Love Bites Zesty Zuchinni Penne

This recipe was inspired by a pasta dish I had at Carluccio's an Italian chain restaurant here in the UK. The dish was so simple but tasted so fabulous that I had to attempt to re-create it Love Bites style. 

Super quick for a lunch dish or light dinner but a sure winner every time. 

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

Enough fresh or dried penne pasta for two people (whole wheat is good
1 grated zucchini
1 small fresh chilli deseeded and finely chopped
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic crushed
Fresh spinach leaves 
Parmesan and good quality olive oil to garnish

METHOD:

• Cook the penne as per packet instructions 
• Heat a lug of frying oil in a pan over a low to medium heat 
• Sauté the garlic and chilli and add grated zucchini cook for a further few minutes
• Once pasta is cooked drain then add the zucchini mixture to the pasta (Tip: hold on to a bit of the pasta water to nourish the pasta sauce) 
• Add in lemon juice, zest and spinach and stir to combine
• Serve into dishes and sprinkle over the parmesan and garnish with an extra lug of the good quality oil

Love Bites Chicken Laksa

This is a recipe I literally just whipped up last week. I was craving a warm soupy spicy concoction as I had been feeling a bit under the weather with a cold... The ingredients might not be exact as I was free pouring and guestimating but it turned out THAT good so I had to share it with you! Pretty easy and tasty ticking all the Love Bites boxes. Bear in mind that my taste buds were slightly non existent when I made this so the amount of chilli is to your own preference!

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• x5 Chicken tenderloins
• x2 Tbspns Thai Green Curry Paste
• x1 Tbspn sliced ginger
• x3 Spring onions thinly sliced
• x1 Thinly sliced yellow chilli
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 700ml boiling water
• x1 Knoll Chicken stock pot
• x1 Cup frozen peas
• x1 Cup tendersteam brocolini broken into smaller heads and stalk chunks
• 1/2 Thinly slicked red pepper
• x1 Tbspn Fish sauce (or to your liking)
• x1 Lug soya sauce
• x1 Lug sweet Thai chilli sauce
• x1 Packet vermicelli rice noodles (small packet 300g)
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh lime juice

METHOD:

Broth

1. Combine the boiling water and stock pot
2. Add the brocolini, peas and half the chilli
3. Add a lug of soya sauce, sweet Thai chilli sauce and fish sauce
4. Add the noodle cake
5. Leave to simmer gently

Curry

1. Over a low heat a small amount of oil in a frying pan
2. Add the curry paste and stir for a minute
3. Add the chicken and mix so it is covered in the paste
4. Add the ginger, spring onions and the rest of the chilli
5. Continue to turn the chicken as necessary until cooked (be careful not to fry the chicken - you do not want it to be brown on the outside)
6. Once the chicken is sealed add the coconut milk and red pepper
7. Stir and cook for another couple of minutes

Combine

1. Once the chicken is cooked through remove the chicken from the pan and slice into 0.5cm pieces
2. Add the coconut mixture to the broth and stir through
3. Serve into bowls with the slicked chicken on top
4. Garnish with fresh coriander and lime

Love Bites Spicy Meatballs

This recipe was derived from a magazine article I read but after completing the recipe completely I felt both the meatballs and sauce had too much spice. So after some careful adaption I came up with the recipe below with a rich tomato sauce that emphasises the spicy flavour of the meatballs and compliments the dish to perfection. Its great with toasted bread or just served on a bed of rocket or for those die hard meatball fans you can for sure match this with spaghetti! Another good thing about this recipe is that you can make the meatballs in advance and refrigerate them until you are ready to cook them, making them even more tasty the next day.

NB: Spicy meaning not hot but full of delicious spices for a powerful meatball mouthful.

Serves 2-3 approx.

Meatballs Ingredients:
• 500g lean steak mince
• 1tspn each garam masala, ground cumin, ground turmeric and ground coriander
• 1 large finely diced white onion
• 1 tbspn each chopped fresh basil and coriander
• 1 egg
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to season 
• Olive oil for frying

Cheats Tomato Sauce Ingredients:
• 350g jar of Lloyd Grossman Tomato and Basil sauce
• 1 can chopped cherry tomatoes (or normal chopped tomatoes)
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/2-1tspn chilli powder (to your liking)
• 1/2 a small handful of chopped fresh coriander and basil (keeping some extra for garnish)
• salt and pepper to taste

• Rocket and ciabatta or garlic bread to serve.

Method:
• For the meatballs, combine all the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and mix together with your hands to create a smoother mixture
• Create 15-20 small sized balls by rolling a handful around in your hands (set aside on a plate)
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low to medium heat, fry the meatballs in small amounts until browned all over, being careful not to overcrowd them. (Try not to turn them too much as this may cause them to crumble)
• Once the meatballs are all cooked add the Lloyd Grossman Tomato and Basil sauce to the pan 
• Add the chopped tomatoes, garlic and chilli and stir to combine
• Add the chopped basil and coriander and stir through, simmer for 5-10 minutes on a low- medium heat 
• Remove from the heat and serve on a bed meatballs on a bed of rocket
• Garnish with freshly chopped coriander and basil and salt and pepper
• Serve with sliced toasted ciabatta or garlic bread (and a large glass of red!)

Love Bites Tangy Prawn Salad

In the midst of unpacking our new home a couple of weeks ago I needed a quick tasty meal for one. M and S ready cooked prawns are usually my 'go-to' for when cooking for one so I grabbed some of these en route home and threw this salad together with the leftover food in the fridge. It worked a great and was efficient and delicious - a true Love Bites recipe to a T. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Serves One

INGREDIENTS

• 2 handfuls of rocket

• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 small red onion, quartered and sliced 

• 1/2 an avocado, sliced into bite sized pieces

• 1 packed of M and S chilli and coriander precooked prawns (180g)

• fresh basil to garnish

For the Dressing

• 1 tbspn Sweet Thai Chilli sauce

• 1/2 the juice of a lime

• a very small lug of fish sauce

METHOD

• Arrange all salad ingredients in a bowl

• Mix together all dressing ingredients (season to taste)

• Top the salad with the prawns and throw over the dressing

• Garnish with the fresh basil 

Voila! Enjoy!

Herby Lamb Greek Salad

This is a fast and efficient recipe that's is a taste sensation. It's a great variation of a traditional Greek salad and perfect to use up leftovers in the fridge. It's a sure winner for all!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lamp steaks

• tbspn chopped herbs (any of these will do: mint, basil, coriander, oregano)

• salt and pepper to season

• 1 crushed garlic clove 

Salad Ingredients

• 2 pickled peppers, sliced 1cm wide lengthways 

• 1 small red onion, quartered and sliced

• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved

• half a block of feta chunks

• mint and basil and balsamic vinegar to garnish

METHOD

• smother the lamb in the chopped herbs, garlic and salt and pepper

• prepare salad ingredients and combine on a plate (per person)

• fry lamb steaks on a medium - high heat until seared on the outside and cooked to your liking on the inside (remember the meat will still cook for a minute or two once removed from the pan)

• slice the steaks diagonally and layer onto each salad portion

• garnish with the fresh herbs and some balsamic vinegar

In this image of this salad I used up some brocolini that was in the fridge. Just lightly cooked in the microwave. Great to add another veg for your five a day but not necessary. 

Thai Green Prawn and Aubergine Curry

 This recipe is a delight every time I cook it. The biggest surprise was the eggplant, I have never used it in a curry before now and it really makes this recipe something special. Even if your not an eggplant fan this recipe has the opportunity to appeal to everyone. It's simple, quick for an after work meal and perfect for anytime of the year (bearing in mind eggplant's need to be in season usually July - October). Brown rice makes this dish even healthier and pompadoms are a really nice accompaniment. I hope you enjoy this little gem as much as I do!

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp. olive oil for frying

1 eggplant / aubergine, cut into small chunks

1 piece of ginger, size of your thumb-nail, finely chopped (optional)

1tsp of lemongrass (optional)

1/4 jar of Thai Green Curry paste (or as per jar instructions)

400ml can light coconut milk

250g packet of cooked prawns (I use Marks and Spencers)

1 lime, finely grated zest and juice

100g baby spinach

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra to garnish

brown or jasmine rice to serve (usually 70g pp)

METHOD:

1. Cook rice as per packet instructions
2. Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over a medium heat, add the chopped aubergines and fry until slightly golden all over. Add chopped fresh ginger and lemongrass with the green curry paste and fry for 1 minute until fragrant
3. Add the coconut milk, bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer
4. Add the prawns and lime zest and cook for 3-4 minutes until the prawns are heated through
5. Add the fresh spinach, fish sauce, lime juice and coriander and serve with steamed rice and pompadoms.

Asparagus, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

This is a quick-fire, super scrumptious salad which is easy to make and brightens up any Winters day or Summer BBQ dinner. Get creating!

INGREDIENTS
a handful of baby asparagus per person
1/3 packet of cherry tomatoes
1 spring onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1 lug of good quality olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/3 ripped fresh mozzarella
small handful of basil leaves
seasoning to taste

METHOD
Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water whilst you prepare the tomato topping
roughly dice the cherry tomatoes and place in a bowl with the lemon, oil, garlic and onion and salt and pepper
drain the asparagus and arrange on a platter, top with tomato mixture
garnish with mozzarella and basil

Ta-daaah! A taste sensation!

Variations: use blue cheese instead of mozzarella for a stronger flavour or top with Kalamata olives