Recipe | Broulee Baked Beanz

Homemade baked beans have been popping up on cafe breakfast menus of late. This is a delicious version my lovely friends, Sam and Rhianna, taught me and I'd like to share it with you. 

This recipe takes over an hour to cook so I like to cook it the night before and heat it up when I'm ready to eat.  

Ingredients 

olive oil

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 red onion, finely diced

400g crushed tinned tomatoes 

2tbsp tomato paste

2tbsp red wine vinegar 

1tbsp brown sugar

400g cannelini beans

fresh bread, sliced and toasted

avocado, sliced

lemon wedges

Heat olive oil in a frypan over very low heat. Add garlic and onions to the pan and cook until caramalised; about 20-30 minutes, stirring occaisionally. 

Pour in crushed tomatoes and paste and cook for another 20-30 minutes, continuing to stir. Add in the red wine vinegar, brown sugar and continue to cook for another 20 minutes. Finally add the cannelini beans and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Serve on toasted fresh bread with sliced avocado, a wedge of lemon and cracked pepper. 

Sorry for the double recipe post but ice just been cooking a lot lately and wanted to share. 

Erin xx

Recipe | Warm Chicken Pesto Salad

Hi lovelies! Sorry it's been awhile in between posts. I've been moving house and have been internetless. I made this salad for dinner a couple of nights back and it was a really tasty, fresh and satisfying feed. Thought I'd post it up because I tend to prefer salads in the warmer weather. 

Recipe | Cayenne Chicken and Salsa

I have been becoming rather obsessed with the concept of salsas as sides lately and have been experimenting with many different variations. This recipe includes a very traditional salsa but traditional does not imply it is any less amazing. The cayenne pepper I used in my version of this recipe was incredibly hot so the tomato and avocado act as a delicious cooling agent. 

Ingedients
2 chicken breasts, halved
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp sea salt
1 cup uncooked quinoa 
2 tomatoes, roughly diced 
1 avocado, roughly diced
1 red onion, roughly diced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
sea salt and cracked pepper
sour cream

In a bowl, coat each piece of chicken in 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper and 1 tsp of sea salt. Cook the chicken in a large fry pan with a small coating of vegetable/sunflower/rice bran oil until cooking the whole way through.

Pour the quinoa in a small saucepan and cover with 2 cups of water. Place over a low heat and cover until the water has been absorbed into the quinoa. Take off the heat once cooked. 

Meanwhile, in a bowl, coat the diced red onion in the lemon and line juice and let is soak for 5-10 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked. Add the remaining tomato and avocado and mix through. Season with salt and pepper.

The chicken and quinoa should be cooked by now. To serve, place a spoonful of quinoa as a bed in the centre of the plate followed by one half chicken breast. Spoon over some of the salsa with a dollop of sour cream on the side. Again, season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve and enjoy! Tara and I found this to quite a hot dish so feel free to change the quantities of cayenne pepper you use. I loved the flavour and will probably the use the same amount again and continue to use a lot of sour cream. My preferred brand of sour cream is actually the one by Weight Watchers - it tastes the same has a lot less fat than other brands.  

Erin xx