The ultimate veggie roast dinner

Joining in with the tradition of ‘Sunday roast’ has to be one one of my favourite things about moving to England. In a cozy pub with a pint of ale or at home cooked with friends and a few glasses of wine, it’s just the perfect way to make Sunday feel relaxing and fun and to completely forget you’ll be back at work the next day.  But despite all those lovely words about roasts, I have to admit I’m a bit picky when it comes to choosing one…

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What to do with brussel sprouts?

I didn’t grow up hating brussel sprouts. In fact I sort of liked them before I tried them because they’re so cute – I mean little baby cabbages, how could you hate anything so mini and innocent looking? Especially when you see them growing on the stalk, they’re actually kind of beautiful. But I can definitely identify with hating overboiled vegetables and brussels suffer from this worse than most veggies. If they’re going to be part of so many festive meals, they ought to be cooked properly…

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A veggie pie for the holidays

The day after our big Thanksgiving day feast, I was already thinking about what to make for Christmas. Sad but true! And this veggie pie is going to be the main event. The test run was so tasty, I might even be making it on Thanksgiving next year instead of the dreaded bird…

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Thanksgiving menu ideas

It’s November – so I can officially start obsessively planning my big Thanksgiving feast. Although if I’m honest I may have looked at a few recipes in October or even September… I love the planning almost as much as the actual night, and if you’re feeding 15+ people you need to plan!

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What to do with too many apples?

Spend too much time in the kitchen cooking them! But hey, it’s autumn so being in a warm kitchen making yummy-smelling food which might even keep you fed over winter isn’t so bad…

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Summer bbq recipes for veggies

OK so we’re about to head back to the good ole US of A for three weeks! Roll on real summer, sorry England.

As I might not be posting for a little while, I’ve got a load of summer recipes for those of you out there having enough of a summer to be hosting or attending lovely bbqs and parties. If I get really motivated I might even post about the eat-a-thon that’s about to take place while we’re away… But then again I might be too busy stuffing my face with Mexican, Chinese, pizza, bagels and so many more foods I’ve been missing for the past year. Oh and seeing lots of people I love too! Yay summer.

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Roasted kohlrabi and fennel salad with green beans

How gorgeous is this purple kohlrabi?? I’d never seen one until a few years ago as it’s not stocked in many shops. But it’s very common in veg boxes and on allotments since apparently it is rarely struck by pests and diseases. In any case, it was a nice change from all the spinach and potatoes we’ve been getting in the box so I was keen to try some new recipes with it…

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Feeding friends: Tandoori halloumi and vegetables with red lentil dhal and dhai bel puri

I’ve been cooking curries for a few years now but I’m still on the hunt for the best veggie curry recipe. I understand the basics – a base of fried onion, garlic and ginger and spices and then tomato, yoghurt, coconut cream or water to make the sauce. But without meat juices it can still be tough to achieve a really flavourful result with a nice thick sauce.

But this meal might be the closest I’ve come to my top curry feast! It starts with a rendition of the amazing fresh salad ‘dhai bel puri’ from Planet India in Brighton – almost like an Indian seven-layer dip and- inspired by a colleague who also tried making it at home – you must try this and soon. Instead of a dry curry I made roasted tandoori halloumi and vegetables with a simple but perfect red lentil dhal alongside. I’d like to think Madhur Jaffrey would be proud!

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What to cook for a vegetarian?

Apparently it’s ‘vegetarian week’ at the moment! Who knew… Oh yes, Twitter of course. The internet loves a themed day or week! So I could spend the week preaching about how great it is to be a veggie, but I thought I’d celebrate by suggesting some ways meat-eaters and veggies can get along better. And what issue is more contentious than cooking dinner for each other??

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Classic recipes: Vegetable tagine

We are back online – apologies for the light posting recently but normal services can now resume! We have moved into a new flat and the kitchen is kick ass so I have no excuse not to cook up lots of lovely food. It’s got quite a nice electric stove, loads and loads of drawers and cabinets for all my gadgets and even a big island / breakfast bar – perfect for rolling out pastry yay. I should not be this excited about a kitchen but I totally am.

And to celebrate here’s one of the first meals I made in said fabulous new kitchen…

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