Posted on 3 Comments

Stir Fry Garlic Rainbow Vegetables Recipe

We use a lot of vegetables in cooking.  To see me you wouldn’t think so, but we do go through lots of fruit and veg.  Garlic rainbow vegetables are popular as they really just involve tossing in anything that’s in the fridge with a bit of colour.

We had spring onions and runner beans from the plot to use up and some carrots, baby sweetcorn and tomatoes in the fridge so this was a perfect meal accompaniment for us.

Stir Fry Garlic Rainbow Vegetables

Lesley Smith
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • Baby Sweetcorn Halved
  • Runner Beans
  • Grated Carrot
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Cherry Tomatoes Halved
  • Spring Onions Sliced
  • Rapeseed Oil
  • Garlic Clove - Crushed
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Adding a little rapeseed oil to your wok or frying pan, make sure the oil is hot before adding the vegetables, but keep the heat on moderate or you could burn them easily.
  • Add all the vegetables, garlic and some salt & pepper to the pan. Use a flipper or wooden spoon to turn them over every 15 - 30 seconds until they are ready.

Notes

Again, I don't put quantities for this as it's more dependent on what you have in your fridge to use up.

 

Posted on 7 Comments

Meatballs and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

My mum arrived home with a wee pack of Swedish meatballs at the request of my youngest and I had loads of vegetables from the plot to use up, so they were put to good use in a simple vegetable stir fry.

I had lots of onions from the plot, with sugar snap peas and added mushrooms and baby sweetcorn from the supermarket.  I’ll serve this with baby potatoes from the plot for the kids who thankfully all love their potatoes.

Meatballs and Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

Lesley Smith
Course Mains

Ingredients
  

  • Meatballs
  • 2 Onions Chopped
  • Sugar Snap Peas
  • Baby Sweetcorn
  • Mushrooms
  • Chives
  • Parsley
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Wash all the vegetables, chop the onions and put them all in a wok or frying pan with a little rapeseed oil, a pinch of salt and a sprinkling of pepper. We used rainbow peppercorns.
  • Lightly fry until the onions are soft and the mushrooms are cooked.
  • Add in the meatballs and lightly fry until fully cooked and hot.
  • Serve, garnish with chives, parsley and pepper.

Notes

This recipe doesn't have specific weight amounts added to it.  It's all dependent on the vegetables available in your fridge, or ones you've grown.

 

Posted on 5 Comments

Baxters Beetroot – Stir Fry and Chocolate Brownies.

Baxters sent a gorgeous hamper with a lovely Baxters apron and a selection of Beetroot from their range.  Baxters are reasonably local to us, and I’ve often bought their beetroot as it tends to be a nice sweet vinegary taste.

Their products have been in my life as far back as I can remember, so we’re regular customers in this house.

Baxters have been going in the UK for several generations and the make soups, preserves, condiments, beetroot and chutneys among other thing.   Baxters create their own recipes and showcase some of the them on their website.  They even have the opportunity for you to add your own recipe to their website, and if they like it, they might feature it online.

They have a visitors centre that is based around a highland village experience in Fochabers, Aberdeen.  I’ve driven past it several times, but have not stopped off as yet, but after this challenge, I may well give their Highland Village a visit in the near future.

Baxters Beetroot 2

They challenged me to come up with a recipe for their Beetroot so I used it as an alternative to rumpledethumps for leftovers in a Chicken, Bacon and Beetroot Stir Fry which went down a treat.

I opted for another recipe for one of the jars of beetroot in making the Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies from their website.  I had to tailor the recipe as I didn’t have quite enough beetroot for their version, and it went down well with the kids.

Baxters Beetroot 1

I can’t say that it was my favourite and I much preferred the savoury stir fry to the sweet versions, but the kids loved the brownies.  I think I just have more of a savoury tooth.

Here we go with my two recipes from the challenge.

Baxters Beetroot and Chocolate Brownies

Baxters
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Baking - Brownies
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

  • 1 x 340g Tin Baxters Baby Beetroot
  • 150 g Softened Butter
  • 300 g Milk Chocolate
  • 375 g Brown Sugar
  • 4 Eggs
  • 150 g Plain Flour
  • 35 g Cocoa Powder

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven before you start and set it to 180ºC, or reduce it to 160ºC for a fan oven.



  • Grease a medium to large baking try or roasting tin.

  • Soften the chocolate by putting it into a microwave for a few minutes, or on the hob as a plate on top of a pan with water in it, similar to a bain marie method of softening the chocolate.

  • Add all the ingredients into a mixer if you have one, or a large bowl. Mix them all together for several minutes, until the mixture is smooth.



  • Pour the smooth mixture into the baking tray and bake for 40-45 minutes. The brownies should feel a little soft under he centre and might be a bit wobbly, but they'll harden up as they cool.

Notes

Baxters recommend that the beetroot is well drained. You can also rinse them in some water. The vinegary flavour will not be tasted when you eat the brownies.

Chicken, Bacon and Beetroot Stirfry

Lesley S Smith
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Mains
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 10 Rashers Bacon
  • 2 Chicken Breasts Cut into strips.
  • 4 Eggs
  • 600 g Mixed Stir Fry Veg Beansprouts, pumpkin strips, shredded carrot, green leaf salad, mange tout.
  • 1 Onion Chopped.
  • 1 Jar Baxters Crinkle Cut Beetroot Chopped into smaller pieces. Wash, drain and dry the beetroot before adding to a stir fry.

Instructions
 

  • Use your pieces of meat, chicken or bacon and lightly fry in a wok or thick bottomed pan until fully cooked.

  • Add eggs to the pan and let them cook similar to scrambled eggs, stirring in with the meat as it cooks.



  • Add an onion to the pan and let the mixture slowly cook for a few minutes on low.

  • Stir in your stir fry vegetables and either spray cooking oil, or add a couple of tablespoons of oil to make the stir fry.

  • Add the beetroot towards the end of cooking if you are happy with the pinky shade that your meal till take on from cooking for a few minutes.

  • I had split my stir fry into two lots. For the kids, I gently folded the beetroot in with their finished stir fry to keep it sharp, bright and pleasant to the eye.



  • For my own, I stirred in the beetroot and let it cook with the stir fry for a few more minutes to take on the beetroot taste. I am happy to say this is one recipe that I am going to make several variations of.