Eat food you love that loves you back
The humble cauliflower has had a massive image overhaul in the last year or so. Gone are the days of soggy, overcooked mush with sulphurous overtones (thank goodness!) – in fact to simply boil a creamy white floret might be seen as sacrilege now! Whether it’s the raw crisp crunch or the rich, caramelised softness from roasting, our homegrown hero offers much to previous cauli detractors. Continue reading “Cauliflower, red pepper and sweet potato chowder”
I’ve realised that I write about soup more than another type of dish, but then that’s not surprising really, as soup is truly awesome! For a start, it’s hard to go wrong (although I have tasted some really bad ones in my time, so it is possible!), it’s pretty quick and easy, and nutritionally it’s the best way to retain all the gorgeous vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
I’m often asked by frustrated parents how to get kids to eat more vegetables. Whilst I would never claim to be an expert on the matter, I have over the years been pretty successful in getting my own kids to eat the green stuff (and red, yellow, orange…..), so now if they are away from home and are not getting enough fresh fruit and vegetables, they really notice it.
It’s that time of year when comfort food is a must. The end of January means we’re ploughing our way through winter but the weather is still grey and cold, the nights long and Spring seems a long way off.
We built a small vegetable patch in the garden this spring, but hadn’t expected to gain much produce in the first year. It rained so much, we started later than planned, so seed sowing was somewhat delayed. Plus we didn’t know what would be a success, and what would not.
This summer has been lovely, but now autumn has decided it wants a look in and seems to have arrived somewhat early. The air is decidedly cooler and today in particular is looking rather bleak and grey – for Brits, its a typical bank holiday Monday!
Over the years, my kids have become used to unusual ingredients in their food. In fact, I think they would be disappointed if all meals became normal and run of the mill.
Whilst every day really should be Earth Day, it is good there is a day once a year which highlights the absolute amazingness and beauty of this gorgeously unique planet we live on. We need a reminder to pay attention to something that we just take advantage of and abuse every moment. If there was a galactic Social Services, I think our precious Earth would have been taken into care by now!
Back in August last year, I posted a recipe using cauliflower as a base for a white sauce http://foodiesensitive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/saucy-cauliflower.html. Since then, I have experimented further with the good old cauli and discovered another way to make a sauce that tastes remarkably like cheese sauce.
Continue reading “‘Cheesy’ cauliflower soup or a pasta bake”
Soup really is a “souper” food (just couldn’t’ resist!). It’s warming, comforting, tasty and convenient and can be packed full of nutrients and goodies as all the veg and cooking fluid gets mixed up in one, ensuring many of the vitamins and minerals leached out during cooking are available for consumption.
