Inspired by Thailand – Vegan Mushroom, Peanut, Beansprouts and Lime Lettuce Cups

Looking for some easy healthy entertaining ideas for the weekend? Then try these super easy, super tasty Thai inspired Vegan cups.

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Pack of mushrooms (chestnut, button etc are fine), 2 garlic cloves, 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, 1 whole lime, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, handful of natural peanuts, bag of beansprouts, 1 head of iceberg lettuce carefully separated into individual leafs,1 small red onion and bunch of coriander to serve.

Method:

1.Start by thinly chopping a packet of mushrooms then cooking on a low heat in a little oil to remove all the excess water

2.Remove from the pan and set aside

3. Add a little more oil and gently fry some garlic and ginger for a few minutes, add your mushrooms back to the pan with the juice of a whole lime, soy sauce, a good handful of peanuts and the beansprouts

4. Mix well and warm through (don’t over cook though as you want to keep the peanut crunch)

5. Serve with lettuce cups, shredded red onion and coriander

Enjoy!

Inspired by Portugal – A Kinda’ Caldo Verde

I tried Caldo Verde recently in Portugal and it, is delicious as it is simple.

Have a look at the recipe below on my own take on this Portuguese comfort food, perfect for autumn.

Serves: 4
Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 2 pints of chicken stock, 1 large potato, 1 large courgette, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 a ring of chorizo (I used turkey chorizo for this recipe as it’s a little healthier), tin of chickpeas rinsed and drained, good handful of spinach, a little oil and salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Start by gently frying one diced onion and garlic in a little oil to soften
2. Cube both the potato and courgette and add to the onion and garlic
3. Pour over the chicken stock and bring to boil
4. Simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the potato is soft and blitz all in a food processor to make a lovely soup base
5. Cut the chorizo into smallish chunks and dry fry in a pan for a few minutes to brown and remove any fat
6. Place the soup base back on a low heat and add the chopped chorizo, spinach and chickpeas for a further 15 minutes until all flavours have melted into this soup
7. Add seasoning and enjoy!

I also came across this lovely article recently on all things Caldo Verde!

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/10/how-to-make-the-perfect-caldo-verde-recipe-felicity-cloake

Date, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Flapjacks

Treat yourself to a yummy tea break this week with these moreish little bites…with just a little hint of that naughty snickers bar taste!

Makes: 12 squares

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 300g porridge oats, 150g of butter (or vegan alternative), 150g of golden syrup, 135g of brown sugar, 80g of pitted chopped dates, 2 tbsps. of peanut butter, 50g of dark salted chocolate (or vegan alternative).

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C fan
2. Weigh out your butter, sugar and golden syrup and melt gently in a pan until runny and all ingredient combined
3. Pour the wet ingredients over your oats and dates and mix well until the oats are completely coated in the buttery mixture
4. Swirl in your peanut butter and pour into a lined baking tray so that the flapjack mixture lays an inch thick
5. Pop in the oven for 30mins
6. Allow to cool
7. Melt your chocolate and drizzle over the flapjacks, leave to set or cut into 12 squares and eat straight away…
8. Enjoy!

Salada Tres De Legumes

I can’t stop eating this! So fresh tasting and so easy to make…great as part of a salad spread or a BBQ accompaniment.

Serves: 4 as a side dish

Prep: 5mins

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas, 1 cup of cooked bread beans, 1 cup of cooked frozen peas, 1/2 block of feta crumbled, 1/2 red onion thinly sliced, juice of half a lemon, 1 red chilli sliced, 1 tsp. of dried oregano, mil of black pepper…

Method:

Combine all your ingredients, mix well…EAT!

Sausage Rice

Try out this easy recipe for mid-week inspiration! Uses mostly store cupboards and freezer ingredients too.

Serves: 4 (with maybe some leftovers)

Cook: 30mins

Prep: 20mins

Ingredients: 1 cup of cooked white rice (basmati or long grain is fine), 1 can of beans or your choice such as chickpea, pinto etc, 1 cup of frozen peas, 2 – 4 (depending on how many you want), decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, 4 eggs, small bunch of chives or spring onions (keeping a little back for garnish), 1 clove of garlic, 1 veggie or chicken stock cube, splash of oil.

Method:

1. Cook your rice as per instructions and set aside
2. Meanwhile boil your eggs for 10mins and leave to cool
3. Cut your sausages into slices and fry on a medium heat with a little oil in a large pan with the garlic until browned
4. Mix in the chopped chives or spring onions and stir quickly
5. Crumble over your stock cube and add your frozen peas and beans with a little water and mix well
6. Add your rice and stir, so that the rice is coated in all the lovely flavours
7. Peel and slice your eggs and use to top the rice with the remaining chives or spring onions
8. Dig in!

Thursday’s Chicken Teriyaki

Mid-week sorted with my oven cooked Chicken Teriyaki, so quick to make and low fat too as cooking straight in the oven so no need to fry first…

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 1h 30mins

Ingredients: 3 skinless chicken breasts, 1 large green pepper, cup of orange juice, 3 tbsps. shop bought Teriyaki sauce (I used Clearspring), 2 tbsps. runny honey, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbps. of flour, handful of cashew nuts and fluffy white rice to serve.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150CFan
2. Get an oven proof lidded dish/pan ready
3. Assemble all of your ingredients except the cashew nuts and chop the chicken and pepper into bite sized pieces and add to the pan
4. Thinly slice your garlic and mix with the chicken and peppers
5. Whisked together the orange juice, honey and Teriyaki sauce and pour over the chicken
6. Pop in the oven lid on and cook for 1h and 15mins
7. After this time take the lid off and sprinkle over 1 tbsp. of flour, mix well, add your cashews and pop back in the oven, lid on for 15mins
8. Once ready serve with fluffy white rice and enjoy!

As a three person household we had enough leftovers for a little ones lunch box too. I just let the rice and chicken cool, steamed some broccoli and mixed together with some of the sauce, topped with slices cucumber for a little Teriyaki rice salad lunchbox – yummy!

Japanese Lunch Pancakes

Makes: 12 slices

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 -15 mins

Ingredients: 6 eggs, 4 florets of brocolli thinly sliced, handful of watercress, 1 heaped tbsp. of rice flour, 2 tsps. soya sauce, 1 garlic clove thinly sliced, 1 chopped chilli, 1/2 tsp. of dried ginger, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tbsp. of oil for cooking

Optional Sauce: 2 tbsps. of tomato sauce, 1 tsp. of runny honey, 2 tsps. of Worcestershire sauce mixed together,
salad cream, seasame seeds.

Method

1. Beat your eggs, then add the rice flour and baking powder and mix again
2. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli mix well then stir in all your veg
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add your egg mixture
4. Cook for 10 minutes or more on a medium heat until the pancake is set
5. Slide off onto a large plate and drizzle over sauce and sesame seeds if using
6. Cut into 12 slices and enjoy!

FYI You can substitue the veg for whatever you have in, peppers, sweetcorn, spinach, cauliflower etc.

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta

Need something that’s quick, healthy and delicious too this week? Then give this Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta a try…great for kids too!

Serves: 2

Cook: 10mins
Prep: Less than 5 minutes

Ingredients: 120g of Pasta of your choice, (I used gluten free spaghetti), half a head of broccoli, handful of walnuts, squeeze of lemon juice, 3 tbps. of soya cream, 1 tbsps of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Cook your pasta as per packet instructions
2. While this is cooking cut your broccoli up into florets and boil for around 6mins
3. Drain the broccoli and add to a food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend to a thick sauce like consistency, if you prefer more liquid add some more olive oil
4. Drain your pasta and mix in the broccoli and walnut sauce
5. Add more seasoning if you wish and enjoy!

Weekend Treat – Rice Flour Pancakes with your Choice of Toppings

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Sugar Free

So glad I have created this recipes as pancakes are a real weekend treat in our household, I was a bit dubious at first, thinking that the pancakes wouldn’t be as fluffy as they are when using normal flour, but this recipe worked a treat! It was really good to make the mixture of Friday night too, so that it was ready for a lazy morning breakfast. These pancakes are also gluten free, sugar free and dairy free so feels like an even better start to the weekend!

Ingredients: 3 large eggs eggs, 1 cup of rice flour, 1/2 cup of Oat milk 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tsp of baking powder, pinch of salt, oil of your choice for frying.

Method:

1. Combine all you wet ingredients and mix well
2. Add slowly to the rice flour, baking powder, salt and mix well, so that there aren’t any lumps
3. Leave overnight in the fridge
4. When ready to cook, give the mixture another really good stir
5. Heat some oil in a pan and start to cook your pancakes in batches, using a 1 tbsp. to measure out each pancake
6. Cook on each side for 2 -3 minutes
7. Once cooked top with your favourites pancake topping, chocolate sauce and banana works, blueberries and honey or in my case, poached egg, pancetta, spinach and black pepper yummy!

Wholemeal Banana Muffins

DF, Low Sugar

Whipped up a batch of these yesterday, great for lunch on the go, lunch box treats or after school snack. This recipe is dairy free and low sugar, making these a great addition to your weekend baking, as well as using up those overripe bananas!

Makes: 12 Muffins

Ingredients: 200g wholemeal flour, 4 overripe bananas, 2 eggs, 100ml of oat milk, 50g of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tbsp. of oats, 1 tsp. of baking powder, 1 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp. of honey.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180F
2. Combine all of your wet ingredients except the honey and mix well,
3. Add to all of the other dry ingredients
4. Mix well until smooth
5. Mash your bananas in a separate bowl and then add to the muffin mix
6. Mix well and then finish off by stirring in the honey
7. Fill a 12 hole muffin tray with muffin cases and fill equally with the muffin mixture
8. Pop in the oven and bake for 15 -20 minutes until the muffins have risen and are golden brown
9. Allow to cool and keep in an airtight container until ready to eat
10. Enjoy!