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You are here: Home / Archives for chilli

Take Me Away – Glorious Soup Adventures

March 16, 2016 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 5 Comments

I’m back again to talk to you about the Glorious Soups we have been enjoying lately. It has been a long month of awful colds and viruses at our house. The weather was dismal and damp..it was depressing. If there had been the option to jump on a plane and be whisked away to somewhere hot and exciting I would have jumped at it..while sneezing and supping on honey and lemon of course. It has been a while since I went on a real adventure to another country, I miss it. The excitement of smelling new ingredients cooking away while sat in a restaurant or at a roadside stall waiting for a meal is one of my favourite parts of any trip.

What I love about Glorious Soups is how they are always based on traditional meals and flavour combinations from different countries around the world. Food can be wonderful in helping you to transport yourself away from your everyday life and the soups are so much more enjoyable than a soggy sandwich from the work canteen! Before I tell you about the soups I have enjoyed this month I want to share some more of my food adventures with you:

On a trip to The Gambia in 2009 we stayed within a village rather than in the tourist area.  This meant we were lucky to be able to experience many local dishes using ingredients we had never tried or just in ways we had never thought to combine them. Three food experiences from our stay have stuck with me over the years.

The first was a peanut based stew called Domodah. We were staying at a lodge owned by the charity we were working with and they employed local staff to cook for all of the volunteers. The chef who we all loved was called Ensa and his assistant was Musa, Ensa loved to cook and it really showed in the end results. They weren’t always able to get the ingredients which we would find so easily accessible here but everything we ate was a delight to the senses.

ensa wyce

Domodah is an incredible dish, typically using squash and aubergine as well as beef or chicken has a thick peanut sauce. We ate it twice on our stay and we all went back for seconds, the week after we returned home I made my own version and have since made it a few times – its delicious and always reminds me of that special adventure.

The second was a meal we shared with a group of villagers and its not so much about the food but the experience of eating it. Each day we were served three meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner and there weren’t any snack options other than mangoes ( which were so juicy – it ruined shop bought ones for me ) so we always made sure we filled up at each meal as the work we did was physical and we needed the energy. After enjoying a substantial lunch we began to get ready to return to the school we were painting but as we did one of the villagers came to explain that the women of the village were making a communal meal and firstly wanted my help and secondly wanted us to share it. I had a lot of fun helping to mince fish using a really old mincer ( it was a bit of smelly job) and helping to grind spices and prepare the rice dish to accompany the fish balls. Within about 30 minutes the food was ready and we took our places on the floor in a circle around serving dishes and were encouraged to use our hands to roll the food into ( slightly messy ) balls to eat. I was so full and actually not much of a fish eater but after seeing the pride and work that had gone into the meal – around 15 of us made it – I dug in and it was an experience I won’t forget.

gambian meal on floor

Lastly one night we ventured away from the lodge and were taken to a small beach restaurant, more like a shack with open sides with the kitchen of the restaurant being quite a distance from the actual dining area . There was an unexpected nearly 2 hour wait for food – they had opened the restaurant just for us – so about halfway through our wait we went for a walk and found a dead shark on the beach! A little startling as we had been in the water earlier that day. When we got back food was ready to be served ( at that point we didn’t know what it would be – I was hoping for anything but fish ) and it was Gambian Ladyfish with a potato side and one of the vibrant salads we had become used to. Its important on holidays or even just in day to day life to just try things you wouldn’t normally. If I go to a restaurant I would never normally choose fish yet this meal was delicious, incredibly fresh and it really encouraged me to start being more adventurous with what I eat.

All this reminiscing has made me really want to book a trip! For now I am satisfying my exotic food urges by trying out new Glorious soups each month. I am still on the Skinnylicious path and loving this range of soups, whilst I yet again think the New England Butternut squash is hard to beat I am loving the Goan Tomato & Lentil –  I tend to split the pot into two and have it for two days lunch in work with some flatbreads. Its packed with flavour, really makes me feel like I have eaten a meal and keeps me going until my main meal later that day. As part of the Skinnylicious range it of course has less than 150cals per pot and this one has just 1.3% fat and is gluten free and vegetarian too.

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At home I have LOVED the new Texas Four Bean Chilli..I serve it with a little pot of grated cheese and some pitta or other type of bread for dunking. It is so satisfying with just enough of a chilli kick and with the addition of the cheese it tastes pretty indulgent too. The four beans are haricot, red kidney, black eyed and black turtle beans with Texan spices like Ancho chilli. This is also Vegetarian, Dairy and Gluten Free.

glorious four bean chilli soup

 

Isn’t it funny how experiences from our travels can shape us? Trips such as the one above made me try new foods, to add more spice and just accept that if I didn’t enjoy it at least  I had tried. Can you believe that up until the age of 25 I didn’t like olives..or blue cheese or anything hot such as jalapeños?? Now I am liberal with the fresh chilli and pickled jalapeños , blue cheese and brie are my favourites and ahh olives… I wonder if I would have become a food blogger if I had stayed a fussy eater? I doubt it. Now I will try anything and whilst I still wouldn’t opt for sushi I have added a whole list of foods to my love list!

Check in next month to see what Glorious Soups I am recommending!

 

  • I am a blogger ambassador for Glorious and receive vouchers and am compensated for my time.

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Filed Under: Reviews · Tagged: butternut squash, calories, chilli, fat, glorious soups, weight watchers

Squash, Sweet Potato & Coconut Autumn Soup

October 14, 2015 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

As much as I like Summer and the warm, balmy evenings… HA I live in Wales who am I kidding? I really embrace Autumn. I’m all for snuggly jumpers, fleecy throws, steamed puddings and SOUP.

I picked up a red onion squash at my local market and I was intrigued as I had never seen one before. I wasn’t sure what to make with it so I ended up splitting it into two and using one half to make this incredibly tasty autumnal soup.

Red onion squash

I used my Kenwood kCook to create this dish from start to finish to dice, soften and simmer my soup. I’ve had this Multicooker for a few months now ands it’s a really useful piece of kitchen gadgetry! It saves time from chopping vegetables and from changing from pan to pan etc etc. Perfect for anyone who loves homemade food but struggles with finding the time.

KCook soup

You will need:

1/2 a medium squash
2 sweet potatoes
1 shallot
400ml of vegetable stock
300ml of coconut milk
1/2 tsp of oil
1 small red chilli finely diced
Pinch of sea salt ( I used smoked salt from Flavour Magic )
Pinch of black pepper

Peel your vegetables and cut into quarters before placing in your kCook machine with your oil ( if you don’t have one you can dice your veg yourself) and press stir for 1 minute until finely diced. Now cook on the soup/sauce option ( or in a pan ) for 10 minutes to soften.

KCook softening vegetables

Add your vegetable stock, coconut milk and seasoning and cook for a further 20 – 30 minutes. At the end of cooking stir/puree for 2 minutes until smooth and serve immediately.

Red onion squash, sweet potato and coconut soup

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Doesn’t just looking at it make you think of conker fights and walking through crunchy leaves? Autumn in a bowl.

Keep your eyes peeled to find out what I did with the rest of the squash!

* I received the kCook for the purpose of a review and recipe development.

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Filed Under: Recipe Development, Recipes, Reviews · Tagged: Autumnal soup, chilli, coconut, pumpkin, Red onion squash, red onion squash recipe, squash, sweet potato

Quick Family Meals – Corned Beef and Mixed Veg Fritters

February 6, 2014 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

A little while ago I was set a challenge by Princes. They offered to send me some of their new Corned Beef flavours to create a family meal which would take less than 20 minutes to make and cost less than £5. I love a good cooking challenge so I put my thinking cap on and got to work.

The recipe I created is fairly simple and easy to make but pretty tasty too.

Chilli Corned Beef and Mixed Veg Fritters

You will need:

1 tin of Corned Beef with Chilli – broken into small pieces
150g of SR flour
175ml of semi skimmed milk
1 medium egg
1 cup or 200g of frozen mixed vegetable ( cooked in microwave for 3 minutes)
Pinch of sea sat
Pinch of crushed black peppercorns
Vegetable oil

Mix together your corned beef and veg and set aside. Mix your flour, egg, milk and seasoning together into a thick batter and leave to stand for 10 minutes ( more if you have time)

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then stir in your corned beef and vegetables.

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Place a large frying pan over a high heat and add your vegetable oil, heat until bubbling and then add dollops of your batter mix. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

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Serve with a large green salad and a sweet chilli sauce perhaps.

This meal costs less than £4.50 to make including salad and sauce and makes more than enough for two hungry adults and one energetic toddler. The hint of chilli in the corned beef gives the fritters a bit of a kick but is subtle enough for children to eat and enjoy.

* I was sent some samples and a £5 voucher to buy ingredients for this challenge.

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Filed Under: Budgeting, Recipes, Reviews · Tagged: chilli, Corned beef, family meals, fritters, princes, veg

Super (food) sides

January 6, 2013 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 6 Comments

Curly Kale may not be that familiar to you. Not all supermarkets stock it and its only readily available from September- March. Kale is a brassica and part of the cabbage family, it’s very attractive in dishes due to its green curly leaves and packed full of nutrients – considered by many to be a superfood. I have only recently started buying it but I can tell you it’s delicious and versatile.

The recipe below is one I have made previously with Savoy cabbage but I actually prefer this with the Kale.

Sautéed curly kale with bacon and sweet potato

You will need:

Curly kale ( I buy washed and ready to cook) break up any big bits and discard chunky stalks
2/3 rashers of bacon diced
1/2 a sweet potato chopped very small
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 a banana chilli diced finely
1/2 a red onion diced
Butter
Olive oil
Seasoning

Heat a little butter and olive oil in a large frying pan or cazuela, add your sweet potato, onion, garlic, bacon and chilli and sauté for 10 minutes or so until bacon is golden and everything else is softening. Add your curly kale, season and cook for a few more minutes. Don’t overcook and ensure it doesn’t burn.

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Serve immediately on warmed plates – cold kale is like cold cabbage. Not good.
This is great as a side with chicken or fish or on top of spaghetti aglio olio – yum.

Last time I made this I threw in a handful of peppery rocket right at the end and it was very good!

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Served on top of spaghetti with a small amount of crumbled extra mature cheddar.

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Don’t neglect one of the most nutritionally rich vegetables in Britain. Next week I’m going to try making Baked Kale chips as a low calorie alternative to crisps.

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Filed Under: Budgeting, Recipes · Tagged: bacon, butter, chilli, curly kale, garlic, healthy, iron rich, Kale, olive oil, onion, seasoning, side dished, superfood, sweet potato

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

August 29, 2012 · by munchiesandmunchkins · Leave a Comment

Just a very quick recipe for you as I made these last night and they were so easy but soooo good.

We are currently having a meat free fortnight,not for any ethical reason really but I like to try out new veggie recipes occasionally and of course it makes the weekly shop a lot cheaper!

Stuffed portobello mushrooms

2 mushroom halves
100g cream cheese ( I used light cream cheese)
2 cubes of frozen spinach defrosted and drained of excess water
Teaspoon of garlic puree or 2 crushed cloves
Chilli flakes ( depends on how hot you want it,I added a 1/4 teaspoon)
Freshly ground pepper
50g of parmesan grated

Mix cream cheese with spinach,garlic, chilli and 1/2 the parmesan and fill your mushroom halves. Sprinkle over remaining Parmesan and season with black pepper. Place in a preheated oven at gas mark 4 (180) for 20 mins until golden in colour.

I served mine with veggies and cauliflower cheese but it would be equally nice with a simple salad.

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Filed Under: Recipes · Tagged: chilli, cream cheese, garlic, parmesan, portobello, spinach, stuffed mushrooms, vegetarian, Veggie

Tagliatelle Aglio Olio

April 19, 2012 · by munchiesandmunchkins · 1 Comment

This Tagliatelle Aglio Olio can easily be made for less than £5.00 and allows for 2 hungry adults and a little leftover for a next day lunch.

You will need:

1 large sauce pan and 1 smaller frying pan or cazuela.
250-300g of tagliatelle.
2 cloves of crushed garlic or I use 2 frozen cubes of minced garlic.
4 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
Spoonful of dried chilli flakes or a good dollop of chilli paste
seasoning
Basil to garnish

Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
When there are 5 minutes remaining, put the olive oil and chillis into a small pan and cook over a low heat for a couple of minutes giving you s lovely chilli flavoured oil.
Add salt&pepper then the garlic and continue to cook for roughly 4-5 minutes. Be very careful not to burn the garlic as this will ruin the flavour.

When the pasta is cooked to your preference ( I prefer al dente) you should drain then stir in the sauce topped with your chopped basil garnish.

* this is meant to be a very simple dish with very cheap ingredients however if you want to adapt it to include meat, bacon lardons work very well and if you are veggie baby leaf spinach is great also.

Serve with home made garlic bread ( see below)

Home made garlic bread ( the easiest possible way) :
Chop a french stick into thin rounds then toast lightly before spreading on some lurpak garlic butter and cooking in oven for 5 mins. If you are counting calories you can rub with a clove of garlic and spread some extra light flora or a little olive oil on instead.

This is probably the tastiest EASY meal I have made in a long time.

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Filed Under: Recipes · Tagged: budget meal, chilli, garlic, olive oil, Pasta

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