If you’ve been on Instagram for just a minute you will probably have seen these trending pizza sandwiches. They’re delicious. I highly recommend you make these! I’ve used my sourdough pizza base recipe, and then any surplus dough I used to make extra pizzas for easy mid-week dinners!
Serves 3
Ingredients
Half batch of sourdough pizza base, divided into 3 small balls, rested for 30 minutes before cooking (or make a full batch and use any leftover dough for pizzas)
Preheat the oven to maximum temperature with your pizza stone and allow to fully heat.
Use a little rice flour and shape the dough into a disk in the same way you would for a pizza. Brush half the surface with 1 tsp of the olive oil, and fold the unbrushed side over the top. Transfer to the pizza stone to cook for 6-8 minutes till golden and crispy.
Once cooked, generously spread the wild garlic pesto on the inside of the pizza dough, and fill with rocket, tomatoes, burrata and basil leaves.
If you’ve been on Instagram for just a minute you will probably have seen these trending pizza sandwiches. They’re delicious. I highly recommend you make these! I’ve used my sourdough pizza base recipe, and then any surplus dough I used to make extra pizzas for easy mid-week dinners!
Serves 3
Ingredients
Half batch of sourdough pizza base, divided into 3 small balls, rested for 30 minutes before cooking (or make a full batch and use any leftover dough for pizzas)
Preheat the oven to maximum temperature with your pizza stone and allow to fully heat.
Use a little rice flour and shape the dough into a disk in the same way you would for a pizza. Brush half the surface with 1 tsp of the olive oil, and fold the unbrushed side over the top. Transfer to the pizza stone to cook for 6-8 minutes till golden and crispy.
Once cooked, generously spread the wild garlic pesto on the inside of the pizza dough, and fill with rocket, tomatoes, burrata and basil leaves.
If the thought of making hot cross buns with chocolate and orange is too exotic for you, why not try my Best of Both Apple and Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns which are more traditional. But for anyone who isn’t put off by the thoughts of an unconventional hot cross bun, you’re in the right place!
My Best of Both Chocolate Orange Hot Cross Buns are the perfect combination of sweet, fruity and spiced goodness. They’re also best of both as they use wholemeal flour to help add extra fibre to the buns, meaning each serving provides you with over 5g of fibre, helping you achieve the daily recommendation of 30g.
Makes 9 buns
Ingredients
For the buns
175g strong wholemeal flour
150g strong white flour
25g cocoa powder
30g caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
7g fast action yeast
50g butter, melted
Zest of 2 large oranges
Juice of 2 large oranges (175ml juice with a little of the pulp, made up with water if needed)
1 egg
60g sultanas
60g mixed peel
60g dark chocolate chips
For the crosses
10g butter
40g strong white flour
45ml water
For the glaze
50g marmalade
40ml water
Method
Add all the dried ingredients for the buns, except the dried fruit and chocolate, into a stand mixer. Add the butter, egg and orange zest and juice. Mix on a low speed for 10 minutes – the dough should be just sticky. After 10 minutes add the dried fruit and chocolate and mix for a further 2 minutes till incorporated. Form into a ball, cover, and allow to rise till doubled in size for around 1.5 hours.
Once the dough has doubled in size, knock it back and divide the ball into 9 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a tight ball without any fruit sticking out the top as these will burn. Place the balls in a 3×3 formation in a baking tin roughly 20cmx20cm lined with baking parchment. Cover and allow to prove for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
Melt the butter for the crosses and then whisk in the flour and water to make a thick pipe-able paste. Transfer into a piping bag and snip the end to make a small hole. Pipe crosses (or whatever you fancy) across the tops of the buns. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes till golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the water and marmalade to make the glaze.
Once the buns are cooker, immediately brush with the glaze.
Transfer to a wire rack, remove the baking parchment and allow to cool.
Per bun: 328kcal/ 9.6g fat/ 5.4g saturated fat/ 50.0g carbohydrates/ 5.4g fibre/ 7.9g protein
Salad means different things to different people. I refer to this as a salad, even though there is a distinct lack of green leafy vegetables as you might often think of. But trust me, this is worth adding to your repertoire!
It’s packed full of lovely ingredients that help provide a wide variety of nutrients including plenty of plant-based protein, fibre, vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene), iron, folate and vitamin K1 to name but a few.
For those following a full plant-based diet try swapping the goat cheese for a plant-based cheese alternative, or use tofu and roast in the same way.
You also know that I love to use as much of my homegrown veg as possible. So, I’m making sure I save the seeds and roast them up as a crispy topping. It adds an extra texture dimension to the whole dish and saves edible food from going into the bin. The seeds also have slightly different nutritional properties to the flesh of the butternut squash itself, so it really is a win-win situation.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash, around 400g when prepared, saving the seeds
2 cloves of garlic, skin on
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
100g goat cheese, sliced in half
100g puy lentils
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
30g chives, finely chopped
50g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
Prep the butternut squash by removing the very ends and slicing in half lengthways. Remove the seeds, but save for later. Coat the butternut squash in 1 tbsp olive oil and place on a baking tray. In a separate small ovenproof dish add the garlic and 1/2 tbsp olive oil and cover. Bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, separate the seeds from the pulp and dry before mixing with the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Remove the roasted garlic dish and spread the seeds out over the tray, and add the goat cheese into the cavity of the butternut squash. Bake for 12-15 minutes till the seeds are crispy and the cheese has melted.
Meanwhile, cook the lentils by bringing them to the boil and then simmer for 12-15 minutes till soft but still with a bite.
Remove the garlic skins and mash the garlic into the oil with the mustard and balsamic vinegar to make a sauce. Mix into the hot lentils, and once slightly cooled mix in the herbs.
Serve straight away hot, or equally delicious eaten cold as leftovers the next day.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Lentil Salad
Per serving: 565kcal/ 29g fat/ 11g saturated fat/ 40g carbohydrates/ 15g fibre/ 28g protein
I love a warm and comforting bowl of pasta when it’s cold and grey outside. It really helps to brighten my mood. I also want it to be seasonal, so I’ve used leeks in this dish, which adds flavour as well as some prebiotics.
Feel free to swap for any other cheese you have in the fridge. The sweet leeks will go well with most cheeses. I just love the cheese pull of melted Gruyère.
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 leek, approximately 200g, washed and sliced
40g butter
35g plain flour
450ml semi-skimmed milk
1 tsp mustard
100g Gruyère cheese, grated
150g pasta shape of choice
Method
Gently cook the leek in the butter till soft, before adding in the flour. Mix to create a paste and slowly add the milk, stirring continuously to create a smooth sauce.
Once all the milk is added, stir in the mustard and half the Gruyère.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain, and then stir the sauce through.
Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish, top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 180°C fan/ 200°C convection for 15-20 minutes till golden brown and bubbling.
Per serving: 816kcal/ 39g fat/ 24g saturated fat/ 79g carbohydrates/ 7.2g fibre/ 34g protein
Using my principles of sustainable nutrition, here is a delicious recipe incorporating using more of the food we grow and reducing food waste, eating more plant-based proteins, cooking in bulk, and diversifying the foods we grow and eat. Added all together each serving of my Roasted Harissa Cauliflower and Chickpea Traybake with Herbed Spelt provides you with a whopping 19g fibre and 22g plant-based protein.
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 large cauliflower head, leaves and all (1.1kg), cut up into chunks, and larger leaves sliced in half through the stem
3 carrots, cut into chunks
2 red onions, cut into wedges
80g harissa paste
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tins of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
300g spelt
50g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
30g chives, finely sliced
2 tbsp tahini
Juice of half a lemon
4 tbsp of pomegranate seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection while you prep the cauliflower, carrots and onions. Mix these veg together with the harissa paste and 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread out over 2 trays and roast for 20 minutes.
Mix the remaining oil and chickpeas together, and add to the trays, mixing the partially cooked veg.
Meanwhile, cook the spelt by bringing it to a boil in a large pan of water, and then allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes depending on the type of spelt you have. It should remain al dente in the middle. Once cooked, allow to cool slightly before adding the herbs in.
Make a dressing by mixing the tahini and lemon juice together. It will become thick, so thin with water to a consistency of double cream, or your preference.
Serve everything together, topped with the tahini dressing and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds over the top.
Harissa Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Bake
Per serving: 487kcal/ 10g fat/ 1.4g saturated fat/ 68g carbohydrates/ 19g fibre/ 22g protein
The viral Christmas Tree Mince Pies have landed here on my page, and boy are they worth making! They’re perfect for the festive season, and equally delicious as my more traditional mince pies.
Roll out a sheet of puff pastry and lightly dust it with flour
Spread the mincemeat over the sheet of pastry, before layering the second sheet of puff pastry over the top. Gently roll to stick the two sheets together
Slice the pastry into 12 even lengths and fold each strip over itself to form a tree. Secure in place with a wooden skewer and place on a lined baking sheet
Brush with an egg glaze and sprinkle with sugar before baking in a preheated oven set to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection for 20-25 minutes till golden and crispy
I had a very similar salad in a restaurant recently for a friend’s birthday. I thought I could recreate it, with a slight nutritional twist whereby each serving provides you with an actual portion of salad! It’s just as delicious as the restaurant, but knowing it’s providing that little bit of extra nutrition makes me forgive the fact that I’m actually eating a double portion of cheese in one go.
Serves 2
Ingredients
6 large leaves of radicchio (160g)
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
30g pumpkin seeds
30g pomegranate seeds
1 ball of burrata
Method
Mix the pomegranate molasses, vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl
Tear the radicchio leaves into a more manageable size and arrange on a large plate.
Scatter the seeds over the top before placing the burrata in the middle and drizzling everything with the prepared salad dressing.
Radicchio and Burrata Salad
Per serving: 427kcal/ 35g fat/ 12g saturated fat/ 17g carbohydrates/ 2.3g fibre/ 10g protein
Rather than growing a carving pumpkin, I prefer to grow squash as they’re a bit more tasty than standard carving pumpkins. I’m also all about the guts, so in this recipe I’m using the whole of the edible pumpkins, with just the inedible stalk and pumpkin bum, aka the blossom end, left for the compost bin. I keep the skin of the butternut squash on the flesh – this helps save time, and prevent unnecessary food waste, but also a lot of people injure themselves when peeling squash so let’s keep the gore to fake blood.
This is also perfect to make if you are cooking something else in the oven already. You can roast the vegetables in advance, and then when you are ready turn them into the soup at a later time – just allow everything to come back to the boil for a few minutes before blending.
If you don’t have a squash to hand but still want to make this soup you can opt for pre-prepared butternut squash from the freezer which can be more convenient for some people. If this is the case try using green pumpkin seeds you can buy in the shops.
Squash and pumpkins are excellent sources of beta-carotene, which our body converts into vitamin A. We need this vitamin to help maintain healthy skin, a healthy immune system, and also help our eyes to see in the dark! Or at least that’s what the kid’s like to hear most often!
I love serving my soup with some tomato cheese on sourdough toast! It’s such a treat, and helps make this soup a balanced meal.
Makes 6 generous servings
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash, cut into large chunks – mine was 1.3kg once I had prepared it
3 onions, quartered
1 head of garlic, the very top removed
2.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
150g red lentils
1 stock cube, I used a vegetable one
Herbs for garnishing e.g. flat-leaf parsley or chives
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ GM6
To a large baking tray, add the cubed butternut squash, quartered onions, garlic bulb, and 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Mix to evenly coat everything with oil, and place the garlic in the middle of the tray to prevent it from burning. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes till the veg start to turn golden brown.
Meanwhile, prepare the squash seeds by placing the squash “guts” into a bowl and adding some water. Loosen the seeds from the stringy flesh before placing on a clean teatowel to thoroughly dry. Place the seeds into a small baking tray, adding the remaining half tbsp extra virgin olive oil and mixing to evenly coat. Place the tray at the bottom of the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes till deep golden in colour and crispy.
While the veg is roasting, bring around 600ml water to the boil and add the lentils and stock cube. Cook the lentils for around 10 minutes till soft.
Once the veg is cooked, add it to the pan with the now cooked lentils, and squeeze the garlic out of the paper. Deglaze the pan with boiling water, and then top up the water in the pan so it covers the vegetables. In total, you will need to add around 1.8l of water. Bring everything back to a boil and cook for 5 minutes before blending into a soup of your desired consistency, adding more water to thin the soup if desired, and seasoning with pepper to taste.
Serve the soup piping hot, dressed with a little extra olive oil if desired, and scattered with fresh herbs and crispy seeds.
Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Per serving*: 285kcal/ 8.1g fat/ 1.2g saturated fat/ 37g carbohydrates/ 11g fibre/ 11g protein
*nutritional analysis using pumpkin seeds, which are different to the seeds found in a squash
Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the kale with the garlic for 1 minute before removing.
Blend the kale and garlic with the pine nuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil and a large pinch of salt till smooth – you will need a powerful blender to get a smooth sauce.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, saving some pasta cooking water.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and toss the kale pesto through, using a little pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Serve piled up high topped with the Burella
Vegan Kale Pesto Pasta
Per serving: 678kcal/ 33g fat/ 4.0g saturated fat/ 71g carbohydrates/ 9g fibre/ 19g protein
As fig season comes to an end, here’s an extremely delicious way of celebrating their seasonality in a savoury form. You’ll also be pleased to know that each serving (half a pizza) counts as 2 of your 5-a-day and provides over 20% of your daily fibre goals!
I use half Roquefort and half buffalo mozzarella in this recipe, as Roquefort (and other blue cheeses) are higher in salt (up to 6 times more salt in some cases). This therefore helps to give the desired salty flavour without the pizza being overly salty.
Makes 1 pizza which will feed 1 very hungry person, or two adequately hungry people
Start by adding the onions, olive oil, sugar, thyme, and water to a pan and cooking over a low heat till soft and caramelised for around 25-30 minutes, making sure the onions don’t burn.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to maximum temperature (mine is 275°C fan) and place a heavy bottom tray/pizza stone in the middle of the oven. Allow the oven to reach temperature and wait a further 10 minutes to ensure the tray is fully heated.
Dust the work surface with semolina, take a ball of dough and place it on the semolina and finely dust with flour.
Using your fingers, press around the edge 1 cm in to form a crust.
Using the palm of your hand, press inside this line to flatten the dough in the centre.
When you can press it no more, pick the dough up and using your knuckles, gently ease the dough out so it becomes thin and slightly transparent. Take care not to rip the dough. Ensure the base has an even covering of semolina.
Transfer the pizza base onto a pizza peel
Scatter the cooked onions, figs and cheeses over the top.
Transfer the pizza onto the tray in the oven using a strong and decisive forward and back motion to slide the pizza off the peel.
Cook the pizza for anywhere between 6-9 minutes depending on the temperature of your oven. The pizza should have very dark golden blistered crusts, and the mozzarella and passata should be bubbling and start turning golden.
Remove the pizza from the oven, and scatter with fresh rocket.
Best eaten straight away.
Per half pizza: 609kcal/ 19g fat/ 9.8g saturated fat/ 82g carbohydrates/ 7.1g fibre/ 24g protein
This recipe is for anyone who is clinging to these last few warm days of summer. It’s the end of my tomato growing season, my courgette plants are on the brink of shutting down, and the nights are slowly drawing in. So here’s a comforting summer-style galette making the most of those wonderful tomatoes. Other veg that would work well in place of tomatoes here include courgettes, Swiss chard, aubergine, peppers, kale, leeks or even onions – most of these would need cooking either partially, or fully, before placing on top.
Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main
Ingredients
65g cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
160g wholemeal plain flour
3 tsp fresh thyme leaves
100g soft goats cheese
100g cream cheese
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves
1/4 tsp white pepper
325g sliced tomatoes
1 egg, beaten
40g hard goats cheese
Method
Make the pastry by combining the butter, flour and 1 tsp thyme leaves together till it resembles breadcrumbs with your fingertips. Then add 35-40ml ice cold water and bring together to form a dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the soft goat cheese, cream cheese, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano and pepper together till smooth.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection
Roll the dough out to make a large disk approximately 25cm diameter and transfer it onto a lined baking sheet. Spread the cheese mixture over the base, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Layer on the cut tomatoes.
Gently fold the edges over onto the filling. Brush the exposed pastry crust with the beaten egg and dust the whole galette with the remaining herbs and hard goats cheese, paying particular attention to the pastry edge.
Bake in the oven to 20 minutes till the pastry turns a deeper golden colour and the tomatoes have softened.
Delicious served warm or cold for a packed lunch.
I love serving my galette with a side salad with yet more tomatoes
Per sixth: 310kcal/ 20g fat/ 13g saturated fat/ 19g carbohydrates/ 3.4g fibre/ 9.9g protein
Dr Pippa 