Guess what?
It’s WIAW Party Time again!!!
Thanks, as always, to our beautiful host Jenn over at Peas and Crayons.
For this week’s foodie party, I’d like to share my eats from yesterday. I wish I could share them with you in person but, failing that, I’ll do my best to describe them and show some pics so you can virtually eat them 
Here goes…
Breakfast
Pre-school drop off: warm water & lemon.
Post-school run (30 minute jog along the canal): big bowl of steaming hot porridge, made with Alpro soya milk and flavoured with ground cinnamon. From my ‘pick n mix’ jars, I sprinkled chopped walnuts, Brazil nuts, sliced almonds, hemp seed, ground linseed, goji berries and a drizzle of maple syrup on top. Totally lush!
Lunch
All three of us had a baked red onion bhaji pitta kebab with home-made mango chutney, lettuce and sliced avocado. OMG this was so good!
We all love onion bhajis but they’re not normally classed as a healthy food as they tend to be deep-fried. A few years ago I tried baking them instead and I was surprised at how well they worked out. We absolutely love them. Sometimes we have them as a starter but, most often than not, we stuff them in a pitta to make a ‘pitta kebab’.
In the past I’ve tried making them with a mix of Indian spices, but Lil’ L much prefers them when I use a mild curry paste, so that’s what I stick with now. I use the Patak’s paste, which is the same one that I use in our veggie korma.
I always make some mango chutney to accompany the bhajis. It’s so quick and easy to make your own chutney and it tastes way nicer than the shop-bought stuff. A couple of weeks ago I tried a shop-bought chutney and it actually left me feeling nauseous. When I looked at the jar I was amazed by the amount of refined sugar it contained. My home-made version has very little added sweetener, and I use agave syrup which means it’s low GI and free of refined sugars.
Here’s how I make the bhajis and chutney…
Baked Red Onion Bhajis
Serves 4
Hands on time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 28 minutes
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil + extra for greasing
3 medium-large red onions, sliced into thin strips 2.5cm / 1” long
2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of salt
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mild curry paste (I use Patak’s)
2 tbsp fresh or frozen coriander, finely chopped
5 tbsp chickpea (gram) flour
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan) / 350F / Gas 4. Line a baking sheet with non stick baking paper and lightly spray with oil.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) on a low-medium heat and sweat the onions until they start to turn translucent (about 6 minutes). Add the garlic and salt, and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, tomato purée, curry paste and coriander. Sprinkle in the chickpea (gram) flour and thoroughly mix into the onion mixture.
- Scoop an eighth of the mixture (about 2 tablespoons) onto the tray and gently press into a bhaji shape (I use two metal spoons to do this). Repeat to make another seven bhajis. Lightly spray the top of the bhajis with oil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until lightly browned. Towards the end of the cooking time, keep an eye on the bhajis to make sure that they do not burn.
- Delicious served in a pitta or rolled flat bread with romaine lettuce and mango chutney.
Home-Made Mango Chutney (sugar free)
Makes about half a cup of chutney
Hands on-time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 medium-large mango, diced
1 inch piece of fresh or frozen ginger, finely grated
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp agave syrup (or other natural sweetener)
pinch of salt
Method
- Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then gently simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before blending to a smooth consistency, using a jug or stick blender.
- Will keep for a few days in the fridge, or weeks in the freezer
It’s as simple as that!
After School Snack
Coffee and bar of dark chocolate at Cafe Nero’s in Bath. Lil’ L had a hot chocolate and lemon & poppy seed muffin. The muffin looked amazing so I must see if I can find a vegan version to try at home.
Dinner
For dinner tonight, we had Angela from Oh She Glows Butternut Squash Mac n Cheeze. This is the second time this month that we’ve had this meal and it’s really rare for us to have the same meal twice in one month. That goes to show how much I love this recipe!
In addition to the butternut squash, this time I added half a bag of fresh spinach (wilted and chopped) and one red romano pepper, finely chopped. The combination of orange, green and red vegetables made this dish really pretty! On top, we sprinkled some pine nuts and Marigold Engevita nutritional yeast with B12 (for yumminess & more goodness!)
One day I’ll have to make this dish in the day time so that I can photograph it. Until then, here’s one of Angela’s beautiful shots for you to feast your eyes on.
Source: ohsheglows.com via Sharon on Pinterest
Yes guys, I’ve finally given in and joined Pinterest! The big question is… do I have enough willpower to stop me losing hours on it? Hmm we’ll see
Dessert
Quick dessert of fresh pineapple, Alpro natural yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup.
It was then time for us to snuggle under our new fleecy blanket and read the next chapter of Harry Potter ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’. I love that book and it’s so cool that Lil’ L’s reading it now 
Enjoy the rest of the week everyone xx
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I need a bigger breakfast bowl if i’m going to get that many toppings on my porridge! Looks great! Plant Power!
You’ve got to have lots of toppings on porridge. The more the better
YUM – I am making these next week during half term for sure. We love bhajis but they are often far too greasy. Pinterest is tooooo addictive – I have to be so so strict with myself and set a timer…seriously its true. Nx
I hope you’ve been having a fantastic half term with the girls
Since signing up for Pinterest I’ve stayed away from it on purpose as I know that I’ll be hooked as soon as I’ve learnt how to use it. I need to sort out my Twitter addiction first
If you ever come to Chicago, Argo Tea has a vegan and gluten free lemon poppyseed muffin that is AMAZING! I try to limit myself, but oh my stars, they taste heavenly!
Oh wow, a vegan AND gluten free lemon & poppy seed muffin! That sounds so good! I’ll make a note of Argo Tea for when I eventually make it to Chicago
The make and Cheese looks and sounds delish… may have to try out a version of this!
The Oh She Glows Mac n Cheeze is really yummy! You’ll have to give it a try. I love the fact that Angela’s transformed this dish (which is typically high fat and low nutrition) into a low fat, healthy, nutrition-packed meal. She’s done a great job there!
I’d never heard of a bhaji until now, but it sounds fantastic! I definitely want to try one!
I’m going to have to search for that HP book–it’s the only one we don’t have yet and I’m sure my boys would LOVE it. (Okay, so I would too!)
Nevermind–just discovered it is marketed in the US as HP and The Sorceror’s Stone. We’ve all read it, and loved it very much!
Here in the UK, onion bhajis are a classic starter for our Indian meals. They’re normally deep fried and pretty greasy, so I was really pleased at how well they turned out when I baked them. I still feel like I’m eating something ‘naughty’ even though they’re actually pretty healthy & nutritious when baked!
Well I never knew that they’d changed the name of the first HP book for the US audience. How bizarre! I wonder why they did that? Were you confused when you watched the film where they refer to it as the ‘philosopher’s stone?’
Your pictures are beautiful! I love pinterest, and yes, it is addicting, but I honestly just look for a few minutes a day. When you find a good board though, sometimes it’ll take you almost an hour to get through all of the hilarious pins. Have you pinned anything good yet? And yay for Harry Potter. I actually just read a research project on how Harry Potter has some qualities of an addiction. Just food for thought. It’s one addiction that I’d totally be okay with having!
http://eating4balance.wordpress.com
That sounds like a really interesting research project on Harry Potter! I totally understand how it could be addictive. I was devastated after reading the final book, knowing that there wasn’t going to be another one. Same with the films. It’s like you’ve lost a friend or something. Gosh I can’t believe I admitted that on my blog. That’s so sad!
I wish that you could share your food with me in person too
Those bhajis look so good!
I wish I could have shared those bhajis with you. They were really yummy! They’re super easy to make though, so do have a try one day and let me know how you get on.
I’m not sure where you’ve gone in the US for your hols but, wherever you are, I hope you’re safe & having a wonderful time. I look forward to hearing all about it on your return xx
Something else for me to try. If it looks this good, it must be good. Liking the sound of the mango chutney. How about a Lime Pickle to keep the cold out?
Lime pickle sounds yummy…. but is it really spicy? If so, maybe I should make a home-made mild version, suitable for small children and me
I’ve just ordered 8 limes with my online grocery shop so maybe I’ll give it a try!
That mac and cheese looks delicious.
Congrats on joining Pinterest…I am guessing the addiciton of pinning will be soon to follow.
Rachel @ My Naturally Frugal Family recently posted..October Vegan Food Swap
Angela (Oh She Glows) Mac N Cheeze is really good! I’ve made it twice now and the 3 of us love it! You’ll have to give it a try.
Since signing up, I’ve resisted the temptation to log back in. I don’t know how long I can hold off for though. I’m dying to start pinning an inspiration board for Christmas decorations. I want to do the house up ‘Pagan style’ this year and I’m sure Pinterest will have lots of inspiring pics.
I can’t afford to get addicted to Pinterest… I already spend far too much time on Twitter, FB and the blog