Miscellaneous - Travels for Taste

Pomegranate, caramelised Walnut and baby Kale salad

December 13, 2014 by manjirichitnis 49 Comments

The first time I discovered Hotel Chocolat was when my friend, fellow book worm, tea enthusiast, and impromptu hogging fest companion ND and me collapsed into a warm cosy corner of the beautiful Hotel Chocolate cafe’/ shop at Borough Market ( why not read about what we did, what we ate and discover the sights and sounds of our visit with my blog posts here?)

It was love at first taste for me and ever since I have adored the fabulously creative chocolates from Hotel Chocolat. But did you know that they also make a whole range of delicious products like spreads, drinking chocolates, pasta, pesto, sauces, and even chilli oil all infused with cocoa and chocolate? There is a whole world of both sweet and savoury dishes that can be prepared by adding an extra touch of elegance and decadence with Hotel Chocolat products.

I was sent a bottle of the Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Balsamic packaged in a beautiful bag for review.

I made a filling, colourful wintery salad using some fresh ingredients and the result was this gorgeously delicious salad!

Here is my easy recipe for :

Pomegranate,caramelised Walnut and baby Kale salad with Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Balsamic

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 small red onion sliced lengthwise
5- 6 smoked ham sliced fine
1/2 a pack of baby kale leaves
1/2 a pack of baby spinach leaves
1 small or 1/2 a big avocado
2 heaped tbsp pomegranate seeds
a small handful of walnuts
2 tsp heaped Gran Luchito Chilli Honey
Generous sloshes of Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Balsamic
1 small juicy red tomato sliced into circular discs
A handful of cherry tomatoes
Smoked Austrian cheese
1 boiled egg

Feel free to substitute the smoked ham with shredded chicken or chicken sausages, for a vegetarian version why not add boiled baby potatoes halved instead of meat?

Method:

In a small vessel add enough water to place the egg into to boil.
Heat a pan on medium heat, when the pan is hot add the chilli jam and throw in the walnuts and stir with a wooden spatula to coat the melting chilli jam on the walnuts. Reduce the flame to a minimum, DO NOT allow the chilli jam to smoke or burn. The caramelised walnuts are done in under a minute. Set aside to cool.

Remove the egg from the boiled water, and hold it under running water, when the eggshell has cooled, peel it, halve and set aside.
Chop the red onion lengthwise, and the tomato into circular discs and halve the cherry tomatoes.
If the baby kale and baby spinach leaves are not washed, add them to a sieve and wash them under running tap water.
Then put the leaves in a huge salad bowl and add generous sloshes of Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Balsamic.
On a huge plate or platter place the seasoned leaves and then place the smoked ham and cheese slices.
Then place the avocado slices, tomato discs and cherry tomato halves.
Scatter the pomegranate seeds and the caramelised walnuts on top.
With a wooden spatula, scrape off the remaining caramelised Gran Luchito chilli honey and scatter on the salad.
Again drizzle the Hotel Chocolat Cocoa Balsamic on top of the salad and serve immediately.

The tender roasted cocoa nibs soaked in Italian balsamic vinegar, create a rounded flavour that’s fabulous with avocado, tomatoes, smoked ham and smoked cheese. The caramelised walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds give this winter salad a great crunch and the chilli honey plays hide and seek with your taste buds. The baby kale leaves have a mild and pleasant taste and the spinach works as the good stuff for blood purification thanks to its high iron content.

This salad is fresh, wholesome and healthy as kale is associated with a whole host of health benefits. It contains Vitamin K, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fibre and carotenoids and 45 — different flavonoids with a variety of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

Now for the fabulously FESTIVE GIVEAWAY OF A GOODY BAG FROM HOTEL CHOCOLAT

One lucky winner gets a beautiful Hotel Chocolat gift bag with the following products:

Hotel Chocolat Chilli and cocoa oil
Hotel Chocolat cocoa pasta
Hotel Chocolat cocoa pesto

Hotel Chocolat Chilli and cocoa finishing oil

A special recipe used by Hotel Chocolat chefs in their Boucan restaurant in Saint Lucia – extra-virgin olive oil rounded by rich notes of cocoa nibs and beans, with a kick of red chilli. Shake to wake the chilli flakes, then drizzle and dress lightly over chicken, fish, pasta, pizza and roast vegetables. Try crushing the cocoa for some fabulous bread-dipping.

Hotel Chocolat cocoa pasta

Durum wheat penne with unsweetened cocoa, as made by chefs at our Boucan restaurant in Saint Lucia and recommended by Nigella Lawson. Ideal for adding a thrill to dishes both savoury and sweet. As used by Nigella Lawson in her chocolate pasta with caramel and pecans recipe, and Hotel Chocolat’s very own Chocolate Pasta with Pesto recipe.

Hotel Chocolat cocoa pesto

Outstanding with pasta, risotto, salad, blinis, crusty bread, cold meats or straight from the jar as a dip: rough-chopped basil, crunchy pine nuts, Italian cheese and nutty roast cocoa nibs. A favourite from Hotel Chocolat’s Boucan kitchen in Saint Lucia.

1-Hotel Chocolat Balsamic Vinegar salad RESIZED

How to enter the giveaway:

You too could WIN a GOODY BAG from Hotel Chocolat PACKED with exciting products from the cocoa cuisine range, all you have to do is :

Like my Facebook page and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
Follow me on Twitter – @manjirichitnis
Tweet out the following – #HOTELCHOCOLATGIVEAWAY #WIN @HotelChocolat GOODY BAG with @manjirichitnis, winter salad recipe bit.ly/1smP3Kv
Leave a comment below telling me which type of chocolates do you like most and your Facebook name used to like my FB page. I will find you on Twitter via the hashtag so it’s not required for you to mention your Twitter handle in the comments. Do not share your email id in the comments, please.

Please have a read through the Terms and Conditions below:

Winners will be picked using Random Number Generator.
The deadline for entering this contest is 8th January 2015 midnight GMT.
Entry is open only to residents of the U.K except for Scotland and Ireland.
All entrants must be 18 years old and above.
One lucky winner will be chosen using a random number generator.
The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post. Neither Hotel Chocolat nor I are liable for any damage to the hamper and/or its contents in transit.
Please allow a minimum of 25 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later. The goody bags will be sent directly by Hotel Chocolat.
The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who does not complete all the 3 steps mentioned above.
The winner will be notified on 9th January 2015 on Twitter by me and here on my blog post. I shall tag the winner on Twitter via their Twitter id. If you are declared as the winner you agree to allow me and Hotel Chocolat to contact you via email id to arrange for the goody bag to be sent out to you.
If the winner fails to respond by 15th January 2015 then another winner will be chosen via Random Number Generator.

CONGRATULATIONS to the LUCKY winner of this fabulous GIVEAWAY of a GOODY BAG from Hotel Chocolat PACKED with exciting products from the cocoa cuisine range !!!

AND The lucky winner is *DRUMROLLS* …….

Mark Johnson – Twitter id @tubbyjpin

Please get in touch with me at fruitsnveg@yahoo.com

THANK YOU to everyone who participated and keep following my posts for more exciting competitions!

*With thanks to Hotel Chocolat and the PR team for arranging the fabulous gifts and beautiful Hotel Chocolat goody bag and sending me a sample of Hotel Chocolate Cocoa Balsamic for review. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. References Wiki & Herald Tribune.

While you are here why not have a look at the other giveaways on my blog and increase your chances of winnings cool freebies!?!

CLOSED Win one of TWO Goody Bags from KNORR packed with 2x of EACH Knorr flavour pots and stock cubes to participate click here – CLOSED
CLOSED Win a box of Chef Inspirations Saveurs Du Monde Box of 16 chocolates from Godiva, to participate click here– CLOSED
CLOSED WIN 5 delicious sauces from the WORLDFOODS Asian Fusion Flavour Sauces, to participate click here CLOSED

Easy three peppercorn Baked fish recipe, Knorr Giveaway – Closed

December 7, 2014 by manjirichitnis 48 Comments

After the masterclass with Master Chef Marco Pierre White, where he cooked us steak in Knorr Beef stock cube and served it with a creamy three peppercorn sauce – I was hooked onto the taste of the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pot. This mix of 3 peppercorns will add a depth of flavour to your dishes. Whether used in a straightforward steak sauce or a luxury pork stroganoff, this little pot will instantly add a touch of indulgence to your meal.

Unilever has agreed to Giveaway TWO lucky winners a chance to WIN one of TWO goody bags PACKED to the brim with Knorr flavour pots and stock cubes. These stock pots have been created by Chef Cameron Healy who is part of a team of dedicated professional chefs, based at Knorr Headquarters, who work together to develop Knorr’s culinary creations, with good food, convenience and innovation as the main thought process behind these products.

As you know by now I love seafood and I simply cannot resist buying fresh fish. Last week on my way home from work I saw fresh herring at the supermarket and just had to bring home some for dinner. I wanted a very light quick and easy fish dish which I could have with a heavy creamy soup so I rustled up this easy baked fish. Since we were already going to consume a creamy soup I wanted to avoid using single cream to make any gravy sauce.

This baked fish recipe is a super quick and easy meal idea with very few ingredients and makes for a delicious meal. Served with a fresh leafy baby kale and cherry tomato salad it makes a refreshingly light choice. No oil is used in this dish and though the butter is 2 tbsp it is the only thing that you will add other than the flavour pot. Besides Herring are very high in the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, they are also a source of vitamin D.

A low – calorie meal for two readies in under 25 minutes – can it get any better? Think not!

I have used the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pot that was in my goody bag which all loggers received at the end of a day packed with masterclasses spent at the Unilever headquarter in the U.K at Leatherhead.

If you love cooking with the flavour of fresh herbs and spices, but prefer the convenience of dried, Knorr flavour pots allow you to create delicious meals infused with aromatic and fresh flavours in no time at all AND with the very same convenience that dried products offer.

Knorr three peppercorn Baked fish recipe

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

2 whole herrings fresh – with the head and tail removed.
Smoked sea salt
1 and half Knorr three peppercorn flavour pots
1 large red onion finely chopped
2 heaped tbsp butter
1 bay leaf
3- 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

Method:

Pre-Heat the oven to 180 °C. Keep the butter out so that it is not straight from the fridge
Wash the herring fish under running tap water. I asked the fishmonger to slit it through the middle and clean it from inside for me after removing the head and the tail.
Place the fish on baking parchment in a baking tray and sprinkle liberally with Maldon smoked sea salt.

Wrap the parchment to make a neat parcel.

Bake the fish in the oven for 20 minutes at 180 °C.
Meanwhile, heat a heavy-bottom pan on medium heat.
When the pan is at add 2 heaped tbsp of butter.
Add in the bay leaf and then finely chopped onion and finely chopped garlic with skins. Then add in the Knorr three peppercorn flavour pots and cook until the onion has gone soft.

Once the fish has been baked, remove from the oven and allow for the steam to escape.

When you can hold the fish in your hand without scalding remove the skin which should come of pretty easily and remove the bone, it comes straight off which is great, one clean sweep. Don’t worry if the fish falls apart, it will still taste amazing!
Plate each fish onto 2 plates.

Place the onion onto the fish and serve with baby kale and chopped cherry tomatoes. If you wish to sprinkle some sea salt on the salad leaves.

WIN one of TWO goody bags PACKED to the brim with Knorr flavour pots and stock cubes

Each GOODY BAG from KNORR contains :

2 x Mexican Flavour Pot
2x Garden Herbs Flavour Pot
2 x Paprika Flavour Pot
2x Ginger and Lemongrass Flavour Pot
2x Curry Flavour Pot
2x Garlic Flavour Pot
2x Mixed Chillies Flavour Pot
2x Fish Stock Cube
2x Pork Stock Cube
2x Ham Stock Cube
2 x Chicken Stock Pot
2 x Beef Stock Pot
2 x Veg Stock Pot

How to enter the giveaway:

You too could WIN ONE of TWO of these GOODY BAGS from KNORR PACKED with exciting products from the flavour pots and stock sauces range, all you have to do is :

Follow me on twitter – @manjirichitnis
Like my Facebook page and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
Follow me on Instagram
Tweet out the following – #KNORRGIVEAWAY #WIN with @manjirichitnis 1 of 2 GOODY BAGS with @knorr Flavour Pots & Stock Cubes, Baked fish recipe bit.ly/1s9fRYW
Leave a comment below telling me which is your favourite herb, your Facebook name used to like my FB page, your Instagram handle. I will find you on twitter via the hashtag so it’s not required for you to mention your twitter handle in the comments. Do not share your email id in the comments, please.

Please have a read through the Terms and Conditions below:

Winners will be picked using Random Number.
Deadline for entering this contest is 15th January’ 2015 midnight GMT.
Entry is open only to residents of the U.K except for Scotland and Ireland.
All entrants must be 18 years old and above.
Two lucky winners will be chosen using a random number generator.
The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post. Neither Knorr or I am liable for any damage of hamper and / or contents in transit.
Please allow a minimum of 15 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later. The goody bags will be sent directly by Knorr.
The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who does not complete all the 3 steps mentioned above.
The winner will be notified on 16th January’ 2015 on Twitter by me and here on my blog post. I shall tag the 2 winners on Twitter via their twitter ids. If you are declared as the winner you agree to allow me and Knorr to contact you via email id to arrange for the goody bag to be sent out to you.
If the TWO winners fail to respond by 18th January’ 2015 then other winners will be chosen.

*With thanks to Unilever and the Knorr PR team for arranging the fabulous gifts for the two goody bags. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. References Wiki.

While you are here why not have a look at the other giveaways on my blog and increase your chances of winnings cool freebies!?!

Win one beautiful Hotel Chocolat gift bag with fabulous cocoa cuisine products, to participate click here.
CLOSED Win a box of Chef Inspirations Saveurs Du Monde Box of 16 chocolates from Godiva, to participate click here– CLOSED.
CLOSED Win 5 delicious sauces from the WORLDFOODS Asian Fusion Flavour Sauces, to participate click here – CLOSED.

NO WASTE FOOD CHALLENGE – November 2014

November 7, 2014 by manjirichitnis 15 Comments

Growing up aai (Mum in Marathi) was always quite good at salvaging leftovers and saving the not-so-attractive beans lying in a corner of the refrigerator tray and making some exotic recipe of her. This habit of not chucking things in the bin or mindlessly stocking up the fridge has stayed with me and thankfully so.

Some of the statistics I read about food wastage made me shed tears … Can you guess how many tonnes of food ends up in landfill every year in the U.K?

A staggering 18 million tonnes! If this is not a criminal waste of food then I don’t know what is. ”Food Poverty” is a very real issue and there are a number of charitable organisations that promote the cause of stopping food wastage. One such campaign known as Love Food Hate Waste inspired Kate over at Turquoise Lemons to start No Waste Food Challenge in a bid to encourage others to do the same.

This challenge is now hosted by the lovely Elizabeth of Elizabeths Kitchen Diary and will be guest hosted by me this month.

It is a simple linky and there are some basic rules to keep in mind while participating:

1. Please link up your url using the linky at the bottom of this post.
2. Feel free to republish old posts just make sure you add a link to the current challenge and add the challenge badge (the blue badge at the top of this post).
3. Make sure you link up before the end of the month (that’s 11.55 pm GMT, 30th November 2014)!
4. Posts will be added to the No Waste Food Challenge Pinterest Board to help spread the food waste prevention love!
5. Please make sure your post includes a link back to Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary and Travelsfortaste.
6. Tweet @TangoRaindrop and @manjirichitnis with the tag #NoWasteFoodChallenge and we will retweet all that we see.

No Waste Food November 2014

This is a Blog Hop!

Grab the linky HERE

Powered by Linky Tools

http://www.linkytools.com/wordpress_list.aspx?id=243212&type=thumbnail ’’>Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Kadhai Chicken Masala

November 3, 2014 by manjirichitnis 116 Comments

As the nights close in, Indian comfort food tops my list of things I crave. And nothing spells comfort food louder than a warming curry and some rice with some spicy kebabs on the side. The problem is when these craving hit mid-week and I am simply too exhausted to make elaborate meals. That’s when I turn to my store cupboard for some help.

Loyd Grossman has come up with a new Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce which I was sent to review along with some delicious naan , a bottle of Chicken Tikka Masala and boil in the bag Basmati rice all packaged in this beautiful box !

I wanted to create something easy to make using the Mint Masala Gravy sauce and came up a recipe for Minty Chicken Masala Kadhai – best served with some buttery warm naan!

Kadhai Chicken Masala

Manjiri Chitnis

Minty Kadhai Chicken in a delicious masala

5 from 13 votes

Print Recipe

Prep Time 2 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Fusion Indian

Servings 2 people

Equipment

Pan
Knife and chopping board

Ingredients

450 grams Diced chicken breast
Loyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala
1 medium-sized red onion
2 tsp Umami paste
2 Bay leaves
2 Dried Kashmiri red chillies
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Butter for the naans
1 tbsp Oil
2 Sprays Oil for greasing the griddle pan
1 Boiled egg
1/2 Red onion sliced lengthwise to serve with the naan

Instructions

Wash and cut the chicken breasts into cubes
Coat the chicken with 300 gm of the Lloyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala for about 30 minutes
The yoghurt in the Mint Masala speeds up the way the spices are absorbed into the chicken
Chop the red onion fine
Heat the oil in a saucepan and when it is hot add the bay leaves and red chillies and sauté till the bay leaf begins to change colour, then add the onions.
Sauté the onions till they turn pink and reduce
Then add some of the umami paste and 2 large tbsp of the Lloyd Grossman Limited Edition Mint Masala gravy sauce and sauté for 2 minutes on a low flame
Keep stirring to ensure the onion does not burn. Season with salt
Take off the flame and set aside
After 30 minutes heat the griddle pan till it’s very hot and place on medium heat.
Spray some oil onto the griddle pan, it will sizzle and smoke
Drop the marinated chicken cubes on the pan
‘Bruise’ the chicken cubes on the pan till they are grilled, flip and grill on the other side.
Repeat until chicken cooks through
Ensure chicken pieces are not too large as they will remain raw in the middle
Once cooked add them into the sautéed onion thick gravy sauce
Mix well and sauté on a very low flame for half a minute
To serve heat some butter on a large pan and heat the naan till they are soft and buttery
Transfer the Minty chicken kadhai into the shiny balti serving dish and place the halved boiled egg on top

Keyword Kadhai Chicken

The fresh flavours of the minty gravy sauce are enhanced by the delicious umami onion gravy. Lap up the thick gravy and juicy ,tasty grilled chicken cubes with the soft warm naan, scooping up some of the soft boiled yolk as well… ummmmm

Vegetarians needn’t feel disappointed . Try the same recipes using Paneer or Indian cottage cheese, only thing is while ‘bruising’ the paneer on the griddle pan it has to be handled gently so as not to break the cubes and also while mixing it into the thick onion gravy it should be mixed with care.

GIVEAWAY for 2 LUCKY WINNERS !

WIN ONE OF TWO Loyd Grossman GIFT HAMPERS!

Each Gift Hamper contains LIMITED EDITION Loyd Grossman Mint Masala – 1 bottle , Loyd Grossman Chicken Tikka Masala 1 bottle, Pack of 4 naans from Loyd Grossman , one packet with 4 boil in the bag basmati rice pouches and a SHINY new BALTI serving dish – dishwasher proof.

How to enter the giveaway:

You too could WIN ONE of TWO of these beautiful hampers from Loyd Grossman , all you have to do is :

Follow me on twitter – @manjirichitnis
Tweet out the following – WIN 1 of 2 LIMITED EDITION @loydfood Mint Masala Hampers with @manjirichitnis, Minty Chicken Masala Kadhai recipe bit.ly/1wrEdSD
Leave a comment below telling me what is your favourite Indian food

Please have a read through the Terms and Conditions below:

Winners will be picked using Random Number.
Deadline for entering this contest is 8th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
Entry is open only to residents of the U.K except Scotland and Ireland.
All entrants must be 18 years old and above.
Two lucky winners will be chosen using random number generator.
The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post. Neither Lloyd Grossman or I am liable for any damage of hamper and / or contents in transit.
Please allow a minimum of 15 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later.
The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who do not complete all the 3 steps mentioned above.
The winner will be notified on 9th Nov’14 on Twitter by me and here on my blog post. I shall tag the 2 winners on Twitter via their twitter id’s . If you are declared as the winner you agree to allow me and Lloyd Grossman to contact you via email id to arrange for the gift hamper to be sent out to you.
If the TWO winners fail to respond BY 12th Nov’14 then other winners will be chosen.

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2 LUCKY winners of this fabulous GIVEAWAY of LIMITED EDITION Loyd Grossman Mint Masala Gift Hampers!!!

AND The lucky winners are: *DRUMROLLS* …….

Claire Wilkinson – Twitter id @claire_wilko83

Michelle – Twitter id @mshell1231

*With thanks to Loyd Grossman for sending me a complimentary Loyd Grossman LIMITED EDITION Mint Masala Hamper . No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Spiced Pomegranate cocktail recipe

October 21, 2014 by manjirichitnis 49 Comments

Pomegranates – have always been tempted to buy them off the wooden fruit vendor handcarts at street markets in Mumbai. Growing up my mum would keep me engaged in her kitchen by assigning me the important job of peeling the fruit and collecting the shiny ruby red juicy insides in a clean bowl – waiting to be sprinkled over her many creations.

In supermarkets shelves here in London, it reminds me of home and I cannot resist buying the peeled ones for salads but making pomeo juice at home has always resulted in a rather messy end result.

Now highly coveted as a highly nutritious super food, packed with antioxidant vitamins C and K, minerals, antioxidants, and other unique plant phytochemicals – pomegranates are firmly a delicious part of our modern day diet.

POM Wonderful sent me a cute cocktail kit and I came up with this recipe for a warming cocktail with a kick of chilli :). My complimentary kit contains a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, ice-cube maker and bag of Wonderful pistachios.

POM Wonderful warming cocktail recipe

Serves :1 – Double up measurements for 2

Ingredients

250ml or 1 cup freshly squeezed pomegranate juice* or

Preparation

Shake all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker and add a few of the chilli seeds from the split green chilli.
Place a slit green chilli on the side of the glass and add a long stem sprig of mint inside the glass for garnish and style
Serve chilled.

TOP TIP from me: Chill the washed and dried cocktail glasses in the freezer for about 20 minutes before serving – the frozen glaze on the glass will look beautiful and the cocktail will stay cooler for longer allowing you to sip and enjoy your drink longer.

POM Wonderful COCKTAIL X 3 Giveaway

POM Wonderful have agreed to give 3 of my lucky readers one POM Wonderful Cocktail Kit each. Each kit will contain a cocktail shaker, measuring beaker, 2 cocktail glasses, a cocktail muddler, 2 stirrers, an ice-cube maker, and a bag of Wonderful pistachios.

How to enter the giveaway:

STEP 1: Leave a comment on this blog post telling me which is your favourite cocktail
STEP 2: Like my Facebook page – travelsfortaste and leave your Facebook name as part of your comment.
STEP 3: Follow me on Instagram (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) and leave your Instagram handle as part of your comment
STEP 4: Follow me on Twitter (click on the hyperlink to find me on Instagram) AND Tweet out the following (simply copy and paste !) #Win a #COCKTAILKIT from @pomwondeful enter at #sliceoffme blog http://bit.ly/1CStoJ9 #giveaway #sliceoffmelovesPOM

(I will find you on twitter via the hashtag #sliceoffmelovesPOM , so it’s not required for you to mention your Twitter id in the comments)

I will be verifying entries ,please ensure that you follow all of the of the above 4 steps , any step missed and you will be disqualified. All the steps are mandatory!

Please have a read through the T&C’s – will take just a teeny weeny minute !

Terms and Conditions:

Deadline for entering this contest is 30th November ‘2014 midnight GMT.
Entry is open only to residents of the U.K and all entrants must be 18’s old and above.
THREE lucky winners will be chosen using random number generator.
The giveaway prize is as mentioned in the post and will be sent directly as a free delivery to the winner by POM Wonderful and I, Manjiri, accept no responsibility for any disputes.
Please allow a minimum of 28 days for delivery of the prize, which may reach earlier or later and is the sole responsibility of POM.
The prize is as stated: no cash alternatives are available.
I retain the right to DISQUALIFY any entrant who do not complete all the 4 steps mentioned above.
The winner will be notified within 15 days of the closing date via the email id provided by the entrant .Winners names will be announced on this blog post and by me via Twitter. If you are declared as the winner you agree and allow me to pass on your email id to POM , and agree and allow POM and me to contact you to notify you in case you win.
If the THREE winners fail to respond within 15 days then other winners will be chosen.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 3 WINNERS WHO HAVE WON THEMSELVES A FABULOUS COCKTAIL KIT FROM POM Wonderful

@kerryroberts84

@Gilla01

@angiehoggett

*With thanks to POM for sending me a complimentary POM wonderful Cocktail kit and vouchers to buy POM wonderful juice. No monetary compensation was offered for a positive review. As always all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. All images courtesy POM except one watermarked ‘travelsfortaste’.

Ok, it is that time to share the roundup for the May linky for ”In my Veg Box” an event run by Nayna Kanabar of Citrus Spice UK. The theme was Cauliflowers and I am happy to say that a large variety of recipes were created by you and shared. Read on and enjoy, there’s even an award-winning recipe in here by Nayna!

First up is a very easy and tasty recipe for Cauliflower and green peas curry by Nayna on her blog Citrus Spice UK. This robustly flavoured curry is a fabulous addition to any menu, just as good with a hot roti as it is with rice or pulav, a very worthy addition on the menu when hosting a vegetarian dinner party I think.

Another cool link-up from Nayna, her recipe for ‘Spicy Cauliflower Tempura’ won her the runner up prize in the National Vegetarian week– Betta Living, held during 19-25 May 2014. Nayna winning entry got her whopping prize money of £250 prize! woohoo! Well done Nayna! Proof that cauliflowers rocks and vegetarian recipes are far from boring and actually require more creativity and culinary expertise to create flavour from simple ingredients! I also think the photo below is really beautifully done, agree?

Linsy who blogs at Real Home Cooked Food has shared a tangy pickle-based recipe for Aachari Cauliflower, Chana and Corn / Cauliflower , Chickpeas, and Corn in Pickle spices. I love using pickles as a marinade for my meat dishes and cauliflower take sup the flavours so readily it is satisfying to eat this dish am sure.

After a stew and tempura, a Manchurian recipe is up next.Cauliflower(Gobhi) Manchurian in Knorr Chinese Schezuan Sauce from the blog Hobby Chef uses a store-bought powdered packet sauce. Though the Manchurian sauce is from a packet it looks really yummy and I’ve always like Knorr’s recipe mixes, a quick fix for days when you just can’t be bothered with making a sauce from scratch I guess, with my current crazy schedule and a head cold from hell! I could do with some warm soup which I hopefully won’t have to make for myself 😉

When I was in North Wales, my husband and I had fish and chips with a curry sauce at a dingy little place, the chips were blah but the curry sauce was super fab, ever since it’s stuck in some corner of my brain and every time I pass by a fish and chip shop that does a fairly decent job I wonder if they have curry sauce on their menu. This Cauliflower Curry Sauce by Linzi of Lancashire is a minefield of all things good and wholesome. Its no fat, high fibre, can be made ahead and frozen for saving the day at a later date, and is a fabulous way to hide veggies in a tasty sauce if that wasn’t enough it is a versatile sauce which will go with meat, fish or veggie curries.

Up next another fabulous sauce this time a Hidden Cauliflower Cheese Pasta Sauce by Elizabeth of Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary. I just happened to read her ‘About me’ section on her blog, in great detail, and discovered that we have both done our B.Sc in Lifesciences! I also went on to do a year of Masters in Biochemistry which I ditched and went for an MBA in Marketing when I realised I didn’t want to sit in a lab and talk to test tubes which I had named with characters from a fav sitcom 😉 Another beautiful food photo for the roundup and another great recipe for making in extra portions and saving a mid-week meal!

Shobhas Bengali style recipe for Bengali Style Cauliflower with Poppy seeds & Mustard Paste is simple curry but packed with earthy moreish flavours. I thoroughly enjoy Bengali food and a big fan of seafood which am sure you know by now if you are reading my posts regularly.

Nayna innovative recipe for Spicy Cauliflower Couscous is a clever way to use this versatile vegetable with a small number of spices and get something yummy on the plate for everyone to enjoy.

Another cool link up by Shobha who blogs at FoodMazaa, her Punjabi Pickle recipe is a lovely traditional recipe from the northern part of India. Pickles are to be stored for flavours to develop. I remember eating this with great relish at a Punjabi friends place when I stayed over during my MBA final exams, I always tried to sneak in some extra pickle on my plate 😉

Another recipe from Helen this time a Cauliflower with anchovy and garlic, very unusual combination with anchovies I must say!