EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late – from simple suppers to lavish lunches.

This week, Laois-based home cook Derek Cahill (@derek_in_the_kitchen) shared five of his favourite dishes with us.

While he now has a great passion for cooking and creating new recipes, that wasn’t always the case for the Dublin native.

“In my late teens to early twenties, my diet consisted of chicken fillet rolls, takeaways and convenient food,” he says. “I didn’t enjoy cooking, or more like I thought I didn’t enjoy cooking because I wasn’t trying new food and new recipes.”

When my weight hit 20 stone, that was the change I needed. I realised that it was time to start tasting and cooking new foods, otherwise nothing was going to change for me.

Now, Derek has “learned to love cooking” and loves experimenting with new flavours and ingredients.

Here’s what he’s been DIY-ing of late…

1. My favourite weekend breakfast:  My weekends used to be full of deli counter breakfast rolls or jambons. These days, cooking up my favourite hashbrown egg in a hole curbs the cravings to visit the deli counter. For this version, I added some cheese to the mix for an extra delicious flavour – perfect for a post-night out brunch!

 2. Handy hummus: I always want a bite to eat when I’m sitting in on a Saturday night, and hummus is a favourite snack of mine. I made this caramelised onion version and had it with some chopped peppers, carrots and crackers. The leftovers are always perfect for between-meal snacks on Sundays too.

3. Spinach and feta frittata: Sundays can sometimes be filled with dread for the week ahead, but I love spending them in the kitchen and cooking for the days to come. This spinach and feta frittata was a great light meal that meant I had leftovers for work on Monday too. I tend to swap in different spices and vegetables to change the flavour.

4. A simple salad: When I was in my teens, my routine consisted of work and takeaways nearly seven days a week. Nowadays I find it so important to keep trying to cook new things and experiment with food. This sweet chilli chicken salad came about from enjoying something similar in a restaurant once and I knew I had to find a way to recreate it. I’ve made it many times since. On a busy work day, I grab some light sweet chilli sauce, a store bought salad bowl and some breaded and baked chicken to create this combo.

5. My homemade ‘fakeaway’: My cravings for takeaways always take hold at the weekend so making a ‘fakeaway’ is so important for me. Pizza topped chips are one of my absolute favourites. I love pizza and I love chips – so I combined the two here. An easy recipe that everyone can enjoy.

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