All things Autumn

We had some frost on the field one morning last week so I guess it's officially Autumn in Cornwall.  Sunday roasts are on the menu most weeks now, no getting away with a bbq outside so the bearded one has hung up his pinny for another year.  I have been fiddling with the lentil bake that gets trotted out regularly to go with the roast for us veggies in the family and so far this is my favourite version of it.  If I don't write it down somewhere I will forget what I actually put in it and it went down so well I'm thinking of making it for our Xmas dinner.  Nothing fancy but something all of us like (which is a flipping miracle in our family)  It is gluten and oat free so I can eat it, no mushrooms which youngest hates and no nuts which both of them hate.  As usual my cooking involves throwing in whatever I find and not measuring anything so these are rough measurements.  Adjust them to your own tastes, excuse the terrible photo, everyone was too hungry to wait for me to faff around with the camera.

LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO BAKE

A couple of cups of red lentils (very approx, )
2 small red onions
1 large sweet potato
1 sweet pointed pepper
handful of spinach
1/2 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
2 - 3 oz Grated cheese

Cook the lentils in your usual way, drain well and set aside
Cook the sweet potato in the microwave and scrape out when cooled and set aside
Saute chopped onions and pepper until soft,
Add herbs, salt and pepper stir well and simmer for a further minute
Put the lentils and sweet potato into the pan with the onion and mix well
Add chopped spinach and cook until wilted.
Mix in the cheese.

Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture in, smooth the top and place into a medium oven until heated right though and the top has browned slightly.

I actually made it in the morning and put it in the fridge ready to put in the oven with the rest of the roast in the evening.  Things that can be made ahead make life a lot easier!

It has been absolutely chucking it down here today, the cows are huddled against the hedges seeking shelter while the deer seem oblivious.  We needed something warming for our evening meal, as usual despite having lots of lovely cookery books I went online and found this Moroccan Chickpea Stew from The first mess   We had cavolo nero in the veg box so that went in as well, it made a lovely warming stew that certainly hit the spot.

I am still working on my shawl, I think I must be the worlds slowest knitter and could do with wearing it this winter not next!  I am o.k. with the shawl itself but it has a frilly bit to add to it which is looking pretty daunting so I may be asking for help from the knitters out there some time soon.  It is a Debbie Bliss pattern knitted in Fine Donegal from this book.  My wool is actually more of a green/blue than the photo shows, it reminds me of the winter seas.

Work continues slowly on the house  and we are working outside at weekends (don't you just hate getting home from work in the dark!)  We are waiting for the power company to upgrade the poles to the house before we can put up the solar panels, we are also in the process of replacing the light fittings with more efficient energy saving ones.  On the day we moved in, as it got dark we realised that most of the lights were not working, it seems that as they blew they were not replaced, we could barely see a thing!

 I was delighted to see several goldfinches in the garden this morning, they were occasionally seen at our old house tempted by niger seeds, but were pecking away at the grass here.  I have also been watching the mother deer with her youngster who are often in the next field.  The baby isn't completely weaned yet and I managed to get a photo of it feeding when it was in one of the more distant fields.  Not a great photo but you can just make them out.

I hope you have all had a great weekend.

Chickpea xx

I Like to Knit and Shit

This did make me giggle!

I have started clearing out our attic, yes I know nothing is finalised yet but it needs to be done regardless of when we move.  I came across a bag full of little knitted cardigans that were made by my mum and me when I was pregnant with my eldest son nearly 32 years ago!  Where did the time go?  It really didn't seem that long ago when I had my whole life ahead of me, but now I have to face the realisation that most of my life is behind me.  Such a scary thought, it would be easy to be depressed about it when there are so many things I still want to do but it was not that long ago that I faced the prospect of having very few years ahead of me so I am grateful for everyday I have.  Anyway I don't want to depress all of you as well so I will just say my mum and I liked to knit and shit :)

I'm sure there are going to lots of lovely surprises in the attic, I could probably do loads of posts on 'What's in the Attic'........but I won't.  I will just share a few over the next few weeks.

I thought I would share these 'healthy flapjacks' that I have been making.   Don't ask me where the recipe is from, I saw it in a magazine at the hairdressers and took a photo of it.  Being gluten free means any snacks I buy would be a ridiculous price so these are really nice to take to work.   Diwali was being celebrated at work today so lots of cakes were brought in to share.  It wasn't quite the same eating healthy flapjacks but still very nice.  I take one out of the freezer each day.  I found I can't eat 'bought' flapjacks without them having an adverse effect, but I can make them using Sainsburys oats without any ill effects.

Banana and Peanut Oat Bars

1 tbsp coconut oil plus extra for greasing tray

3 very ripe bananas

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp peanut butter (mine is made from sustainable palm oil)

280g porridge oats

2 tbsp flax seeds ( I used mixed seeds)

Heat the oven to 180C gas 4

Grease 20cm square baking tin (or whatever you have) with coconut oil

In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork

Melt coconut oil, honey and peanut butter over a low heat in a large pan

Once melted remove from the heat and stir in the bananas

Then mix in the oats and seeds and mix really well

Transfer to the tin and bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Wait until it has cooled before you cut it into squares

I then freeze the individual portions to take out when needed.

Thank you for all your comments on my last post, I am very relieved to be a step closer to our new life.  

p.s. I can't bring myself to get rid of the little hand knits, they are too small for our grandson so they will be carefully wrapped and put away for another 32 years!  Have you been strong enough to give away your little baby clothes or are you a softy like me?

Chickpea xx

Flumble Mercy Mission

I had a text from a friend a couple of days ago telling me she has broken her foot.  That would be bad enough at any time, but she has just moved house.  She has been through a very nasty divorce and is nervous and excited to have her own home.   It is an older property and needs a lot doing to it but that is part of the excitement, planning what she is going to do with the property to make it her home.   After years of living out in the sticks she has moved into a village and looking forward to being able to walk to the local shops and library and get more exercise.  She is now off her feet for weeks and can't even drive.  She is feeling very vulnerable and isolated.  A trip on a step and life can change so quickly. 

So what do you do for a friend in this position?  You bake of course!  I was stuck at home in the morning while my new 'smart meter' was fitted, so it had to be made with whatever I had in the house.  It is roughly based on a BBC recipe, with a Chickpea twist.

I'm not sure what to call it, part flapjack part crumble.....flumble perhaps?

Here's what I did:

Rhubarb Flumble

3/4 sticks of rhubarb
1/2 tsp of ginger
2 oz demerara sugar

Chop the rhubarb and cook with the ginger and sugar until slightly softened then set aside.



8 oz demerara sugar
10 oz rolled porridge oats
5 oz gluten free plain flour (or ordinary plain flour)
2 oz mixed seeds
3 tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp mixed spice

Mixed together in a large bowl.



12 oz soya margarine (or butter)

Melt and pour into the dry mix.



Give it all a good stir so everything is well mixed.

Grease a baking tin or whatever you have about 20 cm square.

Pour in half of the mix, then the rhubarb and finish off with the rest of the mix.

Bake at 200C/180C fan, gas 6 for 45 - 50 minutes until gold and crisp on top.

Leave to cool before cutting into squares.

I served it with half fat creme fraiche ( yes I know,  a bit pointless after all the fat and sugar in the recipe) The 'tartness' balanced out the sweetness of the frumble.  Not the healthiest of recipes but real comfort food.  You could use whatever fruit you have available so it is a seasonal recipe as well.

My friend, like me, can't eat gluten so really enjoyed having some homemade gluten free deliciousness.  Just what you need when you are feeling down, coffee, cake and a chat.  What is your go to comfort food?

Chickpea xx

Five on Friday

 Joining up with the lovely Amy for Five on Friday.


Rise

When I wake on beautiful sunny days I like to take a walk around the garden to say good morning to the plants and creatures.  They wake with me, seeking out the sun, I love how their petals open when the sun is out, and then close as the sun goes down.  Ziggy Stardust comes out with me for a stretch.

Eat

I love simple food I can just throw together.  What could be simpler than this.


Chickpeas Houmous

1 tin of chickpeas drained
3 tbsp tahini
juice of half a lemon
handful of fresh coriander 
flesh of 1 small cooked sweet potato 
1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
1 tbsp olive oil

Throw in a food processor and blend


Quilt

The beautiful colours that are used in aboriginal art reflect the colours of their homeland. The yellow for the sun,  brown for the earth,  red for the desert sand, white for the clouds, each piece of art telling a story.  This quilt will remind me of our visit to their beautiful land.

Read

I have just finished reading the Yorkshire Shepherdess by Amanda  Owen     It is about her life at Ravenseat raising her 'free range' children.  What a wonderful way of life.  I will not be moving so far away from civilisation but dream of having space around me and 'free range' grandchildren.

This is her beautiful home Ravenseat

Play

The first gig of the season will soon be upon us so lots and lots of practice is required. Bring on the Samba!!


Have a good weekend everyone,

Chickpea xx

Cats, Colds and Cornbread Confusion

A not very scary scarecrow

All out war has been declared against the local cats who are using my veg patch as their public toilet. I have sprinkled smelly gel all over it and now I have brought out the big guns.  Well, a scarecrow and some windmills to be exact.  They are driving me mad, there are huge gaps in my planting where cats have dug them up.  Yesterday spurred on by the lovely weather I planted out the sweetcorn , courgettes, chard and squashes.  I'm really chuffed that I managed to grow them from seed so would be so upset if they were destroyed at this stage.  The sweetcorn have plastic milk botttles covering them while the others have a plastic tunnel placed over them until them are big enough to survive.  Any tips on keeping cats off the veg?

Growing milk bottles

The spinach and kale (and weeds) that have survived cat attack growing away nicely

I was tempted to make gluten free cornbread yesterday morning after seeing Dawns sausage and cornbread pie.  I am very confused by cornbread, it's called bread but it's nothing like a bread.  Is it savoury of sweet?

 I used this recipe found on Jamie Olivers website, but adapted it so that it was also dairy free using almond milk and soya margarine.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free cornmeal
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk (buttermilk, whole milk, or almond milk work great)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter (or dairy free alternative)

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Grease a medium-sized cast-iron skillet (or 8×8 baking dish) with bacon grease or butter, and place inside the oven while you prep the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

Melt the butter and let it cool slightly while you whisk together the eggs and milk in a separate bowl. Once the butter is cool, add it to the wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently together with a wooden spoon or spatula. Don’t over-mix, but let everything become incorporated.

Remove the heated skillet (or baking dish) from the oven and pour the batter in. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool slightly before slicing and serving. Serve with butter and honey for maximum comfort food feeling!

 The recipe is by Ariyele Ressler

Serving suggestions included eating it with chilli, I opted for the honey and I have to say it was nice as a sweet snack.

So can anyone, (especially any American readers), explain cornbread to me and how it is best served?  Savoury or sweet?

I am also still full of a cold.  It really doesn't feel right having a cold when the weather is glorious. In the winter you can snuggle up in a quilt with your lemon and honey, but it's too hot for that.  I came home from work this afternoon and just wanted to crawl in to bed instead of going down to the beach.   (or painting doors which I am meant to be getting on with) I must be really poorly!

Chickpea xx

Welcome to Sue a new follower on Bloglovin :)

Blossoms, Black Beans and Easter Bunnies

I hope you all had a good weekend, and for those in the U.K. a long Bank Holiday weekend that actually included sunshine for a change.  I would first like to thank you all for your comments on my last post, wise words of advice from you all which are much appreciated.  Looking back I remember feeling the same about our last home.  I was very emotional over leaving, I wanted to take the door frame where I had marked the childrens' height on their birthdays.  I couldn't even drive past for years because I didn't want to see the changes to it.  Yes I am a soppy old thing.

On my week off I had a wonderful trip to London, followed by a week of decorating which has left me with a bad knee which I twisted  going up and down the ladder.  Topped off by a weekend with family including the three grandchildren.  Oh and you remember I 'glutened' myself with bourbon while away?  This week while chatting to a friend on the phone I picked up and ate the full of gluten hot cross bun instead of the gluten free ones I had bought.  I must be having 'senior' moments!


Our weekend was spent searching for trolls in the woods, crabs in the rock pools and Easter bunnies

It was our youngest grandchilds' first trip to the beach, as you can see he was very excited.  He actually slept the whole time!

Although I could do with another week off to get over the last one, I returned to work today and of course missed the glorious weather.  It at last feels less like winter and my cherry tree is out in all it's showy best.  Sadly the pink one hasn't flowered much for years.  Anyway, being back to the usual routine means rushing to get something on the table when I get home so it was a store cupboard  quick and simple meal this evening.  Made up as I went along of course but here's what I did

BLACK BEAN BURGERS


Whizz one red onion in the food processor until finely chopped.

Add 1 tin/carton of black beans, drained.

1 - 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce

Buckwheat flour, enough to make the mixture bind together.

Whizz again until mixed together.

Form into burgers and fry gently until crispy on the outside and heated through.  Serve with lots of lovely salad and tomatoes in a gluten free burger bun with ketchup of course.

I try to use as many legumes as possible as they are a good source of protein for vegetarians.  Black beans are also a good source of folic acid, magnesium, potassium and iron and are said to be good for your digestive system.  A very quick, simple and healthy after work supper.

Chickpea xx

Punk, Poldark and Baba Ganoush

Sadly I didn't get to see the naughty ladies, my friend was taken ill at the last moment so we didn't go.  Instead I stayed home and watched a really interesting film about Terri Hooley, Belfasts Godfather of Punk,  who opened a record shop in the early days of punk in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.  Young people from both sides came together in their mutual love of punk music, escaping the horror that was going on around them for a few hours.  Among the bands he 'discovered' was The Undertones of 'Teenage Kicks' fame.  It is called Good Vibrations and was on BBC 2 so hopefully you can catch it on iplayer.

I pop into a local veg shop to get our fruit every week on my way home from work, carrying my home made basket of course.  This week they were selling off aubergine,  I love the flavour of them so into my basket they went.  I had also just picked up a new cookery book from work, well it was only £5.  Damn those book people for tempting me, yes I know, I am trying to declutter!  I love mezze type eating and had been wanted to make Baba ganoush for a while, it is so easy I don't know why I haven't got around to it.

So here's the book it came from

and heres the recipe

BABA GANOUSH

Serves 1 - 2

1 large aubergine cut into 2 cm chunks
olive oil for drizzling
1 tablespoon of tahini
1 large clove of garlic crushed
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas 6.
Put the aubergine chunks in a roasting tin, drizzle then with a little olive oil and season.
Roast in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until soft and beginning to caramelise slightly at the edges.
Remove and allow to cool slightly, then place in a food processor with the tahini, garlic and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper.
Process on full power until a creamy humous-like mixture has formed.

I ate mine with toasted gluten free pitta bread.

Simple and delicious!



Well tonight's the night!  I think all of Cornwall will be watching to see how badly they mangle our Cornish accents.  I remember watching  the first Poldark series all those years ago.  I'm looking forward to seeing the beautiful Cornish landscape and of course Aidan Turner .....sigh.

Chickpea xx

Pancakes!

I don't need much of an excuse to eat pancakes, they are sooooo delicious!  I thought I would have to live without them when I was forced to give up gluten but with a little change of ingredients I can still indulge.

These are from the Honestly Healthy book which is full of things I can eat so is becoming a firm favourite.

So for those who want to indulge in yummy pancakes here is the recipe:

AMERICAN STYLE BUCKWHEAT PANCAKES

makes 6 - 8


70g (2 3/4oz/1/2 cup) buckwheat flour
70g (2 3/4oz/1/2 cup) rice flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
300 ml (1/2pt/scant 1 1/4 cups) Brown rice milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
1 tbsp rice syrup


Place the buckwheat flour, rice flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and mix well.

Place the milk, lemon juice, sunflower oil and rice syrup in another bowl and mix well, then stir into the dry ingredients and mix gently until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

Wipe a frying pan lightly with oil and heat over a medium heat.  Place a poachette ring or pastry ring in the pan and ladle in 1 tbsp of the mixture.  (I found it best to oil the rings)   Cook until air bubbles start to appear on the surface of the pancake.  Do not turn until this point.  Remove the mould, turn the pancake and cook for about 1 minute on the other side, until set.  Repeat until all the mixture is used and cooked.


You can change the recipe to suit your own preferences.

Happy Pancake Day!

Chickpea xx