Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Eggs, Recipes, Dinners and Winter

What a cutie, this is a Barbara pumpkin and she appeared in my last Lettuce Deliver box. I was intrigued, as I’ve never heard of or seen Barbara pumpkins before. To me she looks like a cross between the shape of a butternut and the colour and markings of a jap pumpkin. On the inside she was a rich orange colour, much stronger than a butternut. Richard’s been calling her Barbarapapa since she arrived. I’m not sure I’d …

Read more 05 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Legumes, Recipes, Soups, Autumn, Spring and Summer

One thing I love about blogs is the way they connect people. Different countries and cultures share interests and experiences via blogs. For example in the food blogging community there are a whole series of events, where participants cook and photograph food, all based around a theme. One of these food blogging events is called the Spice is Right and it’s hosted by Barbara at Tigers&Strawberries. The latest theme ingredient is chillies and this is my entry. Chillies are …

Read more 16 July, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Fats & oils, Nutrition and Myths

Through a variety of circumstances and shopping errors I’ve ended up with over three dozen eggs in the house. They’re all lovely fresh and organic, but Richard is away and I’m thinking that’s a LOT of eggs to get though by myself. I HATE wasting food, so expect a few egg recipe posts over the next couple of weeks! Fortunately I’m a great admirer of the egg, they’re such a perfect little nutrition pack, easy to use and highly adaptable. …

Read more 08 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Legumes, Recipes and Dinners

As I mentioned, I have a lot of eggs in the pantry at the moment. For the next three weeks I’m going to be eating a LOT of eggs. Which is fine, because I love eggs, plus . . . they’re very good for you. Here is the first of my egg-fest recipes h3. Hard boiled eggs in red lentil curry sauce Serves 4 This is an Anglo-Indian recipe adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible. I’ve simplified the …

Read more 09 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Recipes and Soups

I’m in the middle of a three week egg-fest. My normal egg repertoire is limited: omelettes and frittatas. Plus I often add a poached or boiled egg to something, to bump up its protein content. However, when you have three dozen eggs in the house, it’s time to try something new. I found this recipe in an old, old cookery book that I hardly use anymore: Vegetarian Pasta by Marlena Spieler. It’s similar to the Greek egg-lemon soup called avolgemono. …

Read more 11 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Eggs, Recipes, Dinners and Spring

I’m gradually making my way through the glut of eggs, by adding them to salads, making lablabi , having them for breakfast and so on. My latest Lettuce Deliver box contained the first asparagus of the season, which is always an exciting addition – tangible evidence that summer is on its way. To celebrate, I put together this little concoction, which really lets the asparagus shine. The bunch of asparagus was quite small, so I bulked it up with …

Read more 28 September, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Eggs, Recipes, Dinners, Spring and Summer

Fritters are a great way to make vegetables a bit different. If you struggle to get your daily vegetable quota, or find it impossible to get your kids to eat vegies, then fritters are a good option. They don’t really look or taste like vegetables and don’t have an obvious vegetable texture. They can be “sold” to kids as burgers, something all kids recognise (certainly in Australia). Fritters are also quick and easy to cook – grate some vegetables; …

Read more 13 October, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Recipes, Fruit and Desserts

I grew up in the UK in the 70s and 80s, a time way before Jamie, Nigella, Gary, Ainslie, Rick, Gordon et al started redefining British food. This was the time of roast dinners, semolina pudding, Victoria sponges, steak and kidney pie, toad in the hole, gammon and pineapple. A time when kedgeree was exotic, pasta was a weird “foreign” meal and Angel Delight was considered sophisticated. In talking to my mum about the spices she used when I …

Read more 16 October, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Recipes, Snacks and Summer

While the photo is not brilliant, these were really good – little bite sized morsels packed full of flavour. At one point I thought there was going to be a fight over the last three – good manners won out in the end, but there was a fair bit of “well I’ve only had one, how many have you had?” going on. While fights can spoil the mood of any dinner party, it is lovely when your guests enjoy …

Read more 29 December, 2006

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Legumes, Soups and Winter

Rain, rain, rain and more rain made cooking on the weekend very attractive. My nephew’s fifth birthday party was washed out, so Sunday was an unexpected free day and an opportunity to cook some meals and ingredients for the week ahead. h3. What I cooked Lentils: I cooked three cups of lentils in my rice cooker. I used half of them to make Quick Lentil Soup and the other half has gone in the freezer. Barley: I also cooked …

Read more 18 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Eggs and Dinners

Monday is always the night I want something quick and easy for dinner. While home-made and healthy are important, I’m mostly after speed and simplicity. Some quick and easy suggestions are: * Pork&Asian greens stir-fry – although I’d probably miss out the five-spice mix and use a pack of frozen vegies * An omelette with a big pile of steamed vegetables and (if I could be bothered) oven-baked wedges * Tuscan bean soup – it may be from Sunrise, but …

Read more 09 July, 2007

Posted by rgh in Blogging, Vegetables, Eggs and Soups

• My favourite post of the week was by Crabby McSlacker, writing on the Diet Blog. Crabby’s post on 7 ways to deal with alarming new research is an absolute gem. * I don’t want to alarm anyone, but you know how here in Australia we struggle to get those five servings of vegies a day? Well, Japan’s dietary guidelines recommend 17 portions per day. The Guardian blog explains the discrepancy. * Lucy has been making Parsee scrambled eggs. Being …

Read more 27 July, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Eggs

I’m a great admirer of the egg. They’re an excellent package of dense nutrition, easy to use and highly adaptable. Eggs contain protein, along with a plethora of minerals and vitamins. With eggs you’re getting a lot of nutrition for your money. h3. The white vs the yolk Diet books and bodybuilders recommend restricting yourself to the egg white only. But, if you do that you’re missing out on loads of wonderful nutrition. The egg white is mostly protein …

Read more 29 October, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Eggs

Today’s task in 31 Days to a Better Diet is about one of my favourite meals to cook when I’m busy. In a busy life it’s really handy to have a couple of easy, flexible dishes up your sleeve. The kind of dishes you can make at the end of a long day, with what’s in the house. If you are confident you can make something tasty in 20 minutes, with limited effort, you’re less likely to reach for …

Read more 15 August, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Eggs and Dinners

I’ve had some lovely entries for the Pantry Challenge. I’m in the process of collating them and putting together the round-up – which I’ll post on Thursday. In the meantime though I have a recipe of my own. I’ve been making variations on this tagine for years. It started with a recipe I spotted in a North African cookbook for vegetarian kofta balls in a tomato sauce. The meal was finished with whole eggs, cracked into the dish and …

Read more 30 September, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Eggs and Dinners

I’ve written before about frittatas being one of the staple meals in my house. They’re a quick-ish, flexible dish. As long as you have eggs, you can make a frittata with whatever else is in the cupboards. Which makes a frittata a perfect meal for the Pantry Challenge. Eggs, olive oil, some herbs, an onion and a few frozen vegetables are all you need to make a basic frittata. I made this frittata for lunch today and had it …

Read more 25 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Eggs, Dinners and Soups

• Negotiating food at kids’ schools: Pizza Day seems to be a common thing in the US, although I haven’t heard about it over here (anyone?). Yoni Freedhoff from Weighty Matters approached his child’s school about the food and they’ve reached a compromise. It’s a good example of how to negotiate the subject of food at school. * Brown rice with roasted pumpkin: A lovely simple, vegetarian meal from a non-vegetarian – ChichaJo of 80 Breakfasts cooks "brown rice …

Read more 28 November, 2008

Posted by kathryn in Eggs

And the final question for today is from Paul: bq. Today I went to buy eggs at Coles and was confronted by ridiculous choice: cage eggs, free range eggs, barn eggs, eggs based on RSPCA standards, organic eggs, eggs from hens fed grains/legumes only etc. Similar issues apply when buying chicken these days. Putting aside the ethical factor for the moment, any thoughts on what are better nutritionally? The only difference with eggs is in the Omega-3 eggs that are …

Read more 07 June, 2007

Posted by kathryn in Vegetables, Breakfast, Eggs and Summer

This is my current favourite breakfast – Indian-style scrambled eggs on toast. It’s something I’ve gradually adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe. Step-by-step making it a little easier and a little more suited to my tastes. If I get up early to exercise, this is what I have when I get back. It fills me up, keeps me going until lunch-time, while also providing lots of good, dense nutrition. The original recipe has a few more processes and ingredients, …

Read more 16 February, 2010