Recipe: Mushroom and lentil loaf

For nearly 10 years now, I have brought a version of this loaf along to our family Christmas lunch. I'm very lucky that my family makes many of the festive sides vegan-friendly, but if I want something substantial to eat, I need to bring it along. For awhile, one of my cousins was vegetarian, so I became the default supplier of the main part of the meal for the 'picky eaters'. I don't mind, and over the years, people have started to ask for portions of the loaf too - no more serving myself a slice then putting it away to save room on the table, no sirree!

I posted a couple of my practice meals online in the lead up to Christmas, and had quite a few questions so I thought I better finally type up the recipe. It started from a long ago recipe I found online, but I have since tweaked what I do so much, it wouldn't be recognisable in any way to the original.

It's delicious, scales well, is very flexible and forgiving, and best of all, can be made ahead and then just popped in the oven on the day. Winning! I often make multiple at the same time because if I'm going to do one, I might as well make a few, and who doesn't like to share food right?

The original recipe called for a specific ratio of cooked brown rice and cooked French lentils. I have since simplified that for myself by mixing equal amounts of the uncooked and rinsed grain/pulse in the rice cooker and then using the amount I need once cooked. I think it tastes equally good this way and makes my life easier too.

Mushroom and lentil loaf
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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (any will do, I tend to use button as they're so readily available)
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1/2 cup carrot, finely diced
• salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 3/4 cup cooked brown rice/lentil mix
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce (Coles brand is vegan for Australia)
• 1/4 teaspoon mustard
• fresh parsley, finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 3/4 cup breadcrumbs (mine was made from the stale crusts of my sourdough loaves)  

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C degrees. Line a small loaf tin with baking paper and set aside. 
2. In a small bowl, combine the tomato paste, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, molasses, liquid smoke, and about 1/3 of the minced garlic. Set aside.
3. In a fry pan over medium heat, add some olive oil and 1/2 cup onions. Sauté 5 minutes, then add the mushrooms, and sauté for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add a little more olive oil to the pan, and sauté celery, carrot, the remainder of the garlic, salt and pepper over low heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. In a food processor, pulse rice and lentils until they combine nicely but are not complete mush (about 10 times), then transfer to a large bowl. Again in the food processor, pulse cooked vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, remaining soy sauce, mustard, parsley, cornflour, and 1/3 of the tomato mix about 10 times, then add vegetable mixture to rice and lentils. Fold in reserved sautéed onions and mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and the 1/2 cup raw chopped onion. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.
5. Assembly time! Press half the mixture into the loaf pan and spread with half of the tomato topping. Add the rest of the mixture into the pan and press it down (wet hands help) and coat with the remainder of the tomato topping. Cover with foil. At this point you can stop, and put it in the fridge to be cooked later. If you do this, let it come to room temperature first. 
6. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes covered, then 15 minutes uncovered until the top is browned. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 20 minutes before serving. 

Notes/Variations

• This is one of my favourite dishes and always makes me think of Christmas. Served hot from the oven and cold as leftovers for lunch, both ways are delicious. When I can't face eating it anymore, I freeze individual slices ready to pull out for making sandwiches or quick meals when needed.

• It's very forgiving - you can add more carrot and celery or change the ratio of rice/lentils if you prefer. Sometimes I've been lazy and just mashed with a fork instead of getting out the food processor and that works well too.
• It's great if you happen to have gravy (everything is amazing with gravy!) but it doesn't really need it.
• You could leave out the Worcestershire sauce if you wanted, and maybe add a bit more soy sauce instead.

What's in my kitchen, April 2016

Well that's the first quarter of the year done. I heard on the radio recently that this has been the hottest Autumn for some time... a good 5C degrees higher than the average anyway. I'm quite enjoying it - I can still wear sandals and skirts to work, and I can get away without a jacket at the moment. It also reflects in the foods I'm eating, plenty of light meals and things I can pick at. There's time for hearty filling foods soon enough.

I hope everyone had a good Easter, however you celebrate it. This year for the first time in a decade or so, we stayed home instead of taking our annual Easter long weekend away at the beach as my parents were overseas attending a wedding. We spent our days sleeping, eating, and playing so that we could do more eating. It was lovely to have the time off - cocooned away from work and stress and instead surrounded by food, friends and family - that's what holidays are about for me!

In my kitchen is...

 

A bottle of liquid smoke. I saw it at a jerky stand (I know, I know) at my local farmers markets. The stallholder offered me a sniff and I had to have it.

Vegan and made locally, I love the added smokiness this adds into my cooking. I use it in so many dishes - chilli, stews, soups, even as a seasoning in my marinades. It's particularly delightful with tofu or eggplants as they seem to soak up the flavour. A little goes a long way, and this little bottle will last for ages.

In my kitchen is...

My attempts at Celia's stuffed focaccia. I made a sundried tomato, artichoke and asparagus version for me.

 

Mr Fork had a ham and cheese version, with extra cheese sprinkled on the top at his request. So easy, so yummy, thank you Celia for adding to my baking repertoire. I have already made this several times since, and it's been a hit each time.

 

In my kitchen is...

Refried beans. Oh how I love Mexican food, and beans in particular. They're my comfort food. They are so simple to whip up and make a yummy addition to our regular make-your-own-burrito night. There's some of the liquid smoke in these beans too.

 Any leftovers from our Mexican night, I used to make a lasagne. I made a bolognaise sauce (tomato and lentil base) and then I chucked all the leftover burrito fillings in too - the beans, some corn, baby spinach, broccoli, salsa, I think there was even a handful of rice etc. Here's an in progress shot to show just how ad hoc my fillings were!

 

Then I layered that into a baking dish with lasagne sheets. I used my traditional layer of hummus on the top and it turned out delicious. Both my kids gobbled it up!

In my kitchen is...

Frozen vegan pizzas, again from a local business. Although I told Ellie we were having that for dinner one night, and she shot me such a look of disappointment when she realised there was nothing Elsa or Anna about the dinner.

There was an error in the package printing so they were having a sale on pizzas that were perfectly fine just not packaged correctly. I snapped up a couple to keep in the freezer for nights I just don't feel like cooking. Win!

In my kitchen is...

A winter melon. At least I think I translated that right. Usually we just call it gua which is a bit of a ubiquitous Cantonese word for melon. Regardless, its a bit of a nom de plume as it's not even grown in winter, but in summer. It doesn't really have a taste, but like choko, it absorbs the flavours of what it's cooked with. Although it can be used in stir fry, I'm most used to seeing it included in soup or stew dishes which is how this one will end up.

This specimen was given to me by the mother of one of my friends, who in turn was gifted several of them herself. I took the smallest one, but it's totally not small at all - see the 20c piece for size reference! Soup for days!

 

In my kitchen is...

A single rose, grown by my aunt and displayed proudly in a coke glass proudly selected by Ellie because it matched the flower. Somehow, flowers grown at home smell much nicer than anything a florist can provide, and this one perfumed my kitchen for days, not to mention bringing a smile to my face every time I saw it!

I am linking this post in with Maureen, the orgasmic chef, host of the monthly In My Kitchen event.

What's in your kitchen this month?

What's in my kitchen, November 2015

Wow, it's November. The year is just that much closer to being over soon. Christmas is coming, the weather is heating up and it's starting to feel very much like Summer! If things continue the way they are, it's going to be a very hot, stormy season I think. Which will probably do fabulous things for the garden, but probably won't be as appealing for human (and animal) comfort levels. Already it's getting to be difficult to sleep - although possibly I could write this off to the fact that Jimmy likes to sleep curled up close to my head, with one of his fat little hands touching my face. If I dare to move away, he wakes, so I've had to get used to sleeping next to a warm babe for now.

October was a busy month, with my mother's group in full on baby birthday season, so weekends were busy attending parties (and throwing our own). This is the part of the year where we get busy with celebrations and parties as the lead up to Christmas gets earlier and earlier... in fact, my work Christmas party falls in the middle of November this year! Crazy, but at least it's a great season for fresh foods, gorgeous stone fruits and lots of festivities and catching up with people.

In my kitchen is...

Nuttelex made with coconut oil. I saw this while grocery shopping and had to get it. I'm a sucker for trying things that are a little bit different from the items I usually have at home. I was impressed with the absence of palm oil and the fact that a donation would be made to the Orangutan Foundation. It is smaller than my regular spread, and not really much of a change in flavour. Further research also suggests that it is just rebranded Sunburst spread (no advertising that fact anywhere on the package though!), so I probably won't purchase it again unless it was on sale.

 

In my kitchen is...

 

Another birthday cake. This time, it was for Jimmy, who turned one. I have a one year old! Gosh, it doesn't feel like a whole year, but to be fair, I have been in a bit of a sleep deprived fog. I kept it very simple for his cake. A plain chocolate cake (not vegan as it had our eggs and some milk in) and a chocolate 'butter'cream icing made with nuttelex (I forgot to buy proper butter but it still worked out). As the party was on Halloween weekend, I kept decorations simple with some coloured fondant cutouts on top and around the sides.

Easy to make, and I'm told, delicious. It certainly looked lovely, moist and cake-y inside.

In my kitchen is...
 

Ninja Vegan jelly from Aldi. Ninja Vegan is the term I use when something is sneakily vegan. I'm always super chuffed when that something is a food I would usually expect to contain animal bits.

I haven't had jelly in years due to gelatine, but when I was looking for something for Jimmy to snack on that I could easily pack into a bag for his carers when I don't have time to make my own jelly. I found these. They come in three flavours (there is also a strawberry version) and they are all thoughtfully labelled suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Yay!

In my kitchen is...

Fairy bread! I haven't had fairy bread in so long, but with it being Jimmy's first birthday party and our guests ranging from the not-even-at-solids stage through to the young at heart, I figured you couldn't go wrong with sprinkles on bread. It was store bought white bread at Mr Fork's insistence, as he said my sourdough was too gourmet for fairy bread. I was happy to indulge him, but I did use nuttelex instead so that the dairy allergy attendees could also indulge. It was a party hit, although I was criticised for being too stingy with the sprinkles.

 

In my kitchen is...
 

Halloween cupcakes. Well, if I'm going to be honest, there isn't anything really specifically Halloween-ish about these, except for the fact that they're in pumpkin cases with a little pumpkin toothpick in them. In fact, they're the recipe for my coconut bread baked in cupcake form. Quite a few of my friends have food intolerances, so these cater for the soy, dairy and egg free people.

 

In my kitchen is...
 

Lollypop spiders. A quirky little addition to the goodie bags at Jimmy's party. So easy and fun to make with Ellie as well. Take a lollypop, bend pipecleaners around to look like spider legs and then hot glue on some googly eyes. They turned out really well and were a bit of a hit. Also included in the bags was a box of Peppa Pig sultanas (I'd hoped the merchandise would encourage them to eat it!), a bottle of bubble mix, a chocolate pumpkin and a Halloween themed chocolate coin.

In my kitchen is...

 

Tomatoes from a friend's garden. Her plants got a pest infestation and had to go, but she harvested what she could first, and was kind enough to share some with me. Let me tell you, there is nothing like home grown tomatoes. Just look at the gorgeous colours on them (my favourite is that little one at the front that is almost a bit pink). Yes, they taste as good as they look too!

I am linking this post in with Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial's monthly In My Kitchen event. Go have a peek through other kitchens around the globe!

What's in your kitchen this month?

What's in my kitchen, August 2015

August! How is it August already? August is an emotional month for me - it's the month that my maternity leave finishes and I return to work, albeit on a part time basis. I'm not going to lie, it's hard, and I haven't even started yet! Jimmy will be staying with Mr Fork's parents until a space opens up at the same daycare Ellie goes to (despite having his name down since I was thirteen week pregnant, spots are premium!). I know he will be well loved and spoilt while he is there. It's me who has to re-learn how to be a whole person without him, while he is learning that he is a separate person from me. I don't know who has it harder. Anyway, when I am emotional, I like to eat, so there's a fair bit of that happening in my kitchen... I've been very good though, and much of it has been frozen for when I'm back at work.

In my kitchen is...

Lindt Dark Chocolate with a touch of sea salt. I love salty chocolate, so when I saw these on sale at Coles for half price recently, I snapped up a couple of blocks. They're perfect for a snack after dinner, a single square is rich and satisfying and since no one else in my house likes dark chocolate, I don't have to share. It does have milk fat in, so it is not vegan friendly, but it must be quite a low amount as it doesn't give me any trouble to eat it and I'm quite sensitive to dairy.

In my kitchen is...

A selection of Frico cheeses. Having just said how sensitive to dairy I am, I am not personally eating any of these, especially because they have rennet of an indeterminate source in. However Mr Fork and Ellie have been enjoying them, and even Jimmy decided he would nibble a little sliver or two. Mr Fork has been making delicious looking oozy toasted cheese sandwiches with the smoked cheese, and some of the gouda even found its way onto home made pizzas. The rest are earmarked for a cheese and wine night that we will be attending soon...

In my kitchen is...

Lactation cookies, made with a new recipe I'm testing out. I like these ones - they're vegan, double dark chocolate chips and nuts. I made them as I figured they'd be a tasty snack while I'm at work, and can only help since I have to provide milk for Jimmy while I'm not looking after him. He still won't take a bottle - we've been working on a sippy cup, but it's not going well. Failing all else, I will cook with it or ask his grandmother to stir it into his food. He will be fine, and will likely compensate by feeding more overnight on my working days.

In my kitchen is...

Non dairy yoghurt cultures. I've tried making non dairy yoghurt previously, but I've not had much success. I'm determined to get it right though, especially because I can't really find a commercial one at a price point I'm happy to constantly pay. I saw this packet of non dairy culture and I thought I'd give it a try. Apparently this tiny 10g packet contains enough culture to make 100L of yoghurt... but since there are no measurements for how much to use, I'm not sure how accurate that is. Since it is best before January 2016, I'm also not sure that I could even eat 100L of yoghurt by then, although apparently it will keep longer in the freezer. 

I have the Easiyo yoghurt system, so I set it up with 1 litre of warmed soy milk, a tablespoon of sugar and a scraping of culture as directed. Maybe it's my yoghurt fails continuing or perhaps not, but when I checked the progress 12 hours later, it will still completely liquid. I re-shook the mixture, added more hot water and left it to culture another 12 hours. The second time I checked it, it had thickened, but still had a way to go. I shook it a third time and put hot water in again. 36 hours after I started the process, I gave up and called it done.

I'm not sure the first batch was a success. It has been cold over night so that could be affecting the end product, but I'm a little disheartened. It was slightly thickened, but still quite watery and very beany tasting. I added some maple syrup and some fresh passionfruit to a small bowl and it was... passable. This batch may be best used for baking and overnight oats I think. 

Does anyone have any yoghurt making tips?

In my kitchen is...

Passionfruits from my vine. I am finally getting some regular fruit off the vine, and I was so proud of these first ones that I left them to sit on the bench while I admired them and they wrinkled. Oops! They still tasted nice though. They are lovely and sweet, juicy and full of seeds. I don't have enough to repeat my passionfruit jam exercise, but I get a handful each week, so I've been eating them fresh or just served atop porridge in the mornings... perhaps in yoghurt if I can get my system working!

I am linking this post in with Fig Jam and Lime Cordial's monthly In My Kitchen event. Go have a peek through other kitchens around the globe!

What's in your kitchen this month?

Recipe: Parsley Pesto

My garden is overrun with a prolifically producing parsley plant (try saying that three times quickly!). Much as I love parsley, adding it to sauces, stews and other meals as a seasoning just wasn't cutting down on the supply as quickly as I'd hoped. I thought about making a tabbouleh salad, but when I checked the meal plan and saw we were having pasta that night, the idea of a parsley pesto was born.

It's not a very traditional pesto - I didn't have any nuts to add to it, so I substituted tahini. I also left out the cheese, choosing instead to use nutritional yeast. Despite all of that, or perhaps in spite of the changes, it was a delicious concoction, tasting fresh and green and yummy. It made way more pesto than I needed for pasta (I filled a 250g jar), so I've also been eating it in sandwiches and dolloped on top of pizza.

Parsley Pesto
printable link

Ingredients:

• 2 cups parsley leaves
• 1 tblsp tahini
• 2 tblsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves peeled garlic
• tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• juice from 1/2 a lemon (or to taste)

Method:

1. Place everything in a processor and process until desired consistency.

Notes:

• This will keep very nicely in the fridge for some time (although I don't think it will last long at the rate it's being eaten!)
• I hate waste, so I froze the parsley stems for use in a soup or stew or to make stock

Do you have a favourite, non traditional, type of pesto?

Recipe: Spicy papaya salad

To be honest, it's a bit cheeky to call this a recipe since it really is just throwing a whole bunch of things into a bowl and letting the flavours combine. I got so many comments about it when I served it at a dinner recently though, that I thought I better document it anyway! It's so colourful and delicious, and the spicy chilli dressing makes it a good winter option.

It reminds me of being in Thailand, where I ate so much of this salad - but every time I ordered it, I had to specify: extra chilli, no fish sauce, no shrimp, no meat, more peanuts please! With my version, at least I know there is nothing in it I wouldn't eat!

I started off wanting to make a green papaya salad, however, when I cut open my green-on-the-outside papaya, it was not so green anymore, but I decided to go with it anyway! It's a very flexible salad, I've given you the quantities I used, but feel free to change it up to your own tastes and add or remove things as you want (as I mentioned, the traditional version would include shrimp and fish sauce too).

Spicy Papaya Salad
printable link

Ingredients:

• 1 green papaya, grated (yield, about 2 cups)
• handful green beans, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 large carrot, grates (about 1/4 cup)
• punnet of cherry tomatoes, sliced into halves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small red chilli, minced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp raw sugar
• salt to taste
• Optional: roasted peanuts, finely sliced lettuce

Method:

1. In a mortar and pestle, mix together the chilli and garlic before adding the lime juice, sugar and salt.
2. In a large bowl, add the papaya, carrot, beans and cherry tomatoes. 
3. Pour the garlic/chilli mixture over the top, and mix everything together. Cover tightly (so the smell of garlic doesn't permeate the fridge) and let it sit in the fridge while the flavours marinate.
4. To serve, dish up and sprinkle with the peanuts.

Notes:

• I had intended to mix lettuce into my salad but I completely forgot to add it. I don't think it lacked anything, but it would totally work in there too for a bit of extra crunch.
• You could also substitute the lettuce for cabbage instead.
• The dressing is quite spicy, but I like a little heat. You could easily leave the chilli out, or serve them at the end sprinkled on top as well.

I served it alongside burgers, to add some vegetables into a carb filled meal. It was a perfect accompaniment!

I have submitted this salad to the July 2015 No Croutons Required

Do you eat salads in winter?

Review: Hello Fresh food box

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed a couple of rather delicious looking meals popping up over the last week or so.

A friend of mine gifted me a free Hello Fresh food box to try. I wasn't really sure that I would use a box, but I think we all know how frugal I like to be so I'm not one to turn down a free sample. Also, we were going on holidays and the delivery day for our area was scheduled for the day we'd come back and I thought, "sweet, that will save me rushing around doing grocery shopping". I was also won over when I saw there was a vegetarian box available, which is a one-up over a lot of those other food delivery box companies.

I received the Vegetarian box, which was 3 meals for 2 people and usually costs $74 delivered.

At first, I thought well that's pretty expensive, but then I got the box and saw the quality of the ingredients and the attention that goes into each recipe. Also, each meal really made about 4 servings,  so that meant that there was enough for dinner, leftovers for lunch the next day and a little bit extra as well.

The ingredients were fresh, high quality and delicious, and all the cold things were delivered in their own little insulted box with a cool pack.

If I was to cook the meals and buy the ingredients myself, it would probably cost about the same. Although, if I'm honest, it'd probably cost a bit less because this is a vegetarian box, not a vegan one, so I'd leave out the eggs and cut down on a lot of the dairy by using alternatives. However, I'm really pleased to point out that all the cheese in the box are rennet free. There is no gelatine or other nasties in the yoghurt and although I don't eat them, the eggs are from free range hens.

I used the cheeses and yoghurts in the recipes, but elected to leave out or replace the eggs as appropriate. I'll include Mr Fork's opinions in the review, but my husband is a die hard carnivore so he pretty much just sampled the bare minimum of each dish and ate a separate meaty meal.

Okay lets get into it!

Meal one - Superfood Quesadilla with Spicy Salsa

Did I follow the recipe? Pretty much yes, except I omitted the fried egg from the top
Were there any leftover ingredients? I was left with half a block of cheddar cheese and half  packet of cumin
Anything missing? No
How many servings did it make? Closer to 3 than 2
Rating out of 10? 8. Mainly because although I love chilli, for most people one large whole sliced chilli in a punnet of tomato is totally overwhelming.
Did my family eat it? I liked the whole dish. Ellie said the salsa was too spicy but asked for quesadilla seconds. Mr Fork turned up his nose at the whole thing but asked if I could use the leftover cheddar and some of the feta to make him a plain cheese quesadilla with some wraps I had in the freezer. He loved that one so I'll call it a win.

Meal two - Pumpkin and Potato Frittata with Ricotta

Did I follow the recipe? Instead of moo milk and butter, I used soy milk and nuttelex. Instead of the eggs, I used some chickpea flour. So if I'm honest... er, no I didn't follow the recipe
Were there any leftover ingredients? No
Anything missing? No
How many servings did it make? Probably closer to 3
Rating out of 10? 5. I don't think this one adapts well to being vegan
Notes? I don't really consider this a whole meal. It was more of a side dish for me, and so I served it along side a salad and some extra vegetables - corn and broccolini
Did my family eat it? I didn't really like it. Perhaps if I'd made it the way it was written it would have been more of a hit. Strangely, Mr Fork liked this one. Ellie was ambivalent even though I smothered hers with ricotta.

Meal three - Lentil and Cauliflower Dahling

Did I follow the recipe? Yes! Pleased to report, no changes at all
Were there any leftover ingredients? Yes, I had leftover curry powder and vegetable stock powder
Anything missing? No
How many servings did it make? About 2.5
Rating out of 10? 9
Notes? I love dahl so I was really looking forward to this dish. It was really tasty, but I think it could have benefitted from being served with either some rice or some naan on the side
Did my family eat it? I really liked this dish. Ellie ate some of it, but asked for something else to eat after. Mr Fork had a tiny spoonful and declared it 'ok'

Summary

• I felt very Jamie Oliver as I was writing this review, making notes about cooking times and ingredients the like.  While I didn't use all of the ingredients sent or indeed, even cook all of the meals as they were intended, I think the box is pretty good, especially for those weeks where you are time poor (new mum present perhaps!). Meals were generally cooked in the time stated, and as I've mentioned, I got more servings than 2 from each one.
• I am rather pleased that for a vegetarian box, some thought has gone into the 'iffy' sort of ingredients. Cheeses are rennet free. Eggs are free range. Yoghurt has no gelatine. I'm not sure if this is across the board always or just for the box I got, but I was impressed.
• The food miles of things concerns me. Although I am in Brisbane, my punnet of cherry tomatoes was from a Victorian grower. Some of the items (cumin, curry powder, rice etc) are pre-measured out into little packets, so I have no idea where they are sourced. I'm not sure about fresh grown produce such as kale, beans or lemons either although it does say Australian produced, just not where. I understand that Hello Fresh is a national company, so it may be difficult to cater on a state by state basis.
• After all that, I also have a random packet of arborio rice which wasn't mentioned in any of the recipes and didn't really make sense to add to any... so I'm not sure what that was for. I have small amounts of other ingredients left (stock powder, spices, garlic) but those are staples in my pantry so they'll be absorbed easily into other recipes.
• I admire that the company is trying to be environmentally friendly and suggests leaving the styrofoam cooler box out for pick up and reuse at the next delivery, and promotes recycling/upcycling of the paper box the order comes in.

If you'd like to give Hello Fresh a go as well, I've got a Mate's Rate discount code to share. You get $35.00 discount off your first order if you use the code MPZM99

If you do give them a go, let me know what you think!

Have you ever used a food delivery box service? What were your thoughts?

Review: Morlife

Sometimes, it's close to dinner time and I just cannot be bothered. Despite meal planning, despite having a hungry family to feed (why must they eat all the time!?), I just can't drag myself into the kitchen to make a well thought out and nutritious meal. Mr Fork sometimes manages to talk me into getting a takeaway, but I'll sit there eating it resentfully (yet also gratefully), thinking about how I could cook something just as good for a fraction of the cost.

When I was introduced to the nutrition brand Morlife, it seemed like an ideal solution. The products that they offer are fairly nutritious, free from lots of fillers and weird number ingredients, and have a list of ingredients that I can understand.

I have a variety of products to work my way through, but the one that tickled my tastebud fancy right away was the Mediterranean Tomato and Herb Quinoa Risotto.

It was easy to prepare, with an option of stovetop or microwave cooking. Being super lazy, I opted for the microwave route, and 15 minutes later (20 on a stove top), it was done. It would have been delicious by itself, but I opted to serve it alongside some roasted eggplant from the garden and some steamed sweet potato. There was enough for two generous serves and I ate the second serving for lunch the next day (Ellie had declared she didn't like it, and it was so tasty I wasn't going to force her to eat it - bahaha).

I think this brand is going to reoccur on my lazy dinner nights now that I've tested it out.

Note that after I'd made it and started eating, I did discover that there is milk powder in the quinoa, so although it is vegetarian, it is not vegan. I didn't get a belly ache after, so I don't think the lactose is overly strong.

What is your lazy dinner go-to meal?

What's in my kitchen, February 2015

Here we are in February already. It feels like January went by in a flash. That's 1/12 of the year gone already, just like that. Although I imagine all those mothers who are sending children off to school think the month just crawled by. It's all about perspective I suppose!

In my kitchen is...

A simple spinach pie. I finally decided what I was going to do with all the spinach I preserved and it worked out beautifully. No layers of fiddly filo pastry to deal with, and an end result that was delicious, tasty and toddler approved. Also much healthier than the traditional spinach pie version as the cheese and oil is reduced and it's bulked out a little more with some rice. Definitely something I'll be making again!

In my kitchen is...

Hand cut, twice baked potato chips. These were amazing. I made them on a whim one night, and Mr Fork and Ellie have requested them again at least twice since. They take a bit more time than store bought chips to make but the effort is really quite minimal and the result so much tastier.

Simply bake whole potatoes which have been washed and pricked with a fork on a bed of rock salt. Bake 20 minutes then turn over and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool slightly then cut into chips. Season with salt and olive oil and then bake on baking paper for another 20 minutes until golden and crispy. Devour.

In my kitchen is...

Mushroom and pumpkin risotto. Another quick and easy meal, this one was invented because I didn't have any decent stock to hand. I did however have a burning desire to clear space in the freezer, and some frozen pumpkin soup which I had made with decent stock. I simply substituted the pumpkin soup for stock in the recipe, and watered it down to ensure that I had enough, and the flavour wasn't too concentrated and soupy. I threw in some mushrooms and ended up with a delicious and flavoursome risotto that had Ellie asking for seconds!

In my kitchen is...

A collection of Pukka teas, which I am working my way through. Although it says detox on the box, it's a delicious mix of cardamom, aniseed and fennel which I'm not using as a detox but more of a tasty alternative to the copious amounts of water I drink in order to keep up with my nursling's requirements. I find having a cup of tea is a lovely excuse to make some time to sit down, put my feet up and take time out of my day to relax for a few minutes.

In my kitchen is...

Two chill factor squeeze and flip jelly makers. These were given to Ellie as she just loves jelly, however, I find them annoying. You have to store a large part of the device in the freezer and then make the jelly, put it in the device and sit there squeezing the thing for 3-4 minutes. Then you flip it and leave it to sit for another minute or so before it's ready. So, that's still a good 5 minutes of preparation time before it can be consumed... which it practically a lifetime in toddler minutes. Frankly it would be easier to make the jelly as per normal and refrigerate overnight in small portions. I predict these will not actually last long in my kitchen as I don't have space to leave for fad gadgets at all. I just need to sneak them out when Ellie's watchful eye is distracted elsewhere!

PS: Not actually in my kitchen, but kitchen related. I had one of those moments recently, where I wondered if I've been doing it wrong and no one has told me. Like when I'd only seen the word canapé written before and never heard it spoken so I pronounced it as "ca-nape" instead of "can-a-pay" (that was embarrassing). So... tell me... is it lasagnA or lasagnE?

I am linking this post in with Fig Jam and Lime Cordial's monthly In My Kitchen event. Go have a peek through other kitchens around the globe!

What's in your kitchen this month?