Tinned Tomatoes

National Vegetarian Week - Readers Choice

2012-05-26T12:47:00.002+01:00

We are coming to the end of National Vegetarian Week here in the UK and it is time to have a look at all the droolworthy recipes my readers have submitted.

I hope you all enjoyed a few vegetarian dishes this week. If you haven't, there is still time, so why not have a browse through this selection for some inspiration.

1. Shakshouka

Sarah (The View From The Table)

Leicestershire, UK

I hadn't heard of Shakshouka before, so I was quite intrigued by our first entry. At a guess I thought it might be a Russian dish, but it turns out it is from Israel.

Sarah learned to make this dish when she lived in Israel for a year. It sounds like she was really inspired by the cuisine while she was there.

This is a one-pot meal of red and yellow peppers and eggs in a thick and spicy paprika flavoured tomato sauce.

2. Enchilada Lasagna Casserole

Madge The Vegetarian Casserole Queen
USA

The Vegetarian Casserole Queen is mad about Mexican food, enchiladas, tostadas, bean burritos, cheese quesadillas, and refried beans and rice.

This is her version of Northern US tex-mex version of cheese enchiladas made into a casserole.

Now my mouth is watering!

3. Tortilla Cake

Fran (Bonnie of Clyde)

Essex, England, UK

The lovely thing about this round-up, other than the yummy food, is discovering blogs I haven't had the pleasure to visit before.

Fran from Bonnie of Clyde is one of them. Fran and her husband are converting a barge and they plan to travel on it when they retire. The blog is Fran's diary.

Fran found this dish on a recipe card. The type you find in a supermarket. She was even able to impress her carnivore husband. Good show Fran!

4. Indian Mung Beans

Lisa (Lisa's Kitchen)

London, Ontario, Canada

My good friend Lisa specialises in Indian cooking. She just loves a bit of spice and heat in her meals and her dishes always look so inviting. As a veteran vegetarian, she was spoilt for choice when choosing a dish for this round-up. She eventually settled on this spicy mung bean dish.

Lisa flavours her mung beans with turmeric, ginger, fresh chillies, cayenne pepper, ground fenugreek, tomatoes, amchoor (dried mango) powder, garam masala and parsley. Mmmmmmm!

5. Vegetarian Chorizo

Lisa (We Don't Eat Anything with a Face)

Another Lisa and another expert in Vegetarian cooking.

Lisa always comes up with things I haven't even thought of. It would never occur to me to try and make a vegetarian chorizo, but I am glad that Lisa decided too. Doesn't it look yummy and I bet is is spicy too.

I think I will have a go at making these for Cooper. They would be great in a hot dog roll and a perfect size for his wee hands to hold.

Lisa combined vegetarian mince and breadcrumbs with garlic, onion, paprika chilli, oregano, black pepper, tomato puree and cider vinegar and bound it together with egg.

You can bake or fry these tasty morsels.

6. Armenian Lentil Bulgar Cakes

Tango Like Raindrop

Mmmmmmmm, I am liking the look of these!

This is a dish that has been made and enjoyed by Tango for over a decade. She first came across it in the New Covent Garden Co. Soup & Beyond cookbook.

Red lentils, bulgar wheat, red onion, red pepper, green pepper, spring onions, parsley, paprika, mint and black pepper.

Tango serves these bulgar cakes with mango pico-de-gallo salsa and fried halloumi with chillies.

Right that's it! Tell us your address Tango. We are all coming over to dinner!

7. Deluxe Carrot, Courgette and Peanut Butter Stuffed Mushrooms

Jacqueline (Tinned Tomatoes)

Scotland, UK

For my entry into the round-up, I decided to submit my stuffed mushrooms.

I first tasted these at my mother-in-laws house over 20 years ago.

I was lucky enough to find a fellow veggie for my husband to be, although I found that out later.

My in-laws aren't veggie, but when Graham became vegetarian as a teenager, they stepped up to the mark and made him some really fabulous meals, I think in part helped by the fact that they were both well travelled and love food. Jean went on to share quite a few of her recipes with me and they are all family staples.

These mushrooms are one of my husband's favourite dishes. I urge you to try them, they are super tasty and so easy to make.

8. Flamiche - Flemish Leek Tart

Janice (Farmersgirl Kitchen)

Scotland, UK

I was very impressed and also drooling when I saw this tart on Janice's blog. I just wanted to reach a fork into the screen and grab a piece. I does look good, doesn't it?

Janice very kindly made this tart to take to a friend who was just out of hospital. That is the kind of lovely person Janice is and I am sure her friend really appreciated it.

Cheesy pastry filled with leek, creme fraiche, cheese and egg filling. Yum!

9. Butternut, Cranberry & Bulgar Salad

Monica (Smarter Fitter)

Wiltshire, England, UK

Monica always makes very visually pleasing meals. The fact that they are packed with flavour and healthy too is an added bonus.

Monica had some cranberries in the freezer and some butternut squash to use and decided they might go well together.

Butternut squash, cranberries, crushed fennel, coriander seeds, red pepper, bulgar wheat, spring onions, coriander, lemon juice, chopped dates, pistachios, almonds or sunflower seeds.

The lunch of champions. Sweet, savoury and very satisfying. Why not give it a try?

10. Country Vegetable Pie

HerbyCarny (Herbivorous Carnivore)

This looks like my kind of dish. I love comfort food like this.

Herby got to run wild, well actually just use her in-laws kitchen. I am sure they weren't expecting her to run wild. They were on holiday, so Herby and her husband had their own wee holiday and really enjoyed having a big kitchen to cook in.

Sweetcorn, peas, carrots, parsnips and garlic covered in a parsley sauce, topped with red potato mash and baked in the oven until golden brown. Who wouldn't love this?

12. Lentil and Vegetable Filo Pie

Ruth (Makey-Cakey)

Would you look at that! I defy you not to want it. I am desperate to try a slice. You should see the whole pie, it looks pretty impressive. Unfortunately, I dont' have room to include another picture, so go over and have a look.

The filo pie is filled with garlic, leeks, carrots, green lentils, mint sauce, sundried tomatoes, red pepper, figs, cumin and dill. Slurp!

You have inspired me Ruth. I am definitely going to try one of these. I cannot believe how easy it was to make.

13. Curried Sweet Chilli Peppers

Simona (Briciole)

What gorgeous looking sweet chillies. So vibrant in colour, just screaming out to be cooked with. Simona obviously thought so too.

Simona bought these beauties at her local farmers market and the farmer who grew these told her they are sweet with just a hint of spice, perfect for what Simona had in mind.

A traditional Italian dish called peperonata, whose ingredients are bell peppers, onion (cipolla) and tomatoes (pomodori). Simona changed the flavours up a bit by adding curry powder and topped the dish with formaggio cheese.

Mmmmmmmmm! All this meal needs is some crusty bread and a chilled, crisp white wine. Heavenly on a summer's evening.

14. Stuffed peppers with new potatoes, feta and pesto

Recipe Junkie and the Attack of the Custard Creams

Hampshire, England, UK

I can vouch for how good these are as I made them myself earlier in the year.

Recipe Junkie found the recipe in River Cottage Everyday by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. I can also vouch for what a fabulous cookbook this is. I could quite happily just live of the recipes in it for the next year.

Red peppers filled with baby new potatoes, feta cheese and pesto, then baked until soft and starting to brown.

Simple, but delicious.

15. Mexican Egg Rancheros

Clare (The Vegetarian Experience)

Hertfordshire, England, UK

Rancheros in case you haven't guessed already is the Spanish word for ranch, but it is also said to mean "a group of people who eat together" and this is a great sharing dish. One that Clare and her family enjoy together for breakfast or brunch.

Onion, green and yellow peppers, mushrooms, chilli powder, tomatoes and parsley, topped with eggs and cheese. Served with toasted mushrooms. My mouth is watering as I read this.

Clare got carried away and entered a few dishes, but I have chosen this one as my favourite.

16. Split Pea Soup

Johanna (Green Gourmet Giraffe)

Melbourne, Australia

It isn't the first time that Johanna has made this tasty soup, but she wanted to show it off in her new bowls. Lovely aren't they, they have a real retro feel.

Onion, paprika, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, yellow split peas, bay leaves and thyme. All cooked up and whizzed smooth.

Johanna served her soup with a slice of Babka Vegetable Bread. Mmmmmmm!

17. Roast Butternut Squash and Rosemary Soup with Chilli and Cinnamon

Caroline (Cake, Crumbs and Cooking)

North of England, UK

This wasn't the photo that Caroline submitted with her dish, but I just loved this photo, so I sneakily took this one instead. Hope you don't mind Caroline.

I love butternut squash soup and roasting the squash really adds an extra element to the flavour.

Butternut squash, red onion, sprigs of rosemary, vegetable stock, cinnamon and chilli.

Caroline found this recipe in Hungry? by the people who sell the Innocent smoothies, veggie pots and juices. A book I love too!

Just gorgeous Caroline.

Well that is it for the 2012 National Vegetarian Week round-up. I hope you take the time to tell us which recipes caught your attention and visit some of the bloggers who took part.

If you are on twitter, please tweet, so more people can have a chance to see all these truly droolworthy recipes.

Happy Vegetarian Week everyone!

Fettuccine with Creamy Blue Shropshire & Spinach

2012-05-23T20:18:00.000+01:00

Long Clawson Dairy was founded in 1911 when 12 farmers from the Vale of Belvoir, Leicestershire, formed a co-operative to produce Stilton® Cheese in the village of Long Clawson. Today the dairy works with by over 40 farms, all from within the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire area.

Today Long Clawson Dairy produces:

Blue Stilton
White Stilton
Organic Blue Stilton
Blue Shropshire
White Stilton mixed with a variety of fruits
Wensleydale & Cranberry
Cotswold
Charnwood
Innkeepers Choice
Windsor Red
Huntsman
Cheddar, Apple and Wholegrain Mustard
Cheddar, Apple and Cider Chutney
Thomas Hoe Stevenson® Aged Leicestershire Red
Herb & Garlic Whirl
Onion & Chive Whirl
Paneer

Phew, what a list! I was lucky enough to be sent a selection of their cheeses, which are now taking up a good proportion of my fridge.

As soon as I saw the Blue Shropshire I knew I had to make a creamy sauce for pasta. I do love Blue Shropshire, it has such a creamy texture and a full bodied flavour. I decided to pair it with spinach and crème fraîche for a luxurious sauce. It was heavenly.

As good as it was, I wasn't able to convert blue cheese hating Graham, but the good news is Cooper enjoyed it, so I at least I have someone to share my blue cheese with.

print recipe

Fettuccine with Creamy Blue Shropshire & Spinach

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum.
May 23, 2012

A creamy sauce made with rich, tangy Shropshire Blue Cheese, creme friache and spinach. Served on Fettuccine. A quick after work dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup/240ml double cream
1 cup/240ml creme fraiche
150-200g Blue Shropshire Cheese
½ cup/120ml white wine
1 large handful baby spinach
a good grating of nutmeg
a good grinding of pepper
enough fetticcine for 4-6 people

Instructions

1. Cook the fettuccine according to the packet instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking melt the cheese in the cream and creme fraiche. Once it is smooth, add in the wine and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.
3. Season with nutmeg and black pepper.
4. Mix the sauce through the drained pasta and serve. It's as easy and quick as that.
5. Enjoy!

Details

Total time: 12 mins
Yield: serves 4-6

If you have a favourite vegetarian dish, please add it to my linky in honour of National Vegetarian Week.

I will be posting a roundup for you all to enjoy on Saturday 26 May 2012.

Disclaimer: Long Clawson Dairy sent me a selections of cheeses to try. I was not required to write a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

National Vegetarian Week 2012

2012-05-21T06:30:00.000+01:00

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the UK’s annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. This year it runs from Monday 21 May - Sunday 27 May 2012.

I have been vegetarian for 22 years now and I can honestly say, I have never eaten better. In honour of National Vegetarian Week I would like to share with you some of my favourite dishes. Whether you are vegetarian or not, I hope you leave inspired and eager to try some recipes out.

I am adding a linky to the end of the post. If you would like to add your favourite vegetarian recipe from your own blog archive (please mention this link-up if you post this week) or from a favourite website, then just add it and I will do a roundup on Saturday 26 May 2012. One recipe per person.

Starter

Four Tomato and Red Pepper Soup


Carrot, Spinach & Lentil Soup

Carrot & Egg Tiffin Salad with Vegetarian Caesars Dressing

Marinated Mozzarella

Main Course

Tomato and Chickpea Curry

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chickpea Bake

Herbful Pasta Salad with Mushrooms

Tagliatelle con Spinaci e Funghi

Spaghetti con Pesto alla Siciliana

Peanutty Vegetable Noodles


Spinach and Onion Puff Tart

Tomato & Broccoli Quiche with a Layer of Pea Puree

Deluxe Carrot, Courgette & Peanut Butter Stuffed Mushrooms

Dessert

Easy Strawberry Ice Cream

Scottish Cranachan

Deep Chocolate Cheesecake

Rhubarb and Custard Cake

Blueberry Crumble Cake

Asparagus, Avocado, Blue Cheese and Beetroot Salad

2012-05-18T07:30:00.000+01:00

I am ever hopeful and with an eye to the summer, I am tucking into a lot of salads and imagining the joy of eating them on a picnic blanket with my loved ones. Beside us is an overflowing picnic basket full of homemade goodies and our happy toddler is running barefoot in the grass, singing and laughing.

My latest salad is also my entry into the Al Fresco Holiday's Chef of the Year Competition.

A wee bit background:

Al Fresco Holidays are all about holidays for families who want to enjoy luxury outdoor living without splashing out. Splashing about in the pool, bike rides through beautiful countryside, messing about in boats, building the perfect sandcastle, discovering picturesque local villages, or simply relaxing in the sunshine with a good book whilst the kids are off running around with their new friends. Modern holiday homes with two or three bedrooms, air conditioning, power showers, modern designer kitchens and a decked veranda and enjoy the peaceful natural surroundings.

Their Chef of the Year Competition is calling for foodies to enter their best al fresco style recipe for their chance to win a family holiday. Whether you love picnic treats, or rustling up a feast on the BBQ is more your sort of thing, they want to hear from you.You have until the 31 May 2012 at 5pm to enter.

print recipe

Asparagus, Avocado, Smooth Blue Cheese & Beetroot Salad

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

May 18, 2012

A flavourful salad for sunny days. A lovely mixture of flavours and textures to brighten up your day.

Ingredients

90g mixed salad leaves
1 avocado, sliced
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
12 asparagus tips
120-150g Blue cheese, I used Claxstone's Smooth Blue, cut into chunks
12 baby beets, (pickled or fresh) cut in half

Instructions

1. Steam or boil the asparagus until tender, then rinse in cold water to refresh. 2. Divide the salad leaves between the bowls. 3. Slice the avocado and then toss in the lemon juice, This will prevent the avocado from browning, but will also add a bit of extra flavour too. 4. Add the asparagus, avocado and baby beets to the bowls, then top with the blue cheese and a drizzle of your favourite salad dressing.

Details

Total time: 12 mins Yield: Serves 4

And a few of my favourite salads:

I am entering my salad into Lisa's Challenge Britain's Got Salad. Lisa is fe up with the pitiful salads offered to vegetarians in restaurant and so am I. If you want to add your salad to her linky, just head over there.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I was required to post some information about Al Fresco Holidays and Chef of the Year Competition, as well as my recipe.

Cupcake Decorating Class - 3D Cakes

2012-05-17T11:06:00.000+01:00

I recently went on another cupcake decorating class. My last class was at a bakery called The Scarlet Bakery in Dundee. This time I headed over to Edinburgh for the day to have some fun with Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen and my cousin Claire who blogs at A Kiss of Cookies. Our class was in 3D Cakes in the West End of Edinburgh.

Sue our tutor for the day started off by teaching us how to use sugarpaste. First we made butterflies and then gerberas. We then learned how to roll the sugar paste really thinly to make the finest of roses. It actually takes quite a bit of work to get it thin enough.

Sugarpaste Tips:

Warm the sugarpaste in your hands until pliable.
Dust your work surface with the smallest amount of icing sugar, you don't want to use much as it can dry out your sugarpaste.
Rotate the paste as you roll.
Work quickly.
For fine flowers, you want to roll your paste so thin that you can see newsprint through it.
One we had used our flower cutter, we then made the petals even thinner, by stretching them with our thumb and fore finger. You have to make sure to use the pad of your finger and not the tip. If you use the tip the petal will tear easily.
Use an apple tray (made of cardboard, you can ask for one at a supermarket) or a egg carton to shape your butterflies, flowers etc, while they dry.
The smallest amount of water will stick together different shapes. You are going more for damp than wet.
Sugarpaste hardens and fondant stays soft, so sugarpaste is better for really fine work.

We left our sugarpaste shapes to dry and harden and moved on to fondant. Sue gave us a masterclass in making chubby hearts, ribbon roses, ladybirds and parcels.

I have to say my favourite was the ladybirds. they were so cute with their little smiles. I was amazed to find out there was even a tool to make smiles.

The hearts were the simplest to accomplish, the parcels needed a bit of careful handling, but it was the roses I needed a bit of help with. Sue was at hand to give a one-to-one demonstration and I was soon back on track. I hadn't been making my petals long enough.

Here are a few photos from the day:


Masterclass from Sue


Parcel making

Claire (A Kiss of Cookies)

Janice (Farmersgirl Kitchen)

Janice adding finishing touches.

Fondant Tips:

Sugarpaste dries and hardens, so it is good for delicate work. Fondant is more like playdoh. You can shape and mould it into an endless variety of shapes.
Use a brush dipped in a little water to stick fondant shapes together. Brush onto the back of your hand to take off excess water before applying to the fondant.
Use the right tools. It might seem obvious, but the results speak for themselves. Buy a basic set of tools and work from there.
Buys some moulds. You can get a huge variety of moulds online. They are a quick and easy way to get professional results. Sue recommended an online shop called Squires.
Check out this step-by-step guide to making fondant animals.
Have fun!

Our final step was to dust and glitter our shapes. When you are dusting shapes, always use a very dry brush and dust off the excess powder before applying. To add glitter, dampen the area you want to add glitter to, with a damp brush, then dip in a bowl of glitter.

We gave our gerberas a little dust of colour, layered them up and finished them off by rolling a little ball of black fondant and fixing it with a little water onto the centre of the flower. We then used the end of the paintbrush to dab little dots into the ball and then piped a few dots around the edges for an authentic finish.

Sue provided us with a box of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes, then left us to pipe on buttercream and finished them off with our decorations. Then it was time for clear up and some last goodbyes.

I stopped to buy a few supplies on the way out, then a few more, ahem!

A great day and a fabulous tutor.

Have a read of Janice and Claire's account of the day.

	3D Cakes
	20 Roseburn Terrace, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH12 6AW

Cake Design Team: - 0131 337 9990 Cupcake Order Line: - 05602051641

Disclosure: This is not* a sponsored post, I paid for this course myself. I was not given any free products or perks. The opinions expressed are my own.*

Lemon Honey & Pear Syllabub

2012-05-13T21:36:00.000+01:00

We are in the midst of National Honey Week, well to be accurate we are coming to the end of it, so for my second post today I give you my Lemon Honey & Pear Syllabub.

To celebrate National Honey Week, The New Zealand Honey Company sent me a jar of Manuka Honey with Lemon and a jar of Manuka Honey with Root Ginger.

I decided to put the honey with lemon to good use and make a syllabub. The honey has a real silky quality to it, smoother than manuka honey usually is, it can be quite fudgey in texture sometimes. I thought it would mix well with the cream and I was right.

I usually make syllabub with white wine, but I had read that you can also make it with cider, so today I made my syllabub with pear cider. The flavour of the final syllabub was much gentler than it is with wine. The resulting syllabub was divine. Smooth and creamy with undertones of lemon, honey and pear.

Syllabub:

Syllabub is an old English favourite. It can be traced back to time of the Tudors (1485 until 1603). It was originally made from milk and cider. Cows were milked directly into the cider barrel and the frothy liquid that resulted was left to thicken for a few days and voila syllabub. Luckily it is a much easier and quicker process now.

"Take a quart of thick cream, and half a pint of sack, the juice of two Seville oranges, or lemons; grate in the peel of two lemons; half a pound of double-refined sugar, pour it into a broad earthen pan, and whisk it well; but first sweeten some red wine, or sack, and fill your glasses as full as you chuse; then as the froth rises take it off with a spoon, and lay it carefully into your glasses, till they are as full as it will hold."

Charles Carter The London and Country Cook (London: 1749)

Honey Lemon & Pear Syllabub

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum. May 13, 2012

A smooth and creamy syllabub with hints of honey, lemon and pear. A lovely light dish to serve at the end of a meal. Not one for the children though as it is made rich with cider.

Ingredients

150ml/¾ cup double cream
4 tbsp manuka honey with lemon (you can use any honey)
finely grated peel of 1 lemon
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp caster sugar
75ml/¼ cup pear cider

Instructions

1. Whip up the cream, honey, sugar, lemon peel and juice until thick. I used an electric whisk, but you can whisk it by hand.2. Add the cider and blend until smooth and creamy.3. Pour into two wine glasses and chill until ready to serve. It's as simple as that, but absolutely delicious.

Details

Total time: 10 mins Yield: 2 syllabubs

New Zealand Honey Co.’s new Manuka ‘Plus’ range is available in Morrisons stores nationwide from 7^th May, 2012.

Disclosure: The New Zealand Honey Company sent me two jars of honey for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. Any opinions expressed are my own.

Sunday Giveaway - 32 Piece Cutlery Set

2012-05-13T10:15:00.000+01:00

I don't have any other excuse for this giveaway other than it is Sunday. Now if I had hosted this giveaway three weeks ago I could have said the giveaway was to celebrate Tinned Tomatoes turning five, however today is just a Sunday and so this is just a Sunday giveaway.

So without any further ado, I am pleased to announce that I have a fabulous Judge Durham 32 piece cutlery set worth £39.99 (RRP £80) to offer one lucky reader, courtesy of Palmers Department Store.

Palmers are celebrating their 175th year of trading! Palmers opened in 1837 as a small linens and drapery shop in Great Yarmouth and have been growing ever since. Palmers provide luxury homeware such as “V&A bedding”.

Judge Durham 32 Piece Cutlery Set:

Premium quality polished stainless steel
Gift boxed
Dishwasher safe
Judge 25 Year Guarantee

To be in with a chance of winning this “32 Piece Judge Durham Cutlery Set” all you need to do is leave a comment.

If you would like extra entries:

1. Follow Tinned Tomatoes on Google Connect or Networked Blogs (down the side panel) and leave a second comment to say you have done so.
2. Follow @tinnedtoms on Twitter and leave a separate comment to let me know you have done so.
3. Follow @PalmerStores on Twitter and leave a separate comment to let me know you have done so.
4. Tweet the competition using (Win a Premium Judge Durham 32 Piece Cutlery Set with a 25 Year Guarantee @tinnedtoms http://www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2012/05/sunday-giveaway-32-piece-cutlery-set.html) and leave a separate comment to say you have done so.
5. Like the Tinned Tomatoes Facebook Page and leave a separate comment to let me know you have done so.
6. Like the Palmers Department Store Facebook Page and leave a separate comment to let me know you have done so.

If you add everything into one comment you will only get one entry, so remember to write a separate comment for each entry.

The giveaway runs until 9am on Sunday 3 June 2012. This competition is open to residents of the UK only.

A big thank you to Palmers and good luck to everyone who enters.

Carrot, Banana and Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

2012-05-09T23:22:00.000+01:00

I like to make flapjacks for Cooper's lunchbox, but I hadn't made any for a quite while. I had just received a delivery of carrots from Scotty Brand and as luck would have it I visited Allotment 2 Kitchen just in time to spot Shaheen's Carrot & Raisin Flapjacks. I knew immediately that I had to make them. It was such an inspired idea to add carrots to a flapjack. I took the idea from Shaheen's flapjacks and went back to my own go-to flapjack recipe and made a few changes.

The resulting flapjacks were a hit. Soft, chewy flapjacks with lots of flavour. The carrots go slightly carmelly, which is lovely and the banana flavour is there, but not overpowering. I also added some spices to the mix. At the planning stage they were looking pretty healthy. Honey, oats, carrots and banana, but you know me, I just couldn't resist adding some chocolate chips. Mmmmmmmm!

So easy, so quick and such a great sweet tasting snack to give you some energy, but at the same time very satisfying too.

print recipe

Carrot, Banana and Chocolate Chip Flapjacks

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum.
May 09, 2012

Soft, chewy flapjacks, made with oats, honey, grated carrot and banana. It you are feeling naughty, add some chocolate chips.

Ingredients

115g/½ cup butter
5 tbsp runny honey
250g/2½ cups oats
½ banana
1 carrot, approximately 25g/½ cup carrot, grated
100g/ ½ cup dark chocolate chips
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to gas mark 3/325f/160c/140c fan.
2. Grease a tray or brownie pan.
3. In a large bowl mix together the oats, chocolate chips and spices.
4. Mash your half banana until it is squidgy and soft.
5. In a small pan, melt together the butter and honey and then mix in the banana and grated carrot.
6. Leave the melted butter mixture to cool slightly and then mix into the oats. If you pour it in too soon, the chocolate chips will just melt into goo.
7. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out near the end and test with your finger, it should be slightly springy if you want a chewy flapjack. Leave it in longer if you want a crisper flapjack.
8. Cut into 16 squares while still warm, then leave to cool in the pan.
9. Enjoy

Details

Total time: 40 mins

Yield
16 Flapjacks

I am sending my flapjacks over to Clare at the Vegetarian Experience who is hosting Family Friendly Fridays for Ren (Fabulicious Food) this month.

Disclosure: Scotty Brand provided me with carrots to cook or bake with, but I was not required to write a positive review and I was not paid for this post.

The Great Triple Chocolate Cookie Challenge

2012-05-04T08:00:00.000+01:00

When Dominos got in touch with me and asked if I dared take part in their challenge, how could I resist? The challenge wasn't about the pizza it was all about the cookies. In particular Domino's Triple Chocolate Cookies. They are a limited edition and Dominos are feeling mighty proud of themselves.

If I do say so myself, I make pretty good chocolate cookies so I was feeling very confident. Cooper was busy playing with his toys, so I sneakily got on with making my cookies without him. It was quite funny, Graham walked into the kitchen and said "Oh, you will be in trouble if Cooper catches you baking without him!". He was right too, I would get a right telling off. I know Cooper is only two, but boy can he shake his finger at you and make you feel bad. So I carried on baking, nervously looking over my shoulder occasionally.


inside of my triple chocolate cookies

My cookies turned out a treat. I left them to cool on a rack and headed off to my laptop to order us some pizza and some of these infamous limited edition cookies.

Now, I have to be honest and say I laughed when I opened the cookie box. Dominos cookies didn't look like anything I would want to eat. They looked quite pitiful. I have to say I was expecting something pretty special and they didn't look it.

inside of Dominos triple chocolate cookies

I must tell you, they do taste better than they look. They were a bit overdone, but inside they were fudgey and very chocolatey. Comparing them to my cookies, they were heavier and didn't look as good. My cookies were much lighter. Both cookies were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. I now think, after trying the Dominos cookies, that I could try to make my cookies more chocolatey.

My final thoughts are; if you have time, make your own and if not, then order these and remember they taste better than they look, so don't be disappointed when you open the box.

print recipe

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum.
May 04, 2012

Crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. The ultimate cookie filled with white, milk and dark chocolate chips.

Ingredients

325g plain flour
65g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
a pinch of salt
225g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
100g muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
100g white chocolate chips
50g dark chocolate chips
50g milk chocolate chips, plus a few extra to decorate the top of each cookie

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 190c/170c fan/375f/gas mark 5.

2. Mix together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa powder.

3. In a large bowl beat the butter with the sugar until soft and creamy. I used an electric whisk, but if you are feeling energetic you could use a wooden spoon. Next add the vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition.

4. Spoon in some of the flour and fold in. Keep doing this until all of the flour has been added, then fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Pop the cookie dough in the fridge for 10 minutes and line a tray with greaseproof paper.

6. Roll balls of dough, about the size of a golf ball and pop on your tray, leaving plenty of room between them. Press down a little and stud with chocolate chips. You will have to bake the cookies in several batches.

7. Bake for 8-10 minutes. You will know when they are ready as large cracks will appear. The will still be quite soft, but will crisp up as they cool and remain soft in the centre.

Details

Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 24 cookies

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was not required to write a positive review and any opinion expressed was my own.

Snickers Cheesecake Loaf

2012-05-01T06:00:00.000+01:00

I bet the photo of my cake got your attention. It certainly got my attention when I saw the original in Saved by Cake a cookbook by the novelist Marian Keyes.

(make sure to keep reading, there are photos of wee Cooper helping me bake the cake, at the bottom of the post)

I have probably read all of Marian Keyes books over the years, but the one thing I wasn't expecting from her was a cookbook. I suppose I didn't really know much about Marion, other than that I enjoyed her books and that she was an Irish author.

It seems there has been a whole host of people writing cookbooks, including quite a few actors and a part of me always thinks they are just jumping on the bandwagon. Writing a cookbook seems to be the latest fad, but after reading Marion's book I came to realise pretty quickly that this wasn't the case here. Marion gives a very honest and at times amusing account of how she has been battling with depression and how baking helped get her through each day by giving her a focus. She admits to starting out a novice and picking up skills as she went along, but then isn't that true for all of us? The result is a pretty impressive book filled with mouthwatering bakes.

* Chocolate, Chilli & Cardamon Tart

* No Bake Ginger and Lime Cheesecake

* Tiramisu Macaroons

* Ginger & Pineapple Pavlova

* Coconut Milk Cake

* Chocolate Baklava

Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes

Format: Hardback

Pages: 232

Publisher: Michael Joseph

Date of Publication: 16 Feb 2012

ISBN: 978-0718158897

print recipe

Blokey Snickers Cheesecake Loaf

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum.
Recipe taken from from Saved By Cake by Marian Keyes with kind permission

May 01, 2012

Chocolate, biscuity base topped with a baked cheesecake filled with chunks of snickers, a fudgey top layer all finished of with a drizzle of toffee and a scattering of peanuts.

Ingredients

for the base:

150g dark chocolate digestive biscuits
50g salted peanuts
75g butter

for the filling:

250g mascarpone cheese
250g philadelphia or any soft cheese
100g caster sugar
2 large eggs
200ml sour cream
4 snickers bars, chopped into chunks

for the topping:

enough toffee sauce from a squeezy bottle to drizzle over the cake
a generous handful of salted peanuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 170c fan/190c/325f/gas mark 3.2. Line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper, I use inserts, they are much quicker.3. In a food processor, whizz the biscuits and peanuts until they are crumbs, you can leave it a little rougher with some chunks remaining.4. Melt the butter and stir it through the biscuit crumbs. Pour into your loaf tin and press down firmly, then pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Leave to cool then pop in the fridge until you need it, or overnight.5. Before you make your filling, you will need to heat the oven again to the same temperature you used for the base.6. Whip together the mascarpone, sour cream and philadelphia with a wooden spoon, then add the sugar and eggs. Keep whipping until it is well combined and smooth. Add the chunks of snickers and mix in.7. Pour the mixture on top of the biscuit base and bake for an hour and a half. Turn the oven off, but leave the cake in. A fudgey topping with develop. Don't worry about how long it needs left in the oven, just take it out when you see the top has browned a little.8. Leave the cake to cool in the tin, then lift it out carefully and pop it in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. 9. Before serving, drizzle the cake with toffee sauce and a scattering of peanuts.

Details

Total time: 2 hours plus time to cool Yield: 1 loaf cake

The original cake recipe used milk chocolate digestives, but I prefer dark chocolate digestives, so I used them instead. It also used ricotta. I forgot to buy ricotta, so I substituted it with Philadelphia soft cheese. I also re-wrote the instructions in my own words as Marian's instructions had a lot of chat, which was lovely, but I wanted to give you the bare bones of the recipe.

I can tell you it really is a blokes cake. My hubby thought it was great, but while I enjoyed it, I would have preferred a simpler cake.

I've also made Marian's Chocolate Fudge Pudding, which is self-saucing.Unfortunately I left it in the oven after I had turned the heat off, as I had no room to put it anywhere, so the sauce sank in, but I can tell you it was still really delicious. I served it with custard, mmmmmmm.

As you can see Cooper helped me to make the Cheesecake Loaf. He is proudly sporting his new apron that the online gift shop, Not On The High Street sent him. They have some really gorgeous aprons for children and adults. He is as proud as punch, as you can see. It's a bit big for him yet, so I just folded it up in the middle and tightened the neck straps.

Here are a few more loaf cakes for you to try:

Blueberry Loaf Cake with Lime Drizzle - Tinned Tomatoes
Caramel Apple Loaf Cake - The Caked Crusader
Sticky Apple and Gingerbread Loaf with Pecans - Katiecakes
Dulce de Leche - Nutella Swirl Loaf Cake - Just Putszing Around the Kitchen
Jaffa Drizzle Sponge Cake - Tinned Tomatoes
Chocolate Matcha Loaf Cake - Fresh from the Oven
Spicy Chocolate & Prune Gingerbread - Chocolate Log Blog

This is also my rather late entry for this month's We Should Cocoa.

Choclette is hosting it this month and the theme is chocolate and cheese. The roundup is already live!

Choclette was so shocked that I actually had an entry that she has agreed to add it. Thanks Choclette.

Disclosure Statement: I received the cookbook and apron free for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

NCR - April 2012

2012-04-30T22:20:00.000+01:00

Oh whoops, nearly forgot to announce the ~~winner~~, winners of this month's NCR. Feast your eyes on these little beauties!

It was a tie this month,so we have two winners.

Pesto and Antipasto Puff Pastry Tart
Antipasto used in recipe : Vegetable Antipasto & Olives
Lisa (We Don't Eat Anything With A Face)

Vegetarian Solyanka
Antipasto used in recipe : Pickled Cucumbers & Olives
Greensleeves (Chez Maximka)

Congratulations Lisa and Greensleeves. Your winners badges are winging their way to you as we speak.

Now head over to Lisa's Kitchen for the next round.

Bookmarked Recipes April 2012

2012-04-29T21:44:00.000+01:00

Bookmarked Recipes

Bookmarked Recipes: a monthly event to encourage food bloggers to revisit the recipes they have bookmarked from magazines, newspapers, cookbooks. websites, blogs, to try them out and post about them.

Read on to see all the entries. If you recreate any bookmarked recipes, you can join in by adding them to the linky at the end of the post for the May roundup.

Bookmarked Recipe April 2012

1. Moroccan Roasted Tomato and Chickpea Stew

Becca (Amuse Your Bouche)
Recipe bookmarked from ?

2. Sarah's Raw Brownies Speckled with Almonds

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from My New Roots, April 2011.

3. Spinach Crackers

Johanna (Green Gourmet Giraffe)

Recipe bookmarked from Oh She Glows, March 2012.

4. Guinness Shepherds Pie

Becca (Amuse Your Bouche)

Recipe bookmarked from ?

5. High-Protein Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from Cupcakes and Kale, October 2011.

6. Cake Filled Easter Eggs

Ros (More Than The Occasional Baker)

Recipe bookmarked from The Cupcake Project, April 2011.

7. Spicy Red Pepper Potatoes

Becca (Amuse Your Bouche)

Recipe Bookmarked from ?

8. Blue and Green Soup with Gluten Free Scones

Janice (Farmersgirl Kitchen)

Recipe bookmarked from London Unattached, March 2012.

9. Tofu Chocolate Mousse

Ros (The More Than Occasional Baker)

Recipe bookmarked from Tinned Tomatoes, January 2011.

10. Carrot and Tahini Soup

Corina (Searching for Spice)

Recipe bookmarked from Eats Well With Others, February 2012.

11. Tofu 'Chicken' Nuggets

Becca (Amuse Your Bouche)

Recipe bookmarked from ?

12. Rhubarb and Hibiscus Butter

Shaheen (Allotment 2 Kitchen)

Recipe bookmarked from Jammin' Jelly, May 2010.

13. Root Vegetable Mulligatawny

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from Whole Living, January 2012.

14. Rumbledethumps

Jacqueline (Tinned Tomatoes)

Recipe bookmarked from Scotty Brand, April 2012.

15. Warm Chickpea Salad with Mango, Pomegranate and Chat Masala

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from 1000 Indian Recipes by Neelam Batra.

16. Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread

Aga Girls

Recipe bookmarked from Joy The Baker, March 2011.

17. Tofu, Tempeh and Squash Peanut Mole

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from Fat Free Vegan, February 2009.

18. Strawberry and Kiwi Tarts

Aga Girls

Recipe bookmarked from Love and Olive Oil, April 2012.

19. Honey Spice 'Hun-ger' Cake

Caroline (Cake, Crumbs and Cooking)

Recipe bookmarked from River Cottage Handbook No.8 - Cakes by Pam Corbin.

Here ends this month's Bookmarked Recipes and so May's Bookmarked Recipes is open for business. Thanks to everyone who submitted their fabulous recipes. It is, I think you will agree an impressive roundup.

If you would like to be included in the next roundup, just add your post to the linky at the bottom of this post. Please remember that bookmarked recipes must be suitable for vegetarians, in line with this blog. You can find the guidelines, current challenge and past roundups here. Also, please state where you bookmarked your recipe from in your post, so I can add that information.

Bookmarked Recipes May will be open until Saturday 26 May 2012. Please join in next month and unearth some of those unloved bookmarked recipes. Head over to The Food Blog Diary regularly for all the latest foodie challenges, competitions and giveaways.

Add your Bookmarked Recipes for May to the linky below. You may add more than one bookmarked recipe. The linky will remain open until the evening of 26 May 2012. The next roundup will be posted on the last Sunday in May.

Rumbledethumps or Scottish Potato & Cabbage Pie

2012-04-27T15:51:00.002+01:00

This is a recipe I found on the Scotty Brand website. As Scotty Brand kindly sent me some Kestral Potatoes to try, it seemed fitting that I try out one of the recipes they suggested.

Rumbledethumps! Aren't they immediately appealing? What a name. Without knowing it, I ate this dish a lot as a child and cooked a variation of it as an adult. The only difference is we called it potato and cabbage pie.


Photo courtesy of Scotty Brand

The name Rumbledethumps originally comes from the Scottish Borders. The name is supposed to come from the noise the tatties and cabbage make as they are battered about the dish with a wooden spoon.

I have a sad tale for you. My computer died and I cannot retrieve the photos of the final dish after it was topped with cheese, baked and all beautiful and golden. Luckily I still had some photos of the dish before it was baked.

print recipe

Rumbledethumps

or Scottish Potato & Cabbage Pie

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission from Scotty Brand.

April 27, 2012

A traditional Scottish dish made of potatoes, cabbage and onion, topped with cheese and baked in the oven.

Ingredients

900g potatoes
1 small green cabbage
6 tbsp butter
32g chives
a good grinding of salt & freshly ground pepper
240ml milk
130g cheddar cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Core the cabbage and chop coarsely. Put the potatoes and cabbage in separate pans, and cover with lightly salted water.2. Bring each pan to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until each vegetable is very tender. Drain.3. Mash the potato with butter, adding enough milk to create a smooth texture. Stir in chives and cabbage and add salt and pepper, to taste4. Place in buttered baking dish, and sprinkle with grated cheddar. It can be baked now or refrigerated overnight at this point.5. Bake at 350°F/180°C or Gas mark 4 for 15-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the dish is completely heated through

Details

Total time: 1 hour Yield: serves 6

Here are a few more potato dishes for you to try:

Ultimate Bubble & Squeak - Lavender & Lovage
Jamie's Blackened Potatoes - Tinned Tomatoes
Courgette Potato Cakes - Allotment 2 Kitchen
Patatas Bravas - Farmersgirl Kitchen
Spicy Potato Pancakes - Lisa's Kitchen
Lumberjack Hash - More Than Burnt Toast
Potato & Kale Enchiladas - Green Gourmet Giraffe
Potato Topped Veggie Mince Hot Pot - Belleau Kitchen

I am entering my Rumbledethumps for:

Bookmarked Recipes

Family Friendly Fridays

Frugal Food Fridays
originallly hosted by Fuss Free Flavours

Disclosure Statement: I received potatoes from Scotty Brand to cook with. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

NCR - Soups & Salads using Antipasto

2012-04-23T23:49:00.000+01:00

I think the challenge this month confused a few people. My thought was to use some of the jarred antipasto that lie waiting expectantly in my cupboard. Anyway, we still got a few rather great entries, so read on, enjoy and take note.

No Croutons Required - April 2012

1. Pea and Artichoke Houmous
Antipasto used in recipe : Artichokes
Ruth (Makey-Cakey)

This challenge came at a great time for Ruth. She had an unloved jar of artichokes just sitting there in her cupboard just hoping to be used. Ruth decided to use a Mary Cadogan recipe from BBC Good Food to make houmous, although saying it is a houmous is maybe stretching it a bit. There are no chickpeas in the recipe, but if you can get past that, then Ruth says it is fresh and spring-like. Artichoke hearts, frozen peas, cumin, lemon juice, olive oil and mint.

2. Pesto and Antipasto Puff Pastry Tart
Antipasto used in recipe : Vegetable Antipasto & Olives
Lisa (We Don't Eat Anything With A Face)

Lisa made a gorgeous salad tart for the challenge, well when I say she made it for the challenge I am stretching the truth a little. Lisa made her tart to use up some jars of anitpasta and along I come and give her a nudge to enter it into NCR. The kind soul that she is, she agreed and so here it is. The tart looks lush doesn't it, but Lisa points out that if you aren't just using up jars that have already been opened, then this could be an expensive tart, so she also gives us some other options to keep it more affordable.

UK

3. Vegetarian Solyanka
Antipasto used in recipe : Pickled Cucumbers & Olives
Greensleeves (Chez Maximka)

Greensleeves presents us with this rich Vegetarian Solyanka. Traditional solyanka is a meat-based Russian soup . For this challenge Greensleeves has made us a vegetarian alternative. The soup often has cabbage in it, but there was no cabbage in this pot, instead there was potatoes, pickled cucumbers, olives, capers, tomatoes, tomato paste, mushroom, garlic, onion, walnuts, fresh flat leaf parsely and soured cream. I have must have eaten my own body weight in soup over the years, but I can honestly say I have never tried a soup quite like this. I imagine it has a flavour all of it's own.

UK

4. Frisée Salad with Artichoke Hearts, Membrillo, Manchego Cheese & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Antipasto used in recipe : Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artichoke Hearts, Pickled Onions, Olives, home-made Membrillo with slivers of Spanish Manchego Cheese.
Karen (Lavender and Lovage)

Karen really got into the spirit of this challenge. Most of the ingredients in her salad are antipasto. It is a really original and colourful salad of frisée lettuce, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, pimento stuffed green olives, silverskin onions, Manchego cheese, membrillo (quince paste) and caper berries. Karen calls this a gourmet salad and it certainly is that and more. Such a fabulous contrast of colours, flavours and texture. Oh and not forgetting the sundried tomato dressing.

France & England

5. Macedonian Money Bags
Antipasto used in recipe : Aubergine Meze & Pumpkin Jam
Fiona (London Unattached)

You might be wondering what money bags are, I certainly did. Fiona explains that they are actually little filo parcels she is serving as part of a salad, but she thinks they actually look like little money bags and I can see where she is going with that. Helen learned how to make these little parcels at a recent visit to the Weber Barbecue Academy. Fiona was sent jars of the Aubergine & Pumpkin Jam to review, so she decided to use her new skills, create a recipe and have a dish ready for NCR all in one go. This girl is a serious multitasker. These temptng little parcels are filled with feta.pine nuts,pumpkin jam, aubergine, basil and cherry tomatoes. Mmmmmmmm!

London, UK

6. Green and Yellow Goats Cheese Salad with a Walnut, Wild Rocket and Watercress Pesto
Antipasto used in recipe : Black Olives, Walnuts & Goats Cheese
Debby (Cooking Up A Storm In A Teacup)

The story of this salad is really inspiring. Debby came across a short film about a young lady called Maia Helles and it really moved her. Maia is a 95 year old lady, who is young at heart and who would put most of us to shame. She really looks after herself in body and mind and lives a simple life, which she believes keeps her young. One of the things she says about food is to include "a few greens and a few yellows". I urge you to pop across and watch the film. It only lasts about 4 minutes, but is really heartwarming.

London, UK

7. Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Antipasto used in recipe: Sun Dried Tomatoes
Nicola (Cookies, Cakes & Bakes)

Now this is my kind of salad. I do love a pasta salad, they are so filling and satisfying. This one has a great combination of flavours. Asparagus, red pesto, sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil mixed into fuslii pasta. Like me Nicola always has a jar of sun dried tomatoes in her cupboard and she put it to great use here. I just want to reach a fork into the computer and chomp away. I hope this is the first of many entries for NCR Nicola.

8. Warm Mediterranean Chickpea & Spinach Salad
Antipasto used in recipe: Sun Dried Tomatoes
Janet (Taste Space)

Janet is planning to focus on Indian food for the rest of the month, but for us she has made a Mediterranean salad. One that would bring sunshine to any table. Onion, garlic, chickpeas, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh rosemary, dried basil and dried oregano. Janet serves this salad warm over baby spinach leaves. It is a thing of delicious beauty.

Toronto, Canada

9. Artichoke, Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Salad
Antipasto used in recipe: Artichokes
Jacqueline (Tinned Tomatoes)

For my entry I bring you an Artichoke, Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Salad. I have had this for lunch twice in the last week. I started with a bed of baby spinach, rocket and watercress, then topped it with some jarred artichoke, some strips of pepper and wedges of red onion, I roasted, then I added avocado and goats cheese. I drizzled it with some homemade artichoke and mustard dressing. This salad is such a blast of colour and flavour. I savoured every little bite and was a little remorseful when it was finished.

Dundee, Scotland

10. Antipasti Bruschetta & Pesto Salad Dressing
Antipasto used in recipe: Feta Stuffed Peppers, Olives and Artichokes
Helen (Fuss Free Flavours)

Helen calls this delicious, fast, fuss free and adaptable. She is planning on enjoying it regularly now that she has discovered it's joys. I do enjoy a good bruschetta myself, but after bashing my grill elements once too often with a pan, they are now not working, so I don't think I will be enjoying this salad anytime soon, mind you I may be able to grill the bread on my Foreman Grill, now there is an idea. Toasted ciabatta bread topped with mixed antipasto and drizzled with a pesto dressing. Great entry Helen and a good one for us to end with.

London, UK

The end of another great roundup of No Croutons Required. Please take the time to visit our entrants, but before you head off please remember to vote for your favourite. The winning entrant will receive a winner's badge for their blog. The voting poll will be open until the end of the month, when I will announce the winner. You can find past roundups and all the rules here.

Artichoke, Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Salad

2012-04-19T23:50:00.002+01:00

I made this salad for my lunch tomorrow. As you can see, I am good to myself. I really can't wait to get tucked in and I know it is going to draw envious looks. Although don't be fooled into thinking I eat like this every lunchtime. Quite often lunch is rice cakes and tartex or a tube of instant tomato soup.

This is also my entry for this month's No Croutons Required. It was my turn to host this month and I came up with the idea of perking soup or salads up with any jarred antipasto sitting in your cupboard. There hasn't been a huge amount of entries so far, so I do hope you will join in too. I won't be posting the roundup until Saturday night (21 April 2012), so you still have time to enter.

print recipe

Artichoke. Red Pepper & Goats Cheese Salad

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

April 19, 2012

This colourful salad is lifted by the addition of roasted red onion, pepper and artichoke antipasto.

Ingredients

60g mixed salad leaves (I used watercress, rocket and baby spinach)
1 tsp olive oil
½ red pepper, cut into strips
1 red onion, halved then quartered
1 ripe avocado, sliced
a squeeze of lemon juice
2 artichoke hearts in oil, drained and sliced roughly
4cm wide piece of goat's cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/gas mark 7.2. In a bowl toss the red pepper and red onion in the olive oil, then spread out on an ovenproof tray and roast for approximately 20 minutes until soft and browning at the edges.3. Toss the sliced avocado in lemon juice to prevent it from discolouring.4. Layer up your salad. Divide the salad leaves onto two plates, then top with the red pepper, onion, artichoke, avocado. Finish off with the crumbled goats cheese and your favourite dressing.

Details

Total time: 30 mins Yield: 2 salads

Clandestine Cake Club Dundee

2012-04-18T18:15:00.004+01:00

I have been pondering starting a cake club in Dundee for some time. I have hummed and hawed and generally put it off. I have friends who are already in the club and love their meetings. I am always reading about their creations and their excitement as each meeting draws closer. So, I decided to take the plunge and start a club. I got in touch with Lynn Hill the Founder of The Clandestine Cake Club and wheels were set in motion.

Next thing I had to do was find some members. I put a little shout out on facebook to see if there were any takers. I thought a small group would do to start with. A few people got back to me to say they were interested, so it seemed like it was a good idea after all.

While I was on The Scarlet Bakery facebook page (I did a cupcake decorating course with them last month), I saw that there was mention of a cake club, so of course I piped in to say I had started The Clandestine Cake Club in Dundee if anyone was interested. A few people were and this is where I met Becca, my co-host.

Becca has a small cake business and blogs over at Becca Bakes. It turns out that Becca had also submitted a request to host a club in Dundee. So, I asked Becca is she wanted to co-host with me and the Clandestine Cake Club Dundee was born.

For our first venue I approached the lovely Sinead from Whitehalls Bar & Grill, a fairly new restaurant in the heart of Dundee city centre.. She was delighted for us to host our first cake club there.

We had our first meeting in Whitehalls on Sunday .My plan was to get to the venue early, ready to greet everyone as they arrived. Unfortunately things rarely go to plan.

Sunday was earmarked for a trip to Ikea. Cooper had a great time running around spotting all the arrows and keeping us in the right direction. He even had his own wee trolley so he could help. We got everything we went for and Graham didn't get too irate. It was all going swimmingly until Graham took a wrong turn coming out of the car park and we got lost. This is when I realised how invaluable it was to have Becca as co-host. Becca was there in plenty of time and I arrived with my friend Andrew only slightly harassed.

What a fabulous evening it was. The venue was perfect, the staff were friendly, there was a jazz band playing in the background and there were eight of the most terrific cakes to taste. Our theme was 'Getting Fruity' and our bakers came up with a good variety of cakes. There was a Date & Orange Ring, a White Fruit Cake, a rather spectacular Hummingbird Cake, a St. Clements Cake, a Victoria Sponge with a Strawberry Filling, a Blueberry & Raspberry Sour Cream Cake with Cheesecake Frosting, White Chocolate, Blackberry, Rose & Lavender Cake and my own offering was a Flourless Chocolate & Raspberry Brownie Cake filled with Creme Fraiche and piled high with raspberries. My cake did not look impressive set beside all the others, but everyone got stuck in and there wasn't any to take home, so that is a good sign.

Such a lot of cake. Even though we brought tasters, invited other diners and staff to partake, we came to the conclusion that we need more tasters next time. There was a bit of a competition as to who could taste the most cakes, but I had to step down from that one. I won't name names.

Everyone went home happy, with a selection box of cake, a group of lovely new friends, full tums and a smile on their faces.

Roll on the next meeting!

If you would like to join or even start up a Clandestine Cake Club, head over to the official website for more information. The Dundee club now has 23 members and counting.

Whitehalls Bar & Grill

13 Whitehall Street
Dundee
DD1 4AA
info@whitehallsdundee.co.uk
facebook
01382 200811

Choco Snazzle Smoothie Shake

2012-04-14T23:22:00.005+01:00

I made this smoothie for Cooper and I tonight. It is Saturday night and I thought we deserved a treat. It has milk and greek yoghurt in it, so it part smoothie and part shake and it tastes lush.

A thick, smooth chocolate drink inspired by memories of the Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet I made last October. I had it in my mind today after talking to Kavey about her ice cream challenge 'Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream'. The topic this month is Sorbets, Granitas, Shaved Ice Desserts, Slushies and Spoom! I have never heard of spoom, but I have enjoyed a fair few sorbets, which I am rather partial to. I don't think I have made a sorbet yet I haven't enjoyed.

* Mango, Rose Wine & Cinnamon Sorbet
* Pear Sorbet
* Chocolate Orange Sorbet
* Melon, Peach & Red Wine Sorbet

They were all good. In fact great. Vastly superior! But none compare to the Chocolate and Raspberry Sorbet. It is so good that it can make you cry. It is a wee fibber too and it will try to persuade you that it is the creamiest of ice creams. So in it's honour I give you the Choco Snazzle Smoothie Shake.

print recipe

Choco Snazzle Smoothie Shake

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

April 14, 2012

A suitably fancy name for a suitably fancy smoothie. Thick, smooth chocolate and raspberry delight. Sweet with a touch of tart. Luxury in a glass.

Ingredients

125g raspberries
¼ cup/60ml freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tsp cocoa powder
2-3 tsp runny honey (depending on how sweet you would like your smoothie to be)
¼ cup/60ml greek yoghurt
½ cup/120ml semi-skimmed milk

Instructions

1. Whizz up all the ingredients. Taste to see if you would like a little more honey to sweeten the drink. If it is a little thick for your liking, then add more milk and whizz again.2. Pour and serve. 3. Enjoy!

Details

Total time: 3 mins Yield: 2 glasses of smoothie

If you are admiring my lovely glass, I can tell you it is from The Pampered Chef. It is one of a set of four Dots Stemware that I was lucky enough to win in a competition over at Pebble Soup which is written by the lovely Solange. I have really enjoyed using my glasses and they even survived a trip through the dishwasher, courtesy of my ~~stupid~~ brave husband Graham, who obviously doesn't listen to a word I say.

I am submitting my smoothie to Ren's Family Friendly Fridays. I am a little late in posting it as a Friday event, but it is also a monthly event, so I am hoping we can look on it as super keen and early for next Friday.

Blog Business Cards

2012-04-13T11:14:00.006+01:00

My new business cards have arrived. This is my second batch. The first set of business cards I bought from MOO a few years ago. They were the cutest mini cards and I haven't by any stretch of the imagination used them all or even most of them, but it is time for a change. I want more information on my cards now, so I decided to order some full size business cards.

The gods of luck were obviously shining down on me and Dan from MOO got in touch asking if I would like some business cards. Why yes, I would Dan!

I am really pleased with my cards. They are of such good quality and the images and text are lovely and sharp. I think I made the right choice in choosing the rounded corners on the cards. A bit more modern and interesting looking than a traditional business card. The cards come with a plastic container, but you can buy a variety of different card holders. I decided on this rather swish red wallet.

Here are a few prices to give you an idea of what you get for your money:

note: the distortion on my cards is from the photo, they are actually crisp.

MiniCards

100 MiniCards = £10.99
200 MiniCards = £20.38

Plastic MiniCard Holder = £2.99
Felt MiniCard Holder =£4.29
Leather MiniCard Holder = £11.99

Classic Business Cards

50 Classic Cards = £10.99
200 Classic Cards = £33.97

Recycled Plastic Case = £7.99
Classic Leather Case = £12.99
Luxury Leather and Brushed Steel Case = £15.29

They have an American site, you can find it here and they ship worldwide.

Disclosure Statement: I received a set of business cards and card holder from Moo for review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. The prices are correct at time of posting.

Spiced Potato & Red Lentil Soup

2012-04-08T21:35:00.011+01:00

I have teamed up with a Scottish produce company and I am now a Scotty Brand Girl.

"Scotty Brand is a family-run Scottish company based in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire.

Founding the company in 1948, shipyard worker Albert Bartlett invested £30 in an old water boiler and a cast-iron bath, in order to set up a small beetroot-boiling operation, in Coatbridge, under the Scotty Brand name.

Ronnie Bartlett is Albert’s grandson and proudly heads up the company today. Working with a number of farmers across Scotland, Albert Bartlett then grades, washes and packs Scotty Brand potatoes. "

You can meet the farmers here. I love that the company call their farmers their family. You can even find out which farmer grew your potatoes from the pack.

I am starting off with some of their Kestral Potatoes, which are recognisable by their distinctive blue-purple eyes and cream-coloured skin. They are oval in shape and have a creamy texture.

Cooper and I tried making raspberry Scottish macaroon bars, but the less said about them the better. The texture was just wrong, sticky, gloopy glue, instead of creamy fondant. I think if I attempt them again I will use a raspberry oil instead of fresh raspberries.

So on to my soup. Spiced Potato & Red Lentil Soup. We had this for lunch today and we all enjoyed it. Cooper had a little milk in his to make the flavour a little milder, although it isn't hot spicy, just flavourful.

print recipe

Spiced Potato and Red Lentil Soup

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

April 08, 2012

A warming bowl of soup. Fragrant spices, creamy lentils and lovely big chunks of potato makes this soup a real winner.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 cm piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
a good pinch of chilli powder
4 medium potatoes, chopped into chunks (1 cm approx)
1 cup (or poured up to the ½ pint mark in a measuring jug) red lentils
4 cups/2 pints vegetable stock
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
freshly ground salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Saute the onion, garlic and fresh ginger until the onion is soft and translucent.2. Add the spices and mix well. Add a splosh of water to prevent the spiced onions from sticking to the pan. 3. Add the potatoes and lentils, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes and lentils are tender.4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the fresh coriander and serve.note: For a delicious dal, cook the soup for longer until really thick and serve with rice and naan bread or chapatis.

Details

Total time: 45 mins Yield: Serves 4-6

I am entering my soup into this month's Simple and in Season hosted by Ren over at Fabulicious Food. The event is open for entries until the 30th April 2012. There is a wee linky at the end of the post, if you want to add your entries.

I am also sending it into Wellness Weekends hosted by Ricki over at Diet, Dessert & Dogs. Wellness Weekend is a weekly or should I say weekend event which features the best of Vegan recipes using whole foods and no refined flours or sugars.

And last but not least, I am sending it to Utterly Srummy who is hosting Frugal Food Fridays this month. Frugal Food Fridays was set up by Helen over at Fuss Free Flavours and champions being Frugal in the Kitchen.

Disclosure Statement: I received potatoes from Scotty Brand to cook with. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Home-Baked Honey Parsnip Crisps

2012-04-04T12:54:00.006+01:00

I love the parsnip crisps from M&S. I could munch and munch and munch on them. I do try not to buy them very often, but sometimes I just can't resist.

I found some late season British parsnips and decided to make my own crisps.

They are even better than the bought crisps, but there is a very big downside. With the shop bought crisps, I can have one little bag and when they are finished they are finished, but when you have a bag of parsnips, you can just peel another parsnip and enjoy another bowl of crisps, then another, and another .................

print recipe

Home-Baked Honey Parsnip Crisps

by Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

April 04, 2012

Crispy homemade honey roast crisps, seasoned with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

Ingredients

1 parsnip parsnip, peeled
a drizzle of runny honey
freshly ground black pepper
a sprinkle of sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 160c/140c fan/gas mark 3.2. Using a potato peeler to peel the parsnip into long strips.3. Place the parsnip strips into a bowl and drizzle with honey. Toss the strips in the honey until well coated, then place on a baking tray. I bake my parsnips on a non-stick mat placed on a baking tray.4. Grind black pepper over the parsnips, then sprinkle over some sea salt.5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until browning at the edges. The parsnip strips will crisp up as they cool.6. Enjoy, then peel another parsnip and start again.

Details

Total time: 20 mins Yield: serves 1

Try these home-baked crisps alongside:

Carrot Hummus & Avocado Sandwiches
Falafel & Veggie Caesar's Salad Wraps
Garlicky Mushroom Melts
Glazed Halloumi & Red Coleslaw Pitta
Mushroom, Avocado & Horseradish Sandwiches
.............................

I am entering my Home-Baked Honey Parsnip Crisps into this month's Family Friendly Fridays hosted by Ren over at Fabulicious Food.

These crisps are a great snack for children. The sweetness comes from honey and there is no oil in the recipes, just simply baked vegetable crisps.

No Croutons Required - April 2012

2012-04-02T23:57:00.002+01:00

It's time for me to host No Croutons Required again and I am looking in my fridge and cupboard for inspiration. I obviously need to do a shop as there are only basic supplies in each.

What I do have a good selection of is antipasto. Peppers, sundried tomatoes, courgettes and artichokes in little jars, bathed in olive oil.

So, for this month's No Croutons Required, I would like you to have a look in your store cupboard for any antipasto you may have and think about how to incorporate it in a soup or salad that is suitable for vegetarians. It doesn't have to be the star of the show, but it does have to make an appearance for a bit of extra flavour or texture.

Good luck everyone and I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Rules and previous round-ups can be found here.

Congratulations to Janet over at The Taste Space who won the March edition of No Croutons Required with her Ethiopian Split Pea and Kabocha Squash Stew with Collards.

Hotel Chocolate Double Giveaway

2012-03-31T10:18:00.005+01:00

If you are pleased by the thought of winning two scrumptious eggs from Hotel Chocolat, then you are going to be absolutely delighted when I tell you there are actually three luxury prizes to be won. One lucky winner will win two eggs here on Tinned Tomatoes and there is also the chance to win a Kids Easter Bunny Basket over at Little Tums.

So which eggs did I choose?

Hotel Chocolate have an irresistible collection of Easter Eggs and Easter Gifts to choose from, so it wasn't easy to pick two, but I have to admit it was fun looking through their collection to see what I would like to try.

The first egg was the White Cow Beastie Easter Egg. Well I had to, didn't I ? What a fabulous name for an egg.

It is a thick white chocolate egg, printed with a cow transfer made of all-natural cocoa butter and accompanied by 6 praline and caramel-filled mini eggs.

The white chocolate egg was divine. We all really enjoyed it. Good quality white chocolate, without that sickly sweet flavour of cheaper white chocolate. The praline mini-eggs I couldn't get excited about, but that is more about me. I am not all that keen on praline. I would eat it at a push, but would prefer to share it.

The second egg is the Raspberry Eton Mess Easter Egg Sandwich.

WARNING: Prepare for gush!

Wowee!!!! This is the best Easter Egg I have ever eaten in my whole life!

Hotel Chocolat have surpassed themselves with this egg. Irresistible slabs of raspberry and white chocolate, sprinkled with crispy meringue and raspberry pieces, sandwiched between creamy white chocolate egg shells.

In my opinion, this is what Hotel Chocolat do best. Flavoured chocolates. Their white, caramel and fruit chocolate are without a doubt the best chocolate I have ever had the pleasure to eat. I just have to have a word with them now and ask them to do a Giant Ostrich Egg in fruit chocolate next year.

I also have a small confession to make. I didn't let Graham and Cooper have any of this egg. In fact I may have been rather fierce when I said it was out of bounds.

I wasn't a completely horrible wife and mother. Graham did enjoy the beastie egg and pralines and Cooper got this fabulous Kids Easter Basket which he is still enjoying. I don't believe in giving him too much chocolate, so this one is going to last a while.

If you would like to be in with a chance of winning two Hotel Chocolat Easter Eggs and an Easter Gift, then all you need to do is leave a comment here and leave a comment over at Little Tums. It's as easy as that. If you don't have a blog, then remember to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win.

If you would like extra entries for a better chance of winning, then here is what to do:

For extra entries:
1. Follow Tinned Tomatoes on google connect or networked blogs (down the side panel) and leave a comment to say you have done so.
2. Follow me @tinnedtoms on twitter and leave a comment to say you have done so.
3. Follow @HotelChocolat on twitter and leave a comment to say you have done so.
4. Tweet the competition using (Win two luxurious Easter Eggs from @HotelChocolat. One for you & one to share http://www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2012/03/hotel-chocolate-double-giveaway.html #giveaway #win ) and leave a comment to say you have done so.
5. Like the Tinned Tomatoes Facebook Page and leave a comment to say you have done so.
6. Like the Hotel Chocolat Facebook Page and leave a comment to say you have done so.

If you leave only one comment you will only get one entry, so remember to write a separate comment for each additional entry.

This giveaway runs until midday (UK) on Thursday 5 April 2012 and the winner will be announced the same day. This giveaway is only open to UK residents.

Remember to head over to Little Tums for the chance to win more chocolate.

Good luck everyone!

Disclosure Statement: I received these eggs free from the Hotel Chocolat to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Bookmarked Recipes in March

2012-03-25T22:30:00.002+01:00

Bookmarked Recipes

Bookmarked Recipes: a monthly event to encourage food bloggers to revisit the recipes they have bookmarked from magazines, newspapers, cookbooks. websites, blogs, to try them out and post about them.

Read on to see all the entries and to add any bookmarked recipes you have posted to the linky.

1. Ethiopian Split Pea and Kabocha Squash Stew with Collards
1. Ethiopian Split Pea and Kabocha Squash Stew with Collards
Janet (The Taste Space)
Recipe Bookmarked from Everyone is Vegan in January 2011.

2. Giant Cinnamon Rolls with Buttermilk Glaze

Heather (girlichef)

Recipe bookmarked from Joy the Baker Cookbook.

3. Plantain, Cabbage and Coconut Curry with Split Pigeon Peas
Janet (The Taste Space)
Recipe bookmarked from 660 Curries (cookbook).

4. Pea Pancakes with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Johanna (Green Gourmet Giraffe)

Recipe bookmarked from The Guardian newspaper, July 2010.

5. Muthiya Steamed Vegetable Dumplings

Privish (Killer on the Plate)

Recipe bookmarked from Microwave Desi Khana book.

6. Grasshopper Squares

Chele (Chocolate Teapot)

Recipe bookmarked from ?

7. Pistashio and Rose Madeleines

Ros (The More Than Occassional Baker)

Recipe Bookmarked from Not Quite Nigella, March 2008.

8. Spicy Chickpea Fritters

Corina (Searching for Spice)

Recipe bookmarked from Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops a few months ago.

9. Ginger-Lime-Wasabi Edamame Hummus

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from Choosing Raw, July 2010.

10. Sticky Toffee Banoffee Muffins

Jacqueline (Tinned Tomatoes)

Recipe bookmarked from the February edition of Cook Vegetarian Magazine.

11. Roasted Vegetable and Kale Chip Pizza with a White Bean and Quinoa Crust

Janet (The Taste Space)

Recipe bookmarked from Everyone is Vegan.

Here ends this month's Bookmarked Recipes and so April's Bookmarked Recipes is open for business.

If you would like to be included in the next roundup, just add your post to the linky at the bottom of this post. Please remember that bookmarked recipes must be suitable for vegetarians, in line with this blog. You can find the guidelines, current challenge and past roundups here.

Bookmarked Recipes April will be open until Saturday 28 April 2012. Please join in next month and unearth some of those unloved bookmarked recipes.

Head over to The Food Blog Diary regularly for all the latest foodie challenges, competitions and giveaways.

Add your Bookmarked Recipes for April to the linky below. You may add more than one bookmarked recipe. The linky will remain open until the evening of 28 April 2012. The next roundup will be posted on the last Sunday in April.

Creamy Rice Pudding with a Boozy Berry Compote

2012-03-22T15:09:00.008Z

The original recipe calls for cranberries (out of season), flaked almonds (I know I have a bag of these but I just can't find them anywhere), whipped cream and full fat milk (I used semi-skimmed milk and skipped the cream. I am trying to lose weight, not gain it).

The recipe was originally named Danish Christmas Rice Pudding with Berry Compote, but I could hardly call it that once I had changed the key ingredient. I used blueberries in my compote and lovely they were too.

When winter arrives again, as it surely will and you want to make Danish Christmas Rice Pudding with Berry Compote for a family gathering.

What you need to do is:

1. Double the quantity to serve 6-8.
2. Use fresh cranberries instead of blueberries.
3. Use full-fat milk.
4. Make sure you can lay your hands on some flaked almonds and don't just imagine you know where they are. Add 75g of almonds to the rice once it has fully cooked and cooled a little.
5. Add 450ml/16fl oz of loosely whipped, whipping cream. Fold it in gently once the rice has cooled down.

The recipe comes from a cookbook called Roast Figs Sugar Snow by Diana Henry. It is a winter wonderland of a book featuring recipes from Northern Europe.

Diana travelled around Northern Europe for 5 years looking for wintry recipes for this book. She visited Russia, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Scandinavia, Northern Italy, America and France collecting recipes as she went, all recipes to entice and comfort us over the winter months.

I know, I know, I have waited until spring to bring you a dish.

Roast Figs Sugar Snow snuggled down in my bookcase over the winter, cozying up to my other cookbooks. And just when it was snoozing in a lazy hibernation waiting for Winter to arrive again, I whipped it out and demanded a recipe for rice pudding. It was a bit shocked to begin with, but it kindly shared this recipe with me. I cozied it back on to the shelf, where it promptly fell asleep again. I don't think it is going to enjoy living in this house, as I may whip it out again this Spring or when Summer comes. Comfort food is required all year round.

Now down to the nitty gritty! It is a beautiful cookbook to browse through on a lazy Sunday morning, capturing the essence of Winter with some really evocative photographs. It is an interesting read too with stories and chat at the beginning of chapters.

Gathering In chestnuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans, Earthy Pleasures pumpkin, squash, beans and lentils, Apples in the Attic apples, pears and quinces, Winter on your Tongue herbs, spices and sour cream and From Hedgerow and Bog cranberries, blackberries, sloes and rosehips........

Alas, it is very meaty. *sigh*. Don't get me wrong, there are some interesting recipes in there for us veggies and some can be converted, but there is a lot of meat and fish. Here are a few of the recipes that caught my eye:

* Onion and Cider Soup with Melting Camembert
* Russian Curd Cheese Pancakes
* Salad of Pear, Hazelnuts and Cashel Blue Cheese
* Pecan and Pear Upside Down Cake
* Pumpkin Tarts with Spinach and Gorgonzola
* Roast Beetroot Salad with Orange and Goat's Cheese
* Sour Cream Apple-Pie Muffins
* Roast Figs, Shallots and Chestnuts with Gorgonzola Polenta
* Roast Figs and Plums in Vodka

Vegetarian Recipe Count 56 out of 109 (actually more than I thought)
Vegan Recipe Count 10 out of 109 (using vegan margarine and soy milk)

Roast Figs Sugar Snow by Diana Henry

Format: Hardback

Pages: 192

Publisher: Mitchell Beazley

ISBN: 978-1845336530

Published: this edition 2011 originally published in 2005 (UK)

Creamy Rice Pudding with a Boozy Berry Compote

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum with kind permission (changes have been made to the original)

March 22, 2012

This is a creamy rice pudding that can be extra luxurious with full-fat milk and whipping cream or a little kinder on the waistline using skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. Topped with a compote of wine and cinnamon soaked blueberries or cranberries.

Berry Compote Ingredients

250ml/9fl oz/1 cup red wine
100g/3.5oz/½cup caster sugar
½ stick cinnamon
200g/7oz/1 heaped cup blueberries

Rice Pudding Ingredients

150g/5½oz/¾ cup pudding rice
1½ pints/ 3 cups semi-skimmed milk
3 tbsp
caster sugar
1 ½ tsp
vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the berry compote first. Pour the wine, sugar and cinnamon in a small pot and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blueberries (I reserve a few to pop on top of the compote before serving) and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes until the blueberries are soft. Spoon the berries into a bowl and continue simmering the wine until it has reduced by half. Let it cool a little and then remove the cinnamon stick and pour the berries back in.2. While the berries are simmering away, start on the rice pudding. Pour the rice into a large pan, along with the milk and sugar. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down low and cook until the rice is creamy and tender. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Make sure you stir it regularly, so it doesn't stick. Stir in the vanilla.3. Serve the creamy rice in bowls and top with berry compote.4. Marvel at the joyous pudding you have just made. Eat some and then go back for seconds.

Details

Total time: 25 mins Yield: 3-4 servings

And a few more of my blueberry creations:

Blueberry Loaf Cake with Lime Drizzle
Blueberry, Maple & Oat Smoothie
Blueberry Muffins
Blueberry Frozen Yoghurt
Blueberry Crumble Cake
Blueberry Scones

Can you tell I like blueberries?

Disclosure Statement: I received this book free from the publisher to review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Deluxe Carrot, Courgette & Peanut Butter Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-03-18T10:35:00.007Z

This is one of Graham's favourite dishes. It is one his mother passed on to me and so a great choice for Mother's Day.

Tender, juicy mushrooms, filled with the most delicious filling that is both sweet and salty with a crunch from the peanut butter. I haven't found a better stuffed mushroom yet.

Why not try them and let me know what you think?

Do you have a favourite stuffed mushroom recipe?

print recipe

Carrot & Courgette Stuffed Mushrooms

Written by Jacqueline Meldrum

March 18, 2012

Don't be fooled into thinking these would be good on a diet, they are more luxurious than that. As well as the carrot and courgette there is also peanut butter & cheddar. Delicious!

Ingredients

4 portobello mushrooms (or any large flat cap mushrooms)
1 large carrot. peeled and grated
1 good-sized or two smaller courgettes, grated
4 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tbsp soy sauce (sometimes I use Worcestershire Sauce)
a good grinding of salt & pepper
1 cup grated mature cheddar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220c/200c fan/425f /gas mark 7.2. Peel the skin of the mushrooms and make sure they are clean. Use a piece of kitchen roll if you need to dust them off.3. Grate the carrot and courgette in a bowl and mix well.4. Add the peanut butter and soy sauce to the grated carrot and courgette and mix well together. If the mixture is too stiff, you can add a little more soy sauce, but the mixture should be quite thick. Season with salt and pepper.5. Pile the mixture into the four mushrooms and top with the grated cheese. Pop in the oven on a pre-heated baking tray for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted and started to brown.6. Serve with a selection of vegetables or with a baked potato and salad. If you would like to serve as a starter, just serve with a little salad.

Details

Total time: 35 mins Yield: Serves 4

Here are a few more stuffed mushroom recipes for you to try:

Roasted Red Pepper Stuffed Mushrooms from Munchin with Munchkin
French Onion Soup Stuffed Onions from Jo Cooks
Crowdie Stuffed Mushrooms from A Wee Bit of Cooking
Stuffed Mushrooms with Spring Onions & Cream Cheese from A Slice of Cherry Pie
Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms from A Sweet Pea Chef
Stuffed Mushrooms with Pecans from What Would Cathy Eat
Danish Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms from Anne's Kitchen