PORTABELLO MUSHROOM BURGER

Every now and then, I crave burgers - who am I kidding, I'm always craving burgers, but as a fully signed up member of club grown-up, I realise that I can't eat them every day. Every now and then though I notice I've got some lonely little leftover Portobello mushrooms sitting in the fridge, and what better way to use those up than with a juicy vegetarian take on the old fashioned cheese burger ?! 

This recipe is simple stuff. I served it with some Mexican Slaw and a homemade ketchup / mayo / pickle combo and it was delicious. It would also go well with some sweet potato wedges and a big old dollop of homemade tomato ketchup!

FIG, AUBERGINE & ROCKET PIZZA

I think this is the first pizza recipe that I have posted on here, so yay for that. It's also the first time I've had fig on a pizza, so a round of applause to that too. It's also the very first time that I've posted a recipe that is semi-shop brought so hooray for occasionally taking the pressure off!
I made this pizza last Thursday when I wanted something that could be made and consumed in the 1hr 15 minutes that my big kids were at their Woodcraft folk club (hippy street cred? check!). 
India was in bed, I poured a glass of something that may, or may not have been alcohol free, and I made this delicious pizza topping - lovingly created on top of a Sainsburys pizza base (other supermarkets are available people ;).
Had it been the weekend, I probably would have made my own dough, because let's face it, it does taste much better that way, but for a quick supper, this is 100% the way forward for me and I don't feel guilty, not one. little. bit! 

KALE & QUINOA SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE, APPLE & FETA

I had a plan for this year - I was going to make and blog about a new salad every week. Partly because I think salads get a bad press, especially in the stodgy wintertime, and partly because salads are one of my favourite types of food. But, as with all plans I seem to make regarding this blog, it hasn't quite worked out that way, and here we are in week 3 of January and I've only got one salad under my belt. Oh well, let it be 'a salad a month' instead, or 'a salad when I get around to it'.

We are really onto a winner here, with our debut salad of 2014. It's got kale, it's got quinoa and it's got pomegranate - all great for you and perfect for this time of year. The added apple gives it an extra sweet kick & the walnuts provide a really nice texture. 

This salad really is quick, easy and tastes absolutely delicious - enjoy!

20.11.13 | THE ULTIMATE VEGGIE CHILLI

Finally, it happened.

Finally, I got the urge to get back into my kitchen, turn the radio up, pour a huge glass of wine and make something new. This hasn't happened in ages and I've really missed it (and to be honest i was getting a little worried). Don't get me wrong, we have been eating (mainly tacos I'll admit) but I just haven't seen any recipes that I was desperate to give a go - until the other night. I pulled down my Kitchen & Co book again & whipped up their veggie chilli. It's bloody good, and the way they recommend you serve it with wraps, fresh guac and salads was awesome. 

When i'm testing out a new recipe, I like to do as I'm told the first time around and this time it really paid off. It was like a burrito / chilli mash-up and one I'll be making until the cows lentils come home (see what I did there? Genius).

This is perfect winter grub, ideally eaten in front of a roaring fire. All together now, "ahhhhhhh".

02.11.13 | SPICY CHICKPEAS

Well hello there! It's been ages hasn't it?

 (no one noticed i was gone? oh.)

It's been half term here & it's been a busy one. We've been away, we survived storm St Jude (why do they name them?) I made stressful Minecraft pickaxes for the big kids Halloween costumes and I've consumed my body weight in pickle (not pregnant). We also ate at the most amazing Thai street food cafe, but more on that another time because what I'm here to talk to you about today is Spicy Chickpeas - lucky you! This Indian dish is my new favourite thing to make and eat and because i'm really good at sharing, I'm spending my Saturday morning typing all this out for you. You really need to make it (not just because this is taking ages to get down) but because it's bloody lovely and generally wolfed down by all. Except if you're called India, then you won't eat it because you never eat anything.

30.09.13 | BANANA & MAPLE GRANOLA

Well, I'm pretty sure that I have to accept that Autumn is here. I was really hesitant for the summer to end as it was so lovely, but now that it's getting cooler and the nights are drawing in, I'm kinda loving it. I think Autumn for a lot of people means time for more baking, but I am a terrible baker and can't bake a cake or a muffin to save my life. As you know I love to cook but I really do not love to bake - unless it's something quick & super simple, like granola. I know, I know - making a batch of granola isn't technically baking, but it's as close as I'm planning on getting.

The idea is that I will make a huge batch of granola on a Sunday, and it will feed us for the week. It's one of a few new habits I'm trying to get into in order to make the crazily busy week run a little smoother & so far it seems to be working, but more on that later (like how I'm almost dying on a daily basis doing the 30-day shred). 

For now though, try to erase that mental image of me bouncing around in my living room like an uncoordinated hippo and just enjoy this banana-ry maple-ly goodness in all it's glory. (I know those aren't real words...)

01.07.13 | VEGGIE TACOS

I'm trying to work out some good veggie taco recipes because (dare I say it) I'm in a bit of a taco rut. 

Tacos Tacos TACOS, they are all i want to eat - ALL DAY LONG.

I believe I could live on tacos but I normally opt for chicken or shrimp ones which got me thinking that if I do ever get the confidence to follow my food truck dream (ahem, did I just say that out loud?) then I will need a good veggie option, right? 

Right.

So, I found one and it's a really really good one, and it was so quick to make. I loved it, the mister loved it, and as a Brucey bonus, the kids loved it! Whoo Hoo!

I mixed the sides up a little and served them with some pink pickled onions (which are quick and easy to make) & all the flavours went together perfectly. 

So what are you waiting for? Go on, go make!

(you can grab the recipe for the pink pickled onions here)

13.05.13 | SPICY SWEET POTATO WEDGES

We eat loads & loads of everything sweet potatoes in this house which is (a lot) good but also a little bad/boring/samey.

It's obviously good because they are amazingly good for you aren't they, these giant golden nuggets? But what is bad/boring/samey is that I always get stuck in a foodie rut with them.
You see, if something works for me in the kitchen and I know how to do it so well that I could make it blind folded, then the temptation is there to keep on churning it out the same old way. That means that whenever we eat sweet pots it's either baked with lots of different toppings (my fave is soured cream & rose harissa!) or we have them this way.

Then a couple of months back i saw this recipe on my favourite fail-safe / go - to food blog Shutterbean and I started making them Tracy's way instead. They are pretty damn good and because they aren't quite as spicy as my other ones, the kids aren't scared to dive on in.

So here you go, here's how to make them (doh!) Well, it would be rude not to share...

SPICY JALEPENO SAUCE

This is a really simple sauce to brighten up pretty much anything. I wanted it for my spring tacos, but this would be good with steak, or drizzled over some grilled halloumi! It's going to be perfect for all your grilling needs now BBQ season is finally here - thank goodness!

23.03.13 | BAKED BUTTER BEANS W/ PARSLEY & DILL

Do you remember that advert for horlicks or lemsip or something like that? You know the one right,  with the massive armchair that gives you a hug as you drink the horlicks/lempsip/gin?
Yes? No? Don't care?!
Well anyway, this is what this dish makes you feel like - like it's giving you a big fat hug which lets face it, with the weather still awful it's just what you need, a big old baked beany hug. Yep.

You can serve this two ways, either similar to this or by serving alongside some grilled chicken as a side dish. I did it the first way and served it with a hefty baguette & some feta.

Simple. Innit.

Go on - hug it out!

18.03.13 | MANGO CHUTNEY

It had never crossed my mind to even attempt to make a mango chutney before. It seemed like a big faff for something that tastes quite nice out of a jar, right?

Well, no as it happens, i was very wrong to be such a lazy ass.

If you make this chutney, i reckon you probably will make the same promise to yourself as I did about never buying shop bought again.

This is seriously goooood stuff and it's pretty quick to whip up. The boring & longish part for me was prepping the mango, so if you went and got some already prepared then you're laughing! I made this whilst the kids were having their tea, and once it had simmered quietly on it's own for a bit, the spellings & reading books were done & it was already bath time. Now that's how little of a faff this mango chutney really is.

Go on go on go on, give it a whirl!

14.03.13 | CHIMICHURRI

I've got a bit of a thing at the moment for green food - lots & lots of green food. Maybe it's my body telling me that I should really be (at the very least) entertaining the idea of a post-holiday detox? Whatever it is, it had me googling for green recipes as you do - right?!

Ideally I wanted something zingy and fresh tasting that I could slather over a taco (of course I did - duh) or maybe something that the Mr could have with a big slab of caveman steak.

Then it hit me - BAM - before the hols i'd made a Chimichurri! It was goooooood. So i made it again and brought my camera along for the ride just in case it was just as good all over again. It was. Score!

So, c'mon get on board - it's almost Spring. Just ignore the fact that Chimichurri sounds a bit a lot like that chim chimney chim chim charoo song from Mary Poppins. That's in your head now isn't it? (oops, sorry)

24.02.13 | PANZANELLA

Panzanella is my new favourite thing. It's a salad (no, really?!) so of course I'm going to love it for that reason alone, but what's extra great about this salad is that it is so versatile. 

Panzanella is a classic Italian salad made using stale bread and although the recipe combinations vary from region to region, this one has to be my fave at the moment because of its simplicity & its ability to sit happily along side anything... 

You want some grilled chicken with it? Go for it! 

What about a nice piece of pan fried sea bass or some salt & pepper prawns? Now you're talking! 

Hey, you could even go all kinds of crazy and have grilled chicken AND some spiced up couscous like I did three times this week. Yes, count them - THREE! 

You could do all of those things, but this bold and punchy salad will make you just as happy eating it on it's own because it is that good.

Go on, get some PanZan in your life!

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: BAKED SKINNY FRIES

Hands up who remembers Christmas? 

Meeeeeeee!

Do you know how I remember Christmas? I mean aside from the fact that it is only January 17th? 

Well, it's not because of the million new teeny weeny new Lego pieces i have to dig out of my bare feet constantly & it's not because my husbands bottle of Baileys is STILL sat in the sodding fridge. No, it's because Christmas is still happening here. Yup, Christmas is still sitting here big, loud and very proud ON MY THIGHS.

These jeans? Painful. My joggers? Bliss. My appetite? Enormous. 

Something had to give, so I made these. 

And they were delicious, so I'm happily sharing them with you safe in the knowledge that it is fine to eat chips in January. I made two batches, one with one less tsp of polenta and both worked well and were devoured within minutes!

Now, if i could only skinny up some hash browns....

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!

FOOD: VEGGIE COTTAGE PIE

I ask you this: is there anything more comforting than a pie? No is the answer you're looking for, especially when it's -2 outside and you're so cold that your fingers are about to fall off.
However comforting pies may be, I'll admit it took me a little while to actually come around to the idea. I've never been a meat & two veg type of girl & I'm not overly crazy about roast dinners or anything really that involves gravy. Team that with the fact that I ditched all meat (except poultry) over a year ago and the fact that I'm not really very keen on pastry and you'll see why pies were never on my go-to list.
But then Bill Granger's chickpea, tomato & spinach cottage pie caught my eye & my mind was changed forever. This dish blew my socks off & even if i did think the idea of chickpeas in a pie was a bit odd, I listened to the voice of reason (that would be Bill) & I just got on with it - thank god for that!
So from now on I'm shouting HURRAH for chickpeas in a pie, HURRAH for the richest tomato sauce ever & HURRAH for the most amazing cheese & herb crust.

Well, what are you waiting for?

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: BAKED AUBERGINE W/ CHICKPEAS AND GREEN CHILLI

The clocks went back last night which means that today will be spent in a sleep deprived haze. Dexter was up at 4am.... yes I did just say, 4 f-ing am. I mean, who does that on a Sunday? Urgh! 

Yes, already it's pretty plain to see that today isn't going to be one of the best. It's raining out, we have little more than a Supermarket trip planned & India has a stinker of a cold. But, at least we will have something nice to eat, right? Yes, totally, because tonight we are having this awesome baked aubergine dish that I found in Bill Granger's Easy book. 

Now, to be honest my (albeit fuzzy) mind doesn't naturally want to put chickpeas and aubergines in the same dish. In fact, i probably wouldn't have ever cooked this dish if I'd thought about it a little more, but I am SO glad I did. Now, this will forever signify the start of the winter season for me. You know, the sodding rain the crisp sunny mornings, the frozen nights the fire roaring in the front room, those stupid adult hats with animal faces on the cosy hats & gloves, and now.... this dish.

I urge you to make this asap because lets face it, winter can be a little bit rubbish at times and this will cheer it up in a big way. Unless you don't like aubergines, and then I can't help you today because I'm just too dang tired...