Vegetarian Toad-in-the-Hole
Toad-in-the-Hole is such a childhood classic – but I didn’t ever have it has a child! I make it now as a quick Sunday Lunch or family dinner for us now so it’s part of my kids childhood. While we used to have a big […]
Month: March 2018
Creamy Beetroot Pate
It can be all too easy to get into a sandwich filling rut. This Creamy Beetroot Pate is a tasty change from the norm and a great way of getting another veggie in your lunch. Just pack into a sarnie with lots of salad for […]
Easy Make Easter Egg Chocolate Bark
If you are looking for an Easter gift which doesn’t come with loads of packaging – a total bugbear of mine – and is cheaper than your average egg while being just as beautiful, then this Easy Make Easter Egg Bark is the seasonal make for you.
It’s so simple to make children can do it themselves as a lovely gift for teachers or grandparents. The swirling is the bit which makes it look so fancy-pants and yet all you need is a cocktail stick or kebab stick to draw the colours together. Feel free to go as crazy as you like with the sprinkles and toppings!
Easy Make Easter Egg Bark
March 20, 2018
: Depends how much you like to share!
: 10 min
Ingredients
- 200g white chocolate
- 100g dark chocolate
- 100g milk chocolate
- sprinkles and Mini Eggs
- 2 food colourings, pink, purple, green and blue all work especially well
- you will need a wooden kebab stick or a cocktail stick too
Directions
- Step 1 Line a brownie tin (30cm x 20cm approx) with greaseproof paper or a silicone liner, I prefer the reusable liner, ready for the chocolate.
- Step 2 Melt the dark and milk chocolates in separate bowls then divide the white chocolate into three small bowls and melt. I prefer to melt my chocolate in the microwave (1min on full then stir and repeat as needed for 20seconds at a time).
- Step 3 When all the chocolates are melted add a little food colouring to two of the bowls of white chocolate. All colouring is different so you will have to mix to get your preferred colour but I would use the tip of a teaspoon to add a tiny bit at a time, mixing well as you go. You only want a little so the colour is a pastel shade.
- Step 4 With all colours ready simply blob them into the prepared tin.
- Step 5 When they are all used up, keeping the tin flat, give it a horizontal shake so that the blobs level out and there are no spaces.
- Step 6 Now the fun bit! Using your wooden stick drag it in swirly motions through the coloured chocolates. This makes the pretty design. When you are happy with it add the mini eggs and sprinkles all over.
- Step 7 Leave to go cold or chill in the fridge. When it is set, remove from the liner/paper and break into pieces before placing into presentation bags.
Root Vegetable Rosti
There are plenty of ways of boosting the number of veggies you have in your diet without feeling like you are ‘missing out’ on other foods you love. These Root Vegetable Rosti are so delicious I bet you won’t want to go back to the […]
Vegetarian Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne
I know lasagne is a comfort food fave for so many but I’ve never been its biggest fan. Mainly because I find it quite ‘samey’ when I’m a big fan of lots of different flavours and textures in a meal. I’m also not a massive […]
Easy Healthy Cream of Tomato Soup
Everyone has ‘their’ soup. The one which makes them feel like they are supping a great big cuddle, to lift their spirits when they are ill, which makes a quick lunch that more poignant. For me it’s a classic Cream of Tomato Soup. It was the only soup I ate as a child (or was actually given!) and when I was stick would drink it hot with slices of cheddar cheese melting pleasingly on top.
But in these sugar conscious times a tin of soup is not quite the innocent treat it once looked! So, wanting to give my kids the soup of my childhood, I decided it was time to make my own version. Which is how this vitamin packed Easy Healthy Cream of Tomato Soup came into being.
The secret ingredient in this recipe is something which usually ends up in the bin – and as a waste-phobe I love it’s used. The green stalk and the ends which connect to the tomato from the vine are all used and give the soup a vibrant, fresh taste.
It has a real depth of flavour and if you don’t like your soup with a creamy edge then just leave out the crème fraiche. It’s great to freeze ahead for a quick lunch or dinner, just as easy as opening a can of soup.
Healthy Cream of Tomato Soup
March 9, 2018
: 8
: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 2 trimmed sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- 6 large on vine tomatoes, roughly chopped and with the green bits
- 1 tin of tomatoes in juice (do not drain)
- a handful of washed basil leaves
- 1.5l vegetable stock
- 100g crème fraiche or Quark
Directions
- Step 1 Place all the vegetables into a large pan with the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock.
- Step 2 Bring to the boil and simmer for around 15mins until all the vegetables are soft and cooked through. Cook for a while longer if they are not.
- Step 3 When cooked, add the tinned tomatoes and their juice and the whole basil leaves.
- Step 4 Remove from the heat and add the crème fraiche and stir through.
- Step 5 Allow to cool a little before blending until smooth.
- Step 6 Return to the pan and adjust the consistency with a little water if it’s too thick, season to taste and warm to serve.
Secret Butternut Squash and Dried Cherry Muffins
One of my friends ribs me over the fact so many of my cakes have some vegetables hidden in them. But I can’t help it! I love the texture and the natural sweetness adding vegetables to a cake brings. And it’s less that I’m hiding […]
Root Vegetable and Bean Stew with Herb Dumplings
Where I live is currently under a blanket of snow – which is pretty unusual for the UK and frankly the country is not coping! But we are hunkering down with plenty of comfort food to warm up between sledging and snowman making. And this […]