Egg, bacon and mushroom fried rice

When hunger strikes and you don't feel like spending loads of time cooking, this is a great cheating meal for 2. It makes a great brunch. I use some ready prepared ingredients that we always have in the fridge or cupboard, plus other basic stores from the fridge.

Ingredients

1 pack of ready cubed pancetta/bacon bits 1 large Spring onion, finely sliced 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped 1 large chestnut mushroom, roughly chopped 1 packet of ready cooked basmati rice 2 free range eggs, lightly whisked with a fork chopped fresh coriander (optional)

Method

Use a nonstick frying pan on a medium heat, pop in the bacon and frazzle until browning, add the spring onions and garlic and continue cooking for another minute, add the mushroom, cook for another minute. Add the rice, break down with a wooden spoon and fry for another 2 minutes. Scrape the rice to the edges and add the egg to the middle, keep stirring and start mixing in with the rice, continue cooking until all cooked and mixed in. If you like coriander, add this now and continue stirring in to rice. Serve You don't need any oil in the pan or salt as the bacon has enough of each.

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Chicken with white wine and tomatoes

Sometimes the simplest recipes are the most tasty.
It was a beautiful day yesterday, really hot and my kitchen was toasty and too warm to cook for long prepping/cooking session. I wanted to make dinner as easy as possible and to only use the minimum of cooking equipment. This was one evening when I cooked from the heart. I popped baby new potatoes, broccoli stems and green beans into the electric steamer, switched on and then started the protein part of dinner.

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs (skin on)
1/2 large spanish onion, finely sliced
4 tomatoes, cut into eighths (halve, then quarter those halves)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 glass white wine
Salt and pepper

Method

(Tip - I've recently been treated to a Le Creuset non-stick casserole which I use for this, it has a lid).

I gently heated my casserole pan (you will need a lid eventually). I put the chicken thighs into the pan, skin side down, no oil needed as the pan I use is non-stick. I left the chicken to brown, then turned them over to brown on the other side. Push the chicken together as much as you can and pop the onions in. There should be enough fat released from the chicken to cook the onions until they start to brown. Add the fresh thyme sprigs to the pan and the tomatoes, add a few grinds of salt and black pepper, then splash over the white wine. Pop on the lid and turn down to a simmer.

Turn the chicken over after 15 minutes.
Continue to cook for about 30 minutes in total, check that the chicken is cooked by cutting into the biggest thigh in the pan, just through to the bone, if there is no sign of pink juices, the chicken is cooked.
Serve with the steamed veg.

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Chicken - Riverford style

Typical evening. Come home after busy day at college, it's chicken but not sure what to do with it.

Step 1

Low effort is the key, so one pot meal is a bonus.

Step 2

2 legs and 2 wings are left on the carcass, so start by jointing these into drumsticks and thighs.

Step 3

What veg are left to use up in our box from last week?

Yellow pepper, vine tomatoes, onion, sweet potato.

Step 4

Raid fridge - chopped chorizo

Step 5

Additions from supplies

Olive oil

Garlic

Passata

Chopped fresh basil

Begin recipe creation.

Lucious olive oil, frazzle onions, garlic and chicken, sauté pepper, add rest of ingredients, cook gently for 30 mins

Garnish with chopped fresh basil

Serve and wait for seconds to be demolished.

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Organic is good for you.....

Our mission

Our family believe that the food you eat, should be grown organically, have no pesticides, anti-biotics or steriods used in the growth, whether meat or vegetables. We changed what and where we buy from over 10 years ago, growing as much of our own produce as we can.

Why?

There has been a plethora of different TV programmes and debates about whether organic is better for you, is it worth the extra price. We've always believed that if a vegetable/animal takes longer to grow, has more sunlight and natural goodness in the soil, then it builds more nutrients in it. There was research last year that compared nutrient values taken from vegetables during the second world war and now, and the results were amazing.
Imagine my surprise today, to see an article on BBC Good Food that backs up the idea that organic is so much better.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/clean-eating-shopping-tips-what-buy
The immediate comments on Facebook were about the costs of organic, to the point of simply rubbing dirt on veg and it will be the same. Depending on where you get the organic veg makes a difference to the costs too, I also posted the following comment below on the thread as I think we forget that growing our own is an option.

Time to get some veg growing at home, it doesn't need to be a full veg garden, I grow cut and come again lettuce in hanging baskets, also rocket, mizuna, beet leaves and land cress, slugs can't get to them, easy to pick and cheap. Also I use herbs in planters plus sugar snap peas growing up twigs (pinch out tips for pea shoots, mangetout or full sugar snaps), tomatoes in grow bags. Kids love being able to graze from the plant, can't get fresher.

So many children say they don't like vegetables, but what if you give them a vegetable that is grown for flavour not speed, cook it properly, help them learn to grow vegetables themselves, there is nothing like a sneaky pod of peas straight from the plant.

Find those green fingers, grab those seed catalogues, start looking gardening websites, I get lots of ideas from http://www.growveg.com/ 
I grow runner beans (stringless varieties are the best), sugar snaps, courgettes, tomatoes, lettuces, rocket and lots of herbs.
If you want to get started early, aren't so worried about organic seedlings, why not buy your growing lettuces and herbs from the supermarket, you can pot them straight into hanging baskets and tubs, keep them indoors until the weather improves, but a conservatory or enclosed porch may give enough protection for the moment.

Food is fuel, your body is important, you wouldn't put inferior fuel in a Lamborghini, so why your body.

Let's get productive.

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Yes, vegetables are exciting!

I've just started my Riverford veg deliveries again, and it's inspiring us to try new ideas. You get the freshest, organic vegetables that are full of flavour, packed with goodness and no pesticides hidden in them.

I change my order each week, depending on my fridge contents and this week ordered the large veg box which had potatoes, carrots, red onions, leeks, Spring cabbage, portobello mushrooms, avocados and broccoli. Also added tomatoes and watercress for our salad fix.

A recipe in the box for 'whole baked red onions' looks great, so that's on the menu for tonight, now to work out what to do with the chicken breasts.....

Cooking is fun, I love creating exciting meals to tantalise the tastebuds.

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