Remember, Remember the 5th
of November…..
Happy fireworks night /
bonfire night / Guy Fawkes night…..? to you all. What do we call it these days? And what are we really celebrating? Do you know the full story of the gunpowder
plot to blow up the House of Lords back in 1605…..? Here are a couple of wiki links with more
info if you want to learn a little bit more about where/why this Nov 5th
tradition exists:
And when you’ve read
these and made our chilli recipe (as below), and once the bonfire is out – you
can take a quiz and see how much you remember about the origins of bonfire
night here:
In the UK I know we
celebrate by wearing all the winter clothes we actually own, going to the local
park/recreation ground in the freezing cold, at night time, in the dark. We get as close as possible to a mega huge
bonfire built and lit especially for this night, and we hold our heads back and
watch numerous fireworks bang, crack, pop and fizzle overhead until our toes
and fingers are frozen, our nose is numb and our necks ache from the tilt. We still make the noises though, the “oooooohs”
and “ahhhhhhs” each time a big and beautiful twinkly firework goes off, because
they really are so pretty! If we are not
lucky enough to get to a local organised display we congregate with other
family members and friends into whoever’s garden is the largest, all bringing a
homemade effigy of Guy Fawkes (or more recently we bring a balloon faced,
charity shop suit, stuffed with paper and dressed as a rubbish celeb, or tv character
– or is that just us?) to throw onto the lit bonfire that the men build. The men also set off the fireworks bought
from the supermarket, or fallen off the back of a lorry including Catherine
wheels that never light properly and scare the life out of me)! The kids get sparklers and we of course all
write our names with them and try to take photos.
No surprise then, that today
as it’s the 5th November and Thursday blog day, we are sharing (no
not fireworks but…) a fantastic healthy chilli recipe. This one we made with Quorn mince so it’s
vegetarian too. And with this one, there
is the extra addition of tortilla chips backed in – yep, we are spoiling you,
but think this will go down a treat in plastic bowls in the garden for the
kids, or for a few of you huddled round the dining table when you get in from
watching the local firework display.
VEGGIE CHILLI BAKE:
(serves 6 – or in reality
4-5 depending on portion size and what you eat it with!)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cloves garlic
½ a medium onion
A good large handful of
mushrooms (approx. 6?)
1 large red pepper
1 medium red chilli
Handful of pitted black olives
350g Quorn mince (or if
you’re not doing the veggie version use beef mince for the best flavour)
1 can chilli beans in
chilli sauce
500g passata (we used a
carton but you can make your own if you wish)
2 teaspoons of marmite
(or more if you love it!)
4 teaspoons of gravy
granules (beef or veg flavour)
1 LARGE packet of salted
tortilla chips
Grated cheddar cheese (to
top)
Soured cream (to serve)
Hot chilli powder and
chilli flakes (as much as you like – add to your own taste/temperature)
METHOD:
- Use a large pan - heat some oil in the bottom
- Add the garlic / onion / fresh chilli and fry off slightly
- Then add the mushrooms / red pepper and fry off all until soft
- Add the mince, followed
by chilli beans, passata and olives
- After a few minutes (once
the mince is nicely cooking through) stir in the marmite, gravy granules and
extra chilli powder and flakes (to taste)
- Simmer the flavours together for about 15-20mins, adding water as required so it doesn’t fry out (you will need to add more to the quorn mince as this really soaks up liquids like a sponge – you could also have some tinned tomatoes to hand should you need to top up the mixture without it getting too watery
- Layer the chilli and
tortilla chips in an oven proof bowl, with the final top layer being the chips
- Cover this with grated cheese and bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling!
- Serve with soured cream,
and maybe some guacamole and extra uncooked tortilla chips. Careful – it’s HOT !
Give it a go and let me
know how you enjoy it, or please do let me know your homemade chilli recipes as
I’d love to try some other ideas too.
Have a great and a SAFE
bonfire night – remember to follow the fireworks code!
Here are the safety rules from the London
Fire Brigade:
Firework safety code
- Only buy fireworks marked with the British Standard Kitemark BS7114
- Don't drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
- Keep fireworks in a closed box and always follow the instructions carefully when using them
- Light them at arms length using a taper and stand well back
- Never go back to them once they are lit. Even if a firework hasn't gone off, it could still explode
- Never throw fireworks and never put them in your pocket
- Respect your neighbours – don’t let off fireworks late at night and remember there are laws to follow
- Take care with sparklers – never give them to children under five. Even when they have gone out they are still hot so put sparklers in a bucket of water after use
- Keep your pets indoors throughout the evening
Bonfire safety
- Build your bonfire well clear of buildings, garden sheds, fences and hedges
- Never use flammable liquids to start a bonfire and never burn dangerous items such as aerosol cans, paint tins, foam furniture or batteries
- Don’t leave bonfires unattended. An adult should supervise it until it has burnt out. If it has to be left, damp it down with plenty of water
- Always keep a bucket of water or a hosepipe nearby in case of fire
You can share your chilli
recipes via the comments, and post your fireworks pics via our: Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest
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**Please remember this is nutritional
advice ONLY (as is all other information contained in this blog,
the website and social media related to it) None of the info or advice is
intended to override any recommendation from your GP or health professional**
