Burns Night goes veggie

by Clare Ward,

As Christina and I grew up in Edinburgh (she a real Scot and me having been there from the age of 10) I thought it would be a good idea to share a veggie haggis recipe to celebate Burns Night. This recipe is from Henderson's - something of an institution in Edinburgh's vegetarian restaurant scene.

Ingredients

  • 75g (3oz) mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 75g (3oz) brown lentils (soaked for 2-3 hours)
  • 50g (2oz) pinhead oatmeal (soaked for 1 hour)
  • 50g (2oz) red kidney beans (soaked, cooked and chopped)
  • 25g (1oz) margarine
  • 150g (5oz) grated carrot
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 150g (5oz) onions, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Saute the garlic and onion in a little vegetable oil until soft, adding the garam masala, tamari or soy sauce and a little salt and pepper.

2. Add the brown lentils and carrot, and simmer on a low heat until the lentils are soft, stirring to prevent the mixture sticking. If the mixture starts to dry out too much, add a small amount of vegetable stock or water.

3. Add mushrooms and allow to soften, then add the kidney beans. Stir in the margarine and add black pepper to taste.

4. Add the rinsed and drained oatmeal to the mixture and mix well. The oatmeal should retain its texture to give body to the haggis.

Serves 4. Traditionally served with tatties and bashed neeps - mashed potato and turnips for those not familiar with the term!  We like it with some greens too.  To see the original recipe please click here.

For those of you who'd like to give veggie haggis a whirl but don't fancy making it simply pop to Waitrose and try out Macsween's. It's our favourite and they've been making excellent veggie haggis for years.

Happy Burns Night all!

 


A little Pink Heart Lemonade

by Clare Ward, , link

With all the snow this weekend my plans went out the window and instead I spent a relaxing weekend indoors. I decided to have a quick look at our wedding photos from last August and I came across a photo of our Pink Heart Lemonade which I created with our kitchen manager especially for our day. It was a surprise to everyone - even Christina!


Easy ways to live consciously

by Christina Agnew, , link

Our good friend Nahid de Belgeonne, Director and Founder of Good Vibes, is the person to go to when your soul is feeling a bit frazzled. Specialising in restorative yoga, Good Vibes offers Glow Yoga and Pilates classes in Europe’s first infra red heated studio.

We asked Nahid to help us start 2013 the way we mean to go on. So here are her easy tips for living consciously:

  • Engage fully in all you do. Don’t answer your phone or text while you are talking to someone - it prevents you from being fully engaged with them. Do one thing at a time and do it well; multi-tasking means setting yourself for frustration. 
  • Include mindful disciplines into your wellbeing routine, from restorative yoga to qi gong or simply sitting to meditate for a few minutes a day. Taking the time out to rest your mind and body will ensure that you are a lot more productive in your life.
  • Be an active citizen. If YOU don’t make a difference, who will? People around the world are dying for democracy. Flex your campaigning and voting muscle.
  • Stop consuming as an automatic response to what life throws at you. Instead invest in experiences and activities that nourish you.

If you need some extra help to de-stress and focus on the present, try the Yin and Yang Yoga or Glow Yoga Bliss, both by candlelight, at Good Vibes.



Established London 2009
100% Organic Cold-Pressed
Delivered across the UK