Sweet Potato Pancakes with Honey, Strawberries & Ice Cream

Bangers, Mash, Broad Beans and Onion Gravy

This speaks for itself really. The onion gravy was as lovely as ever. We had it with some broad beans from my colleague's garden too, delicious. 

Sweet Potato Pancakes

I had some left over sweet potato so made these lovely sweet potato pancakes as a pre-dinner snack which were delicious with some local honey. Unfortunately they only made me more hungry!

Bolognese

Having spent a lot of time in the kitchen and at work this bank holiday weekend I decided to make something quick and easy this evening, bolognese. I had mine with a jacket potato that needed eating and Mr VST with some linguine.

Coffee Roasting

This is so cool! Coffee beans from green to roasted coffee bean....

Beetroot Risotto

I forgot to mention when I made this last week that last summer it was Mr VST who was king of the beetroot risotto. He made it again this evening for supper yesterday and it was so good, thicker and creamier than my version last week.

Apple Pie Crumbles

Earlier in the week I made some apple pie samosas. The recipe called for two cooking apples but I had four so I made twice as much of the filling mix. It is a combination of apples, sugar, mixed spice and raisins and is really tasty. I decided to put it underneath some crumble topping and we had it for pudding with some ice cream. Crumble really is one of my favourite puddings and this didn't disappoint. 

 

Spring Onion and Potato Cakes, Onion Rings and Carrot-Ginger Dressing

I embraced my new cookery book a little too enthusiastically yesterday afternoon. I decided that I would make the spring onion and potato (pan)cakes and accompany them with some OMG Oven Baked Onion Rings and a salad with carrot-ginger dressing.

One of the benefits of the book is that you are supposed to be able to make these quickly after work. While that might be true for one item at a time but you can't generally eat the recipes alone. Accompaniments are suggested throughout the book. Obviously the more times you make something the quicker it will become but I spent about three hours in the kitchen yesterday making these three recipes (and some instant falafel mix).

So I started with the carrot and ginger dressing. It is really a carrot and ginger purée with a little onion, garlic, lime juice, red wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil and agave nectar. In itself I guess it doesn't take much effort or time. The only time consuming bit is the boiling of the carrots and waiting for them to cool down a bit. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of lime juice and the same of water which I think is a bit too much. My dressing was quite watery. It is a simply but tasty addition to a plain salad and also went well with the potato cakes. The slight down side is that the raw ginger and garlic tend to stay with you afterwards!

The potato cakes again in themselves were not that difficult to make. Just mashed potato mixed with some spring onions and toasted sesame oil. You are supposed to use panko breadcrumbs both in with the potato mix and also on the outside, which I have discovered are Japanese style breadcrumbs. I tried the local supermarkets but couldn't find any. My favourite 'Continental Stores' didn't have them and the local Asian supermarket had run out so I had to make do with some Warburtons in the food processor instead, I think that this may have been my downfall.

I didn't seem to have enough breadcrumbs and the ones I did have didn't stick very well.  The end result was nice enough but didn't seem worth all the effort I'd been making all afternoon. I had some of the potato cakes for lunch today and they were nice. I think I'd make them again, just not at the same time as the onion rings and the dressing.

The OMG Oven-Baked Onion Rings promised the earth but didn't really deliver. Once again I think that it was the breadcrumbs that were my downfall. Mine were too big despite having been in the food processor. In the book it says that the method will take a bit of time to perfect, dunking each onion ring in the paste mix and then the sprinkling with breadcrumbs. I found that the first one was fine but the rest were awful with the breadcrumbs getting covered in the paste and sticking together.  I may try making breadcrumbs out of toast tomorrow, as this will make them smaller and drier, and see if that helps at all.

You can see the difference in the onion rings here. One breadcrumbed , many not!

As far as the taste is concerned the onion rings were nice but not fantastic, mainly due to the covering being quite sporadic. I certainly didn't get them to 'OMG' level but I will try them again.

Classic Black Bean & Veggie Chilli with Spring Onion & Sweetcorn Cornbread

Both of these dishes are from my new cookery book called Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. It is a vegan cookery book that promised a lot. I'm not planning on going vegan by the way, not at all, but I wanted to broaden my food horizons a bit and thought that this was a tasty filling way to do it.

The book and it's reviews promised the following:  between 200 and 400 calories a portion, filling, nutritionally balanced meals, low fat, tasty meals that don't take very long to cook. That really is a lot. The reviews on Amazon were all really good so I thought I'd try it out. The book came through the post a couple of days ago and I started reading through the recipes. I chose a combination of the classic black bean and veggie chilli and cornbread.

The chilli recipe has a massive long list of ingredients, most of them spices. I'm not usually too good at following recipes but as I felt completely out of my depth with these I followed it (almost) to the letter. The recipe called for three tablespoons of chilli powder and I put in 11/2 teaspoons instead as I knew that Mr VST wouldn't cope with that level of chilli. I also left out the call for a cup of freshly chopped cilantro aka coriander. Mr VST and I both seem to have the gene that makes it taste like washing up liquid. I think I was justified in my slight adjustments. The chilli was as nice as a veggie chilli can be, it wasn't particularly special but it was filling. The portion sizes were certainly generous and it's only 200 calories per portion.

The recommendation is to serve it with either rice or cornbread. I thought I'd go with the cornbread. When I went shopping to get all the ingredients I realised that cornmeal is in fact polenta and my spirits dropped. I can't remember ever really enjoying polenta but I went with it. It makes me think of the Deep South in America and all the John Grisham novels I've read! The cornbread was really easy to make.

Ingredients:
130g polenta (aka cornmeal)
250ml milk of your choice
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
63g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp agave nectar
160g (drained) sweetcorn
10 spring onions, finely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and spray an 8 inch square baking pan with spray oil.
2. Whisk together the milk and cider vinegar and set aside to curdle.
3. Sift together the polenta, flour and baking powder.
4. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk, agave nectar and oil, mix until just combined and fold in the sweetcorn and spring onions.

5. Place the mix into the pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

6. Slice and serve

 

I can't tell you how good this cornbread is. It's awesome! Light and filling at the same time, sweet and a perfect complement to the chilli. It is the first time I can put my hand on my heart and say that I've enjoyed polenta! Try it please, it's so good.

Going back to the promises that the book made this first outing certainly ticked all the boxes. The food was tasty and very filling. I checked out the calorie count for the cornbread and my calculation came out as one calorie less per portion than the recipe says (160 calories) which is much better than the BBC Good Food calculations that's for sure!

I've picked out a few more recipes from this book to try out over the weekend. I'll keep you posted....

Veggie Mexican with Refried Beans

After my last foray into the world of refried beans I decided that they were worth the effort but that I would make up a batch of all the beans that were left in the cupboard and then freeze portions rather than make all that effort every time. Part of my batch made it into last night's Mexican with my spiced veggies and quorn and lovely soft flour tortillas.

Apple Pie Samosas

I came across this recipe yesterday on the BBC Good Food website. It really is an Autumn/Winter/Christmas kind of recipe so I apologise for being unseasonable but I had to try it, especially when I calculated that they were about 76 calories each.

(Makes 12)

Ingredients:
2 cooking apples (approx 250-300g) , peeled, cored and chopped
50g caster sugar
1 tsp ground mixed spice
50g sultanas
4 sheets filo pastry
25g butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Place the apples, sugar, mixed spice and sultanas in a saucepan with 2 tbsp water and cook, covered, on a low heat for 10 mins or until the apples are soft, stirring once or twice. Tip into a shallow dish and spread out to cool slightly.

2. Cut a sheet of filo in thirds lengthways, then brush all three lightly with the melted butter so that they don't dry out.

3. Place a spoonful of the apple filling at the top of each strip, then fold over and over to form triangular parcels. 

 

4. Brush the baking sheet with a little of the melted butter. Place on a baking sheet and then brush the samosas with any remaining butter and left over sugar, mixed spice, water mix from cooking the apples.

5. Bake for 15-20 mins until crisp and golden. 

These went down very well. Mr VST said that they smelled of Christmas and he didn't mind at all that it is May! They make light, flavoursome, parcels of deliciousness and I can certainly recommend them with ice cream. 

Leek and Feta Frittata

An easy mid-week favourite tonight. The recipe is here, it's a lovely, easy vegetarian supper.

I Heart Leeks!

Served with salad leaves from the garden

Spinach Pie, New Potatoes and Green Beans

I had a super productive day at my desk today, then came back home and did a 4 mile run while Mr VST was cooking a delicious spinach pie for dinner. It was sooooo good.

Veggie Curry with Quorn Pieces and Green Lentils

Well it's national vegetarian week this week and Twitter is all a-twitter with it. It is an extra special meat free Monday today but I've gone with an easy vegetable curry.

I usually make it by frying off whatever vegetables are in the fridge and adding a tablespoon of curry paste and a can of coconut milk and letting it all bubble away for 10-15 minutes and it works!

When I went to get some coconut milk I was informed by a sign on the shelf that there was a worldwide shortage of coconut milk. I am sure (and will have to check tomorrow) that the 'Continental Stores' over the road from work has a healthy supply. Anyway as I was at the other end of town when I went to get it I decided to try out some creamed coconut instead. You just add water to the block of creamed coconut and hey presto. The result is very similar to coconut milk but it has a grainy texture.

I have also been concerned that we don't eat enough lentils, beans etc so I added a can of green lentils. It made a hearty, filling curry.

Can I also add that for lunch today I had a left over leek parcel and leftover spinach and potato bake, I'm sure they were both better today!

Spinach and Potato Bake

Ever conscious that us veggies must ensure we have enough iron (and this can't all come from dark chocolate) I was browsing spinach recipes on the BBC Good Food website when I came across this recipe for sweet potato and spinach bake. It is a bit like a potato dauphinoise and is something that I would usually avoid making because they are usually packed with cream and cheese and therefore also packed with calories too. Using Elmlea instead of single cream I worked this recipe out to be just about 350 calories per quarter of the dish, not bad at all. I also decided to use half plain baking potatoes and half sweet potatoes. 

So the ingredients I used were:

284ml (1 carton) Elmlea alternative to single cream
2 garlic cloves , peeled
1 sprigs each of  thyme or rosemary
150g fresh spinach
freshly grated nutmeg
15g Bertolli spread , for greasing
450g sweet potatoes and 400g baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3mm thick)
25g mature cheddar cheese, grated

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the cream, garlic and herb sprigs into a small saucepan and slowly bring to just below boiling. Turn off the heat, season and leave to infuse.

2. Grease an ovenproof dish generously with butter and spread half the potato slices across the bottom. Top with a layer of spinach, season and grate nutmeg over the spinach, then add the remaining potato. 

3. Pour over the cream mixture, through a sieve to remove the garlic and herbs, then sprinkle with cheese (I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough cream but there was plenty).

4. Bake for 45-55 mins until golden and tender.

I served it with salad but I reckon it would be great as a side for some fairly plainly cooked quorn fillets and some veggies too. The flavour was really quite sweet, I'm glad I didn't use all sweet potatoes as I think this would have been a bit too much. I would infuse the cream for much longer next time as the garlic and herb flavour wasn't very strong at all. 

Perfect Pizza

Mr VST had an interview for a promotion at work this week and he has therefore been very busy swotting up all week so I haven't seen very much of him. He said that he would treat us by taking us out for (his favourite) dustbin lid pizzas but I decided to treat him to some yummy home made pizzas instead.

A good test for my new olive wood rolling pin

This recipe is so easy and works every time. Mr VST added some mushrooms, sweetcorn and olives to the top of his. We had the first of the home grown salad leaves on the side. The pizzas were so big that the salads really were on the side, they had to have their own, separate plates!

Best thing about this recipe is that it makes four pizzas and there's only two of us which means there's more for tomorrow's lunch. 

Cinnamon, White Chocolate and Cherry Blondies

In my general wandering around the internet I came across the idea of blondies. When I ran this idea past Mr VST I explained that they were like brownies but without the dark chocolate, he could hardly comprehend such a thing. I explained that I would jazz then up with some white chocolate instead and he said no more. Having now tasted them he was VERY impressed. These are little squares of, sweet, gooey heaven. You have been warned, they are very more-ish.

I came across two recipes, hence my getting slightly mixed up. One on the Kitchinarian and one on Smitten Kitchen

113 grams butter, melted (random figure as it is one American 'stick'
218g light brown sugar(300g is too much! It makes them a bit too sweet even for a sweet tooth. I used this because I was trying to read from two recipes at the same time.)

1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125 grams plain flour

2 tsp cinnamon

100g white chocolate, chopped into chunks

75g fresh cherries, pitted, chopped into quarters

1. Butter an 8×8 pan.

2. Mix melted butter with brown sugar. I mixed this on the hob until the sugar dissolved.

3. Let the butter and sugar cool down (about 10 minutes) then beat in egg and then vanilla extract.

4. Stir in flour and cinnamon, then mix in chocolate chunks and cherries.

5. Pour into the prepared pan.

6. Bake at 170°C for 20-25 minutes, or until set in the middle. 

7. Cool on rack before cutting them.

They were a little smaller than I had anticipated, they sunk down after coming out of the oven. Due to the amount of sugar I put in they were incredibly sweet though and a little square is really all you need. 

Leek, Chestnut Mushroom and Feta Filo Parcels

Friday night supper consisted of a slightly adapted version of these 'strudels' made with feta. I served them with a mountain of broccoli and roasted, salted, new potatoes. The parcels were good and the roasties were awesome.

Yummy filling, still need to work on my folding technique though.

Broccoli and roasty mountain!

Beetroot Risotto

Last year my colleague had a bumper crop of beetroot and was kindly bringing them into the office to share with me. I'm not a huge fan of beetroot to be honest. I wouldn't choose to eat unlike Mr VST who loves it. When we were given about 6 all in one go I decided to google some beetroot recipes and came up with this one from Ocado. I adapted it slightly as Mr VST and I don't really like blue cheese and obviously we don't eat chicken stock either. So here it is: 

Serves 4 (Small portions) 

50g Butter
• 1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Small Raw Beetroot, peeled and grated
• 150g Risotto Rice
• 600ml Swiss bouillon vegetable stock
• 125g Soft Goat's cheese

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan and cook the onion until softened. 

2. Add the beetroot, I grated the beetroot directly into the saucepan, wearing rubber gloves! Cook for 1-2 minutes.

3. Add the rice, stir in well. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. Add about 500ml of the stock, stir in well, simmer at a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, adding the rest of the stock if it gets dry.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the goat's cheese.

Enjoy! It is a subtle, slightly sweet tasting, creamy risotto and it has become one of our favourites. The other recipe I found when I googled beetroot recipes was a recipe for beetroot brownies. They were incredibly moist but still very beetroot-y. They went down well at work but I couldn't get over the beetroot smell and taste in my brownies.