couple of minutes until soft and then add in your prawns. As they are pre-cooked you will only need to heat them through, don't over cook them as they will go rubbery, a minute or two should be fine. Taste the sauce and if it needs a little sweetening add in the palm sugar. Serve your curry on a bed of brown rice or noodles with a wedge of lime, a sprinkle of coriander and some sliced green chilli. If you wanted an extra hit of protein you could always throw some nuts on top too, cashews or peanuts would work perfectly!

Chilli Chicken Ramen

Vietnamese food is one of my all time favourites but I find it so difficult to get right when trying to recreate at home. When I lived in London I was beyond obsessed with the chain of Vietnamese restaurants "Pho", for anyone who lives there look them up! Every time I went I would get the same thing, chilli chicken ramen with Vietnamese pork spring rolls. I've attameped several recipes I've found online but unfortunatly nothing compares. This recipe I managed to concoct this evening did  however turn out quite well so I thought I'd share it with you! It's basically a broth full of every Asian item in my cupboard-delicious! Super light, bursting with favour and an excuse to inhale an outrageous quantity of noodles, what's not to love?

Ingredients  

• 750ml of good quality chicken stock
• 3tbsps of fish sauce
• 3tbsps of dark soy sauce  
• 1tsp of chilli paste 
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic
• 2 fresh red chillies finely sliced (keep half for the garnish)
• 3 stalks of lemon grass
• about a two inch piece of fresh ginger  
• 1 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce  
• 1 bunch of scallions finely sliced 
• Juice of one lime
• 2 chicken breasts  
• Any veg you wish to include (pak choi, works well)
• 1 packet of ramen noodles  
• Coriander and mint to garnish

Make up the broth in a wide based sauce pan then add in everything except for the chicken, vegetables and noodles. Take the skin off the piece of ginger and pop it in whole. Leave that to simmer for about half an hour on a low heat with the lid on. The longer you can leave the broth to cook on the more intense the flavour will be. Taste the broth and see what you need more of, I usually end up adjusting it but it's really down to preference, you may want it hotter or some people like to add in a little palm sugar. If you ever taste the chilli chicken ramen in Wagamamas you'll notice it's quite sweet. Then you can add your chicken breasts in to cook, they will be cooked through in about ten minutes. Next pop in whatever veg you're adding and finally the noodles, they will only need a further 5 minutes.
Remove the ginger and the lemon grass stalks if you wish then serve garnished with fresh chilli and a few coriander or mint leaves.

Let me know what you like to add in if you make this at home too! Enjoy!

MEXICAN CHILLI

This is one of my favourite dinners and is always a crowd pleaser. I love spicy food and so does your metabolism getting an extra little boost from it. In this recipe I like to swap out at least half the amount of mince you would normally use and swap in some chickpeas and cannellini beans. Although a great source of both iron and vitamin b12, red meat is something many of us should consider cutting down on with studies demonstrating a possible link between excessive consumption and bowl cancer. In addition, both red and processed meats are often high in saturated fat which we all know isn't great for our cholesterol levels and heart health. Substituting some of the mince for the beans and chickpeas also brings a nutty flavour and adds texture to this old favourite. The beans and chickpeas in this recipe are great low-GI options and a good source of protein that will keep you feeling fuller for longer too! Ready in under 30minutes, you can't go wrong!

Ingredients

For the Chilli (feeds 4)

• About a 125g of 95% lean mince
• 1 onion
• 1 packet of chilli spice mix (I like the Old El Paso one)
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin of chickpeas
• 1 tin of cannellini beans
• 1 tin of kidney beans
• 1 red chilli

To top with;

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 lime
• 2 tomatoes
• A handfull of fresh coriander
• 1 red chilli

Start by dicing the onion and then in a large pan fry it in a little oil until it starts to soften. Then add in the mince and brown together with the onion. Cover the contents of the pan with the spice mix and make sure it is all evenly coated. Next add in the tin of tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes before adding in the drained chickpeas, cannellini beans and kidney beans. Have a taste and if it's not hot enough for you, you can add in a finely sliced red chilli (seeds included). Leave that on a low heat while you prepare the salsa. 

Roughly dice the tomatoes and chop up an avocado. Throw them into a bowl together and then add a sliced chilli-remember the smaller in size the hotter they are so choose according to taste! Add in about a teaspoon of chopped coriander and the juice of half a lime, bash around and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

I like to serve the chilli on wholegrain rice but it's so hearty you could easily eat it on it's own. Drizzle on some natural yoghurt to tame down anything that's too spicy and demolish immediately. Enjoy!