MyWorldMyLife

Shish Barak has always been one of my favourite Middle Eastern comfort meals. Traditionally, it’s made with homemade dumplings stuffed with spiced meat, then simmered in a garlicky yogurt sauce; warm, creamy, and full of nostalgic flavours. But let’s be real, making dumplings from scratch takes time, and sometimes you just want that delicious taste without all the effort. That’s why my version is a little different; I swap the homemade dough for pasta and use plant-based mince instead of meat. It’s a simplified take on the classic, but still packed with all the comforting flavours I grew up loving. If you’re looking for a cosy, flavourful meal that comes together more easily, this twist on Shish Barak might just become your new favourite too! Ingredients: For the  Yogurt 1 tub of Greek Yogurt 1 tbs Corn-starch Salt  3 Garlic cloves 1 red onion Water For the pasta stuffing Conchiglie rigate pasta Plant-Based Mince Beef (or mince beef) 1 tbsp Olive oil 1 tsp ground coriander 1 t...

In 2023, my world - and my family’s - was completely turned upside down with my breast cancer diagnosis. It was the year my biggest dream came true when we bought our house. And it was the year my worst nightmare became reality when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two life-altering events, colliding at the same time. But it wasn’t just life that changed... I will never return to the person I was before cancer. Sometime I grieve that version of me, the one who lived without this constant awareness of mortality. I thought I understood that life was finite, but there’s a difference between knowing it in theory and feeling it in your bones every day. The fear of recurrence or the cancer spreading isn’t just an abstract worry; it’s a shadow that lingers, a rational dread because cancer doesn’t play by the rules. It can return or spread at any time. And that reality is something I have to learn to live with. The idea of a “happily ever after” shattered in an instant. Moving into our new ...