Category: Recipes

Hot Cross Bun French Toast

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Leftover hot cross buns? Fancy an alternative breakfast this Easter weekend? Here is a delicious way to enjoy your hot cross buns. You can use shop-bought, or try my delicious Best of Both Apple & Cinnamon, or my vegan St. Clement recipes.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 hot cross buns
  • 1 egg
  • 50ml milk of choice
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 5g butter or cooking oil

To serve

  • Yoghurt
  • Berries

Method

  • In a flat-bottomed container, mix the egg, milk, and cinnamon.
  • Slice the hot cross buns in half and soak in the mixture for 5 minutes.
  • Heat a pan over a medium heat, and add the butter or oil.
  • Cook the soaked buns in the pan for 2-3 minutes per side till golden brown.
  • Serve hot with yoghurt and berries

Wild Garlic and Prawn Dumplings

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I’m not sure it would truly count as Spring if I didn’t make something glorious and green with wild garlic!

If you can’t get wild garlic, or it’s out of season, you can use garlic chives as an alternative and still get that lovely allium flavour through the dumplings. If you can’t get these either you can replace with spinach, and then add a minced garlic clove to the prawn filling – you will still get a gorgeous green hue in the dumpling wrappers, and the addition of a garlic clove to the mixture will add all the flavour you need.

Makes 12 dumplings

Ingredients

For the dumpling skins

  • 50g wild garlic or spinach leaves
  • 108g plain flour
  • 12g corn flour

For the filling

  • 150g raw prawns, minced
  • 50g bamboo shoots, roughly chopped
  • 5g fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp corn flour
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil, plus extra for cooking
  • White pepper to taste
  • (1 garlic clove, minced if using spinach)
  • 1 tsp rapeseed oil

Method

  • To make the dumpling skins start by blending the wild garlic leaves to a paste. Strain the liquid off, weighing it as you do.
  • In a bowl, add the plain and corn flour, mixing together.
  • Take the strained liquid and top up with boiling water to make a total of 62g of liquid. Add this hot mixture to the flour and stir to a shaggy mixture. Cover and leave for 10-30 minutes.
  • Knead the dough till it is smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30-60 minutes.
  • Meanwhile prepare your filling by mixing all the ingredients together, except for the rapeseed oil.
  • Roll the dough into a long sausage shape and divide into 12 equal rounds.
  • Take one round, and cover the reaming pieces of dough, and press down with the palm of your hand on the cut surface to create a flat disk. Using a rolling pin, roll from the centre out, turn a quarter and repeat till you have created a round flat disk with a thin edge.
  • If not using immediately, cover to prevent it from drying it out as you continue to roll out the remaining dough.
  • Take one dumpling skin and fill it with a heaped teaspoon of the mixture. Using a little water over one half of the inside of the dough, start from one end and gently pinch with an overlap to seal each dumpling in a crescent shape. Repeat with the rest of the dough and mixture.
  • Add the rapeseed oil to a frying pan and heat gently. Arrange the dumplings so they have at least 1cm between each dumpling – you may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your pan.
  • Cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium heat till the bottom turns golden on the bottom.
  • Boil the kettle and add water directly into the pan so it come up to the bottom third of the dumpling. Immediately cover with a lid to steam the dumplings.
  • After 5 minutes, remove the lid and allow any remaining liquid to evaporate off, add a dash of sesame oil to finish and crisp the bottom for 1 minute.
  • Remove from the pan and enjoy hot.
Wild Garlic & Prawn Dumplings

Per 4 dumplings: 232kcal/ 5.3g fat/ 0.8g saturated fat/ 32g carbohydrates/ 2.7g fibre/ 13g protein

St. Clement Hot Cross Buns

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These citrusy hot cross buns are plant-based using vegetable oil and dairy-free milk to create an enriched dough without the use of dairy and eggs.

St. Clement Hot Cross Buns

Makes 9 buns

Ingredients

For the buns

  • 2 oranges, zest and juice
  • 100g sultanas
  • 100g strong wholemeal flour
  • 250g white strong flour
  • 30g rapeseed oil, plus a little extra
  • 7g yeast
  • 30g caster sugar
  • 50g mixed peel
  • 2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 125ml milk, I have used unsweetened soya milk

For the crosses

  • 5ml rapeseed oil
  • 25g strong white flour
  • 25-30ml water

For the glaze

  • 50ml of reserved juice from the oranges
  • 15g sugar
  • pinch of ground mixed spice
  • Buns ready to be bakes
  • Fresh out of the oven and glazed

Method

  • Zest and juice the oranges, reserving 50ml of the juice for later.
  • Weigh out the remaining orange juice and top up to 100ml if needed with water. Add the sultanas and allow to soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  • To a freestanding mixer bowl, add the flours, oil, yeast, sugar, mixed peel spices, soya milk and orange zest. Add in the orange juice and sultanas and knead for 5 minutes on a medium setting. Alternatively you can do this by hand but resist the temptation to add more flour – the dough should be ever so slightly sticky.
  • Lightly great a large bowl the oil, place the dough in and cover. Allow to double in size for 1-2 hours.
  • Knock the dough back and evenly divide into 9 balls.
  • Line a baking tin with baking paper and arrange the balls in a 3×3 format.
  • Cover and allow to double in size again, about 1-1.5 hours.
  • Once the dough has almost fully risen, preheat the oven to 200°C fan/ 220°C convection.
  • Prepare the batter by mixing the ingredients together to form a smooth pipeable mixture. Place into a piping bag.
  • Once the oven it up to temperature, pipe crosses over the tops of your buns.
  • Bake for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the glaze by heating the orange juice, sugar and spices together till the sugar has dissolved.
  • Once the buns are cooked, generously glaze them, using all of the liquid.
  • Remove the buns from the tray onto a wire cooking rack, removing the baking parchment as well.
  • Best enjoyed fresh on the same day, or delicious toasted if a day or two old.

Per bun*: 254kcal/ 4.6g fat/ 0.4g saturated fat/ 46g carbohydrates/ 2.8g fibre/ 6.1g protein

*Analysis based on unsweetened soya milk

Porridge Pancakes

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A delicious and easy way to start the day. Perfect for Pancake Day, or make a stash for on the go. Naturally sweet from the banana, these have no added sugar. You could further flavour the pancakes with fruits such as blueberries, or use dark chocolate chips for an extra sweet kick.

Use gluten-free oats to make this gluten-free, or dairy-free by using a milk alternative and yoghurt alternative (I have used soya products in this recipe).

Porridge Pancakes

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 1 large banana
  • 1 egg
  • 100g rolled oats
  • 50ml milk of choice
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • Oil for frying

To serve

  • 150g strawberries
  • 80g raspberries
  • 160g yoghurt (I have used soya yoghurt)
  • A few mint leaves

Method

  • Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork till you have very small lumps.
  • Add the remaining ingredients, except for the oil, and mix well.
  • Heat a frying pan over a low heat.
  • Wipe 1/4 tsp of oil around the pan before adding spoonfuls of the mixture, spaced out. You should be able to make 6-8 pancakes from the batter.
  • Cook for 2 minutes, before flipping and cooking for a further 2 minutes.
  • Serve in stacks with yoghurt, berries and mint.
Delicious served with fruit and yoghurt

Per serving*: 430kcal/ 11g fat/ 1.9g saturated fat/ 60g carbohydrates/ 12g fibre/ 15g protein

*Analysis based on unsweetened soya milk and unsweetened soya yoghurt

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.

Lentil, Mushroom and Almond Ragu

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A delicious meal-free ragu alternative that won’t make you wonder where the meat is!

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the ragu

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 sticks of celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, scrubbed and diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
  • 250g mushrooms, diced
  • 60g skin-on almonds, chopped
  • 100g red lentils
  • 100g puy lentils
  • 1 stock cube
  • 200ml red wine (option to replace with water)
  • 400g tinned tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 20g dried porcini mushrooms, roughly broken
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 10 spring of thyme
  • 3 sprigs of rosemary
  • 10 sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 10 sprigs of fresh basil, stems chopped (option to save some leaves for garnish)

To serve

  • 450g spaghetti
  • Nutritional yeast (vegan) or parmesan (vegetarian)
  • Fresh basil leaves

Method

  • In a large saucepan, add the oil, onion, celery and carrot. Cook for 5 minutes without browning.
  • Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute before adding the fresh mushrooms in. Cook for 5 minutes till the mushrooms have released and reabsorbed their liquid.
  • Add all the remaining sauce ingredients along with 600ml water. Bring to the boil and then gently simmer for 45 minutes.
  • In a separate pan boil water. Cook the pasts for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.
  • Drain the pasta and return it to the pan, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
  • Add the ragu to the pasta and stir through, adding pasta water to loosen the ragu if needed. Cook for 1 minute over a low heat.
  • Serve immediately with nutritional yeast or parmesan and fresh basil leaves over the top.

Per serving: 599kcal/ 13g fat/ 1.6g saturated fat/ 81g carbohydrates/ 13g fibre/ 26g protein

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

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Still looking for ways to use up your pumpkin this year? I’ve covered using the skin and the flesh, so not it’s time to talk about seeds! I don’t even wash the seeds, contrary to what many other people suggest. This helps keep the recipe as simple as possible, and also means that any pumpkin fibres still attached will soak up any flavours added to them aka flavour bomb!

Pumpkin seeds are full of magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin K and manganese, as well as being a good source of antioxidants. In addition, carving pumpkin seeds are higher in fibre than standard green pumpkin seeds bought from the shop – another win for making your own!

These little seeds make the perfect snack on the go, or alternatively, use them to add textures to soups or salads.

You could roast them plain, but I love the little extra kick from the lemon and cayenne pepper – feel free to use more for a bigger kick, or substitute with chilli powder.

Ingredients

  • 150g pumpkin seeds
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried coriander
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (option to add more for a bigger kick, or use chilli powder)
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/ 160°C convection
  • Mix all the ingredients together and lay them out on a baking tray
  • Bake the seeds for 30-40 minutes, mixing twice during the cooking time, till crispy and you can just hear them start to pop
  • Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container

Golden Pumpkin Risotto

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This is the perfect way to use up any pumpkin scraps you may have from Halloween carving! I’ve paired it with some carrot for an extra golden beta carotene boost, making the whole dish a gorgeous golden hue.

It is estimated that 14.5 million pumpkins will be wasted in the UK this year. Carving pumpkins are edible, from the skin to the flesh and even the seeds, so why not try to make use of some of the pumpkin scraps once you have carved your jack-o’-lantern. Reducing food waste helps reduce CO2 emissions, which in turn helps our planet.

It’s suitable for a gluten-free diet, just check you’re using suitable stock, or even for baby-led weaning if using a no-added salt stock (for very young babies you may need to blend/mash the rice). Optional to use homemade stock or some herbs and spices to make your own. If you want to make this dish vegan, substitute the butter for a little more oil, and the parmesan for some nutritional yeast.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 700ml stock
  • 100g pumpkin scraps such as inners or carving off-cuts
  • 100g carrots, roughly diced
  • 200g pumpkin, cut into cubes
  • 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 sprigs of sage, leaves removed
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 20g butter (use extra oil if making vegan)
  • 200g risotto rice
  • 150ml white wine (option to use extra stock)
  • 40g parmesan, grated

Method

  • Start by making the pumpkin stock by adding the pumpkin scraps, carrot and stock to a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes till the pumpkin and carrots are cooked through. Blend till smooth and keep on a low heat.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection. Add the pumpkin cubes to a baking tray and mix with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes, turning halfway through. Add the sage leaves and bake for a further 5 minutes.
  • While the pumpkin is roasting, take a large pan and gently cook the onions in the remaining oil till soft and translucent.
  • Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the butter.
  • Add the rice and toast for 2-3 minutes till fragrant. Add the white wine and stir.
  • Slowly add the stock, stirring the risotto continuously. As the stock is absorbed add more. If you run out of stock use boiled water to allow the rice to cook through so it has a little bite in the centre.
  • Remove the risotto from the heat and add the parmesan and 1/2 the toasted sage leaves. Season with pepper to taste.
  • Serve with the roasted pumpkin and remaining sage leaves over the top.

Per serving: 417kcal/ 15.0g fat/ 5.9g saturated fat/ 52g carbohydrates/ 5.3g fibre/ 9.2g protein

Roasted Pumpkin and Cannellini Soup

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This easy soup also doubles up as an easy pasta sauce – win win! It’s naturally vegan if using a suitable stock powder, and if you use a no added salt stock cube it is suitable for babies and toddlers.

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 600g pumpkin, skin on and cubed
  • 2 large onions, cut into 8ths
  • 2 sticks of celery, chopped
  • 1 tin of cannellini beans
  • 4 garlic cloves, skin left on
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 700ml no added salt stock
  • 100ml boiling water
  • 20g pumpkin seeds, finely chopped if serving to young babies

Method

  • Add the pumpkin, onion, celery, beans, garlic and olive oil to a large roasting tray.
  • Mix well before roasting in a preheated oven set to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection, stirring halfway through.
  • Once cooked, remove the garlic from its skin.
  • Bring the stock up to the boil and add the roasted vegetables, deglazing the roasting tin with 100ml boiling water.
  • Bring the mixture back up to a boil before blending till smooth.
  • Serve with a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

Option to serve as a pasta sauce by stirring through freshly cooked pasta. Delicious with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast which is a great source of B vitamins and zinc.

Serve as soup, pasta or baby-led weaning pasta finger food

Per serving of soup: 175kcal/ 8.5g fat/ 1.3g saturated fat/ 17.0g carbohydrates/ 6.0g fibre/ 4.8g protein

Bakewell Breakfast Bar

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Get a head start on the week by whipping up a batch of my Bakewell Breakfast Bars. Naturally sweetened using dates and cherries, these bars contain no added sugar. They also pack some wholesome goodness in the form of oats and wholemeal flour meaning they contain 5.5g of fibre per bar as well as some healthy fats from the seeds and nuts.

If you don’t have cherries you can substitute in other dried fruits such as apricots, raisins, sultanas or even blueberries – just watch out that the dried fruits don’t contain added sweeteners such as glucose or apple juice. You can also swap the almonds and almond butter for other nuts or nut butter, or top with coconut chips.

These are great for on-the-go in the morning or as an afternoon snack. Keep in an airtight Tupperware container for 4-5 days or alternatively freeze them for longer-term storage.

Makes 9 squares

Ingredients

  • 100g pitted dates
  • 25g linseeds
  • 60g dried unsweetened cherries
  • 50g skin-on almonds
  • 75g butter or vegan butter
  • 25g almond butter
  • 100g wholemeal flour
  • 100g oats
  • 15g sliced almonds

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 25x25cm baking tin with baking parchment.
  • Soak the pitted dates in 50ml boiling water and the linseeds in 50ml tap water for 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, roughly chop the almonds and cherries by hand or using a food processor. If using a food processor remove once chopped.
  • After the dates have soaked for 5 minutes transfer them to the food processor and blitz to a paste*
  • Add the butter, almond butter and soaked linseeds with the water and blend together.
  • Add the flour to form a sticky dough.
  • Add the oats and chopped almonds and cherries and pulse until it just comes together. If you want a smoother consistency pulse for longer.
  • Press into the lined tin and top with flaked almonds before baking for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing.
Bakewell Breakfast Bars