I’m a real meat and potatoes girl.  Actually, that’s not true. I like simple foods that are healthy and easy to cook. So, not meat or potatoes (they’ve got a high glycemic index, and don’t even get me STARTED on red meat).

But back to simple healthy dishes! I was at my friend’s house, and he basically made me the most delicious, quick meal out of tuna and pasta and cheese I might have ever tasted in my 30 years on this Earth. It was lovely!

I’m always looking for some great ways to incorporate fish into my posts. So this lovely fish dish is one of the recipes I’d love to make. I’m going to reconstruct the recipe from memory, so hopefully it’s alright! (change the proportions as you see fit) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Love,
Naimah

Ingredients

• Half a bag of Rigatoni Pasta
• 2 cans of Tuna (dolphin free please!)
• 1/4 cup cheddar Cheese to taste
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Creamy pasta bake tomato sauce
• Spices to taste (salt, pepper, Italian herb mixture)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C or Gas Mark 4.
2. Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Boil the frozen peas until heated through. Drain and set aside.
4. Drain both cans of tuna and set aside.
5. Combine the rigatoni pasta, peas and tuna in the bottom of a casserole dish.
6. Top the dish with the can of tomato sauce, cheese and spices.
7. Bake the entire dish in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts.
8. Remove and let cool for a few minutes
9. Serve with salad and white wine!

[image: aka.weightwatchers.com.au]

If you’re not British, then you’re in for a treat. I think that British food has a sometimes deserved bad reputation, but this dish is genuinely very tasty, and the recipe is actually very flexible.  Just wait until you hear about a bubble and squeak.

The idea behind bubble and squeak was to use up whatever leftovers there were after the Sunday Roast.* You can eat it with lunch and cold meats on Monday or, as I prefer, you can eat it with your fry up** in the morning. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients (vary as you see fit)

• 1lb of left over boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes
• 1/2lb – 1lb of left over cabbage or brussel sprouts
• A little butter or oil
• Salt and black pepper if desired.

Preparation

• Mash, or rough chop the potatoes
• Chop or break up the cabbage into bitesize pieces too and mix both these together, adding a little salt or pepper to the mixture if desired.
• Add a little oil or butter to a frying pan or skillet and heat on a medium heat.
• When the oil/butter is heated, add the cabbage and potatoes and form into a patty and let cook.
• When the bottom of the patty turns a golden brown colour you’ll need to flip it over to cook on the other side…and then, you’re done.

You might wonder where the name comes from. Well, it’s from the sounds that the food makes when it’s cooking. When you boil the potatoes, you hear the “bubble.” And when you fry everything together, you hear “squeak!” When you eat it, you don’t hear anything becuase you’re eating!

Love,
Naimah

*Sunday Roast is basically a roast meat (chicken, beef, pork), chips and a Yorkshire Pudding and roast vegetables like carrots, parsnips or brussel sprouts. It’s a traditional British Sunday meal where the family sits down, and maybe even invite friends round to share the meal.

**A British fry up is a traditional (very greasy!) breakfast that is basically lots of food fried together. You usually have some combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, mushrooms,  baked beans, black pudding, and fried tomatoes. It’s delicious!

[image: foodnetwork.com]