Vegetarian Whole Foods Made Simple
This cosy one skillet vegetarian cottage pie has a hearty lentil filling, and a crunchy sweet potato topping. Greetings from balmy Houston! We are now mid way through October, and I am yet to don a jumper, beanie or boot. The temperature is stubbornly hovering …
This one skillet spinach mushroom lasagne has all the hearty comfort of your favorite italian dish, but is much easier to prepare! As some of you may remember, a few weeks ago I reached the dual conclusions that 1) I need to simplify my weeknight …
This bold broccoli stilton quiche with a whole wheat crust makes a hearty addition to any lunch, brunch or picnic.Â
Blue cheese is one of those divisive foods, either you love it or hate it. I am partial to strong flavours and am definitely partial to a cheeky slice of blue cheese (my favourite, by the way is Garstang Blue, and you should check it out if you ever find yourself in the North West of England!!). Eating Blue Cheese is discouraged during pregnancy, so my love affair with the stuff took a little hiatus last year and I was surprised to find that I found the taste of it overwhelming after James arrived. I felt cheated! All those months of longing, and I struggled to finish a slice!
Not to be perturbed by (yet another) weird postpartum quirk, I persevered, and am now pretty much back in the stinky cheese game. During that time of self imposed blue cheese rehabilitation, I whipped up this gorgeous broccoli stilton quiche. When cooked, the stilton melts into the egg mixture, and its distinctive taste becomes so much milder. Paired with the fresh broccoli and a nutty whole wheat crust, it makes for an incredibly easy, tasty and portable lunch or brunch. I like to serve it with a simple green salad, or eat it chilled and plain.
Enjoy!
Whole wheat crust is borrowed from one of my favourite resources 100 Days of Real Food.
This red, white and blue patriotic power salad makes a healthy addition to any July 4th party! When you’re a displaced Brit residing in the USA, July 4th can be a tricky holiday to navigate. I mean, it’s not like I come across many people …
This Bulgar, Lentil and Cucumber Salad is hearty and filling, with a fresh light summer flavour. I love the challenge of creating a meal from an understocked kitchen, don’t you?! This salad was the result of some cupboard staples, a handful of herbs languishing in …
Linguine tossed with brilliant green pea puree and garlicky mushrooms and spinach make for a cheery and wholesome weeknight dinner.
Well mother nature has certainly been flexing her muscles in Texas this week! I’m not normally intimidated by the weather, but I will admit to feeling a little on edge the last few days. In fact, this was the first time I didn’t roll my eyes when Kirk said we should assemble an emergency kit(!). Thankfully my Houston neighborhood has been relatively unaffected by the storms and flash flooding so far, so fingers crossed it stays that way.
There is really no graceful way to go from a weather update to a description of a pasta recipe, so we shall just dive right in, yeah?! Ok. This recipe has become a new staple in our house. It’s pretty quick to come together, and I am totally addicted to this creamy bright green pea puree.
One thing you will always find in my freezer is a bag of frozen peas, I chuck them in any old thing, but in this recipe they are the main attraction! Mushrooms thickly sliced and lightly sautéed with garlic add a little meaty texture, and spinach adds another layer of colour, taste and nourishment.
Toss it all together and sprinkle with parmesan- its comforting, bolstering and totally satisfying in all its sweet, garlicky bright green glory.
Enjoy!
Pea Puree adapted from River Cottage Veg by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
This mushroom & swiss naan bread pizza is the cheats way to a mid-week pizza fix! I would love to tell you that these naan bread pizzas stave off my occasional, but nonetheless intense pizza cravings. However, they do not. Sometimes eating pizza straight from the box …
This spring quinoa bowl celebrates spring with asparagus, peas and rocket tossed with lemon, quinoa, feta and basil. Spring has sprung! So Spring is finally upon us! Well, almost upon us… We’re not quite there in Michigan yet, there have been some tauntingly sunshiney days, …
This dish of roasted broccoli with sun dried tomatoes, Farro, Feta and tahini make for a simple, nourishing dinner, packed with nutty, salty flavour.
Self care. Do you make it a priority? What does it mean to you? Last weekend I was all set to catch up on photographing some new recipes and posting them on here for you, but on Sunday I totally crashed and burned. It turns out that a full time job, a baby, a husband facing a thesis deadline, two transatlantic flights, a training schedule and a social life became too much for me to manage, and my body told me so.
I spent most of the weekend unable to move from the sofa (which I discovered is especially horrible when you have a baby to take care of!), and this experience confirmed what I already know to me true: health is really all about balance. A good diet and exercise regime will only get you so far if you are sleep deprived or not managing your stress well. So, I decided to take the last week to take care of myself a little better, a few bubble baths, yoga in place of HIIT, better food choices, and early nights when I could get them. I’m now back to my usual self, so thanks for letting me take the week off!
It seems fitting that I am sharing this recipe with you today, because for me it embodies those themes of health and balance. Whole grains, fresh seasonal vegetables and a sprinkling of good cheese. This feels like such a restorative meal, and most importantly it can be made in about 20 minutes which is vital if you are feeling pressed for time! I am a huge fan of broccoli, ESPECIALLY when roasted with a little salt. In this dish I have paired the broccoli with juicy sun dried tomatoes, salty feta cheese, and a nutty tahini dressing, all on a base of farro. So beautiful, so nourishing.
Enjoy!
Quinoa, rice, barley or other grains can be used in place of farro if you don’t have it to hand!
This vegetarian butternut squash goat cheese lasagne makes for perfect winter comfort food. Well its been a week of ups and downs returning to work. On the one hand I love being back at the office, on the other I miss James terribly. Fortunately I …
