Rizopia Organic Brown Rice Pasta – Gluten Free Product Review

I actually bought this product a long time before considering going gluten free because I wanted to find something for Scott’s lunches so that he could still have pasta but a healthier version. This brand is called Rizopia, they make all different types of pastas such as spaghetti, fusilli, wild rice pasta, lasagna sheets etc and I found it in my local health food shop.

Image Source – http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk (click on image to go to website)

Rizopia have a  Zero Tolerance Allergen Free Policy: No Wheat, No Gluten, No Dairy, No Nuts, No Egg, No Fish, No Soy. This means this pasta is pretty much suitable for anyone, unless your allergic to rice! It tastes just the same as pasta, especially once you’ve added your chosen pasta sauce! We couldn’t tell the difference in taste.

We could definitely tell the difference in texture though as once cooked rice pasta is a bit chewy and you can’t achieve the same al dente feel that you can with normal pasta. I found that if you cook it for around 30 minutes then it becomes less chewy and much softer. Also you have to rinse it well, similarly to rice, as I found that it was quite starchy after cooking.

Scott decided he didn’t like it but I have carried on eating it because I think it’s just as nice as normal pasta and it is perfect for when I fancy pasta now I am on my gluten free diet.

Uncooked Brown Rice Penne Pasta

I think the price was a little steep, I paid £4.95 for 500g, which compared to £1.68 for 500g of normal pasta in the supermarket is really expensive however I have found it a bit cheaper online for around £3.95 for 500g which is a bit better. Plus I guess you pay for quality of ingredients and the fact it is organic.

I will definitely be trying different types of gluten free pasta, the one thing I was very aware of when starting this was that I did not want to swap “real” bread and pasta etc for “free from” products which had just replaced the wheat and gluten with chemicals. I was drawn to this pasta because it had very natural ingredients (Brown rice, rice bran and water) and I liked that it was organic.

Cooked Brown Rice Penne Pasta

What gluten free brands have you tried before? What one item (ie bread, pasta, cake) can you simply not live without on your gluten free diet? For example I have not bothered trying gluten free bread yet but I really want some gluten free biscuits

Ras El Hanout, Chickpea and Rice soup: 805 Foods Review

Last month I did a review of 805 Foods Chilli sauces (which you can see here) and I’m now focusing on a different product of theirs, seasonings! These seasonings are not actually for sale through their website yet but they are coming very soon (possibly this weekend!)! They sent me four different flavours and I started with the Ras El Hanout because it is one of my favourite spices to use and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it – Soup!

All Four Seasonings from 805 Foods

I haven’t tasted all of these spices yet but I love the packaging, it’s really clean and simple and it made me excited to get started! I like the fact that there are four regions North, East, South and West so you feel like you’re getting a true taste of Africa. I don’t know much about Africa so I’d like to research a little bit before using the other spices but I have cooked Moroccan styled food quite a bit so I knew that ingredients such as chickpeas and rice would go perfectly with the Ras El Hanout in my soup.

Moroccan Styled Soup with 805 Foods Ras El Hanout Seasoning

When I first tried the soup I thought it wasn’t spicy enough although it tasted fragrant but then the heat slowly came through and it was actually just a perfect balance of spice. I do like things quite hot so I also added three red chillies with their seeds to the soup for that extra kick!

This is kind of another throw it all in soup, I had actually bought the ingredients to make a roasted chickpeas and pumpkin salad but I never got around to making it so I bunged it all in the pan and made it a soup instead! I’m always tempted to add a few cans of chopped tomatoes to my vegetable soups for the richness however I resisted here because I wanted a clear soup where the spices were the stars.

Serves 6 – I didn’t take exact measurements of what I added as I really did just “throw everything in” but I have done a rough guide below. Please make changes as you please!

2 Onions
2 Sticks Celery
3 Carrots
1 small Celeriac
1 Pumpkin/ Butternut Squash
2 Garlic Cloves
2 tblspn Ras El Hanout
2-3 Red Chillies (or less if you don’t like spice! Check the heat of them first by slicing off a thin piece to try)
1 Can Chickpeas
1/2 Cup Rice – I used a basmati and wild rice mix
4 Salad Tomatoes
1.5 litres Water
4-5 Savoy Cabbage leaves
Parsley
Salt and Pepper

To prepare the vegetables – dice the onions and carrots. Slice the celery finely. Peel the celeriac and pumpkin (remove the pumpkins seeds) and chop into small chunks. Peel the garlic cloves.

Heat a little oil in a saucepan (veg or olive oil will be fine) and add your onions, celery, carrots, celeriac, pumpkin and garlic. Cook on a medium heat for 6-8 minutes untill beginning to soften. Then add your spice and the chillies and stir on the heat for another 1-2 minutes untill the vegetables are all nicely coated in the spice.

Add the chickpeas and rice and then add the water and a little salt and pepper. You need enough water to coat the vegetable mix because some of it will get absorbed by the rice and veg. Put a lid on and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

Chop your salad tomatoes and shred your savoy cabbage leaves. Once the 20 minutes is up add the cabbage and tomatoes to the pan, check the water levels of the soup aren’t too dry and also this is a perfect time to check your seasoning. Then put the lid back on and cook for a further 5 minutes. I don’t stir the cabbage into the soup I simply placed it all on top and let it steam, it sinks down into the soup and then when your finished you can give it a good stir.

Make one final check of seasoning and make sure everything is cooked then serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and an accompaniment of your choice (If you like a bread roll with your soup I’d suggest a mini plain naan to compliment the spices)

Do you have a favourite spice? Do you know much about African Cuisine and do you recognise the other spices pictured above? I’d love some suggestions!

Vegan Sausages: Where are you!?!

So I was whipping up dinner last night and we were having an old favourite – Sausage and Bean Casserole (made with baked beans!) from my Weight Watchers vegetarian cookbook and half way through cooking I realised that in my vegan month I won’t be able to eat these sausages! I don’t eat any other meat substitutes such as veggie bacon/ burgers or “chicken” pieces because I don’t really like them but sausages are my go to easy meal.

I would never have even thought about quorn as being a non vegan product untill someone told me that it is made with eggs. So I decided to do a little google search for vegan sausages available in the supermarket in the UK and well I couldn’t find many. Instead I’ll have to try to get to a health food shop as well as my supermarket, luckily I found a great health food shop around the corner from my work so I really really hope they stock some of these brands! Here are some of the brands I’ve found which I would like to try:

Linda McCartney Foods – Vegan Sausages:

“Vegetarian sausages made from a blend of seasoned cereal and vegetable protein. Vegan friendly, contains – gluten, wheat and sulphur dioxide”

Linda McCartney Sausages

I see these sausages in the supermarket all the time and I had never realised they were vegan! I will definitely be trying these and fingers crossed they’re a tasty alternative to my favourite Cauldron Quorn sausages. The pack makes them look appealing and it’s nice to see they can brown up nicely.

You can buy these from all the major supermarkets as well as Holland and Barrett’s, how did I miss this!

Fry’s Traditional Sausages:

“Egg, dairy, garlic, onion, nut and cholesterol free with no artificial preservatives, flavorings or colorings and no hydrogenated fats or GMO ingredients. FRY’s Traditional Sausages are approved by The Vegan Society and The Vegetarian Society and they are Kosher, Shuddha and Halaal.”

Fry’s Sausages

The photo on the box doesn’t look very appealing to me, my quorn sausages are speckled with herbs which I’ve always loved but these look a bit pasty. I haven’t tasted them yet though so I won’t judge by the photo. I understand there are onion and garlic allergy sufferers but I’m thinking the lack of those flavours might take from the flavour. Has anyone tried these?

You can buy these sausages in Holland and Barrett or health food stores so hopefully will be easy to find and try!

Taifun Organic Grill Sausages:

“Organic, Free From Genetically Modified Ingredients, Organic, Suitable for Vegans”

Taifun Sausages

I’ve enjoyed Taifun products in the past, such as their basil tofu, so I’d definitely like to try these. They look like a funny colour but maybe when they have been browned up in a pan or under the grill they may look more appealing. Not sure 4 in a pack will go far in my house but they look quite big so maybe you need less sausages for one portion.

I like that they are organic and it will be interesting seeing the texture since they are made from tofu. Also look at that lovely speckled herby effect! Yum!

You can buy these from Waitrose and health food stores.

Redwood Veggideli Sausages:

“Free From Animal Products, Free From Artificial Colourings, Free From Artificial Preservative, Cholesterol Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, GMO Free, Free From Hydrogenated Fats/Oils, Meat Free”

Redwoods Gourmet Lincolnshire Sausages

These sausages actually look pretty good, I’ve seen them before in the health food shop and they’re not too expensive. I think the photo of the sausages is a little misleading because at first glance it looks like they’re herby and spiced but then you realise that’s the gravy!

You can buy these online at Redwoods website or from health food shops.

So after a little research it turns out maybe I won’t be going without my bangers and mash after all. I mean who could get through bonfire season without eating sausages!!! I may even find a brand which I like so much that even after my vegan month I will continue to eat them over the quorn products.

I haven’t included some other sausage products I found such as vegan continental sliced sausage or vegan chorizo because that’s not really what I like to eat but there are brands out there so do look out for them if you fancy a vegan pepperoni pizza.

Do you have a favourite brand of vegan sausage? Have I missed any brands? Have you tried any of these?

Product Review – ’805 Foods’ Hot Chilli Sauces

I was contacted by 805 foods a couple of weeks ago about reviewing some of their sauces, I don’t usually do a lot of product reviews but this brand caught my eye because their flavours were punchy and the ingredients list was short and natural. I was kindly sent the sauces through the post and also a link to some recipes on their website to give suggestions for how best to use the sauces. But being a food blogger I thought I’d come up with my own

The sauces are suitable for vegetarians (and vegans), gluten free, free from additives, preservatives and artifical colours.

The Original Hot Monika Sauce has a very strong flavour and a real kick to it! The first thing I did when I received the pack was open it up and stick a spoon in to try it. I really should have taken a smaller spoonful because it did nearly blow my head off however the chilli hit was soon smoothed out by the softer peppery tomato flavour. On their website it says the sauces are pre cooked so they can be eaten straight from the pot as a dip or condiment however I knew straight away I wanted to heat this up for a nice warming spicy dinner.

Tofu Steaks cooked in Hot Monika Sauce served with Sweet potato wedges ands Broccoli

I sliced my Tofu and pressed it to make it firm, then heated some oil in a pan and started off by frying the tofu for a few minutes on each side. Then I spread some sauce on one side and after a few minutes I flipped the tofu over and added some more sauce to the other side. Once the tofu was nice and browned and the sauce was hot I served it up with some sweet potato wedges and some broccoli (to help balance out the spice). The tofu and the hot sauce were a perfect match and balanced each other out perfectly.

I enjoyed cooking with this sauce as I liked the strong colours and chilli kick, my only downside was the oil content which I felt slightly over powered the taste of the sauce. After mentioning this to 805 Foods they explained that they add in slightly more oil because they use no preservatives so one suggestion would be to seperate off some of the oil and use it as a flavoured chilli oil. I think this would be much better as (like many people would) I just poured it straight from the tub and had to blot up the oil!

Over all though this is a delicious and versatile sauce. Next I tried the Bell and Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce! I dipped a spoon into this one almost immediately after the Hot Monika sauce so it may be because my mouth was already on fire but I thought it was slightly less in your face with more of a growing warming spicy edge to it. It was a much cleaner flavour with plenty of chilli and again a nice simple ingredients list. This one was definitely my favourite.

There were plenty of things I’d like to cook with this sauce (for example I could imagine using it to make a spicy toastie with some spinach and tofu) but for now I decided it would be a perfect way to spice up one of my favourite side dishes. Usually I make this dish more mediterreanean with some basil and paprika but it worked perfectly with the scotch bonnet chillies.

Pepper and Onion Stew flavoured with Bell and Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce

In a large deep frying pan heat some oil and gently fry thin slices of  1 onion and 3 peppers (I used 2 red and 1 green pepper). Once softened stir in around 3 tablespoons of the 805 sauce and 1 can tomatoes. Continue to cook untill the sauce has thickened and the peppers are nice and soft. Serve along side some spicy tofu, with a cous cous or rice dish or even in a jacket potato.

I really liked the Bell and Scotch Bonnet sauce, it had a deep chilli flavour and worked well with sweeter flavours such as peppers. I like their slogan too “Foods for a better living”.

They also sell a creamy Garlic and Herb dip and are soon to bring out some spice seasonings which will compliment their sauces and bring a different edge to their product range.

Graze: Nature Delivered! Product Review

Firstly I should just point out that I was not sent any free Graze boxes or contacted in any way by Graze, I just enjoyed writing the last product review on Pelagonia’s Pumpkin Jam so thought I’d go ahead and do another one

I have known about Graze for a while now but I resisted ordering it because I thought it would just be extra money being spent on food that we don’t need. Then I realised that my snacking patterns would probably benefit from having a healthy option handy at all times – especially because I am usually starving when I get in from work and I always reach for some toast and peanut butter! Well that has now stopped and I am instead eating a handful of nuts or fruits!

 

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you who don’t know Graze is a company which sell healthy snacks such as crackers, seeds and nuts delivered once a week. They only deliver to the UK however please still have a look because some of the combinations of flavours are really fun and would be great in a home made flapjack etc! The food is delivered in a box which fits perfectly through the letter box (so none of those annoying red post office letters saying they called but you weren’t in even though you were!) and within the box are 4 punnets with a variety of treats ready to be ‘grazed’!

I signed up to receive the Graze box after buying a Groupon deal but I have since kept it going because I realised I actually do need this service in my life (I do!!!) and also you pay per week so there is no pressure if you’re feeling a bit tight for money one week! I have mine delivered on a Monday and the first week I excitedly demolished the box within a day (= an hour) but I now sensibly open one punnet at a time and so far the longest it has lasted me is 4 days!

I also assumed that it was just fruits, seed and nut mixes however the creativity of the graze box has got me hooked! Here are a few of my favourite flavour combinations which really took me by suprise:

Jaffa Cake: Roasted hazelnuts, Dark Chocolate Buttons and Orange infused Sultanas

This is seriously delicious and probably my favourite so far! Take a little bit of each element and pop it all in your mouth to get the full effect! Healthier and more filling than a real jaffa cake.

Pina Colada: Coconut, Mango and Pineapple

This was on the edge of being too sweet for me however the coconut just balanced it perfectly! It’s just missing the rum

Pear Tatin: Pear, Raspberry infused Cranberries, Yoghurt coated sunflower seeds and Almonds

Again this is a good one to eat a bit of everything all at once, although me and Scott did pick out some of the yoghurt covered sunflower seeds to munch on because they were soo good!

Here are some of my favourite boxes which have something a little different or fun:

Banana Cake with an Afternoon Tea Infusion:

I took this into work with me and felt very extravagant having a tea and cake break – although I had mine mid morning not afternoon because I couldn’t wait!

Green Olives with Basil and Garlic

When I saw I had received olives I thought “oh that’s nice but I do eat olives quite a bit so I’m not that bothered” and then when I tried them I nearly gobbled the whole lot down! I haven’t ever had basil olives before but they are delicious and so very very morish! Luckily I got them again this week

Vanilla Seeds

These look boring but they are PACKED with vanilla flavour and have a lovely texture. I like to suck the vanilla flavour off then eat the seed but that’s just me…..

And last but not least -

Wasapeas!!

These are some of my favourite snacks so I was really happy to see them in the selection! I like seeing how many I can eat without my head exploding

Anyway there is my round up of my favourite Graze Box options so far, I imagine in 6 weeks I’ll have a tonne more! That’s if I keep remembering to photograph them before they disappear! I’m very hungry after writing all of that, luckily I have this weeks graze box to keep me going

ps I just wanted to point out my gorgeous plates that I got from a charity shop for 20p each!!! I am always hunting for nice little plates and bowls to make my food look even prettier and it just goes to show what treasures are out there – although I do now have a lot of mis matched plates

Pelagonia Pumpkin Jam – Product review and recipes

I was sent a free jar of Pumpkin Jam from Pelagonia (after a few twitter conversations about how amazing it looked!) and although they didn’t ask me to do a product review I’m a food blogger so I can’t help myself! Here is a link to their website where you can see how to buy the jam and other products in their range – here!

The first thing I thought when I received the jam was how amazing the colour was, it’s so vibrant and bright! I wondered if there was anything unnatural in the jam to enhance the colour but the only ingredients are pumpkin, sugar, orange and raisins so this was an added bonus to me.

The next thing to do obviously was try the jam! I spread it on a slice of toast….this is what your meant to do with jam right? I’ll be honest I haven’t eaten a slice of toast with jam in years! It looks so lovely and bright and when I tasted it it was light and very sweet. It’s hard to describe but the jam had a savoury note of pumpkin with a rich sweetness coming through which balanced it out. I really liked it but the only criticism I have is that I think more than one slice of toast would be a bit sickly sweet, however that is my own opinion as I don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

I also tried this jam in a few other ways and I think using it with other flavours works extremely well. I loved how it could be used a sweet or savoury (something they point out on the jar).

The first thing I tried was to make a crostini/ canape with a slice of baguette, some spinach leaves, pumpkin jam and some feta cheese. I piled it all on to the baguette and put it under the grill for a few minutes to toast the edges of the bread and to melt the cheese slightly. I love feta because it’s quite salty and when grilled it goes gooey inside but still keeps its shape. Not only did these look pretty I think the flavour combinations were very good! The pumpkin jam was not lost under the feta, infact the sweetness and saltiness were a nice combination.

Second I tried a sweet recipe – porridge made with raisins and dried cranberries (I make my porridge with water not milk), then I stirred a tablespoon or two of jam into the hot porridge and sprinkled grated dark chocolate on the top. This was amazing! The raisins and cranberries gave a nice texture and bursts of sweetness, the pumpkin jam gave a different kind of sweetness and became almost gooey with the heat of the porridge and the chocolate melted and was slightly bitter balancing out the jam! I have to say this is one of the nicest breakfasts which didn’t include eggs on toast that I have had in a long time!

They have other chutneys, roasted peppers and jams which all look equally a nice! So thank you Pelagonia for the jam, I had a lot of fun trying it and will definitely enjoy whats left of the jar