Category: Sides

Broad Bean and Mint Hummus

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Do you like broad beans? I think they’re a little bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. And I also firmly believe that those leathery little jackets surrounding each green bean is responsible for so many people not liking them, including to some extent, myself. They’re currently in season (from the end of June to the middle of September) so why not pick up a bag.

Many people will peel each bean out of its leathery jacket, revealing a bright green bean inside. I, however, do not do this because it’s time-consuming, wastes food, but also impacts the nutritional content. Those papery jackets actually contribute to the phenolic compounds as well as the fibre content.

However, the good news is that I have a delicious recipe with doesn’t remove the skins which both saves time and also keeps the maximum nutrition of the beans in the dish. It’s delicious, I promise that if you’re a fan of hummus this is going to be right up your street.

Serves 10

Ingredients

  • 750g broad beans in their pods, or around 300g depodded
  • 45g tahini
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 15g chives, chopped
  • 3 sprigs of mint, leaves removed
  • juice of 2 large lemons (around 90ml)
  • 50ml extra virgin olive oil

To serve

  • Toasted sourdough
  • A few reserved cooked broad beans
  • Mint leaves
  • Olive oil

Method

  • Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Cook the broad beans for 2 minutes before draining and plunging them into iced water. Drain once cool, reserving a few for decoration if desired.
  • In a food processor, add the cooked broad beans with all of the remaining ingredients.
  • Blitz till the desired consistency, adding a little extra water if needed. I like mine a little chunky.
  • Serve on toast dressed with extra broad beans, mint and olive oil, or with crudites.
  • Any remaining hummus can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days in the fridge.

Per 50g serving: 97kcal/ 8.0g fat/ 1.1g saturated fat/ 3.2g carbohydrates/ 1.9g fibre/ 2.8g protein

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

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.

Tomato Salsa

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This bright and refreshing salsa can be loaded onto a stack of nachos, or used as a dip. It’s really easy to make but definitely best eaten on the same day as it is made. You can increase the spice level to your own taste, and keep it mild by leaving the fresh chilli out and just using a few jalapeños instead.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 a red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 a chilli (or to taste), finely sliced
  • 2 large tomatoes, deseeded
  • 5-6 pickled jalapenos (or to taste)
  • 1/2 a bunch of coriander
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  • In a large pestle and mortar, add the onion, chilli and a pinch of salt. Pound till the onions and chilli are half turned into a paste.
  • Dice the tomatoes and roughly chop the jalapenos and coriander. Add to the onion mix with the olive oil and juice of half a lime.
  • Mix together and check the seasoning, adding more lime juice or coriander to your taste.
  • Serve with chips or vegetable crudites

Create the perfect dip selection by also making some guacamole and some easy refried beans.

Guacamole

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Super simple to make, and the best crowd-pleaser. You can simply serve it as a dip for your tortilla chips, or try adding this to your next burrito to take it to the next levels!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1/2 a red onion, finely diced
  • 1/2 a chilli (or to taste), finely sliced
  • 2 medium avocados, or 3 small
  • 1-2 limes
  • 1 large tomato, deseeded
  • 1/2 a bunch of coriander

Method

  • In a large pestle and mortar, add the onion, chilli and a pinch of salt. Pound till the onions and chilli are half turned into a paste.
  • Peel and roughly dice the avocado, and add to the onion mix with the juice of 1 lime. Lightly pound till you have the desired texture; I like my guacamole with large chunks of avocado.
  • Dice the tomato and roughly chop the coriander. Add to the avocado and mix together. Taste and add more lime juice if needed.
  • Serve with chips or vegetable crudites

Create the perfect dip selection by also making some tomato salsa and some easy refried beans.

Chargrilled Vegetable, Feta and Bulgar Wheat Salad

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The perfect side to go with your barbecue – delicious with all meats, fish or halloumi, or serve with a tin of chickpeas for a non-barbecue option should it be raining. Again.

Serve 4

Ingredients

  • 200g bulgar wheat
  • 1 aubergine
  • 1 pepper
  • 1 courgette
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 bunch chives
  • 1/2 bunch mint
  • 2 lemons
  • 150g feta cheese
  • 80g pomegranate seeds

Method

  • Cook the bulgar wheat by adding to a large dish and pouring 220ml boiling water over the top. Cover and leave to steam for 5-10 minutes before fluffing with a form.
  • Meanwhile, chop all aubergine, pepper, courgette and onion into large chunks and coat with 1 tbsp olive oil.
  • Heat a griddle pan, and once hot cook the vegetable in batched till deeply marked with dark lines.
  • Chop the herbs, juice the lemon and mix into the bulgar wheat.
  • Once cooked, add the vegetables, crumble the feta in.
  • Serve in a large bowl with pomegranate seeds scattered over the top.

Per serving: 289kcal/ 11g fat/ 7.0g saturated fat/ 31.2g carbohydrates/ 7.8g fibre/ 13.8g protein

Onion and Purple Carrot Bhajis

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Easy oven baked bhajis mean no stress about deep fat frying. Simply pop into the oven, turn half way through and Bob’s your uncle. Delicious served with my quick raita.

You could of course make this with standard orange carrots, or whatever colour you desire, but I just love the deep purple pops of colour when you break open each bhaji.

To make this dish completely vegan, use a plant-based yoghurt alternative. Just be sure to make sure it is the unsweetened variety.

Makes 6 large bhajis

Ingredients

  • 2 large onions, very finely sliced (around 200g)
  • 2 large purple carrot, grated (around 100g)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1″ fresh ginger, minced
  • 20 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp nigella seeds
  • 1/2 tsp ground chilli (optional)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 150g gram flour
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

For the raita

  • 150g yoghurt of choice
  • 3″ cucumber, grated
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 sprig of mint, finely sliced
  • Handful of coriander leaves, finely sliced
  • Squeeze of lemon

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/ 200°C convection
  • Add the oil to a large heavy-bottomed pan and place in the oven to preheat.
  • Mix the onions, carrot, spices and gram flour together in a bowl with 80ml cold water. The mixture should be sticky without being too dry or wet. If needed add a little more flour or water to get a thick consistency which coats all the vegetables.
  • Divide the mixture into 6 rounds.
  • Add the bhajis to the hot pan.
  • Cook for 10 minutes before flipping and cooking for a further 10-12 minutes till golden brown and crispy.
  • Remove and allow to drain on a piece of kitchen towel.
  • Meanwhile, place the grated cucumber into a clean tea towel and squeeze out all the excess moisture.
  • Add to a bowl with all the remaining raita ingredients and mix.

Sheep’s Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones

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Seasonal savoury scones. If you can’t get wild garlic, or it’s our of season, substitute with chives, spring onions, or spinach with a small clove of grated garlic.

Don’t like sheep’s cheese? Whatever cheese you like would be suitable as long as it is medium-hard e.g. Gruyere, Manchego, Cheddar, Wensleydale, Goat’s etc

Makes 9 scones

Ingredients

  • 125g plain wholemeal flour
  • 125g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 50g butter, cold, cut into small cubes
  • 125g hard sheep’s cheese, grated
  • 30g wild garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 egg
  • Approximately 140ml semi-skimmed milk

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan
  • Add the flours, baking powder and butter to a large mixing bowl. Mix the butter into the flour using your fingertips till it resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Mix 100g of the cheese in, reserving 25g, and all the wild garlic.
  • Crack the egg into a measuring jug and top the volume up to 200ml of liquid with milk. Mix.
  • Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients – you may not need it all so hold back around 20ml – and mix to form a soft but sticky dough.
  • Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 30 seconds till it comes together.
  • Roll out to 2.5cm (1 inch) thick and using a 6-7cm cutter, cut rounds of the mixture out, dredging the cutter with flour between each cut to keep the sides clean.
  • Reroll any remaining dough.
  • Place the scones onto a lined baking tray, brush the top with any remaining egg milk mixture and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes till risen and golden brown.
  • Transfer onto a wire rack.
  • Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freezing for up to 3 months.

Per scone*: 205kcal/ 10.1g fat/ 6.0g saturated fat/ 20.8g carbohydrates/ 2.4g fibre/ 7.2g protein

*Analysis done using chive nutritional information.

Wild Garlic Pesto

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Wild Garlic Pesto

Could wild garlic be a low FODMAP alternative to garlic?

A 2019 paper investigated the fructan content of wild garlic and other herbs commonly used in Bulgaria. From their analysis, the authors found that the total fructans (FODMAPs) were lower in wild garlic in comparison to chives (2.2g vs 5.7g per 100g dried weight). Interestingly, people following low FODMAP diets tolerate chives and are encouraged to use chives in place of onions in recipes. While this research hasn’t been validated by Monash University, the leading site for low FODMAP food analysis, the finding suggest it may be worth self-challenging yourself! If you happen to know that garlic is one of your trigger foods and are able (and willing) to try this herb, please do get in touch to let me know how you got on.

Serve 4-5 people

Ingredients

  • 100g wild garlic, roughly chopped
  • 30g basil, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 40g toasted pine nuts
  • 45g parmesan, grated

Method

  • Blend the wild garlic, basil, olive oil and lemon juice together.
  • Add the pine nuts and parmesan and blend to the consistency of your choice – I prefer to keep mine with some texture in it.

Delicious served with my egg pasta recipe. If you want a double hit of wild garlic, try adding in a handful of wild garlic to make it vibrant green.

Wild Garlic Egg Pasta

Any leftover pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days – layer a little oil over the top to help reduce any oxidation. Alternatively, you can freeze your pesto in containers, or in ice cube trays for future use.

NOTE: Wild garlic looks very similar to the poisonous Lily of the Valley. If you aren’t sure, do not pick. Alternatively, it is available to buy for supermarkets, farmer’s markets, and to grow at home from garden centres.

Smokey Baked Beans

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Making your own baked beans can be so satisfying and give you greater control over what goes into them. A quick investigation into baked beans sold in UK supermarkets shows that the average 200g portion of standard baked beans will contain 1g of salt (ranging up to a staggering 1.6g).

It’s Salt Awareness Week (8th-14th March 2021), which aims to highlight the reduction of salt intakes. The UK recommendation is a maximum of 6g salt per day. However, the National Diet & Nutrition Survey showed that the average person was eating 8.4g salt in 2018-2019.

The greatest contributors to salt in our diet comes from processed foods and includes bread, cheese, and meat products such as bacon. Around 8% of our salt intakes comes from pre-prepared vegetables such as frozen chips, mashed potatoes and tinned produce. Watch out for tinned beans, pulses and vegetable is water with added salt. Additionally, watch out for tinned tomato products which add salt in. While salt is a preservative, it is not really needed in these products.

If you are looking to reduce your salt intake, you might find things taste a little bland at first. After a few weeks your tastebuds will become more sensitive to salt. You can always add other flavours to food to help in this transition period; try adding herbs, spices, lemon/lime juice or pepper to your meal.

These homemade baked beans contain a fraction of the salt content of their tinned counterparts, containing just 0.14g per 200g serving. Not only that, but you’ll also benefit from 8.7g of fibre and 11 different plant foods for fibre diversity. In addition, my baked beans are naturally sweetened using a carrot and smoked paprika, meaning there’s no added sugar to these beans either.

Store any leftover beans in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, or alternatively freeze in handy portions ready for a quick and easy meal.

Makes 7 portions

Ingredients

  • 2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 large carrot (100g), grated
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 500g passata
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp mixed herbs
  • 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tin of haricot beans in water
  • 2 tins of mixed pulses in water

Method

  • Add the garlic, carrots and oil to a large pan and cook over a gentile heat for 5 minutes till softened.
  • Add the passata, herbs and spices, vinegar, tomato puree and 100ml water. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes over a low heat till the carrots become soft.
  • Blend to a smooth sauce and add the beans.
  • Cook over a low heat with the lid on for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Per 200g serving 163kcal/ 3.4g fat/ 0.6g saturated fat/ 19.9g carbohydrates/ 8.7g fibre/ 9.5g protein/ 0.14g salt