Comfort food on a stormy day

There's a whole heap of stuff I love about Twitter. It can be a great support system (I so wish I was on Twitter during the newborn angst days, it would have prevented many a wobble and plenty of tears, I'm sure), provide invaluable advice and give access to some brilliant blogs.

2 Of my favourite blogs came to the rescue this afternoon. Dreary, thundery and miserable outside, we needed some gastronomic hugs inside. What better remedy that curry and chocolate. Not together.

Kimberlee is the ultimate superwoman. She runs a business giving knitting lessons and selling the most amazing cakes (I've tried them, trust me on this one), looks after the gorgeous Henry and writes a great blog. Recently she posted a recipe for beetroot brownies and as the (soggy, weed-infested) veg garden is producing a glut of beets at the moment, I thought I'd give them a go.


Needless to say I wasn't disappointed. Mmmmm.

What's not to love about melted chocolate?

For dinner, I turned to Charlotte, Mama to super cute Lil who writes the most honest, funny, REAL blog about Motherhood you're sure to read. She is also uber cool, has a wardrobe to die for and is gorgeous to boot. Jealous, much? She pointed out a recipe for a delicious-sounding curry this week. Delicious, healthy and super-easy. So we made it. It was gooood.

One big heap of a mess but SO worth it

Farmers market rice salad

When I worked full time I used to visit a farmer's market close to where I worked. I'd always go and lunchtime and pick up a rice salad from Natural Vitality, who sell organic dips and salads.

I've not had one for years but randomly started thinking about this delicious little pot of healthy goodness recently and today had a go at replicating it.

It wasn't as good, I'll happily admit that but all the same it was delicious and perfect to pack in a little tub and take to work, as I have done today. Sorry for the rubbishy iPhone pic by the way, I'm camera-less at work.

Serves 2, you will need:

150g Brown/wholegrain rice
Handful dried apricots, chopped
Handful dates, chopped
Handful cashews
Handful mixed seeds
Large handful parsley, finely chopped
Juice of 2 limes

1. Cook the rice according to the pack instructions
2. When the rice is cooked, drain and add the remaining ingredients
3. Give it a good old stir, allow to cool and enjoy!

Squash & Chickpea Stew

My carnivorous husband tolerates our mostly-veggie meals. We only have meat a few times a week, partly because I want to eat good meat and couldn't afford to do so every night but mostly because there are so many meat-free recipes out there which are so healthy. High in nutrients, packed with protein and low in saturated fat, this is one I did for the first time tonight and is definitely a keeper.

It's taken from a recipe in the River Cottage Veg Every Daybook. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, it took me about half an hour to prepare and is dead simple.

You will need:
2 Tbsp oil
2 Onions, diced
1 Stalk of celery, finely diced
1 Tsp ground black pepper
1 Tsp Turmeric
Half tsp ground ginger
Half tsp ground cinnamon
100g red lentils
Tin chickpeas
8 Saffron strands, toasted and crushed (I just chucked mine in non-toasted, sorry Hugh)
500ml Passata
Handful chopped fresh parsley
Handful chopped fresh coriander
300g Squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped into large cubes
1.2l Veg stock
1 Bay leaf
50g Orzo

1. Heat the oil and cook the onions until soft
2. Turn down the heat and add the spices, garlic and celery. Cook for a few minutes
3. Add the lentils, chickpeas, saffron, passata and fresh herbs
4. Cook on low for about 15 mins (I added a bit of water at this point as it started sticking)
5. Add the squash or pumpkin and bay leaf
6. Cover and simmer for 30 mins
7. Add the orzo and simmer until cooked
8. Season, serve and enjoy!

His, his and hers

I used to struggle with lunch ideas but now the boys are older and eating what I eat, I like to sit and enjoy a proper meal with them, not just a quick sarnie. More so since trying to include more superfoods in my diet, as I mentioned in this post.

So today we had one of our storecupboard staples, roasted veg cous cous with lime and mint. I added some rye bread, cheese and grapes for the boys and accompanied mine with a big leafy watercress salad.

Serves 4, you will need:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, cut into wedges
1 courgette, thinly sliced
Tin chickpeas
100g cous cous
200ml veg stock
Handful cherry tomatoes, sliced
Juice of 2 limes
handful fresh mint leaves, very finely chopped

1. Drizzle the veg with oil and roast for 20-30 mins until starting to brown
2. Put the cous cous in a bowl, add the stock, cover until all the water is absorbed then fluff up with a for
3. Add the chickpeas, veg and tomatoes to the cous cous
4. Mix the mint into the lime juice, pour over the cous cous, stir well and serve

This is also lovely with feta or goats cheese and you can add whatever veg you have in. Red peppers and aubergine also work well. You can use quinoa instead of cous cous for an extra protein hit.