Blog

The versatile crucifer – cauliflower!

The cauliflower has cropped up in many recipes over the years and is such a big part of so many different meals due to its interesting texture and distinct flavours. An important addition to the cruciferous vegetable family, the cauliflower is related to broccoli, cress and cabbage.

Although the cauliflower was originally cultivated in the Mediterranean, nowadays it is grown in various places all over the world and is a key ingredient in many famous dishes, cauliflower cheese being the most obvious. Cauliflower is considered a ‘super food’, and as such means that it has major health benefits for those that eat enough of it. It is great for acting as an antioxidant, preventing cardiovascular disease, reducing inflammation or helping decrease the risk of contracting arthritis plus many other ailments.

The cauliflower as many of us will know it is a tough green stalk and leaves with a white flower head at the top (which is really the only bit of the plant you can eat raw). More rare varieties of cauliflower also include the orange, green and purple varieties. The more vibrant coloured cauliflowers do have even stronger health benefits than the traditional white cauliflower. The orange type for example contains beta carotene which is rich in vitamin A – a vitamin that is good for promoting healthy skin – who knew cauliflowers could be good for our complexion?

Cauliflower in different cuisines

Overall, the cauliflower is a very dynamic vegetable and constantly finds its way into different cuisines from all over the world, from Thai food to Indian to different types of salad. A popular Indian recipe that uses cauliflower is the delicious Aloo Gobi – a spicy dish that is packed full of spice and strong flavours. Cauliflower has also made its way into pasta dishes or on smaller plates as side dishes.

A simplistic yet tasty recipe I absolutely love is cauliflower with pine nuts and bacon – it has lots of little elements to it yet is very easy to prepare and is great as a side dish! Try mashing your cauliflower up, adding a few herbs and seasoning and make it into a lovely warming soup! Or dip into humus or sour cream and chive dips – whatever your preference.

There are so many different recipes to try with cauliflower that it would be silly not to, and with all the health benefits they possess, it would be a shame not to introduce more cauliflower recipes into our diets.

The Day after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has passed, and whether you admit it or not, you will probably have eaten too much or have far too much left over from the day. Well this is where the beauty of eating leftovers comes in!

Thanksgiving Day itself presents a time for overindulgence where people cook and consume vast quantities of food in huge amounts, but the day after is all about the leftovers. Instead of throwing away all of the leftover food and letting it go to waste, there are many recipes and different things we can try to keep reusing the food thus saving a lot of time and money.

If you are the type to over prepare and buy too much for the big day, then you may well find that a lot of your leftovers may not have even made it out of the packaging. Well a great scenario for dealing with this situation is to start making some Gourmet food from the leftovers – so put on your chef’s hat and get cooking!

A whole leftover turkey can be taken to pieces, with the carcass making a great stock and the meat adding volume to the dish – with added ingredients of leftover sausages and various vegetables, you can make a fantastic gourmet turkey gumbo. A great meal to warm you up on a cold Black Friday!

Getting creative with the Thanksgiving leftovers

It doesn’t just have to be about using up the leftover turkey though (although turkey soups and Sheppard’s pies do hit the spot!), it can also be about using up our remaining side dishes too – your sweet potatoes for example can be used in a beautiful recipe called the Sweet Potato Soufflé. Serve this with a sticky rum drizzle and you’ll wish there were even more leftovers! find these and more Thanksgiving leftover recipes on Recipebridge.

The most common of the leftover meals has to of course be the making of the turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving. Sure, this might seem a simplistic way to use up your leftovers, but it is their simplicity that makes them so delicious! A few pieces of turkey between two slices of bread is easy enough and can taste nice, but if you want to give your taste buds a real treat, you should try adding leftover cranberries, stuffing a maybe a little gravy too. Find more turkey sandwich recipes on Recipebridge.

Now, as much as I’m sure you’d like to, you can’t keep eating those Thanksgiving leftovers right up to Christmas, so after a few days picking at the bits and pieces left over from the leftovers (!), it is a great time to freeze parts of the leftover dinner. Separate your foods into air-tight containers and label and date them so you know what is in which box and so that they can be consumed before they go bad. Try eating all leftovers within the space of three months.

If it gets to Christmas or any other time in the following few weeks or months, you can rest assured that you have plenty of great food stashed away ready for its next use and that you have a great list of ideas for what to do with the Thanksgiving leftovers too!

The National Day of Overindulgence – Thanksgiving, of course!

Every year in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November, families and friends come together to give thanks and share big meals and recipes as part of the massive tradition of Thanksgiving. The idea of ‘giving thanks’ was traditionally people showing how grateful they were to God for a good year’s harvest, and if the harvest had truly prospered over the season, it is no wonder so many people overindulge at this time of year!

The first Thanksgiving was held in 1620 when a group of Puritans from England set sail on board the Mayflower, a ship that held just 102 passengers. These passengers became the settlers now referred to as the Pilgrims, and after a harsh first winter in the ‘New World’ as they called it, the Native American Indians helped them plant their crops. After a successful harvest, the Pilgrims and Native Americans sat down to the first Thanksgiving feast.

So the tradition of eating a lot has been a major part of Thanksgiving ever since the first Thanksgiving all those years ago. If you really want to soak up all that tradition, then making the customary Thanksgiving dinner is essential.

A traditional Thanksgiving dinner usually includes a turkey plus many side dishes such as dumplings, yams, stuffing and of course, cranberry sauce. Pies are popular choices for desserts and depending on how extravagant the cook is feeling, more than one might be served at the meal; this could be apple pie, sweet potato pie or pumpkin pie – whatever it is, the diners are sure to have a great time tucking into all the food!

Contemporary twists on the traditional Thanksgiving meals

If you are looking for a modern twist to spice up the traditional Thanksgiving dinner and you feel like trying something new, there are many recipes that have great adaptations of traditional dishes. These can include tequila pan gravy, or if you want to try a more Gourmet-style take on the menu, you could try sage and cranberry crab cakes as an appetizer and pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake for dessert. (Yum!) Find these and more scrumptious Thanksgiving recipes on Recipebridge.

Thanksgiving is a massive culinary adventure for people all over the United States and beyond. Preparations can either start at the crack of dawn on Thanksgiving Day or can start days beforehand. Whenever you do start to prepare, you of course have to make sure everyone is catered for.

Tip 1: Ensure you have enough food and get people to help if you don’t think you can manage the workload.

Tip 2: It is also important to know if there will be any vegetarians dining with you in which case get your pumpkin pies and veggie casseroles at the ready – not only are these great, but healthy versions can also be found for anyone who is feeling conscious of the calories!

Once all your preparation is done and your food is on the table, just enjoy yourself and overindulge – after all that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, isn’t it?

Expand your culinary horizons to enjoy a Gluten-Free Thanksgiving

Due to dietary requirements or certain allergies, there are people all over the world that are now living a gluten-free lifestyle, so it is around certain holidays that our focus turns to gluten-free foods and the best way to eat a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner without having to compromise on the quality of the food. But what is gluten? And what alternatives can we have for a gluten-free Thanksgiving meal?

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein substance found in many foods, mainly carbohydrates and wheat based products and is the element that gives dough its elasticity.

How do I have a gluten-free Thanksgiving?

Whether it is you or your guests that are having a gluten-free Thanksgiving, there are certain precautions that need to be taken to ensure everyone remains happy, healthy and are still enjoying their meal – whether it is a gluten-free one or not! Often flavourings in foods can contain gluten, so ensure that your turkey is void of all unnecessary additives.

Try to avoid using flour when making your gravy; use cornstarch instead to add thickness if you need to. As gluten can mainly be found in wheat-based products and traditional Thanksgiving dinners,many bread alternatives will feature in the gluten-free meal too. Gluten-free bread or ingredients to make bread can be found in large or specialist supermarkets – just make sure it sas ‘gluten-free’ on the packaging!

Putting a positive spin on your Gluten-free Thanksgiving menu

It isn’t hard to have a gluten-free Thanksgiving, you just need to prepare beforehand to make sure everyone is catered for. Always ask guests if anyone has any allergies or dietary requirements, just so your Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t get interrupted by someone having an unexpected allergic reaction! As with all specialist foods, always check the packet before you buy. If you are buying fresh produce that doesn’t come pre-pacakaged, always make sure to ask the shop assistants whether a product contains gluten.

Gluten free pie crusts for those tasty desserts can also be found on the supermarkets shelves, as well as gluten free stuffing for your turkey. If you’re making your own stuffing, make sure gluten free bread goes into the mix. In today’s world, there are many tasty gluten-free alternatives, so if you are one of the growing number of people who are gluten intolerant, chins up! Find more gluten-free Thanksgiving recipes on Recipebridge.

We’d love to hear you, so feel free to tell us your experiences (and more!) on going gluten free during the festive season. Post your gluten-free Thanksgiving, recipes and anecdotes on our Facebook page or Tweet us.

The Fall Classic – Pumpkin

The pumpkin pie recipe has been around for such a long time that it is no wonder that so many recipes and so many different shortcuts have been created to make the perfect pumpkin pie. Although the ‘best’ pumpkin pie can be totally down to preference, there is no doubt that it is one of the most popular sweet treats around the fall season.

Pumpkin pies are a great autumnal dish, mainly served around Halloween (after all, what else are we supposed to do with the flesh of all those hollowed out pumpkin lanterns?) A great thing about this time of year though, is the fact that so many food companies appreciate the fact that we all love a shortcut!

Complicated recipes can be overly stressful, and who wants that? As a result, cans of pumpkins have been produced to make the pumpkin pie making experience a whole lot easier. A great way for making the most of your leftover pumpkin or your pumpkin puree in a can is to make pumpkin bread; it’s spicy, nutritious and makes a wonderful on-the-go snack or quick autumnal breakfast.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Bread is not the only thing pumpkin can add flavour to though; pumpkin soups, pastas and risottos are also amazingly popular dishes for this time of year. Pumpkin soup in particular is a great lunchtime meal with a beautifully silky texture and sweet flavour that warms you up too – served with croutons and a few seeds this is a truly gorgeous dish.

The uses for the pumpkin don’t have to be limited to hearty meals however, they can also be found in appetizers and drinks too. Pumpkin dip is a great sweet appetizer that can be served with crackers, apple slices and ginger snaps to tease those taste buds before your main meal.

If you want to try a pumpkin pie in the form of a drink, try it as a milkshake, its beautifully sweet flavour mixed in with vanilla ice cream and a cinnamon stick makes a great sweet beverage that you’re sure to fall in love with! Pumpkin spice can also be found in many coffee shops or on shelves to add a more autumnal taste to your everyday cup of coffee.

If you want a bit more of a ‘grown-up’ take on the pumpkin pie recipe, why not try the pumpkin martini cocktail? With cream liqueur, vanilla vodka, whipped cream and pumpkin liqueur, you are sure to love how much this lovely cocktail warms you up inside! Find some addictive pumpkin drink recipes on Recipebridge.

So what’s your favorite twist on the pumpkin pie recipe? If you have any culinary secrets or amazing pumpkin recipes that you have discovered, please feel free to share them with us but posting them on our Facebook page or contacting us on Twitter.

The Classic Risotto

Risotto is a classic Italian dish, traditionally made with arborio rice, and cooked to a creamy consistency. Arborio rice is naturally gluten free  and provides complex carbohydrates and protein, making this a very nutritious dish. Regardless of what type of rice is used, the cooking technique remains the same making a dish to be called a risotto. This classic dish is revisited here in it’s different avatars. Enjoy cooking and eating these:

Find these and more risotto recipes on Recipebridge. As always, we’d love to hear your variations and twists on the classic risotto. Post your recipes on our Facebook page or tweet us to share your risotto recipes!

Homemade bread…mmm, pure bliss!

It’s a bit of a bold statement, but I’m sure you’ll agree that: There is no better smell than the scent of homemade bread. Today is Homemade Bread Day and is the perfect opportunity for people all over the world to get all their ingredients together and take part in various bread-making activities…So what are you waiting for?

Although it’s an art that we deeply associate with home cooking, just because the art of bread making might seem a little old fashioned, that doesn’t mean that your recipes have to be! There are so many different recipes that are available to try that it is the perfect time of year to try lots of different types of bread and get your creative juices flowing.

Recipes for making bread can vary from country to country as well, and there is a definite art that comes with making traditional French baguettes, Italian pizza dough, or the Spanish pan that accompanies practically every meal. Other recipes are more than just the basic ingredients of flour, salt, yeast and water too – additional ingredients of fruit, meats or spices can totally change a bread recipe. Find some of your favorite bread recipes on Recipebridge.

Homemade bread for your Thanksgiving meal

Bread is not only an international phenomenon and an essential accompaniment to many meals; it is also a great addition to the traditional Thanksgiving meal too. Try using your leftover pumpkins or cranberries in your bread recipes and you can make beautiful creations such as pumpkin gingerbread loaves, marmalade pumpkin bread or cranberry walnut tea bread. Find some of these sweet bread recipes on Recipebridge.

If you want more of a savoury loaf to accompany our Thanksgiving meal, try making turkey stuffing bread or sweet potato nut bread which are perfect additions to serve with your main meal or as an appetizer. Find more recipes on Recipebridge.

Whether you are using a bread machine or doing it by hand, there is a lot of fun to be had on Homemade Bread Day. Not only making the bread but also decorating bread can be a great way to keep your kids entertained as well.

Try bread painting: Collect food coloring, milk, slices of bread and paint brushes. Add the food coloring to the milk and let your children paint patterns on the bread (make sure it doesn’t get too wet!) and then toast the slices. Not only is this a fun activity, it makes the bread seem a bit more fun to eat as well.

We think it doesn’t matter how experimental you are, it is what suits you that makes a loaf a success or not – our favourite is the basic yet delicious sultana loaf; thick slices of this toasted with hot butter melted over the top makes the perfect tea time snack and is a beautifully indulgent treat for all the family. What’s your favorite bread? Post your favorite bread recipes on our Facebook page or tweet us to share the love!