redjanet's Reviews
205 recipes reviewed. Showing 101 to 150Sort by: Book Title 
| Date | Rating | Recipe Title
The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight
By Hairy Bikers
W&N - 2012
Very nice easy, healthy and flavourful dinner to make for a midweek meal. I used Frylight cooking spray instead of olive oil to cut down on the calories and this worked well. I did serve this with some new potatoes as I wasn't sure if it would be substantial enough for dinner, but as the fillets I had were quite large I needn't have as the main dish was more than enough.
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This is a very good, warming, hearty dish for a cold evening. I used fresh thyme and dried rosemary and there was lots of flavour. It smelled great while it was cooking in the oven and my potatoes didn't come out as crisp as in the photo, but that's because the smell was making me too hungry to wait any longer!
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I used this more as an inspiration than as an actual recipe as I already had a tin of Cajun seasoning lying around, which I used instead of the prescribed recipe. I pretty much make my potato wedges the same way anyway most of the time so the only thing I really did word for word from this recipe was the chive dip which is just two ingredients - low fat yogurt and chives! Still, it made for an easy, healthy weeknight meal which my partner and I both enjoyed.
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A very nice, simple chicken stew. This tasted good, though as it was ever-so-slightly bland, I may use hot smoked paprika next time, or just plain paprika instead of the sweet-smoked variety I used this first time. This reheated very well for lunch.
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These burgers were tastier than I expected them to be and I was very pleased considering they are pretty healthy. I thought they might be a bit too wet with the grated courgettes and onions in them, but they were solid enough. I'm glad the recipe specified cooking them in a frying pan though as I think they would have fallen apart on a griddle pan, which is how I usually cook burgers.
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Home Cooking Made Easy
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2011
This is a terrific main dish to make for a dinner party. After some initial, easy prep, the lamb shanks and some other bits are left to stew in the oven in a wine and balsamic vinegar-flavoured sauce for three hours (with the chorizo and veg added after two hours). This was flavourful and went well with mashed potatoes. Lorraine gives instructions on how to reduce down the sauce for a thicker gravy but I didn't find that necessary.
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This is a simple, straightforward recipe for roasting a pork shoulder, which was exactly what I was looking for as up until yesterday I had never done so before. The pork itself turned out beautifully and was soft and tender and the gravy to go with it was easy and delicious. However, it did feel as if some instructions were partially missing. Maybe my pork wasn't fatty enough to have much in the way of juices once it had cooked for a couple of hours (I did a 1.6kg joint for 4 1/2 hours total at 140 deg fan), but I took it upon myself to drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables halfway through as without it they were looking very dry. I'm glad I did so as the potatoes especially came out very well, with nice, crunchy brown edges. However, with the timings given by Lorraine, my carrots were still hard in the middle. Also, sprigs of fresh thyme are shown in the recipe photograph, but there is no mention of it in the recipe itself, unless it is just there as a garnish. In any case, I'm glad I tried this recipe, but I will use it as a starting point to use more interesting versions in the future.
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A very simple and quick way of cooking haddock, which yielded a lot of flavour in the sauce. The minimal amount of chopping and prep made this an ideal weeknight dinner. I served this with buttered new potatoes and vegetables on the side instead of rice, as the author suggested.
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After doing Nigella's version of this from Kitchen for the last few years, I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a go as it seemed ever-so-slightly more straightforward. This was quick and easy and came out very well, with lots of flavour, and dare I say it, but I think I may prefer Lorraine's version to Nigella's. The chopped spring onions and sesame seeds (which I didn't bother to toast) added a subtle crunch to the texture and the sauce thickened nicely. My only complaint is that this dish is quite sugary, but then I suppose that's what makes it taste so good!
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This was simple enough to make and consisted of ingredients that give good flavour (chorizo, lemon and thyme for example), but overall, although it was nice, it was very basic and nothing very special. I didn't really see the point of topping the fish with most of the chorizo and some lemon zest, only to add the rest of those two ingredients for another five minutes at the end.
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How to Be a Better Cook
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2014
This is healthy and tasty and does not take a long time to cook, making it good for a weeknight. I did find getting the timings between the two pans on the go to be a bit of a balancing act as there was always something going on in both, but I suppose as the book is called "how to be a better cook," it is a good lesson in timing! I halved this recipe as I was just cooking for two, though I might not halve the sauce ingredients so much next time as it was a bit light on the sauce front. I didn't add chilli and ginger to my rice as I prefer my rice plain, although I can see how it would be good.
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Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Little, Brown and Company - 2013
This is an excellent substitute if you are missing tuna salad sandwiches at all. Even if you've never had tuna salad, this is a terrific sandwich filler. The crunch and texture is very satisfying, especially on toast. That said, I have trouble waiting for it to be on the toast before I start shovelling it into my mouth! I do recommend adding the dulse flakes as recommended as it really does help add that extra fishy taste, but of course without the actual fish!
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Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life
By Jamie Oliver
Hyperion - 2008
I thought I'd try this different take on sausages (which I served with mashed potato) as the use of balsamic vinegar made it sound like it would be quite flavourful. As I was only cooking for my OH and me I halved the amount of cherry tomatoes I used, which still ended up seeming like way too many. The flavour overall was nice, but not outstanding. This was fairly easy to put together, but I'm not convinced that this is something I'd want to keep making.
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Jamie's 15-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2012
This was nice, but nothing very exciting. The chilli and mint gave a nice kick of flavour to the courgettes and the pork was easy to prepare. I didn't bother with the pre-cooked brown rice and just steamed some plain white basmati rice on the side as I already had some in the house and it is also cheaper and even more less steps to do!
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The sauce is lovely and overall this is a very nice, healthy meal with fresh flavours. My only drawback is, as with many of these recipes, that although the prep is fairly fast, the amount of washing up it creates (pan for the sauce, pan for the pork, pan for the rice, food processor, etc.) is quite a lot for what is supposed to be a quick midweek meal!
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Jamie's 30-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2010
I had never made a meat pie before and this was a good recipe to start with. It is quick and easy (if a bit messy) to assemble and once the initial prep is done and it's in the oven it only takes 15-20 minutes to cook. I've made it twice; the second time I realised I'd run out of eggs and used milk to glaze the puff pastry instead and it came out almost as well, though not as golden brown and crispy as with the egg.
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Jamie's America
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2009
I made this one time for my parents when they were visiting (they're from NY and I live in London) as cheesecake is one of their favourite desserts. They're used to the more traditional vanilla-flavoured type, but this has a twist of lime which adds a refreshing tang. Overall, I liked it, though I have to admit that I didn't make the meringue topping as I just don't find toppings very necessary with cheesecake.
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I made this in honour not only of the Italian Grand Prix, but being that it's 11/09/2011, I also made it in honour of New York and the type of food I used to love growing up in that wonderful city. This tasted very authentic and very similar to the veal or chicken parmigiana dishes I used to always have in Italian restaurants in New York. I used pork escalope as suggested by Jamie as it was MUCH cheaper than veal, but I didn't really notice the difference. I served this with spaghetti as did most of the Italian restaurants of my childhood and it brought back happy memories. Thanks, Jamie.
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Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2008
This is a very easy to make version of stroganoff using chicken instead of beef. The result is a quite creamy, tasty dish. It might be a little bit too creamy for some, but with some added squirts of lemon at the end it is more refreshing than you would imagine.
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Using a lot of easy to find store cupboard ingredients, this is a simple recipe that provides delicious results. Though I wouldn't say that it tastes quite like a korma you would get from a takeaway, it is still a fulfilling hearty meal, which also reheats very well for lunch the next day.
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This is a lovely simple salad dressing which can be made quickly and easily by simply shaking the ingredients together in a small jar. It is delicious on salads and goes well with chicken and fish dishes.
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A simple soup recipe using fresh ingredients that makes a whole lot of soup. Great for saving and re-heating for lunch. Some might find it a little on the bland side but with lots of added black pepper it is very good.
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As soon as I saw this recipe listed I knew that I had to try it out. Chorizo is one of my favourite ingredients as it always brings great flavour to whatever recipe it is in and this soup is no exception. The combination of the salty chorizo with the sweet potato is delicious. This is a hearty, warming soup that tastes even better re-heated the next day and also well from frozen.
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As an expat American living abroad I am always on the lookout for meatloaf recipes and of the few that I have tried, this is by far the best. The loaf itself comes out really juicy and flavourful and the tomato sauce with smoked paprika, chili and chick peas gives an interesting twist on an old classic. I made this recently for my in-laws and my mother-in-law said it was the best meal she'd had made for her in ages. High praise indeed!
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This is the first lasagne recipe I've tried and for a start it was pretty good. Be warned that, especially if you're not that experienced, it does take quite a while to prepare all the ingredients and go through all of the steps to complete the recipe. The end results were very good, though the only criticism I would make is that the sauce made it all a little too wet for my liking and I would probably add half a tin of water to the bolognese sauce instead of the whole tin as Jamie recommends. The use of creme fraiche instead of a white sauce does make the whole thing that bit easier however.
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This is a good easy hearty dish using a mix of fresh and store-cupboard ingredients. Good for feeding a few people, the use of kidney beans and chickpeas really helps bulk it up, keeping it fairly healthy and low in fat. Of course it is really good with added shredded cheese and sour cream! As with the lasagne recipe from the same book, I tend to add less water to the mix than Jamie recommends as I prefer the final results to be a bit less wet.
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On a page in the book with other stew recipes, this is a very flavourful, rich stew that is is simple to make. I'd recommend giving it a stir occasionally as quite a bit stuck to the bottom of my pan, but it was still very tasty.
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A simple easy stew taken from a page of basic stew recipes from this book. I used ale when making this, though you could also use Guiness or stout, which I might eventually try as well. This came out a bit sharp tasting for me, though still good, but I suppose that depends on what type of booze you use.
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A quick easy way to prepare new potatoes. The addition of lemon, mint and butter adds terrific flavour and this is a great side dish for most chicken, lamb or fish main courses.
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A good mid-week meal, this is basically breaded chicken with lots of flavour thanks to the inclusion of garlic, parsley, lemon zest and butter in the breadcrumb mixture. I prefer to bake instead of pan-frying as I find the crumbs stick better to the chicken that way, but you could do it either way.
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A delicious take on the classic chicken wrapped in bacon, this dish is quick and fairly easy to make. The end results are very flavourful thanks to the use of prosciutto, parmesan, lemon zest and thyme. This goes really well with salad and new potatoes for a satisfying weekday meal.
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This is a simple and delicious way to cook salmon together with green beans. Covering the salmon in pesto and wrapping it in foil keeps it moist and juicy. I find that I don't need to add as much olive oil as Jamie does (in general!) to keep it moist. The combination cooking of the greens with the fish also helps save on the washing up.
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Quick and extremely easy to make, this is a simple way to serve trout. It almost seems too simple, but sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. This goes well with new potatoes.
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An easy midweek meal, the use of fresh herbs adds a lot of flavour, as does the smoked streaky bacon that the fish is wrapped in before being baked in the oven. This goes well with any type of green vegetable or salad and/or potatoes.
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This is the only recipe I've tried so far from this book that I didn't like. This may be due to my using a curry power that was too spicy for my tastebuds, but I found the actual cooking of the cod in the pan to be a bit messy and really did not enjoy the end results. Oh well!
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An easy no-cook cheesecake which everyone I served to seemed to love. I didn't actually make the raspberry topping but just served it with fresh raspberries on the side, which worked quite well.
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Very good fish pie recipe which is not too heavy and creamy like some. Full of vegetables and easy to make. The leftovers also tastes good cold, which is a good thing as I brought the remains to work for lunch and didn't want to make my office smell of fish by reheating in the microwave. My only small complaint is that celery is a bit awkward to grate (or maybe it's just me?) so I would recommend using a food processor to grate the vegetables and cheese.
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Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2010
This is a good, easy recipe for entertaining as it only takes a few minutes to actually assemble and then stays in the oven for an hour. The red onion, chorizo and orange zest add lovely flavours and it's a great all-in-one dish with maybe a salad on the side.
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A slightly healthier recipe for meatballs, using turkey instead of pork or beef. This is easy to make, though it takes a bit of time to roll all of the 50 tiny meatballs Nigella says you can eke out of the ingredients. I find this to be slightly on the bland side, but it's comfort food which I usually eat with rice, which soaks up the tomato sauce well.
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I don't normally make any sauce or gravy to go with lamb steaks, but as I had some port on hand I thought I'd give this a try. I'm glad I did as the simple sauce adds excellent flavour and made the lamb even more enjoyable.
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This is a quick way of frying up turkey or pork escalopes. The flavour is maximised with spices, garlic and lemon and is a really good mid-week meal accompanied by salad and potatoes of your choice.
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This is a quick cheat's way to small roast potatoes using, of all things, gnocchi. Having watched Nigella enthusiastically rave about this revelation of hers on her programme I figured I had to try it. Maybe it was because I baked mine (which is an option) instead of pan-frying them, but these came out way too crunchy and hard for me. I think I'll stick to new potatoes or small roast potatoes from now on, thanks.
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I'm never very successful at frying up breaded meat or fish in general, but this is one of the worst recipes for such a dish that I've tried. The recipe calls for instant polenta instead of the usual breadcrumbs. I found that it all fell right off straight out of the pan and the texture was just too gritty for my liking.
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This is a very easy and wonderfully flavourful way to serve up lamb. The recipe calls for chops, but I'm not a fan of gnawing on bones so I usually use lamb leg steaks, which works just fine. The most time consuming part of preparing this is lining up all of the spices this calls for, but once that's done all it takes is mixing the spices together, rubbing them onto the lamb and then frying the lamb in garlic oil. This tastes beautiful and is one of my OH's favourite dishes that I've made.
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As this cake is flour-free, it has more of a brownie, gooey consistency. The lime gives it an interesting twist of flavour and it is very easy to eat, though at the same time quite rich. It reminded my in-laws of the chocolate lime sweets of their childhood. I quite liked it and didn't bother with the accompanying recipe for margarita cream to be served with it, but I can imagine how it would work well if you like cream with your cake.
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There are plenty of recipes for this classic French dish out there, but being a fan of Nigella's easy to follow recipes, I figured I'd try this one. If you fear the overpowering sound of so much garlic, don't worry. Garlic gets much sweeter when roasted for a long time, as it is in this dish. This is easy to put together, and tasted very nice, but it didn't have the wow factor that I thought it would, considering it's such a well-known classic.
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This is a simple Sunday supper for two. It's as simple as it gets really as all you do is sear the duck legs first and then place them in a small tin surrounded by potatoes which is left in oven to cook for a couple of hours. Very nice.
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Very nice. This is a quick version of a classic which, just using a few ingredients, is easy to whip up for a delicious midweek meal. I'm not usually a fan of creamy sauces but the vermouth, garlic oil and spring onions add a lot of flavour. This went very well with green beans and new potatoes, though as my OH suggested, I could imagine it working well with mashed potatoes or basmati rice as Nigella also recommended.
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This was very easy to make and worked really well. My first attempt at what is basically a big Yorkshire pudding with embedded sausage patties and it came out perfectly. Next time I'll make the gravy to go with it and maybe also use more sausages than suggested.
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This is a must make for any fans of the chocolate and peanut butter combination. Easy and makes a wonderful, rich and impressive dessert for a big gathering.
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