Marks & Spencers Haul, Fruit and Treats Review

My lovely Mum handed me in a delicious selection of messages from Marks and Spencers.  The local M&S, has recently started selling more exotic fruits.  It is great to be able to sample such unusual items and was delighted to see kumquats and star fruit (which I've not seen sold in stores for a-few years).  A childish delight befell my sister and I as we dug into a fruit platter, trying out a fruit new to us in mangosteen.  It is a fantastic ending to a meal and also way to encourage children's curiousity trying out these unusual fruits. Morrisons supermarket is also very good for their exotic fruit options and that extends to veg too.

Lemon, Black Lentil and Quinoa Pecan Salad With Allspice Dressing 

Loved this salad, it is full of lots of little bits, herbs, nuts and is so full of flavour. Within the salad there are wheat berries, quinoa, black lentils, pecans and other grains.  It is ready dressed with a lemon and allspice dressing.  This has a citrus zing, freshness and an aromatic peppery flavour from the spicing. The combination of ingredients makes this salad so palate tingingly delicious!

Recipe: Crushed Cannellini Bean and Garlic Soup

I really love soup, so much!  Make a pot once per week.  Enjoy it as a meal but also as a snack, it really appeals to my savoury tastes.  Quite often have a mug as a late night snack before bed.  So comforting the warmth and savoury saltiness of it.  Was known to drink veg stock cubes when I was younnger!

 

  This soup below is one I make quite often.  A big fan of beans in all of their forms, tinned beans are a cupboard staple and there is so much that can be done with them.  The canellini beans add a bit of creaminess to the soup and make it pretty filling.  The flavours make for a nice combination and it is a very fresh soup.  It is so quick to put together, no soaking or long boiling here!  In total takes just shy of 1/2 an hour to make.  Due to the brief cooking all of the flavours come out.  If possible it is best to use fresh herbs, the herbs in the soup are what makes it really.

 

Veggie Fruity Sweet Review

Have not posted for a little while.  I am in the process of making some changes to this blog and adding a new one.  Decided to create a blog dedicated entirely to the football side of things, whilst on this keeping with the themes of reviews, books, films, food and that sort of thing.  The process is a bit of a pain in the arse, how I wish that the posts could be moved individually via the dashboard as I have so many drafts.  Alas!  Been seeking out some new sweeties recently and thought that I would share my thoughts.

Veggie Friendly Jelly Sweet Reviews

I am more of a chocolate person but an occasional fruity sweet is always good.  It isn't  easy to find veggie friendly options due to the addition of gelatine.  Always on the lookout for new and exciting looking products.

M&S Veggie Percy Pigs

How often had I heard how wonderful Percy Pigs were?!  Family and friends would harp on about them and admit how tasty and addictive these were.  Last year (or perhaps a bit longer ago), I was delighted to see that M&S launched Percy Pigs that were gelatine free.  At last  I was able to see what all the fuss was about, or should I say taste!  My sister also tried them and said that they were a bit harder than the standard ones and that actually made them nicer.  Really like the grape, cherry and raspberry flavour of the sweets, it is quite a unique taste- good though!  They are softish gums, refreshing with a fairly light texture.  The pack size is very generous.  They are priced at £1.89 per bag and are often on at 2 packs for £2.50 (mix and match).  As well as the Percy Pigs a sweet called Colin Caterpillars also come in veggie versions.

Rowntrees Jelly Tots

These were always a childhood favourite and this love has followed into my adult life.  Very surprising that they are indeed veggie.  The tiny little drops are sugar coated and oh so fruity.  Lovely flavour, the citrus ones- lemon, lime and orange are particularly mouth-watering and tangy.  Other flavours include strawberry and blackcurrant.  These are very refreshing and quite addictive.  They also make a nice decoration for a plain iced sponge or fairy cakes.  Found that the sharing bags vary in price from shop to shop, when I bought them they were on special offer at £1 in Morrisons.

Homemade Pitta Bread and Cauli Falafel

A Little Bit Busy In The Kitchen....

Was delighted to get the afternoon off work.  Decided that I'd take advantage of the time and get down to some cooking and baking (of the bread variety).  Pitta breads have always been a staple on my shopping list, handy for a quick lunch and my favourite thing to dip into a mug of soup.  How hard could they be to make?  Along with having a go at ptita's, I also made a variety of different salads- a cous-cous with roasted pepper, a raw cauliflower, lemon and dill as well as a grated carrot and lime salad (Summer Salad Recipes).  Made fairly decent sized batches of each to have alongside leaves, pita/baked tatty for easy meals over the next few days.  As there was a bit of a Middle Eastern theme developing,g also made a small batch of mini cauliflower and pink peppercorn falafels.  With cauliflower on offer at Lidl it is a veg I really enjoy but rarely buy.  Most often have it in a curry or raw but it is about time I thought outside of the box!  As well as the recipes today; Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has a recipe for a cauliflower snack that I suppose eats as a kind of crisp- intrigued to try those out (Hugh's Cauliflower Recipe Ideas). 

As there was a 100g bar of white chocolate in the back of the cupboard, leftover from the chocolate barks I made at Christmas.  With this I had a go at  making some white chocolate peanut butter cups.  Melting the choc, mixed up the peanut butter with some vanilla in separate bowl and used paper cake cases.  Encased the whipped peanut butter in chocolate by spooning the choc into the cups distributing thinly and added a spoon of peanut butter then sealed with more choc.  Allowed these to set in fridge.  Provided pictures but are poor quality as they were taken via laptops webcam. 

Favourite Cookery Books Reviewed

 

 

 

 

 

This is the book to accompany the television series airing on Channel 4 last year.  A big break from form and his usual tradition, seen meat loving, self sufficient Hugh ditch meat entirely.   Have watched his previous programmes and he always comes across very well and has a good philosophy on food.  The column he writes for the Guardian is also worth a read.  It was a challenge for him to be veg only but it encouraged creativity and reinforced that all people should really think about making veg a bigger part of their meals.  As a vegetarian it was good to see a programme that focused entirely on veggie food.  Altogether there were seven episodes.  In the course of the programme he cooked for wild swimmers, ate at an Indian wedding, sampled some modern veggie cooking, collected and made a dish from monkey puzzle tree nuts, experienced the raw food craze, Buddhist temple cooking and plenty more besides.   

 

It is the best cookery book I have owned and has provided me with so many delicious meals.  It is all too easy to get stuck eating the same things and to make little effort.   But, this recipe book encouraged me to be far more creative when cooking for myself.  The recipe book has 325 pages of beautiful recipes from filling veg and bean stews, to fragrant Asian dishes, handmade breads, curries, salads and an epic soup section.  Now, soup is something I eat a-lot of and in this book there are quite a-lot recipes for this.  The book itself is well presented, bright pictures with rustic looking food that makes you hungry just leafing through.  Each section has a short introduction, words from Whittingstall on his experiences, likes and some tips.  There are some vegan recipes included and most of the dishes can be adapted to suit a strictly vegan diet.  Book would be a very good addition to any veggies book shelf but really anyone would like this, even the most ardent of meat eaters!

 

Recipe Highlights- 

 

Cauliflower and Chickpea curry, North African Squash and Chickpea Stew, DIY Pot Noodle, Leek Risotto with Chestnuts, Pistachio Dukka, Carrot Hummus, Mexican Tomato and Bean Soup, Beetroot with Walnuts and Cumin and Roast Parsnip, Lentil and Watercress Salad

 

Summer Salad Recipes

The weather has been anything but summery, however it feels good to be healthy.  Here is hoping that the rest of July onwards delivers a-lot more in terms of weather!

1- Thai Inspired Carrot and Peanut Salad

Had this as a side dish at a beautiful Thai restaurant in Perth called Roca Blu.  Liked it so much I've attempted to re-create it.  Adaptable to suit tastes and what you have available, it is also nice to have as a side dish with curry, a sandwich/wrap filler.  A lovely place to eat, chilled out atmosphere and decor- there are pots of herbs growing around the place that smell beautiful.  They also offer cocktail classes.