I’m not exactly reinventing the wheel here but lately I’ve been stuck in something of a cooking rut partly determined by a drive to make sure we don’t waste food thus reducing our grocery bill and partly due to the boy becoming more and more about routine and vocalising his disgust very loudly when I try and put something new in front of him.  After repeated attempts frittata has now firmly met with his approval and it is a great vehicle for using up vegetables.  An added bonus is that it’s cheap to make, hearty and filling.  Also he currently likes broccoli but only the tender stem variety.  As a parent this makes me a) very smug and b) very poor as it costs double the amount of regular broccoli and I really shouldn’t be indulging his inclination towards fancy vegetables.

For me the key ingredient for a successful frittata is good hard goat cheese that has plenty of flavour. Choose your own combination of vegetables if kale and sweet potato aren’t your thing.  Personally I like the earthy and sweet mix.  I imagine asparagus would be pretty great at the moment and of course you could try tender stem broccoli.

Any attempt to style food photos these days goes out the window, especially when I have a small boy standing at the kitchen gate jumping up and down for his lunch.  I’m all about realism although I did make an attempt to avoid the bits of dried food stuck to our hob.

Sweet Potato and Kale Frittata

Serves 2 very generously but will stretch to 3.

I used an 8 inch skillet.

1 small sweet potato peeled and cut in to dice

2 large cavolo nero or kale leaves

1 shallot finely chopped

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

4 large eggs beaten

50g (2oz) hard goat’s cheese, grated

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

Preheat oven Gas Mark 7, 220°C, 425°F.  *I have a truely rubbish oven so you may want to keep an eye on your frittata to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Toss the diced sweet potato in the olive oil, thyme and paprika.  Place the diced sweet potato on a baking tray lined with parchment and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the potato is tender and starting to turn golden.  Meanwhile add a splash of olive oil to your skillet and gently cook the shallot for about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked sweet potato and kale and continue to cook until the kale has started to wilt, about 2 minutes.  Add the egg mixture and cook on the hob until the egg is almost set but the top is still a bit runny, about 5-10 minutes.  Sprinkle liberally with goat’s cheese and place skillet in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the frittata is golden brown and cooked through.  

Lamb and Apricot Stew or a Study in Steam

I love a good steam shot.  Just piping hot food and winter light.  I got a little carried away here.  The stew is flavoured with Ras El Hanout spice mix which originates from North Africa and has got to be one of the prettiest spice mixes around with its dried rose petals.  Containing spices like paprika, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, chilli and ginger it can’t fail to warm you up on a cold day.  The lamb is melt in the mouth tender and the sweetness from the apricots compliments the warming spices perfectly.

Find the recipe here from BBC Good Food.

Notes: I add sliced carrot and fennel to my stew and I like to cook mine for at least an hour so that the meat is really tender.  You will need a bit more stock if you are going to cook it longer.  I threw in some chopped kale at the end and I served this over brown rice.

Roasted Summer Vegetables and a Rosy View

There is a rose in our garden coming out in full bloom.  If you knew what bad gardeners we are you would be impressed.  A few weeks ago my husband cleared an over grown and mostly dead flower bed which had been doing a good deal of looking very ugly for the past year.  We took ourselves off to the garden centre and set about buying plants having no clue what we were doing except that we wanted a few hardy shrubs and a rose bush.  We returned home somewhat out of pocket but with a car boot full of promise.  My husband dutifully planted everything while I idled with a book in a chair offering up helpful and sometimes not so helpful directions.  He planted, we watched, we waited.  The centrepiece of our new flower bed is an English rose bush and I’m happy to report this morning there are two lovely heads in bloom.  The rosemary we bought is thriving, the fuscia is doing well.  As for the others, the less said about those the better.  You can’t win them all.  The tenuous link to this salad being that we can now sit outside and enjoy our lunch with a decent view.

I’ve been enjoying roasted vegetables in various incarnations so far this summer.  I buy whatever is in season but the main players have been fennel, courgettes, carrots, tomatoes and of course kale.  In this version I used up some potatoes and threw in an avocado but I’ve also mixed roasted veg with pasta, quinoa and even millet.  The flavour comes from the roasted veg as they caremelise in the oven, the lemon zest adds a bright note to the whole affair, toasted nuts or seeds add crunch and of course goats cheese for tang.

Serves 2

1 large potato peeled and cut in to chunks

2 carrots peeled and sliced to your liking

½ large fennel bulb or whole bulb if smaller, cut in to wedges.

8 or so small plum tomatoes cut in half or quarters if larger

1 bunch of kale or other greens

1 avocado peeled and sliced

Handful of pumpkin seeds, toasted

Goats cheese

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

Zest of half a lemon

Teaspoon rosemary

Preheat oven Gas Mark 7, line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Parboil the potatoes, drain and set aside to steam.  Prepare the other vegetables.  Add the potatoes, carrots and fennel to the first baking sheet.  Sprinkle with rosemary and olive oil.  Place on the shelf of the oven.

Lay the tomatoes cut side up on the other baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil and roast in the bottom shelf of the oven.  Keep an eye on the vegetables, turning occasionally.  Everything should be done after about 40 minutes.  The vegetables should be golden and the tomatoes should be beginning to caremelise.

Once the vegetables are ready add the kale to the baking tray to allow it to slightly wilt for about one minute.  Remove from the oven and grate over the lemon zest.  Serve up the roasted vegetables and kale in bowls, top with the tomatoes, avocado, goats cheese and pumpkin seeds.  Season to your liking.

Cumin Spiced Carrots and Chickpeas

So I’ve finally dragged myself back in the kitchen after a very quiet month of soups and stews and nothing much to share around here.  The last couple of days the sun has been shining, there has been a lull in the torrential rain and spring flowers are starting to peak through.  I dare to dream this might be the end of winter but then I remembered last March when it snowed...

I’ve been making this dish a lot over the last few weeks.  Sometimes for lunch or as an after work dinner.  Often we have it with smoked mackerel but it’s also really good on its own.  The recipe is from the wonderful blog Narturally Ella.  Erin’s recipes are always an inspiration when I’m looking for a healthy lunch alternative.  This one really appealed to me as I love the combination of carrots and cumin.  I also love her carrot ginger rice.  Clearly I have a carrot thing going on.  

I followed the recipe exactly adding some chopped kale in for the last few minutes in the oven as kale seems to accompany most meals in this house.

Find the recipe here.

Maybe next time I’ll manage to write up a recipe.  Oh what a lazy blogger I have been of late.  I can promise a passion fruit cake with some interesting ingredients will be making an appearance around here soon.

Butternut Squash, Pecan, Goat’s Cheese and Honey Toasts

I suppose I have to admit that winter is upon us.  The leaves are dropping from the trees in rapid succession, some of them are already bare, others are hanging on to their golden nuggets until those blustery winter winds finally win the battle and send them heading to the ground.  Soon we’ll be hanging Christmas decorations (most of you probably already have) and before we know it welcoming in a new year.  I’m not quite ready to let go of autumn yet so I’ve been taking quite a few photos of our weekend walks before winter is well and truly here and I forget all about those sometimes golden, sometimes grey skies.

I am also enjoying all things butternut squash.  You have been warned.  Last weekend when I was hunting around for something to eat for lunch I reached for the River Cottage Veg book which always seems to yield something tasty and easy that I can throw together.  The recipe uses sourdough as the bread of choice, which I am sure would be the way to go, however since I’ve yet to try making gluten free sourdough, sub whatever gluten free bread you have.  It will still taste fantastic, I promise.  Here the slightly sweet, caramelized flavour of the roasted squash is balanced out by melted goat’s cheese, toasted pecans and it’s all finished off with a drizzle of honey.  I threw in some kale too, but you should expect that of me by now.

Recipe adapted from River Cottage Veg Everyday! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Serves 2

A handful of toasted pecans (or nut of choice)

1 tablespoon olive oil

200-250g butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size cubes

2 leaves of cavolo nero kale (optional) stems removed and chopped

1 teaspoon dried rosemary or thyme

50g goat’s cheese (I used hard goat’s cheese, you could also use cheddar)

2 thick slices of gluten free bread, toasted

A trickle of clear honey

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F

Line a baking sheet with parchment.  Lay the squash out in a single layer, sprinkle with rosemary and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for about 30 – 40 minutes until the squash is tender and beginning to caramelize around the edges.  If you are using the kale I add this to the pan five minutes before the squash is ready.  You just want the kale wilted in the heat of the oven.

When the squash is nearly ready light the grill and lightly toast the bread.  Remove from the grill and top with the squash, kale, goat’s cheese, pecans and finish with a drizzle of honey.  Return to the grill and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling.

Roasted Butternut Squash Rice Bowl

I’m making an early appearance this week due to a hectic weekend ahead.  I’ve a free evening, home alone with too loud Bon Jovi to keep me company (sorry neighbours).  Rather than stare at the walls I thought I’d talk to you lovely people instead.

I feel like I should almost apologise for posting yet another of my rice bowls but I can’t seem to stop making them.  Once I discovered the magic that some toasted nuts, dried fruits and a bit of goat cheese can bring to a bowl of brown rice and vegetables it seems to be an unstoppable express train headed for my mouth.  You can totally make it your own and just throw in whatever combination of roasted vegetables, nuts and dried fruit you want.  I’m having a thing for butternut squash at the moment so here I used it to add a vibrant touch of orange to my bowl of rice.  There is no end in sight to my love affair with pistachios and for a little festive seasonal colour I used cranberries as my dried fruit of choice.  Kale or some sort of green always makes an appearance.  I made a quick dressing out of olive oil and maple syrup.  Honey would be a good sub.  I think roasting the butternut with a little maple syrup would also be a good plan.  I don’t think I need to write this one up.  Here’s the bones of the recipe, mix it up to suit your own style and tastes.  I roasted the butternut for 35 minutes at Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Super Seed, Kale and Rice Salad

It’s August bank holiday weekend and I feel like summer is trickling away too fast.  The way I know this is by all the wonderful summer produce I can’t keep up with.  I had so many things in my head that I wanted to make with fresh peaches, strawberries and raspberries and now suddenly we are at the end of August.  The garden is full of blackberries, more than we can pick, plums and figs are turning up at the market.  I literally can’t keep up!  So instead I bring you a kale salad which may be a poor substitute for summer fruit but hopefully those summer fruit will be making an appearance in some form soon.

I understand if you are asking yourself, does the internet really need another kale salad?  It seems I can never get enough of the stuff which is just as well because my favourite variety, cavolo nero, has just become available here again.  I’ve returned home from the market today triumphant with two big bags full...give me all the kale!  I’m guessing by now I only have die hard kale fans still reading so I’ll get on with it.  This salad came together one lunch time when I had put a pot of rice on to boil but hadn’t really got my act together regarding what I was actually going to eat with it.  After hunting around in the cupboards I decided to toast up some seeds for a bit of crunch.  Sesame seeds are a great source of protein and they add a subtle nutty flavour to a dish.  Pumpkin seeds also pack a powerful punch when it comes to your health.  They are high in protein, iron, zinc and magnesium.  I threw in some dried cherries for their sweetness and finished off with crumbled goat cheese.  Feta would be a good substitute.  Kale of course provided the vegetable element with its dark green leaves it is a great source of iron, calcium, vitamin C and is packed with antioxidants.  We’ve since had this rice dish a few times with roast chicken and with salmon which was delicious.

Super Seed, Kale and Rice Salad Serves 2

75g red camargue and wild rice or brown rice is fine.

Handful of kale leaves roughly chopped and stems removed

Toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds

Dried cherries

Hard goat cheese

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Dressing:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Juice half a lemon

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon cyder vinegar

A few chives finely chopped

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F

To make the dressing combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

Cook the rice according to the pack instructions.  While the rice is cooking toast your seeds.  When the rice is ready drain, rinse and set aside to steam away any excess water.  Put the extra virgin olive oil in a baking tray, add the kale and cherries and toss.  Place in the oven for 2 minutes until the kale is just wilting and the cherries are plumping up.  Remove from the oven and add the rice and the toasted seeds.  Finally add the dressing and toss everything together.  Serve topped with crumbled goat cheese.  If you don’t want to use the oven for this you could make everything in a skillet or frying pan on the hob.  

Back on the Smoothie Game

Last year, every weekend morning you would find me in the kitchen busily making smoothies.  I was quite obsessed.  But then, like the fickle girl I can be, I just suddenly stopped.  I don’t remember why, how or when.  Suddenly that was it.  The one woman smoothie production line ground to a halt, my blender lay dusty and unloved for months.  When I saw this recipe on My New Roots it re awakened my inner smoothie making gene...stick with me here...and so I dusted off my blender and made the most amazing smoothie.  I think the problem was I just lost my inspiration.  I made the same smoothie every week.  I loved it but it just got old.  It reminded me I need to mix things up a bit and try different ingredients more often.  We still have the central game players, frozen banana, kale, almond milk but a few unexpected guests have turned up to make this smoothie way more interesting.  In particular it’s packed with protein which is something I don’t always feel features enough in my diet.  It also makes the best of summer fruits peaches and blueberries.  So make this smoothie, it tastes like heaven in a glass, thick and creamy with pops of fruit and it’s really good for you.

For those who are put off the whole frozen banana idea, all you need to do is peel and chop up your banana and stick it in the freezer on a plate for about an hour.  You want it frozen but it doesn’t need to be rock solid.  I’m sure you’ll be riveted to know that I do this first thing in the morning and then pop off and have a shower.  By the time I drag myself back downstairs it’s usually had a good 45 minutes in the freezer and is ready to use.  Freezing the banana just makes the smoothie extra creamy but it’s by no means essential.  Happy smoothie making!

Recipe very slightly adapted from My New Roots.

Makes 1 huge glass or 2 smaller ones.  This was plenty for myself and my husband.

1 cup blueberries, mine were frozen

1 frozen banana and frozen peach (same method as banana)

5 large basil leaves

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 teaspoon bee pollen (optional)

1-2 teaspoons pea protein powder (optional and use more if you like)

1 handful of kale, finely chopped and stems removed

200ml almond milk

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  I usually do this in stages starting off with the kale and almond milk and then adding the other ingredients one by one.  It’s easier on the blender that way.

My Week in Lunches

Whenever I have some time off work and I’m spending it at home I like to abandon my work day sandwiches and eat something a little different for lunch.  It’s an opportunity to eat a little bit healthier.  I’ll generally just create something for myself out of whatever is in the fridge and needs using.  It has to be something that comes together quickly as I am usually coming in and going out again.  This week a bag of kale was sitting patiently in my fridge so it featured pretty heavily in my lunch time munching.  The general pattern is veggies, a grain and some protein, usually an egg, cheese or toasted nuts of some description.  I might write up a couple of these as recipes in the coming weeks.  It’s back to sandwiches next week sadly.  What have you been having for lunch lately?

Chicken Coconut Korma

This curry has fast become a favourite dinner in our house.  I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to really spicy curries so this korma suits me just fine.  I love the creamy coconut milk mixed with the warming ginger and mild spices of the korma curry paste.  I’ve gone down the traditional route of using chicken but because buying organic meat can be pricey I like to try and substitute plenty of vegetables for some of the meat making it an all round healthier dish.  Here I used cauliflower which blended in to the background nicely.  I also threw in some red lentils for a little extra protein and fibre.  Alternatively chickpeas are also a nice addition.  The end result is hearty meal which should keep those who like spicy food (my husband) happy but is subtle enough not to blow your head off.  If you are vegetarian of vegan then just leave out the meat and substitute with vegetables.  I add kale at the last minute as we can’t get enough of it but spinach would also work.

Recipe adapted from Jamie’s Ministry of Food by Jamie Oliver

*The original recipe uses a fresh green chilli.  I didn’t bother in my version but if you like a really hot curry then go for it.

Serves 2

1 large chicken breast chopped in to approximately 3cm pieces

1 shallot finely chopped

½ thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger finely chopped

¼ head of cauliflower cut in to chunks

Handful of red lentils

½ tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon of korma curry paste or more if you like it hotter

200ml coconut milk

Small handful of flaked almonds plus extra toasted for serving

1 heaped tablespoon of desiccated coconut

Salt and pepper to taste

Small handful of kale (optional)

Coriander leaves to serve (not pictured, I’d run out)

In a large heavy based pan sauté your chicken pieces in coconut oil until lightly brown.  Add the shallot and ginger and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes.  Add the cauliflower, korma paste, lentils, coconut milk, flaked almonds and desiccated coconut and mix everything together.  Add extra water as needed.  Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes with the lid on.  Check periodically that the curry is not drying out and add more water as necessary.  Once the chicken is cooked and the curry is ready add the kale for the last two minutes.  Season to taste and serve with rice (I used brown).  Sprinkle with toasted flaked almonds and fresh coriander.

Adventures with Cauliflower Couscous

One of the things I miss in my gluten free life is couscous.  It’s so convenient and easy to use.  For a while I tried substituting quinoa and millet but while they are fine grains in their own right, they don’t have the same texture as couscous.  Enter the humble cauliflower.  Never one of my favourite vegetables I often dismissed cauliflower as bland and tasteless.  No surprise because I’d only every really eaten it boiled or steamed.  Thanks to the wonderful world of food blogs I’ve had my eyes opened to the possibilities that cauliflower can offer.  I’ve tried roasting it with spices which is delicious and lately I’ve been using it as a substitute for couscous.  A grain free dream.  All you need is a food processor!  Blitzed in a food processor cauliflower becomes fine and grain like.  I find a few minutes in the skillet and it’s cooked.  No need for boiling water, just heat through.  Simple as that.

I’ve made a few dishes using cauliflower couscous.  Today for lunch I had it with wilted spinach, lemon zest, roasted tomatoes and a boiled egg (pictured above).  But the recipe I’m going to share today was something of an experiment.  Last week on a whim I bought a pineapple, like you do.  It sat on the counter staring at me for a few days until I was compelled to find a good way to use it.  This recipe was inspired by BBC Good Food Pineapple Rice.  The pineapple can be a little over powering here as it is very sweet.  The original recipe calls for soy sauce which I can’t eat because it contains wheat but tamari would probably work well.  I just didn’t have any.  I served this with steak and the combination worked really well.  Pineapple is often served with pork so the sweet and savoury combination of the two is a definite winner.  I also threw in some toasted cashew nuts which were a great addition.  This recipe is open to major experimentation.  I just went with what I had on hand.

Pineapple Cauliflower Couscous inspired by BBC Good Food.

Serves 2

Roughly ¼ head of cauliflower will serve 2 but you will have to estimate this depending on the size of your cauliflower.  Chop the cauliflower in to florets then blitz it in the food processor until fine.

¼ pineapple cut in to chunks.

1 shallot finely diced.

1 teaspoon sized piece of fresh root ginger finely chopped.

½ teaspoon of curry powder.

Handful of kale of spinach.

Sliced spring onions.

Handful of toasted cashews.

Sauté the shallot and ginger in a skillet or non stick frying pan for about five minutes.  Add the curry powder and pineapple and mix well.  Next add the cauliflower couscous, kale and spring onion.  Cook for five minutes more.  Serve with unsalted toasted cashews sprinkled over.