Veggie Frittata

It's been a while! The end of summer always gets a bit hectic - making sure you see all the friends and family you can before you go to uni. Anyway, here's a recipe that will you set you up nicely for a day of fresher's. Frittatas are similar to omelettes, but this one is made in the oven as it uses roasted vegetables - I've taken inspiration from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Veg Everyday book here.

Eggs are cheap and valuable sources of protein. Try and buy free-range if you can, think of the poor chicken!

We're now moving on to autumn and winter vegetables - sticking with the old seasonal veg, so basically use whatever you have in your fridge at the time. Sticking with the general rule of the harder the raw veg, the longer it will need to roast. In this case, cut the harder ones up smaller so they roast more quickly.

Ingredients: This will serve two or three people, or one then cold for lunch another day!

• 300g (roughly) of vegetables - root veg are probably better in this case, so sweet potato, butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, potatoes,. Courgettes and peppers will also work as will celery, but don't cut them up so small. The others should be cut into roughly 2-3cm cubes as an idea.
• 1/2 an onion - red is probably nicer here, also cut into slices/cubes.
• 3 dessert spoons of olive oil
• A handful of herbs if you have them - fresh parsley, thyme, chives etc.
• 3-4 eggs more if you end up having more vegetables.
• About 10-15g of hard cheese (parmesan, cheddar etc), grated.

All that colourful veg

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (Gas 5).
• Prepare your veg - peel the carrots, parsnip etc. cut the skin off the butternut squash, chop and chunk it all!
• Place them in a roasting dish - baking tray, glass or ceramic dish - whatever you have that fits all the veg so they're in roughly one layer.

Couldn't rotate it - but you get the even-layered veg idea...

• Toss them in olive oil and season well with salt and pepper then roast in the oven for 40 minutes, giving them a stir halfway through and adding mushrooms if you fancy.
• 30 minutes in, if you want to serve your frittata with roasted tomatoes (a good combination I promise), place two in a small dish and drizzle a little oil over them. Cut a slit in the top of each and place some fresh basil on top. Bung them in the oven and they'll be done at the same time as everything else. 
• When the veg is nearly done, beat the eggs, chopped herbs and more salt and pepper in a bowl and when the 40 minutes is up (or the veg is soft and looks done), pour the mixture into the roasting dish and wiggle until it's all evenly distributed. 

Whisky whisky (check out that colour coordination)

• Scatter the grated cheese on top, and put it back in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the egg is set and it's looking golden brown round the edges. With 5 minutes to go, put some peas on to boil if you fancy - add some green to the plate!

Scattering cheese after pouring in egg

You could eat this with a chunk of wholemeal bread, or put potatoes in it for carbs. You could also have it with jacket potato. The beauty of a frittata, is that you can eat it cold the next day for lunch - just put it in the fridge wrapped in clingfilm when it's completely cool.

The finished thing in all its puffy golden glory - yum yum.

Complimentary Tune: Fleet Foxes - Mykonos (I know it's old but I love it)

Tip of the day: Fresher's week is coming up for a lot of people, and if you're moving in to new accommodation and meeting new flatmates - one of the most important tips I can give you is prop your door open and get to know your flatmates and talk to them. They might end up being your best friends or they might not, but either way you'll appreciate having people to go out with and do stuff during the day in freshers week before you meet other people in your clubs or course.

---K

Sausage Rolls

So two comfort food recipes in a row may seem a bit extreme, but we've both been in need of it at the moment!

Kitty's been working herself silly harvesting on her farm and I've been at death's door for the past week so homely yumminess was definitely in order (especially in this weather)!

In saying that, this recipe is 100% healthier than any sausage roll you can buy from supermarkets (each only uses a third of a sausage) and soooooo much better value for money.

This is my Mum's recipe (creds to Jennie B), and is traditionally something she'll give us on Christmas Day around lunchtime to keep us going until the big dinner much later. It's great for her as she can make them well in advance of the rest of the Christmas preparation and then get someone to bung them in the oven when needed.

I would advise serving with a side salad (coleslaw recipe to come #watchthisspace), and/or baked beans. No further carbs are needed because of the pastry and the sausage obviously provides some decent protein (although more can be added if needed through the baked beans).

The actual technique of making these is very easy, but if you choose to make the maximum amount it may take a while. In this way, I would suggest making these when you have an hour free, and then freeze a lot of them to eat another time. To freeze, cook until they are nearly ready and then put them in the freezer, this means they can be browned and crispy (rather than soggy) when you choose reheat them in the oven. Equally, if you don't eat all of the ones you cook fully, just put them in the fridge and microwave them when needed.

As I'm at home, I used my Mum's homemade chutney, but plan on using Sainsbury's plum chutney (£1.30 for 300g) when back at uni as a decent alternative. However, any fruit-based chutney is fine (or even just plain if you've already got some in the cupboard).

A jar of yumminess

Ingredients (makes 12 or 24)

200g puff pastry

12/24 large tsp chutney

1 egg (if not a tbsp or two of milk works fine)

8 sausages

A small quantity of flour (any type apart from self-raising)

Recipe

• First off set up all your ingredients, if you're making 12 sausage rolls divide the pastry into 4 and for 24 make it into 8 (24 is best for value and for general pastryness)

In case you can't count..

• Whisk the egg in a mug and cut all the sausages into three lengthwise with scissors and set aside.
• With raw meat (and especially for this recipe), I would suggest running a large bowl of soapy washing up water before starting, so you can wash your hands after touching it and moving onto the next activity and so you can throw in the contaminated utensils straight away.
• Flour your surface and the rolling pin before rolling out the pastry, aim for a regular rectangle shape with proportions of about 35cm by 15cm (3 sausages should be able to fit easily along the longest side).
• Place the pastry landscape on your surface and line up the sausages comfortably along the side furthest from you (try not to let them touch).
• Add a decent tsp of the chutney slightly in front (but still touching) the middle of the sausage. It's important the chutney is central to minimise leakage (no-one likes a leaky sausage roll).
• Brush a line of your egg/milk along the edge closest to you and then start to roll the pastry.

An excellent layout

• Start the sausage side and carefully manipulate the pastry towards you, n.b. make sure the sausage and chutney are in the same 'roll' for optimum taste.
• Once rolled, divide pastry into three by making diagonal cuts with a knife between the sausages. If you feel like it, neaten off the ends with a similar slicing movements.
• Before placing on the oven tray add 3-4 diagonal slits on top of each individual roll and lightly brush some more of the milk/egg mixture across the top of them.
• Repeat for the rest of the pastry until you are ready to cook them (only put a maximum of 12 on each oven tray each time).

A non-bakers dozen

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees and wack in your sausage beauties, they should only take between 10 and 12 minutes to cook but it depends on your oven so keep checking them.
• Take them out when nicely browned across the tops and leave to cool for a bit before eating them as the chutney will be VERY hot.
• Serve warm and yumminess awaits you!

Jennie B herself

Complimentary tune: Sam Smith - Lay Me Down little bit in love with this song and this man's voice.

Tip of the day: The Great British Bake Off has started! An excellent way to keep you going through a long hard week is to watch this on a Wednesday! #Normanforthewin

---C

Easy Homemade Pizza

Anyone Italian will probably hate this recipe - it's not really a proper pizza, it's just a simple, healthy variation that's tasty and should satisfy any pizza craving you have! It's not as salty or greasy as frozen ,shop-bought, or takeaway ones sometimes are, and doesn't really take that long - as long as you'd wait for a takeaway!

Ingredients for the base (two servings roughly):

• 170g or 6 oz of self-raising flour (something to always have in the cupboard for cake)
• 15g or 1/2 oz butter
• Up to 140 ml or a 1/4 of a pint of milk (whole or semi, doesn't really matter)
• Seasoning and dried herbs.

Recipe:

• Rub the butter into the flour in a medium-large mixing bowl. If you're unsure how to do this, look at the scone recipe here.
• Add a shake of dried herbs, a pinch or two of salt, and some black pepper, and stir it all together.
• Now start adding the milk slowly and stir it until it makes the dough. If it's too sticky add more flour and if it's too dry keep adding milk. You might need to knead it as well. 
• Now flour a baking tray and roll out the dough so that it fits. It should be about 5-10mm thick.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, and start thinking about the top of the pizza.

This is more down to personal preference. I like to put a squeeze of tomato ketchup on the top and spread it out so that it doesn't quite reach the edges as my base. You could also use tomato purée here, but I find that a little strong. I do sometimes mix ketchup and purée though. 

For my toppings, I like to fry 1 rasher of bacon cut up into pieces, a red pepper, and 4 mushrooms in a little olive oil. Start by frying the bacon and pepper over a medium heat for about 4 minutes, then add the mushrooms and continue frying until the bacon is done, and the pepper fairly soft.

Slice raw tomato and lay them on the pizza base, scatter the fried things on top and add lumps of mozzarella and grated cheddar or parmesan on top. Add some fresh basil leaves and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes - until the cheese is molten and slightly browning on top. 

Pre-cooking

Serve with some green leaves and salad dressing. Last year, I ended up buying a bottle of balsamic vinegar (not very expensive) and mixing my own dressing because it was cheaper. I always had olive oil for cooking anyway, so balsamic and olive oil was a tasty (and healthier) alternative. 

The protein in this meal comes from the bacon and cheese, and carbs from the base. This probably goes under the comfort food category, but is still healthy! If you buy one bag of salad, and eat half the pizza each day, you don't have any waste. Add some carrot, celery and any other fresh salad you can buy seasonally and cheaply for a balanced meal.

Those colours though

Tune of the day: Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit - The Box

Tip of the day: Plan your meals for a week and make a shopping list based on that, at least for a while anyway until you get to grips with the sort of things you need, and what you like and what you use up. Also try and overlap ingredients - so if you make something which uses half a pepper, use another recipe which uses half a pepper later in the week, such as a risotto, or the Moroccan Cous Cous in half quantities. 

---K

Hearty Bean Stew

This is a favourite of mine in the winter - it's filling, yummy and it's a one pot wonder! I make it if I know I've got a busy few days because you can make a pot and eat it in portions. It's basically just vegetables and beans, so it's all super healthy and CHEAP. It's great if you want a healthy meal on a low budget. It's bulked out with vegetables and I eat it with wholegrain pasta to stretch it further and give me some long-lasting energy. And of course, the beans provide that all important protein!

Ingredients:

This is recipe is so flexible and ideal for using cheaper seasonal veg. It also makes use of the pot-planted herbs we've mentioned in previous posts. As it's summer at the moment, in the pictures in this post I've used summer vegetables, but in winter I use sweet potato and parsnip (very much down to personal taste) as well as other veg I can pick up.

The quantities are changeable according to what you've got, you can't really go wrong as long as you've got plenty of nice vegetables to add flavour and variation! So this is very approximate.

• 1/2 an onion (this is pretty important for flavour)
• 1/2 a pepper (or a whole one if you've got one that needs eating)
• 1/2 - a whole peeled sweet potato (optional/seasonal)
• 1 parsnip (optional/seasonal - see the stuffed peppers for how to cut it up)
• 2 sticks of celery sliced (if you don't like this, it's not essential, but it's such a good flavour giver! Give it a go)
• 2 carrots, sliced into circles
• A few cherry tomatoes if you have them
• 3-4 mushrooms
• Courgette (this is one I always buy - it adds some green)
• French beans, if they're not too expensive - at their best round about now (late July)
• A tin of chopped tomatoes
• Half a chicken or vegetable stock cube.
• A tin of beans - I prefer cannellini beans in this one 

Recipe (serves 4 or lasts 4 days, roughly):

• Start by chopping up all the vegetables - the onion into small chunks, pepper, sweet potato if you're using it etc.
• Depending on the cooking time, it might be an idea to put a bit of wholegrain pasta on to cook whilst you're making it - not much though because this is filling!
• Put a dash of olive oil (or whatever oil you have) in a large-ish casserole dish or saucepan, and begin to fry the onions until softened, then add the pepper and hard root vegetables (parsnip and sweet potato).
• Once they've been frying for a few minutes, add the mushrooms.
• Then add a can of chopped tomatoes, and a stock cube dissolved in a bit of boiling water - this depends on how many veg you have. You want to cover them in liquid, plus a little bit as it boils down.
• At this point, also add the celery, carrot, courgette etc. (any reasonably soft veg that normally takes about 8-10 minutes to boil)

• Season it with about a tbsp of tomato ketchup (magic ingredient this), salt, pepper, herbs (basil is especially nice here), dried herbs, black pepper - whack it all in!
• Allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes, and meanwhile, rinse the beans well (believe me, this bit is worth it...) under running water.
• Add the beans and peas if you fancy it. Taste, check the seasoning and simmer for 5 more minutes - until the vegetables are soft - then you're done!

How easy was that!? It's one to do when you can't be bothered to think. Hardly any washing up either! This can also be frozen in portions in the freezer.

Tip of the day: Try and go for seasonal veg when you're shopping - it's often cheaper, local, and more tasty!

Tune of the day: Hozier - From Eden

Enjoy!

---K

Sweet Potato Stuffed Peppers with Cous Cous

This recipe is a bit more time-consuming, but delicious and fairly easy to make as well as being cheap. I made this last year at uni quite a lot as it makes a change from something pasta or rice based. It's also super healthy and full of goodness. The protein comes from cheese and pumpkin seeds (or any other nuts or quinoa), carbs from the sweet potato and vitamins and anti-oxidants etc from the vegetable and fruit content.

Ingredients

• 1 pepper (I prefer red)
• Half a large sweet potato or a whole small one
• One small parsnip (if you like parsnip)
• 2-4 tbsp of Philadelphia, other cream cheese, cottage cheese or a soft cheese. (I always have this in stock because I love to eat it in sandwiches with sliced tomato and fresh basil, or on its own if I'm feeling lazy. It can be put in any cheesy sauce and just perks up quite a few dishes).
• Parsley
• Optional 2-3 mushrooms,
• 3 tbsp of cous cous or quinoa or brown rice
• Lemon juice to flavour

Recipe

• Put a saucepan of water on to boil, and put a shake of salt in it. Set the oven to 200 degrees.
• Peel the sweet potato and the parsnip and cut them up into medium chunks. To cut up the parsnip, you'll want to core it as the core is tough. To do this, very carefully cut it in half length-ways, then turn it flat-side down and cut it into quarters. Then hold it angled side up so you have the ridge pointing upwards, then push a knife into the line between the core and the rest of the parsnip, and wiggle it so that the core comes away.
• Once you've done this, cut the parsnip up into chunks and place both this and the sweet potato into the boiling water. Cook them for about 20 minutes over a medium heat, or until a knife poked into a chunk feels soft.
• Once they're done, drain them, place them in a small mixing bowl and mash them with a fork. Add the cheese, parsley chopped up, season with black pepper and a bit of salt, and continue to whiz with the fork.Taste the mix and add more of anything to taste.
• Cut the pepper in half from top to bottom (not round the middle) and put the stuffing in - piling it up a little. Scatter some pumpkin seeds on top and grate some hard cheese too if you have some.
• Smear about a tbsp of oil round a baking tray or dish, and place the two halves of the pepper in it. Put them in the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
• While they're cooking, decide what you're going to have with it. I sometimes have brown rice and vegetables. This can be a bit dry though, so here I've suggested cous cous. Follow the instructions on the packet, and add lemon juice and vegetables and a bit of olive oil and seasoning and it should be yummy!!
• You can eat half the pepper, and put the other half in the fridge to eat another day.

Here's one we prepared earlier!

Tip of the day: If you ever see cream on offer in the supermarket, buy it and then freeze it individually in an ice cube tray. Whenever you're making a sauce that needs enriching, wack in just one of those cubes and voila! 

Complimentary tune: Sia - Chandelier (Night Cruise Remix) we love the original tune here at Gourmet Student Grub, and we love this remix even better.

---K

Quinoa and Bulgar Wheat Salad

One of the things I love about summer is salad. This one is easy and nutritious - the quinoa provides all your protein, and the bulgar wheat provides wholesome carbs. The herbs means it bursts with flavour and the vegetables just make it yummy and good. The aim is to make it as colourful as possible!

Ingredients - makes about 3/4 portions 
Keep it in the fridge and eat day-by-day

• 50g quinoa
• 50g bulgar wheat
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon (you can buy bottles of lemon juice which may keep better. If so, I think a mean dessert spoon full) 
• Pinch of salt
• Mint, parsley and basil
• Half a cucumber (you can buy them in halves, which I do because I never eat them all in one go)
• Two tomatoes, or 5 cherry tomatoes
• Half a pepper
• 1 carrot
• Ready-cooked beetroot (this is the stuff you buy in vacuum packed packets in supermarkets)
• Half an avocado and any other raw veg you fancy - chuck it in!

Recipe

• Weigh out the quinoa and bulgar wheat, put it in a sieve and rinse it under a cold running tap.

It doesn't look like much, but it expands!

• Then place it in a saucepan, cover it with cool water until it's covered by about 5 cm, then bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat so it doesn't boil over, and cover. Set the timer for 15 minutes.
• Now to start cutting up the veg! Cut it all into fairly small chunks, and grate the carrot. It doesn't matter if you don't have all of it - I'd say the beetroot doesn't matter too much, it's just one of those things I have sometimes. Nor does the avocado. 
• Then chop the herbs. This is when having your own herb plants really comes into its own. You'll notice the flavour so much! 

• Keep checking the bulgar wheat and quinoa - if it's starting to boil dry, add a bit more water. You can always drain it off at the end.
• Once the 15 minutes is up, drain the water off and place the mix in a medium glass bowl. 
• Add the olive oil, pinch of salt and lemon juice. Then the herbs, fruit and vegetables. Give it a good mix and you're ready to go! See - easy!

If you're going to add avocado, I'd keep this separately in the fridge wrapped in cling film once you've started it because it goes brown very quickly. Serve the salad with some leaves. You could stir some cheese or pumpkin seeds through it too if you have any in stock.

Quinoa and bulgar wheat may not be your bog-standard fare, but they're so good for you. It might be worth looking into buying them in bigger packets to last a long time, and try to get them cheaply. However you won't use much bulgar wheat each time, so cost-wise, I reckon it evens out! 

This recipe could also be used for a healthy lunch if you keep it in the fridge.

Tip of the day: mix up your exercise and do something different every day. I get bored so easily so I go running, cycling, gym, or rowing!

Tune of the day: First Aid Kit - Emmylou 

---K

Easy Vegetable Risotto

I love cooking with vegetables, in fact it's pretty much all I do at uni. It's cheap, healthy, easy, hygienic and there's so much variety and so many things you can do! That's not to say I'm a vegetarian, I just find it saves me money. Occasionally for a treat, I'll get myself some British bacon, Scottish salmon (I'm careful where any meat comes from) or some free-range chicken.

Rave about vegetables over, let's get down to risotto. This is something I make if I have lots of veg to use up, or just if I fancy an easy meal, plus it's just yummy. The easy thing about risottos (this sort anyway) is that they're so approximate, so this might seem a bit vague, but do what you like with it!

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1/2 an onion
• 1 small sweet potato or 1/2 a large one
• 2 or 3 mushrooms
• 1/2 a pepper (I prefer red)
• 3 cherry tomatoes or 1 normal one cut into quarters
• 1/2 a stock cube, chicken or vegetable, your choice
• 1 courgette, 1 carrot, 1 stick of celery, 1 beetroot, a handful of peas, a floret of broccoli - whatever you have! 
• A knob of butter or a dash of olive oil
• A couple of handfuls of risotto rice - remember that it expands!
• Seasoning, including any herbs you have - basil, parsley and mixed herbs work well

Recipe

• First step is to cut up all your vegetables and prepare your stock so that it's all ready to put in in stages while the risotto is cooking. Make about half a pint of stock with your half stock cube and boiling water.
• Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a (preferably non-stick) saucepan over a medium-high heat, and add the onion, pepper, risotto rice, sweet potato and any other hard vegetables you have - so, carrot, parsnip, uncooked beetroot, celeriac etc. Fry them for a couple of minutes - stirring continuously so it doesn't burn.
• Add a portion of the stock - enough to cover the rice with a centimetre or so on top (not necessarily the vegetables). It will spit and hiss a bit, so mind out! Once you've added the first lot of stock, you want to keep an eye on the time. You'll probably need to cook the rice for about 20 minutes, but test it along the way.
• Keep stirring and when the liquid is all absorbed add more. 
• After about 10 minutes, add the mushrooms, tomatoes, beetroot (if it's packeted cooked beetroot), celery and any softer vegetables - such as broccoli and courgette.
• Continue to add the stock in stages, and keep stirring! If it looks like it's burning - turn the heat down.
• You can add a splash of white wine (if you happen to have some lying around...)
• After a further 5 minutes, add peas and spinach if you want to. At this point season with salt, pepper and herbs. 
• Test it about now to see how it's doing. It shouldn't be smushy, but should be tender and need biting. 'Al dente' is the correct way. Make sure it's not underdone though! Also adjust seasoning if it needs it.
• Now you're done! It's ready to eat straight away - enjoy!

If you have pesto lying around - I so often do - and it needs eating up (you should use it within 3 weeks of opening), whack a spoonful of that in. If you're feeling really adventurous add some tomato purée, or both!

I also sometimes add cheese too to give some more protein to the meal. I often snack on nuts, so I have quite a lot of protein during the day anyway. 

This meal is nutritious and cheap. It's definitely worth a go!

Complimentary tune of the day: Milky Chance - Stolen Dance

Tip of the day: Make your own lunches. What I do is buy sandwich rolls from the supermarket - wholegrain ones are so cheap - and split them up and freeze them. Bung one in the microwave and you can have a sandwich done in 3 minutes - a lifesaver if you're always rushing like me! If you have more time, a couscous or quinoa salad is a healthier option. 

---K

Scones

Scones can be made cheaply and deliciously at home, even though we often go to tea shops and pay good money for them. My mum taught me this easy recipe (hence it's all in ounces and pints), and although it may not be exactly healthy, it's delicious, summery and we all need a treat every now and then! Get some clotted cream and a pot of jam, and share with friends for pudding after a light, healthy meal.

Ingredients (makes about 8):

• 8oz self-raising flour (flour keeps for ages, so it's worth keeping a bag in stock for birthday cakes etc.)
• 1/2oz butter at room temperature
• 1 dessert spoon of sugar
• 1 egg made up to 1/4 pint with whole milk

For ounces to grams conversion click here

For pints to milliliters conversion click here

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Rub the butter into the flour in a large bowl until it's fully integrated, by picking up handfuls of flour and butter and rubbing them between fingers and thumb. 
• Stir in the sugar
• Beat together the milk and egg, and pour it into the flour mix.
• Stir and knead to make a dough
• Roll out the dough to about 3cm thick
• Use a circular cutter or a knife to cut out your scones but don't twist the cutter.
• Place on a floured baking tray in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until risen and golden brown.

Claire being oh so proud of our scones

Being at uni in Exeter means we can't help but be conscious of the dispute about the correct way of eating scones - Devon versus Cornwall. We definitely side with Devon; cream first, then jam. It's the only way, and believe us, we're experts having been to our favourite afternoon tea haunt Tea on the Green in Exeter.

Complimentary tune: Dean Martin - Volare,this is a little bit of a vintage tune inspired by our mutual love of Call the Midwife: 

Tip of the day: Make Tea Not War. There are not many things in life that a good cup of tea cannot help and a better accompaniment to scones does not exist.

Side note: Claire is a faithful tea drinker and prefers a good brew with loose leaf tea in an actual tea pot. Her top tips include:

• Warming the teapot before adding tea leaves by swirling around some of the water from the kettle mid-boil.
• Adding about 1 heaped teaspoon of tea leaves per person to the pot
• Stirring the teapot well soon after adding boiled water and make sure the water added is literally just boiled
• Putting the milk in the cup before adding the tea (less is always more as you can always add more after)
• Never adding sugar as this is just plain sacrilege
• Keeping the tea pot warm whilst it is brewing (whack a tea towel on top if you are without an actual tea cosy), no-one likes a cold cup of tea (except maybe Kitty, but she's odd like that).

---K