Foodie Friday - Using Buckwheat As A Grain And A Recipe

As much as I love cooking and eating sometimes it can all get a bit boring. I don't know about you but I tend to eat the same things again and again. Over the last few months though I've made a real effort to try and mix it up a bit and to try something new. I've been trawling through recipe books, magazines and the internet to look for new meals and recipes to try, and of course I've been ordering a few boxes from the Hello Fresh scheme ( read about my Hello Fresh experience here).

I've found quite a few lovely recipes that I'd like to share with you but in today's Foodie Friday post. I'm going to focus on a recipe and an ingredient that came courtesy of a Hello Fresh box - Buckwheat!

As someone with wheat and gluten intolerance's I'm all too familiar with buckwheat. Despite it's name it isn't actually related to wheat, it isn't even strictly a cereal instead it's related to both the sorrel leaf and rhubarb. The grain or seed can be ground into a flour and made into all sorts of things from pancakes, blinis and galettes, to noodles and even chocolate brownies.

I have to say I'm not a fan of buckwheat flour when it's used in sweet things, the flavour for me just dominates and doesn't work but something that I have become a fan of is the buckwheat grain or seed itself

Buckwheat can be used in any way that you would use rice, cous cous or Bulgar wheat. You can use it to make a type of porridge, or you can use it as an accompaniment to stews and vegetable chillis like I have below. The grains have a subtle nutty taste and they take on flavour really well

You can find both buckwheat flour and the grains in most major health food shops and larger supermarkets and the grains in particular are something I would really recommend. A 100g of dry buckwheat grains is just 343 calories, and it is a good source of protein, carbohydrate, fibre, and B vitamins,

Most of the packets that you buy, should have cooking instructions on them but I have to be honest and say after trying a few different methods Hello Fresh's is the one that works for me. I'll talk about it more in the recipe below but it's basically an absorption method that leaves the grain, looking and feeling dry but soft and with a bit of a bite to them.

The recipe below is a very slight adaption of the original Hello Fresh recipe that introduced me to buckwheat as a grain, and I personally think that it's a winner. It sounds a bit strange with the spices and so on but please, please give it a chance and prepare yourself for a taste explosion.

Mexican Bean & Buckwheat Bake With Creme Fraiche

1 x Can Beans - Kidney, Black, or Black Eyed Work Best

1 x Red Pepper

1 x Yellow Pepper

1 x tbsp Olive Oil

2 x Cloves Garlic

1 Medium or 2 Small Red Onions

1 Cup or around 150g Buckwheat Grains

1/2 Vegetable Stock Cube or 1/2 Vegetable Stock Pot

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Paprika

1/2 ts Cinnamon

2 tbsp Creme Fraiche

Red Chilli or Pickled Jalapenos To Taste (I use about a tablespoon)

100g Cheddar Cheese

1 x tbsp Olive Oil Or A Few Sprays Of Low Fat Cooking Spray

Salt And Pepper To Taste

To Serve

Chopped Chives or Green Parts From A Spring Onion

Creme Fraiche

1. Pre heat your oven to around 220°C - Core and deseed your peppers and chop them into bite size chunks, and put them onto a baking tray. Drizzle over 1 tbsp olive oil and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes till they're soft, and just starting to colour.

2. Bring 225ml of water to the boil and add your stock cube or your stock pot

Then add your buckwheat  - bring the pan back to the boil, then cover with a lid and turn the pan down to the lowest heat and leave for about 10 minutes and don't be tempted to take the lid off to have a peek

3. Then peel and finely slice your onion and your garlic and your chilli. I used about half a fresh red chilli here but I like it hot. Add as much or as little as you like - you can also use pickled jalapenos which are a good store cupboard / fridge substitute.

Then  in a large frying pan either heat up either a tablespoon olive oil or if your saving calories a few sprays of Fry Light, and add your onions, chilli and garlic, and cook for around 5 minutes till soft.

4. Then add your spices - the cumin, the paprika and cinnamon - The amounts I've given work but again you can add what you like - my mum isn't that keen on cinnamon so I tend to add a little bit less. Stir in the spices and cook for about a minute.

Then drain and rinse your beans - the original recipe uses black beans but none of the supermarkets near me seem to stock them so I've experimented with a few different types of canned pulses and I think it works best with either a black eyed bean or a kidney beans so I'm using kidney beans here x Add your beans and a touch of salt and pepper to taste. Cook or a minute or two until the beans are warmed through and remove from the heat.

5. By this time your buckwheat should be done so take off the lid and have a look. All of the water should have been absorbed by now and the buckwheat should be softened and dry and appearance. If it's still a bit wet cook it over a low heat for a little bit longer.

Like rice or cous cous, try not stir it, just fluff it up with a fork, then gently stir it into the vegetable and bean mix

Then remove your roasted peppers from the oven but leave the oven switched on x

and then stir your peppers into your bean and buckwheat mix

and then stir in 2 tbsp creme fraiche.

6. Then pour your mixture into a oven proof baking dish, and top with your grated cheese

Then bake  for around 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbly

Then spoon onto plates, sprinkle with chopped chives or the green parts of a spring onion, and serve with creme fraiche. This would easily serve four people with the addition of a bit of green salad.

This recipe really surprised me apart from the unusual ingredient - the buckwheat grain - this dish really is an explosion of different tastes and textures in your mouth. You get the nuttiness of the grain, the creaminess of the creme fraiche, the sweetness of the vegetables, the heat of the chili, and the depth and exotic tastes of the spices. It sounds odd I know but this is a really quick, tasty and substantial dish that always leaves me wanting more. I'm definitely going to be continuing my experimentation with buckwheat so if you have any recipe suggestions (Slimming World fans in particular) let me know x 

Deep Berry Nails Courtesy Of Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus

Looking out of the window today, it finally appears as though spring has sprung - the sun is shining, and the spring bulbs are just starting to push through! Although the weekend isn't supposed to be too great weather wise, the warmer weather is definitely on it's way, and it's time to dig out all of those pretty pastels and embrace the changing season.

Come on though this is me, Louise, and whilst I appreciate trends, I'm not always the best at following them, most of the time I like to go my own way and at the moment I'm loving deep reds and berry tones.

If you think of a typical autumn,winter nail shade Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus would probably be it - this deep, dark pink based, berry tone, perfectly matches the deep greys and burgundies that we see so often in autumn and winter fashion. For me though I think it's a fabulous smart, and sophisticated shade that you can wear all year round, particularly if you love wearing black or if you have shorter nails.

Although Nails Inc Piccadilly Circus is readily available in their core range, my bottle is just a a little bit special. My polish is from Nails Inc's limited edition Multivitamin line. This polishes in this line are packed full of special vitamins and minerals including B5, C, and E, Zinc and Calcium, and are made especially for QVC in the UK.

The super wide brush makes painting a doddle, (unless you have thin, small nails that is) and the coverage of the polish was superb. I probably didn't need to but I went for two coats to achieve the true, deep, dark, glossy colour.

The wear time was good and in fact it was slightly better than some of the other Nails Inc polishes that I've tried. I had a few compliments on this one and I think it's a polish that deserves them. It's easy to wear, and it makes even the shortest nail look smart, and well groomed. I think it's one of those polishes that would take you from day to night and for me it's a colour that you could wear all year round and it proves that berry nails aren't just for the autumn and winter months x Are you a fan of dark berry tones? Let me know x 

Primark Haul - March 2016 Edition - Clothes, Beauty, Jewellery And Home

Greetings from LouLouLand, or should I say cough and sniffle land! After managing to keep it at bay for what seems like weeks, on Wednesday I eventually succumbed to the horrible cold virus that seems to be floating around at the moment. Despite feeling beyond yuck, I feel way better than I did yesterday and on Thursday so I thought I'd try and get a little post and a video up just so you don't forget who I am :)

On Monday I managed another Primark trip - hurrah I love a good Primark trip, almost as much as I love a Costa Mango Creamy Cooler :) and on Monday I managed to combine the two :)

Normally I just go to Primark to have a look round and see what's new, but this time I went for something specific from their home wear section.

Yes, it's the daisy cushion, to match the duvet set that I featured in last months Primark haul (you can read it here if you haven't already). I'm obsessed with daisies and I'm obsessed with cushions so it was only natural that I went back for this one. It comes in two sizes but this one is the larger of the two which was £6.

The cushion comes with a zip fastening, removable cover, and like the bed set it's double sided. One side features the huge yellow and white daisy on a blue background, and the other features a daisy chain pattern, on a coral pink background.

I haven't managed to put the duvet set on the bed yet but I'll definitely post some pictures on my Instagram page when I do. In the meantime though I'm using this cushion with the gingham, check side of the IKEA Rosali bedding and strangely enough, the pattern clash seems to work. That's why I love interiors so much, it's like fashion sometimes things that shouldn't work, just do.

Next up beauty and I eventually managed to find out where the beauty stands had moved to. If you're looking for them in Primark Metro Centre you'll currently find them right on the back wall next to the nightwear and underwear, but take a tip from me, if you're looking for make up don't bother!

I know the staff can't supervise the stands all the time but you'd think they'd try and keep a bit of an eye on them? The majority of the make up items had been opened, and there was bronzing powder over everything! It was a total mess - I loved the look of the Velvet Lip Pencil in Nude but every single one had been opened and tested or broken :(

I was really disappointed but I cheered up a little bit when I saw some of their new make up brushes - swoon so pretty with matte black handles and rose gold ferrules, when I looked at the price, I had to pick a few up to try.

The first brush I got was duo fibre stippling brush, ideal for use with foundation or cream blush products. I use this type of brush an awful lot but especially in the summer when I use them with cream blushes and my Chanel cream bronzer.

For me this brush is probably a bit small to use with foundation but it's something that I'll definitely get plenty of use out of. The fibres feel nice and soft on the skin, and at just £1.50 the PS Stippling Brush is definitely worth a try.

The next brush that I got was a double ended eyeshadow and concealer brush, again in the matte black and rose gold this brush double ended brush can either be used for powder, liquid and cream concealer or for eye shadow.

.

The brush features two different sized heads, both of which are made of super soft, duo fibres. Whilst the fibres are soft and silky though the brushes heads themselves have just the right degree of density and firmness, to make blending and precise application a breeze,

This brush believe it or not was just £1 - if this had different branding on it I'm sure that it would sell for a lot more else where. I'm definitely going to have another look at the brushes next time I'm in store, and I definitely think I'll pick up another one of these.

My final beauty purchase was surprise, surprise, another two packets of the PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Wipes. I've been doing a lot of swatching lately and I went through nearly a packet in a week so I thought I'd stock up - these are a bargain at just £1 for 2 packets of 25 wipes.

Clothing wise I only picked up a few essentials - the summer things are nearly all in store now but I just can't get excited about summer just yet. I don't have any holiday plans and I'm not happy with my weight so I think I'm just going to hold fire at the moment and not go out and spend money on things I don't really need, hence I just picked up a few bargaintastic basics.

I guess you could argue that these jeggings are really a summer purchase. The very, very pale blue colour is probably more appropriate for the dry days of spring and summer but the price was too good to turn down. I own a few pairs of these jeggings in different colours now and they normally retail at £7 a pair but they were on offer for just £5.50. My only advice would be that you probably need to size down in these as they are quite stretchy but they're cheap and they're comfy.

Speaking of comfort I don't think that there is a piece of clothing that it more comfortable than a pair of leggings. Find the right pair and they feel like a second skin, but finding the right pair isn't easy. I've bought so many pairs of leggings it's untrue some cut your circulation off, some bag at the knees and some are just well, perfect, unfortunately they never seem to last that long, and about 3 weeks ago now, two pairs breathed their last and ended up in my mam's rag bag.

So I needed to replenish my stock and to be honest I think Primark's leggings are as good as any. I tend to go for their viscose mix and they feel really soft against the skin. The sizing is generous and the price is even better, they are normally £3 a pair, but on Monday they were on offer at just £2.80 so I took advantage and got two pairs.

That was it for clothing but I did mange to pick up a couple of jewellery pieces including this super cute bracelet from their new Disney collection

Despite the fact that it says bracelet I actually bought this as a necklace never mind it's really sweet just a very fine gold tone chain, with a gold tone Mickey Mouse head charm attached, It's really sweet and really delicate and it was a bargain at just £2.50. They also had a few other pieces including a crystal embossed Mickey head necklace and a Love necklace, where the O is shaped like a Mickey head. I'm not the worlds craziest Disney fan, but I do love cute jewellery pieces so I'll definitely be back for more.

The final jewellery piece that I picked up is the complete opposite, where as the Disney bracelet is small and delicate, this silver tone bracelet is a real statement piece.

This elasticated bracelet is on a small, irregular bead band, and features a large, silver tone, filigree charm, with a long silver tassel dangling from it. I don't know what it is about this but I had to have it the minute I saw it. I like layering my bracelets and I think that this would work equally well on it's own, as it would alongside some of my more delicate pieces. It was just £2.00

As I say just a small haul but I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful anyways. Before the sore throat hit I managed to record a quick video to accompany this haul so don't forget to watch it via this link or below x



Thanks for reading and watching and if you've been to Primark recently I'd love to know what you bought so link me up or let me know below x

The Balm Nude Dude Eyeshadow Palette Winner Revealed

I hope you're all on the edge of your seats and hanging on to every word that you're reading, because it's the moment that you've all been waiting for! It time to announce the winner of my 9th Blog Birthday giveaway!

It wasn't the most popular giveaway than I've ever held :( but I still received over 1500 entries. Thanks to every single one of you that entered. I've really enjoyed reading through your comments, and I'll definitely be taking a lot of your post suggestions on board, finances permitting ;) Unfortunately there can only be one winner and that winner, who was drawn randomly via Rafflecopter is....

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bryanna S 

Congratulations Bryanna x I'll be sending you an email shortly asking for your details x Thanks again to all of you that entered and I'm only sorry I couldn't give you all a prize. I have plenty more giveaways planned though including some nail polish giveaways and I since I hit 1000 Bloglovin followers during the course of this giveaway, I might hold a giveaway to celebrate that too :) So stay following, and reading for more chances to win.

Changing Your Nail Polish - OPI Golden Rainbow

As much as I loved the glossy black, sophistication of OPI's Never Have Too Mani Friends that you saw in my previous post, after a few days I fancied a change.

Black nail polish is amazing on it's own but when you use it as a base for a glitter it takes it to another level. Instead of taking off all of my polish and starting from scratch I revived my tired manicure with a layer of sparkle.

OPI Golden Rainbow is a clear base which is crammed full of gold glitter and sparkle, and larger pieces of holographic glitter. You can either paint on as you would a normal polish or you can use your brush to pick out and place the larger pieces of glitter.

I just painted it on and the effect is magical, it works particularly well on darker colours, but you're left with a twinkly, sparkly top coat that would liven up even the most boring of nails colours, and not only that but it's also great for hiding the odd chip, or imperfection in your manicure.

I love this look and I'm definitely going to start experimenting with different top coats, and glitters, and layering my polishes. What do you think of this look? Let me know x