Ham and Leek Pastry Slices with Asda's Wonky Veg

It's Day 4 of Wonky Veg week, where we've been trying out Asda's new initiative and seeing how far we can make £3.50 worth of vegegtables stretch. You can read our initial thoughts in our First Impressions post. We still have onions, carrots, a few spuds and a lonely leek to go. I'm feeling a bit sorry for that leek, all alone in that big box, so this is his time to shine! A great excuse for a massive pie, if you ask me! It's not really a pie, it tastes like pie, but is easier to make, as you don't need to line a tin. This is my recipe for Leek and Ham slices.

Leftovers Omelette with Asda's Wonky Veg Box

It's Day 3 of the Wonky Veg Box from Asda. Today we are looking at what we can do with a red pepper and some potatoes and a very small onion. There are lots of onions in the box, but more about that another day. You can see the full list of what else was in it, in my Wonky Veg Box First Impressions or have a look at Day 2's recipe; Easy Stuffed Peppers, if you fancy it. As well as the onion, potato and red pepper from the box, I also had some mushrooms and sausages to use up, so I have no idea what to call this recipe. It's a kind of Brunch Omelette, I suppose. Anyway, here goes...

Easy Stuffed Peppers with Asda's Wonky Veg Box

Yesterday, I offered my first impressions of Asda's latest big idea to lessen waste and boost the profits of farmers, as well as providing cheap, healthy food to customers. The Wonky Veg Box is packed with imperfect seasonal veg and provides a wealth of opportunities to get creative with meals. Today's recipe will take care of the green peppers and use up the cabbage left over from yesterday's roast dinner. Stuffed pepers look quite exotic when served, but are ridiculously easy to make, as is the homemade coleslaw. It's all pretty healthy too! 

Surprisingly Easy Beef Wellington

It's Buy British Day today, so how about a British classic, Beef Wellington? When I did my coupon shop recently, I bought a Tesco meal deal, which included a small beef joint. It wasn't really big enough for the whole family, so I had to get creative to make it stretch. I had a look around for a Beef Wellington recipe and found they varied in difficulty from a bit complicated, to 'degree in catering required'. As I'm quite lazy, I simplified the recipe as best I could, and it was still really, really nice. Here it is, for any other lazy, cheaty 'chefs' who fancy giving it a try!

Apple and Blackberry Crumble

As it's windfall season, here is a reminder of the Apple and Blackberry Crumble recipe I originally posted two years ago! It was part of an apple round-up, but I felt. as crumbles can be under-represented, I would give it its own post. The secret to this recipe is to use brown sugar, instead of white, as it gives a lovely, caramelised twist to the topping and it will come out crisp and glistening, as if it was created by a true domestic goddess. Rubbing in the breadcrumbs is particularly appealing to little ones, if you do have any willing helpers!

Cheesy Apple Pork Steaks

Do you suffer from apathy in the kitchen? Are you bored with standard meat and gravy dishes?! I flipping am, but I also don't always have time to think up exciting meals from scratch. Wholesome homemade food is always a prefered choice, but it's not always possible to have all the ingredients and time. Sometimes, you want something almost as easy as a takeaway, but without the expense or health implications. So,  here is another of my ultra-lazy, super-easy, meal twists, to transform a dull meal in minutes. It's so easy, it doesn't even need words. It just needs:

Bacon, Egg and Cream Cheese Bagel

This is quite possibly the most delicious breakfast roll you will ever eat. The sweetness of the cream cheese and the saltiness of the bacon are the perfect taste combination and the egg adds a wonderful texture to the finished dish. It only contains four ingredients all of which are widely available. Like all my recipes, it is astoundingly easy to make and the longet time is spent cooking the bacon and boiling the eggs, after that it's ready in moments.

Making Basic Biscuits Better, with Betty Crocker!

I am a massive fan of these little cookie mixes, by Betty Crocker. I'm actually a huge fan of Betty Crocker in general. The tubs of icing are so convenient and last for ages, even when they've been opened. I use them all the time in my quick mix recipes, like this quick mix sponge cake. If you are entertaining though, or want your cookies to look a bit more 'homemade' (ahem), they can seem a bit, well, flat. Here a couple of ideas to pep them up a bit, without really making much effort, because you want to save all your energy for the eating part, don't you? 

An Easy Salmon Recipe for the Barbecue

My family love barbecues. Perhaps a little too much. I think they would have barbecues for breakfast if I let them! I don't mind them and enjoy being outdoors and the social aspect, but I find burgers and sausages get a bit samey after a while. So, when I found a half side of salmon reduced to £1.50 in the bargain bin at the supermarket yesterday, I decided that had to be the answer to my barbecue boredom. But what to do with it... Inspiration came in the form of another bargain buy, a bag of limes for 9p! Here's how to make a delicious salmon dish to add some interest to your usual barbecue meals. 

Strawberry Ice Cream Milkshake

We love strawberries and are always trying to think up new and different strawberry recipes. This super simple strawberry milkshake recipe is so easy, it's a lovely one to get children involved with. It's brilliant fun and perfect for cooling down during the summer months. The taste and texture is very reminiscent of the milkshakes you get in a certain fast food restaurant, but contains real fresh fruit, for extra health benefits. If you don't have strawberries, you could try substituting another fruit, such as raspberries or bananas. As with a lot of my recipes, the amounts aren't set in stone and can be adjusted to taste without completely ruining it. All you need is....

Emergency Biscuit Replacement Hack!

Don't you just hate it, when it gets to the point in the evening where you really don't want to go out, and you suddenly realise, you've forgotten to buy something vital. So, this evening there was mass panic when the choccy biccies ran out and we had to think fast. I had some shortcrust pastry left over from a jam tart failure (don't ask) so we threw together this epic recipe, that will replace your biscuit supply easily and without having to go out. bonus!

Nutritious, Low Cost, Three Minute Scrambled Egg!

The humble egg often gets overlooked these days as part of a healthy diet, but, in terms of nutrition versus cost, you really can't 'beat it' (ahem). Containing just 70 calories each, along with high quality protein, there are also a host of B vitamins, minerals and even trace elements of Phosphorus, all packed into its relatively tiny shell. There are lots of different ways to create a healthy lunch, with hardly any effort, using eggs and it's a great way to fill you up and prevent that pesky mid-afternoon snack craving. There is a recipe for  Lazy Eggs with Ham here, but today, I thought I would share with you a favourite of mine, which takes just three ingredients and literally two minutes to cook.