This last week has been a long and busy week! I am so glad I have the bank holiday Monday off.

Needless to say, the last thing on my mind has been cooking. So this week has been quick and easy meals, that I could throw together quickly or prepare ahead of time. Also, I tend to make these dishes whenever I make the prawn sandwich because I often find myself buying Creme Fraiche for just one dish/recipe and not finishing it off quickly enough.

So now whenever I do make it these will be on the menu the following days to make sure I finish off the dill and Creme Fraiche but also so I do not feel like I am having the same thing every single day!

Creamy bacon & chicken pasta

Ingredients
2 cups penne pasta
400ml Creme Fraiche
3 strips bacon diced
1 chicken breast diced
300gm baby spinach
12 cherry or baby plum tomatoes halved
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp Garlic powder
Black Pepper
2 tsp Chilli Flakes
2 sprigs of dill diced

Method
1. Boil pasta and set aside about 50mls of pasta water.
2. Fry bacon and chicken till cooked, then fry diced garlic.
3. Add Creme Fraiche, garlic powder, pasta water and bring to simmer. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Add spinach and once it starts to wilt, toss in pasta and tomatoes.
5. Stir through the
5. When spinach starts to wilt add pasta and tomatoes.
6. Stir through the dill and chilli flakes, then serve.


Not a Boring Salad

Fun fact : One of the nurses I work with hates salad as a meal cause it is supposed to be a side only! This however is an exception to the rule she claims, hence the name.

Ingredients
100gm cucumber diced
1 Ramiro pepper diced
70gm black lentils
2 cups kale
2 cups watercress
80gm corn
50gm soy beans
2 soft boiled or poached eggs
100gm feta
Handful of chopped pistachios

For dressing
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1.5 tbsp Creme Fraiche
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 sprigs of dill diced
2 mint leaves diced
Salt & Pepper

Method
1. Combine dressing ingredients and let cool in fridge
2. Cook lentils in boiling water and blanche kale.
3. Let cool then combine kale, lentils, corn, cucumber, ramiro pepper and soy beans
4. Add dressing and stir well. Let cool in fridge.
5. Serve on watercress salad and top with egg & crumbly feta. You can even swap the feta and egg for grilled halloumi!
6. Top with chopped pistachios for added crunch.

Enjoy and as always do let me know if you try it and what you think.