Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Week 39: Smothered Chicken

The Recipe

2 chicken breasts, cut into halves
8 pieces of bacon
200-250g mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 small onion, sliced thinly (optional)
1dl shredded cheddar
1dl shredded mozzerella

For the marinade:
1/2 dl honey
1/2 dl dijon mustard
1tsp oil
1/2tsp lemon juice
Salt, pepper, paprika

Prepare ahead of time: Mix the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Use an electric whisk and whisk for ~30 seconds to get the mustard and honey fully mixed. Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken, cover and leave to marinade in the fridge for 2-3 hours. Reserve the rest of the marinade and keep chilled.

Preheat oven to 200C.

In a pan cook bacon until desired crispness. Remove from pan, but leave juices behind. Add mushroom and onion (if used) and cook until soft. Remove from pan. Add chicken and sear for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to ovenproof dish and cover with 2 slices of bacon each. Pour mushroom/onions on top and cover with cheese. Drizzle with a bit of the marinade.

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is done.

Serve with baked potatoes and a salad and the reserved marinade on the side.

The Verdict
REALLY good! I'd ended up leaving the chicken to cook for a bit too long, so it was kinda dry, but the taste could not be beat! Very yummy and definitely something I'm going to make again!

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Week 30: Carrot Fries

The Recipe
4 carrots
1tbsp olive oil
1 tsp each of paprika, garlic powder and corn flour (or other spices)
Salt to taste

Peel the carrots and cut them into fries.
In a bowl, mix together oil, paprika, garlic powder and corn flour. Add carrotsand stir to coat.

Preheat the air-fryer to 200C. Add carrot fries and cook for 15-20 minutes, shaking after 10 minutes and taste checking after 15 minutes. If you have more fries than will fit into a mostly single layer, split them up into several batches for the best results.

Add salt and serve immediately.

The Verdict
This looked like a lot of carrot, but they shrunk significantly in the airfryer, so I would say this amount is only JUST enough for 2 people. They were really good though, so I could definitely see myself making them again. They're only slightly more timeconsuming to make than just plain carrot sticks and taste great :-D

Sunday, July 9, 2023

Week 27: Mongolian Beef

The Recipe
~600g flank steak
2tbsp flour
2tbsp corn starch
2tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.75dl soy sauce (about 3/4 cup)
1.75dl water
1.75dl brown sugar
2 carrots, grated
Spring onion (garnish)

In a bag, mix flour and corn starch. Cut the flank steak into thin strips and add to the bag. Shake thoroughly to coat.
Add next 6 ingredients (oil through carrots) to the crockpot and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add flank steak and stir until it's coated in the sauce.

Cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 4-5 hours until cooked through. Garnish with spring onions and serve over rice.

The Verdict
I ended up cooking mine for 4 hours on low which fit perfectly - the meat was soft and tender without being dry. It was quite good as-is, but I felt it lacked... something... unfortunately not entirely sure what. Perhaps some chili, perhaps some additional veggies, but I can't quite figure out which ones would fit the rest of the dish. I'll have to play around with that a bit. There was a LOT of liquid, so I may try to reduce soy, water and sugar to 1.25-1.5dl next time. There needs to be enough to cover the meat completely, but not much more than that. But definitely something I could see myself making again.

Monday, June 19, 2023

Week 25: Watermelon Salad

The Recipe
~1/2 watermelon
100g feta cheese
30g pine nuts
50g rocket salad
1/2 red onion
Some sort of flavoured vinegar according to taste (balsamico, white wine... whatever strikes your fancy)
Flake salt
Fresh basil (optional)

Slice the onion thinly and cut the watermelon into small cubes. Mix together with the rocket salad in a large bowl. Crumble feta cheese on top and mix again.
Roast the pine nuts on a dry pan for a few minutes and mix into the salad together with the vinegar and salt.

Sprinkle a bit of fresh basil on top.

The Verdict
IMHO the best summer salad out there :-D I'd bought a watermelon that unfortunately turned out to taste very watery, so it wasn't that enticing to eat just as-is, but mixed together with rocket salad and feta cheese, it turned into the perfect side dish for a hot summer evening! Definitely something I'll be making again!

Friday, June 9, 2023

Week 24: Sweet & Spicy Sausage Dish

The Recipe
~400g sausages
~500g potatoes
2 bell peppers
1 large onion
1tbsp olive oil
1tbsp honey
1tbsp mustard
salt, pepper, oregano
Fresh herbs (optional)

Cut the potatoes and sausages into pieces ~3x1cm, cut the onion into wedges and the bell pepper into bite sized pieces.

In a bowl, mix together onion, potatoes, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Preheat the airfryer to 180C, add the potatoes and onions and cook for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile use the same bowl to mix together honey and mustard. Add the sausages and give it a good stir until the sausages are completely coated. Add to the air fryer, stir everything up and cook for another 6 minutes.
Dump the bell peppers into the same bowl to scoop up the last of the honey-mustard mix. Add to the air fryer, give a good stir and cook for a final 7 minutes.

Put some fresh herbs on top and serve immediately with ketchup or sweet chili sauce on the side.

The Verdict
Really easy and really good! After dinner I commented to my husband that I could see myself making this again. "I insist that you do!" was his immediate response, which is always nice to hear :-D I bought some good quality sausages with garlic and cheese, which definitely added to the taste. The onion I used was perhaps a tad too small, so I may use a bit more of that next time, and it could be fun to add cherry tomatoes as well - but neither of those changes are really needed - it worked perfectly as-is.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Week 18 - Vegetarian Chili

The Receipe
1 diced onion
1 diced bell pepper
1-2 chopped carrots
2 stalks chopped celery
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Add everything but half the salt and the lime juice to the slow-cooker. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours.

Stir in lime juice and the remaining salt if desired.

The Verdict
It wasn't very spicy, so I could probably have added more chili. Also perhaps a bit more sugar, as it was rather acidic? Will have to play around with that a bit. But my vegetarian sister liked it, so that's the important thing.

Monday, February 13, 2023

Week 7: Air Fried Roast Beef

The Recipe
750g roast beef (in Denmark, this is a particular cut - I don't know if it's the same elsewhere, or if it just refers to the manner of preparing it)
olive oil
spices - I used garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper

30-60 minutes before starting, take the roast beef out of the fridge and leave at room temperature.

Preheat the airfryer to 200C. I did this by letting it run for ~10 minutes while empty. 5 might have been enough.

Meanwhile, pat the roast beef dry with paper towels (as this lets the outside sear better). Drizzle a plate with oil and spices and roll the roastbeef across - I find this is the best way to get an even spread of spices.

Add water to the bottom of the air fryer (not sure if this is to make cleaning easier or to prevent the beef from drying out, but I'll take it either way), add the roast beef to the basket and cook at 200C for 5 minutes. Turn down to 180C and cook for an additional 20 minutes, turning the roast beef over halfway through. Check the temperature with a meat themometer at this point. You'll want it in the high 40s for nice, rosa meat, as the roast beef will continue to cook for awhile after you've taken it out of the airfryer. I let mine get to 52C, and that was definitely too much - it was only vaguely pink when I sliced it.

Remove from airfryer and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing thinly. I used this time to cook the potatoes in the air fryer :-D


The Verdict
I love roast beef, but always find it such a faff to get just right in the oven, so figured I'd give it a try in the air fryer instead. It turned out PERFECT and was so simple, so this is definitely how I'm going to make it going forward. I meassured mine to 47C after 20 minutes, so figured I'd give it an extra 3-4 minutes. That was definitely too much, so the 20 minutes is probably right for this size & shape (basically a cylinder). But even if it was a tad greyer than I prefer, it hadn't gotten dry at all, and was still really yummy. A firm success, and definitely my prefered way of making it going forward!

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Week 2 - Pork Tenderloin in Mushroom Sauce

The Recipe
~500g pork tenderloin, cut into 1-2cm slices
black pepper
salt
olive oil
2.5dl chicken broth
2tbsp flour
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
thyme
250g mushrooms, cut into pieces
1 onion, sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced

In a small bowl, mix together chicken broth, flour and vinegar. Stir until smooth.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a pan or a large pot with a fitted lid, add the pork and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned.
Add mushrooms, garlic and onion and give a quick stir before adding the chicken broth mixture and thyme. Bring to a boil, then to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is done.

Serve with beans, mashed cauliflower and baked potatoes.

The Verdict
Nothing special, but a decent enough meal. Anything with pork tenderloin is bound to be worth eating ;-) I tried steaming the beans instead of sauteing them, and definitely wasn't a fan of that way of cooking them - so lesson learned!

Week 1: Steamed Cauliflower mash

The Recipe
1 cauliflower
Butter
Cream cheese
salt, pepper

Break up the cauliflower into small bouquets and place in a microwave-friendly steamer. Add about 1cm of water to the bottom and cook for 10-15 minutes - stopping after 10 to check the doneness.
Mash up the cauliflower as much as possible, and add butter and cream cheese until you get the desired consistence. Add salt and pepper according to taste.

The Verdict
Really good! I hadn't steamed it for quite long enough, so it didn't get the proper mash consistency, but I liked the way it tasted, and could definitely see myself making this again.