Meat free week day 1

Today has been ok, not the expert in vegetarian food that I hoped I would be, but certainly ok.

Lunch was pitta stuffed with hummus, cucumber, tomatoes and tabasco.  Pretty lovely actually and really satisfying but I was a little disappointed in my tea.  My aim was a lovely dish of gingery sweet noodles with vegetables but it didn't quite work.

Meat Free Week

I heard about Meat Free Week accidentally through twitter, there was something that chimed with me.  I eat well, I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables but we all get into a rut and sometimes shaking things up by eating differently for a week can be enough to challenge our preconceptions.

So I am taking part and this was my Sunday shop in preparation (well some of it).

Doesn't that all look massively appetising?  Every colour of the rainbow from greens of cucumber, rocket and courgette to the purple grapes and figs.  I actually can't wait.

Why restaurateurs need to stop being nuts

Today, I was horrified to hear that 100 restaurateurs have signed a letter to try and get the Food Information for Consumers legislation changed.

Reproduced from the BBC Good Food Website

May contain nuts

A little off topic but in the past couple of months, my son (aged 4) has been diagnosed with tree nut, peanut and coconut allergies, as you can see from a lot of my recipes before Christmas, Asian food featuring peanuts and coconut had been a huge part of my diet.

My views on dieting

I accidentally got into an argument yesterday.  I feel incredibly guilty about this when it (infrequently) happens to me because I antagonised someone I shouldn't have.

The medium was Twitter and ill advised, I commented on a thread about weight loss.  I won't mention the person involved nor the brand of weight loss system she was proposing.  What made me sad was that she was saying how well she'd done on this method last time and would again.  I made a comment

"It makes me sad when people say "last time..." when talking about dieting.  Just confirms dieting doesn't really work."

My Christmas Present Wishlist for Foodies

I love looking at Christmas wishlists this time of year and looking at items I'd not thought of but I always see more things I'd like than I really think would be great for someone else.

So here are my top buys for Christmas.  (No sponsorship, just what I think looks cool!)  Links are only for convenience, not endorsing any particular retailer.

I might not seem like it but I do like meat despite my frequent vegetarian recipes.  I've always wanted to have a go at making my own sausages and this simple kit gives you enough to make 20.  I'm thinking Pork and Stilton as my first variety.

The Ethics of Food

This popped up in my newsfeed this evening.  A burger made with doughnuts ('donuts') instead of bread.  On what planet is this a good idea?

The 'donut' burger.  Here we go:

From the BBC News Feed

So there you go.  This 'delight' is served up by Hungry Horse pubs.  These are the kind of pubs families on low incomes can go out to and afford to feed the family, the kind of places with family deals.  They have a kids club and kids menu.  Exactly the kind of places where you would hope someone in development would think about the consumers not just about emulating a trend to be like Man vs. Food (when even Adam Richman has stepped away from the food challenges nowadays.)

What is clean eating?

Clean eating is something I've been vaguely aware of bubbling away in the consciousness of food blogs, magazines etc for a while.  I lumped it in with 'paleo', '5:2', 'raw food' and dismissed it as a fad.  Sorry, I'm no fad dieter, it just doesn't work for me.

"Eat Death" Bruce Nauman, Ca' Pesaro, Venice

One is the loneliest number?

Like many people in the UK, eating and cooking alone is something I am doing more than ever before.  Due to shifting work patterns, time pressures, differing likes and dislikes and the breakdown of the traditional family unit, this is becoming more common.

I never used to understand how people could struggle to find time or effort to cook for one.  When I was at university, I relished the challenge of cooking alone.  Although my Mum taught me how to cook, trying things out without worrying about someone else not liking it was how I developed my cooking style and love for food.

Now, (a few too many) years later, I find cooking for myself sometimes difficult, sometimes a chore.  It's another thing on my list of 'to do's.  One day, after cooking a tray of oven chips with mayonnaise for my tea (yes, really), I had a word with myself.  I used to have a blog, devising recipes for my young son and found it a great way to expand the food he liked to eat.  I love cooking for others and it's the way I show my love.  I realised, in a moment, that I needed to eat like I loved myself.  Would I cook oven chips and mayo for my son?  No.  Is it a nutritiously balanced meal?  No.  Does it even taste all that nice?  Not really.  I like mayo and all but there are better foods in the world.  So if it's not good enough for someone I love, it's not good enough for me.