The Tropical Treat

Segi Adewusi

Black bean, tortilla and avocado salad with tomato salsa

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A simple Mexican inspired salad using ingredients you probably have in the cupboard and fridge, mix and match with whatever you have and use those leftovers.

Here we have black beans, tortilla, avocado, coriander, spinach leaves and an easy tomato salsa. It’s also high in protein so perfect if you’re looking for something easy to make post workout.

Serves 2
Prep 10 mins
Cook 25 mins
Total 35 mins

Ingredients

A handful of cherry tomatoes
1/2 pointed pepper, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno chilli 
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 corn tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1/2 tsp ground cumin
A handful of coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves roughly chopped
400g carton black beans, drained and rinsed
60g spinach leaves
1 avocado finely sliced 

Method

First make the salsa. Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat. Put cherry tomatoes, pepper, jalapeño and garlic and dry fry until charred all over (roughly 8-10 mins). Leave aside to cool. 

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the garlic and remove the stalk of the chilli and put in the food processor along with the tomatoes and pepper. Blend until smooth and sprinkle over a little salt.

Brush both sides of the corn tortillas with 1 tbsp olive oil and cut into quarters. Place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper making sure they don’t overlap. Bake for 8-10 mins or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the red onion with a pinch of salt, chipotle and cumin and cook until softened. Add the coriander stalks and black beans and cook for a few minutes further.

Assemble the salad and coriander leaves on a plate with the avocado and tortilla. Place the beans on top and spoon over the tomato salsa. Enjoy!

Citrus sea bass with avocado

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Fresh zesty pan fried sea bass with tangerines and avocado. The sea bass fillets are seasoned with salt and pepper then marinated in the zest and juice of tangerines (can use clementines or oranges too), lemon juice and spring onion. A very quick, colourful and easy dish to make : )

Serves 2
Prep 15 mins + 30 mins to marinate
Cook 10 mins
Total 55 mins

Ingredients

2 sea bass fillets 
1/4 tsp salt and peppery @cornishsea_salt 
1/2 avocado, finely chopped
1/2 cucumber, de-seeded and finely chopped
A few mint leaves (optional)

Dressing

Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tangerines, zest and juice of 1 and the other thinly sliced into rounds
A couple of spring onions, finely chopped
A drizzle of extra-virgin olive o

Method

Make the dressing first. In a small bowl whisk lemon juice, the juice of 1 tangerine, zest and spring onion.

Season the sea bass with salt and pepper and cover with the dressing ensuring it is all coated evenly. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes to marinate.

Meanwhile, assemble the tangerine slices onto a plate. Finely dice the avocado and cucumber and sprinkle over a little salt.

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once the pan is fairly hot put in the sea bass  fillets and cover with the dressing. Turn them over once after a couple of minutes and cook for 5 -10 minutes.

Place the sea bass on top of the sliced tangerines and pour over the dressing from the pan. Spoon the avocado and cucumber onto the sea bass and scatter over some mint leaves. Enjoy!

Chicken suya with cherry tomatoes and red onion

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One of my favourites – chicken suya with cherry tomatoes and red onion. Suya is a traditional Nigerian spice blend made with roasted peanuts, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, onion, white and black pepper. 

It’s normally coated on very thin strips of beef and barbecued (then served up with cherry tomatoes and red onion in newspaper). As I’m not eating much red meat at the moment here’s a chicken traybake version with a little added honey for sticky, salty and sweet goodness. 

Serves 2
Prep 15 mins + 2 hours or marinate overnight 
Cook 40 mins
Total 55 mins

Ingredients

500g free-range chicken thighs and drumsticks
125g cherry tomatoes, sliced and quartered
1 medium sized red onion, finely sliced
1 lemon, sliced and quartered (optional)

For the marinade

2 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp groundnut oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp fine sea salt 
1/2 tsp coarse black pepper 

For the suya spice mix

120g roasted peanuts
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder 

Method

First marinate the chicken. Place the chicken in a large bowl and add honey, 1 tbsp oil, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and half of the suya spice (blitz the spices in a food processor until a fine crumb to make the suya spice). Mix well into the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to180C/ gas mark 4 / 350F. Arrange the chicken on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and sprinkle over 2 tbsp of suya spice (keep the remainder in an airtight jar). P

Place half the cherry tomatoes and red onion around the chicken. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of oil.

Bake for 35-40 mins or until golden brown and the chicken juices run clear. Add the remaining cherry tomatoes and red onion. Garnish with the lemon slices and enjoy!

Mango and passion fruit smoothie with lime

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Let the January detox begin! I present a delicious tropical breakfast smoothie made from rolled oats, Greek yogurt, chopped mango, honey, passion fruit and lime juice. I have started running properly again so will definitely be adding this fruity smoothie to the mix. 

Add in your chosen protein powder for a perfect post workout smoothie or healthy snack.

Swap out the Greek yogurt for coconut yogurt or almond milk for an equally delicious Vegan version. Enjoy!

Serves 2
Prep 10 mins
Cook 5 mins
Total 15 mins

Ingredients

50g rolled oats 
250g mango, chopped 
1/2 a pot of Greek style natural yogurt 
1-2 tsp honey
250ml water
Juice of 2 passion fruit ( scoop seeds into a small sieve to juice and keep some to top the smoothie)
Juice of 1/2 lime

Method

Put the rolled oats, chopped mango, yogurt, honey, water, passion fruit and lime juice in a blender.

Blend until smooth and divide into glasses and top with some passion fruit seeds. Enjoy!

Crab, tomato and cayenne palmiers

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An easy little canapé – crab, tomato and cayenne palmiers. Slightly tweaked from a recipe I found on Delicious here.

Palmier is French for ‘palm’, the leaf of this tropical tree is where these delightful pastries take their name from. Interestingly, they seem to have some sort of sweet or savoury variation across the world whether that’s glazed with honey in Puerto Rico or in Spain topped with coconut.

I have opted for a savoury version here with a little cayenne…

And it’s super easy to make, just mix some crabmeat, plum cherry tomatoes, cayenne pepper, mustard and grated cheddar and season with a little salt and pepper.  

Spread the mixture onto a puff pastry sheet, slice thinly, roll like a scroll and pop into the oven. Et voila

Serves 6
Prep 15 mins + 30 mins of chilling time
Cook 25 mins
Total 40 mins

Ingredients

100g plum cherry tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped
100g white crabmeat 
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp mustard powder
50g mild cheddar cheese, grated
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
320g ready rolled all butter puff pastry
1 medium free range egg, beaten

Method

In a medium sized bowl mix cherry tomatoes, crabmeat, cayenne, mustard and cheddar. Squeeze over lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the mixture evenly over the puff pastry sheet leaving 1cm around the edges. Roll the pastry up to the middle, place the widest side of the pastry in front of you and roll to the middle then flip it round and repeat (it should look like a long scroll). 

Gently push the scrolls together, turn over and cover in cling film. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Bring the pastry log out of the freezer and brush all over with the beaten egg. 

Slice thinly with a sharp thin knife dusted with flour (roughly 0.5cm per slice) and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Glaze and brush each palmier again with the beaten egg. Bake for 20-25 or until golden brown, it’s best served warm : )

The Knickerbocker

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A classic cocktail dating back to 19th century New York, made with fresh raspberries, pomegranate, Cointreau, golden rum and lime juice – fruity, sweet and tart. I have given it a slight twist with some fresh pomegranate. It definitely makes the perfect festive cocktail.

This cocktail is very easy to make and would pair perfectly with canapés or nibbles at any party. The original recipe for a Knickerbocker has no pomegranate at all but I think it adds a really nice fruity twist.

Use a golden rum like Havana Club Especial for the perfect flavour and to balance out the raspberries and pomegranate. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Prep 10 mins
Cook 10 mins
Total 20 mins

Ingredients

For the pomegranate and raspberry syrup

100g fresh raspberries
80g pomegranate seeds
100g golden caster sugar 

For the cocktail 

120ml golden rum (Havana Club) 
60ml raspberry pomegranate syrup
Juice of 1 lime
100ml pomegranate juice
1 tbsp Cointreau 
Crushed ice, to serve
Raspberries and lime wedges to garnish

Method

First, make the syrup, put sugar and 200ml water in a small pan over a medium heat. Add the raspberries and pomegranate seeds and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes and stirring occasionally until it starts to thicken. 

Remove from the heat and leave to cool, then strain through a sieve or juice strainer to get rid of any bits of fruit or pulp.

In a cocktail shaker put rum, syrup, lime juice, Cointreau and crushed ice and shake until cold. Pour into short glasses filled with a handful of crushed ice. Garnish with a couple of fresh raspberries and lime wedges, enjoy!

Chicken and cauliflower tacos with a cashew sauce

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Smoky chicken and cauliflower tacos with a cashew sauce – made with only a few ingredients but healthy and full of amazing flavour. The chicken thighs and cauliflower are seasoned with a little garlic, cumin and paprika then roasted. Whilst the cashew sauce is made by blending jalapeños, cashew nuts and coriander with some lime juice. 

The corn tortillas are from Cool Chile which is an amazing supplier of Mexican ingredients in the UK but any small tortillas will do!

This recipe originally comes from Waitrose Magazine and I adapted it slightly by adding shredded chicken. Of course if you’re vegan or veggie just remove the chicken and it makes an equally brilliant taco. And if you’re looking for more taco inspo, try my plantain taco here.

Ingredients

500g free-range chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 large cauliflower, cut into small florets 
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt, to taste
Juice of 3 limes
1 small red onion finely sliced 
1 jalapeno chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped
1 handful coriander
Small corn tortillas
1 avocado, sliced 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C fan / 200C / Gas Mark 6. Mix the olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika and the juice of one lime together, leave to one side.

Put the cauliflower in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water, leave for 5 mins to soften.

Meanwhile, coat the chicken thighs and drumsticks with half of the spice mixture and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Drain the cauliflower and spread on another lined baking tray and coat with the rest of the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 40 mins and the cauliflower for 20, making sure to turn everything over a couple of times. Once cooled, shred the chicken into pieces using a knife and fork.

Take two small bowls. Put the sliced red onion and soak in the juice of one lime. Soak the cashew nuts in cold water for 10 mins.

Blend the drained cashews, jalapeño, coriander and the rest of the lime juice and a couple of tbsp water. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the tortillas in a hot dry pan and then spread the cashew sauce over each taco. Top with shredded chicken, cauliflower, sliced avocado, pickled onions and any left over coriander leaves. Enjoy!

Courgette, chipotle black bean and feta tart

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I have been making courgette and chipotle black bean wraps for my afternoon tea boxes for some time now and it has been a huge hit so I decided to try and make a slightly fancier tart version. I must say the crisp puff pastry, the smoky chipotle black beans, creamy feta and courgette go really well together. It also makes a super quick and healthy lunch too!

A very simple but delicious tart using a few ingredients. Pop a Jus Roll puff pastry sheet, glazed with a beaten egg into the oven for 15 minutes and spread over the black bean filling.

Cover the black bean filling with courgette ribbons (use a vegetable peeler for thin strips) lightly fried in olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Put it back in the oven so the courgettes crisp up and the puff pastry gets golden and extra flaky.

Remove from the oven, top with finely sliced jalapenos for a little heat and a sprinkling of creamy feta cheese to cool it down.

Sprinkle coriander liberally and dig in. Unless you hate it and in that case whichever herb or leaves your prefer. This tart would pair perfectly for a gathering with sweetcorn fritters, plantain tacos and melon and halloumi salad.

Ingredients

320g ready rolled all butter puff pastry
1 medium free range egg, beaten
150g courgettes, cut into thin long ribbons
1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
25g feta crumbled 
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and thinly sliced 
Handful of fresh coriander leaves 

For the chipotle black bean filling

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g tin black beans, rinsed and drained and roughly mashed
1/2 tsp chipotle chilli powder
125ml organic vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Make the puff pastry first. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Roll out the pastry and place onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Use a knife to score a rectangular border (2cm around the edge) of the pastry. Brush the border with the beaten egg and bake for 15 mins Leave to one side.

Now make the black bean filling, heat oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic and sauté for 2-3 mins. Add the beans, chilli powder and stock, stirring and mashing over a low heat until you have a slightly chunky consistency. Season with salt and pepper and leave to one side.

Heat a large frying pan until hot and add some olive oil. Lightly fry the courgette ribbons for a couple of mins until translucent and cooked through.Season and leave to one side.

Use the back of a spoon to press down the centre of the pastry leaving the raised border. Fill the middle with the black beans, spreading it over the pastry. Place the courgette ribbons on top and return to the oven for 15 minutes until crispy and golden. Serve with a sprinkle of crumbled feta, sliced jalapeño and fresh coriander leaves. 

Chilli harissa roasted root vegetables with almonds and feta

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Chilli harissa roasted root vegetables with almonds and feta. Perfect for the season and a great way to use any root vegetables you may have around. This warming veggie tray bake is perfect to have on its own or just use it as a side with roast chicken. 

I bought some new ingredients from Belazu to try out and decided on the smoked chilli harissa paste and Arbequina early harvest extra virgin olive oil. I discovered the brand after helping at a supper club with superstar chefs Alexandra Dudley and Nina Parker.

It’s the season for root vegetables (parsnips, squash, pumpkin, sweet potatoes etc), cosy nights and dinners inside. And I thought spicing them up could be a nice twist.

It’s all very simple. Slice the vegetables up and coat with the harissa paste, lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Pop in the oven until it’s crispy and roasted to perfection.

Then plate (maybe drizzle a little more oil) and serve with toasted almonds, crumbled feta and sprinkle of coriander leaves. Enjoy!

Serves 4
Prep 15 mins
Cook 50 mins
Total 65 mins

Ingredients

300g baby carrots, top, tailed and halved
200g baby parsnips, top, tailed and halved 
1 large sweet potato, cut into batons
200g new potatoes, quartered 
3 tbsp Belazu’s Arbequina Early Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 tbsp Belazu’s Smoked Chilli Harissa 
Juice of 1 lemon 
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper 
30g almonds, toasted 
50g feta, crumbled 
Handful of coriander leaves, to serve (optional) 

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6 / 400F. Put the root vegetables onto a large baking tray (making sure they don’t overlap).

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, chilli harissa, lemon juice and a little salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables in the harissa marinade, ensuring it is well coated. 

Roast for 50 minutes until the vegetables have crispy edges and cut easily with a knife, you may need to turn the vegetables over a couple of times. Drizzle over a little bit more olive oil.

Meanwhile, heat a medium sized pan, toast the almonds in 1 tsp of olive oil until lightly browned and leave to one side to cool.

To serve, transfer to a dish and sprinkle over the toasted almonds, crumbled feta and coriander leaves. Enjoy!

Apple, ginger and honey cake

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A ginger infused apple and honey cake – its sweet, a little sticky with a dash of spice. It’s proper Autumnal! Make this seasonal cake when you have friends over for dinner, it looks good on the table.

I think it’s the prettiest cake I’ve made to date, just look at that beautiful honey glaze!

It’s perfect with a scoop of ice cream or custard or cream on a windy Autumn day. Enjoy!

Serves 8
Prep 25 mins
Cook 80 mins
Total 105 mins

Ingredients

200g unsalted butter, softened
75g golden caster sugar
175g clear honey
3 free-range eggs
250g self-raising flour, sifted
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1 Braeburn apple, peeled and cut into 1 cm chunks
2 tsp of stem ginger chopped

For the topping

1 Braeburn apple, cored and thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp honey and stem ginger syrup

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C / gas mark 3 /320F and line a 20cm round cake tin with greaseproof paper.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the honey and eggs, one at a time until well incorporated. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet and then stir in the chopped apple and stem ginger.

Spoon into the cake tin and arrange the apple slices beginning in the centre. Bake for 60-70 mins until golden and firm (check by inserting a skewer and if it comes out clean it’s ready). Cover with a little foil if it starts to brown too quickly.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin and then remove. Warm the ginger syrup and honey in a small pan and brush over the cake. Serve with ice cream. Enjoy!