With the month of December upon us, the Christmas festivities are fast approaching. It's a time for sharing and caring, eating and drinking and having lots of fun. The theme for this month is cooking savory snacks for christmas To Participate:
1.Prepare a dish vegetarian only (eggs allowed) please link your dish using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL 2.Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory. 3.Use of logo is not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can post it.. 4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link. 4. In the event of problem using linky you can email me the entry at simplysensationalfood@gmail.com
Please use this format Your Name: Recipe Name Recipe URL Image no larger than 300 pixels.
The Ozeri coffee cups are made with heat-resistant glass with double bottom . Stylishly shaped and light weight the glasses have a double wall which means that when you pour hot drinks in them they do not get too hot to handle. I love serving soup, hot coffee and also warm herbal drinks in them in the winter and in the summer they are perfect for serving, sorbets and ice slushies.
The glasses are not only suitable for hot drinks, they are perfect for serving ice cold drinks too. The double glass means that it stops the glasses from getting too hot or too cold to handle resulting in safe use both for hot and cold drinks.
The strong glasses with stands high freezing temperatures and are also microwave and dishwasher safe. The glasses come in a set of four with a capacity of 250ml. They retail at £34.09 and are available to order from Amazon.
I was sent a set of the Ozeri glasses to review, all the views and opinions are my own and unbiased.
I was recently invited to a pre christmas event by Godiva Chocolate. Godiva chocolates are luxury Belgium chocolates perfected over 80 years and made with the best quality ingredients.
We sampled white chocolate strawberry santa hats, piping hot luxury hot chocolate, speculoos hazelnut truffle chocolates, dark chocolate biscuits and milk chocolate carres.
The evening was a chocolate lovers heaven with lots of chocolicious treats to nibble while we mingled with the guests and watched a truffle making demonstration.
I loved all the amazing christmas chocolate collection but amongst the collection, I would like to share with you my top 5 favorite choices that I would like on my wish list this christmas:
Images used in this product collage are used with permission from from Godiva.co.uk
As always I love sharing with my readers any products that I get to sample, so this christmas I have a giveaway for a mini Godiva christmas stocking for one simplyfood reader. Kids and grown-ups alike will be unable to resist a peek into this festive red stocking. Stuffed with 8 limited edition Christmas Collection sujets, including white, milk and dark chocolate expertly moulded into variety of seasonal designs, this is the perfect stocking for sweet-toothed chocolate lovers. Beautifully decorated with a gold poinsettia, this stocking even features a cute looped red ribbon so you can hang it up when empty in the hope that Santa will refill it for you.
How To Enter:
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents only who are over 18 years old .Please read the rules
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 11th Dec 2013 12.00 am
How Rafflecopter works: 1.You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries. 2. Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog. Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. · Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf. · For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. · For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. · If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.
I was recently invited to a master class by world foods at the School of Wok to create some dishes using their sauces.
The WORLDFOODS' Cooking Solutions range are a concentrate of flavours and are extremely versatile in any Asian inspired cooking. They are 100% natural and are created using authentic herbs and spices. All the sauces are free from artificial preservatives, colouring, flavouring, gluten or genetically modified ingredients and are totally suitable for vegetarians, vegans and coeliacs.
The product range is vast and includes:
Thai Green Curry Paste
Thai Red Curry Paste
Thai Yellow Curry Paste
Thai Basil Curry Paste
Thai Masaman Curry Paste
Thai Panang Curry Paste
Thai Tom Yum Paste
Indonesian Fried Rice Paste
Indonesian Sambal Oelek
Malaysian Rendang Curry Paste
Singaporean Nyonya Laksa Paste
North African Harissa Paste
Thai Chilli Paste
Thai Tamarind Paste
Northern Thai Spicy Curry Paste(Hung Le curry)
Lemon Grass Paste
Ginger Paste
Garlic Paste
Galangal Paste
The sauces are very convenient to use, the flavours are well balanced and all that’s required to create tasty and delicious meals is to add some vegetables, meat or rice.
At the master class we were given a demonstration in how to chop vegetables using a proper Chinese cleaver by Jeremy the chef. We all chopped our vegetables to perfection (or almost) and then headed to the kitchen to prepare our vegetarian feast of Rendang tacos, Thai Basil stir fry, Masaman baked squash with coconut. The non-vegetarians cooked Panang curry duck breast, Thai basil stir fry, Masaman roast poussin . Jeremy demonstrated the perfect cooking techniques after which we created our dishes ready for dinner.
Dinner was washed down with lovely wine for the drinkers and soft drinks for the teetotallers.
Finally when we thought we could eat no more we were tempted to sample the amazing Lemon grass drizzle cake which was amazing.The whole experience at school of wok was fun, interactive and the meal was superb. I was really surprised how bottled sauces could taste so authentic and homemade. I would like to thank world foods for inviting me to the cookery master class with the amazing Jeremy and sending me home with a wonderful goody bag of sauces so that I could recreate the meal in my own home.
As always I like my readers to be able to sample all the products that I try out, I am pleased to say that World foods have been really kind and have agreed to send two lucky simplyfood readers a world foods hamper each which will consist of:
Panang Curry Paste
Rendang Curry Paste
Masaman Curry Paste
Lemongrass Paste
World foods apron
Recipe notebookUSB (with all the recipes we cooked at School of Wok) as well as printed versions.
How To Enter:
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents over the age of 18 only .Please read the rules below .
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 18th Dec 2014-12.00 am
How Rafflecopter works:
·You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
·Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
·Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
·Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
·For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
·For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
·If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.
Refreshing breakfast juice- citrus orange with sweetness of apples.
Ingredients:
3 jaffa oranges
1 large carrot
2 braeburn apples
Method:
1. Peel the oranges and cut them into quarters.2. Cut the apples and carrots into quarters.3. Feed the fruit into the Optimum 600 juicer.4. Pour the juice into chilled glasses and garnish with slices of apples.
Details
Prep time: time: Total time: 10 minsYield: 3 servings
For the last three months I have really been enjoying the Optimum 9400 blender, it is a fantastic blender that is perfect for smoothies, nut butters, grating, grinding , making hot soups and cold icecreams. I am so much in love with it that, I was over the moon when I had the opportunity to try out the Optimum 600 slow juicer from the Optimum range. I have now stopped buying ready made juices from the supermarket as this juicer is so easy to use and clean.
There are two types of juicers available a cold press and centrifugal juicer, the differences is that a centrifugal juicer chops up the fruit or vegetable with a flat cutting blade at high speed. The high-speed blade shredder does not penetrate the produce deeply enough to extract precious nutrients of the juices and causes oxidation that destroys enzymes and nutrients with in the juice. It also causes the juice to separate.
The Optimum 600 is a cold press juicer; the advantage of it is that it works at a slower speed so it’s less noisy. It crushes and presses the fruit, releasing its deep-seated nutrients and enzymes, this result in a richer coloured juice containing large amounts of vitamins and minerals and no oxidation and separation.
There are many other advantages of the Optimum 600:
Can juice whole fruits and vegetables with no food prep required.
Slow speed – Only 65rpm.
Designed to last, high-quality SGS approved parts
Induction Motor designed to last, 10 Years Comprehensive Warranty
User friendly
Easy to clean (Self Cleaning function)
Low Noise, as low as 40dB
Ingredient flavour preserved, due to the slow speed of only 65rpm
More nutrients, vitamins, minerals and enzymes
Less separation & 35% more juice than centrifugal juicers
Safety sensor
CE and SGS approved
Assembling the Optimum 600 Juicer was pretty simple. All the components are marked with a small dot and once you have all the parts in the right order you just need to match the dots for them to fit together. I created a video that shows how to assemble the Optimum 600 Juicer which you can see below.
Juicing in the Optimum 600 Juicer is simple too, I made a simple Orange and apple juice, I did peel the orange and cut the apple into quarters although you could have added the apple whole as the feed tube is fairly wide. You can see the video below showing you how easy it is to create the most delicious juice in the Optimum 600.
The Optimum 600 is available to buy at £329.00, It comes with a 1 MONTH TRIAL - MONEY BACK GUARANTEE (includes return postage costs for UK customers) Currently it is available on special offer only £249 for a limited time . If you like the sound of this awesome juicer, please orders it through here.
Spicy Mushroom and fennel curry with baby tomatoes.
Ingredients:
240 g /8 oz button mushrooms diced into 1cm pieces
1 bulb fennel cleaned and diced into 1cm pieces
1 small red onion finely diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
12 baby tomatoes cut into quarters
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon mild olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 red chilli finely sliced for garnish.
Method:
1. In a pan add the oil and wait for it to heat up.Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and wait for them to splutter.2. Add the garlic and onions and saute until onions are translucent.3. Add the mushrooms and fennel and saute for 5 more minutes until both are almost cooked.4. Add the salt, chilli powder, turmeric, tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder and toss the vegetables to coat with the spices.5. Cook for another 3-4 minutes after which transfer the curry to a serving bowl and garnish with red chilli slices.
This is my assignment with the Secret Recipe Club.The aim of the club is that you are allocated a blog from which you have to select a recipe and try it and blog about it.
This month I was assigned The Texan New Yorker that is written by Julie who describes herself as " A myopic, finicky eater with no food conscience, who transformed into a grown-up who loves cooking, food, adventurous eating, and cares deeply about where food comes from." I looked through Julies blog and found some lovely recipes but finally I settled for the cantaloupe melon sorbet as I had an over ripe cantaloupe melon sitting in the fruit basket screaming at me to use it!! The sorbet was refreshing and simply delicious, the only changes I made were that I added a forlorn ripe peach that was staring at me from the fruit basket and omitted the wine since I don't drink.
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Cantaloupe Melon Sorbet
by Nayna Kanabar November-17-2014
Refreshingly sweet and fragrant Cantaloupe Melon Sorbet.
Ingredients:
1 Cantaloupe Melon
1 large ripe peach
1/2 cup sugar or honey to taste
1 tablespoon lime juice
Peach slices for garnish
Method:
1. Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds, cut the melon rind off and cut the melon into cubes.2. Cut the peach in half and remove the stone and cut it into quarters. 3. Add the melon, peach, lime juice and sugar to the Optimum 9400 blender and blend for 1 minute.4. Pour the mixture into a plastic tupperware and place it in the freezer for three hours, after which take it out of the freezer and rake it with a fork and return it to the freezer to keep overnight.5. To serve remove the sorbet from the freezer and leave it at room temperature for 2-3 minutes after which rake it with a fork again..6. Scoop the sorbet into serving cups and garnish with peach slices.
Details
Prep time: Freezing time: Yield: 8 servings
I made my Peach Sorbet in the Optimum 9400 blender. It is very versatile and it will blend, purée, grate, chop, make ice cream, hot soups, nut butters and nut milk.
To read about the Optimum 9400 check my review post here. The blender is currently on a special offer at £329.00 with a thirty day money back guarantee with free postage if not satisfied. You can also get an extra two years warranty if you order through this site You can order yours here. To get the extra warranty please quote brand ambassador discount in special instructions on the order form.
Recently, I was sent a Loyd Grossman hamper to create a recipe with. In my hamper there was a sample of Loyd Grossman’s Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce, Tikka sauce, a recipe card, Loyd Grossman Naan Bread, boil in the bag rice, and a Balti dish.
The new mint masala will be available in the shops from mid November, it a delicious aromatic Indian curry sauce made with a blend of spices, tomatoes, yoghurt and mint. It is perfect when you want to create a tasty meal in a short time. Being a vegetarian I choose to use my Mint masala gravy to create a lovely paneer (indian cheese dish) cooked with onions and capsicums.
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Minty Masala Paneer
by Nayna Kanabar November-10-2014
Succulent paneer cooked in an aromatic blend of spices in a minty masala sauce.
Ingredients:
400g Paneer cut into 2 cm cubes
1 green capsicum cut into 2 cm pieces
1 red capsicum cut into 2cm pieces
1 small red onion finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 jar Lloyd Grossman Minty masala sauce
1 tablespoon fresh chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and toss the Paneer cubes in it for 3-4 minutes until they start to turn brown.2. Remove the paneer from the pan on to a piece of kitchen paper.3. To the pan add the onions and saute them until translucent. Add the peppers, green chilli and stir for 3-4 minutes until peppers slightly soften.4. Add the salt, lemon juice, and the minty masala sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes .5. Add the cooked paneer and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.6.Transfer the paneer minty masala paneer to the serving balti dish and garnish with chopped coriander.Serve with rice and nan bread.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time:
I really enjoyed the Minty masala sauce and am pleased that I have two Lloyd Grossman hampers for two lucky simplyfood winners.(Only 1 hamper per winner)
The contents of the hamper: Lloyd Grossman’s Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce, Tikka sauce, a recipe card, Lloyd Grossman Naan Bread, Boil in the bag rice, Balti dish.
How To Enter:
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
This competition is open to UK residents only over the age of 18 .Please read the rules below .
Leaving a blog comment is mandatory and failure to do so will void any other entries.
Closing date - 24th November 2014 -12.00am
How Rafflecopter works:
·You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box.Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
·Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
·Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
·Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
·For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
·For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
·If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.
The BBC Good Food Show Winter is running from 27-30 November 2014 at The NEC, Birmingham.To celebrate simplyfood has teamed up with the organisers to offer you 1 pair of general admission tickets each for 5 lucky winners. Tickets will not be valid for Saturday Entry.
The flagship BBC Good Food Show is bigger and better than ever before with the introduction of the BBC Good Food Bakes & Cakes Village and Stage, EatWell zone, Regional Food pavilion and the return of the Ludlow Producer Market. As well as a wide range of producers showcasing their products, the 3,000-seat Supertheatre will play host to an array of stars including The Hairy Bikers and Tom Kerridge with many other stages around the show including the Saturday Kitchen Stage sponsored by Lakeland and the Belling Live Cook Stage. With all of this and over 500 exhibitors, The BBC Good Food Show Winter is a food lovers’ heaven.
Not a winner? To book tickets and for more information on the BBC Good Food Show Winter please visit bbcgoodfoodshowwinter.com or call 0844 581 1360
How To Enter
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway
Closing date – 21st November 2014. 12.00 am
Open to Uk residents over the age of 18 only
How Rafflecopter works:
You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video
I love mediterranean vegetables and I am always looking for ways to cook them in interesting ways. With the arrival of my ActiFry, roasted vegetables have become a breeze to cook and I love serving them with a home made spicy tomato salsa and cactus corn tortilla.
Using the ActiFry is simple all it requires is less than 1 tablespoon of oil and a selection of vegetables and the actifry does the rest.It cooks using a hot air system in minimal oil without compromising on the taste.
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Roasted Vegetable Wraps
by Nayna Kanabar November-3-2014
A colourful medley of roasted mediterranean vegetables served with spicy homemade tomato sauce and cactus corn wraps.
Ingredients:
2 baby courgettes cut into 5mm thick round slices
2 baby carrots peeled and cut into 5mm thick round slices
10 baby new potatoes cut into quarters
1 green pepper cut into one inch pieces
1 red pepper cut into one inch pieces
10 button mushrooms cut into halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
6 cactus corn tortillas
6 tablespoons homemade spicy tomato salsa
Method:
1. Put all the vegetables except the mushrooms in the ActiFry and add 1 tablespoon of oil.2. Roast the vegetables for 15 minutes in the ActiFry, after 15 minutes add the mushrooms and roast the vegetables for 5 more minutes.3.Remove the roasted vegetables from the ActiFry and add them to a bowl. Season with salt, pepper, chilli flakes and lemon juice and toss together.4. Place a tortilla wrap on a hot griddle to warm for 30 seconds , transfer the wrap onto a plate, spoon over it the spicy tomato salsa and add a portion of the roasted vegetables 5.Roll up the wrap and serve immediately.6. Repeat procedure for rest of wraps.
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 6 wraps
NB- If you don't have an ActiFry you can place the vegetables on a baking tray and roast them in the oven instead. I was sent the ActiFry by Tesco Direct to review, all the views and opinions in the post are my own and unbiased.
The BBC Good Food Show London is running from 14-16 November 2014 at Olympia, London.To celebrate simplyfood has teamed up with the organisers to offer you 1 pair of general admission tickets each for 5 lucky winners.Tickets will not be valid for Saturday Entry.
Visit the capital’s tastiest day out and sample the culinary delights of hundreds of exhibitors with the opportunity to browse and buy. Watch Michel Roux Jr, James Martin, Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry, Tom Kerridge and many others, demonstrating how to cook seasonal recipes at home. Other features at the show include The Wine Cellar, curated by Masters of Wine and Saturday Kitchen Live favourites Peter Richards and Susie Barrie as well as the brand new Wine Experience brought to you by the International Wine & Spirit Competition where visitors can sample an array of wines, including the first taste of the 2014 trophy winners. The pop-up BBC Good Food Kitchen will feature crowd-sourced favourites and selected dishes inspired by demos on the Supertheatre.
Not a winner? To book tickets and for more information on the BBC Good Food Show London please visit bbcgoodfoodshowlondon.com or call 0844 581 1361.
How To Enter
Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway
Closing date – 8th November 2014. 12.00 am
Open to Uk residents over the age of 18 only
How Rafflecopter works:
You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void.
Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here.
For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries.
If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video
Yoghurt is a very healthy and versatile Ingredient. It can be flavoured, eaten natural, or used in cooking, for dressing, making smoothies and desserts. This month I am inviting all foodies out there to link up their yogurt recipes.
To Participate:
1. Prepare any vegetarian recipe with yoghurt (eggs allowed) please link your post using the linky below by entering your Dish Name and Post URL 2. Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory. (Any entries sent with out the mandatory link will be disqualified.) 3.Use of logo is not mandatory but it helps to spread the word if you can use it.
4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.
