Sweet potato fries are one of my all time favourites, and whenever I go to the states I can't get enough. I don't know why the Sweet Potato isn't something we use much in the UK when it is so tasty and better for you than a regular potato.

1 baked sweet potato has your daily intake of vitamin A... so remember that next time you are out shopping.

Ingredients:

* Sweet Potato (at least one per person)

* Olive Oil

* Salt (optional)

Method:

* Peel the potato and slice into slices/chunks.

* Line a baking sheet with foil and lay out your slices of sweet potato

* Drizzle in olive oil and place in a pre-heated oven (200 Degrees)

* Bake for 10-15 minutes on each side. Leave for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden. 

* Serve on a place and add salt if needed.

I love this as a snack, and due to their great vitamin A content, and that they are a complex carbohydrate, means you can pretty much eat these guilt free (although the salt is going to make them slightly less ok, so hold back on the salt if possible).

Enjoy!

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Today's Meatless Monday post is Halloumi & Vegetarian Bacon rolls...and believe me, they are delicious!

Today isn't only Meatless Monday, today also signifies my 100th post on the blog! What an achievement! 

Ingredients:

• 250g of Low fat Halloumi
• 10 Rashers of Quorn Bacon
• Sprinkling of Italian Herbs

Method:

• Cut halloumi into fairly thick slices, then slice longways into three.
• Take half of a Quorn rasher, and roll it around the stick of Halloumi
• Push a cocktail stick through the Quorn Bacon & Halloumi to keep it together.
• Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with Italian Herbs.
• Cook in a pre-heated oven, at 200 degrees Celsius for 10-15 minutes (until Halloumi starts to brown).

These are tasty little snacks or could be used as a great little starter, or nibbles at a party. We had the straight from the oven but they would be delicious cold as well. 

Due to the nature of Quorn bacon compared to regular bacon, they aren't super moist, and the saltiness definitely leaves you needing a drink. 

Next time we might add something, like a Sundried tomato or an Olive to each stick. 

Regardless, they were a wonderful snack and super tasty.

Inspired by: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3060/halloumi-and-bacon-rolls

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Hello Foodies, and welcome back to another Meatless Monday here on Love, Amybecca!

Today's recipe is Cold Noodle & Baked Halloumi Salad. 

I came up with this due to having a few leftovers from our meal of noodles previously, a few salad bits left over from a picnic, and some Halloumi sitting in the fridge just begging to be eaten. So I decided to throw it all together and see what happened.

Ingredients: 

200g Soba Noodles

Yellow Pepper

Green Pepper

200g Halloumi

Quorn Ham

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Method:

I started with the noodles, which had congealed nicely as noodles and pasta do, so I boiled a kettle of hot water and poured it over the noodles. This separated them easily, so I left them to cool in the water while I continued with the rest of the dish. 

I sliced the Halloumi, placed in an ovenproof dish and baked in the oven until it started to go golden.

I sliced the left over pepper, sliced up some Quorn Ham and added the tomatoes and cucumber to the noodles and mixed it up.

Then I chopped the baked Halloumi into squares and added it to the noodles.

I added a small slice of Halloumi on top for decoration.

The beauty of a dish like this is how easy it is to make, and you can add anything you already have, and it is very filling and most of all delicious.

Please leave me a comment if you tried this, or if you tried something similar with different ingredients, I would love to hear what different variations have been made!

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Happy Meatless Monday!

Today's recipe is a mix of a few things we decided to try. It was so simple to make, and made a really tasty and filling dinner.

When we decided to try our hand at making the noodles, I started browsing for Vegetarian Satay Noodle recipes online, but none of them really had what I wanted (I had a lovely Chicken Satay meal the other week when we went out for dinner and I think in some way I wanted to try and recreate that meal - it really was divine). So I started looking for Chicken Satay noodle recipes and thought if I could find one I really liked, I could substitute out the chicken and work from there. 

I found a great recipe which I could adapt but the recipe called for a packet of Satay sauce, and we like to know what is in our food, so I started hunting again until I found a nice easy Satay recipe to try. 

Today's Meatless Monday will be in two parts, I will start with the recipe for the noodle dish, and then go on to making the sauce.

Vegetable Noodles:

Ingredients:

• 450g Soba Noodles
• 2 Shallots
• Toasted Nut Oil
• 180g of Green Beans, topped and halved
• 400g Quorn Fillets, sliced
• 1 Carrot, peeled & thinly sliced
• Baby corn

Method: 

• Heat the Toasted Nut oil in the wok and lightly fry the the Quorn fillets. Place in a bowl and set aside.
• Add Shallots, Green Beans, Carrot and Baby corn to the pan and heat.
• Add already cooked Quorn fillets.
• Heat on the hob, stirring frequently to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
• Boil water in a saucepan. 
• Add Soba Noodles to boiling water and cook until tender.

Satay Sauce:

Ingredients:

3-4 tbsp of crunchy Peanut Butter

3 tbsp of Sweet Chilli Sauce

2 tbsp of Soy Sauce

100ml of Water

Method: 

• First put the 3 tbsp of Sweet Chilli Sauce into a bowl.
• Add 2tbsp of Soy Sauce.
• Next add 3 tbsp of Peanut Butter.
• Stir the mixture together.
• Slowly add the water, stirring it into the sauce.
• Taste the sauce, if needed add another 1 tbsp of crunchy Peanut Butter.

• Add Satay Sauce into pan with the Quorn and Vegetables and warm through for a few minutes.
• Drain the noodles and serve into bowls.
• Place the mixture on top of the noodles.
• Serve immediately.

Quorn Vegetable Noodles Inspired by: Chicken Satay Noodles

Satay Sauce Inspired by: Thai Satay Stir Fry

Have you tried this recipe? I would love to hear your comments if you do, or let me know what you think about the recipe, even if you haven't tried it yet.

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Over the years I have often had many questions about becoming a blogger. The internet makes it so easy for you to have your say, document something and share your world with others.

As humans we're naturally interested in what other people are doing and the blogosphere is a great way to read about new topics, share others lives and get ideas to implement into your own life, whether it be a thought, a quote, a recipe or a DIY project.

I've put together a list of questions people have asked me over my years of being a blogger (and in the periods where I have taken time off) and I hope they will help someone, and inspire you to sit at your computer and start your own blog.

1. Why did you decide to become a blogger?

This is the most asked question, from people online and offline. I decided to become a blogger way back in 2006, it was the next logical step for me having spent a few years running and co-running forums, and meeting some wonderful friends, and getting engaged in good discussions. 

I had been online, reading blogs, viewing videos on youtube and decided that I wanted to start my very own beauty blog. It was slow going at first, social media wasn't what it is now, and soon enough my first blog "Beauty & the Make up Bag" was born. Soon enough I started getting regular views and comments, and the buzz kept me pushing for more. 

2. What was it like running a beauty blog?

My blog, Beauty Chic, was one of the hardest yet exciting times in blogging. After serveral years of running Beauty & the Make up bag I was finding it a challenge to blog, work full time and run a home, so I joined forces with my wonderful friend Ellie (from Ellie Squared) and Beauty Chic was born. It was easier with us both posting, 2 brains are always better than one.

3. How did you make a blog a success?

Now that is the million pound question. I firmly believe a good blog is friendly and approachable, makes you feel welcome, intrigued and desperate for more. But also, it doesn't have to be something you visit every day, every week or even every month. Its something thats there, and you can pop in and out when you are free.

I was lucky with Beauty Chic, we had an amazing run with an incredible amount of support; 2.4 Million hits, 56,000 unique views and over 15,000 subscribers. The support for Beauty Chic and the interact was amazing. It was a brilliant time of my life, but as all good things it had to come to an end.

4. Why did you stop blogging about Beauty?

The honest answer? I had nothing left to say. Don't get me wrong, I love beauty products and fashion and everything inbetween, but I started finding it hard to blog about it all the time. I wanted more variety and I wanted to be able to write about things I wanted to write about outside the niche, I wanted to write about things I was passionate about.

I also wanted a break, I had been blogging since 2006 (Its was 2012 by this point) and I needed some time off to relax and recuperate. We both needed time off, had our offline lives to focus on and things to be getting on with.

As you can see, Beauty Chic was incredibly successful, but for us, it was time to let it go.

5. How can I make my blog a success?

The honest answer is really hard work. You start from nowhere and you have to just keep going, even when it feels like you're just writing to yourself, keep going. Its not easy and you'll feel like giving up. Don't! If you work hard, persevere and keep producing top notch content it will all come good.

If you have a blog and are looking for exposure, why don't you join the Love, Amybecca Bloghop, you might even find some great new blogs to follow too.

6. What was it like starting over?

Starting over was exciting. I had nothing, no readership, no followers, nothing, but I was still excited to be back blogging and writing about what I wanted. It wasn't something I was used to having built up beauty chic into a successful blog with a strong readership. 

This blog is my baby, I love the freedom I have to blog about whatever I want, from crafts to food recipes, controversial topics to lipsticks. If I want to blog about it, I can.

Starting from the bottom isn't easy, and all the hard work from Beauty Chic is flooding back. But I love it, if you ever see me out and about, the minute I sit down I will either be writing blog posts in my notebook or tweeting my latest article.

I have never felt more alive with my blogging and never so excited about the future.

7. How has your blogging changed over the years?

I think its been a natural progression as I have grown up. I started blogging fresh out of University, a young women with no idea about the world. Now I like to think in 7 years I am slightly older and a bit more wise, and I think that is reflected in my writing.

My life is also a lot different than it was, I am getting older and my own perceptions of my own life have changed. Things that were important to me when I was 21 no longer are, and in their place others have grown. Its exciting, as I feel like I am right at the very beginning of a new chapter.

8. Is it hard work?

Yes, incredibly hard work in the sense that if you're anything like me 99.9% of your time your mind is on your blog. Its frustrating being at work and having great ideas and not being able to get them down. Like I said earlier, blogging is hard work but equally its rewarding. And its so rewarding you don't even realise you're working hard because you love it so much.

9. What would you say is the hardest part about blogging?

Writers Block. No joke, or maybe we should call it Bloggers block. If you're a blogger you have been there, you're sitting infront of your computer, new post page layed out before you..but its blank. You sort of have a title and you vaguely know where you want the post to go, but nothing comes out. Also, I work my day job, co-run a craft business & blog (so yes, even more blogging!) so sometimes getting the time is tough.

10. Where do you see your blog in the future?

I just want to keep doing what I am doing, build up the blog, network, meet new people and if I can be even half as successful as Beauty Chic was, then I will be a very happy woman.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog post. If you have any questions, tweet me @LoveAmybecca or leave me a comment and maybe your question will be featured next time :)

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Hello everyone, and welcome to another Meatless Monday post!

Today's one is a little similar to a previous recipe I posted, but I thought I would do an update vegetarian version for todays Meatless Monday. 

Ingredients:

1/2 a bag of Quorn frozen mince

Jug of made up onion gravy

2 Carrots

2 Tablespoons of Frozen Peas

4 Sweet Potatoes

1. Place the frozen Quorn mince into the saucepan.

2. Add the gravy and let the Quorn mince cook in the sauce for around 15 minutes - stirring constantly.

3. Peel and slice 2 carrots and add to mixture.

4. Add 3 spoonfuls of frozen peas to the mixture and cook.

5. Add mixture to oven proof dish and allow to cool a little.

6. Peel and cut 4 sweet potatoes and boil until soft.

7. Drain Potatoes and mash.

8. Smother the Sweet Potato on top of the mince mixture, and cook in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the mixture is pipping hot.

(You can add cheese on top of the mixture for the last 5 minutes of cooking - we usually add Lactose Free cheese).

Serve with Vegetables or salad.

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Last weekend, me and my boyfriend, made this scrumptious Vegetarian dinner and I wanted to share the recipe with you. We got a few ideas off the internet and then cobbled this together ourselves to make our own yummy dinner.

Flatbread

For the flat bread, we used the bread maker to make it from scratch.

• 1 1/2 C. warm water
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 4 C. flour
• 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 tsp. yeast

This recipe makes kind of a lot of dough, we only really needed half the amount for this dinner, and the bread maker only just managed to fit this in (remember to account for the fact that it needs to rise!) so I would definitely half this recipe unless you have a BIG bread maker. 

Add the ingredients to the bread maker in the order you see above, and put it on the dough setting. Then go away and let it cook.

When the dough is ready, sprinkle some flour on the kitchen worktop and roll the dough into a long strip (think french bread) and cut into 9 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then using a rolling pin roll out into small circles.

Pop in the oven and cook on each side for a few minutes. Do not overcook or your flatbread will become very hard and impossible to use as a wrap.

Halloumi & Pepper

First, start with the Halloumi. Cut into thick slices, place in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle Oregano over the top. 

Bake at 200 degrees until browned. 

Turn over and sprinkle Oregano on the other side and again, bake until brown. 

Using a Red Pepper and an Orange Pepper place in oven at 200 degrees until roasted, and skin pulls away easily.

Remove from oven and gently remove skin.

Remove stalk and seeds and chop into small pieces. 

Slice the Aubergine long way and place on baking tray.

Lightly drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the slices and season with a sprinkle of salt.

Roast both sides in the over at 200 degrees until cooked.

Remove from oven and cut into squares. 

Greek Salad

For the Greek Salad, mix the follow ingredients in a bowl.

• Cos Lettuce
• Vine Tomatoes
• Olives
• Sweet Orange Pepper
• Crumbled Feta Cheese
• Sliced Onion

Place everything on the table on plates or bowls and invite the guests to choose what they want and make up their own wraps.

They are absolutely delicious!

If you do make this recipe, do let me know, I would love to hear from you!

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Happy Monday Bloggers!

Today's Meatless Monday post is another Pan Fried Gnocchi recipe, but this time, from scratch!

The entire meal consisted of Pan Fried Gnocchi, Sweet Tomato Sauce, Pan fried Halloumi cheese (made from Goats Milk & Ewes Milk for me), Pan Fried Peppers and Salad.

I am going to take you through each bit step by step!

The Gnocchi!

1. Peel & cut up potatoes.
2. Boil until soft.
3. Mash.
4. Add flour until you have a soft dough consistency.
5. Roll into long, sausage like pieces.

6. Cut into pieces.

7. Roll into balls.
8. Heat a pan with a little oil, add Gnocchi balls to the pan and fry until golden.

The Sweet Tomato Sauce!

1. Pan fry some diced onion.
2. Add tinned chickpeas (drained) and continue to fry.

3. Add a tin of plum tomatoes and a quarter of the tin of water.

4. Simmer.

5. Add honey to taste & to sweeten the sauce.


And the Rest!

1. Slice and pan fry the Halloumi.
2. Put it in oven to keep warm.

3. Pop peppers in pan and fry until skin blisters.
4. Keep warm in oven.

5. Prepare a salad of Rocket, Spinach & Watercress, add in some plum tomatoes.

6. Serve & Enjoy!

Have you tried out this recipe? Do let me know in the comments below, I would love to hear from you!

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Over the Christmas break, me and the Mr made some vegetarian Calzone for my parents, and they (and us) loved it!

It was easy enough to make and the taste was out of this world. Even if you aren't Vegetarian I honestly think you will love these versions of Calzone.

Ingredients:

For dough...

200g '00' Italian Flour

6g of dried yeast

140ml warm water

15ml extra virgin olive oil

For filings...

Tomato Puree

Peppers

Tomatoes

Lactose Free Cheese

Halloumi 

Vegetarian Pepperoni

Spinach

Mushrooms

Recipe:

1. Add dough ingredients to bread maker. Put on dough setting and leave for recommended time (1.5 hours for our bread maker).

2. When dough is ready, roll into four circle shapes. Dough needs to be rolled fairly thinly.

3. Add tomato puree across the entire dough.

4. Add ingredients required to half of the dough. (like the picture below)

5. Fold over the top of the dough (the side without the ingredients on) and press down the edges to seal the Calzone.

Option 1 Filings:

Tomato Puree

Tomatoes

Peppers

Vegetarian Pepperoni

Grated Lactose Free Cheese

Option 2 Filings:

Tomato

Pepper

Sliced Mushrooms

Spinach

Halloumi (Bake the Halloumi in a pre-heated oven for around 20 minutes prior to baking it into the Calzone)

Enjoy!

Let me know if you have any recipes for Calzone, we'd love to try them out!

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