Lets make Salads Event

Lazy Hazy summer days , sunshine, picnics, school holidays and vacations.A perfect time to prepare salads and enjoy them so that we spend less time slaving over a hot stove.
This event is all about salads, prepare any vegetarian salad (eggs allowed) and share it here.There are so many salad ingredients, feel free to create your salads with the  use of  lentils, pulses,vegetables, fruits, nuts, and sprouted pulses.Be creative and make it colourful. I would love to see usage of some innovative salads dressings too.

To Participate:

1.Prepare any vegetarian salad  (eggs allowed) please link your post using the linky below by entering your Post Name and Post URL
2. Please link this event announcement with your entry, this is mandatory.
3. Use of logo is not mandatory but usage is encouraged as it helps to spread the word visually if you can use it.
4. Multiple entries are allowed, archived are only allowed if reposted and updated with this event link.
5. 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.


Please make sure you have linked this event announcement to your post, this is mandatory  before you link it up here
Link with your Post name and Post URL 

Review tibits- a vegetarian restaurant, London

A blogger friend  of mine Mina of Authentic Vegetarian recipes  and I  recently had an invitation to visit tibits a vegetarian restaurant in Heddon Street, London.The restaurant serves breakfasts, lunch ,dinners and also food on the go such as soups, sandwiches and pastries. Located in a prime position in central London it is the perfect place for a lunch stop during a shopping day out in London or for that light dinner before a theatre visit.

The restaurant hosts an informal atmosphere, with a no reservation policy. Tables are dotted around a central  food boat which has a large variety of cold and hot dishes and mouth watering desserts. The  meals are self serve buffet style where you are charged for the weight of the food on your plate.On offer, at the bar there are a a variety of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks, teas and coffees. I was particularly impressed that each and every dish was labelled showing its suitability for vegetarians and vegans .(V=vegan,O=egg,L=lacto,N=nuts,G=gluten)

During our visit, I enjoyed the refreshing  palate cleansing cocktail which was made from fruit juices, fennel and ginger , followed by the passion fruit lemonade. tibits menu are seasonal ,the summer menu on offer had a variety of salads and hot dishes .I tried  the dried green bean salad, the tofu and carrot salad and also the quinoa with bean salad all were delicious. I also enjoyed the the stuffed jalapeños  with date and tomato chutney which was superb, I wish I had asked for the recipe.

The main course was equally good, the plain rice accompanied with the spinach cooked in saffron sauce and the  papaya curry was unusual , I had never considered  these combination of ingredients before but I was pleasantly surprised at the mild   and delicate creamy texture of them.
Having tried so many wonderful dishes making room for dessert was very difficult, but no meal is complete with out dessert and  the passion fruit cheese cake and the sticky toffee pudding were so inviting I just had to have a try.....Needless to say they were mouthwatering.
Thankyou to tibits for inviting us,the dining experience was indeed a pleasant one, the restaurant is a haven for vegetarians and vegans and those who enjoy a healthy eating life style.

Taste of London ~Regent park London

On Thursday I visited Taste of London in Regents Park London. The food festival was in full swing despite the awful wet  British weather!! The festival  was a host to the finest tastes of  London  and multinational cuisines such as Flavours of Thailand,  and Flavours of the world. There was the World of Beer for those who love a pint or two or for those who have a more refined taste The Secret garden was perfect place to visit  where you could sip a cocktail or two. Finding a place for a lunch stop was mind boggling as you were spoilt for choice  with such a large  selection of  wonderful gourmet cuisine by some famous London restaurants such as The Savoy, Theos Randall at the Intercontinental, Tamarind Rhodes 24 and many many more.

For the food lovers who  love the preparation of food there were cookery demonstrations at the AEG kitchen by some famous and well known chefs and hands on master classes at the Weber BBQ experience.
Wonderful music, authentic Thai dancing and fruit and vegetable carvings were some of the highlights in the Thailand section of the festival.
In the world foods area sampling scrumptious hot Parathas by Shanas, drool worthy lindt chocolates and a wonderful  British tea experience at the Wedgewood Tea bar were worth doing.
The festival was very enjoyable and perfect day out for a foodie.

GIVEAWAY~ English Provender Co Condiment Gift bag .

I am a big fan of The English Provender Co, they make the most mouth watering selection of  condiments . 

Some of the flavours available in their chutneys are Apples, Pear and Fig Chutney, Damson and Port, Caramelised red onion, Moroccan spice, Ploughman’s plum, Sweet tomato and chilli and lastly but not the least Hot chilli with red pepper. All seven chutneys each had a unique flavour, rich in taste and texture and are absolutely delicious. This is not surprising as all the chutneys are made with finest ingredients, starting right at home with the best quality vegetables, fruits and herbs, adding just the right blend of traditional spices, and then combining them to create simply delicious results.

Recently they have a new addition to their family , the Bramley Apple Sauce with Calvados. It is made using the finest Bramley apples  with the addition of Calvados ( a type of brandy made from apples)and lemon juice which makes the sauce delicious and gives it a very distinct flavour. It the perfect accompaniment  with Vegetarian and Non vegetarian dishes. This  apple sauce was really different from any other I have tried it was rich and had a very natural deep colour, furthermore it is suitable for vegetarians and Vegans too.

To check out the full product range you can click here.  The English Provender also provides recipe ideas for their chutneys and condiments which you can check out here, It has an on line shop so you can order and sample the chutneys from the comfort of your own home.

You too can sample these wonderful condiments ,The English Provender has kindly agreed to provide  2  free condiment gift bags to 2 visitors  to this blog.

You can  check below to see how to be to be entered in the free giveaway.

Rules:
1. This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 who have a UK mailing address.
2. The winner will be chosen via Raffle copter (which uses random.org) and announced on this page. 
3. The winner will be contacted by e-mail, if they do not respond within a 48 hours another winner will be chosen. 
4. There are 2  prizes of English Provender Condiment gift bags for 2 winner. By entering you are agreeing to share your address with simply.food to receive the prize.
5. I am running this competition in good faith on behalf of English Provender Co,Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.They reserve the right to substitute a prize of similar value. 
6. Instructions form part of the terms and conditions.
7. Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will be disqualified. 
8. No cheating. Please do follow the instructions. I will verify the winning entry and check that you have commented / tweeted / subscribed etc. Anyone who cheats will be disqualified. 
9. There is one main way to enter and several ways to get bonus entries, including bonus daily entries. Follow the instructions in the form above. If you already like / follow comment in the raffle copter widget and let me know to get your entries.
Closing Date 21st July 2012 6.00pm

Good Luck.

Many thanks to The English Provender Company and for providing a prizes for the giveaway.

Pictures coutesy of The English Provender Company

a Rafflecopter giveaway

White Chocolate Hazelnut Rafaello Balls ~ June 18th Secret Recipe Club

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.
My assigned blog was Lick the Spoon by Louise. This blog was amazing and I have book marked several recipes. I found that the blog has many many lovely delicious and mouthwatering sweet recipes. All the posts were so inviting I had a dilemma as to what to choose to cook.Finally I settled for the White Chocolate Hazelnut Rafaello Balls. I followed the recipe exact and they turned out perfect and simply divine.

Creamy nutty centre with a crisp wafer crunch, coated in smooth white chocolate and dipped in  tropical coconut.-Simply paradise on earth.

Ingredients:

200ml condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3-4 tbsp. full cream milk powder
50g butter, room temperature
100g coconut flakes
50g vanilla wafer biscuits,
24 toasted hazelnut,
150g white chocolate, melted
150g coconut extra

Method:

1.Mix butter with condensed milk, add vanilla,  milk powder, coconut flakes, and crushed vanilla wafers.
2.Mix until well combined. Roll into walnut sized balls; flatten in the palm on your hand and press a hazelnut into the centre.
3.Re-roll so that the hazelnut is well covered and positioned in the middle of the ball. Repeat until all mixture is used. Makes approx 24 balls
4.Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
5.Put the extra coconut in a small bowl.
6.Using a fork, dip each ball into the white chocolate and coat. Let the excess chocolate drain from the all before rolling it through the coconut, then place them in petit cake liners.
7.Repeat until all the balls are coated and refrigerate until ready to serve.

You may like:
Chocolate Balls

Taste of London ~Regent part London

Taste of London -A food festival from the 21st to 23rd June in Regents Park London, the whole weekend of wonderful food and drink in one of the worlds finest city. Each year Taste of London brings together not just restaurants and food and wine suppliers, but a line-up of innovative and interactive programmes on cooking and eating. 

Some of the world’s greatest chefs such as David Chang, Wolfgang Puck, Nuno Mendes, Atul Kochhar, Jamie Oliver, Francesco Mazzei, Theo Randall and many more will be cooking at the show and sharing their mouth watering creations. 40 of London's best restaurants will be serving special menus of starter sized tasting plates, including signature dishes created by chefs that specially reflect their philosophy and showcase seasonal and premium ingredients.

At the AEG theatre together with Waitrose kitchen you can enjoy cookery demos by Hardeep Singh Kohli and other chefs who will be sharing their food secrets tips and tricks to prepare the perfect dish.

Top chefs in the new Seeds of Change Theatre will excite you as they demonstrate how the tastiest foods come from ingredients grown at the pace of nature. Host John Quilter will also be creating some nature-inspired dishes using Seeds of Change ingredients.  

You can also sample flavours of the world during the show. Five international pavilions will each offer a culinary journey of Peru, Flanders, Germany, Malaysia and Brazil. You will be able to sample cuisines unique to these countries. Along with all these wonderful attractions you can explore BBQ experience, the Beer garden, flavours of France, Thailand and a traditional Wedgwood tea bar.

If you would like to visit the show you can check out more details  and buy your tickets here.

Picture courtesy of Taste of London

Medhu Vada (Lentil Fritters)~ Blog Hop Challenge Wed 13th June

This is my entry for Blog Hop Wednesday started by Radhika of Tickling Palates. Its a beautiful concept where not only do you get to make new  blogger friends, cook from their blogs but in return they visit your blog and try out your recipes too.
If you are interested in  joining Blog Hop Wednesday here is how it works:
The plot behind this attempt is to form 2 groups and make pairs with a blogger who will be your partner for that particular month. This happens every 2nd wednesday of the month. You will then go through your partner’s blog, select, choose, cook, click and post the recipe in your blog on Wednesday and vice versa. The following month you will have a new partner. This way not only you tend to your blog at intervals but also learn some new recipes along the way and get to know a lot of bloggers and make friends."

My Blog partner this month was Farah from mycookbook. The blog, I am sure has many wonderful recipes, but as it had no index there was no way to see the listing. However doing a random search, I landed on this Medhu Vada recipe , which immediately took my fancy , it was easy to make and tasted delicious. Changes I made were that I omitted the onions and added a pinch of bicarbonate to the batter as I prefer  my vadas to have a soft spring texture.

Crispy and crunchy Vada that make a perfect tea time treat.

Ingredients:

240g / 8 oz  cup urad dhal
60 g/ 2oz basmati rice
2 sticks curry leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste
3-4 green chilli,  finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1.5 teaspoons salt
Pinch of bicarbonate of soda
Sunflower oil, for frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak the dhal and rice for 3 hours or more
2. Drain well and add the rice and dhal to a blender and grind to a smooth consistency. Mixture should be stiff so do not add extra water.
3. Transfer the ground mixture to a large bowl and add the salt, green chillies, ginger ,curry leaves, and coriander leaves  and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well.
4. Heat oil in a deep vessel, when it is hot pinch small walnut size balls from the mixture and form patties. make a hole in the centre of each pattie and drop gentle into the hot oil.
5. Fry on medium heat until golden brown.
Drain on kitchen paper and repeat for remaining batter.
Serve hot with chutney or dip of your choice.

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Spinach Dhokla