Simple tuna & pasta salad

Before turning to today's post, I'd like to let you know that I've added a new smoothie recipe (check them all out here). As most of you know I've been spending a considerable amount of my time at university over the past two weeks (just one more week of intensive course to go!) and I have to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of the food available there. So, I've just resorted to bringing my own lunch and/or dinner with me. I know it adds to the weight of my bag, but it's really worth it.

I've pretty much exhausted my appetite for the plain green salads that I made for myself the last term and therefore I've had to resort to coming up with some new ideas. Whilst I was doing some food shopping last week, I stopped in the pasta aisle and had a look at what there was - I've never realised that the choice of different pasta (different shapes, sizes and ingredients) is so big. And as I was already going to try out a new recipe I decided to try out a new pasta at the same time - two birds with one stone. I made the salad with rice and millet pasta and to be honest, the only real difference I could tell was that this one was a tiny bit sweeter than the 'normal' pasta (but let's be honest, nothing beats the 'normal' pasta). There is no big difference between the nutritional values of the two but the rice and millet pasta is supposed to be easier to digest and also can be eaten by people with different food sensitivities and allergies (it is vegan, gluten free etc). I wouldn't say I would from now on just eat that, but I would seriously consider incorporating it into my diet if I want to be a bit nicer to my digestive system.

Anyway, enough about the pasta itself - turning to the salad. It is incredibly easy to make and you can add anything you wish (e.g. sweetcorn and tomatoes) to your salad. This combination gives you a nice base to have it on its own or to improvise further with. If you're not a big fan of capers, by all means leave them out. But I really recommend at least giving a try because I find that capers add a really nice touch to the salad, making it taste a bit more interesting than just pasta and tuna would. This is perfect for packed lunch (that's what I've been doing with it), easy to make and will keep you full for quite a few hours.

Ingredients
(Serves 2 - approx 400 cal per serving)
- 125g pasta, boiled
- 1.5 cans of tuna (in water)
- 3 tsp capers
- 60g iceberg lettuce
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions
Boil and drain the pasta and leave to cool down. When the pasta has cooled down, mix together all the ingredients and serve (or place in a box and keep in the fridge until serving).

Roast chicken & root vegetables

I have to apologise again for leaving such a big gap between this post and the last one, but in my defence, I'm back in Singapore now and a new semester has begun. On top of that, one of my courses is intensive (meaning the whole semester's worth of material is actually taught in only 3 weeks), so I really haven't had that much free time in my hands lately.

But on the other hand, the recipe I'm going to share with you today is well worth the wait. I have to honestly say that this was my very first roast chicken and whilst it was in the oven 101 thoughts crossed my mind - what if it is not cooked through; what if it dries out; what if it doesn't taste good ... Fortunately, all my worries were pointless and the result was divine - imagine crispy skin and juicy meat with melt-in-your-mouth vegetables. And the best part was the fact that it just took me 1 hour 40 minutes to make it and the cooking time out of it was 1 hour 20.

This was the second roast I've ever made in my life (the first one was a traditional Sunday roast beed) and I can proudly said I aced it. Compared to the roast beef, the roast chicken is a lot less hassle free and time consuming - and because the chicken was small enough I could cook the chicken and vegetables in the same tray and the same time and thus making it even easier. Well, in conclusion, this makes a perfect hassle free Sunday roast and could easily be served at a dinner party. Also, if (we didn't have any leftovers) there is any chicken left over use it the next day in a salad or make yourself a nice chicken sandwich / wrap. I'd highly recommend trying this recipe out, even though making a roast might seem like a bit too big of a task, because firstly it is not and secondly, there is nothing better for a nice and cosy Sunday meal than a homemade juicy roast.

Ingredients
(Serves 4 OR 2 very hungry people)
- 1.3 kg chicken (head and feet removed)
- 400g swedes
- 500g parsnips
- 300g leeks
- 500g carrots
- 600g butternut squash
- Fresh sage
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- 1 lemon
- 2 red onions
- 5 cloves of garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- Chicken gravy

Directions
Take out the chicken from the fridge 2 hours before putting it in the oven to allow it to warm up to room temperature. When the two hours have passed, preheat the oven up to 170C fan (190C conventional oven). While the oven is warming up, prepare the vegetables. I used root vegetables because they are more suitable for roasting, but at the end of the day feel free to use whatever you like. Chop up the vegetables (apart from onions and garlic) and place them in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons (or so) of olive oil, some salt and pepper and mix well. Pour the vegetables in the baking tray, so that the bottom would be fully covered. Then prepare the onions by quartering both of them and placing on the tray together with whole cloves of garlic.

When the vegetables are ready, prepare the chicken. Firstly, pat it very dry both outside and inside. Then generously season the cavity with salt and pepper and fill with fresh herb springs and quartered lemon. Then season the downside of chicken with salt and pepper, turn it around and place on top of the vegetables. Pierce few holes by the thighs and push in few springs of herbs for added flavour. Finally, pour generous amount of olive oil over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.

When the oven has heated up, put the chicken in the oven and cook for 1 hour 20 minutes. There is no need to baste the chicken because if you keep it upside down (so that the chicken breasts are at the bottom) the juices coming from above will keep everything nice and moist. When the chicken is done, place it and the vegetables on a serving plate (or chopping board) and let the chicken stand for 10 minutes. While the chicken is standing, prepare the gravy according to the instructions. When 10 minutes have passed, carve up the chicken and enjoy!

Wraps

Instead of making a single post about every wrap I decided to group the wraps all together like I did with smoothies and up-date the post whenever I try out a new flavour.

To put it simply I really-really love wraps. They make a perfect food for picnic, garden party or just something to put in your lunchbox. In addition to being so universal you can basically wrap up anything you have in the fridge at the moment, so the possibilities are endless. They are filling, can be made healthy and in addition to all that they are great for having kids eating vegetables - I remember that I never unwrapped my wrap in order to eliminate the tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber that was in there. Incredibly easy to make, do not make a mess out of the kitchen and can be eaten every time of the day, hot or cold, with a sauce or a side dish or without. So, to put it shortly, wraps are probably the easiest universal foods out there and here are just a few examples of the many possibilities. Feel free to skip or substitute an ingredient and play around with different combinations.

Salmon wraps
(Makes 2)
- 2 wholegrain tortillas
- 100g smoked salmon
- 80g cream cheese
- 2 large iceberg lettuce leaves
- 2 tsp baby capers
- Pepper, to serve

Place the tortillas on a plate and spread one side with the cheese spread. Wash and dry the lettuce leaves and place on top of cream cheese. Then divide the salmon evenly between two tortillas, place a spoonful of capers on top and sprinkle with some fresh pepper (or squeeze lemon juice). Then roll the wraps up and either eat immediately or wrap in a cling film and keep refrigerated until serving.

Turkey and cranberry warps
(Makes 4)
- 4 wholegrain tortillas
- 200g smoked turkey breast
- 4 tbsp cranberry sauce
- 60g baby spinach
- 60g bean sprouts

Place the tortillas on a plate and cover each with 1 tbsp of cranberry jam. Then slice the turkey breast into thin strips and divide it up between the tortillas. Top each tortilla off with baby spinach leaves and bean sprouts. Roll them up and enjoy either straight away or wrap in some cling film and keep refrigerated until serving.

Penne Bolognese

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for neglecting my blog for such a long time, but I've been so incredibly busy over my Christmas holidays that I even haven't had time to catch up with sleep. And secondly, before turning to the first post of the year, I'd like to wish all of you my dear readers a happy new year!

As bolognese is one of my favourite pasta sauces I decided to kickstart the new year with that. It is one of those recipes that at first might seem like a bit too much work, but actually it is so easy to make. The only thing with bolognese (and with most other stews) is that the longer you cook them the tastier they are. This sauce can be easily made ready in 50 minutes, but I usually try to cook mine for around 3 hours. What I tend to do is that I put it on around lunchtime and then leave it to simmer while I either tidy the flat or study or do something at home and then eat it for dinner. And whenever I make it at home I make a huge batch and then divide it up and freeze it so I could have it whenever I get my pasta cravings. Another thing to note is that the sauce will be as good as the ingredients are that you put in it - make sure it is quality beef as it makes a huge difference in taste.

I really love that the sauce itself is so incredibly simple, but at the same time it tastes so delicious. Serve it with al dente pasta and freshly shaven parmesan for a delicious meal.


Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 400g Penne (or other pasta)
- 2 tsp oil
- 100g bacon
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 400g good quality minced beef
- 500g tomato puree (passata)
- 500ml beef stock
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tsp sugar

- Parmesan, to serve

Directions
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add chopped bacon, onion and garlic and fry for few minutes. Then add minced beef and fry for another 5 minutes. Lastly add the passata, oregano and beef stock. Bring to boil and then turn down the heat and simmer covered for 50 minutes (I usually cook mine for 3 hours) and stir it every once in a while. Before serving, season with salt, sugar and pepper.

To serve, boil the penne, place on deep plates, pour over the sauce and add a generous sprinkle of parmesan. Serve immediately

Recipe from book "Pasta"