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Food Week - Day 7 - Vegetarian options on offer

Edited BY


G P Kennedy



Black Bean Quesadilla


Sally – London, UK


 Food during lockdown has played a major part and I think it’s mainly to do with the fact the certain foods became unavailable when the panic hoarding started at the beginning and also supermarket shopping became so stressful with all the new social distancing rules, which led to buying longer lasting food in tins, and frozen foods.

 

 Maybe also because we started baby led weaning so we have been trying to do more home cooked meals and making foods even like pizza from scratch. So things like vegetarian lasagnas, vegetarian cottage pies etc. have been made and batch cooked.

 

 When it was the babies birthday in April, we couldn’t get flour anywhere and I really wanted to make her a cake from scratch, as it was her first one.  But because of the flour shortage in the end we bought a packet mix, which was totally fine, and the cake came out better than expected.


Baby's Birthday cake


 The down side of food and drink becoming a big issue is that if you are a stress eater like me then you start eating more crisps and chocolate, so whilst half the country has gone into a keep fit over drive, the other half, me included, have been over indulging.

 

 A bonus is that when we do order takeaway now we were looking for better quality food and not necessarily the cheapest or the quickest to be delivered and with that we have found a brilliant local home made pizza company. I think it’s run by a student who bought his own pizza oven and cooks them in his parents house less than a mile away from ours.

 

 When they are busy his mum or dad will deliver the pizzas. You have to text your order through at the beginning of the day so he can plan his cooking and delivery. This has led to a more personal service, so much so that they know not to knock on the door as the baby is asleep, so they text us when they are a minute away. It’s great.


Adult beverages for the win


 We are definitely also drinking more alcohol than before. I have never been a drinker at home but daily I am having a beer when the baby goes to bed, I’m not sure why, whether it’s boredom or it’s just to feel like I’m not missing out?  We tend to drink beer by a company called Brew Dog, which started as a small company in Scotland in 2007 and is now sold around the world.  They like to release a lot of topical special brews and most recently they released one called Barnard Castle Eye Test in homage to Dominic Cummings, who I spoke about last week, who basically is a Government advisor who broke his own lockdown rules for a really stupid reason.  The good thing is all the profits from this limited edition IPA is being donated to the NHS Charity.

 

 I think our eating is also being dictated as we know we have less money and are on benefits so are trying to keep waste down and only buy food we need and try and use everything in the cupboard. 

 

 One of our staples in the cupboard is beans and pulses as I am vegetarian and we found a great recipe from a British Personal Trainer who became famous for his exercise and eating plan.  He is called Joe Wicks, The Body Coach, and does Lean In 15.  This is one of his recipes, which we have had once a week since lockdown.  It’s called Black Bean Quesadilla. It’s so quick and easy to make and before we add the salt and chili we give some to the baby and she loves it.

 

Black Bean Quesadilla



Ingredients

100g tinned black beans, drained

40g mature cheddar, grated

1 tsp ground cumin

1 red chili, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

40g spring onions, finely chopped

Small bunch of coriander, chopped

Salt and pepper

2 small corn tortillas

Green salad, to serve

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except the tortillas, in a large bowl and roughly mash together with a fork or potato masher. Season with salt and pepper then spread the mixture over one of the tortillas in an even layer. Top with the second tortilla and press together.

Heat a large, dry frying pan over a medium heat and add the quesadilla. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, pressing down occasionally with a spatula. Slide onto a board, cut into wedges and serve with the salad.

 

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