vegan tacos with homemade mushroom & bean mince.

A delicious homemade veggie mince recipe that is both vegetarian and vegan! In this case, I've added some subtle spice to create a chilli style mince, perfect for tasty tacos. But the results are so versatile! The recipe is also perfect for dairy free diners who also may avoid soya or eggs in the supermarket bought varieties.

Using my trusty new Veggie Bullet, I was so pleased that shredding up healthy mushrooms and borlotti beans was such an easy way to create a mince-like base for so many meals. With around 20 calories in 200g of mushrooms too, the cheap ingredient means you can create a really low fat, low price meat substitute which is packed with nutrients too. Will you be giving it a try for #MeatfreeMonday?

slow cooker pumpkin sponge cake with pumpkin cream.

An inviting Autumnal dessert for the darker days; this slow cooked pumpkin sponge really brings the best of the season together. Autumn is my favourite, so when I was invited to get creative for the Crock-Pot Crocktober Halloween Challenge, I couldn't wait to conjure up a cosy recipe. Made in the versatile and convenient Crock-Pot, the slow cooking of this pumpkin sponge really infuses the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger spices into this dessert. leaving a moist and buttery texture.

This appliance really is deserving of its place on the kitchen counter. From dinner to dessert, the Crock-Pot Express Multi-Cooker can get to work steaming, roasting and sautéing whilst you get on with other everyday tasks. Although slow cooking lends itself to the colder months, you really get make anything all year round. Scroll down to see how this creation really is pretty much as easy as simply pressing a button.

pressure cooker tandoori lamb with coconut and turmeric rice.

From paellas to puddings and risotto to ribs, who knew there was so much you make in a pressure cooker? Long gone are the days of noisy pressure cookers squealing on your Granny's stove; they've come a long way since then. Safe and smart, the Prestige Smart Plus Pressure Cooker include a visual pressure indicator that raises to indicate when the cooker is at pressure, as well as a directional pressure regulator to ensure safe release of steam away from you.

They're a real time saver too, usually knocking off a third of your usual cooking time. The results are impressive too, keeping meat and seafood delicate and tender, rice fluffy and vegetables flavoursome. The lid seals in nutrients too, which is always a bonus.

A spicy tandoori lamb recipe with coconut and turmeric rice, all made in the slow cooker. All in less than15 minutes.

canapés and cocktails: simple party food ideas with domu.

Party season is fully upon us and I can't think of a better reason to whip up some canapés on posh serveware. The best thing about having pretty plates and boards is that you can make something super simple into something rather fancy in an instant. The friendly lot at Domu sent me a few of their latest serveware pieces to get creative with this season - just in time for New Year's Eve! I made a spicy chipotle king prawn cocktail and asparagus, soft cheese and Parma ham wraps as well as some mango and orange fizz to celebrate the occasion. Cheers!

egg fried cauliflower rice: veggie bullet review.

Spiralized vegetables, cauliflower rice, nutrient packed sauces; it's true we've fast become a nation of the hidden veg. With all the gadgets and gizmos on the market these days, there are so many ways to embrace this trend and switch out carbs for wholesome vegetables. What, wait, no more spaghetti? Now you can whizz up zoodles, boodles, swoodles and whatever other oodles you had in mind, it's super simple to pack out dishes where pasta might have been before.

Don't get me wrong, I love pasta. But I also love trying out new ways to get my five-a-day in a flash. Working 9-5 and on the blog doesn't leave me much time to be grinding away on a spiralizer, let alone taking a picture for Instagram of the results. Cue stage right; the Veggie Bullet. The latest addition to the NutriFamily, this NutriBullet's snazzy younger brother is a 3-in-1 electric Spiralizer, Shredder and Slicer that promises to make cutting down carbohydrates all that more convenient.

my new kitchen tour.

If you follow my little space over on my social media channels, you may have seen I recently bought my first home - yay! With exciting times ahead, I was lucky that the home I found already suited a lot of the decor from my rented house. My kitchenware featured a lot of natural wooden elements, country cottage inspired pieces and some quirky finds too. My favourite colour is also green, so those lovely tiles worked in my favour. I have to admit, as most foodies would, the kitchen was top of my buying priorities. And I definitely fell head over heels for this one. Since the move, I thought I'd finally share with you a little kitchen tour and a few new kitchenware buys for my home from the likes of Joseph Joseph, Next and Orla Kiely.

super brunch: with the m&s chef range.

Brunch is totally the in thing these days. Forget cereal for breakfast or the same old sandwich fillings, between 10-11 is the prime time for the likes of beautifully seasoned avocados, hot buttered sourdough bread, lashings of smoked salmon, wilted spinach and eggs. All the eggs. When M&S Food got in touch to see if I'd fancy hosting a super brunch I just had to rustle something up. Showcasing their latest M&S Chef Range of pans, utensils and serveware, I created two recipes just waiting for a lazy Saturday morning. 

The first was a jumble of pan fried chorizo, plum tomatoes and avocado, simply served in a stack with fragrant fresh thyme. The second was a salmon and spinach frittata in their mini copper pan. The frittata is finished with a dollop of cream cheese, lots of black pepper and fresh basil. Avocado and chorizo vs. salmon and eggs. Which would you choose?

pan fried salmon with asparagus, green lentils and quinoa.

There's nothing quite like a nice fillet of pan fried fish to accompany vibrant vegetables and pulses. Salmon is one of my favourite, and either baked or pan fried with vegetables, grains or noodles is one of my go-to dishes. To try out the new Circulon Ultimum Skillet Pan, sent to me for review, I thought it made perfect sense to try out a nice pan fried salmon recipe. I've teamed the salmon with a medley of quinoa, edamame beans, green lentils, chilli, spring onions and asparagus, which I also charred in the frying pan.

crispy halloumi with mediterranean cous cous.

The Tefal Actifry is a nifty kitchen gadget which lets you conjure up culinary delights with just a little cooking oil. The clever air frying technology means you can cook up some mouthwatering chips with a tiny drop of oil, making them a healthier option to deep frying. Although most popular for chip recipes, the recipe booklet shows how you can make the likes of curries, stews, vegetables and even desserts in the Actifry. 

A huge fan of halloumi, it totally made sense to try out a halloumi recipe and I was super pleased with the results. Crispy on the outside and soft within. I mean, it’s still halloumi cheese afterall, but with just a tiny bit of oil means just a tiny bit less guilt.

smoky sweet potato & mixed bean stew.

The final of my three Domu challenges - to make a meal for a family for under £4. For this I created a smoky stew packed with pulses and extra vegetables. Not forgetting the secret weapon for making budget meals extra tasty - the trusty slow cooker! This sweet potato and mixed bean stew recipe came in at a savvy £2.72 and served four portions - so I knew I had enough dosh leftover for my favourite posh Red Leicester and sunflower seed bread too. 

mexican pulled pork & stellar cookware review.

The pork was slow cooking, the sweet potato fries crisping up, avocados were at the ready and the fridge was stocked with Corona. It could only mean one thing... Mexican night! I doubt I needed an excuse for a Mexican inspired banquet, but if ever there was one then my new Stellar Tate metal casserole dish was it.

pressure cooker texas style beef brisket with the tefal clipso.

In the last few years the low 'n' slow cooking revolution has truly excelled. Barbecue competitions, soul food joints and weird and wonderful marinades have flourished with the growing want for juicy, flavoursome and fall-apart meat. 

This sounds all very well but other than when I'm snoozing I can't remember the last time I stayed in my house long enough for a joint of meat to slow cook in my oven (safely) for 8 hours. Also, I'm yet to invest in a slow cooker. Enter... the loyal pressure cooker. I've tried out pulled pork, stews and even paella in my trusty Tower contraption. So how will the swanky new Tefal Clipso fare in the pressure cooker league table?

teppanyaki grill at home.

I love an excuse for a get together. dinner party, special occasion, food blogger meet up, date night, Christmas... it just so happens that food seems to be a focal point too. I was recently asked if i'd like to try out something from the vonshef range and was instantly drawn to the teppanyaki grill. All you need is a dinner table, your favourite south east asian flavours, stockpile of soy sauce and some hungry guests...

chocolate orange nutella cheesecake.

if you hadn't yet tried the stunning nutella cheesecake a la nigella lawson, you seriously need to get involved. this week i made a chocolate orange twist on the cheesecake recipe with the fabulous new 6 in 1 aura hand blender from russell hobbs. 

a cheesecake was the perfect recipe to try it out on, since you need to blitz, whip and blend like nobody's business. what's more, the lovely lot over at russell hobbs sent me a personalised nutella. absolute happiness in a jar, with my name on it.

pressure cooker paella.

When I want a comforting but light meal packed with my favourite seafood, smoky flavours and wholesome veggies, I turn to my old friend the paella. It's a great one to make for friends and family too, since you can make a big pot of it and be as adventurous as you like with your choice of shellfish, chorizo or just simple tasty vegetables. 

When british cookware brand Tower Housewares kindly offered to send me one of their products for review, I instantly went for a pressure cooker. It's a piece of kitchen kit that you don't see very often these days and is something that Tower pride themselves on producing. 

cardamom and coconut french toast + george foreman giveaway.

i think i've had a craving for french toast ever since i didn't get to a chance to go to le schmuck in paris earlier this year. the idea of sweet crunchy bread with a hint of spice and a dollop of good quality ice cream sounds like a dessert i would devour in seconds. i just hadn't really considered that i could make it myself. 

enter the new style george foreman, which i was kindly gifted to try out. at first i thought oh yes i've heard you can do all sorts of healthy grilling recipes on these. then i read the recipe book and saw french toast. sorry heathy eating, the naughty side of gastronomy wins this time. 

celery and stilton soup with the tefal cook4me.

the new tefal cook4me is a pretty comprehensive piece of kit for your kitchen. an all-encompassing slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker and soup maker, the lcd multicooker promises to be a wizard in your kitchen so you don't have to be. 

coming with 50 pre-programmed recipes, i was sent the new appliance to give one or two of them a go myself. would this be the end of my food blogging journey? would the next 50 blog posts be picture of this little fella, with no other input from my fair (ish) hands?

soup is something i make rarely and should really try more often. i always do a pumpkin soup at halloween, once went through a mushroom soup phase and recently made a leftover veggie one from the contents of my salad drawer. this celery and stilton recipe jumped out at me as a good place to start, plus it said it only took 10 minutes. win win.

grilling steaks with the tefal optigrill.

Just like eggs cooked your favourite way or the perfect cup of tea, there's no doubt there's something to be said about a well cooked steak. For me, I love a rump steak seared until rare and served with peppercorn sauce. So when I was asked if I'd like to give the new Tefal Optigrill a whirl, I jumped at the chance to review this kitchen gadget which promises to grill any steak to your liking every time.