Cooking For One: Beet and Mint Smoothie

After many months Cooking For One is back! I was a very lucky girl this Christmas and my family bought me a NutriBullet! Since then, I've been enjoying smoothie breakfasts almost everyday. They're relatively quick to make and I take them to work to drink. I've tried out a lot of recipes over the past two months, but this has to be one of my favourites.

Ingredients:

1 Fresh Beetroot

1/4 Fennel Bulb

Handful Mint

Method:

Peel the beet and chop it and the fennel into blendable chunks. Add the mint (stalks and all). Fill to line with water. Blend. Add more water.

I love the colour of this smoothie and thanks to the sweetness of the best and fennel it tastes really good! The texture is a little thick/gritty, but adding the extra water at the end really helps to counteract it. Letting it settle overnight in the fridge helps too. Let me know if you try this by commenting below or tweeting me @VickiMaitland

Blogmas 17: Norwich Nosh Episode 2 - The Bicycle Shop

Welcome to the second installment of Norwich Nosh - the series where I tell you about cool places to eat, drink, and be merry in my lovely home city, Norwich.

Episode 2 - The Bicycle Shop

I love these loons more than life. Delicious meal with 6/7ths of the girlies xxx

A photo posted by Vicki Maitland (@vickimaitland) on Aug 4, 2015 at 11:48pm PDT

Where: 17 St Benedicts Street.

When: Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 12am, Sunday 11am - 12am, closed on Mondays.

How (much): Drinks £2+ for a soft drink, £4+ wine/beer, £6+ cocktails. Food £4+ tapas, £5+ brunch, £10+ mains.

Who: Much like Frank's Bar, The Bicycle Shop invites a bohemian crowd of mostly young proffessionals, mostly artistic. It has a very chilled out atmosphere, and often hosts live music events in the basement downstairs. 

What: The Bicycle shop serves from brunch to tapas, stopping off at larger main dishes along the way. They mostly serve Mediterranean style food, and have a good range of vegetarian and gluten free options. From memory I don't think they have many vegan options, although their menu does change fairly regularly.

Why: Named because there was a cycle repair shop on the site for most of the last century, The Bicycle Shop is a relaly lovely independant venue. It has lots of plants and candles in it, and feels really cosy. All the staff are lovely and helpful and I always walk out with a crush on at least one of them! It's really nice to go for a coffee or a meal, although I'd recommend booking in busy times because it does get full as it's only little.

You can visit their website here for more information.

Blogmas 10: Norwich Nosh Episode 1 - Frank's Bar

Recently I've found myself in a position where I've been able to eat out more, which is a very lucky position to be in! Norwich, where I live, has a cafes and bars on every corner. Norwich Nosh is a new series where I'll essentially do mini reviews of some of my favourite places to eat in Norwich.

Food, glorious food! Beaut of an evening with my love 🍁

A photo posted by Vicki Maitland (@vickimaitland) on Nov 4, 2015 at 2:00pm PST

Episode 1 - Frank's Bar

Where: 19 Bedford Street, NR2 1AR

When: Tuesday - Sunday (Closed on Monday)

How (much): £5 for a light bite - £12 for a main meal. £2-3 for a soft/hot drink. £4 pint. £6+ cocktails.

Who: Frank's Bar invites a relaxed crowd of people - arty but not pretentious. The venue is small, so it employs a shuffle up policy and seats multiple groups to a table (they do ask first though).

What: There is a decent range of food, mostly Mediterranean inspired. Their bread platter (with olives, hummus and balsamic oil) is particularly lovely. They change their menu seasonally, so you can be assumed all their food is fresh as it comes. They have a pretty good range of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free meals, and most of the meat dishes they have use 'unusual' meats, so they're not reliant on the over-farmed few (I've seen both pigeon and rabbit on the menu).

Why: Frank's Bar is a truly lovely little venue. They have a fully waiter-ed service, but you do have to go to the bar to collect your bill. The atmosphere is cosy and warm. I particularly recommend the hot chocolate (which you can have with soya milk and vegan mallows - although I personally can't resist having it topped with whipped cream).

Lovely little catch-up with this old bean ☕️ #hotchoc #veganmallows

A photo posted by Vicki Maitland (@vickimaitland) on Nov 25, 2015 at 12:06pm PST

I love Frank's Bar and have been going there for brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, and coffee's for years now. It's always a solid choice - even if you have to wait a little while for a seat at busy times.

Visit their website here.

.

Shopping For One (or Shopping On A Budget)

I'm writing this as a bit of a companion to my Cooking For One series. When you're buying food for yourself it can be really tricky not to go over board and buy everything you want, only for it to go off before you've had a chance to eat it. Over the past year of buying my own food, and having almost no waste, here's what I've picked up.

1) Know your space. If you're like me and are at university sharing a tiny kitchen with three (or more) other people, you've got to watch out and make sure you're only using as much space as you're assigned. If everyone's big shop falls on the same day, you need to know that everyone will have enough room in the fridge and freezer for their bits and bobs. Store cupboard stuff is easier to stock up on, and keeping spares in a box in your room is always an option if you're running out of space.

2) Check dates. This is my one big bug-bear with budget shops like ALDI - they don't put dates on any of their fresh fruit and veg. I don't hold a lot in store by best before dates, but it does give you an indication of how fresh the product is. Food almost always lasts longer than its BBE (best before end), but if the BBE is dated for a couple of days in the future, don't expect it to last for a week and a half.

Berries are the one big exception to the 'don't worry too much about the BBE' rule. If they're out of season, they'll go off pretty quickly, sometimes even before the expiry (depending on how you keep them). Be aware when you buy them you'll have to eat them in a couple of days.

Bread is another funny one. You can mostly ignore the date, especially if you're going to freeze it, and just check for mould if you're using out of date bread. Stale bread can also be used in various recipes etc. 

3) Expect a similar diet. Almost every night of the week I eat some variation of chopped veg, stir fried, with tomato sauce. To mix it up I add different seasonings, and pair it with variations of pasta, rice and tortillas. Cooking this way means I know what veg I need so when I buy it I know I'll use it up. 

4) Quorn. A lot of people turn their noses up at Quorn or other meat-free alternatives, but it's cheap and if you flavour it right it doesn't taste too dissimilar. Meat is expensive, and cooking from frozen is always a little risky. I always have a pack of mince, chicken and sausages in the freezer - and they're almost always on a 3 for £5 deal.

5) Pick your priorities. Personally, I save money on chopped tomatoes by buying the cheapest version and eek out my portions with water, but add more flavour with a tomato puree. Similarly I choose not to buy milk and use water in my porridge instead. When it comes to herbal tea I splurge and get something more expensive. It's all about balancing out what does and doesn't matter to you - and don't just pick brands you've always used if there's something cheaper you've never tried.

6) Staples. Seasonings (salt, pepper, mixed herbs, chili powder, cinnamon, curry powder) will make the world of difference to your food. Rice, spaghetti, pasta, noodles, lentils and chickpeas are all cheap and are great for bulking out meals and adding carbs. I love lazy garlic and chili too as they're a quick way to give a meal a zing. Olive oil is essential to every meal I make.

7) Snacks. Don't forget these or else you'll kick yourself. Something sweet for after dinner and something salty for a mid-day treat. Different spreads for toast can be a great way to accommodate for snacks without having to spend extra money. Things you can take on the go are also really useful - and whilst a packed of nuts might be expensive you'll thank yourself when you're out and about and fancy a nibble!

8) Eggs and Baked Beans. I almost always have a packet of eggs on the go, and a couple of tins of baked beans in the cupboard. Eggs are a great way to have a quick, healthy meal, and pared with some baked beans makes a really nice little brunch or brinner! Eggs can bulk out old rice, make a quick and simple omelette, or, if you're feeling fancy, a baked frittata. Beans work great in chilli recipes, or add them to a curry to eek it out a little.

9) Don't go overboard! You can always do an extra small shop if you're running low, but chances are buying a range of fruit and veg each week will last. I go through one large carrot a week, one parsnip, an aubergine can last a week and a half, a packet of spinach, a punnet of mushrooms, a broccoli, some green beans, a couple of peppers and a packet of cherry tomatoes. That all comes in easily under £10. Add in some oranges, a bunch of bananas and maybe some grapes you've got a nice healthy mix of stuff to keep you going for lunches and dinners for a week.

10) Cheese, Gromit. I love cheese. Cheddar and feta are fridge staples, and halloumi makes a great and filling change too. Never spend more than £2.50 on a nice block of cheddar, though, as you can almost always get it on a deal.

Those are my tips and tricks for shopping on a budget for one. If you've got any suggestions, tweet me @VickiMaitland or leave a comment below. If you follow me on Instagram (@vickimaitland) I often post pictures of my food - as well as sneak previews for the blog post.

Cooking For One: Lunchbox CousCous Salad

This is a really quick lunch to prepare either in the morning or the night before. As usual, you can pretty much switch out any of the vegetables and dressings I’ve included, but this is how I like it best.

Ingredients:

1 serving of CousCous (about 30-50g dried)
1/5 Pepper (I chose orange)
4 Cherry/Plum Tomatoes
Large Handful of Spinach
5-6 Pitted Olives
1cm thick strip of Feta
Balsamic Vinegar

Method:

1) Pour your coucous into your lunchbox, then pour in boiling water so it just covers the couscous.

2) Chuck your handful of spinach on top then put the lid on your lunchbox. The steam from the water will wilt the spinach.

3) While your couscous is fluffing up, chop up your pepper, tomatoes, olives and any other veg you’re including.

4) Scrape a fork through your couscous and spinach mix. If your couscous is ready, add in your other ingredients and mix it up.

5) Crumble in your feta and drizzle the whole thing with balsamic vinegar.

6) Place a sheet of cling film over top of the whole thing. Now you can fill up the rest of your box with whatever else you want: a banana, a couple of oranges, a chocolate bar – and don’t forget a fork!

In total this takes about 5 minutes to make and is really delicious and filling. If you want to make it even more healthy, you can swap out the couscous for quinoa (but it will take a little longer to cook) and add in kale rather than spinach. Adding chopped hardboiled egg is a great way to add extra protein if you don’t like feta or can’t eat dairy. Carrots, beetroot and cucumber all go really well with this mix too (and I probably would have used them if I’d had any in!). This keeps well in the fridge too, so if you know you'll be in a rush in the morning you can make it up the night before.

Let me know if you try out this dish by tweeting me @VickiMaitland or levaing a comment below.

Cooking For One: Mediterranean Tuna Pasta

This is one of the quickest, most delicious dishes I've ever thrown together, so I thought I would share it with you!

These are only some of the ingredients (I wrote this post at Uni and took the picture at home, and we didn't have all the ingredients), but if you were working with a smaller budget this is all you'd need. 

Ingredients:
1/2 Red Onion - diced
1/5 Pepper (colour of your choice, I chose orange) - diced
5-6 Green Beans - chopped
1cm disk of Aubergine - diced
1.5" Courgette - diced
2-3 Mushrooms - diced
1/2 can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 handfuls Kale
1/4-1/2 can Tuna Chunks
5-6 Olives
Spalsh of Balsamic Vinegar

2 handfuls Wholewheat Pasta
1cm strip of Feta

Method:
1) Boil a kettle of water.
2) Put both a saucepan and a frying pan on the hob on a high heat.
3) Pour the boiling water into the saucepan, and add your pasta.
4) Add a splash of Olive Oil to your frying pan then add the onions.
5) Turn the heat down and cook till translucent.
6) Add the remaining ingredients in order listed above.
7) When the pasta is cooked (check instructions on pack, but usually 8-10 minutes) drain and add to frying pan.
8) Crumble in some feta and stir everything together. Serve and enjoy!


You'll notice that there are quite a lot of ingredients for this dish, but don't let that put you off! You're only using an inch or so of courgette, one disk of aubergine, a handful of the rest etc, so there's loads left for other meals. Even if I use them every night, it usually takes me a week to get through each of the ingredients. Let me know if you try out this dish by tweeting me @VickiMaitland or leaving a comment below!

Blogmas 15: Cooking For One: Keeping Porridge Fun

I don't like cereal. I think it's probably mostly to do with my dislike of milk, but even then most of it is far too sweet for me, and when I do eat it its a Fruit and Fiber, Muesli or Weetabix type of situation.

So, particularly in the winter, it's porridge (or oatmeal) for me most morning. I make mine on the hob, 1:2 oats to water ratio, boiling for about 5 minutes. You can use milk to make porridge (hazelnut milk is really delicious with it), but you still get a pretty creamy taste with just water.

Plain porridge is pretty boring, especially if you're eating it everyday, so here are a few ways I spice mine up in the morning. None of these recipes are particularly healthy - porridge is quite high calorie and I'm adding sugars and fats to it - but they will all keep you full till lunch.

Caramel Porridge - This is the porridge I have most days. To achieve the caramel taste, I rip up a handful of dried dates into my porridge as it's cooking. They just dissolve away into the mixture and are completely delicious.

Apple Pie Porridge - I chop up half an apple into my porridge as its cooking (I leave the skin on but if you want a smoother mixture you can peel them). I sprinkle in some cinnamon and a little bit of ginger and nutmeg to make this a really warming dish which replicates the taste of the dessert.

Banana, Choc Chip and Peanut Butter Porridge - This one is pretty self-explanatory. I buy a pretty big bunch of banana's when I shop, and because I never get through them all I chop them up and place them in freezer bags in halves. I use the frozen bananas in smoothies and also in this porridge. The banana's dissolve away, so they're basically just adding sweetness. I then add a teaspoon of peanut butter and a small handful of dark chocolate chips. Stir it all together and it tastes delicious.

Blueberry Porridge - Again, I use frozen blueberries for this one. I normally add a sprinkle of cinnamon and ginger into this too. It almost tastes like a blueberry muffin.

PB&J Porridge - Another self-explanatory one, but I add a spoonful of both peanut butter and my favourite apricot jam into this. It also tastes delicious with orange and ginger marmalade.

What ways do you spice up your porridge? Tweet me @VickiMaitland or leave a comment to let me know!

Cooking For One: Lentil Dhal

This is possibly one of the most simple dishes I've ever made, and its a great way of making a meal out of almost nothing - as you can get away without using any fresh ingredients so long as you have some store cupboard essentials. Because of this it is a super cheap dish, so its great for when the budget feels tight.

Ingredients:

Half a Red Onion

Cup of Red Lentils
4/5 cups vegetable stock (you can use water)

Teaspoon Lazy Garlic

Lazy Chilli to taste (or Tabasco)

Butter/Oil

1/2 Tablespoon Tomato Puree (optional)

Turmeric/Cumin/Other Spices (optional to taste)

Method

1) Dice the onion and place in a saucepan with a little butter or oil. Cook until translucent on a low heat.

2) Add the garlic and chilli. If using Tabasco, wait until fully cooked before stirring through.

3) Add the lentils and pour over the stock or water. Bring to the boil.

4) Add the spices and the tomato puree (if including). I had some fresh tomatoes so I chopped a couple up and added these too.

5) Allow to simmer till the lentils are soft, but still have some bite to them.

At this point you can decide what sort of consistency you're after. I like mine quite soupy so I don't let too much of the water boil off. You can have it very sodgy if you like - it'll probably take about half an hour to cook, just keep an eye on it.

That is it! A really quick, relatively healthy meal which you can enjoy as a lunch or dinner. I like mine with flatbread for a dinner, or on its own with a bit of goats cheese for lunch. If you don't have either it still tastes great. It packs a huge flavour punch for so few ingredients.

if you try this out, let me know how you fund it! Leave a comment below or tweet me @VickiMaitland.

Cooking For One: Two Night Chilli

This is the start of a new series called Cooking For One - few of these recipes will be revolutionary but if they help you mix up your diet, remind you of something you haven't had in a while, or even teach you a new dish then I'll be very happy. I'll write out the base recipe, then below will add serving suggestions. Let me know if you try any of the dishes in this recipe!

Ingredients:

200g Mince (usually cheapest to buy in a 400g pack)

½ Tin Beans (baked or other)

½ Tin Chopped Tomatoes (if you’re using beans without a sauce then you'll need the whole tin)

Squirt Tomato Puree

1 Small Red Onion

½ Teaspoon ‘Very Lazy’ Garlic/ 1 Clove of Garlic Chopped

½ Teaspoon ‘Very Lazy’ Chilli/ 1 Teaspoon of Chilli Powder

1 Teaspoon Agave Syrup/ Sugar / Sweetener

Slosh of Vinegar (I used Balsamic)

Handful Frozen Peas*

Handful Kale*

3 Mushrooms*

3 Broccoli Florets*
1 Carrot*

*Replace with any veg you fancy!


Base Recipe:

1) Open the packet of mince and split it in half. You can freeze or fridge the spare half depending how soon you think you may use it. Pop our half into a hot frying pan and break it up with a wooden spoon as it browns.

2) Whilst the mince is browning, chop your onion and pop it in with the mince.

3) Add the garlic and chilli. By this point most of the mince should be browned, and you can turn the temperature down as low as it can go.

4) Add the half can of chopped tomatoes and the half tin of baked beans. If you’re not using baked beans then you’ll probably need the whole can of tomato.

5) Add a squirt of tomato puree, the agave and the balsamic (or your alternative) and put the lid on the pan.

6) Chop up your carrot, mushrooms and broccoli. Dice the carrot as small as you can, but keep the mushrooms chunky. Add these in. Leave for 15 minutes.

7) Taste and season as required (adding more chilli to add heat or add a small amount of milk/yoghurt to cool).

8) Add peas and kale. Once the kale is wilted and the peas cooked the chilli is good to go!

This should make enough chilli for at least 2 main meals. I got three meals out of this as I had a lunch too.

Chilli with Rice and Pitta

Extra Ingredients:

1 Serving Brown/White Rice

1 Pitta

Grated Cheese (to top)

If you're cooking this as your first dish, add the brown rice on to cook between stages 5 and 6. I usually get the pan heating with a small amount of water whilst boiling the kettle to get the water hot quickly. You'll need to cook it for at least 25 minutes.

If you're using white rice, put this on for the last 10 minutes of cooking (just before step 8).

Toast your pitta after you've added all of the ingredients.


Spaghetti Chilli

Extra Ingredients:
1 serving spaghetti (or other pasta)
Grated Cheese (to top)

If you're cooking this as your first dish, put the pasta on just before step 8 as it needs 10 minutes to cook.


Chilli Jackets

Extra Ingredients:
1 Baking Potato
Grated Cheese (to top)

You can either microwave or oven bake your potato. If you oven bake it, it will need 40 mins - 1 hour, so put this on at least 10 minutes before starting your chilli (you'll want the oven temp to be about 180 degrees or gas mark 6). Turn the potato when you add the first of your extra ingredients.

If you microwave it, put it on just before step 8 as it needs about 10 minutes (in two 5 minute bursts, turning in between.) Mircowave needs to be on high.