Revive your Lunch-Life - Sea Salt & Black Pepper Crackers for Soup

It's easy to get into a bit of a rut with lunches and sometimes you need to think outside of the box a little to put a bit of spice back in your lunch-life. It should be easy for me as I work from home and have the world at my feet when it comes to ingredients (unless it's a day like Monday when I was talking for too long after the school run and missed my grocery delivery, whoops!), but I often find myself not knowing what to eat for lunch.

The Covent Garden Soup Company asked me to be part of their Revive your Lunch-Life campaign and to create a recipe to accompany one of their many soups.

I love soup, especially home made, but I can't always be bothered to spend my morning peeling and chopping to make a batch of fresh soup. Plus, y'know, I would want some fresh crusty bread and thickly spread butter to dip into it, and plain bread doesn't hit the spot for me.

These sea salt and black pepper crackers, however, do hit the spot. They are salty but not so salty that it leaves you gasping for water, and they are the perfect amount of peppery, which for me is quite peppery, and are great dipped in soup as they stay crispy.

It was hard to decide what flavour soups to get as so many of them sounded so tasty, such as Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya, Boston Bean & Monterey Jack or Broccoli Pea & Pesto, but that decision was taken out of my hands when I reached my local Tesco as they only had a handful of flavours in stock. I went for Slow Roasted Tomato, as tomato soup is always a big hit in this house so I knew I wouldn't be alone in eating it. With just 84 calories per 300g serving (half a standard carton), it was a healthy option too.

Sea Salt & Black Pepper Crackers by Helen Jessup on Scribd

The crackers are easy to make, and make a great alternative to bread, whether you eat your soup at home or on the go, and are made from just a few ingredients found in most store cupboards. If you use white flour you may need to reduce the quantity of water as wholemeal flour tends to need more.

How do you revive your Lunch-Life?

This recipe has been commissioned for The Covent Garden Soup Company

Bubble & Squeak Cakes - Slimming World Friendly Recipe

After a big roast dinner on Sunday I was left with a few vegetables that I planned to eat with some leftover roast chicken & Slimming World friendly roasties the following day. By the time the dinner table had been cleared the pile of leftover roasties was no more - 2 growing boys had scoffed the lot! They never touched the leftover greens though, so at least there was something for my lunch on Monday, which I decided to make into delicious Bubble & Squeak Cakes, with some Smash that I keep in the cupboard for potato emergencies. I used to love a bit of Smash in my single days so I was over the moon when I heard that it was free on the SW plan, as long as you eat it as part of a meal and not scoff it at every opportunity!

I know that sprouts are not everyone's cup of tea, but that's the beauty of bubble & squeak, just throw in any leftover cooked veg that you have to hand. I used broccoli, carrots, sprouts & cabbage, and spiced it up with a few chilli flakes. 

Recipe for Bubble & Squeak Cakes by Helen Jessup on Scribd

I ate 3 of these for my lunch with balsamic baby plum tomatoes that I roasted at the same time as the bubble & squeak. I enjoyed the remaining 3 later with a little sweet chilli dipping sauce (1.5 syns for 1 tbsp).

Syn Free Red Pepper Quiche (Slimming World Friendly Recipe)

I mentioned last week how I've jumped aboard the Slimming World bandwagon, and so far it's going well. To avoid boredom and running the risk of falling off the wagon I'm trying to make sure my meals are as tasty and varied as possible, so now that I've got my head around syns and healthy extras I'm going to start sharing some of my recipes on here. 

For those readers that came here looking for sweet treats then fear not as I will still be sharing some naughtier recipes too - like the Freakshake I shared last week. 

For today though, it's all about the syn free quiche, which is perfect for lunch whether you're at home or on the go as it tastes just as delicious cold as it does warm. You can add whatever you like, and add as much or as little cheese as you allow yourself (it also works well with a thinly sliced Babybel on top).

Along with making and photographing the recipes, I've also been trying my hand at making short videos to share on Facebook to show followers how easy it is to make many of my recipes (I don't like making dishes that take a lot of effort and time!). The videos (and my editing skills) are a bit rough around the edges but I'm hoping my skills will improve over time, so bear with me.

Here is the video for this recipe, and you can find a video for a delicious Roasted Brussels Sprout & Butternut Squash Salad here.

Red Pepper Quiche by Helen Jessup on Scribd

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney

For many of us, Christmas is all about eating and drinking. The kids love tucking into their chocolate Christmas morning, and when I was their age I loved nothing more than scoffing a box of Hazelnut whirls, which, in my opinion, were the best ones from the Roses jar - remember Roses jars? no plastic boxes in the 80's, it was quality glass jars all the way. In fact I still have one. 

These days I'm more into savoury delights, especially cheese. To enjoy cheese to its fullest there also needs to be chutney. Upon checking my pantry for my stash of home made chutney I was horrified to find that I only have one jar left - it's unlabelled so I'm not quite sure if it's Asian Chilli or Caramelised Onion, but either way I needed to rectify the situation immediately.

I needed to empty some excess from the freezer & found some cranberries and rhubarb in there so decided to put them to good use and make some spicy chutney. You can make chutney out of pretty much any fruit or veg so if you don't have exact ingredients don't worry, just replace them with something else - extra onion, courgettes, carrots, peppers, butternut squash. Anything with a bit of substance to it, otherwise it will end up like a smoothie. 

Once I'd made the chutney I wanted to try it out immediately, so I bought a camembert, and lunch was sorted.

Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney - makes approx 3 jars

2 onions

2 apples

375g rhubarb

3 tomatoes

1 red pepper

175g cranberries
2 red chillies

2 cloves of garlic

300ml white wine vinegar

350g granulated sugar

tbsp mixed spice

• roughly chop the onions, apples, rhubarb, tomatoes & pepper, and add them to a large saucepan
• add thinly sliced chilli, crushed garlic, vinegar, sugar & mixed spice
• bring to the boil and simmer for approx 30-45 minutes, until it's thick
• pour into sterilised jars

Baked Camembert

1 whole camembert

home made chutney

olive oil

sprigs of rosemary

• remove any plastic packaging from the camembert
• if it comes in a wooden box place it back into it & onto a baking tray, or into a suitably sized ovenproof dish
• using a sharp knife, cut a crosshatch pattern in the top of the camembert
• drizzle with a little olive oil & spoon some chutney on top
• stick a few sprigs of rosemary into the cheese
• bake in a preheated 200C oven for around 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted

Serve with bread or crackers, a few rocket leaves and some balsamic roasted tomatoes

Perfect as an appetiser to share, as a lunch, or just because.

If you're looking for a really impressive way to serve your camembert, then you must see this beaut from Jenny - it's her very aptly named Bad Boy Brioche.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Next week is British Egg Week (5-11 October), and to mark the occasion I've recreated a classic egg dish, with a twist. Scrambled egg is one of the first things I learnt to cook growing up, and as this was before we had a microwave, it was cooked in a saucepan on the hob. Cooking scrambled eggs on the hob is still my preferred way of cooking it, but as this is also the husband's 'speciality' it's usually cooked in a jug, in the microwave, with little stirring (he says the kids prefer it that way!)

I've jazzed my eggs up with a little Italian touch and served them on a toasted ciabatta roll, instead of the usual sliced white. This recipe can serve 1-2, depending on how hungry you're feeling.

Italian Scrambled Eggs on Toast - serves 1

olive oil

4 cherry tomatoes

small knob of butter
3 medium free range eggs

salt & pepper

splash of milk

fresh basil

ciabatta roll, lightly toasted

parmesan

• heat the olive oil in a small saucepan
• add the tomatoes and cook for a few of minutes over a med/high heat until they soften
• remove the tomatoes from the pan & set aside
• add a little butter to the pan and heat until melted
• beat the eggs, salt & pepper & torn basil leaves together
• add to the pan and cook over a medium heat, stirring & scraping the bottom of the pan (I like to use a wooden spatula for this), until the eggs are cooked
• serve with the tomatoes on the ciabatta roll & top with freshly grated parmesan

 

To keep up to date with new recipes next week, follow #BritishEggWeek on twitter.

This recipe has been created for a #shortcuteggsperts challenge. I have been provided with shopping vouchers to cover the cost of my ingredients. More egg recipes can be found here.

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

Soft Boiled Egg & Asparagus Spears

I'm loving the abundance of asparagus available in the shops at the moment. I've already made a Minted Asparagus & Ricotta Tart this week and I'm contemplating what to make next with my asparagus haul. There are plenty of recipes to choose from on the British Asparagus website, as well as elsewhere on the Internet and food magazines this month, but for lunch I wanted to keep it simple with a classic pairing of soft boiled egg and asparagus spears.

The asparagus was so fresh and tender that it barely needed any cooking so I just tossed it in some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes and then sprinkled with Cornish sea salt.

I've been practising my boiled eggs of late and I think I've cracked it (boom, boom!). This one started off at room temperature, and was popped into a pan of boiling water for 4 minutes before being dunked in cold water. Before I had my induction hob boiled eggs would take forever (it took at least 20 minutes to boil a pan of water) and a small pan never stayed at boiling point, so my eggs never turned out right. I treated Hanna & Jack to a dippy egg and soldiers for their tea now that I've mastered the art of boiling an egg, and I think they'll feature heavily on the weekday tea menu, especially on one of the nights when my non boiled egg loving eldest is at football.

How do you eat yours?

If you like what you see here then please consider voting for me in the 2015 Britmums Brilliance in Blogging Awards, in the food category. Thank you.

Simple Lunchtime Pizza Sandwich

I'm often guilty of not eating lunch, or even taking a break, and it's usually just before I go out for the afternoon school run that it dawns on me that I haven't eaten since breakfast (although that isn't usually eaten until mid morning).

I'm lucky that I work from home so it's easy for me to take a look in the fridge and grab whatever takes my fancy, but if I was going out to work I would have to make sure I was prepared in advance to avoid snacking on the office biscuits.

A new research from Philadelphia reveals that 80% of Brits are either bored, depressed or even embarrassed by their lunch.

• 32% are stuck in a lunchtime rut, eating the same thing every day
• 95% of workaholic Brits do not take their full lunch hour, with 23% taking less than 15 minutes per day
• 44% don't eat with their colleagues, and 68% fail to leave their desk for fear of missing a deadline or work e-mail
• 95% of Brits claim that they would like to take more pleasure in their lunch hour

With all this in mind, Philadelphia and psychologist Sue Firth are stepping in to help the nation 'Love Lunch Again'.

Just watch this video to see how tasty lunches can be created quick and easily, with the help of Philadelphia

A delicious meal + 1 hour away from work + fresh air 
+ socialising with friends/colleagues = The Perfect Lunch

Psychologist Sue Firth comments "Doing the same thing every day such as eating the same sandwich is pretty much guaranteed to make you feel bored, and when you feel bored your mood drops. So push yourself a little. Variety is fun and makes you feel great, surely that's a good enough reason to try something different. With a bit of effort you can make your lunch great again - get excited about the food you make, step outside, make it sociable - that way we can all learn to love lunch again!"

My lunchtime recipe was inspired by one of the favourite British takeaways - pizza. This sandwich is packed full of delicious ingredients and can be put together in a matter of minutes.

Simple Lunchtime Pizza Sandwich

Ciabatta

Philadelphia 

Roasted red peppers from a jar, drained

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Fresh Basil

• Slice the Ciabatta in half and spread each side generously with Philadelphia
• Lay slices of pepper onto the bottom half of the Ciabatta
• Arrange a few halves of cherry tomato on top of the pepper
• Scatter a few leaves of basil on top before placing the Ciabatta lid on

Optional extras : jalapenos, ham, salami, olives

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Mexican Cheese & Apple Wrap

Sometimes I need to grab a really quick lunch as I'm rushing around trying to fit everything into my day in between school runs. It's usually as I sit down to watch Neighbours whilst packing orders for that day and if I haven't got any vegetables prepared for a home made healthy pot noodle or I don't fancy soup then it's usually crackers and cheese spread. Yesterday I had a wrap to use up and had just been sent some Mexicana cheese to try, so combined the 2 with slices of a crisp apple and made a Mexican Cheese & Apple wrap.

I laid thinly sliced apple onto the wrap, covered with a few thin slices of cheese and microwaved for around 1 minute and then rolled up. It was so tasty that I had another for lunch today!

I was sent some Mexicana cheese for the purpose of review, I used the Extra Hot in the wraps.

Chilli Turkey Ciabatta

We've had a few nice days recently so I hope I'm not tempting fate here by saying 'I wonder if Summer is finally on the way'....

I'm hoping that this year we manage a bit more Al Fresco dining that we did last year, although to be honest I think we've managed that already. We have new garden furniture and a parasol that I hope will get plenty of use keeping the sun off us rather than the rain.

I also hope (I'm doing a lot of hoping here) that we get to have some days out with a picnic. We may be just about the furthest from the beach that you can possibly be in this country but at least that means we won't be eating sand sandwiches. Picnics don't have to be boring and this turkey ciabatta sandwich was rustled up in 20 minutes and can be eaten hot or cold.

Chilli Turkey Ciabatta - serves 4

4 Turkey breast steaks
Olive oil
4 tsp Hot Sweet Chilli Sauce
2 tbsp Mayonnaise
squeeze of lemon juice
4 Ciabatta rolls
handful of rocket

• Lay the turkey steaks between 2 layers of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten



• Rub both sides od the flattened turkey with olive oil and chilli sauce - use approx 1 tsp of chilli sauce per steak

• Heat a griddle pan (or you can use a bbq) and cook the steaks for approx 2-3 minutes on each side, until cooked completely through
• In the meantime mix the mayonnaise and lemon juice together & set aside
• Halve the ciabattas and once the turkey is cooked lay the bread cut side down on the griddle pan to toast for a minute
• Spread the toasted sides of the ciabatta with the lemon mayonnaise
• PIle some rocket onto one half of the ciabatta and lay the turkey steak on top and then place the other half of the roll on top

This post is an entry for BritMums’ Summer Turkey Recipe Challenge with Lean on Turkey

I have also entered this into a new challenge on Délicieux and Chez Foti which for June is Picnic Food & Outdoor Nibbles 

Four Seasons Food hosted by Delicieux and Chezfoti