Aubergines get a lot of use in this house. Infinitely flexible, it’s a vegetable that works in so many cuisines and dishes. For this dinner, I wanted something quick but still tasty and aubergine is still my go to. We’ve ended up with a tasty dish that quick to make, bursting with flavour and with delicious contrasting textures. Starting with aromatics like garlic, ginger and chilli, finishing with a slightly sweet sauce. It’s a perfect dinner for when you’re in a pinch and need something fast. Enjoy! Makes: Serves 4-6 Ingredients For the Vegetables: 2 Aubergines, sliced into bitsize chunks 1 head of Broccoli, sliced into small florets 2 cups Chinese…
-
-
Spiced Autumn Lattice Pies (Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)
Kenny insists that he doesn’t like pie. It’s hard to tell when you watch him eat it but when you get right down to it, he finds it a waste of pastry. Good pastry is rich, buttery and crisp – to do justice to good pastry the filling should be just as memorable. This autumn lattice uses many of your favourite autumn vegetables in their best way. Roasted, tossed in spices and harissa, before being trussed in crisp puff pastry and baked. I like to add a touch of vegan feta to add a touch of creaminess but that’s entirely optional, it’ll be equally tasty without. Whats more, this is…
-
Roasted Pumpkin Satay Tacos (Vegan, GF)
With our first batch of the season’s pumpkin I’ve been a little creative. As soon as i got my hands on the small, mottled beauties I knew I wanted to do something spiced but not a standard curry. I know, this is probably a corruption of several different cuisines but it really works! Freshly toasted corn tortillas pair unexpectedly well with the satay sauce while the roasted pumpkin and rainbow salad made this light while still filling. If you’re not in the mood for salad then some great multigrain rice will work equally well. This is a quick and easy dinner to make, everything will easily pull together while you…
-
Korean Fried Cauliflower (Vegan, GF, NF)
This recipe is inspired by Korean Fried Chicken. An iconic love child of Korean and American cuisine that originates from the Korean war. The chicken is double fried in a thin batter before being tossed in a spicy, sweet sauce. So many people have attempted to veganise this recipe and I’m not alone in reaching for the cauliflower. The spiced sauce and crisp batter pair perfectly with tender cauliflower with no need to precook before frying – the cauliflower florets will steam inside the batter. I like to feature these in a Buddha bowl with plenty of fluffy rice – let me know how you serve yours! Makes: Serves 4…
-
Beet Burgers (Vegan, GF)
If you’ve taken a look at my recipe for Beetroot Wellington then you’ll know that recipe started as a burger. This is that burger. It works beautifully as a cheeseburger, the earthiness of the beetroot pairing perfectly with the smoothness of a great vegan cheese. But to make the best burger, a messy burger that you’ll need napkins to eat but will never regret – use my peppercorn sauce. Believe me, it’s a revelation. What’s more, it’s easy to make a batch for a crowd as they cook in the oven. Want to prep a batch in advance? They freeze or can be stored in the fridge in an airtight…
-
Leftover Rice Pancakes (Vegan, GF, NF, SF)
Today’s recipes is a lot less work than our last! I always make more rice than we need for one meal. Having extra rice stored in the freezer makes it so easy to whip up dinner when you’re not feeling up to cooking and there’s just so much you can do with it. Whether that’s as simple as just reheating what you have, or turning it into a whole new thing, rice has the flexibility that makes it a staple in our house. Whipping your rice into pancakes takes very little time. So they make the perfect breakfast, quick snack, or light lunch. The pancakes come out with delightfully crisp…
-
Mung Bean Pancakes Stuffed with Braised Chard (Vegan & Gluten Free)
In my on going search for a decent vegan omelette, I came across Moong Dal Chilla. An old traditional Indian recipe for pancakes made from mung beans (also know as moong Beans), it works equally well as a healthy breakfast, delicious lunch or a light dinner. There’s a big difference between the traditional recipe and my interpretation – I use whole mung beans. The traditional recipe uses spilt and hulled mung beans, without their skins they’re a pleasant light yellow and produce a lovely golden pancake. Whole mung beans have green skins and I’ve leaned into the green by adding grated courgettes and fresh coriander. While I know its unusual,…
-
Sweet Potato Gnocchi (Vegan & Gluten Free)
The end of summer has arrived, the kids are heading back to school and holidays are coming to an end. I admit we don’t have kids but life always seems to speed up this time of year. There’s this subconscious feeling that time is running out, just as the days start getting shorter. I even had someone quip to me last week that ‘Christmas is only four months away’! With the hectic days it’s still important to take some time to chill. Surprise, surprise, I’ve always enjoyed using mindful recipes as a chance to pause. Gnocchi is so easy to make, a few leftovers, a spare 30 minutes, and you…
-
Vietnamese Noodle Salad with Fragrant Vegan Meatballs (Vegan & Gluten Free)
Vietnamese noodle salad, or Bun Cha as it’s also known, is one of those great dishes that is both light and filling. Perfect for warm summer days, it can be eaten without that horrible heavy feeling. Originating in Hanoi, Vietnam, this rice noodle salad is normally paired with pork meatballs. I’ve embraced the asian flavours here and created some truely delightful veggie meatballs that are both tasty and easy to make. Baked in the oven, these pair perfectly with the salad dressing. I like to serve this on a bug central plate, allowing everyone to build their bowls as they like and use the dressing for dunking the noodles, vegetables…
-
My Mother’s Hummus – Kitchen Basics
I’m well aware that probably every food blog has a recipe for hummus so yet another one might be slightly redundant. BUT I have to say that I’ve yet to find one that’s as good as this. Another one of my mother’s recipes that I grew up making, it’s incredibly easy and so simple. Ahead of her time in her love of hummus, this was a common snack for us in an era that predated the world’s current hummus obsession. I’ve put this into the Kitchen Basics, a series that I’ll keep occasionally adding to as we go. Focusing on easy recipes that anyone should be able to handle, these…
