For anyone who has given mushrooms a dismissive shrug in the past, this recipe may just be the one to change your mind.
Packed with the flavour of mixed, exotic mushrooms (or just flat and portobello if you don’t want to stray too far into the world of fungi), with hints of lemon, thyme and garlic and the thick creaminess of blended butter beans, you will be wishing you’d had that proferred second helping instead of letting someone else have three bowls!
I thank Sarah Britton’s ‘My New Roots’ inspiration… although I have played a bit with her original recipe.

Ingredients:  Serves 4

250g assorted mushrooms or a mix of flat and portobello (give button mushrooms a wide berth)
1 litre vegetable broth (you can use Marigold powder instead)
2 red onions, chopped
1 large leek, chopped
1 generous tbsp coconut oil or olive oil for cooking
2 tsp fresh chopped thyme (or 1 tsp dried if you can’t find fresh)
3 garlic cloves, squeezed, minced or otherwise mushed
juice of 1/2 lemon …or lime
400g can butter beans (235g drained), or any white bean you like
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
garnish of chopped coriander, parsely or basil
olive oil to drizzle at the end

 

Method:

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth then chop into rough chunks (they’ll end up blended so don’t fret about size).
Heat the coconut or olive oil and add the chopped onions and leeks as well as thyme.
Cook over a medium heat until they are soft.
Add the garlic, lemon juice. some sea salt and the mushrooms. Stir until these are also soft –  ensure nothing catches or burns.
Remove some of the smaller mushrooms, or decorative, exotic ones and put aside for decoration at the end.

Meanwhile (and for those who don’t ‘do’ meanwhile, this is an easy one), blend the butter beans and vegetable broth until creamy.  That’s it! .

Add this creamy mix to the mushroom/leek/onion pot and simmer for about 5-10 minutes before blending the lot.  Add more broth or water at this point if it’s too thick – I found that the consistency depended on the type of mushrooms I’d used.

Taste and season as desired.  Ladel the soup into separate bowls, garnish with the cooked mushrooms you put aside as well as some chopped greenery and a drizzle of virgin olive oil.

Deelicious!!

 

When the days are as warm as they’ve been of late, here in Dorset, I really don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen.  Not only is it the hottest room in our house, but also no one seems to have much of an appetite for cooked or heavy meals.

This lentil dish is quick and easy.  For some extra colour – and phytonutrients – I added butternut cubes and carrot to the final dish as I already had the oven on to roast the cauliflower.  A mixed salad would work too!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 head white cauliflower
200g green lentils (soaked overnight; discard the water & rinse the lentils before cooking)
Coconut oil or olive oil for frying the spices and for the cauliflower
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds – fennel fronds (if you like that aniseed taste)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Sea salt and black pepper
2 red onions, sliced
Grated zest of 1 organic orange
2 tbsp juice from the above orange
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
A generous handful chopped mint
A less generous handful chopped parsley

Method:

Line a baking tray with parchment and heat the oven to 150 degrees centigrade.  Cut the head of cauliflower into slices and toss them in melted coconut or olive oil; add a pinch or two of sea salt and lay the slices next to each other in the baking tray.

Roast for about 20 minutes until they brown on the edges – but are not too soft.  If you’re roasting some root vegetables to go with the dish, make sure you add the cubed butternut or sweet potato at the same time.

Rinse and drain the lentils and cover with water.  Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until tender – about 20 minutes.  Shortly beforehand add some sea salt (don’t be tempted to add it from the start as the lentils won’t cook properly).

Heat some oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, fennel seeds and black pepper.  Cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes, then add the sliced onions and stir until lightly caramelized – 15-20 minutes.  Finally, add the cooked lentils.

Whisk together olive oil, the orange and lemon juices and zest.  Add the chopped parsely and some pepper and sea salt to taste.  Pour over the lentils and add the roasted cauliflower to the dish.  Sprinle with the chopped mint – or I used fennel fronds from the garden –  and serve warm or at room temperature.  Bon appetit!lENTIL

 

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An easy meal to prepare ahead of time.  The longest part to this recipe is letting the grated courgette and sweet potato rest 30 minutes (which can be whilst you have a cup of tea, do a quick post or sit in the sun!)

We’ve eaten these for lunch with a throw-together salad, or as a meal with guests. Why not add a dollop of pesto or yoghurt on the fritters and serve alongside roasted vegetables.  Also good for breakfast on its own 🙂

Ingredients:

Makes 12 small fritters

250g sweet potato, grated
500g courgette, grated
pinch or two of salt
80g ground almonds,
3 eggs
dill and coriander, finely chopped (use at least 2 tbsp each – by all means go for more!)
freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp coconut oil for cooking

Method:

Place the grated sweet potato and courgette into a colander, sprinkle with a pinch or two of salt and let sit at least 30 minutes to draw out some of the moisture (best to put a plate or bowl underneath).  Then squeeze out as much liquid as possible and add to all the other ingredients, apart from the coconut oil.

Mix well.  Form into balls then flatten to fritters.  Heat the coconut oil in a pan and when hot add the fritters, turning down the heat a little so they don’t burn.  They literally ony take minutes to cook.  Ensure you flip them over so that both sides brown slightly.

Eat on their own (a great gluten free breakfast option).  Add a dollop of yoghurt or tzatziki or a mashed avocado and lemon/garlic mix (like a guacamole) for more interest.

With salad or mixed vegetables alongside, you really can’t get much easier than this for a lunch or supper!

 

I found this recipe a while back online.  I think it’s a Deliciously Ella one, but if not, apologies! I made some changes to amounts but otherwise it got the thumbs up from one and all,  even the meat-eating family community.
I have a friend who doesn’t like ‘meanwhile’ recipes, but don’t let the separate components put you off – this recipe is easy!

 

Three parts to this gem:  the pastry, the filling and the cashew creamy mix which sort of holds it together and gives the whole pie a deliciously cheese-like flavour.

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

100g gram flour
100g ground almonds
50g corn flour
75g coconuty oil
6 tbsp cold water
freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste

For the Filling:

1 red onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
300g butternut squash, peeled and coursely grated
250g pre-cooked (or vacuum packed) chestnuts, halved
220g portabello or chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped (save a big one for decoration)
3 handfuls young spinach, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
olive oil
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary and lemon or regular thyme

For the Cashew cheese

75g cashew nuts soaked at least 4 hours (easy to do it overnight – if you remember)
3 tsp nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp water
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

Start with the pastry.  Mix all the ingredients together with your hands in a bowl – easy, and enjoyable!  Roll into a ball, and place in the fridge for c 30 mins to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan oven).  Press the pastry into a 24cm greased tart dish or tin.  Pierce with a ford then bake in the oven until it begins to turn a golden brown, about 15-20 mins.

Meanwhile….
Make the filling.  
Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the sliced onions until they begin to turn translucent, then add the pressed garlic and sliced mushrooms (remember to save a big one, or a couple of small ones for decoratoin).  Stir around so they start to become a little limp, then add the grated butternut, the roughly chopped spinach, salt, pepper, herbs, and the lemon juice.
Cook for about 5 minutes.  

Meanwhile…
Make the cashew cream/cheese, so easy!
Drain the cashews and blend with all the other ingredients.  When smooth, stir it in with all the veg that have been in your pan, and then add the halved chestnuts (I’m guessing that if you add them before, the cheesy mix may break them up too much).  
Spoon it all into the pastry case, then slice the remaining mushroom (s) and arrange them on top.
Bake for about 20 minutes until the mushrooms on top look cooked.  

A mixed rocket salad alongside made this a delicious and easy meal.

Once upon a time I would’ve cringed at seeing this recipe.  Peleeeeze, I would’ve thought, real cheese for those who can – and just abstain for those who can’t.  Simple.

But it’s not that simple.  You miss the foods that you’ve stopped because they cause digestive problems, or you have intolerances causing mega inflammation in the body… or they are ruining teeth or piling on kilos.
Luckily a lot of people can have the ‘no-go-to’ foods occasionally without any of the above effects – but loads of peeps can’t.
This recipe is for both groups plus those addicts who have absolutely no problem with their cheeses, but just love trying new, delicious food – that tastes like cheese!

It’s based on a favourite cookbook recipe – ‘My New Roots’ – however my version turned out to be a cream cheese (or thick dip!) rather than the cheese ‘log’ – even the second time around.  Nonetheless, very delicious indeed.  And keeping the GF/DF theme going, I spread it onto slices of cucumber, apple, and plantain bread).

 Ingredients (for c 500ml):

280g cashews
175 filtered water
1 garlic, squeezed
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp fine sea salt
grated zest of an organic or unwaxed lemon
juice from that lemon
1 probiotic capsules
3 tbsp finely chopped dill or fennel
1 tbsp finely chopped dhives

Method:

Soak the cashews overnight, or at least 4 hours.  Drain and rinse, then place in a food processor.  Add the water and blend on the highest speed until the whole mixture is smooth. Add the garlic, sea salt, the nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice. Blend until well mixed.

Place in a ceramic or glass bowl and empty your probiotic capsules into it.  Stir with a wooden spoon and fold in the dill and chives.  Cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm place (warming cupboard or the like) and wait 12-24 hours depending on the heat.
The resulting ‘cheese’ should be a bit tangy.

At this point, if it’s mouldable, try rolling it into a log shape and then roll it again in some more dill or some cracked pepper and refrigerate.
Or, like my cheese, just refrigerate in your ceramic container, then use a knife or spoon to spoon it onto slices of whatever takes your fancy – cucumber, apple, plantain crispbread….

It’ll keep up to a week in the fridge (ours lasted one day because we loved it!)

This dessert is testament to the versatility of the avocado.  Raw Key Lime tarts, absolutely delicious!

When I ate Key Lime Pie years ago in the States I found it cloying and ubersweet, plus I couldn’t really taste the zing of lime.   These delectable tarts, however, have won me over completely, and I thank Sarah Britten for sharing another delicious recipe with the world.
Their very greenness is truly amazing.  No colouring added, just the healthy avocado, lime and a few other treats.

It must be said, the ingredients in these tarts bear little resemblance to the original Key Lime pie.
No double cream or condensed milk and no eggs or biscuit base.  Certainly no green food colouring.   All natural and healthy –  well, mostly healthy.  Maple syrup will always translate in our bodies to ‘sugar’ no matter how natural it may seem, but compared to most  desserts out there, these are winning healthier options – just eat and enjoy!
The preparatory time isn’t the usual Key Lime 30 mins, but about 15 max.  You do however need to think ahead because the nuts need soaking overnight, but that’s the only brain-strain required.
And did I mention, gluten and dairy free…. and no cooking?  Raw, vegan….scrummy.

Ingredients for the Crust:

140g raw almonds (soaked overnight in water)
5 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
130g dates (about 6 large Medjool should do it)
a dash of sea salt

Ingredients for the Filling:

3 ripe avocados, scooped out
50ml good quality maple syrup
1 heaped tbsp coconut oil, melted
60ml freshly squeezed lime juice – or more after you do the taste test
a dash of sea salt
grated zest of 1 lime

 Method:

Crust:

Pulse the nuts (which you’ve soaked o’night and drained) in a food processor until broken up, but still slightly crunchy.

Add the coconut, dates, sea salt and pulse until they form a solid mass that you can easily squeeze and mould into the individual tart tins.

Line a 6-cup muffin tin (or in my case a 10 cup shallow cupcake tin as that’s all I had) with plastic wrap. Divide the crust mixture into golf size portions to suit the number of tarts you require;  press down and up the sides to create the shell.

Place in the freezer to let the crusts harden for a minimum of 1 hour (I left mine overnight so that I had done some of the work for the lunch I was preparing).
When you’re ready to fill the shells, pull up the sides of the plastic to remove them from the tin – easy!

 Filling:

Place the avocados, maple syrup, coconut oil, lime juice and sea salt in a food processor and blend on the highest setting until it’s creamy and smooth.  Test to see if you’d like more of a lime kick (and try not to eat all of it when you’re doing the taste test 🙂

Spoon into the tart shells and sprinkle the tops with lime zest.   Then either return them to the tin for safe storing in your freezer, or carefully put them in a container that will fit into your freezer (for at least two hours).
Remove them about 15 minutes before serving, and enjoy the look of your guests when they see the fabulous colour!

What is a plantain anyway?  It certainly looks like a banana and is often mistaken for one, although it’s usually longer and slightly larger – and firmer, especially the green ones;  concrete firm.

It does indeed belong to the same Musaceae family as the banana, however a plantain is a vegetable – starchy and not sweet like its quasi-sibling, even when it’s very ripe.  Plantains also need to be cooked.  Don’t eat raw.

Plantains are the go-to starchy veg on the plates of a wide array of cultures;  the  ‘potatoes and rice’  of many African,  Asian, South American and Caribbean countries. 

Native to India, they grow in most tropical climates around the globe and can be found in food markets in cities or in larger conurbations;  certainly in some supermarkets (not that I’ve found them yet here in Dorset.  Despite some larger conurbations – and supermarkets.   I’m now on a mission to promote them to our local green grocer).

They are a great starchy vegetable to have if you are on a grain-free or paleo diet.  Or if you just want a change from the usual rice and potatoes, or even from the more unusual sweet potato or roasted butternut.

Mash, bake, grill or fry them to replace potatoes which can be a problem food for some  – they are high in solanic acid which can be pro-inflammatory, like all nighshade vegetables.

You can bake or fry plantain chips or ‘lengths’;  bake plantain wedges or delicious crackers (yes to those off gluten or grains; here’s another alternative to eat with your guacamole, nut butter or dips).

They are a great fibre source, contain more vitamin C and A than bananas; more potassium too.  And, like bananas, they are a good source of B vitamins, esp B6.  Hooray for B6, my favourite B (lowering those homocysteine levels).

When I first shopped for plantains (at Brixton market in London) I took a half-empty suitcase, thinking that would give me plenty of space.  However I was faced with a wider selection than I anticipated: very firm green ones – like unripe bananas;  yellow, black-mottled, firmish ones – like ripe bananas; and finally, less firm and virtually black plantains – more like throw-them-out bananas.
Once they do ripen to this extent, they can go off quickly – as bananas can – so don’t procrastinate; use them as soon as possible.
Needless to say I bought some of all varieties and couldn’t lift my suitcase.

If you have an allergic reaction to bananas or their skins, you are very likely to have the same reaction to the peel/content of plantains, so take care.

The green, starchy plantains can be tricky to peel.  Make a vertical cut down the length and  then carefully unravel the skin so that you don’t also peel away some of the very firm vegetable.

With the green ones I made savoury biscuits (slightly less crispy than shop bought but still delicious) with chopped fresh thyme, garlic and sea salt.  I also made crisps – some of which I crushed to ‘crumbs’ so I could dip-n- coat some chicken strips.  And I also used them for soups.

Initially I thought I’d be wanting to use the riper plantain more (since I have a sweet tooth), however the green p makes far better ‘snack’ food than the riper ones and is the basis for most of the following recipes.
Saying that, by the time I made a second batch of the ‘cracker’ or savoury biscuit recipe (adapted from Haber’s “The Healing Kitchen” recipe book) the plantains had ripened to yellow.  It was a delicious sweet treat but stayed soft and, like the baked long slices (see photo), I had a flashback to those halcyon days of barbq’d bananas and ice cream.   I served up those sweet baked lengths with some grilled chicken. Fabuloso!

Here we go, some plantain recipes for you to try out.

Plantain chips/crisps:

So easy, these only require 2 or 3 sentences.

Peel the green plantain then slice into thin rounds, toss in olive or coconut oil and some sea salt then bake for about 10 minutes in a medium oven.  Don’t forget to watch at all time.  Turn and bake another 5-10 mins until coloured (but not burnt), then cool to let them crisp up.  You can add allsorts to your oil – cayenne, chilli (if you’re not off the nightshade family), or turmeric or freshly chopped herbs…

 Plantain savoury biscuits:

Hard to say how many these serve as I ate a lot of them whilst watching Wimbledon on TV.  Should be enough for 4 people to have with dips, or with some almond butter….

2-3 medium plantains
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
2 cloves garlic
1 full tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
some sea salt to sprinkle

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160C degrees (about 350F).  Line your oven shelf with parchment or greaseproof paper.
Peel and chop the plantains into even chunks and put in your food processor.  Add the oil, garlic and thyme.  Blend until quite smooth (a few small bits make it more interesting).
Spoon the mixture onto your parchment or greaseproof paper and spread thinly, about ½ cm. Sprinkle with some sea salt and bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove and score the dough in a grid pattern so you have small savoury biscuit ‘squares’ then put back in the oven for another 15 miutes.  Remove when you see the edges browning.

Cool completely before breaking apart the squares.  They are a softer version than shop-bought biscuits, but delicious, and a great alternative to wheat crackers, bread, rolls etc.

 Plantain-lettuce soup

The name just didn’t float the boat for my family.  Lettuce is such an underrated plant isn’t it.  So high in tryptophan, all insomniacs should be eating cartloads.  This dish turned out to be absolutely delicious (perhaps, too, because my plantain had slowly been ripening and added a distinctly sweet flavour to the soup).  I would therefore not worry if the recipe’s green plantain is on the yellow side of green.

Serves 4

1 green (or yellowish!) plantain, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tbsp olive or coconut oil
1 sliced red onion
2 cloves garlic, squeezed or finely chopped
2 large heads of lettuce, roughly chopped
½ litre chicken or vegetable broth – perhaps more at the end, wait and see….
optional: coconut cream to drizzle at the end; I used the hardened part of coconut milk in a can

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onion until it has softened.  Then the garlic and sea salt, followed by those chunks of lettuce.  Stir and watch the lettuce begin to wilt, then add the broth and plantain chunks (see photo).  Bring to the boil then simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.  That’s it.  You could of course add some cayenne, or ginger or cumin….however, I’m keeping this recipe clean.  It definitely holds its own.

Blend until deliciously smooth. Serve with a drizzle of coconut cream or some chopped chives or flat parsley or with nothing else.  Very yum indeed.

Enjoy this tour of the plantain, and do please share any ideas or plantain recipes you have either here or on my appleaday facebook page.