great food made easy

Cooking doesn’t have to be hard work. No one knows how long you’ve spent in the kitchen. All they are thinking is if they really liked the food or not.

Having already created two cooking apps for Apple, I have now created my own blog version which simplifies otherwise complicated recipes so anyone can feel confident in cooking them. The easy recipes and the way they are written are great for teaching kids to cook too, plus it’s all designed for a basic kitchen and the ingredients are available in most supermarkets. The cost of most of these healthy recipes is, per portion, less than the price of a commercial sandwich and predominantly pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan with an anti ageing and mostly healthy bias. There is an indulgent section too because no one’s perfect and life’s too short. So you can easily pimp up your repertoire on a budget.

You’re welcome.

“Since I starting cooking Anna’s truly delicious and easy recipes, I am throwing away most of my cookbooks as I use only one or two recipes from each book, whereas I’ll happily cook all of these recipes, over and over again. It has become my favourite cookbook, and I’m always recommending it to my friends who want really delicious food without the hassle.”

– Jenny, TV producer/director and mum.

pea and cashew curry

I made this delicious coconutty Sri Lankan curry for two of my friends that had been blown away by it on their holiday there and it sounded so good I had to make it. It’s mostly stored cupboard which I love and packed with lots of delicious flavours like ground fennel, garam masala and cumin. I serve it with my Dal recipe, chapatis which I buy frozen from the Indian frozen food section in the supermarket or my local Indian shop. I also sprinkled it with curry leaves fried till they were crispy, my ginger fries and chopped fresh coriander leaves on top to serve.

Continue reading

pan fried mackerel with beetroot puree with wasabi and peas

This one pan recipe for fried mackerel is one of my go-tos if I want a healthy omega 3 packed supper that is not too carbohydratey. The beetroot purée with wasabi cuts through the oiliness of the fish and the peas add lots of fibre and vits. I make it all store cupboard, frozen peas and frozen mackerel with vacuum packed beets. You can add carbs like roasted sourdough if you prefer it.

Continue reading

king prawn chop suey

I love a retro classic and Chop Suey is actually an American/Chinese dish where the ingredients are all stir fried together and it’s served with rice or noodles on the side. It’s packed with veg, super healthy and has the delicious Asian flavours that I adore. You can use this recipe loosely as a guide and add other veg you might want to use up in the fridge.

Continue reading

chilli prawns with Vietnamese(ish) noodle salad

I thought I’d put this on the blog last year and I forgot. It’s my really colourful refreshing Vietnamese inspired salad that is really tasty and healthy and full of fresh veg, herbs and noodles with added hot fried chilli prawns which can be cooked on a bbq and If I want to make a lower carb version I use zero noodles (there are lots of makes…) which have no carbs and are available in most supermarkets, Asian shops and online.

Continue reading

cioppino (Italian seafood stew with fennel)

This recipe for Cioppino actually originates from Italian emigrants in San Francisco in the late 1800s. They would put in whatever the catch of the day was, so feel free to put in what ever seafood you can get or prefer. It’s packed with the flavours of chilli, fennel, bay, orange zest and wine. There are lots of versions of it and I took the best bits of all the recipes I found. It’s traditionally served with toasted sourdough or a crusty baguette, but I think it’s delicious with a side order of fries and a salad too.

Continue reading

king prawn chow mein

I made this chow mein low carb and I reckon you really can’t tell at all. I use zero noodles that are available in most supermarkets, Asian stores or online (You can also use standard noodles too if you prefer) it’s really delicious and healthy and packed with flavour. So If you fancy a store cupboard takeout chow mein, I make this recipe with easily available defrosted frozen giant prawns from the supermarket.

Continue reading

pasta allo scarpariello

This delicious pasta recipe is like a creamy, spicy, cheesy version of a classic sugo recipe.It’s a great meat free dinner or dinner party dish, with a salad. You can make it with any pasta you fancy but it works particularly well with a big ass chunky pasta. I made it with papadelle, but also look forward to making it with manicotti, calamarata or any large pasta.

Continue reading

Spanish anchovy, egg and crouton salad

This flavour packed recipe is adapted from Rick Steins book called Spain. It’s a kind of Spanish version of Caesar salad and I’ve changed it slightly suit my tastes. I’ve replaced the little gem lettuces with radicchio and added my favourite salad veg, but it’s up to you which lettuce you prefer and the anchovies have gone in the dressing instead of laying them on top of the salad as I love them in the dressing. It’s my favourite with grilled fish like a big Dover sole.

Continue reading

pasta con le fava fresche (pasta with broad beans)

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients in this Italian recipe, its blinking tasty and tastes deliciously fresh and summery, although, I would eat it all year round as it’s all store cupboard. The texture of the broad beans works so well with the spaghetti and all it’s plant based if you don’t add parmesan or pecorino.

Continue reading