All posts tagged: Recipes

Spicy Squash & Kidney Bean Stew

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You know when you’re absolutely shattered and you can’t be bothered to cook? I totally get it! We’ve got a one pot dish that isn’t too involved, that will mean you can serve up something warm and comforting on these dark autumnal evenings. Plus this will serve up to 6 people, so you can either eat it for a couple of nights or is great if you got a few more mouths to feed. Last weekend was a busy one, in fact I’ve been counting down the days to this weekend to recover from it! It was busy. Amy was here for the weekend and we spent Saturday and Sunday in the kitchen working on some exciting things! Then we had to cook dinner….the absolute last thing we wanted to do was cook a meal for 5 hungry people, so we needed something easy. This is what we created – a warm comforting stew that is tasty and won’t have you slaving in the kitchen for hours. Spicy Squash & Kidney Bean Stew Olive oil 2 onions 2 …

Creamy Leek & Potato Soup with Polenta & Walnut Croutons

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There’s nothing like soup on these chilly autumn days to warm you up and it only takes a little bit of effort to go from a basic soup to amazingly delicious, this is the best soup ever, soup. This summer I went on an amazing and inspiring vegan permaculture course. I met some really amazing people and got introduced to some great, practical and positive ideas to create a regenerative, cruelty-free landscape and abundant future. (If you’re intrigued to know more next years course is now open for bookings.) One of the other amazing things about the course was the food, especially the soups. I had previously thought I made pretty tasty soups but these put mine to shame. So I decided it was time I upped my soup game! Recently I’ve been getting tonnes of leeks in my veg bag and having helped myself to a field of left over potatoes that were “too small” for the farmer to harvest, leek and potato soup was just calling out to be made. But how to …

Squash Gnocchi

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Autumn is all about those golden tones. Browning leaves, warm golden afternoon sunlight and a host of yellows and oranges that equals squash season. Yes, October is here and it’s time to think of a million and one uses for all the squash that is coming our way. Hang on a minute, October?? Is it just me that is freaking out at how quickly this year is going? It seems like everytime I sit down to write a post I’m like ‘Oh my god, where the hell is the year going!’ Well I’m doing it again…. argh!! Keeping focused on the exciting things that October brings rather than the fact that it will be Christmas the next time you blink, this recipe is awesome! It has simple, subtle flavours and brings those golden colours of the season right onto your table. Over the years of squash inundation that comes with getting a seasonal veg box, we’ve made stews, burgers and tagines. This recipe however, is one of my favourites. It’s not the first thing that …

Apple & Blackberry Cobbler

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I was a little eager with my blackberries this year. I spotted a few on the way to the car park at work and declared to my work buddies that we, “MUST go blackberry picking during our lunch break the next day!” (I work in the countryside). We walked to the field where we had picked them last year, and were bitterly disappointed with the lack of blackberries ripe for picking. We managed to gather a few and I declared a cobbler was in order. It is around now that you should start to find plenty to forage and use to make this delicious apple and blackberry cobbler. There is something much more satisfying about eating your pud when you have picked your own berries, got scratched by the brambles, stung by a couple of nettles and have washed any potential creepy crawlies away! I promise I’m not lying! I’ve not made a cobbler before and didn’t really know the difference compared to a crumble. My version probably isn’t a traditional cobbler, from what I gather they usually are a …

Summer Green Juice

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I have to confess, I’m a bit of a green juice addict. They’re so refreshing and nourishing, it’s like drinking a glass of pure health. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact that juicers are an absolute pain in the arse to clean, I would genuinely be an addict! With all this said, I have just one particular favourite juice that I pretty much make all the time! The only trouble being is that it has apple in it and right now, in the height of summer, we are all out of last seasons apple stores and a few months away from this years season – so I’m having to come up with summer juice alternatives! This one is made with refreshing fennel and cucumber, giving you the perfect taste of summer! It is a pure green juice as it contains only vegetables with only a tiny piece of sneaky lime. It’s not too sweet but it’s crisp and fresh, perfect for a hot August day! Summer Green Juice 1/2 small fennel bulb 1/4 …

Nettle & Wild Garlic, Buckwheat Crêpes

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Last month I wrote about the impending hungry gap when I posted a recipe for a tagine using the last of Winter’s root vegetables. We’re now well into April and the hungry gap is definitely upon us. The Winter crops have come to an end and there’s little in the way of new season produce to fill our bellies. But it’s not all doom and gloom, if you happen to be partial to a spot of foraging there is plenty to be had at this time of year and fresh young nettles are just perfect right now. I’m no foraging expert (so you’ll have look elsewhere for comprehensive guidance) but with a little know how and a little common sense you can find yourself enough to rustle up something resembling a meal in no time. I managed to find the perfect spot of nettles that had just started to come up in a park where a hollow had been left to go wild. Pinch off just the young tops of the nettles (whilst wearing gardening …

Squash Stew & Dumplings

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I’ve got a treat for you this week in the shape of Squash stew and dumplings! This time of year we are surrounded by choice. So many of my favourite fruits and vegetables are in season; apples, pears, kale, cabbages, broccoli and pumpkins. Yes, we are now spoilt for choice with comforting, hearty foods that will warm us up on these cold rainy days. Soups, curries, and stews are my staples of the moment. There are so many  varieties of squashes and pumpkin available, I used to just stick to butternut squash and not get too adventurous, but despite the troublesome cutting of them, they all are quite different but all tasty. This squash stew and dumplings is the perfect way to eat more of this delicious vegetable! I had a Butternut Squash in my store cupboard, but you can definitely mix it up in your variety.     Squash stew and dumplings Serves 4 Cooking time: 1hr 15mins 1 butternut squash or other variety 2 carrots 1 cartoon of chopped tomatoes 1 cartoon of black beans 1 bulb …

Creamy Vegan Pasta

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  The big news for me is that I successfully got in the London Marathon ballot! Cue excitement and smug feelings that I got a ballot place, which fyi are really hard to get! But, now the reality has dawned on me and I’ve got a shed load of work to do before I get to that start line and it is the training that scares me more than the marathon. When I was training for the half marathon it was Spring, it was reasonably dry and running outdoors was a joy. I’m definitely more than a little apprehensive about dark, cold, rainy training runs. Obviously before my big runs I’ll be carb loading. I’m not one for white pasta usually, and always try to stick to wholewheat pasta and brown rice etc. But, when I was in Italy I had no stomach problems from their pasta (or any of the food) – so I sourced some of the “good stuff”. So here is a perfectly creamy mushroomy pasta that will either help you before those training …

Spanish inspired bean stew and patatas bravas

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I’m counting down. Counting down until I go on holiday, a much-needed holiday I can tell you. We are travelling around Italy for two weeks and I for one can’t wait! I hate going on about being busy, but I have been. Busy with a new job, busy training for a half marathon, busy trying my best to grown some veg, and busy writing blog posts. I know i’ve neglected relationships whilst I have been going through this hectic period and I’m planning on balancing my time a little better when I get home. One of the vegetables I have been growing for the first time this year is the humble potato and boy oh boy, what a treat they are! Before you put the seed potatoes in the ground you need to allow them to “chit” which means leaving them in a sunny spot and waiting for them to start sprouting. When it came to planting, I put mine in rows and then mounded the soil up over them, they then pretty much sorted …

Super Easy Summer Curry

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I’ve been asked several times, well actually about a thousand times what I actually eat and I often find it hard to answer without sounding like I eat nothing but nuts and dust! I eat lots of exciting different things, but put me on the spot and all I can think of is oatcakes and almonds, sounds pretty dry! This doesn’t look boring though does it? I eat lots of yummy things – honestly! One of my favourite things that I eat for dinner is curry. It REALLY is simple to make and you just let it cook away with whatever is in season and in your fridge. To be fair though I didn’t know how to start making a curry from scratch until a couple of years ago, I just thought you opened the jar or called the local takeaway! I mean it all seemed a little complicated, when the list of ingredients is super long, and talk of making a curry paste and you know you have quite a few ingredients missing! No wonder …