Ten Min Meals 2: Burger Omlet & Spicy Basamic Salad

Ten Min Meals: The Plan...

Just got home? Tired, hungry and lazy? Then these are the meals for you, fast prep/cooking time (most under ten min, no more than 15 total, less time than it’ll take you to go to the takeaway!) they're also work great if you're studying and don't need to procrastinate.

 

Spanish burger tortilla with hot balsamic salad. Serves 2, (or one really hungry person!)

Ingreedients

Half Yellow bell pepper; one quarter sliced lengthways, one quarter diced.

1 Pak Choi head (roughly chopped, about 2.5cm square)

One spring onion thinly sliced

One charlotte or small onion very finely chopped (if it’s much bigger than a charlotte, skip the spring onion and use in its place)

Half cup Quorn chicken pieces OR the same amount of lightly browned chicken breast cubed (this will add about 2-3min to cooking time)

Quarter of a cup of Quorn mince OR lightly browned good quality beef mince

2-3 Eggs (I use organic free range and they’re quite large, so I use 2 but if they’re a bit smaller, use 3)

25g Mozzarella

Pinch salt & black pepper

Pinch paprika

Pinch oregano

Pinch dill

Half tsp. Fiery fragrant hot sauce (see recipe;  to be honest it’s hard to beat this in this recipe, but if you must, use quarter tsp. Encola original hot sauce to quarter teaspoon tomato ketchup, not as good, but ok)

2.5tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tsp. wholegrain mustard

Pinch dark brown molasses sugar (normal works too, just less depth of flavour)

1 tsp. tomato ketchup

3 cloves of garlic.

Drizzle of sesame oil

1tbs olive/veg oil or a knob of butter.

Equipment:

Sharp Knife

Cup

Medium sized non-stick pan (you can use a normal pan too, just use slightly more oil/butter)

Chopping board

Teaspoon

Hand blender/fork/whisk

Grill

Microwave

Salad Bowel

Method:

1: prep all the veg as described above and defrost the Quorn/prep the chicken.

2: put a small 8” non-stick pan, add the oil or butter and begin to sortie the diced pepper, tomato ketchup, Quorn Mince & charlotte, stir occasionally until the onion is transparent, N.B. make sure you don’t use a high heat, as this will a, spoil the timing and b. burn the ketchup, so keep an eye on the heat!

3: Beat the eggs with an electric whisk (hand whisk or fork is fine but it takes longer), add 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, the dill, oregano a little salt and pepper.

Stir the veg & Quorn in the pan, shake so it’s evenly distributed and pour over the egg mixture, place back on a medium high heat, and turn on the grill!

4: Place the salad veg in a salad bowel.

5: In a small jug or glass, mix the balsamic vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, mustard and hot sauce to make the salad dressing.

6: Sprinkle paprika and grated Mozzarella over the top of the burger tortilla (the surface should have begun to set, but still be a little undercooked) and place under the grill N.B. WARNING! TRY TO USE A SAUSPAN WITH A METAL HANDEL SO IT DOESN’T BURN UNDER THE GRILL, UT MAKE SURE YOU USE AN OVEN GLOVE OR CLOTH TO REMOVE FROM THE GRILL, DON’T BURN YOURSELF (like I just did) until the cheese has melted and the tortilla is cooked through.

7:Mix one tsp. of the dressing to the cup with the Quorn chicken Or chicken, stir vigorously and place in microwave on full power for 30seconds to a minuet, until the dressing coats/has been absorbed by the Quorn.

8:Mix the Quorn chicken into the salad veg, pour over the remainder of the dressing and toss.

At this point both the salad and tortilla should be ready to serve, half on each plate, a great light meal in ten min or less! (Let me know how long it takes you!)

Nutritious, delicious and stupidly fast!

Enjoy and stay safe in the kitchen! :)

Beaten Egg Fried Noodles, Singapore style.

Serves 2, prep time 15min.

Ingredients:

4 Free Range Eggs, beaten & Scrambled without milk but with a little black pepper & Salt.

300g fine rice noodles, prepared, either dried and reconstituted or fresh.

Pinch hot curry powder (see recipe or purchase alternative)

Pinch Chinese 5 spice ( see recipe or purchase alternative)

1 tbs groundnut oil

Small pinch salt

Dash of lime juice

Dash of coconut milk, reconstituted works well and doesn’t waste!

Equipment:

Wok

Measuring Jug

Whisk

Wooden spoon

Method:

Mix oil, curry powder, Chinese 5 spice, salt to the wok, heat gently on a low heat till though ally mixed, turn up to a mid-heat, add the noodles and lime juice and stir fry for 1 min until thoughally mixed, add the precooked egg, coconut milk and stir fry for 1-2 min,

Garnish with chopped coriander leaf and serve!

Take care in the kitchen and enjoy!

Chilli Nachos:

Serves 4 Prep time 10 min.

Ingredients:

1 bag Chilli Nachos, pref. not Doritos, to sweet, or normal nachos, open the bag, add a teaspoon of mild chili powder, 1 teaspoon of paprika, add to bag and shake)

1tsp paprika

2tsp chopped parsley.

2 pickled scotch bonnet chillies (see recipe, or use pickled jalapenos.

2 teaspoons of home-made Piri Piri sauce (recipe to follow shortly) or use fragrant hot sauce or purchased alternative.

1 ball of mozzarella

60g of home-made soft sour cheese with chives (recipe to follow shortly, or use sour cream & chive dip)

100g Salsa Verde: (see recipe or purchase)

100g Ad’s Special Guacamole or purchased alternative

Equipment:

Plates,

Knife

Chopping board

Grill

Spoon.

Method:

Place nachos on either one large plate or 4 small ones, grate mozzarella, sprinkle the Piri Piri sauce over the nachos, also sprinkle the paprika over the nachos followed by the mozzarella and place under a low grill for 2-3 min or until the cheese is melting.

Add a spoon of Guacamole, Salsa Verde, and sour soft cheese to each plate or all the edges of the large plate sprinkle a little paprika on the soft cheese and some chopped parsley on the nachos and serve.

Tricolour Salad Bagels:

Serves 2 prep time 5min.

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 Red bell Pepper

Half Ball of mozzarella

2 bagels.

Equipment:

Knife, bread knife, chopping board, toaster.

Method:

Peel and thinly slice the avocado, also thinly slice the pepper and the mozzarella. Whilst you are doing this, lightly toast the bagels, on an open fire by preference, but a toaster is fine! Cut the bagels in half.

Layer the bagel, avocado, pepper and mozzarella, add a twist of pepper, a pinch of salt and a pinch of oregano, serve….As a snack or starter.

Enjoy, and take care in the kitchen!

Fiery Fragrant Hot Sauce

This is a Fragrant and tasty hot sauce with a great depth and creaminess of flavour, followed by a hefty fiery kick! This recipe makes about 250-300ml; bottle and store in the fridge, always shake well before use.

Ingredients:

2tsp hot chili powder

3tsp chili powder

1 tsp. powdered mustard

3 tsp. chili flakes

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. tarragon vinegar

8 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp. Encola original hot pepper sauce

1 tsp. sweet chili sauce.

Half tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Half tsp. ground Jamaican all spice

Shake of tabasco

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. oriental pickled ginger

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

200ml oil, veg or olive.

Equipment:

Hand blender

Mixing jug

Garlic crusher

Table spoon

Tea spoon

Microwave or pan

Method:

Mix ingredients

Heat gently, about 30seconds to 1 min on full power does it just about right. Either in the microwave or on the hob, don’t let it get to hot or boil, as this will knock out the intense garlic flavour.

Stir though rally and then blend.

Pour into an empty bottle and keep in the fridge.

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe please subscribe and/or leave a comment. Follow this LINK to my website for links to and info on Pembrokeshire producers, retailers, farm shops, farmers markets etc.

N.B. Cooking times are estimates, all are based on an electric hob, non-fan assisted oven, electric grill and 650w Microwave, so use some discretion. If you're allergic to any of the ingredients, don't use them! It's up to you to make sure you don't poison yourself! And always take care in the kitchen.

Authentic Spanish Chicken, Cheese or Quorn balls

(Serves 4) My own variation on a Spanish or South American classic, sooo tasty! Look out for the fully original recipe I picked up of a friend of mine last time I was in Spain as well as the fully authentic recipe for Chicken Croquets already posted

I use locally reared chicken or pork for this, as well as organic flour, fresh churned local butter and fresh local ilk and free range eggs. Of course all of the ingredients are available from supermarkets. But I try to pick as much as possible from local stockists, butchers, farm shops and farers markets, even got the garlic locally! See the link at the bottom of this post for some locations of local producers/retailers (I’m constantly adding ore so don’t be discouraged, and if there’s any you think I’ve missed or you have any in your area you’d like to promote, leave a comment.

Ingredients:

Outer ‘shell’ of the Croquet:

1 beaten egg

200g paella rice

300g potatoes, cooked

3 cloves of garlic

200g breadcrumb

1 onion finely chopped or minced

1tsp mixed herbs

Half a tsp. paprika

Half tsp. cumin

Knob of butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Filling;

200g Mozzarella

50g Red Leicester

50g Smoked Cheese (smoked mozzarella is my personal favourite but smoked cheddar works just as well)

Chicken or Quorn Filling:

250-300g Cooked & minced Chicken breast (I usually grill the chicken) or Quorn Chicken.

Large pinch of cracked black pepper

Dash o lemon juice.

Equipment:

2 saucepans

Potato masher

Peanut or veg oil for deep frying

Frying pan

Shallow bowel

Pan for deep frying

Method:

Boil rice, drain but don’t rinse and leave on one side, meanwhile

Boil potatoes with a little salt and then grate or mash the potatoes (N.B. grating gives a better consistency but can be more difficult to form, for a smoother consistency you can mash) and mix in the rice, stirring to ensure that there is even distribution.

Heat a little oil in the frying pan, add the onion and lightly cook until just translucent, add the garlic and cook until onion is fully translucent.

Mix together the potato/rice mix, onion and other coating ingredients and set to one side.

Mix together the ingredients of your chosen filling and form into 1.5-2cm balls (if using Quorn it may help to add a little beaten egg to the mixture)

Form a 1-2cm coating of the potato mix then roll in the breadcrumb and deep fry.

Serve.

Garnish.

Garnish with a little chopped onion and flat leaf parsley

Goes well with paella, lemon couscous, humus and as part of a tapas spread

This is a great little recipe which is good as a snack or as part of a light lunch one as a part of a Mediterranean meal.

Enjoy!

If you like these recipes please subscribe and/or leave a comment. Follow this LINK to my website for links to and info on Pembrokeshire producers, retailers, farm shops, farmers markets etc.

N.B. Cooking times are estimates, all are based on an electric hob, and non-fan assisted oven, electric grill and 650w Microwave, so use some discretion. If you're allergic to any of the ingredients, don't use them! It's up to you to make sure you don't poison yourself! And always take care in the kitchen.

Authentic Spanish Chicken or Pork Croquets

Serves 4

picked up this recipe when I was last in Spain it’s not my own, but it is dam tasty, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! To be fair you can probably do this recipe with beef as well, or indeed most meats but I’ve only tried d it with Chicken, Pork and Quorn

I use locally reared chicken or pork for this, as well as organic flour, fresh churned local butter and fresh local ilk and free range eggs. Of course all of the ingredients are available from supermarkets. But I try to pick as much as possible from local stockists, butchers, farm shops and farers markets, even got the garlic locally! See the link at the bottom of this post for some locations of local producers/retailers (I’m constantly adding ore so don’t be discouraged, and if there’s any you think I’ve missed or you have any in your area you’d like to promote, leave a comment.

Ingredients:

250g Chicken Breast deboned and with the fat and skin removed or Pork (I tend to use either gammon or belly) cubed.

3 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped.

1 tbsp. Olive Oil

2tbsp butter

Quarter cup of wholemeal flour

Two thirds of a cup of milk

1 egg beaten,

2 thick slices of wheat bread, prepared to bread crumb and frozen.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Equipment:

Frying pan,

Freezer

Pan for deep frying

Sharp Knife

Sieve

Mixing bowel

Saucepan

Table spoon

Method:

first fry the chicken or pork in a pan with the garlic until just cooked through take care not to burn the garlic.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan then stir in the butter and milk and whisk to remove lumps, add the salt and pepper and cook on a medium-low heat stirring constantly and cook until it is a thick and smooth Béchamel sauce, add the cooked chicken or pork and mix though rally.

Process the mixture in a food mixer (if you don’t have one you can mince the meat before you add it to the sauce, this works pretty well) until it’s the constancy of canned tuna (kind of flaky and thick but without large lumps)

Next place the mixture in the freezer to cool you don’t want it to freeze though.

Roll the cool sticky mixture into short sausages, about 3-3.5 inches long and about as fat as a sausage.

Dip the sausages in the beaten egg and roll them in breadcrumb

Heat the oil in a pan until very hot, drop a bit of breadcrumb in, it should fizzle nicely, or use a wooden skewer, if the oil bubbles with the skewer in its ready, make sure it doesn’t start to smoke though, I prefer peanut oil for this as it has a high cooking temperature.

Cook the croquets until golden brown, make sure they’re cooked all the way though, nothing worse than a cold centre!

Garnish.

Garnish with lemon wedges and apple slices in the case of the pork, a little copped flat leaf parsley and a sprinkle of finely chopped onion.

Serve.

Goes’ well with paella, or as Tapas of lemon couscous.

Like I said, I can’t take credit for this recipe, but it’s a doozy all the same. For vegies, you can substitute the chicken with Quorn or soya protean, mince works best, why not add a few Bakeos for a bit of bacon flavour!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe please subscribe and/or leave a comment. Follow this LINK to my website for links to and info on Pembrokeshire producers, retailers, farm shops, farmers markets etc.

N.B. Cooking times are estimates, all are based on an electric hob, non-fan assisted oven, electric grill and 650w Microwave, so use some discretion. If you're allergic to any of the ingredients, don't use them! It's up to you to make sure you don't poison yourself! And always take care in the kitchen.