All That I'm Eating

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

Quick Vegetable Box Recipes

By 6 Comments

I regularly get a vegetable box delivered for a few reasons: I like that I have to use what I receive which means I get more variety than I probably would otherwise and there’s only so many times you can make mushroom risotto so I find myself trying out new recipes to use the vegetables. Grown With Love got in touch to see if I would like to try out some of their veg so I was looking forward to getting stuck in.

The vegetables that came from Grown With Love were very nice, they were all prepared which is something that I never buy normally. Considering they were prepared I was impressed with the shelf life of the veg and that the texture remained good. I received: butternut squash and sweet potato mix (chopped 50:50), butternut squash (peeled and deseeded), tenderstem broccoli (in bags and some that came with asparagus too), sweetcorn (some with garlic butter, some without) and sweet potato wedges. read more

Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Bacon and Cheese Pasta Bake

By 14 Comments

It’s a bit weird here at the moment. The days are warm but the nights are surprisingly cold; light lunches but also still comfort food dinner season. The purple sprouting broccoli season is upon us and as much as I like it cooked simply, maybe with a butter sauce, I am craving carbohydrates and big warming meals at the moment. My bacon, purple sprouting and cheese pasta bake is ideal. 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

Broccoli Cheese – Tenderstem in 10 challenge

By 25 Comments

Quick Broccoli Cheese - baked

With all the miserable weather it seemed positively autumnal but it’s not the time for stews, long bakes and comfort food. You may have seen my broccoli pesto post last week; it was a good dinner, marvellous in fact, but I was left with another pack of broccoli. Another meal in under 10 minutes using less than 10 ingredients needed to be devised for the Tenderstem challenge.

I wanted to make something recognisable and filling, healthy and indulgent and of course quick and simple. After much head scratching I was almost at the point of deciding that I was ridiculous and almost opted for a broccoli sandwich when I changed my mind. Thank goodness I did; imagine how soggy a broccoli sandwich would be, no amount of condiments could cheer that up.  

And so to dinner. Broccoli cheese doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as cauliflower cheese but it has all the flavour.
You will need: read more

Broccoli, Walnut and Blue Cheese Pesto – Tenderstem in 10 challenge

By 23 Comments

Broccoli is a brilliant vegetable but occasionally I find myself at a loss for what to do with it. It’s great with spices, superb with salty soy and oyster sauce and phenomenal with blankets of cheese. So when the kind people from Tenderstem asked if I was interested in taking part in their challenge I gladly accepted; a chance to really think outside the box.
The challenge was to make a meal using the Tenderstem broccoli using less than 10 ingredients in less than 10 minutes. I felt like a Ready Steady Cook contestant. I received a lovely parcel which contained the broccoli as well as a kitchen timer to keep me on track! read more

Wet Garlic, Bacon and Broccoli Pappardelle

By 21 Comments

wet garlic
You know that saying about life giving you lemons? I was given some wet garlic (also called green garlic) in my vegetable box. Lemons can be made into lemonade but I certainly wasn’t about to start making garlic juice. I took some time to ponder its use. It looked like a skinny leek, but much longer, with the very pungent and distinct aroma of garlic. Firstly I thought it best to try it raw to see what I was up against. I think even now I have a faint whiff of garlic on my breath. Raw wet garlic would, I’m sure, be acceptable to the ultimate garlic aficionado but not for me. Cooking was to be the way forward but I wondered whether to treat it like a leek which needs longer cooking or treat it like garlic which burns in the blink of an eye.  You will need: 6-8 rashers smoked bacon, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 wet garlic stalk/bulb, finely sliced 100ml chicken or vegetable stock 1 small head of broccoli, cut into florets Pappardelle (however much it takes for you to be full) Oil for frying Salt and Pepper

Start by frying the onion in a little oil for a few minutes to soften. Add the bacon and fry for about five minutes until the bacon is cooked and the onions turning translucent. Add the garlic and reduce the heat. Fry for a few more minutes before pouring in the stock. Simmer this on a medium heat stirring occasionally. I used some of the chicken stock I had made from the leftover chicken.

While this cooks, add the pappardelle to boiling water. Four or five minutes before the pasta is ready, add the broccoli to the same water. The sauce should be reducing but turn the heat up or add a little more stock if it’s happening too fast or too slow. When the pasta and broccoli are done, add the broccoli and a little of the pasta water to the bacon sauce. Serve the broccoli, bacon, garlic mixture on top of the pappardelle. 

I was really surprised how the garlic mellowed with cooking. There was a definite garlic undertone to the dish but it was not as overpowering as I thought it might be. The salty bacon, sweet onion, pungent garlic and juicy broccoli were all married together beautifully with the chicken stock. If you’re lucky enough to get hold of wet garlic this is certainly worth a try (I also added it to frying Chorizo and it worked a treat), if you’re brave then you could try slicing it in to a salad. read more

Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Mixed Mushroom Risotto

By 13 Comments

Broccoli
I do like purple sprouting broccoli. It seems less like broccoli than a standard green tree and so I feel I should pay it extra care and attention. As much as I enjoy a stem or two on the side of the plate sometimes I want it to be the star attraction. There was a lot of purple sprouting broccoli to get through; a whole bag full in fact from the veg box. One of the reasons I like purple sprouting so much is that it signals the start of Spring. Along with rhubarb, when you see the purple tipped stems standing proud you know it’s only a matter of time until ‘the other stuff’ starts appearing; asparagus, beans, fruits, tomatoes and all sorts of other treats.  

An Italian deli has recently opened up nearby and I am lucky to have access to many interesting ingredients that I didn’t before. This also means I have another local shop to happily support and one of the many reasons for returning is their mushrooms. Similar to mushrooms you can buy in a jar but you don’t pay for oil you don’t use. You get all different sorts of mushrooms in a light oil with herbs and a slightly acidic taste. These earthy mushrooms would make a brilliant partner for my sweet broccoli to top a white risotto. read more

Kohlrabi and Carrot Salad with Broccoli Stir Fry

By 19 Comments

Kohlrabi, carrots and broccoli
I get a seasonal vegetable box delivered. I like it because it forces me to try new vegetables and recipes to make the most out of what I have. I shouldn’t admit it but I’m going to: there are some vegetables I could live without. It’s terrible I know but I could happily frolic through life without missing celery or leeks. There are also some vegetables that I adore for a short time but when they turn up in my fridge over and over again I’m tempted to put them on the compost. There’s only so much cabbage a person can eat without genuine fear of becoming a brassica. This recipe was devised because of the cornucopia of vegetables residing in the fridge. You know it’s time to use up as many as possible when you can no longer close the door. 

Kohlrabi was the most intriguing vegetable of the lot; it looks a bit like an octopus. Dinner was to be designed around a loving partnership of kohlrabi and carrot.  Toasting sesame seeds is one of my favourite smells.

For two people:

For the carrot and kohlrabi salad:

  • a quarter of a kohlrabi, peeled and julienned
  • three small carrots, peeled and julienned
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
  • black pepper  
  • 2 tbsp of toasted black sesame seeds

For the broccoli stir fry:

  • Handful purple sprouting broccoli, woody ends removed and chopped
  • 1 large red onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 sachet miso soup
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • Oil for frying
  • 2 noodle nests

I always remove the ends of the purple sprouting broccoli as I can find them to be a bit woody. You could leave the broccoli stalks in their entirety but they might be a tad tricky to consume gracefully at the table. read more

Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Garlic Infused Olive Oil and Parmesan Pasta

By 18 Comments

Purple sprouting broccoli has to be one of my favourite vegetables. Its arrival on my plate with the warmer weather tells me that in a few weeks time I will be enjoying asparagus. It’s delicate appearance and slightly sweet taste is brilliant with so many foods. I like mine nice and simple; with copious amounts of garlic infused oil and coronary shattering piles of Parmesan.  read more

Boeuf Bourguignon with Dauphinoise and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

By 12 Comments

Boeuf Bourguignon ingredients
Beautiful, traditional and French; a perfect meal for Valentine’s Day. This one’s a winner because the bottle of wine you need for the boeuf bourguignon you can then drink with the meal or yourself during the preparation as a reward for all your hard work. Being a slow cooking dish means once it’s on the go you don’t need to worry about it and you can get on with other things. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also incredible and actually quite cheap. 

Preparing the meat can be as difficult or easy as you like. Valentine’s Day brings out our flirtatious side and, not that I would advocate it of course, projecting a little of this new found eyelash fluttering on your butcher may result in your chosen cut being prepared for you. I’m not sure it would work with your greengrocer though. I used brisket for mine which needed a fair bit of trimming and preparing but I quite like doing that. read more

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