Wow, life has been completely crazy for the last few weeks. Not only have we packed up and moved out of our house for the Summer in order to rent it to holiday makers, we have been on holiday and myself and my children have all had bronchitis! It has certainly been a time of many changes and upheavals, all done whilst feeling more than a little ill.
So I must make my apologies and say that I am behind on my blog and have not been able to put together my planned recipes for this instalment. Things are certainly proving challenging in the cooking department as the house that we have taken residence of for the next 8 weeks is considerable smaller than ours and the kitchen is particularly miniature! In fact, there is no oven to speak of and very little work or fridge space. But it is thought provoking and I am approaching my habitual cooking plans in a whole new way and I will most certainly be sharing more on this with you in the weeks to come! I am having a little cooking adventure and that is in no way a bad thing!
But back to this week. Due to my ill health and busy schedule, I have decided to share just two recipes with you that I have made in the last month which I was holding back in my arsenal for just such a time when I needed to fill a gap. They are vegetarian recipes which just goes to show that I have been taking my pledge to eat less meat seriously and I can honestly say that these dishes have become firm favourites in my house.
First of all I must tell you about my Roasted Veggie Hotpot. This is a hearty little dish, full of flavour and very satisfying. It honestly tastes like a cross between Moussaka and Lasagne but without the meat. The wonderfully flavoursome vegetables are rich with garlic and deep with the flavours of roasting and the potatoes that top it are firm and substantial and give a fabulous contrast in texture. I got the idea from crossing a Tumbet (a Spanish Vegetable bake) with a Hotpot using potatoes with a cheese sauce as a topping. The results are really yummy and I am sure all the family will enjoy this one. I know its a winner as my Mum stole the recipe, made it for my Dad who doesnt go in for Veggie food
..and he had 3 helpings! Success indeed.
And so I move on to my Asparagus, Courgette, Pea, Feta and Herb Couscous. This is a super quick, fresh, Summery meal that I love. When Asparagus is in season (it has just finished but still, if you can get hold of it, lovely anytime!) I try to use it as much as I can as it is considerably cheaper here than when out of season. I deem it to be a vegetable treat and so versatile as it can be the main component in many meals. For this dish, the asparagus is chopped and fried with courgette batons and peas. These are stirred through the couscous (made with vegetable stock) along with plenty of Parsley and Mint and any other fresh herbs you fancy. (Chives and Basil also work well) Finally, crumbled feta is stirred through and a pungent garlic vinaigrette is poured over. It is a wonderful, vibrant looking dish, full of the tastes and aromas of Summer. Glorious asparagus, sweet little peas, salty feta, heady herbs and garlic; all coming together in a plateful of healthy goodness. It is virtuous food that is also delicious, my very favourite kind. This would also be great with some flaked salmon stirred through for fish eaters out there.
So there you go, two recipes from my veggie pit stop list to tide you over until next time when I shall be back on form again and over this bothersome bronchitis. Until then, happy cooking friends J