Whilst I love cooking, I’m definitely no cook. Well, let me refrain that, I enjoy cooking if I have lots of time to plan something, shop for the ingredients and even have friends round to share it with me and have the whole day to prep and get the meal ready. However, in my life, it’s just not something I have the extra head space for. I want quick and easy meals that taste good. Actually, I’m not even too worried about what they taste like, if it’s just me who’s eating them. If I’m cooking for other people than I get really worried and anxious, about what it’ll taste and look like.
When I cook for myself, I pretty much rotate through three dishes. The main one being just a load of good vegetables chopped up and then either boiled up, or stir fried. Add some turmeric, paprika (or cayenne pepper), and chicken or steak and that’s about your meal! It’s really not complicated and is simple to shop for and cook after the days training. My mind doesn’t have to over think things or wander the supermarket for hours to find the ingredients I need.
However, there are two recipes that also now get added in to my plans. Both are again super easy to do. One is my ‘go to’ meal, if I do cook for friends or host families perhaps. The other is one I found in the book, “Eat Slow, Run Fast’. I love it. Both these meals will also last several days which is also a bonus.
Up first is…
Salmon pie with quinoa and sweet potato crust.
This is my ‘go to’ meal to cook for friends and home stay host families. Or if I cook it myself it usually lasts most of the week with left overs.
Ingredients:
- 4 salmon fillets, skin removed – also use other varieties of fish too, but feel the slightly chunkier fish works best.
- 1 med-large sweet potato, peeled and steamed – I actually don’t peel it as I like the skin and texture it gives.
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked – I like using the red quinoa
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 4-5 finely sliced basil leaves (or ½ tsp dried basil) – fresh is better I find if you can get it
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed – I actually tend to use 3 or 4
- ½ fennel bulb, finely sliced – I normally use a whole bulb or even 1 ½ depending on the size of the dish, but also because I love fennel
- 400g tomatoes (fresh or tinned)
- ½ green apple, finely sliced – Again I tend to find 1 whole apple is better or needed
- 1 large handful dill
- 1 lemon cut to serve
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
The ‘How to’:
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- In a bowl combine the sweet potato, quinoa, caraway seeds, basil, fennel seeds, 1 clove of crushed garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and mix well to combine, into a mash.
- In another bowl combine the tomatoes and 1 clove of crushed garlic and mix together.
- In a lasagne / pie dish, place a layer of fennel, followed by the garlic tomato mix, a layer of apple, then the salmon. Finish by sprinkling half the dill across the salmon.
- Spoon the quinoa sweet potato mash mix over the salmon and spread evenly to create the top of the pie.
- Cover with foil and place in the oven for 40mins.
- After 20min remove the foil and leave uncovered for the remaining 20min. (Cooking times may vary depending on the oven and thickness of the pie / fish)
- Once cooked through, sprinkle the remaining dill and crack additional black pepper over the top of the pie.
- Serve with a fresh green salad and lemon pieces, or really whatever you’d like. I often serve it with peas!
If you have left overs, keep it in the fridge and it tastes just as good the following days and I enjoy eating it hot or even cold.
