Curried Parsnip, Carrot & Ginger Soup

I had a lot of parsnips left in my garden that needed to be used up, and my son absolutely loves soup, so i used them to make a big batch of soup.
He is only two but he loves food with a lot of flavour and he especially loves anything curried.
So i made up this recipe for him.

Makes 11 child portions
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion cut into wedges
1 kg parsnips cored and cut into 3cm lengths
1 kg carrots sliced in half and cut into about 3
1 tbsp grated  fresh ginger or ground ginger
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp dried coriander
1 tsp brown sugar
½ tsp turmeric
Fresh ground pepper to season
2 tins of plummed tomatoes
1 ½ litres of vegetable stock

In a large roasting tin mix the first 11 ingredients and roast for 30 to 35 minutes.
Blend the vegetables till smooth with the tomatoes and vegetable stock, then heat through in a saucepan, season to taste and serve.

Juicy Chilli Chicken & Cashew Nuts with Noodles

We are very much into Chinese food in our house at the moment, and it's all due to Ching-He Huang, we recently saw a series she made called Chinese Food in Minutes and the recipes she cooked looked delicious!!
So i found the recipes and tried them out, the first dish i made was this one, and it was delicious, so much tastier than a take away and you know exactly whats in it, it also took just as long to cook it as it takes to order and pick up a take away!!

I added my own little touches, and extra ingredients to make it to our tastes.......

Serves 2
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes


3 chicken breasts thinely sliced
1 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp water
½ tsp Chinese 5 spice
2 tbsp ground nut oil
1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
1 tsp chilli bean paste (available from Chinese supermarkets)
1 red chilli finely chopped
½ head of broccoli
1 tbsp shaohsing wine (available from Chinese supermarkets)
100g roasted salted cashew nuts
1 tsp light soy sauce
Juice of ½ lime
1 packet of straight to wok noodles
1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped


In a bowl combine the corn flour, Chinese 5 spice and water, mix in the chicken.
Heat the oil in a smoking hot wok, add the sichuan peppercorns, chilli bean paste and the chilli, stir fry for 30 seconds, add the broccoli and a dash of water to create steam to help the broccoli cook and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and the shaohsing wine and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the noodles, and nuts, stir fry for 2 minute, then season with the coriander, soy sauce and lime juice.

Beef Stew & Herby Dumplings Especially for Mary...

I made this stew for my dear friend Mary when she was feeling under the weather. We lived in America at the time but have since moved back to England
So Mary this is for you so you can make it when your feeling ill, or even better get someone else to make it for you.

It does freeze well, so you could make it and freeze it for when you need it..

Serves 6

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 3 hours

Pre heat oven to 180c, 380f, gas mark 5

2 tbsp olive oil

1 kg stewing beef cubed

1 large onion chopped

5 carrots sliced

250g chestnut mushrooms sliced

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

½ tbsp fresh rosemary finely chopped

½ tbsp fresh thyme finely chopped

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

3 tbsp flour

2 tins plum tomatoes

1 tsp Worcester sauce

½ bottle of red wine

500 ml beef stock

Dumpling Ingredients

250g self raising flour

140g suet

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp dried oregano

roughly 60ml water

In a large casserole dish that has a lid, heat oil then season and brown beef, remove from dish.
Add the onions to dish and sauté till softened, then add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes, then add the mushroom and sauté foe 3 minutes, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
Add all the herbs, pepper and celery salt and sauté for 1 minute, stir in the flour, then add the beef back to the dish, add the wine cook out for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes, Worcester sauce, and beef stock bring to the boil then turn down heat and simmer for 2 ½ hrs.
Make the dumplings by mixing all the dry ingredients together, then gradually add the water till you have a dough that is slightly sticky, roll into balls about the size of a golf ball and place in the stew, make sure you leave enough room for them to expand.
Cover the dish and cook in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Been sooooo busy!!

Well i don't know if you have missed me or my delicious recipes, but i have been so busy, and i haven't had chance to post.

I do have a Beef Stew with Herby Dumplings waiting to be posted.

This recipe is especially for one of my very best friends, well she is more like a sister, Mary!!

I'm hoping i will get chance to post it tonight.

I hope your taste buds are salivating in anticipation........lol