Lime and Chilli Aubergines with Peanuts

It's now the end of my 2nd week back at uni (well, my 3rd if you count volunteering the week before Fresher Week) and I already feel like I might drown in my final year.  My current extra-curricular activities are BUSOM (musical theatre), RamAir (student radio) and archery (I finally started this last week and I'm very excited), but I'm scared about having to give anything up to fit in more studying.  In my ideal world, I set out on a piece of paper which lectures or activities I need to attend each day, add in things like what I want to watch on TV at home or read, and then I add in the generic task "do uni work".  I don't set myself specific targets of what coursework I do each day, but I just try to make sure to do some, and until I feel like I've done enough work, that task won't be checked off.  In March is BUSOM's production of Back to the 80s, and I'm already panicking a little bit about that because I'm on the production team (I volunteered to do this because it sounds like a fun musical to do) and I'll need to be concentrating on BOTH that AND my final project after Christmas and not just my final project.  I also want to separate myself from all my to-do lists a bit because I feel bad about not having done everything on time and I feel like I'm not "free" enough, but I also need all those reminders to function properly.  I guess that next semester, I just have to get a routine going and make sure that I've done enough work before Back to the 80s to leave a few days without too much work, but leave time to relax as well.  It's going to get complicated ... Meanwhile, it's getting a bit cooler and wetter as we enter the autumn months (and in mid-September as well - I started asking the universe for sunshine and warmth during Fresher Fayre last week through some solo dance parties, and it kinda worked), but if we're lucky, we might still get a couple of days where it's warm enough for a barbecue.  You can even do this one if you're a student, so if it's warm enough, grab your new/old friends for a barbecue and have a go at this recipe for aubergines stuffed with lime, chilli, coriander, spring onions and peanuts that I found in the 2015 edition of the Tesco Food Family Living magazine!

Ingredients (serves 6)

3 aubergines, halved lengthways
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 limes, juiced
3 spring onions
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
oil, for brushing
50g (2 oz) dry roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Using a sharp knife, deeply score the flesh of each aubergine in a diamond pattern.  Squeeze to open up the cuts.
2. In a small bowl, combine the sesame oil, 1 tablespoon coriander and the lime juice.  Brush the mixture over each aubergine, pushing it into the cuts.  Scatter the spring onions and chilli over the aubergines.  Wrap each aubergine in oiled foil and barbecue, among the coals, for 30 minutes.  If not using a barbecue, grill at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-30 minutes, or until softened and cooked through.
3. Unwrap the aubergines and arrange on a serving platter.  Scatter the remaining coriander and peanuts over the aubergines.

Cucumber, Fennel and Parsley Salad

As we near the end of June, it's getting even hotter - well, not THAT hot, but it was 21 degrees Celsius here on Wednesday and we needed the windows open while having lunch in the car in Leeds and it also made me feel really sleepy.  This weekend, I'm heading down to Cambridge for the first of two family meet-ups for this summer and if the weather's good (it's usually better in Cambridge than it is here in the cold North), we'll be having a barbecue in my cousins' garden.  Since we're only going to be arriving in the late-afternoon, I probably won't quite have enough time (or the ingredients) to make anything, but if I were to make a contribution to the barbecue party, I make a couple of batches of this salad recipe that I found in the Tesco Food Family Living magazine for June 2015.  It's full of greens and herbs, so eat plenty!

Ingredients (to serve 6)

1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds scooped out, and finely sliced
2 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
1/2 x 60g bag lamb's lettuce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon poppy seeds

For the dressing:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 x 31g pack fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lemon, juiced

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, fennel, lamb's lettuce, chives and lemon zest.  Scatter over the poppy seeds.
2. To make the dressing, put the olive oil, parsley, garlic and lemon juice in a blender and whizz to combine.
3. Gradually add 1-2 tablespoons of water until the mixture reaches a pourable consistency. 
4. Serve the dressing on the side to spoon over the salad.