Roast vegies & giant cous-cous med style

Every Sunday evening I create a menu for the following week, I then make a shopping list making sure I have all ingredients in the kitchen so I don't need to go shopping mid week. Sounds very straight forward and easy ?! The shopping happens on Monday morning but some days it takes me long time to complete it as I tend to turn my nose up on some of the produce. I than storm out of my first choice supermarket only to end up on my nearest high street where I have more choice of small shops, supermarkets and even green grocer. I admire those people with ability to do online grocery shopping and be happy with it. Anyway ...

Comes mid week I change the menu and we all end up eating something like this beautiful dish full of flavours. Some of my family will ask for bread, tin of sardines or glass of drinking yogurt, the youngest one always ask for baked beans and why not :)) 

Ingredients:

1 aubergine

1 or 2 courgettes

1 or 2 peppers

Handful of small tomatoes

Any odd potato

Wholewheat giant cous cous

 Feta cheese

Olives

Pumpkin seeds

Parsley

Olive oil

Slice the aubergine, courgette, peppers and potatoes.  Season with little salt and pepper, rub some olive oil into and place it onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. Roast the veggies on 190 C for 20 min. Add the tomatoes and roast for further 10 minutes.

In the meantime cook the cous cous according to the package.

Serve the veggies with the cous cous adding some parsley, olives and seeds.

For non vegan option add some feta cheese.

Note: whatever vegetables and fruit I bring home I soak it into cold water mixed with cider vinegar. It kills the pesticides !!!

I share this post with eat your greens hosted by VegHog

Broc-bites 🥦

My daughter and I made these super yummy mini scones. She’s been showing some interest for cooking and half terms are perfect time for baking and cooking ...
Recipe inspired by Simplicious I quit sugar by Sarah Wilson 

I used:
350g broccoli, cooked and chopped
150g cheese
3 eggs
125g flour of your choice
1tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together make sure the broccoli is not hot when you add it to the egg mixture.
Using your hands form around 16 round scones and place them on a baking tray .
Bake for 20 minutes on 180 C

Needless to say they’ve been hoovered  by the boys within ten minutes 😀

Roasted veggies with chickpeas + current hobby

Rainbow on a plate 🌈 

In the end of the week I throw all the veggies I can find in the fridge to create a nice looking, healthy meal for everyone in the family. 

I cooked the risotto using onions, pepper and carrot, usually I throw a cup of frozen peas in the end of the cooking however I did not have any this time...

Once knitter forever knitter !!! 

Yes it's true, I used to knit as a child and than I find myself knitting again in my late teens . Around three years ago I introduced knitting to my then 8year old daughter and she loves it. 

Now we both knit different things and we both finding it very relaxing, almost like yoga for your mind...

Please let me know if you knit, I would love to see any of your creations ...

What I've been cooking in February

Paprika baked cauliflower 

Cauliflower is a one of my regular vegetable I cook and eat in many forms, so when my mother in law asked me if I can prepare something veggie for the party she was going to have for her husband's 75th birthday I came up with a whole roast couli as a main and grated courgette and chickpeas as a side dish. 

For the cauliflower I mixed up minced garlic, red paprika, salt, pepper and olive oil. Rubbed it onto the cauliflower and roasted for 30 min on 180 C.

Add the tomatoes with some more olive oil and roast for another 20 minutes. Meanwhile grate two small courgettes and fry with very little olive oil for ten minutes, than all drained tin of chickpeas.

Before serving sprinkle some toasted and chopped cashew nut and parsley ….

Beans on toast with eggs, avocado and tomato salsa

This is my typical weekend breakfast, cooked a bit later then usual because I've been for a run 🏃.

The kids would of been fed by then so this is kind of "It's a date meal" for me and my husband .

I made a very quick chili by frying a raw chopped hot chili followed by some garlic and 300g mixed cooked beans. I halved a handful of small tomatoes and added some olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh parsley. I fried eggs, toasted some sourdough bread and dished up with avocado and lime juice..

Roast butternut squash baked with macaroni cheese, yum 

This was served with broccoli and green salad , perfect mid-week meal for five of us ..

 Cherry compote porridge topping

I used bag of 350g frozen cherries, I cooked it with juice of half a orange and a stick of cinnamon for 30 minutes. The taste is not so sweet but very fragrant and morish , it makes me want to eat porridge twice a day :) 

Store in a clean jar and keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks ….

What I've been up to this January so far 🎄❄️🛍 🥘

I love January !💕 To me it is a time to get grounded from the festive season, get back to eating a bit more healthy, more basic and more on budget. Also it is my Orthodox Christmas in January and I love making the day special for me and my children just like my mum used to make it for me ……. 

This month I've decided to blend three of my favorite things into one post..

This soup is super tasty, I decided to add some pasta just to make it more attractive for my children. They'll eat anything with pasta :) 

my old favorite polenta, spinach and avocado topped with home-made gomashio 

Lentils stew with spinach, rice and roasted parsnips 

This lentil stew is adopted from Jamie Oliver 15 minutes meals, originally is with bacon and served with chicken

The next day leftovers lentil stew with added mushrooms - very tasty!!

Home-made sauerkraut 

this is the latest batch, I've been fermenting all sorts of veggies this winter 

Shopping 

The cutest ever food gift bags 

Gorgeous diary and few other cute things for next Christmas  

I love January sales !!!

I'm enjoying reading this book, Michelle Obama is very honest and down to earth woman

The last photos are from Hampton palace and river Thames, my daughter  and I went ice skating on the ice ring in Hampton palace, we found it very pretty !!!

Beetroot leaves and other greens Pesto

This pesto is must try especially if you have any leftover green leaves, carrot tops, celery leaves, broccoli leaves or herbs 🌿🌿 

you will need:

3 cups  mixture of kale (stalks removed), leaves, herbs

half a cup of nuts, almonds in my pesto ( use parmesan if you wish )

3 small cloves garlic

100 ml olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt or less

Blanch the kale together with the leaves for 3 minutes.

Ground the nuts using a hand-grinder.

Combine all ingredients and blend.

If you have a tall blender that's perfect.

If you have one of those powerful blender then you don't have to ground the nuts separate.

Alternatively chop the greens by hand and add the rest of the ingredients.

Keep the pesto in a clean jar in the fridge.

Also the pesto can be stored in an ice cube tray and defrosted when needed for sandwich spread, pasta bakes topping or used on home-made pizza 🍕

I am sharing this post with veghog  blog EAT YOUR GREENS 

Detox balance soup

This soup is a little treasure, it's packed with nutrients from the veggies as well as the lentils and if that wasn't enough it's topped with kale and parsley. Why cheese? Detox is boring without balance !!

Kids approved it so I am over the moon 🌙

you will need or I should say I used:

1 big onion, diced

half a leek 

1 parsnip

2 potatoes

1 large carrot

about 350 gr butternut squash, peeled and diced

1 cup green lentils

1/2 cup red lentils

2 handful of kale

1 handful of chopped parsley 

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt

1.6 l water or 6 - 7 cup

parmesan shavings ( optional )

Method:

Place all vegetables into a large cooking pot, add 1Tbsp oil.

Sweat the veggies for five minutes, add the lentils and boiling water.

Cook the soup for 40 minutes or until the green lentils are soft, the veggies and the red lentils will be cooked quicker.

Add the salt.

Take four cups of the soup and blend it together with the olive oil until smooth.

Pour back into the pot and add the kale as well as the parsley.

Serve the soup with parmesan shavings and crusty bread 

Serve 8 people 

Enjoy :)

I am sharing this post with eat your greens