So apparently this week is #NationalBBQWeek, but as I write this it is dark, wet and miserable outside, most decidedly NOT barbecue weather…hopefully it will pick up for the weekend in time to get the BBQ out (not that I actually even own one…). But even if the weather doesn’t improve, you can still enjoy some BBQ food with these sausages with beer pretzel buns, beer braised onions and roasted garlic butter; as the sausages can just be cooked in a pan or oven….
Happy New Year! This is my first post of 2016 so it kind of had to be a healthy one really. After the vast quantities of desserts, cheese and alcohol I consumed over the Christmas period I feel I should probably cut back a bit and try and be healthy for a little while at least… That is proving to be rather difficult while there are still piles of Christmas chocolates scattered around the house; it is probably a good idea to eat them all to get rid of the temptation……
Vegetarian nut roast pie – an impressive mixed nut roast pie with vegetarian hot water crust pastry, perfect as a Christmas centerpiece.
Like fruitcake, nut roast is another very divisive and much-maligned food; oft-mocked and shunned by vegetarians in favour of something a little less clichè, it is rare nowadays to find it on a menu anywhere. Which is a shame as it is both incredibly nutritious and, if done well, extremely delicious. …
Vegetarian cottage pie (or shepherds pie, either name works seeing as there is no meat in it to distinguish between them) is a meal that I make fairly regularly as it is so simple, hearty and healthy. Lentils make a great (and very healthy) replacement for meat in a lot of recipes, particularly in warming Winter ones such as stews and pies; and I always have a stash of several different varieties in the cupboard. Although I often cook with dried lentils, they can take a while to cook and some varieties need to be soaked overnight before you can cook them so I also keep tins of pre-cooked lentils for when I want to make something a little more low-effort. I used a tin of lentils in this cottage pie, they really help to bulk it out and make it far more filling than it would be if just made with veg….
If you can believe it, I didn’t eat a single piece of chocolate this Easter…not one mini egg….shocking and disgraceful I know…I did however consume quite a lot of cake and chocolate strawberry tart to make up for that fact, so I’ve been feeling the need for something a little healthier, a little more green…maybe even some (gasp!) kale…Kale blitzed up with pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese into pesto that is….
I like the idea of winter, but am less than enamored with the reality. I like the idea of going for a dog walk on a crisp, frosty winter morning, until I get outside and my fingers go numb, my nose starts streaming and it hurts to breathe…I like the idea of snow (and do enjoy it for about an hour) but then it gets trodden into brown slush and the pavements turn into sheets of ice.
The one instance in which the reality is as satisfying as the idea when it comes to winter, is the food and drink – mulled wine, gingerbread, stollen, mince pies, eggnog, christmas pudding, panettone, yule logs, crumble, christmas cake…and pies. There is something inherently comforting about wrapping food in pastry on a cold, miserable day….
There is no smell homelier or more comforting than that of freshly baked bread. Especially when said bread is filled with garlic butter and topped with cheese……
This stuff is addictive. Soft, fluffy bread smothered in cheesy, garlicky goodness? Yes please! Just looking at these photos is making me drool a little……
I thought I would share with you one of my favourite meals, a roasted butternut squash, garlic and cheese galette. If you have never heard of a galette before, it is a rustic, free-form pizza-like tart which can be sweet or savoury….
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