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As mentioned in Day 38 of The Challenge This can be vegetarian, as this was, or with ham and bacon, but either way it's tasty and satisfying, while also being easy and quick to assemble. Ingredients: 2 c peas 1 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 4 potatoes, chopped 2 carrots chopped. 2 tbsp lemon Salt and pepper to taste 1) Sauté onions in oil in a saucepan. Add potatoes and carrots and sauté for a minute longer, then add the peas and enough water to cover the veg. 2) Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Blitz to desired smoothness. 3) Serve into bowls and drizzle the lemon juice over the top and season as desired. Simple and satisfying especially served with crusty bread and some cheese.

Late last year, my sister, a friend and I agreed to start on a new project with the new year, making different recipes in 3 different ways, each putting our own spin on it. (For more on our Variations on a Theme project, check out the main page)With the new year now underway, there has been some discussion back and forth for a few weeks now as to what we should make for our first recipe, and last week we lit on brownies. No firm plans were made yet, but we each agreed to start thinking about what we wanted to do and to set a date soon to lay down the ground rules and to cook. And then this weekend I was on night shifts on a very busy surgical ward (we barely sat down all night). Around about 4 in the morning I had a craving for brownies, which obviously couldn't be satisfied then and there, but I sent out a message asking that we have a call and make our brownies Sunday evening or Monday. The other two agreed, and I am extremely grateful, as last night I was able to satisfy the previous night's craving! So here is our first Variation on a Theme! Traditional Brownies with a Twist by my Sister Experimental Peanutbutter Brownies by me Vegan Pomegranate Fudge Brownies By Hibiscus Kook All in all, this was a very fun project! Looking forward to trying Hibiscus Kook's brownies, and I really enjoyed seeing where each of us went with these. And for the next one, pancakes coming up! SO watch this space...

I am always delighted when he decides to make it again, and it is too good not to share.

This one isn't anything particularly spectacular, but it was quick and easy for a week night dinner and very tasty, so I thought it maybe worth sharing. Little Bit loved it for all the bits he could pick out and identify and get excited about (and for the mess he could make with the couscous). Ingredients: For the couscous: 1 c couscous 2 c water 1 tbsp olive oil 1 carrot, grated 1/2 c raisins 3 cloves 2 tsp curry powder (I used a pineapple curry powder from a spice market) Salt to taste 1 tbsp butter For the veg: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1/2 head of broccoli, floretted and chopped 2 - 3 cm butternut, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 2 tsp zathar 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp honey 3/4 c chopped almonds, toasted 1) Heat oil in a small saucepan and toss the couscous. Add the other ingredients except the butter, bring to a simmer, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is fluffy. Add the butter and mix it in, allowing it to melt into the couscous. 2) For the veg, in a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Sauté onions until beginning to soften. Add other veg, balsamic, honey and zathar, and cook until veg is tender - about 10 minutes. 3) Spoon the veg over the couscous and serve. Sprinkle warm, toasted almonds over the top. Full of veggies, with a little crunch from the almonds and some sweetness from the raisins, it was satisfying and flavourful. The balsamic and honey balanced each other nicely, with the sweet curry flavour adding further flavour notes. Dead simple, this pulled together in under a half hour and was filling and satisfying, not to mention healthy! The butter could be skipped to make this vegan, or bits of chicken could be added just after the onion for the carnivores out there.

It is veggie-packed but was not too heavy, which was a relief after all the rich food around Christmas

As mentioned in Day 48 of The Challenge This is very definitely a comfort food. It is also very easy to vary the flavouring depending on what you are in the mood for by changing what

I absolutely love baked eggs! We've been making them for a few years now after first stumbling on the idea in Michel Roux's cookbook Eggs (awesome cookbook by the way. I hesitated over getting it initially because I figured "how interesting can a cookbook about eggs be?" Answer: really.) Since that initial revelation, we've played around with different configurations, different layers, different pairings. We've done sweet and savoury, some with veggie bases, others with some meat, or others again with both. Some are layered, some are dropped into a mixture, like curry. They are the perfect dish for using up micro amounts of leftovers. The only trick is to play flavours and textures off of each other successfully. We use vegetables (left over or raw), meat, cheese, cream, fruits, bread, spreads, chocolate, nuts... And the list goes on. Almost anything works. We've also cooked the eggs, instead of in ramequins, in a baking tray with corn bread batter or pancake batter as a base, nested in roast veggies before. It is endlessly adaptable. Omit meat and it's veggie. Use keto friendly veg and it's keto. Skip the toast and it's gluten free. Play around with it! This one came out beautifully. I used the last of my home made whey ricotta, some leftover (slightly spiced) stir fried veggies, the last of a pack of bacon and some fresh thyme, served with day old bread toasted up to perfection. The trick is to bake them until the yolk is still runny but the white is set, so keep your eyes on it. I usually place the eggs in a bain-marie in the oven, but not always. It allows them to come out moister, but depending on what you've used and what you're planning, you don't have to. Ingredients: 6 tbsp left over veggies 6-9 tbsp ricotta 3 eggs 6 rashers of bacon 3 thyme sprigs salt and pepper 1 tbsp butter Toast to serve 1) Butter 3 ramequins thoroughly. Spoon 2 tbsp of veggies into the bottom of each ramequin. Next, spoon in the ricotta around the edges of the dishes, leaving a well in the centre. Place a ring of bacon around the tops of the ramequins using 2 rashers each then crack an egg into the well created in each dish. 2) Place the ramequins in a baking dish and pour boiling water into the baking dish deep enough to come mid way up the sides of the ramequin. 3) Place in the oven at 180°C. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the eggs are set to your liking. Serve with toast. These were rich and decadent. The slightly spiced veg played well off the creamy whey ricotta, and egg and bacon is of course a classic combo. The crunchy veggies and the toast added a textural contrast. It was beautiful and creamy and tasty. This is a must try!

Maybe a little further tweaking to perfect it, but certainly good enough to share!

This was the result this evening, and it seemed good enough to share, so here it is.

This hit a good balance of flavours here, not too hot for Little Bit, a bit zesty, rich and moist.