Method - Non Toxic Cleaning Products - Sponsored Video

As a vegetarian, as well as being careful about the food I eat, I am also typically careful about the products I use around the house. I prefer to use products which have not been tested on animals, and which are eco-friendly and safe for kids. I normally endeavour to buy products which are more natural and eco-friendly, and I really like to stick to products which are either vegetarian or vegan society approved.

Recently I came across a company called Method. Method make non-toxic cleaning products. They are certified by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) as cruelty-free and vegan-free, and are listed in their cruelty-free shopping guide. This is good news as this means I am assured that they do not undertake any animal testing, or commission anyone to test their products on animals on their behalf. Method Products are also non toxic and safe for use around children.

Method are a green company, who care about the environment and source their plant-based ingredients responsibly. They also give back to their community by providing employees with three days a year to volunteer on local worthwhile projects.

To show how fantastic their products are, Method have created this fun video so that you can see what they are about. The video is entitled "Clean Like A Mother" and showcases their multi-surface cleaners.

Method products are available in major retailers including John Lewis, Waitrose, Homebase, Tesco and Sainsbury.

For more information on Method Cleaning Products, look at the Method Website, check out their Facebook Page, or follow them on Twitter @Methodtweet.

Disclosure: Article sponsored by Method Products. All thoughts are my own. 

Great Gaddesden Food Fayre - 22nd September 2012

Just in case you have been living under a rock for the past month or so, and you haven't heard me talking about the Food Fayre in Great Gaddesden which I am co-organising on Saturday, I thought I would post about it on my blog in case anyone local fancied coming along. To those who already know about it, I hope you can come along as it looks to be a great day, and I promise not to bombard you any longer with messages about it!!

Please see below for the Press Release I have written regarding this event. If anyone wants to use content from the press release, please contact me .

Friends of Great Gaddesden School will be serving up a feast this September when they host a Local Food Fayre to raise funds for their school and the wider community. The Food Fayre, which is to be held at Great Gaddesden School, Church Meadow, on the 22nd of September, will transform the school into a delicious treasure trove of things to eat and drink as it showcases food producers from within the local community and beyond. Foods on offer are set to include meats, cheeses, jams and chutneys, breads, cakes, fruits and vegetables, sweets, christmas puddings and much more. A BBQ will be available, and refreshments are being served by the Friends of St John the Baptist Church, Great Gaddesden.

Chair of Great Gaddesden School, Debbie, said, ”With so many fantastic food producers in such close proximity to the school, we really wanted to find a way to celebrate all of the delicious produce this area has to offer. Often people don’t realise that so much fabulous food is being produced virtually on their own doorstep and so the Food Fayre is a brilliant way for the public to come and discover local quality food, prepared with care and attention by producers within the community, whilst also raising vital funds for our small school”. “We are extremely grateful to those members of the local community who have already shown such fantastic support to the Food Fayre, and we look forward to welcoming people from the local area and beyond to the Food Fayre on the 22nd”.

Attractions on the day include Vintage Ice Cream Van Elsie, who will be selling Italian-style ice cream fresh from Berkhamsted. Emma from La Cremerie in Nettledon will be giving a talk about artisan cheeses and how to put a cheese board together and Reg from Grove Meats will be talking about the journey of Meat from Farm to Plate, Local charity Sunnyside Rural Trust will be selling their own home grown fruit and vegetables and freshly made produce and children from the school will be making their own produce to sell. There will also be an area with stalls aimed at children and activities including face painting on offer.

 Head Teacher Nikki, said "I am delighted that such a wonderful event for the local community is being hosted at Great Gaddesden School. The children and staff are all really excited to see the range of foods and activities on offer – it promises to be a fantastic event”. 

Great Gaddesden Food Fayre will be held on the 22nd September 2012 from 11am – 3pm at Great Gaddesden School. Admission is one pound for adults and free for children.

Debbie said “The Food Fayre is going to be a fantastic, fun filled event with lots of delicious foods on offer. Whether you are looking to fill your pantry, furnish your kitchen, or simply sample some delicious treats, you are bound to find something which takes your fancy”. “So come along and support local independent food traders, and tuck into a tasty day out for the whole family” she added.

Taco Shells with Asparagus and Chilli - 1000 Ways To Love Your Total

Recently, Total Greek Yoghurt released 1000 Ways to Love Your Total on their website - 1000 new recipes and usage suggestions for Total Greek Yoghurt. As you may have seen from other recipes on my blog, I like to cook with yoghurt quite often, and as a vegetarian, it is a great food source. Yoghurt is a really healthy, versatile product which has lots of fantastic uses. Total Greek Yoghurt is the only authentic Greek Yoghurt sold in the UK. It is great to use in cooking as it is much thicker and more robust than greek-style yoghurt.

To sample one of the 1000 recipes on the website, Total sent us the ingredients to cook these Taco Shells with Asparagus and Chilli. We love mexican food and so the kids were really excited about having tacos. Previously, we have only ever had Taco's with veggie chilli  and so we were eager to try our taco's with different ingredients. We really enjoyed eating the Taco's, although when I make them again i would probably leave out the chillis as myself and the kids didn't really like them raw. I would add some peppers and onions or spring onions to the recipe instead. I think that the yoghurt makes a fantastic substitute for the sour cream I would typically add to taco's and I actually preferred using it.

The recipes featured on the Total website are now available in a brand new Facebook App, so that you can find inspiration for recipes whenever you need them, wherever you are.

To celebrate the launch of the app, Total Greek Yoghurt are running a competition. Total Chef, Paul Merrett has put together a list of his essential kitchen equipment. The lucky winner will get his amazing wishlist of equipment including some fab cookware worth more than £800. Total have hidden 30 Total recipes on 30 different food blogs across the web. If you click on the badge below, you will find clues leading to ten of the hidden recipes. You then need to use the clues to search for the blogs which the recipes are featured on. Over the coming weeks, Total will also post additional clues to find the final twenty recipes. The more recipes you find, the more times your name is entered into the draw, and so the more chances you have to win. If you have landed on my blog through searching for Taco Shells with Asparagus and Chilli as part of the competition, congratulations, you have found the right blog!

 

Disclosure: Ingredients offered in consideration for review

Macaroni Cheese with Vegetarian Sausages and Veg

Eldest has started back at school, youngest is back at nursery, and normal service is slowly starting to resume in our house. After not much time for blogging during the school holidays, hopefully as the kids return to school, I will have more time to feature lots of new wonderful vegetarian recipes.

To kick off the new term, today I am featuring a Macaroni Cheese with a difference on the blog.  I love homemade Macaroni Cheese. As a child I do have some disturbing memories of eating the canned variety, but fresh, homemade macaroni cheese makes a really delicious classic vegetarian meal.  

As the kids are back at school, they need a decent meal when they return home. Although Macaroni Cheese can be a filling meal, I wanted to create a meal that was a bit more substantial than just macaroni, and so I decided to include some other ingredients in the Macaroni Cheese. To create a whole meal in one dish, I added some chopped, gently fried onion and garlic, and I also added some cooked vegetarian sausages which I grilled, and then cut into small pieces. If you are not a fan of using a meat substitute, as I know some people aren't, you could try adding onion, garlic, red or green peppers, courgettes or spring onions. Fry them gently beforehand so that they are part cooked, drain the oil and then add them to the mixture. You could also add a tin of beans or a tin of tomatoes to the macaroni cheese to make a more substantial meal.

I would typically also layer tomatoes on the top of a Macaroni Cheese, but eldest seems to have gone off tomatoes lately so we left these off. The kids and hubby really love having the sausages mixed into the Macaroni Cheese and this has become one of my favourite autumn meals. I would love to hear your thoughts on this dish if you decide to give it a try, or of course, you could just omit the sausages and onion and stick to the traditional recipe if you prefer!

Macaroni Cheese with Vegetarian Sausages and Veg Ingredients Olive Oil 1 clove Garlic 1 Onion, finely chopped  6-8 Vegetarian Sausages, cooked and chopped 500g Macaroni 100g Cheddar Cheese 50g vegetarian hard Cheese 2tbsp English or American Yellow Mustard Salt and Pepper 2 Tomatoes, sliced (optional) For the Cheese Sauce: 50g Butter 1 heaped tbsp Plain Flour 600ml semi skimmed milk, room temperature or warmer 100g grated Cheddar Cheese 1tsp Nutmeg Method Cook the sausages under the grill and leave to cool before chopping into bite-size pieces. Cook the macaroni on the hob in a pan of boiling water with a splash of oil until the macaroni is cooked. Gently fry the onion and garlic in some oil until the onion starts to soften, then drain and leave aside. Meanwhile, start to cook the cheese sauce. On a medium heat, melt the butter in a pan and add the flour, stirring as you do so. Allow the mixture to bubble as you stir for about a minute, to remove any floury taste. Start to add the milk a little at a time. Stir as you add the milk until the sauce begins to thicken and become smooth again. This will take around a minute each time. Repeat until all of the milk has been added. Add the nutmeg and stir into the milk, and then add 100g of the cheddar cheese and keep stirring until it has folded into the milk. Meanwhile drain the macaroni, and add the veggie sausages and onion. Stir to combine. Gradually add the cheese sauce to the macaroni mix and stir thoroughly.  Add the mustard and stir thoroughly again so that all of the ingredients are combined. Transfer the mixture to an ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese and vegetarian hard cheese over the top of the dish. If you like, you could also top the dish by laying the sliced tomatoes over the top of the cheese. Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool a little and serve.