This is a great dish to have as a sharing starter in the middle of the table with people dipping chunks of sourdough bread in, scooping up a delicious bite-sized piece of summer.
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 courgettes, around 600g, sliced into rounds about the thickness of a pound coin
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Visiting the historical town of Winchester, we decided to stop for lunch at Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Kitchen. We shared a starter of a mixed mezze board, but the single dish that stood out from the board for me was the carrot and yellow split pea hummus.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, it may have been the best hummus I have ever had. So I trawled through Hugh’s books to find a recipe, but alas, there were none to be found. So I have endeavoured to make my own.
Cooked Yellow Split Peas
Split peas are a great addition to your diet, naturally low in fat, high in plant-based protein and a source of fibre. We can often forget about including beans and pulses in as part of our weekly plant food diversity, but we should be aiming to eat from all 6 categories of plant-based foods; fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. This particular recipe covers 4 out of the 6 groups, and by adding some wholegrain crackers, perhaps even topped with nuts you could maximise the diversity of your diet.
Serves 6
Recipe
100g split yellow peas
2 carrots, washed and chopped into large pieces
2 cloves garlic, skins on
30g tahini
40ml extra virgin olive oil
90ml water (you may need more or less depending on the texture you wish for)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
30g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
To serve
Fresh Parsley leaves
Nigella seeds
Vegetable crudites e.g. carrots, radish, cauliflower
Crackers
Method
Wash the split peas in cold water, then top with 500ml water and bring to the boil for 10 minutes before lowering the heat to a gentile simmer for 25 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
When the peas are simmering, roast the carrots and garlic cloves in the oven preheated to 180 ° C/170 ° C Fan/GM4 for 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
Add the cooked peas, carrots and garlic clove, removing the skin, to a food processor. Add the tahini, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, water, spices and parsley and blend. Season to taste and add more water if the dip remains too thick.
Serve sprinkled with nigella seeds and fresh parsley leaves.
Per serving 107kcal/ 3.6g fat/ 2.0g saturated fat/ 11.6g carbohydrates/ 3.1g fibre/ 5.3g protein
Refried beans are a party food staple in my house. I always make them whenever I’m having a gathering, but I have to be prepared and start the day before. However, this is the cheats version. I say cheat because I’m using already cooked beans from the tin. No need for soaking over night, or boiling for hours. You can decide to make these an hour before serving, without compromising on the taste.
This is a really versatile dip, something I always make in large batches as it sits well in the fridge for a week, ready to be lovingly transformed into the next meal. I love using this as a spread in a wrap for a burrito, quesadillas with melted cheese, enchiladas or even tostadas if you’re feeling fancy!
In addition, you can easily make these vegan. The recipe below is vegetarian, but if you replace the butter with rapeseed oil in the base mix, you’ll be all set for Veganuary. Then you can either use them as is, or use a vegan sour cream and cheese alternative to make the full on refried beans experience.
All that’s left to say is Happy New Year and enjoy whatever you’re doing (and eating)!
Serves 4
Recipe
1 tin of black beans
3-4 large cloves of garlic, sliced in half
1/2 white onion
1 small bunch of coriander, stalks separated from leaves, leaves chopped
3 fresh bayleaves, crushed
1 red onion, finely diced
20g butter (or rapeseed oil if making vegan)
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
To serve (optional)
Soured cream
Cheese e.g. Cheddar, Cheshire or Wensleydale
Coriander leaves
Tortilla chips
Method
Pour the tin of black beans with their water into a pan. Fill the can with water and add to the beans.
Add the half onion, halved garlic, bayleaves and coriander stalks. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. If your beans were unsalted, add in salt to your taste.
Meanwhile, gently fry the red onion in your choice of fat till softened. Add the garlic and continue cooking for a further 2 minutes.
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the garlic, bayleaf, onion and coriander stalks.
Blend the beans with a little of the cooking water till the desired thickened of dipping. I like to keep mine quite chunky.
Add the fried onion and garlic and half the chopped coriander leaves.
Top with soured cream, cheese and more coriander leaves and serve with tortilla chips.
PerServing of Beans 96kcal/ 2.6g fat/ 1.5g saturated fat/ 11.2g carbohydrates/ 4.7 fibre/ 4.9g protein
Dr Pippa 