Here is part two of Clare’s Tasty Tapas. These are super as a main meal any evening, ideal for lunchtime leftovers and you will impress many a dinner guest if you were to sever mini ones of these as canapés.
Today we have our simple mango salad, Mushroom bruchetta and Tomato bruchetta.
Mango Salad: Mix the salad leaves, mango, red onion and dress with the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.
Mushroom Bruchetta: Cook your sliced mushroom in a pan for 4-5 minutes, until soft and tender, add the wine and cook until almost evaporated, add your mustard, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. toast your bread slices and top with the mushroom mixture.
Tomato Bruchetta: Chop your vine ripened tomatoes, add your chopped spring onions, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Toast your bread and top with the tomato mixture.
Oh now this is comfort food at its best and who doesn’t love beef, pasta and tomato sauce 🙂 It warm, a hint of spice and heavy on the carbs . Sure what is not to love?
Clare’s Beef & Mango Meatballs
Makes: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
450g extra lean minced beef
1 egg
A bunch of chopped coriander
A bunch of chopped parsley
1tbs Ground Black pepper
1 large onion Grated
2-3tbs of mango chutney
1 jar Pasata
2 shallots finely diced
1 large carrot finely diced
A small bunch of chopped basil
Black pepper
1tbs Coconut oil
250g Wholewheat pasta, any you like
30g of low fat cheddar cheese
PREPARATION
1/ Mix the beef , egg, mango chutney, coriander, parsley, pepper and onion and shape into golf ball sized balls, place on a tray and pop in the fridge to cool for a few minutes before cooking. Place in over for 15-18 minutes on a medium heat
2/ Melt the coconut oil in a sauce pan, add the chopped shallots, carrots until soft, 4-6 minutes, add the pepper , basil and top with pasata, carry on cooking on a low heat for 5-10 minutes
3/ Place the pasta into a pan of hot water, stir to separate the pasta and cook per packet instructions.
4/ Place: the cooked pasta on your plate, top with meatballs, sauce and cheese x Enjoy!
Top Tip: I love to over cook and these are especially lovely the following day in a pitta pocket, slice the meat balls in half, top with the sauce and place in a sandwich press for a few minutes and you have a super lunch, or eat cold with a salad.
Today I bring you a salad that I just adore, this is a warm, hearty salad that you can enjoy all year round and not just in Summer, This is my Warm Salmon and Potato Salad. This is fresh, home cooked food at its best and you can have this super supper on the table in 30 minutes
1/ Cut your potatoes into 1inch thick slices and place in a steamer, cook for 10 minutes and now add the green beans, cook for another 6-8 minutes until potatoes are tender, once cooked, drain the water in the base of the pan and place the potatoes and green beans back in with the lid firmly in place, this will keep them warm while you build the rest of this salad.
2/ Cut your tomatoes in half and place on a lined baking sheet, I de core mine but I do not remove the seeds, sprinkle with salt, sugar, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil (use no more than 1/2 a tbs for all the tomatoes) Cook on a low heat for 10-15 minutes
3/ Place your salmon either in a steamer for 10 minutes or in vegetable stock for for 10 minutes.
4/ Cut your cucumber and spring onions into bit size slices.
5/ Mix the remaining olive oil, pepper, salt, honey, mustard and lemon juice together, add to the warm potatoes and green bean, re place the lid for a few moments, add the warm tomatoes, flake the salmon, add the salad leaves, spring onions and cucumber and serve a big pile of this either on its own or with some crusty breads.
Top Tip: If you do not like salmon use any other meat , fish or opt for tofu of some squash to make this a veggie salad, this works incredible well with grilled peppers and feta cheese.
I am a big fan of stir fry’s because you can add what you like, you want a veggie stir fry, no problem , you want a mixture of meats, again no problem, you want a mix of meat, veg and seafoods again no problem, stir fry’s are fast, versatile, tasty and a great way to use up the end bits of your bags of veg in the fridge before you bin them and really good to cook more than you need for lunch the following day, I make many different stir fry’s but this one is one of my all time favourites, it is a little sweet, a little spicy and has the distinct aromatic flavour of five spice.
1/ Slice your beef and place in a bowel with marinade (mix 1/2 the oil, chilli, ginger, garlic, five spice, honey, soya sauce, fish sauce and black pepper for the marinade).
2/ While your beef marinades (if you can do this 1+ hours a head of time great, of not 15 minutes will do) Chop your vegetables to bite sizes pieces, dice the onions and slice your button mushrooms also get your pan of boiling water ready for the noodles and cook these as per packet instructions, once cooked, rinse under cold water and place to one side.
3/ Place 1tbs cooking oil into a wok or large frying pan, add the beef plus all the marinade, cook for 1-2 minutes, remove from the pan, add the onions, mushrooms, greens and stir fry for 3-4 minutes, add the beef and the noodles back to the pan and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes, serve and enjoy!
Top Tip: The cheaper the cut of the meat, the longer you should marinade as this will result in a tasty and tender piece of meat.
This is a super spot for lunch any day of the week, as it offers incredible value, with super quality and great service. Service is speedy yet not rushed, quality is incredible yet this is affordable and I would say the best value lunch in Limerick right now (for soup, sandwich, chips and a coffee with a biscuit on the side for an mind boggling €8.95)
I have been here many times and samples their evening set menu, al la carte and their very tasty cocktail menu but for now let me tell you about my lunch here and the choices, the total bill, and some pic’s of this super lunch.
So I was in town shopping with my youngest daughter, she is 12 and loves the food here, and we decided this was the spot for us this weekend, we both opted for the €8.95 sandwich combo but as we both opted for the steak sandwich there was a €2 supplement, totally worth it! We got a fabulous steak sandwich, chips and a super celeriac and apple soup! delicious and a coffee for finish.
Chocolat Restaurant Limerick have many dining options, from this to their 3 course for €15 lunch to their super early bird and so on, here is a link to their website http://www.chocolatrestaurant.ie/ for the latest offers and below a snip of their menu on the day we visited, there is a lot more to choose from than this little sample.
All in all this is a great spot, If you are working in the city, in Limerick for leisure, meeting the girls for a catch up, in town celebrating anything, this is a great spot, food is always good and always priced really well.
So we have had our starter of breads and dips and now we move onto the main’s, this is great as in this can all be done in advance with just a little warming once you are ready to eat.
Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens
I love chicken , who doesn’t but sometimes it can be boring and a little bland, well not these, they have smoked bacon, white wine, shallots , herbs, mushrooms and cream, they are a super treat for you and your Valentine this weekend.
Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens
Chicken Ballotines seem really fancy and taste so good that your valentine will be super impressed with your cooking skills, but actually there are not too hard and if you follow my steps you will master this and really wow your dinner guest.
Serves 2
Preparation : 60 minutes
Total time: 90 minutes
Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens
Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens
Ingredients
2 large Chicken Breasts
4 good quality streaky dry cur smoked rashers
200g potatoes
100g of mushrooms, 1/2 diced 1/2 sliced
2 medium shallots dices
2 cloves of grated garlic
150mls of white wine
1 low soduim chicken stock cube or 50mls of fresh chicken stock
50mls of cream
2tbs cracked black pepper
Zest of half a lemon
1tbs Fresh chopped Thyme
2tbs of Grain mustard
50g of Strong Cheddar cheese
200g selection of greens
30g of Butter
1tbs of fresh chopped mint
Directions
1/ Begin with the stuffing for your chicken, place the shallots , 1/2 the mushrooms’s (the diced half) in a saucepan, top with the white wine, mustard, garlic, stock,pinch of pepper, lemon zest and thyme, cook this until nearly all the liquid has evaporated , take out half the mixture and place in a bowel to cool down (do not add hot stuffing to the meat allow this time to cool), in the pan add the sliced mushrooms and saute these off, leave to one side.
2/ Get two sheets of Grease proof paper and bash your chicken breast out, make them quiet thin, maybe the thickness of a euro coin, flatten out the bacon also, once both are flattened out, place two rashers on two sheets of cling flim, top with the chicken and place half the stuffing inside and roll, use the cling to assist you and leave this in tightly in place as this stays on while you poach the chicken. Place the chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
3/ Bake the potatoes, place in a hot oven, no need to wrap, no need to add anything, place straight onto the racks and back for 35-45 minutes
4/ Steam your chosen greens until a tad under cooked, place in bowel until later
5/ remove the potato centres, and lightly crush, add the cheese and pepper and mix well, leave to one side
6/ Place your chicken in a pan of hot water and poach for 10-12 minutes, remove from the pan, remove cling and place in a non stick frying pan (no oil as the rashers will create there own) and brown on all sides
7/ Add the cream to your mushroom stuffing mixture you set aside earlier and warm through, taste and season as you feel needed
7/ Warm your potatoes, warm your greens with the chopped mint and plate up your meat as per the pictures.
Clare’s Cheeky Chicken Ballotines with Crushed Potatoes and Fresh Minted Greens
Enjoy!!
Top Tip: All this can be ready hours in advance, have the chicken cooked up until the point of frying, have the sauce to the point of adding the cream and the vegetable just need a warm through in your microwave.
Soup is one of those foods I can love or hate, I love a good home-made soup and I love the filled with cream and butter soups you can get at lunchtime in most placing offering a lunchtime carvery, Ideally we should opt for the home cooked low fat alternative 🙂
Clare’s Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup
Making soup is so easy, you do not need any fancy equipment, you do not need to be exceptional in the kitchen and you do not need tonnes of time to get a big pot of fabulous home-made soup on the table for you and your family.
Today I bring to you my super Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup
Makes: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
600g Mix of Mushroom’s (I used Chestnut and Button)
2 shallots Diced finely
2tbs Coconut oil (or use a low fat oil spray)
4 cloves of grated Garlic
1cm piece Ginger grated
1tbs chilli flakes (optional but adds a little heat in the colder months)
2 spring onions Diced finely
500ml Low sodium Vegetable stock
2tbs Chopped Parsley
2tbs Chopped Rosemary
2tbs Chopped Thyme
1/2tbs of Freshly ground black pepper
2tbs of Flour to thicken (optional)
REPARATION
1/ Melt the Coconut oil in a pan, add the shallots, garlic, ginger, chilli and cook until soft but not coloured, add the mushrooms, spring onions and herbs and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes.
2/ Add the flour and cook this off for 2-3 minutes , top with the stock and leave to simmer for 20 minutes, server on its own or with some crusty bread.
Clare’s Quick and Easy Herby Mushroom Soup
Top Tip: I make 2 or 3 times this and freeze in batches, also I diced the mushrooms, you can slice them and blitz afterwards for a smooth soup, I personally like the texture of this un blitzed .
Day 11 :Some day’s you just want something super easy, non fuss, on the table in minutes rather than hours and this is when I reach for things like my Chicken Wraps, they are a favorite with my husband and children alike .
Clare’s Chicken Wraps
Clare’s Chicken Wrap’s
Makes: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
(if making my baked chips add 25 minutes for timing)
Food looks so much better in color , add lots to your meals
Ingredients
500g skinless chicken breasts
1ltr low salt chicken stock
1 yellow pepper , diced
4 tomatoes
4 spring onions
1/3 iceburg lettuces finely sliced
large wholewheat wraps
1 pot of creme fresh / low fat cottage cheese
Cracked black pepper
3tbs of French mustard
400g potatoes (if making the chips)
5tbs of tomato relish
PREPARATION
1/ Place the chicken and stock into a saucepan and cook on medium for 6-10 minutes, this will depend on the thickness of your chicken but always cut into the thickest part to ensure there is no pink color left , one cooked remove and shred
2/ Dice the pepper, tomatoes, onions and place in a large bowl, add the chicken, black pepper, half the tub of crem fresh , mustard and mix well
3/ warm the wraps in the oven/microwave for a few seconds, remove and fill with the chicken filling
4/ If making the chips, you need to peel and cut into large pieces, place on a baking sheet, add 1tbs of coconut oil and sprinkle with black pepper, cook for 20-25 minutes and serve with dip (mix some creme fresh with tomato relish)
Clare’s Chicken Wraps
Top Tip: These wraps are fabulous with egg and no meat, baked ham works great as does tinned tuna. Mix and match these to create many different options.
Making your own soup is so much easier than you might think, you don’t need any fancy equipment and you don’t need much time to create a hearty bowl of goodness that you and your family will enjoy.
Makes: 6 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
2 Butternut Squash
1 large or 2 small white onions
2-3 carrots
2ltrs of low sodium vegetable stock
fresh ground black pepper
1tbs of grated ginger
1tbs of grated garlic
1tbs of crushed chilli
2tbs Coconut oil
REPARATION
1/ Peel and dice your squash, place on a oven tray , top with 1tbs of coconut oil and place in an hot oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft and just golden on the edges
2/ Out 1tbs of coconut oil in the bottom of a large sauce pan, add diced onions, carrots, ginger, garlic, chilli and sweat for 5-10 minutes until the onions and carrots have become soft
3/ once the squash is cooked add this to the pan of seated onions, carrots and seasoning and mix well, at this stage use a potato masher and mash the veg leaving it some what chunky , add the stock, simmer for 15-20 minutes and serve with a sprinkle of cracked black pepper, either on it’s own or with some rivita or really hearty brown bread.
Top Tip: Make double and freeze for next week or for day’s you are short on time and feel free to use low salt chicken stock.
Chicken is probably the most consumed meat in my home and I suspect it is a major feature of many others home cook meals, it is easy to cook and it is versatile.
Today I bring you my Roast Chicken with Claire’s Twist, I use roast chicken for many dishes but today’s is one I love to do when I want serious flavor yet I do not have time to spend hours in the kitchen. It is good mid week or a a lighter Sunday lunch.
❤ Tasty Roast Chicken with Claire’s Twist ❤
Makes: 4 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients
1 medium chicken (Jointed)
350g of baby potatoes
4 slices of lean back rashers
90g Baby Spinach
1 tsp of fresh ground Black Pepper
2 tsp of fresh chopped Parsley
1 Clove of minced Garlic
70g low fat natural yogurt
2 tsp Olive Oil
20g of finely grated Parmesan Cheese
Juice of 1 a Lemon (half for roasting the chicken , half for the dressing)
PREPARATION
Put the Chicken pieces skin side down into a large pan on a medium to high heat until golden in color, turning to brown all of each piece. (there is no need to add oil if you add the chicken to a cold pan and let the heat build and as this down the chicken will release oil into the pan) Browning should take 6-7 minutes, transfer into an oven proof dish and pour over half the lemon juice and a pinch of black pepper. Cook for 25-30 making sure the chicken is fully cooked through. (one cooked leave to rest under a sheet of foil for 10-12 minutes)
Wash but do not peel the baby potatoes, slice into 1/2 inch thick slices and place in a pan of lightly salted water, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to medium until the potatoes are cooked. Remove, toss in 1 tsp of olive oil, ground pepper and parsley
Place the Rashers on another baking tray and pop into the oven, turning one until golden and crisp. once cooked slice and leave to one side.
For the dressing, mix the Lemon, Cheese, Olive Oil, Yogurt and minced Garlic in a bowl and leave to one side.
Place the baby spinach on your plate, sprinkle some of the sliced Rasher on top, followed by the potatoes, top with the Chicken and pour the dressing on top
Top Tip: Make half the amount and serve as a warm winter salad or Change this up with many different dressings, add some cherry tomatoes or sun dried tomatoes . Yum!! Enjoy!!
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