STORE CUPBOARD & FREEZER QUICK BLACK BEAN CHILLI

 Wow!! What a week? It's been all over the place on so many levels I ended up thinking it was tomorrow half the time. Think I'm back on track now.  It's Saturday, isn't it???? Well, it is at the time of writing.

Market Monday was brilliant as I managed to get my Christmas meat ordered from my family butchers Bruce's Butchers, another bunch of plants for a winter pot for outside the front door and sampled some street food which was gluten free; one of which was gifted to me.  Thank you HQ Jerk Chicken.  I also picked up my new glasses so I can now see; haha.

Mighty fine Jerk Chicken (not the best photo)

Out and about again on Tuesday to Dobbies (Dobbies Gillingham)with a friend for a quick catch up and coffee plus a bargain cyclamen, reduced price gluten free rolls and some wild flower seeds including Yellow Rattle which will help to control the grass in the wildflower area.

Wednesday onwards it all went a bit Pete Tong! I ached like hell in my hip, legs and back and my son had a meltdown, so I didn't get around to the marmalade making and dinners ended up as 'throw it all together in a pan' type dinners, but that's what normality is, isn't it?? I'm not a chef, I don't work in the food industry, I'm just a mum who cooks gluten free and life often gets in the way of cooking plans. I did manage to plant garlic and onions this week in the veg patch though, along with a bit of digging help from the neighbour's ginger cat; lol

Hopefully next week will be better.

STORE CUPBOARD AND FREEZER QUICK BLACK BEAN CHILLI

A handful or two of frozen chopped onions

A squeeze or two of garlic paste

A squeeze or two of tomato puree

A handful or two of frozen mixed peppers

1-2 tins of black beans, drained

1 tin of tomatoes

1tbsp cajun ragin seasoning (Steenbergs)

1tbsp cocoa powder

Salt and pepper

1 bunch of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

1) Literally bung the whole lot in a saucepan, apart from the coriander, cover with some water if it isn't covered already and simmer until it's all cooked through and hot.  Believe me, the cocoa powder makes all the difference and helps to thicken the sauce. Season to taste and add the chopped coriander and stir through.

This served 3 people, but you can judge yourself if you need to add more depending on persons and appetite.

You can serve this with rice, potato wedges or jacket potatoes as I did. 

BACK TO NORMALITY WITH A JOLT!!

Hello, anyone else not quite ready for normality yet?  I feel like I'm wandering around in a bit of a fog if I'm honest. I was happily pootling along every day doing whatever I fancied and now it's "BANG" we're back to appointments and shopping and haircuts. I'M NOT READY!!!! 😄

Anyway, this week was second trampoline lesson for my son, osteopath for me and haircut for him. I seem to have spent half my time up the high street shopping and had to rearrange mine and his prescriptions as our chemist is closing down at the end of the month. Good thing is I finally got my parcel delivered which has taken 3 re-deliveries booked, 2 phone calls to office, 1 to post office, multiple non deliveries and a moan on facebook page. It turned up on the day before I had re-booked it, so it was lucky, once again, that I was in.  People moan about Hermes; Parcelforce has been a whole lot worse.

Cooking has been a bit same old, same old and I've been dragging out old favourites just because my poor lockdown brain hasn't wanted to resurface into anything even remotely creative.

The garden has been worked on a fair bit with dead veg plants removed, unused beds composted and covered, and new seedlings thinned. A general tidy up has been done and a fair amount of clearing and burning of garden rubbish (not actual rubbish). It's bulbs and wildflower sowing next week.  And buddleia pruning - job and a half on it's own.

Tomato harvest

Heritage carrots

Chillies

Anyway, I'm going to be meal planning for next week in a minute so I'm going to quickly do my favourite cooking from this week which isn't much to be fair.

I'm going to have to admit to preferring my rehash of corned beef hash (see what I did there?) It tasted a lot better than normal, went further and was incredibly quick and easy.  Perfect for Friday's fast food friday.

REHASHED CORNED BEEF HASH

A couple of onions, sliced

Approx 6 potatoes (or more if you need to); I had Pink Fir Apple Potatoes and used them all, cubed.

1 tin of corned beef; chopped

1 tin of baked beans

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

Handful of frozen mushrooms

I heated some olive oil in a roasting tin and placed this onto the gas hob. Oven was heated to 180C/Gas mark 4

Chuck in the onions and potatoes and cook, occasionally stirring, until the onions are translucent and the potatoes are beginning to brown.

Then the really easy bit: chuck in the corned beef, the tomatoes (I added a few chopped fresh ones as well), baked beans and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and any other spice you fancy. Then cook until it's bubbling.

Put the roasting tin into the oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes. You could add grated cheese on top if you really wanted to, but I seriously couldn't be bothered to grate any so my mice of men went without.

NB: You can add anything you like really to this.  Maybe a handful or two of frozen peppers or sweetcorn; as long as it's already cooked it can go in.  The point of this is that it's quick; little or no prep and it's mainly shove it in the oven and let it do it's thing.  No faffing allowed.