My Cure Everything Winter Soup

This soup is a real heart-warmer, ideal for colder days or if you're under the weather. My poor mum has been suffering one of the flu bugs that's on the rounds at the moment so I rustled up a huge vat for her and she loved it. This recipe does have weapon strength amounts of garlic and ginger in which can be reduced if wished but I find it adds warmth and depth to the soup plus I'm pretty sure it'll kill anything going!

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 large carrots
1 parsnip
1 small swede
2 onions
2 inch fresh ginger
6 cloves of garlic
generous handful of garden peas
2 tsp stock powder (I use bouillon)
water to cover
4 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Find the biggest pan you have, you're going to need it. Chop all the root vegetables into bite sizes pieces, around 2 cm square and set to the side. Place the pan over a medium heat with the olive oil in. Dice the onion and place in the pan when the oil starts to sizzle. Peel the garlic and either use a garlic press or grate into the pan and saute with the onions. I roughly diced the ginger leaving the pieces around 2 mm, but it could also be grated, and add to the onions and garlic.

Saute until the onions are translucent. Add in the root vegetables and gently fry stirring continuously for a couple of minutes. Add the water and stock and leave to simmer for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Take a potato masher and gently mash the soup to break down some of the vegetables leaving some pieces intact. I find this thickens the soup while offering a really lovely texture. Add in the garden peas and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the peas are cooked through.

Served with a huge slice of crusty bread and far too much butter, this will make anyone feel better. If you give this a try please comment or take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Dairy-Free alternatives

I have been dairy-free for the most part since I was a young teenager due to my 'defectiveness' as my charming other half terms it. Over the years I have had some good, and some bloody awful, dairy free alternatives. A lot of people have contacted me recently asking what I would recommend so I thought I would put it all in one easy to use place. When I became dairy-free there wasn't the same availability of products and they were an awful lot more expensive so I have had the advantage of not eating dairy for a while before introducing the free-from products as I'm sure they taste very different.

Milk

As a milk substitute I tend to use Alpro soy milk although other types of Alpro are equally nice. For me it often depends on whats on offer. I have heard reports of some milks splitting when put into tea or coffee but have not found this an issue myself. My one main issue is that I find it really hard to use an entire carton in the 3 days suggested on the pack. I have used it a couple of days after with no ill effects.

Yoghurt

I really love Alpro's new GO ON pots, a yoghurt topping with fruit underneath. Tescos own brand free from fruit yogurts are also nice along with their chilled free from puddings.

Butter

As a baker, butter is a huge part of my kitchen essentials. I use PURE butters, usually the sunflower or soy depending on availability and have found my cakes are lighter and fluffier without compromising on taste.

Ice Cream 

I love ice cream. Give me a tub and a spoon and leave me to it. My favourites have to be Swedish Glace and Alpro. Booja Booja ice cream is heaven but for me its far more of a treat at the price while the new Ben and Jerry's I found over-rated though pleasant.

Chocolate

For me, Moo-Free chocolate and Tescos own free from are the best for a quick chocolate fix while Booja Booja are the queens of the more luxurious truffles. My Moo-Free  favourite has to be their caramelised hazel nut nibs one which tastes like crunchies. Yum!

Cheese

As a vegetarian, cheese was a huge part of my diet so when I had to give it up it was a real blow and the thing I struggled with the most. Violife cheeses in general are fantastic while some of the Tesco free from ones are also good though I would avoid the red Leicester one like the plague, it smells like feet and doesn't taste much better.

I hope this can help some people perhaps going through the same thing I did or just wanting to reduce their dairy consumption. Good luck! 

Mars Bar Crispie cakes

These will always be a firm favourite with adults and kids alike. Incredibly easy to make and quick to put together, these are a great recipe for whipping up. I created my own twist on the classic with a solid chocolate topping and extra mars bar goodness. Who doesn't love something that only has 4 ingredients.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:
120g butter
8 Mars Bars
300g milk chocolate
300g rice crispies

Method:

Grease and line a medium sized baking tray with deep sides. Chop all the Mars Bars into bite sized pieces and sample just to ensure they aren't defective. Melt together 6 mars bars and the butter in a non-stick pan stirring constantly ensuring it doesn't stick or burn.

Once they are melted together and smooth, bit by bit add in the rice crispies stirring well to ensure they are well coated. Spoon the mix into the baking tray and press down firmly with a spoon. Pop in the fridge to cool.

While this sets, melt the chocolate over a low heat until smooth and glossy. Pour over the top of the rice crispie mixture and smooth out using a spatula ensuring to get into all the cracks. Scatter the chunks of Mars bar over the top and leave to cool until the chocolate is fully set. Cut into generous chunks and demolish.

I would love to see your creations, tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife 

Apple Crumble Pie

This week autumn has hit with a vengeance and my mum gifted me some of her home-grown apples. For me, the only thing to do was make either apple crumble or apple pie and when I couldn’t decide which, I decided to combine them with perfect success. My other half found them when he came home and ate one straight out the tin making happy noises so I consider these as a winner!

Ingredients:
Filling:
4 apples
1 tsp cinnamon

Crumble:
4oz plain flour
2oz butter
2oz dark brown sugar

Pastry:
4oz plain flour
2oz butter
6 tbsp cold water

Method:

Make the pastry first by rubbing together the butter and flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs then then slowly add the water mixing gently to bring it together. Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and place in the fridge.

Core and cut the apples into bite sized chunks and place in a pan over a low heat with the cinnamon. You won't need to add any water as the apples will release their juice as they cook and prevent themselves from sticking.

While the apples stew to a soft consistency, rub together the butter and flour for the crumble mixture to a bread crumb consistency and add in the sugar.

Preheat your oven to 180c. Take the pastry and roll it out on a floured surface. I used muffin tins to create mini apple pies but this would work well with one big tin as well. Roll out the pastry to around the thickness of a pound coin and cut to the size of your tin(s). Flour the bottom of the tin(s) and place the pastry inside carefully pushing it down to the base. Add in the apple mixture and pack it down using the back of a spoon. Pop the crumble mixture on top and press down with your fingers to create a seal around the edges.

Bake for around 15 minutes until the crumble topping is golden brown and crisp as this should indicate the base will be too. Allow to cool for a little bit before serving, we ate our first ones straight out the tin and then topped others with custard. Yummy!

Please tag me in your creations using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Spiced Vegetable Stew

Perfect for the colder weather this lightly spiced vegetable stew is exactly what I crave
come winter. Healthy but hearty and filling, this recipe is perfect for using up leftover veg.

Ingredients:
4 carrots
2 large onions
1/2 head of cauliflower
3 large potatoes
1tsp ginger powder
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp paprika 
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed

Method:
Chop all the vegetables into bite sized pieces. In a large pan, put a 2 tbsp of olive oil and place over a medium heat. Add in the spices and gently fry to release the flavour for a minute then add in the onions and garlic, sautéing until translucent.

Add in the vegetables (I added leftovers out the fridge to this basic recipe) and lightly fry in the spice mix. To this, add the tomatoes and chickpeas including the liquid then use the tomato tin for hot water to add in, rinsing the tin at the same time. Simmer over a low heat for at least an hour until the vegetables fall apart at your touch.

I served this with a side of steamed Pak Choi tossed in sesame oil for lunch but it would be equally good with rice or another grain for a more hearty meal. I would love to see your creations, tag me on Instagram using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!