All That I'm Eating

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

Smoked Salmon and Broccoli Quiche

By 29 Comments

I used to think of quiche as a dull, beige pastry which got wheeled out from old cookery books from time to time and no one was particularly fussed about it. Turns out I was wrong. It’s a most excellent pastry. I cooked my smoked salmon and broccoli quiche a few weeks ago, divided it up and froze it in wedges. Now I’m working from home I love to have something interesting for lunch. When it’s quiche day, it’s the best day of the week.

The freshness of the broccoli and spinach combined with the flavourful smoked salmon is a winning combination. It feels rather luxurious to have it for lunch. read more

Baked Eggs with Spinach and Cheddar

By 16 Comments

Also known as eggs en cocotte this is a classic recipe and one I can’t believe I’ve never made before! My baked eggs with spinach and cheddar take no time at all to make; it’s on the table in under 15 minutes. Don’t be fooled though, this simple recipe is seriously luxurious and packed with comforting flavours.

Once your fork (or spoon!) hits that runny yolk it mixes with the soft spinach, melted cheese and double cream and it is truly a joy to eat. The egg white should be just set and the yolk still runny. They are delicious served on their own but served with some crusty bread for dipping you really can’t go wrong. read more

Baked Cauliflower Curry

By 18 Comments

Baked Cauliflower Curry

I really like this curry sauce. A lot. I’ve been working on my baked cauliflower curry for a while now and I’m so pleased with it! Baking the cauliflower gives the curry a delicious nutty taste. The flavour and texture of the sauce when it’s blended is really similar to a sweet korma sauce, but all the sweetness here comes from vegetables. It’s a really flexible recipe too; there are some suggestions for changing it up at the end.

Ingredients

You will need (for four):

  • 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil, for cooking
  • Salt and pepper

For the curry sauce: read more

Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

By 22 Comments

Spinach and Potato Kofta Curry

I love koftas in a curry. More often than not they are lamb based and I wanted to try and make a vegetarian version. My spinach and potato kofta curry came about because I wanted the main part of it to be roughly based on saag aloo. This is a bit more effort than some of my other recipes, but, I’ve made double batches of both the koftas and the sauce and frozen them so I can have it again with no effort at all!

ingredients

You will need (for four portions):

For the koftas:
  • 600g potatoes, peeled and diced
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • Pinch turmeric
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 5 nuggets frozen spinach (you can use fresh, wilt it and chop it before using)
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • Salt and pepper
For the sauce
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
  • Thumb size piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek
  • Oil for cooking (I use rapeseed)
  • 1 chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and pepper
  • 200ml water
  • 75ml double cream (you can leave this out or use a plant based alternative to make it vegan)
  • Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

method

For the koftas

Put the potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Bring the pan to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes for 8-10 minutes, or until they are cooked. read more

Creamy Lentil Pasta Bake

By 22 Comments

Creamy Lentil Pasta Bake with cheese topping

You know those small pasta shapes you can buy which are ideal for minestrone? Well, it turns out they make a really good pasta bake. I found this out by accident when making my creamy lentil pasta bake and looked in the cupboard to find only teeny tiny bows to hand. This is a seriously tasty and very filling vegetarian pasta bake which is crammed full of veg with a little added double cream for a touch of weeknight luxury.

Ingredients

You will need (for two plus leftovers):

  • 180g pasta
  • 250g cooked puy lentils
  • Handful grated cheese, cheddar or Parmesan both work well

For the creamy tomato sauce

  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 pepper, finely chopped
  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 600g tomato passata
  • 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste
  • 3 nuggets frozen chopped spinach (you could use fresh that has been wilted and chopped)
  • 150ml double cream
  • Salt and pepper

Method

Start by making the sauce. Get a saucepan onto a medium heat and add the onion with a glug of olive oil. Fry gently for 10 minutes. read more

Green Summer Vegetable Lasagne

By 19 Comments

It is important to note that this recipe is not shy on calories. There’s cheese, double cream, lashings of olive oil, layers of pasta and plenty of veg. My green summer vegetable lasagne is quicker to make than a traditional lasagne (there’s no baking) and you can use the sauce with any pasta if you so choose. I like to think that all that green veg negates the calories and I happily ploughed through a whole plate of this. Bear in mind, I am very greedy and although the recipe below says it’s for two, it would definitely stretch to three or four! read more

Vegetable Keema Rice with Crispy Paneer

By 13 Comments

vegetable keema rice with crispy paneer

At this time of year I get all the spices out of the cupboard and start to use those that I forgot about over the summer months. I found a tub of my homemade keema spice mix and although I know it’s delicious with lamb I wanted to try and make a veggie version. After trying out a few different vegetables and quantities I decided that I like this version of my vegetable keema rice the best. Not only is it easy and filling, it’s also got four different veg in and loads of texture from that crispy paneer.

ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • Rapeseed oil for cooking
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 dsp keema spice mix
  • 125g basmati rice
  • 300ml water
  • 2 nuggets frozen spinach (about the same as 4-6 tbsp blanched and chopped fresh spinach)
  • 1/2 mug frozen peas
  • Salt

For the crispy paneer:

  • Rapeseed oil for cooking
  • 1 heaped tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Handful mushrooms, sliced
  • 225g paneer cheese
  • Salt

method

Heat a little oil in a lidded saucepan on a medium heat and add the onion. Fry for around 10 minutes or so until it’s starting to turn golden brown.

Add the garlic and the keema spices to the pan and cook for another minute or two.

Stir the rice into the pan so it gets all coated with the spices then pour in the water with a little salt. Pop a lid on the pan and leave for 12-15 minutes.

After this add the peas and spinach to the rice, stir the pan and then pop the lid back on and leave for another 8-10 minutes.

Test the rice to ensure it is cooked, all the water should have been absorbed by the rice, and add a little more salt if needed.

While the rice cooks you can get on with the crispy paneer. Start by heating a little oil in a non-stick frying pan on a medium/high heat. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook for a few minutes until smelling fragrant.

Tip the mushrooms and paneer into the spices and fry for 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms are soft and turning golden and the paneer is crispy on the edges. Add a little salt and check the seasoning.

Serve up the vegetable keema rice with the crispy paneer and mushrooms on top.

I really like the combination of veg in this meal. You’ve got sweetness from the onion and peas, a slight earthiness from the spinach and a rich mushroom flavour. By using a spice mix that you’ve already made (and which you can alter to suit your taste) means most of the hard work is already done and you can just sprinkle in those flavours! The crispy paneer is a fantastic way to add texture and it would be delicious to use some marinated paneer if you fancied.

Gnocchi, Kale and Spinach Gratin

By 16 Comments

gnocchi, kale and spinach gratin

Sometimes I end up with an awful lot of veg in my fridge. I use bits and bobs throughout the week but despite my best brassica consuming efforts I still get left with some of it. These leftovers often end up in a soup (my autumn minestrone is a great way to use kale) but recently I wanted to make something different. I really like green veg with pasta so I grabbed my veggies, some gnocchi and cheese and set about making a gnocchi, kale and spinach gratin.

ingredients

You will need (for two big portions):

  • 1 small broccoli, cut into florets
  • Handful kale, stems removed and shredded
  • 2 nuggets frozen spinach (you can use cooked, squeezed and chopped fresh spinach instead)
  • 500g fresh gnocchi
  • 25g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 300ml milk
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • 25g grated Parmesan plus extra for the top

method

Start by making the cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and then add the flour. Cook for a minute or two and then gradually whisk in the milk ensuring there are no lumps.

Continue whisking the sauce until it bubbles and becomes nice and thick. Remove from the heat, add a little salt and plenty of pepper and stir through the cheese and mustard.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the gnocchi and frozen spinach. Place the broccoli and kale in a steamer over the top of the gnocchi, bring the pan back to the boil and cook for two minutes.

Drain everything well.

Add the broccoli, gnocchi, kale and spinach to a roasting dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the top; it will dribble down and mix into everything.

Sprinkle some extra cheese over the sauce and then place under a medium grill until the top is golden and bubbling.

Some parts of the broccoli and kale get stuck at the top of the dish meaning they catch ever so slightly under the grill and have that deliciously toasted flavour. The crispy cheese topping is so rich in savoury flavour from the Parmesan and the smooth cheese sauce coats everything nicely. And thanks to the short gnocchi cooking time and grilling rather than baking this dish it’s ready in under half an hour. I think a few cherry tomatoes dotted over the top would add a lovely pop and freshness and using a blue cheese or a strong cheddar would be delicious if you happen to have those in the fridge too.

Sausage, Broccoli and Spinach Pasta

By 10 Comments

sausage and broccoli pasta with spinach

Using sausages when making a pasta sauce is a great way to add depth and flavour to the sauce and cut down on cooking time too. My most recent recipe creation came about because I had one too many broccoli heads in the fridge; so my sausage, broccoli and spinach pasta was born. I used some delicious Italian sausages for this which were flavoured with plenty of herbs and a little fennel. The spinach was added as an afterthought but actually I really liked the earthiness it brought to the dish.

Ingredients

You will need (for 6 portions, it freezes well):

  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 6 Italian sausages
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Pinch dried chilli flakes
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 150ml chicken or vegetable stock
  • Handful fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil for cooking

Method

Start by adding a little oil to a large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes or so until softened.

Squeeze the sausage meat from the skins into the frying pan. Fry the sausage and onion together until the sausage is cooked through and starting to turn golden brown. Break the sausage meat down with a wooden spoon while it cooks.

Add the garlic and chilli to the pan and fry for another minute or two.

Tip in the broccoli and stir everything together well then add the stock and pop a lid on the pan.

Bring the pan to a boil then remove the lid and let it reduce to a thick sauce. Add the spinach for the last minute or so of cooking.

Cook the pasta according to pack instructions while you’re waiting for the pasta sauce.

Drain the pasta and season the pasta sauce then mix everything together and serve up.

I like how some of the broccoli breaks down and some stays in larger pieces and it gets really mixed through the sauce. The spinach ends up all silky and the chilli adds the tiniest bit of warmth to the sauce but it’s by no means spicy. Depending on which sausages you use the sauce will taste different so it’s a great excuse to play around with all sorts of flavours. If you mixed this with a little tomato or béchamel sauce I reckon it would make a spectacular pasta bake.

Creamy Bacon, Spinach and Pea Pasta

By 11 Comments

pea, bacon and spinach pasta

This is a recipe I have actually made and eaten in a few different guises. Once I added the same ingredients but made it into a macaroni cheese, another time I added similar ingredients and had a cold pasta salad. My creamy bacon, spinach and pea pasta is a real favourite in our house for two reasons: we almost always have all the ingredients, and it’s cheap and quick to make. I don’t know what it is about peas and pasta but I love the combination of silky, smooth pasta and squeaky peas. With so many things going on at the moment, the World Cup, Wimbledon about to start, this excellent weather and doing up the house anything that takes less than half an hour to make is my best friend.

Ingredients

You will need (for two people):

  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 1/2 mug frozen peas
  • 2 nuggets frozen chopped spinach
  • 100g (ish) smoked bacon lardons or pancetta
  • 300g crème fraîche
  • 150g pasta
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan to serve

Method

Add a little olive oil into a frying pan and add the bacon. Fry over a low heat until the fat starts to melt out of the bacon.

While the bacon is frying bring a large pan of salted water up to the boil. Add the pasta and cook according to pack instructions.

Turn the heat up on the bacon so it turns brown and crispy then add the peas and spinach. Leave to cook for 2-3 minutes and break the spinach down with a wooden spoon. Stir the crème fraîche into the pea mixture then bring to a gentle simmer.

Drain the pasta reserving a small amount of cooking water.

Add a little salt and plenty of pepper to the peas and bacon before mixing with the pasta and cooking water to make a smooth sauce.

Top with grated Parmesan before serving.

If you haven’t tried frozen spinach it is such a great ingredient. I chuck it in everything from sauces to soups and pestos. Fresh spinach would be delicious to use and if any arrives in the veg box I would definitely use that instead; just wilt it first, squeeze out the moisture and roughly chop before adding in. Salty, smoky bacon with sweet peas, earthy spinach, pasta and a sharp creamy sauce is such a great combination. I think I’ll try stirring this mixture, without the crème fraîche, through a risotto soon too.

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