the stonesoup diaries

The other day I got an email from a Stonesoup reader.

She had recently purchased a copy of the ‘2-Minute Meal Plan‘.

After sharing how much she loves Stonesoup recipes, she was having
problems with downloading her new ebooks.

Would I be able to help?

And then came the part that really surprised me…

“Keep it as simple as possible… I’m 82 years old”

Which just goes to prove… You’re never to old for simple recipes or ebooks.

Have an awesome weekend!

Cheers,
Jules x

ps. The launch discount on the 2-Minute Meal Plan ends NEXT WEEK.

To get it for 60% OFF while you still can go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/

In our house we love a bit of Friday or Saturday night pizza action.

A few months ago we started dabbling in the dark art of the vegetable pizza with a wonderful kale version.

To my suprise, my Irishman was super excited about it.

Last weekend the vegetable pizza experiments continued and I’m happy to report we have a new favourite pizza topping.

Roast beets.

Lovely with your regular tomato sauce and some cheddar cheese.

I’m keen to try sprinkling a little goats cheese over the top before serving.

Actually if you haven’t ever made your own pizza, there’s a great recipe and video showing you how to rig up an awesome pizza oven in your own kitchen over on Stonesoup:

Have an awesome weekend!

Cheers,
Jules x

ps. You’ve only got 24 HOURS to make the most of the LAUNCH DISCOUNT for the 2-Minute Meal Plan System.

To make the most of your LAST CHANCE to get it for 60% OFF go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/

The other day I found myself with 2 stems of broccoli in the fridge.

I’m not really sure how it happened, because these days I usually finely slice the stems and add them to whatever I’m cooking.

Actually it was probably because I’ve been having raw broccoli for breakfast with lentil granola and home made yoghurt so have been snipping off the florettes and ignoring the stems.

Anyway, we were getting pretty low on salad things, so I had the brilliant idea to finely shave the broccoli stems with my mandoline and toss them in a green salad.

So glad I did. The shaved stems added crunch and substance to the salad with a hint of broccoli flavour. Nothing overpowering. Just right.

So next time you’re about to throw your broccoli stems in the compost, think about saving them for a salad instead.

_________
shaved broccoli stem green salad
serves 2-3 as a side

1 tablespoon sherry or rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 broccoli stems
2 handfuls salad leaves

1. Combine vinegar, soy and 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a bowl. Taste and season, although the soy should have done its job.

2. Finely slice broccoli stems, crosswise using a mandoline or a sharp knife and a steady hand.

3. Toss shaved broccoli and leaves in with the dressing.

VARIATIONS
whole broccoli - feel free to replace the stems with 1 whole head of broccoli. Finely chop the florettes and slice the stem as per the recipe.

more substantial – serve with a poached egg.

soy-free – just skip the soy and be generous with the seasoning.

Cheers,
Jules x

ps. The launch discount on the 2-Minute Meal Plan ends in LESS THAN 48 HOURS.

And everyone who purchases (or had purchased) during the launch special has a chance to win 5 years FREE membership with the Stonesoup Virtual Cookery School ($420 value).

To make sure you don’t miss out go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/

As regular Stonesoup readers will know, I’m a big fan of legumes in all their guises.

If someone were to ask me to pick my favourite, I’d probably have to go with the humble chickpea.

But ask for the best-looking legume and fresh borlotti beans win.

Hands down.

If you haven’t ever seen them there’s a picture over at
www.borlotti.com/

They’re in season in the Southern Hemisphere now, so I wanted to share my current favourite way of cooking them.

Brilliant for breakfasts, lunches AND dinners

_____

braised borlotti beans with sage.
serves 2-3

2 red onions
500g (1lb) fresh borlotti beans in the shell
about 10 sages leaves
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water

1. Soften onions in a little oil for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile shell the beans.

2. Add sage and beans and stir fry for a few seconds.

3. Add cooking liquid or stock and simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes or until the beans are tender.

4. Taste. Season.

VARIATIONS
no sage? – It’s really my favourite but you could use rosemary or thyme instead.

dried beans – soak overnight and cook beans in plenty of boiling water. Then add to the pot as per the recipe and cook uncovered.

canned beans – 2 cans should do it. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid is reduced. Use the canning liquid instead of stock if you like.

Cheers,
Jules x
www.thestonesoupdiaries.com

ps. Looking for a special gift for Mother’s Day?

I’m having a special offer on my print book ‘And the Love is Free’ with FREE Shipping anywhere in the world.

Plus! Order in the NEXT 17 HOURS and you’ll also get a copy of the ’2-Minute Meal Plan’ eBook for FREE:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/and-the-love-is-free-a-tribute-to-my-mum/

One if the reasons I started blogging way back in 2005 was to keep a record of my cooking.

And these days, I pretty much use Stonesoup as my go-to online recipe collection. So easy and convenient being able to access my favourite recipes wherever I am.

The only problem is if I make something delicious and don’t blog about it. I then need to flip through my old moleskine notebooks for my notes. And then I need to read my handwriting – a challenge in itself!

So today, I’m being a bit selfish.

I wanted to share my current favourite dessert so I definitely have the recipe on record. Forever. Because I know I’ll be wanting to make these again. And again.

I hope you don’t mind

__________
ginger brulees
serves 2

250mL (1 cup) whipping cream (35% milk fat)
1.5 tablespoons grated ginger
15g (0.5oz) stevia or 30g (1oz) caster sugar
3 egg yolks
caster sugar, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 140C (280F). Combine cream, ginger and stevia or sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stand for about 15 minutes.

2. Add the warm cream to the egg yolks. Stir. Strain the custard and divide between 2 ramekins or other brulee bowls.

3. Place in a baking tray and add warm water to make a water bath.

4. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until custard is set but still wobbly. Cool. Refrigerate.

5. TO serve, sprinkle with a little caster sugar and burn with a blowtorch. Let it cool a little before eating.

VARIATIONS
vanilla brulees – replace the ginger with a vanilla bean – scrape the seeds into the custard.

no blowtorch? – just skip the brulee part and serve the custards instead.

dairy-free – replace the cream with coconut milk.

Have an awesome weekend!

Cheers,
Jules x

ps. Make sure you don’t miss out on the 2-Minute Meal Plan special launch DISCOUNT!

Go to:
www.thestonesoupshop.com/2mmp/