White bean and Vegetable Soup
There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup to make you feel nourished and this White Bean and Vegetable Soup ticks a lot of boxes when it comes to giving you a hug in a bowl. With a good shot of garlic, it provides […]
Tag: vegetarian
Indian style sweet potato fritters
I love a fritter as a freeze-ahead meal prep item to use for impromptu dinners, packed lunches, picnics and as a veggie packed side, so these Indian Style Sweet Potato Fritters are a total winner. If you have any random root veg laying around you […]
Spinach, Carrot and Coconut Salad
There are so many reasons to love this Spinach, Carrot and Coconut Salad. Firstly, it’s actually really easy to throw together with things that you probably already have in your fridge. Secondly, coconut in a salad? I know it sounds weird but trust me it works. This salad is an amazing base to add any protein you might have that needs using up too – it’s so tasty it will instantly transform your leftovers. Because of the mixture of lime and chilli, it really lends itself brilliantly to being served with Mexican or South East Asian dishes. I love this salad on its own, with fajitas or quesadillas or topped with marinated Thai style tofu. You can make the salad in advance and it travels well for picnics but make sure you dress it just before serving so that the spinach doesn’t go slimy.
Spinach, Carrot and Coconut Salad
October 9, 2018
: 5 min
: Easy
Ingredients
- 250g baby spinach leaves, washed
- 1 large carrot, peeled, grated
- 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut
- 1/2 a bunch (around 15g) fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons of a flavourless oil like rapeseed, sunflower or groundnut oil
- Half a red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Roughly chop the spinach leaves a little.
- Step 2 Mixed the spinach, grated carrot, coriander, desiccated coconut together.
- Step 3 In a bowl combine the juice of the lime with the oil and chopped red chilli. If you can leave this to stand for half an hour or longer.
- Step 4 Drizzle the dressing over the leaves, toss and serve.
Herby Bean Crumble
Ok I know a crumble is usually sweet – but it doesn’t have to be that way! This Herby Bean Crumble is a great way of making beans less of a side and more of a main meal. It’s easy to throw together and freeze […]
Cauliflower, Spinach and Lentil Curry
Curries are my go-to when I have random veggies to use up, lots of friends to visit or need to meal-prep some lunches in the freezer. I know a lot of people are scared of making their own curies from scratch and the list of […]
Lentil Stuffed Peppers with a Lemon Crumb
Pepper season is almost upon us and soon gardeners and markets will be awash with these veggies which are certainly a staple in my home. There’s a special place in my heart for the long pointed variety which have a thinner skin and flesh, making them perfect for filling and roasting. These Lentil Stuffed Peppers with a Lemon Crumb are a great way of using up some of these gorgeous vegetables and also an easy make-ahead vegan lunch or barbecue side.
Many people think lentils take ages to make but actually puy lentils are tiny and quick to boil up. You can also buy them ready cooked in pouches too. I actually make double of the filling so there’s some ready in the freezer and I just need to defrost and place in the peppers making this a healthy ‘ready’ meal. Obviously the sizes of the peppers will vary so you may find this is slightly too much filling sometimes. Again you can freeze it or add to some leftover cold rice another time for an easy salad.
The crumb can be made with gluten-free bread if needs be and if you do eat cheese crumble some feta into it – delicious! I use some dry bread blitzed to make my own breadcrumbs quickly and easily. It’s so cheap and means no bread waste.
Lentil Stuffed Peppers with a Lemon Crumb
July 13, 2018
: 4-8
: 10 min
: 30 min
Ingredients
- For the peppers:
- 200g cooked puy lentils
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
- I courgette, finely diced
- 8 chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
- 4 long pointed peppers
- 60g sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and blitzed to a paste (you can sub in tomato puree)
- 1 teaspoon of paprika, I like the spicy one with this
- Salt and pepper
- For the crumb:
- 80g breadcrumbs
- 1 large handful of parsley, roughly chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 180 °C / 150 °C Fan / 350 °F / Gas 4
- Step 2 In a medium saucepan sweat off the onion in splash of olive oil (or water) with the lid on until soft, then add the carrot, courgette and mushrooms. Cover again and add a splash of water if they are catching. After about 5mins they should feel just cooked.
- Step 3 Add the paprika, tomato paste and seasoning and stir well.
- Step 4 Remove from the heat and stir through the lentils gently.
- Step 5 To prepare the peppers simply wash and cut vertically so they are as deep as possible for stuffing.
- Step 6 Lay on a large baking tray and fill with the lentil mixture.
- Step 7 Bake in the oven for 20 to 25mins.
- Step 8 While the peppers are cooking prep the crumb by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Step 9 Check the peppers are just cooked and scatter the crumb over them. Return to the oven for another 5mins by which time the crumb should be crisp.
- Step 10 Serve.
Healthy homemade ice pops
Homemade ice pops were pretty much the only way you were going to get an ice pop when I was a kid. There was a choc-ice and maybe a Mini Milk if you were lucky. But certainly not the crazy array on offer at supermarkets […]
Easy Healthy Korma Sauce (gluten, dairy and sugar free)
Korma is one of the favourite curry choices on takeaways across the UK. But it’s also one of the most calorific, commonly packed with cream. And some of the jar versions also pack a rather hefty sugar punch too. But this Easy Healthy Korma Sauce […]
White Bean Pate
I’m not entirely sure what children ate in the world before houmous. Was there even a world before houmous?!?! Is there a single way of spelling it we can all agree on?!? It’s certainly one of those foods which ends up on the table or in a lunchbox more than once in the week. But to ring those changes I have decided to mix up the dips in the house a little and we have instead been enjoying this White Bean Pate, which takes the high protein, high fibre and big taste elements of regular houmous for a yummy twist. Better still it takes minutes to make and is perfect for anyone with a sesame allergy as the tahini found in houmous is omitted here.
I have used Argentina beans in this dish because I like to use cook up a pack from time-to-time and freeze them ready to use in bags. You could also use any tinned white beans or a combination of a few.
White Bean Pate
May 21, 2018
: lots!
: 5 min
: Easy
Ingredients
- 300g cooked white beans, can be drained from a tin
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- a large handful of parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth.
- Step 2 Taste and adjust seasoning to suit you.
- Step 3 Serve.
Saffron Risotto
One of the most modest yet delicious meals I ever ate was a Saffron Risotto as part of a set meal in Sorrento, Italy. That little plate of bight yellow rice was just exquisite. Packed with flavor, just creamy enough and with no song and […]