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
After a successful vegan food swap box last month I couldn't wait to be part of the March swap. If you've not heard of it before its a scheme run by to happy vegans who organise it. Every month you are assigned a partner to send a parcel of vegan goodies to and in return you receive your own parcel from another. The budget is £10 not including package and postage. Its really good fun and I can't believe how excited I get leading up to it!
This month I was assigned Christine, who unfortunately hasn't got a blog. She advised me that she tends to lean towards healthier food but she was up for trying anything. This box was going to be completely different to my previous box I'd sent.
After scaling local supermarkets and smaller shops I decided what I was going to send. In my parcel to Christine I included:
- Organic Miso Soup by Clearspring
- Sainsburys finely chopped green olives
- Sainsbury's chargrilled red pepper paste
- Tiger Tiger Garlic Mayonnaise
- Mini Moos Easter Bunny
- A parcel of Graze goodies
Organic Miso soup is a wonderfully unique combination of brown rice, sweet white miso, the mineral rich sea vegetables Kombu and Wakame and dried green onions. It makes a great soup by just adding hot water, which is delicious and convenient.
If you're yet to find a vegan alternative to mayonnaise then this is it! I have tried Plamil mayo and other brands in the free from aisle of my local supermarkets but nothing comes close to Tiger Tiger especially the Garlic one. It really is the best out there by far!
I have yet to try the sainsbury's finely chopped green olives or the chargrilled red pepper paste, but both look delicious and labelled vegan too. I was thinking along the lines that they were a good store cupboard ingredient to have to hand for quick and tasty meals. I'm assuming the chopped green olives is similar to an olive tapenade without the fish sauce, or it could be quite easily turned into it! I'll post a recipe soon for an olive tapenade, but I definitely think its a summer recipe steeped in Greek memories. The chargrilled red pepper paste would be good in a wrap or used as a pizza sauce for a different twist.
As always I added a 'graze' box which consisted of black pepper pistachios, sweet chilli bites, spicy Thai rice crackers and Korean chilli rice crackers. AND of course this vegan swap box wouldn't be quite right without an Easter treat, so to finish it off I included a Mini Moo Bunny bar.
