Tag: Plant based

3 Ingredient Snickers Bars (aka Reindeer Poops)

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As someone who is allergic to most nuts, I’ve never had a Snickers bar, but I have heard they are filled with crunchy peanuts, sweet caramel and coated in chocolate. I’ve not got a very sweet tooth, so I’m subbing in dark chocolate for milk, adding extra plant polyphenols which my gut will love. It’s also got the benefit of fibre from the naturally sweet and caramel-like date, and the crunchy almond butter has been blended with the skins on for even more fibre benefit, as these are the nuts I’m not allergic to.

All in all, this is a really easy recipe which will help to satisfy your sweet tooth when you might normally reach for a shop-bought version. Make a larger batch and keep them in an airtight container, if they last that long!

Serves 5

Ingredients

  • 5 Medjool dates, pitted and split down one side
  • 5 tsp crunchy almond butter (or any other nut butter of choice)
  • 100g dark chocolate, melted

Method

  • Add a teaspoon of nut butter to the middle of the date and close as best you can
  • Roll the stuffed date in the melted chocolate, getting an even coating over the whole surface
  • Allow to set on baking parchment for around 30 minutes
  • Enjoy straight away, or store in an airtight Tupperware for up to 2 weeks
Reindeer Poops

Per serving: 257kcal/ 15g fat/ 5.5g saturated fat/ 24g carbohydrates/ 4.4g fibre/ 4.6g protein

Pasta alla Norma con Ricotta Salata

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My friend bought me back some lovely Italian gifts, including this handmade orecchiette made by an actual nonna, and a local cheese called ricotta salata which is a salty and sharp cheese. So, I wanted to make something worthy of these ingredients, and my friend suggested pasta alla norma, which is an aubergine and tomato pasta, and something I absolutely love.

I probably haven’t made this the traditional way, but roasting the vegetables in the oven means hands-free cooking for the best part as well as making a really creamy sauce that even my friend was admiring from through her phone!

Serves 3

Ingredients

  • 500g tomatoes, cut up into 1″ chunks
  • 2 large red onions, cut up into 1″ chunks
  • 4 garlic cloves, skin left on
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 aubergines, cut into 1″ cubes
  • 300g pasta shape of choice
  • A big handful of fresh basil
  • Ricotta salata to serve – if you can’t find this cheese, Parmigiana would work well.

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection
  • Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic to a large roasting pan with half the olive oil and mix well, ensuring the garlic cloves are closer to the centre so they don’t burn. Roast for around 45 minutes, mixing half way through.
  • In a separate baking tin, add the aubergine and remaining olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, till crispy on the edges but soft on the inside.
  • When the vegetables are almost finished roasting, boil the pasta for 2 minutes shorter than the cooking time, reserving some pasta water.
  • Blend half the tomato mixture with all the garlic cloves, removing the skin, before adding it back to the roasting tin with the cooked pasta, aubergines, and basil. Add a little pasta water if needed to get the desired sauce consistency.
  • Serve hot and fresh with grated ricotta salata over the top and enjoy!
Pasta alla Norma

Per serving: 676kcal/ 24g fat/ 5.8g saturated fat/ 86g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 21g protein

Roasted Squash & Beetroot Wholegrain Cous Cous Salad

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Any squash variety will work here, I’ve used Kuri and Crown Prince, but Butternut, Table or Delicia would also work well here. If you can’t find giant wholegrain cous cous you can use standard wholegrain cous cous which only require rehydrating in 110% boiling water.

Serves 3

Ingredients

  • 400g squash, skin on, cubed
  • 1 large onion, sliced into wedges
  • 2-3 beetroot (300g), peeled and cut into cubes
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 150g giant wholegrain cous cous
  • 1 heaped tablespoon djion mustard
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 200g salad leaves e.g. rocket, baby leaf spinach or watercress
  • 90g goats cheese

Method

  1. Mix the squash, onion and beetroot together with 1 tbsp olive oil. Roast in a preheated oven set to 180°C fan.
  2. Meanwhile cook the giant cous cous according to the packet instructions, drain, and add 1/2 tbsp olive oil to stop the grains from sticking together.
  3. Mix the dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and remaining olive oil and pour onto the cous cous while hot and mix to combine.
  4. Add the roasted vegetables, deglazing the pan with a little boiling water, before adding the spinach.
  5. Plate up and top with goats cheese.
Roasted Squash & Beetroot Salad

Per serving: 434kcal/ 24g fat/ 7.7g saturated fat/ 34g carbohydrates/ 9.1g fibre/ 15g protein

Air Fryer Falafel

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I used to work at King’s College London as a postdoctoral researcher and there was this little falafel stall just around the corner which would be mine and my colleagues go to spot when we were treating ourselves to lunch out (or running back to the metabolic research unit!).

These falafel are a nod to those which I used to have more frequently than I would like to admit, but I’ve put a healthy twist on them by cooking them in the air fryer, making no deep fat frying. This helps to reduce the overall fat of the falafel, as well as using extra virgin olive oil, which is a healthy fat which probably wasn’t the oil used for frying at the stall.

Makes 24 falafel

Ingredients

  • 250g dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 8 hours in cold water
  • 1 large red onion
  • 45g flat-leaf parsley
  • 20g dill
  • 30g coriander
  • Green chillis to taste (optional)
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2-3 heaped tablespoons of gram flour
  • 30g sesame seeds
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Add the soaked chickpeas, onion, herbs, spices, salt and bicarbonate of soda to a blender and pulse till everything is finely chopped and combined.
  2. Mix in the gram flour to get a consistency that is still wet, but just holds together when gently pressed.
  3. Rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. Using a 2 tbsp measure, create little pucks of the mixture and gently top with sesame seeds on each of the flat sides.
  5. Place each falafel onto a non-stick baking tray (or line with baking parchment) leaving a 1cm gap between them.
  6. Brush with olive oil on the top and bake in the air fryer* for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  7. Serve hot and crispy!

*option to bake in an oven set to 200°C fan for 15-20 minutes

Air Fryer Falafel

Per serving (4 falafel): 280kcal/ 12g fat/ 1.7g saturated fat/ 24g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 13g protein

Spiced Butternut Squash & Lentil Soup

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My friend doesn’t like thick soups, which is often the case when using curcubits. This, however, is a very thin soup, which still packs a punch.

Each serving provides you with a third of your daily fibre requirements, making it a great meal choice on cold winter days.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 large red onion, roughly chopped
  • 2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 650g pumpkin, skin on and roughly diced, seeds reserved
  • 100g red lentils
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 15g fresh coriander

Method

  • Gently fry the onion and 2 tbsp oil in a large pan till soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  • Add the cumin seeds and cook till fragrant before adding in the butternut squash and lentils with 1 litre of boiling water.
  • Allow to simmer for 20 minutes till the lentils and squash are cooked through and soft.
  • Meanwhile, coat the squash seeds with the remaining 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and roast in an oven set to 180°C fan for 12 minutes, or 6-8 minutes in an air fryer.
  • Blend till smooth, seasoning with the remaining spice and serve with the crispy seeds and coriander leaves.
Spiced Butternut Squash and Lentil Soup

Per serving: 302kcal/ 13g fat/ 2.0g saturated fat/ 29g carbohydrates/ 10g fibre/ 13g protein

Sourdough Blueberry Bagels

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Blueberry sourdough bagels. Just a small amount of work and you will have the most delicious bagels – chewy crusts with a soft centre, filled with sweet and tangy blueberries which you know will do you good.

If you can’t find freeze-dried blueberries you can leave these out. Most shop-bought dried blueberries are sweetened with fruit juice and therefore won’t work as a replacement.

Makes 9 bagels

Ingredients

  • 200g frozen blueberries
  • 40g caster sugar
  • 150g active starter, refreshed 10-12 hours before
  • 500g bread flour
  • 8g salt
  • 75g freeze-dried blueberries (optional)
  • 20g molasses (to make vegan) or honey
  • Rice flour for dusting

Method

  1. Add the frozen blueberries to a large mixing bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water. Allow the blueberries to thaw for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the caster sugar and sourdough starter and mix.
  3. Add the flour and salt, and mix in the bowl by hand for around 5 minutes before transferring to the work surface and kneading for a further 5 minutes. It will be sticky but keep working it.
  4. Transfer back to the mixing bowl, cover and rest for 1 hour.
  5. Top the dough back onto the work surface and knead for 1-2 minutes, adding the freeze-dried blueberries if using. Cover and prove at room temperature for 3 hours.
  6. Divide the dough into 9 equal portions around 125g and shape into a tight ball, using rice flour to stop them from sticking. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  7. Pinch the centre of each ball with your thumb and index finger, creating a hole. Then using both index fingers spin the dough around to create a bagel shape. Cover and rest in the fridge overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
  8. The next day, set the oven to 220°C fan, bring a large pan of water to a boil, and add the molasses.
  9. Boil each bagel for 30 seconds on each side before removing onto a wire cooling rack.
  10. Bake on a lined tray for 18-20 minutes, till golden brown and nicely puffed up.
  11. Delicious served with your favourite cream cheese and extra berries.
Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
Sourdough Blueberry Bagels
Delicious served with fresh berries for further added phytochemicals

Sicilian Caper Focaccia

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Makes 1 large focaccia which will serve 8 minimum

Ingredients

  • 150g levain, refreshed 8-12 hours earlier
  • 15ml extra virgin olive oil plus extra for later
  • 150g wholemeal bread flour
  • 600g white bread flour
  • 12g salt
  • Salted caper
  • A few sprigs of rosemary

Method

  • Mix the levain, 500ml water and 15ml olive oil together before adding the flours and mixing to make a shaggy dough. Leave for 30 minutes covered.
  • Mix 12g of salt with 75ml water till dissolved, and pour over the dough, scrunching the dough with your hand to mix it in. The dough should look very rough and almost broken into small pieces. Cover and leave for 45 minutes.
  • Over the next few hours complete 4 sets of coil folds, allowing the dough to rest for 45-60 minutes between each fold.
  • Line and grease a large baking tray with olive oil. Gently transfer the dough to the baking tray and push the dough over the surface so it reaches the corners as best you can – there will be some resistance so don’t force it.
  • Cover the dough and leave in the fridge to slowly rise overnight – anywhere between 8-24 hours depending on your schedule
  • The next day preheat your oven to maximum temperature, add a small empty tray to the bottom of the oven for steam later, and remove the focaccia from the fridge.
  • Once the oven is up to temperature, uncover the dough and drizzle with a little olive oil. Using wet fingers, press your fingertips through the surface of the dough to create plenty of dimples before adding capers (with a little of their salt) and rosemary to the dimples.
  • Place the focaccia in the oven, adding water into the hot tray to create steam, closing the door as quickly as possible to trap the steam in, and reduce the oven temperature to 225°C fan/ 245°C convection for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the tray with water and bake for another 5 minutes* till the crust is golden.
  • Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Sicilian Caper Sourdough Focaccia

Bulgar Wheat Salad with Chickpeas

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Did you know that the average Brit spends £1000 buying lunch at work over the course of the year? This cost, coupled with the single-use packaging and missed opportunity for added nutrition is why I’ve teamed up with MyNutriWeb as part of Sustainable September to help you be more sustainable when it comes to lunch. It is estimated that 28% of people look to social media to influence their lunch choices, so let me influence you with my sustainable bulgar wheat salad with chickpeas which costs less than a meal deal, is packed full of fibre, and provides 20g of plant-based protein. You can read the full blog on MyNutriWeb’s webpage.

Serves 2 but can easily be doubled up to make more lunches

  • 100g bulgar wheat
  • 20g chives, finely chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 6 sundried tomatoes, chopped, with
  • 200g cucumber, diced
  • 100g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained (look for those with no added salt)

Method

  1. Add the bulgar wheat and chives to a large mixing bowl and pour 120ml boiling water over the top. Cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes till all the water has been absorbed.
  2. Once cooked, fluff the bulgar wheat and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Substitutions:

  • Bulgar wheat for couscous, quinoa, or orzo
  • Chives for spring onions or finely diced red onion
  • Sun-dried tomatoes for fresh, or roasted peppers, or artichokes
  • Cucumber for courgettes, or leftover roast vegetables
  • Flat leaf parsley for lettuce, rocket, watercress, spinach or any other leafy green
  • Chickpeas for any other beans e.g. butter beans, kidney beans, haricot beans
Bulgar Wheat Salad with Chickpeas

Per serving: 448kcal/ 8g fat/ 1.1g saturated fat/ 65g carbohydrates/ 18g fibre/ 20g protein

Gut Loving Chickpea Caesar Salad

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My Gut Loving Crispy Chickpea Caesar Salad is a delicious way to increase diversity as well as pack in pre- and probiotics whilst delivering 13g of fibre and 30g of protein per serving!

Did you know that the bacteria found in Parmigiano Reggiano can survive and help to colonise our gut making it a delicious probiotic if eaten raw? And this paired with the live bacteria in the yoghurt (more probiotics) and plenty of prebiotics (chickpeas, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, rocket, spinach and watercress all being sources) and fibre diversity and quantity make this the perfect salad for both your tastebuds and gut microbiota.

Serves 2 as a main

  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained and dried
  • 2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 180g stale sourdough bread, torn into bite-sized chunks
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 100g live yoghurt (I used a 0% fat variety)
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 3 anchovies in oil (12g)
  • 60g Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 2 baby gem lettuce heads
  • 100g mixed rocket, spinach and watercress

Method

  • Mix the chickpeas with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and cook in an air fryer set to 200°C for 20 minutes
  • Mix the sourdough chunks with 1 tbsp olive oil and add to the chickpeas after 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the lemon juice, yoghurt, garlic and anchovies together and blending till smooth. Add half the parmesan.
  • In a large mixing bowl, add the leaves and the dressing and mix well before adding most of the crispy chickpeas and croutons.
  • Serve in a large bowl and top with any leftover chickpeas and croutons, and the remaining parmesan. Eat straight away.
Gut Loving Chickpea Caesar Salad

Per serving: 663kcal/ 28g fat/ 4.1g saturated fat/ 65g carbohydrates/ 13g fibre/ 30g protein

Chocolate Courgette Cake

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Chocolate Courgette Cake

This cake secretly hides 2 courgettes in it, and you almost can’t tell bar the few flecks of green and yellow here and there. The courgette helps the cake stay moist, and it is in ways close to the texture of a brownie, but it also happens to be egg and dairy-free, meaning it’s suitable for those following a full plant-based diet.

Makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

  • 2 courgettes grated (approximately 325-360g)
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 120g vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
  • 60g plant-based milk (I used unsweetened soya)
  • Juice of half a lemon (15ml)
  • 200g wholemeal plain flour
  • 60 cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 150g dark chocolate chips

Method

  • Mix the courgettes, caster sugar, vegetable oil, plant-based milk and lemon juice together in a large bowl.
  • In a separate bowl mix the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb together to evenly distribute.
  • Combine the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing well with the addition of 2/3 of the chocolate chips.
  • Spread out into a lined baking time approximately 25cmx25cm, top with the remaining chocolate chops, and bake for 25-30 minutes in an oven preheated to 160°C fan/ 180°C convection.
  • Allow to cool on a rack before slicing.

If you are feeling more decadent, this cake is delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Chocolate Courgette Cake with Ice Cream

Per serving: 220kcal/ 13g fat/ 4.0g saturated fat/ 21g carbohydrates/ 3.6g fibre/ 3.6g protein

Whipped Lemon Ricotta and Basil Courgettes

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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
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 250g ricotta
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 15g chives, finely sliced
  • 30g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 15g basil

To serve

Method

  • In a large pan, cook the courgettes in the olive oil, seasoned with a little salt, till slightly soft and golden brown.
  • Meanwhile, whip the ricotta with the chives, parsley and lemon zest.
  • Once the courgettes are cooked, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice along with the basil. Stir to combine.
  • Plate up with the herby ricotta on the bottom of the plate, and courgettes piled up high on top, with slices of bread to dip in.
Lemon Basil Courgettes on Whipped Ricotta

Per serving of dip: 330kcal/ 24g fat/ 12g saturated fat/ 5.4g carbohydrates/ 1.9g fibre/ 22g protein

One Pan Courgette Pasta

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Minimal washing up whilst creating a really delicious and balanced meal in 15 minutes! It’s using courgettes, kale, basil and nasturtium all from the allotment. If you haven’t tried nasturtium before, it has a slightly peppery taste that reminds me of rocket – both the flowers and leaves are edible, plus they act as a pollinator for bees which attracts them into the allotments to pollinate my fruits and veggies!

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 300g pasta
  • 150g kale, roughly chopped, stems separate to the leaves
  • 2 medium-sized courgettes
  • 1 tub of garlic and herb cream cheese (135g) – I used Paysan & Breton
  • 1 tin of butterbeans
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 10g basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Nasturtium (optional)

Method

  • Cook the pasta for 4 minutes less than the packet instructions, adding the kale stems in too. Meanwhile, grate the courgettes.
  • Once the pasta is cooked, reserve a mug of pasta water and add the kale leaves in before draining.
  • Return to a low heat and add the grated courgettes, cream cheese, butterbeans, lemon zest and juice, basil leaves and olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes, adding extra pasta water if needed.
  • Season to taste with pepper before serving up and topping with extra basil and optional nasturtium.
One Pan Courgette Pasta

Per serving: 464kcal/ 14g fat/ 6.2g saturated fat/ 62g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 17g protein