Not exactly a classic Indian Chicken Curry - the world famous classic chicken tikka masala (well, the sauce anyway) was invented in Glasgow of all places, in the 1970s by a Bangladeshi chef. Supposedly it was created to appease a customer who complained his chicken was too dry! Now it’s loved all around the world! My kids order it EVERY time we go out for Indian, and Chris and I always sneak a bite to go with our spicier curries....
I think it’s fair to say I’ve had a few too many cakes lately….. In an attempt to balance out the naughty stuff, I made this lovely, healthy chickpea and lemon soup, which is actually quite filling considering it’s only 185 calories per serving. I don’t tend to count calories on food, (unless I’m congratulating myself on how healthy it is!!) But I thought it would be good to start building up a few low cal recipes as a go-to for those days when I want to eat a little lighter without feeling like I’m missing out....
Sometimes I fancy a lasagne-style dinner, but the thought of the effort and number of dishes involved puts me off.This is recipe is what I turn to on those days! It’s quicker and easier because we’re: Swapping out bolognese sauce for a chorizo, bean and tomato sauce (with plenty of extra veggies too).Swapping out lasagne sheets for tortillas - means we don’t have to wait for it to cook through and soften - it just needs to be heated through....
It looks so healthy, sitting there on the shelf, wearing it’s halo, the little plastic window displaying wholesome looking oats and nuts and fruit. Looking closer at the ingredient list, I noticed sugar was the second ingredient on every brand I picked up! So I turned my nose up at those deceiving little boxes and decided to make my own. I initially thought about using honey or brown sugar in my version....
Kind of like a creamy chicken, carrot and spinach casserole, topped with potato gratin! Chris is an early riser, like 5am most days, and i have been trying to get up a bit earlier too. In an ideal world, I’d go to bed at 10pm, be asleep by 11pm and get up at 6am. Why is 6am so hard?? Has anyone got any tips? Is anyone else out there a night owl who’s been able to swap it round and get out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off?...
Oh I love it when I manage to get a fish dish on the table that everyone enjoys. Chris generally complains when I tell him I’m cooking fish, and the kids will take it, but I know in their hearts they’re thinking about spag bol or a nice big lasagne. This fish dish works a treat though. Light, but also just a little bit creamy - with the addition of a good splash of coconut cream....
A weekend that I have no plans for. Bliss! I say I have no plans, but I’ll no doubt be tidying, doing the washing, gardening, thinking up and cooking some kind of Halloween treat for the blog, hoovering the car, and of course publishing my next hot smoothie recipe tomorrow. What I mean is, I have no plans where I have to get out of my tracksuit bottoms and hoodie....
A super simple recipe, but one that packs a real flavour punch!Pesto is the base for so many great recipes. My go-to sauce to throw together a quick pasta dinner, add to baked chicken, or spread on crusty grilled bread before topping with juicy chopped tomatoes for a great version of bruschetta. Stay updated with new recipes!Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when I post a new recipe. I’m also on YouTube (new videos every week) and Instagram (behind-the-scenes stories & beautiful food photos)....
Strawberries and rhubarb. Is there a better summer flavour combination? The sweetness of those strawberries offsets the tartness of the rhubarb - complimenting each other perfectly. I’ve cooked them up together and turned them into a jelly (or jello if you’re not from the UK!) topping for my no-bake vanilla cheesecake. Make it ahead, and you’ve got a dessert in the fridge perfect for any Summer party or BBQ! First pulse some biscuits into crumbs and add butter, then pack into a lined baking tin....
Do you like my Christmas tree? I’m quite proud of it. The first five were pretty dodgy, but I got the hang of it after that. My problem was, I was trying to wing it. Just squirting on the icing and expecting it to look like I bought it from the bakery. Instead we had pools of green icing dripping off the sides of cookies - looking like Shrek just had a bogie explosion....
If ever there was a mashed potato fiend, I am that person. I don’t make it all that often, because, to be honest, I could probably go through half a kilo of spuds all by myself. When I was a student, I used to make a big bowl of mash, then top it with crispy bacon, finely diced raw onion and leftover gravy from the freezer (NEVER throw away a decent gravy!...
Bacon Fried Bread Croutons. I wasn’t sure whether to include that in the title, thinking it would probably send any health conscious readers running for the hills (sorry guys! It still tastes fab without the croutons!!). But then I thought about my other readers. Yes - you guys. The ones who can’t resist the lure of bread, fried in bacon fat. I always have this internal argument when I make fried bread....
I made stew last week, and I’m posting porridge this week. Sometimes you’ve just got to forget the weather and eat what you fancy! I’ve been seeing brown rice porridge recipes flying around for a while. To be honest, I’m still weening myself onto brown rice as a savoury food, never mind trying to eat it as something sweet. So the fact I really enjoyed this surprised me. In usual Nicky style, I love white rice, as well as anything else in life that doctors and health ‘specialists’ tell you is bad for you (except fried haggis....
That first coffee of the day is something I really look forward to. During the week I get my first coffee a couple of hours after waking up - once the Lewis and Gracey are at school. Saturday’s coffee is in a flask whilst my kids are in their swimming lesson. Sundays - with any luck - is either enjoyed in my PJs, on the sofa with Chris, whilst chilling out after a hard week....
Jump to:📋 What do we need? 🔪 How to make this creamy breakfast eggs recipe for one 🍲 More fantastic Breakfast recipes Creamy Eggs and Kale Breakfast Recipe 💬 Reviews Cheesy, creamy kale, topped with a perfectly runny egg and pinch of seasoning. Sound good? That sentence pretty much covered the whole ingredient list. It’s so easy that I often make this for lunch, and most of the time I don’t even bother with the toast - instead I rely on the kale stalks for a bit of crunch....
Cauliflower cheese often involves making a roux with flour, butter and milk. That’s all very well if the cauliflower cheese is the main item on your menu, but when you’re making it as part of a larger meal - like a full-on roast dinner, it can take up time and pan space. I rarely use the roux-method now, preferring this version when I’m prepping lots of dishes. Why use this easy method over the roux method?...
I’ve been a bit strawberry mad lately, so this is the last time you’ll see a hint of a strawberry for at least a week or two I promise! Besides, this isn’t actually a strawberry recipe. This is my classic scone recipe. Light and fluffy and packed with raisins, they really do taste fab with a nice cup of tea. I made and photographed this recipe a couple of months ago for Craftberry Bush – Lucy Akin’s beautiful website that I’m thrilled to write for....
If you’re looking to do some batch cooking over the coming weeks, so that you’ve got some great meal choices in your freezer, then we’ve got you covered. Whilst we try to provide make ahead and/or freezer instructions where possible on all recipes, these recipes are our top picks. Each of them have specific instructions for freezing. Freezer Friendly Dinners This is a perfect curry for the freezer, we had this the other day and there is a portion sat in our freezer....
As a husband and wife blogger team, what do we do all day? Spend too long on Facebook whilst walking back and forth to the fridge for snacks? (yes) Go for working lunches, but spend so long obsessing over the food we end up getting next to nothing done? (yes again) Work a couple of hours a day, then slack off and watch some TV? (If only! minimum 10 hour days over here) Occasionally want to strangle each other when we get into an argument over something silly like Chris’s certainty that we need a drone....
Jump to:What is raita? What do we need? How to make it What to serve it with What’s the difference between raita and tzatziki? Watch how to make it Raita Recipe 💬 Reviews I love making little simple side dishes to go along curries - be it a simple tomato, onion and coriander salad, a bowl of mini poppadoms, or this 5-minute raita.It makes a curry feel extra special, and more like something you’d get from your local Indian restaurant....
