Tea and Sympatico

Back to my original theme today which was Carol Vorderman -    Accidental Vegan Hero, blogging about recipes from a series of Detox Recipe books that the television presenter and maths whizz put out with nutritionist Anita Bean in the noughties. Bit of a cheat today as really my favourite cuisine is Chinese but it's not something I really cook at home. What I wanted to focus on is my favourite type of meal to make instead. Risottos and pilafs are one of the things I like best to cook after a long day at work. Bung everything in one pan, add your liquid, stick some music on and then indulge in some meditative stirring for twenty minutes or so. This Pepper and Cashew Pilaf from Detox For Life - The 28 Day Detox Diet and Beyond fits the bill perfectly. Actually this dish calls for brown rice so you might want to check the cooking time of the rice on the packet as this can vary from 20-40 minutes depending on the brand and you don't want to end up with RSI! This p...

Back to my original theme today which was Carol Vorderman -    Accidental Vegan Hero, blogging about recipes from a series of Detox Recipe books that the television presenter and maths whizz put out with nutritionist Anita Bean in the  noughties . Autumn to me always feel like a time of big changes when it's important to look after energy levels and not burn out in the run up to Christmas. This pilaf is from the Detox for Life - The 28 Day Detox Diet and Beyond book and is a staple in our house. It comes together quickly and easily and is nice and filling with lots of protein from the inclusion of chickpeas, quinoa, flaked almonds and pumpkin seeds. Although the photo looks a bit beige there's plenty of flavour in there. As well as onion and garlic there's red pepper and courgette, a cinnamon stick, cardomon pods, stock and fresh coriander. I love toasted almonds and pumpkin seeds as a topping. They add a lovely crunch and smell fantastic whilst you're dry ...