EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late. The kind of food you don’t need a recipe for, from quick snacks to empty-the-fridge dinners.
This week, Leitrim native James Dorrigan (@cook_with_james) shared with us his favourite five dishes that he’s made since starting his healthy eating journey one year ago.
“I’d describe my style of cooking as simple and creative,” says James. “Fish is my biggest treat to myself. I don’t get to cook it as much as I would like to as I’m the only fish eater in the house, but when I do I make sure to make it a special dish.”
From a creative soup to a prawn and black pudding salad, below are five dishes that James knows will never let him down.
1. Upgraded eggs: Before my recent weight loss, I was a brat for missing out on breakfast, whereas now eggs are my go-to. From boiled eggs to poached eggs with asparagus and tomato or mixed in some of your favourite vegetables, the egg is definitely number one for me! One of my favourite dishes is scrambled eggs with grilled mushrooms, spring onion and fresh coriander with grilled tomato and asparagus on top.
2. Pea, mint and almond soup: Any vegetables coming to the end of their life can be made into a soup and I love that because it cuts down on waste. I make up loads of different soups in batches, freeze them and they come in handy then for lunches. My tip is to always try different flavours, like with this pea, mint and almond soup.
3. Black pudding and prawn salad: I always mix it up when making salads. This combination of black pudding, chilli prawns, lettuce, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese is one of my favourite dishes I’ve made. In my opinion, there is never a wrong way with salad. Let yourself go when it comes to making them, because your own way is the best way!
4. Taco fries: When takeaways are off-limits and you want a bit of comfort, the mighty ‘fakeaway’ is the next best thing. Taco fries has always been the go-to fakeaway for me. I oven-cook the fries, make my own sauce for the mince and use yogurt and tomato puree for the taco sauce.
5. Versatile fish: If you have fish in the fridge that needs to be used up, chop it up into chunks, pop into a bag, freeze it and it can be used for a very tasty fish pie. Or cook it up to make fish tacos with baby gem lettuce as the taco shells! Here, I’ve pan-fried a fillet of cod and served it on curried carrot puree and a mix of prawns, broad beans, onions and black pudding.
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