I’m a huge fan of cookery. I love playing with different recipes, switching around ingredients, coming up with new combinations all while still serving up old favourites and traditional family meals. Thankfully the kids are just as much fans of creating dishes as I am so I always have someone to help chop, peel, mix, stir and create with me.
When it comes to working out recipes I sometimes put them together myself by tweaking recipes I’ve used in the past, I let the boys think up clever concoctions (no food poisoning here yet!) or browse the internet. What I really enjoy however is a really good recipe book session. I spread my old favourites and any new cookery books out on the table, armed with a notepad and pen and scribble away. I plot, I plan, I meal plan, I write shopping lists and I have a fabulous time doing it.
I consider myself as pretty creative in the kitchen (my favourite room in the home) and consider my Rangemaster the fifth member of our family. There are times though that I find myself looking not only for something a bit different or somewhat new; I look for new techniques and ways to create everyday foods as well as special ones using other people’s methods.
Where do you get your recipe inspiration from? Are you a cookery book fiend much like myself? Do you use apps and websites? Perhaps you still ask your parents and grandparents for recipes (I still do, from Dad’s “special” rock cakes to Mum’s….well everything!). What are your favourite recipe books? I have a list of cookery books I want to add to my collection including, yet not limited to:
A Girl Called Jack (Jack Munroe – a fabulously inventive budget-focused foodie)
The Hairy Bikers/Dieters (I don’t own any of their book though love watching them on the TV
Nadia Sawalha’s latest(of whom I’ve been a fan of for years).
If you can recommend any others, especially dairy free ones, spiralizer focused onesor any for traditional dishes do shout out!
Below is one of my own concoctions (no recipe book from me). If you try it out and like it, let me know. I’m a “chuck a bit of this and that in” kind of cook so play with the quantities to suit yourself with this recipe.
Chickpea Vegetable Noodle Delights
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
2 tins of 400g chickpeas
One lime
Fresh coriander
Garlic granules (to taste)
One large courgette
One large red onion
Handful of chestnut mushrooms
Black pepper
Salt
Olive oil / Frylight
35g cheese per person
Method
1.Blend your coriander, the juice of one lime, a tablespoon of garlic granules (less if preferred), black pepper, salt and the drained tin of chickpeas with enough water until smooth.
- Put half of this aside to use as hummus with carrot and cucumber or breadsticks.
- Add a few extra tablespoons of water to the smooth mixture to make it slightly thinner without it being runny.
- If you have a spiralizer chop your courgettes and red onion as instructed and use the blade setting for noodles. If you haven’t got a spiralizer use your vegetable peeler to make long and thin ribbons.
- Stir-fry the courgette and red onion ribbons / noodles with finely chopped mushrooms until soft.
- Lightly combine the chickpea mixture with the stir-fried vegetables and serve immediately topped with 35g of cheese (or lacto-free cheese in my case).
What you have is a filling and absolutely delicious lunch or even tea with hummus for later / the next day or so.