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Baingan bharta

Saturday, 15 December, 2018 By Nicole Leave a Comment

A popular Punjabi dish made with eggplant roasted on an open flame for a smoked flavour, then mashed and combined with spices. It is perfect served with warm rotis for a light meal, as a side or dip. Baingan bharta is a popular North Indian dish. Baingan is eggplant/aubergine/brinjal and bharta…

Cucumber and onion raita

Tuesday, 20 November, 2018 By Nicole 14 Comments

A perfect cooling accompaniment to almost any spicy main course. This raita can be enjoyed as a side dish or dip. Raita is a side dish made with yogurt and spices. It is popular throughout India offering a cooling balance to accompanying spicy dishes. There are many different types of raita, some are made with…

How to make Turkish rice Sehriyeli pilav

Saturday, 6 October, 2018 By Nicole 10 Comments

Turkish rice is fluffy, buttery, rich and very tasty. My kids absolutely love this rice because it is so tasty and has a wonderful texture. It is very easy to make, requiring the same amount of time to cook as basmati rice. In Turkey, pilav is most commonly made using Baldo rice. This is a…

Panzanella

Monday, 13 August, 2018 By Nicole 4 Comments

A simple rustic summer dish, perfect for a light lunch or picnics. Panzanella is not only a popular summer dish in Florence, but throughout central Italy. Over the next couple of days (in mid-August), Lamoli, and Onelli small towns in Italy, will celebrate the Sagra della panzanella! In Monterotondo, Lazio it is held on the first…

Sweet potato hummus

Tuesday, 17 July, 2018 By Nicole 2 Comments

This easy, roasted sweet potato hummus is deliciously rich, smooth, creamy and healthy! It is a perfect dip for finger food, in a sandwich, or in a salad! Not only is this hummus smooth, creamy and utterly delicious, it is super healthy and packed with nutrients! Cheap and easy to prepare, it is gluten-free, vegan, and…

Mrs Elswood Southern Frickles & Sriracha Aioli

Thursday, 21 June, 2018 By Nicole Leave a Comment

We can’t get enough of frickles! Tangy pickles, coated in a delicious light batter and dipped in a spicy aioli! Celebrating National Picnic week (15-24th June 2018) here in the UK, the good folk over at Mrs Elswood sent over some pickles and this yummy recipe for frickles! Listed on menus from MEATliquor to Duck…

Healthy eggplant parmesan

Wednesday, 25 April, 2018 By Nicole 18 Comments

An air fryer makes a healthy version of this South Italian favourite, with the same great taste. Serve as a side or main course with a piece of bread to mop up the sauce! Eggplant parmesan is a layered dish of eggplant, baked in a tomato sauce with melted cheese. The flavours come together beautifully as a delicious, rich and…

How to boil beets

Wednesday, 14 March, 2018 By Nicole Leave a Comment

Try this simple and delicious way to enjoy beets! Boiled beets are great to make ahead and keep in the fridge – perfect to add to salads, and other recipes. They are also easier to peel than roasted beets! They are also great as they are – some people like to serve their boiled…

How to love your beets

Friday, 9 March, 2018 By Nicole 16 Comments

You either love them or hate them; find out how to grow, select and store beets, as well as a variety of ways to prepare them. Truly embrace beets! Beets, or beetroot, is the taproot part of the beet plant. They can vary in size from that of a golf ball to the size of a baseball. Beneath…

Roasted beets with carrot, stilton & sultanas

Thursday, 22 February, 2018 By Nicole 11 Comments

This colourful roasted beet salad is super tasty and nutrient rich. It is sweet and tangy, crunchy and creamy, and satisfying! Delicious flavours and wonderful textures are why this salad is just so popular. The soft, earthy caramalized beets, crunchy raw carrots, and juicy sultanas are balanced perfectly by the creamy white Stilton and tangy…

Simple quinoa salad

Thursday, 8 February, 2018 By Nicole 6 Comments

This tasty salad is easy to make and packed with vitamins and minerals! Perfect for a light lunch or as a refreshing side. The Incas called Quinoa, chisaya mama, the ‘mother of all grains’, and considered it to be so sacred that the Sapa Inca (or Emperor) would sow the first seeds of the season using…

Khaman dhokla

Friday, 26 January, 2018 By Nicole 16 Comments

Light and fluffy, this tasty Gujarati snack made from chickpea flour is protein rich and takes just 20 minutes to make from scratch. Khaman dhokla is a steamed savoury cake from the state of Gujarat, India, where it is usually prepared for breakfast (with masala tea) or as a snack (Gujaratis call these kind of snacks farsan). Once a…

Avocado with tuna and jalapeños

Monday, 11 December, 2017 By Nicole 3 Comments

Forget the mayo, this healthy avocado with tuna and jalapeños is seriously additive! This is so tasty and easy to put together in no time at all! Perfect for a healthy, low-carb breakfast, snack or light meal. Although it seems like a small amount of food, it is quite satisfying and will keep you feeling…

Baked kale with parmesan

Monday, 11 December, 2017 By Nicole 1 Comment

Baked kale is crispy and tender, garnished with parmesan, it makes a healthy, easy and tasty side or snack. Kale has been popular as far back as the 4th century BC, when the Ancient Greeks used it for medicinal purposes. It was also commonly enjoyed in Europe throughout the Middle Ages. Now, easily available in…

Red lentil dal: masoor dal tadka

Thursday, 30 November, 2017 By Nicole 7 Comments

This easy red lentil dal is healthy, full of flavour and delicious with steamed rice. Masoor dal tadka is a popular dal in India and one of the easiest to make. The tadka (tempering), is a combination of Indian spices which are fried and immediately poured over the lentils to infuse the flavours. Tweet1Pin306Share22WhatsAppEmailFlipReddit330 Shares

Gujarati corn

Thursday, 28 September, 2017 By Nicole 11 Comments

This tasty creamed corn dish is a popular snack or light meal from Gujarat, in Western India. Also known as Makai ki khichdi, it is aromatic, sweet and spicy. I have prepared it as a dip here. In Gujarat, meals are traditionally eaten on a thali, which is a large metal platter containing several smaller bowls. The main part of the thali is…

Coriander Chutney

Tuesday, 12 September, 2017 By Nicole 13 Comments

A wonderful spicy and tangy chutney with coriander, onions, chilli and garlic. The perfect accompaniment for many Indian snacks. This coriander chutney has a wonderful mix of fresh ingredients which complement one another beautifully, creating a lovely depth of flavours. It is such a simple recipe! Blend all the ingredients together – and you’re…

Aloo Mattar – Potato and pea curry

Wednesday, 6 September, 2017 By Nicole 7 Comments

This popular North Indian vegetarian dish of potatoes with peas, is tasty and simple to make. This is a really simple dish to make and is a family favourite. I usually make it as a side but it can be enjoyed as a light meal and is wonderful served with steamed rice, warm roti or…

How to cook asparagus

Friday, 19 May, 2017 By Nicole 11 Comments

The rather elegant asparagus in now in season (spring trough to the beginning of summer), so here we look at the varieties, how to buy, store, cook and eat it. Depicted as an offering on an ancient Egyptian frieze, dated around 3000 BC, asparagus has been cultivated for thousands of years. It was eaten in ancient Syria,…

Tuna and bean salad (Insalata di tonno e fagioli)

Sunday, 9 April, 2017 By Nicole 16 Comments

This easy tuna and bean salad from Tuscany, is a healthy and delicious light meal. This salad is a typical dish from Tuscany. This cuisine, noted for its simplicity and use of fresh seasonal ingredients, is healthy and rich in flavour. Beans are a popular ingredient in the region and are consumed throughout the year in…

How to cook fluffy rice

Monday, 6 March, 2017 By Nicole 9 Comments

Follow these simple steps to make delicious fluffy rice every time. There are just 4 steps to cooking perfect basmati rice every time: wash, sauté, boil and steam. Many years ago I found a really old Turkish cookbook which suggested sauté the rice first in butter. This gives a wonderful nutty aroma, the grains are fluffy, and…

Radishes and ways to eat them

Sunday, 12 February, 2017 By Nicole 16 Comments

A short note on radishes and ideas on ways to eat them. Radishes (Raphanus Sativus) are a popular root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family (also known as the mustards or cabbage family), which includes broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and turnips. They are valued for the distinctive taste and crunchy texture. History Thought to have originated from China…

Fennel Gratin

Wednesday, 25 January, 2017 By Nicole 10 Comments

This Fennel Gratin is easy and quick to make and only requires 4 ingredients. Serve as a side with roast or grilled meats, seafood or as a delicious dip. The Florence Fennel is a crisp vegetable that can be sautéed, grilled, roasted or eaten raw. It’s aniseed flavour can transform a salad or perfectly compliment a…

Potato Salad

Tuesday, 30 August, 2016 By Nicole 16 Comments

This delicious tangy potato salad is a must have at any barbecue. It is tangy, salty and slightly sweet with a texture that is creamy, crunchy and fluffy. It tastes even better the next day, so try to make it a day in advance so the flavours really come together and it is nicely chilled…

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