Peanut butter rice crisps.

Grease and line an 18cm shallow square tin.
Melt 50g butter in a pan. Add 180g mini marshmallows and heat, stirring, until melted.
Remove from the heat and stir in 100g peanut butter until evenly mixed. Add 75g Rice crispies (or a store's own brand) and stir gently until they're all coated.
Put in the tin and level the top. Leave until cold, then cut into squares.

Makes 16

Per serving:

Calories - 116
Fat - 5.9g 
Sat Fat - 2.4g

Artichoke dip

Drain a 400g can Green Giant Artichoke Hearts and put in a food processor with 150g Plain soft cheese, 1tsp lemon juice, 4tbsp Mayonnaise, 2tbsp Greek style yogurt and small crushed garlic clove. Season well and whizz to a purée.
Serve with carrot, celery and red pepper sticks and breadsticks. For a more filling snack serve with pitta bread.

Serves 4

Per serving:

(without pitta bread)

Calories: 238
Fat: 22.2g
Sat Fat: 11.5g

Please note the nutritional values given will be slightly lower than the actual values as this recipe orginally used fat free and low fat versions of products but I replaced these with normal versions to increase calorie and fat contents.

Salmon and asparagus mini pies

560g salmon fillets
1½tbsp lemon juice
2tsp Blue Dragon fish sauce
150g asparagus
4tbsp creme fraiche
2-3tbsp chopped fresh dill
Finely grated lemon zest ½ lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
500g pack ready to roll shortcrust pastry
Flour for rollin out


Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Put the salmon fillets on a large piece of foil. Mix 3 tbsp water with the lemon juice and fish sauce, pour over the fish, then season. Fold up the foil to make a parcel but leave room inside for the air to circulate. Transfer to a baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the unopened parcel.
Meanwhile, bend the asparagus until they snap and discard the tough ends. Put on another sheet or foil and sprinkle with 2tbsp water. Make a parcel with the foil and put on a baking tray. Bake in the oven for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and cut the asparagus into 1cm pieces.
Drain the salmon cooking liquid into a jug and reserve. Skin and flake the salmon and mix with the asparagus. Mix half the liquid with the creme fraiche, dill and zest. Add 1 egg and whisk with a fork until evenly blended.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface and cut out 8 x 8cm and 8 x 11cm rounds. Use the larger rounds to line the holes of a muffin tin. Fill with the salmon and asparagus mixture , then pour in enough sauce to come almost to the top.
Put the smaller rounds on top, pressing the edges together. Beat the other egg and use to brush the top of the pastry. Make a small hole in the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

Makes 8

Per serving:

Calories: 360
Fat: 23.6g
Sat Fat: 7.2g

Calorific and on offer!

This blog post only applies to UK readers, sorry to anyone elsewhere.

Now I know some people won't be rushing to Tesco after recent events but for those who aren't too bothered I thought I'd let you know about this ready meal they currently have reduced from £3 to £1.50 and containing a hefty 925 calories!

Posh fish finger butties with mushy peas and potato wedges

To make fish finger butties:

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Break 100g of ciabatta (preferably tow days old) into bits and put into a processor with the grated zest of 1/2 an unwaxed lemon, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, a good pinch of cayenne pepper and a pinch of salt. Whizz into fine crumbs. Put in a shallow dish.
Lightly beat 1 large free range egg with 1tbsp olive oil and 15g melted butter and put in another shallow dish. Put 3tbsp flour on a plate.
Take 4 x 125g pieces line caught cod loin and coat one piece in the flour, shaking of the excess. Dip it in the egg mixture, then the crumbs, patting the crumbs on firmly. Put on a baking tray and repeat with the other pieces of fish. Discard any leftover crumb mixture.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Split 4 Ciabatta rolls in half and fill with the fish, salad leaves and mayonnaise. Serve with mushy peas and potato wedges.

To make mushy peas:

Put 350g frozen peas in a pan with 1/4tsp sugar and 2 mint leaves. Cover with boiling water, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1-2tbsp liquid.
Whizz in a processor together with the reserved liquid and 4tbsp reduced-fat crème fraîche to make a rough purée. Season to taste.

To make the potato wedges:

Cut 3 baking potatoes into wedges. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 4 minutes. Drain.
Return to the pan and stand over a low heat for 1 minute to allow any moisure to evaporate. Tip into a bowl, add 1tbsp oil and toss to coat.
Spread on a baking tray and cook at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 for 35-40 minutes.


Serves: 4

Per serving:

Calories - 834
Fat - 36g
Sat Fat -12.4g

Sausage Meatballs

This is a great appetizer or snack. It can easily be frozen into individual servings that can be reheated at a later time.

Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork sausage, raw
3/4 c. all purpose baking mix
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. onion, chopped finely

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Form mixture into 1 inch (2 1/2 centimeters) balls.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked through. Center temperature of the sausage balls must exceed 165 degrees Fahrenheit (73 degrees Celsius).
Serves: 12

Serving size: 3 sausage balls

Nutritional analysis (per serving):

278 calories
12 g protein
23 g fat
571 mg sodium
151 mg calcium

Note: Nutritional analysis may vary depending on ingredient brands used.

Variations and suggestions:

This dish can easily be frozen before or after you cook it. Make some today and freeze half of the batch to serve at a later date.

Stilton and spinach strata

As Stilton is in abundance at this time of year, in cheeseboards and gift sets, this is a perfect way to use it.

15g butter, plus a little extra for greasing
2 leeks, white and pale green part only, trimmed
1tbsp sunflower oil
160g bag baby leaf spinach
175g bread or bread rolls, preferably unsliced and a day or two old
150g Stilton, crumbled
50g mature Cheddar, grated
4 large free-range eggs
600ml semi-skimmed milk
2tsp Dijon mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. Grease an ovenproof dish with butter.
2. Cut the leeks in half lengthways and rinse under running water. Slice finely and pat as dry as possible with kitchen paper.
3. Melt the butter and oil in a pan, add the leeks and stir to coat. Cover and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts.
4. Cut the bread into 2cm cubes and put most of it in the base of the dish, reserving some cubes for the top.
5. Put the vegetables on top of the bread in an even layer. Scatter on the Stilton and then the Cheddar.
6. Lightly beat the eggs with the milk and mustard, then pour over the cheese topping. Scatter on the remaining bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
7. Remove the cover and bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is golden and the inside is set.

Serves: 4
Ready in: 1hr 40mins
Price per serving: £1.10

Per serving:

Calories - 546
Fat - 33.6g
Sat Fat - 16.8g