Clean Brown Rice Wild Mushroom Risotto

For the past few weeks we've been clean eating and introduced more weight training into our gym regime. Can I just say what a difference it's actually making? We're not 100% clean as we do enjoy a treat once a week, however we've noticed we have more energy, feel mentally better and I actually no longer crave sugary or salty foods - just last night I was saying how much I just wanted a bowl of broccoli to eat. Would I have said that a few months ago? Probably not.

But we're serious about this now. We're well on the way to the wedding with a year and a half to go and I do not want to be looking back at my photos thinking "God, why didn't I lose weight and get a bit fitter and healthier?...lazy cow" - or something to that effect!

This clean eating malarkey includes being a bit more ingenious in the kitchen. Luckily i'm part of an ace wee group on Facebook which provides support from people all over the world, so when you have a bad day you can go and vent and everyone is so understanding and supportive. It also includes all these lovely people posting recipes and their meals they've had, a lot which I wouldn't have thought of. So come join our wee group and get into the clean way of things!

ANYWAY! Back to the main matter at hand - this bad boy recipe *points up to photo* is an ideal way to have a yummy risotto (who doesn't love that stuff?) and be healthy. Brown rice is known to be a complex carb and has more nutrients compared to white rice and is also considered "Clean". It also feels lighter, so once i've eaten this I don't feel bloated or in need of a nap.

For this recipe I used (serves 2 - but can be altered to cater for more or less):

• 1/2 - 3/4 uncooked cup brown rice
• 1 onion - chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic - chopped finely
• Pack of dried Wild Mushrooms (I got mine from Tesco) - Try not to use stock as there is loads of artificial colourings and sugar in it - if you need to use stock (i.e not a wild mushroom risotto) use an organic or fresh kind and check the ingredients.
• 2/3 chesnut mushrooms - sliced relatively thick for texture

*You can also add in some veg too - i sometimes add in broccoli, asparagus or any green bean (add this before adding the stock)*

• Parmesan and Lemon Juice to taste

First, place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to sit for 20 minutes to get the moisture back into them - it WILL make the place smell like mushroom soup.

Using a non-stick pan - or a tiny amount of olive or coconut oil - fry the onion and garlic on a medium heat until soft and translucent but not brown.

Squeeze the water out of the mushrooms but make sure that the water stays in the bowl - we need that! Slice roughly and add to the pan with the other mushrooms and selected veg. Cook for 2 minutes.

Add the rice to the pan and cook for a minute so it's soaked up all the juices from the mushrooms and veg.

Start adding the water from the mushrooms gradually - I say a ladle at a time - stirring each time and making sure the water has been soaked up by the rice before adding more water. Keep doing this until the rice is soft. I eventually ran out of mushroom water so I just used water from the kettle so as not to overpower the delicate mushroom flavour.

To finish I added a bit of lemon juice to taste. This lifts up the flavour without the need to use salt or pepper. You can add a sprinkling of parmesan too.



So there you have it. I must warn you - this, much like any risotto does take a while to make so be prepared and make sure you have the time. Also this can only be kept for a day - rice doesn't keep very well! Another idea I had was to maybe try it with quick-cook rice to see if it works - so if you happen to try that, give me a shout to let me know!

Bon Appetit!

x

Butternut Squash,Cabbage and Green Lentil Curry

Say whaaaaaat? Curry that's healthy? AAAAND vegan? Yes! Yes, it is!

I am a super fan of curries. I am not, however, a super fan of the aftermath of curries. Yes, the bloats, the gurgles and the inability to move.

So I found a curry recipe online that included lentils and decided to put my own twist on it using the basic recipe I found. Of course I included my all time favourite veg - the Butternut Squash. Seriously, this guy ca do no wrong in my eyes! AND! You only need one pan! Plus a tray to roast the butternut squash and parsnips.

I thought i'd need to accompany this dish with rice, but I found the lentils helped fill out the meal and there really was no need for any side dish. Which is a step in the right healthy direction as a) no naan is involved and b) no stodgy rice.

You can obviously add and subtract veg depending on what your personal taste is and of course make it hotter and mix it up with different spices.


So here's my spin (Serves two - and some for lunch the next day)

For the roast veg;

1 Butternut Squash - peeled and cubed
2 Parsnips - peeled and cubed
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Madras Curry Powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Salt and Pepper

For the Curry;

1 tsp Olive Oil
1 Onion - diced
3 Garlic Cloves - or less depending how much you love garlic!
2 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
2 cups Veg Stock/Broth
Half cup Green Lentils (or any other type you fancy!)
A few leaves of Cabbage - or a handful of Spinach

Preheat your oven to 220oC/Gas7/fan 200oC. Place the Butternut squash and Parsnips into a bowl and add the oil, spices and salt and pepper (about a pink of both) and toss until all is covered. Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 30 minutes until soft and brown at the edges.

Heat the oil and add the garlic and onion. Cook until the onion starts to look transparent.

Add the spices and give a good ol' stir until the place smells amazing! Add the lentils, cabbage and the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat then simmer for about 10/15 minutes or until the lentils have soaked up the stock and you're left with a thick curry.

Taste to see if you need to add anything - Salt? Pepper? More spice?

Serve into bowls and add a good old dollop of Creme Fraiche or Yoghurt. Prepare to eat it all as it's so goddamn YUM!

Okay, so that's me done with the recipes for today! Hope you find them as delicious as I did and as easy to make!

Simple Fish Pie Goujons

Healthy food seems to have taken over my life in the past two months. Not only does it taste good, it makes me feel good too! Some stuff can be a bit manky tasting, so I've been trying out a few recipes to see whats the yummiest way to get good stuff in me without feeling like i'm eating cardboard constantly.

These beauts are hands down the easiest and quickest dish I've ever made that's tastes DIVINE!

For two people, what you need to make them are;

1 Sweet Potato (or normal potato if you don't like them - however sweet potatoes are healthier!)
Cream Cheese
2 fillets of haddock, cod or any meaty white fish - cut in half vertically then halved horizontally (so they're like goujons! You should have eight pieces)
prawns (I've literally no idea how many i just fire them in - but maybe half a pack?)
Tsp of Paprika (mild or hot)
Salt and Pepper

Start by peeling and slicing the sweet potato into cubes. Boil for about 15/20 minutes until soft and crush-able.

Heat your oven to 220oC/fan 200oC/gas 7

While these are boiling, get a baking tray and line with grease proof paper. Sprinkle over salt and pepper.

Mix the prawns with some of the cream cheese and paprika until it's covered. I normally put a tablespoon in first and give it a good mix so as not to overwhelm the prawns with all this cheese going on!

Place the fillets onto the tray, top with the prawns (allowing maybe 3-4 per fish goujon - depending on the size of prawns!)

Next, drain and mash the sweet potato with some of the cream cheese. Spoon over the fish pies.

Now you can add Parmesan over the top to give it some crispiness, however we used these tremendous pitta bread crisps we found in Markies to ass extra flavour and crunch. it was amazing! I imagine you can add anything on top. You know, to some degree!

Put in the oven for 10 minutes, until piping hot.

ENJOY!