Tag: vegetarian

Blackberry & Brie Sourdough Toastie

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, RecipesTagged , , , Leave a comment

A really easy toastie recipe with the added nutrition from chia seeds to make the quickest jam ever! The chia seeds soak up any liquid from the crushed blackberries, helping to thicken the juices so it works as a spread for the toastie, whilst adding a little extra fibre and healthy polyunsaturated fats. The sweet sharpness of the seasonal blackberries contrasts perfectly with the creamy brie, and the crunch of the sourdough.

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 100g blackberries
  • 1 tsp chia seeds
  • 60g brie
  • 2 slices of seeded sourdough
  • 1 tsp honey (optional if the berries are too tart)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  • Mash the blackberries and chia seed together and leave for 5-10 minutes to thicken.
  • Once the jam is “set” spread it onto slices of sourdough, and top with slices of brie and honey if needed. Sandwich the second piece of bread over the top.
  • Heat a skillet over a low-medium heat and add 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Cook the toastie on one side for 3-5 minutes till golden brown. Brush the second side of bread with the remaining oil before flipping and cooking.
  • Serve immediately.
Blackberry & Brie Toastie

Per serving: 764kcal/ 41g fat/ 14g saturated fat/ 66g carbohydrates/ 9.3g fibre/ 27g protein

Courgette Pasta Bake 3 Ways

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Main Meals, Recipes, SidesTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

I was asked for a recipe that could be batch-cooked and frozen down for a baby as part of weaning using a courgette. So here is my Courgette Pasta Bake which can be used 3 different ways: either cook and eat straight away, as meal prep either in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months, or as mini individual pasta muffins which are great for weaning and can be frozen down as individual portions.

I’ve used semi-skimmed milk and a 30% less fat cheddar-style cheese to help keep the saturated fats down, but if you are making food for babies aged 2 and under use full-fat varieties.

I’ve also used a higher-fibre white pasta for extra fibre to help me reach my 30g recommendation for the day.

Makes 6 adult portions

Ingredients

  • 50g butter
  • 60g plain flour
  • 1l milk
  • 1.5tsp English mustard
  • 300g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 4 courgettes (550g total), grated
  • 450g pasta of choice – I used an added fibre variety
  • 2-3 large tomatoes (optional), sliced

Method

  • Set the oven to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection.
  • Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute before adding the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly till thick. Add the mustard and half the cheddar cheese and season with pepper to taste.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions.
  • Off the heat add the courgette to the sauce and mix in, and once the pasta is cooked, drain, and add to the courgette sauce and mix.
  • Option 1: Pour everything into an ovenproof dish, top with the tomato slices and remaining cheese and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes till the top is golden brown and bubbling.
  • Option 2: Pour into an ovenproof dish, allow to cool and top with cheese when you are ready to cook. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Option 3: Divide the mixture into muffin cases, top with the remaining cheese and bake 15-20 minutes till the top is golden brown and bubbling. You can freeze these as individual portions for a baby – make sure they are piping hot in the middle when reheating in either the oven, air fryer or microwave.

Per serving: 478kcal/ 22g fat/ 13g saturated fat/ 42g carbohydrates/ 4.7g fibre/ 26g protein

Courgette Flower Arancini

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Recipes, SidesTagged , , Leave a comment

This is a rough recipe, as it’s dependent on several factors:

  • How much risotto you have left over
  • How many courgette flowers you have
  • How much time you want to spend making these!!

In all honesty, these weren’t the easiest recipe I’ve ever made, but I did think they were worth all the extra effort.

Your gut microbes will also love this recipe due to the resistant starch formation in the risotto when it’s left overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients

  • Leftover courgette risotto, stored in the fridge for 24 hours
  • Courgette flowers, male and female
  • Mozzarella (optional, but highly recommended!)
  • Plain flour
  • Eggs
  • Breadcrumbs – I used some stale sourdough focaccia

Method

  • Remove the stamen from the inside of the courgette flowers to make more space inside.
  • Stuff each flower with leftover risotto and optional mozzarella, twisting the ends of the petals to close the end.
  • Dust each flower in flour, egg and breadcrumbs before baking on a lined baking sheet in a preheated oven set to 225°C fan/ 250°C convection.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes till crispy and golden brown.
Courgette Flower Arancini

Courgette Risotto

Posted in Main Meals, RecipesTagged , , Leave a comment

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4 courgettes, 2 sliced and 2 grated
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 red onions, finely diced
  • 5 garlic cloves roughly chopped
  • 20g butter
  • 250g risotto rice
  • 250ml dry white wine (optional)
  • 1 vegetable stock cube made up in 600ml boiling water
  • 60g parmesan

Method

  • Fry the sliced courgettes in the olive oil for around 10 minutes, till soft and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • In the same pan add the onions with a splash of water and cook over a low heat till soft and translucent. Add the garlic in and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  • Add the butter and rice and toast for a few minutes till fragrant before adding the wine and stirring continuously.
  • Add hot stock a few ladles at a time, stirring till the liquid is absorbed before adding more stock in.
  • When the rice is almost cooked al dente, add the grated courgettes in and allow to soften as the risotto finishes cooking.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan, and serve topped with the fried courgettes.
Courgette Risotto

Per serving: 486kcal/ 20g fat/ 7.2g saturated fat/ 61g carbohydrates/ 2.9g fibre/ 14g protein

Whipped Lemon Ricotta and Basil Courgettes

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Recipes, SidesTagged , , , , Leave a comment

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

Courgette Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted in Dessert, RecipesTagged , , , , Leave a comment

Courgettes in a cookie? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!

These cookies are made with spelt flour, mostly because I didn’t have any plain flour. However, using alternative grains to wheat is a great way to improve the biodiversity of the foods we grow, and not only help look after our planet, but also out gut microbiota which love different sources of fibre.

Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 medium courgette, around 220g, grated and the water squeezed out leaving you with around 150g “dry” courgette
  • 1 egg
  • 125g soft light brown sugar
  • 100g extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence
  • 120g spelt flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground sweet cinnamon
  • 130g jumbo rolled oats
  • 175g dark chocolate chips

Method

  • Add the courgette, egg, sugar, olive oil and vanilla to a large bowl and stir to combine.
  • In a separate bowl mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon together.
  • Add the dry mix to the wet along with the oats and chocolate chip and mix together.
  • Measure out 50g per cookie onto a lined baking sheet, leaving a little gap between each cookie to allow for spreading when baking. You should get 18 cookies from this mixture.
  • Bake in an oven set to 180°C fan/ 200°C convection for 10-12 minutes, or till golden brown on the edges.
  • Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Courgette Chocolate Chip Cookies

Per cookie: 191kcal/ 11g fat/ 3.5g saturated fat/ 19g carbohydrates/ 2.4g fibre/ 3.3g protein

One Pan Courgette Pasta

Posted in Main Meals, RecipesTagged , , , , , , Leave a comment

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

Preserved Lemon Courgettes on Garlic Yoghurt

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Main Meals, Recipes, SidesTagged , , , , Leave a comment

If you grow courgettes, you’ll know you can easily be overrun with them! As part of National Allotments Week I’m pledging to help you use up your courgettes this year in a series of dishes all revolving around the humble courgette. This is an effortless dish, requiring zero cooking, making it the perfect heatwave meal to prepare.

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized courgettes
  • 2 big pinches of salt
  • 1 preserved lemon, pips removed and diced
  • 10 mint leaves, finely sliced
  • 2 sprigs of dill, roughly chopped
  • 10g chives, finely sliced
  • 30g flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g extra thick yoghurt
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 slices of sourdough bread, toasted
  • 2 pinches of sumac

Method

  • Cut the courgette into ribbons using a vegetable peeler or mandoline. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with all the salt. Massage the salt in and leave for 10 minutes to draw the water out.
  • Meanwhile, grate the garlic into the yoghurt and mix through.
  • Once the liquid has been released from the courgettes, rinse and then squeeze the excess water out before patting dry with a kitchen towel.
  • Add the preserved lemon, herbs and olive oil to the courgettes and mix well.
  • Spread the yoghurt over the sourdough before piling the courgette mix high over the top and sprinkling with sumac. Enjoy straight away.
Preserved Lemon Courgettes

Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Broccoli and Beans

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Main Meals, Recipes, SidesTagged , , , , Leave a comment

If you cook potatoes and then let them cool overnight you can create something called resistant starch, which, as the name suggests, is resistant to digestion. This means that you get to eat delicious-tasting food, and your gut microbes also benefit from the starches, which we are unable to digest, but they love!

Serves 3

Ingredients

  • 500g new potatoes, cooked and cooled overnight
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, skin on
  • 1 tin of cannellini beans, drained, rinsed and patted dry
  • 250g sprouting broccoli
  • 200g thick strained yoghurt
  • 1 lemon, zest and juice
  • 10 sprigs of mint, leaves finely sliced

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection
  • Smash the potatoes using a large flat item so they are around the thickness of a pound coin. Place on a baking sheet and brush with 1 tbsp olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes
  • Flip the potatoes over to crisp up the second side, adding the cloves of garlic and brushing with more olive oil. Bake for another 30 minutes, or till the potatoes are golden brown and crunchy.
  • Meanwhile, run your beans with the remaining olive oil and spread out over a second baking sheet, tucking the broccoli down the centre. Roast for 20 minutes.
  • Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the garlic cloves from their skin and mash into the yogurt along with half the lemon zest and juice. Mix well and season with pepper to taste.
  • Plate up with all the elements, and finish with the remaining lemon zest and juice and a sprinkle of mint.
Roasted Smashed Potatoes with Broccoli and Beans

Per serving: 350kcal/ 11g fat/ 2.5g saturated fat/ 38g carbohydrates/ 12g fibre/ 18g protein

Lemon Blueberry Yoghurt Cake

Posted in Dessert, RecipesTagged , , Leave a comment

This recipe is delicious and zingy from both the lemon, but also the use of yoghurt. The yoghurt also makes the cake so lovely and moist, helping it stay fresh for a few days after baking. I, however, find it’s the perfect cake to store in the freezer for when you fancy a quick sweet treat, or if you have impromptu guest coming over. I simply use the baking parchment I used to bake the cake and cut it up to half wrap each piece before placing it in a Tupperware and freezing. This helps stop them from sticking together so I can take out a single piece whilst still maximising freezer space.

Makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

  • 400g blueberries – fresh or frozen (if using fresh wash so the surface is slightly damp)
  • 350g plain flour – reserve 1 tbsp for the blueberries
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • 250g Greek style or plain yoghurt
  • 2 lemons – zest and juice
  • 2 eggs
  • 165ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 225g caster sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C convection.
  2. Mix the plain flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
  3. In a large bowl mix the yoghurt, lemon zest and juice, eggs, olive oil and caster sugar together till smooth.
  4. Mix the reserved 1 tbsp of flour with 2/3 of the blueberries and leave on the side.
  5. Add the flour to the wet mixture and stir to create a very lumpy batter before adding the floured blueberries and mixing to evenly distribute through the better – the batter should still be lumpy at this point.
  6. Pour into a prepared lined tin approximated 8x8x1″ square (or 9″ circular) and top with the remaining blueberries.
  7. Bake in the oven, dropping the temperature by 20°C once the cake goes in for 40-50 minutes, or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.
  8. Allow to cool by removing from the tin and placing on a wire rack before slicing.
Lemon Blueberry Yoghurt Cake

Griddled Manouri & Fig Salad

Posted in Light Bites & Snacks, Main Meals, Recipes, SidesTagged , , Leave a comment

I know a lot of people love feta, but I’m afraid for me it’s one of my least favourite cheeses. I personally find it too salty, but when I saw this cheese I knew I needed to try it because I love goats cheese. For me this wasn’t as salty in taste as feta, as well as being much milder. What I didn’t realise till I had gotten home, made this dish, and thoroughly enjoyed it, was that manouri cheese is made as a by-product of the feta production, which is something I can definitely get on board with!

I also think this would be a great salad to serve at a barbecue, grilling the cheese and figs before plating up, should the UK weather start to actually resemble summer…

This salad is light enough to work as a side salad or a starter, but substantial enough to also work as a larger portion for a main meal when served with some good bread on the side.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main

Ingredients

  • 1 block of manouri cheese
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 8 figs, or around 230g, cut into halves and quarters
  • 120g rocket
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp black sesame seeds

To serve

  • Sourdough bread
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method

  • If serving with sourdough, brush the sides with extra virgin olive oil and griddle till crispy with charred lines across the surface. Keep warm.
  • Brush the manouri with the olive oil and griddle for a few minutes on each side. Add some of the figs, brushed with any remaining olive oil – you can cook as many or as few as you like.
  • Once cooked through to your liking, add the rocket to a large serving dish and dot pieces of the cheese and figs over the top, drizzle with honey and sesame seeds.
  • Best enjoyed hot.
Griddled Manouri and Fig Salad

Lemon Asparagus Barrata Toast

Posted in Breakfast, Light Bites & Snacks, RecipesTagged , , , Leave a comment

June 21st marks the end of British asparagus season, so I’m celebrating it in the same way I started – griddled and on toast with cheese.

It’s a simple yet satisfying flavour combination which is the perfect brunch or light dinner.

Serves 2

Ingredient

  • 2 slices of sourdough
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 200g asparagus
  • 1 ball burrata
  • Zest and juice of a lemon

Method

  • Brush the sourdough with olive oil on both sides before riddling in a hot pan till golden and crispy.
  • Brush the asparagus with olive oil and griddle for a few minutes each side.
  • Assemble the burrata on the toast with grated lemon zest over the top and pile the asparagus up high. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and any remaining olive oil.