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If you like Pay Day candy bars, you will love this recipe. It tastes very similar, but SO much fresher and better. This recipe makes a 9 x 13 pan of candy, which would be an excellent addition to your childrens birthday party menu! They take just a few minutes to put together and then an hour or so in the fridge, to "set".


 4 cups honey roasted peanuts
(1) 10½ ounce bag miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup butter (melted)
(1) 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
(1) 10 ounce bag peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanut butter

Line a 9 x 13 dish with foil and spray it with cooking spray (I spray my foil with cooking spray then blot it with a paper towel so it doesnt make the candy greasy). Set aside.

In a large (heavy bottomed) saucepan, mix the marshmallows and melted butter. Heat over medium-low heat until completely melted (you do not want the marshmallows to boil, but you want to see a little bubble now and then). Keep it at this temperature for about a minute.

Stir in the sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter chips and peanut butter. Stir until everything is melted and smooth.

Pour this mixture over the peanuts in the pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the other half of the peanuts over the hot mixture and press the nuts into the surface of the hot mixture (with your hand). Chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until firm. Cut into pieces and serve. Store covered in fridge. Makes 60 pieces of candy.

Just noticed that the theme for this months Food destinations is My local greenmarket and it would be a shame if I werent able to share my favourite market scenes with fellow foodies. I shall be updating this post with more marketplace pics to make it more worthy for the wonderful event hosted by Maki of Just hungry.

• Carrot-Peanut Salad
• Radish sambhar (Radish and lentils)
• Rice
• Snake Gourd Curry
  

Last weekend, I was on a quest for the perfect dress to wear to my boyfriends brothers wedding. I was making the rounds in Georgetown, and stopped to peruse Zara, naturally.

I didnt find anything for the wedding, however I did snatch up this dress:

Crank up the oven to 375ºF.

Put on a pot of pasta water.

Kiss your favorite person.

For last nights meal we cut up:

Half a head of cauliflower
Half a head of broccoli
One yellow and one green squash
One large sweet onion
3 large carrots
A handful of grape tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic

And tossed them in:

A generous drizzle of olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
More balsamic vinegar than you think youll need
A spoonful of your favorite herbs - oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, basil

I received a link recently to an article from The Oregonian, written by Casey Parks, about a five-year-old named Julian Kreusser who has his own cooking show on an Oregon public broadcasting network. As I read about "Chef" Julian, I became intrigued and decided to watch a few of his shows.

Normally, I wouldn’t care about some cute kid making cooking videos with his parents, which there are probably hundreds on YouTube, but why this kids show has me so interested, and disturbed, is its being packaged as an actual cooking show, with the kid as some sort of culinary savant. I have a feeling theres more here than meets the eye.

The driving forces behind "The Big Kitchen with Food" seem to be Julians parents, and Portland Community Media, which airs the show starring the young, slightly confused chef. After watching the clip, I couldnt help but question some of their claims and quotes from the article. It all seemed a little "hoaxy" to me.

"He actually understands what hes doing. Hes not just following orders," claims executive director Sylvia McDanie. She says the viewers love him, and adds, "It has potential to be a national program." Has she seen the show?

"Its great that he gets to do what he wants to do," says his mom, Kristen McKee. "We want him to do whats in his heart, to follow his interests." Isn’t that what those beauty pageant moms always say?

The parents claim the recipes, as well as the theme song are all Julians ideas. Even though his father admits he used some connections to help get the show on the air (thanks, I thought he may have put on a little suit, took a cab to the station, and pitched them the show on a milk crate), he insists Julian came up with the concept. Really? "We are just enablers," says his dad, Ben Kreusser. Thats one word for it.

It may not come as a huge surprise that along with all this adult "guidance," Julian is also home-schooled, or as its referred to in the article, "unschooled." Apparently this is some type of home schooling where the child decides what they want to learn. Julian is quoted saying, "So everything I see, I can learn about." Well, isnt that convenient. Must make scheduling the shows filming a breeze.

Ive posted a video of Chef J below, making some "tomato sauce without tomato paste," and after watching it, all 13 agonizing minutes of it (the "cute" wears off after about 45 seconds), I would love to hear your thoughts. By the way, the viewer comments I read on Yumsugar, where this same video was also shown, werent very kind.

There are several moments in the video when Julian doesnt even seen to remember what hes making (even though he "created" the recipe himself). He also struggles with the tools - instead of being cute, the sight of him trying to use the vegetable chopper was kind of sad. Then, the camera cuts away, and wha la! The veggies are cut and its on to the next step. Thanks, Mommy.

Anyway, you be the judge. Maybe Im being too suspicious. Maybe he isn’t being manipulated and exploited by parents that want the celebrity they believe will come with star chefdom. Maybe the fine folks at Portland Community Media dont have any ulterior motives. Maybe I should pick on someone my own size?

Im a pretty fucking busy person. Between the full-time job, wedding planning, getting my roots touched up every 4 weeks, and recently being elected Pope, I have a lot going on, which means I dont often have time to squeeze in the preparation and/or eating of 8+ pounds of vegetables. This is why juicing is awesome.
Now, I dont have a proper juicer, but ever since I did the Blueprint Cleanse, Ive been obsessed with getting one. Until then, my Vitamix makes a pretty decent substitute, though straining it is kind of a pain in the ass. Its struggles like these that build character a sense of entitlement.
I actually like this green juice better than BPCs. I think its because I threw in some more green apple and lime, making it slightly sweeter and more refreshing tasting and less tomato juice-without-the-tomato tasting. If youre still not into it, add a little pineapple for extra sweetness/more deliciousness. Its probably good for you, I dunno.
Also nice about making your own juice at home? Its more cost effective. Of course, it took me about 45 minutes to make this (did you read that part about making it in my Vitamix and straining it??!) and given how effing busy I am, I figure the ROI on making my own juice is currently negative dollars, but if somebody wants to get me the juicer we registered for, Im fairly to moderately certain Ill break even.

CupcakesOMG!s Green Juice
Makes about 8 glasses of juice

• 2 cups kale
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 green apples, chopped
• 1 lime
• 1/2 inch of ginger (more/less if you like)
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 cucumber, chopped into chunks
• water

As Nigel Slater says: "there is something deeply satisfying about taking a huge, golden tart to the table, a tart we have made ourselves. A tart we can give to others knowing it will give as much pleasure to them as making it did to us"  There is something even more satisfying in making a tart that includes foraged ingredients such as wild garlic and nettles, free food!


When I went to the freezer, I discovered I only had one salmon fillet left, so used a couple of haddock fillets to bulk out the tart, you would never have been able to tell.  I topped it with some of the Wild Garlic butter I made and froze last month.
I baked the fish in the oven for about 15 minutes and then left it to cool.
Id read in The Foragers Kitchen that you could substitute young nettle tops for spinach, so I donned my rubber gloves and headed round into the back garden to collect some nettles.  Living on a farm means that the fields and hedgerows tend to invade the garden and while this is not great for gardening, it is rather handy for foraging!

);

Ingredients for Spiced Pumpkin and Halloumi on Bulgar Wheat with Pomegranate Seeds

Although I love to plan ahead and decide what Im going to cook, sometimes its difficult to find the time to get organised and  because I love my food so much, Id prefer not to have a freezer meal very often   Thats why I was so pleased when Gousto Simply Cook contacted me to try out a couple of their Gourmet recipe boxes.

What is a Gousto Gourmet Box?
Gousto provides you with all the ingredients in the right proportions to cook delicious meals at home. The produce is organic, fresh and seasonal. Gousto’s recipes are developed by a team of passionate chefs and tested by their friends and families first (very picky people). You get to choose the recipes online and every week the selection is updated to make sure there’re plenty of new recipes for you. The recipes are delivered right to your doorstep once a week so you decide when to cook. Whenever you’re on holiday or just don’t have time, simply place the subscription on hold – it’s easy.

In practice it is very simple, in a trial subscription you can decide whether to try 3 meals a week or 4 meals a week.  Three meals a week  for two people for the Gourmet box costs £42 (around £5 per person per meal) and for the Veggie Box it costs £39.  Once you  have your trial subscription you can  log in to the Gousto Simply Cook website look at the list of recipes and choose what you would like to make,  and there is a wide range to choose from and they are added to each week.  You then add the recipes to you basket and sit back and wait!


Excellent Delivery Service
What I really liked about the website was the delivery address checker, I live in rural south west Scotland and have had problems with deliveries e.g. Ocado dont deliver to our area.  So I was delighted to be able to put in my postcode and find that my parcel would be delivered on a Wednesday.  Gousto are currently delivering to all postcodes in the UK apart from a few very remote areas, they deliver in London on a Tuesday between 1pm and 6pm and to other UK areas on a Wednesday, 9am - 5pm.  The ingredients duly arrived on the appointed day packed expertly in a box with a fleecy lining and icepacks, there were no issues about signing for it and Gousto are happy to take instructions as to where to leave the parcel if you are out.

I have the opportunity to try two of the recipes, so I chose:

Spiced Pumpkin and Halloumi on Bulgar Wheat with Pomegranate Seeds


 I have always wanted to try halloumi cheese, but for some reason I never got round to buying it. What a fantastic recipe,  the pumpkin chunks are roasted in the oven with the onions, the halloumi cheese is fryed and served on top of a bulgar wheat salad which includes the roasted vegetables, pomegranate and mint.  It was really delicious and probably not something I would have made otherwise.

Oven Baked Pork Chops with Pears, Stilton and Pecan Nuts


 The oven baked pork chops with pears, stilton and pecan nuts use a similar technique to the pumpkin recipe as the pears and onions are oven roasted with the spices.  I love blue cheese and the combination of the sweet fruit, slightly earthy taste of the pecan nuts and the sharp, saltiness of the cheese was a treat to eat.

Conclusion
The recipes are excellent and are definitely something that I would want to make and eat.  There are interesting and exciting vegetarian options.  The delivery service is one of the best I have experienced. There is also very little waste as you only get enough of the ingredients to make the meal.  I would consider using the service if I was going on a self catering holiday and wanted to make nice food without the hassle of shopping, but I dont think it is something I would use on a weekly basis.

If, on the other hand, you find it difficult to decide what to make but love good food and are happy to cook, this is a great way to try out some new recipes and ingredients.


GIVEAWAY
You can win a Gousto Gourmet Box that feeds two people by following the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget. This Giveaway is only available for entrants with a UK delivery address.

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

I was supplied with a Gousto Gourmet Box with two meals for two people.  I was not obliged to write a positive review and all opinions are my own. 

Soya nuggets have long been a favourite of mine, even before I started thinking of nutrition and eating healthy. The very fact the the boiled nuggets turn spongy, all ready to absorb any flavours you dunk them in, make them a delight to cook with. Biting into one of the nuggets and letting the absorbed juices explode in your mouth is a foodies delight. They are odourless and tasteless by themself, presenting to every cook a blank canvas to paint on. I love using them as substitutes to eggs in egg curries, in stir fries, in pulaos and the different shapes available (such as granules, smaller nuggets) allow one to adapt them into a variety of recipes. Poha made with a mixture of beaten rice and soya granules is a favourite in our house.

Ruchi was one of the first companies to bring out and popularise these soya products in India under the brand name Nutrela. They claim to use exceptionally high quality, non-genetically modified soya beans - the nuggets have a protein concentration of 50-55%, the highest for any vegetarian source and negligible fat content. You will find a whole lot of recipes listed on their site.

These nuggets are made like our Indian vadis, using soy flour - dried out in the sun and used as per need. Heres a nice little breakfast / brunch recipe which goes wonderfully with lightly buttered and warmed pav (Mumbai special bread). You can also have this as a salad by itself, being high in protein it is extremely filling.

Note the increase in size after boiling

The dried nuggets have to be either soaked in salted boiling water for a few minutes or boiled in salted water for 3-4 minutes, until they have balooned out and become soft, before use. Follow the instructions on your pack for this. Idea is to soften them and yet keep their texture intact, or else you can end with a mushy mess.

Soya Nugget Salad with Pav
Category: Vegetarian protein, accompaniment with bread, Salad
Time taken: Under 20 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients
14-15 larger size soya nuggets - boiled as per instructions above

1 medium onion - sliced

1 small carrot - diced

1 medium capsicum - deseeded and diced

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup thick yogurt

2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise ( I used Karen Anand brand Eggless mayo)

7-8 black pepper corns - roughly pounded

Dried herbs of your choice (I used parsley)

pinch of chilli flakes

1/2 tsp salt

Pav (1 slab of 6) or any other bread

Directions

Heat a tsp of oil in a wok. Add the vegetables and saute for 2-3 minutes, with a tiny pinch of salt. We want them to retain their crispness. Meanwhile, take the boiled nuggets in a colander and press down hard with a rounded bowl or so, to drain out all the water from them. Cut them into quarters or smaller pieces and add them to the wok.

Stir to mix it with the vegetables. Remove wok from flame and keep aside.

In a large bowl, take the mayo, yogurt, roughly pounded pepper, salt, herbs and beat with a fork to mix well. Once the contents of the wok are cooled, transfer them to the bowl. Mix to coat the dressing uniformly.

Garnish with chilli flakes.

To prepare the Pav, tear them into individual pieces. (They generally come in a slab of 6 or 8) Slice them into two horizontally, but not going all the way through. Apply a dot of butter on the inside and on both the outer sides, place on a hot skillet, until lightly golden and crispy on the outside.

If you do not get pav, where you live, try out this superb tried and tested recipe for home baked Mumbai-special Pav.

This is my entry to WBB - Soy hosted by Rajitha at Hunger Pangs.