Ham, Egg & Tomato Brunch Parcels

The end of half term is coming to a close. Goodbye lazy mornings & hello again school runs. It's only a few more weeks until the Summer holidays though, and as this half term is usually the busiest and most exhausting, it will be a welcome relief.

With the weather here being so lovely this week, bedtimes have slipped back, mornings have become shorter and breakfasts have run into lunch. This has been a great excuse to eat brunch, which is so much more exciting than breakfast, as nothing is out of bounds. 

Pastries are not considered to be a healthy breakfast, but add eggs, tomatoes, lean turkey ham, and pop a handful of fresh greens on the side, it suddenly becomes a light, well balanced, and healthy brunch.

We're a bit partial to Bernard Matthews wafer thin Turkey Ham in this house, and it's my usual 'ham' of choice for sandwiches and quick meals. It's often added to a cheese toastie, or forms part of the husband's speciality omelettes or 'egg on beans on cheese on ham on toast', when he's left in charge of dinner. 

Here I've used a combination of the classic brunch/lunch ingredients of ham, egg and tomato in a tasty (and slightly spicy) puff pastry parcel, which is easy to prepare and quick to cook. The scrambled egg could even be made in advance and kept in the fridge, ready to assemble and bake right before brunch time.

Ham, Egg & Tomato Brunch Parcels - makes 6

tbsp olive oil

1/2 red chilli, finely chopped

3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

4 eggs, beaten

salt & pepper

6 slices Bernard Matthews wafer thin Turkey Ham, chopped

a few basil leaves, chopped

375g (approx) puff pastry sheet

60g grated Emmental cheese

• heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan
• add the chill and tomatoes and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes
• add the eggs (reserving 2 tbsp for later) & a pinch of salt & pepper and increase the heat
• stir continuously to scramble the eggs
• remove from the heat and stir in the turkey ham & basil leaves
• unroll the pastry sheet & cut into 6 equal squares
• lay the pastry squares onto a lightly greased baking sheet
• spoon the scrambled egg into the centre of the squares
• top the egg with grated Emmental
• brush around the edges of the pastry with the reserved beaten egg
• fold the corners of the pastry into the centre to meet, and brush with more beaten egg
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for approximately 20 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown

serve warm or cold, or pop in a paper bag and take it with you for a brunch on the go!

this post has been commissioned by Bernard Matthews

Super Speedy Thai Green Turkey Stir Fry

I love speedy recipes, especially ones that are also extremely quick to prepare. I don't really do long recipes with lots of prep time, as time is often short, so stir fries are a big favourite of mine - especially the recipes like this one that don't call for lots of chopping!

I used ready cooked Bernard Matthews turkey breast pieces in this recipe, which are a great convenience food to keep in the fridge when I'm trying to create healthy lunches and dinners, as they're low in fat and high in protein. 

If you don't have much time then this recipe is definitely for you - it takes less than 15 minutes to make, and I swear that the husband thought I'd served him up a ready meal when I presented him with his dinner last Saturday night after spending only a short time in the kitchen!

This recipe serves two people but can easily be doubled up to feed a family of four.

   

Super Speedy Thai Green Turkey Stir Fry - serves 2

1 tbsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp Thai green curry paste

140g pack of Bernard Matthews Roast Turkey Breast pieces

300g ready cooked noodles

75g sugar snap peas

75g mangetout

zest & juice of 1/2 a lime

2 tbsp water

small handful of salted peanuts, chopped

fresh coriander & lime wedges to serve

• heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan
• add the curry paste & stir
• add the turkey pieces, noodles, vegetables, lime zest and juice and water to the pan
• fry over a medium/high heat until everything is heated through
• serve topped with the peanuts, lime wedges and coriander

As you can see from the above picture, the new look Bernard Matthews roast turkey breast pieces are only £1 per pack in Asda, so they're great value for money, as well as being convenient (and healthy).

this post has been commissioned by Bernard Matthews

Mexican Jam Jar Salad

As anyone that reads this blog (or indeed knows me) knows that I'm always up for a challenge, especially when it comes to food. Bernard Matthews set me a challenge of creating a lunch recipe for their new campaign, but this wouldn't be just a regular sandwich, wrap or pitta, as it was to be a 'Breadless Lunch Challenge', without any kind of bread at all.

I don't often eat bread for lunch so I'm used to making something other than a sandwich, which is easy enough when working from home, but can be more of a challenge when going out for the day and taking a packed lunch or picnic.

Using a pack of Bernard Matthews sweet chilli turkey breast chunks I put together some layered salads in jam jars, which are then easily transported for eating out.

The kids loved these and ate one each as an after school snack - Hanna ate hers straight from the jar but the boys requested that theirs were warmed up and served in a bowl (obviously I didn't warm the lettuce up, and this was served alongside the warm salad). I haven't listed quantities here as it would depend on the size of your jar, so just layer up each ingredient to fill the jar.

Mexican Jam Jar Salad

cooked & cooled long grain rice

mixed beans in chilli sauce

Bernard Matthews sweet chilli turkey breast chunks

sweetcorn

grated cheese

shredded lettuce

• layer the ingredients in the jar in the order above
• place a lid on and keep in the fridge until needed

IT'S SURPRISING HOW MUCH YOU CAN FIT IN A JAR

this recipe has been commissioned by Bernard Matthews

Fast Family Fakeaway - Sweet & Sour Turkey Drummers

I cook the majority of our family meals from scratch and we rarely eat takeaways, but from time to time it's nice to have a night away from cooking, especially if I've been baking all day.  On these occasions the kids might have fishfingers or something equally as easy to throw in the oven.

This recipe is for one of those quick and easy meals for evenings when there isn't a lot of time between school runs and swimming or football, and it's just as quick to prepare as fishfingers, chips and beans, yet it's just as good as a Chinese takeaway. 

The main ingredient is Bernard Matthews Golden Turkey Drummers, which are made from turkey raised on British farms, and don't contain any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

The Golden Drummers are just £2 for a 500g bag (approx 10 pieces), and available in Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Iceland and Farmfoods.

You can add pineapple to the dish along with the baby corn, but as my kids aren't that keen on pineapple I left it out. The dish takes just 20 minutes to cook, which is the length of time it takes to cook the drummers.

Sweet & Sour Turkey Drummers - serves 4

1 packet Bernard Matthews Turkey Drummers
oil
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
baby corn, chopped
1 jar sweet & sour sauce
chopped pineapple (optional)

• Place the turkey drummers on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 200C oven for 20 minutes
• Whilst they're cooking prepare the sauce
• Heat a little oil in a pan
• Add the peppers and fry for a couple of minutes until starting to soften
• Add the baby corn and fry for a little longer
• Pour in the sauce and mix well, and heat through
• Once the turkey is cooked cut each in half
• Stir the turkey pieces into the sauce to coat fully
• Serve with egg fried rice

I'm working with BritMums and Bernard Matthews on this project and have been compensated for my time. Check out more quick and easy meals using frozen breaded turkey by following the hashtag #BootifulMeals