Super Quick Cosmetic Pouches

I hope you'll excuse this deviation from my usual food-based posts, but I've recently got back into machine sewing and wanted to share my latest creations. They make great gifts, are very cheap to make and take just one afternoon, or a couple of hours to make.
This particular design makes two large and two small purses from just two fat quarters of fabric - so that's a cost of around £2-3 for all four pouches, depending on the price of your material.

The patterns for both pouches are made from a single sheet of A4 paper (folded in half for the smaller one). I hope you can follow my picture tutorial and notes...

1. For the large pouch, take one sheet of A4 (letter-size) paper. Place a dinner plate at one end, so the edge of the plate is touching one short and two long sides. Draw a curve around the top of the plate.
2. Fold the paper in half and cut around the curve, then open back out.
3. Put your two pieces of material together and pin the pattern to them.
4. Cut around the pattern, then remove.
5. Place the wrong sides of the material together and pin all around, except for around 7.5cm/3" at one corner (see bottom right photo).
   
6. Sew all around (except for the gap) leaving a small seam allowance.
7. Turn the fabric inside-out and poke the corners out using a chopstick or dowel.
8. Iron to flatten the seams, being careful to press under the unsewn section.
9. Fold up to make an open envelope and top stitch close to the edge all the way around, including the unsewn section.
10. Finally sew on a press stud and press the purse one last time.  

To make the smaller pouch, simply fold a sheet of A4 paper in half lengthwise and use a large mug to make the top curve of the pattern. The larger purse is ideal as a make up bag or pencil case, whereas the smaller one is just the right size for sanitary products! I reckon a teeny one, half the width of the small one would be the perfect size for an asthma inhaler.

If you make these, do let me know how they turn out and post a picture on my Facebook page.

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Off to University - an Essential Kitchen List for Vegetarian Students

I started this blog 7 years ago when my older daughter was 11 years old and had just started high school. She's now 18 and off to university. Where have the years gone?

Anyway, as she's going to be self-catering in her halls of residence, I've been helping her buy some essential kitchen equipment (Home Bargains and IKEA are your frugal friends!) and have drafted a basic food shopping list. As I don't know if she'll find anyone to food-share with, I'll be buying many of these items to fill her cupboard in the shared kitchen, so that I know she'll be eating OK for at least the first couple of weeks.

I thought I might as well share the list, in case it helps anyone else. As you can see, most of the items are cheap and cheerful, but nutritionally sound, providing plenty of carbs and protein for hard-working (and partying) students!

From my experience at uni, many years ago, it might also be worth name-labelling any food left in communal areas (such as the fridge and freezer) with a sticker or Sharpie pen, unless you want all and sundry to eat it!

Obviously vegan students can made the necessary changes to their list, but this would mainly be the fridge and freezer items.

You can also find lots of simple recipes and tips for veggie students here.

Not food-related, but if you're off to uni, do make sure you get your meningitis ACWY vaccination before you go.

Equipment	Cupboard	Freezer	Fridge
Medium frying pan Medium sauce pan Non-stick baking tray Small pyrex dish Plastic spatula/fish slice, serving spoon, potato masher Small cheese grater Potato peeler Garlic crusher Can opener Sharp knife Knife, fork, spoon, teaspoon x2 Dinner plate, side plate, bowl x2 Large glass, small glass x2 Scissors Biscuit jar/tin Plastic lidded containers to store food Kettle (for own room)	Refried beans Baked beans Chickpeas Tinned new potatoes Tinned beans Dried lentils Tomato puree Tin of soup Tinned tomatoes/passata Pasta Rice Pizza base mix Squash Cereal Jam/peanut butter/Marmite etc. Biscuits Cereal bars Vegetable/olive oil Herbs and spices Tea bags/coffee/hot chocolate Long life milk individual (for own room)	Wraps Bread Veggie bacon Bean burgers Veggie sausages Frozen mixed veg	Cheese Milk Butter Fruit juice Yogurt Eggs Garlic Fresh fruit Fresh veg

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Easy Homemade Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

I've been meaning to try making my own refried beans for some time now and finally got round to doing so...just in time for National Vegetarian Week!

In case you don't know, the term refried is actually a mis-translation of refritos, which actually means well-fried, not fried twice.

My recipe is for a spicy version, similar in taste to the expensive, small tins you can buy in the UK. Providing you have most of the ingredients to hand, it works out at around £1 to make this recipe, equivalent to around 2-3 large cans. You could, of course, make a larger batch which would be even more economical.

Serves 8-10 as a starter, or side dish

• 2 cups of dried pinto beans (no need to pre-soak)
• 6 cups of boiling water
• 6 tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 tbsp. pickled jalapeños
• 2 tsp chipotle paste (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp salt

Place the beans and water in a large pan.

Boil rapidly for 10 minutes (uncovered), then reduce the heat and simmer for a further hour (with the lid on).

Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid, then mash or blend the beans, adding back some of the reserved cooking liquid until you have the texture and consistency you prefer.

Finely chop or blend the onions and chillies.

Heat the oil on a medium heat and add the onion and chillies  Cook for a few minutes until softened.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Finally stir in the mashed beans and mix well to combine the ingredients.

Serve warm with tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole or use to stuff burritos.

Top tips: Eat half and freeze half of the mixture. Defrost and heat in the microwave, adding a little extra boiled water if needed.
For a mild, child-friendly version, omit the salt, chillies and chipotle paste from the main mixture. Serve the adult's portion with the above ingredients added to taste.

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Keralan Vegetable Stew

This South Indian vegetable curry is made with a thin, aromatic, spiced coconut-milk sauce so it's more like a soup or stew than a traditional, British curry. The flavours are also more akin to Thai cuisine than a North Indian-style curry, but this recipe utilises seasonal, British vegetables, so it's very economical.

Although it's not exactly fat-free or low in calories, it makes a delicious, warming and vegan start to the New Year, especially if you're doing Veganuary.

Serves 4

• 1 onion, chopped 
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4 green cardamoms, pierced with a knife or lightly crushed with your thumb
• a sprig of fresh or dried curry leaves
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. grated, fresh ginger
• 2 thin, green chilies, slit in half
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into batons or slices 
• 1 cup of green beans, cut into 1"/2.5cm pieces
• 2 cups of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups of broccoli florets or 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tin coconut milk
• ½ cup boiled water, optional
• 1 tsp sugar, optional

Heat 1 tbsp. vegetable oil in a large saucepan.
Add the onion and whole spices and cook for a few minutes on a medium heat.
Add the garlic, ginger and chillies and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Throw in the green beans and potatoes along with the coconut milk.
Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, until tender.
Add the mushrooms and broccoli/peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Season with salt, black pepper and sugar, to taste.
Add some of the water to thin the sauce if needed.

Serve with rice, appam, roti or paratha.

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Tear 'n' Share Garlic Bread

This garlic flat bread is really cheap and easy to make. It's great to share at buffets, parties and barbecues and can be easily adapted include your favourite toppings. I've included a vegan version, for anyone who prefers a dairy-free option.

For the dough

• 1 cup cold water
• 3 cups strong white bread flour
• 1 sachet fast action dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

For the topping

•  4 tbsp butter or dairy-free spread, softened
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped herbs (I used rosemary, oregano and parsley) 
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp grated Parmesan-style hard cheese (omit for vegan version)
• A little coarse sea salt (optional)

If you have a bread maker add all of the dough ingredients to the pan and set on the dough setting.

If you don't have a bread maker, mix all the ingredients (except the oil and water) in a large bowl. Add the water gradually until you have a soft but not sticky dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes, until doubled in size.

After the dough has risen, divide into 2.
Stretch or roll the dough into two large, flat ovals and place on greased baking trays.

Brush a little more oil over the dough and sprinkle with a good pinch of coarse sea salt.
Using a pizza wheel, cut parallel lines across the dough, leaving a 1-2 cm border to hold the dough together (see picture). 
Leave to rise for a further 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the garlic butter by mixing the butter, garlic and herbs together - reserve this for later.

Bake in a preheated oven at 220C/200C fan/Gas 7/425F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
Removed from the oven and spread half of the softened garlic butter across each flat bread. Sprinkle with the cheese, if using.
Return to the oven for a further 2-3 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tray and serving.

If freezing or re-heating later in the day, remove from the tray and cool on a wire rack.

Best served warm.

Suitable for freezing. 

Top tip: If you prefer to use fresh yeast, swap the dried yeast for around 15g/½ oz fresh yeast . Increase the flour to 3½ cups.

I'm entering this recipe to this month's Credit Crunch Munch , hosted by Tasty Appetite and founded by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.


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Gemista; Greek-Style Stuffed Peppers with Potatoes

Gemista (pronounced yemista) is one of my favourite Greek vegetarian dishes. It normally consists of a large tomato and a pepper stuffed with a herby rice mixture and baked in the oven. However, it sometimes contains minced beef or pork, so be sure to check before ordering this dish in Greece!

My version is vegan, but it is traditionally served sprinkled with grated cheese.

Serves 4-8 depending on appetite. 

For the peppers

• 8 small-medium bell peppers
• 1 cup risotto rice
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ cup water/stock (plus more to top up)
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp each of dried oregano and dill
• 2 tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley and mint
• a good pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt and pepper to season

For the potatoes

• 10-12 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cut into haves or quarters, depending on size
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped or crushed
• 1 lemon, cut into quarters
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup water/stock
• ½ cup Kalamata or Halkidiki olives
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/350F/Gas 4

First prepare the peppers, by slicing the tops off (reserve these) and de-seeding.
Place in a large, deep, heat-proof dish.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in pan.
Sweat off the onions and garlic for a few minutes on a low heat.
Add the rice and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and stir well.
Simmer with the lid on for around 7-10 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is half cooked. 
Spoon the rice into the raw peppers (they should be about ½-¾ full).
Fill each pepper to just below the top with boiling water or vegetable stock and pop the 'lids' back on the peppers.

Prepare the potatoes and scatter randomly amongst the peppers.
Top the potatoes with the chopped tomatoes and other ingredients.  
Drizzle the peppers and potatoes with the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour. 
Check after an hour to see how tender the potatoes are; turn the potatoes carefully and if not tender, recover and bake for a further 15-20 minutes.
When the potatoes are soft, uncover and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, to colour up.

Serve with a seasonal salad.

Top tip: This recipe is easy to scale up  to serve a large crowd and can be prepared in advance and cooked when needed.

Not suitable for freezing.

I'm linking this post to Karen's latest Cooking with Herbs linky at Lavender & Lovage. 

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Our family holiday to Australia - Part 2: Sydney

...So, after two weeks in Victoria, we travelled to New South Wales with Virgin Australia.

I can only imagine how beautiful the bays of Sydney and the surrounding area must have been for James Cook to have (re)named it after Wales. There are very few similarities now, unless you head out of the city. The botanic gardens and beaches are beautiful and the Sydney opera house and bridge make stunning landmarks, but it's not until you travel for over an hour outside the city, that you get any idea of what Australia might have one looked like.

During our stay in Oz, we've learned about the indigenous aboriginal people, culture, art and traditions ...something the British history books and classes seem to miss out. We've seen some amazing indigenous art in the Art Gallery of NSW and an interesting exhibition on aboriginal culture in the Australian Museum. It was uncomfortable at times to read the stories of stolen land and children taken from their families, but something I feel I must mention.

Anyway, back to the review...we stayed in the suburb of Rozelle; around a 20 minute bus-ride from the centre, and within easy reach of a selection of bars, cafes and restaurants, in neighbouring Balmain. Getting around Sydney was easy enough on the buses and ferries. Like Melbourne, you need to buy a travel pass, called an Opal (based on London's Oyster Card apparently). Of course, we had to visit the harbour bridge and opera house, which are in the heart of the city, near the beautiful botanic gardens. I was surprised to find they were so close together, as they don't appear that way on TV. I had hoped to be in awe of these fantastic structures, as so many of my friends and family have been, but alas, they looked like a pointy building and a big, metal bridge to me!

Food-wise, Sydney was pretty similar to Melbourne, except there seemed to be more European/Middle-Eastern influences and slightly less Asian. Vegetarian and vegan food was plentiful in both restaurants and shops, so we had no shortage of good food to eat. Lunches in cafes and restaurants were full-on meals with ubiquitous avocados and salad, not light snacks and sandwiches, so we often look a picnic out with us, which saved money too. We found that Greek and Middle-Eastern restaurants were the best bet for a vegetarian light lunch or dinner, but these were out in the suburbs, not in the city .

On an Aussie Masterchef theme again, we ate at the trendy Wilhemina's restaurant (fronted by last years' forth-placed contestant Jamie Fleming) and tried some delicious cake and pastries from guest chef, Adriano Zumbo's patisserie.
Towards the end of our holiday, we were craving a good (British-Indian) curry and luckily both the Indian Palace and Manjits in Balmain delivered on taste and price. The only thing lacking was a good naan (maybe they don't have tandoor ovens in Australia), as the naans in both places were small, round, pale affairs, not the big, puffy pillows of bread we get in the UK! They also had puny pappadoms...no idea why that is!

As a city, we found Sydney to be big, brash and busy, so a highlight for us all was the tranquil, and small but perfectly formed, Chinese Garden of Friendship in China Town. You really wouldn't believe you were in the city centre, unless you looked up to see the skyscrapers surrounding it. Another must-do was the stunning coastal walk from Coogee beach to Bondi, which took us around and hour and a half with plenty of photo opportunities. Unfortunately, there were no Bondi Rescue life guards on duty when we got there! Talking of beaches, we also took the ferry from Circular Quay to visit Manly and Watson's Bay. Even in the winter, it was warm enough to have a paddle and a picnic on the beach, which was lovely. It was also well worth travelling out to the vast Blue Mountains to get a taste of real, rural Australia.

After four busy weeks down-under, it was time for another mammoth flight back to the UK with Cathay Pacific. I don't know when or if we''ll ever travel back to Oz, but this was a holiday we'll never forgot. Pin It

Our family holiday to Australia - Part 1: Melbourne

If I was an organised blogger, I would have had a couple of posts up my sleeve, scheduled them to publish whilst I was away, and you'd have been none the wiser. As I'm not, I thought I'd better explain where I am ! I don't post many personal anecdotes, so if you're looking for a recipe, feel free to ignore my holiday ramblings ...

My long time followers, if there are any, may remember my rather self-indulgent post about my friend and her family emigrating to Australia. My brother and sister-in-law also emigrated a few years earlier (you see a pattern emerging here?!) so it's been a mission for us to save up enough money for us to visit them all, before the girls left home. As Miss Ony took her GCSEs this year, we thought this summer would be a good time to go; luckily, Mr O's boss was agreeable to him taking an extended holiday.

As we're tied to school holidays, flight prices were never going to be cheap. By initially using flight price-checking websites and then comparing fares for individual airlines, I eventually found suitable, affordable flights with Cathay Pacific - the cheapest were with Malaysian Airlines! Cathay Pacific were great to fly with and had pretty comfortable seats, but it's a long flight no matter how far the seats recline and we were all very happy to finally land in Australia after 27 hours.

So far, we've spent 2 weeks in Melbourne. Despite the chilly winter weather (yes it's winter here - which seemed to come as a shock to some of my friends!!), we've had a great time seeing my friend and her family, plus of course, the sights of Melbourne. We've also eaten some great food...see, this is a kind of a foodie post after all!

We initially stayed at the Pegasus Apart'Hotel at the edge of the CBD for our first week, We decided on this accommodation, partly for the location and price (I got a discount by booking through Expedia), plus they offered free WiFi and had an indoor, heated  pool - great for the teenagers. The apartments were near Queen Victoria Market, which had an amazing deli hall and fruit/veg market, where we bought most of our food for our self-catered breakfasts and lunches. We found out that in winter, there's also a weekly night market every Wednesday - with street food, drink, craft stalls and live entertainment - we wrapped up warmly and enjoyed an evening there.

Luckily, the exchange rates were in our favour! Restaurants in the city varied widely from cafes, budget restaurants (mainly East Asian) and pubs, to expensive steak and hotel/casino restaurants. There were plenty of vegetarian and vegan options available, including several exclusively vegetarian places, but basically, the more expensive the restaurant, the less veggie food was on the menu! We mainly stuck to the budget end of the market and ate some delicious food, including a yummy eggplant parma at the famous Mrs Parmas, but we did splash out one night and ate some beautifully presented, and very tasty Greek-inspired food at Gazi (one of Aussie Masterchef presenter George Calombaris' restaurants).

The public transport system was very easy to navigate, cheap and efficient. All the trams in the CBD are free, which is amazing. If venturing further afield, you need to purchase a MYKI card, which you then top up as needed - like an Oyster card, I'm told.

We've done plenty of the usual touristy things, including visiting the brilliant Melbourne Museum, the beautiful Botanic Gardens, seeing some amazing art by indigenous artists at the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia), a Yarra Valley wine tour and of course we've seen some of the unique, native Australian wildlife including koalas, wombats and kangaroos. 

After a week in the city, we moved out to the seaside resort of St Kilda at the Quest St. Kilda Bayside Apartments, again, we chose these apartments for their price and location (5 minutes walk from the beach and central St Kilda). Unfortunately, their free WiFi, was limited to 250mb per day, which basically equated to a few minutes checking social media - the girls were not impressed, so we ended up purchasing unlimited WiFi.

In the summer, St Kilda must be bustling with tourists and back packers, but in winter it was pretty quiet, although almost all of the restaurants, bars and shops were open. None-the-less, we enjoyed visiting the traditional European cake and chocolate shops, Luna Park, going on beach-side walks and seeing the wild colony of fairy penguins at the end of the pier. Our favourite eating place in St Kilda was the tiny 40 Thieves & Co Middle-Eastern restaurant - great food and friendly service. 

I'm not sure if it's on in the UK yet, but we've been watching Restaurant Revolution (one of the few Australian programmes on free-to-air TV). Some of the contestants have been running a pop-up restaurant in St Kilda, and we've enjoyed watching the queues build each day!

I can't believe how fast our first two weeks have gone. We're now packing for our next adventure in Sydney...

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Halloumi Arancini with Roasted Vegetables

I've blogged an arancini recipe before, and cooked the traditional Italian stuffed rice balls many times, but this time, I thought I'd ring the changes a bit. Miss K inspired me to make an Greek-fusion version, as she fancied something made with halloumi for dinner. She helped make the arancini, whilst I prepared the tomato sauce and roasted vegetables.

You can make arancini with left over, cold risotto or cook from scratch. They're good fun, although rather messy, to make with children, but if you use halloumi rather than mozzarella, you don't have to worry about them being perfect, as the cheese won't melt and escape! I think this variation is just as good (if not better) than the original.

Makes 8-10 arancini, serve 1 or 2 per person as a starter, 2-4 for a main course

For the arancini:

• 1 cup risotto rice (arborio)
• 2 cups hot vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh chilli, optional
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup of dried breadcrumbs
• 100g/4oz halloumi, cubed

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan.

Gently fry the garlic for a minute or so.

Add the rice, herbs and chilli and stir for a further minute.

Add 1 cup of vegetable stock, stir and bring to the boil.

Reduce to a simmer and add the second cup of stock. Stir again, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the rice is cooked, cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then and refrigerate until cool enough to handle.

To make the arancini:
Take a good heaped desert-spoonful of the cool risotto and form into a firm ball using your hands to squeeze the mixture together.
Poke a hole into the middle of the ball using your thumb, then place a small cube of halloumi into the hole.
Squish the rice back over the hole to cover up the cheese completely. Repeat until all of the rice is used up.
Beat the egg in a bowl and place the breadcrumbs on a plate. First dip each rice ball into the beaten egg and then roll into the breadcrumbs until covered all over.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or until needed.

Heat 2-3 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil in a large frying pan. 
Add the arancini and roll around in the pan gently to coat with oil. 
Cook for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown and piping hot. 
Alternatively, deep-fry for 5-6 minutes.
Drain and keep warm in a low oven until needed.

Whilst cooking the risotto/arancini, make some Greek tomato sauce (you'll only need ½ a portion...so freeze the rest for another meal) and roast your choice of seasonal vegetables.

For the roasted vegetables:

• 2 bell peppers, de-seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 100g/4oz button or chestnut mushrooms whole/halved/quartered, depending on size
• 50g/2oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 2 tbsp oil from the jar
• 50g/2oz Greek olives
• 100g/4oz halloumi, cubed
• 1 tbsp chopped, fresh parsley, to serve

Drizzle the fresh vegetables with the sun-dried tomato oil and cook in a pre-heated oven at 160C/150C Fan/325F/Gas 3  for 15 minutes.
Turn the vegetables and add the halloumi, olives and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley, or any other fresh herbs, before serving.

Top tip: Cooked rice should be cooled quickly and refrigerated, then re-heated thoroughly to avoid food poisoning. 

Vegan option: Omit the halloumi, or substitute for vegan cheese. Coat the arancini with No-Egg, or other egg substitute, mixed as directed with water, before rolling in breadcrumbs.

I'm linking this post to Karen's latest Cooking with Herbs linky at Lavender & Lovage. 

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Gigantes Plaki (Butter Beans in Tomato Sauce)

Traditionally, gigantes plaki is made from soaked, dried butter/lima beans and baked in the oven. My quick version relies on tinned beans and is cooked on the hob, but you could make a big batch using dried beans and cook in the slow cooker (boil the beans for 10 minutes before slow cooking). This dish can be serve warm a part of a meze or hot as a main dish with rice or bread.

My version costs around £1 to make, using budget-brand beans and tinned tomatoes. 

Serves 2-4

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes or around 400g/1 lb chopped fresh tomatoes.
• 1 tin butter/lima beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp chopped fresh dill
• ½ tsp sugar, optional
• ½ tsp paprika
• a pinch of cinnamon or a small cinnamon stick, optional 

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion, carrot and garlic for a few minutes.

Add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the beans, and stir well.

Cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. 

Add the beans, stir and simmer (with the lid on)  for a further 10-20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.

Lower fat alternative: Just use 1 tsp of oil. 
Camping version: Simmer a jar of tomato pasta sauce with a drained tin of butter beans. Serve with warm pittas.

I'm linking this recipe to 'The Vegetable Palette'  over at  A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table.  This month's colour theme is red.

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The cheapest cabin-sized baggage?

Do excuse this slightly random and not-at-all food-related post, but I've recommended this case on several different forums and thought it would be easier to post here to save repeating myself!

If, like me, you favour budget airlines and independently-booked accommodation over package holidays, you might be interested to know that IKEA currently have a cabin-sized foldable case for just £12 (with a free, Ikea Family Card). Ikea's Upptacka case measures 48cm x 34cm x 20cm, so is well within the hand luggage constraints of all major budget airlines... as far as I know.

Slightly frustratingly (as we tried so hard to find a budget-priced case to fit in with Ryanair's required baggage dimensions), we've used ours twice already and it has ended up in the hold, but has survived to tell the tale! Do label your case though, as if it ends up in the hold it may well be one of several identical cases on the carousel!

Integrity Statement

I purchased this case myself and have not been offered any incentive for a review.

Image courtesy of Ikea.

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Cheat's Patatas Bravas

This is another one of my non-recipes, which seams almost too simple to be worth blogging, however it makes a cheap, quick and super-easy vegan meal which can be cooked in about 20 minutes.

Patatas Bravas should really served as a tapas dish, however, it makes a great camping/festival meal and is also good for an end of the week/month dinner, when the cupboards (and purse) are bare!

Serves 4

• 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 
• 1 kg/2lb bag of frozen potato cubes, almost defrosted 
• 1 large jar of tomato and chilli pasta sauce 

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan/baking dish. Shallow fry or roast the potato chunks until cooked, crisp and golden brown (about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally).
Throw in the jar of tomato and chilli sauce and any extras (see below) and heat through for a further few minutes until piping hot.

Serve with bread, olives and salad.

Alternatives: To bulk this out, add some extra veg/protein along with the tomato sauce (eg: a tin of drained beans/chickpeas/sweetcorn/sliced mushrooms/veggie salami/chorizo etc...anything ready cooked.). You could also swap the potato cubes for frozen chips, wedges or even hash browns.
For a cheaper version, use 'real' potatoes and a home made tomato sauce. 
Make individual portions and serve as a tapas dish whilst watching Spain play in the World Cup!

I'm entering this recipe to this month's Credit Crunch Munch , hosted at Gingey Bites and founded by Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours.



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Chana Korma - Mild Chickpea Curry (Vegan)

It's a little late, but here's my post for National Vegetarian Week:

I often add chickpeas (chana) to my veggie curries or make a chana masala side dish, but I don't generally use them in a main dish curry. This korma recipe is tasty and filling enough to eat as a main dish, but can also be served as a side dish along with a paneer or vegetable curry. 

Don't be put off by the long list of spices...you can always use a ready-made curry paste to save time.

Serves 4 as a main course; 6-8 as a side dish

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cinnamon stick, broken.
• ½ tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1 large onion, grated or finely chopped
• 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
• 2-3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp chopped chilli (optional - leave out for a very mild, child-friendly curry)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 or 3 curry leaves (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric
• 2 tins chana/chickpeas (I use the East End or KTC brands)
• 1 cup/250ml of coconut cream or 2oz/50g creamed coconut (block) mixed with 1 cup/250ml boiling water
• ½-1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 1 tsp garam or korma masala
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped

Heat  the oil in a large pan; and add the cinnamon and ground fennel seeds. Cook for a minute or so before adding the onion. Cook the onion on a medium heat until just starting to brown.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes.
Mix in the remaining spices (except the garam/korma masala) and tomato puree and cook for 2-3 mins.
Add the chickpeas, coconut cream and sugar, simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on, adding a drop more water if needed.
Stir in the garam or korma masala and simmer for a further 2 minutes.
To serve, garnish with the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with rice/naan/chapatti for a cheap and filling meal.

Alternatives: If you don't have a good range of dried spices, simply omit the tomato puree and dried spices and replace them with korma curry paste. 
Add some fresh or frozen spinach, or sliced mushrooms along with the chickpeas.

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Money-Saving Meals with Morrisons

Morrisons have always been known for their special offers, but they now have an I'm Cheaper price promise and a brand new online shop. I've sometimes used my local Morrisons as a 'top up shop' as it's local, however I very rarely used it to get my whole week's food shopping; as it's quite a small shop. I have recently tried shopping online with them, which worked out really well, as I found a much wider range of products at great prices.

I was lucky enough to be chosen by Britmums as a #MorrisonsMum to review the Morrison's shopping experience and shop for our Bank Holiday food. This was the first time I'd done a 'proper' shop in my local store and I was impressed at the range of products they now offer in store. I even found they stocked curry leaves, which have been eluding me for some time!

I planned my weekend shopping to include ingredients for:

• Mexican taco/tortilla bowls with vegetarian chilli
• Mushroom biryani, chana korma, paneer tikka kebabs and naans; fresh fruit salad
• Vegetarian barbecue; mini strawberry shortcakes (recipe from Morrison's magazine)

I bought a wide range of foods and drinks including fresh fruit and veg, cheese, frozen foods and packet foods (including a bargain pack of dried spaghetti at only 23p for 500g!). As it was a bank holiday, I also splashed out on some rather nice wines, both on special offer (including a Fairtrade white) and some beer...

I was really pleased with both the quality of the produce and the prices. Quite a few items on my list were either on special offer or on a price promise, which made my shopping comparable, if not cheaper, than what I would have paid at any of the other major supermarkets. All the fruit, vegetables and fresh herbs that I needed were in stock and those which were left over after the weekend, have lasted well.

While I was there, I picked up a copy of the free Morrisons magazine and was pleasantly surprised at the number of tasty veggie recipes in it, alongside a feature on National Vegetarian Week. 

Miss K liked the look of the strawberry dessert page and soon whipped up a batch of mini strawberry shortcakes on her own. The recipe was simple to follow and tasted delicious, filled with Morrisons strawberries and cream. 

My shopping experience at Morrisons has made me more likely to shop there again (especially online) as I now know that it can compete with the other main supermarkets on both quality and price.

Vegetarian Sausage Kebabs (makes 4)

This veggie sausage recipe is super-easy and quick to make (makes a great camping meal too!).

Total cost = £2.67 or 65p per kebab

• Quorn sausages (half price) £1.12
• Bell peppers (half a pack of Morrison's bumper pack) 80p
• 1 onion 10p
• 1 pack button mushrooms 65p

Defrost the sausages slightly and soak the skewers in water.
Cut the sausages into thirds and cut the peppers and onion into chunks. Wipe the mushrooms.
Thread the sausages and vegetables onto skewers alternately and drizzle with a little oil or bbq sauce. Barbecue for around 10 minutes turning once or twice.

Integrity Statement
I received complimentary Morrisons vouchers to pay for the goods for this review. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.  Pin It