Rice and mushrooms-stuffed peppers

Stuffed peppers have always been one of my favourite comfort foods. I remember as a child going into my auntie's kitchen garden, where she grew most flavourful sweet peppers (as well as fiery little chillies, which would make you gasp if you were silly enough to have a bite of a fresh one), and picking a few for dinner, along with big-sized beef tomatoes and a bunch of fresh herbs.
My grandma and auntie were great cooks, and in summer the smell of the food cooked in the summer kitchen would waft around the garden, making your mouth water.
They lived in a small town in the South of Russia, and I enjoyed visiting them. For me, a city girl, their town was full of promise and discoveries, including a local speciality - a blue ice cream named after the river Don. I loved going to the market and seeing local produce, heaped up on wooden tables. Ah, memories, memories...

Stuffed peppers are also one of my Mum's signature recipes. She cooks them in a deep pan, simmering in soured cream and herbs sauce. She makes different versions - a mix of rice and minced meat with lots of herbs for the meat eaters, or rice and mushrooms for Lent days.

In this recipe I use whole peppers as vessels for stuffing. I like to use a mix of mayo and soured cream, but as this recipe is a vegan one, the soured cream is not included. I have tried soy and other dairy-free yogurts, but they don't have the same level of acidity as the soured cream.
If you're not a vegan, mix the mayo with soured cream or thick Greek yogurt.

Rice and mushrooms-stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
3 sweet peppers
1/2 red onion
1 carrot, grated
3tbsp rapeseed oil
2 Portobello mushrooms
about 125g coconut rice (half a pack of precooked rice, I used Tilda coconut rice)
5tbsp vegan mayo
1tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves and mint
salt and pepper

Cooking time: 30+ minutes

First cut out the tops of the sweet peppers and remove the seeds from inside.
Pre-cook the peppers in salted boiling water for 5-7 minutes. You don't have to precook and just roast the peppers in the oven with the stuffing, but it will take much longer.
In a medium pan heat up 2tbsp rapeseed oil and fry finely chopped red onion and grated carrot, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped mushrooms and 1tsp vegan mayo. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
Add the precooked rice and mix well.

Spoon the rice and mushrooms mix into the peppers, and top up with a dollop of mayo. Place the peppers in a medium deep ceramic or roasting dish.

Put the dish in the oven preheated to 180C.

In a small bowl mix the remaining mayo with lemon juice and herbs, pour it over and around the peppers.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes.

I've first tried Hellmann's vegan mayo a couple of months ago, and since then bought it a couple of times. It is creamy and tasty, and you won't guess it's dairy-free.

It's definitely a perfect alternative to a dairy-based mayo.

If you're a fan of Hellmann's Vegan Mayo, you might want to enter a competition which is running until the 28th of July.
I enjoy entering creative cooking competitions, and wanted to share the competition in case you might have missed it.

Here are T&Cs for Hellmann's Vegan Quick Eats Competition (partially reproduced with permission from Hellmann's PR):

1. This promotion is open to residents of the UK aged 18 or over except employees of the Promoter, their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the promotion.

2. To enter, join the Hellmann's Vegan Deli Club Facebook Group (the "Facebook Group") and create a post (each, and Entry)

For the entry to be valid, the post must include the following:
a photo of your "Quick Eat"; and the following as it relates to your original dish:
- name of your quick eat
- description of your quick eat
- total time to make (preparation and/or cooking)
- ingredients
- recipe to make your quick eat
- and include in your post #quickeats and #hellmannsvegan
For the entry to be valid, entrants must use the hashtags #quickeats and #hellmannsvegan.

3. The opening date for entries is 17:00 BST on 17th June 2019 and the closing date for receipt of entries is 11:59 BST on Sunday 28th July 2019.

4. There are three prizes in total. The overall winner will receive 1 x £1,000 in the form of a wire transfer, the second and third winners will receive £150 each in Amazon vouchers; and 150 additional randomly selected eligible Entries will receive a £5 Amazon voucher, up to £10 per winner (£5 voucher excludes challenge winner and runners up).

5. The overall winner and runners up may not win more than one prize. The winners of the £5 Amazon vouchers may win up to £10 in Amazon vouchers.

6. No applications from agents, third parties, organised groups or applications automatically generated by computer will be accepted. No incomplete or corrupted entries will be accepted. Entries will only be accepted if they comply will all entry instructions.

For the full T&Cs please visit the Facebook group, as there are 24 clauses of the promotion.



I really wanted to alert you to the competition, as it's exactly the type of creative competition I wish were more widely available.

If you do join in, I wish you all the best. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed as well.

In case you are not sure where to buy Hellmann's Vegan Mayo, I found it in Sainsbury's locally, but it's also available in Tesco, ASDA, Amazon Pantry and Ocado.

Choc chip yogurt cookies

No, I can hear you saying, not another choc chip cookies recipe surely?! Bear with me please, it might be one zillionth cookie recipe, but it's a slightly different version, which might appeal to you.
Last Tuesday my younger son had a friend over.
This time his friend brought a big stash of vintage Pokémon cards, and my son was on cloud nine, looking at the old cards and comparing them to the current releases.
Often when we have Eddie's friends around, I bake some cookies. Sash is also very enthusiastic about any cookies, and watches with great interest, as I mix and shape.

Choc chip yogurt cookies
Ingredients:
100g caster sugar
50g coconut yogurt
50ml vegetable oil (I used a rapeseed oil)
1 medium egg
60g oats
200+g self-raising flour
1/2tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
50g milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Cream the coconut yogurt with sugar and vegetable oil in a mixing bowl. Add the oats, flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt and beat in the egg, mix well, forming the dough. 

Chop the chocolate into smaller pieces (or use chocolate drops), and mix them into the dough.

Dust your hands with flour, so that the dough doesn't stick.

Pinch a big walnut-sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball, then flatten and place them on trays lined with parchment paper, foil or silicone baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes until golden at 180C.

Don't overcook, they are still very soft when you take them out. If you keep them longer, they'll get crispy.

In this recipe I used a chocolate bar which was one of the products from the June Degustabox -
The Free From Kitchen Co Free From Choc Bar 100g(£1.50 Choc) - which is a gluten-, wheat- and milk-free chocolate product. These are innovative colourful chocolate bars, for chocoholics who embrace all lifestyle choices or opt for free-from products for medical reasons.
We're not on any of the above diets, but happy to try any new product.

If you don't have this particular product, any quality milk or dark chocolate will work perfectly well.

The same with yogurt, it doesn't have to be a coconut one, it's just I happened to have it in the fridge. A Greek style yogurt would be a good substitute.

Photo diary: week 28, project 365

We're now on the homestretch, racing to the summer holidays. Just a few more days, and no more early morning and hectic rushing around for a while.
Last week has been a bit of a meh, with some ruffled feathers.

 One of those unpleasant situations involved an overbearing school governor. I volunteer in school, reading with children, and have been doing it for the last five years. Last Monday I happened to arrive to school at the same time as one of the other visitors who as a real gentleman blocked me from pressing the button to the gate to enter the school territory, then accused me of tailgating him. When I asked him why he thought he could tell me off, he said he was one of the school governors. His tone was aggressive and intimidating, and this encounter left an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth.
I later emailed the school office, asking to confirm that this uncivil person was indeed who he claimed he was. The reply was Sorry, you felt intimidated, and yes, he is one of the newest governors.
Who clearly enjoyed his petty little power trip. I bet if I were a man, I wouldn't have been subjected to the mansplaining and rudeness.

This is the photo of the old Witney mill.

On Tuesday Eddie had a friend over after school. The friend brought a big pack of vintage Pokémon cards, and Eddie was ecstatic, looking at them. I baked some choc chip cookies for the boys.

Sports Day for Eddie. It was very hot, and after spending an hour and a half watching the kids, I've managed to get a nasty headache.
Watering potted plants in the garden, I've looked up to see this dragon-shaped cloud.

We have a nest in one of the chimneys on the roof. We don't use the fireplace, but still what a silly place to build a nest. I call them the Guardians of the house. I like this image where the couple both look the same way.

On Friday morning I hopped on the bus to Oxford to get to Sasha's school to the meeting with the social worker and teachers. I was already in Oxford, when I got a phone call from school to say that the meeting was cancelled, as the social worker couldn't make it. A bit annoying that she herself didn't call earlier to inform me, as this would have saved me a trip on a hot bus.

More pics from the garden...

Today was a busy day. Eddie was invited to a birthday party, and we had a festival in town, with the colourful procession. This year's theme was Carnivals of the world.

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Sea of Bones by Deborah O'Donoghue #BlogTour

"She collects a large flat stone, which she weighs in her hand. She crouches and gathers another and another, arranging them carefully. She imagines Beth doing the same, out on Kelspie. Clever. Leaving her trace, like a needle in the air".

Sea of Bones by Deborah O'Donoghue is a tightly-plotted thriller set in Scotland. This is not a cosy mystery, it's a fast moving chilling novel, hard-core and world-weary.

Juliet MacGillivray is an influential person in The Progressive Alliance, the party which brought the left together, tapping into a wider electorate. She is not interested in the power for herself, but is known as the Queenmaker in the party.
The party leader, Fiona Goldman, whom she helped propel to the top position is exposed in the media as having an affair with a married editor of one of the newspapers. This costs the alliance dearly in the elections three months later.
Juliet is in a dumb daze, following the catastrophic results.

Juliet is also haunted by a tragedy in the family. Her niece Beth has drowned in the sea. Juliet's trying her best to come to terms with the verdict of suicide. In their regular phone calls and messages, Juliet had noticed none of Beth's supposed isolation or strange behaviour.
Juliet is convinced she would have spotted some telling signs, as her twin sister Erica has had mental health problems for many years.
"As the twin of a sufferer, she thought she'd made peace a long time ago with her own supposed risk of being bipolar, but Beth's death has brought it right back to the surface".

Police have closed the case, after finding a supposed suicide note and shoes on the beach.

Juliet's partner Declan has his own secrets and regrets. He is a talented freelance photographer, who is still waiting for his big break, rather than doing wedding photo shoots and being known as the Poodle photographer.

Juliet leaves London for the solitude of a summerhouse in the northeast Scotland, where she spent her childhood and where Beth lived before her death. Beth studied Fine Art Textiles in an art school in the town nearby. Her textile designs showed a great potential.

Juliet begins asking uncomfortable questions, which raise hackles in those who knew Beth intimately before her death, including her much older DJ boyfriend, and his coterie. Her meddling is also not appreciated in the wider circles. Deemed to be too dangerous, she is "discouraged" to ask more questions.
Her partner Declan becomes involved in the search for truth, and it begins to snowball from there, ruining lives and wreaking havoc.

What appears at first as a very private tragedy turns out to be only one thread of yarn.

Descriptions of the coastal nature and the rugged landscape are evocative and convincing. You walk along the path with the main characters, with the salt spray nipping at your cheeks and eyes.

The remote coastal setting is as much a hero of the book, as the main protagonists.

The title of the book refers to the death in the sea, but also to the historical past of the ancient coastline.

"No movement is apparent through the branches. No glancing sunlight on water. Its rasping murmur, however, is pervasive. Sea of bones her father used to say, fascinated by the discoveries of Mesolithic remains - flint tools, traps, roe deer fragments, human burials - rising to the surface around the coast. Under the sands somewhere, is the old fishing village of Culbin, finally buried in a storm centuries ago..."

Tense and punchy, this thriller is packed with a menacing atmosphere and disturbing twists. Scenes of child prostitution are hard to read, but sadly the fiction reflects the real life. Just a few days ago there was yet another report of a billionaire charged with sex trafficking. He was accused of transporting dozens of underage girls to his private jet and abusing them in his affluent properties. And the disquieting truth is that many know about it, but these conspiracies "could not have functioned without many others playing their part".

Potential triggers: murder, suicide, mental health, child prostitution/abuse.

This blog review is part of the blog tour for the book, please check out the other blog stops here:

Many thanks to Deborah O'Donoghue and Legend Press for my copy of the book!

Summer & BBQ Degustabox

Has the sunny weather inspired you to barbecue? Do longer summer days find you outdoors, piling plates with grilled goodness?
The latest Degustabox packed a box of goodies which will be sure-hits this summer.

This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops or those which might have been around for while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the box arrives, it's a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet and would like to have a go, I have a whopping £7 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in the June'19 Degustabox? Let's have a look.

This box includes a variety of snacks to nibble on, while you're waiting for the BBQed food.

Garbanzo Snacks (£2.29) is a new Gourmet range of vegan snacks in three delicious flavourd - Bombay Twist, Thai Sweet Chilli and Tomato Salsa.
You will receive one of 3 flavours.
It's a tasty mix of crunchy chickpeas, caramelised pumpkin seeds and sweet caramelised onions.

Thumbs up for all three flavours, with Thai sweet chilli being my personal favourite.

All ingredients are natural, gluten free, without any artificial additives or preservatives.
They have a lovely balance of textures and flavours (herbs and spices).
Nutritional information: 297kcal and 4.9h of sugar per 70g bag.
You can buy them in Ocado but hopefully they will be widely available soon.

Mavericks Healthier Snacks for Kids (£0.75) - is exactly that, a range of healthier snacks for kids.
Under 100kcal, no added sugar, choose between Poppin' Corn, Breadkicks, Fruit Brix, Smart Cookies and Fruit Laces.

Low salt, gluten free, source of fibre, no added sugar, no GMO and no junk, a pack of Mavericks Moon Cheese Poppin' Corn contains 50kcal per 12g bag. It's like mini cheese puffs, with less calories.

SavourSmiths Truffle and Rosemary potato crisps (£1.50) are moreish crisps with a "grown-up" flavour. My kids were not too enthusiastic about the truffle flavour, as it is earthy, musky and pungent. It's a Marmite of the crisps' world, you'd either love it or hate it.

The latest box also included a so called Mystery product, which hasn't hit the shops yet. How exciting is that?!

It was a small bag of Lentil, corn, pea and black bean tortillas which are a healthier alternative to tortilla chips. Lentils, corn, green peas and black beans were pressed into thin, crunchy triangles and seasoned with sea salt. We don't no what the brand is behind the product, but it will retail at 80p per bag.

Lovely snacks to complement a salsa dip or guacamole.

TREK Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt Protein Nut Bars (3x40g at £2.50) are delicious nutty bars, made with crunchy roasted peanuts and whole almonds with a sprinkling of dark chocolate chips and a touch of sea salt.
I'm a big fan of a dark chocolate and sea salt combination. Top marks from my elder son and me. He loved them so much, that I've already bought them twice  sincewe sampled them to add to my son's lunch boxes. They are on offer at £2 per pack in Waitrose at the moment.
Sea salt protein nut bars are packed with 10g of plant-based protein, have less than 5g of sugar and are high in fibre.
Perfect for my elevenses with a cup of strong coffee.

Newman's Own Italian Dressing (£1.75) is their best-selling original dressing made with red wine vinegar, rapeseed oil, olive oil (17%), extra virgin olive oil (2%) and garlic puree. Its ingredients also include white wine vinegar, salt, cracked black pepper, dried onion, brown mustard seeds, spirit vinegar and celery seeds. You need to shake it well before using. It's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

I have used this dressing in a recipe for an Italian-style salad two ways.

Hellmann's Chilli Mayonnaise fired by Tabasco (£1.99) will delight the fans of the fiery sauce. Two much-loved brands are combined together to create a new mayo to spice up any sandwich, wrap, salad or burger.

Rowntree's Randoms Sharing Bag (£1.29 for 150g) are "more random than a monkey playing a saxophone!". My guys love Randoms, and a sharing bag won't last long. I've hidden it until our long train journey to Cornwall.

Smith & Sinclair alcoholic cocktail gummies (£15 for a selection of 8) - Gin & Tonic and Mandarin Spritz are award-winning fruit jellies for grown-ups.
Definitely for grown-ups, they are pretty boozy, with alc 7% volume, and a sophisticated taste. All gummies contain 8% alcohol, so five and you can't drive.

They will be delivered with an alcohol-inclusive version of Degustabox. If you've opted for the non-alcoholic, you will receive Mavericks snacks.

Ingredients include for Gin & Tonic: Glucose syrup, sugar, gin, water, ethanol, pectin, natural juniper flavouring, tonic bitters, grapefruit bitters, citric acid, lemon oil, and dried lemon and sugar for coating; for Prosecco - glucose syrup, sugar, vodka, water, Aperol, ethanol, pectin, natural sparkling wine flavouring, grapefruit bitters, natural apricot flavouring, citric acid, mandarin orange oil, as well as sugar and dried orange for coating.
Made in Netherlands for Smith & Sinclair London.

Use code DEGUSTA for 15% off your first order at www.smithandsinclair.com

The Free From Kitchen Co Free From Choc Bar 100g/Salted Caramel Slab (£1.50 Choc; £2.50 Salted) are gluten-, wheat- and milk-free chocolate products. These are innovative colourful chocolate bars, for chocoholics who embrace all lifestyle choices or opt for free-from products for medical reasons.

I baked cookies yesterday, with chopped Choc bar, and none of my guys have noticed any difference.

Moving on to drinks:

Lucosade Energy Watermelon and Strawberry Cooler (£1.20) is the newest addition to the Lucosade Energy range. It's a blend of refreshingly fruity flavours. Chill it in the fridge for the utmost taste.
This drink will appeal to those who have a sweet tooth.

DRGN Turmeric Superdrink (£1.85) is an "Asian fusion" natural energy and wellness drink, without caffeine. Inspired by the Far East, this refreshing citrus drink is packed with pan-Asian superfoods, vitamins and minerals.
DRGN can be enjoyed any time of day.
With less sugar and nothing artificial, DRGN is a smarter choice.
This drink is available on drgndrink.com, on Amazon and in independent grocers and cafes.

Turmeric is an acquired taste, but it's very trendy these days, from turmeric chai lattes to chocolate.

Kolibri Botanical Drinks Strawberry & Basil/Cardamom & Chilli (£3.75) are award-winning lightly sparkling botanical infusions with very low sugar and flavours, tailored to taste.
Made in Britain, all natural ingredients, low calorie and no artificial sweeteners.
You will receive 1 of 2 flavours.

It's a novelty concept. To serve, unscrew the nectar container, unscrew and remove the under-cap, pour Kolibri drink over ice. Push top of nectar container to add sweetness to taste.
The drinks come in very pretty bottles.
Available on Amazon and in Holland & Barrett.

Disclosure: I receive a monthly subscription to the food box for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Italian-style salad two ways

A while ago I've been reading one of the threads on Mumsnet where the poster was asking why you could never find tomatoes as good as she had in Greece in this country. I was rather flummoxed.
Who said there are no good tomatoes anywhere else but in Greece?

I prefer to buy British tomatoes, for example, grown at the Isle of Wight.
And I also grow my own tomatoes, and have been for about 10 years. The tomatoes from our greenhouse are the sweetest little things.
Both my grandmas and auntie grew a lot of vegetables including tomatoes in their gardens in Russia. Italian produce could be excellent. So, excuse me, I'm not rubbishing the Greek tomatoes, but you need to be more broad-reaching.
Of course, if you tend to buy cheap plastic-looking tomatoes, then yes, they don't taste good.

Tomatoes are one of my top favourite fruit, they are versatile and could liven up any salad or pasta dish.
Right now, you can buy beautiful heirloom tomatoes of all shapes and colours.

In summer I tend to make simple salads for dinner, adding whatever I have in the pantry or fridge, so they often vary. Tomatoes go well with many kinds of dressing - a simple vinaigrette, or basil-based dressing.
The easiest salad I enjoy is a mix of tomatoes and cucumber with soured cream and mayo combination, well seasoned, and with a sprinkling of fresh herbs.

The latest Degustabox food box included a bottle of Newman's Own Italian Dressing. I rarely buy salad dressings, as I prefer to mix my own, or just drizzle a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the salad.
Newman's Own Italian Dressing is their best-selling original dressing made with red wine vinegar, rapeseed oil, olive oil (17%), extra virgin olive oil (2%) and garlic puree. Its ingredients also include white wine vinegar, salt, cracked black pepper, dried onion, brown mustard seeds, spirit vinegar and celery seeds. You need to shake it well before using. It's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.

Italian-style two ways
Ingredients (approximate quantities, as I didn't measure anything)
3-4 big good quality tomatoes
a handful of leaf salad
100g or half a pack of green beans, cooked in salted boiling water
a handful of olives
a few forkfuls of artichoke hearts (pre-cooked)
a dressing of your choice
+
half a tin of tuna chunks
or goat's cheese (vegetarian, e.g. Capricorn)

Slice tomatoes, and season with salt. I remember reading that the tomatoes acquire better flavour if you season them in advance and leave in a bowl for about 15-20 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. Not sure whose advice it was, but it was one of famous chefs.

Then start adding leaf salad, cooked and cooled green beans, artichokes, olives and either tuna chunks or goat's cheese. For a vegan version, add a vegan cheese.

Add a dressing of your choice, for example, Newman's Own Italian Dressing, which adds a lovely acidic note.

This is the vegetarian version with goat's cheese.

And this is a tuna salad, with the same base, and minus cheese.

Photo diary: week 27, project 365

Is it just me, or the evening light is already getting a little bit shorter?! I usually water the potted plants around 8pm, and noticed that it's not as bright outside as it was a couple of weeks ago.

Last Sunday we made a trip to Oxford, and thankfully it was cooler than the previous day.
Since it was on Sasha's request, he chose going first to McDonalds and then to the Ashmolean. I really need to pick a day and make a trip there on my own, as with the boys we tend to spend more time in the Ancient worlds rooms, and I do want to revisit the later periods and look at the paintings.

Eddie loves the Egyptians, he enjoys exploring the artefacts, especially the mummies.

On Monday I was taking some last minute photos for the book review, which I finished recently - Storytellers by B.Larssen. It is a brilliant novel set in Iceland in 1920. For me this was the best novel of the year so far.

On Tuesday I was invited to have a coffee at a neighbour's house. We are not house neighbours, but our gardens are divided by a big stone wall. The conversation took a slightly surreal turn, when the lady mentioned that they've noticed that our fig tree has no fruit this year. And apparently, the squirrel who used to eat our figs has now eaten all the figs in their garden.
I didn't know what to say to that really, it's not like it's my pet squirrel, and what am I supposed to do with such an inconsiderate animal?
Rather than that, I enjoyed looking at their well-kept garden, with lots of roses, lavender and lilies.

In summer I tend to make lots of salads for dinner. This is the base of the Italian-style salad, which I served two ways - with tuna (for omnivores) and goat's cheese (vegetarian version).

Running to collect Eddie from school I've spotted two aeroplanes moving towards each other. From my point it looked like they were going to collide, but of course, they were on different levels.

After a quick coffee with a friend, I walked to the Royal mail depot to pick up a packet, and also to talk to them. The day before I arrived home after the school run to find two books, which I bought on ebay, to be posted through the letterbox. They were folded in half, and the covers got damaged in the process.
From the packaging it was obvious that these were books. Just what kind of a imbecile careless person folds books in half?!
I know you're not supposed to take photos with the sun straight in the camera, but I liked the look of those rippled clouds. It looks like an evening, while it was still pretty early in the day.

Today Eddie and I went to see Spiderman: Far from home, while Sasha went out with his father to do things they enjoy.
The film was actually better than expected. Eddie loved it, and generously rated it 8 and a half out of 10, but even I cede it was pretty good, if you like Marvel films. The only problem I have with Tom Holland as Spidey is he doesn't look like a 16-year-old, and neither does Zendaya as MJ.

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