​Whilst I was planning this series of easy but healthy comfort food recipes I was on holiday. It was a pretty cold half term week in Copenhagen and we were staying in an apartment with a tiny and very basic kitchen. This recipe made for a very satisfying evening meal accompanied by some gorgeous Danish dark rye bread. In my book anything that can be rustled up in a basic apartment using limited ingredients definitely counts as easy. I decided then and there that I absolutely wanted to share it with you all.

​When I decided to share a series of winter comfort food recipes I knew I needed to include porridge. But, if I’m going to share porridge, if I’m going as far as calling it a recipe, then it had better be pretty special right? It’s got to get a step further than oats and milk. So, I present to you my Carrot Cake Porridge. Renamed special occasion porridge by Glutenfreeman – which I think means only to be made on days when he is not in charge of the porridge pan…..

​I have a dog-eared, much loved copy of Nigella Lawson’s ‘How to Eat’. The spine is definitely broken in a few places, so that it falls on some of my favourite dishes. One of the most thumbed sections is the ‘fast food’ chapter. Here, Nigella describes a series of recipes for the cook in a hurry. It includes - under directions for a 10 minute, gooey chocolate pudding – the fabulous line ‘before you’ve even taken your coat off…’
 
Now, I’m not suggesting you stand in your winter parka whilst you throw this dish together. But, I love the idea of food that takes you two minutes to throw in a pan as you come in from work and will then simmer away whilst you get yourself settled for the evening ahead. This egg dish definitely ticks that box!

​There’s definitely something about the clocks going back that makes my thoughts turn to comfort food. I don’t think I’m alone in that. The challenge is that when we think of comfort food we all too often think of overly starchy and sugary options – satisfying at the time but not great for sustaining our energy or our mood! Over the next few weeks I’m planning to share some of my favourite Autumn comfort food. I’m aiming to keep this simple for anyone who doesn’t feel like they have the energy to cook. Please join me – and if you have any favourite healthy comfort food then do share in the comments.

​It’s getting cold outside, it’s almost Halloween and most of the UK is either celebrating school half term or about to. So here is a perfect recipe to use up the spare pumpkin from all that lantern carving.

​The Boy had braces fitted to his teeth this week. We are working through the settling in period where soft food seems to be the way to go. This has led to a bit of experimentation with what he can and can’t eat – and the discovery of these amazing pumpkin and gingerbread waffles.

Pulling together a recipe index for the blog I realised it’s been a bit light on dessert recipes. So, in the interest of balance I thought I would share this fab little recipe for a quick pudding. These cheesecake jars take about 5 minutes to throw together. Once you’ve got the base you can vary your toppings and flavours to suit your mood. They taste fantastic and, as desserts go, are relatively low sugar. What more could you ask for?

​I didn't prepare much pastry before Glutenfreeman went gluten free. I’ve never really eaten a lot of quiches or tarts and those I did I tended to buy pre-made. Once Glutenfreeman couldn’t eat regular quiches or pies I suddenly became far more interested in pastry than I had in the past. It’s still not something I do frequently but when I decide to run with a quiche or tart then this is my ‘go to’ pastry.

One of my favourite restaurants is a vibrant, local Mexican called Pinche Pinche. It’s one of my favourite restaurants anywhere, I’m just lucky that it happens to be on my doorstep. This restaurant works for me on a number of levels. The food has really interesting flavour combinations. The Boy is always up for it because he loves their churros. It has a fabulous atmosphere and it has a real neighbourhood restaurant feel (I almost always see someone I know).  
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But this is a recipe post not a restaurant review so what does Pinche Pinche have to do with today’s recipe? Alongside a huge choice of naturally gluten free dishes they also offer an ‘open burrito’ option – any of the burrito fillings without the flour tortilla wrap. This is Glutenfreeman’s favourite section of the menu.

​I’m not sure whether open burritos are a ‘thing’ in home cooking but today’s recipe used to be my ‘go to’ burrito recipe and these days it is still a favourite but without the tortilla. So open burrito it is….

Are you looking for a recipe that you can whizz up in no time for a healthy dessert?
Do you want a tasty mid-afternoon snack without the sugar slump?
Do you need it to be dairy free or gluten free? What about vegetarian or vegan?

Well you have definitely come to the right place.
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This chocolate chia pudding ticks all of the above boxes. Just in case that wasn’t enough to convince you to give it a try, here are some of the nutritional benefits too…