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May 24 2024

Big Batch Chilli Non Carne

Hannah Homepage, Recipes, Under 600 Kcal, Veggie Chilli, Spicy

Big Batch Chilli Non Carne

Spicy vegetarian chilli.

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 10 Portions

Calories 387 kcal

Equipment

1 Large pan
1 Food processor

Ingredients

3 Tbsp Olive oil
1.2 kg Mushrooms
3 Large brown onions Finely chopped
3 Tsp Grated garlic
3 Celery sticks Finely chopped
6 Bell peppers Any colour
800 Grams Chopped Tomatoes
1.2 Kg Black beans in water Drained
1.2 Kg Red Kidney beans in water Drained
100 Grams Dark chocolate Broken Into small pieces
750 Ml Red wine
3 Tbsp Tomato puree
2 Tbsp Chipotle paste
6 Tsp Soy sauce
3 Tsp Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Chilli flakes
1.5 Tsp Dried oregano
1.5 Tsp Ground cinnamon
1.5 Tsp Salt
3 Tsp Chilli powder
3 Tsp Smoked paprika
3 Tsp Cumin
10 Dried Carolina reapers Cut into small pieces and reconstituted with 50ml boiling water – Please only include these chillis if you like VERY spicy food!!!!

Instructions

Add oil to a large pan and fry onions and celery until softened.
Meanwhile, using a food processor, pulse mushrooms until they resemble mince (1). Add mushroom mince to the onions and celery, fry until mushrooms release their moisture.
Add garlic, stir and cook for 1 minute.
Add spices and cook for a further 1 minute.
Add tomato purée and chipotle paste and stir.
Add wine and simmer until reduced.
Add kidney beans, black beans and chopped tomatoes.
Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, dark chocolate and give mixture a good stir.
Add Carolina reapers (only if you are using them and have a high tolerance for spice!!!)
Bring to the boil and then set to a low simmer for 2 hours
Serve with whatever you fancy! (2)

Notes

If you don’t own a food processor you could use a sharp knife to finely chop your mushrooms.
I like to serve mine topped with grated cheese, a portion of rice, tortilla chips and a dollop of soured cream. This helps with the spice!

Keyword Chilli, Mushrooms, Spicy

June 5 2023

Turing 10k in Milton Keynes

Hannah Homepage, Running first 10k, running, turing 10k 0

My first official timed 10k! I did one 10k event a few years ago, I wasn’t much of a runner then and I walked some of it. It was more of a fun run and there was no chip timing. This time, no walking! The Milton Keynes marathon weekend is a brilliant set of events and superbly organised.

This was me having just collected and attached my race number. I told myself that I was just going to take it easy and not aim for a quick time haha! Needless to say that mantra went out of the window and my competitive spirit kicked in shortly after crossing the start line.

If you’re like me, you just think of MK as the shopping centre, a bit of an ugly concrete city. It is a city now isn’t it?? However, there is actually a lot of greenery and pretty parts to Milton Keynes! We started in Campbell Park. I was worried as this was next to a pretty big hill and I thought this was a hint of what’s to come.

It’s a great course, all on concrete paths or pavements. There is a time limit as there are road closures that need to reopen. We passed by Willen lake twice and went through a cute village, Milton Keynes village I think? People had even come out of their houses to cheer us on! At the 8 or 9k mark though there was an unexpected hill and at the same time my laces came undone, so I was pretty pleased when saw that my time was under 1 hour!

I had just stepped over the finish line and this text came through! It was nice to hear through my headphones that I had done it in 55m30s! Properly chuffed with this time and then it was time for a large glass of wine in the pub with my husband.

I celebrated again when we got home with a nice gin and tonic. Check out the brilliant medal too! I would 100% do this event again 10/10.

June 5 2023

Pretty Milton ParkRun

Hannah Homepage, Running Milton country park, park run, running, trail run 0

It’s been a few years since I last went to Milton Country Park Parkrun. As with all Cambridge Parkruns I usually do them on the way home from night shifts as they are local to where I work. Otherwise I tend to stick to in and around Bedfordshire, where I live.

Milton Country park is so pretty and it makes a really interesting Parkrun. Don’t come here expecting a PB though, especially if you’re not used to trail runs like me! I am usually a strictly path runner only! Here there are tight twists and turns, plenty of puddles and tree roots to watch out for! It is certainly not boring and I would thoroughly recommend it.

The route has changed recently and starts off with a small lap of a section of the park, followed by 2 larger laps and then finishing with the small section again. There is plenty to look at to keep yourself distracted. It is completely flat, which for an anti hill girl this was a relief! I would rate this Parkrun 8/10, I love it but my joints prefer more flat paths. Considering how tricky it is, I still got a good time. A PB for this particular event YAY!

I was too tired for my usual post park run hot chocolate treat but there is a lovely cafe here if you need a pick me up after! I do love it here but it is a little out of my way and on the whole, I prefer it to be mainly flat paths if possible. For beauty and how interesting it is I give this one a solid 8.5/10.

May 15 2023

Vegetarian Meals Out in April – Toby Carvery and Carriages Afternoon Tea

Hannah Homepage, Veggie Afternoon tea, carvery, Vegetarian 0

I’ve eaten out well this week! Starting with a lovely Toby Carvery with my family, followed by a gorgeous afternoon tea with my friend. I was pleasantly surprised with how both catered so well for vegetarians.

My Mum and Dad invited me to the Toby Carvery, and my Mum said “but what are you going to eat?” Toby Carvery is no longer strictly for the carnivorous type! There are a variety of plant based and fish alternatives to the usual meat offerings. There is also a salad option but who would go to the carvery and order a salad?

When you get seated at your table, you get the option of ordering from the menu or going straight up for the carvery. I ordered the melt in the middle roast, because who can resist a melty, cheesy option! My parents went straight up to the meat carving area whilst I waited for my dish to arrive. It came pretty quickly and then I was able to join the queue for the best bit in my opinion; all the veg, roasties and don’t forget the Yorkshire pudding!

I went for the classic paxo style stuffing, mash, roasties, cauliflower cheese, dauphinois style potato and butternut squash and green beans. Surprisingly, everything was cooked beautifully and I went back for seconds of the dauphinois and roasties! You cant see my melt in the middle roast in the picture but it really was lovely. I’d call it a vegetable bake that had a coating similar to stuffing with breadcrumbs and nuts perhaps. Then the star of the show was the Camembert centre! It didn’t scrimp on the Camembert either. The vegetarian options are included in the carvery price, which differs from midweek to Saturday and Sunday. Also, for those with a Blue light card – they offer 20% discount during the week.

I would give the melt in the middle roast an 8 out of 10 and the dinner as a whole an 8.5 out of 10. I love a roast and it’s nice to know that there are tasty veggie options. There is also the option of paying less and just getting yourself a plate of the vegetable and potato selection.

Afternoon tea at Carriages in Cambridgeshire was an absolute delight. Not only is it a lovely location and executed at such a high quality, the food was bloody gorgeous too. I recommend booking in advance as it is very popular and space is limited. They have 3 train carriages and we were in the Lancelot carriage. We were warned at our booking that this carriage was dining tables and chairs only, and not plush train seats. However, we were not disappointed! The decor is still so fancy and you feel transported back to vintage train travel.

Upon booking, I specified that I was vegetarian and my friend was not. We were presented with the prettiest array of petit-fours, 2 scones each and a variety of sandwiches. I’m not exaggerating when I say that everything was delicious! The petit-fours consisted of an extremely light and zingy slice of lemon cake, a lemon macaron, a very fresh raspberry tart and I am still unsure of what the lovely sweet cream filled puffs in the middle were.

There were the usual scones, a fruit and a plain one each. I’m not usually a fan of scones with raisins in but there weren’t too many raisins and the scones were super fresh and warm. No where near enough cream or jam came with the scones for 2 people, but they were happy to get us some more.

They kept the sandwiches nice and simple. I had 2 coronation chickpea sandwiches, I love chickpeas, so this was great. I also had a cheese and coleslaw and an egg mayonnaise. I swapped the egg mayo with my friend for her cheese and coleslaw – winner!

I’m weird and I don’t drink tea or coffee, so I went for a Diet Coke with my afternoon tea. There were plenty of fancy teas and coffees to choose from though. Alcoholic drinks including a variety of cocktails were also available.

I will definitely be going back, I think I fancy going at Christmas time. I imagine it feeling like a scene from the Polar Express movie. Ambience and attention to detail 10/10, food 8/10.

April 19 2023

Nando’s Veggie Food Review

Hannah Homepage, Veggie Nandos, No chicken, Vegetarian 0

Most people wonder why vegetarians would want go to a chicken restaurant and I used to agree. However, Nandos veggie food hits the spot! All their starters are suitable for vegetarians and they have a substantial selection of plant based mains and sides too.

I didn’t go for a starter this time but I will try them all out in due course! I went for the great imitator wrap. Like with their chicken options, they have the same spice options ranging from their new “Peri-Tamer” and “Plain-ish” up to “Vusa XX Hot”. I love my spicy food so I tried the Vusa XX Hot. As I’m used to very spicy food, I didn’t find it that spicy which was slightly disappointing. The great imitator is a meat substitute made from pea protein. I haven’t tried this option plain, with no spice. However with extra spicy Nando’s marinade, it genuinely tastes like meat. The consistency is good, not too soft, and no weird after tastes.

The wrap comes with a little bit of lettuce, sweet chilli jam, mayonnaise and I added some halloumi in there too because I can’t live without halloumi. The combination of the spice, with the sweetness of the chilli jam and the mayo is juicy and delicious. I’d give the wrap 9/10. 100% would have again. Though, it could have been spicier.

For the side dishes, I went for my usual. My favourite is their spicy rice and then I went for the spiced grains with butternut squash and feta. I ordered this by accident once on the app, (I meant to order coleslaw) and now I order it every time. Their sides are always a solid 9-9.5/10.

Well done Nando’s for the great selection of not chicken dishes to try. Thank you also for continuing to provide us ever grateful NHS staff with a discount. We appreciate you too.

April 9 2023

Running – Week 14 2023

Hannah Homepage, Running 10k run, park run, running, Running selfie 0

This past week has been full of achievements starting with a Bedford park run PB. 26:25. I don’t know why, but since they changed the route of Bedford Park Run since COVID, I find it much harder. It’s now anti clockwise around the park, and instead of a sharp incline and a nice long decline, it is a long gradual uphill climb and a short downhill. Some would probably not even class this as a hill but, to me it might as well be Everest! I am sure with time I will get used to running up hill.

From complete beginner in January this year, to having run my 4th 10k with the run club this week. I am feeling so proud of myself. I am just so happy that I’ve started something and stuck to it. This is something that I am not very good at usually!

Run club this week was great. We had a change of meeting point and therefore a different route too. We started off at Bedford Park and it was glorious sunshine. Cue a necessary selfie.

Due to an unforeseen route change half way, it ended up being more than 10k and it was my longest ever run! 7.1miles to be exact.

10k is starting to feel easy, however only when running with other people. I find it harder to increase the distance on my own. That may be down to the fact that there aren’t many safe running routes near where I live. There is a loop I can run twice to make a 5k run but this has become boring. Also I need more ways to distract myself when running so I can keep going without getting bored and stopping. I have a good running play list on Spotify which you can check out by clicking on the Spotify icon at the bottom of the homepage. Maybe I should try some podcasts or audio books to keep me entertained.

April 4 2023

Wetherspoons Vegetarian Food Review No.1 – Burrito Bowl and Chocolate Brownie

Hannah Homepage, Veggie Burrito bowl, Vegetarian, Wetherspoons 0

I’m not embarrassed to say that I am a spoons girl through and through. Don’t get me wrong, some are a lot better than others! I love the value for money and on the whole, the food is good.

So, when we went vegetarian last year, I thought let’s try everything on the Wetherspoons vegetarian menu! Sadly I can’t eat Quorn products, due to a nasty reaction. But I will try everything else and give my review.

They have a pretty good amount of vegetarian and vegan options on their menu. Unlike the typical, one vegetarian burger, that you sometimes find on pub menus. My friend and I decided to have a nice day out in Cambridge starting off in The Regal for lunch. It was a busy Saturday and the place was packed, so immediately I expected the quality to be lacking. I was proved wrong.

I ordered the burrito bowl with added vegan chilli and a side of onion rings. The burrito bowl is listed as vegetarian. It comes with; salad, spicy rice, roasted vegetables, grated cheese, sliced chillis, guacamole and tortilla chips. It is listed as 681 calories and the extra vegan five bean chilli is an extra 248 calories.

The portion size is deceptive in this photo but there was a decent portion of salad, rice and cheese in the bottom of this bowl before all the other toppings. It arrived very hot and fresh, and it was delicious. I am someone with a huge appetite so I felt I needed a side order of onion rings too. However the burrito bowl alone did actually fill me up! As onion rings go, these were very good ones. Again, very hot, fresh and crispy. The burrito bowl costs £8.76 and comes with a soft drink or it is £10.16 with an alcoholic drink. I paid £13.11 as I added the chilli for £1.75 extra. I ordered a gin for my included drink and for £1.88 extra, I got a double. The six onion rings side dish cost and extra £2.14.

Ratings: Burrito bowl, delicious – 8.5/10. Onion rings, standard but lovely 8/10.

My friend then ordered a dessert, and not to feel left out, I thought I had better order one too! Though, who can go out for lunch and not order dessert?! I ordered the mini chocolate brownie which comes with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream. It is on the menu as vegetarian and is 426 calories. The brownie itself was very nice and not too rich. It is served warm and has chocolate chips inside. The ice cream is your standard tub style vanilla ice cream but goes well with the brownie. The chocolate sauce lets the dessert down slightly. It tastes pretty artificial and not really of chocolate and maybe because of this, I felt like there was too much of it. It overpowered the brownie.

The brownie dessert is pretty cheap at only £2.74.

Rating: Mini chocolate brownie with ice cream – I would have again but I would perhaps ask for no sauce. 6.5/10.

Overall it was a lovely lunch. The service was very quick and food was of very good quality. I would recommend The Regal if you’re out and about in Cambridge.

March 30 2023

Smashed Pea Bruschetta

Hannah Homepage, Recipes, Under 600 Kcal, Veggie Bruschetta, Cheesy, Peas, Toast 0