06.05.13 | SPRING TACOS

Yesterday was cinco de mayo & although I'm neither Mexican or living anywhere close to Mexico, I am as you know a massive fan of Mexican food so i wanted to celebrate the holiday too! I'm not going to lie and say the temptation to sit drinking margaritas all day long in my sunny garden wasn't pretty high but I do have three small(ish) children to look after so instead TACOS it was.
Well it had to be really, didn't it...
I'd already made a similar version to this earlier in the week but these Spring Tacos are so good that we wanted them again. The chicken is rubbed with spices & lemon juice and griddled making these super healthy too. Serve with some spicy jalepeno sauce  and some fat free natural yougurt & you'll be laughing all the way to skinny town. Mmmmm.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

FOOD: PURPLE SKINNY SLAW

It happened. I found myself in a food rut. 

Yup, I'm in a big fat food rut & i hate it.

I just don't know what to make at the moment and all I seem to hear myself saying is "who fancies tacos tonight?!"

I blame the weather or the Winter more specifically. There is no love lost between me and this season and I get so tired of its cold and selfish demands for gravy based stodge. I don't want a plate of mash. I don't want a stew and I really don't want a roast dinner...

I need some sun.

I need some Spring! 

I need some inspiration.

I need to once again go crazy eating fresh, zingy salads or hot & spicy grilled foods. I want to stand around in other peoples gardens with a Corona in my hand and a big plate full of veggie burgers, salads and a good old slaw...

So, I went searching and I found me a brand spanking new slaw. Hurrah! It's similar to the one Sir J of O makes to go with his Happy Cow burgers, but I fancied a little green in mine so I added some coriander and a little seasoning into the mix. 

I really love this slaw as it's simple stuff, it's healthy and it was a big hit with the kiddos during half term. That's a lot of boxes it managed to tick and as an added bonus, it makes you feel like Spring is just around the corner and that is exactly how I want to be feeling right now...

Go on, get a spring in your step!

FOOD: TURKEY BOLOGNESE

When I stopped eating red meat back in 2011 I knew that as a mum of three, i was going to need some sort of spag bol substitute at some stage. I gave soya mince (in a few different recipes) a whirl but if i'm brutally honest it was never that great. I needed, or rather my kiddos demanded, a spaghetti bolognese that tasted like spaghetti bolognese (tsk, the cheek of it) and thankfully the one I found in my trusty bashed up old copy of Leon Book Two did just that! Boom!
This spag bol is perfect, it's much MUCH lower in fat than the traditional beef version, it's super rich and there are never any leftovers when I serve it up. It also freezes well, and it's a recipe every meat eating mama needs. I promise you that you that if you love spag bol, you will love this. It's simple, honest family grub at its best...

FOOD: WINTER BRUSCHETTA

Even when it's really chilly out and the snow is slowly melting and almost decapitating you as it falls off of shop rooftops (yes Mr Sainsbury's, I'm talking to you), I STILL do not want a roast dinner. I'm sorry, and I know that I deserve to be carted away by the men in white coats for saying this out loud but I just don't like them. Christmas dinner? Fine, I'll carve a turkey nut roast with the best of them and if you're nice to me I'll even source out a really awesome way to make sprouts edible, but EVERY WEEK? No thanks. I'm just not a 'meat and two veg' kind of girl and I guess the ideal winter food for me would be.... um, tacos and well....tacos, but apparently man can not live on tacos alone (try me) so I had to find something else. I hit the jackpot when made this Winter Bruschetta at the weekend because it was gorgeous and so comforting and i recommend it 100%, if you're in the market for something crunchy, flavoursome and good for you (it is still January). Yes! This is the one for you...

FOOD: BUTTERNUT SQUASH & BEAN JAMBA STEW

Do you have snow? We have snow - loads and loads of snow which is awesome because we never usually get any. Normally, the whole country is banging on about how annoying snow is & how it's ruining their whole life whilst we just sit here praying for even a little sprinkling. Well, this time it's our turn & even though I almost broke my neck this morning at 8am on the way to swimming lessons, i will NOT moan about it because snow is brilliant. The whole place looks beautiful, the kids are so happy that they could pop & the quiet tranquility it brings is so so welcome when you live smack bang in the middle of a busy city. So, yes I 100% love snow.

Obviously with all this random talk from me about the weather, I am of course seamlessly linking you up to the perfect meal for a snow day. Butternut squash & bean jamba stew (try saying that after one glass too many) is what your tummy wants and needs. It's inspired by Jambalaya which i love so i'm super chuffed to have a really excellent vegan one to turn to now. Score! 

It's lovely, you should try it.

FOOD: BLACK BEAN TOSTADAS W/ PINK PICKLED ONIONS

When I was deep in thought about whether to jump into Veganism or not, one of the questions that kept cropping up was "but what about Mexican food, will there be enough choice for a vegan?" As you know, I'm a Mexican food nut and I am a total chilli addict, so the thought of Taco night being no more (or being replaced with some squash & rice combination) really made me think twice. I needed to find a good veggie / vegan recipe that I could turn to in those moments when my taste buds are literally crawling out of my mouth and buying a one way ticket to Cozumel.

So, i searched. And i searched & came up with very little that took my interest. Then on the hop, i randomly picked up a copy of BBC Vegetarian magazine (never bought before) & well, to say I got LUCKY when I found the recipe i'm about to share with you is an huge understatement! Once I'd tweaked it a little and added some of these pink pickled onions, it was like i'd never even had any Mexican food before. Well, nothing that tasted like this anyway. The flavours were out of this world, and the texture of the tosadadas - a dream! It was my actually first time making tostadas too and buy their own admission these are whoppers in size, but once i got used to the breaking up & scooping & scoffing, i was in food heaven. Again. And I feel blessed that this is still happening, as I was a little scared it wouldn't be if i'm honest. If you wanted to make this less faffy, then you could opt out of the pickled onion stage, but if you have time i'd really recommend you didn't as it's a huge part of the flavour experience here...

So, go on! Schedule this meal to happen this week because it's about to blow your mind!

VEGAN?

So, this is what I'm doing for the new year, I'm going vegan. At least for a month, at first to see how I go. I've been toying with the idea for ages - just over a year in fact (errr, a YEAR? Who takes a year to make a decision?! ha!) It's a bit of a boring story if you're not me, but something I wanted to write down anyway, and maybe help other people in my situation. That situation is nothing major or particularly serious, but it can sometimes be a pretty big pain in the ass side.
14 months ago, i was diagnosed with Gallbladder disease (more commonly known as gallstones) & after my third hellish attack (worst than labour, waaaay worst than labour - I'm really not exaggerating) which ended up with another midnight dash to A&E where I was zonked out on morphine for 6 hours & totally away with the fairies for another 18, I decided that enough was enough & i simply could not go through that pain again. Ever. I got myself on the waiting list for surgery, and decided that in the meantime I would have to go mega strict on my diet. Fat is the thing that aggravates the gallbladder, so i needed to have hardly any in my diet. I cut out meat (except poultry) and all dairy. I also steered clear of anything fried, or pretty much anything with more than 5g of fat per portion in. This was a big deal for me and it was also a real eye opener, and if I'm being brutally honest, at first it was horrific. I hadn't researched anything properly & was surviving on chicken salads, diet coke and coffee (oh no wait, and wine!!). I was getting miserable, ratty, tearful & above all else i was pretty pissed off that I was in this situation in the first place. i don't know who i was pissed off with, i just was! I didn't want to be eating the same dull chicken based meals day in day out - i was BORED and i was slowly going out of my mind. Christmas that year was pretty rubbish in terms of food. After being pregnant the previous year I was so looking forward to stuffing myself full of stinky cheeses, smoked salmon, roast pots, christmas puddings, mince pies, chocolate, pringles! But instead i found myself tucking into some dry turkey with some sprouts and some onion gravy. Merry f-ing Christmas...
When I found out in January that the surgery waiting list was 18+ weeks, I cried on the phone to the woman. Yep, I was that girl. It was then that I knew I had to change the way i was eating. I could not go on having chicken salad constantly with the old jacket potato & beans thrown in for good measure. So, i started experimenting with loads of different veggie food whilst still keeping the amount of non-animal fats very low, and obviously leaving any cheese off of my portions. I found it liberating and actually, something inside me 'clicked'. I had found a heightened passion for food, and all of a sudden I didn't feel like I was being punished. My cooking had become more creative and imaginative, and I started to look forward to the evenings when I could let go in my kitchen. Getting excited about recipes was something that hadn't really happened to me before. I mean i liked cooking, but not in the same way i do these days. I instantly felt happier, i had more energy and as an added bonus I lost 35lb of baby weight that had been sitting around for 6 years ;) Whoop!
It was around March of this year ('12) that i started taking pics of the recipes for the blog - mainly as a way for me to have them all to hand. I wanted to know that i had a place where I could go to, where the recipes had been tried & tested by me, and they wouldn't bring on an attack. I had searched everywhere for websites or books that had recipes for people living with gallbladder disease and although i found a lot of good low-fat sites, there was still quite a lot of dairy going on in most of the recipes. So, i thought I'd just get on with it myself and as i already had this blog which rarely got any attention from me, it seemed the perfect place.
Over this past year it has become more apparent that the diet that seemed to most suit me and my needs was similar to that of a vegan one. After following Drea's blog for quite some time, I came to realise that veganism looks like a pretty appealing way of life. As well as huge health & environmental benefits, I'm also really looking forward to the challenge of finding and trying new recipes. I've lived 'attack' free now for  over 10 months because of the food choices I've made and with that in mind and some other quite important factors i needed to consider (plus a well informed chat with my GP) I've decided to come off of the waiting list. I'm keeping my gallbladder where it is, stones and all. I want to carry on the way I'm going, just with a few minor adjustments, hence ending up here - going vegan.
Of course we shall see what January brings but for now i know I'm really, really looking forward to it :)

FOOD: CARNIVAL SLAW

Here's a question: am i about to treat you to a 'new-to-me' recipe for a good old slaw? Oh yoooou betcha!

If you don't love marinated cabbage dressed up with flavours that will make your taste buds sing, then it may be your cue to leave (but do stay anyway because you're nice and I like you).

Now, where do i start with this one? Yes it is another slaw recipe in the middle of Autumn, but stay with me on this one because this slaw is very different to this one and this one.
Carnival Slaw is the perfect combination of sweet/sour/crunchy and because it is not at all spicy i think it's pretty much perfect with any dish that feels the need for a good old helping of slaw.

It is perfect as a side to grilled meats, it's perfect for veggie burgers, it's perfect for your kiddos and it is perfectly perfect for standing alone in the kitchen, in the dark, with the fridge door open scoffing crazy amounts straight out of the bowl. Ahem, moving on....

I first saw the recipe on Shutterbean ages & ages ago but me being me, i didn't bookmark it. So, when i came to look it up again i could not find it for love nor money. I simply could not remember the name of it, but what i could remember was that Tracy described it as 'the slaw all the parents went apeshit for' - so I googled 'Shutterbean Apeshit Slaw' - et viola I FOUND IT! Yay! I know I can't call this apeshit slaw forever, even though I really want to.....

You really should make it, because we all really did go apeshit for it...

FOOD: GREMOLATA PASTA W/ PRAWNS

Where do i start with this little gem?
Cheap? Check!
Easy? Check!
Fast? Check!
Bloody gorgeous? Yes, yes, YES!

This really doesn't need much chat.
It is so simple to make and equally easy to adapt. If you don't like prawns, then replace with chicken. If you're a veggie or if you just fancy a meat free supper, then leave that chicken the heck alone & marvel in the simplicity of the rocket, parsley, lemon & chilli. I've made this dish all three ways and they are all equally as good.
Yep, this is one of those Monday's are hard or I haven't got any pennies in my purse dinner that will not disappoint!

Go forth my friends, go make...

FOOD: BLACK BEAN AND MANGO QUINOA

Sometimes in life you need to just get over stuff.

Sometimes, it doesn't matter if you gain 4lbs over the summer.

Sometimes, you need to accept that your worn out uggs are not doing their job as footwear anymore.
You especially need to realise this if you slip over and fall smack bang on your ass THREE times in one morning (it's ok, nobody saw you, but seriously, three times?!)

Other times in life you need to embrace stuff.

Stuff like cookie butter. NO! FOOL! Actually not like cookie butter - i gained 4 pounds sneaking spoonfuls of this stuff. I'm warning you, if you ever get the chance, do not embrace cookie butter. 

No, you need to embrace stuff like the leaves that are turning yellow & falling from the trees or the fact that the nights are drawing in & you can call up your chimney sweep to get ready for that first fire of the season. You need to embrace the fun planning of Halloween and then bonfire night and then Christmas! Sorry, way too early to mention that word i know...

Then there are times in life when you just need to man up & both get over it and embrace it. Just like I just did with some corn.
Yes, I am rambling on like a crazy person about corn.
You see I have a funny thing about corn being used in salsas or salads. Don't ask me why because I have no idea. It's just one of those things & i to be honest I hadn't felt like it's something i ever needed to address because it's just corn, right? Er -Wrong! As a Mexican food addict  i totally needed to get over it & embrace that funny little yellow bit of oddness.

So I got brave.

And after i congratulated myself for buying a fresh cob of corn, I made this recipe which blew my socks off! I had it today for lunch in a tortilla with lashings of hot sauce & then tonight, i had it again after the mister told me he was going out for steak (!) but i served it with some grilled chicken. It's a flavour bomb waiting to go off & you need to try it.
Especially if you have a weird unjustified aversion to corn.

Go Make!

ASTORIA SOUP

Who woke up this morning thinking "I know what I could do with - a big bowl of Egyptian soup". 

No? 

What, not one of you?! 

Ok, ok, me either, but a couple of weeks ago I was bored & found myself doing what I always do when I'm bored - I buried myself in my recipe books. 

It's obviously no secret that I love to spend time in my kitchen. It's how I chill out, it's what centres me & I consider it the ultimate form of therapy if it's been a bit of a shitty day (well, that & an insanely large glass of wine). 

For me, part of the fun of testing out new recipes is finding one with an ingredient I've never heard of. The challenge of finding that ingredient without having to order it online, is just something my 32yr old self likes to do. Sometimes it's a winner, other times it can be annoying, like when i finally find the magical ingredient & spend time making the recipe only for it to it tastes like crap. Thankfully though, this is not that time. 

The new fangled ingredient I'm talking about here is zahtar.

WTF is zahtar? 

Zahtar (sometimes spelt Zatar or Zaa'tar) is a spice mix made up of Sumac, dried thyme & sesame seeds & they use it a lot in middle eastern dishes. I first heard of it in Jamie's recipe for his Astoria soup which someone made him when he was eating his way through New York (i don't know why I talk about Sir Jamie of Oliver as if i know him either, ignore me).

The good thing about this recipe is that although it's nice to use zahtar & sumac, Jamie told me that we don't have to if we can't find it as the soup is just pretty damn good on it's own. He's right, but then he would be, he is JAMIE! 

And i know that soup in late summer is a bit weird but it just works, so relax.

Now tell me, what better reason do you have to wake up tomorrow morning thinking "I know what i could do with - a big bowl of Egyptian soup"...

SEARED TOFU W/ DATE BBQ SAUCE

Last week, when we drove ourselves down to the south coast i had to somehow drown out the soundtrack to "Alvin & The Chipmunks - Chipwrecked" (i know, just don't...)
So, I zoned out & i got recipe searching on my iphone (obviously i am not the driver in this situation - i'm not that idiot) and somewhere between Katy Perry & Destiny's Child I stumbled across this recipe for seared tofu with home made date BBQ sauce... Good God! AMAZING!
I knew i had to make it as soon as the sun decided to make an appearance (are we still not over the rain?) but, well you know how i'm mega impatient? I decided to make it as soon as we got home.
But thank goodness I did, as i am STILL waiting for some bloody sunshine (seriously, are we still not over the rain?)...
Anyhoo, here we go. If you're not a veggie or a vegan, don't let the tofu freak you out, it's good stuff! BBQ (inside on your cooker hob!) serve with a fresh green salad and some toasted pitta's et viola... pretty much a summer vegan heaven. Enjoy x

CHICKEN BANH MI

I do not even know where to start with this recipe.
Amazing? That's a total understatment.
Totes Amaze? Not even close.
Amazeballs? Possibly.
Best thing I have ever eaten in my whole life? FOR SURE!

Here's a little history...
Way back in Feb, the mister went on a little jolly holiday to Hawaii. Yes, you did read that right, i did say Hawaii.
Yes, yes, whilst I was here freezing my ass off juggling 3 kiddos for 12 days, he was drinking cocktails in a grass skirt, hula dancing under coconut trees slurring the word Aloha occasionally...
It's ok, i'm over it. No, I really am. *ahem*
So, whilst he was in the obligatory 3-day-each-way L.A limbo, staying with his bro at Venice Beach (Hi Dave! Hi Shan!) he was introduced to a little Vietnamese sandwich called a Banh Mi and he fell in love - BIG time!
To be fair, this thing did sound too good to be true; marinated & perfectly cooked pork, crunchy carrots & radishes, coriander, spicy mayonnaise, soft french baguette, sweet, hot - I could go on...
So, obviously when he got home & showed me the pic he'd taken (yes i do make him take photos of food for me if i'm not there, don't judge) I just had to make it for myself.
After what felt like 400 years of trying to find some sriracha hot sauce and some daikon (that's mooli for us UK peeps) i finally made (& slightly adapted) this chicken version last night and WOW WOW WOW it completley blew my mind. I've never been hit by a food buzz like this before - this sandwich is a legal high!
You simply must make this. Even if the recipe first looks a bit faffy at first, it really isn't & the end result is totally worth it. Go on, pour yourself a glass of something nice & go have some fun in your kitchen.
You can thank me later...

SPICY BIRD TACOS

A couple of weeks ago, i picked up this book which is full of recipes for authentic Mexican grub. The first thing i decided on cooking up was these Spicy Bird Taco's and oh my, they were so good! I adapted Thomasina's recipe slightly because i hadn't made my own chipotles en adobo and i happened to have a tin of these ready made ones in my cupboard which my sister-in-law sent over from the States. Luckily, i've seen this brand creeping in a few shops this side of the pond lately, which is good good news!

So, do you fancy something sweet, smokey and spicy? 

Yes?

Great - then these are for you!

We enjoyed ours with some home made pico de gallo and lashings of Cholula and the kiddos had the leftovers the following day in fajitas with some soured cream & grated cheese. Full smiles & full bellies all round. NOM.

A MINI SMöRGåSBORD

It's been a bit quiet lately here on the blog front due to the rest of my life being insanely manic. I hate this end-of-school time of year when there is so much to do, and so much sort out ready for the summer break. But amidst the chaos i took some time out & I went to visit my two oldest girlfriends this weekend (Hi  Kel! Hi Jem!).

It was a loooong overdue catch up as the last time was almost 3 years ago (3 years!!) but then i guess that's what happens when you throw re-locations to Spain, new babies & general life stuff into the mix. Time has a habit of flying by. 

It was such a lovely sunny visit; we had good chats, we drank good wine, we danced around the living room until 3:30am & I learnt a valuable lesson about offering to cook for 7 people in a kitchen I didn't  know, whilst slightly inebriated. Hmmm. 

Anyway, the night before I went off on my child-free adventure, I made this lovely Swedish mini-feast for me & the mister. It was gorgeous & as there's no actual cooking involved, it's a sinch to knock up. 

BLACK BEAN SALSA

The other night I was trying to find a new way to satisfy my never ending desire for Mexican food. And, well, this happened. 

It's a gorgeously spicy fresh salsa with the added omph of black beans. 

Fingers crossed that this salsa will be the stepping stone I need to get me to try a corn salsa one day soon as i have a weird aversion to this Mexican classic.... I have no idea why either.

This salsa may also be the way to get Dexter to eat a bean. Ok, Ok, so it's unlikely that will happen but if it does, then this salsa has magical properties. I'd totally go as far as to say that, as it's sooooo good. 

Errr, what are you waiting for? Go MAKE!

SPICY BEAN BURGERS

Do you remember not so long ago, when I blogged about this black bean salad? 

Remember how much i said i hated, hated, HATED red kidney beans? 

Well, that's changed.

You see, I seem to have completley changed my mind about this weird little funny shaped, funny coloured bean.

I can't apologise for that though because I'm human, we do that A LOT & it's totally acceptable, especially when it comes to food. In fact, when it comes to food it's a very important thing!

So, yes, I can now be heard singing from my little pink kitchen about how I love love LOVE red kidney beans. Well, i do when they're mixed up in this burger anyway, and I still reserve the right to hate them again at any given time...

This wind of change started when I recently went out for lunch at The Swan in Swineford & ordered pretty much the only thing i could eat off the menu (gallstones...yawn). What came out was the most delicious veggie burger i've ever had & it was topped with a homemade chutney your grandmother would be proud of!

Then a couple of days passed & whilst I pottered about doing 4 billion laundry loads, school runs, 4 squbillion nappy changes etc etc, i could not get that damn burger out of my mind. So, I gave in & decided to make my own - y'know just to share the love with the folks around me (nothing at all to do with being food obsessed....)

I found this recipe & although the flavours were good, it just didn't hit the right notes for me. The burgers didn't really hold their own & weren't 'substantial enough', which really means 'i have the appetite of a bloke & need more umph'.

So, I tweaked it and for some bizarre reason, i added my worst bean ever. I don't know why? It's totally possible i forgot I hated them, but who cares, right? This burger is amazeballs. 

I just said Amazeballs? 

Geeeeeez..... 

Anyway, it is...

We served ours with some sweet potato chips, but a good salad would be enough as these burgers fill you right up. Result!

Go fourth my friends & make!

CAPONATA BRUSCHETTE

A couple of nights ago, I had a big craving for aubergines in a tomato-y stew, but i didn't quite fancy this.  Hmm, Dilemma.
I was also craving olives, probably because i'm not meant to eat them at the moment, and capers. I wanted it altogether, right then & in gigantic quantities.
Well low & behold, guess who came to my rescue? Jamie! Of course he did, he's JAMIE.

SPICY PRAWN LINGUINE W/ TOMATOES AND HERBS

Three things I know...
1. I AM SCATTY
Very, very scatty! I'm that girl who walks upstairs to get something, then comes down empty handed after 20 minutes, waving the white flag of forgetfulness.
I'm the one who has been meeting you for coffee every Wednesday for the past five years, yet still asks you if you take milk & sugar every time we meet.
I always lose my phone & it's always in the same place (under my seat in the car because I always put it on the car floor) yet i still spend ages hunting it down.
I never, ever know where my keys are which basically means if they are not in the front door lock, then the world is their oyster.
I have 1 calendar, 2 diaries & numerous alerts on my iPhone - yet I still forget everything.
This is annoying to everyone around me (i'm totally aware of this), but what pisses ME off the most about being scatty, is the people who are not at all, but claim to be because they think it's an endearing personality trait! Oh lord! I hear "oh, I'm soooo scatty" from truely well-organised people whose houses looks like a bloody Elle Decoration spread. It's up there with somebody saying "I'm such a nightmare" or "I'm so ditzy" in terms of aaaaaagggghhhhh!
So, no people, NO! Being a genuine scatterbrain makes life tricky.

2. I AM TERRIBLY IMPATIENT
Ha! Isn't that the understatement of 2012! This is incredibly annoying to both me and my husband, but lets be honest, mainly him.
If I see something I need/want/have to have, it's like I had to have had it yesterday.
Lets say I'm in town & i buy a new bag. Simple stuff, right? WRONG! I can't carry this amazing new product about with me in a paper bag and wait until I get home to unleash its glory. Not. A. Chance! No,  I have to go to the public toilets & change every single thing from my old bag into my new amazing bag so i can use it RIGHT NOW.
Yes, Yes, I also do this with shoes.
I'm she who freely opens birthday cards days before my birthday & I am she who finds Secret Santa's hard work as it is literally impossible for me wait until the allocated opening time. Ooops sorry girls, my secrets out!
But, y'know I've accepted that this is just how i am , it's normal to me, and I'm fine with it.
It's those people who have the patience to build their own houses from scratch? They are the weirdos!

3. I EAT WAY TOO MANY PRAWNS
And i seem to be encouraging you all to do the same (do it). How can I not with recipes such as this very very lovely spicy prawn linguine with tomato & herbs?! It's a very light pasta dish, that's refreshing, spicy, we eat it a lot and IT'S CARBS! Score! Mmmmm.....carbs...

BLACK BEAN SALAD W/ PRAWNS AND PINK PICKLED ONIONS

Hmmm. 

Beans. 

A tricky subject in this house. 

Do I like them? Yes! No! Maybe. I love butter beans, black beans, canellini beans but i hate, hate, HATE kidney beans. I hate black eyed beans too & I'm also a bit weird about baked beans. 

But, the mister loves them all, and Flo too will literally exhale any type of beany dish in a matter of minutes. Dex on the other hand wouldn't even entertain the idea of being in the same room as a bean, whereas India's current opinion on any food is 'can i throw it across the room? Yes? Winner!' 

So, because we are a bunch of fusspots, choosing a bean dish as a meal in this house, is kind of like a leap of faith. But, sometimes you have to take one of those - it's important - and this particular leap was one that I'm bloody glad i did. It's sweet! It's zingy! It's flippin' amazing...