Curried Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup

It’s amazing how comforting and nourishing a hot bowl of soup can be. This is a perfect soup to warm you up on a rainy day and it takes no time to make at all. Even better it is a delicious, filling soup that is completely gluten and dairy free!

I made this recently because I’d received some vegetables from my Mother-in-law as they were moving and she was emptying her fridge. I used what I had but don’t worry too much about exact quantities – if you have 1 sweet potato use it all, you just might need to add a little extra stock. I like this particular soup to have texture which is why I grate the veggies but if you prefer you could easily blend it for a smooth, thick soup.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, cleaned and sliced

4 carrots, peeled and grated

½ good sized sweet potato, peeled and grated

2 cloves of garlic, crushed or grated on a microplane

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

1 tsp curry powder

200ml coconut milk

1000ml vegetable or chicken stock

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan then add the leeks. Cook for a few minutes until softened but not browned, then add the grated carrots, sweet potato, garlic, ginger and curry powder. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure nothing catches and then add the coconut milk and stock. Season with some salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary then ladle into bowls while piping hot! 

*For extra spice add some fresh chilli, finely chopped and if you find the soup too sweet you could add a spritz of lime juice.

My Meat Free Week

Having just completed Meat Free Week I thought I would fill you in with my experience of the week I just had where I wasn't able to eat any meat, fish or seafood for 1 week....That's right 1 week, 7 days, 168 hours.... in reality a very short time. To all the vegetarians out there I apologise as what I'm about to say sounds pretty pathetic but this 7 short days actually felt relatively long and it turned out to be harder than I thought!

When I decided to accept the challenge I did it purely for myself...I wanted to see how I would feel going meatless for a week. Generally we eat meat free meals about twice a week and in all honesty I never thought anything of it. Eating meat 7 days a week is a big no-go for me... I simply find it to be too much. Cost aside (which would be far too much for my budget!) meat everyday is just overkill (sorry, no pun intended!).

For years I have been an advocate of buying better quality meat and simply eating less of it and I really do stand by that. There are many issues associated with our global meat consumption, notably the impact it has on the environment, animals (increased consumption has lead to inhumane farming practices for a start) and of course our own health. As posted on the Meat Free Week website "the U.N. has identified the livestock industry as one of the most significant contributors to today's most serious environmental problems" so we really do need to stop and seriously think about how much meat we eat.

Meal Plan for Meat Free Week

Monday (March 23rd, 2015) is the start of Meat Free Week, a global campaign to create awareness of how much meat you eat and the impact that it has on our health as well as the animals and the environment. The challenge is to go meat free for a full week which includes ALL meat, fish and seafood.

Although we do eat quite a lot of meat I always try to have at least 2 nights a week where we eat vegetarian meals so I'm excited to have a full week of delicious vegetarian food (breakfast and lunch included), and no there isn't a nut roast in sight!

To make things easier for you if you are interested in taking part in Meat Free Week, I decided to share my weekly meal plan which is packed with delicious, nutritious recipes. All recipes have a link included so you can join me for the week or pick and chose as you like any recipes that appeal. For more meal ideas why not have a look at the recipes provided on the Meat Free Week website or alternatively check out Jamie Oliver's recipes dedicated to this fantastic campaign, or if you have a favourite vegetarian meal please feel free to share links in the comments section!

So what are you waiting for? Join me and hundreds of other people and go meat free for a week!

Monday March 23rd ~ 29th

                                  Monday  -        Slow Cooker Quinoa, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chilli

                                  Tuesday -         North African Squash & Chickpea Stew
                                  Wednesday -    Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi with Green Salad

                                  Thursday -       Grilled Halloumi with Quinoa & Beetroot Salad

                                  Friday -            Deliciously Dhal

                                  Saturday -        Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Tofu Brilliant Veggie Burger

                                  Sunday -          Vegetable Jalfrezi

Kale, Tomato & Bean Soup

Normally when I post a new recipe on my blog I like to try it several times first to make sure everything is just right, however this is a new recipe for both you and I! I've been watching a lot of Nigel Slater recently and I love his relaxed approach to food and cooking and just using what you have and what's available, so perhaps he inspired me because the other day a friend came round to visit with her kids and they brought a huge bag of Kale and Tomatoes that they had grown in their garden. They were so amazing and I couldn't wait to use them in something, but since I had my meal plan done for the week (and was desperate to finish all of the curries from the weekend so I had some room in my fridge!) I thought how about a delicious, healthy soup! So that's what I did. I knew before I made it that it would taste good and it did - it was so good and even Ben absolutely loved it! 

The quantities for the tomatoes and kale are approximate since it just depends on what you have and your own tastes. I had more of both but felt that the amounts below were perfect for this batch, plus it means I still have enough kale leftover to enjoy a bowl of Spaghetti with Kale, Garlic & Lemon for a quick Saturday night supper after a day on the boat - double bonus! 

This soup is what cooking (and growing your own vegetables) is all about - using what you have at the right time of year paired with a few pantry staples and ending up with something so simple and easy to make but full of wonderful fresh flavours. 

Grilled Halloumi with Quinoa & Beetroot Salad (& my struggle with blogging)

Before I jump to the recipe for this delicious salad there is something I need to address with regards to my blogging...

It's hard to believe it but I started blogging 5 years ago. My reason for starting this blog was simple....I loved to cook and this was the easiest way for me to share my often-requested recipes with family and friends. To this day I still love cooking, I am a total food-oholic! I get excited about shopping for food, finding new ingredients, getting reacquainted with recipes and ingredients from my past and exploring new cuisines throughout the world from the comfort of my own kitchen.You are far more likely to find me reading a cookbook or food magazine than any other book and with a library of 1000 cookbooks (and growing) I'm never short of something to read! Of course the books and magazines just feed my enthusiasm for cooking by offering endless new ideas and inspiration and so it was only a matter of time before I started reviewing cookbooks and really putting them to the test to see if they were worth a place on my overloaded, sagging shelves! I love reviewing cookbooks and so I do plan to do a lot more of that on this blog but without doubt my favourite thing to do still is come up with my own ideas and recipes and share them with you. 

Favourite Vegetarian Recipes for National Vegetarian Week

In honour of National Vegetarian Week I thought it would be fun to put together a collection of some of my favourite vegetarian recipes that I have on my blog. I won't lie, there is a lot of pasta but since I'm a pasta-holic it's to be expected I guess. I love eating vegetarian food and think it's good for everyone to have at least one or two nights a week enjoying a delicious meal without meat. I hope you like the collection as much as I do but I have realised that I definitely need to come up with some more vegetarian recipes that don't feature pasta!

From Top L-R: Tomato & Mozzarella Tart; Lemon Spaghetti; Mozzarella, Almond & Pomegranate Salad; Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi; Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles; Quinoa Salad; My Favourite Bruschetta; Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup: Goats Cheese & Pesto Cannelloni; Tomato & Vodka Spaghetti; Flatbread Pizza; Mushroom Bruschetta with Cheat's Aioli; Spaghetti with Broccolini, Garlic & Chilli; Penne Arrabiata; Zucchini & Lemon Spaghetti and Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Tomato & Mozzarella Tart

Lemon Spaghetti

Mozzarella, Almond & Pomegranate Salad

Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

Quinoa Salad

My New Favourite Bruschetta

Hearty Italian Vegetable Soup

Goats Cheese & Pesto Cannelloni

Tomato & Vodka Spaghetti

Flatbread Pizza

Mushroom Bruschetta with Cheat's Aioli

Spaghetti with Broccolini, Garlic & Chilli

Penne Arrabiata

Zucchini & Lemon Spaghetti

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti with Broccolini, Garlic & Chilli

Tenderstem Broccoli, Broccolini and Broccolette - all names referring (as far as I can tell) to the same wonderful thin, long-stemmed variety of broccoli. It is one of my all time favourite vegetables and when it comes into season I am always so happy!

This is by far one of my favourite ways to enjoy it, as a quick and simple delicious pasta dish ideal for knocking up for a midweek meal that is filling but light at the same time. The amount of time needed to cook the broccoli will depend on how thin the stalks are but as a guide the latest bunch I had were almost pencil thin and therefore needed no more than 1 minute for the stalks and 30 seconds for the florets, but if they are a bit thicker the stalks might need up to 2 minutes.

Butternut Squash 'Mac' & Cheese

I love Butternut Squash and combined with a cheese sauce it makes for a fabulous variation of the classic pasta dish, Mac and Cheese. It adds a lovely richness to the dish and a real sweetness which kids especially love. I am very fortunate that Ben is a great eater and thankfully loves vegetables but if you have a child (or other family member!) that isn't so keen on veg then this is a great way to sneak it in to their meals.

I wouldn't normally add cream cheese to my Macaroni & Cheese and to be honest the first time I tried it was purely because I had a lot of cream cheese needing used up so I thought why not? It turned out that the tang of the cream cheese balanced the sweetness of the squash so well that I kept it as part of the permanent recipe. If you would rather not use cream cheese however, then simply replace with 85g or 3oz of your favourite cheese such as mozzarella or gruyere.

Curried Sweet Potato & Squash Soup

This recipe came to be because I literally had a sweet potato and squash in the pantry and I wanted a warming Autumnal soup to make for a family Saturday lunch. It is so quick and easy to make and is a really homely, comforting soup that tastes great. I teamed it up with my delicious savoury Cheese and Spring Onion Scones which were warm from the oven and slathered with butter. It was the most perfect lunch for a rainy, grey Saturday spent indoors with my family!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tsp curry powder, plus extra for serving

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

½ butternut squash, roughly chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan then once the butter has melted and is sizzling add the onion. Cook for roughly 5-7 minutes until softened but not coloured then add the garlic and curry powder and cook for about 1 minute before adding the carrot, squash and sweet potato. Stir everything well together then pop on a lid and let the vegetables 'sweat' for around 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. 

After 10 minutes add the stock and some seasoning and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and a knife can cut into them easily. Leave to cool for a bit before blending until super smooth and silky.

When ready to serve gently reheat the soup and taste to check the seasoning, adjusting if necessary. Sprinkle over a touch of curry powder and serve at once.

Spicy Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi

One of my favourite things about going on holiday is the food you get to enjoy. In my opinion one of the absolutely best ways to experience and understand a country is by trying the food and eating what locals eat. This dish is one I make over and over and is inspired not by a dish I had (unfortunately!), but one my Dad had 4 years ago. We were all in Rome on the last day of our holiday after flying to Italy for my Brother's wedding. I was 27 weeks pregnant and we were spending the day experiencing as much of Rome as we could in the short time we had left. We managed to see most of the magnificent historical sites (beautifully breathtaking) but of course as important as that was so was sampling some delicious Italian food(!), so we stopped off at a lovely little restaurant and sat out on the terrace with awnings protecting us from the bright sun. I chose this simple Gnocchi dish which arrived at the table still bubbling and simmering in the terracotta dish it was baked in. A light, fresh tomato sauce coated each little pillow of potato gnocchi and in amongst it all were small pieces of mozzarella that had formed molten pools of creamy, silken mozzarella goodness!

The dish was light, simple and so flavourful that it really stuck with me, and as I said I have been making my own version ever since. Since I am such a lover of spicy food I couldn't help to add a little touch of fresh chilli to the dish, but you could easily miss that out if you prefer. This to me is classic Italian cooking – simple to make, using good ingredients and absolutely delicious to eat. Buon Appetito!

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles

I love Thai food and I love noodles so it's no surprise that I absolutely l-o-v-e this dish! This is my version of a recipe I tested from Rachel Allen's book Home Cooking. I've spiced it up but if you prefer it milder just miss out the Sriracha and chilli (if you like you could serve them on the side at the end for any chilli lovers you are feeding!). I've also changed some of the vegetables used which of course you could also change to what you like or happen to have in the house, and if you wanted you could also add some chicken or prawns, however I love this vegetable version for the perfect Meat Free Monday meal. It is full of so many fantastic fragrant flavours (try saying that 3 times!) but isn't too heavy. Try it once and there will be no going back or ordering from you local Noodle restaurant! Thanks Rachel!

Mozzarella, Pomegranate & Almond Salad

I couldn't decide whether to call this 'Mozzarella, Pomegranate and Almond Salad' or 'My Christmas Salad' because I can never resist serving it as a starter on Christmas Eve. Eventually, on the basis that I could never just limit this salad to Christmas time and enjoy it as long as pomegranates are in season I thought I'd stick to it's original name! It is so easy to make and tastes amazing. Full of crunchy nuts and vibrant pomegranate seeds, soft creamy mozzarella and your favourite mix of salad leaves it's impossible not to love it.

The quantities are fairly roughly measured as generally I tend to just go by eye based on how many I am feeding, using handfuls of things here and there so please don't worry about measuring anything out specifically – add as much or as little of each ingredient as you like.

Serves 4 (easily halved or doubled to feed a crowd)

85g Almonds

2 tbsp Pine nuts (optional)

200g approx. of mixed salad leaves of your choice – try and use a variety of textures

Small handful of fresh mint leaves

Small handful of fresh basil leaves

2 balls of Mozzarella (either cows or buffalo)

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

Maldon salt or other sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Good quality balsamic vinegar

Good quality extra virgin olive oil

In a dry frying pan gently toast the almonds and pine nuts (if using) until just golden, being very careful not to burn them. Set aside and leave to cool.

Scatter the mixed salad leaves on to a large platter (or alternatively divide it between 4 serving plates) then sprinkle over the mint and basil leaves, roughly ripping up any larger leaves. Scatter the cooled nuts all over the salad then tear chunks of the mozzarella and gently drop on top of the salad. Finish with the pomegranate seeds which add a beautiful Christmassy jewel-like gleam to the salad then sprinkle the salt, crushing it gently with your fingers as you do, and a touch of freshly ground black pepper.

Just before serving drizzle over a little balsamic vinegar – roughly about 1 tablespoon, and then the extra virgin olive oil – about 2 tablespoons, then take to the table and let everyone help themselves. A wonderful salad and fantastic starter for Christmas Eve or for a Winter Dinner Party.

Italian Eggs

Eggs are probably my favourite breakfast dish as they are so quick and easy to prepare and very versatile. This dish might take a little longer than your average egg dish but it is well worth the wait.

'Italian Eggs' might not necessarily be the correct name for this delicious dish, but I didn't want to call it 'Baked Eggs' since for this recipe I don't bake them but keep them on the top of the oven. That being said, if you prefer you could easily finish this dish off in the oven so that you can get on with other things while the eggs cook.

Regardless of how you cook the eggs what you end up with is a deliciously tangy and slightly spicy tomato sauce which becomes a silky smooth bed for cooking the eggs on, until they are just cooked with perfectly runny yolks which once broken dribble and ooze into the sauce. Finished with some fresh basil and plenty of bread of your choice for dipping in and mopping up and you have the most delicious egg dish perfect for breakfast, lunch or even a light dinner.

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 x 28oz (or 2 x 400g) tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar (optional)

½ – 1 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional but if using add as much or as little as you like depending on how hot you like things)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

4 organic large eggs

scattering of fresh basil leaves

Bread of your choice for dipping

In a frying pan, heat the olive oil then add the crushed garlic and cook for a minute being careful not to brown. Add the tomatoes, sugar, chilli flakes, salt and pepper and stir well. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat slightly and leave to simmer for roughly 20-25 minutes until it has reduced slightly. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Stir in about half of the basil leaves then lower the heat so that it is just gently simmering, then carefully crack in the eggs. Cover with a tight fitting lid and leave to cook for roughly 3-4 minutes until the eggs are just cooked but still with a runny yolk.

As soon as the eggs are ready remove the lid to stop the cooking and sprinkle over a good pinch of sea salt and if you like a grinding of pepper. Finish with a final scattering of basil then serve in shallow bowls with plenty of bread or toast to mop everything up with.

*If you would like to make individual servings like the one pictured (which is what I do 99% of the time) simply make up the sauce as above then transfer ¼ of it to a small individual sized frying pan (keep the rest of the sauce for another day – unless you have 4 small pans and are doing it for presentation purposes!). Once the sauce is simmering follow the instructions as above then serve in the pan on a chopping board to protect your table from the heat!

Catherine Wheels

Crisp and flaky puff pastry filled with a tomato sauce and plenty of bubbling, melted cheese – these are the perfect little snack to munch on. And since they resemble (and are therefore called!) Catherine Wheels, it makes them the perfect Bonfire Night treat. Delicious served warm out of the oven, these treats won't last long and will be loved by everyone.

Cheese & Tomato

Makes roughly 14 {easily doubled}

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

75ml (5 tbsp) basic tomato sauce or pizza sauce

115g/ 4oz Cheddar cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ GM 7 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Spread the puff pastry evenly with the tomato sauce, getting right to the edges then sprinkle over the grated cheese. Grind over a little black pepper then roll the puff pastry up as tightly as you can. Trim off the ends then slice the roll into roughly ½ inch thick pieces.

Arrange the slices on the tray. Bake in the oven for 14-15 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden and the cheese bubbling. Leave to cool for a minute or 2 then remove and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

And why not try some Mozzarella & Pesto Catherine Wheels which are equally delicious.

Mozzarella & Pesto

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

75ml (5 tbsp) basil pesto

115g/ 4oz hard mozzarella, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ GM 7 and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Spread the puff pastry evenly with the pesto, getting right to the edges then sprinkle over the grated cheese. Grind over a little black pepper then roll the puff pastry up as tightly as you can. Trim off the ends then slice the roll into roughly ½ inch thick pieces.

Arrange the slices on the tray. Bake in the oven for 14-15 minutes, until the puff pastry is golden and the cheese bubbling. Leave to cool for a minute or two then remove and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.

*These also make a delicious treat to serve on the side with some homemade soup. 

Tomato & Mozzarella Tart

I'm trying to work out how many different ways I can come up with serving my favourite combination of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil! Here is just another way that I love to enjoy it in the Summer, on a crispy and flaky puff pastry tart. It makes a perfect lunch as it takes no time to make at all but you get all of the wonderful flavours.

If I have some I love to use Tapenade on this tart, but if you don't have any or don't like it then it is just as delicious with some fresh Basil Pesto or for a spicier version, my Spicy Red Pesto. Why not try them all and see which one is your favourite?!

The 12 Days of Christmas ~ Day 2: Broccoli & Nutmeg Soup

Day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas is probably my favourite soup of all time (if I had to choose!) and for me it just wouldn't be Christmas without this soup. We always have out big turkey dinner in the evening so at lunch time we have a selection of sandwiches and appetizers and always a hot bowl of this soup to warm us up and fill us with lots of energy for opening our presents! If you prefer however, it also makes a delicious starter to your Christmas dinner, just make sure to leave room for your turkey as you will be more than tempted to have second helpings of this!

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, roughly chopped

1 head of broccoli, roughly chopped (approx. 8oz)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for garnish (or 1 tsp ground nutmeg)

750ml chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

Crème fraiche & extra nutmeg to garnish

In a large pan melt the butter with the oil. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes then add the leek, broccoli, garlic and nutmeg. Gently sweat for 10 minutes then add the stock and seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes until the broccoli is tender. Leave to cool and then blend until smooth. When ready to serve gently reheat the soup until hot and garnish with a little freshly grated nutmeg.