Tag Archives: Easy quick meals

Terrific Turkey Burgers

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Using readily and cheaply available turkey mince, this is a low-fat, high protein and healthy alternative to traditional burgers.

Andrew: These were pan-fried and made up for a midweek family supper, but they can equally be prepared in advance and kept in the freezer for a summer barbeque.

Dawn: The herbs and spices used are only a suggestion. There are endless varieties here.

Ingredients

To serve 4 (8 burgers)

400-500g turkey mince

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 red chilli

1 tsp cumin powder

1 egg to bind (optional)

splash of olive oil for frying

Method

  • In a bowl, combine the mince with the chopped onion, herbs and spices. Use a wooden spoon or use your hands to mix and blend the ingredients.
  • Add a beaten egg to the mix and use this to bind the mixture together. This is not always necessary if the mixture is already sticky.
  • Divide into 8 balls, rolling them between your hands, then press your hands together so the spheres of mixture become flattened burgers, each about 1.5-2cm thick.
  • Fry the burgers in a pan with a little olive oil for anywhere between 2-15 minutes, turning frequently and ensuring the burgers are cooked all the way through.

Dawn: This is great with the sweet potato mash recipe.

Andrew: A crisp and simple green salad on the side, or a few green beans too, would make an easy and quick family supper.

For more quick and easy recipes follow this blog – www.forfoodlovers.wordpress.com – and the Twitter account @Love_Food_UK for daily recipes and updates. Have fun cooking, folks! 

Mushroom Soup

DSCI1421 A real “must” for when Winter bites!

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled, sliced and chopped

450g of mushrooms, peeled and sliced

1pt of vegetable stock

1pt of milk (full, semi or skimmed, whatever is your preference)

1 tsp of dried basil

Salt and pepper to season

Method

  • Place the onion in a deep saucepan with a little splash of warm water: cook until the onion is tender and becomes transparent in look.
  • Add the vegetable stock and almost all the sliced mushrooms, keeping back a few to use to garnish the dish when cooked.
  • Bring the ingredients up to boil and then turn down the heat to allow the ingredients to simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes.
  • In the meantime, in a frying pan, add the remaining sliced mushrooms and a splash of water: cook until they appear caramelised and then set aside.
  • Take the saucepan off the heat and while stirring the mushrooms, slowly pour in the milk, stirring all the time. Return the saucepan to the hob and heat gently, adding the dried basil and season to taste.
  • Serve in warmed dishes and atop each with the seperately cooked mushrooms.

Dawn: A simple and easy soup recipe to serve any time of day. 
Andrew: Very nice, too. For more easy-to-cook meals, follow thsi blog – www.forfoodlovers.wordpress.com – and our Twitter feed @Love_Food_UK.

Fabulous Frittata

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Frittata is one of those incredibly versatile Italian dishes which in this rather Anglicised version is a fantastic way of using up leftover ingredients, or whatever is growing in your garden at the time.

Dawn: Brilliant! This is just what we want from this blog! Affordable, in season, available and not at all wasteful!

Andrew: And also extremely easy, with a little patience and care.

Dawn: So Maestro! What is the difference between a frittata and a Spanish Omelette?

Andrew: No that isn’t a cue for one of my corny jokes! Not much really. A Spanish Omelette is basically a combination of potato, onion and egg, and is quite thick when served. You may have seen this as tortilla. Fritatta is also a form of omelette. It tends to be thinner, but is also served sliced.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Any combination of vegetables, meats, seafood  and herbs: see below for suggestions

1 tbsp of olive oil

Four eggs

Method

  • Heat a heavy bottomed 8 inch/20 cm frying pan on a gentle heat.
  • Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, and fry your chosen filling until tender, or until your meat or seafood is cooked through thoroughly.
  • Mix your eggs together in a bowl or mug, then pour into the pan, cooking on a low-medium heat for about 10 minutes.
  • The top of the frittata will start to set at this point. Here you have two options: either heat the pan under a grill until browned on top, or flip the frittata over, placing a plate on top of the pan, turning it over so it drops onto the plate, then slide it back into the pan to finish cooking for 2-3 minutes.
  • Turn out onto a plate or chopping board, allow to cool and then cut into 6- 8 slices.

Dawn: Great with a salad, new potatoes and some runner beans I would guess.

Andrew: I have just done three of these for my colleagues for our Christmas buffet lunch.

Dawn: Three! What was the price?

Andrew: Value range eggs, about £2.50 for a dozen, and vegetables I had in. I estimate about £5 for the lot!

Dawn: Tremendous value! Budget eggs outside of the City are often cheaper, starting at about £1.50 per 12 plus eggs so worth knowing, Now tell me about these fillings

Andrew: There are no rules, but I did these:

  1. Mixed coloured vegetables- red onion, yellow pepper, red chilli and a few frozen peas.
  2. Courgette, mushroom and thyme.
  3. Sausage, red pepper and chilli powder.

Dawn: I have some prawns and spring onion in my fridge. Chorizo and red pepper might work too. And shoudl these be cooked before adding? 

Andrew: The beauty of this dish is that ‘anything goes’!

Dawn: Or ‘anything goes in’!! Amazing! When do we add the vegetables or whatever we have in at the time, Andrew?

Andrew: I pre-cook the additional ingredients as it speeds up the overall cooking time and add them pre-adding the eggs. And what makes this another firm favourite is that this is just the kind of good value an oh, so easy to do recipes we want to promote. Keep an eye out for @Love_Food_UK on Twitter for our other fantastic recipes.