Festive Veg

So whether you're a veggie looking for something special for Christmas lunch, or simply want your side dishes to be as interesting as your meat, chances are you'll be looking beyond the bog standard boiled method when it comes to seasonal veg. So I've been having a think about some of the best vegetable dishes in my recipe collection and hopefully some of these will come in handy. Obviously you'll need to measure serving portions to accommodate how many guests you have, but most of these guidelines will suit dishes for 6-10 people. Oven temperatures may also vary depending on what else you have cooking on the day.

Butter steamed carrots with cardamom: Because carrots contain a lot of water, you can easily slow cook them on the hob with a little butter and not much else. If you are slicing your carrots, I'd give them around 45mins on the lowest heat, but if you're using them whole it will take a little longer.

Peel your carrots and chop if preferred. Place them in a non stick pan with a generous knob of butter (or oil if you want), with around 3 cardamom pods per carrot, on the lowest setting. Secure the lid and leave to cook. Every so often stir to ensure that the carrots are well coated and if you are noticing any burning or sticking, add a touch of cold water or more butter. After 40-45 minutes, prick with a knife to ensure they are tender (leave to cook a little longer if not), remove the pods and serve drizzled with the remaining butter.

Braised Red Cabbage with Medjool Dates: The addition of sweet dates to this oven cooked cabbage means that there is no need for any additional sugars. This normally requires slower cooking on a lower heat, but if you have your oven on for other things, you can cook this on the bottom for around 1hour/90 mins.

Thinly slice your red cabbage (around one small cabbage will do, or 3/4 of a large one), stone and slice around 12 dates. Add to a oven proof dish with the rind of one orange, a large cinnamon stick (or one heaped teaspoon of ground cinnamon) and one teaspoon of allspice. Finally add around 50ml of apple juice, or if you prefer apple brandy and one or two knobs or unsalted butter. Mix with your hands to ensure everything is combined, cover and place in the oven. Check after 1 hour that cabbage is soft and fragrant, remove cinnamon stick and serve if done.

Four Cheese Macaroni and Cauliflower Bake: My sister often uses Macaroni to pad out her cauliflower cheese dish when there are a lot of people to cater for, so this can do as a side, or a main. You don't have to use four different cheeses though, so long as you have one soft and one hard cheese you'll be fine. You can also cook this on the hob if you don't have space in the oven.

Cook your cauliflower (one head's worth) and around 150g of macaroni, for ten minutes in salted boiling water. Remove from the heat and drain. Melt around 50g of butter or oil in a pan on medium heat and add 100g or ricotta cheese, 100g of cream cheese and beat quickly with a spoon for a couple of minutes until blended. You may have some lumps but this doesn't matter to much. Add a tablespoon of  cornflower until mixture stiffens, then slowly add some milk (500ml, gradually) to form a roux. Continue to stir until sauce starts to thicken. Remove from the heat and add 100g of crumbly cheese such as Caerphilly or Wensleydale and still. If you find your sauce too thick at this stage add a little more milk or even single cream. Place cauliflower and macaroni in an oven proof dish, poor over sauce, then top with grated cheddar. Cook for 20 mins to half an hour until thick, gooey and bubbling on top. Additional chopped leek added at the oven stage also tastes great.


In a couple of days I'll be posting my tips for some of the best potato dishes

<p><a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net">Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net</a></p>

Sugar and Spice and all things nice

If they haven't done so already, bakers around the country will be preparing to make their Christmas Cakes and Pudding in the next week or so (I actually started writing this post about 10 days ago, so most people will have done so by now). Fruit Cakes don't have the appeal they once did, more and more people are replacing traditional wedding cakes for more popular options such as chocolate and carrot cake, while pre-bought puddings and desserts are more likely to appear on the average dining table come Christmas day. But I do like to make my own cake most years, using a recipe my mum's used since the 1970s (I'll admit I've never attempted a pudding myself). However, after the cake is made, I always find myself with a store cupboard full of dry spices that would sit there until the next year, which is silly really, as they can be applied to all sorts of foods and drinks, especially in the run up to Christmas.

Quick Jerk Rub for Chicken and Pork: This speedy blend of Carribean flavours should be rubbed over meat or poultry before going under the grill. You can adjust heat to taste adjusting number of chillies or by choosing to omit the seeds. This is a semi dry rub as it uses mostly powered ingredients, but the addition of scallions, scotch bonnet chillies and fresh garlic gives it a certain level of moisture. The addition of a good glug of sunflower or groundnut oil, and tablespoon of each of tomato puree and dark rum, turns this into good marinade. The marinade should be smeared over the meat at least 4-6 hours before cooking, preferably overnight.

Mix the following together in a pestle and mortar or food processor:

6 scallions, chopped
2-3 Scotch bonnets chillies, seeds inclused
2 garlic gloves chopped
1 table spoon of brown or demerara sugar
2 teaspoons of sea salt
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of ground allspice
1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

Rub over meat before grilling as directed.


Extra Creamy Eggnog with Irish Mist: A great use of nutmeg and other store spices. Warning: not for kids (makes around 10 glasses, depending on serving).


1 litre of gold top milk
5 whole eggs and 5 yolks
1 vanilla pod
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 stick of cinnamon
5 cloves
500ml of double cream
200 grams of golden caster sugar
600ml of Irish Mist

Gently heat the milk and spices on a low setting in a large pan. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar until fluffy, then gradually add to the pan, and turning up the heat to medium, stir briskly for five minutes. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and sieve the mixture to remove the cinnamon, vanilla and cloves.  Stir in the Irish mist and cream. Serve warm in Irish Coffee glasses, garnished with additional nutmeg and some orange rind.

Mulled Lurgan Champagne: Again, not for kids, or for the faint hearted.

2 bottles of Buckfast Tonic Wine
700ml bottle of brandy
700ml of apple juice
300g of brown sugar
1 large orange, halved and pierced generously with cloves
2 Cinnamon Sticks
15 Cardamom Pods
Contents of 5 capsules of ginseng (optional)
5 Star Anise
Couple of twists of lemon peel

Fire everything into a large pan and heat very slowly on the lowest heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Ladle out into mugs or glasses over a sieve to avoid bits. Hide car keys, breakables and make sure any outstanding grudges have been settled long in advance.


Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pumpkin Pie

I've never made pumpkin pie before, but I'll be trying it this year. I've been looking about on the interweb and thought I'd post a few handy links for the basic recipe and variations on the theme, I'll update and let you know when I've actually tried it. Most of the recipes out there come from the US or Canada, so UK/ROI users will need to convert measurements and oven settings. You can do this via this handy tool on food.com

Basic Recipe: Using fresh pumpkin as opposed to mix or canned, from the good people at Pick Your Own.

You'll might also find it handy to check out this step by step Betty's Kitchen video via YouTube, where the comments section includes plenty of tips and answered queries.





Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie from the Baking Pan: Uses canned pumpkin, which I haven't seen in the UK, but should be available from specialist stockists. I love the addition of maple and pecan, which lets face it are a match made in food heaven.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, Cooks.com: For those chocoholics out there, this recipe adds what you surely feel has been missing all the long...chocolate!!!!!

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake: For those who aren't pastry lovers, a cheesecake alternative from All Recipes.com, that comes with a high user rating. Bare in mind though that it assumes you have a ready made cheesecake base, so if you're making from scratch you'll have to look up a recipe for that too.

Pumpkin Parkin

This is an adaptation of a Banana Bread recipe that I've used a couple of times and has always gone down really well. It is very simple to make too. If the flesh of your pumpkin is particularly squishy, you could use it neat, but I think that a quick roasting (for about 20 minutes on 200C) with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, really helps bring out the sweetness of the pumpkin, so I'd advise you do this anyway. Plus you'll need the heat for melting the butter.

Ingredients

• 285g/10oz plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 110g/4oz butter, plus extra for greasing
• 225g/8oz golden caster sugar
• 2 free-range eggs
• flesh of one small/medium pumpkin (aprox 200g), roasted and mashed with about 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• Squeezed juice of half a lemon
• Optional pinch of grated nutmeg

Method

Cream the butter, sugar and still warm pumpkin until melted and runny. If you still have any large or hard lumps of pumpkin, blitz in a food processor or use a had blender to smooth out. You can still have a few smaller lumps in, this won't affect the finished product.

Shift together the flour, bicarb or soda and nutmeg and add a little to the pumpkin/butter mix, then add a little of the beaten egg. Take turns with each until they are all combined. Finally add the lemon juice and stir.

Pour out into a small greased loaf tin and bake in an oven pre-heated to 180C/350F/Gas 4, for about 50 minutes. Should be golden and well risen, use a skewer to check that it is done through. Turn out onto wire rack.

You can icing if you like, an aromatic orange flower water icing goes particularly well, or perhaps even toast up some pumpkin and sunflower seeds, then glaze them onto the cooled loaf using honey or syrup.


Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Eco Conscious Bio Diversity by Kori Bubnack

Guest Blogger Kori Bubnack discusses the importance of bio diversity in our crops today;

“In other environmental issues we tell people to stop something, reduce their impact, reduce their damage,” states US Ecologist Gary Nabhan in a recent interview. Nabhan is a ethnobotanist/gardener whose promotion of biodiversity has caught the attention of many over the years. He is known for his work in biodiversity as an ethnobotanist. Since Coming Home to Eat was published in 2001, the local food movement has ignited, causing a worldwide green epidemic.

Over the past few years there has been a dramatic rise in the number of organizations and businesses that have promoted sustainability through conservation. The Earth Day Network has been playing a large part in bringing conservationist and green enthusiasts together, sharing ideas and discussing new ways to support the planet. Other large organizations and non-profits like Doug Band and the CGI (Clinton Global Initiative) have been working on successful emission reduction projects in the San Francisco Bay area. While climate control has continued to worsen, collaborative and individual acts are vital for any successful green campaign. As human beings, we’re constantly told to reduce our carbon footprint, consume less unhealthy foods, and buy energy conserving appliances! But let’s take a minute to step back and look at this from a different perspective; one that Gary Nabhan strongly suggests.

According to The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, only about a quarter of crop diversity is left and that a dozen species now gives 90% of the animal protein eaten globally. In addition to that, just 4 crop species supply half of plant based calories in the human diet.

Nabhan suggests that eating foods that are home-grown will have a greater impact on sustainability for our planet as a whole, or “eat what you conserve”. A well-established theory in that by eating the fruits and vegetables that we are attempting to conserve/save, we’re promoting the granular dissemination of various plant species.

Agriculturist Marco Contiero also mentions that “biodiversity is an essential characteristic of any sustainable agricultural system, especially in the context of climate change.”[1] According to Conterio’s theory, this would suggest that as individuals we tend our own crops/plants, and should make sure to purchase localized farm products at supermarkets and groceries. This condenses export/import reliance, thus reducing our carbon footprint.

Nabhan and Contiero’s theories both rely profoundly on an action oriented approach at conservation and sustainability. With an abundance of green movements following Earth Day 2010, organizations and individuals have taken a stronger following to expert opinions like the ones demonstrated by both of these highly influential agriculturalists. So remember, as the fall season approaches, make a point to visit your local farmers marketing to purchase your fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, as eco-conscious individuals, don’t hesitate to stop the next time you drive by a yard stand with fresh crops. Promoting biodiversity and localized farming is a crucial piece of the conservation puzzle.



Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Graze at your desk

Just discovered this amazing food order service called Graze (thank you Rachel) and thought I should share this with you all. For only £2.99 per box and delivery (that's cheaper than most of the extortional boxed sandwiches in your local Centra, and a hell of a lot healthier) you can get four punnets of healthy food, from a choice of nuts, crackers, dried fruit, olives, flapjacks and granola, to name but a few.

And what's even better? You can have them delivered weekly to your place of work or home, meaning that daily trips to the convenience store, with all it's temptations, can easily be avoided.

These are a great way to make sure your lunch or daytime snacks (or those of your children, friends or partner, as boxes can be ordered as gifts for other people) are of a healthier option, and you can have boxes delivered anywhere, they don't need to be signed for as they fit through a standard letter box and there is no contract or commitment. And whats more, the boxes themselves can be recycled and the company has a commitment to reducing food waste, stating:

"We buy and prepare all the fresh produce for your box on the day we send it. This means we're really accurate with our buying keeping food waste to a minimum. The same is true of our longer life 'dry products', which we pack in small amounts to ensure we use it all. Anything left over we give to our local farm. And because all our food comes in individual portions it means no food waste for you (and no extra waist)."

Check out the website for more information and how to get started picking your favourites:

http://www.graze.com

Where have all the blueberries gone?

I try my best to buy local and seasonal whenever I can, but I will admit that due to my son's addiction for blueberries more often than not, I would have opted for the supermarket staple that is the Chilean Box Set. In fact, there is seldom an alternative, and I thought little of this until recently. In the wake of the the earthquake that struck Chile earlier this year there has been a vast reduction in the amount of blueberries available on UK shores, and the price has sky rocketed (so long Sainsbury's Basics).

It sometimes takes something like this to remind you of the over-reliance we have on foods from overseas. Blueberries aren't native to our shores and our climate simply doesn't promote their mass commercial growth in the UK and Ireland. This can be said of many things, yet food fashions come and go, making some international ingredients quite literally flavour of the month and very much in demand.

Perhaps be seen as a sign to stick to more local produce? Or maybe not -  consider the sobering thought that while we moan about the lack of Chilean produce on our shelves, the people of Chile are still very much suffering the effects of the earthquake, either through water pollution, homelessness or the destruction of business. We still need to support the Blueberry Farmers of Chile, whose very livelihood has been effected by this natural disaster, which hit way back in February and in the wake of Haiti, didn't get half the media attention. It's a vicious circle in many ways, and to quote a fellow blogger, we are faced with a decision between buying local, and buying helpful. But given that we don't really grow our own, I'd say when buying blueberries, buy Chilean for the time being, and help get the industry back on it's feet.

At a later date we can get back to the age old local/overseas debate.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Quick Sausage Stew

It may be raining today, but there's been plenty of BBQs recently, and as such I've come up with a quick dish that uses left over sausages as well as a whole load of store cupboard ingredients that seem to be lying around. In this sample I've used Bulgar Wheat, but Barley, Buckwheat, even risotto rice could be used instead. This served two adults and one child for a fairly substantial lunch.

Allow 2-3 pre-cooked sausages (pork, beef, veggie or other) per person, cut up into small bite sized pieces
3 young small turnips, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic glove, crushed
1 small red apple, diced
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
50g Bulgar Wheat
Glug of red wine vinegar
2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
1 tsp of whole grain mustard
Pinch of dried sage
Pinch of dried basil
300ml of boiled water.
Olive Oil for frying

Gently fry the onion, garlic and turnip in some olive oil until soft and browning. Add the sausages, Bulgar Wheat and red wine vinegar, mustard, bouillon powder and herbs, stirring quickly to ensuring that all the wheat is coated, before adding the chopped tomatoes and around 100ml of water.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat, cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water as and when required. After 10 minutes add the apple and remaining water, turn up the heat and allow to bubble for 5-7 minutes uncovered.

Sort of Bread and Butter Pudding with Raspberry and Lemon

Every now and again we get some malt loaf or scotch pancakes for the wee man's breakfast. However the pancakes in particular can have a fairly short shelf life, while the malt loaf runs the risk of going stale if not stored properly, and as a result I've found myself having to use up these items quickly before they spoil and have to be thrown out. One way I came up with was this this dessert which is fairly simple to make and can be dressed up with a few fresh raspberries for a little extra tartness.



Left over scotch pancakes, raisin pancakes and/or malt loaf, buttered if you like, but not essential. Enough to line the bottom of a small pie dish, plus another layer.
300ml whole milk
100ml double cream
25g sugar
2 eggs
Juice of half a lemon (grated peel optional)
Pinch of Cinnamon
Ground or shaved nutmeg
Raspberries
Sultana or raisins

Pre-heat oven to 200C
Line the bottom of the pie dish with the pancakes/fruit loaf. Cut to fit, don't worry about gaps. Sprinkle with a half the lemon juice, peel and some cinnamon. Add some raspberries and a few sultanas or raisins. Add second layer, using up the remaining sprinkling ingredients. Cover and set aside.

Whisk up the eggs and sugar in a bowl with some nutmeg (to personal taste, but remember whole shaved nutmeg can be quite strong) until pale and bubbly.

Heat up the milk and cream in a pan and remove from heat just before boiling point. Gentle stir in the egg mix then pour over the pancakes until brim is reached. Throw in a few extra berries if desired and sprinkle a little sugar on to if you want.

Bake for 30 mins or until custard has set and is browning.
Can be served with cream or ice cream

Variations: For extra lemony taste you can use lemon and raisin pancakes or substitute ordinary sugar for lemon sugar.

How to reduce food waste

The council have been round today with their mini food caddies (or 'slop' bins as most people will know them as) and bio degradable bags to encourage us to separate our food waster from our run of the mill rubbish. My sister was quite critical of the small size, but I imagine that this is so that you don't have a huge well of rotting matter building up in your kitchen - not good at best of times and certainly to be avoided in the summer - but also to prompt us to reduce the amount of waste full stop.

As a result I've decided to compile a list of some tried and tested methods to reduce food and packaging waste, and tips on how to re-use some items. These are just a few, feel free to add your own comments.

• First up, don't go shopping hungry; be it food shopping, where you'll be prone to giving into your cravings or even just clothes shopping in town, where you'll be more likely to snack on convenience foods. Can be harmful to the environment and your waist line.
• When buying fruit and veg, don't bother putting loose produce into those wispy clear plastic bags. After all they do nothing to protect the fruit from squashing in the trolley or on the way home, and are pretty pointless when you think about it. If you have concerns about soft or delicate produce getting squashed or damaged, leave until last and place on top. So long as you rack like items up together on the conveyor belt, it shouldn't bother the cashier either when it comes to weighing and payment.
• Re-usable shopping bags or bags for life are a must.
• If you have a 'Scoop and Shop' near you (where items such as grains, cereals, detergents etc can be weighed out) take old boxes, tubs and containers with you to re-use.
• If you feel that your supermarket is irresponsible in the amount of packaging that it uses for some items, unpack and leave the rubbish at the till. If it becomes their problem to dispose of they will eventually deal with the issue. On the same note, don't be afraid to complain about packaging issues to stores and manufacturers.
• Don't dismiss peel and skin. Many shops now offer items such as carrots that don't need to be peeled, but so long as they are clean, fresh and particularly if they are young, most carrots don't need to be peeled anyway. In fact, roasted unpeeled carrots have a far nicer texture and taste than peeled in my opinion. I also leave potatoes unpeeled in most dishes, including mash. There is also no harm in adding most peels to a stock pot, if you are planning to sieve it out anyway, giving them an alternative use before you throw them out.
• Use left over meat carcasses for stocks. Both the stock and the bones can be frozen if you don't want/need them immediately.
• Avoid nylon tea bags, they can't be thrown into the compost like ordinary tea bags can. Loose tea leaves are even less wasteful.
• Portion control. Observe the packet/recipe guidelines. They are there for a couple of reasons, one being to make sure that there isn't a mountain of food left over.
• Use egg shells and orange peel as natural pest preventives in the garden. Slug and snails will avoid plants surrounded by egg shells, while most cats will avoid orange peel for a few days at least.
• Keep old take away and ice cream tubs and containers for left overs, rather than buying new Tupperware. They take up less room in the fridge than a plate would, can be washed and reused multiple times (unlike cellophane or foil), are more hygienic than keeping things in tins, can be frozen in most cases and if they are clear you have a visual indicator if things have spoiled. They also make good containers for sandwiches and packed lunches.
• Feed the birds. As a kid I would throw out pieces of bread for the birds and wait in anticipation as they made their way into my garden to feed. When it snowed heavily this winter me and my niece did this again, and I've been trying to remember to do this with her crusts (she doesn't like the crunchy bits) when ever she's been round our house for food. 
• Be creative with leftovers. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting some of my favourite left over recipes, starting tomorrow with Sort of Bread and Butter Pudding.
  

Best Guides: Eating Seasonally

With so much available on the internet you could be forgiven for thinking that you no longer need to buy cookbooks, choosing instead to look up recipes and information as and when you need it. However, there are distinct advantages to having a quality cookbook or two to hand:

• Unless you have internet access in your kitchen, you still have to print recipes off or which you'll be running from room to room every five minutes to make sure you're getting things right.
• Even if you have a laptop that you can take with you into the kitchen, do you really want to risk spills and other kitchen related damage?
• A concise cookbook will provide more than just the recipe, they will often contain tips and advice on sourcing and preparation that you can turn to time and time again, adding your own notes as you go. 
• They are long lasting and you know where you'll always be able to find your favourites. You don't have to run the risk of loosing recipes that may stored on your computer and in the case of print offs, all over the place.

So I'm hoping once a month to give a round up of some of the best cook books I've come across in my time, with links to Amazon if any are of interest (though always keep an eye out in your local charity book shop for some classics).

I'll start off for the end of May with a round up of my favourite Seasonal Cookbooks. These are invaluable if you want to try your hand at eating seasonal, or simply want to make the most of local and current produce every once in a while. Please not these tend (though not always) to be UK and Ireland centred books, suiting UK and Ireland climate and produce, but feel free to add your own recommendations if you are not from this area:

                                                    

Great for those new to seasonal cooking, with a helpful A-Z guide of what to eat when. Each month gets it's own comprehensive write up, with tip and advice. Most recipes assume a certain level of know how, so not recommended for complete novices and while it is compact and easily stored in your kitchen, in it hardly bursting with recipes. Rather Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has been more selective, going for quality rather than quantity.
Tried and Tested: November's French Onion Tart. Really tasty and great at the time of year. I remember making it a few times over the winter months, adding personal touches such as a little Branston Pickle to the base.

                                                    
I actually have a slightly older version of this, though many of the recipes remain the same. Quite simply one of the best cook books I own. Stacked with month by month, course by course seasonal recipes, it includes sections on meat cuts, vegetable types, methods for baking, confectionery and basic skills, in addition to menu suggestions for all kinds of events and festivals. Sturdy as hell, my sister and I own copies that date back to the 1970s which despite a few loose pages, still help us out on at least a weekly basis. I would warn you though, as with all classic cook books, the language in the earlier copies is soooo very dated.
Tried and Tested: June's two recipes for British Asparagus, either naked or Mornay, they are both excellent and with the basic recipe well understanding that the flavour of the vegetable often speaks for itself.

                                                    
Marked out in terms of the seasons, rather than month by month, this fine book is full of interesting and alternative vegetarian dishes from the American Chef. For those tried to go for the double whammy of vegetarian and seasonal, this will certainly give you a wide range of ideas and inspiration, even if you can't get all the ingredients here in the UK.
Tried and Tested: Spring's Curried Carrot-Apple Soup with Golden Tofu. Had this made for me by a friend and it was at once comfort food and refreshing. Yum.

                                                     
Great read, not just as a cook book but also as a food guide to Ireland. The recipes are plentiful and in addition to standard dishes and traditional twists, there are also instructions on how to re-create traditional market fayre, such as breads, pickles and cakes.
Tried and Tested: I must admit that I've not long had this book and have yet to try anything from it. Like I said, though it's a great read and come vegetable and berry picking season, I'll be trying my hand at chutney and preserves for the very first time, using this book as my guide.

Chili and Avocado Omelette

Every other weekend the husband gets a Saturday off work and as a result we normally make the most of the morning by indulging in an eggy brunch. Omelettes have to be one of my favourite quick and easy meals (not least because the protein is great if you're on a low meat or vegetarian diet) but also because they are so versatile and lend themselves to many different combinations. 
Image Credit: m_bartosch

They can take a few attempts to master though and success can depend on heat control and pan quality, but once you have, there's so much you can do. One of my favourite versions has got to be the Mexican inspired Chili and Avocado one I do every once in while. Below I've listed two sets of ingredients, one using fresh produce and the other store cupboard or leftovers. I do prefer the fresh, but the other can be handy if you're in a rush or simply want to use up some bits and pieces you have in the fridge or store cupboard.

4 free range or woodland eggs, beaten with two tablespoons of milk

Then...
Option 1
Half an onion, finely chopped                   
One Garlic Glove, crushed                                       
One Red Chili, finally chopped                          
Half a yellow pepper diced  
Half a large Tomato sliced                       
Half Avocado, thinly sliced

Option 2
Half an onion, finely chopped
One Garlic Glove, crushed
One tablespoon of salsa
One tablespoon of guacamole           

Small handful of grated cheese of your choice (though chili cheese can add that little extra kick)

In both cases lightly fry the onions and garlic in a little olive oil. In the case of Option 1,also fry the peppers and chili (medium to high heat). Once soft, pour over the egg mix and carefully lift the sides with a spatula, allowing the egg mix to run under and spread evenly (a quick swirl in the middle can also help). As the egg cooks, lay over the sliced avocado and tomatoes, or spoon over the salsa and guacamole. Finally add the cheese if using (a little of this can be added to the egg mix before pouring if you like).

You can finish off under a hot grill until cheese is gold and bubbling, or fold omelette in half. If you choose to fold your omelette, you would be best advised to only add your avocado and tomato to one half of the omelette and fold onto that, as this will reduce the chance of it splitting. For even less chance of this happening, remove the peppers from the pan before adding the egg, then return them along with the tomato and avocado. This is admittedly a right pain in the arse and in all fairness I prefer to do it under the grill. It not only gives you a better way of making sure the eggs are cooked properly, but afterward you can slice it up as you would do a pie or tart, ensuring that portions are even. 

This will serve 2-4 people depending on portion size and is great with crusty bread, spinach leaves or for something a little different, some re-fried pinto beans.

Baby led weaning

Baby led weaning was the technique we used for getting our son onto solid food. Actually, that's not strictly true, we did try a little bit of single fruit puree and porridge at around 4½ to 5 months when it became clear that breast feeding alone was no longer enough to sustain him (we checked with our health visitor and she said this was okay, I'd suggest anyone who is considering early weaning does the same). However, at around the 5½ to 6 months we started to introduce finger foods and have done this exclusively since, in lieu of the more traditional spoon feeding method.

How has it worked out for us? Well pretty great on the whole. We started off with lumps of steamed veg, done for longer than you would for adults (I like mine near raw anyway) and then introduced breads, pulses, berries and other finger foods over time. Shugs has an amazing appetite for a baby, there is very little he doesn't like or won't try and I think much of has to do with this. We've never pushed food on him and in many ways we've let him decide what he likes and dislikes. The lack of mixed purees meant that he was tasting all ingredients individually and hopefully this has led to a strong pallet. We were also able to gauge developmental milestones by his success in eating certain things, for example blueberries were originally mushed with his chubby hands, but since developing the pincer grip, he carefully picks them up one by one. And I don't know if this is related, but he was very quick to learn to use his sippy cup and leave the bottle behind.

Mind you it hasn't all been a picnic (boom tish). Baby led weaning can be very messy and if you intend to go for it you really need to prepare yourself for stuff getting all over the place (if you have carpets, invest in a splatter mat) It is also quite time consuming, as the baby eats at their own pace, rather than the pace of the person holding the spoon, meaning if you're in a hurry you may have to make other arrangements.

But other than that I've got few complaints. My son's 13 months and his pace is picking up. As such we now eat meals together at the table as a family and we'll be introducing the steady bowl and cutlery very soon (he's okay with a loaded spoon once in a while, but it's time we made it a more regular thing). The best thing though has got to be the fact that we can take him pretty much anywhere and he'll eat. Friends, relatives, mother and toddlers, restaurants and cafes, you name it, he'll sit there contently eating his food and drinking his milk.

Every baby is different, so I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but it certainly did for us, so if you're interested in more information check out http://www.babyledweaning.com

Stuffed Crustie: Opening Post

Well if you've come to this blog via Greensheen Blogger you'll no doubt have a good idea of what I'm about: Greener Living, Fair Trade, Healthy Lifestyle etc. This blog will be dedicated to much of the same, but with focus on all things foodie. As I've said many times in the past, I don't want to preach, rather show what I'm doing in my own home life and hope that this gives people a few ideas. Therefore I'll not be condemning anyone for the choices they make and I'll be leaving myself open to new things.

For the most part, posts will involve lots of healthy recipes filled with plenty of fruit and veg, but not without the occasional treat. There will be tips for children and families, for those living on a budget, product review, cooking skills/methods/techniques, in addition to discussions about the best ways to reduce waste and packaging.

So to get things started I'd like to champion my favourite home made snack, the mighty Houmous (or however you like to spell it), with a few of my personal twists:

Houmous Basic Recipe:

One 400g tin of chick peas or equivalent in soaked and cooked dried chick peas (drained and rinsed)
Juice of half a lemon
One small bulb of roast garlic (oven roast in foil for aprox 20min-30 mins on around 200C, then squeeze out)
If you haven't got time for roast garlic 2-3 medium sized crushed cloves will do.
Around 75ml-100ml of Tahini - measuring out Tahini can be a bit dodgy as it sticks to the measuring receptacle something rotten, and you have to scrape it out, loosing a wee bit in the process. Once you've done this a few times though you can pretty much estimate how much this is. Amount may vary depending on type of Tahini used. Again, this comes with practice and constant tasting is recommended.
Cumin, 1/2 to 1 whole teaspoon depending on taste.
Good dessertspoon of extra virgin olive oil. 
Optional paprika or cayenne pepper, to taste. 


Method: Blitz all ingredients in a food processor until desired texture reached. This will be chunkier than store bought Houmous, but can be smoothed further with more oil or some cold water.

Variations: Oven roast sliced onion and balsamic vinegar - Grated root ginger (about a thumbs worth) and extra lemon - olives and tomato puree - chopped tomato and pesto - extra herby or spicy, adding whatever you please, just be sure to taste every so often.

You can also garnish with loads of different things - pine nuts, spiced chick peas, pesto and infused oils. You can really use your culinary imagination in all aspects of this dish, including what you eat it with, from pitta bread to rye crackers and tortilla chips. I remember in one of my student post pub creations, throwing Houmous in with some tagliatelle and a couple of dashes of lime MiWadi.  I survived the night and remember it being quite good, though I've yet to work up the nerve to re-create it sober.

In my opinion the key factor for successful Houmous is the quality of the Tahini. I've tried a few different brands and the best I've come across is Bevelini Tahini, around £2.50 for 300g, it's subtle and makes for a nice smooth mix. Tahini will probably be the most expensive ingredient you buy initially, though the average jar will do for a  few batches. You also pretty much have to have a food processor to make this work.

If placed in a lidded container this will keep for a few days in the fridge, adding a little oil to the top will make it nicer to eat as it can dry out a little. Having said that we very rarely have any left over to refrigerate.


Nutritional Info:  High in iron and Vitamin C. Good source of fibre and when eaten with bread, provides a complete protein. Also good source of amino acid. This homemade version contains no added salt.