7 h. ago My unexpected Pride icon: The Green Roasting Tin, a cookbook no lesbian vegetarian can be without

Sure, Rukmini Iyer’s recipes are not specifically aimed at queer people, but the first time I cooked one, it was with my girlfriend – and she is now my wifeWalk into a queer woman’s kitchen and the chances are that the lime-green spine of Rukmini Iyer’s The Green Roasting Tin will be poking out from a surface or a shelf – if it is not already on the counter and splattered with food. You are likely to find it in the homes of allies, too – this is the holy grail of what-to-feed-my-queer–vegetarian-offspring cookbooks.Not only does The Green Roasting Tin play into stereotypes about gay and bisexual women – all vegetarian recipes, half vegan and supremely practical (the USP of The Roasting Tin series is that all the recipes are oven-cooked in one dish) – but it is also full of indulgence. The tarts, gratins, salads and bakes are dotted with pomegranate seeds or fresh herbs and drizzled with truffle oil or honey. One recipe even has an entire camembert plonked in a tray of potatoes. And ...

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31 h. ago How to turn store cupboard grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit into a brilliant nutritious loaf – recipe | Waste not

This overnight no-knead bread casts a vote for biodiversity and is a great way to enrich your family’s dietToday’s rich, nutritious and no-knead bread is a cornerstone of my weekly routine. Every Saturday, I make a simple rye bread dough, and gather whatever grains, nuts and seeds need using up – from forgotten millet to that last handful of brazil nuts – and soak them overnight. By Sunday lunchtime, the house will be filled with the homely aroma of fresh bread emerging from the oven. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Half teaspoon of these seeds could stop greying and cut high blood pressure

The black seeds can be added to almost any dish as a tasty garnish to offer people several health benefits

Events

8 d. ago How to turn mango pit and skin into fruit coulis – recipe | Waste not

Make the most of those mango scraps by turning them into a smooth, fruity sauce to stir into sundowners, drizzle over desserts or spoon on to porridgeSaving food from being wasted can range from just composting food scraps to cooking with the whole ingredient, which means the leaves, stems, skin and everything in between. It’s often argued that it’s not really worth saving food from the waste bin if energy or other ingredients are required, but I believe that all food is worth saving.We obviously need to cook and eat food every day, so why not reinvent dishes to include these otherwise unwanted ingredients? Zero waste at its simplest can also mean basic, innovative recipes and solutions for byproducts, such as today’s mango pit and skin coulis. Such recipes are an easier sell, because they simplify the concept and create a valuable product out of very little. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Gardeners urged to try and store cupboard staple that 'kills moss in 24 hours'

Moss can overwhelm your lawn, but there is a simple and natural solution to remove it

Events

2 w. ago How to turn aquafaba into a delectable vegan chocolate mousse – recipe | Waste not

Whip up bean water you might otherwise throw away, fold in some melted chocolate and you have yourself a quick, easy and healthy(ish) two-ingredient mousseI love the simplicity of today’s dish. Just two ingredients – chocolate and aquafaba – come together to create a waste-saving treat. Bean water has a mild savoury taste, but the dominant flavour here is chocolate, which, without the addition of extra fat (usually in the form of cream), becomes incredibly intense, amplifying its sheer chocolatiness.Aquafaba has magical properties that mean it behaves like egg whites when whisked, creating an airy foam that can be used for everything from mayonnaise to mousse. According to Ada McVean in an article asking What is Aquafaba? for McGill University in Montreal, the water-soluble proteins and sugars in the beans leak into the water during cooking, giving it a similar composition to egg whites; it also contain saponins, which help it foam so well. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago How to turn the dregs of a tahini jar into a brilliant Japanese condiment

Use up those final scrapings to make goma dare, a versatile sesame dipping sauce that adds a kick of flavour to salads and soupsA jar of goma dare is a new favourite fixture in my fridge door. This Japanese-style condiment, dipping sauce and dressing made from ground sesame seeds is powerful in flavour, sweet, sour and creamy all at the same time, while the addition of grated ginger and/or garlic makes it wonderfully piquant, too. It’s also very moreish and hugely versatile, meaning you can serve it with everything from a traditional shabu shabu hot pot to cold noodles, tofu, aubergine and slaw; in fact, it’s so tasty I have to stop myself from eating it straight from the jar. My recipe uses the leftover tahini in the bottom of a jar and comes together in the jar itself, so minimising both waste and washing-up. Simply add all the ingredients, scrape down the sides and shake (you can apply a similar method to the ends of a peanut butter jar, too, for a nutty, satay-style twist). Cont...

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4 w. ago How to turn old bread into a classic Portuguese soup – recipe

A waste-saving, resourceful and powerfully flavoured broth featuring coriander, garlic and old breadToday’s punchy and bright-green garlic and coriander soup is an intriguing Portuguese way to use up stale bread. The recipe is adapted from the traditional açorda of Alentejo, where it’s thought of as the region’s signature dish. Açorda is said to have been born from necessity, a waste-saving and resourceful soup that’s transformed by olive oil, plentiful herbs and rich egg. I find this take on it particularly interesting because, instead of simmering the coriander, garlic and egg in hot broth, they are instead put in a bowl and the broth is poured over them. This enhances the powerful flavours of the garlic and coriander, and the whole lot is then ladled over stale bread. For a vegetarian version, just omit the fish. Continue reading...

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