* Vegetable Macaroni Cheese Bake {Meatless Mondays}

Just recently I tried the 5:2 fasting diet, where I could eat normally (hah...) for five days and only eat 500 calories for two days... in each week. My brain took it upon itself to totally ignore the word "normally" and proceeded to use my hands to stuff my face with anything that wasn't nailed down and was even vaguely edible... on the five days, and then it cried itself to sleep on the two days.

My bum and my brain are in cahoots, apparently they both want to be bigger and one is aiding the other. This is not a good thing.

So... having grounded my brain and forbidden it to associate with my bum... I've joined Weight Watchers... again. Fourth time might be the charm... might. I've already lost 5.5lbs in one week, but this could just be the whole "This is new and we're making an effort this week" thing that I do. I know I do this. It's a personality defect that I have grown to accept, if not love.

This Vegetable and Macaroni Cheese Bake is one of my better efforts at cutting out the cr@p and adding in loads of veggies. It is adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe, but I've opted to use butter and flour to thicken the sauce, rather than cornflour. Butter adds a smidgen of flavour that makes me feel like I'm not depriving myself. I also use my microwave in this recipe - but you can go all *holier than thou* if you choose and soften your veggies in a more traditional manner. This way worked for me.

It was a hugely filling meal and even if I don't stick to Weight Watchers, I will definitely be making it again. It was great straight from the pan, scattered with cheese, and just as nice baked in the oven for a few minutes.

Of course, I saved a few Weight Watchers pro-points for rather a large glass of wine to go with it. Made my brain very happy... if not my bum.

* Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup {Meatless Mondays} + "Eggs" Winner

I have another new favourite soup, and it's this one. This Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup is getting it's own bank account, it's so good.

Really. Even Neil enjoyed it, and he doesn't like broccoli.

I probably wouldn't have offered him a bowl of it, if he hadn't asked what smelled so good when it was bubbling away on the stove. When I told him what it was, he said he wouldn't mind trying some.

So when it was cooked, I pushed the spoon into his face with a whole "Choo-choo here comes the food train." pantomime, to which he responded with "Please don't ever do that again." and "I'll eat that." A huuuuuuge compliment from my man of few words.

Neither of us are fans of soups that use flour as a thickener (though I do make them), so I used a carrot to thicken this soup, and to add a slightly golden colour - which makes this a gluten free soup. Also, this recipe uses the whole broccoli - both florets and stems.

I'm now trying to think of more ways to get him to eat broccoli because I love it, and it's far easier to cook one meal for both of us than two separate ones. Though this doesn't happen too often because although he's a man of simple tastes - Neil will try virtually anything (that isn't a flapjack), that I put in front of him.

It's that or starve.

Now it's time to announce the winner of the Michel Roux "Eggs" Cook Book Give Away from last Monday.... drum roll please...

and... the winner iiiiiiissssss.....

Katrina Pearce (comment number 2) - congratulation Katrina, your book is on it's way!

Thanks to everyone who entered xx

* Red Pepper Frittata + Michel Roux Cook Book Give Away! {Meatless Mondays}

I have a beautiful brand new hard back copy of Michel Roux's Cook Book - Eggs, to give away to one lucky reader. And by beautiful... I mean.... beeeeeeautiful - the recipes and photographs are to die for.

Of course, because I have a book on eggs to give away, I could hardly post a recipe for something that did not have at least one egg in it.

This Red Pepper Frittata has six. Six whole eggs. I was very tempted to use eight and that was in fact "The plan". But you should all know by now that me and plans... we don't get along too well. I only had six eggs, so an eight egg frittata was gonna be a bust unless I went to the shops. I wasn't getting the car out for  two eggs. I had wine, or I could have gone for wine and inadvertently purchased eggs as well, and maybe some chocolate.

I would have made an omelet but this is one dish (among many) whose perfection defeats me. I like omelettes a little soft in the middle, but I'm never sure if I want to fold it, or have it flat like a frittata and half way through deciding I end up with scrambled. If you want to know How To Make an Omelette... click on the link I've just given you!

Back to THE GIVE AWAY... dun, dun, duuunnnnnnnn....

Just answer me this and you’re entered to win:

What popular kids TV show theme music started with the words... "Up above the streets and houses..."

(Not related to the cookbook at all, I know.... if you don't know the answer just say "Captain Caveman, who cares, just give me the book!" or whatever else you fancy (keep it clean though), to be in with a chance of winning.)

You can also follow me here, here, here, here and here and come let me know in individual comments below.

This giveaway is limited to UK residents only and is sponsored by Media Agency London.

I'll be picking the winner at random and announcing them on November 25th.

Good Luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

* Sweet Potato and Caramelised Onion Quiche {Meatless Mondays}

I know I keep saying that I'm surprised when a recipe works, but I genuinely am. This Sweet Potato and Caramelised Onion Quiche was an experiment because I used my favourite Parmesan and polenta pastry with it. I thought I might have gone for overkill with the flavour combinations and ended up with a dish that was all over the shot.

Happily I was wrong.

I made the quiche to take to mum's on Sunday as my brother and his clan were donning their life jackets and coming to Cornwall to visit. So.... an "occasion" was at hand. An "occasion" always requires copious amounts of food in my family, so you're guaranteed to have at least one individual who likes what you've put in front of them.

Both Neil and my brother, demolished my quiche. I've no idea if Josh ate any. Josh is a Ninja at family gatherings. He appears from nowhere with a plate. The plate is suddenly full to brimming. Then both Josh and his plate disappear... as if they had never been there to begin with!!! There's not even a throwing star lodged in a wall somewhere. It's like the air is displaced with his image, and a plate... then *piff paff poof*... gone.

I wish I could do that.

Especially just after I've farted.

* Mexican Cornbread Muffins {Meatless Mondays}

I absolutely LOVE cornbread, but Neil isn't usually a huge fan. Possibly because most of the time I use a medium grain polenta to make it, and he finds it a tad too gnarly. In which case I usually end up eating the whole lot - not in one sitting... but it's too close to call.

I managed to get hold of some fine polenta in Tesco's the other day, and seeing as I'm always trying to conquer my oven's urge to C-4 small cakes and muffins - I thought I'd have a go at making mini cornbreads... because I am determined to win this particular battle (with the oven) and selling Neil a Mexican Cornbread Muffin was going to be a damn sight easier than saying "I made cornbread". 

I was keeping my fingers crossed that he wouldn't connect the dots.

He didn't. Or maybe he did and decided to play along. He does that A LOT. It's part of his charm.

"Oooh look what my mum bought me!"

"Your mum bought you a new desktop for £600?"

"Ummm... yes?"

"With our debit card?"

"Ummmmmm...mmm... yessss???"

....... "That was nice of her."

What's not to love?!?!!!

He actually enjoyed the muffin that I let him taste test, warm from the oven. I taste tested two. One of them was eaten very quietly in the kitchen, away from all eyes but the dog's. Her eyes said "If you don't give me some of that I'm telling." 

So I shared.

* Sweet Potato and Chana Dahl Soup {Meatless Mondays}

I know... you've all been waiting with bated breath for yet another chunky soup recipe. Haven't you.

I'm going to take your deathly silence as assent and plod on with the post.

This Sweet Potato and Chana Dahl Soup Recipe is a copycat of a Baxter's Soup by a similar name - except mine is a damn sight cheaper and has less calories... which wasn't the ultimate point but you can't have too much *happy* when it comes to food.

The point was... actually I don't know what the point was. I forget.

Anyway.... I've ended up with an exceptionally scrumptious and healthy soup that'll serve as a dinner if you're not craving steak and chips (fries), and works perfectly as a filling and healthy meal if you're doing the 5:2 diet... which I am. Sometimes successfully... other times... notsomuch. It seems to depend on how much cake there is in the house at any one time. 

If there isn't cake, it's really not a good idea to make cake, especially on a day when you are meant to be fasting because all sorts of things can (and do) happen... like finding yourself licking the butter cream off of the whisks or suddenly discovering your tongue in the bottom of the mixing bowl. Neither are good situations to suddenly come to your senses in. 

It's also very difficult to work out the exact amount of calories in 20 licks of coffee butter cream and 5 tongues of coffee cake batter.

Though I promise I did try.

Not.

* Cheesy Leek and Red Onion Toasties {Meatless Mondays}

Guess what I've been doing!?! Go on... just a little guess...

No. I have not been para-gliding.

Try again...

Haven't dyed my hair green either...

Do you give in?

Weelllllllllll... I've been "fasting"... which is why it's been a bit quiet around here this past week.

I started the 5:2 diet/way of eating on Thursday, in a bid to shift some weight and get a bit healthier because I don't reckon this body wants to be hefting this bum around in another 10 years.... and so far so good (the diet). I fasted on Thursday and Saturday and managed with little problem to stick to 500 calories on both days because I knew I could eat normally for the rest of the week.

I'm not gonna bang on about it, other than to say that it's given me a bit to think about from the perspective of what I really want to eat on the 5 days when I'm not fasting. I feel as though I have to have food that I Treally Rooly want, rather than just whatever happens to be available at the time - which means I may have to actually get organised... yeah, I know... nnnnot gonna happen.

I may not have been eating a lot of food, but I've certainly been thinking about it and trawling through my recipe books has actually helped a little - strange but true.

This Cheesy Leek and Red Onion Toasties recipe is a version of one I found in my River Cottage Veg Everyday book. It looked so damn nommy that I swear I left a puddle of drool on the photographs... I may even have chewed the page slightly...

... which might explain why I wasn't particularly hungry on that particular "fast day". Mmmmm.

Anyone know how many calories there are in paper?!?

* Butternut Squash Lasagne {Meatless Mondays}

I've experimented with this Butternut Squash Lasagne a few of times now. The first time I used a bechamel sauce and cut the butternut rather large. It was too rich and sweet and the butternut wasn't a particularly nice texture to come across whilst eating it... not a good thing when the whole bloody dish is being prepared on the basis of using the butternut to start with... and it was sloppy.

I don't like sloppy lasagne... I like gin... (you have to have a tv and know your Aldi adverts to appreciate the last sentence).

So... I like lasagne that holds it shape when you dish it out - it makes it look like you're an expert at much more than just making lasagne. Truly.

Next time you visit a restaurant or friends house and they serve up a sloppy lasagne - even if it tastes great - you're going to think about the fact that you are judging them on so many more levels than just their ability to cook the lasagne. If you're eating out, at the very least you're going to think you're paying too much. If you're at a friends, you're going to pray that they haven't attempted a trifle for dessert.

Well... that's what my brain does... I don't get invited anywhere but mother's for dinner (JOKING PEOPLE!).

The butternut for this lasagne was diced much smaller than previous versions, so sort of melted into the sauce, aaaaannd I used creme fraiche instead of a bechamel sauce and it cut through some of that sweetness. Plus all I had to do was spoon it out of it's pot, rather than stand stirring and whisking and praying for a lumpless sauce.

This lasagne held it's shape.

I reckon I could tackle a trifle. 

Maybe.

* Cheddar and Chive Scones {Meatless Mondays}

In a bid to use up a few store cupboard ingredients that I don't use on a regular basis (I don't use any of them on a regular basis, but for the sake of having something to write about.... just go along with it)... ahem...

IN A BID to use up the wholemeal flour that was... ugh.

Okay. I was bored. And hungry.

I really shouldn't have been, because we went our for a humongous English Breakfast yesterday morning, that was not only the equivalent of an entire day's food on one plate - it was also absolutely scrumptious. The only HUGE disappointment HUUUUUUUGE - from my stand point - was that Neil ate his black pudding for the first time in 20 years....

... WE HAVE... AN... AGREEMENT!

Neil gets my egg white and I get his black pudding and grilled tomato. Yes. It is slightly tilted in my favour. However... WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to word this on the divorce papers. Irreconcilable differences, perhaps? Or emotional abuse. Either way - it's over. I've already written a letter to Hugh (Jackman), telling him what time my aeroplane lands... and that we need to stop off at Maureen Shaw's for a roast dinner (she's holding the gravy) before carrying on our way to wherever our love nest is...

... but before I hop on a plane to *Laa-Laa Land* (and I don't mean Australia)... I baked some cheese and chives scones to take with me (to Laa-Laa Land, not to Australia.... Hugh won't be there (in Laa-Laa Land) Get a grip), or to eat with Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup for tea tonight... when I forgive Neil...

... for eating my black pudding. Yeah. Not gonna happen.

I'm curious - do any of you have similar agreements with your partner's when it comes to food? And do you want to stab them in the face with a fork when they renege on the deal? Do tell.

* Chard and Chickpea Curry {Meatless Mondays}

I was out cutting the grass a few days back when I heard a voice comment on the fact that I needed to trim my bush. My fuscia bush. You are so rude. It (the fuscia bush) covers the end of the path that leads to the front door. My friend Trina, was attempting to get past it, hefting a bag of ruby chard that her mum had grown and given her for me to try.

I knew nothing about chard - beyond the fact that it was green and leafy - so had to do a quick google search to find out how best to cook it/use it. I was fascinated to discover that it's related to the beetroot family.  It does taste very mildly like beetroot - it's got a subtle, earthy flavour to it - doesn't turn your tongue pink though.... yes... I tested it. Twice.

You can use the stalks of the chard like you would celery, and the leaves like you would spinach. Trina and her mum had both tried it in a salad and not been impressed, so I thought I'd have a go at something different and came across a recipe by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall for a Chard and Chickpea Curry, that I altered to suit the ingredients that I had available... because I STILL never have everything I need to follow a recipe.

As I've never cooked with Chard before - this recipe is going into this month's Our Growing Edge link up - hosted by Palachinka from Food and Travel. Our Growing Edge is aimed at connecting food bloggers everywhere and inspiring us to challenge ourselves and try new things. It's a great idea and absolutely everyone is welcome to join in, so come on over and take a look for yourselves.

Oh yeah... the curry was lush. I think I may be having an affair with chickpeas.
  

* Spicy Tomato and Chickpea Soup {Meatless Mondays}

I absolutely loved this soup. It was filling. more-ish and nommy and although I have previously harboured a vindictive and somewhat unreasonable hatred of chickpeas in the past - I now love them too. Not quite as much as I love cheese, or spinach or mayonnaise... but we're working on our relationship a bit at a time and it's slowly moving forwards.

Me and chickpeas... we is now friends. 

I think this is mostly down to the fact that I stopped buying cheap supermarket *own* versions and started paying out a few extra pennies for better quality ones. There's a world of difference that you wouldn't expect in something so simple. 

Neil has always liked chickpeas, and has dipped out in the past because I've only cooked with them rarely... and Neil doesn't cook. Like... ever...

... the last time he made anything, it was a BLT and he brought it up to me as breakfast in bed. I don't know what he did to it, but it was the soggiest, pappiest most disgusting thing I have ever bitten into! Thankfully, he buggered off downstairs and I was able to flush it down the toilet. I was positively STARVING come lunch time because I didn't tell him.... not for about five years anyway...

...when it would no longer damage his ego. Not quite sure why I waited so long. I really didn't want him to cook again, and I'm pretty damn glad he never offered.

But that's between you, me and the gatepost.

* Butternut and Bell Pepper Curry {Meatless Mondays}

Well... I liked adding the "Meatless Mondays" moniker to my recipe title soooo much, a couple of weeks back... that this time I've actually aimed for it. The only coincidence involved this time, was my need to use up a shed load of vegetables... so I can buy more.

I've cooked this once before and it was scrumptious - though the last version had parsnip in it (we picked it out, it didn't work at all) and only one type of pepper. This attempt was even better. The sauce was thick, rich and almost buttery and I had a hard time not turning the whole thing into a curry smoothie and grabbing myself a straw.

I'm actually enjoying developing a few vegetarian/meatless recipes. Though mostly I would put this down to the fact that they make me feel a little "holier than though". "Smug Mode" is so hard to just happen across recently - when it comes to me and food - that actively seeking it out is very satisfying.

Funnily enough, although he doesn't usually care - Neil was fishing around in this dinner, looking for meat. His face was a study in forlornness, when he realised there wasn't any. Which was dead funny if you were watching him, but apparently not funny... if you were him. Which actually made it even funnier.

Obviously, you had to be there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On a quick side note, for those of you that left such lovely messages (here and privately) when I wrote about Neil being made redundant.... he started a new job today! Not sure how it's gone yet, but happily he hasn't come home early with a face like a slapped arse... so... so far so good, and thank you for all your support!