Healthy Vegetable Curry |Vegan Recipe|

My friends actually got me onto the idea of just using vegetables in a curry, I always felt I had to add tofu or something for substance, but this does, in fact, work great! I like to keep my vegetables fairly chunky though, got to have some bite to them! The list I use below is what works for me, you can really add whatever you fancy!

There's an easy to copy and paste method and ingredients at the end of this blog post for if you want to print and use it!

First things first, chop your butternut squash in half lengthways so you can scoop out the seeds. Place it cut side down in a baking dish, filled with water coming a couple of centimetres up the side of the squash.

Ready to Roast!

Roast this in the oven for forty minutes to an hour until it's nice and soft and easy to scoop the flesh out, a little longer won't hurt it!

Whilst this is going on, prep your veggies!

Chunky Mushrooms

Yellow Courgette, and there's green in the background!

Two Red Peppers

Chuck everything you've chopped up in some bowls and wait until ten minutes before the squash is done before coming back to the kitchen. Maybe read a book or let me know you're cooking my curry via social media!

Carrot and Cauliflower all ready in my steamer!

When you've got about ten minutes left on the squash, set your carrot and cauliflower (or similar veg) up to steam for a bit, just to soften it a little.
Throw your mushrooms in a wok and once they're a bit wet as they're cooking, add your spices until they're nicely coated.

So difficult to photograph!

Lots of courgette....

Once your mushrooms are cooking up nicely, add in your courgette and pepper and get it all frying away. Because of the wetness of the veg, if you're using a non stick wok, you don't really need oil, but can of course add if necessary!

Your squash should be done by now, carefully remove it from the oven and put the flesh into a blender with a can of coconut milk and a tablespoon of curry powder (depending on your preferences).

Korma Coloured!!

The butternut squash makes the sauce a fabulous yellow colour, just like a takeaway korma!

Add the steamed veg and your sauce into your wok and leave it to simmer for however long it takes to boil up some rice to eat with it!

Vegetable Curry

Serve and enjoy. The coconut flavour of this dish is amazing, and the milk is the only other thing in it other than vegetables, so I reckon this counts as a healthy dinner treat!

Healthy Vegetable Curry

 I actually freeze mine in portions and take it for lunches at work. A quick re-heat in a saucepan or microwave and some microwave rice is a perfect quick, filling lunch!

I've learnt I should take blog photos earlier in the day....

Easy Copy Recipe

Ingredients:

Sauce:
Large Butternut Squash
Can of Coconut Milk
Curry Powder

Vegetables:
Mushrooms
Courgettes
2 Red Peppers
Cauliflower
Carrots

Spices:
Paprika
Smoked Paprika
Mixed Herbs
Garam Masala

Method:

Oven to 200
Halve and de-seed butternut squash
Roast cut face down in 2cm of water for a hour
Prep all veg by cutting into chunks
Ten minutes prior to the squash being cooked, set the cauliflower and carrots to steam
Fry the mushrooms in a wok till wet, then add spices
Add the courgettes and peppers
Scoop out the flesh of the squash and blend with coconut milk and curry powder
Add carrots, cauliflower and sauce to wok
Simmer for at least ten minutes

Serve with rice, naan bread, poppadums....the choice is yours!

I hope you enjohy making this recipe! I'd love to see your efforts, as I'm sure they'd be better presented than mine!

Style Evolution

Welcome to my new blog!

I decided it was time for a bit of a change, I'm feeling a lot happier and more confident in myself this year than I think I've ever felt in my life before and it's making a big difference to me in many ways.

I went vegan in January of this year, and aside from a few slip ups (and only one intentional!!) I've stuck to it. I'm slowly finding my feet with the cosmetics and toiletries, and my recipe repertoire is still growing nicely. Yes I found more chocolate cakes to make...

My style has changed a lot too. This is me pre-vintage way back in 2009. Shield your eyes, don't look directly a it!!

At Work. Randomly carrying a fin...

I was most definitely a jeans and a T-Shirt girl, but I still loved dressing up when I went out.
As I discovered vintage and retro dressing folk online, I thought I'd like to give it a go. A few obnoxious comments from strangers, and some not very encouraging remarks from a few friends left me feeling a little silly and I stayed on the tamer side of vintage. Or the 'costume' side so I had an excuse for my clothing.


on WW1 Centenary Day at Stow Maries Aerodrome



At a Fly-In at Stow Maries Aerodrome

Both the previous photos are from early 2014. I don't have many full length shots of me in the intervening years as I wasn't terribly happy with how I looked to be quite frank! I started running in 2014 and the dancing stepped up a notch. As did my confidence.



Going flying at Tibenham

 

Working at Wattishm

I started wearing what I wanted almost regardless of the activity I was doing. 1940s styles became practical with the help of leggings! The photo with the red pencil skirt (Primark, Bargain!) was November 2014 and it was the first photo of me in a long time where I really, really liked it. It made me laugh, and I thought, maybe, just maybe, I could do some of this pinup malarkey and not feel like a complete idiot!

New Year 2014

We rolled in the New Year with a bang at The Kelpies in Scotland. I was over dressed as was becoming the norm, and absolutely grinning with it! I was wearing what I wanted, doing what made us happy and all my New Years resolutions and aims were about improving my happiness, health and skills. Which for someone who always had 'lose weight' on her list is quite an achievement.

Overdressed for the RAF Museum?

A bit of an edge and a pink wig!

I began introducing more fun things into my wardrobe this year. I missed my pink hair so I was kindly gifted two wigs for Christmas. Leopard print is now a neutral in my wardrobe and hanging my multi-coloured washing on the line makes me grin.

Fifties Swing

I still obviously adore the vintage look, but I'm more relaxed in my whole outlook an it's definitely affected my style choices. My clothes make me smile and that's all I can ask for really! A lot of my going out clothes are reigned by the need to dance in them, big skirts rule! So my love of pencil skirts has found it's way into the workshop.
They're more practical, honest! They don't get caught on things!

Happy at Hardwick Warbirds earlier this month.

I suppose my dressed up look hasn't changed that much really, I still love the classic fifties swing skirts, but my casual look has changed entirely.

After flying the Skybolt at Stow Maries

In May I bought my first ever crop top! I've not looked back since. I never thought I'd have the courage to wear one. Losing weight has definitely helped, but I'm proud of what my body can do now.
I can run 5k.
I can dance all night.

Being healthy physically and mentally has made such a big change to my style a that has made me even happier. I'm very grateful to the online community, pinup, vintage, fitness and vegan who all seem to be incredibly supportive, gorgeous, wonderful people. Your support and the support of a few people close to me in the last year has made me so much happier and be comfortable in my own skin.

So thank-you!

There should be more positive, happy, pinup-y and vegan goodness winging it's way to you soon!

Jo :)