Well, it's been a while! It's been over two months since I last posted a recipe! I can't actually believe were in June already! I have been so busy this year I never seem to sit down, I've taken on the second half of my allotment which hadn't been used for years, and I mean years. It was full of couch grass and wild raspberries and so many brambles, its taken an age just to clear half of it but it is now done and potatoes are working the soil as we speak. As well as taking on a much larger plot (double in size) I have also gone back to college to become a qualified aromatherapist and boy did I not realise how much work was involved before I started! Don't get me wrong I'm enjoying it immensely but with working full time, taking on a larger allotment and going back to college something had to give. Unfortunately that was my blog! I'm still creating recipes (a girls gotta eat - right) but I just don't have the time to photograph, weigh all the ingredients and write a blog post - sorry. I'm hoping that over the next couple of months as I complete my case studies, write the last 4 assignments and do my final exam I will be able to get back into blogging and sharing my recipes with you. I'll also share some of my aromatherapy blends with you too.
Anyway on with the recipe. One thing I will find time for is Suma Wholefoods I love being part of their Suma Bloggers Network. There is a network of 11 bloggers currently and every other month we receive a selection of complimentary products to create a recipe and share on our blogs. To carry on the theme of my last few posts and the International Year of Pulses (IYP) the recipe I'm sharing with you today is made with chickpeas. I find chickpeas extremely versatile and there is never a day you won't find either a tin of chickpeas, a bag of dried chickpeas in my cupboard. They are great to use for a last minute meal whether that is houmous or used in curries, chillies and stews. This recipe uses them as a base to the pate and adds flavours of the Mediterranean.
Ingredients
1 Tin Suma Organic Chickpeas, rinsed
3 Tsp Suma Organic Vegan Pesto (heaped)
3 Suma Organic Sundried Tomatoes in Oil, thinly shredded
10 Green Oilves, cut into quarters
6 Basil leaves, thinly shredded
6 Chilves, thinly sliced
Black Pepper
Method
1) Mash the chickpeas into a large bow with a potato masher or fork
2) Add the pesto and stir through to combine
3) Add the shredded tomatoes and chopped olives and stir to combine
4) Add the basil, chives and black pepper to taste, giving everything one last stir
5) Serve on crusty bread as a pate or sliced bread as a sandwich filler
A perfect pate to take on a picnic, eating outside whilst soaking up the sun and enjoying the taste of the Mediterranean!
To find more pulse recipes, read my International Year of Pulses (IYP) post
Jasmine x
Carrying on from my earlier post in relation to the International Year of Pulses, I wanted to share another recipe using pulses. I was hoping to share a baking recipe but its not quite perfected yet! Hopefully over the next few days I'll be able to tweak it so I'm happy with the finished result and then share with you as a bonus recipe.
I absolutely love houmous, but I don't use chick peas very often in cooking, this is about to change. With the weather taking a turn for the worse, and getting colder, I wanted something warming and filling. I've been fighting off a lurgie of some sort for nearly 2 months now, and when everyone around me is dropping like flies I've kept going, just.
I know my last Suma recipe was a type of curry, but when the weather is miserable and I'm feeling low curry is what lifts my mood and warms me from the inside out. I've never made a chick pea curry before, but I'm sold, and I'm sure more chick pea curry recipes will be created. For this recipe I teamed the chick peas up with a couple of ingredients from my allotment, leeks and kale and it was a perfect combination.
Ingredients - Serves 2 hungry people but will stretch to 4 servings
1 Small onion
1 Red Chilli
1 Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled
3 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tsp (heaped) Garam masala
1 tsp (level) Ground coriander
½ Tsp Ground cumin
½ Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp and 1 Tbsp Oil of choice
½ Tsp Black mustard seeds
250g Leeks, sliced
1 Tin Chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
100g Kale, shredded
1 Tin Coconut milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
Method
1) Roughly chop the onion, chilli, ginger and garlic and add to a blender.
2) Add the Garam masala, cumin, coriander and turmeric and the 1 Tsp of oil and mix till it forms a coarse paste.
3) Add the other 1 Tbsp oil to a wok and the black mustard seeds. Heat slowly until the mustard seeds start to pop, about 2-3 minutes.
4) Add the curry paste and stir through the mustard seeds, cook over a low heat for a minute.
5) Add the leeks and stir, cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, adding a little water if the leeks or curry paste start to stick.
6) Add the chickpeas and soy sauce and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the coconut milk. If the coconut milk has separated into the liquid and 'cream', stir to make sure all the coconut 'cream' has melted.
7) Add the kale and cook over a low heat for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8) Add the salt and pepper to taste
9) Serve over wholegrain rice
The other day I posted a recipe for super easy oven baked falafels, and what goes hand in hand with falafels? Houmous of course! Now if you've made your own falafels you really should pair it with home made houmous, don't you agree?
Since transferring to a vegan lifestyle houmous has become my new 'cheese', not a week goes by without me devouring some houmous. This recipe makes your basic, standard houmous, but its far from boring! But if you want to jazz it up just add extra ingredients. If you want a little spice in your houmous just add some pri piri sauce, or you could add roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes or caramelised onions. Whatever takes your fancy.
Ingredients - Serves 3-4
1 Small tin of chickpeas, drained weight 230g
1 Clove of garlic, diced
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
½ Tbsp Olive oil
½ Tsp Ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
3 Tbsp water
Method
Wash the chick peas well and pat dry. I always remove their skins to make a smoother houmous but if you don't mind a little bit of texture or if you have a super duper food processor you can skip this part.
Add the chickpeas to the food processor followed by the remaining ingredients bar the water.
Process adding a little water at a time until you have reached your desired consistency.
Enjoy dolloped on crusty bread, or with carrot sticks or paired with your home made falafels in a pitta bread with salad.
