Moroccan lentil & chickpea stew with tahini yoghurt
Is it a soup, or is it a stew?! I’m going with stew today as it ended up so nice and chunky, but you can call it a soup if you prefer! I like to have a big tub of something tasty in the fridge, so there’s an instant lunch or dinner ready for me when either I can’t be bothered to cook, or I’m starving and need to eat immediately! In the winter it’s a stew or soup and in the summer a salad with roasted veggies and grains. So this is what’s in my fridge at the moment and I’ve been loving it. It’s really warming and quick to make, apart from chopping a few veggies, you just basically chuck everything in the pan and leave it for half an hour.
To make this recipe vegan, all you need to do is switch the plain yoghurt for a plant based variety or just whip up the tahini with water, it’ll still make a nice creamy dressing.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
2 red onions, chopped
2 sticks celery
2 large garlic cloves, grated
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
4 carrots, cubed
1 tbsp rose harissa
2 x 400g chopped tinned tomatoes
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, or 125g dried
150g cavolo nero, stalks removed, chopped roughly
1 ½ tsp sea salt
A handful of fresh coriander leaves
Tahini yoghurt
240ml (12 tbsp) plain yoghurt
6 tbsp tahini
6 tbsp water
1 ½ tsp sea salt
Method
If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and then cook in boiling water for about
45-60 minutes.
Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions and celery for 10 minutes.
Next add the garlic and ground spices, let them warm through for about a minute.
Add the carrots, rose harissa, lentils and tinned tomatoes, plus 3 tins of water.
Simmer with the lid half on for 30 minutes.
Mix the tahini, yoghurt, water and 1 ½ tsp sea salt in a medium sized tub or bowl.
Serve with a drizzle of tahini yoghurt, coriander and a chunk of sourdough or brown rice.
Tip
You could use red lentils instead of green, but they absorb more water so you would need to keep an eye on the stew getting too thick.
If you’re looking for another recipe to use up some rose harissa, then try this Butternut squash & spelt salad, it’s really good and another one you can store in the fridge for tasty lunches, dinners or as a side.
If you don’t have tahini, you can just use plain or coconut yoghurt instead.
Everyday chilli
Chilli is pretty much a vegetarian staple, so it’s good to have a few versions up your sleeve. Here I’ve gone classic style, with soya mince as it’s one way to get my veggie daughter and meat-eating son to eat the same dish. Neither would go for my bean chilli and they definitely wouldn’t tolerate a full mixed veg chilli, so soya mince is a good compromise, plus I can sneak in some sweet potato without anyone complaining too much. Although there’ll probably be a pile of it left on their plates at the end! I just keep presenting them with food they ’think’ they don’t like in the vain hope that eventually they’ll change their minds.
Ingredients
Serves 8
I large onion, chopped finely
1 red pepper, small dice
300g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1kg veggie mince (see Tips below for brands I use)
1 ½ tsp cumin
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 vegetable stock cube (I like Kallo low salt)
3 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tins tomato
1 sweet potato, 1 ½c m cubes
1 x 400g tin kidney beans
2 tsp sea salt
Juice of 1 lime
Method
Heat 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil in a large wide bottomed pan.
Add the onions and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes then add the red pepper and garlic. Fry gently for a further 10 minutes.
Next turn up the heat a little and add the mushrooms for 5 minutes and then the soya mince, warm through and then stir in the cumin, smoked paprika and cayenne. Allow the spices to warm for about 30 seconds.
Pour in the tinned tomatoes plus 2 tins of water, the stock cube, tomato purée and sweet potato. Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.
Add the kidney beans and simmer with the lid off for a further 15 minutes.
Add the salt and lime juice to finish.
Serve with rice, sour cream, cheese and guacamole. Roasted squash also works really well with chilli as it’s sweetness counterbalances the spicy heat.
Tip
I’ve tried using a few different brands of veggie mince for this dish and I reckon Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers is the best. Although I think a 50:50 mix of Plant Pioneers plus Vivera also works really well as you get more variation in texture. The Vivera is a bit too strong for me on it’s own as it has quite a smokey taste, but I like it in combination. For this particular chilli I used Plant Pioneers only.
Tomato, red pepper & pasta soup
The inspiration for this recipe was my kids, as neither are particularly keen on soup, so I thought I would try and come up with one that they might eat. Using pasta and tomatoes seemed like a good starting point - as show me a kid that doesn’t eat that combination?? I’ve added some veggies, kept it pretty simple, but with a sneaky tin of chickpeas to make it more interesting for me. Obvs the kids will probably pick them out, but you never know, the odd one might get past their strict filtering systems! You can always leave them out if you prefer, but they’re a decent source of protein.
It took me just over 30 minutes to make, so it’s quick to get on the table, or a good one to make in a batch for lunches over a few days. I also think this soup is a nice one to have for dinner as the pasta makes it quite hearty and you could serve it with big wedges of fresh bread or cheese on toast. Who’s going to complain about that?!
And one last thing - the soup is vegan if you leave off the cheese or sub for a vegan variety.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
1 red onion, chipped finely
1 stick of celery, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, grated
1 red pepper, sliced
2 x 400g tinned tomatoes, 1.5 tins of water
½ vegetable stock cube
Handful of parsley, stalks chopped finely, leaves reserved
100g small pasta
1 x 400g tinned chickpeas
¾ tsp sea salt
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
Handful grated parmesan, cheddar, gruyere or parmesan, optional
Method
Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions and celery for 10 minutes.
Next add the garlic and red pepper, cooking for a further 5 minutes.
Pour in the tomatoes, plus 1 ½ tins of water, the stock cube, parsley stalks and pasta.
Simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes and then add the drained chickpeas.
Cook for a further 10 minutes and then add the salt and red wine vinegar. Simmer for another couple of minutes.
Stir in half the parsley leaves and sprinkle the rest on top along with the parmesan to serve.
Serve with cheese on toast, toasted sourdough or fresh bread and butter.
Banana, sultana & sunflower bites
I always struggle to find a nut-free snack to give my daughter to take to school for break as most cereal contain nuts and they’re banned! There’s only one brand that she can take in, so obviously she’s pretty sick of them now! So I thought I’d try make a bar that is vaguely healthy, but not too healthy…I’ll let you know the verdict!
Ingredients
100g coconut oil
3 ripe bananas
2 tbsp honey
250g porridge oats
100g sultanas
100g toasted sunflower seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºc.
Toast the sunflower seeds for 6-7 minutes, until starting to lightly brown.
Line a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking parchment.
Melt the coconut oil in a small pan, or in the microwave
Mash the bananas in a large bowl, or use a mixer and blitz for a minute or so.
Add the honey and mix well.
Now add the rest of the ingredients and mx until combined.
Slide the tin into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
Cool and then cut into squares. I used a bread knife to get clean starting lines.
Cherry & coconut smoothie
Changing things up this morning with a cherry smoothie. Loved this kinda tropical combination! Dreaming of sunny skies….
Ingredients
Serves 1
150g frozen dark cherries
3 tbsp coconut yoghurt
200ml coconut milk drink
Method
Blitz
Tip
Use frozen fruit if you can as it’s cheaper and means your drink will be chilled without adding ice.
Switch coconut yoghurt for plain or cherry.
Fresh tomato & basil sauce
In our house we eat a lot of pasta, so I’m always trying to make different kinds of sauces to change things up a bit. I often make a big batch of tomato sauce using tinned as it’s is good solid classic that is great vfm, but I like to use fresh sometimes as you get quite a different result. Roasting fresh cherry tomatoes with onion and then blitzing gives a creamier and sweeter taste to the sauce, which in my opinion is the posh sister of the tinned version! It’s a bit more expensive as you’re using fresh tomatoes, but the total cost for 4 portions should be around £2, depending on where you shop, so it’s still pretty good value.
Serve with any kind of pasta, fried or roasted gnocchi, grilled/breaded chicken or fish, veggie/meat balls, courgetti, mix with rice and cheese for stuffed peppers or courgettes, mini roast potatoes, or as a French bread pizza (tomato base topped with cheese). Lots of choices!!
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 large onion, sliced in thin half moons
500g baby plum tomatoes
1 garlic clove
3 stems of basil, stalks chopped finely, leaves ripped
½ tsp sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºc.
Put the onions, whole tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves on a large baking tray, drizzle with oil and then space out so they’re not too crowded
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Check and turn with a spatula and put back in for a further 10 minutes.
Squeeze out the cooked garlic on to the tray and then scrape all the tomato mix into a large saucepan.
Pour about 100ml of water onto the tray and deglaze to get all the lovely flavour from roasting the vegetables of it and add to the pan along with approx 100ml of water, salt, the basil stalks and cook gently for 5 minutes.
Next add the basil leaves and salt, blitz the sauce with a hand blender until it has a smooth consistency but leaving some texture.
You might need to add another 50ml of water to get the right consistency though - the same as a normal tomato sauce for pasta.
Mexican black beans
This is one of my favourite bean recipes; it’s super versatile as it works as a side dish with all sorts of Mexican-style dishes: tacos, burritos or fajitas - anything involving some kind of wrap basically. But equally you could serve them with rice, guacamole, cheese, sweet peppers and sour cream, or nachos with spiced Quorn/chicken and all the toppings.
I had the urge for a lunchtime quesadilla today, so I thought I’d make the black beans as a base and then top with fried yellow pepper (the only colour I had, red or orange would be fine too), cheese, fresh coriander and dried chill with a side of guacamole - I’ll share how I put it together tomorrow. It was SO tasty - one of my favourite things to eat and the good thing about spending a little time making the beans today is that I’ve got a pot of ready to use for lunches all next week.
I should mention that this is a very cheap way to get more protein into your diet, I reckon this recipe costs about £1.40 and feeds about 4 people depending on how you serve it.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 garlic clove, grated (I use a Microplane)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g tins of black beans
3/4 tsp sea salt
Juice of half a lime
Method
Heat ½ tbsp olive or rapeseed oil in a saucepan and then add the onions. Fry for about 15 minutes on a low heat until softened.
Next add the garlic and stir for about a minute to cook.
Add the cumin, stir and warm for 30 seconds.
Then pour in the black beans and their water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes until a lot of the liquid has evaporated. They shouldn’t be dry like refried beans though.
Add the sea salt and a squeeze of lime.
Coconut & berry overnight oats
I often end up making these just before I go to bed, as I forget earlier in the evening, but they’re so quick to make it’s not really much hassle. They’re a great alternative to porridge in the summer, especially, but I like them all year round.
Ingredients
Serves 2
120g oats
400ml coconut milk drink
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp sultanas
Blueberry & strawberry compote
150 g frozen blueberries and strawberries
4 tbsp water
2 tsp chia seeds
Method
Get a medium-sized tub, add the ingredients and mix well. Leave in the fridge overnight.
Give the mix a good stir before serving.
Jam
Put the frozen berries, water, chia seeds and water in a small saucepan.
Cook over a low-medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the berries soften and release their juices.
Use a fork to mash the berries, creating a chunky compote.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Tip
I put my bowl in the microwave for 1 minute on 360 power to take the cold edge off the oats before eating. I prefer them at room temperature in the winter, but in the summer I will eat them fridge-cold.
Recipes that work well with compote: granola, overnight oats, pancakes, muesli
Speedy noodle stir fry
Here’s a dish I often cook during the week as it’s quick and everyone likes it - a win / win. It’s has taken me a few goes to get the timing and quantities just right for the 4 of us, but I think I’ve nailed it now.
It’s a really adaptable recipe as you can switch the tofu for quorn, chicken or pork if you prefer, and veggies to suit your tastes. Just remember that you might need to increase the cooking time for meat though. Also I have added the vegetables in order of time they take to cook, so just have a think about that if you swap any of them. Longer to cook go in first!
Ingredients
Serves 4
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp groundnut oil
4 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp soy sauce,
225g tofu, chopped in approx 1.5cm cubes
3 carrots, chopped in batons
100g sugar snap peas/mangetout, halved
100g baby sweetcorn, chopped in diagonal quarters
2 bak choi or sweetheart cabbage, sliced
1 large clove of garlic, grated
Small thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
2 spring onions, chopped finely
1 red chilli, seeds removed, thinly sliced
300g dried egg noodles
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 50ºc and warm the serving bowls.
Then make the marinade by mixing the sesame oil, mirin and soy sauce in a tub or bowl.
Next add the tofu and set aside to marinate while you prep the rest of the ingredients so you have everything ready to go before you start cooking.
Boil a kettle full of water for the noodles.
Heat ½ tbsp groundnut oil in a wok and then fry the tofu (or meat, but increase the cook time accordingly) on a med-high heat for 4-5 minutes so the cubes have browned on a couple of sides. Remove and set aside in a bowl, cover and place in the oven.
Fill a pan with boiling water, add the noodles and cook as per the packet instructions.
While the noodles are cooking, start the vegetables: fry the carrots on a med-high heat for 3 minutes until browned a little and then add the sweetcorn for a further 3 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, drain he noodles and then drizzle with 1 tbsp of marinade and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and to stop them sticking. Keep warm in a lidded pan.
Next add the bok choi and mangetout to the carrots, frying for another 2 minutes (you might need to add a little sesame oil at this point).
Then add the garlic and ginger, cooking for 1 minute, before pouring in the remaining marinade and heating through for about 30 seconds.
At this point you can either mix the noodles into the wok, or I like to serve everything separately as I think it’s quicker and there is less chance of the veggies over cooking - it’s easier to mix if you’re only making two portions as there’s more room in the pan. Add the noodles to the warmed bowls and then spoon the veggies and sauce on top.
Finish with spring onion, red chilli, a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and a wedge of lime.
Tip
The tofu I like best is Tofoo. It’s nice and firm so it fries well and has a very neutral taste which works well with marinades.
Marinate the tofu an hour before cooking to inject more flavour, but don’t worry if you can’t, just a few minutes will still make a difference.
The most important things to do when making any stir fry is to get ALL the ingredients ready before you start cooking, turn the oven on low and warm the serving bowls.
Never overload the pan or your ingredients will steam rather than brown. Cook in batches and store in the oven until the last minute.
Veggie gravy
This is a rich hearty vegan gravy that goes really well with just about any traditional British comfort food. It’s perfect for my chestnut, mushroom and pecan roast; veggies sausages and mash; Yorkshire puddings; roasted vegetables; anything you would normally have gravy with basically!
It’s simple to make and can be frozen for up to 3 months; I like to make a big pan and keep a stock in the freezer so I don’t have to make a meaty version for the boys and a veggie one for my daughter when we have a Sunday roast. I do the same thing with nut roasts as they divide into about 6-8 slices and as only 3 of us eat it at a time, I can freeze the rest and use it next time.
Ingredients
Makes 1.3 L
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 sticks of celery, chopped finely
2 carrots, chopped
8 g dried porcini mushrooms
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tbsp Marsala wine
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1.5 L vegetable stock
4 tbsp cornflour
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large deep pan. Fry the onion, celery, carrot, porcini, bay and thyme gently for 20 minutes.
Then add the Marsala and cook for 2 minutes, before adding the tomato purée, stock, Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and simmer for a further 45 minutes or until the carrots are really soft.
At this point I used a hand blender to blitz the veggies before passing through a sieve, but you could just mash them through with a fork. Obviously you’ll have quite a bit of left over veggie matter, but you’ve squeezed out most of the good stuff!
Mix the cornflour with a little water so it is all dissolved into a thick paste.
Pour the gravy back into the pan and heat to a gentle simmer.
Add half the cornflour mix, but make sure you whisk it in quickly with a fork or you’ll get lumps. Allow the gravy to thicken and add the rest of the cornflour gradually until you get the right consistency. It will take about 3-5 minutes for the cornflour to work. You may not need to use all of it, or you might want to add more depending on how thick you like your gravy!
Add red wine vinegar, salt and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Tip
If you don’t have Marsala, you could switch for sherry, vermouth, madeira or port.
Vegan bolognese
I’ve been working on a good vegan bolognese sauce for a while now as it’s harder to really get a rich flavour into a soya mince sauce. I tried again last night, thinking carefully about which ingredients would bring the right depth of flavour and it turned out really well. My veggie daughter loved it and my carnivore son begrudgingly admitted it was ‘decent’, although this was partly due to the fact that it didn’t have any lentils in it! He is a very reluctant ‘flexitarian’ ie. forced to eat more veggie food than he’d like because that’s what I cook all the time! So if he likes something then it’s a big win for the veggies ;-)
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, grated or minced
1 kg soya mince (I used a mix of Plant Pioneers / Vivera)
350ml red wine
100g sun dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 x 400g tinned tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp celery salt
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp sea salt
A good grind of black pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook for 10 minutes on low. Then add the red pepper for a further 10 minutes.
Next add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before putting the soya mince into the pan. Mix well and then turn up the heat and pour in the wine. Allow to bubble and cook off any harsh alcohol flavours and then add the sun-dried, puréed and tinned tomatoes, crumbled stock cube, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt.
Fill both empty tomato tins with water and pour into the pan. Mix well and cook with the lid off for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the red wine vinegar and seasoning and cook for 5 minutes.
Homemade granola
Making your own granola is really quick, easy and way cheaper than buying it off the shelf. You can also add the exact mix of ingredients that you like, so no more disappointing bits of dried pineapple to come across. I’m quite particular about the types of dried fruit I like in granola or muesli, I only really like sultanas, raisins and dates, I’ll tolerate a bit of apricot, but that’s about it! So it’s better to make my own, plus I can also add loads of nuts as they’re always a bit scarce in shop-bought packets.
With this recipe you can pick and choose the ingredients that you like to make your own ‘perfect granola’. Switch the nuts, seeds and fruit if there are others that you prefer; if you stick to these proportions you’ll still get a good balance. Same with the spices and vanilla extract, you don’t have to add them if they’re not your thing, the granola will still taste great.
Ingredients
Makes approx 1kg, or 20 servings
400g oats
200g raisins, or any dried fruit you prefer
100g almonds, hazelnuts, cashews or pecans
50g pumpkin seeds
50g sunflower seeds
40g flax seeds
½ tsp cinnamon, optional
1 tsp ground ginger, optional
2 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut oil
170g runny honey or maple syrup
50g desiccated coconut
Method
Preheat the oven to 160ºc
Weigh out all the dry ingredients and put all of them, except the desiccated coconut, into a large bowl.
Put the coconut oil and honey into a pan and gently warm until melted then pour onto the dry ingredients, mix well.
Tip the granola onto one, or two baking trays so it is a max of about 2 cm deep and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
Check and turn the mix and put back in the oven for a further 10 minutes, keeping a careful eye on it as you don’t want it to turn too brown. You might need to put it back in for another 5 minutes or so, but watch like a hawk it will suddenly turn! The mix should turn a pale golden colour.
Serve with Greek yoghurt and homemade fruit compote. Or it work well sprinkled on top of overnight oats or muesli.
Leek & sweet potato soup
My original plan to was to make classic leek and potato soup, but seeing some sweet potatoes in the veg rack I ended up taking a left turn and I’m really glad I did as I love this recipe! It makes a hearty nutritious soup with lots of flavour that’s quick and easy to make. I think I’ve decided I’m more of a chunky soup person in general as I really like my food to have different textures and this soup definitely ticks that box. I’ve been eating it for lunch all week and I haven’t even needed any bread as it’s really filling. I’ve used spicy paprika for flavour and to give a kick with some additional chilli to bring the heat level up a notch. But if you prefer it milder, just leave out the chill flakes.
Ingredients
Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large sweet potatoes
2 large leeks, slices
1 large knob of butter
1 garlic clove, grated
1 ½ tsp hot paprika
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
120g red lentils
1 vegetable stock cube
1.1L water
50g kale, chopped
¾ tsp sea salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Fresh parsley to serve, optional
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºc.
Put the sweet potatoes on a tray and bake for approx 45 minutes. Check that they are completely cooked through before removing from the oven. Set aside to cool a little so you can peel off the skin and mash.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks, cooking on low with the lid on for 20 minutes until softened.
Next add the garlic and stir in well before mixing in the paprika and chilli. Allow the spices to warm for a minute so they release their flavour and then add the lentils, sweet potato, crumbled stock cube and water.
Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on stirring occasionally.
Stir in the kale and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Tip
The spiced paprika I used is blended with cayenne pepper.
Lentil bolognese
If you’re looking for a vegan alternative to a bolognese sauce this recipe is a good place to start. It’s protein rich and and after testing several times I think I’ve got a good depth of flavour. To do this I’ve used a few extra ingredients, but don’t be put off as they’re all easy to buy and the sauce cooks itself after you’ve fried the onions - I promise!
I always find that you need make a little bit more effort to get the right texture and flavour in vegetarian dishes, so it’s worth having ingredients that bring umami or a deep savoury taste in your cupboard if you want to cook like this more regularly.
Things I keep in stock are: nutritional yeast, veg stock cubes, vegetable bouillon, Marmite, Worcestershire sauce (veggie or normal if you aren’t strict like me!), dried porcini mushrooms, soy, miso, olives, toasted seeds or nuts, capers, plus vinegars or citrus to give dishes a lift before serving. To add zing I use balsamic (which also adds umami), red/white wine or cider vinegar, lemon or lime juice and zest.
This recipe is for a big batch of sauce that you can use in a few different ways. It’s always a win for me if I can get a couple of meals out of one recipe as it saves time in the kitchen and it’s always nice to get ahead of yourself. If you split the sauce in half you can serve it with pasta, courgetti, roasted squash wedges, baked sweet potato, or as a pie topped with cheesy mash, sweet potato or puff pastry. This time I went for tagliatelle and a ‘cottage’ pie with Maris Piper mash, but it would also work really well with sweet potato or squash mash.
And now on to the all important question: how the hell do I get my kids to eat it? Well, my trick is to use a hand blender to blitz either part or all of their portion so they’re not too freaked out by the lentils! Not rocket science and probably not in any parenting manual, but it’s one way to get/trick my (very picky) 15 year old son into eating something that isn’t a/ breaded b/ beige. The other obvious thing to do is serve with a mound of cheese as I find most things become more child-friendly covered in melted cheddar.
Ingredients
Serves 8
2 aubergines, 2 cm cubes
1.5 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, small dice
2 celery sticks, small dice
2 large cloves of garlic, grated
600g mushrooms
175ml red wine
250g green lentils
2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp oregano
1 vegetable stock cube or 2 tsp veg bouillon
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (vegetarian)
500ml water
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
Handful of fresh basil leaves, stalks reserved and chopped
Parmesan to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200ºc.
Put the aubergine on a large tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Place in the oven for 30 minutes, turning half way and adding a little more oil if needed. Set aside when cooked.
Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large pan and cook the onions and celery on low heat for 20 minutes then add the garlic for a further 1 minute.
While the onions are cooking, put the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until they resemble a rough crumble. I usually do 3-4 quick pulses.
Turn the heat up a little and add the mushrooms and red wine to the onion mix. Allow to bubble for 5 minutes, to burn off the alcohol and some of the water from the mushrooms.
Then pour in the lentils, tinned tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano, stock cube, Worcestershire sauce, water and basil stalks; cook with the lid on for 30 minutes
Add the roasted aubergine and then cook for 20 minutes with the lid on adding the red wine vinegar for the last 5 minutes.
Add the salt and basil leaves.
Serve with parmesan or feta.
Courgette, pea & spinach soup with lemon feta
I always miss the green vegetables of spring and summer at this time of year, so I wanted to find a way of using them without the environmental impact of cooking with unseasonal ingredients. It’s a compromise as I’ve used fresh courgettes, but in November they don’t have to travel much further than Jersey, along with frozen peas and spinach which are much cheaper for you to buy and work really well in soups.
I love the bright salty taste of the lemon feta as it really lifts the flavour of the soup, so it is really worth adding that element if you can. A good vegan alternative to feta here would be a plant based plain yoghurt; just add the lemon zest and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
1 large onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, grated
2-3 courgettes (approx 800g whole), sliced
400g frozen peas
300g frozen spinach
1 handful basil, stalks chopped, leaves reserved
1 vegetable stock cube
500ml water
1 3/4 sea salt
2 tbsp lemon juice, plus zest
200g feta, crumbled
Method
Preheat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions on a low heat for 15 minutes.
Next mix in the garlic and cook for about a minute, before adding the courgettes.
Cook for 20 minutes with the lid on until the courgettes have softened, then add the peas, spinach, basil stalks and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the basil leaves and then blitz with a hand blender until smooth.
Now add the salt, lemon juice and a good grind of black pepper.
Mix the feta and lemon zest in a bowl.
Serve with a sprinkle of feta and a wedge of buttered sourdough toast.
Aubergine & chickpea tagine with spiced cous cous
Aubergines are one of my favourite vegetables. I know this is a bit controversial as people seem to love or hate them, but my theory is that a lot of the haters have tried aubergine that is under-cooked when it’s hard, spongy and tasteless. Aubergines need to be cooked for quite a long time to soften and release their sweet slightly smoky flavour. They’re best when you roast or fry them to caramelise the outside, or roasted whole so the inside becomes soft enough to turn into a smokey dip. This tagine has an equal amount of red pepper and red onion in it, so although aubergine is in the title, the flavour is comprised of a mix of all 3 vegetables. So this recipe is ideal for someone who isn’t completely convinced about the wonders of the mighty aubergine (to reference Mr Ottolenghi), although I can’t begin to imagine why! Did I mention that I bloody love them?!
Ingredients
Serves 6-8
3 aubergine, chopped into 2cm cubes
3 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, sliced
3 sweet peppers, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, grated (I use a Microplane)
1 dried ancho chilli, chopped (makes about 1 tbsp)
2 tsp ras el hanout spice mix
2 x 400g tinned cherry tomatoes
1.5 tsp vegetable bouillon
60g sultanas or raisins
Handful of coriander, stalks chopped, leaves reserved
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained. If you use dried, soak and cook 130g
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey or maple
1.5 tsp sea salt (if you’re using fine grain table salt reduce by half and go from there)
Cous cous
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced
100g cherry tomatoes, small dice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
180g cous cous
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vegetable bouillon
800ml boiling water
200g crumbled feta, optional topping
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°c
Spread the chopped aubergine on a couple of large baking trays and drizzle with the olive oil, plus 1/2 tsp sea salt, mixing well.
Roast for 25 minutes, turn then put back in the oven for 8 minutes until at least one side is browned and the pieces are soft all the way through.
Meanwhile add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a large pan or casserole, heat and cook the onion and pepper together for 15 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Mix in the ancho chilli and ras el hanout spice blend and stir, allow to warm through for a minute.
Put the aubergine pieces into the pan with the tinned tomatoes, vegetable bouillon, sultanas, coriander stalks and a full tin of water. Leave to simmer with the lid half on for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Then add the chickpeas, red wine vinegar and honey simmer for 15 minutes without the lid..
While the tagine is cooking start to make the cous cous. First heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry the chopped onion on a low heat for 15 minutes before adding the tomatoes and garlic, cook for 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 tsp ground cumin and warm for about a minute.
Turn off the heat and add the cous cous, vegetable bouillon and boiling water to the onions and tomatoes when the tagine has about 10 minutes left to cook. Put the lid on and leave the cous cous to absorb the water for 6-8 minutes. Fluff with a fork when ready.
Serve the tagine and cous cous with crumbled feta and coriander leaves.
Tip
I like to roast the aubergine pieces as I find it easier than frying them all in batches, plus it means I use a lot less oil. But you can pan fry if you prefer.
Dried ancho chilli - I bought mine from Waitrose.
Ras el hanout - I get my blend from local supplier Spice and Green, but they do mail order so it is probably worth asking if they can send to you. If not you’ll find a version stocked in most supermarkets. Ottolenghi do their own that you can order too - here or make your own using this Epicurious recipe.
I have used tinned cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and extra flavour, but tinned plum would work fine as a sub.
If you’re using dried chickpeas cook as per the instructions and then add to the sauce with the tinned tomatoes as they will be firmer and need a little more time to soften.
Winter salad with Stilton & pecans
I know I’m a little early with a Winter salad as we’re not quite there yet, but I wanted to share this recipe that I made for my December supper club guests last year. I just remade it for lunch today to double check the recipe and I ploughed through both plates I was enjoying it that much!
Although the recipe has Stilton in, you could easily make a plant-based version of this salad as the dressing is vegan; to make it creamy I’ve used silken tofu rather than egg yolk or a cow’s milk product. I actually find it a little less sickly than a regular ‘mayo’ style dressing as it’s lower in fat. Obviously you’d need to sub the Stilton and I would either add extra pecans, toasted cashews or use a vegan cheese.
*A note about the dressing: the recipe makes double the amount you need for this salad. The reason I have done this is that silken tofu is usually sold in boxes weighing 300-350g, so I created a recipe to use it all up rather than leaving half a packet to go off in the fridge! I really like silken tofu in ramen or miso soup, but I don’t make them that regularly, so rather than risk wasting the other half, I prefer to make a big tub of dressing that can be used with other things. It lasts a good 10 days (if not longer). Just think of it as of vegan mayo and use it in place of ‘normal’.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a starter or side
1/2 sweetheart cabbage
50g sprouts
50g curly kale
15g parsley, roughly chopped
A good pinch of sea salt
70g stilton or gorgonzola, crumbled or chopped in 1cm cubes
45g pecans
I small apple, chopped in 1cm cubes
Dressing
I packet of silken tofu (300-350g)
140ml olive oil
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp dijon mustard
2.5 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice (approx 1.5 lemons)
1/2 tsp table salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 120ºc.
Spread the pecans on a baking tray and toast for about 6-8 minutes - keep an eye on them, I’ve lost count of the amount of nuts I’ve burnt. (That sounds a bit wrong now I’ve written it down.)
Finely shred the cabbage and sprouts using a sharp knife, mandolin or a food processor (slicing attachment).
Cut the tough stems from the kale and chop the leaves finely; mix all the vegetables and parsley in a large bowl with a good pinch of sea salt.
Make the dressing by blending all the ingredients in a food processor until creamy. Depending on the weight of your silken tofu you might need to add a little extra oil/vinegar to loosen the mix. The texture should be thick, but just pourable, like a slightly runny mayo.
Break the cooled pecans into small pieces and add to the vegetables reserving about 1/3 for topping the salad.
Same for the cheese, add to the bowl and keep a 1/3 to one side.
Lastly chop the apple into 1cm cubes, add to the bowl and mix well, before pouring in 160ml of the dressing.
Stir well to coat and then serve, topping each plate with extra stilton and nuts.
This is how thin I like the veggies to be shredded
Tip
If you want to prep this ahead, then get all the components ready and keep them in separate air tight boxes; mix just before serving. The apple will need a squeeze of lemon to prevent it from oxidising and going brown, or you can chop at the last minute.
Keeping the various ingredients separate until serving is a trick I use for lots of salads. This means I can get organised earlier in the day and I don’t have much to do when friends arrive for dinner. It also works well to keep a salad fresh if you’ve prepped a batch for lunches during the week.
Homemade tortilla chips
Ingredients
Serves 4-6 with dips
3 tortilla wraps (I use Mission Deli 50:50 wholemeal/white)
2 tbsp olive oil
Generous pinch of table salt
Method
Preheat the oven to 180ºc.
Pour the olive or sunflower oil into a small bowl.
Place the tortilla wraps on a baking tray, brush well with the oil on both sides, then use scissors to chop in half and then into rough triangles.
Spread evenly on two large trays, sprinkle with sea salt and place in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Check and remove any that have browned on both sides (usually the ones on the outside of the tray), turn the rest and place back in the oven for 2 minutes
Serve with any kind of dip you like! Try my roasted tomato & red pepper, pea & broadbean or romesco.
Tip
Use any kind of tortilla you prefer - seeded works really well.
Apple pecan porridge
I love the combination of these autumnal flavours; apple, pecan and maple go so well together! I made a vegan version with plant milk, but you can use whatever kind you prefer.
Ingredients
Serves 1
½ apple, diced
1 tsp maple
⅓ cup / 35g porridge
3 cups / 235ml nut milk or organic whole
12g pecans, broken up
To serve:
½ tbsp maple
Apple slices for topping
Method
Put the apple in a pan with 1 tsp maple syrup and cook on low for 3 minutes with the lid on.
Next add the oats and milk, bring to the boil and then simmer for 3-5 minutes. The length of time you cook the oats for will vary on the type - check the packet instructions for precise times. Bigger oats will take a lot longer and you won’t need to precook the apple.
Serve with pecans, a drizzle of maple and apple slices to look pretty.
Vegan banana hot choc
I got my 10 year old daughter’s seal of approval on this one, so I must be doing something right as her favourite thing is ‘real’ hot choc. This is an alternative made with ingredients that all have nutritional value, so it’s healthy as well as being a treat. It’s perfect for this time of year and a nice substitute for a mid morning or afternoon snack if you need to warm up.
Ingredients
Serves 1
180ml Oatly semi chilled
40g banana (approx 4 x 1cm thick slices)
2.5 tsp raw cacao, or coco powder if you don’t have it
1 tsp maple syrup or honey
1/2 tsp white chia seeds, optional
Method
Pour 40ml of Oatly to the smoothie maker with the banana. Briefly blitz to a smooth liquid.
Then add the rest of the Oatly and warm for about 1 minute in the microwave, or do this in a pan if you prefer (I like to save on washing up!). Be careful not to let it boil though as it’ll be too hot for the smoothie maker and cause it to leak.
Then add the rest of the ingredients and blitz really well for about 1 minute so it’s totally smooth and has a frothy top.
Chia seeds are optional - they’ll add protein, keep you fuller for longer and make the drink a little thicker, so you decide!
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