Category: Main Meals

Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad

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It’s British Tomato Fortnight as well as being halfway through the British Asparagus season, so I’m combining the two to make a delicious pasta salad that is perfect either hot or cold. Remember, allowing your pasta to cool helps create resistant starch which is fibre fuel for your gut microbes!

Serves 3

Ingredients

  • 250g pasta
  • 200g asparagus tips, roughly chopped
  • 100g spinach, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 100g British tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 bunch basil, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 bunch chives, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 30g pecorino cheese

Method

  • Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions. In the last minute of cooking add the asparagus tips before draining.
  • Add the spinach and olive oil, and stir to combine before adding all the remaining ingredients except the pecorino.
  • Serve the pasta in bowls, hot or cold, with pecorino shavings over the top.
Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad

Prebiotic Winter Soup

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What do Jerusalem artichokes, garlic, onions and leeks all have in common? They’re all prebiotics, which means they help feed the good bacteria in your gut.

If you’re not used to eating lots of prebiotics in your diet, you may well feel a little gassy after, but that’s your gut microbiota enjoying these special fibres. When they enjoy them, they ferment them, producing extra gas which you may notice either as bloating or flatulence. All good things, but always good to know in advance of this happening.

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 4 sticks of celery, sliced
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 400g celeriac, roughly chopped
  • 800g Jerusalem artichokes, roughly chopped
  • 250ml white wine
  • 1 stock cube dissolved in 1.2l hot water
  • 1 bunch of thyme
  • 150ml double cream

To serve

  • Extra chopped herbs e.g. thyme leaves, chives, flat leaf parsley
  • Sourdough bread

Method

  • In a large pan, add the oil, onion, leeks and celery and cook for 5 mintues till soft.
  • Add the garlic, celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes followed by the wine, stock and thyme. Cook till the vegetables are soft.
  • Remove the woody herb stems before blending with the double cream. Season to taste with pepper.
  • Serve sprinkled with extra herbs and pepper and a slice of sourdough bread
Prebiotic Winter Soup

Per serving of soup: 204kcal/ 11g fat/ 5.6g saturated fat/ 15g carbohydrates/ 5.1g fibre/ 3.4g protein

Sundried Tomato and Red Pepper Pasta Bake

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This Sundried Tomato and Red Pepper Pasta Bake is so simple and yet so tasty. You could make the pasta sauce and stir it through hot pasta and sprinkle the cheese on to eat it as it is to make it every quicker, but I do like the extra texture you get from baking it in the oven.

There are many sources of vitamin B12, but plant-based sources are limited to fortified foods including some breakfast cereals, dairy alternatives, nutritional year and yeast spreads and some specially grown mushrooms.

With vitamin B12, the more frequently you have it, the less you body needs as it is more efficient at absorbing it. Therefore, if you have B12 less often, your requirements go up to 10μg/day (if only have one intake of B12), or 2000μg per week. Each serving of my pasta provides you with 3μg, which is the daily recommendation if you are having multiple sources of B12 per day. Therefore, this can help you achieve the daily requirement if paired with other vitamin B12 containing foods throughout the day.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 100g sundried tomatoes
  • 200g cooked red peppers in brine
  • 60g almonds
  • 30g basil, stems removed from leaves
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp oil from the sundried tomatoes (or use extra virgin olive oil if you prefer)
  • 150ml soya milk fortified with vitamin B12
  • 20g nutritional yeast fortified with vitamin B12
  • 300g pasta
  • 300g broccoli
  • 100g vegan cheese fortified with vitamin B12
  • 2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Method

  • Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook your pasta according to the cooking instructions, adding the broccoli in for the last 4 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
  • Blend the tomatoes, peppers, almonds, basil stems, balsamic vinegar, oil, soya milk and nutritional yeast together to make a sauce.
  • Mix the sauce through the cooked pasta and broccoli, adding the basil leaves, and use a little pasta cooking water to get every scrap of sauce from the blender before pouring into a baking dish.
  • Mix the breadcrumbs and vegan cheese together and sprinkle over the top of the pasta bake. Cook for 20 minutes till golden brown and crispy.

Per serving: 704kcal/ 34g fat/ 3.2g saturated fat/ 67g carbohydrates/ 14g fibre/ 25g protein/ 3μg vitamin B12

Chipotle Chilli Beans

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Iron can be found in animal sources e.g. meat and fish (known as haem iron) or from plant sources e.g. beans, pulses, nuts and fortified product such as cereals and bread (known as non-haem).

Serves 6

Ingredient

  • 1 chipotle chilli
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 red onions, chopped
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tin black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 tin haricot beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 30g coriander, chopped, leaves reserved
  • 200g kale, finely sliced

To serve

  • 6 portions of cooked brown basmati rice
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 6 tbsp soya yoghurt
  • 30g dairy-alternative cheese
  • 1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

Method

  • Soak the chipotle chilli in 100ml boiling water for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, add the olive oil, onions and celery to a large pan and cook for 5 minutes till soft. Chop the now soaked chipotle chilli and add to the pan along with the garlic and cook for a few minutes.
  • Add the dried spices, beans and peppers and cook for 1 minute before adding in the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree, chipotle soaking water and around 200ml extra water. Add the coriander stems and cook for 20 minutes.
  • In the final 5 minutes of cooking, add the kale.
  • Serve in bowls with rice, and add the optional extras of avocado, soya yoghurt, dairy-free cheese and a squeeze of lime.

Per serving: 473kcal/ 13g fat/ 2.1g saturated fat/ 64g carbohydrates/ 15g fibre/ 16g protein/ 4.1mg iron

Crispy Tofu with Broccoli

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Firm tofu can be a good source of calcium on a fully plant-based diet if it is set with calcium chloride or calcium sulphate rather than nigari. Here’s how I love to cook my tofu. There are plenty of other vegetables you could use in this dish such as kale, spring greens, kai lan or pak choi which all contain calcium. Alternatively, other non-calcium containing vegetables that would be delicious in this dish include onions, peppers, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, carrots or mushrooms.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp corn flour
  • 2 tbsp mushroom sauce (vegan oyster sauce)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 150ml water
  • 1.5 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 block of calcium set tofu
  • 300g sprouting broccoli
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 inch piece of ginger, chopped

To serve

  • 4 portions of cooked rice
  • 2 spring onions, sliced
  • 1 red chilli, sliced
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

  • Mix the corn flour, mushroom sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and water together and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, heat a frying pan with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil and cook the tofu on both sides for a few minutes till golden brown and crispy.
  • Remove the tofu and set aside. Turn the heat up and add the broccoli, cooking to 2 minutes till it starts to char.
  • Add the garlic, ginger and remaining oil and cook for 1 minute before adding the sauce mixture and cooking for 2-3 minutes till the sauce thickens and coats the broccoli.
  • Serve with the cooked rice and sprinkle the spring onions, chilli and sesame seeds over the top.
Crispy Tofu with Broccoli

Per serving: 408kcal/ 18g fat/ 2.8g saturated fat/ 37g carbohydrates/ 7.5g fibre/ 21g protein/ 462mg calcium*

*based on Cauldron Tofu

Christmas Leftover Pasta

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Christmas Leftover Pasta

Looking for alternative ways to use up your leftovers from Christmas Day? I’ve already got a leftover pie recipe, but after making two already this year for the freezer I needed to use up my leftovers in a different way.

You can use whatever you have to hand, almost anything goes but here are a few substitutes for my recipe below:

  • Onions and leeks – shallots
  • Brussel Sprout Tops – shredded Brussel Sprouts, kale, cabbage, spinach
  • Turkey stock – pinch of stock powder with 100ml water
  • Thyme – other herbs such as sage, oregano or chives
  • Cream – use milk, but add an extra teaspoon of flour
  • Turkey – leftover roast chicken
  • Ham – bacon (cook with the onions if raw) or pancetta
  • Parmesan – any leftover cheese would work such as stilton, cheddar, goats cheese
Christmas Leftover Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 leek, sliced
  • 100g mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • A few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
  • 1 tsp plain flour
  • 100g turkey stock
  • 100g Brussel sprout tops
  • 150ml double cream
  • 100g ham, chopped
  • 150g cooked turkey, chopped
  • 100g peas
  • 300g pasta

To serve

  • Parmesan

Method

  • In a pan add the oil and onion. Cook for a few minutes before adding the leeks and mushrooms, cooking till soft.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes less than the cooking instructions.
  • Add the garlic and thyme, stir and add the flour. Mix well to coat everything before pouring in the stock. Cook till the sauce thickens.
  • Add the Brussel sprout tops and cook till just wilted before adding the cream. Mix well and add the cooked meat and peas.
  • Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce, using a little pasta water to loosen the sauce as needed.
  • Serve topped with parmesan and enjoy.
Christmas Leftover Pasta
Christmas Leftover Pasta

Pumpkin Patch

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Sometimes food can be a little fun. Use your leftover carved pumpkins from Halloween to make this tasty treat without the trick!

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

  • 2 potatoes (around 250g)
  • 500g pumpkin
  • 200g pasta flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • Nutmeg
  • 30 mini sage leaves (option to use slices of larger sage leaves or rosemary)

For the kale grass

  • 300g Cavolo Nero or kale, cut into 1cm slices including the stems
  • 7-8 cloves of garlic, skin removed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the crispy sage

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin oil oil
  • 12 large sage leaves

To serve

  • Parmesan (optional)
  • Pea shoots

Method

  • Take the potatoes, pierce the skin and microwave for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection. Place the pumpkin and the partially cooked potatoes on a roasting tray and bake for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing the flesh from the skins.
  • Take 200g flour and pour it onto your work surface. Make a well in the centre. Using a potato ricer (option to mash in a separate bowl if you don’t have a ricer) and add 200g cooked pumpkin and 80g cooked potato flesh to the well. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly grated nutmeg.
  • Using a dough scraper, cut the pumpkin and potato into the flour till a rough dough is formed, before bring together with your hands, kneading as little as possible. If needed, add a little extra flour. The mixture shouldn’t be dry. Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the kale grass by bringing a large pan of water to boil. Add your garlic cloves and kale, cooking for 7-8 minutes. Reserving the cooking water, add the kale and garlic to a high-speed blender with a little cooking water and olive oil. Blend till an even rough grassy texture throughout.
  • In a small frying pan, heat the remaining oil with the sage leaves till crispy and fragrant.
  • Shape the gnocchi dough by cutting strips and rolling into a log. Cut into little pillows (option to use these as they are) around 10g each. Shape into a little ball, and use a piece of cooking string to make indentations across the surface like a pumpkin. Push a baby sage leaf into the top for the pumpkin stem.
  • Bring a large pan of water to boil and cook the gnocchi for around 5 minutes. Once they float to the top they are cooked through.
  • Serve by plating up the kale grass, adding an optional sprinkle of parmesan to make it look frosty, followed by the pumpkin gnocchi, sage leaves and oil, and pea shoots for tendrils.

Per serving: 423kcal/ 16g fat/ 3.2g saturated fat/ 54g carbohydrates/ 6g fibre/ 12g protein

Roasted Red Pasta Sauce

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It’s World Pasta Day so I’ve created an easy, nutritious and delicious pasta sauce for the occasion. Easily adaptable to make it vegan and gluten-free by swapping parmesan for a vegan hard cheese and pasta for gluten-free pasta.

Roasted Red Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 600g tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, left in their skins
  • 1 red pepper, cut into quarters, seeds removed
  • 1 large red onion, cut into quarters
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 100g red lentils
  • 300ml water

To serve

  • 300g pasta
  • Parmesan
  • Fresh basil

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C convection
  • In a large baking tray add the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onion and oil. Mix and roast for 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile, in a saucepan add the red lentils and 300ml water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes till soft.
  • Once the vegetables are cooked through, remove the skin from the garlic and transfer everything to a high-speed blender with the cooked lentils and their cooking water. Blend till smooth, seasoning to taste.
  • Stir through freshly cooked pasta, using a little reserved pasta water to let the sauce down to your desired consistency.
  • Serve topped with parmesan and fresh basil.

Per serving: 530kcal/ 15g fat/ 3.6g saturated fat/ 74g carbohydrates/ 7.7g fibre/ 20g protein

One Pan Orzo and Courgette Bake

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An easy one-pan dish means cleaning up after eating is easy. Any leftovers are delicious the next day for lunch or dinner so don’t be put off by the large volume you make.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion, sliced
  • 400g courgettes, roughly chopped
  • 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed
  • 5 sprigs of oregano, leaves removed
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g orzo
  • 2 tbsp pesto of choice (I used my Spinach Pesto)
  • 250g baby tomatoes, halved
  • 1 ball of mozzarella
  • 50g parmesan, grated
  • Basil to serve

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
  • In a large pan, add the onion, courgettes, herbs, garlic and olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Add the orzo, pesto and 800ml water before mixing. Layer the tomatoes over the top and bake for 20-25 minutes.
  • Roughly mix the orzo mix before layering the mozzarella and parmesan over the top.
  • Bake for a final 15 minutes and serve with fresh basil.
Orzo and Courgette Bake

Per serving: 525kcal/ 20g fat/ 6.9g saturated fat/ 62g carbohydrates/ 6.3g fibre/ 20g protein

Roasted Tofu and Mediterranean Vegetables

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I love this simple combination. It’s a great base for so many different dishes, and it’s perfect for Veganuary. Tofu is a good source of vegan protein, while also being a source of calcium if it’s been set with either calcium sulfate or calcium phosphate.

Other vegetables that work really well in this include:

  • Marrow
  • Squashes
  • Pumpkins
  • Mushrooms
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Garlic (roast in their skins)
  • Fennel
  • Leeks

No tofu? Here are your protein alternatives:

  • Chickpeas, either roasted or stirred in at the end
  • Tempeh
  • Halloumi (making the dish vegetarian)
  • Serve with hummus in a sandwich, salad or with cous cous

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 aubgerines
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 1 large, or 2 small courgettes
  • 2 peppers
  • 1 block of firm tofu

Method

  • Preheat an oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection.
  • Add the oil to a large roasting tray.
  • Slice the aubergine into chunks and immediately toss in the oil.
  • Chop the remaining ingredients, add to the tray and mix together, seasoning with pepper.
  • Roast in the oven for 50-60 minutes, stirring halfway through, till the edges of the vegetables and tofu go golden.
  • Serve with your choice of carbohydrates such as lemon and herb cous cous or kale pesto pasta – swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast to make it vegan
Delicious served with lemon and herb cous cous, or pesto pasta

Store any leftovers in a sealed tupperware for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Yellow Split Pea Falafel

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These little fritters have two main differences from the traditional falafel you would normally buy. Firstly their main ingredient is yellow split peas, as opposed to the traditional chickpea or fava bean. Secondly, they are baked in the oven rather than deep-fried. If neither of those facts have offended you then you’re in for a treat!

These make the perfect accompaniment to my easy hummus recipe to make a wrap, a nourish bowl or make large versions of the falafels and pop it in a burger bun for a vegan burger alternative.

Falafel and Hummus Salad Wrap

These falafel are packed full of nutrients, and each serving will provide you with:

  • 13g of plant protein
  • 18% of your fibre recommendation
  • 28+% of your daily iron requirements
  • 20+% of your zinc requirements
  • 10% of your calcium requirements

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 200g yellow split peas, soaked overnight
  • 50g flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves
  • 50g coriander, stems and leaves
  • 10g dill, stems and leaves
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 120g gram flour
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  • Cook the yellow split peas in fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
  • Roughly chop the herb stems before adding all the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse till the desired texture of your falafels – I prefer mine to have some texture throughout.
  • Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/ 220°C convection. Place a heavy-bottomed tray in to preheat with the olive oil. Allow to come to temperature.
  • Meanwhile, take the cooled mixture and gently press into disk shapes. The mixture should make around 18-20 falafels depending on how big you make them.
  • Once the baking tray and oil are up to temperature, transfer the falafels in. As they hit the oil they should sizzle slightly.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through once golden brown and crispy.

Per serving: 273kcal/ 9.3g fat/ 1.2g saturated fat/ 30g carbohydrates/ 5.4g fibre/ 13.2g protein

Easy Hummus

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A super easy hummus recipe that can be ready in minutes. Use this as a healthy snack alternative, or as a component of a larger meal.

Chickpeas are good sources of plant-based iron, and the combination with lemon juice as a source of vitamin C means that the iron absorption from these sources will be increased; something that vegans and vegetarians will need to be aware of. Iron requirements differ according to sex and age; for pre-menopausal women a serving of hummus will provide 18% of iron requirements, whilst for men and post-menopausal women it’s over 30%.

Separately, chickpeas and sesame seeds, or tahini, in this case, are a good source of calcium. Each serving of hummus provides you with 8% of your daily calcium requirements, and that’s on its own. You could further increase the calcium content of your hummus meal by using broccoli crudités, or serving with brown or white bread which is fortified with calcium in the UK by law.

Makes 7 portions

Ingredients

  • 150g drained tinned chickpeas
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 45g tahini
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 large lemon
  • ½ tsp ground cumin

To serve

  • Chickpeas
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sesame seeds
  • Sumac
  • Vegetable crudités
  • Bread

Method

  • Add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice and cumin to a food processor
  • Blend to your desired consistency, adding 1–2 tablespoons of water if needed
  • Serve in a bowl scattered with extra toppings such as cooked chickpeas, olive oil, sesame seeds and sumac with your favourite crudités
  • Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for three days

Per 45g serving: 114kcal/ 8.9g fat/ 1.2g saturated fat/ 4.0g carbohydrates/ 1.8g fibre/ 3.4g protein

For more information about key nutrients in vegan diets check out the blog I have written for MyNutriWeb.