Lomo Saltado- Serves 3-4 (Gluten Free/Wheat Free and Red Meat Free)

I struggled to get a good picture of this dish due to it disappearing into my belly so quickly!

When I visited Peru a couple of years ago I fell in love with the food and the blends of flavours they used in their dishes. After finally deciding to try making Peruvian food I had to do a bit of experimenting with ingredient swaps to keep the great flavour but keep my belly happy!

This version of Lomo Saltado, which is traditionally made with beef but can also use alpaca meat, is red meat free and wheat free (it can also be completely gluten free I just only had malt vinegar in the house!).




Ingredients 

2 tablespoons oil (I used sunflower oil)
3-4 turkey steaks, cut into strips (can be substituted for beef steaks)
1 small onion, sliced (I prefer red onion)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 tomatoes, sliced
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used sriracha)
1-2 tablespoon vinegar (can be white/distilled/malt depending on preference and whether you want gluten free or wheat free)
2-3 tablespoons gluten free tamari soy sauce 
Fresh Parsley, a generous amount, chopped
Chips/french fries (you want a decent trayful and better if slightly chunky)
Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Put the chips in the oven to cook completely while you cook the rest.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan and add the turkey with a healthy seasoning of salt and pepper. Cook the turkey until cooked through and starting to brown.
3. Remove turkey from the pan and set aside
4. Add the other tablespoon of oil into the same pan and add the onion and cook until softened and starting to brown.
5. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and hot sauce and cook until tomatoes are starting to release juices (about 5/6 minutes)
6. Add vinegar and soy sauce and stir in for about a minute
7.  Return the turkey to the pan along with the chips and parsley, mix together so the sauce covers everything and serve immediately

(I didn't have this with rice but it can also be served with rice on the side).

Slow Cooker Fudge

This is a recipe my mum begged me to make, and now I've made it once she wants a constant supply of fudge!

The basic recipe is simple, into a slow cooker on a low heat you put 500g of chocolate, about 25g of butter, a can of condensed milk and a generous slug of vanilla extract for a regular chocolate fudge that is rich and delicious. All you have to do is give it a good stir about every 10 minutes for 2 hours and then pour into a lined tray and put in the fridge to cool.

Now I've made this recipe a few times I'm experimenting with flavours to find combinations that work nicely. Cherry, Amaretto and Pina Colada have all been tried out. An issue that can occur if you need to put a lot of liquid in for the taste to come through is that the fudge doesn't set as hard. Cooking it for a bit longer can help this problem but if it doesn't then mould it into balls, cover in a layer of chocolate and voila- tasty chocolate truffles! 

Easy Banana Trifle

This week I made a banana bread loaf that I accidentally left in the oven too long and ended up coming out of the oven a bit burnt and fairly dry. Never one to waste cake I decided to think up some ways to use overcooked banana bread in a tasty way and came up with this banana trifle.

The recipe I made served three but can be easily adapted to make as many or as little as you want.

Banana Trifle

Ingredients

2 medium bananas

3 slices banana bread (normal sponge cake or sponge fingers would work as well)

9 teaspoons liqueur (I used salted caramel vodka but banana liqueur, rum or malibu would work just                                    as well, it depends on personal preference)

Tub of custard (you can make you own or use bought, I used shop bought madagascan vanilla)

Double cream

Icing sugar (optional)

To make simply cut up the banana bread into cubes and line the bottom of individual bowls or glasses, pour 3 teaspoons of liqueur over each serving and leave to soak.

When the liqueur has soaked in slice up the bananas and layer them across the banana bread. Then pour a generous covering of custard over each.

Put in the fridge to cool while you whisk the cream, if you want it slightly sweeter this is where to add in some icing sugar which will also thicken the cream slightly making it easier to whisk. 

When the cream is forming soft peaks layer some cream over the custard and put back in the fridge until serving. To make them look a bit fancier you can also add some grated chocolate or nuts on the top to garnish.  

Why Homemade Smoothies Are The Best

Everywhere you go now you see all the crazy 'superfoods' advertised and the miracle weight loss ingredients that if you eat will magically turn you into a supermodel. As someone who has struggled with their weight and tried a ridiculous number of fad diets I know that these either don't work or cost way too much to be worth it.

These diets obviously do have some truth behind them but instead of splashing out on a set of weight loss shakes why not make your own smoothies and shakes. This way you don't have to spend too much and can make them to your own preference (instead of having to have a whole tub of banana milkshake that you realise is disgusting after the first sip)

Homemade smoothies are super easy and all you need is a basic blender, it's not worth splashing out on a ridiculously expensive smoothie blender when a simple kitchen one a glass to pour your smoothie into do the same job.

The way I like to make smoothies is to use 1 banana (gives a nice consistency), a splash of fruit juice (the amount you put in depends on how runny you like it), a couple of spoonfuls of fruit flavour yoghurt (I have an easiyo yoghurt maker and usually about a tub a week but before that I used any cheap yoghurt). On top of these three ingredients I then add a couple of handfuls of fruit, I use either fresh or frozen fruit, they both taste just as good but frozen fruit is fab in the summer when you want a cold smoothie and is often cheaper than fresh fruit. After adding this it's simply just whizz in the blender until it looks smooth without lumps (it's not very pleasent finding banana lumps!) and pour into a glass and enjoy!

Smoothies are so simple and easy to make and in the long term it's much healthier and cost effective to make your own as you can avoid all the sugar that is usually added into packaged mass produced smoothies. You can also make a huge variety of smoothies using fruit or veg (kale smoothies if you're following the lure of super healthy green shakes) and if you're like me and don't follow recipes for them they turn out different everyday!

Summer Berry Meringue Dessert (Serves 3-4)

This dessert is really good in the summer months when there is fresh berries available. It isn't too heavy and is super easy to make as well as being fairly healthy as far as desserts go! The berries you use can be whatever you have, as shown in the picture I use blackberries, blueberries and strawberries but any summer berries are just as delicious!

Ingredients

• 3+ Meringue Nests (I make it to serve three but it can stretch a few more) (Meringues can be homemade or shop bought)
• 100ml double cream
• 50g Crème fraîche (can be half fat or full fat)
• Heaped tablespoon of jam (optional)(flavour according to preference, blackberry is my favourite)
• Splash of fruit liqueur (optional)(blueberry liqueur is what I use)
• Plenty of berries.

To make you simply whisk the cream, with the jam and the liqueur if you're using it, then mix in the crème fraîche. Scoop the mixture over the meringue nests and top with plenty of fruit. Tastes delicious and couldn't be easier! 

Wrapped Cod with Roasted Vegetables (Gluten and Wheat Free) (Serves 4)

  Ingredients:

• 1 Pepper (any colour, depending on preference, I usually use red)
• 1 Onion  (I use red but white works just as well)
• 1 Courgette
• 1 Large Sweet Potato
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• 4 Boneless Cod Fillets (Skin Removed)
• 4 Slices of Prosciutto
• Parmesan Cheese (Optional) 

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Cut the vegetables into medium sized chunks and put into a large ovenproof dish.
• Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and toss them in a drizzle of oil to make sure they are all covered.
• Roast the vegetables for about 20-25 minutes or until softened and starting to look lightly charred
• Wrap the cod in the proscuitto and season generously with black pepper before placing on top of the vegetables.
• Grate the Parmesan on top of the fish and vegetables (this adds flavour and gives a little bit of a crust but it isn't necessary)
• Return the baking dish to the oven for another 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the prosciutto is crispy.
• Serve hot (I have mine with a side salad)