Aubergine and sweet potato rolls

This is absolutely gorgeous! Shame I no longer have the photos (serves me right for having stored them on a work laptop). This will make an elegant-looking, yet easy to make side dish, particularly suitable with a nutroast or something with a smoky flavour.

Serves 4-6

500g sweet potatoes
180g Gruyere cheese, diced (it has to be Gruyere!)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 large aubergines
1 tsp thyme
50g plain flour
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp flavoured salt
3 TBSP groundnut oil

1. Boil the sweet potatoes for 20-25 min until well cooked. Drain, peel and mash into a bowl until smooth. Add the diced Gruyere, red pepper, garlic and thyme. Season to taste.

2. Place the flour on a plate and stir in the paprika, curry powder and salt with the back of a fork.

2. a) Sprinkle the aubergine slices with the spicy flour (or dip the slices in the spicy flour).

3. Heat 1 TBSP of oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Add the aubergine slices in batches, and cook until just golden brown. Add more oil if necessary. Place the cooked aubergine slices onto a plate.

4. Place a spoonful of sweet potato mixture into each aubergine slice and roll, pressing to seal closed. Place the rolls into an ovenproof dish and reheat in the oven until required. (~15-20 min @ 180C)

Alternative cooking method: for a BBQ, you can brush each roll with a little oil and place 3 or 4 rolls onto a square of alu foil. Seal the foil and cook on a medium-hot barbecue, turning occasionally, for 15-20 min.

Menu week 51

After a week of eating out 3 times a day, and although the food was delicious everywhere I went (except for the lunch sandwiches I have to admit), it is time to go back to some healthy home-made delicacies.

Winter stew

Potato and spinach korma

Pasta with veg and creamy tomato sauce (NEW!)

Celeriac, mushroom and walnut risotto (NEW!)

Lentil tagine (NEW!)

Unfortunately, we have not taken the time to take photos every meal that week...

My big belly

This is me at 18 weeks into pregnancy.

I have to face the truth: I cannot fit in any 'normal' trousers any longer, apart from this old pair of jeans which are super low-cut and which I stopped wearing 2 years ago because I could put them on and off without undoing the zip and button. These days are long gone and I don't think I'll be able to wear these for much longer now.

I had to purchase 2 pairs of 'maternity wear' trousers, one matches a suit jacket that I already owned so I can be smart for work, and the other is a smart casual pair of trousers. Both are very comfortable.


We went to a birthday party yesterday: game of bowling first (I just watched) and then a dinner party where we went with friends. I am quite tired this morning and need to get some sleep because I need to get up at 4am tomorrow to get to Belfast for 8am for my new job. *yawn*

New job!

I am starting a new job on Monday... in Northern Ireland!

Well, the role is home-based, but I will initially have to travel to Belfast regularly until I am fully trained with the product. Once I am confident I can do the job, I will work from home (ideal, being pregnant!) with some travel in Europe to sell the products.

I am really looking forward to going back to work, although I could have done with a week's holiday!

I hope the job meets my expectations and that I enjoy it as well as being good at it. I cannot really afford to change job again half-way through pregnancy, so let's hope everything goes well!

Menu week 49

Paneer and spinach curry

Mediterranean quiche with Gruyere cubes

Pasta with mixed vegetables

Lentil and rice casserole, (a favourite winter dish)

Falafels with broccoli and potatoes

Green lentils with mixed vegetables

You know what I think I will miss the most during pregnancy?
Sprinkling my pasta with (vegetarian) Parmesan, as I should avoid eating unpasteurised cheeses (and eggs for that matter) , unless thoroughly cooked at very hot temperatures. And having Cheddar on a bowl of pasta is just not the same... Oh well, it's for a good cause!

Menu week 48

Lentil and tomato soup

Vegetable enchilladas

Potato and mushroom hash (NEW!)

Three-cheese macaroni (NEW!)

Cereal galettes,
served with carrots and broccoli

Menu week 47

Lentil & rice casserole

Cheese-topped risotto tart (NEW!)

Ratatouille and quinoa crumble (NEW!)

Creamy carrot and parsnip gratin

Green vegetables and pasta (NEW!)

Latest news, good and bad

yes, it has been a while since I posted anything here. I've had friends contacting me asking if I was OK, which I am but things have been a bit hectic to say the least and a lot has happened in the last few weeks!

The good news:
Our family will welcome a new member in May 2009 as I am now 4 months pregnant! We went for the first scan at the hospital on 30th October, and Baby K was 6cm long and seemed very active in there, I think (s)he has already taken on cycling!
I have been suffering from morning sickness a bit, and been a bit tired, which is very frustrating for me as I am quite active and like doing stuff all the time, and I find it difficult to rest.
So, back when we found out we were pregnant I was told to avoid stress, which leads me to the other piece of news.


The bad news:
I received a letter on 24th October telling me I was going to be made redundant. Great timing to find a new job when you're pregnant! So I have been extremely busy sending CVs, letters, having phone interviews, and attending face-to-face interviews, sometimes over 100miles away from home! This has been quite tiring and stressful, but I must say in all modesty that I have been doing very well at interviews.

The good news:
So well indeed that a company made the decision to give me the job within 48h of interviewing me! This company was also the only one whom I had told I was pregnant, so it is really positive. I have not accepted their offer yet as another company seems very interested in hiring me too, so I will try to obtain some more information on both and see which one would work better for me. Both know I am pregnant. Job A would involve me working from home + travelling, job B would involve me walking 10min to the office + travelling, so they would both be very convenient. I have a slight preference and so does Trave, but I am keeping this for myself until I have a signed contract in my hand. And possibly something even better will turn up by then, who knows? I have another 4 interviews next week.

So, let's hope I have a job very soon...

Menu week 43

Pasta
with vegetables and creamy tomato sauce

Falafels
with aubergine and sweet potato rolls (NEW!)

Potato and cabbage bake

Quiche
(broccoli, mushrooms, and peppers)

Celery and cheddar cheese soup

Royal vegetarian breakfast

We had a royal brunch meal last weekend which was totally satisfying and very tasty! So, what was in it?

- Boiled new potatoes
- Fried egg
- Fried mushrooms
+ grilled in the grilling machine:
- Halloumi, chilli and aduki bean burger (from Cauldron), plum tomatoes, and baby sweetcorn cobs

Gardening

The weather has been very kind to us in the past few weeks and it has been perfect for clearing out the garden before winter. Trave has removed a big tree and a bush which were at the far left corner at the bottom of the lawn, which we will convert to an additional vegetable patch. He has also mowed the lawn probably for the last time this year, and trimmed the hedges.

The only things left growing in the garden are the raspberries, the apple, and the purple sprouting broccoli which should be ready to harvest in March.

For my part, I have weeded the front border and planted various bulbs which should flower at different times between February and August: snowdrops, crocuses, tulips, irises, anemones, and alliums. They should be sprouting amongst a grassy type plant, a yellow rose bush, a lupin, and two heathers. Let's hope it looks pretty and colourful!

Menu week 42

Brown rice and pearl barley stew
(sprouted seeds, leeks, mushrooms, Russian kale, tomatoes)

Sweet potato curry with basmati rice (NEW!)

Cauliflower gratin (NEW)
(also with tomatoes and potatoes)

Split pea and parsnip soup


Cereal galettes
with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Menu week 41

Winter Stew

Pizza
with creme fraiche, pepper, mushrooms, courgettes, and mozzarella

Cauliflower and Broccoli soup


Rice and lentil casserole
with carrots and potatoes

Menu week 40

I had dinner with overseas visitors a few times that week so did not cook very much.

Vegetarian breakf(e)ast (Saturday, for brunch)

Midweek Medley Curry (NEW!)

Stuffed mushrooms,
served with potatoes and broccoli

Kidney bean risotto

Cooking for guests

We have friends and their two young children coming for lunch last Sunday, and this is what we ate:

Tomato and lentil soup

Home-made sausages,
served with broccoli, potatoes and carrot mousseline

Tarte tatin (NEW!)

It was a success, and even the children ate their food! (and became a bit hyper-active after the caramel-topped tarte tatin...)

Menu week 39

Falafels with broccoli (no photo)

Omelette with mushrooms and spinach, served with quinoa

Layered vegetable gratin

Kidney bean risotto (NEW!)

Moscow

I went to Moscow for work a few weeks back. Only for a few days, I did not have much time to visit as I had several meetings outside of the city during a trade fair, but I managed to spend a couple of hours down town and see Red Square and the outside walls of the Kremlin. Both very impressive.

I was also impressed with the Metro, which is sparkling clean and has trains running every 2 minutes.

Being in a car was a bit of an experience: if I had paid attention I could have learned a few swear words that the taxi drivers was constantly shouting at other road users. Being a pedestrian and trying to cross the road is not an easy task either...

Shame I did not have more time to see more and be able to get a feeling for the place. I would love to go again.

I have also enrolled in a Russian evening class, where I go every Thursday night. I almost took on Russian as an optional extra at university, but decided for Spanish instead. As I may need this language for work, I have decided to give it a try!

Brick wall surrounding the Kremlin and separating the Kremlin from Red Square, with the Lenin mausoleum on the left-hand side of the tower in the middle

State Historical Museum, on Red Square

St Basil Cathedral, Red Square

Department Store, Red Square

Hummus sandwich

Before going rambling on Saturday, we had a hummus-filled sandwich which was really nice. You can find very good quality ready-made hummus these days and as I did not feel like making it, and we wanted a quick lunch, this was perfect! With fresh tomatoes and basil, yum yum! And it gave us the energy for our 4-hour walk through the fields. (photos to come)

Spinach, potato and tomato curry with basmati rice

I am getting quite good at curries. (I think!) I have only recently started to cook Indian dishes and I really enjoy it. This one is based on another recipe found in A vegan taste of India, as mentioned recently in my potato madras recipe. But I have added some single cream I had left from the linguine sauce cooked the night before. And changed half of the recommended spices which I do not have on my spice racks! So, it's nothing like it should have been, but we enjoyed it all the more!

Serves 4:

By the way, it's only 2 of us, but I always cook for 4, then we have yummy home-made food to take to work for lunch the following day ;-)

1 TBSP groundnut oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 TBSP cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp nutmeg
1 bunch of spinach, shredded
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
500g new potatoes, diced and boiled for 10 minutes
80ml single cream

300g basmati rice

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion and chilli for 4 minutes. Add the spices and cook for a further 1 min, making sure the spices do not burn.

2. Add the spinach, stir well and cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and cream, stir well and cook for another 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the basmati rice according to packet instructions (usually 10-12 minutes).

4. Spoon the vegetable curry into serving plates and top with basmati rice. Serve hot!

Linguine with spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and tomatoes

This was really, really nice! Linguine is one of my favourite pasta shape and the vegetable sauce was delicious!

Serves 4:

500g linguine (or any other pasta shape)

300g mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 bunch spinach, shredded
1 broccoli, cut into florets and parboiled for 4 min
4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
100ml single cream
1 TBSP butter
2 TBSP parmesan, grated, for sprinkling
salt & pepper

1. Heat the butter and fry the mushrooms on high heat so they get golden brown. Lower the heat and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is half wilted and add the broccoli and tomatoes. When the tomatoes start to cook, add the cream and stir well. Season to taste.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta 'al dente'. Drain well.

3. Serve the pasta into warm serving plates and top with the creamy vegetable sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Menu week 37

Linguine,

with spinach, broccoli, mushrooms and tomatoes (NEW!)

Spinach, potato and tomato curry, (NEW!)
with basmati rice

Feta and potato cakes,
with lentils

Tomato and olive quiche,
with green salad

Courgette and pepper risotto

Bratislava

Here is a short photographic summary of our day spent in Bratislava.

Our first impression of the Bratislava was at night. The city was brightly lit up and it felt really warm. Bratislava has some fantastic buildings. I am not expert in architecture but the style was reminiscent of what can be seen in Bavaria, Germany. That is, for the old town, which has been thoroughly renovated. Once you cross the Danube, there is a magnificent, huge park. But also dozens (if not hundreds) of soviet-style tower blocks, which unfortunately is the view you get if you climb up the castle.


During our full day in Bratislava, we walked through town in the morning. Here are a few photos:

The photo below is of either the National Theater or the Opera House:

Then it started to rain to we had our sandwiches on a bench under the New Bridge, from which we had a nice view of the castle.


The park is very impressive, mostly by its size. The two memorable things that we saw there were a red squirrel (see photos) and a very self-conscious guy doing tai-chi exercises (no photos, although tempting!).

Finally, we walked to the top of the castle, which was very pleasant, if it wasn't for the view over the tower blocks. But I suppose they cannot move the castle across the Danube so that the tourists get a nice view, can they? ;)



Then it started to seriously rain so we took shelter on a covered café terrace, where Trave had a Czech beer and I had a cocktail. From there and in a period of a few hours' time, we witnessed three, possibly four weddings! Well, people going to and coming out of wedding ceremonies. Highly entertaining.