christmas day

A little belated but here are the dishes we prepared for Christmas Day.

Jamie Oliver's Perfect Roast Potatoes

Baked Peas with Tarragon, Yoghurt and Pistachios via 101 Cookbooks

Roasted Pumpkin with Wild Rice Salad via 101 Cookbooks

This was a healthy slice made for a trip up to the small isles in Scotland. We weren't sure what food would be available, so wanted to be prepared for many long train and ferry trips with a delicious snack that was not pre-packaged or processed. 

I can't remember the exact recipe, but it was inspired by these Everything Bars and involved carrots, medjool dates, nuts, oats and wholemeal flour, with coconut oil and maple syrup. 

end of week stir-fry

As with our curry formula, we enjoy making a stir-fry at the end of most weeks as the perfect way to use up any leftover vegetables. We have learnt that nearly any vegetable can work in a stir fry (even pumpkin)   and like most meals we cook it is simple, fuss-free and delicious.

sunday lunch

On a Sunday one of our favourite lunches is fresh rocket (drizzled in lemon juice and mixed with sunflower seeds as always), fried eggs, mackeral and fresh bread served with a cup of tea.

tofu burger

A simple, satisfying vegetarian burger.

Roasted pumpkin, tofu and a fried (organic, free-range) egg, nestled between slices of wholemeal/rye/sourdough bread (take your pick). Assemble and serve alone, or with some rocket drizzled in lemon.

mushroom and rice bake

I recently made Nigel Slater's Baked Mushrooms and Rice dish. It was a hit and has been made again and again since. Very simple to make, it is a great vegetarian alternative to a Sunday roast.

kale crisps

Back in April, tempted by the farmer's warning that this was the last weekend for kale, we bought as much as we could carry. Returning home, we soon realised that we had been a little over enthusiastic and so after searching through some of our favourite websites discovered a recipe for Kale Crisps  over on My New Roots.

This recipe is the perfect way to eat this superfood. All you need is a few simple ingredients (lemon, maple syrup, sesame seeds, olive oil, salt and tamari) and a big bunch of kale to make a delicious and healthy version of Britain's favourite snack.

The key here is the massaging of the kale, as this breaks down the structure of the leaf which is notorious for being tough.