Category: Lennox Cooks

Tacos are one of my favourite quick dinners. I love to mix it up with fish, halloumi, chicken, beef – anything you fancy! But this recipe is for my ultimate favourite – halloumi and prawns. If you’re not a fan of prawns, then simply swap them out for another block of halloumi – and vice versa if you are one of those strange people who doesn’t like the greatest cheese of all time.

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Ingredients

• 6 small tortilla wraps
• 1 block of halloumi
• 1 packet of king prawns
• 1 small mango
• 0.5 small red cabbage
• 10 baby plum tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon of dried chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon of butter

Process

Halloumi

1. Slice the halloumi into relatively thin slices.
2. Pop them in a non-stick pan on a medium heat.
3. Lots of water will come out – but don’t panic! Just let it sizzle away and you’ll be fine!
4. Using tongs, check the under side of the halloumi slices and if they are standing to brown nicely, flip em over.
5. Do the same on the other side until a crispy layer appears.
6. Once cooked, slice them in half for wee finger slices.

The Sides

1. Slice the red cabbage, add a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime. Add finely chopped chili if you fancy some spice. Mix well and pop in a wee bowl for serving.
2. Slice the tomatoes and mango into small chunks, add a pink of salt, squeeze of lime and pop in a wee bowl for serving.
3. And that is the sides done! Easy peasy, with a wee lime squeezy.

The Prawns

1. Finely dice the garlic and add to a pan with the butter, a small pinch of salt and chilli flakes.
2. Leave on a medium heat until the butter is melted and the garlic starts to cook.
3. Add the prawns and cook on medium heat until they start to turn pink.
4. After 2/3 minutes, flip the prawns over and leave for another 2 minutes.
5. Once prawns are cooked through, pop in a wee bowl for serving.

The Wraps

1. To crisp up the wraps, pop them in the oven on a tray (see what I mean in the pictures below)
2. Leave for about 5 minutes in the oven at 160°C.

Put it all together…

As you all know, I love using a wee platter board for this kind of thing. Serve up on a board and help yourself to make up your own, adding chilli flakes or sriracha Mayo for some spice!

This is a recipe I discovered while in quarantine where cooking has become a huge part of my life. A quick salsa salad that can be served with pretty much anything – grilled chicken, prawns, mozzarella – you name it. This dish is healthy, vegan, fresh and zingy. You can make it as spicy as you like when you add the chili.

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Ingredients

• Two large cobs of corn
• 200g mixed tomatoes
• Spring onions
• Fresh chilis
• Lemon

Process

1. Using a girdle or pan, add the two cobs of corn on a medium / high heat and turn every two minutes until the corn becomes a darker on each side.
2. Slice the tomatoes into inch chunks and add to a serving bowl.
3. Slice the chilies as thinly as you can and slice up the spring onions. Add these to the serving bowl with the tomatoes.
4. Slice the basil up and add to the bowl.
5. Squeeze a lemon into the bowl and mix it all up.
6. Once the corn is done, take it off the heat and slice the corn off of the cob.
7. Add to the bowl, stir well and serve!

If you are craving a Chinese take away but are wanting to be healthy, this is the delicious dish for you. It’s quick, easy and absolutely full of flavour!

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Ingredients

• 180g of king prawns
• 60g baby plum tomatoes sliced in half
• 30g bok choy leaves
• 100g of sweetcorn (can be fresh, canned or frozen)
• Spring onion
• Fresh chili
• Dried chili
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 nest of dry, medium egg noodles
• Fish sauce
• Dark soy sauce
• Miso paste
• Coconut cream / milk

Process

1. Warm a tbsp of oil to a non stick pot on a medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, a dusting of chilli flakes and the prawns, making sure each prawn is flat on the bottom of the pan. Cook for around 1.5 minutes, then turn each prawn.
3. Once prawns are pink all the way through, add to a bowl and set aside.
4. Add two tablespoons of fish sauce, two tablespoons of soy sauce, the tomatoes and the sweetcorn. If using fresh corn, cut the corn from the cob.
5. Fry together, stirring regularly for a few minutes.
6. Add around 500ml of boiling water and the miso paste. Stir until the paste fully dissolves.
7. Add the bok choy, noodles and turn the heat to high. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on.
8. While waiting, slice the fresh chili as finely as you can and slice the spring onions in centimetre slices.
9. Add the prawns back into the pot and boil until the noodles are soft.
10. Serve and garnish with the fresh chili and spring onion.

Absolute comfort food, but done DAMN well! This has to be one of my favourite dishes that really fills you up. Typically Nachos are a snacky-style dish – you end up hungry again in an hour. So I’ve added chicken to this and by making my own tortilla chips makes this even more delicious and filling.

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Ingredients

• 4 small tortilla wraps
• 2 avocadoes
• 0.5 red onion
• 10 baby plum tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lemon
• Sour cream
• Spring onions
• 70g grated cheddar cheese
• Mild or hot salsa
• 1 chicken breast
• Piri-piri or cajun seasoning

Process

The Tortilla Chips

1. Slice the tortilla chips into pizza-style triangles.
2. Place them flat on a large baking tray with some grease proof paper below them. Spray them with a little oil and bake on 180 for around 10 minutes or until they go golden.
3. Pop a sheet of kitchen roll on a plate, set the chips on there, sprinkle a little salt and set aside.

Guacamole

1. Cut open two avocados and carefully remove the stones. Scope out the meat and add to a bowl.
2. Add a pinch of salt, grate in the garlic clove and add a squeeze of lemon juice before mashing with a fork.
3. Slice the red onion as finely as you can and cut the tomatoes in half, then in thirds.
4. Add and mix well.

The Chicken

1. Slice the chicken breast in half, long ways and cover in your chosen seasoning. I use an oil spray for less calories, so spray a girdle with three spritz of oil and put on a high heat.
2. Add the chicken to the pan and reduce to a medium heat.
3. Turn the chicken after 3/4 minutes.

Put it all together…

1. Using an oven safe tray, add a handful of the tortilla chips adding salsa and cheese. Do the same again as a second layer, and again for a third if you have enough.
2. Add the remaining cheese on top and put in the oven at 180°C.
3. Take out after 5 – 10 minutes add the chicken on top and pop back in for 5 minutes to heat it all up or until the cheese has fully melted.
4. Serve in a large bowl, add the guacamole, sour cream and a sprinkling of the spring onion.

P.s. Add some chili flakes if you want a bit of a kick!!

This is a new recipe that I have tried a few times, switching out some of the ingredients each time. One of my favourite swaps is to swap the paneer to halloumi, a much saltier cheese.

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Ingredients

• 300g of paneer cheese
• 4 large tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 2 sweet peppers
• 200g spinach
• 2 garlic cloves
• Spring onions
• Turmeric
• Mild curry powder
• Single cream or coconut cream

Process

1. Warm a tbsp of oil to a non stick pan on a medium heat. Cut the paneer into small cubes, add to the pan and fry on each side for around 3 minutes until brown. Take the cubes out of the pan and set them aside.
2. Chop the onion and garlic finely and add to the pan with a little oil.
3. Slice the tomatoes and peppers into chunks of a similar size to the paneer and add to the pan alongside the turmeric and curry powder. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if required.
4. Add the spinach with around 100ml of water.
5. Add the paneer back into the pot and turn the hob down to a low heat before adding the single cream.
6. Gently stir until the sauce combines.
7. Serve with boiled rice and sliced spring onion for garnish.

My siblings and I grew up with the most wonderful Grandad in the world. We spent almost every lunchtime with him where he cooked simple but incredible dishes.

One of our favourites was his pancakes with omlette and brown sauce…this was certainly one of his more quirky recipes – I know it sounds odd – but believe me, it is delicious!!

If you don’t fancy trying it with omelette then spread these with some butter and jam, and you’ve got a good one!

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Ingredients

• 4 oz self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 oz sugar
• 1 egg beaten with 6 tbsp of milk
• 1/2 oz margarine

Process

1. Mix the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Rub in the margarine.
3. Mix in the sugar then the egg and milk mixture.
4. Mix well until you have a smooth batter.
5. Lightly butter a non-stick pan and cook on a medium / high heat, adjusting if the pancakes become too dark.
6. Cook 2 or 3 in a pan at once by dropping a tablespoon or two for each.
7. Serve and enjoy!

This is a new recipe that I have tried a few times, switching out some of the ingredients each time. One of my favourite swaps is to swap the paneer to halloumi, a much saltier cheese.

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Ingredients

• 300g of king prawns
• 150g spicy chorizo
• 100g asparagus
• 100g frozen peas
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Dried chili flakes
• Smoked paprika
• 200g paella or risotto rice
• 300ml chicken stock

Process

1. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
2. Warm a tbsp of oil to a non stick pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and chili flakes, stir and add a pinch of salt.
3. Add a little more oil and add the chorizo which should be sliced into peanut size quarters.
4. Add a dusting of smoked paprika, then add the prawns, ensuring each one is fully flat on the pan. After around 1.5 minutes turn each prawn and add the rest of the paprika.
5. Once prawns are fully pink, use tongs to place them in a bowl and set aside.
6. Now turn the heat to high.
7. Add the wine once the pan is fully hot. We do this to make sure the alcohol burns away.
8. After a few minutes, add the rice and stir ensuring each grain is covered. If required at this stage, add a little of the stock.
9. Keep a watch on the pan and when the liquid reduces to almost nothing, add another ladle of stock and stir. Repeat this until you have used all of your stock and the rice has the tiniest hint of a hard bite in the middle.
10. Taste and add more smoked paprika or chili flakes if you want a bit more spice and depth.
11. Now add your asparagus which should be chopped into inches.
12. Keep stirring and add a little boiling water if required.
13. After 10 minutes, add the prawns back in and add the frozen peas.
14. Keep stirring for another 3-4 minutes, trying the rice to ensure there is no bite left.
15. Serve and enjoy!