28 Day Vegan Challenge : Day 5

Another vegan day nearly done.  This is getting easier.

First thing I had a mug of tea with lemon juice, cayenne, Goji berries (1 point) and maple syrup (1 point).

I have 2 new pots of Chia seeds.  I order them over the internet and was rather surprised by how large the jar was when it arrived.  Not a problem as I will get through them.

Chia seeds

I have a jar of black seeds, which is what I have had before.  I also bought a jar of white chia seeds which I have not tried before.  In my smoothie I made for breakfast I had 10 g of each type ( 3 points).black and white chia seeds

I also added 1 tbsp pumpkinseed butter (3 points).  This is delicious and full of protein and healthy fats.  I like it in a smoothie and it is also really good on wholemeal toast.pumpkinseed butter

For fruits I added 1 orange and some chunks of watermelon.  It was all frozen but the melon on the right fell on the floor so I rinsed it, hence it looks fresh 🙂orange and watermelon

I also put in half a pomegranate.  I peeled the skin off but blitzed the seeds and pith.Cut pomegranate fruits in blender

Instead of a banana I added 4 dates for sweetness (2 points).  For liquid I poured in 250ml almond milk (2 points).  Quite good.pale pink smoothie

I definitely needed greens at lunch time.  Greens and beans.3 green veg

Stir fried onion, leeks, broccoli and green beans, with half a can of black beans and half a packet of plum and hoisin sauce, garnished with coriander and dried chilli.greens and beans

This was really tasty.  I had a huge bowlful but it was nearly all vegetables so it was really healthy.  Quite high in points though.

80 g plum and hoisin sauce = 4 points
1.5 tbsp coconut oil = 6 points
150 g black beans = 5 points
stir fry close up

Supper was super quick and easy.  I chopped up 3 courgettes, one red and one yellow pepper, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned it.  I baked it in the oven on a roasting tray for 20 minutes and then added cherry tomatoes and left over roasted squash and shallots with merguez chickpeas and roasted it for another 20 minutes.bowl of peppers and courgettesIt turned out very well.  This meal was:

1 tbsp olive oil used to roast the veg = 4
1 tbsp olive oil on the chickpeas = 4
1/2 can of chickpeas = 4

veg and chick peas

I have eaten really healthy food all day.  Apart from 2 apples and some herbal teas, that is all I have had.  It doesn’t seem like I over ate but I am over my daily points allowance which is 34.

Tea with berries = 2
Breakfast = 10
Lunch = 15
Dinner = 12

Total = 39.

It is proving challenging to eat enough so I feel satisfied but am not over my allowance.  I am not missing eating meat, fish or dairy as meals but I do miss how you can eat a little amount and feel full and satisfied for a long time afterwards.  I have been really hungry today and am feeling a bit disappointed by how many points I have had.  Still, I ate vegan and I ate healthily.

 

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28 Day Vegan Challenge : Day 4

I didn’t bother taking a photo of breakfast as you have seen it before; 30 g oats, 100 ml almond milk, 12 g chia seeds and frozen blueberries which had defrosted by the time I ate them.  That came to 6 points (oats = 3, seeds = 2 and milk = 1).

On the way in to work I really fancied a latte.  So I had one!  Made with soya milk 🙂 2 points.

pod soya latte

For lunch I had some leftover chickpea, squash and shallots with tomatoes and cucumber.  If you have forgoteen what it looked like from yesterday, it looked like this, but not so pretty as it was in a tuppeware pot that had been travelling from home to the office.  It tasted OK cold and added 12 points to the total (1/2 can of chick peas = 4 and 2 tbsp olive oil = 8).

Merguez chick peas close up

At lunch time I popped out briefly for some air and a walk and picked up an apple which I ate late afternoon.Apple 4-2-13

I was late home tonight and when I got in I was tired and hungry.  I really wanted to eat something green as I haven’t eaten enough greenery lately but I was too tired to cook and clean up.  So I made a smoothie.  This one was all about the nutrients rather then the flavour.

1 orange
1 banana
Broccoli
Watermelon
200g tofu (5 points)

tofu and fruits and broccoli

I have never had frozen watermelon before.  Frozen fruits obviously make the smoothie colder which I like and they seem to make it a bit thicker too.Frozen watermelon

Plus 200 ml coconut water (1 point) and 28g pumpkinseed butter for some extra protein and healthy fat (5 points).pumpkinseed butter and coconut water

I wasn’t sure what colour it would be and it came out a pale greeney beige colour.  The predominant taste was broccoli which was a little unpleasant but it was acceptable.  I just thought about the nutritional value of those goodies in my glass and chugged it down.Broccoli shake

So another vegan day is over.  I found today really easy because I had been able to plan ahead and take food in with me.  That makes a huge difference.  I did my walking today too so I am feeling rather pleased with myself.  The only thing I can’t do is get to Weight Watchers as I am not getting home in time.  Hopefully, when I can get there, I will have lost a good amount.  I am certainly feeling a little lighter today 🙂

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28 Day Vegan Challenge : Day 3

I was excited to get up and make another cup of Goji and lemon tea this morning as I enjoyed it so much yesterday.  I liked it again today too !

Goji tea

Porridge for breakfast, made with half almond milk and half water with a mashed banana for sweetness and a tbsp of cashew nut butter for protein.porridge and cashew

For lunch I took the time to make a new recipe from Veg Everyday!.  Hugh uses dried chickpeas but I used canned instead and hence the recipe below list canned chickpeas.

Roasted Squash and Shallots with Merguez Chickpeas

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 kg squash or pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut in to 4 cm chunks
  • 300g shallots, peeled and halved or quartered (larger ones)
  • 4 – 5 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed but not cut finely or minced
  • salt and pepper

For the Merguez Chickpeas:

  • 2 x cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 10 – 12 black peppercorns
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
  • 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • salt
  • 4 tbsp olive oil

To finish
Flat leaved parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 ° C
Place the squash, shallots and garlic cloves in a large roasting tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven until the squash is soft – 50 – 60 minutes.  Take them out and stir them round once or twice.

squash and shallots

Make the chickpea dressing by toasting the spice seeds and black peppercorns in a dry pan until fragrant (just a few minutes).
Crush to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar or a spice grinder.

spices in P&M

Combine with the garlic, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, salt and olive oil in a small saucepan.
Warm gently for 1 minute.
spices in oil

Add the chickpeas and warm through, stirring gently to ensure the chickpeas are well coated in the spice and oil.
Set aside until the squash and shallots are ready.
Serve with parsley.
Merguez chick peas and roasted squahThis was very good but slightly dry for me.  I added tomatoes for moisture.  If I wasn’t following a vegan diet, I would have liked to make some tzatziki (yogurt and cucumber) which I think would go with this perfectly and make a delicious lunch.  I enjoyed it very much though and think it will work well cold so have already boxed up a portion to take to the office tomorrow.

Merguez chick peas close upIn the afternoon I nibbled on some grapes.  These black ones are lovely.

Black grapes in blue bowl

I made a simple supper of falafel, humous, tomatoes and cucumber in a wholemeal wrap.  I made 2 as one doesn’t seem enough.  However, I was horrified to calculate the calories and see it totalled to nearly 1,000.  I thought it was quite a simple and light supper, but obviously not.  So from tomorrow, the veganism continues and I will pick up the point counting again to make sure I am not over-eating.  I still cant believe that modest plateful  comes to nearly 500 calories!

humus and falafel in wrap

Annette and David popped round to play Mah-Jongg.  
Mah-Jongg rule book

I do enjoy playing Mah-Jongg.Mahjong dice and winds

And I very much enjoy seeing them too :-). Maj Jong tilesDay 3 was the easiest so far, mainly because I was home all day and had shopped yesterday so I had plenty of food available and the time to prepare it.  On reflection, I am enjoying my vegan challenge.

 

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28 Day Vegan Challenge : Day 2

What a powerful start to my day!  I discovered a wonderful new blog called Healthy Happy Life 100% Vegan and a very lively cup of tea.  I have previously tried hot water and lemon (boring) or hot water, lemon and cayenne (yuck) but neither worked as my first drink of the day.  So for a long time I have stuck with a traditional cuppa.  However, that doesn’t work without milk so what could I have?  Luckily I came across Kathy’s Goji Berry Tea.

Lemon and Goji Tea

Ingredients (makes 1 cup)

  • 1 tea bag, black or green
  • 1 tbsp Goji berries
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • Sprinkling of cayenne pepper

ingredients for Goji tea

Method

Place tea bag in mug, pour over boiling water, mix in lemon juice, Goji berries, maple syrup and cayenne.
Leave tea bag to steep for required strength.

1 tbsp dried Goji berries

I enjoy chewing dried Goji berries but have never had them in water.  This tea was fantastic.  It was sweet and spicy and the little Goji berries soon plumped up and added extra sweetness.Goji and lemon tea

Fat and juicy Goji berries are tasty too 🙂1 tbsp Goji berries

A while later I was ready for breakfast.  Again inspired by Healthy Happy Life I added matcha to the green smoothie I was making.

Green Matcha Smoothie

 Ingredients (serves 1-2)

  • large handful of kale
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tsp matcha
  • 1/2 tub mixed berry Co Yo (coconut milk yogurt)
  • Soya milk (approx 150 ml)
  • Coconut water (approx 150 ml)

Method

Add all ingredients to blender and blitz until very smooth.

The Co Yo, which is made with coconut milk, is a delicious dairy free alternative to soya yogurts and is not sweetened so also good for those of you trying to cut down on sugar.

Co Yo mixed berry

Matcha comes as a very fine powder and is a beautiful bright green colour.1 tsp matcha

Look at the colour of that!

Matcha green smoothie

This came out runnier than I usually make smoothies so I may add less liquid next time.  On the other hand it was delicious so very easy to drink and I am sure I benefitted from the extra hydration.Matcha green smoothie close up

The amarylis is in full and glorious bloom.Amarylis

I made lunch ahead as I was making the tabboule from Tabkhet el Yom.  Nina confirmed for me that her recipe uses uncooked Bulgar wheat so I gave it a go.  I was a bit apprehensive because other recipes I looked at cook the Bulgar wheat first.  You can relax.  I didn’t cook it and t turned out very well.1 cup of bulgar wheat

I soaked 1 cup of Bulgar wheat in the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tbsp olive oil.  I mixed the wheat, juice and oil together and then seasoned with pepper.bulgar wheat, lemon juice and oil

I added fresh parsley and corianderparsley and coriander

plus celery, red pepper, sugar snap peas and 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds for protein.  I didn’t stir to combine ingredients as I wanted the wheat to absorb the lemon juice and olive oil.  I set the dish aside for 2 – 3 hours and when it was time to eat it I enjoyed it very much.  The Bulgar wheat was chewy and dense and the vegetables crisp and crunchy.  It was most enjoyable, despite being eaten in the car as we ran errands locally!lunch 2-2-13

In the afternoon I snacked on some black grapes and watermelon.water melon and black grapes

So did the little fella.H with watermelon

Supper turned out really well.  I bought a block of tofu which I pressed between kitchen roll and chopping boards with the watermelon on top as a weight.  I pressed the tofu for about an hour.  I chopped up an onion, carrot, leek, red pepper, handful of curly kale and baby button mushrooms.veggies for stir fryThese were stir fried together.  When they were nearly cooked I added the tofu and a sachet of spicy Scezhuan sauce

Scechuan tofu close upServed with a modest portion of rice.  I made twice the amount of tofu and vegetables as you can see on my plate and I did eat the other serving too but without any extra rice.

Szcechuan tofu and rice

So another successful day of vegan eating.  I also fitted in my mile of walking and have had nothing else to eat that has not been photographed i.e. if you can’t see a picture of it on today’s blog, I didn’t eat it.  I drank a black coffee, about 3 mugs of herbal tea and glasses of water.  Job done 🙂

 

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28 Day Vegan Challenge : Day 1

Today I have started a 28 day vegan challenge so for the next 4 weeks I will eat as a vegan does.  Why?  These are my reasons, in order of priority.

1. to lose weight.  I have an exciting trip planned this summer and want to drop some significant weight.  Beinf vegan is no guarantee of weight loss.  Vegans can stuff themselves with cakes and bread and starchy carbs but I am not going to do that.  I am going to eat a healthy vegan diet, with plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, beans, lentils, seeds and nuts.

2. to be ethical and environmentally friendly.  It takes far less energy to provide a field of beans than to use that field to provide grass for some cows.  Or alternatively, a way to consider it is that one field can provide more people with vegetable protein than animal protein and less water.

3. to see what it is like.  How is life for a vegan?  How easy/hard is it to forego all animal products?

4. the be kind to animals bit i.e. don’t kill them and eat them.

I began my vegan adventure last night by making breakfast in advance.  In to my pot went 2 chopped up oranges.

oranges in pot

Then some oats, chia seeds, a banana, soya milk and coconut water.preparing breakfast

Then a handful of almonds.  I left it in the fridge over night.almonds added

In the morning, what was previously runny was now thick and creamy as the oats and seeds absorbed the liquid.  Delicious.breakfast 1-2-13

I have no excuse for not finding vegan food to eat at lunch time at work because just round the corner from the office is my favoured supermarket.  Outside are some market stalls which are always empty and they make the perfect place for photographs.  Not only are they exactly the right height, they are covered so even on a wet day like today, I can take some decent pictures.

For snacking, I bought a clementine and an apple.clementine and apple

A little box of vegetable sushi and Inari ( beancurd wrapped round some rice).  This was great but the wasabi was so hot I nearly uttered a very rude expletive in the middle of the office where I was eating it !  You have to read packets very carefully if you are vegan.  I nearly bought a different box which had some rice and vegetables wrapped in egg.  I very nearly forgot vegans don’t eat eggs.Taiko Sushi

This is a bad picture but I also had some vine leaves.  I am not a huge fan of these but they were ok.  Stuffed with rice, mint and lemon.stuffed vine leaves

For supper I had a wholemeal wrap with some homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and coriander),

guacamole on wrap

plus some roasted peppers,
plus roasted pepper

plus some tomato and black beans.  This would have been better with sour cream and cheese, both of which were looked at fondly but ignored.  I didn’t need them and this was a tasty supper.  I had 2 of these as they were the smaller wraps and I was still hungry after just one.plus beans and tomatoes

So day 1 has gone well.  I walked from London Bridge to the office rather than stay on the train to Cannon Street ( I did get off by mistake, to be honest.  I was on auto pilot 😦 ).  That is 1.2 miles each way.  I drank water, black coffee and herbal tea.  Now I am off to the pub and unless I am very much mistaken, a glass of red wine fits in to a vegan diet rather nicely.  Especially at the end of a busy week.  Have a great weekend.

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Scrambled

What was I thinking today?  My brain was scrambled I think.  I forgot to photograph breakfast.  It was admittedly the same as the day before but I didn’t even think about it.

Then I took these dreadful photos of lunch.  I went back to pod and had the flat bread with humous, falafel and salad.  It was good but not amazing.

pod street box

You will never identify what was in this.  It is yogurt with prunes and almonds and was lovely.
pod yogurt

I was a little better at supper time.  I fried some shallots and mushrooms in butter,mushrooms and shallots

added some kalekale in seive

then 2 eggs.making scramble

Kale and mushroom scramble.kale and mushroom scramble

So January has been a bit hit and miss.  I have managed to walk at least a mile nearly every day so that is a result.  Eating has been generally good but I did have a dreadful week and so have not really lost anything.  So February will be much better.  I have already prepared a healthy start to the day so am on track for a fat fighting February.

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An Early Start

I had so much work to do today I caught the 5:47 train so it was still dark as I walked over London Bridge.

London Bridge Street sign

It takes about half an hour to walk from London Bridge to the office.  Along quiet streets and through little alleyways.white alleyway

The window cleaners start early!

window cleaner

At last, on Moorgate so nearly there.  10 past 7 in the morning and I have already walked my mile 🙂

Walking up Moorgate

I walk past some enormous reception areas.  It is hard to appreciate the scale in this photo but if you look towards the right hand side of the desk you can see the lady at her computer.  That helps give it a scale.  Believe me, it is massive!large reception areas

I had made breakfast to take in and bought a skinny latte to accompany it.breakfast 30-1-13

Oats, yogurt, blueberries, banana and soya milk.yogurt, blueberries and oats

I tried somewhere new for lunch called POD.  I didn’t have a salad though, despite the wording on the napkin.fork and napkin

I had shredded pork, on a bed of green lentils and pearl barley with a very colourful array of beans and vegetables.shredded pork

It was quite spicey and absolutely delicious.  I will be going back to POD for sure.shredded pork close up

At home I made guacamole with avocado, lime juice, salt and finely chopped coriander.

avocado, lime and salt

Which I ate with some leftover pinto bean chilli and brown basmati rice and a dollop of sour cream. Pinto bean chilli and rice

It was cold and blustery outside so an easy reheated supper was just the ticket.  After my early start, I am just about ready to head off to bed!

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Big Beautiful Burrito

I am really enjoying the new work I am doing and the people are great but I really found it hard getting up and going in to work today.  Working from home on a Monday was such a benefit.  I hope I can do it again soon.

I made breakfast to take in and it was lovely but no photos.  I got the mix perfect today.  I weighed and measured so take your pick of cups or grams/mls:

Uncooked Oats with Yogurt and Blueberries

  1. 1/2 cup or 40 g oats
  2. 1/2 cup or 110 g Natural yogurt
  3. 1/2 cup or 110 ml soya milk
  4. 1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

Mix everything together and leave for 3 – 4 hours for the oats to absorb some milk.  It was great and I will have exactly the same again tomorrow, hopefully with a photo this time.

At lunch time I went outside to stretch my legs and walked through an alleyway to investigate what lay yonder.  I was so tempted to press this bell!  I didn’t though.

Bell

This part of London, to the North of the City, is a real mixture of ages and styles of architecture.  Through the alleyway was this little park which had a well equipped playground  and a seating area for those wanting to eat outside or just sit and relax.Outside seating

Tucked away in the corner are some raised beds and a little sign designating this as a growing area.  What a brilliant idea.  I do hope I get to see something growing in it.
Vegetable bedsI strolled along past the market stalls and decided to join the longest queue which was at this Burrito wagon.  They were very efficient and I was soon at the front.  Too soon really because I was enjoying chatting to Gini but on the other hand I needed to be back at work.
Burrito wagon

I went for the vegetarian option and it was FAB-U-LOUS !!!!  It had cheese, rice, black beans, coriander, tomato, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream and chilli sauce.   It was so good I want to eat it again so I shall be returning.Burrito

I know lunch would have been loaded with calories.  The white wrap and white rice had little nutritional value but everything else was healthy but calorie dense so I made a smoothie for supper.  I started with the same as yesterday: spinach, kale, orange and a banana.  I then added another orange and a stick of celery.kale etc in colander

This one doesn’t look like pond algae!  I preferred the flavour of yesterdays though because the celery was a bit over powering.celery green smoothie

All in all, a very satisfactory day.

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The Celery Glass

It can be too easy in life, to rush through, rather than take the time to enjoy simple pleasures.  After a very busy week I have definitely been guilty of that.  So today I started my day slowly and decided to focus on something that is there, right in front of me, that I like, but which I rarely notice. The celery glass.

celery in glass 1

I like it because my Dad gave it to me and it is his birthday today so I was thinking of him more than usual.  Happy birthday Daddy 🙂

Dad and Jilly in fancy dress

I like glassware and I like objects which have a function.  When we were little, a glass of droopy celery was regularly plonked on the table for us to eat but never in this splendid glass.

celery glass

This celery glass is Victorian.  During Victorian times (1837-1901) celery was considered a delicacy as growing white, non stringy celery was quite a challenge for the voctorian gardener.  From the mid 1800s onwards, dinner services always came with a celery glass so Victorian hosts could proudly display their celery.

celery glass 2

This is a typical example of a celery glass.  Some are more ornate but the shape of the glass and the engraving on it is of its time.  It is surprisingly heavy but then I suppose it has to be, to stop the celery toppling it over.

celery glass and shadow

As well as appreciating the history and the family connection of my celery glass, I decided to make the most of the sunshine streaming in to my kitchen and take photographs of the shadows on the wall.

celery in glass 2

So there we have it, simple pleasures.  This one with the added bonus of a glass full of celery to nibble on.

Nutritional profile of celery from Nutrition Data:

The good: celery is a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.  It is also slightly anti-inflammatory.

The bad: celery is high in Sodium, and a large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Apart from a cup of tea, my first sustenance of the day was a smoothie I made with an orange, kale, spinach, a banana and some water to add extra hydration.orange, kale and spinach

I love the colour of the orange against the dark green.oranges and greenery

This looks like pond algae!green smoothie, it's alive

It was still bubbling when I poured it in to the glass which made it appear to be alive.  I half expected a frog to pop its head out – Ribbett.green smoothie 27-1-13 close up

It tasted really good.  I whizzed it for ages so it was very smooth and it slipped down easily.Green smoothie 27-1-13The sunshine was particularly welcome today after the recent cold and snowy weather.

large vase of flowers

We all headed off over the road for a walk.  Yes, we have Beryl again this weekend.Beryl in the woods

The melting snow has made it very wet over there.streams in woods water everywhere

I have never seen the water flowing so fast in this part of the woods.fast flowing water

I was sad to see so many more trees have been cut down recently.  I hope that is all they are cutting as I love these woods and am so grateful they are on the doorstep and we can walk through them without getting in the car first.cut down trees

It was late when we got back so we had a simple lunch of poached eggs.eggs in the poacher

2 each on slices of Cranks wholemeal seeded loaf.2 eggs on 2 toasts

Yummy.poached eggs on 2 toasts

We had roast chicken for dinner which was delicious.  It was a joint effort tonight which I appreciated.  Washed down with a delicious glass of Sancerre.
roast chicken dinner 27-1-13

Dylan, you are a big dog and that is a small dog’s bed that you are perched on the top of.  It is Beryl’s bed.

Dylan in Beryl's bed

Yours is the large brown bed beside the radiator!Dylan in small bed

A good day was had by all.  Healthy food, fresh air and exercise and some chores out of the way.  Haven’t had any celery though 🙂 .

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Chilly, Chilli and Chilling

I have not had a good week of eating.  To get me back on track I agreed with myself today that I can eat what I like but it has to be healthy i.e. no sugar, cakes, biscuits, crisps etc.  So no weighing, measuring or counting but eat plenty of nutritious foods.

I felt thirsty when I woke up and am aware I have not drunk enough fluid in the past couple of days so I rectified that with a very long smoothie made with coconut water, berries and banana.

berries, banana and coconut water

I added some extra nutrients with 1 tbsp each of Lucuma, hemp protein and Maca powder.3 tbsp

It was very thirst quenching and tasted of vanilla and berries but was not too sweet which was a good thing.red smoothie and dyw packets

I have missed my kitchen this week so was kean to cook but I am also very tired.  So lunch was simple; roasted tomato sauce and pasta.

I had lots of tomatoes left over from last weekend to use up so I cut them in half, laid them on a baking tray and drizzled with minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.  I baked them in the oven for about an hour on 180 ° C.tomaotes on tray

I decided to not faff about removing skins so I slid the lot in to the blender with a large sprig of fresh basil.roasted tomatoes

basil 1

I whizzed the tomatoes with the basil until smooth and stirred it in to the pasta.  I cooked spaghetti, a mixture of wholewheat and white.  I would have preferred only wholewheat but did not have enough.  It was simple and full of flavour from roasting the tomatoes.  I had cheese on top, of course.spaghetti with tomato sauce

For supper I made a recipe from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s marvellous book, Veg Every Day.  If you like chilli, then try this wonderful vegetarian version.

The summer version of the recipe uses peppers and courgette but I made the winter alternative which used mushrooms and squash.  I used a Coquina Squash which is like a Butternut.

cubed squash and mushrooms

 

Pinto Bean Chilli

 

Ingredients (serves 4 – 6)

 

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 – 3 fresh chillies, according to taste, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • Approx 12 large mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 a squash, cubed
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 400g tin tomatoes
  • 400 g tin pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 100 ml red wine
  • Handful of parsley, chopped
  • Handful of coriander, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • salt and pepper

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions until soft.
  2. Add the chillies, garlic, cumin, cayenne and allspice and cook for about a minute.
  3. Add the mushrooms and squash and stir to coat in the spices.
  4. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, pinto beans, red wine, parsley, coriander and oregano.
  5. Pour over 200 ml water and season to taste.
  6. Cover and simmer gently 25-30 minutes.
  7. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

making pinto bean chilli

Hugh F-W suggests serving this with guacamole, shredded lettuce, soured cream and cheese plus rice or flatbreads.  We had ours with brown basmati rice and some soured cream.  It was delicious and I am glad there is plenty left to have during the week.Pinto bean chilli

So the weather outside was chilly, we feasted on chilli and as soon as I have posted this I will be chilling en famille.  Lovely.

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