All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce

By 15 Comments

Baked Apples stuffed with fruit

This time of year is apple season; one of my favourite times of the year. I love going to the farmers’ market and picking out which apples to try for that week; I am lucky that they offer a try before you buy service as there’s always new varieties to sample. This recipe for Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce is a modern interpretation of a vintage classic. It offers so much for something so simple. If you’ve never baked an apple before I cannot recommend this enough.

Ingredients

You will need (for 2 apples): read more

Frozen Blackcurrant Cordial

By 8 Comments

Freezer roulette, UFO night (unidentified frozen object) or whatever you call it when you select and defrost a frozen item of interest for your dinner can result in complete success or failure. I know there are those of you with very regimented and organised freezers who don’t have this issue but I know plenty of people who have chosen what they think is a delicious beef stew for their supper only to find out it used to be a chocolate gateaux. This recipe is for you; those freezer lovers who froze the summer’s berries in order to make the most of them at a later date. My frozen blackcurrant cordial recipe could easily be made of whatever berries you have; although probably best check that they are in fact berries and not spaghetti bolognese. read more

Green Clementine Fruit Salad with Mint and Vanilla Syrup

By 13 Comments

You know when the nights start to get dark earlier, it’s a bit colder than it was before and people start sneezing (not due to hayfever) that you just want to be on holiday? I have a significant desire to be on a beach from November to February; unfortunately it’s not a practical option. So, to make the best of it I surround myself with fruit. The more tropical and bright the better but there’s only so many pineapples one person can eat. I was delivered some beautiful green clementines with my recent veg box and they deserved to have a bit of a fuss made of them: a lovely bright green clementine fruit salad with a mint and vanilla syrup. read more

Gnocchi with Broccoli, Toasted Walnuts and Blue Cheese Sauce

By 16 Comments

gnocchi with creamy blue cheese sauce allthatimeating (1 of 2)
Apparently we are due for one of the coldest winters ever; don’t they say that every year though? Either way it’s the same story for me; thick socks, snuggly jumpers and consuming an astonishing amount of cheese. When you’re having to defrost your car windscreen every morning the thought of coming home to a nice salad just doesn’t quite cut it. What is needed is lots of stodge; carbohydrates, cream and cheese. Dauphinoise is a classic choice but it’s not quite a meal. So to fulfil this instinctive desire for filling food, on a budget for four people, this gnocchi with broccoli, toasted walnuts and blue cheese sauce is perfect.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):
2 500g packs of gnocchi (not the refrigerated ones)
£1.30
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
£0.80
1 small onion, finely chopped
£0.10
Oil or butter for frying
£0.02
300ml double cream
£1.10
150g creamy blue cheese (I used Blue Monday)
£1.20
75g walnuts, roughly chopped
£0.85
Salt and pepper
£0.02
Total
£5.39

Method

Start by getting a frying pan on a low to medium heat and adding a glug of oil or knob of butter. Add the onion and fry slowly for around 20 minutes or until softened but not browned. While the onion is frying get another small frying pan on a medium to high heat. Add the chopped walnuts and toast them in the dry pan for a few minutes until you can smell they are toasted. Watch them carefully though as they can burn easily. Put to one side when done. When the onion is around five minutes from ready bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli and boil for two to three minutes.

When the onion is soft, pour in the cream and stir frequently until it just starts to simmer. 

Add the gnocchi to the pan with the broccoli and continue to boil for one to two minutes more or until the gnocchi floats to the top.

Crumble the blue cheese into the cream sauce, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and stir frequently.

Drain the broccoli and gnocchi and put to one side.

Ensure the cheese has melted into the cream and then add plenty of black pepper. Taste the sauce and add a little salt if needed; it will depend how salty your cheese is. read more

Chicken Tikka Wraps with Cucumber and Onion Salsa

By 18 Comments

chicken tikka filling
I wanted to make something with meat for my next frugal recipe but I didn’t want to compromise on the quality of the chicken I decided to use. I bought two free range chicken breasts from my local farmers’ market as they are much more reasonable than buying them anywhere else. In order for this recipe for four to cost less than £6 the chicken needed to be bulked out with plenty of other bits. Enter the wrap; it looks like it’s not that filling but after just two of them I am stuffed! This recipe is fresh, vibrant and full of flavour and makes a light, quick and easy meal.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):
2 free range chicken breasts
£3.42
2 tbsp tikka paste
£0.20
150g organic natural yoghurt
£0.49
1/2 large lettuce
£0.25
1/2 cucumber
£0.33
1 small red onion
£0.10
Small handful fresh coriander
£0.15
8 wraps
£1.00
Salt and pepper
£0.02
Oil (for frying)
£0.02
Total
£5.98

Method

Start by slicing the chicken breasts into thin, inch sized pieces. Put these into a bowl with the tikka paste and 1 tbsp of yoghurt. Mix together and then cover and leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the meal.
Wash the lettuce and drain well before shredding it.
To make the salsa finely chop the cucumber and the onion. Put half of the onion and all of the cucumber into a bowl. Tear in the coriander and then mix it all together with some salt and pepper. Put this to one side.

When you are ready to cook the chicken get a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add a little oil and the other half of the chopped onion. Fry the onion for around five minutes to get a little colour then add the chicken and all the marinade.
Continue to fry it all together for around ten minutes or until the chicken is cooked and some of the edges of the chicken have started to catch. Leaving the chicken to catch really adds to the flavour. read more

Crispy Chilli Beef Stir Fry with Purple Kale

By 20 Comments

Purple Kale
You know when only a take away will do? I get that feeling sometimes and short of actually eating said take away there’s not much else that can fulfill that craving. The issue I find is the subsequent guilt after consumption because I always order too much and somehow eat it all anyway. At least that was before I made this stir fry. This has everything I want when I’m craving a take away but using my own ingredients. I’d like to think it’s healthy but I’m not entirely convinced.

You will need (for two):
150g beef cut into strips
A few tbsp flour, seasoned with salt, pepper and cayenne
Groundnut oil
A few large purple kale leaves, cut into thin strips
1 large chilli, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
3 tbsp dark soy sauce mixed with 2 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Noodles to serve

Get a wok on a high heat and add about 1cm of groundnut oil. While the oil heats up mix the beef with the seasoned flour until it’s all coated. When the oil is smoking add the beef and fry for about a minute or until cooked and crispy. Remove the beef from the wok and place to one side. Pour away any excess oil but leave a little to cook the vegetables.
Add the kale to the wok and fry for about 30 seconds before adding the chilli, garlic and spring onions. After a minute or so add the soy sauce mix and then put the beef back in. Serve on top of some noodles.
A tip: this stir fry tastes great because everything is cooked in smoking oil but this can lead to slight choking as the kitchen fills with smoke. I would put the extractor fan on full blast and tape down any toupées. read more

Chocolate Covered Salted and Sweet Popcorn Bars

By 23 Comments

Chocolate Covered Salted and Sweet Popcorn Bars - All That I'm Eating
I love popcorn. I don’t know what it is that makes it so addictive that you carry on eating it even though you know it’ll be stuck in your teeth for hours afterwards. I think popcorn is responsible for starting a lot of arguments; queuing at the cinema inevitably results in the question, “Salted or sweet popcorn”? and the ensuing debate afterwards discussing the merits of both flavours. 

If I had to choose it would be sweet. Fortunately I no longer have to make this decision as the ingenious people from Toasted have made the ultimate popcorn; sweet and salt. If ever there was a day to rival the invention of sliced bread it has to be this. Never again do we need to decide and end up wishing we’d had the other. This popcorn deserved to be treated to something a little special.

You will need:
300g milk chocolate (I used Milka with Daim)
A few large handfuls of popcorn (salted and sweet ideally)
100g white chocolate read more

An Autumn Picnic 3 of 3: Caramelised Pears with Crumbled Parkin

By 21 Comments

A picnic must always have something sweet to round it off; a jam tart or two, some chocolate biscuits or even a slice of cake. This being an autumn picnic meant that the sweet must have a seasonal feel. Pears were an obvious choice but you can’t finish a picnic with just a pear that would be akin to having a carrot instead of a birthday cake. No, these pears needed some warmth and caramelised pears seemed just the ticket. 

Parkin is a traditional cake eaten on Bonfire Night so I made some a few days before the picnic as I had heard it is a cake better left before eating. This would be the perfect accompaniment to the warm gooey pears. read more

An Autumn Picnic 2 of 3: Garlic Butter Mushroom Burgers

By 14 Comments

Autumn Picnic - Garlic Mushroom Burgers
By now those picnic attendees that are left will be crying out for some sustenance and these garlic mushroom burgers really hit the spot; they are warm, juicy and full of flavour. There are several reasons why I chose to use mushrooms rather than meat: you don’t need to take an extra pan, minimum effort is required for delicious results and I think they are actually nicer! Also they sit happily on the BBQ needing barely any attention so you can get on and enjoy the picnic without having to stand and watch over them.


You will need:

4 large mushrooms Garlic butter (butter, garlic, parsley and black pepper) 4 bread rolls

I prepared the butter before I left by crushing three garlic cloves into about 50g butter and mixing it together with a few sprigs of chopped parsley and some black pepper.
Take the mushrooms and wrap them (gill side up) in some foil so they are completely covered. Put the parcel onto the edge of the BBQ, so it is not directly over the heat, and leave them to soften in their own juices for about 20 minutes. When they are soft put a little of the garlic butter onto the mushroom gills and leave the parcel open so that some of the moisture evaporates. After about five minutes toast the buns on the BBQ and put a mushroom in each bun. read more

An Autumn Picnic 1 of 3: Spiced Cider and Sticky Chilli Sausages

By 18 Comments

Autumn Picnic - Making Spiced Cider
Who doesn’t love a picnic? The optimum picnic is of course one where the sun is shining, the birds are singing and everyone has some food that they enjoy. This perfection can normally successfully be achieved in summer where there are lower risks of rain, wind and cold. However, that’s not to say you can’t have a picnic in the autumn; as long as you’re a bit clever with what you make. The idea of this autumn picnic is to encourage you to embrace the outdoors even when you might think outside entertainment is over. In the next three posts I’ll be showing you the recipes I created to keep everyone warm and fed on a blustery afternoon adventure. I did actually make this picnic outside; you can find some pictures of it on my Facebook page, and everything I needed for it fit into a picnic set and one other small bag (two saucepans and some foil). The only additional piece of equipment you need is a BBQ or stove; both to cook the food on and to warm your hands and guests.

To kick the picnic off to a good start I made some spiced cider. The reason for this was twofold; it’s a marriage made in heaven when mixed with cinnamon and I thought if my guests drunk a little cider they might get their cider jacket on and forget it’s cold.
When the BBQ is good and hot, put the cider into a saucepan and add a few cloves, a stick of cinnamon and some star anise. Keep on the heat until lovely and warm and then pour into cups and warm up your hands and your insides.

read more

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