Breakfast: Delicious Scrambled Eggs, Rice & Bell Peppers

After reading one of Yotam Ottolenghi's foodie articles on the Guardian's website (which you can find here), I was inspired to recreate my own version. Eggs are a staple breakfast in our house but there are only so many ways one can take eggs before they become a little boring. Eggs, boiled hard or soft, scrambled, poached or even an omelette will usually suit me fine but when you have three kids it's not always so easy to please the entire clan. Lightly scrambled, cheesy eggs are my personal, all-time favourite; there truly is something so comforting (childhood nostalgia kicking in here) about scrambled eggs.

If you click on the link in this post, you will find that I have sort of amalgamated two of Ottolenghi's recipes and, having dropped a few ingredients here or there, created one of my own.

You will need:

• 6 medium free range eggs, beaten
• 3 cloves of garlic, skins removed and minced in a garlic press
• 2 medium red onions, skins removed and sliced lengthways
• 1 red bell pepper, cores and seeds removed, sliced lengthways
• 1 orange bell pepper, cores and seeds removed, sliced lengthways
• 1 cup of frozen green peas
• 2 cups of cooked basmati rice
• 1 teaspoon of sweet paprika
• 1/2 a teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, plus some extra to scramble the eggs
• A bunch of freshly chopped coriander leaves, stems included
• 1 green chilli, seeds removed and sliced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Serves 5-6

1.  Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a fork until smooth, leave to sit.

2.  Heat the coconut oil in a large non-stick pan/wok and add in the garlic, peppers, peas and onions. Cook them until soft (feel free to leave a bit of crunch if you prefer), add in the sweet paprika, ground coriander and cumin. Stir until the spices have evenly coated your vegetables.

3.  Now you can add in the cooked rice and fresh coriander. On a low heat, stir the ingredients gently to mix well. Add any salt or black pepper.

4.  Make a well in your pan by pushing your vegetable rice aside to line the outskirts of the pan. It should look like a hollow ring. Turn the heat up slightly and add in a little more coconut oil. Once it has melted you can pour in the eggs. Be careful not to burn anything as you will need to scramble your eggs in the well you made.

Once you have the right consistency, you can serve the entire pan at the table for everybody to help themselves. Don't forget to serve it with some fresh orange juice. A great tuck-in weekend breakfast for the whole family to enjoy!

Vegetarian Eggs & Rice

For those of you who may have overindulged a little during the festive season and happen to be looking for more health conscious meal ideas, then this one is for you... A hugely satisfying, family friendly rice dish for anyone who wants to give it a go! It was inspired by my friend's Romanian potato salad; I thought I'd give it a try with rice. This recipe with definitely feed a family of 4-5.

If you're taking part in the whole 'Veganuary' movement then just substitute the eggs with some black eyed peas, which is how I prefer this recipe, to be honest. I just didn't have any in the cupboard but would absolutely recommend using beans as an alternative to egg.

You will need:

• 2-3 cups of easy-cook Basmati rice (regular rice will work just fine), cooked according to instructions
• 1 Large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 20 black pitted olives, sliced
• 2 Handfuls of mixed green leaves (I've used coriander, spinach and rocket), roughly chopped
• 1 Cup of steamed sweetcorn
• 1 Tablespoon of white balsamic vinegar
• 1 Level teaspoon of salt
• Half a teaspoon corsely ground black pepper
• 3 Medium sized, free-range, organic eggs, boiled and then sliced

How To:

1. To make life easier, have your eggs boiled (peeled and sliced) and rice already made and sitting aside (in separate bowls) all ready for the rest of the ingredients to be added.

2. In a separate bowl add your onions, olives, green leaves, black pepper and salt. Evenly drizzle the vinegar on top and give the ingredients a stir.

3. Add in the rice and stir, taking care to get an even mixture. You can now gently fold in the sliced eggs.

*Adding some freshly diced tomatoes would also be splendid with this dish.

Perfectly Roasted Chicken

Finding it difficult to come up with an alternative to the usual Turkey dinner this festive season? Look no further. I have the perfectly roasted chicken recipe for you that will put a smile on your guests faces. I served this a couple of Christmases ago and the kids loved it; it has been my go to roast for weekends or whenever we have friends or family over for a big feast. And the best part, it's a no oil, fuss free kind of recipe! Feel free to substitute the lemon for oranges to capture that more familiar festive feeling.

For a small-medium whole bird, you will need:

• 1 Whole chicken with skin and bones, halved lengthwise
• 3 Cloves of garlic, freshly minced
• 2 Whole lemons, one juiced for drizzling and one sliced for serving
• 1 Teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 Teaspoon of fine salt
• A pinch of sea salt flakes for serving

Final Touches: Reserve one lemon for slicing and wedging into the chicken before sprinkling with sea salt and serving.

How To:

1. Prepare a roasting tray large enough for your bird to lay flat in the oven.

2. Clean any excess fat and feathering from your bird and cut it down the middle, lengthways. Lay flat, skin side up, into your roasting tray.

3. Pierce the entire chicken to the bone with a knife.

4. Sprinkle the fine salt and black pepper all over the chicken - try to do this evenly - and then rub in the minced garlic by massaging all of the seasoning into the cuts you have made.

5. Cover gently with some foil and bake in the middle of the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Check your progress at this point, uncover and cook for a further 10-15 minutes.

6. Once cooked, removed from the oven and pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice over the chicken. Wedge your lemon slices into the creases of the chicken and lightly sprinkle with some sea salt flakes.

Serve with boiled baby new potatoes, steamed veggies and a green leafy salad. A quick and simple, wholesome family meal. Enjoy!

Wishing all a bright and joyous Yule.

- The Storms

Oven Baked Chicken Thighs Marinated in Yoghurt

I honestly don't have a name for this recipe; I can only credit this amazing dish to my long-standing friend and fellow 'mum of three' club member, who made this for me when I was pregnant with my first daughter, Eden. That was seven years ago! I loved this lightly spiced chicken so much that it was practically all I ate during my first pregnancy. Thank you, Farida!

Obviously, for best results, I'd recommend marinating the chicken in the yoghurt and spices overnight in the fridge. But it is not a necessity, in fact, I haven't done it this time and it turned out just fine. This was our dinner last Friday night.

This is a great recipe for the whole family, which is why it is lightly spiced. I am known to be a little heavy handed with the chilli but I've only used a single fresh one here (with a pinch of black pepper) and my three year old son eats it with no hassle. So, if you are heat sensitive, you can easily forgo the red chilli.

For 6-7 servings, you will need:

• 7 good quality, fresh chicken thighs, skins and bones removed
• 250g of plain/natural yoghurt (I've used low fat)
• 1 chicken stock cube by Knorr, chopped small enough to crumble
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed to a mince in a garlic press
• 1 red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander
• A pinch of ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala* mix
• A handful of freshly chopped coriander, stalks included

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

2. Once you have trimmed any excess fat, place your chicken aside.

Look for good quality chicken. Most butchers will happily de-bone and skin your meat for you on site.

3. Prepare your marinade by mixing all of the ingredients (except for the fresh coriander) together in a bowl. Next, thoroughly coat each chicken thigh in the mixture.

4. Place your chicken in a flat, single layer into an oven proof dish. If you have any of the yoghurt mixture left over, you can simply spoon it evenly on top of the thigh pieces. Gently sprinkle the freshly chopped coriander on top and place it in the middle of the oven. Adjust the oven's temperature to 220 degrees Celsius. 

5. Depending on how brown you would like the end result, I'd recommend 35-45 minutes in the oven. Remember to turn at least twice to avoid actual burning. The liquids will likely cook away, so if you want a little more sauce, cook for less time, I'd say around 30 minutes should do the trick.

Serve with boiled baby potatoes and some gently steamed broccoli florets for a wholesome and healthy family dinner.

*I use a locally bought store brand of Garam Masala (92g mixture), which is simply a blend of the following: Coriander Seeds 69% | Cumin Seeds 9.9% | Ginger 5.9% | Fennel Seeds, Black Peppercorns, Caraway Seeds, Cinnamon 1.5% | Cloves 1.5% | Cardamom, Celery Seeds and Nutmeg

Flavourful Basmati Rice

As promised in my last post, here is the recipe for my perfectly aromatic basmati rice. The perfect complement  to my 'Minty Minced Lamb' dish.

For the rice, you will need:

• 2 cups of white basmati rice
• 5 cardamom pods, cracked to release flavour
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cracked black peppercorns
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• Hot water, boiled

Instructions:

1.  Fill you kettle and put it on to boil.

2.  While your kettle is boiling, wash your rice (in the pot you are going to cook it in) underneath a running tap (for best results I use the hot tap, much faster) until the water runs clear. Apparently, this removes some of the excess starch in the rice. I have personally found that by rinsing rice before cooking, it gives the grains that fluffy, loose and less clumped together texture. It can also be better for digestion (or at least it does in my case).

3.  Place your pot on the hob and add your cardamom pods, whole cloves, cracked black peppercorns and salt into the pot with your rice. Stir.

4.  Turn on the hob and pour in enough hot water from the kettle to cover the rice (about an inch above rice level). Stir again and once the water comes to a boil, cover your pot with a lid and turn the heat down low and simmer until the water has been absorbed and the rice has cooked. This should take around 10 minutes.

If you missed my last post, you can find the link to the perfect accompaniment to this rice dish, here.