How to cook them?  It's only grilled in our house. 

​We are not one for the fry up at breakfast. Are you? 

It's for a quick dinner with us. 

Grilled rasher, teamed up with potatoes fried in real butter and steamed brocolli, delicious. I cook extra spuds the night before this meal.  Double cooked potatoes are wonderful for our gut. Enjoy, plus any left over rashers can be included in tomorrows lunch box.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

This dish was inspired by my sister-in-law Tara. She was having a few of us over and she made a creamy sauce for pasta that was vegan - just for me!
 
So, I am making something similar, but for the extra creamy, cheesiness, I am using some Hungry Soul … not just because I make this vegan cheese, but because I think it adds so much to the sauce.
 
Creamy tomato sauce is just so good, especially at this time of the year with all the fresh ingredients available. Tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes is soooo good!
 
Enough for 2 to 3 servings depending on your hunger.
 
INGREDIENTS

•  1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
• 6  fresh tomatoes – quartered
• 1 red pepper – seeded and quartered
• 1 cup of pasta cooking water
• Pinch of chilli flakes
• 1 to 2 Tbsp of Original Hungry Soul cream cheese
• Some fresh basil, perhaps 10 + leaves
• 250g of pasta of your choice
• A pinch of salt
• A drizzle of olive oil

 
As topping a little more fresh basil
 
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Set your oven to 180C
2. On a tray spread out the onion, garlic cloves and quartered tomatoes and red pepper, drizzle a little olive oil oven them and put into the oven until the onion is cooked, 20 minutes or so.
3. Allow to cool a little then blend it all smooth.
4. Cook your pasta, drain retaining a cup of the water.
5. In a large pot pour in the blended roasted tomatoes, then add the pasta, the basil leaves, 1 rounded tablespoon of hungry Soul natural cream cheese and ½ a cup of the cooking water
6. Warm it all together. If you feel it needs more sauce add a little more water, maybe a little more cream cheese 😉

 
Serve hot with a few fresh basil leaves for extra lively flavour

Bon appétit !
 
Jacques

Foraging is becoming popular again. Or at least I would like to think so. It’s blackberry season and on an evening walk we have been taking a few pitstops to reach into the brambles for some succulent treats. I wondered just before I picked the ripe juicy fruits, which were being visited by the insects at the time, was I eating more than I bargained for? Had those insects just come from the field next door and brought with them the traces of bovine excrement. (!) How sterile our diets have become to avoid any hint of micro organisms that may potentially harm us! This food sterility is having the opposite effect and autoimmune conditions are a by product of such careful processing of food.
​
Obtaining food as close as possible to the source is part of the solution. My appreciation for the foods in their natural environment has grown in recent years. Yes I savoured the sweet succulent taste of the seasonal berries there and then. At this stage of my life I am welcoming the extra diversity of fauna and flora. In a world reminding us to be inclusive this may be a good start.  

Anne Maher

Not so much a book this month but a magazine! From a workers co-op the New Internationalist
provides us with some genuine journalism in an era of captured narratives. We are enjoying the articles in this magazine a lot and encourage you to check it out. The main stream media outlets are no longer an objective bearer of news worthy items. If the drop in TV licence fees in Ireland are an indicator then perhaps the population are eager to find something else. Paying for genuine journalism direct may be a good start. 

Anne Maher

Apart from the boiling climate scenario when I think of the Mediterranean it is towards food my mind rests. Tomatoes fragrant from the vine, charcuterie, salty cheeses and olives, fish and more… Isn’t the Mediterranean diet heralded as the answer to many an ill? Is it the food itself or the setting or both? One thing is for certain this dietary culture has a strong heritage and tradition that is passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps this is why there is strong resistance in Italy to the new fangled dietary answers to climate change in the form of bug laden pastas and lab grown meats. The strong gut instinct of a nourished population that finds it important to safeguard the nations heritage and agricultural traditions that have produced great food and wine.

Make no mistake, there is a lot of money invested in alternatives to traditional food production and the traditional agricultural sector. Investors will want return on this “sure thing” for climate change. For our younger generations who are fed on nuggets and goujons the switch to synthetic will hardly be noticed so it is the older folk who have a strong memory of what real food is like that need to be convinced to change. Guilt is a great tool to use and we in Ireland have been reared on it. Undermining and demonizing the traditional sector is one of the many ways to clear the path for these synthetic products masquerading as nourishment. Take note of Italy defending food freedom. We need to defend the Irish farmers here too before its too late. 

​Anne Maher

Choosing bulk and loose products can offer several benefits. Firstly, they often have less packaging, reducing waste and environmental impact. Secondly, buying in bulk can be more cost-effective since you're not paying for fancy packaging. Additionally, it allows you to purchase the exact quantity you need, reducing food waste.

We offer 99% of our fruit & veg with no packaging.

Some of our other bulk items include:

• Tea & Coffee
• Olive Oil, Vinegars & Sesame Oil
• Porridge & Granola
• Salt, Sugar & Epsom Salts
• Grains, Rice, Lentils & Beans
• Soap, Shampoo & Conditioneer
• Household Cleaners & Laundry

Why not try to reduce plastic by bringing your own bottle or bag for the bulk items.
​
Geraldine Fitzpatrick

Inauthentic Fajitas are all the rage in our house!  What is an inauthentic fajita, I hear you ask.... Well is chicken, with onions, peppers, seasoning and any other vegetable I can find in the kitchen.

Broccoli, cauliflower, courgettes, carrots, asparagus, green beans etc are often in the mix! Any fussed eaters can remove what they don't like.  The amount's are measured by eye, and any leftovers are put in lunch boxes for the next day.

I make my own fajita seasoning and use as needed.

Ingredients

• Chopped chicken breast
• Sliced onion or leek or 2/3 spring onions 
• Crushed garlic clove
• Chop any vegetable you like into bite size pieces (amounts are depending on the number you are cooking for)
• Olive oil for cooking
• Fajita seasoning 1-2 teaspoons, or per taste
• Chipotle Chilli Paste 1/2 - 1 teaspon, or per taste (I use the Gran Luchito brand)
• Tortillas
• Optional - rice with fresh corriander and lime juice and soured cream

Fajita Seasoning

• 1 tbsp hot chilli powder
• 4 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 2 heaped tbsp dried oregano

Method
Put all ingredients into a jar, stir to combine. Use as you require, usually 1 teaspoon at a time according to taste.

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in a large frying or sautepan
• Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, longer if necessary
• Once cooked remove the chicken
• On high heat add garlic and vegetables to pan
• You may need to add some water if the frying pan is getting too dry
• Cook for 5-8 minutes (vegetable dependent)
• Add the chicken back to the pan
• Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of Fajita Seasoning
• Add 1/2 teaspoon of Chipotle Chilli Paste
• Stir and heat through for a few minutes
• Cook tortilla according to pack instructions
• Tip the contents of the frying pan onto a big plate and get everyone to construct their own inauthentic fajita and enjoy!

Geraldine Fitzpatrick