Mini Veggie Pies

 Miniature food automatically tastes better. It's almost a scientific fact. Mince pies for instance- would you get as excited about them if you were presented with a massive slice of mince pie? No. The attraction is in its dinky little size (which seems to justify eating 3 or 4 in one sitting), the ability to eat it all in a few mushy mouthfuls, and the disproportionate pastry/filling ratio- you get way more flaky pastry topping instead of half a cracked slab of dried out pastry from when the host's poor pastry cutting skills. The same goes for almost any food. Mini toad-in-the-holes? Totally cool! Mini pizzas? Tastes even better all in one and you don't get the miserable half of a pizza slice that lacks any of the topping you ordered. You want pepperoni? You actually get pepperoni on the entire pizza with a mini one.
Following this theory, we present you the Mini Veggie Pie. Instantly even tastier purely because of its size. And, even better, we've given you 3 different combinations to try out!

Ingredients: (makes 3 medium pies and 3 small pies)

Note: You will need mini pie tins- 3 medium sized and 3 small. Our medium tins were 10cm in diameter, 3cm in depth. Our small tins were 8cm in diameter and 1cm in depth. 

For the pastry: (This is the BBC Good Food Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe)

• 225g plain flour
• 100g butter (diced)
• 2-3 tbsp water
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg/ dash of milk for low histamine

For the white sauce: (This is Mary Berry's white sauce recipe)

• 2 oz butter
• 2 oz flour
• 1/2 pint of milk 
• 2 oz Mozzarella Cheese for low histamine, or 1 oz Mozzarella and 1oz of Cheddar for those not on a low histamine diet. 

For the fillings: (Makes 2 of each)

• Carrot and beetroot filling: 1 carrot and 1 normal sized beetroot
• Leek and carrot filling: 1/3 of a leek and 1 carrot 
• Carrot and butternut squash: 1 carrot and 1/6 of a butternut squash 

Method:

For the pastry:

• Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. 
• Roll out the pastry cut to the size of the tins. Lightly grease the tins with some butter then fill the tins with the cuttings of pastry. Cut any excess pastry off using a knife. 
• Crack an egg into a bowl and beat. Use a pastry brush to brush the egg over the pastry. The egg wash gives the pastry a golden colour in the oven. Alternatively for low histamine dieters, use milk instead. 

For the sauce:

• Slowly melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat. Add the flour in slowly and stir constantly, then once the flour has been added pour in the milk. Keep stirring at all times to prevent the sauce from going lumpy and keep the pan on a low heat. 
• Once the milk and flour have completely combined and you have a lump-free sauce add the cheese and stir. Note, even those who are not low histamine should use some mozzarella as this will help hold the sauce together within the pastries and prevent the sauce from being too runny.
• Spoon the sauce into each of the pastry cups. For our pie tins we used 2.5 tbsp of sauce in the medium sized ones and 1.5 tbsp of sauce in the little ones.

For the filling:

• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Depending on which filling you choose, dice the vegetables into small chunks. You will need to peel the carrots, beetroot and butternut squash. 
• Spray some olive oil spray over the vegetables and roast for 15 minutes. 
• Once the vegetables are out of the oven and have cooled a bit, spoon the vegetables into each pastry case until nearly full. 
• Bake in the oven for 25 minutes on 180 degrees. 
• We served with roasted butternut squash chips. 

Pink Juice

It's October which means it's perfectly legitimate to make garish coloured juices under the guise of Hallowe'en themed foodstuffs. In student land, Hallowe'en means one thing: endless fancy dress all-nighters. I can guarantee that after that you're going to be spending a good couple of days in bed surrounded by tissues, netflix and potentially even a bucket (or if you're anything like my housemates the only large cooking pot in the house- chilli con carne is out for a few weeks at least!) You get the idea. Anyway, this year why not combat the onslaught with something more than paracetamol. Our Pink Juice is full of illness-busting nutrients and gets most of your 5-a-day down all in one go. Even better it won't break the bank when you've spent all your money on vodka: it's only a few ingredients that are worth pennies in Lidl!

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 2 apples
• 2 carrots
• 1 beetroot
• 1 inch length of cucumber (optional but makes taste even more refreshing) 

NB: you will need a juicer

Method:

• Wash all the vegetables and fruit under the tap. Chop the ends off the carrots and place everything into the juicer. There is no need to cut the top off the beetroot. 
• JUICE! Juice until there are no bits.
• Pour into a glass with ice. 

Smashed Vegetables and Squash

I'm going to be honest with you here...this doesn't look like the most appetizing of things. In fact it's probably slightly reminiscent of baby food...I'm really selling it, I know. But then again, pea soup looks like it's been concocted by some sort of Hallowe'en character yet it's a surprisingly refreshing and popular lunchtime dish. And black pudding just looks completely inedible, yet virtually every northerner insists on including it in their fry up. (I accept this is a less convincing argument- Northerners put gravy on their chips for god's sake. Who thinks of that?!) So what I'm saying is don't judge the food by its looks because it tastes damn good!
Its filling, warming and tasty despite only having 200 calories per serving!

Smashed Vegetables and Squash

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 225g butternut squash
• 80g carrot
• 40g leek
• 65g broccoli 
• 65g cauliflower 
• 75ml x 4 boiling water 
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp marjoram 
• Salt and pepper, to season

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees celsius. Chop the leek, carrot and butternut squash into evenly sized chunks. You will need to peel the butternut squash and the carrots before cutting. Place on a baking tray sprayed with olive oil spray.
• Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place the cooked vegetables into a blender. Blend, adding 75ml of boiled water at a time through the blending process. You should need to do this 4 times (75ml x 4) however you may need to do this slightly more or less depending on how well blended the mixture becomes as you go along. If it is struggling to blend add more water. 
• Add the seasoning and blend some more.
• Chop the broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces whilst boiling a kettle. Place the broccoli and cauliflower chunks into a steamer over a pan of boiling water and steam for 8 minutes. 
• Once the broccoli and cauliflower is cooked mix it in with the blended sauce. 

Veggie Balls

Lets face it, it's difficult to eat the right amount of fruit and vegetables sometimes. It costs more than the haute cuisine offered up by your local takeaway on the corner and rarely leaves you feeling as satisfied. What's a soggy cucumber got over a ketchuped hot-dog? However, these little balls of veggie goodness most definitely do not feel like an effort to eat. Packed full of flavour plus a load of nutrients they make a great substitute for meat balls in tomato-based sauces or an impressive side-dish just as they are. For those on a low histamine diet simply mix with our red pepper sauce (click here for the link) as pictured below.

Veggie Balls

Ingredients: (makes approx 13 balls)

• 5 oz grated carrot
• 5oz grated potatoes
• 5 oz grated courgette 
• 2.5 oz leek 
• 2 tbsp corn flour 
• 50g crushed tortilla chips 
• 1 tsp crushed peppercorns
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/2 tsp ginger 
• Pinch of salt 

Method:

• Finely chop the leek then grate the carrot, potato and courgette. 
• Spray some olive oil spray on a pan then fry the chopped vegetables on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Once cooked place the vegetables into a mixing bowl and add the salt and pepper. Then add the oregano, basil, thyme, majoram and ginger. 
• Once the spices have been mixed in add the corn flour. Meanwhile put the tortilla chips into a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Once the spices are mixed in use your hands to mould the mixture into small individual balls then roll each ball in the crushed tortilla chips. 
• Place in the fridge for 20 minutes to help the vegetable balls set before cooking. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees celsius.
• Place the balls on a grill pan with a baking tray underneath and cook for 15 minutes. 

Low Histamine Vegetable Pasties

When it's freezing cold outside to the point that you lose all ability to grip your house key and it takes you 3 attempts to get inside the house, there are only certain foods that are acceptable for lunch. You need something piping hot and comforting, like a giant food cuddle. Enter, the great British pasty. That crumbling pastry, those delicious fillings...and instant cheering up device. Don't think that just because you're on a low histamine diet or perhaps looking for a healthier option that you have to miss out - just make these low histamine vegetable pasties instead.

Low Histamine Vegetable Pasties

Ingredients: (Makes 4 pasties)

For the pastry- this is the BBC Good Food Basic Shortcrust Pastry recipe

• 225g plain flour
• 100g butter (diced)
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 red pepper
• 3 small carrots
• 1 courgette
• 1 leek
• 70g frozen sweetcorn 
• Packet of ricotta cheese 

Method:

For the pastry:

• Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Stir in the salt, then add 2-3 tbsp water and mix to a firm dough. Knead the dough briefly and gently on a floured surface. Wrap in cling film and chill while preparing the filling.

For the filling:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Chop up the pepper, carrots, courgette and leek into small chunks then place on a baking tray with a little olive oil spray, and roast in the oven for 15 minutes. 
• Take out the oven and place vegetables into a mixing bowl and add the sweetcorn. Flavour with salt and pepper and stir. 
• Separate the pastry into 4 even pieces then roll out each piece of pastry one at a time onto a lightly floured surface. Add 2-3 heaped tablespoons of the vegetables in the middle of each circle. Add 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese on top, or 2 if you want it extra cheesy. Fold the pastry over the top in half and cut any edges off to make a semi circle, leaving an extra 2cm so there's enough pastry left to make the fold. Roll up the remaining 2cm and pinch together to seal the pasty and prevent any of the filling from leaking out during cooking. 
• Preheat oven to 220 degrees celsius. Place in the oven on a grill rack (they will stick to a baking tray) and cook for another 20 minutes.
• Once out of the oven wait for the pasties to cool down before eating. 

The Ultimate Hangover Breakfast Sandwich

Life can be tough as a student. You're dog tired after your 10 hours of weekly lectures, 3 of which started at 9am so you missed anyway, because lets face it, no one in the real world would voluntarily get up at such a horrendous hour. And then there's the extra reading. Sorry, what? But homework stopped at school?! You expect students to go to the library for a purpose other than checking out girls/going on facebook/ grabbing a starbucks? After all that, you deserve to go and party away those deadline stresses multiple times in a week. And when you do, and you wake up with the ultimate hangover that leaves you bed-bound until 6pm, we have the ultimate cure: the ultimate hangover breakfast sandwich.

The Ultimate Hangover Breakfast Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a french loaf/ french baguette
• 4 sausages
• 2 handfuls of oven chips
• 2 eggs
• Dash of milk
• 1 tsp butter
• Salt and pepper
• Ketchup/HP sauce 

Method:

• Preheat the oven and bake the oven chips according to packet instructions. Usually this will mean cook on 200 degrees celsius for about 20-25 minutes.
• Heat the grill and place the sausages on a grilling rack under it. Grill for about 15 minutes, until cooked all around, turning the sausages every few minutes when each side has cooked.
• Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl with a small dash of milk and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until the yolks of the eggs are completely broken up. 
• Heat a frying pan on a low to medium heat. Add the butter and once melted add the egg mixture. Give it a minute to start cooking then scramble with a wooden spatula until cooked. 
• Layer up the sandwich: egg first, then sausages, then chips. Go crazy with some sauce, add the top of the bread and attempt to eat. Be warned, it's messier than a burger, 

Sticky Sesame Chicken

I don't understand people that eat plain chicken and rice. Who actually enjoys plain chicken and rice? For one thing said people almost inevitably choose chicken breast (the driest and least flavoursome part of chicken) then overcook it so that you can practically bounce it on the floor. They serve it up with long grain white rice (not even basmati- far too flavourful) and then instagram their food with endless hash-tags along the lines of #healthy #fitness #cleaneats #yummy #foodporn. Whilst the first three hash-tags may be true the latter two most definitely aren't. If that's their idea of food porn I dread to think what their idea of actual porn is. Well, I'm here to save these people from themselves with a fairly healthy chicken and rice dish that can be made with ingredients almost everyone has in their cupboard, actually tastes good and is worthy of instagramming.

Sticky Sesame Chicken 

Ingredients: (makes 2 small portions or one large one)

• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp soy sauce 
• 1.5 tbsp Heinz bbq sauce 
• Small squirt of Heinz tomato ketchup 
• 1 small tsp brown sugar 
• 40g sesame seeds 
• 1 large chicken breast/ 2 small chicken breasts 
• 2 portions of basmati rice (see packet for portion guidelines) 

Note: this is the kind of sauce where you have to taste it as you go along to know if it's right. Don't just follow the amounts blindly. It's the kind of sauce where different people will want a different edge to the sauce. If you want it sweeter, add a little more honey. If it's too sweet, add a tad more soy. If you want more of a smoky bbq flavour or can taste the soy too much then add a little more bbq sauce. 

Method:

• Dice the chicken into small chunks. Measure out the honey, soy, bbq, ketchup and sugar into one mixing bowl and mix. If the sauce is quite thin add a smidgen of cornflour and mix well. Don't worry if it is a little lumpy- this should go once the sauce is on the heat if you give it a bit of a stir. 
• Weigh out the sesame seeds and place on a plate. Dip each chicken chunk into the sauce first then roll in the sesame seeds and put to one side. If the sesame seeds start sticking more to each other than the chicken, pour more sesame seeds onto the plate. They need to be quite dry to start with to stick to the chicken. 
• When all of the chicken pieces have been coated boil the kettle and pour the portion of rice into a pan. Add the water, bring to the boil then simmer for 8-9 minutes, or according to packet instructions. 
• Once the rice is on, heat a large frying pan on a medium heat and spray some cooking oil over it to stop the chicken sticking. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. To check it is cooked cut one piece in half. It should not have any pink in the middle. Add the remaining sauce and stir. You may get a few burnt bits of sauce on the bottom- scrape these off as these are the most flavoursome bits! 
• Serve up the rice, making sure to pour boiling water over the rice as you drain it to get rid of the starch. Then serve up the chicken over the top. 

Spinach Omelette

It has taken me a long time to master the omelette. Each time I would season it to perfection, whisk the eggs like a champion (I have the biceps to prove it) and get it to the perfect golden colour. But then, the moment would come to fold the omelette over in half. Each time I would approach this with steely determination. And each time disaster would strike. I'd have pathetic little drabs of omelette hanging off my spatula and my omelette would turn into an unappetising looking scrambled egg dish. You feel so defeated. You feel so feeble. An egg has beaten you. Not this time. Today was the day I finally folded an omelette. A proud moment.

Spinach Omelette 

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 2 large eggs
• Dash of milk
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• Salt and pepper 
• 1 tsp butter

Method:

• Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until you have a yellow-orange colour. Season the eggs with salt and pepper, add a splash of milk and whisk in. 
• Heat the pan on a medium heat and add the butter. Once the butter has melted add in the spinach and cook until wilted. The spinach will break down a lot, so you may want to keep adding more in if it looks like quite a small amount as it begins to wilt. 
• Once the spinach is wilted spread it out across the pan and then pour in the egg mixture. You may want to add in a little more butter first to prevent the egg mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 
• The omelette is cooked once the bottom has gone a golden brown colour and the top is cooked through but still a little gooey on top. Fold the omelette in half using a wide spatula then serve. 
• Note: if the omelette is quite thick you may want to put the pan under a hot grill for a couple of minutes to finish off cooking the top of the omelette. For extra flavour, try adding cheese or some chopped chilli. 

Low Histamine Steak Quesadilla

You would think that not being able to eat tomatoes and virtually every spice on the planet would mean that mexican food is totally off the menu. It seems the very core of mexican food is these aforementioned ingredients. Whilst chilli con carne and spicy chicken fajitas might be off limits, steak quesadillas most certainly aren't (although inevitably without the accompanying spice levels- those who aren't low histamine feel free to go spice mad!). Even better, its one of the few low histamine dishes that doesn't take forever to prepare; you can whip it up in an x-factor ad break. Perfect.

Low Histamine Steak Quesadilla

Ingredients: (Serves 1)

• 1 fillet steak
• 2 handfuls of grated mozzarella cheese (you can also use a ball of mozzarella if you wish)
• 2 tortilla wraps
• Pepper, to flavour 
• Cooking oil spray

Method:

• Spray a pan with cooking oil spray and heat on a high heat.Chop the steak up into thin strips and season with pepper.
•  Fry in the pan for a couple of minutes until it is cooked to your taste, adding the cheese on top to melt for the last minute. Scrape up any crispy burnt bits- they have a great flavour!
• Tip onto a nearby plate, then spray with more oil. Place the first tortilla in the pan, add the filling back in then place the other tortilla on top. Use a spatula to try and pinch the bottom of the top tortilla onto the bottom tortilla to try and seal the quesadilla. Once the bottom tortilla has browned (this will only take a few seconds) use a spatula to flip over the quesadilla and cook the other side. Cook until browned then serve.

Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Whenever my house mates and I are hungover we go through the same ritual at about 12 in the afternoon. We collectively lie on the sofas and begin listing all the unhealthy fatty foods that would cure our hangovers nicely. Pizza, bacon sarnies, full fat coke...about 2 minutes in someone always pipes up with 'mcdonalds' to which someone else responds with 'oh my god! Lets go to the drive thru!' This would be a brilliant idea if the designated driver wasn't probably still over the limit...so, save the calories, fat and potential criminal record and make these healthy chicken nuggets instead!

Healthy Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• 25g cornflakes
• 15g all bran 
• 20g krackawheat crackers 
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 2 chicken breasts 

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper. 
• Pour the cornflakes, all bran and crackers into a large freezer bag. Squeeze the air out and tie in a loose knot. Use a rolling pin to break up the ingredients into a fine dust. Do this by beating the bag gently with the rolling pin, and rolling the rolling pin firmly over the bag multiple times. It is important to break everything up so that it is very fine- it took us a good 5 minutes to get it just right. Add in some salt and pepper to season and the garlic and shake up.
• Pour the nugget mix onto a plate. Break the egg into a bowl and beat.
• Chop up the chicken into nugget sized chunks. Take each chunk and dip it into the egg first, then roll in the nugget mix until fully coated. 
• Place each nugget onto the baking tray then bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. 
• Serve with lots of ketchup and bbq sauce!