Quick Vegan Apple Pie
The smell of seasonal apples baking in the oven and soft notes of cinnamon bring warm feelings of comfort and joy. Whip up this dairy-free version of the original to hit all the right notes.
Author: Marmalade + Kindness
Vegan Tahini Banana Bread
Tahini adds a lovely light nuttiness to banana bread. This Mediterranean wonder is full of antioxidants, B vitamins, magnesium, iron and calcium, so makes a nutrient-dense addition to an old tea-time favourite.
Broccoli ‘Buddha’ Bowls
Broccoli ‘Buddha’ bowls
March 29, 2020
: 4-6
: 15 min
: 20 min
: Easy
Perfect for a mid-week lunch or homemade brunch, these broccoli ‘Buddha’ bowls pack a nutrient punch. Roasting the broccoli adds a lovely char, while the dried cherries lift the nutty notes from the almonds and tahini dressing.
Ingredients
- 100g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
- 200g broccoli, cut into 1-inch florets
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 2 tablespoons Greek tahini
- 3-4 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon clear honey (or maple syrup to make vegan)
- 1 teaspoon rapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 45g almonds
- ½ tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 30g dried cherries
- 1 packet of Merchant Gourmet Red & White Quinoa (250 g cooked)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius (fan force) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Step 2 Place the broccoli into a medium-sized bowl. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with sea salt and white pepper. Use your hands to coat the broccoli evenly and spread it out on the tray.
- Step 3 Roast for 15-20 minutes. Remove and leave to cool.
- Step 4 Turn the oven down to 160 degrees Celcius (fan force) and toast the pumpkin seeds and almonds together for 6 minutes or until they become aromatic. (Nuts and seeds turn bitter very quickly so keep a close eye on them).
- Step 5 To make the dressing, whisk the tahini, water, lemon juice, honey, and remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small jug until well-combined.
- Step 6 To assemble the salad, combine the quinoa, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, and dried cherries in a large bowl. Arrange the roasted broccoli on the serving plate and spoon the quinoa mix on top. Place the dressing in serving jug.
Variations:
- For an extra green boost, serve with a few sprigs of watercress or sliced avocado.
Are you looking to live a greener, more sustainable life, but don’t know where to start? Green Housekeeping by some Christina Strutt rounds up traditional advice that has been around for years on how to ‘waste not, want not.’ Real change starts in the home.
Vegan Ginger and Turmeric Cookies
These vegan ginger and turmeric biscuits have a lovely crunch and slightly chewy centre. The warming mix of spices and decadent snap of chocolate and crystallised ginger will take you to a happy place.
Homestyle Greek Lamb Neck Stew
This rustic dish will take you back to yiayia’s kitchen table. Serve this comforting lamb neck stew with plain white rice or crusty bread.
Braised Squid with Chorizo and Fennel
Braised squid with chorizo and fennel
February 12, 2020
: 2 (or 4 as an entrée)
: 15 min
: Easy
This is a very forgiving recipe that encourages you to use your intuition and senses as you go – in true Italian style. Cooking squid low and slow will leave you with melt in the mouth perfection. Serve with some crusty bread – or store overnight to allow the flavour to really develop!
Ingredients
- 2 whole squids (from a reputable fishmonger)
- 100ml olive oil
- 60g chorizo, chopped into small cubes
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ - 1 fennel bulb, sliced finely (cored and outer leaves removed)
- 3 – 4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 – 2 red chillies, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 200ml white wine
- 400ml tin whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
- Handful of parsley leaves, finely chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Clean the squid (or have your fishmonger do this for you). Cut the tube, fins and tentacles into 2–3 cm segments.
- Step 2 Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Fry off the chorizo for 2-3 minutes or until it starts to crisp. Remove the chorizo from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
- Step 3 Add the chopped fennel and onion to the pan, and sweat for about 5 minutes, until translucent.
- Step 4 Add the garlic, chillies, lemon zest and chorizo to the pan and fry off for one minute until fragrant.
- Step 5 Add the squid and cook for 8 – 10 minutes (or until its liquid is released).
- Step 6 Add the white wine and simmer until the liquid reduces by half.
- Step 7 Add the crushed tomatoes and fennel seeds, and lower the heat to medium-low. Leave to simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours. It’s done when the sauce has a jammy consistency and you can see the bottom of the pan when you drag a spoon across it.
- Step 8 Take off the heat, season with lemon juice (start by adding ½ a tablespoon and tasting). Season generously and stir through the parsley leaves.
“Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings.” Arthur Rubinstein
At different times in life, we experience anxiety. Often this expresses itself as ruminating over things we can’t control. It can be helpful during these times to take a step back and practice unconditional acceptance. There are some things we can control and others that we cannot. The more that we can accept the latter and treat both the bad and good as serving a purpose in our lives, the easier it will be to emotionally detach from expected outcomes and meet challenges from a position of strength.
Autumn Pumpkin and Fetta Tart
Crimson butternut squash is matched with salty fetta and crunchy roasted walnuts in this delicious tart. A favourite for bake sales, serve it warm with a leafy salad of chicory and radicchio and its sure to disappear.
Warming Heritage Carrot Soup
In season heritage carrots give this soup its distinctive garnet colour. You can turn the heat up or down for a warming meal when the cold weather starts to set in.
Homemade Croutons
Homemade croutons
January 13, 2020
: 6
: 5 min
: Easy
Homemade croutons are a fantastic topping for soups or salads. They beat anything store-bought, and you can get creative with the flavour.
Ingredients
- Leftover bread (a few days old, but with no mould), chopped into 1-inch pieces
- Olive oil
- Sea salt (we used Maldon)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius (fan force) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Step 2 Put the bread in a bowl and drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Toss with your hands, to evenly coat.
- Step 3 Place the bread on the baking tray in one even layer. Cook for 10-20 minutes, or until golden. (Fresher bread will take longer, so keep an eye on it.)
- Step 4 Remove from the oven and leave to cool. The croutons will store well in an airtight container for a few weeks.
Variations:
- You can experiment with flavours by using garlic salt, celery salt or chilli salt.
‘Waste not, want not’, the saying goes. However, according to Gail’s Bakery, the UK throws away around 24 million slices of bread every day, which has inspired their commitment to #WASTENOT and their ‘Waste Not’ menu, made from ingredients that would usually be thrown away.
To become more waste savvy at home, try keeping an inventory of the food you throw out during the week. You can use this list to better plan your next shop and think of creative ways to use off-cuts – for example, making stocks out of the fading herbs and veggies, or breadcrumbs out of stale loaves of bread.
Healthy Spinach Soup
Ready in 30 minutes and packed full of iron, this nourishing soup makes the perfect, healthy weeknight dinner. Freeze leftovers to have the ultimate vitamin boost on hand.
Baked Figs with Oat Milk Porridge
Baked figs in autumn are a bacchanalian delight – with an imperial purple exterior and a sweet sticky centre – this ancient fruit has a rich culinary history. Paired with thyme (another ancient herb prized for its healing properties), this fig porridge is an indulgent yet healthy start to the day.
Decadent Rum Hot Chocolate
Decadent rum hot chocolate
December 26, 2019
: 2
: 5 min
: 5 min
: Easy
A festive ode to those long Winter nights, try this boozy hot chocolate after dinner instead of pudding.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon high-quality cocoa powder (we used Green & Black’s)
- 1 tablespoon golden caster sugar
- 2 cups organic whole milk (we used Ivy House Farm)
- 1-2 tablespoons rum (we used Maderia cask-aged small batch)
Directions
- Step 1 Mix the sugar and cocoa in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Step 2 Heat the milk in a small saucepan on medium heat.
- Step 3 Sieve the sugar and cocoa mix into the milk, making sure there are no chunks. Whisk until well combined (around 2 minutes). (Don’t stop whisking otherwise the milk will develop a skin).
- Step 4 Divide the rum into two mugs and pour over the hot chocolate mix evenly. Adjust the rum to taste.
Your night-time routine is critical to ensuring a restful sleep. As you sip on your hot chocolate, identify one thing you can do regularly to promote better sleep. It might be leaving your mobile phone outside your bedroom or using lavender to encourage relaxation. We light The White Company’s Sleep candle an hour before bedtime.
