Poetry, Music and Bread - The Staff of Life

Delicious granary rolls, baked with love by my husband, who makes all our bread:

Bread and Music

by 

Conrad Aiken

Music I heard with you was more than music,
And bread I broke with you was more than bread;
Now that I am without you, all is desolate;
All that was once so beautiful is dead.

Your hands once touched this table and this silver,
And I have seen your fingers hold this glass.
These things do not remember you, beloved,
And yet your touch upon them will not pass.

For it was in my heart you moved among them,
And blessed them with your hands and with your eyes;
And in my heart they will remember always,
- They knew you once, O beautiful and wise.

Veggie Sunday Roast

V Sunday Roast without meat ... unthinkable???  Not at all.  Even confirmed carnivores can enjoy a luscious roast without meat or poultry, provided you make sure there are plenty of various textures, delicious flavours and (of course) a bit of protein for the nutritional aspect.


Yesterday I placed a halved butternut squash in a roasting dish, filled the hole (where the seeds were) with a tasty stuffing mix (I used a little Paxo and a variety of chopped, toasted nuts & seeds, a chopped tomato, Harissa paste, etc, etc ... make up your own!) and surrounded it with chunks of potato, onion, garlic and carrot.  I gave it all a scattering of black pepper, rosemary and sunflower/olive oil then covered it with foil and put it in the oven on a high heat.


After about 3/4 hour I gave the veg a stir about, grated some cheese over the stuffed squash and put it back in the oven - uncovered - for another 15 minutes.  I served it with some stir-fried French beans and mushrooms and some red cabbage (braised in red wine, sugar & vinegar, with apple and onion) that I had frozen from a previous batch.


The photo doesn't do it justice, I'm afraid ... it all looks a bit burned and greasy and unappealing, I know, but in fact it was quite scrummy!  (I was rushing a bit, to get back to watching Dancing On Ice!!)

I'll be doing this one again, for sure!

Starters become the main event

Another simple, easy-to-prepare (but still delicious and nutritious) meal last night.  We took the Antipasti idea from the previous evening and added some extra protein, in the form of tuna, chorizo slices and hard-boiled eggs.  We also jazzed it up with a bit of coleslaw and a few sliced gherkins.  Accompanied by a bowl of homemade carrot and coriander soup, this was a surprisingly filling meal ... in fact, we couldn't finish it all, as the Antipasti plate was probably enough for three people!

V Carrot and Coriander Soup

Fry off a chopped onion in a little oil and butter until softened, but not browned.  Add 6-8 chopped, siced or grated carrots (they cook quicker if grated) and approx. 3/4 of vegetable or chicken stock.  Grind in some black pepper then bring to the boil and simmer with a lid on for 10 minutes or so, until the carrots are tender.

Add plenty of coriander (chopped fresh, frozen or from a tube) and blend until smooth.  Return to the pan and add a little double cream, if liked, or extra water/stock for a thinner soup.  Serve with croutons, chopped coriander if you have any, and a swirl of cream for an indulgent treat.  Scrumptious!

Salmon & stir fry: the ultimate fast food!

Wow!  A three-course, cross-continent meal last night ... and it only took 3/4 hour to prepare.  That's what I call "fast food"!!

We started with a shared plate of Antipasti, the Italian first course made up of a selection of tasty tidbits.  Ours included olives, artichoke hearts, avocado wedges, Peppadew sweet peppers stuffed with cream cheese, and mushrooms - the only hot element of the dish.  We enjoyed it so much that we've decided to expand it tonight and make it our main meal, perhaps with some homemade soup alongside it.

Following this, we moved to Asia and enjoyed a bowl of stir-fried vegetables (Tesco stir-fry mix and a pack of sugar-snap peas) topped with a salmon fillet (which, you may notice, got slightly overcooked!).  I flavoured the stir-fry with a crushed garlic clove, some freshly-grated ginger, half a small red chilli and a shake of light soy sauce.  The salmon was from the Saucy Fish Company and came with a very nice watercress dressing.

And my third course? ... a slice of melon, which helped cool down my mouth after the chilli heat!  Although it was delicious, I think we might put in a smidgen less, next time.

Get your Peppadews here ... by post!
The Saucy Fish Company

My current breakfast of choice

V This delicious delight is my current fave way to start the day - some chopped fruit (fresh, frozen or canned/bottled in juice), topped with natural yogurt and a little sugar-free muesli.  Pop it in a pretty-shaped glass or bowl and Bob's your uncle ... actually, in my case, he's my brother-in-law, but never mind!

Incidentally, this is the best plain yogurt available, in my opinion (Rachel's Organic Greek Style Bio-Live Natural)  It's thick, creamy and not too sour ... I love it!

For more delicious products from Rachel's Organic, click on this link.

Chicken/chorizo pasta

Well, that was an unexpected dish!  I'd had a bit of a "down day", so Hubby said he'd pick something up on the way home from work; he mentioned his usual mixed fish pasta that we both love, but instead came home with chicken thighs and a pack of chorizo slices (it seems Tesco didn't have any of their packs of mixed fish).

He fried a chopped onion and the diced chicken thighs in a tiny bit of sunflower oil, then added the quartered chorizo slices and some thinly-sliced chestnut mushrooms.  He seasoned with smoked paprika and black pepper, some chicken stock and white wine, then thickened the sauce with a little cornflour mixed with cold water.  When the chicken was completely cooked (15 mins max from starting cooking) he finished off with a shake of tarragon and 1-2 tablespoons of cream.  He served it with al dente linguini and I made a salad to accompany it - gorgeous!!

Tasty salad dressing


NB:  Use approximately half vinegar to oil.  In a screw-top jar, mix good quality olive oil with a generous sprinkling of herbs (whatever you've got - I used mixed herbs, tarragon and mint, all dried), black pepper, a little crushed garlic, a good dollop of honey and a quarter teaspoon of mustard.  Add balsamic vinegar and shake well to combine ... don't forget to put the lid on first!!  If it's too sharp, just add a little more honey or sugar; too sweet, add a little more vinegar.

Beans and more beans!

Last month I made a delicious beef casserole, using meat from our local butcher (who sources his supplies locally) and I froze the surplus.  Last night I re-heated it and added half a tin of black-eyed beans (also known as black-eyed peas) for extra fibre and nutrition.  The beef, carrots and parsnips were still tender and retained their texture ... but the structure of the new potatoes that were also in it seemed to have broken down and their texture had become a bit like thick blotting paper!  Top tip: when making enough to freeze, leave out the spuds and cook them separately.


I served it with yet more beans - green beans or "French" beans - which were exactly the right flavour and texture to complement the casserole.

Benefits of beans
Beans are a legume, which are super nutritious, being full of protein and soluble fibre, low in fat and cholesterol and high in essential minerals.  As they are richer in resistant starch (more slowly digested by the body) they don't give the blood sugar spike of refined wheat and sugar ... and they can even help the body protect itself against chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, heart problems and cancer.
  They are a valuable element in a vegetarian diet, but also help to improve the nutritional intake of a meat eater.  All beans and other legumes are a healthy option and the most varied choices will bring the best dietary benefits.

Farewell, Festive Fare!

Okay, so before we could start eating more healthily in earnest, we needed to use up the festive fare!  This was our New Year's Eve spread ... there were only three of us present! ... it took us three days to eat most of it, so we only threw away a very small amount.  Even that pained me, as I hate wasted food.  (Lesson learned here - don't make so damn much!!)

New Year's Eve - 2010

2011

Saturday 1st January - Eating up leftovers from the night before

Sunday 2nd January - Roast British pork in cider with stewed apples, roast potatoes, carrots, cabbage and cauliflower cheese.

Monday 3rd January - Lunch was homemade Celery & Stilton soup, with Hubby's homemade granary bread.  Delicious!

Tuesday 4th January - Lamb Tagine with aubergines and apricots, made in our brand new tagine pot!

V Celery & Stilton Soup

In a large, heavy-bottomed (lidded) pan, fry off a chopped onion and a load of celery stalks (leaves and all) in some sunflower/olive oil until beginning to soften.  Add some milk (or milk and water), freshly-ground black pepper and a little vegetable stock.  Bring to a fast simmer, then cover and lower the heat (try not to boil the soup) until celery is well cooked.  Turn off heat, add some grated Stilton (including the rind) and whizz in a blender.  Serve immediately, or allow to cool completely and freeze.

I also added a teaspoon of English mustard and a shake of paprika for a little background heat, but you could add anything you fancy.  Mess around with the quantities until you find your favourite combination.  Enjoy!

Welcome, 2011 !!

Last year was not entirely my best ever, although it did score highly on positive moves forward. I began the year in a pretty bad place, deep in the throes of clinical depression, but thanks to a number of good books, some helpful strategies and a teeny-weeny bit of psychotherapy, I ended the year in a far happier state of mind.

One of the things I learned about in 2010 was how the way we eat can affect our self-esteem; I have wholly embraced this idea and am in the process of learning to respect my body more and feed it with the best food available to me. Alongside this development is my (relatively) new allotment, where I hope to be growing a large proportion of the food consumed by Hubby and me this year.

With that in mind, I have created this blog. I hope to bring some fun, fantasy and flavour to these pages - via food, art, creative writing and snippets from my life - and hope any visitors enjoy sharing the journey with me.

Bon Appetit!

Val x