Creamy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

This is an absolutely gorgeous strawberry flavoured frozen yoghurt with a really creamy texture, thanks to the condensed milk. It only needs 4 ingredients and takes only five minutes to prepare and what's more, you don't need an ice cream maker or any other fancy equipment to prepare - just a bowl, a container, a tin opener and a spoon!

If you follow Slimming World like myself, I syn this at 6.5 syns for a small bowl (as pictured) as this amount makes up around 10 portions. You could reduce the syns by using light condensed milk too; but I love the creamy flavour and for an occasional treat it is well worth the syns! 

Creamy Strawberry Frozen Yoghurt

Here's how:

• 220g strawberries
• 400g fat free yoghurt 
• 1 tin condensed milk
• 1 heaped tbsp runny honey

In a large bowl place the yoghurt, condensed milk and honey.

Now wash the strawberries and gently dry with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper. Cut off the stalks and place most of the strawberries into a blender or Nutribullet and blitz. Save 4-5 strawberries and roughly chop into small pieces and throw into the yoghurt mixture. 

Pour the pureed strawberries into the yoghurt mix and give a good stir.

Now pour into an old ice cream tub or into any plastic container or cake tin, then cover well with a lid or some tightly wrapped cling film and place into the freezer for at least 8 hours before serving. I like to serve with some fresh chopped strawberries too. Enjoy!

Mini Turkey Koftes

These tasty Turkey Koftes are super easy to make and can be cooked under the grill or over a barbecue in less than 15 minutes, with five minutes to prepare. 

I'm following Slimming World at the moment, and this meal was completely syn free. So to go alongside the Mini Turkey Koftes, I made up a big Greek Salad and cut the feta into 45g wedges (Healthy Extra A choice), instead of olive oil which I would normally drizzle all over the salad, I sprayed with Fry Light Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray, and had a toasted wholemeal pitta bread (Healthy Extra B choice). I made syn free Tzatziki and syn free Spicy Tomato Salsa too, which I've included the instructions to below and which we've been having tons to add flavour to any barbecued meat

Syn Free Tzatziki

Combine 3 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt, 3-4cm long chunk of cucumber grated into the yoghurt, 1 garlic clove either grated into the yoghurt, or minced in, a pinch of salt and some roughly chopped fresh mint leaves or 1/2 tsp dried mint; mix it all together and that is it.

Syn Free Spicy Tomato Salsa 

You need fresh, ripe tomatoes, a red onion, a couple of green chillies, salt, pepper, garlic, coriander and the juice of a lime. You can either pop all of that into a mortar and grind with a pestle (if doing so I advise coarse sea salt as the abrasive texture helps to break down everything else, or throw it all into a food processor or Nutribullet and blitz if you prefer. This lasts for a week in the fridge if sealed. 

Mini Turkey Koftes

The below serves four. 

Here's how:

• 500g lean turkey thigh mince
• 1 red onion
• 2 green chillies
• Handful fresh coriander
• Handful fresh parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1-2 drops of ice cold water
• Pinch salt and black pepper
• 1 lemon or lime

Put the turkey mince into a large bowl and season generously with salt and black pepper.

Now peel and finely dice the red onion, mince the garlic cloves and slice the green chillies and add to the bowl with the mince.

Roughly chop the parsley and coriander and add to the bowl too. 

Now add the spices; cumin, sumac, cayenne pepper, garlic granules and cinnamon.

Finally add to the bowl the tomato puree (or you could use harissa paste) and the drop of cold water. Now use your hands to mix together. You want to work the meat a little bit; like you would with a dough for a few minutes, which will help to tenderize the meat and help to bring it together. 

Break into 8-10 small patties, and then work each one into a little sausage shape. Place under the grill or onto the barbecue and allow to cook for 7 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further seven minutes or until the meat is cooked through and the outside has a little char. 

Add to a platter or plate with the pitta bread and dips, and before serving just squeeze over some juice from the lemon or lime. Enjoy!

Here are a few other Slimming World friendly recipes I've shared recently since starting the programme a few weeks back.

Chilli Crab Noodles
Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles 
Simple Fish Stew
Adana Kebabs

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

White chocolate and cranberry is a classic combination and the sweetness with the caramel tasting cookie dough from a brown sugar base, makes these cookies melt-in-the-mouth delicious.

They're easy to make and are great to make with little ones, as I did this weekend. 

You can make big or small cookies and you can also freeze the dough if you don't want to use it all up at once, I always use the lot as the cookies can keep for up to a week in a sealed container; they never do though.

White Chocolate & Cranberry Cookies

Here's how:
150g salted butter
170g brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp baking powder
240g plain flour
2 tsp vanilla
150g white chocolate
100g dried cranberries

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets or roasting tins with greaseproof paper. 

Now cream together the brown sugar and softened butter (if the butter's been in the fridge, cut into cubes and microwave for a few seconds until soft, but not completely melted) with a wooden spoon. 

Once well combined, crack in the eggs and add the vanilla too and mix well.

Now sieve in the plain flour and baking powder and mix well. The dough/batter will probably be quite thick at this point, so add the milk a little at a time to loosen up. You may not need 2 tbsp or you may need a little more. 

Once you're happy with the consistency, throw in the cranberries, retaining a few. Now roughly chop the white chocolate into thick chunks and throw most of that into the bowl too, again retaining a few bits, and mix well. 

Now take a tablespoon and roughly fill with the dough, then place onto the baking sheet, you may need another spoon to gently push the dough off. Leave plenty of space around each cookie, I usually fit 5-6 on a normal sized baking sheet. Once they are all on, dot a couple of pieces of white chocolate and a cranberry on the top of each little mound of dough.

Place into the centre of the oven and cook for 10-11 minutes, then remove and leave to stand on the baking sheet for five minutes. At this point they will be soft to the touch; but they will harden a little as they cool. Gently remove them with an egg slice (I find this works best) and place onto a wire rack or board to cool completely. Then repeat the process until all of the cookies are baked. Enjoy!

If you're looking for more biscuit inspiration here are five more fab recipes you might like :

Monte Carlo Biscuits
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Hobnobs
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Easter Cookies with Mini Eggs

Tuna Steaks with Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a lovely fresh fish dish for the warmer weather; and what's more it's super easy too. 

I've used my Walnut & Basil Pesto which I tend to always have on standby in my fridge, but jarred pesto would be absolutely fine too. 

I also cook the tuna so it's seared on both sides, and then rare and blushing pink throughout the middle as that's how we prefer it; but cook for a little longer if you'd prefer to cook it all the way through (I find this can dry it out a little though).

The below serves 4-5 people. 

Tuna Steaks with Pesto Pasta Salad

Here's how:

• x4 tuna steaks
• 250g pasta shapes (I used conchiglie)
• 2 tbsp Walnut & Basil Pesto or any pesto you have to hand
• 200g cherry tomatoes
• 1 large, or 2 smaller courgettes
• 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fry Light Olive Oil (or a generous drizzle of olive oil if you're not cutting calories)

Firstly cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, as a rule of thumb, for most dried pasta, it is 9-10 minutes in just boiled, salted water for al dente, firm-to-the-bite pasta. 

In the meantime, add a few sprays of the Fry Light to a griddle pan and place on a medium heat.

Season the tuna steaks on both sides with a pinch of black pepper and sea salt and then add to the pan once hot. Cook each tuna steak for 1.5 minutes, and then turn over and cook for a further 1.5 minutes, then remove from the pan and place onto a plate or a board to rest. 

In the meantime, get the 'salad' ingredients ready, by simply halving the cherry tomatoes, and using a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of the courgette. Also cut the lemon into wedges and set aside for the moment.

Once the pasta is cooked, use a ladle or a small cup to take out a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water and then drain and give a good shake. Return to the pan, away from the heat, and add the Walnut & Basil Pesto or the other pesto you may be using, and give a good stir. Add one tablespoon of the pasta water and stir to loosen the sauce a little, add more if it still seems a little claggy. 

Now add the cherry tomatoes and the courgette ribbons to the pan and stir through and then simply pour or spoon into a serving dish.

Now take the tuna steaks, and use a sharp knife to carve into thick chunks of a couple of the tuna steaks and scatter all over the top of the dish, leaving a couple of whole tuna steaks, then take one wedge of the lemon and squeeze all over the tuna, and then give one final seasoning of sea salt and black pepper all over the dish.

Drizzle over a few drops more of the pesto directly onto the tuna steaks.

Add the lemon wedges and serve. Enjoy! 

If you love fish like us, here are a few other dishes you may love:

• Sticky Asian Salmon
• Morrocan Fish Stew
• Plaice with Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Parsley Butter
• Haddock Fish Cakes
• Family Fish Pie
• Smoked Salmon Carbonara
• One Pot Fish Curry
• Chilli Crab Noodles
• Gourmet Seafood Burger
• Pesto Topped Haddock with Herby Couscous

Chilli Crab Noodles

These Chilli Crab Noodles are utterly delicious, really quick and easy to make and pack a fiery chilli punch.

I have recently started Slimming World, and in case anyone else follows that diet, the entire dish is only 2.5 syns for the sesame oil and Sriracha making it less than 1.5 syns per serving. 

I really like the heat of x2 red chillies, but if heat isn't your thing reduce to one, or take out entirely. I also add fresh coriander which I adore, right at the end, but if you're not keen on the flavour of coriander you could try mint or basil instead.

The below serves two. 

Chilli Crab Noodles

Here's how:

• 200g white crab meat (fresh or tinned is fine)
• 1 garlic clove
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger
• 2 red chillies
• 4 spring onions
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• Tenderstem broccoli 
• Handful coriander
• 90g cooked vermicelli rice noodles

Firstly add the tsp of sesame oil to a wok and pop on a low heat.

Slice the spring onions, red chillies, garlic and ginger and add to the wok to slowly soften and flavour the oil.

Once the base is all cooked down, add the rice noodles, the soy sauce, fish sauce and sriracha and use a spatula or wooden spoon to move it all around and ensure the noodles take on all of that flavour. 

While the noodles are heating through (they just need a minute), roughly chop the coriander leaves and set aside. 

Now add the crab meat to the wok and again, move it all around and mix it into the noodle and vegetable mixture until it's heated through; 1-2 minutes is plenty. 

Remove from the heat, squeeze over the lime juice, which will add a lovely freshness and add most of the coriander and mix again before dividing between two plates. 

Now return the wok to the heat, and add the tenderstem broccoli; this will cook in just a couple of minutes on a high heat. 

Serve with the Chilli Crab Noodles and scatter over any remaining coriander leaves as a garnish.

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

This is a lovely cake to make at the moment, when raspberries are in abundance; and the yoghurt and lemon juice help to keep this a really moist cake.

The quantities here make x2 loaf cakes, and they keep for up a week. You could also freeze once baked, but it's best to do so without the icing. We tend to deliver one as a gift when I bake this.

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

Here's how:

• 225g caster sugar
• 225g salted butter
• 225g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 75g natural yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 300g raspberries

For the icing:

• 400g icing sugar
• Juice & zest of x1 lemon
• 2 tbsp milk (may need more)
• 2 drops of pink food colouring (optional)
• 100g raspberries

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, and grease and line x2 loaf tins. 

In a large bowl, cream together the salted butter and caster sugar until combined. 

Now crack in each of the eggs one at a time, and combine. 

Now sift in the self raising flour and baking powder and mix until all combined. Add the zest and juice of the lemons and the yoghurt until you have a fairly liquid batter. Now add the raspberries, and stir through carefully so you don't break them all up. 

Divide the batter between the two loaf tins or one large tin and place both into the middle shelf of the oven and cook for exactly 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and cooked through. Check with a skewer in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean with no wet crumbs, it's cooked through. If it is a little wet and crumby return to the oven for five more minutes. 

Remove from the oven and allow to stand in the tins, somewhere cool for 10-15 minutes, then gently remove from the tin and place on a wire rack or board to cool further. 

Now make up the icing by combining the icing sugar in a large bowl, with the lemon juice and the 2 tbsp milk. You want the icing the be fairly thick and glossy liquid that can be spooned on top of the cake. If you need to, add a drop more milk at a time to get the right consistency. When satisfied, add the drops of food colouring, if using, to get a nice pretty pink colour and stir thoroughly so the colour is distributed throughout the icing. 

Spoon over the top of the cake, mostly on the middle allowing it to gently drip over the sides of the cake. 

Scatter over the raspberries on the top of the cake, any way you like, and then finally add the zest from the lemon over the top for a final pretty flourish. Enjoy!

Lemon & Raspberry Yoghurt Loaf Cake

If you love baking here are ten other cake recipes you might enjoy:

Mary Berry's Marbled Chocolate Ring Cake
Rhubarb and Custard Cake
Guilt Free Apple Cake
St Clement's Drizzle Cake
Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Carrot Cake
Peach Upside Down Cake
Lemon Drizzle Cake
Coffee & Walnut Cake with Vanilla Latte Icing
Simple Double Chocolate Traybake

Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles

This is a really easy slow cooker dish which I did in my Crockpot last week and devised as a Slimming World friendly meal as we have recently joined in a bid to shed some weight. It works out at half a syn for the whole dish, so win, win.

I used pork loins but shoulder steaks or even pork cheeks would be great for this dish; you do need to cook the pork loins for longer as they are a tougher cut, and you ideally want the meat to fall apart at the slightest touch.

Slow Cooker Chinese Pork with Noodles

The below serves four.

Here's how:

• 400g pork loins (fat removed) or pork shoulder steaks
• 1 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3cm piece of ginger
• 1 red chilli
• 2 tsp Chinese Five Spice
• 1 tbsp sriracha
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp cornflour
• Vermicelli rice noodles
• Handful coriander leaves to serve

Firstly place the pork loins or shoulder steaks into the slow cooker. Pour over the soy sauce, sriracha, fish sauce and chicken stock and add the Chinese Five Spice.

Now peel and slice the onion and add to the slow cooker. Peel and mince or finely slice the garlic and add to the slow cooker. 

Peel and either grate or finely slice the ginger and add to the slow cooker. 

Now finely slice the red chilli and add to the slow cooker. Give the combination a gentle mix so the pork is all immersed and then pop the lid on and put on the medium temperature for at least 4 hours. 

You don't have to, but every hour or so, I like to carefully open the lid and give everything a stir. 

When you are close to being ready to dish up and the pork is tender and falling apart at the touch of a fork, cook the rice noodles separately. 

To thicken the sauce or gravy a little, take a small bowl and ladle some of the sauce from the pot into it. Add the cornflour and give a quick stir to combine, you'll get a milky or chalky looking consistency. Now add this back into the slow cooker and give a good mix. 

Once the noodles are cooked, add them to the slow cooker, and mix to combine and ensure every noodle is immersed in the delicious sauce. 

Dish them up into a serving plate or bowl or into individual bowls and scatter over a few coriander leaves. I served with some quick stir-fried vegetables in oyster sauce. Enjoy!

If you like Chinese-style dishes you may love some of these:

• Honey Chilli and Coconut Prawns with Ho Fun
• Chinese Style Roast Chicken
• Slimming Friendly Char Sui Pork
• Vegetarian Peanut Noodles
• Chicken Satay Noodle Salad
• Pork Potsticker Dumplings

Simple Fish Stew

This is a really great Mediterranean inspired family meal, that's delicious, healthy and easily adaptable according to the fish you have available; perfect for lock-down. You can also make the base ahead of time, and freeze or chill until you're ready to cook making it super convenient. 

For anyone following Slimming World, this is a completely syn-free meal. (Glen and I have just joined, so expect to see a few more Slimming World friendly recipes soon.)

Here I served this over pasta, but you could also add cooked rice, orzo or serve with a hunk of crusty bread. I use cherry tomatoes as they have a gorgeous sweetness to them; but you could also use any other tomatoes, even tinned if that's all you have available.

Simple Fish Stew

The below serves four-five.

Here's how:

For the base:

• 6 sprays of Fry Light Olive Oil Spray
• 600g cherry tomatoes
• 1 large white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 celery sticks
• 1 roasted red pepper
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 tsp paprika
• 300ml fish stock

The fish:

• 2 fillets of cod (or any white, flaky fish)
• 2 fillets of smoked haddock (any smoked fish would work)
• 200g raw prawns

To garnish:

• Fresh parsley

To make the base of the stew, spray the Fry Light into a heavy bottomed saucepan and place on a low heat.

Now peel the onion and finely dice, peel and mince the garlic, and finely slice the celery and place all into the saucepan to gently sweat down.

Once the onions etc. are softened, add the cherry tomatoes, capers and tomato puree. Chop the roasted red pepper and add to the saucepan; season generously, add the paprika and allow to cook down for fifteen minutes or so, gently mixing with a wooden spoon every few minutes. You want most of the tomatoes to be smushed down a bit, but now completely mashed. 

Now add the fish stock and the pinch of saffron and cook for a further five minutes. 

Remove from the heat, and allow to cool a little, before taking out half of the stew, and blending until smooth. I use a Nutribullet for this, but a hand blender or food processor would be great too. Don't be tempted to blend all of the sauce, unless you have fussy eaters, it's nice to have a mixed texture throughout the stew.

When you're ready to cook the fish, bring the stew back up to heat on the hob, it should come almost up to boiling, before being put on a gentle simmer. 

Now cut the cod and haddock into large, bite sized pieces and place directly into the stew, and gently move around with the wooden spoon so each piece is completely immersed in the liquid. 

Cook for a few minutes, until the fish is almost cooked through, then add the raw prawns, and again push them right into the stew and allow to cook for about 3 minutes until they're cooked through (this is easy to tell, they will have turned pink). 

Ladle the fish stew into a serving bowl, and scatter over chopped parsley. Serve with some lemon wedges over your choice of pasta, orzo or rice. 

Here are 15 other fish recipes you may enjoy:

• Plaice with Mediterranean Vegetables and Lemon Parsley Butter
• Quick and Chunky Cod Tagine
• Jerk Salmon
• Seafood Spaghetti with Saffron and Chilli
• Prawn and Chorizo Jambalaya
• Seafood Burger
• One Pot Coconut Fish Curry
• Pesto Topped Salmon with Half and Half Pasta
• Sea Bass with a Warm Jersey Royal Salad
• Thai Salmon Fishcakes with Quick Chilli Oil
• Quick Thai Salmon Noodle Soup
• Pesto Topped Haddock with Herby Couscous
• Paella Mixta
• Sticky Asian Salmon
• Tuna Fishcakes

Adana Kebabs

These can be made with beef or lamb mince, and are utterly delicious on the barbecue or under the grill; there is no need to add a load of olive oil either, as with many other kebab recipes, so they are pretty healthy too. 

They are really tasty and what's more, they are one of the easiest kebabs to make, don't take hours of marinating either so can be made just ahead of cooking which might appeal if you're a spontaneous cook. These should have a chilli kick, I use dried chilli flakes, but you could use fresh red chilli instead. 

I made these with my Chicken Shish Kebabs, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Cacik, some Turkish couscous and a big salad; a fantastic feast in the sunshine. 

The below makes x4 'main meal' kebabs, or you could make smaller ones to feed a crowd as part of a feast.

Adana Kebab

Adana Kebabs and Healthy Shish Kebabs

Here's how:

• 500g minced beef or lamb (try not to use the really reduced fat versions or the kebab will dry out a little during cooking)
• 1 white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• Big handful parsley (leaves and stalks)
• Handful dill fronds
• 2 tsp sumac
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tbsp dried chilli flakes 
• 1 tbsp tomato puree or Harissa paste
• 1 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 lemon

Firstly if you are using wooden skewers, immerse into water as soon as possible before cooking, to prevent them from catching alight on the barbecue or under the grill. You can pick up the metal kind for just a couple of quid during the summer months, and ours get plenty of use so they are a good investment if you like a lot of barbecues. 

Into a big mixing bowl throw the minced beef or lamb. Now finely dice the onion as small as you can, and peel and mince the garlic and add all of this to the mixing bowl. 

Now roughly chop the parsley and dill and add to the mixing bowl. Add the 1 tbsp of icy cold water at this point too.

Add the cumin, sumac, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and tomato puree and roughly begin to mix with a spoon or a fork. 

Now you need to work the meat a little with your hands, to also combine it, but also to tenderise it. So get your hands stuck in and work it a little, as if you would with a dough, pushing together, and ensuring all of the meat has a good array of the seasoning. Now wash your hands, cover the bowl with cling film and pop into the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. 

When you are ready to cook the kebabs, separate into mounds of however many kebabs you are making. Then take each mound individually and work it again, and roll it into a kind of sausage shape. Really squeeze it into a tight sausage and then thread it onto one of your skewers. Once on the skewer again squeeze it tight to the skewer and set on a plate or board until ready to cook. Repeat the process until each Adana Kebab is ready. 

Now place onto a hot barbecue or under a hot grill and cook for 6-8 minutes on one side, before turning and repeating on the other side. Check the meat is cooked through, by cutting into one of them in the centre. Try not to overcook as this will dry out the meat. Once cooked and dished up onto a serving platter, finish off the kebabs with a quick squeeze of lemon juice. Enjoy!

Speedy Chorizo Nachos

Nachos are always glorious, whichever toppings you throw on top so long as there is melted cheese; but if you're looking for a quick thrown together, fun lunch that is super simple, these nachos with a chorizo and tomato base will really hit the spot. 

If you want to add a delicious guacamole topping, you can get the recipe here. 

Speedy Chorizo Nachos

Here's how:

• 1 pack tortilla chips
• 100g cooking chorizo
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp chipotle paste
• 1 red jalapeno chilli
• 50g Cheddar

To top once baked:

• 2 tbsp sour cream or creme fraiche
• 1/2 jar of jalapenos 
• 2 tbsp jarred salsa

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. 

Roughly chop the cooking chorizo and add to a non-stick pan on a medium heat. 

Finely slice the red chilli and add to the pan. 

Once the chorizo is cooked on both sides, add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and chipotle paste, stir and cook for a few minutes.

In the meantime, grate the cheese and spread the tortilla chips out on a baking sheet.

Now spoon over the tomatoey chorizo sauce all over the tortillas and then scatter over the grated cheese. Place into the oven and bake for ten minutes or until the cheese is all melted.

Remove from the oven, and carefully move onto a plate, board or platter. 

Spoon over the salsa all over the nachos, then layer up with the sour cream, and finally scatter over the jalapenos and serve. Enjoy!

For some other Tex-Mex inspired recipes see below:

• Slow Cooked Mexican Beef
• Spicy Beef Quesadilla with Avocado Salad
• Easy Salmon Tacos
• Thomasina Mier's Fruity Chilli
• Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers
• Mexican Mushroom Soup

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

I've been making a ton of different kebabs recently while we've had the warmer weather; they are so good on the barbecue, but you can also cook them under the grill. They're really delicious, family-friendly, pretty healthy and a great Indian fake-away option.

I served these Chicken Tikka Kebabs with a simple salad of lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato and coriander, some mango chutney and a naan bread which used as a wrap.

The below serves 4.

Chicken Tikka Kebabs

Here's how:

• 3-4 chicken thighs (or if you prefer 3 chicken breasts)
• 100g fat free natural yoghurt
• 100g fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 lime
• 1 tsp olive oil, rapeseed oil or vegetable oil

In a bowl or plastic tub, place the natural yoghurt, the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne pepper, paprika, garam masala, salt and pepper and oil inside. 

Cut the lime in half and squeeze in as much juice as you can, then throw in the body of  half the lime, put the other half to the side for later.

Peel the garlic cloves and put through a mincer or finely chop and add to the marinade. 

Finally peel the ginger and grate into the marinade and give a quick stir to mix the flavours together.

Now cut all of the chicken into slightly bigger than bite sized chunks and place into the marinade, use a spoon to mix everything up and ensure each piece of chicken is fully coated in the marinade. Now cover with clingfilm or a lid and place into the fridge (or on the kitchen counter if it's cool enough) for at least a couple of hours. 

At this point, if you are using wooden skewers, immerse them into water until cooking time, which will prevent them from setting alight under a grill or on a barbecue.

When you are ready to cook, take four skewers, and thread on each piece of chicken. Pack them quite tight and close together until all of the chicken is on

Cook for 6-8 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and slightly charred. Check the chicken is cooked through, by cutting into one of the biggest pieces and ensuring there is no pink. 

Remove from the barbecue or grill, and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving. Squeeze over any remaining lime juice before serving.

If you want more Indian fake-away inspiration here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

• Chicken Biryani
• Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
• Chicken Dhansak
• Sag Paneer
• Beef and Lentil Curry

Lamb Kleftiko

Lamb Kleftiko is a joyous dish, it takes just a little effort to make something truly spectacular and utterly delicious; you just have to be prepared to have the oven on all day. 

The marinade that is rubbed into the meat, helps to give a beautiful flavour, and cooking low and slow in the oven, means the meat will literally fall or pull apart at the slightest touch of a fork.

I make the lamb on a bed of potatoes and tomatoes with a few other seasonings, and then served with a Greek Salad and some Tzatziki.

I've used the cheaper cut of half a shoulder of lamb here, but many recipes call for the more expensive leg; which would be great if you are feeding a bigger crowd.

The below serves 4-5

Lamb Kleftiko

Here's how:

1/2 shoulder of lamb

For the meat rub/marinade:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp capers
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon

The vegetable base:

• 6 potatoes
• 4 tomatoes
• 2 tbsp Kalamata or other black olives
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 lemon
• 1 large red onion
• Handful bay leafs
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 1 glass white wine
• 1 glass water

You will also need:

• Grease proof/baking paper or tin foil
• Large roasting tin or casserole dish
• 1/2 glass water
• Small corner of feta cheese (optional)

Firstly make the meat rub by either placing all of the ingredients into a Nutribullet or blender, or simply pulsing with a pestle and mortar. You should get a dark brown paste.

Take the lamb shoulder and rub it all over with the paste using either your hands or the back of a spoon. Make sure every piece of lamb has a flavourful coating and leave to stand for an hour. 

At this point you can pre-heat the oven to a low 160 degrees.

Now get a large roasting tin or dish, and firstly cover with lots of excess with a sheet of grease proof paper or tin foil length-ways. Now do the same width-ways so you have one piece over another; so once everything is in the dish, you can cover it up well and loosely.

In the meantime you can prepare the vegetables. Firstly peel the potatoes and cut into large wedges; if you cut them too small, they may turn to mush in the long cooking process. Scatter them all over in the roasting tin.

For the red onion, peel it and cut into wedges and scatter about. For the garlic you can either peel or leave in the skins and scatter all over. Throw in the olives (as I have two small girls, I tend to remove the stones first and throw them in). Now cut the lemon into quarters and add to the dish. Season at this point with salt and pepper.

The vegetable base for the Kleftiko

Now you can place the lamb shoulder on top of the vegetables. At this point pour over the dish a full glass of white wine (any open bottle will do it) and then re-fill with water from the tap and pour over this too. 

Lamb Kleftiko before it is wrapped and popped into the oven

Now is the wrapping process; you want it sealed up, but not too tightly. Grease proof paper lends itself really well to this. I've tried to show pictures of how I do this; you can also use kitchen string, but I find you can fold and scrunch it easy enough. So firstly take the length ways piece of paper, fold each end over towards each other, and then take the corners and kind of knot or scrunch around each other so the dish is loosely covered. 

How to wrap the first layer of paper around the Kleftiko

The second bit is easier, you just fold over and then to seal, I pour over about half a glass more water, which stops the liquid inside escaping and helps to keep the lamb moist and tender.

Fully wrapped Kleftiko with a little water over to keep it sealed

Now place into the oven and cook for a minimum of 5 hours; but for perfect, pull-apart at the touch lamb, cook for 7 hours. Remove from the oven, and serve at the table with your choice of accompaniments and unwrap at the table for the big reveal. As an optional extra, you could crumble over a little feta cheese before serving for one final Greek flourish. Enjoy!

Lamb Kleftiko

If you love Greek dishes like us, you may enjoy some of the below recipes:

Moussaka
Chicken Souvlaki
Prawn Saganaki
Pastitsio - The Greek Lasagna
Briam
Gemistes - Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
Feta and Spinach Open Tart
Greek Chicken Traybake
Beef Stamna 
Spanakopita - Greek Cheese and Spinach Pie
Soutzoukakia - Greek Meatball Bake
Greek Chicken One Pot