Matron's Munchies

Kitty

Spiced Black Forest crumble

Category: Dessert | Serves: 4–6

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

450g frozen Black Forest fruits, defrosted

1 tsp clear honey or agave syrup

85g wholemeal flour

55g medium oatmeal

50g low-fat spread (choose a dairy-free version if following a vegan or dairy-free diet)

70g light soft brown sugar

¼ – ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation 

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C /gas mark 5.
2. Tip the fruit with any juices into a 1 litre baking dish or individual ovenproof pudding bowls.
3. Drizzle honey over the fruit. Put the flour and oatmeal in a bowl and stir to mix.
4. Lightly rub in the low-fat spread with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Spoon this mixture evenly over the fruit and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

frogmorton

Mmmmm...thanks Kath I can do that pie too just use soya milk and vegan marge instead of butter and milk😋

Popping us some cake in for later I think we deserve some...chocolate if I can find it - Aidan's favourite!

Oh my what about this?!  Will pop back later to make a cuppa to go with......

Kitty

I know Aidan never liked bananas, but I don't think he'd mind us having some of ths as it's chocolate. Try a slice me duck. 😥

Chocolate banana bread

This recipe is a delicious alternative to a classic banana bread, using cocoa and coconut to give it extra depth. Serves 8.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups (165g) self-raising flour
• 2/3 cup (79g) cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground vanilla beans
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup (251g) agave or maple syrup/liquid sweetener of choice
• 1/3 cup (76g) melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• Shredded coconut, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius and line a loaf tin
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and vanilla beans
3. In a separate bowl, combine banana, agave, coconut oil and vinegar
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and top with coconut
6. Bake for 30 minutes or until mixture bounces back when pressed
7. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

Kitty

Tales Of Tosca (Kath's newest poem)

The Russian Grand Duchess Tosca

is a most regal feline.

Her face is stern, 

her whiskers long,

her tail elegant and fluffy.

She sipped on her Mackerel Latte,

turned her nose up at Liver Pate,

watched in disdain as a mouse scurried by

and unsheathed her long claws when unhappy.

She showed off her diamante bracelet

and and changed into her best Tiara

when Count Orloff paid her a visit

from the sands of the Sahara.

When alone in the night,

as she curled nice and warm

in the glow of the firelight.

and would purr with delight

frogmorton

Aww Kath I love the poem I know Bill will too somehow I will have to copy it for him.

Oh yes Aidan wasn't keen on nanas, but I will like it please a large slice

We can sit and have a slice with a cuppa and a laugh!

Kitty

Baked Beetroot with Quorn and Lemon Tagine

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE BEETROOT

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 500g beetroot

FOR THE TAGINE

• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 50g red lentils
• 300ml vegetable stock using 1 low-sodium vegetable stock cube
• 280g Quorn vegan pieces
• Black pepper, to taste

TO SERVE

• 2 large ripe pears
• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 small lemons, halved
• cooked wholewheat couscous
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stalks and leaves chopped

METHOD

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Peel the beetroot and cut into 3cm chunks and place on a large baking tray. Drizzle the oil over the beetroot and roast for 35-40 minutes until the beetroot is tender, turning halfway through.
2. For the tagine: Prepare the tagine heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until it starts to soften. Add the carrot and pepper and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, paprika, ras-el-hanout and cook for a minute. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, lentils and stock, bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the Quorn pieces and simmer gently with a lid on for 12 minutes until the Quorn is piping hot.
5. Slice the pears into thin slices and brush lightly on both with oil. Heat a griddle pan, then chargrill the pears, in batches, for 1-2 minutes on each side. Add the lemon halves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes until charred.
6. Remove the tagine from the heat and season to taste with freshly ground black pepper.
7. To serve: Divide the tagine between 4 warm plates along with the couscous and baked beetroot. Garnish with the griddled pears, charred lemons and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Mike1

There is a definite lack of sausages in this category! 😁

frogmorton

@Mike1

We can do sausages!

and you have a CAT what is his/her name?

Mike1

Thanks for the bangers. Vixen is my cat's name and she is 4.

Kitty

Aww, look at Vixen isn't she a beauty. Mike, most of my regulars are vegan or vegetarian, but as Toni said - we can do sausages and that's a lovely plateful Toni, thank you.

Now to look for a nice sausage recipe for Mike and any other carnivore like me. 😀

• SAUSAGE CASSEROLE RECIPE

Sausage Casserole Recipe

Sausage Casserole Recipe – A Delicious Winter Warmer

Our sausage casserole recipe is a fantastic winter meal.  Wiltshire Bacon’s Cumberland Sausages & Smoked Streaky Bacon together deliver a truly unique flavour. This warming & filling dish is delicious with some warm crusty bread. Perfect for freezing.

Preparation time: Around 45mins

Cooking time: Around 45 – 60mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 kilo Wiltshire Bacon Cumberland Sausages
• 6 rashers of Wiltshire Bacon smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1-inch strips
• 2 onions
• 100g sliced chestnut mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 325ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• splash of Worcestershire sauce
• brown sugar – 1tbspn
• pinch of dried mixed herbs
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 100ml red wine
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Cooking Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas 4.
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and brown the sausages for around 10 mins, turning frequently and ensuring a nice colour all over. Then transfer to a large ovenproof dish and set aside for later.
3. Cut your Bacon rashers into small 1 inch strips and fry in the pan until golden and crisp then add to the sausages.
4.  Slice 2 onions and add to the pan with the sliced mushrooms. Saute until softened, or until the onion has turned slightly translucent, then add 2 crushed garlic cloves and fry for a further 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are a golden brown.
5. Add the smoked paprika and stir, ensuring an even coating on everything.
6. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, brown sugar, thyme, mixed herbs and the bay leaves.
7. Pour in the red wine and bring to a gentle simmer.
8. Add the contents of the frying pan to the dish that we set aside earlier.
9. Place in the centre of the preheated oven and cover with a lid or foil and bake for 30min.

Serving suggestion:

Serve in a bowl with a warm crusty bread baguette.

Toni, you could use Vegan sausages in your version.

Kitty

• Homemade Vegan Rhubarb Crumble, kcal

Ingredients

• 500g rhubarb

• , chopped into chunks the length of your thumb
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 3 tbsp port (optional)

For the crumble topping

• 140g self-raising flour
• 85g butter

• , chilled
• 50g light brown muscovado sugar
• 50g chopped walnuts

•  (optional)

Method

Watch recipe video

1. Tip 500g thumb-length chunks of rhubarb into a saucepan with 100g golden caster sugar and 3 tbsp port, if using. 
2. Cover and simmer on a very low heat for 15 mins, adding more sugar if you want. When soft (but still holding its shape) and sweet enough, pour the rhubarb into a medium baking dish.
3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
4. To make the topping, rub 140g self-raising flour and 85g chilled butter together with your fingers until you have a soft, crumbly topping.
5. Now add 50g light brown muscovado sugar and 50g chopped walnuts, if using. Mix together with your hands.
6. Scatter the topping over the rhubarb and bake for 30 mins or until golden brown on top.
7. Serve piping hot with a big jug of thick vanilla custard. Refer to the tip for a recipe.

Mike1

Thanks for the recipe Kathleen, regrettably I cannot cut vegetables due to the OA in my hands and cannot stand/sit by the cooker to cook. Unless a meal can be slung in the microwave or on a single tray in the oven then it doesn't happen. At least I can look at the pictures and drool!

frogmorton

Kath thank you for the rhubarb crumble yummy - mine is coming up nicely in the garden :)

Mike Vixen looks so sweet!  Is she a little character? I bet she is🐱

I have a small cat too although she is now 10 (not sure at all when that happened she's called Daisy really but has many nicknames....Sleek and miss Slimkins (named by Aidan/Bubbles who was a café regular until he died shockingly at 58 in December) when the vet said she was putting weight on!  We also call her Diddi at home or Darling!  she responds to all names if called in the right tone 🙂

frogmorton

Help I can't delete the picture it's toooooo BIG!!

Sorry😊

Mike I was going to say most of us don't eat the food in here either as we'd put to much weight on!!!

Some more bangers for you

Mike1

What makes you think Vixen may be a little character 😍

Kitty

Loving the pictures of Sleek and Vixen. Mike, same as us. I would use frozen veg as it's already chopped, but I don't know how we could get round the problem of shoving it in the oven! 🙄 There MUST be a way to microwave it. This looks nice, but not for Toni or Mike! 😕

Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Pilaf

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper (deseeded and chopped into equal-sized pieces)

• 1 yellow pepper (deseeded and chopped into equal-sized pieces)

• 2 onions (sliced into wedges)

• 1 courgette (evenly sliced)

• 1/3 butternut squash (peeled and cut into chunks)

• 2 garlic cloves

• 12 pork sausages

• olive oil (for drizzling)

• basmati rice (2 packets of microwave)

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. 

Place the peppers, onions and courgette into a roasting tin with the butternut squash. Give the peeled garlic cloves a quick bash with the end of a rolling pin and add to the tin. 

Arrange the sausages around the vegetables and drizzle generously with olive oil. Use your hands to ensure all of the vegetables and sausages are coated and then put the roasting tin in the oven for 30 minutes. 

About 10 minutes before the sausages and vegetables are cooked, remove them from the oven. Add the rice, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and a little more olive oil. 

Make sure everything is combined then return to the oven for the final 10 minutes. Give it a stir before serving. 

frogmorton

I bet Mike enjoyed the sausage pilaff Kat🌭 - I think that's meant to be a hot dog!

AW Mike she is so sweet🙂 Don't they just love bags and boxes!  My Mum's old cat used to 'get in' (hardly!!) empty tissue boxes.

 I'm looking for a pic of Daisy - we call her Sleek in the café

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10H0Cu47V7vWGnznom9Ee41wEZpQxqhTL/view?usp=sharing

This is her Yoga pose!

Kitty

Cauliflower Steak

Ingredients

40 Minutes

130 Calories

Cauliflower Steak

Ingredients 

1 whole cauliflower  (OUTER GREENS STILL ATTACHED)

olive oil

sea salt

pepper

paprika

Remove the greens from the outside of the vegetable and rinse and dry them. 

Rinse the outside of the cauliflower and thoroughly dry. 

Cut the bottom of the cauliflower off so it's flat. 

Turn the cauliflower on its side and cut into 2-3 steaks (approximately an inch thick). 

Drizzle the steaks and extra fallen pieces with olive oil, salt and pepper, a pinch of paprika and umami dust. Make sure both sides are seasoned. 

Season the greens the same way and transfer to a baking tray.

In a flat pan heat, a tablespoon of olive oil and brown the steaks. (Around 4 minutes on each side)

Transfer steaks to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. 

Bake steaks and greens for approximately 20 minutes or until fully cooked on the inside. (Test this on a smaller extra fallen piece).

Enjoy with eggs, or as a side along with the greens!

Hi Kath, just took the liberty of sorting out the spacing, I just got a cauliflower yesterday, I’m going to try this tomorrow Yx

frogmorton

I have a cauli Kath with no idea what to do....I might just try this!

Sounds rather yum, but had to google umami dust!

"Umami Dust Seasoning is a carefully crafted blend of finely chopped mushrooms, aromatic vegetables and herbs, specifically designed to naturally enhance the savory flavor of your favorite foods. Finely ground powder. Unique blend of savory ingredients, including umami-rich mushrooms, garlic, and tomato."

Kitty

Sweet potato, sage and onion tart

An attractive, colourful centerpiece that goes with ‘all the trimmings’. Makes 1 large tart, serves 6-8.

Ingredients

For the crust

• 3 plain rice cakes (approx 25g)
• 
  
• 50g shelled hazelnuts
• 50g rice flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (can be gluten free)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp soya milk

For the sweet potato filling

• 450g sweet potatoes
• Zest of 1/2 an unwaxed lemon
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the onion topping

• 3 large red onions
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
• Zest of 1/2 an unwaxed lemon
• A few whole hazelnuts and fresh cranberries
• 3 tbsp cranberry sauce
• Finely chopped sage, to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Grease a 20cm loose-based flan tin with a little olive oil. Prick the skins of the sweet potatoes, put them on a baking tray and bake for 45-50 minutes until tender. Set aside to cool. 
2. Crumble the rice cakes and put them into a food processor with the nuts. Process to a powder. If you don’t have a food processor, crush the rice cakes and chop the nuts as finely as you can. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the rice flour, baking powder, olive oil and soya milk. Season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. Turn the mixture into the flan tin and use your fingers to press it into an even layer covering the bottom of the tin. Bake for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.
3. Peel the onions and slice them thinly. Cover a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Arrange the onion slices in a layer on the tray. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, thyme and lemon zest together in a small bowl, then spoon the mixture over the onions. Bake for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.
4. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes with the lemon zest, sage, salt and pepper. Chop around half the baked onion slices and stir into the sweet potato mash, then spoon the mash onto the tart crust and smooth it out with a spatula. Carefully arrange the remaining sliced onions over the top of the tart (a palette knife is useful for this). Scatter the hazelnuts and cranberries over the top and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tart is heated through and the cranberries have started to burst. 
5. Put the cranberry sauce into a small saucepan with 3 tbsp water and heat gently, stirring continuously until the sauce is dissolved. Pass through a sieve if you prefer a smooth glaze. Spoon the warm cranberry glaze over the tart just before serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh, finely chopped sage. 

Tip: If you want to make the tart in advance, prepare the baked crust, the sweet potato mash and the baked onions, and store them separately. Assemble the tart just before baking it.

frogmorton

OMG that looks amazing Kath yes please!  Would do Christmas day wouldn't it?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BE4zW5qkGl5RGuA_oNmeWA8Vm2uXpwvS/view?usp=sharing

My pusskin in case Mike1 pops by...

Kitty

Speedy Vegetarian Pasta

Ingredients

150 grams (Waitrose Egg Garganelli)

250 grams (Sunblush Tomato and Mozzarella Salad, from the deli service counter)

100 grams 

dressing

aged balsamic vinegar

Method

1. Add 150g Waitrose Egg Garganelli pasta to a pan of boiling water and cook for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pan.
2. Stir 250g Sunblush Tomato and Mozzarella Salad (from the deli service counter) into the hot pasta with 50g rocket.
3. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately, garnished with another 50g rocket dressed with fresh Waitrose Aged Balsamic Vinegar and Oregano Dressing (optional).

frogmorton

Now that looks a nice simple dish Kath - I will do mine without the egg pasta just use the dried stuff! Only problem is Paul doesn't like pasta much so might have to add something for him🤔

Thing is I could eat pasta till it comes out of my ears

Then baked spud the next day!!!

Then pasta

Then baked spud!

🍽️

Kitty

I love baked spud with butter. slurp.

Leek & herb stuffed jackets

PREP: 5 MINS

COOK: 30 MINS

EASYSERVES 4

Bored of the usual baked potato fillings? These are started off in the microwave to speed things up, then baked with a creamy leek mixture

Ingredients

• 2 leeks
• 
  
• , sliced
• 4 baking potatoes, pricked with a fork
• 150g tub garlic and herb soft cheese
• 1 egg
• 
  
• , beaten
• small handful parsley
• 
  

Method

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Place the leeks in a microwaveable bowl with a splash of water, then microwave for 3 mins on High. Set aside. Microwave the potatoes for 10-15 mins on High, turning halfway through cooking. Leave until cool enough to handle, then cut in half lengthways and carefully scoop out the middle into the bowl with the leeks, keeping the potato skin intact.
2. Mash the leek and potato with the soft cheese, egg and parsley, then spoon back into the potato skins. Place on a baking sheet, then bake for 15 mins until the filling is golden brown and piping hot, and the skins have crisped up. Delicious served with a tomato and baby leaf salad.

frogmorton

That is one for us to try definitely I have leeks (had a fruit and veg order from the farm shop yesterday) and I have vegan herby cheese spread too 🙂Ta v muchly Kath😺