What New Recipes Have You Tried This Week?

[NotQuiteCockney]

I'm making an effort to try out more new recipes. This week, I made a roast squash salad, from a Moroccan book (very nice). Next week, I want to try quinoa again. And I still have to make rice pudding with brown rice.

What new things is everyone else trying?

[katetee]

Hiya
this week I made a veggie shepherds pie, and a veggie curry. Not turning veggie, just trying to cut costs. Thoroughly enjoyed the shepherds pie though! AND my oven door exploded yesterday, so I am now ovenless and waiting for new one to be delivered within two weeks!!! So I will be doing many stirfry meals this week! Any suggestions would be greatfully received.

[jellyjelly]

Do you have a slow cooker? I find them great do a bt of prep start them off on the stive and transfer fab.

Can you share the moroccan recipe pls.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Sorry, here is the Moroccan recipe (from The Moroccan Collection):

Roast Squash Salad

1 kg squash, cut into 8
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
salt + pepper
coriander leaves, to garnish

Dressing:
2 garlic cloves
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1.5 tsp caraway seeds
4 tsp Harissa

1. put squash and garlic into shallow baking dish, pour over oil, sprinkle with thyme, season with salt + pepper. Stir together then bake in preheated 180C oven, for about 1 hour until squash is tender + slightly charred. Leave squash + cooking juices to cool.
   

1. to make the dressing, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt, then work in the oil, drop by drop, as if making mayonnaise. Stir in the vinegar, caraway seeds and harissa.
   

1. peel and mash roasted garlic, remove skin from the squash and discard. Chop the flesh, then puree or mash it with garlic and cooking juices.
   

1. stir the dressing into the squash. Arrange the eggs on top and garnish with coriander leaves.
   

I left out the eggs, and the garlic in the dressing (there's enough garlic in this!). Substituted rosemary (grows in our garden) for thyme (none in garden). Came out well. Used it as a dip, although it is called a salad.

[NotQuiteCockney]

Oh, and I had artichoke last week. And brown rice, rice pudding tonight (there's another thread on that somewhere). Will do quinoa this week, for second time ever (last time 10+ years ago, and I didn't eat it).

katetee, we are also going veggie/vegan a lot of the time. A bit about money, also wanting to reduce enviromental impact. Also about me not liking meat so much these days. I'm using a lot more seeds and nuts.

[mrsteacher]

i made chilli con carne but with the jamie oliver recipe rather than my usual one and it was delicious

[katetee]

NQC - I know what you mean about not liking meat very much any more, most of the time it is a huge disappointment. The only flavours you can taste are the ones you add yourself with herbs and spices. I also have a big problem with chickens at the moment. I stand looking at them and just remember that awful programme showing how they are treated, that usually puts me off from buying any!! The best meats we find are at the farmers market in Winchester (Hampshire) but you do pay a lot more for them. Hey we should start a thread for new trying to be veggies! suggestions for recipes that aren't too scary etc. I know dh is finding it a bit odd at the mo as he is a BIG meat eater. New cooker coming on Thursday so I will be able to cook again YAY

[NotQuiteCockney]

We only buy organic free-range meat. Well, ok, pancetta isn't, but everything else. Makes going veggie/vegan a lot cheaper, though! (Eggs all free range organic, cheese, butter, milk, ditto.)

I really really liked meat while pg with DS2, but have just gone off it lately. It tastes ok, I don't think the meat is the problem, the problem is me.

I can eat buckets and buckets of leafy salad, though, and have been making dressing with nuts + seeds in lately, to make sure I'm getting all the good stuff I need.

Probably quinoa tonight, I have some interesting mushrooms to put in. Unless it's ratatouille, which is a household standard, but tasty nonetheless.

Oh, and might make oatmeal cookies, too, as I have a coffee morning on Thursday and don't want to use store-bought. We are about to be overwhelmed by baking, though, as I made a trial run at my normal carrot cake (need to make one for a sale on Saturday), made rice pudding, and now biscuits of some description.