Bulgar Wheat Salad with Cherries, Feta and Pistachios

AD
Post in collaboration with Jerte Picota Cherries

A fresh and colourful bulgar wheat salad recipe that's sure to be a crowd pleaser. Sweet and juicy Jerte Picota Cherries combine with salty feta cheese, peppery rocket and crunchy pistachios for a flavour explosion. Edible flowers provide the finishing touch to this oh so summery dish.



Cherry season is here! The sweet and juicy stalkless Jerte Picota Cherry is now available on supermarket shelves for six weeks only. To help you make the most of these seasonal delights I posted a roundup of over 50 perfect pairings using Jerte Picota Cherries. Of the fabulous fresh cherry recipes I rounded up from my fellow food bloggers the vast majority were sweet in nature. Cakes, pies, smoothies, gateau, cupcakes, jam, crumbles, cheesecakes and more. There were a couple of nods to savoury with a salsa and a salad but no sign of any pairings with the savoury suggestions of lamb, goat cheese or smoked fish as hailed by the Flavour Thesaurus.

Pan Fried Gnocchi with Scottish Asparagus and Wild Garlic Pesto

Capture the seasonal flavours of Spring in a vegetarian supper dish which combines wild garlic and asparagus. Pan frying Gnocchi turns the Italian potato dumplings into oh so moreish and delicious crispy bites with fluffy centres.

Whilst the wild garlic season is drawing to a close, the asparagus season is only just beginning! As a huge fan of both ingredients I'm really quite disappointed in myself for taking so long to combine them in a recipe, but that is about to be rectified. Say hello to the green deliciousness that is Pan Fried Gnocchi with Scottish Asparagus and Wild Garlic Pesto.

Quick Green Spaghetti Sauce with Avocado, Peas and Spinach

A vibrant green sauce for spaghetti that's made in minutes. It's packed with goodness, super creamy and it coats the pasta beautifully. Taken from 'Living on the Veg' by Clive Gifford and Jacqueline Meldrum. A kids guide to life without meat.

Whilst I don't have any cookbook ambitions of my own I'm always delighted to support my fellow food bloggers with their successful publications. As such today I'm sharing a recipe from Scottish Blogger Jacqueline Meldrum of Tinned Tomatoes. Jac is based just down the road from me is Dundee and has been vegetarian for over 25 years. Her blog contains over 600 easy vegetarian & vegan recipes and despite the name, they don't always start with a tin of chopped tomatoes! However her co-authored book Living on the Veg isn't a cookbook as such. Instead its a kids guide to becoming vegetarian which includes a dozen recipes to get you started. 

Jersey Royals with Wild Garlic and Lemon

Post in collaboration with Tesco

Jersey Royal new potatoes typically signify the start of Spring and are one of the most warmly anticipated seasonal produce items in the food calendar. In this recipe I've combined them with wild garlic, butter and lemon for a taste explosion of Spring flavours. Serve this vegetarian dish as a hot side or a warm salad. 

My paternal Grandfather Alexander Cameron was a Potato Farmer on The Black Isle. As a little girl I recall nothing better than the taste of his homegrown new tatties served with salty butter. The main varieties he grew were Duke of York, Epicure and Kerr's Pink, much of which was sold to the local chip shop. I don't know about you but when I think of new potatoes the ones that spring to mind are Jersey Royals. So how come my Granda wasn't growing them? Because he wasn't in Jersey is the simple answer! In this instance the clue is in the name and Jersey Royals can only be grown on the island of Jersey. 

(please tell me I'm not the only one that didn't know that?!) 

Spiced Courgette, Carrot and Feta Fritters

Fritters are surely the single most delicious way to deal with a glut in the garden! These lightly spiced vegetarian courgette (zucchini) and carrot fritters contain feta cheese for a tangy flavour. Whilst they work well as a side they are also great for breakfast and surprisingly tasty served cold in a packed lunch or picnic.

My Granda Monearn was a fantastic gardener. A greenhouse full of the best smelling and tasting tomatoes ever, luscious strawberries protected under a net and laid on straw and three carefully weeded and precisely laid out vegetable patches. I also vividly recall him storing his onions in old pairs of my Granny's American tan tights! I'm assuming that there must have been some method in such apparent madness?! My own exploits in vegetables haven't been quite as fruitful partly due to the fact that I only have a couple of raised beds, nevertheless nothing tastes better than something you have lovingly grown yourself, protected from the ravages of weeds and slugs and harvested with your own fair hands. I was delighted to be approached by Aberdeen's Duthie Park as part of their National Gardening Week event line up to host a Vegetable Cookery Workshop within the Education Room of the Winter Gardens. Alas all my ingredients came from the supermarket - bar the foraged wild garlic - but hopefully the event provided some inspiration to the real gardeners who attended.

Cavolo Nero and Cranberry Christmas Nut Roast

Post in collaboration with Discover Great Veg

Vegetarians and meat eaters alike will love this festive Nut Roast full of flavoursome ingredients. Kale's Italian cousin - Cavolo Nero - brings a marvellous rich, intense and slightly sweet flavour to this Christmas Cavolo Nero and Cranberry Nut Roast.

For many of us Christmas is a time of indulgence. Overindulgence if truth be told. By the time I get to January my body is literally crying out for fruit and vegetables. This year I'm going to try harder for a balance and keep aiming at the five - or is it now ten - a day target, throughout the festive season. For me the easiest way to do this is make sure there is plenty veg on my plate. What were once considered somewhat underrated vegetables really seem to have made a real resurgence of late. Just look at Kale. Once the poor relation of the vegetable patch it is now championed by chefs, health experts and celebrities alike and has become one of the most talked about veggies there is. However it's Kale's exotic Italian cousin that I'm making the hero today. Say Ciao to Cavolo Nero. 

This brilliant brassica, which originated in Italy and is now grown in Lincolnshire has distinctive long, dark green, almost black leaves. Also known as black kale you may find it on sale labelled as either. It has a marvellous rich, intense and slightly sweet flavour and is such a versatile green. Swap it out where you might use regular kale or spinach or let it shine like that star that it is. You'll find it chopped and ready to use in most leading supermarkets. Find out more at www.discovercavolonero.co.uk and on Discover Great Veg Facebook and Instagram.

This dish would work equally well as the vegetarian centrepiece of a Christmas dinner or as a weeknight supper for all. It would also be great sliced up and served as a stuffing alongside Roast Turkey. You could even use the same mixture and roll it into stuffing balls. However it's way too good just to save for Christmas so if it's not Cranberry season just leave them out. Crispy roast potatoes and a delicious gravy work particularly well with Cavolo Nero and Cranberry Christmas Nut Roast. I can recommend this Homemade Vegetarian Gravy from Becca at Amuse Your Bouche or if you fancy a Sierra Leonean twist how about Bintu at Recipe From A Pantry's Peanut Butter Gravy? Or keep it fully festive with Kate at Veggie Desserts Sage Gravy.

Cavolo Nero and Cranberry Christmas Nut Roast

1 Tbsp Rapeseed Oil, plus extra for oiling tin

1 Leek, finely shredded

2 large cloves Garlic, crushed

250g Chestnut Mushrooms, finely chopped

150g Cavolo Nero, shredded

200g Walnut pieces, roughly chopped

100g Wholemeal Breadcrumbs

100g Mixed Seeds (I used Sunflower & Pumpkin)

100g Fresh Cranberries

2 Free Range Eggs, beaten

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Preheat the oven to 180c degrees.
Grease a 1.5L (2lbs) loaf tin and line the base with baking paper.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large saute pan and add the Leek, Garlic, Mushrooms and Cavolo Nero. Cook slowly for 5-10 minutes until softened.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped walnuts, breadrumbs, seeds, cranberries, beaten egg and soy sauce. Season well with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine.
Pile the mixture into the loaf tin, pressing it down well. Smooth over the top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the Cavolo Nero and Cranberry Christmas Nut Roast feels firm.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.
To serve slice thickly with a sharp knife.

♥ Pin me for later...

Linking up to Recipe Of The Week and Cook Blog Share

Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Discover Great Veg. As always, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

Jack Skellington Pumpkin King Quesadillas

Celebrate Halloween, Dia de los Muertos (or Christmas?) with the Pumpkin King himself. The one and only Jack Skellington. Quick and easy to make but SO effective these Vegetarian Mexican Quesadillas are sure to be a spooky sensation.

I feel like I'm running out of time. Halloween is looming and I still have recipes that I want to share with you. Admittedly some of them are still in my head but some have actually been made, eaten and photographed. Today's Jack Skellington Pumpkin King Quesadilla is more of an idea than a full blown recipe but I'm so chuffed with how he turned out that I'm going to share how I made him. No need to make it like Jack - you could easily carve out whatever you like on your Quesadilla - just like you would on a real life Pumpkin. He would also work really well for any Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead celebrations. 

There's always a wee bit of discussion in this house as to whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or Christmas Movie. I reckon it counts as both. If for some reason you have absolutely no idea who Jack Skellington is then I'm afraid we can no longer be friends. Seriously if you don't know it, do check out the 1993 film. Quick synopsis is that Jack is to Halloween what the Easter Bunny is to Easter and Santa to Christmas. As the Pumpkin King he's MC for Halloween Towns annual celebrations however he's becoming somewhat depressed about his role and decides that instead he'd like to be Sandy Claws. Cue much shenanigans including bogeymen, unrequited love and mortal peril but it all works out for the best in the end.

I used Sweet Potato tortilla wraps to make Jack but you could easily use standard ones. I've also recently spotted fantastically coloured Beetroot and Spinach wraps in the supermarket which would also work really well for this. To make Jack I used a Jack Skellington Stencil from Pinterest. I had to scale the size down a wee bit on my printer/copier to get it to fit on the wrap and then cut out the shape using a combination of knife and scissors. There are loads of great pumpkin stencils out there which you could use or just go freehand. 

In addition to my Jack Skellington Pumpkin King Quesadilla 'recipe' I'm also going to take the opportunity to re-share some of my other Halloween recipes with you. Please do tag me @foodiequine or #foodiequine if you make and share on social media. 

• Pumpkin Pasties
• Peanut Butter Ghosts
• Traditional Toffee Apples
• Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Tart
• Pumpkin, Cauliflower & Chickpea Korma
• Spooky Chocolate Candy Bark

Jack Skellington Pumpkin King Quesadillas

Tortilla Wraps (I used Sweet Potato, plain, Spinach or Beetroot would also work really well)

Refried Beans

Grated Mozzarella

Smoked Paprika and/or Chilli Flakes
To serve - tomato salsa, jalapenos and soured cream. 

Cut out Jack Skellington's face from your tortilla wrap (see instructions & template above)

Dry fry 'Jack' on both sides in a frying pan - a crepe pan works well for this - until crispy.
Set aside and dry fry a second wrap.
Warm through the refried beans in the microwave.
Spread the refried beans over the uncut wrap and top with a generous handful of grated Mozzarella.
Sprinkle with smoked paprika and/or chilli flakes to taste.
Melt the cheese under a preheated grill and top with the 'Jack' tortilla to make a Quesadilla.
Serve accompanied with tomato salsa, jalapenos and soured cream.

♥ Pin me for later...

Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Chickpea Korma

Veggie curry has never tasted so good. Vegan and Gluten Free this recipe is perfect for using seasonal Pumpkin innards - we need to realise that pumpkins are a valuable source of food and not just for decoration. It can also be made year round using fresh or frozen butternut squash. 

It's pumpkin season, possibly my favourite time of the year. Despite my Scottish upbringing and Halloween being all about Neep Lanterns and Guising I've fallen hook line and sinker for Fall. My home is currently adorned with autumnal and pumpkin decor of all shapes, sizes and types. I've got cushions, candles, wreaths, garlands, plates, mugs and more. Pumpkin spice and everything nice, that's what Autumn is made of! This time last year we were on holiday in Orlando and needless to say lots of autumnal bits and pieces came home in my suitcase. You can read all about it my Pumpkin Pasties and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter post. Of course this time of year is also the perfect excuse to unearth my rather amazing Staub pumpkin cast iron cocotte. Isn't she just lovely?

Sadly there is a scary amount of Pumpkin waste at this time of year. We need to realise that pumpkins are a valuable source of food and not just for decoration. 1.8 million pumpkins were carved in Scotland for Halloween last year with over 1.1 million thrown away. That’s enough pumpkins to stretch from Edinburgh to Stornoway - a frightful amount of food waste. Seven out of ten pumpkins carved for Halloween didn’t get eaten, please don't let yours be one. The recipe I'm sharing today is actually one that I make all year round using butternut squash but works equally well using the innards of a Pumpkin that you're going to be carving. Butternut Squash is a bit of a nightmare to prep so for year round convenience I've taken to buying bags of it frozen. Peeled, deseeded and chopped you can chuck it straight into a roasting tin or casserole.

Using frozen squash alongside frozen cauliflower and onions this becomes a quick store cupboard meal as I've always got coconut milk and cream to hand. It's also accidentally vegan and gluten free which I only actually realised after the first couple of times that I made it! I've tweaked the recipe to add additional texture with chickpeas and toasted almonds to avoid it being too mushy and I reckon it's pretty much the perfect veggie curry served up alongside some brown rice. If you have them available spinach and/or kale also make great additions. Of course you can pimp up the spice content to suit yourself. I'm a mild and creamy girl when it comes to curry. Ain't no Pumpkin Vindaloo going to get past these lips!

Pumpkin (Butternut Squash), Cauliflower and Chickpea Korma - Vegan & GF

Splash of Rapeseed or Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed

1 Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Coriander

2 Tsp Turmeric

1 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
50g sachet of Coconut Cream

500g Squash or Pumpkin, cubed

400ml tin Coconut Milk
500g (or 1 head) Cauliflower, broken into florettes

400g tin Chickpeas, drained
25g Toasted flaked Almonds
Chopped Fresh Coriander to garnish

Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan/casserole and cook the onion and garlic over a low heat for 10 minutes or until soft and lightly golden.
Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, salt and pepper and cook out for a couple of minutes before adding the sachet of coconut cream and allowing it to melt down.
Pour in the Coconut Milk and add the cubed Pumpkin or Squash, turn up the heat, bring to the boil and then pop the lid on and reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 15 minutes before adding the cauliflower florets.

After a further 15 minutes check to see that both the pumpkin and cauliflower are tender (if not allow extra time) add the chickpeas and warm through.

Serve topped with the toasted almonds and chopped fresh coriander.

For further ideas of how to use up your Pumpkin innards check out the following recipes from some of my fellow food bloggers and join the Love Food Hate Waste pumpkin rescue trail this Halloween.

• Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Tart
• Roasted Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Risotto
• Slow Cooker Pumpkin & Butterbean Stew 
• Pumpkin Hummus
• Curried Pumpkin Soup
• Cheesy Pumpkin Dip
• Pumpkin and Comté Cheese Fondue
• Pumpkin Chinese Steamed Buns
• Pumpkin & Chicken Stir Fry
• Creamy Roast Red Onion and Sweet Pumpkin Pasta
• Pumpkin Cauliflower Fritters
• Roasted Pumpkin Hummus with Cauliflower and Walnut Crumble
• Pasta with Pumpkin Sauce and Toasted Hazelnuts

♥ Pin me for later...

Linking up to Cook Blog Share, Simple And In Season and Recipe of the Week.

Polish Forest Mushroom Soup

Forest Mushroom Soup from the debut cookbook 'Wild Honey and Rye' by Ren Behan. In this book we are invited to discover the very best of the new food of Poland with lighter healthier versions of traditional dishes and fresh seasonal fare served in contemporary ways.

Image credit - Yuki Sugiura, Pavilion Books

I'm delighted to be sharing a recipe today from yet another blogging colleague's newly published debut cookbook. Hot on the heels of Katherine Hackworthy's Veggie Desserts from which I shared a Strawberry & Spinich Swiss Roll, Ren Behan's book 'Wild Honey and Rye' hits bookshelves today. Ren is a British food writer of Polish descent who has blogged for the last six years at www.renbehan.com. Inspired by the food of her childhood and by the new wave of flavours to be found in the fashionable eateries and farmer’s markets of modern Poland she has compiled an evocative, mouth-watering collection of recipes, truly celebrating her heritage. To find out how her first cookbook came into being read The Story of Wild Honey and Rye on her blog.

The book itself is absolutely gorgeous to flick through, read and cook from with wonderful introductions and personal stories to accompany each chapter and recipe. It's divided into seven chapters which I've shared below along with a couple of my 'bookmarked to try' recipes from each. Hopefully this will give you a feel for the variety of it's contents. It kicks off with an Introduction and The Polish Pantry which provides advice on sourcing ingredients and what alternatives could be used. 

• Sweet & Savoury Breakfasts - Baked Eggs with Kabanos, Fruit Souffle Omelette, Polish Plum Butter
• Seasonal & Raw Salads - Cucumber, Soured Cream & Dill Salad, Homemade Fermented Dill Pickles
• Seasonal Soups & Market Inspired Sides - Apple Mashed Potatoes, Carrots with Honey and Star Anise
• Light Bites & Street Food - Polish Flatbreads with Courgette, Red Cabbage and Rocket, 'Feed a Crowd' Hunters Stew, 
• Food for Family & Friends - Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce, Millet 'Kaszotto' with Wild Mushrooms, Polish Gnocchi with Bacon and Mushrooms
• High Tea: Sweet Treats & Cakes - Pierogi with Strawberries, Honey and Pistachios, Polish Apple Cake, Blueberry Crumble Squares
• Fruit Liqueurs and Flavoured Vodkas - Salted Caramel Vodka, Polish Plum Martini

Image credit - Yuki Sugiura, Pavilion Books

My own knowledge and experience of Polish food is very limited. I've looked curiously at the Polish grocery shelves in the supermarkets and have eaten Bigos (Hunter's Stew) and Pierogi (the classic sweet or savoury dumplings) in a sadly short lived Polish Restaurant in Aberdeen. But that's pretty much the extent of it. The reality of what Ren shares is far from what you may expect of cuisine in a post communist country. It's certainly not solely vodka, cabbage and rib sticking stews and dumplings. It seems that the contemporary Polish food scene is striving at both street food, home cooking and Michelin star level. In addition to inspiring me to recreate her recipes at home, I've also been inspired by Ren to add a visit to Poland to my ever increasing travel bucket list. 

Many of the recipes that immediately caught my eye seemed to contain mushrooms and the first one I chose to recreate was Forest Mushroom Soup. Alas my mushrooms came from the supermarket rather than the forest so did not have quite as intense a flavour or colour as the original version. I also used a vegetable stock cube as -shock horror - I never make my own stock. I absolutely adore pearl barley so cooked up 200g of this for 45 minutes which I stirred through at the end. The resulting soup was earthy, rich and with the addition of the barley a meal in itself. I shall definitely make it again. Particularity should I be lucky enough to stumble across a patch of Chanterelles in the coming weeks. 

Ren says "My grandmother adored picking mushrooms and she carried the knowledge of identifying mushrooms with her throughout her life, from the forests of Poland to the forests of England and Wales, where she would look for prawdziwki, meaning ‘the true ones’, or borowiki, porcini mushrooms, as well as other edible fungi. Of course, you can buy all manner of wild mushrooms safely from local food markets these days, so I would probably encourage you to do that for this soup. For a meat-free version, leave the chicken out of the stock. You can serve this with cooked pearl barley (kasza) to make the traditional Polish soup, krupnik." 

Recipe Credit - Wild Honey & Rye by Ren Behan, published by Pavilion Books

FOREST MUSHROOM SOUP

ZUPA GRZYBOWA

Serves 8

1 large potato, peeled 

30g/1oz dried porcini or other dried wild mushrooms 

1 tsp vegetable oil 

1 tsp butter

1 onion, finely chopped

200g/7oz fresh chestnut mushrooms or mixed wild mushrooms, chopped in half or quartered 

juice of ½ lemon

small bunch of parsley, finely chopped 

100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup double (heavy) cream or soured cream 

For the chicken stock

500g/1lb 2oz chicken wings 

2 carrots

1 onion, halved 

1 celery stick 

small bunch of parsley

1 bay leaf, preferably fresh

sea salt and ground black pepper

To make the stock, put the ingredients and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large pan. 

Cover with cold water (about 2 litres/3½ pints/2 quarts) and gently bring to the boil, using a spoon to skim off any foam that forms. Leave to simmer for 1½ hours. 

Chop the potato into small cubes, add to the stock and cook for a further 15 minutes until the potato is soft.

Remove the chicken wings, onion, celery and bay leaf. 

Put the dried mushrooms into a cup or small bowl, pour over some boiling water and leave to soak. 

Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the onion for 5 minutes, until it starts to soften. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. 

Drain the rehydrated mushrooms (reserving the liquid) and chop very finely. Add to the pan with the fresh mushrooms. Squeeze in a little of the lemon juice and stir in the chopped parsley. 

Tip the mushroom mixture into the stock and pour in the reserved liquid. Remove half of the soup and transfer it to a blender, blitz, then pour the puréed soup back into the pan. 

This will thicken the soup slightly. Bring back to the boil. Take the soup off the heat, stir in the cream and serve.

♥ Pin me for later...

Caprese Bruschetta on Melba Toast

Post in collaboration with Iceland Foods

Italian flavours come to the fore in a quick and easy recipe that works equally well as a Summer breakfast, brunch or appetiser. Caprese Bruschetta combines Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil atop crunchy Five Grain & Seed Melba Toast drizzled with Balsamic. Bellissimo!

Buongiorno! That's how they say Good Morning in Italy and as I'm just back from a fantastic fortnight's family holiday in Lake Garda it's an appropriate way to start this post. Particularly as I'm sharing an Italian inspired recipe which is perfect to kickstart your morning. When it comes to breaking my fast I'm all about the carbs. Give me bread and LOTS of it! I've been working with the guys at Iceland foods for over 18 months now helping to bust some myths about frozen foods and showcasing the range of products they stock. Like me you might have been under the misconception that they only sold frozen food. Wrong! There's also a great selection of chilled, fresh and store cupboard staples on offer including their own brand Luxury range of bread, cakes and morning goods.

There is nothing quite as comforting or appetising as freshly baked bread, with the scent being voted one of the UK’s favourites. Iceland have recently relaunched their range of Luxury bakery products which are all made using traditional methods at a family run bakery and delivered instore fresh every day. Crafted using the highest quality ingredients by skilled bakers these new luxury breads have been created using a slow dough method to give rich and intense flavours. During this process, the ingredients can ferment for up to 16 hours, the greater flavours are worth the wait. I headed down to my nearest Iceland Food store at Aberdeen Beach Retail park to check out the revamped bakery offering. A poster in the window advertising the new range told me that 'Great Taste Takes Time'. Admittedly I'd left it rather late in the day to shop and the shelves were somewhat depleted - the early bird catches the loaf - but I still managed to pick up a great selection of products. Croissants, Cheese Topped Rolls, Five Grain and Seed Rolls, Plain Folded Flatbreads, Brioche Rolls, Soft White Bread Rolls and the very last Five Grain and Seed Batch Loaf. Now it was time to get creative and come up with a bread based brunch recipe. 

With the sunshine and flavours of Italy still fresh in my mind I wanted to do something with an Italian twist. During our fortnight in Lake Garda we had eaten a lot of Pizza and Pasta but I discounted them in favour of something more simple yet equally Italian. Tomato and Mozzarella. The two really are a match made in heaven. Combine them with Basil and you have Caprese. Add some bread into the mixture and you have Bruschetta. Yup I'm basically sharing the recipe for the Italian flag on toast! Usually served as an appetiser, the combination of these two Italian classics works really well as a lazy brunch dish for Saturdays, Sundays and Summer Holidays. Week three of the school holidays here and my kids have yet to surface at a time which their first meal of the day could legitimately be called breakfast! I absolutely love Melba Toast but don't make it nearly often enough. Up until now I've always used the cheapest of the cheap white loaf however having now used slices of the Five Grain & Seed Batch Loaf there's no going back. It was just so good. The texture from the crispy grains and seeds - rye, spelt and wheat grains, sunflower seeds, brown and golden linseed - make awesome toast, melba or regular. Combined with the fresh delicate flavour of Mozzarella and the sweetness of vine ripened tomatoes you'll have a truly Bellissimo Italian inspired brunch.

Warning! You may wish to go easy on (or omit) the garlic at breakfast time. When I made this for myself and my son I was a wee bit heavy handed. Suffice to say we kept the vampires at bay all day!

Caprese Bruschetta on Melba Toast

Serves 2

3 slices of Iceland Luxury Five Grain & Seed Batch Loaf

150g Fresh Mozzarella

4 Vine Ripened Cherry Tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Balsamic Vinegar

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Clove of Garlic

Preheat your grill and toast the bread on each side.

Use a serrated knife to cut off the crusts and carefully slice horizontally through the toast to give two thin slices. 

Cut each slice diagonally in half then toast the uncooked side of the triangles until crispy 

They will curl up a little at the edges but this is normal.

Meanwhile slice the Mozzarella cheese and the tomatoes.

Drizzle each slice of melba toast with oilve oil. Cut a garlic clove in half and rub the cut side onto the top of each.

Top each toast triangle with a slice of Mozzarella, a Basil leaf and a slice of Tomato.

Serve with freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

For further breakfast and brunch inspiration using Luxury Bakery products from Iceland Foods do check out the following recipes from my blogging BFF's.

• Diana at Little Sunny Kitchen used Luxury Sourdough White Batch Loaf to create French Toast S'mores
• Bintu at Recipe's from a Pantry made a Baharat Marinated Chickpea Sandwich with the Luxury Five Grain & Seed Batch Loaf
• Janie at The Hedgecombers used Luxury Sourdough Crumpets to make a Breakfast Crumpet Burger
• Kate at Veggie Desserts served up Beetroot Hummus and Avocado Roses on Luxury Sourdough White Batch Loaf 

♥ Pin me for later..

Disclosure: This is a commissioned post for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me as a passionate Scottish Food Blogger to continue to share my Edible Food and Travel Adventures with you. I’m super choosy who I work with and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.

Spiced Cauliflower and Purple Potato Poutine

Post in collaboration with Iceland Foods

The combination of crispy purple potato chips and spicy cauliflower saturated with thick meaty gravy and topped with stringy mozzarella cheese results in a twist on Canadian Poutine which is comforting, colourful, moreish and satisfying.

I've been working with Iceland Foods for 14 months now and my eyes have really been opened to both the #PowerOfFrozen and the huge variety, quality and versatility of the products that they stock. If you've not yet ventured into your local Iceland, or you've not been recently then do give it try - I promise that you'll be surprised - in a good way. I've now created eleven recipes for Iceland with a variety of briefs from BBQ to Back to School, Vegan to Unconventional Christmas and Valentines to British Pie Week but the brief for May was the most exciting yet. A mystery goody bag of Iceland’s new and hero products! Just like Ready Steady Cook but thankfully I had more than 20 minutes and there was to be no Green Peppers and Red Tomatoes vote off at the end. Everyone's a winner with the #PowerOfFrozen 

I collected a couple of bags of frozen goodies from my local store at Aberdeen's Beach Retail Park. As soon as I was back at my car I tipped everything out into the boot and had a good old rummage - I was way too impatient to wait until I'd driven home to find out what was in my mystery bags. I was delighted to spot a couple of pack of Millies Cookie Dough. These are a big hit with both my kids and I've previously used them to make Ice Cream Cookiewiches. The rest of the contents were completely new to me and I was particularly keen to try out some of the 'Taste of Summer' range. We've now worked our way through the Sausage Skewers, Belgian Blue Beef Steaks, Dirty Wedges and Peri Peri Spatchcock Chicken. The latter of which my son declared as being better than Nandos. However the two products that really grabbed my attention were the Purple Potato Chips and the Spiced Cauliflower. These would be the basis of my Mystery Goody Bag Recipe, a twist on the classic comfort food that is Poutine. 

Poutine (pronounced putin) is a Canadian dish which we in the UK tend to think of as chips, cheese and gravy but its actually way more complex than that. The story goes that it was invented in the 1950's in in rural French speaking Quebec when a diner asked the chef to put cheese curds on top of his chips. The chef protested "Ça va faire une maudite poutine!" (It will make a damn mess!) but nonetheless he obliged and poutine was born. However the dish wasn't quite finished and the story goes that gravy was added to keep the chips warmer for longer. Whatever the truth behind their creation there's no denying that they are mighty fine. I reckon that poutine would also be amazing made with some of Bintu's African Yam Fries. 

To be true to the Canadian recipe the cheese needs to be squeaky cheese curds however I've substituted with the more readily available Mozzarella. As for the gravy it should be a mix of of chicken and beef. My secret ingredient to pep up any gravy, whether it be homemade or my more usual granules, is a splash of Thai Fish Sauce. It really does work wonders. Of course if you'd like to keep this dish vegetarian feel free to substitute for a veggie friendly gravy. The combination of crispy purple potato chips and spicy cauliflower saturated with thick meaty gravy and topped with stringy mozzarella cheese results in a Poutine which is comforting, colourful, moreish and satisfying.

Spiced Cauliflower and Purple Potato Chips Poutine

600g Iceland Purple Potato Chips

250g Iceland Spiced Cauliflower in an Indian Style Dressing

150g Mozzarella Ball, torn into chunks

2 Tbsp Chicken Gravy Granules

2 Tbsp Beef Gravy Granules

1 tsp Thai Fish Sauce

(or substitute with a vegetarian gravy)

Preheat the oven to 200c

Remove outer packaging from the Spiced Cauliflower and pierce film lid several times.

Place foil tray on a baking sheet near the middle of the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove film from the cauliflower, stir well and turn up the oven temperature to 220c 

Tip the Purple Potato Chips onto a baking tray and place on the top shelf of the oven.

Cook the chips for 20 minutes, turning half way through cooking time.

Meanwhile make up the gravy granules with 300ml of boiling water, stir through the Thai fish sauce and keep warm.

Check to see that the chips and cauliflower are cooked. (For a perfect poutine the chips must be really crispy so they retain their crunch even after the gravy has been poured on top. So give them an extra 5 minutes if you think they need it.)

Arrange the chips and cauliflower in a pre-warmed ovenproof serving dish.

Scatter the torn Mozzarella on top and return to the oven for 5 minutes (or use a blowtorch/place under a preheated grill) until the cheese has melted and is beginning to turn golden around the edges.

Pour over the gravy and serve immediately.

Find out what my food blogging friends made with the contents of their #PowerOfFrozen Goody Bags

• Recipes from a Pantry - Jerk Shrimp Tacos with Sweetcorn, Mango and Pineapple
• Little Sunny Kitchen - Beef Ranch Burgers
• The Hedgecombers - Red Shrimp Tempura with Spicy Soy Dipping Sauce 
• Veggie Desserts - Cookie Cheesecake Parfait with Berries

♥ Pin me for later...

Linking up to CookBlogShare and One Potato Two Potato.

Disclosure: This is a commissioned recipe for Iceland Foods. As always, all views expressed are my own. 

Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to continue to share my Edible Scottish Adventures with you. I’m super choosy and promise to bring you only the cream of the crop.