Trying to get away from winter’s stodgy comfort food, doesn’t mean giving up on flavour.
This salad is jam packed with flavour and texture and takes 10-15 minutes to knock up. It’s also gluten free and vegan and makes a great lunch box filler if you’re fed up with sandwiches.
Ingredients
500 Grams Dried rice noodles
1/4 Red cabbage (finely sliced)
3 Scallions/spring onions (finely sliced)
2 Small carrots (grated)
1 Red pepper (finely sliced)
2 Tbsp Coriander (finely chopped)
2 Tbsp Mint (finely chopped)
Dressing
2-3 Tbsp Peanut butter
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tbsp Grated ginger
1 Tsp Maple syrup or Honey if you’re not vegan
1 Tsp Chilli flakes
1 Tbsp White wine vinegar or lemon juice
Topping (option)
2 Tbsp Pumpkin seeds
100 Grams Cashew nuts/peanuts (toasted)
Method
Toast the nuts in a hot frying pan and set to one side and allow to cool.
Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the noodles and add to a bowl of ice water to stop them over cooking.
Add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl and mix well. You might need to add some hot water to loosen up the dressing if its too thick.
Drain the cold noodles and add to a large bowl. Stir in the vegetables and dressing and mix well.
A good sausage roll is one of my many weaknesses and when I was making some some for a work party I realized I work with quite a few vegetarians and would need to have something for them.
Only psychopaths make their own puff pastry, so when you are buying your pastry check that its vegetarian/vegan friendly (most are), unless you want to use the “all butter” versions but this would obviously not be suitable for vegans.
Pastry glazes for vegan dishes obviously can’t use the traditional egg or milk glazes but plant milk or coconut oil can work well, I used some onion seeds as well to add some interest.
While these are mushrooms flavoured, I also included some lentils to add some meatiness to the texture as well as some protein and some miso paste to give it that umami flavour that some vegan dishes lack.
Ingredients
1 x 375 Gram Sheet ready rolled puff pastry
300 Grams Button mushrooms (finely chopped)
25 Grams Dried Porcini mushrooms
100 Grams Breadcrumbs
1 Tsp Miso paste
200 Grams Tinned lentils (or cooked green lentils)
1 Leek (finely chopped)
1 Tablespoon Oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Plank milk/Coconut oil to brush the pastry with
2 Tsp Onion or sesame seeds to decorate (optional)
Method
Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl with 100 Mil boiling water and allow to soak for at least 15 minutes
In a large frying pan over a medium heat, and the oil and when hot add the mushrooms and leek. Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally (don’t move the mushrooms about too much or they will become watery)
When cooked add the lentils, miso, and porcini mushrooms (including the water they were soaking), cook for a further 5-10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated, and then add the breadcrumbs and stir well. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius) and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to prevent sticking and cut the pastry sheet in half lengthways.
Spoon the cooled mushroom mix down the centre of each strip of pastry leaving enough space for when you roll the edges together. Wet the long edges of the pastry and gently bring the edges together to slightly overlap each other then press together
Turn the side where pastry meet to the bottom and brush with your glaze before sprinkling with seeds, if you are using them.
With a sharp knife cut the pastry sausage into 3-4 cm slices before transferring onto the lined baking sheet.
Vegans and those with gluten intolerances often draw the short straw when it comes to desserts. These lovely little Brownies are really chocolatety and don’t make you feel like you’re missing a thing.
A friend told me about these after she saw the recipe online, so apologies if I’m not giving credit to whoever came up with recipe, but she couldn’t remember the site.
With only 3 ingredients these are great to knock up from stuff you have in the cupboards. Because I hate food waste, I always freeze over ripe bananas if I’m not going to eat them. Freeze them whole with their skin on, and they’re perfect for using in recipes like this or banana bread
Ingredients
3 Ripe bananas (mashed)
120 Grams Peanut butter
50 Grams Cocoa powder
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
In a large bowl, mash the banana, then add the cocoa powder and peanut butter and mix until thoroughly combined
Line a 6 in x 6 in tin with baking parchment.
Transfer the Brownie mix to the lined tin and spread evenly.
It’s cold and horrible outside, and the perfect time to make hearty soups. This soup will live in your fridge for 4-5 days, and also freezes well.
You can use either coconut cream that comes in a block, or coconut in a milk in a team to add richness and creaminess. This also makes it suitable for vegans as well.
Ingredients
250 Grams Sweet potato (peeled and cut into 3-4cm cubes)
2 Carrots (peeled and sliced)
1 Onion (peeled and sliced)
1 Can of coconut milk or 50 Grams coconut cream
1 Tbsp Oil
2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1 Tsp Chilli powder
1 Tsp Tumeric (optional)
Thumb sized piece of ginger (grated) or 1 Tsp of dried ginger
1 Vegetable stock cube
1 litre Water
Salt to taste
Method
Add the oil to a large pot over a medium heat, before adding the sliced onion and cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally until the onion starts to brown
Add the other ingredients and bring to a boil, before reducing to a gentle simmer for 20-25 until the vegetables are cooked
Use a hand blender, or blitz in a blender until smooth and creamy. Serve with crusty bread
I know I harp on about it, but I hate food waste. So when I found some discounted tomatoes in the supermarket that were too soft for salads I decided to make soup.
Tomatoes are roasted with some onion in the oven to bring out their flavour. I always try to cook more than one thing at a time so using the oven is more cost effective, so it’s the perfect excuse to whip up a cake too if feeling like it (I always feel ready for cake)
For the best lunch ever, team it up with a grilled cheese sandwich
Ingredients
500 Grams tomatoes
2 onion (cut into quarters)
2-3 Cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp Oil
500 ml Vegetable stock (I used a stock cube dissolved in 500ml of boiling water)
1-2 Tbsp Basil leaves
1 tsp Cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Add the tomatoes, oil, and onion to an oven proof dish and roast for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes have blistered. Remove and discard the skin from the garlic
Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it.
Nothing smells better than freshly baked bread straight out of the oven. Making your own focaccia also costs about a third of the price of buying one from a fancy bakery or deli.
Like most people I don’t bake my own bread everyday. At the weekend when you have a little more time its nice to shake off the stresses of the week and kneading bread is a great way to work off any residual tension. Although this bread only needs 5 minutes kneading and you’re rewarded with amazingly tasty bread that can be sliced in half for sandwiches or is a delicious side dish served along side soups, stews, or pasta.
I’ve used a traditional salt and rosemary topping, but caramelised onion or olives are also brilliant alternatives. This also freezes really well.
Ready for the oven
Ingredients
500 Grams Strong white flour
7 Grams Dried yeast
1 Tsp Salt
300-400 Mil Luke warm water
4-5 Tbsp Olive oil
2-3 Sprigs Rosemary
Method
1. Mix your yeast with 300ml of luke warm water and set to one side while you measure out the flour and add it to a large bowl
2. Add a teaspoon of salt to one side of the (this will stop it coming into direct contact with the yeast and killing it). Make a well in the centre of the flour, add two tablespoons of olive oil and the water and yeast mix.
3. Mix well, you may need to add more water, your dough should be quite soft and sticky, but not super wet
4. Turn your dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes (or until the urge to punch someone has passed, if I haven’t mentioned it before I sometimes “rage bake”)
5. Clean the bowl you were using, (I always give the bowl a quick wipe with a little oil to stop your dough sticking). Put your dough back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel and prove for one hour
6. Grease an 8 x 12 inch tin with some olive oil and transfer the dough from the bowl to the tin. Stretch the dough out to fill the tin. Cover with a tea towel again and prove for 45 minutes
7. Pre-heat your oven to 220 degree (Celsius). Remove the tea towel from your baking tin, and with your finger tips press little dimples into the dough
8. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of olive oil across the top of the dough. Pluck leaves of rosemary and poke them into the dough (it will just sit on top and then fall off if you don’t). Sprinkle a teaspoon is salt across the top of the dough (sea salt is best if you have it, but just use a little less ordinary salt if you don’t)
9. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes
I love any type of dumpling, but have been over indulging lately, so needed something that tasted great but needed to be good for me. These are so delicious you won’t even like you’re being healthy.
I make a big batch of these and freeze them, as they make a really quick week night dinner, they’re also much nicer and cheaper that the frozen ones you can buy. You can use any dipping sauce you like (I just used a bottle of sweet chilli sauce I had in a cupboard).
Like most batch cooking if you can rope in friends or some child labour (kids love making these) it gives you a chance to kick back and give orders. Chop the vegetables fairly finely, as it will be easy to stuff the dumplings.
I came up with these mainly to use up vegetables that had been hanging about my fridge and a packet of wonton wrappers that had been in my freezer since my last visit to the Asian supper market. Traditional pot sticker dumplings are usually made with a dough, so these are a bit of a cheat, I think they work well and saves you time.
Ingredients
1/2 Small head of cabbage (finely chopped)
1 Red pepper (finely chopped)
200 Grams Mushrooms (finely chopped)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
3-4 Scallions/spring onions (finely chopped)
1 Tbsp Garlic (minced/crushed)
1 Tbsp Ginger (grated or finely chopped)
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 Tsp Chilli flakes, or 1 fresh chilli (finely chopped)
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 -2 Tbsp Sunflower oil (plus extra to fry the dumplings)
1 Pack Wonton wrappers
Method
Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil to a large frying pan and add the chopped vegetables, chilli garlic and ginger, cook for about 5 minutes, there should still be a bit of bite, but the onion should be cooked through.
Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and allow to cool completely
Set up a little work station for yourself, you should have your bowl of the dumpling filling, a small bowl of water to wet the edges of the dumplings and if you are making some to freeze you should have a tray lined with foil that has had a small about of oil rubbed across it so the dumpling don’t stick to it while they’re in the freezer
Open your packet of wonton wrappers and wrap in a slightly damp tea towel to stop then drying out as you work
Lift a wonton wrapper and put a teaspoon of the filling in the centre. Wet your finger and wet all the edges of the wrapper and take one corner to meet the opposite corner to make a triangle. Make sure that the edges of the dumpling is properly sealed. Set on your tray and move onto make the next dumpling, keep going until you have run out of filling or wrappers.
If you’re freezing some of the dumplings, freeze them on a tray and then transfer into freezer bags
When you’re ready to eat the dumplings, spray a small amount of oil in a non stick frying pan (you’ll need a lid or some way to cover the pan) and heat over a high heat. Boil the kettle.
Place your dumplings in the pan (don’t try to squeeze too many in the pan at once). Cook for 2 minutes or until the bottoms have started to brown, then add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water (the pan shouldn’t be swimming in water), and cover with a lid and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until the water has been absorbed
Serve with your favourite dipping sauce (they’re also amazing washed down with a cold beer)
Classic dauphinoise potatoes are loaded with cream and sometimes cheese, and are one of my favourite things to eat.
The first time I made this I had spuds but no cream, so these were basically an experiment. But it was a really yummy one. It’s also nice to mess with the classics sometimes.
I could eat a massive bowl of this on its own, but it’s works really well as a side dish to marinated tempeh or chicken or fish if you’re a carnivore. This is full of creamy, garlicy, chilli gorgeousness.
Left overs are also great heated up with a fried egg on top.
1Kg Potatoes
400ml Tin of Coconut mik
3-4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)
1Tsp Chilli flakes
1 Tsp Ground ginger
1Tsp Tumeric
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Peel and slice your potatoes as finely possible. Some people use a mandolin, but I’ve never been able to use one without cutting myself, I just use a kitchen knife
Add the coconut milk, garlic and spices to a saucepan and heat over a gentle heat, add the sliced potatoes and simmer very gently for 10 minutes
Line a baking dish with parchment paper (you don’t have to this, but it does make it easier to clean the dish afterwards)
Add the potatoes to the dish and spread evenly before putting in oven for 40-45 minutes. Test with a fork to make sure the potatoes are soft
Autumn is definitely here, and it’s time to break out the one pot comfort food recipes. I love recipes that I can make from what I usually have in a cupboard or the fridge and this one of them. Dried yellow split peas are really cheap, and packed full of protein and fibre. They also work brilliantly in Indian dishes like dhal.
This is a really rich satisfying, cheap and easy to make meal. Perfect for chilly days when you want something nutritious and satisfying. It’s also packed with lovely warming flavours like ginger, chilli and garlic.
This soup freezes well or can live in your fridge for 3-4 days.
Ingredients
1 Leek (finely sliced)
2 Carrots (grated)
250 Grams Yellow split peas
1 Litre Vegetarian stock (I used 2 stock cubes to make this)
Thumb sized piece of ginger (grated), or 1 Tsp of ground ginger if you don’t have the fresh stuff)
1 Tsp Tumeric
3-4 Cloves of garlic (minced)
1 Tsp Chilli powder
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Method
Heat the oil in large pot over a medium heat, and add the leek and carrot. Cook for 5-10 minutes until soft
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Turn up the heat bring the soup up to just before the boil
Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally
Serve topped with toasted hazel nuts or pumpkin seeds for a little extra crunch
Sometimes if you’ve been overindulging your body tells you to eat something healthier. When that happens, this what you should be eating. Packed full of flavour and protein these little falafel are great as the protein element of a main meal or in wraps for a tasty and filling packed lunch. These falafel are baked rather than fried, which helps make them even healthier.
I made these with cannelini beans, (I thought I had chickpeas in the cupboard, but you could probably use any type of tinned beans). These are also gluten free and suitable for vegans.
Ingredients
400 Gram Can of cannelini beans or chickpeas
2 Tablespoons Porridge oats
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tablespoon Tahini
2 Cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
100 Grams Spinach
1 Teaspoon Salt
Handful of Coriander or parsley (toughly chopped)
Tablespoon Sesame Seeds (optional)
Oil for spraying
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
Add all ingredients (except the sesame seeds) to a food processor and blend until you have a smooth mix
Line a baking sheet with parchment, the falafel mix should be quite soft, so I used a tablespoon to scoop the mix on the baking sheet.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds if you are using them and bake for 15 minutes before turning them and bake for another 15 minutes
Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen 