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
A while back I promised you another kale recipe and after my gardening angel bought me a huge bunch round from her allotment that recipe was created.
The kale was so fresh as she had only just picked it, I ate quite a bit raw, it was so succulent. It would be great in a green salad or like me just to munch on while you think up how your going to use it.
The variety was a non curly leaf and the stems were tender and juicy, I think it was a premier kale.
I needed something quick so I decided on a pasta dish and made a kale and mushroom sauce to weave around the pasta.
Ingredients - Serves 4
250g Pasta, I used tripoline pasta
1 Onion, diced
220g Mushroom, chopped
½ Tsp dried thyme
3 Tsp English mustard
½ Tsp Herbamare
330g Kale, cut into thick ribbons
1 Tbsp Flour (heaped)
300ml Almond milk, unsweetened
1 Tsp Bouillon powder
200ml Boiled water
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
Good grind of black pepper
Method
Cook the pasta as per the cooking instructions.
Saute the onion until translucent then add the mushrooms and saute for another 4-5 minutes.
Add the thyme, mustard and herbamare and give everything a good stir, before tossing in the ribbons of kale. Keep stirring until the kale has wilted, you may need to add a drop of water to prevent the mixture sticking to the pan.
Add the flour and stir through ensuring all the mixture is coated, it may seem a little thick but don't worry. Cook for a minute to ensure the flour taste is cooked out. Gradually add the almond milk stirring all the time.
Mix the bouillon powder with the water to make a stock and gradually add to the kale mixture continuing to stir until all the stock has been used. Continue to cook over a low heat until the mixture has thickened.
Add the nutritional yeast and black pepper and give everything one last stir. Drain the pasta and if you're using long pasta ribbons or spaghetti twirl a portion onto each plate then add the 'sauce' around the pasta. If you're using pasta shapes such as penne add the pasta to the pan and stir carefully to mix into the sauce before serving.
Last bank holiday weekend we had some friends visit us which we hadn't seen for a while, since their wedding last August. We decided to stay in and catch up as it was the first time our dog, Marco had met their dog, Milly. We had nothing to worry about, they got on famously and Marco was even a little love sick after they left! Bless him.
We had a fabulous weekend full of fun and laughter, it was great to catch up and hopefully we won't leave it as long next time!
Earlier in the day my sister and I visited Stone Farmers Market and picked up some goodies for lunch and tea. I headed straight to the mushroom man and bought a large tray of assorted mushrooms to make for dinner.
Ingredients
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Leek, sliced
400g assorted mushrooms, wiped and sliced
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
100g Curly kale, shredded
2 Tsp Porcini powder
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary, finely diced
2 Sprigs fresh tyhme, leaves only
1 Tbsp Flour (heaped)
300ml Unsweetened almond milk
320g Ready rolled puff pastry
Method
Saute the leek in the olive oil until tender around 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes, add the soy sauce.
Add the kale and continue to saute for another 5 minutes before adding the fresh herbs, stir to combine.
Add the flour and stir through, cooking for another minute to loose the flour taste.
Slowly add the almond milk and keep over a low heat stirring until the sauce has thickened.
Transfer to an oven proof dish and top with the ready rolled puff pastry. Bake for 30 minutes in a moderate oven. Serve with home made chips and peas.
OK, so I'm officially 1 day too late, as Chinese New Year was 31st January but as today is Saturday it gave me more time to create a recipe and try it out before posting. Well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!
I was planning on making a banquet, but time got the better of me and I only made 2 dishes; Schezwan noodles with vegetables and a spicy kale and mushroom stirfry. I was really happy with the kale and mushroom dish, try it and see what you think.
Ingredients - serves 2 as a side dish
1 Tbsp Sesame oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 Garlic clove, finely grated
1 thumb size piece of ginger, finely grated
½ Chilli, sliced
3 handfuls of kale, chopped
1 Tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
4-5 Tbsp Water
1 Tbsp Soy sauce
2 Large mushrooms, diced
Salt & Pepper
Method
Gently fry the onion in the sesame oil until translucent.
Next add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry for another minute.
Add the kale and continue to move around the wok until it starts to wilt. Add the Chinese 5 spice powder and a little water if it starts to stick, adding more water as necessary.
Add the soy sauce and mushrooms and stir fry for another 4-5 minutes, adding further water if necessary.
Add salt and pepper to taste and serve at once.
It's another soup recipe! Until the weather changes and gets warmer I'm sticking to my soups for a work day lunch. There are so many different vegetable combinations you could try. Making your own soup is easy, healthy and cheaper than buying ready made.
My latest soup recipe was based on what vegetables had been reduced in my local supermarket! Is it just me, or are there others out there who quite look forward to a quick trip into the supermarket on the way home from work to see what has been reduced? You know the type of thing I mean, every supermarket has a section which showcases the battered and 'close to sell by date' vegetables desperate for someone to buy them.
On this occasion I picked up a bag of parsnips, a bag of coriander and a big bag of curly kale (even though my garden is full of it!) I think I just felt sorry for it. The grand total £1.45
- Kale - normally £2 - reduced to 60p
- Parsnips - normally £1 - reduce to 45p
- Coriander - normally 80p - reduced to 40p
The best bit is, I only used half of each bag in the recipe, so I have some left over for another meal. Most of the other ingredients were bought the day before from the same reduced section, bargain!
Ingredients
1 Leek, sliced
2 Sticks of celery, sliced
4 Parsnips, diced
1 Choi sum (optional), stems chopped, leaves left whole
250g Kale, roughly chopped, stalks and all
1 Bay leaf
1g Fresh coriander, chopped
1½ Litres water
6 Tsp Bouillon powder
Method
First saute the leeks in a little oil of your choice for 5 minutes, add the celery and saute for another 3 minutes. Add the parsnips with a splash of water to stop them sticking and give everything a good stir.
Make your vegetable stock by mixing the bouillon powder with the water and stir.
Add the choi sum stalks, bay leaf and vegetable stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and add the kale and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the parsnips are cooked through.
Add the coriander and turn off the heat. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender.
Transfer the blended soup to a clean saucepan and add salt and pepper to taste and heat through before serving.
By now, you must have heard about the health benefits of kale. It's all over the place, the new superfood! Don't get me wrong this vegetable is SUPER, and I'm glad that everyone is finding out about it, but to some of us, "the grow your own crowd", it's been a staple vegetable grown in our gardens or allotments for some time.
Personally, I would never not grow it, it really is so versatile. It looks after itself, it can tolerate drought, heat, wet and cold weather and has a long growing season. For the lazy gardener it is one of the best vegetables you can grow, just sow the seed and wait for the magic to happen.
What other vegetable do you know that makes a fine smoothie, a crunchy crisp, tastes fantastic in a soup, stir fry or salad and tastes great just steamed? OK, so there are a few.............
My kale has fed me over the winter months and I still have some growing, last weekend I decided that I would try something new and I created the lentil and kale roast. I was really pleased with the results and you should definitely give this one a try.
If you've never tried kale before and the thought of it in a smoothie sounds weird then this recipe is the one for you. Rather than packing the roast full of kale I decided it was best used to dress up the lentils, ready for a party on your plate!
Ingredients - Serves 6
1 Aubergine, about 225g
75g Kale, leaves only
150g Red lentils
400ml Water
1 Tsp Vegetable bouillon powder
1 Tsp Fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 Tsp Fresh mint, finely chopped
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
2 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tsp Dried mixed herbs
75g Rolled oats
2 Tbsp Ground flax seeds
4 Tbsp Water
Black pepper
½ Tsp Herbamare salt
Method
Wrap the aubergine in foil and put in a moderate oven and bake for 1 hour or until very soft to the touch and the skin peels off easily.
Mix the ground flax seed and water together and set aside.
Put the lentils in a saucepan, add the bouillon powder to the 400ml of water and pour over the lentils. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes, remember to stir a lot towards the end to stop the lentils sticking to the bottom of the pan. After 20 minutes add the chopped rosemary and mint and stir through the lentils.
While the lentils are cooking, prepare the kale, boil for 5 minutes and drain, set aside and leave to cool. Once cool squeeze all the water out and chop up the kale into smaller pieces.
Saute the onion and celery in a little olive oil for 5 minutes and add the garlic, saute for another 5 minutes over a low heat and then add the dried mixed herbs. Add a splash of water to the pan if the vegetables start to stick.
Remove the aubergine from the oven and leave till it is cool enough to handle. Peel and chop/mash the flesh.
Transfer the lentils to a large bowl, add the onion mixture, chopped kale, oats, aubergine and the flax egg. Season with black pepper and herbamare salt. Give everything a good mix making sure that everything has been combined and transfer to a prepared loaf tin. Push the filling down so that the mixture is compact. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes and the top is golden brown. Serve with vegetables and an onion gravy.
Today I started the day with yet another green smoothie, this one though is my favourite at the moment. It comprises of 2 fruits and 1 vegetable mixed with water and a twist of lime, simples!
All you need is ½ cup of water, a good handful of kale, about 15 grapes more if you like your smoothies sweeter and ¼ pineapple. Blitz in your blender until smooth and serve with a twist of lime.
It's a great way to start the day. It is reported that Kale is one of the most beneficial vegetables you can eat. According to the Natural Health magazine it is one of the top 5 nutritionally-dense vegetables. It is high in vitamin A, C, K, iron and calcium.
On top of all that it is so easy to grow!
Go on treat yourself.
Three weeks ago I blogged about the top 5 nutritionally-dense vegetables, which are broccoli, cabbage, spinach, leeks and kale. I've shared a few of my recipes on this blog which showcase these veg, the last being earlier this week; Kale Chips!
I've been feeling very drained lately, I'm always tired and I have no reason why this is. I know I have had a lot on my plate with the majority of my family being poorly, and being extremely busy at work, but I have been looking after myself! OK maybe I've eaten too many vegan crisps! So today I'm turning a new leaf and trying to eat fresh and not processed foods.
Today it felt like Spring had finally arrived and I even put a pair of sandals on for work, bearing my toes, which have been kept hidden away for what feels like ages! Even though the weather was warmer I fancied soup and I felt like it needed to include some of the op 5 nutritionally-dense vegetables to help with my tiredness.
I made up a batch of leek, kale and butterbean soup which is a take on leek and potato soup without the potatoes!
Ingredients
2 Leeks
2 Garlic cloves
1 Tin butterbeans - drained
Handful of kale, shredded
600ml Vegetable stock
1 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Oregano
1 tsp Parsley
1 Bay leaf
Splash of olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Method
Finely shred the leeks and saute in the olive oil with the bay leaf and thyme until the leeks are very soft, about 10 minutes. Next add in the finely chopped garlic and saute for a further minute being careful not to let the garlic burn. Pour in the stock and add the butterbeans, oregano and parsley and bring to a simmer. Add the salt and pepper to taste and add the shredded kale and cook for around 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a while, before transferring to a food processor to blend. Transfer the blended soup to a clean pan and gently reheat before serving. I enjoyed mine with a lump of crusty bread, delicious.
Ever since Christmas, I've been dying to use my food dehydrator, which my Mum and Sister gave me. For one reason and another I haven't had chance to use it until today!
As it was my first attempt I scoured the web for recipes for Kale Chips and found a few which used the same ingredients so I thought great minds think alike I'll do the same.
It wasn't until I checked my kitchen cupboards that I realised I hadn't got the main ingredient (other than the Kale); cashew nuts! I wasn't going to go to the shops just for the one ingredient so I thought I'm going to have to make do with what I've got!
Now I wanted a cheesy taste so I knew that nutritional yeast needed to be one of the main ingredients, the rest was just left overs from the fridge and a few herbs and spices. I was taking a shot in the dark with this one, but I'm happy to report it worked out just fine!
Ingredients
1 large bunch of kale
100ml ground almonds
50ml water
3 sundried tomatoes
3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Agave nectar
½ red pepper
½ Tsp tumeric
½ Tsp onion granules
½ Tsp salt
Method
Remove the stems from the kale and chop the leaves into smaller pieces. Wash thoroughly and pat dry with a tea towel or kitchen paper. Transfer to a large bowl. Blend the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Pour the mixture on top of the kale and mix with your hands making sure all the leaves are evenly coated with the mixture. Transfer the leaves to a food dehydrator being careful not to overlap the leaves. Dehydrate at 70°C for 6 hours or until totally crispy.
OK I may be a day or so late with this one! But after I'd made the pie I couldn't call it anything else it was full of greens. On returning home from work tonight my lovely friend gave me a bag of olives that she had bought at the edible garden show. They looked lovely and the cogs started turning as to what I could do with them. Of course, I could have eaten them on there own and I did eat a couple whilst contemplating what I could make. The first thing that sprung to mind was to make an olive tapenade, delicious as it is these olives needed to be turned into tonight's tea. I also had a delivery of my weekly graze box and lo and behold there were some more olives included in this weeks box. Both green and black in a lemon and rosemary dressing.
I raided my fridge to see what else I had or needed using up. I found half a bag of spinach and kale, some peas and a packet of purple sprouting broccoli. I've never bought purple sprouting broccoli before as its a regular in my raised garden but unfortunately last years plants haven't yet produced any and the local supermarket was selling it at a reduced price. I also had a packet of ready rolled puff pastry, the jus-roll is vegan, I bet you didn't know that!
No herbs or spices were added as I wanted the taste of the olives to shine
So that was it, St. Patrick's pie was born. Here's what I did:
Ingredients
½ packet of jus-roll puff pastry
1 oinion, sliced
1 packet of purple sprouting broccoli
Handful of frozen peas
30 mixed olives*
½ packet of mixed spinach and kale
400ml soy milk
1 tbsp plain flour
Salt and pepper
* The olives given to me also contained pickled garlic, jalapenos and peppers
Method
Saute the onion in a little olive oil until translucent, then add the purple sprouting broccoli and stir fry for around 5 minutes until the broccoli has softened. Add the washed spinach and kale and stir till the leaves have wilted. Add the frozen peas, and stir to combine. Be careful not to mash up the purple sprouting broccoli. Add the flour and mix thoroughly, then slowly add the soy milk, stirring all the time. Cook until thickened and add the olives, salt and pepper. Pour into an oven proof dish and top with the puff pastry. Bake in a moderate oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Serve with a green avocado salad, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.
1 Small onion 
