Big Game Manwiches

Today I made Epic Meal Time-esque  Sandwiches for the Big Game

Two of my big obsessions in life are Rugby and sexy sandwiches. Seeing as there's plenty of Rugby on TV at the moment, a big part of my weekend is based around the games and making half time snacks for my family and friends. I always find sandwiches a great big game snack as It's a part of the sports culture that I love. This sandwich is jam packed with meat, eggs, cheese and an array of sauces with some some salad leaves thrown in for good measure. If you're anything like me and my family and get very "Involved" in the game you will need something to keep your energy up and one of these bad boys at half time will give you the energy you need to get you through the second half. 

This sandwich or "Manwich" if you will, I serve with a heap of homemade spicy wedges, a number of dips and an ice cold beer. The 
assembly of this manwich is quite important as you need to keep balance so all those magical ingredients will be spread throughout your sandwich as well as being able to hold the sandwich without everything falling out the bottom. The wedges are a perfect accompaniment for this snack as they are easy to eat and act as a perfect tool to catch any sauce that may escape your sandwich during the attack. I like to serve the manwich with my homemade BBQ Sauce and Tomato Ketchup. 

Ingredients:

(Makes two Manwiches)

For the Manwich:

• Loaf of Tiger Bread
• 4 Rashers
• 300g Steak - Cut into strips
• 10 Leafs of Butterhead Lettus or Rocket
• 1 Medium Onion
• 6-8 Mushrooms
• 2 Slices of Chilli and Redbell Pepper Cheese
• 2 Tablespoons Gravy
• Pepper
• Dried Basil
• Salt
• Paprika
• Cajun Spice
• Cider Vinegar
• Honey
• 2 Large Eggs
• 6 Tablespoons Homemade BBQ Sauce

For the Wedges:

• 8-10 Potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried Basil
• Paprika
• Cajun Spice
• 2 Teaspoons of Cider Vinegar

Instructions:

1. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Place into a baking tray and drizzle with Olive Oil, sprinkle with Salt, Pepper, Cajun Spice, Paprika and splash on the Cider Vinegar.

2. Toss the potatoes within the mixture and place into the oven and bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes. 

3. Slice the steak into strips and place into a glass bowl. Season Steak strips with Salt, Pepper, Cajun Spice, Paprika and a splash of Balsamic Vinegar. Leave to marinate as long as you can, I normally marinate my steak in the morning and leave covered in the fridge till I need it. 

4. Fry the steak till it turns golden brown. Slice the Mushrooms and Onions into fine strips. Half way through cooking throw in the sliced Mushrooms and Onions and cooked till caramelised.

5. Take up the Steak and Onions and Mushrooms and place in a small baking dish, cover with foil and place in the oven with the Wedges to keep warm. 

6. Fry the bacon till nice and crispy. Begin to cook the Eggs, while the Eggs are cooking you can assemble the manwich. 

7. Cut the top and bottom off the Tiger Loaf. Cut the loaf into two then slice each section in half. Don't cut all the way through as it's easier to hold the sandwich if it's still connected on one side.

8. Start your sandwich with lashings of BBQ Sauce. This acts as a glue to keep the Lettus in place and to prevent sliding. 

9. Load up your Tiger Loaf with a handful of Butterhead Lettus or Rocket, press down so it secures itself with the BBQ Sauce.

10. Next load up all your strips of steak, try to make sure they are evenly dispersed so that every bite gets a chunk of steak. 

11. Top your steak strips with the caramelised Onions and Mushrooms, this layer acts like glue for the sandwich also which is vital for keeping it together.

12. Next place your cheese on top so it can start to melt. I like to use a red cheddar that is infused with Chilli and Red Bell Peppers . This cheese gives a lovely creamy finish while also adding a nice kick to the sandwich. 

13. Top your Cheese with two pieces of crispy bacon, this hot bacon will help the cheese to melt. 

14. By the time you have gotten to this stage of the assembly your eggs will be cooked. Place a fried egg on top of each sandwich.

15. Take out the Wedges from the oven. Finish with a splash of vinegar and pinch of sea salt.

16. Spread a large Tablespoon of hot Gravy on the top of each sandwich. Serve with a stack of Wedge, a selection of dips and an ice-cold beer.

"Scrum-ptious"

Stuffed and Crusted Chicken Fillets, with Roast Veggies and Sweet Potato Cubes

Today I made Paleo Stuffed and Crusted Chicken with Chunky BBQ Sauce

I was recently asked by a good friend of mine to do a healthy all homemade dinner with no use of packages or jars or anything. I never like to use jars so I was thrilled to take on this challenge. I got fascinated with the ins and outs of the "Paleo Diet" recently and did a lot of research on what you are allowed and not allowed to eat. The Paleo Diet is also referred to as the "Caveman Diet" This diet is based mainly on the concept that you eat all fresh including lean cuts of Meat, Fruit, Vegetables Nuts, Pulses, Seeds and a select amount of oils with an emphasis on Nut Oils and Coconut Oils. This dish consists purely of lean Meats, tonnes of Veggies, Sweet Potatoes and a yummy homemade BBQ Sauce. 

Chicken is one of the leanest meats you can choose while still being super tasty and really moist. All around a perfect meat in my eyes. This chicken is stuffed with a mixture I made for stuffing chicken or using as a sausage substitute. It's made from very lean Pork mince, Wild Mushrooms and Herbs all blitzed together - a great way to up the protein levels of the dish. The crust is made from breadcrumbs - I make a Paleo Friendly bread using Almond Flour and Coconut oil but you can use Gluten Free Bread to make your breadcrumbs. I mix the Breadcrumbs with Cracked Black Pepper, Paprika, Basil, Sesame Seeds and Shredded Coconut. 

This dish is served with yummy Roast Vegetables, Sweet Potato Cubes and the best BBQ Sauce ever. The fact it's Paleo and super healthy is just a brilliant bonus. There is very little fat in this dish as there is only a tiny amount of Walnut oil used. The sauce came about by accident one day. I was just making a normal tomato sauce and then I realised I had the ingredients to make a BBQ Sauce so I thought I'd give it a go. Then when I had it made, along with tasting amazing and undoubtedly BBQ-y I realised it just happened to be Paleo. I leave this sauce a little chunky so it adds a great texture to the dish. The Sauce has a great sheen to it and a tangy, sweet and zingy flavour.

Ingredients:

For the Crusted Chicken:

• 3 Chicken Fillets
• 60g Sausage Meat - Homemade
• 1 Large Egg
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika
• 1 Slice of Gluten Free bread, breadcrumb-ed - Homemade Paleo Bread
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Nuts
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Shredded Coconut

For the Roast Vegetables:

• 4 Large Carrots
• 1 Red Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• Large Handful of Mange Tout
• Large Handful of Baby Sweetcorn
• Half a lemon

For the Sweet Potato Cubes:

• 3 Large Sweet Potatoes
• Tablespoon of Walnut Oil
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika

For the BBQ Sauce:

• 1 Large Onion
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 300g Cooked and Crushed Tomatoes 
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika 
• Juice of Half a Lemon
• 1 Tablespoon Molasses 
• 1 Tablespoon Raw Honey
• 2 Teaspoon Cider Vinegar 

Instructions: 

1. Butterfly the three chicken fillets. Place the homemade Sausage Meat into the pocket in the Chicken Fillet and close over the side again and press secure. 

2. In a bowl mix together the Breadcrumbs, Paprika, Sesame Seeds, Chopped Mixed Nuts, Shredded Coconut and Cracked Black Pepper. In another bowl whisk the egg. Dip each Chicken Fillet first in the egg and then into your crust mix. Make sure you cover the chicken fillets fully with crust and then place on a baking tray.

3. For the Roast Vegetables: Dice your carrots on the diagonal - to make them look pretty, try keep them all roughly the same size and place them in a baking tray. Dice up the Red and Yellow Pepper and add to the carrots, finally add in the Mange Tout and Baby Sweetcorn. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and season.

4. For the Sweet Potatoes Cubes: Cut up the Sweet Potatoes into cubes and place in a baking tray - I like to leave the skins on for the extra fiber (nothing to do with the fact I'm lazy). Drizzle with a small amount of Walnut Oil and then sprinkle with the Paprika. 

5. Place the Chicken fillets, Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes into the oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes. While they are in the oven you can make the sauce.

6. Fry the finely diced Onion and crushed Garlic in a frying pan until soft - you don't need any colour on them. Add in the Cooked and Crushed Tomatoes and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add in the Paprika, Lemon Juice, Molasses, Honey and Cider Vinegar and simmer for a further 8-10 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken as it starts to reduce leaving a thick, glossy, tangy and sweet healthy BBQ sauce. 

7. When the Chicken Fillets are golden brown and the Vegetables and Sweet Potatoes have softened slightly you can take up your yummy healthy meal and slather with your yummy BBQ Sauce.

"Following the Paleo Diet has become much easier with the news the earliest known Winery was in a Cave "