News
What is clean eating, anyway?
Did anyone see the BBC documentary Clean Eating - The Dirty Truth last night? I've not seen it yet so can't comment on the show but it's great to see that this term 'clean eating' is being questioned and investigated. Take a look at this article to hear how it started and what it's become. Should you be cutting out sugar and gluten and meat and dairy? Or be following an alkaline diet?
Food trends for 2017
Sainsbury's Magazine has laid out its top trends for the year ahead so if you want to know your poké from your Pokémon and find out what the hell a baked egg boat is, click on through to be enlightened.
What a pickle: UK gripped by courgette shortage
Flippin' heck, this is bad news. No jokes, I actually love courgettes; not the spiralised kind that sits sadly in a plastic box but the actual proper vegetable that makes a happy addition to any stirfry or pasta sauce. A quick look at the supermarkets' online stores makes dismal viewing with little 'out of stock' labels filling our screens. Find out why this is happening here.
Local News
Digbeth Dining Club
If you live in the Midlands and haven't yet made it to DDC then make it a priority next time you're Birmingham way. Only a 10 minute walk from Moor Street station, it's a no brainer really. And they're now open on Friday and Saturday nights starting from next week. Expect the usual blend of top notch street food, great tunes and fun vibes.
Recipes
Broccoli peanut soba noodles
Broccoli noodles might not sound like the most exciting dish, but this is actually seriously good and quick to make. The sauce really makes it with its perfect mix of salty, sour and sweet flavours. I used wholewheat noodles and couldn't find broccoli rabe (is it a thing in the UK?) so subbed in a mix of normal broccoli and spring greens which worked really well. Don't forget a squeeze of lime at the end, it is essential to cut through the richness of the peanut butter.
Banana and peanut butter chocolate cups
Oh yes, this is the kind of January dessert I like. Not some sugar free pile of mulch, but a rich and sweet delicious pud! This has all the tasty stuff: peanut butter, chocolate, cream, salted caramel sauce and SUGAR! And a small portion of banana for health points. This is exactly the treat you need tonight to commiserate with the MAJORITY (*cough* actual fact) of the American public.
Food for Thought
Perfection does exist: 3 steps to crispy browned meat
When you make a spag bol, do you let the meat get all crispy and brown? Or do you, like me, try and hurry up the process by creating a dark grey, pretty grim looking mess? Read this article for tips on making your mince a whole lot tastier.
Our 20 favorite food Instagrams of 2016
I follow quite a few foodie Instagrammers but hadn't heard of many of this bunch. I particularly love @dad_beets for his big, bold flavours. He had me on fried chicken parm sandwiches with spicy marinara, burrata, caramelized onions and chimichurri, just wow. Also check out Molly Tavoletti for beautiful photos, food stories and huge bagels. Follow follow follow.
So it's been a while. A long while. Stuff got in the way, like a wedding and a holiday and a new job; but now that's all done and dusted, normal service can resume. The world seems to be a bit different since we last spoke but let's not depress ourselves with that today. Turn off the TV, log off the news sites and let's bury ourselves in the comforting world of food *sigh*
You may notice that my photography and food styling skills have improved considerably since April. Yeah, not so much. The photos are both taken from the sites where the recipes are found as my pictures were, quite frankly, embarrassing. So credit where credits due.