Fat Free Tomato Soup

Today I made Immune Boosting, Fat Free Tomato Soup

After just entering a new year everybody seems to be on a health and fitness kick. With a communal desire to get in shape and eat well along with feeling better both in body and mind. All the ingredients in this soup have a health benefit and contain no fat and are considered as "free foods" by many diet programmes. This soup stars with Garlic and Onions. Onions are packed full of nutrients that counteract respiratory problems, their antibacterial action combats all kind of infectious disease and they protect the digestive system, Garlic is a Super Food offering a huge amount of benefits, ranging from aiding weight loss to fighting cancer. It helps the formation of new cells which keep hair, skin and nails young along with treating cellulite.

Rosemary has antiseptic and antioxidant qualities proving good for circulatory conditions, nervous problems and aids memory. Ginger is a perfect food to include in your diet at the start of a new healthy eating regime as it promotes detoxification, circulation and has a soothing affect to nausea. Tomatoes are packed full with vitamins and minerals most renowned for the life-saving qualities of Lyopene which prevents cancer. Staving off everything from wrinkles and sun damage to heart attacks. Carrots are a great source of Vitamin A which has a clarifying effect on your liver, promotes healthy eyes and speeds up post exercise recovery time. Basil contains many compounds that are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

Ingredients: 

(Serves 6-8)   

• 3 Large Onions
• 10-12 Garlic Cloves
• 2 Tablespoons of Ginger  
• 4 Large Carrots 
• 6 Basil Leaves
• 1 Sprig of Rosemary
• 700g Pealed Plum Tomatoes
• 1 Lemon

Instructions:

1. Peel and roughly chop the Onions. Peel and crush the garlic with the back of your knife and put into a large sauce pan with a little water so they don't stick - Don't worry about being too fancy when chopping your Vegetables for this soup as you will be blitzing it anyways. 

2. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the Onions start to soften slightly. Chop the Carrots quite small and into even pieces. I leave the skin on, as most of the fiber is in the skin and also it saves times. Throw the Carrots into the Onion and Garlic.

3. Fry the Vegetables for 4-5 minutes then top up with boiling water and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes. 

4. When the Vegetables have softened add in your Pealed Plum Tomatoes. Break the tomatoes down with a wooden spoon. 

5. Chop up the Basil and Rosemary -  I was only too happy to get a chance to use my fancy new double herb cutter.

6.  Add in your Herbs to your Vegetables. 

7. Using a fine grater, grate your Ginger and add it into the Vegetables and Herbs. 

8. Blend the Vegetables with a hand held blender or you can use a Smoothie maker to blend the soup. Scrape down the sides of the sauce pan to make sure you have no lumps.

9. Stir the Soup to ensure there are no lumps. Keeping the soup on the heat add in the juice of one Lemon and stir through.

10. To serve. Ladle into your favourite bowl. You can place a teaspoon of light Cream Cheese and a Basil Leaf if you're feeling fancy.

“No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.”

Chickendales

Today I made Chili, Lime and Parmesan Chicken Strippers 

Everybody seems to love Chicken Strippers, from young to old and every age in between. From Chicken Nuggets for the kids all the way to Chicken Strippers for the adults.They seem to be a staple on most bar and restaurant menus along with being a huge feature in fast food joints along with the new addition to most pizzerias. Yet it's very rare that I come across Chicken Goujons that actually taste how I want them to taste. They're either too dry, really soggy, chewy to the point where you question if you're actually eating Chicken or just have no flavour. These Chicken Strippers are Crunchy and Crispy on the outside with Juicy, Succulent Chicken on the inside. 

The flavours in these Chicken Strippers live up to the real Chippendale's. They'r hot and spicy, zesty and fresh and just a little but cheesy but they make it work. For an extra crunch I use crispy Bread Rolls to make the Breadcrumb coating instead of regular Bread as using regular bread can sometimes be too soft and fine. The Red Chilli adds a little spice to the Strippers , I remove the seeds and cut up the flesh very fine so the heat kick is very subtle. You don't get it straight away but after a few seconds you get that lovely warm feeling. The lime zest adds a freshness to Strippers and the Parmesan adds a dept of cheesy flavour that's incomparable

Ingredients:

(Serves 4-6 ) 

• 4 Chicken Fillets
• 2 Large Eggs
• 2 Demi Baguette
• 80g Flour
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper
• 1 Medium Red Chilli
• 1 Large Lime
• 60g Parmesan 
• Chili Sauce - To serve
• Mixed Leaves - To serve

Instructions:

1. Slice Chicken Fillets into long strips, season and set aside.

2. Place Demi Baguettes into a Food Processor and blitz until you reach the Breadcrumbs stage, leave with a little texture - not too fine.

3. Cut the top off the Chilli and remove the seeds. Slice length ways into stick then again so the Chili is cut very fine. Zest the lime.

4. Place the Breadcrumbs into a large dish. Add in the finely diced Red Chilli and and the Lime Zest and mix through. Then add in the dried Parmesan. 

5. Set out three dishes. In the first place the flour and season with the Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper. In the second, crack and whisk the 2 large Eggs add it a squeeze of Lime Juice. The third contains your Chili, Lime and Parmesan Coating.

6. Take each Chicken Strip and coat in the Seasoned Flour. Toss around so each is fully covered. I normally do this step one Strip at a time.

7. From the Flour you dip your Chicken Strip into the beaten Egg and then into the Chili, Lime and Parmesan Coating.

8. Heat Olive Oil in a Pan until it reaches 190-200C. Place 3-4 Chicken Strippers into the pan at a time to monitor cooking. Cook until golden brown. Place onto some Kitchen Paper to soak any additional Olive Oil - Because you are cooking at such a high temperature the Chicken Strippers don't take on much Oil.

9. Serve Chicken Strippers with a mixed Salad, a portion of Sweet Chilli Sauce and a wedge of Lime.

"They're Finger Lickin' Good"

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"