QOTSA ~ Another Love Song
Evanescene ~ My Immortal
Pink Floyd ~ Speak To Me
Cheap Trick ~ Mighty Wings
Pitball ~ I Know You Want Me
Jennifer Lopez ~ I'm Gonna Be Alright
Sandi Thom ~ Merchants and Thieves
The Cranberries ~ Never Grow Old
Shakira ~ Moscas En La Casa
Nickelback ~ Burn It To The Ground
The Ting Tings ~ That's Not My Name
Melissa Etheridge ~ Similar Features
Jem ~ You Will Make It
Bon Jovi ~ It's My Life
It's been a busy few days and I am thankful it's Sunday. Friday I hitched a ride out with ML for a work meeting in Leeds and then after the business was over we ventured to York for the afternoon. We sat in the market square and enjoyed some alfresco lunch...ML had a meat baguette (shaking head) and I enjoyed a pot of Aloo Chaat (chickpeas, potatoes in a slightly spiced sauce) with rice. And I didn't get too freaked out by the pigeons who decided to come and join us. lol. We enjoyed a stroll around the market and then took a walk around the famous Shambles...dodging international tourists who were loving the English quaintness and Ooohing and Ahhhing over every brick and cobble. lol. We also dodged the many groups of school kids on various school trips which made walking down the little Shambles street interesting. Love 'em, they were all having their first experiences of the famous Viking town of York and I was once in their shoes so I was happy to share. The market was fantastic and had many international cuisine stalls and some very beautiful Fair Trade clothes and knick knack stalls. A long and exhausting day but it was great to be out and about.
Saturday ML and I looked after the little ones for my sister and her hubby whilst they went wall paper shopping as their previously flooded out house is now drying out nicely and they are at a point where they can start to rebuild again. It was a hectic day but great fun and the little ones were really good. I had a great time with the girls and I had them rolling and squeezing the juice out of many limes for my evening meal. lol. They did a fantastic job...and we all enjoyed a lazy lunch together and plenty of play time. In the evening we had Ann, Caz and Stripe joining us for dinner and cards. I decided to knock together a veggie chilli and I turned to my favourite Dreena's Sweet Potato and Lentil Chilli. I've made this recipe many times since buying Dreena's Eat, Drink and Be Vegan cookbook and it's never failed me. It's spicy and satisfying without being heavy on the tum. I always serve mine with lightly salted tortilla chips to use as scoops. I also tested out a Chilli & Lime Broccoli recipe to serve as a side dish. It was really good but needs a little finessing before I share it with you folks. Although we all devoured the entire (very large) baking dish full. Ann and I were even sat spearing florets and stalks alike long after the meal was actually over. lol. We caught up, shared the meal together and then got very busy playing cards. It was a really good evening filled with love and laughter...oh and I won too! Ahem..woo.
Anyway...today is a much quieter affair until 2pm and then my sister and the little ones are due and so is our hairdresser who is coming to cut away all of our winter fluff. lol. However, it's been hard to believe that we are still in Spring because we have been living in amongst a layer of dismal fog this week. Long gone is the Spring sunshine and we are all feeling a little shivery. I took this as a sign to make one last winter based soup. A good rib sticker..lol. Now I must admit I don't like to put white potatoes in my soups but I can't argue that they add a great texture to them when I do. I do this so rarely that I don't suffer the guilt when I do. lol But I know it isn't for everyone.
I seem to be overdosing on spices of late which is easy to do being a gluten-free, yeast-free, sugar-free vegan and it leaves me craving days of eating 'plain' foods. I wanted a savoury herb flavoured soup with a hit of greenage. And this soup gave me me just that. It was one of those...instinctively tossing things in the pot soups.Thankfully ML was on hand to scribble it all down for me as I went along. lol. The results were a intensely savoury soup with a great hit of wholesome goodness from the ribbons of cavolo kale. I enjoyed every mouthful...
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| Rocket & Roses Thyme and Cavolo Kale Soup |
(Original recipe from Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen)
1/2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
2" ginger, sliced
2 med white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 14oz tins of haricot beans, rinsed and drained
1 heaped tsp dried thyme
lashing of freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 litres veggie stock
5oz fresh cavolo kale, de-stalked, cut into thin ribbons
In a large soup pan heat the oil and then cook the onion, ginger, garlic until the onion is soft, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add in the potatoes and stir well and coat in the onion mix. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often to prevent the potato sticking. Stir in the haricot beans and the dried thyme and then grate the black pepper over and stir once more. Pour in the veggie stock and bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. Using a stick blender, blitz until the soup is smooth. Add the cavolo ribbons and stir them in..cook for 5 more minutes to allow the cavolo to wilt. Serve...
Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend has been filled with smiles and your Sunday a peaceful one...
~Red~
