Cooking for Sanity

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Cooking for Sanity

Cooking delicious meals for family and friends, making time to experiment with new techniques and flavours, and making cooking an enjoyable part of the day

Cooking for Sanity takes the best bits of traditional cooking and healthy eating to bring together a well-balanced collection of recipes to enhance your culinary experience. You will find inspiration and encouragement to try new foods and new cooking techniques, which will help enhance family life by bringing the family together around food, and creating a talking point. Cooking for Sanity is committed to educating people about cooking, and making good choices about what to eat, whilst enjoying a varied and exciting diet. I offer a selection of workshops, courses and sessions around meal planning; understanding ingredients; equipping yourself with the right tools to make cooking a joy; and can even work with you to design an inspiring kitchen space which encourages you to be creative. Link to my website for full information on my services, or drop me a message.

25/10/2023

Yummy sweet treats, amazingly great for getting in extra iron!

24/10/2023

A bowl of sludge (thanks, elder son 😅) ...
..or perhaps even a cow pat! 🤢

We all know that the more colours are mixed together, the sludgier they will become, losing their individual vibrancy to become part of a dull and uninspiring whole. A somewhat unfortunate fact when it comes to introducing such a bowl of goodness as this 😆

Continuing with the iron theme of my last two posts, and perhaps the colour is unintentionally suitable, this is actually the *most* delicious smoothie bowl! Unappetising it may look, but I promise you the flavour will keep you coming back for more 😄 Its murky depths are a result of combining the forest green of kale with the somewhat unpredictable bright red or purple of blueberries.

Here's the whole recipe. Make it! I'd love to know if you agree 😄

Handful of kale
Handful of spinach
Half a pear
Around 3/4 of an apple
Handful of blueberries
Four medjool dates
Dollop of almond butter
Oat milk
Pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds to top

Add all the ingredients bar the seeds into a high-powered blender and blitz until smooth.
Serve into a bowl and top with the seeds.

Enjoy 😋

23/10/2023

What a strange thing it is to take a determined step away from something for a prolonged and indeterminate period, only for an unexpected occurrence to suddenly draw one back to it. This low iron diagnosis has blindsided me somewhat and has caused me to reevaluate where I find myself and why. Like I said in my last post, I will elaborate someday, but I'm really endeavouring to ensure my diet is incorporating iron from as many sources as possible, alongside taking my prescribed iron tablets.

And, what do you know? As well as doing just that, with this three bean chilli which I made for lunch yesterday, I used the leftovers for my lunch today, serving them with crispy baked kale with turmeric, smoked paprika, and cinnamon, for extra iron! And it reminded me of all my old hashtags, such as 😄 I served the chilli yesterday with brown rice and a mango salsa, from the same cookbook so it was nice to alter the recipe a little for its second incarnation 😄

As you can see, I'm somewhat out of practice with my food photos, demonstrated by the waft of steam exuding from the pile of chilli, but that's ok 😄 Tell me what *you* enjoyed for lunch today 😚❤️

23/10/2023

A long time has passed since I last posted. A time during which I have thought, considered, done other things, including embarking upon a project I hadn't even realised was inside me but has revealed and asserted itself. I'm still working on that, and one day I'll elaborate, but for now, I'm sharing this iron-rich recipe, mainly because I've been suffering badly from symptoms of low iron - my ferritin level is 10, but I'm not anaemic; my haemoglobin levels are 👌🏻 - such as all-night palpitations, shortness of breath (scary!), chest pain (also scary) bodily fatigue... all the fun ones! Oh, and not forgetting a good dose of anxiety thrown in!

Here's this super-simple recipe 😋

Broccoli and cauliflower florets, chopped into smaller sizes
2 figs, quartered
Olive oil
Soy sauce
Turmeric

Chestnut mushrooms, peeled and sliced
Slice of butter
Handful of spinach, sliced

Tbsp each EVOO and balsamic vinegar
Tsp each turmeric and honey

Pumpkin, sunflower, and golden linseeds

Throw the broc, cauli, and fig onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and soy sauce, shake over some turmeric and S&P, and bake at 190°C for 30 mins.

When it's got 10 mins left, put the butter in a frying pan to melt, then sauté the mushrooms with a grind of S&P until golden and remove from heat.

When ready, add the broc etc to the frying pan along with the spinach and mix together then serve into a bowl.

Make a dressing of the EVOO etc and pour over, then scatter over the seeds and EAT!

13/07/2022

I appear to have had a prolonged time out lately. Various things have been happening, my brain has been working overtime, thinking, considering, weighing up... it's not been peaceful inside my head.

Taking a step away from social media is always helpful. It reminds you how much you *don't* need it. How much there already is to do in real life. The joy of simplicity.

I've really been craving simplicity lately, even in my breakfasts, would you believe? 😆 This beautiful porridge bowl is from a few weeks ago, before the heat wave hit. I wondered if sharing a porridge recipe was somewhat inappropriate considering the weather, but the cool juiciness of this doughnut nectarine bursting onto the tongue prompted me to, indeed, share.

It's definitely a simple one too. Just simmer 40g jumbo oats in oat milk covering by 2cm until your desired consistency, whilst at the same time toasting a handful of pecans in a dry frying pan. Serve into a biwl and top with slices of doughnut (or round) nectarine, a dollop of almond butter, the pecans, some sliced medjool dates, and finish with a good drizzle of maple syrup 😋

23/06/2022

Anyone else find it hard to choose what meals to plan when the weather gets warmer and you want to eat lighter meals, but they often involve salads and grains, and other ingredients fussy children turn their noses up at?

This absolutely *wonderful* Blueberry, feta and grain salad from is a case in point. For myself and my husband, I made the given recipe. For our boys I placed the separate elements on their plates before I mixed them in a bowl for me and husb. And of course, I didn't include the salad leaves! I did, however, chop up some cherry tomatoes and cucumber, because I was not feeling inventive, and set it aside the grain, toasted walnuts, and blueberries.

My elder son, who used to eat *everything* seemed to writhe in anguish when he saw what was before him 🥴 The younger, who is the typical fusspot, calmly ate most of what was on his plate; he is typically the one who feigns tiredness, rubbing his eyes as a decoy when his plate is still full of food which he doesn't want to eat!

Me and husb gobbled it down. It's a really simple, tasty, satisfying salad, and I broke all the rules by picking a pre-flavoured grain packet - sun-dried tomato mixed grains from which actually goes surprisingly well with the completely opposed flavours in the recipe 😆 I had intended to throw together a load of separate grains from my Kilner jars, but in the end I took the easy option and used the packet which was in the cupboard 😄

So tell me, how do you get around the difficulties of lighter meal ingredients often being ones which children are averse to? Or is it just me? 😅

You can make this delightful salad by searching Blueberry, feta and grain salad Tesco food or following this link 😋

https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/blueberry-feta-and-grain-salad.html

17/06/2022

I follow so many cooking accounts on here that sometimes they can all merge into one 😢

One account which always stands out as utterly unique, though, is 💚 Helen creates the most beautiful, vibrant recipes which are easy to make and really accessible. I often save her posts, but for some reason, I don't frequently refer to the recipes I've saved on Instagram. I'm as guilty as the next person of saving recipes but failing to return to them.

With that in mind, but mainly because these are surely the most striking I've ever seen, I whipped up these Lemon and coconut balls yesterday, as my belated sweet treat for this week.

Energy balls, or whatever you wish to call them, tend to contain dates. Whilst I have no complaint whatsoever about that, the idea of making some which *don't* was quite appealing! These took about five minutes to throw together, and the mixture turned out with such a perfect consistency that they rolled together like a dream 😌

It was also really enjoyable to have energy balls with such a distinctly different flavour. I loved the lemon and coconut combo, and actually rolled half of mine in coconut sugar as well as dessiccated coconut, to finish them off. It was only the thinnest layer, but it added a tiny bit of sweetness which was perfect 👌💛🍋

Check out Helen's reel for the recipe, or follow the link to it in my stories 😄

16/06/2022

Fab family food 😋

This is such an incredibly simple recipe to throw together on a weeknight 😄 I know so many people for whom preparing a meal from scratch is a no-go on a weeknight, but who regret that that's the case and would love to try to fit in more freshly cooked meals.

This old recipe for Tagliatelle with squash, chilli and ricotta from only contains five main ingredients, and could take as little as twenty minutes to get on your plate once you've prepared the squash (see my most recent reel for tips on preparing butternut squash).

The recipe is no longer available on the website, so here's my version of it. I add bacon to mine, but feel free to leave it out if you're veggie.

I give two options for cooking the squash: baking it, which takes longer, or pan-frying it which is the quick version. I just prefer the flavour of baked.

Ingredients (for 3-4)
1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into smallish chunks
2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
7 rashers of smoked streaky bacon (optional)
75g per person of tagliatelle
Handful of parsley
Tub of ricotta
Chilli flakes
Olive oil

EITHER: place the squash in a roasting tin, drizzle with olive oil, grind over salt and pepper, and bake for 45 minutes on 200° fan until golden...

OR: heat a lug of olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat and sauté the squash for around 15 minutes until golden and soft.

Meanwhile, cook the tagliatelle according to pack instructions. It should coincide with around the time of the squash being ready.

Slice the bacon and place in a dry frying pan on a medium-high heat. Sizzle until golden then add the garlic and chilli flakes and sauté for two more minutes until the garlic has coloured but not overdone.

If you don't want to use bacon, simply sauté the garlic and chilli flakes in a splash of olive oil for a couple of mins.

Drain the pasta and place in bowls. Add the squash to the pan with the bacon, and garlic. Mix together then serve onto the pasta. Dollop on some ricotta, sprinkle with some chopped parsley, and finish with a good grind of salt and pepper 😋

Preferably enjoy outside 😁

14/06/2022

Lovely leftovers 🥔🥕🍅🥦

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted a leftovers meal! I made this gorgeous Red quinoa, sweet potato and goat's cheese salad from My New Roots by for a lunch at our church on Sunday, and was very lucky to have some leftover to take home afterwards.

The salad is a very simple affair, comprising sweet potato, peeled, chopped into small cubes, and baked in a drizzle of olive oil with a grind of salt and pepper, til golden; quinoa simmered in chicken stock for 15 minutes or so until the stock has been absorbed; a handful each of fresh mint and coriander; toasted sunflower seeds and pine nuts, all mixed together then crumbled over with soft goat's cheese, and drizzled with the simplest of dressings: equal parts lemon juice and EVOO.

Obviously wanting to slightly reappropriate it for my lunch, I chopped up half an avocado and a handful of cherry tomatoes, and tossed them into the salad with a handful of sultanas. I made a bit of extra dressing with a tbsp of olive oil, tsp of honey, half a tsp each of cinnamon and turmeric, and a tbsp apple cider vinegar. I drizzled this over everything, mixed it in, and massively enjoyed it for my lunch yesterday.

It's definitely something you could just throw together from this paraphrase, including my additions, which, I must say, I really enjoyed 😄 The subtle sweetness of the sultanas lends the whole meal a lift, and I found the cinnamon and turmeric went really well too 😋

10/06/2022

Mmmm 😊 What a delightful meal for such a glorious, if not somewhat windy, evening 🌬

It's the Papaya, halloumi and watercress salad from The Art of Eating Well, one of my favourite cookbooks ever 😄 This time I substituted the papaya for nectarine as I was unable to buy any papaya, but I can usually get it in

It's incredibly simple, but oh-so-flavoursome, so add it to your weekend meal plan if you're still trying to think of what to make.

I'll do a brief paraphrase of the recipe here, but you can also follow the link below to find the full version online.

Chop up some watercress, or some watercress, spinach and rocket salad, and spread onto a platter. Scatter with halved cherry tomatoes, some sliced red onion, sliced avocado, and papaya scooped from its skin. You can use the seeds if you like; they're quite peppery but pleasant 😊

Dry-fry a handful of pine nuts until golden then set aside in a bowl.

Slice a block of halloumi into eight. Add a slice of butter to the now-empty pan, melt over a medium heat, then fry the halloumi on both sides until golden.

Make a dressing from 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 2 tap honey.

Add the halloumi to the platter, scatter with the pine nuts, and drizzle with the dressing. Grind over salt and pepper.

I like to serve this with boiled Charlotte potatoes or other small potato, roughly crushed with a heaped tbsp each of cream cheese and butter, plus salt and pepper.

Deeee-licious 😋

https://www.goodto.com/recipes/hemsley-hemsley-papaya-halloumi-and-watercress-salad

09/06/2022

I love making recipes which are super-easy yet really unexpected 😄 These wonderful pasties fall into that category; they are both sweet and savoury - in one half is a lamb, onion and potato mixture, and in the other half is rhubarb and caster sugar - and they're inspired by the pasties which Cornish tin-miners used to take down the mine.

They're from one of my very old favourite cookbooks, Fruit Everyday by and they are very easily adaptable for fussy eaters in your household.

The pastry is incredibly easy to make and comes together beautifully, and the filling is so utterly simple. There are zero special skills needed... apart, perhaps, from successfully managing to stick the edges of the pastry together once you've put the filling in place 😅

My husband really dislikes the sweet and savoury element, so he has only the lamb mixture in his. My younger son doesn't like meat, so I mix all the ingredients bar the lamb into the savoury mixture, spoon his out, then add the lamb.

If you've never made pastry before, this is a great recipe to start with, because everything else is so simple too.

I'll post some stories to show the process a bit better, but it really is simple, I promise 😊

Ingredients (makes 4)
400g plain flour
Pinch of salt
200g unsalted butter
About 100ml cold milk

250g lamb leg steaks (I bought these in ) cut into small chunks
2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
A good shake of Worcestershire sauce
25g butter, melted

250g rhubarb, trimmed and sliced
2 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 egg
Tbsp chopped rosemary
Flaky sea salt
2 tbsp golden caster sugar

Put the flour, butter and salt in a food processor and blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs (or place in a large bowl and use your fingertips to crumble together).
Add most of the milk and blitz until it comes together, adding more if necessary.

When it's sticking together, bring it into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and set aside, in the fridge if you like.

Heat oven to 180°C.

Place the lamb, potato, onion, butter and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl with some seasoning and stir together well.

Place the rhubarb and sugar in another bowl and combine.

Roll out the pastry to around 4mm thick, then cut out four rounds, using a plate as a template. Re-roll the pastry as necessary.

Set out the rounds, then add the lamb mixture to a quarter of each round, and the rhubarb next to it on the adjacent quarter, leaving a 2cm margin around the pastry edge. Do the same for each round.

Crack and whisk the egg with a fork, apply around the edge of each round, then fold the empty side over and press together evenly using your fingers.

Place the pasties on a lined baking tray, brush the tops with egg, then sprinkle rosemary and flaked sea salt on the lamb sides and caster sugar on the rhubarb sides. Just remember which side is which when you transfer the pasties to the baking tray!

Bake for 40 minutes until golden, then serve as they are. The filling will be *hot* so you may want to allow the pasties to cool for five minutes before starting to eat.

Enjoy! 😋

05/06/2022

I'm seriously considering changing my account name to Cooking for Sausages, considering how many recipes featuring this most versatile of ingredients I seem to post!

The sausage is a humble creature. Many might consider it unworthy of a place in a cook's repertoire, but its ability to impart a wonderfully sweet flavour to the ingredients cooked with it, alongside its ability to satisfy a vast range of pallettes, and the wonderful diversity of sausages available, elevate its status to that of reluctantly desirable.

Over half term we spent four nights camping with friends in the Cotswolds, and whereas I would usually have a couple of meals worth of food in the fridge for our return, this time I prepared nothing, so was subject to whatever usable produce I had left in the fridge, and half a pack of chipolatas left over from camping.

The solution was obvious: a wonderful sausagey tray-bake crammed with an assortment of root and Med veg, drizzled with olive oil, generously ground with salt and pepper, and baked at 200°C for the best part of an hour.

Creative cooking at its best 👌

Here's what I used and what I did:

Peel and cut potatoes and parsnips into chunks, par-boil until starting to soften, then add to a tray with peeled and cut-into-chunks carrots. Drizzle with olive oil, grind over salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

Prepare courgette, peppers and onions in the usual way, cutting them into chunks. Core and slice two apples. Add it all to the tray with the sausages and a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes.

Use a flat wooden spoon to carefully mix the ingredients and coat with olive oil, adding more if necessary, along with extra S&P.

Bake for a further 35-40 minutes until golden and sizzling.

Enjoy a deliciously tasty meal with minimal effort and which everyone will love ❤️

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