Challenge Accepted No. 1

So a few weeks ago (at least, sorry I've been really busy with wedding things!) I asked on my Facebook page what sort of things people would like me to make. Two things that stuck out for me was the request for a different type of pizza dough - a flaky one and a gluten & dairy free dessert that wasn't simply a fruit salad. Challenge accepted!!

Golden Turmeric Latkes

So I have never had latke's before, and have always been intrigued by them. I basically just always looked at them like posh flavourful hash browns and that's pretty much what they are! nom nom nom!!!

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Gnocchi

Greatness on the plate! This was MUCH simpler then I expected it to be!


I saw this recipe on Something for the Weekend. Watching this show used to be a Sunday morning ritual of mine, I don't know why it stopped but I'm glad I started watching again. 


When Simon Rimmer was making this on the show he made it look dead simple and I'm a HUGE fan of butternut squash, so I knew I couldn't pass this up! I've made gnocchi before, homemade gnocchi is SOOOOO much better then store bought, trust me on this one! And really it's so simple to make, even if you decide top it with store bought pasta sauce or simply some herbs and olive oil. I don't think I'll EVER use the store bought stuff again!

Butternut Squash and Cavalo Negro (Black Kale) Lasagna

Nom nom nom, this sounds interesting! 


I've been neglecting my blog for some time now and I realised, 'Hey! I'm unemployed, I really have no real reason to neglect it now do I??'


Although I couldn't find black kale so I just used the curly green stuff. Kale is sort of like a cross between spinach and cabbage....sort of.  I also substituted regular lasagne sheets for green (spinach) ones for that extra bit of fun! (picture below in case you're confused!)

I some how doubt it was made in Italy, maybe the box was.....

More Autumnal

Here are some more recipes that I've made over the last new months, but have neglected to post! Most of these are from my Good Food Healthy Recipe app. 

Roasted butternut Squash 

Ingredients:

2 small butternut squash

garlic cloves

3 tbsp olive oil

chilli flakes

1 tsp thyme, chopped

1-2 courgettes, cut into little chunks

1-2 red peppers, cut into little chunks

2 small or 1 large red onion chopped

200 g cherry tomatoes

50 g pine nuts

100 g goats cheese

1 tbsp bread crumbs

1 tbsp parmesan

1 tbsp parsely (dry or fresh)

Chickpea haloumi Tahini chappati salad with Harissa dressing...

I was in the mood to experiment yesterday and came out flying with what was an interesting concoction. Measures weren't really measured and I sort of threw in whatever I could get my hands on that I thought might go well together. You can tell by the title that it had quite a few ingredients but it was actually pretty simple, quick and in my humble opinion pretty tastey.

Here we go...

The Perfect Autumn Recipe

This is an absolutely fabulous recipe that I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed. It smelled fantastic whilst it was cooking and delicious. It's the perfect cosy and healthy meal on a cold autumn night.

Butternut Squash Chilli with Quinoa

(30 mins, Serves 4)

carrot and orange soup

Yum yum yum, you get the instant orange kick and the flavour just intensifies as you continue to eat! I must point out the importance of reading a recipe properly. I accidentally read '2 cups' of stock as opposed to 2 pints/5 cups, so it was thicker than it should have been, but still tasted heavenly.

What you need:
- 25g/ 2tbsp butter
- 2 leeks thinly sliced
- 450g/1lbs carrot sliced
- 2 pints/5 cups veggie stock
- zest and juice of two oranges
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 150 ml/2/3 cup of plain greek yogurt
- salt and pepper

Thursday - Tagine! Butternut Squash, Shallots, Carrots and Prunes

This recipe doesn't call for cous cous as a base, but I think it's really important because this is a VERY rich and a very filling dish! It's also the first time I make a tagine, and I realised, you don't need a tagine dish to do it! I just used a really good pot with a solid lid and it was fine.

Enjoy!

Wednesday = Spaghetti with asparagus, mint and chilli

I've just recently started eating pasta again, but I didn't want to go back into just eating the same ol plain spaghetti with a heated up jar of tomato sauce poured on it. I wanted something more interesting, healthier and lighter. I found this recipe in a fantastic vegetarian recipe magazine. It was absolutely lovely, but I think next time I'll use half the amount of chilli.

Feel-awful!!?? Falafel = Feel-AWESOME!

I made this for supper tonight, it was AWESOME!!!!!

Falafel and Halloumi Burgers

Ingredients

* 2 x 400g tins chickpeas , drained
* 2 tsp ground cumin
* 1 tsp ground coriander
* 2 green chillies , chopped
* 2 garlic cloves
* ½ a small bunch spring onions
* 1 tsp salt flakes
* 2 tbsp plain flour
* 1 pack halloumi cheese , diced
* pitta bread to serve
* houmous to serve (i used a lime & coriander houmous)
* Little Gem lettuce to serve