Fool Proof Chilli Beef

Crispy chilli beef is my abosolute fave from the Chinese and prettyyy easy to make if you don't make my mistakes - I know that doesn't sound very re-assuring... but I learned a lot trying to perfect this recipe! For a tiny amount of time I actually became a culinary crazy scientist (or some might say an irritable stress head) using a combination of different recipes to try and find the perfect one...

1. Coat 300g beef in 2 tbsp's of corn flour and 2 tsp of Chinese 5 spice. This is super important because if you over-do the flour and spice it can become fluffy and the meat won't crisp up

(Also only use beef as I tried this same recipe with chicken and the chicken goes very moist... I know, I'm sorry, I hate that word too but there was no other way to describe it ok?)

2. Fry off the beef in 100ml of oil. You need a good amount of oil so your almost deep frying the meat otherwise you risk it burning rather than crisping. Wait until the oil is super hot and then toss in the beef. Once the beef is crispy and then set aside on kitchen roll to soak up the excess oil.

3. To make the sauce mix 3 tbsp's sweet chilli sauce, 1 tbsp of ketchup, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp of water, 1 tsp of brown sugar and 1 of honey.

You can experiment with the sauce dependant on what flavours you want to bring through but for me I like the beef to be sweet and sticky rather than a vinegary or watery. This is why the sugar and honey is really important for me as it caramelises and becomes sticky.

4. Fry off a finely sliced red pepper with the white ends of 4 spring onions but save the green ends for garnish. Add 3 crushed cloves of garlic and fry off until golden but don't let the garlic burn other wise  you can really taste it on the beef.

5. Add the sauce and cook with the veg for at least 2 minutes on high until it's bubbling.

6. Add the beef and cover well. In the meantime cook up some egg noodles to serve.

7. Serve with a sprinkle of spring onions, diced chillies and sesame seeds.

VOILA.

Keeping your hungry,

Hannah x

Feelin' Fruity

Sun is shining, summer dress is on... yeah ok, I know it's only Feb but it's finally sunny and I'm in the mood for something freshhhh.

Yoghurt bark is really fun to make and you can be as creative as you like. It's a really good alternative  to baking if you want to get kids or family involved. You can use any ingredients in your bark; go healthy like me and use fruits and grains or get sweet and use chocs and sweeties!

For my bark:

450g Vanilla yogurt 

450g Strawberry yoghurt

450g Cherry yoghurt

(all 0% fat)

Granola

Sliced strawberries and raspberries 

Blueberries

Unicorn sprinkles

White chocolate star sprinkles 

1. Cover a tray with grease proof paper.

2. Spread the yoghurt over the tray and mix all the different colours and flavours together. Use a spoon to create patterns between the different colours.

3. Place the the sliced fruit and granola in the yoghurt and sprinkle on the unicorns and stars.

4. Freeze for at least 3 hours. Slice the bark up into perfect bars if you're like me or break the bark apart if you are a mad man. Enjoy!

Keeping you hungry,

Hannah x

Waste Not, Want Not

I want to tell you all that I made this soup to be super healthy but the fact is that I end up wasting so many veggies at the end of the week that I decided this week I was going to use everything that I usually would chuck out.

For some reason last week I bought a pack of celery, which to this day I still cannot remember why I bought it or what it was for so it's been sat in my fridge all week, so celery is going to be the star of the show! This soup is hella healthy and apart from a little bit of veggie stock and a dash of cream is pure goodness.

Ingredients:

All of the above

500 ml veggie stock

Dash of cream or almond milk

Salt & pepper

Dried basil

1. In a large sauce pan start by cooking the the spinach in about a third of the veggie stock until it's completely wilted.

2. Peel the potato, dice into small chunks and add to the saucepan.

3. Slice the celery, dice the onion and mince the garlic (3 cloves) and add to the sauce pan with the sweetcorn and avocado.

4. Cover the veggies with the rest of the veggie stock and boil on high for 7 mins. Reduce the heat to medium for a further 4 or 5 mins until all the veggies are soft.

5. Blitz everything in the blender and move back to the saucepan.

6. Add a little cream (or almond milk for a vegan alternative) dried basil and salt & pepper to season.

7. Feel healthier than Gillian McKeith...

Keeping you hungry,

Hannah x

Asian Persuasion

Asian persuasion... no, it's not your boyfriends internet history. We're talking asian food. I know what you're all thinking; where's my roast? It's a Sunday?! But I get a real kick out of cooking asian food. I don't know what it is but always tastes and looks incred! One dish I'm super obsessed with at the moment is noodle soups. I made a super delish miso soup recently and today I'm going to cook a Japanese style ramen soup.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Pinch of ginger - I use "Very Lazy" chopped ginger
4 x eggs
1 x tin of sweetcorn
4 x chicken breasts
2 x chillies
4 x cloves of garlic (minced or diced finely)
900g of ramen noodles
700g chicken stock
100g mushrooms
Spring onions
Chinese 5 spice
Chilli powder
Worcester sauce
Sesame seeds
A handful of spinach
Breadcrumbs


Ok, ok, so I know that it sounds like a lot of ingredients but a lot of the veggies are optional! This is what I have decided to put into my ramen soup but if you want to switch up some of them than that is totally do-able.

1.  Season the chicken - pour the breadcrumbs, 1 x tbs of Chinese 5 spice, 1 tsp chilli powder and some salt & pepper onto a plate and and roll around each chicken breast in the seasoning and onto a foil lined baking tray. Once all the the chicken breasts are seasoned, cover with more foil and bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.

2. Mix the chicken stock (I used 2 stock cubes for taste) the garlic, the chillies, 1 heaped tsp of Chinese 5 spice, a pinch of chilli powder, 1 tsp Worcester sauce and 4 x tbs of soy sauce into a saucepan and boil for 10 mins.

3. Meanwhile, fry off the mushrooms, 3 spring onions and spinach then chuck in the broth.

4. Soft boil the eggs and set aside and start cooking the ramen noodles.

6. Serve up the noodles, cover with the broth, peel the eggs & halve and slice up the chicken.

7. Serve with shredded nori, the soft-boiled eggs, sliced chicken and sesame seeds.

Keeping you hungry,

Hannah x

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

Crispy Chicken & Braised Leeks

OOOOOH snap. Impress your pals with proper posh nosh. We've just started switching up our weekly shopping from Asda to Tesco - no particular reason, we just fancied a change! The great thing about Tesco is that they have a little recipe hub where you can find the recipe you like an add all the ingredients to your shopping trolley - amazing. Tesco generally comes out a little bit more pricey than Asda but it's worth trying a few different supermarkets every now and again.

I tested on of their more complex dishes to switch up a Sunday from our usual roast dinner and it was well worth the change. It's not a half hour jobby and does require a little more time than your week day meal but it's definitely worth it. 

Ingredients:

8 x chicken thighs 

2 x diced onions

1 x heaped tsp of dijon mustard

100ml low fat creme fraiche 

400ml chicken stock

200g mushrooms

1. Cook the onions until softened and golden. Then transfer them onto a roasting tray. Repeat the action with the mushrooms.

2. Season up those thighs and stick them in a frying pan. Cook them skin down for 10 mins to get them all crispy then face up for another 5 to part cook the flesh .

3. Chuck the thighs and the chicken stock into the roasting tray and roast in the over for 25 mins at 200 degrees. 

4. Don't sit down for a cuppa... whilst the foods roasting, slice the leeks length ways and cook both sides until slightly golden. Cover the leeks with 150ml of water and leave to simmer.

5. Transfer the chicken to foil and set aside. To make the sauce; use the cooking juices, mushrooms and onions and pour into a saucepan with the creme fraiche and mustard and simmer until thickened. 

6. Plate up... leeks then chicken and finally sauce. Posh. Nosh.

Keeping you hungry,



Hannah x

Heart Attack Hannah

When it comes to being healthy, it's all about balance. There is no point in starving yourself as it causes a hormone imbalance and it's just not maintainable! This week my partner was sick of being pumped full of veggies and natural foods, so I let him choose dinners for a few nights - not every night otherwise I'd be rolling to bed...

He came across a super dirty meal from the page Proper Tasty and so the ingredients went on the shopping. I knew I was going to be wobbling to bed when I saw plastic cheese and American hot dogs.

Things you will need: 

(Serves 3)

3 x large appetites

6 x hot dog buns

6 x American style hot dogs

1 x pack of burger cheese

1 x clove of garlic

1 x jar of chilli con carne sauce

1 x onion 

250g Mince

Butter

Spring onions

1. Place the hot dog buns into a casserole style dish and cut little post box style holes into the top of each bun and push down the excess bread so that you end up with 6 little bread boats.

2. Crush the garlic clove and mix with softened butter. Once mixed cover bread boats and bake for 5 mins at 200 degrees.

3. Using a pre-made chilli con carne jar (because we ain't got time to get fancy) the diced onion and the mince; mix up a quick chilli and set aside.

4. Once the bread boats are all crispy and smelling like fresh G bread, try not to eat them.

5. Place a square of plastic cheese - not actual plastic, you know the burger cheese? - in each bread boat and fill with your chilli con carne mix.

6. Stick a hot dog sausage in each bun (naughty) and top up with chilli.

7. Stick it in the over for 20 mins at 200 degrees.

8. Demolish without getting heart failure...

Keeping you hungry,

Hannah x

YAAAS Brunch Queen

YAAAS. I wish I could have brunch every day. Brunch is like the Joanna Lumley of foods; classy and absolutely fabulous.

Sunday is brunch day in my house. We’re always up late so it gives us the perfect excuse to skip the cereal and posh up the toast! Nine times out of ten my brunch includes some kind of left over cheese we’ve had that week and is always 100% worthy of the gram.

I think my top tip before you can class yourself lord or lady of brunch would be to master that perfect poach! I’ll let you into a little secret... I cannot poach an egg the traditional way at all - plus who wants there eggs tasting like vinegar and looking like they’ve been cooked in a washing machine anyway?

Now, the perfect poach technique may require a little more patience but I can promise that your eggs will be perfect every time.

1. Oil up a foot long segment of cling film
2. Place that segment on top of a mug
3. Crack an egg into the cling film ensuring it nests at the top of the mug
4. Tie the top of the clingfilm so that the egg is hanging in a little bubble
5. Place the little egg bubbles into a pan of boiling water
6. Cook for exactly 3 minutes before removing

No that you have eggs rounder than Kim K's bootay, it is time to make your brunch!

This brunch was actually pretty simple - the eggs are the most complicated part. Stick two pieces of bread in the toaster. Smash up an avocado with some baby toms and spread onto the toast. Add the poached eggs and sprinkle with chives and blue cheese. Voila - absolutely fabulous.

Keeping you hungry,

Hannah x

Ayyy Pesto!

It always feels good to make something from scratch and know exactly what ingredients you're putting into your body. The leading brand of basil pesto is made with 16 ingredients, ten of which I've never heard of! Pesto is pretty easy to make from scratch but you should definitely try my little twist - it's oil free and comes with an extra spesh ingredient... who doesn't love an avocado anyway?

Too many people in the younger generation don't feel they have the time to make meals from scratch but in the time in takes to cook a chicken breast you can make my pesto, cook up some pasta and add the chicken at the end once it's done!

Ingredients:

For the pesto -
2 x garlic cloves
1 x avocado
Fresh basil
Handful of baby spinach
Handful of pine nuts
Salt & Pepper
200ml water
Splash of double cream

For the pasta -
400g pasta (serves 4)
4 x chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs
Mozzarella
Feta
Sun dried toms
Italian herbs


Start with prepping the chicken - this part is completely optional if you would rather keep the pasta as a veggie option just miss this step! Line a baking tray with foil and spritz with a low cal spray to grease. Place the chicken breasts on the tray and cover with bread crumbs, salt and pepper and mixed Italian herbs. Cover with foil and bake in the over for 20 mins at 200 degrees.

Whilst the chicken is baking, smash up an avocado, crush two garlic cloves and chuck in the blender. Add a handful of baby spinach, pine nuts and basil and season with salt and pepper. Blitz in the blender whilst gradually adding the water and the double cream.

TIP: I used a smoothie maker to start and changed over to bigger blender as the spinach and basil leaves kept getting caught so I would 100% recommend using a heavy duty food blender or food processor.

With the pesto done, pop the pasta on the hob to cook and return to the chicken. After the 20 mins initial baking time, uncover the chicken and pop back under for 10 mins to crispen up the bread crumbs.

Drain the pasta once soft and chuck in the pesto, sun-dried toms and mozzarella. Once the mozzarella is all gooey and yummy dish up with the chicken and sprinkle as much feta cheese and you like over the op and AYYY PESTO!

Keeping you all hungry,

Hannah x

Sweet Potato Topped Toast

Instagram worthy this meal definitely is. Easy this meal definitely is not.

I get a lot of my inspiration from food pages that I follow on social media and sweet potato topped toast seemed to be the "in thing". It was absolutley a party in my mouth but following my tips will definitely help you avoid losing fingers.

Like normal toast, sweet potato toast does get cold quite quickly so it's really important to prep your toppings first. For the purpose of the photo and this post I have tried a few different toppings to see what flavours work best with the sweet potato. It's a wise idea to try and pick toppings that compliment each other so that you don't end up with a muddle flavours. I have chosen to test:

♥ Guacamole and baby toms

♥ Satay and sweet chilli
♥ Smoked salmon and cream cheese
♥ Strawberry and balsamic with blue cheese

TIP: Buy smoke salmon trimmings to keep the cost down - 120g is only £1.65 (ASDA) that's enough to top all four pieces of toast.

With all your topping ready to go it's time to make the toast. The shape of the sweet potato is pretty vital in achieving successful toast as each piece needs to be wide enough to be a decent slice of toast. Ideally you want to source nice rounded sweet potato - kind of like a small rugby ball shape. I ordered mine with my shopping delivery and they were all kinds of funky shapes and unfortunately for the purpose of this recipe they were a complete nightmare to cut into the perfect toasty slice.

TIP: Before slicing the sweet potato, nuke in the microwave for 4 minutes to soften slightly.

Unlike to the normal potato, the sweet potato can be quite tough to slice so please, please mind your fingers! Each slice needs to be about half an inch thick. Line a baking tray with foil and lightly cover with oil or a low calorie spray ensuring that the toast doesn't stick to the tray. Pop your slices ready for toasting onto the tray, spray again and season before popping under the grill to toast for 15mins.

OH MY toasty goodness. Whack on those toppings as quick as you can before serving and you've got yourself the perfect brunch, starter or light meal.

Keeping you all hungry,

Hannah x


(ps. I'm sorry I ruined this pic with my creeping little thumb)

Welcome Foodies

There wasn't a better year for me to start a food blog than 2019. It is the Chinese year of the pig; as was the year I was born. Piggy's love food and so do I. Coincidence? I don't think so!

I fell into cooking totally by default. I'd love to tell you that I gained my passion for cooking as a little girl but that just really isn't the case. Actually, as a teenager, I wasn't allowed to cook if no one else was home because I was that much of a liability - when I lived in Spain I fell asleep with the oven on and woke up to an apartment full of smoke and all the fuses blown... so as you can tell, cooking skills wasn't something that I just naturally fell into. But, I'm living proof that a little persistence can go a long way.

A couple of years ago I moved out of my parents house and moved in with my two lovely man children. I made a deal with the devil to do all the cooking and in return they would do the cleaning between them. The boys had to be very patient with my learning and luckily for me they enjoy the more basic of foods - a good lasagne gets an applause out of these two. But I don't want anyone to think for a second that I haven't failed in the kitchen. I once spent a couple of hours creating meatballs stuffed with mozzarella but totally forgot to season them; you can imagine the false smiles of chewing bland meat. My point is, you don't need to be a culinary master mind to create a good crowd pleasing meal.

My real passion for cooking actually boils down to how aesthetically pleasing the food looks. I just love creating food that is worthy of an Instagram award- hence the name of my blog; Insta Perfect Plates. All jokes aside, taking pictures of my food really inspired me to challenge myself with new recipes and help me maintain a balanced diet. I'm really into healthy eating but we definitely like to treat ourselves with a dirty meal especially at the request of my other half.

Due to the overwhelming support on social media. I decided to start a written food blog where I will list and detail all the recipes I have created and other recipes that I have tried and tested.

I hope I keep you all hungry,

Hannah x