All That I'm Eating

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

Carrot Falafel and Quick Pickled Onions

By 13 Comments

carrot falafel, pickled onions, cucumber and all the sides

I’ve tried to make falafel a few times before without much success; it seems to fall apart when I cook it. Experimenting with this falafel recipe, a bit more of this and a bit less of that, means that I’ve now ended up with a pretty sturdy recipe. These carrot falafel are really easy to make; everything gets blended together, and I’ve served them with all my favourite sides. Quick pickled onions will be appearing on everything from now on!

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 100g carrots, grated
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
  • Zest 1 lemon
  • 1/4 tsp chilli powder
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • Sesame seeds
  • Oil for frying

For the Pickled Onions read more

Runner Bean and Tomato Stew

By 14 Comments

runner bean and tomato stew with crusty bread

It’s bean season at the moment. There’s runner, French, broad and all manner of other beans popping up in the veg box, at the farmers’ markets and in friends’ gardens. I love a perfectly cooked and simply dressed bean salad; a little drizzle of oil, a squeeze of lemon and a little seasoning. However, from time to time it’s nice to do something different and this runner bean and tomato stew is a much slower way of cooking with green beans.

Ingredients

You will need (for four servings):

  • 1 onion, sliced
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp dried chilli
  • 8 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • Large handful runner beans, sliced into finger sized pieces (you can use other beans here, French beans would just need halving)
  • 2 tins borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
  • 150ml vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Few sprigs fresh marjoram or oregano

Method

Get a large frying pan onto a low/medium heat, add a little oil and the onions and fry gently for 15-20 minutes until well softened and just starting to turn golden. read more

Moussaka – without frying the aubergines

By 14 Comments

Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes to eat. It’s a bit of an involved one to make, you need four different cooking pans going to make all the component parts; that’s why I don’t make it very often! Frying the aubergines, I think, is one of the most laborious parts of making the moussaka so I’ve got a different way of doing it. My moussaka without frying the aubergines is every bit as good as the original and you use far less oil than if you fry them. Win win.

Leaving the bay leaf in the sauce while it bakes really helps to impart a lovely flavour into the béchamel sauce. I’m not sure the potatoes on top are necessarily that traditional but I know so many people who add them to the top that I can’t imagine eating moussaka without them. This is a rich, full of flavour meal and cooking the moussaka without frying the aubergines does make things easier. The once or twice a year I make moussaka I try to make a double batch so that I can keep one in the freezer for a rainy day. read more

Jerk Carrots with Rice and Beans

By 9 Comments

roasted jerk carrots

Jerk seasoning has to be one of my favourites. No matter what time of year it is there’s always room for something to be cooked up with it; sticky jerk chicken in the autumn, a fiery casserole in the winter or when the new season arrives, jerk carrots. This recipe came out of a need to use up a whole load of carrots and I certainly didn’t want to make soup. I can see it working really well on the BBQ as a spicy veggie side in the coming weeks too. If you can get hold of new season spring carrots they are sweeter and smaller than carrots available later in the year and are ideal for this recipe.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 6 small to medium carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 tbsp jerk seasoning
  • Salt and pepper

 

  • 125g easy cook rice, washed
  • Pinch allspice
  • 4 spring onions, sliced
  • 200g tinned black beans
  • 300ml hot vegetable stock
  • 1 tbsp desiccated coconut

 

  • Salad
  • 1 lime

Method

Start by mixing the carrots, rapeseed oil, jerk seasoning and a little salt and pepper together until the carrots are nicely coated.

Put the carrots onto a baking tray and roast at 190C for 25-30 minutes or until starting to turn golden brown.

While the carrots are cooking wash the salad and leave to drain.

Get a medium lidded saucepan onto a medium heat and add a little rapeseed oil. Add the spring onions, allspice and coconut and fry together for five minutes or so. Tip in the rice and fry for another minute.

Pour in the hot vegetable stock and the black beans then bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes, depending on how long the rice takes. Stir from time to time. All the stock should be absorbed by the rice.

Serve the carrots, rice and beans up with a handful of salad and then squeeze a little lime juice over everything.

The rice and beans are so comforting and the flavour of the allspice and coconut running through is delicious. The jerk carrots are fantastically spicy and sweet as the roasting intensifies all the flavours. Adding a squeeze of lime over everything at the end freshens everything up nicely. There are plenty of other veg that this recipe would work so well for; aubergines I have tried in the past and I think butternut squash would be great too.

Chipotle Sweetcorn Hash

By 10 Comments

sweetcorn and potato has with chipotle and paprika chicken

I love looking in my fridge and cupboards and finding ingredients and flavours to try together. Recently I wanted to try adding chipotle chillies to more than just chilli con carne and I thought it would be worth trying a pinch with sweetcorn. This chipotle sweetcorn hash came out of a mish mash of ingredients I happened to have to hand and the end result was delicious. Sticky, sweet, spicy and moreish I’ll be making this one again soon!

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • Knob of butter
  • Rapeseed oil (for cooking)
  • 1 small onion, finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp chipotle chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 mug frozen sweetcorn
  • 300g potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1cm cubes
  • Juice ½ lemon
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • Plain yoghurt
  • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the butter and a glug of oil together in a frying pan and add the onions. Fry for around 10 minutes on a medium heat before adding the garlic and all the spices and oregano. Continue to fry for a few more minutes.

Add the potato and continue to fry for around 15 minutes with a lid on, stirring from time to time. After 15 minutes add the sweetcorn and continue to cook with the lid off for another five minutes.

While the potato cooks put the chicken breasts between two sheets of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten. Sprinkle the paprika and a little salt and pepper onto each side.

Get another frying pan onto a medium heat and add a little oil. Fry the chicken on both sides until cooked through and golden.

Add a little seasoning and the lemon juice to the potato pan. Stir the coriander through the yoghurt.

Serve up the sweetcorn hash topped with the chicken and coriander yoghurt.

This would be delicious with tofu rather than chicken if you wanted to make it veggie.

The smokiness of the chipotle is so good with the sweetness of the sweetcorn, it would be great with a few peas too I think. I love how the golden strands of onion become entwined with the cubes of potato. The chicken is succulent and the yoghurt takes the heat off the chilli. All in all, for a few ingredients I already had and threw together, this was a delicious dinner!

Keema Spice Mix

By 17 Comments

spices for keema mix

Pouring rice into a pan with some vegetables, seasoning and water has to be one of the most satisfying meals to cook. It all goes in together, bubbles away and then in no time a deliciously fragrant meal is ready. My keema spice mix is designed just for this purpose; to be simply added to rice dishes for a fantastic flavour in moments. You’ll find a few recipe suggestions for using this spice mix below and you can of course add in or leave out any spices you want more of or don’t like. You can’t do that with a shop bought mix.

Ingredients

You will need:

  • 2 tbsp garam masala
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • ½ tbsp turmeric
  • ½ tbsp ground coriander
  • ½ tbsp ground fenugreek
  • 1 tsp dried chillies
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried coriander (leaf)
  • 1 tsp salt

Method

Simply measure out the ingredients, add to a little tub with a lid and give everything a good shake to ensure it’s well mixed.

My garlic powder was a bit lumpy when I went to use it but it all broke down after an enthusiastic shaking.

I have three favourite ways to use this keema spice mix. Firstly it is fantastic to make a simple keema rice, similar to this recipe, just add a spoonful of the spice mix before adding the water. Secondly it makes a great marinade. Just mix it half and half with plain yoghurt and marinate chicken or paneer (similar recipe here) before griddling. Thirdly, try adding the spice mix and some fried onion to some minced lamb and making some lamb keema meatballs. Delicious served wrapped in a naan with raita and salad or use to make a keema meatball curry.

Carrot, Chickpea and Harissa Soup

By 10 Comments

chickpea and harissa soup close up

I meal plan. Only the dinners mind you. I’d like to think I was organised enough to plan fantastic breakfasts and fabulous lunches but I’d much rather have longer in bed each morning than fuss around with an avocado and quickly grab something easy for lunch in the week. However, there are consequences to this nonchalant attitude of mine. What if disaster strikes? What if, as I enjoy my chicken sandwich for lunch I realise that chicken is on the meal plan for that night? It doesn’t bear thinking about. So I don’t; I have a very simple way round this predicament instead. Make lunches vegan, and if not vegan, vegetarian. Hello Carrot, Chickpea and Harissa Soup.

Ingredients

You will need (for four big bowls):

  • 2 onions, peeled and sliced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
  • 2 tbsp harissa paste
  • 1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • 8 apricots, roughly chopped
  • 700ml tomato passata
  • Oil for cooking
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Add a little oil to a saucepan and add the onion and carrot. Fry, stirring from time to time for at least 10 minutes until the onions are soft and starting to brown at the edges.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Divide the mixture into bowls and serve straight away, or divide into portions and freeze.

This recipe also makes a delicious cheat’s tagine if you continue cooking it slowly to thicken it. Simply serve it with some tabbouleh.

The sweetness from the carrots and apricots is delicious with the acidic tomatoes and spicy harissa. The chickpeas add a real substance to the soup and with all those different veggies in there it’s all goodness. I like to keep mine in portions in the freezer and take a pitta bread to work to have alongside.

I am getting involved with Centrepoint’s ‘The Big Broth’ with this soup. The Big Broth is Centrepoint’s latest fundraiser for homeless young people in the UK and they are asking people to submit their favourite soup recipe with the chance of having it produced by Yorkshire Provender. Then, each pot sold by Yorkshire Provender will mean 20p goes to Centrepoint. If you’d like to submit a soup recipe you can do so here.

Roasted Superfood Salad with Baxters Super Good Soups

By 13 Comments

ingredients for superfood salad

Comforting, nourishing and wholesome; there’s nothing quite like a bowl of soup. It’s my lunch of choice, especially during the week when I want something quick and easy. I like to vary what I have with my soup and more often than not I don’t have it with bread, preferring to have a salad or some leftovers on the side. This recipe for roasted superfood salad works particularly well with Baxters new Super Good Chicken Noodle Soup because the turmeric, chillies and carrots in the soup mirror the flavours of the salad. The Baxters Super Good range is made to help you eat well and feel great; full of flavour and health-boosting ingredients.

Ingredients

You will need (for one):

  • 2 carrots, cut into batons
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp each turmeric and paprika
  • ½ tsp dried chilli
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ small broccoli, cut into florets
  • 1 small mug frozen peas
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • Small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
  • 1 can Baxters Super Good Soup (I used their Super Good Chicken Noodle Soup)

Method

Preheat an oven to 180C.

Mix together the carrots, oil, spices and seasoning and tip onto a baking tray. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

Add the broccoli to the carrots and roast for a further 10 minutes. I like to cook the broccoli from raw as it has a lovely toasted flavour but you could steam it quickly before adding it to the carrots if you prefer.

Get a small pan of water on to boil and then add the peas. Boil for 2-3 minutes then drain and put to one side.

Pop the soup into a saucepan or microwave to warm up until just simmering.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and add the peas, lemon juice and coriander.

Serve the vegetable salad alongside the soup and enjoy.

The sweetness from the carrots and peas works so well alongside the earthy turmeric and punchy paprika. The little heat from the dried chillies combined with the fresh coriander and lemon means this roasted superfood salad is so full of flavour. This is exactly what I am after at lunchtime; something filling and healthy to give me plenty of fuel for the afternoon. Top tip: make a double batch of roasted veg as it keeps really well in the fridge meaning you can just grab the salad and soup and off you go!

This is a featured post and I was reimbursed by Baxters for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are (as always) my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

Cauliflower and Sundried Tomato Pasta

By 15 Comments

ingredients for cauliflower pasta

I always think cauliflower is at its very best when served with cheese. As much as I think this is still true I have been really enjoying roasting and frying it lately and this cauliflower and sundried tomato pasta is my current favourite way to eat cauliflower. Cheap to make, vegan, delicious and so fast to cook; we’re talking 15 minutes from fridge to table. If only all weeknight cooking could be like this!

Ingredients

You will need (for four servings):

  • 300g pasta £0.30
  • 1 small romanesco (or other) cauliflower, chopped into small florets £1.50
  • 6 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped £0.30
  • 2 small garlic cloves, crushed £0.10
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil £0.15
  • Pinch saffron £0.50
  • Salt and pepper £0.02

Total £2.87

Method

You’ll need a pan full of boiling water with a steamer to go on top. It’s no problem if you don’t have a steamer; you’ll just need an extra pan of boiling water for the cauliflower.

Bring the water to a boil, add a little salt then stir in the pasta. Put the steamer over the water then add the cauliflower to the steamer and put the lid on. Leave the cauliflower to steam for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile get a small frying pan on a medium heat and the olive oil and garlic. Leave the garlic to warm up and infuse the oil for a minute or two before adding the sundried tomatoes and saffron.

Remove the cauliflower from the steamer and add this to the pan with the tomatoes. Fry everything together for a few minutes then add a ladleful of the boiling pasta water. Break the cauliflower up with a wooden spoon as it cooks.

By now the pasta should be cooked, test it to make sure, then drain it.

Stir around two thirds of the cauliflower mix through the pasta and serve up; use the remaining third to sprinkle over the pasta at the end.

Adding the saffron really does add a fantastic flavour and colour to the dish but you could leave it out if you wanted to. Any cauliflower would work for this but I think the green romanesco is so lovely to cook with. If you fancied grating over a little Parmesan I think that would be a delicious addition. I might try adding some toasted pine nuts or finely chopped chilli next time. When I was in Italy last year we made a dish similar to this which used courgettes rather than cauliflower so I’ll definitely be trying that in future too!

Mince Pie Fruit Loaf

By 18 Comments

Mince Pie Fruit Loaf Baked

I love a mince pie, but they have to be just right. I want the pastry to mince filling ratio to be almost 50:50; too much filling and you can forget it. Preferably my mince pies will be warm and covered in (clotted, ideally) cream. However, I can’t possibly eat that every single day and I still need my mince pie fix. This is how my Mince Pie Fruit Loaf came about; designed to have all the fruity spiciness from a mince pie but without the pastry and cream. Don’t worry, there’s still plenty of butter for spreading!

Ingredients

You will need for one loaf:

  • 30g dried cranberries
  • 125g raisins or sultanas
  • 60g dried figs, chopped
  • 300ml strong Lady Grey tea
  • 425g strong white bread flour
  • 7g fast action yeast
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg, grated
  • 1/2 tsp mixed spice
  • 30g caster sugar
  • Zest 1 orange
  • 60g butter, melted
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 150ml milk, plus extra for brushing

Method

Stir the cranberries, raisins and figs together with the tea then leave to stand for an hour or so. Drain well and put to one side.

I used a mixer for this recipe but you could easily make it by hand with a bowl and a wooden spoon.

Add the flour, yeast, spices, sugar and orange zest to a mixing bowl and stir lightly to mix it all together.

Whisk the melted butter, milk and egg together in a small bowl. While the mixer is on a low speed slowly pour in the milk mixture. Once it’s all been added increase the speed slightly and tip in the drained fruit.

Knead the bread in the mixer for five minutes or so. Cover the bowl and leave the bread in a warm place for 50 minutes or until doubled in size.

Lightly flour a standard sized loaf tin. Knock back the dough lightly then shape it to fit the loaf tin and pop it into the tin. Cover again and leave in a warm place for another 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 190C. Brush the top of the bread with a little milk then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes and the top is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before removing from the tin and cooling on a wire rack.

This fruit loaf is wonderful in two ways. Firstly, take a slice when it’s cooling down after baking and just watch the butter melt into the bread. The photo above shows my very lumpy butter, that’s how I like it so it forms pools across the slice as it melts. Secondly, serve it toasted for breakfast, again with a good scraping of butter. The fruit, spices and orange are so festive and it keeps so well you can enjoy it for days.

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