Hummus Where The Heart Is - A Review & Give-away

Hummus Where The Heart Is by Dunja Gulin, is a cook-book with a difference, as all the recipes are for, or involve, hummus! The book itself is a cute little number, with a heart shape cut out of the front  cover, which makes it an ideal gift for hummus lovers.

The humble hummus has become an essential item for vegetarians and vegans alike, but the shop bought stuff is not a patch on the homemade variety, not to mention being vastly over packaged and over priced! This book contains an amazing array of cheap, quick and easy to follow hummus recipes, including some using pulses other than chickpeas and others using vegetables to replace the pulses.

Of course, many of Dunja's recipes are still suitable for serving as a dip with breadsticks or slathered on bread(such as onion jam hummus, curry-spiced hummus and a baked aubergine variety), but some of her recipes are meals in their own right rather than just a dip, snack or side dish. Hummus Where the Heart Is also has a chapter on dippers, which covers recipes for focaccia, pittas and sesame grissini. I particularly like the ideas for using up left-over hummus which includes burgers, pizza and stuffed courgettes, but was slightly wary of the hummus dessert and baking recipes! I'll definitely give the fudge cookies a go though.

Hummus Where the Heart Is, Published by Ryland Peters & Small, 13th March 2018, £9.99 Pin It

Sri Lanka: The Cookbook - Review & Giveaway

I've only recently discovered the joys of Sri Lankan food, so I was delighted to be offered a copy of this book for review. Sri Lanka: the Cookbook gives a comprehensive introduction to Sri Lankan cuisine and explains the ingredients and cooking techniques.

Written by husband and wife team Prakash Sivanathan and Niranjala Ellawala, the book shows their knowledge of and passion for the cuisine of their former homeland:

“My wife and I have lived in London for many years, but I was born a Tamil in the Jaffna peninsula in the north of Sri Lanka, and Niranjala is a Sinhalese from the south. Between us, we have a deep understanding and love of the unique styles of cooking that together make up our island’s cuisine. We hope this provides a record of Sri Lankan history and diversity for generations to come.”

One thing I must say is that this probably isn't a book for novice cooks as the ingredients lists tend to be longer/more exotic and some of the recipes are a little more complicated than other books I've reviewed. You also need to be fan of coconut/coconut milk as similar to Thai food, these feature heavily. Having said that, if you already have a well-stocked spice rack and are used to cooking Indian or Thai food, I'm sure you'll love this book.

I also need to point out that this is not an exclusively vegetarian book, but as Sri Lankan food is naturally vegetarian-friendly, many of the recipes are either vegetarian, pescatarian or easy to adapt. All of the recipes are marked as to their suitability for vegetarians, but I did notice a few non-vegetarian (fish-derived) ingredients in some of these. They are easy to omit though, without losing any the authentic flavour of the dishes.

I've only tried out a few of the recipes so far, but I particularly liked the pol roti (spicy, coconut flatbreads) and poosanikai kari (pumpkin curry), both of which were fairly easy to make, but tasted very different to the Indian-style food I often cook.

SRI LANKA: THE COOKBOOK is published by Frances Lincoln, 6th May 2017, RRP £20.00
Also available from Amazon and other book shops.


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The Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook: A review and giveaway

My children are growing up way too quickly; Miss O has finished her GCSEs and has started at 6th form college (she's studying for A Levels in English, History, Drama and Art History, if you're interested!) and Miss K has just started her GCSEs in year 10.
If all goes well with their studies, it won't be long until they leave for university. Like most parents, I worry about how well they'll cope in the big, wide world, despite the fact that they have both helped me with shopping, cooking and household chores since they were little (sometimes reluctantly, sometimes willingly!).

With this in mind, I was glad to be able to review The Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook, as it seems like a great book to give to vegetarian teenagers or young adults who can cook more than beans on toast, but aren't quite ready for Ottolenghi. The book contains a wide range of cheap and simple to cook dishes, including breakfasts, lunches, main meals and desserts...plus a few cocktails too!

...The Hungry Student Vegetarian shares more than 200 quick and cheap meat-free recipes that are so tasty, even hardened carnivores will keep turning up for dinner. There are also indispensable tips on budgeting, lunchbox ideas, healthy eating and how to get creative with leftovers. All the recipes in this book are balanced for a healthy vegetarian diet, and they each have an affordability stamp to help with budgeting as well as detailed instructions to make them accessible to even the most novice cook. 

I do have a couple of criticisms of the book; one is that most recipes feed four people, rather than one or two; I can't imagine that my girls are going to find three fellow veggies to share food and cooking with, although this would obviously make their living costs much cheaper. The other thing I noticed was that quite a wide array of herbs, spices and curry pastes are suggested in different recipes. I find curry pastes are pretty expensive and don't keep well compared to whole or ground spices, so I'd suggest investing in the basic spices - cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric, cinnamon and paprika - rather than buy curry pastes.

Having said that, I love the handy tips at the start of each section, they really are worth reading and set this book apart from other budget-friendly/student cookbooks.

I set 14 year old Miss K the challenge of cooking one of the recipes from the book by herself. She chose the Cheddar burgers with cucumber salsa. These burgers are mainly made from beans, cheese, carrot and onion, so with the salsa and a bread roll, they are budget-friendly and cover all the food groups. Miss K made them easily and with the use of a burger press, they held together well, were simple to cook and tasted really good.

The Hungry Student Vegetarian Cookbook: More Than 200 Quick and Simple Recipes, Published by Spruce, £7.99, www.octopusbooks.co.uk 

I have two copies of the book to give away. Just tell me your favourite cheap-and-cheerful/student dish in a comment below, using the Rafflecopter widget. UK ONLY. Closes midnight Sunday 27th September.

You can find my own student recipe ideas and tips here.

Integrity Statement
I received a complimentary copy of the book for the purpose of this review and two copies to give away. All views expressed are genuine.

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National Vegetarian Week 2015 - Win Seed & Bean Chocolate

Happy National Vegetarian Week! Whether you're vegetarian, vegan or just veg-curious, Vegetarian Week is a great time to try out new foods and test out some mouth-watering, meat-free recipes on the family. Being vegetarian these days doesn't mean living on lentils, even though some people still have these out-dated misconceptions.

When I went fully veggie over 20 years ago, meat-free convenience foods were in their infancy and you had to go to a health-food store to buy them. Dried TVP mince and Sos-Mix were a couple of the limited range of products available; there were no ready-made veggie sausages, burgers or Quorn products available in supermarkets (that makes me sound old!).

These days, there's a great range of fresh and frozen veggie/vegan-friendly products available, and a wealth of cook books, blogs and apps to inspire you to cook an exotic range of cuisines. I've been particularly encouraged to see so many new young, vegetarian and vegan food bloggers in the (social)media lately. After a lull in vegetarianism, and a rise in the interest and popularity of so called ethically-raised meat, it seems that being vegetarian/vegan is becoming fashionable again.

I hope you'll take a look at some of my recipes and those on the Vegetarian Society website and recipe app and maybe share them with your friends and families, to show them that vegetarian food doesn't need lots of weird fancy ingredients to make it taste good!

To celebrate the week, and to keep in with the share theme, I'm sharing some delicious organic and award-winning Seed and Bean Chocolate with you, by hosting a give-away.

This year Vegetarian Week is all about sharing delicious vegetarian food with friends, family and colleagues, exploring all the amazing tasty offerings that can be enjoyed. 

At Seed and Bean we believe in courageous chocolate. Creating, exciting, vibrant flavours, with no ‘hints of’ or ‘flavourings’. If we can’t use real, we don't make it. Bars include Chile, Lime, Coffee, Coconut, Cornish Sea Salt, Raspberry, Cardamom, Poppy Seed, Hemp and are available in either milk, white or dark, with 12 being suitable for vegans. 

Some flavour combinations are smooth and easy on the palette, some will rocket your taste buds - but whatever takes your fancy we can promise that Seed and Bean will change your chocolate life forever.

I tried out three of their dark, dairy-free varieties including pumpkin seed and hemp oil, hazelnut, and sea salt. Some of the flavour combinations might sound a bit adventurous, but you won't be disappointed. The dark chocolate is amazingly smooth and rich, and contrasts well the the additional flavourings. With distinctive recyclable, matt packaging in a rainbow of colours, the bars are easy to spot in-store; Seed and Bean chocolate is stocked in Waitrose, Planet Organics, Whole Food Markets, and on line at www.seedandbean.co.uk with a RRP £2.49 for an 85g bar.

To win 4 bars of Seed and Bean chocolate, just enter the Rafflecopter widget below, and leave me a comment telling me which bar you'd most like to try. Please also mark your entry 'vegan' if you wish to win dairy-free chocolate only. Competition ends midnight Wednesday 27 May 2015. UK ONLY

Integrity Statement
I received a selection of complimentary chocolate bars from Seed & Bean to review and give-away. I was not required to, or paid to promote the Vegetarian Week. All views expressed are my own.

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The Great Veggie Christmas Gift Guide & Give Away

I'm sure Yule love my seasonal gift guide! I've included several products which I have reviewed over the year, plus some of my other favourite goodies. Of course it wouldn't be fair for me to tempt you with all these lovely things, without offering something in return, so I have a massive give-away for one lucky reader....read on to find out what you could win!

Books for foodies

I've been lucky enough to review some fabulous new books this year. One of my favourites being Fragrant Heart by Miranda Emmerson, which is a memoir and travelogue of Miranda's time spent travelling through S.E Asia. Although this is not a cook book, each chapter ends with one or two recipes from the region, with both a meat-based and a vegetarian version of each recipe. 

I also really enjoyed reading The Hundred Foot Journey by Richard C Morais which tells the life story of Hassan, a budding young Indian chef whose career takes off in a very different direction to the one his family have planned for him, after they move first to England and then to France.This book has since been dramatised into a film starring Helen Mirren.

Gaia's Feasts by Julia Ponsonby (and friends at Schumacher College) is one of the latest cook books which I've reviewed. It features a collection of simple-to-follow, healthy vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free recipes. This is an ideal book for those catering for large numbers of friends and family over the festive period, as each recipe is adapted to serve either a family of 4-6 people or up to 50 people! If you cook for a community group or run your own catering business, this would be the ideal book for you. I have a copy of this great book to give away. 
In case you don't win, I also have a SPECIAL OFFER for you: You can get your hands on your own copy of Gaia's Feasts for just £13.99 (30% off the RRP) and free delivery in the UK using this exclusive voucher code: WDEAWAF14 at Green Books. Offer valid 2nd December to 17th December 2014.

Stocking fillers and other gifts

I love these political slogan tea towels from The Radical Tea Towel Company. I have one with a fabulous vegetarian quote from Einstein on it and have an identical one to give away. The tea towels are great quality and are sure to raise a smile with the lucky recipient. They also do aprons, bags, Christmas cards and other political gifts, so if you know a radical feminist, staunch environmentalist or even a verdant vegetarian, do take a look at their quirky and original range of products!

As a Suma blogger, I've had the chance to test out lots of delicious Suma products, but didn't realise until recently, that they also do a lovely range of toiletries. I had the chance to try out 2 of

their natural handmade, vegan soap bars, which both smelt and looked amazing as they are packed full of botanical ingredients. Even better than that I have the whole range of 12 fragrant soaps to give away. If you aren't lucky enough to win them, they retail at a very reasonable RRP of under £2 per brand are totally palm free and BUAV approved. Available from many high street health food stores.

You may remember my review for Crystal Spring deodorants earlier in the year? Well, the company who have been trading for over 20 years, also stock a fabulous range of skin care and home fragrance products, starting just £3.50 for the travel sized toiletries. I particularly like the look of their natural candles and bath milk, both of which are on offer at the moment, with 50% off.  All of their natural beauty products are clearly labelled and beautifully packaged. Available from Crystal Sping and health food stores. I have one sweet orange candle to give away.

The Ethicoco Vegan Organic Chocolate Company is a recent discovery of mine. Ethicoco make four varieties of bean-to-bar vegan chocolate, all of which are soy free, dairy free and and nut free.These include: Ecuadorian with Oat Milk, Ecuadorian with Oat Milk and Raisins, Peruvian Dark Chocolate and Peruvian Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, The bars cost between £2.99 and £3.99 each. I have 4 bars (one of each variety) to give away.

Luxury Gifts

I must say that I've been really impressed with my Optimum 9400 professional blender. It really has put my old blender to shame! Although it certainly is a luxury product and not within everyone's budget, I would say it's worth the investment if you make your own nut milks & butters, soups and smoothies on a regular basis. I have been amazed at the way it blitzes whole nuts in seconds and turns a selection of slightly-past-it fruits into a delicious (smooth!) smoothie.

So just to surmise, one lucky, random person will win all of the following prizes:

• 1 copy of Gaia's Feasts
• 1 Radical Tea Towel  Company vegetarian tea towel 
• 12 handmade Suma soaps
• 1 Crystal Spring candle
• 4 bars of Ethicoco vegan chocolate
• ...and a partridge in a pear tree (or maybe not!) 

Just enter with the Rafflecopter widget below and leave me a comment to tell me what you hope Father Christmas will be bringing you this year! UK ONLY, competition ends midnight Friday 12th December. The more entries you make, the greater chance you have of winning! 

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Integrity Statement

This is an advertorial feature, featuring some products which I have reviewed over the year, plus some which I have been offered to give away in return for a mention in my gift guide. However, all views expressed are genuine.

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Tibits: At Home - a review and giveaway

Tibits, the Swiss-based vegetarian restaurant chain, have recently published their first English language cookbook: Tibits at Home: stylish vegetarian cuisine. The book includes recipes for a variety of dishes served at the restaurants, from seasonal soups, salads and sandwiches to delicious drinks and desserts, around 80% of which are vegan.

Although, I've never been to Tibits' London restaurant, I was keen to try out some of their recipes, so I made a couple of the antipasti dishes (mixed vegetable antipasto and aubergine antipasto) for a recent dinner party. They were simple to make using easy-to-find ingredients and most importantly, tasted delicious!

The recipes in the book are arranged by season, rather than type, which is unusual, but a good idea (although with the weather we've been having lately, it looks like I should be sticking to dishes from the winter section for a while!). I love the eclectic range of recipes which are clearly laid out, easy to follow and beautifully illustrated. It may seem strange to mention, but I really appreciate the addition of  the two attached ribbon bookmarks, as many of my cookbooks end up with scraps of paper in to mark the recipes which I want to try!

If you'd like to win a hardback copy of this fantastic book with a RRP of £25, just take a quick look at Tibits' spring menu, enter your details on the Rafflecopter widget (so that I have a record of your entry and contact details) AND leave me a comment below telling me which dish you like the sound of best. UK only. Competition closes 21.4.13 at 04:00

You can find Tibits on Facebook and Twitter.

Integrity Statement
I received a copy of Tibits: at Home to review and 1 to give away on my blog. I did not receive payment, and was not required to write a positive review in return. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family. Referral links included in post.

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The Spice Tailor curry sauces from Anjum Anand - a review

I'm ashamed to say that National Curry Week passed me by last week, without me hearing anything about it, so this week I'm making up for it by cooking three different vegetarian curries using three of the new curry sauces from The Spice Tailor. I regularly cook curries from scratch, so I was surprised to read that a recent survey by The Spice Tailor, found that despite tikka masala being Britain's favourite curry, only 25% of us have ever tried cooking it at home.

Celebrity chef Anjum Anand has develop her own range of sauces which makes cooking a curry at home, faster than ordering one from the take-away! There are seven sauces in the range, most of which come with a sachet of dried spices, a base sauce and a curry sauce. Recipe tips and suggestions for extra ingredients are included, but basically you fry the dried spices (with or without the optional dried chilli) in a drop of vegetable oil, then add your choice of paneer, pulses and/or vegetables (or meat/fish, if you're not vegetarian!), followed by the base sauce. After a couple of minutes, you add the curry sauce and leave to simmer for about 8 minutes.

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I tried out three of the sauces: the Tikka Masala (which I added paneer and mushrooms to), the Punjabi Tomato (with added chickpeas and aubergine) and finally the Spiced Spinach (with added potatoes and green pepper). I pre-cooked all of the vegetables, except the mushrooms, before adding them to the curry sauces, as I knew that they wouldn't cook through in 8 minutes, however paneer, tinned pulses and meat substitutes such as Quorn would all work well and cook in the stated time if you were in a hurry. I added the whole chilli to all of my curries and fished it out before serving...we're all used to eating medium curries and I would say, even with the added chilli, all of the curries were on the milder side of medium. Some of the other whole spices needed removing before serving too, such as the whole cardamom pods and the curry leaf. You could, of course, leave them in and play 'find the spices' at the dinner table with the family!

Each of the curries looked and tasted very different from each other and the smell in my house was amazing! We all like the flavour of the Punjabi Tomato curry best, followed by the Tikka Masala. A word of warning though...the Tikka Masala didn't taste anything like a British restaurant tikka massala; it tasted strongly of cardamom and wasn't sweet and creamy. Not a criticism, as it tasted very aromatic, just not how I expected it to taste! The Spiced Spinach curry was our least favourite as it tasted a little bitter and the spinach flavour dominated the dish. I would have preferred to add fresh spinach instead. I found the sauces very simple to use, and good value for money. Although each sauce was supposed to serve two, I found that by adding extra vegetables and pulses, each one made a curry big enough to feed my family of four.

If you want more tips on cooking curries at home, tune in to Cookalong with Anjum on ‘Spice Nights’, when Anjum will be showing how to cook simple and delicious Indian dishes in just 15 minutes, using some cheats and lots of scratch cooking.  Spice Nights airs weekly on Tuesday evenings at 7.30 pm from now until 6th November. Register to watch at www.thespicetailor.com.

The Spice Tailor range is now available to buy online at www.thespicetailor.com and in Waitrose stores.

Integrity Statement
I received 3 Spice Tailor curry sauces to review and 3 to give away on my blog. I did not receive payment, and the views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family. Pack images courtesy of The Spice Tailor.

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