Miso Minestrone

I made this dish last month, before we went away on our holidays to Cornwall.  

D had a little taste and thought the miso was gravy like, not an odd thing to think - especially as Miso gravy  is quite popular at the moment, but what was a bizarre suggestion was to serve this with some mash.

What mash potatoes, really?!
Yes,
Okay,
Surprisingly, it worked.

I tentatively call this a Oriental inspired Minestrone because of the addition of miso paste.  There are many variations of miso.   I used one called Genmai Miso also known simply as Brown Rice Miso. 

A Little Bit of Cornwall In My Kitchen

I have just returned from a lovely long week in Cornwall.  I will share more about the lovely places we visited, where we stayed and places we ate, but today I want to share with you some little things that I have brought back with me from Cornwall mostly for my kitchen.

Of course, I have to start of with the compulsory fridge magnet in the shape of a Cornish Pasty!

And then a Cornish Recipes Book.

We went to The Eden Project and I picked up this heavy Hasslachers Oragnic Panela.  I know it looks like a bar of soap - but its actually Colombian Cane Sugar.  I have had Hasslachers Drinking Chocolate in the past and loved it, so am looking forward to trying this.  I have also (unsuccessfully)  been trying to reduce the intake of white sugar in place of brown.

I also picked up some Cornish Sea Salt Co. Original Sea Pepper.  There was also lots of Cornish Sea Salt flavours about , but as I have a lot of sea salt at home I gave them a miss opting for the Sea Pepper.  

The guy at The Eden Project checkout gave me some Nature Valley Popcorn cereal bars.  I though he was being sweet and seduced by my fluttering lashes, but is was a thankful gesture for spending over £5.00.

I was so excited to find The Raw Chocolate Pie shop in St Ives.   I have somewhat acquired a taste for raw chocolate, especially having made some a couple of years back (see here).  I have had these little rich 60g bars of raw chocolate once in the past either in Conwy or Swansea, Wales and they were truly divine and that is not a word I use lightly.  D encouraged me to spoil myself, not that I need much encouraging but he tempted me with the 7bars offer, though I could have easily gone for the 12 bars offer too.  These are all mine - yum yum - to enjoy slowly.  I am seriously drooling over these.

As I was about to leave The Raw Chocolate Pie shop delighted with my purchase, the owner Debby Fowler encouraged me to come back in if I wanted to sample more of these sugar free, dairy free, gluten free delicious bites.  I just might I said smiling as I left.   There are many exquisite flavours (see here) including raw fudge, but the ones I picked were: 
Raw Chocolate Chilli Pie (prompted by D)
Raw Chocolat Salted Popcorn Pie
Raw Chocolate Festive Pie
Raw Chocolate  Mango and Coconut
Raw Chocolate Goji and Pumpkin Seed Pie
Raw Chocolate Green Tea and Lemon Pie
Raw Fudge and Peanut Butter Pie

Some more sweet things, this time for D.  Some Salted Caramel fudge and Clotted Cream fudge from Roskillys.  And a tub of Rodda's Cornish Clotted rich, rich cream. 

Finally, a beautiful handcrafted sea horse wind chime as our reminder from Cornwall.  This photograph does not does not showcase the craft women-ship that has gone into creating this spectacular piece, so I will attempt to take it again in the next couple of days.  Anyway, this stunning golden seahorse is not destined for the kitchen, but I feel I have to share its beauty here. I got this handcrafted sea horse wind chime that is recycled from seashore finds from a little craft stall in Megavissey Jubilee Hall near the church.  

The stall holder is Serial Beachcomber.  As an occasional vegetarian and vegan pop up food stall at crafts markets, I don't ever underestimate the time, energy, love and skills that go into making such intricate pieces.  I adore frequenting Craft fairs and admiring the marvels created by each stall holder and often try to come away with something as a way to remind me of my visit to that place. I was also tempted by The Serial Beachcombers seahorse ear-rings, but with this Seahorse windchime both myself and my husband can enjoy.  So I want this talented craftster to know, this will be truly treasured.  It is hanging in our  front door to welcome visitors with its shimmer and shine - that is of course when the sunshien hits it, we are in the Welsh valleys after all. 

I am sharing this May edition of In My Kitchen post with  Maureen of The Orgasmic Chef. 

Welcoming May #EatYourGreens

I am pleased to say that I will be hosting and welcoming your vegan and vegetarian #EatYourGreen recipes for May's edition.  For those of you who have not participated before this is a monthly vegetarian and vegan cooking challenge for food bloggers to make something with a green vegetable (or fruit) each month.  

Its easy to participate, follow this link on how to participate and then either e mail me or The VegHog my lovely co-host with your blog post or simply 'cut and paste' your blog link in the comment section below.  

And to see what bloggers shared last month check out my co-host The Veg Hog for inspiration..