BLOG TOUR: The Slimming Foodie Easy Meals Every Day - Pip Payne

Say goodbye to dinner time dilemmas with more than 100 simple, healthy and tasty recipes from bestselling author The Slimming Foodie

Perfect for home cooks of all levels, this book will take the stress out of mealtimes, with recipes that are fuss-free and use everyday ingredients that won't break the bank. Including a chapter for each day of the week, plus four weekly meal plans and shopping lists, it has never been easier to eat well after a long day!

CONTENTS INCLUDE:

Meat-free Monday

Sweet potato & mozzarella sausage rolls; Gnocchi-topped veggie cottage pie; Cauliflower cheese & jalapeño soup

Trays-out Tuesday

Korean-style sweet chilli chicken; Miso-maple glazed salmon; Bacon, leek, potato & pea bake

Whip-it-up Wednesday

Creamy basil & sundried tomato chicken tagliatelle; Sausage & mushroom ragu; Philly cheesesteak-style orzo

Thrifty Thursday

Courgette pesto pasta; Crunchy Vietnamese-style chicken salad; Simple red lentil dal

Feasting Friday

Stir-fried char siu pork with udon noddles; Spiced lamb & aubergine rice with minty yogurt; Tamarind prawn curry

Sumptuous Saturday

Harissa & coconut braised chicken; Pork gyoza; Mac 'n' cheese lasagne

Staples Sunday

Eat-up Sunday curry; Slow-cooker mushroom bourguignon; Ultimate bolognese sauce

Something Sweet

Rustic profiteroles with caramelized biscuit topping; Watermelon fingers with honey-lime dip; Blueberry scones

Lucky Dip

Green beans with spring onions & garlic; Salt & vinegar roast potatoes; Everything seasoning

 

What did I think?

I'm so pleased that I joined this blog tour as I have now discovered the Slimming Foodie and after sampling a couple of the recipes, I definitely consider myself a fan.

I feel like I'm always on a diet but with The Slimming Foodie's recipes there's no need to go hungry and you can have delicious, tasty meals that will quickly become family favourites.  I love how the book is set out in sections and each recipe states the nutritional information as well as serving size, preparation and cooking time, introduction to the recipe and notes.

There are a lot of recipes I want to try in the book but I chose two to try for my review and I can't believe how well they turned out.  In the 'Trays-out Tuesday' section, I made the black bean & corn-loaded quesadillas and the sweet potato & black bean layer bake.

Black bean & corn-
loaded quesadillas

I have to say that I used to make quesadillas but they were just a bit too faffy and I always lost half the filling when I turned them over in the frying pan.  That didn't happen with The Slimming Foodie's black bean & corn-loaded quesadillas as you make them in the oven after folding the tortilla over.  This makes them so much easier to flip over and although an odd bean or sweetcorn tried to fall out, it was definitely less messy than flipping in the pan.  This recipe has already been made again. Thank you, Pip Payne!

Sweet potato & black
bean layer bake

I had never had black beans before I made the quesadillas but I liked them so much that I made the sweet potato & black bean layer bake next.  This was so easy to do and although it needs a good hour in the oven to cook, preparation time is only about 15 minutes and that's includes chopping onions and peeling sweet potatoes.  Pip's note on the bottom suggested adding jalapeños so I customised the recipe to include some extra spice.  The taste is amazing; it's so richly flavoured and smoky (thanks to the large helping of paprika) and the sweet potatoes work really well with all of the spices.  This recipe is already a firm favourite in my house and I can't wait to make it again.

So that was two recipes I tried and each one turned out perfectly, giving me the confidence to try a lot more of the recipes in the book.  The recipes are so easy to follow and every one I looked at had easy to source ingredients.  I love the notes at the bottom of a lot of the recipes with hints, tips, ingredient substitutions or customisation ideas - with Pip Payne's support, you don't have to be afraid to experiment a little.

Filled with tasty, filling and easy-to-follow recipes, The Slimming Foodie Easy Meals Every Day is already one of my favourite cookbooks and the first one I reach for when planning my next healthy and nutritious meal.  Very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

The Slimming Foodie is a firm believer that you don’t have to completely change your eating habits to lose weight. With Pip’s clever swaps and cooking techniques, you can slim down while still enjoying all your favourite foods – it’s a modern weight-loss method that puts flavour first.

Keeping a love of food at the fore, Pip’s approach is about bringing back convenient home cooking by making healthy and tasty recipes that are accessible to a new wave of home cooks. Creating great-tasting meals that are cooked from scratch and cut down on fat and sugar while following science-led nutrition advice.

Pip’s previous books, The Slimming Foodie, The Slimming Foodie in One and The Slimming Foodie in Minutes, all published by Octopus, were all Sunday Times bestsellers and together have sold more than 110,000 copies via Nielsen BookScan.

The Slimming Foodie has a combined social media reach of more than 450,000 followers.

Theslimmingfoodie.com

Facebook.com/slimmingfoodie

Instagram.com/the_slimming_foodie

Tiktok.com/@the_slimming_foodie

Pinterest.co.uk/theslimmingfoodie

X.com/slimmingfoodie (formerly Twitter)

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BLOG TOUR: Cooking the Books: A Killer Collection of Recipes to Die For - The Hobeck Team

If an army marches on its stomach, what do crime fiction authors do? Here’s your answer, an exclusive collection of recipes from the Hobeck Books authors team served with a dash of brilliant flash fiction too…

If you love a dribble of ketchup or a drizzle of raspberry jus with your fiction, then this is the cookery book for you.

Discover the delights of mouth-watering Maltese rabbit pasta and luscious lamb in coffee. Or dare to sample chicken wings more deadly than a game of chilli roulette.

Then there’s the story of how a midnight cheese, cucumber and salad cream sandwich helped launch Hobeck itself.

This collection guarantees stomach rumbles and belly roils, and all proceeds help others through the Trussell Trust and their network of foodbanks across the UK.

 

What did I think?

This is a wonderful charity anthology with an unusual twist: there aren't just fabulous short stories to discover when you open the book, there are also some mouthwatering recipes to try.

Hobeck publish outstanding books so it's no surprise that this anthology is of the highest quality as the authors I have come to know and love have contributed to it.  Even Adrian and Rebecca, Hobeck itself, have written stories and it was lovely of Rebecca to share the personal story about the sandwich that helped to launch Hobeck.

I was entertained from start to finish and I loved the format of the book with each part headed up by an imaginative recipe that describes the different genres that Hobeck publish.  It's perfectly balanced with stories and recipes; I loved every single story and there are so many recipes I want to try.

Proceeds from the sale of the book are being donated to The Trussell Trust and with cost of living rising so rapidly, supporting food banks is even more important now.  It really is a fabulous anthology - definitely put this one on your Christmas list.   Not to be missed and very highly recommended.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Visit Hobeck Books

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BLOG TOUR: A Family Recipe - Veronica Henry

I adore Veronica Henry books; they are filled with family drama but ultimately envelop the reader in such a huge hug that I always find a smile on my face at the end.  I was thrilled to get a spot on the blog tour for A Family Recipe and I am delighted to share an extract along with my review to bring the tour to a close.  Do make sure you visit the other blogs on this delicious tour.

Click here to read an extract from Chapter 2 where Laura is preparing to send her youngest daughter, Willow, off to university in York.  Then come back and read my review below.

What's the secret ingredient to your happiness?

Laura Griffin is preparing for an empty nest. The thought of Number 11 Lark Hill falling silent - a home usually bustling with noise, people and the fragrant smells of something cooking on the Aga - seems impossible. Laura hopes it will mean more time for herself, and more time with her husband, Dom.

But when an exposed secret shakes their marriage, Laura suddenly feels as though her family is shrinking around her. Feeling lost, she turns to her greatest comfort: her grandmother's recipe box, a treasured collection dating back to the Second World War. Everyone has always adored Laura's jams and chutneys, piled their sandwiches high with her pickles . . . Inspired by a bit of the old Blitz spirit, Laura has an idea that gives her a fresh sense of purpose.

Full of fierce determination, Laura starts carving her own path. But even the bravest woman needs the people who love her. And now, they need her in return . . .

What did I think?

I think this is the best Veronica Henry book I have read to date.  With a dual timeline of 2017 and 1942, it's like two books in one and as I discovered the history behind 11 Lark Hill, my heart was warmed by the heat from the Aga, sitting in pride of place in the busy kitchen.

Laura has always been overprotective of her youngest daughter as Willow suffers from chronic asthma.  The thought of Willow going off to university in York is absolutely terrifying for Laura as she won't be able to keep such a close eye on her anymore.  When Laura and her husband, Dom, are driving back from dropping Willow off in York, Laura discovers a secret that Dom has been keeping from her.  Not only is her marriage under threat but also the home that has been in her family for generations.

Number 11 Lark Hill was a very different place in 1942 as the bombs fell on Bath and everyone had to keep up a stiff upper lip.  Jilly fell in love the night the bombs fell but, with Harry off to fly in the airforce and suddenly finding herself alone in her home, the future isn't quite what she dreamed of as she takes in a family whose home was destroyed in the blitz.  With the help of her exuberant friend, Ivy, Jilly is the perfect embodiment of wartime spirit, especially when the household is set to get a new addition.

I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved A Family Recipe.  The female characters are so strong that you can't help but admire them and the whole family unit brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.  The friendship between Jilly and Ivy is so heartwarming as they have been inseparable for decades.  Despite it being 2017, I felt Laura showed her wartime spirit as she kept calm and carried on.  Family is so important to both main characters as we discover the tears and laughter both in their past and present.

Filled with family drama across several decades, A Family Recipe is so deliciously moreish that I could have quite easily devoured it in one day, but instead I savoured every single exquisite page that I read.  A Family Recipe is a mouth-watering feast for the eyes and there's even a yummy recipe for apple and date chutney that I just have to try for myself.  A highly recommended read from the delectable pen of Veronica Henry.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



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Sweet Treats Volume 1: Jane's Patisserie - Jane Dunn

Available as a download from the Jane's Patisserie website, her new eBook ‘Sweet Treats Volume 1’ is now available to purchase!

Featuring 14 exclusive recipes, it's definitely one you are all going to enjoy. Cakes, Cupcakes, Cheesecakes, Cookies, Desserts, Sweets and Traybakes are all featured, with two new exclusive recipes in each, along with two of Jane's favourites from her blog!

What did I think?

If you haven't visited the blog of Jane's Patisserie before, you are really missing out on a SWEET TREAT or two!  I can't claim to have tried all her recipes, as I would need a whole new (bigger size) wardrobe, but the ones I've tried have been simply amazing!  What I love about Jane's recipes is that she uses well-known chocolate bars and biscuits to make stunning creations that you can easily replicate at home.

Like me, Jane is quite a fan of the cheesecake BUT Jane's cheesecakes are like nothing you have ever tasted before.  For a start there is no gelatine in them; that's right, no jelly animal bits at all.  So it was to my absolute amazement that with a few taps, tugs and nudges (and a panicked tweet to Jane when it wouldn't budge), that I turned out a fabulously set Caramel Rolo Cheesecake.  With the strange spider web decoration, I know mine didn't look as stunning as Jane's but it tasted SO good!

I've also tried Jane's Honeycomb Crunchie Cheesecake and her melt in the mouth White Chocolate and Cranberry Scones, which both turned out exactly as pictured, making me feel like the winner of the Great British Bake Off.  So when I saw that Jane had brought out a recipe e-book, I just had to have it!  What a little gem of a book this is, not only do you have Jane's favourite recipes from her blog, but also some exclusive recipes only available in this e-book.

So what do you get in the e-book?  There are 28 mouth-watering recipes, 4 in each section: cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, cookies, desserts, sweets and traybakes.  Within each section, 2 are exclusive to the e-book and 2 are readily available on Jane's blog.  So whether you prefer a traditional sponge cake with a difference or you're more of a cookie fan, then there really is something for everyone. I am desperate to try the Apple Crumble Cake (which is on Jane's blog) and the Peanut Butter Brownies which are exclusive to the e-book.

Proof of the pudding really is in the tasting, so get baking today with Jane's Patisserie.  Whether you're a novice baker or an experienced cook, you will awaken your tastebuds and amaze your guests with Jane's fabulous creations.  Whatever your favourite chocolate bar or biscuit, Jane is sure to have a recipe to delight you and fit every occasion.

I couldn't count on my fingers and toes the amount of times I have recommended Jane's blog to my friends and family.  I will always turn to Jane first whenever I want to make something special or different, with minimal fuss, clear instructions and perfect results.  So please do make sure you visit Jane's blog to purchase her Sweet Treats Volume 1 e-book today!

My rating:

Sold as a digital copy only, buy it now from Jane's website by clicking HERE! 

Do make sure that you follow Jane on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, then go out and buy some stretchy pants because you're gonna need them!