New Summer Recipe for Aldi: Squash, Courgette, Pepper and Tomato Gratin

Even if the weather outside today isn't summer like I'm still clinging onto the last remnants of summer and so today I am featuring a Summer inspired vegetarian recipe which I was asked to create using ingredients from Aldi.

A quick trip to my local Aldi store indicated that the supermarket's products do indeed change with the seasons as there were lots of summer-inspired produce and products around - particularly in the dessert aisle! As you may also know their fresh produce tends to be cheaper than other supermarkets as does their organise produce, although this doesn't compromise on the quality.

When I think of summer I  think of lighter meals which incorporate fresh vegetables and fragrant flavours. I decided to create a Squash Courgette, Pepper and Tomato Gratin which featured some delicious summer vegetables as a great lighter alternative to a crumble or pie. The breadcrumbs give the Gratin a slightly lighter topping than a flour/butter mix.

This recipe is really simple to make - you literally just pop everything in one pan to cook, and then into another to cook. It's fantastic for busy people with not much time to prepare a delicious vegetarian meal. You could also pop all of the ingredients into the slow cooker to cook if you wanted to leave it to slow cook all day. To add to our meal, we started with Aldi Garlic and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms as a starter and finished with delicious Aldi Deluxe mini Ice Creams available in four flavours - white milk or dark chocolate and almond. Here is my recipe - I hope you like it!

 Squash, Courgette, Pepper and Tomato Gratin 

Ingredients

5 tbsp. Olive Oil

2 cloves Garlic

1 medium Butternut Squash, chopped into small chunks

1 medium Red Onion, chopped into chunks

300g Quorn Chicken pieces

2 Courgettes chopped into chunks

1 large Red Pepper, chopped

1 large Yellow Pepper chopped

Half a tsp Salt 

2 tbsp Fresh Basil Leaves, finely chopped 

100g Aldi Vintage Reserve Cheddar, grated

250g Fresh Vine Tomatoes, sliced

2 Aldi Ciabatta Rolls, processed into breadcrumbs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and butternut squash and cook for ten minutes on a medium heat. It may help to soften the squash by putting the lid on to add some steam for a few mins of this process. 
3. Add the red onion and cook for a further five minutes until the onion is transparent. 
4. Add the quorn chicken, peppers, courgettes and salt and continue to cook for a further ten minutes. 
5. Add the chopped basil and two tablespoons of the vintage cheddar into the mix and continue to cook for a further three to five minutes. 
6. Transfer the mixture into a deep oven-proof dish. Drizzle the top with oil. 
7. Meanwhile, process the ciabatta rolls into breadcrumbs. 
8. Combine the breadcrumbs with the rest of the reserve chunky cheddar in a separate bowl. Sprinkle the breadcrumb/cheddar mixture over the top of the vegetables. 
9. Top with sliced tomatoes
10. Cook in the oven for around thirty minutes or until the butternut squash is soft and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
11. Serve immediately. 

Disclosure: Vouchers offered in consideration for recipe development

New finds for August: Munchy Seeds

I often find myself feeling peckish during the day and like others, I find that it is very tempting to reach for something sweet, or a sugar fix when I need one. I was approached to sample Mumchy Seeds which are ready to go wholesome seed mixes and breakfast toppers, and make a great alternative to more fattening snacks. 

Designed as a healthier more low-fat option, Munchy Seeds release slow-burning energy which helps curb hunger cravings. Munchy Seeds are available in :

Honey Seeds
Chilli Bites
Omega Sprinkles
Choccy Ginger 
Choocy Apricot

I very much enjoyed all of the different flavours, although the Choccy Ginger and the Honey Seeds were my favourite. They did make a great alternative to other snacks and I will be reaching for them if I see them at the supermarket.

Munchy Seeds are available from Icado, Waitrose, Tesco, and Co-Op.

Disclosure: Products offered in consideration for review

Riverford Vegetarian Recipe Box Review

A few weeks ago we were sent a wonderful Riverford Recipe Box to review from Riverford, the award winning organic delivery company. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the Riverford Box Scheme which delivers freshly grown fruit and veg produce and dairy to around sixty thousand homes around the UK, but did you know that they now offer recipe boxes? I certainly didn't and so I was excited to find out more when I was approached to review a recipe box.. 

Riverford Recipe Boxes are an easy and innovative way to cook delicious organic meals without the fuss of having to source everything that you need from scratch. We were sent a Vegetarian Recipe box, which contains everything that you need to create three home-cooked meals. Inside there is fresh seasonal organic produce, step-by-step recipe cards and all of the extra ingredients in exact quantities. There is no need to go and buy a whole tin or packet of something, just to use a teaspoon of it (which saves on waste), and no weighing or measuring of ingredients (which saves massively on time). Everything is provided for you and all you have to do is some minimal preparation and then the cooking.

Now this idea hugely appeals to me as I like to try and eat delicious, freshly prepared healthy meals, but as many working Mums are (and perhaps even most of the working population in general), I am very time poor. I typically probably have around thirty minutes in the kitchen per night to cook something from start to finish, so anything which speeds up this process is a bonus to me, and anything which saves me deliberating on what to cook is also a quick win.

I was extremely impressed with the way that the box was packaged when it was delivered. It had everything labelled with the exact quantities, and packed into compartments so that you knew what was what, and there wasn't stacks of excess packaging to throw away. 

The meals we were sent ingredients for were Portobello Mushroom Rarebit, Spinach and Sugar Snap Kedgeree, and Panzanella and Mozzarella. 

Over the next week we sampled all three meals. Having all of the ingredients there in the little containers was so easy, I kept the fresh ingredients together in the fridge drawers and so could just grab what I needed as I went along. Everything was in the right quantities to cook with and there were step by step instructions to follow along the way. The only thing I would say would be to read all of the recipe card instructions when you get them as it might be that some things need some pre-preparation, or have to be left for a certain amount of time. For example I had to soak the onions in the oil and vinegar for the panzanella and so had to make sure I made this dish on a night when I was not in a hurry to go anywhere. 

I think that the two meals I most enjoyed were the Portobello Mushroom Rarebit served with salad and shoots which was very tasty and filling, and the Panzanella which was a fantastic meal for a summers evening. My husband was also very impressed with the taste and quality of the meals and remarked that it was a welcome change from my usual offerings!

I was extremely impressed with the Riverford Recipe Box service. Everything was delivered to me, it was fresh produce, and all ready to go. The recipes were easy to follow and the instructions were so self-explanatory. All three meals were very appetising and satisfying. I didn't feel hungry at night after I had eatern them, and there were ample portions all round. I also liked the wide range of recipes on offer, so every week there is something different on offer and great variety to choose from. All of the recipes are seasonal, organic and created by professional chefs.

The price of a Vegetarian Box is £33.95 for three meals for two people. I think that this is extremely reasonable as it comes in at around £5.50 a head - which is what you would pay if you were buying a ready meal with the accompanying salad or bread. Plus and more importantly, the meal is freshly prepared and cooked, organic, and you know ingredients are going in! The Vegetarian box is slightly cheaper than the meat alternatives. There is no obligation to subscribe weekly, you can buy as little or as often as you want to. I wouldn't say I would purchase this each week as some nights we eat with the kids and some nights without, and the kids may not be open to every recipe (perhaps a kids meal box could be a good seller! However, I think we would use this service at least once or twice a month, and I am also looking into ordering the veg and fruit boxes on a weekly basis!

I would definitely recommend sampling the Riverford Recipe Box scheme. We loved our complimentary box and I will definitely be ordering this again as it took all of the time and hassle out of deciding what to cook, going to the shops to hunt for the ingredients, then preparing the individual dishes. It was so easy and ultimately any company who is going to make my life easier gets my business!!

Disclosure: We were offered the Riverford Recipe Box in consideration for review.