butternut squash and goat's cheese risotto.

Risottos, biryanis, arancini, sushi and paella... delicious dinner ideas all with the same ingredient. Rice! An Autumnal inspired dish, I've paired the earthy flavours of roast butternut squash with sweet red peppers, creamy goat's cheese and peppery rocket to create a comforting risotto recipe.

goat's cheese, aubergine & spinach lasagne.

A super cheesy vegetarian lasagne featuring the lovely goat's products from St. Helen's Farm. Goat's cheese lovers will enjoy the combination with roasted aubergine and wilted spinach. Diners who avoid cow dairy will be a fan because - there's none of that here! Layers of roasted vegetables, a creamy goat's cheese sauce and extra cheese on top for good measure make this a weekend treat or make-ahead meal.

honey roast cauliflower, spinach and goat's cheese salad.

A delicious warm vegetarian salad recipe that embraces sweet, honey roast cauliflower with creamy and salty goat's cheese. Toss together with roasted cherry tomatoes and wilted spinach before scattering with nutty almonds. A simple midweek meal that goes towards your daily five!

loaded mexican hasselback potatoes: purple majesty from albert bartlett.

Introducing the most interesting potatoes I've ever had the pleasure of cooking with. These lovely looking things are Purple Majesty potatoes from Albert Bartlett. Bursting with nutrients and antioxidants, the naturally purple potatoes are great to bake, mash, boil, roast... or do whatever you like really. I decided to make them in a hasselback potato, which involves slicing finely, drizzling with olive oil and baking. Then topping with delicious Mexican inspired toppings of course!

miso mushroom gyoza.

An exciting parcel arrived on my doorstep recently. An exciting parcel bursting with organic goodies. To celebrate Organic September, Organic UK had sent me a variety of fresh, dairy and dry produce to get creative with. From vibrant fruit and vegetables to soy sauce and plain flour to pasta, there were lots of ingredients to play around with in my #OrganicUnboxed package... even wine! I hadn't realised so many foodie products could be organic and couldn't wait to experiment. 

After getting my thinking cap on, I knew I had to use the red miso paste and soy sauce to create something Japanese inspired. And so I present to you... homemade miso mushroom gyoza featuring and organic mushroom filling, pastry made from Doves Farm flower and Clearspring soy sauce for dipping. Yum - and they're vegan too!

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.

vegetarian aubergine, mushroom and truffle no-meatballs.

If music be the food of love... actually, scratch the soppy music as I wouldn't mind a three course meal and a bottle of white. Any foodie will tell you that dining out or eating in is the best way to celebrate a special occasion. This Valentine's we'll be staying in and buying some extra indulgent ingredients to cook up a (hopefully) delicious meal at home.

With romance in mind, Expedia got in touch to see if I'd like to create a Valentine's meal idea inspired by a loved up location. Having been to Paris and Rome with my boyfriend over the years, the decision was a tough one. And then I realised, pasta duh? Italy it is! In true Lady and the Tramp style, I've created a vegetarian meatballs recipe that I'm sure veggies and carnivores are bound to fall in love with. A mix of aubergine, mushrooms and garlic with truffle and herb seasoning, simply mix with a rich tomato pasta sauce and your favourite slurp-able pasta. Buon appetito!

the mindful eating challenge.

Rainbow food, colourful creations and vibrant greens. Eating healthy doesn't have to be boring. Flick through Instagram and you'll see reams and reams of inviting seasonal salads, avocado worship and that deliciously gooey cake that you can't quite believe is sugar free. 

Whether you're getting creative with kale or perfecting your matcha green tea latte, there's no doubt healthy recipes are the new black (or green). With this in mind, Joe's Bloggers put us food bloggers to the test with The Mindfulness Eating Challenge. Think; healthier food choices, thinking about where your dinner came from, less processed food and making recipes from scratch. 

vegetarian and gluten free lasagne.

A hearty but low carb lasagne which is both vegetarian and gluten free. Switching the lasgane sheets for sliced courgette and packing with lots of veggies and quinoa, this was a perfect indulgent Friday night in dish - with a few of your five a day too. And cheese, lots of cheese.

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. 

easy cheese twists.

On account of the glorious weather we've been having (no doubt when I post this it'll start to rain...) I've been truly embracing picnic recipes. With my chorizo scotch eggs last week and a few others to come, I thought today I'd say this really super simple cheese twist recipe. I used smoky Applewood cheddar and a scattering of sesame seeds for extra texture - but really the combo is up to you!

mini swedish cheese pies with västerbottensost.

i don't know about you but i hadn't heard of västerbottensost cheese before now. in terms of flavour, it is a tangy and salty cheese almost like parmesan except you could easily eat a massive chunk of it on a cheeseboard. in texture it is like a crumbly but waxy cheddar which almost melts as you grate it. 

an official swedish cheese since 1910, the story goes that dairy maid ulrika eleonora first created västerbottensost by mistake when the cheese over-curdled, allegedly as she was distracted by a lover. cheeky. i love a good romance story, expecially when it involves cheese. it is now a unique trademark of sweden, with the unmistakable w mark on the gold packaging.

mixed bean and avocado fajitas.

A simple vegetarian recipe made up of a Mexican bean medley, homemade guacamole and Quorn chicken style pieces cooked in fajita spices. I've been making a lot of tortilla and burrito styles dishes lately so thought I'd share this one with you too.

goats' cheese, spinach and red pepper puff pastry tart.

this is my current favourite "cheat eat" which would be perfect for an easy midweek meal, sliced up with a salad for lunch or cut into pieces as party food. all you need is a puff pastry sheet, a sauce base and some tasty toppings! here i made it with tomato and marscapone sauce, wilted spinach, sliced somerset goats' cheese, half a red pepper and a couple of button mushrooms. put it in the oven on 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes and bam it's ready to devour!

matar paneer curry.

having really enjoyed matar paneer in a few indian vegetarian restaurants - including bobby's and shivali in leicester - i was keen to have a go myself. this fairly mild north indian dish is made up of matar or mattar (peas) and paneer (indian cheese) in a lightly spiced tomato based sauce. i'm starting to build up a little spice collection lately and this recipe over at padhu's kitchen looked like the perfect place to start...

spinach, chickpea and cauliflower curry.

whilst looking for a new curry to try on the bbc good food website i came along this delicious sounding chickpea, tomato and spinach curry. so this week i decided to try it out along with the little change of added cauliflower. and let me tell you it was absolutely lovely if i say so myself! and quite a few of your five a day too which is always a winner for me :)

vegetable won tons.

move over pasta machine, i've found a new foodie toy in my bamboo steamer. having recently tried out vietnamese summer rolls with king prawns and steamed pork dumplings i thought i'd set about finding a vegetarian dim sum recipe with the won ton wrappers i'd just bought. to my surprise, there were hardly any veggie won ton recipes out there. so i don't profess to this being authentic by any stretch but i hope you enjoy my recipe of oriental infused vegetables :) oh and do you like my new bowl and dipping bowl?

mushrooms en croute.

shopping list
♥ 375g pack ready rolled puff pastry
♥ 4 large white flat mushrooms
♥ 4 tbsp fresh pesto sauce
♥ 8 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
♥ 1 mozzarella cheese ball, sliced
♥ milk to glaze





i was recently contacted by the lovely people from more to mushrooms asking if i'd like to try out one of their mushroom recipes for national vegetarian week - starting today 20th may! this one really jumped out at me and i had to try it! it was so, so simple with minimal ingredients so thanks again for the recipe inspiration :) 

i also learnt that mushrooms are such an underrated vegetable. as well as being high in protein and low in fat and calories, they are a natural source of antioxidants, b vitamins and minerals, and full of fibre to aid digestion. perfecto!

homemade ravioli filled with sun dried tomatoes and boursin.

 

as you may have noticed - i'm really getting into pasta making lately. my pasta machine really has been one of the best christmas gifts i've ever received! i've been getting my friends into it making it with me too - which is really fun even if it does test their patience a little :)

so my boyfriend and i decided to have a go at making homemade ravioli - i have to give credit to him that he thought of the sun dried tomato and boursin cheese filling which worked really well.

begin by making the homemade pasta dough as in this post - we used 200g pasta flour and 2 eggs which i find makes 2 portions. then fill with your favourite ingredients like so...