Veggie Week!

National Vegetarian Week started yesterday and I will be doing my best to avoid meat this week.  I tend to stick to a vegetarian diet mid-week anyway (although with some fish) and then have good quality (preferably organic and/or locally sourced) meat at some point over the weekend.  So tonight was a perfect opportunity to make a delicious veggie dish, and join in this month's Cookalong on nigella.com at the same time.  The recipe for Griddled Aubergines with Feta, Mint and Chilli is just my kind of dish as I love all of the individual ingredients, and it was so easy to put together. Pefect to make at a barbeque or for a picnic, especially for any vegetarian guests, and just as good for a light supper when you get in late from work (as I usually do!). Yum!

November Cookalong 1: Breakfast Bars

A bit late I know, but there have been two fab Cookalongs to join in with this month. The first is from the nigella.com forums and features in Nigella Express, with a recipe for these very easy breakfast bars. The recipe can be adapted easily, swapping the peanuts for other nuts (I used cashews) and using a variety of dried fruits. The end result was very tasty but they are a little too sweet for my taste, and rather calorie laden! Good for a post-run treat though.

Cookalong: Lamb Patties with Hummus and Pitta

It's impossible to blog about everything you cook, after all, I don't want to bore you all with some of the stuff I throw together! Mostly, I just make regular meals and these are hardly newsworthy as they are made during the week from whatever is lurking in the fridge or from store cupboard ingredients. It's nice to venture out of the comfort zone though and follow something that has been suggested by someone else. As a regular follower of the nigella.com forums, I have joined in the last few Cookalong recipes, and this one for October is a real winner.

The recipe can be found using the link below, or in Nigella's Forever Summer book.

http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=307

The addition of soaked bulgar wheat into the patties adds a lovely wholesome texture, and the dried mint and lemon zest really come through once the're cooked. I made a couple of slight variations at the end, using rocket leaves rather than little gem, I skipped the onion and instead of spritzing over the lemon juice, I added it to the hummus/yoghurt mixture. Falafels instead of the lamb patties would make a lovely vegetarian alternative.