Pasta Shells Stuffed with Mushrooms and Squash

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This dish came into being as I had a whole punnet of chestnut mushrooms that needed using up and couldn't think what to make. I initially though I'd make a lasagne or cannelloni, but then spotted the conchiglioni pasta I'd bought and not known what to do with, at the back of the larder. Be warned, this recipe uses a lot of pans, and is a bit faffy to make, but I think it tastes good enough to serve up as a vegetarian dinner party dish, so it's worth the effort (and the washing up!). If you want to impress your guests, call the dish: Conchiglioni ripieni al forno (baked, stuffed pasta shells).

The main dish is vegan, and can be topped with either dairy or non-dairy cheese.

Serves 4

The pasta and stuffing

• Conchiglioni (large pasta shalls) - allow around 2-4 shells per child and 4-6 shells per adult
• 200g/8oz chestnut mushrooms, diced finely
• 200g/8oz butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1cm/½" cubes
• 1 large onion, diced finely
• 8-10 sage leaves, chopped (add more if you love the taste of sage)
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste

The sauce

• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 500ml/1pt pasata
• 1 tin chopped plum tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp sugar

To top

• 125g/5oz soft goats cheese plus 50g/2oz grated mozzarella OR
• 150g/6oz melting vegan cheese plus 2 tbsp vegan Parmesan

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep baking dish at 180C/170C Fan/ Gas 4/350F.
Add the diced butternut squash and sage and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once.
Take the dish out of the oven.

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Meanwhile, heat another tbsp of olive oil in a large pan.

Add the onion and cook on a gentle heat until soft.
Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add the squash, sage  and sun-dried tomato paste and cook for a further 5 minutes. Increase the heat and cook until you have a fairly dry mixture.
Season to taste.

Boil the pasta shells for 10 minutes. Drain and refresh in cold water.

Stuff the pasta with the mushroom and squash mixture, using a teaspoon, and place them in the bottom of the baking dish you cooked the squash in.

Make the tomato sauce in another pan.

Heat a further tbsp of olive oil and gently cook the onion and garlic.
Add the passata, sugar, tinned tomatoes, and oregano.
Simmer for 10 minutes (the sauce should be quite thin at this stage). 

Pour the tomato sauce over the stuffed pasta shells (they need to be covered).

Top with the dairy or non-dairy cheese and return to the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomato sauce has thickened and the cheese is golden brown.
Remove from the oven, cover dish with foil and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with garlic bread and/or salad.

Suitable for freezing before baking. Add the cheese topping after defrosting.

Alternatives: You could use pretty much any combination of diced vegetables to stuff the pasta.

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The Big Session Festival 2012 - a review

OK, I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a folky. Now, I know that isn't cool or awesome or sick or whatever the correct term is these days, but I don't care; My name is Lisa and I like folk music! 

I like to think that folk is about to have a bit of a revival, due to the rising popularity of acts such as Ed Sheeran and Frank Turner (or maybe not!), but anyway, since I've come out as a folk music fan, I can now tell you about the Big Session Festival...

We've been going to the Big Session for several years now. It used to be held in Leicester city centre, but has now moved to a new rural site in South Derbyshire. We were a little worried about the change in venue, as we weren't sure how it would change the whole festival atmosphere, but despite the deluge of rain and copious quantities of mud, the Big Session remained true to its former identity.

We arrived at the flat, spacious and very scenic camp site on Friday evening. One major luxury with this festival was that we could drive around the camp site, find a pitch and unload everything before having to drive back to the car park (there was also a toilet block, shower block, stand pipe and elsan point).This was particularly advantageous as it was pouring with rain when we arrived. We pitched the tent in record time, before parking the car and then heading off into the arena. 

There were 3 stages (all under cover), which was just right for the amount of people attending. There was a smattering of the usual festival stalls and food outlets too, but not as many as in previous years (maybe due to the inclement weather which has been ongoing since the hose-pipe ban was announced!). There was one totally vegetarian/vegan food stall, plus plenty of other options such as veggie burgers and crepes at the other stalls; these weren't as varied or adventurous as the food at some larger festivals but more than adequate. 

The festival site had plenty of bins/recycling points, a real ale tent and even flushing toilets with running water in the sinks (as opposed to portaloos and anti-bac foam). There was a large, undercover kids area with art, craft and musical activities, circus skills and more besides. There should have been a climbing wall too, but I guess the rain made it too dangerous to use.

Old favourites Chumbawamba and the Oysterband played on Friday night and were as entertaining and tuneful as usual. We also discovered some new acts over the weekend, who we hadn't heard of before, including Abandoman (Irish hip hop comedy!), Jesca Hoop (the slightly loopy former nanny of Tom Waits' children), Dizraeli and the Small Gods (hip hop/folk fusion) and The Leisure Society folk/pop/rock). 

The only down side to the festival was the weather and the resulting muddiness of the site, but that certainly wouldn't put us off going again. 

I would definitely recommend the Big Session to anyone who wants to try out a small, friendly festival with their kids, before venturing on to a larger one...who knows, if you go, you might even get to like folk music too!

The Big Session Festival takes place at Catton Hall, South Derbyshire. For more information, visit Big Session.

More posts on family festivals, camping recipes, kids' camping food ideas here.  Pin It

Why?

Wendy from Inside the Wendy House has tagged me in this meme about the eternal question "Why?"

When my children were little and going through their inquisitive, cute toddler phase, the question "Why?" was generally met with a nice little explanation. I remember Miss Ony asking me "Why did dinosaurs become extinct?" so I explained how there were different theories, but it was probably because the climate changed in some way, maybe due to a meteorite hitting earth. 
You can see how patient I was back in those days!

Now, the question "Why?" is often met with  a terse "Because I said so!" and generally follows a question about bed time, money, clothes, tidying bedrooms, dying hair or piercing ears! 

There are many why questions I have myself though and here are just a few of them...

• Why do my kids find Disney channel repeats so entertaining?
• Why can't anyone else in my family change a toilet roll?
• Why is there so much sport on TV and why does Mr O have to watch it all?
• Why do my kids text and Facebook their friends instead of talking to them on the phone?
• Why are so many mums obsessed about the size of their ironing pile?
• Why does it rain every time we go camping?
• Why do people buy ready meals/processed foods and then complain how expensive their shopping bills are?
• Why do tall people always sit/stand directly in front of me at the cinema, gigs etc?
• Why do I talk back to the self-serve checkouts at the supermarket?
• Why do people always ask me if I eat fish after I've told them I'm vegetarian?

I could keep going for some time, but why don't you tell me your whys instead?

• What are your whys? Post as few or as many as you like.
• Link up your post to Mummy Central, and it would be great if you could leave a comment too.
• Tag 5 bloggers to keep this going.
• If you’re not a blogger, leave your whys as a comment below. I'd love to read them.
• Show your support by reading a few others and commenting on them.

I'm tagging Aly from Plus 2.4, Clare from The Vegetarian Experience, Mandy from Mummy on the Edge Mrs M from At Home with Mrs M and Mrs Average from Observations of Mrs Average...if you haven't been tagged, please feel free to join in anyway.

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Nachos with Vegetable Salsa

Now this might not sound like much of a recipe, but it's a good way of making a quick snack or light meal out of left-over vegetables and store cupboard ingredients. For a healthier version, use the refried beans and salsa mixture to fill tortilla wraps.

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter/snack

• 1 bag of lightly salted or unsalted tortilla chips
• 1 can of mild refried beans
• 1 carton/jar of mild tomato salsa (around 1 cup)
• 1 small onion , finely diced
• 1-2 bell peppers, finely diced
• A few mushrooms, finely diced
• 1 tsp mild chilli powder
• 100g mozzarella or cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan melting cheese)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/170C Fan/Gas 3
Tip the bag of tortilla chips onto a baking tray.

Using a spoon, dollop the refried beans over the chips - spread out a little if you can without breaking too many of the chips! 

Fry the onion in a drop of olive oil until softened, then add the chilli powder, bell peppers and mushrooms and cook for a further couple of minutes.

Add around 1 cup of salsa to the pan and stir in.
Simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Taste and add more chilli powder if needed.

Pour the salsa mixture over the tortilla chips and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with salad.

Alternatives: If you don't have any refried beans, use a drained tin of baked beans instead and add these to the salsa mixture.

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Time to share - an update

You may remember that almost a month ago, I blogged about Charity called Deki. Well, the great news is that Leontine (the woman who I featured and chose to loan to), has now had her loan fully funded. This will mean that she can start to expand her business, and hopefully make more money to support her family.

If you weren't able to loan any money to Leontine, but feel you would like to contribute to another entrepreneur, you might like to consider Afi, who  makes and sells cakes on a street stall in Togo. Afi is 35 and is married, with two children. With the help of a loan from Deki, she hopes to be able to buy larger quantities of ingredients and eventually expand her business and employ others. 

© Image courtesy of Deki

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Red Pepper & Courgette Salad (vegan)

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This simple pepper and courgette salad is packed full of fresh basil, which gives it a really summery taste. It works well served with barbecued foods and can even be used as a panini filling or served over pasta.

• 1 large courgette (zucchini), thinly sliced 
• 2 red bell or pointed peppers
• 1 tbsp fresh, chopped basil
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted

Heat the grill (broiler) on it's highest setting. 

When hot, place the peppers under the grill and cook for around 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until charred all over. 

Once blackened, remove peppers from the heat and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside. 

Meanwhile heat a large frying pan.

Cut the courgette in half widthways, then slice each half thinly - I used a mandoline slicer.

Fry the courgettes in a little of the olive oil, until softened and lightly browned (you might need to do this in 2 or 3 batches). Once cooked place in a bowl.

Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel away the charred skin; Then cut open the peppers and pull out the core and the seeds.

Slice each pepper into about 8 pieces and place in the bowl with the courgettes.

To make the dressing, finely chop the basil, add the remaining olive oil and the vinegar, mix well and season with black pepper.

Pour over the courgettes and peppers and mix gently to coat.

Toast the pine nuts either under the grill or in a hot, dry pan, until lightly browned and then sprinkle them on top of the salad.

Serve warm or cold.

Alternatives: Use ready-skinned red peppers in brine to save time.
Make into a lasagne filling or pasta sauce by adding a tin of chopped tomatoes and a crushed clove of garlic to the cooked vegetables.

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Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Apologies if you've ever eaten bona fide sloppy Joes...I haven't, so this recipe is a bit of a stab in the dark! I've seen them eaten on various American TV shows, so after a bit of online research I've come up with a vegetarian/vegan version.

This is an economical and low-fat recipe, which you could cook in a slow cooker or even whilst camping.

Serves 4-6

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 cups veggie/vegan mince e.g. Quorn or vegan alternative (vegetarian ground beef-style crumbles)
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• Finely chopped pickled or fresh jalapeños/chilli sauce/cayenne to taste (optional)
• 1 portion home made bbq sauce, or ½ cup shop-bought mild/sweet bbq sauce.
• 4 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 cup boiling water or hot vegetable stock
• Bread rolls/burger buns/pitta breads to serve

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan.

Add the onion, garlic, chilli and pepper and cook gently for 3-5 minutes until softened.

Turn up the heat slightly, stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further minute or so.

Add the veggie mince and mix well.

Pour in the bbq sauce and water/stock.

Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Remove the lid and allow to cook until the sauce has thickened up and most of the water/stock has evaporated.

Serve in warmed bread rolls with oven-baked sweet potato chips (fries) and corn on the cob.

Not suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: Halve the amount of veggie mince and add an extra 1-2 cupfuls of finely diced seasonal vegetables, such as courgette/zucchini, squash, mushrooms, sweetcorn or peppers (and/or some cooked lentils).

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Re-design under way...

I tried to access my blog earlier today and got a warning message, saying 

Warning: Something's Not Right Here!
wedonteatanythingwithaface.blogspot.co.uk contains content from www.shabbyblogs.com, a site known to distribute malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site....We have already notified www.shabbyblogs.com that we found malware on the site. For more about the problems found on www.shabbyblogs.com, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page.

Scary eh? I think I've found the offending Shabby Blogs script and removed it, so everything seems safe again, but obviously my blog doesn't look quite the same as it did! I've challenged Miss Ony and Miss Kahonie to design me a new background and header, which may take a while and might take a few trial runs to see how it looks, so please bear with me until my re-design is complete.

Thanks! Pin It

Vanilla Giant Cupcake

© A cake fit for the Queen (well almost!)

We recently had a Jubilee celebration at work and my contribution was a giant cupcake.. they loved it! This recipe was adapted from my giant chocolate cupcake recipe using the Wilton/Lakeland giant cupcake tin. As I made a Jubilee cake, I decided to colour a third of the mixture blue and a third red (although it turned out pink!) using a little food colouring. 

Serves 20

• 250g/10oz butter/dairy-free spread
• 250g/10oz sugar
• 5 medium eggs
• 250g/12oz SR flour
• 5 tbsp milk/water
• 1 level tsp baking powder

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Pre heat the oven to 160C/150C Fan/Gas 3.Grease the cupcake tin and sprinkle with a little sieved flour.
Cream the butter and sugar and beat in 3 of the eggs.
Add the flour, baking powder, milk, and remaining eggs and mix until just combined.
Spoon half of the mixture into each side of the cupcake pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake has risen and is firm to the touch (in the centre).  If the cake is browning too quickly, turn the oven down by 10C.
Once cooked, leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool fully. Trim a little of the top of the cakes with a sharp knife (once cold) if needed.

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To cover the base in fondant icing

Roll out some fondant icing on a board sprinkled with icing sugar, into an approximately 25cm/10" circle - I use a non-stick pastry mat.
Spread a little of the butter cream (recipe below) onto the base and sides of the cupcake bottom...it doesn't need to look neat!
Place the cupcake base into the centre of the fondant and gently ease the fondant up around the sides and over the top of the cake (there should be enough icing to overlap the top slightly.) Press into each groove of the base with your fingers or the back of a teaspoon.
Top the base with a good dollop of butter cream (and some jam if you want to) before placing the top section on.

Icing the top of the cake
I've found that the butter cream doesn't stick to the cake very well if you pipe it straight on, so I crumb-coat it first (roughly spread a little butter icing all over the top section using a palette knife), and chill the cake for about half an hour, before piping the remaining icing on.
Pipe around the join between the two cakes.
Once iced, decorate with sprinkles etc. while the icing is still soft.

Vanilla Butter Cream/Frosting

• 150g/6oz softened butter/dairy-free spread
• 350g/14oz icing sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-2 tbsp boiling water, if needed

Cream the butter and icing sugar.
Add the vanilla and just enough boiling water, if needed, to make a soft, spreadable butter cream.

Alternatives: The 5 egg mixture I use doesn't quite fill the tin. You can make an even bigger cake in the same tin, by upping the ingredients to 300g/12oz butter/sugar, 350g/14oz flour and 6 eggs. Keep the amount of the remaining ingredients the same.

If fondant icing the base sounds too tricky (I'll admit it did take me two attempts), then just tie a ribbon around, or make a paper cupcake holder to cover the base.
You could also spread the butter icing onto the top of the cake if you aren't confident at piping.

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Barbecue Sauce (Vegan)

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This is my tried and tested bbq sauce recipe, which is great for basting and serving with barbecued veggie burgers, kebabs and sausages.

• 5 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tbsp white wine/cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegan Worcester Sauce (I use Life Worcester Sauce)
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar (optional)
• ½ tsp dried English mustard powder (or use a pinch of cayenne)
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano

Mix the dry ingredients with the vinegar and Worcester sauce. 
Add the ketchup and stir well.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until needed (keeps for 1 week).

Alternatives: Add different herbs and spices if preferred.

Find more bbq recipes here. Pin It

Bearded Theory Festival 2012 - a review

© Essential festival items!

We went to the Bearded Theory festival last year and to be honest, despite the line up, we weren't that impressed with the lack of space in the camping area and the (un)helpfulness of the stewards. This year, we hesitated before booking...partly due to our previous experience and partly due to the cost...and before we reached a firm decision, it was sold out! Amazingly, we were lucky enough to win tickets thanks to a competition I spotted on Festival Kidz, and before we knew it we were packed up and ready to go, hoping we'd be able to find a space to pitch without too many problems.

Thankfully, the organisation was much better this year, although it did feel slightly odd to cart all of our gear across the main arena to get to the camp-site! We trudged right down to the bottom of the camping area and easily found a flat space to pitch in the quiet family area...this was a big improvement on last year's cramped pitch of mole hills, nettles and thistles! Unfortunately it started raining as we arrived, so we had to pitch quickly before our stuff got wet....but such are the joys of camping in the UK.

© Family camping area

Although the weather was pretty cold and dismal for the whole weekend, the mornings were dry enough for me to get out the camp stove and make a cup of tea and a cooked breakfast for us all.

Portaloos and water taps were spaced out well throughout the camping areas and arena and were kept fairly clean (that's if you're used to festival toilets!). There were showers available too (for a fee), but we didn't use them due to the queues.

There was a good range of different genres of music during the festival, from folk and acoustic to dance and rock - so something to suit all the family. The Angel Gardens kids area looked better than last year too, and offered music workshops, craft activities, theatre and puppet shows plus a baby-care area and even two dedicated kids-only toilets! At 11 and 13 years old, my kids felt they were too grown up to go in though.

© Angel Gardens kids area

There was a decent variety of food outlets, including many which provided vegetarian and vegan options. The onsite shop sold essential groceries such as bread, milk and snacks too. Bar prices were reasonable, although most people (us included) chose to bring our own alcoholic drinks, which we were allowed to bring into the main arena area.

We saw some great bands over the weekend including headliners Adam Ant (replacing the Levellers, who were absent due a fiddle-related injury!) and The Damned. Other notable acts that we particularly enjoyed were Ferocious Dog, Terrorvision, Chumbawamba and Mark Chadwick (from the sadly missing Levellers!). We heard Wheatus (of Teenage Dirtbag fame) from outside the Tornado Town big top, as we didn't get there early enough to get a decent spot after decamping and lugging everything back to the car. My only criticism of the festival this year is that Wheatus and Mark Chadwick should have been on the main stage, as both drew large crowds which spilt out of the tent.

© Mud!

We had to leave before Dreadzone - the Sunday night headliners, but of course before we left, we had to take part in the hilarious fake beard record breaking attempt, donning our Poundland stick-on beards and moustaches and looking pretty suave. A beard-wearing baby scooped the prize for best beard and won tickets to next year's festival...aawww!

Bearded Theory Festival takes place at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire. For more information, visit Bearded Theory.

More posts on family festivals, camping recipes, kids' camping food ideas.  Pin It

A trio of salads for Britain's Got Salad

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Here's my own contribution to Britain's Got Salad...a trio of salads, which all just happen to be vegan: 

Mushroom and Coriander Salad

• 250g/10oz chestnut or mixed mushrooms, wiped and sliced
• 1 small onion, diced or sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander/cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil up in a pan and add the mushrooms and onion.
Cook until soft and then the ground coriander. Cook for a further minute, then add the garlic and balsamic vinegar.

Heat until most of the juices have evaporated and then remove from the heat. 

Finally add the fresh coriander and stir through.

Serve warm or cold.

Spicy Store-cupboard Salad

• 100g/4oz tinned sweetcorn, drained (use fresh when in season)
• 100g/4oz roasted sweet red peppers from a jar, diced (or cook your own)
• ½ red onion, diced finely
• 1-2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• Finely chopped pickled jalapeño chilli to taste (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients together and serve!

Lemony Potato and Pepper Salad

• 2 large potatoes, diced into 2-3 cm/1" chunks
• 1 large/2 small sweet potatoes, diced into 2-3 cm/1" chunks
• 2 yellow or orange bell peppers, diced into 2-3 cm/1" chunks
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
• Black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a roasting dish at 200C/Fan 190C/Gas 6.

Par boil the potatoes (not the sweet potatoes) for 5 minutes. Drain.

Add both types of potato to the roasting dish and turn to coat with the oil. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until starting to brown.

Add the diced pepper, lemon zest, black pepper and rosemary to the same dish and turn the potatoes.

Bake for a further 15-20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked and slightly crispy.

Remove from the oven.

Pour the lemon juice over while the dish is still warm and mix gently to coat.

Serve warm or cold.

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Britain's Got Salad!

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I came up with this idea when I was ill and in a slightly delirious state a few weeks ago. I was in lying in bed, dosed up with painkillers and decongestants, listening to the TV with my eyes closed, when a trailer came on for Britain's Got Talent. As my ears were blocked, I misheard it as Britain's Got Salad and I thought that would be a great title for a salad talent show!!

Now, one of my favourite veggie bloggers (Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes) runs a monthly soup and salad challenge, so I don't want to step on her toes. This is therefore a one off event (or maybe an annual one) to celebrate and publicise National Vegetarian Week.

Since starting my blog and reading many others, I've come to realise that there are some fantastic salad ideas about that include an amazingly wide variety ingredients, so I'd like to encourage as many people as possible to get excited about salads!

Unfortunately after ordering a salad in most British pubs and restaurants, you'll be presented with nothing more than a bowl of shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced cucumber, some bullet-hard tomatoes and maybe a few raw onion rings if you're lucky...no dressing, no herbs, no taste! Obviously we have to import many salad ingredients throughout the winter months, but we have fantastic salad ingredients coming into season right NOW.

To enter, just link up your favourite salad recipes (that includes raw and cooked salads, plus dips) or any other salad-related posts (review, news, growing tips etc.). The only proviso is that your post must be related to salad in some way, and any recipes must be vegetarian/vegan or show how they can be adapted for vegetarians. It would be great if you would add my BGS logo to your post too, but it's not compulsory. If you want to add the list of entries to your own blog post, get the InLinkz code here.  If you're not a blogger, feel free to leave your recipes and tips in a comment instead.

So here it is...ladies and gentlemen...BRITAIN'S GOT SALAD; Unfortunately Simon Cowell et al won't be judging your entries and there's no cash prize I'm afraid!

Logo made with
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Have you got time to share with Deki?

Tots 100 have recently launched Time to Share, which aims to raise awareness of smaller charities, publicise volunteering opportunities and of course raise funds, by getting bloggers involved.

I've been paired up with Deki, which is the first UK person-to-person microloans charity; Instead of giving 'aid' they give loans to people from Togo, Malawi, Ghana and Nepal so that they can set up or expand their own businesses and access training and support - this allows people to preserve their dignity, as they are not receiving a hand-out, but a fair loan that needs to be repaid.

How does it work?
Anyone can lend from as little as £10. You can even raise funds as a group (e.g. a work place or school). It's is a very engaging way of giving because you can pick the person you want to support. Also your money goes to that specific person and not to an obscure charity pot.

Before they receive a loan, each applicant goes through a process of basic training and the testing of their business idea - it's in everyone's interest that their idea is solid. All being well, you'll get the money back, when the loan is repaid (although there's no guarantee of this) and you can then reinvest the money to help someone else. 

Watch this animation to find out more:


This You Tube clip shows some of Deki's success stories.

What sort of people need a loan?
Deki's website features many people who have started their own businesses and want to expand them. These include stall holders, food vendors, dress makers and many more besides. People just like you and I, who want to be financially self-sufficient and to provide the best future they can for their families.

It's been a difficult decision to make, but I've chosen one particular person to lend to, and I'm asking you to consider lending to the same person, to try and make a difference together. I've decided to support someone who despite living in very different circumstances to me, has a lot in common with me.
Leontine lives in Lome, Togo. She's the same age as me and like me, is married with two children. She sounds like a bit of a foodie,  as she used to be a fruit retailer but now has a little stall selling rice, yams and cooked food. She's asking for a loan of £390 so that she can buy stocks of oil, beans, rice and yams to grow her business. Leontine wants to provide her children with a good education and maybe one day have her own home.

If you have the Time to Share, please join me in raising money for Leontine's loan, by sharing this post and visiting her page on Deki's website.

Thankyou.

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How to make your own vegetarian chorizo

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I have an admission to make...I've never eaten real chorizo sausages, so my humble attempt at a recipe for vegetarian version of chorizo may be way off. However, it's worth having a go at making them, as they taste good whether they're realistic or not! I've looked at loads of  meaty recipes and I've come up with a combination based on those flavours added to my basic shami kebab recipe.

Makes 8 sausages

• 1 ½ cups vegetarian mince (vegetarian ground-beef style crumbles), defrosted if frozen
• 1 ½ cups fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 1 large onion, finely chopped or grated
• 1 small or medium egg
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 heaped tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp sweet/mild paprika 
• 1 tsp chilli paste/1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
• ½ tsp ground fennel seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Black pepper to season
• 1 tbsp tomato purée 
• 2 tbsp wine/cider vinegar

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan.

Add the onion and cook on a medium heat until soft, but not brown.
Add the garlic, herbs and spices and cook for a further minute

Stir in the tomato purée and vinegar and heat through.

Remove from the heat.

Place the veggie mince and breadcrumbs in a bowl and mix to combine, breaking up any lumps of veggie mince. 

Add the onion and spice mixture and stir together (or blend in a food processor for a smoother texture -  I did this the second time I made them, and found that they stuck together a little better).

Finally add the egg and mix/blend until combined to make a firm but moist mixture, adding more breadcrumbs if needed.

Place in the fridge and allow to firm up for 30 minutes.
Shape into 8 sausages or 16 meatballs, and fry on a low-medium heat for 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Alternatively, brush with oil and bake in the oven at 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 for around 15 minutes, or grill/broil/bbq.

Eat hot or cold.
Suitable for freezing.

Alternatives: For a vegan version, replace the egg with a suitable binder.
For a Mexican-style vegetarian chorizo sausage, swap the ground fennel and smoked paprika for ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and 1-2 tsp ground cumin. 

Find loads more veggie recipes celebrating National Vegetarian week, over at Tinned Tomatoes.

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