Creamy sweetcorn and green peas

I adapted this recipe from a book by Indian chef Tarla Dalal, by adding green peas and using a nut rather than cream base. It is delicious served hot with a large squeeze of lime juice and fresh coriander, alongside chapattis, naan or other flat-breads.

 
Servings: 2-3

 

Ingredients

One cob sweetcorn, kernels shaved

About 75g/1/2 cup fresh green peas (or frozen peas)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, sliced

2 tablespoons smooth cashew, almond or coconut butter or tahini, diluted with 1 cup/250 ml hot water (see Note) 

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh coriander

1/2 teaspoon oil

1 lime/small lemon, for juicing

Salt to taste  

Chapattis, naan or other flat-breads, to serve

Method
 

1. Heat the oil over a high heat in a large pan or wok and stir-fry the onion and chilli for 2 minutes.

2. Add corn and cook for 3 minutes.

3. You need to cook the ingredients for up to 7-8 minutes after this so if using frozen peas, you may wish to add them at a later point, depending on package instructions on how they need to cook.

4. Add peas and cook for another minute.

5. You could perhaps add them when adding the nut butter-water mixture.

6. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml water and when the water starts to boil,lower the heat, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.

7. Add the nut mixture cook for another 2-3 minutes, taking care that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and start to burn.

8. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the lime or lemon juice. 

9. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander, and flat-breads.

NOTE: My aim was to make a creamy base without the use of diary products or of a blender or food processor, hence the nut butter. Other alternatives that would provide a similar result are 2 tablespoons cashews or coconut ground to a paste with a little water and mixed with more water, or 1/4 cup/60 ml thick coconut milk mixed with about 1 cup water water.

Sticky toffee cake

Inspired by a classic British recipe, sticky toffee pudding but not quite as rich or sweet. The sweetness in this cake comes in bursts from bits of dates scattered throughout. It is flavoured with sweet spices and has a dark, dense, moist crumb. I have used gluten-free flours in the cake as these give a softer texture in low-fat recipes.

Makes: 1 small cake

Ingredients
1/2 cup sorghum/jowar flour
1/2  cup rolled oats/oatmeal (ensure it is certified gluten-free if making it for a  special diet)
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4-6 tablespoons yoghurt (I used soya yoghurt)
1-1/2 tablespoons black treacle, molasses or golden syrup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons finely chopped dates
1-1/2 tablespoons nut butter (any except for peanut butter) or 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped almonds or cashew nuts

Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a cake tin, 14 cm/5.5 inches wide. Place the flour, spices, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda in a mixing bowl. Grind the oats (and the chopped nuts, if using) to a powder in a blender/food processor/ coffee grinder. Add to the mixing bowl. If using nut butter, add it to bowl and rub it between your fingers with the other ingredients to incorporate it, until the mixture resemble a coarse powder, like bread crumbs. If you are not using nut butter, simply blend all the dry ingredients with a spoon or whisk until well combined.

In a pan, place the sugar, chopped dates and treacle, molasses or golden syrup, along with 1/2 cup/125ml water. Heat over a medium until the treacle has melted and the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add it other dry ingredients along with 4 tablespoons of the yoghurt and mix well. The batter should be fairly thick but easy to spoon into a cake tin. If is too stiff, mix in an additional 1-2 tablespoons of yoghurt. Tip the mixture into the greased cake tin with the help of a spoon. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a knife or skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out dry and clean. As it is quite sticky there may be crumbs on the skew but there should be no wet batter. 

Leave the cake in the tin to cool to room temperature, then turn out the cake onto a plate by sliding a knife around the sides and tapping the base of the tin, taking care not to break the cake as it is quite crumbly. To serve, carefully cut the cake into chunks or slices, using a serrated knife if possible reduce crumbling.

Carrot cake muffins

Carrots add moisture and sweetness to these lightly-spiced muffins which have a soft, fluffy crumb with hints of chewy coconut and juicy chunks of pineapple.

 Makes: 9 muffins

Ingredients

1/4 cup sorghum/jowar flour

1/4 cup rice flour

1/4 cup rolled oats or oatmeal (use certified gluten-free oats if making it for a special diet)

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used demarara sugar; if using unsweetened milk add an extra teaspoon of sugar)

3 tablespoons fine dessicated coconut

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda

1 cup coarsely grated carrot (grate just prior to ensure it is crisp)

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh or canned pineapple

3/4 cup milk (I used non-dairy hazelnut milk)

 Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease 9 holes of a cupcake tin (for making small cupcakes not giant muffins; about 5 cm/ 2 inches diameter at the top) or line with greased paper cases. Grind the rolled oats or oatmeal with the cloves to a powder. Place the sorghum and rice flours in a bowl and add the ground oats, coconut, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Mix with a spoon or whisk until the ingredients are well-combined. 

Add the pineapple, carrot (freshly grated) and the milk and mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the holes of the tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes until risen and golden and a skewer or knife inserted in the muffin comes out clean (it might be slightly sticky from the pineapple but there should be no wet batter). Allow to cool for 3-5 minutes until you can handle them comfortably. Cool the muffins further or serve hot.

Patatas bravas (Crispy potatoes with spicy tomato sauce)

The pairing of tomato sauce with crisp potatoes may be common but this delectable Spanish snack or tapa is far superior to the fast food staples of fries and ketchup. Prepare the sauce while the potatoes bake in the oven so that it is ready when the potatoes are done.

Servings: 2

Ingredients
500 g potatoes cut into 2 cm/3/4 inch dice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional)

For the sauce:
400 g fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 dried red chilli
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 190°C/ 375°F and place a lightly oiled baking tray in the oven to heat. Coarsely puree the ingredients for the sauce in a blender or food processor. When the oven is hot place the potatoes in the heated baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil, toss well to coat and bake for 45-50 minutes, tossing every 15-20 minutes until crisp and browned. Meanwhile heat the tomato puree in a pan over a medium heat until it begins to simmer. Lower the heat, cover with a large sieve or colander to prevent splashing and simmer for about 40 minutes until the sauce has thickened considerable. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, taking care that the hot mixture does not splash on your skin. Place an equal amount of potatoes for each serving on a plate and top with half the sauce. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley if desired.

Miso vegetable noodle soup

A light but substantial soup that is full of crunchy stir-fried vegetables and soft noodles surrounded by a hot, savoury miso broth. The dish contains both soya sauce and miso, both high in sodium so salt is generally unnecessary and I have not included it in the recipe. In fact additional flavouring is minimal as the soup takes advantage of the varied flavours of different vegetables.

Serves: 3

Ingredients

About 1 cup cooked rice noodles

½ a broccoli broken into small florets

1 small carrot, cut into thin long strips

4 spring onions, sliced diagonally

Mushrooms, halved and sliced thinly (I used chestnut mushrooms; if using very small mushrooms there is no need to halve them)

2 handfuls baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon oil

1½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger

1-2 teaspoons soya sauce (I used tamari which has quite a strong flavour; use a larger amount if using a milder sauce)

For the miso broth:

1 cup/250 ml boiling water

1 ½ tablespoons miso (I used a dark miso so use more if you wish if your miso is light) mixed with ¼ cup/60 ml warm (but not very hot) water

Method

Heat the oil in a wok over a high and stir-fry broccoli, carrot, ginger and mushrooms for about 3 minutes. The mushroom will have begun to soften but other vegetables should be tender-crisp. Add the spring onions, spinach leaves and soya sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes. 

The soup should be served as soon as possible after stir-frying the vegetables, otherwise they will lose their crispness. Heat the noodles if necessary. To prepare the broth, mix about ¼ -½  cup/ 60-125 ml cool water with the boiling water so that it is still hot but of a drinkable temperature, which will prevent the beneficial probiotics in miso from being destroyed as would happen at a high temperature. Place an equal amount of the vegetables in bowls for each serving and top with a portion of noodles. Pour about ½ cup of hot broth over the noodles and vegetables, stir if necessary and serve immediately.

Colcannon

Somewhat similar to the first recipe of this blog but actually a traditional Irish dish. If you cook the vegetables in the microwave, it is ready within minutes. Milk and nut butter give the potatoes a creamy consistency. Feel free to use any nut or seed butter of your choice except those that have a pronounced flavour like peanut butter. Green cabbage can also be used instead of kale and leeks may be substituted for the onions. Indeed, potatoes or sweet potatoes make an excellent pairing with many green vegetables (see also this recipe and this one).

Serves: 1

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes (I used Désirée potatoes, which have fluffy texture when cooked that is excellent for mashed potatoes)

a large handful of kale, roughly chopped (about 50 g/2 oz)

1/2 a medium onion, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons nut or seed butter (I used coconut-cashew nut butter)

6-8 tablespoons milk (I used almond milk)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Microwave the kale in a covered bowl with a few tablespoons of water for on high 5-7 minutes, until tender. If the kale becomes too dry, add some more water and cooked for 2 more minutes. Finely chop the cooked kale. Prick the potatoes well and microwave for 7-8 minutes until soft when pricked or squeeze. Mash the hot potatoes in a bowl with the skins on, adding the nut butter and incorporating it well. Add the milk 2-3 tablespoons at a time, mixing well, until your desired consistency is obtained. Mix in the chopped kale and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Masala sprouts and tofu breakfast rice

Inspired by both the Indian khichdi, a mix of rice and lentils, and its British incarnation, the traditional breakfast dish kedgeree, which combines curried rice with eggs and fish and parsley. I have added sprouts and tofu to the rice in place of the lentils, and eggs and fish, and coriander instead of parsley as well as flavoured it with both North and South Indian spice mixtures. It is good way to use up leftover rice. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients
3/4 cups cold cooked rice 
1/4 cup cubed tofu
1/4 cup lentil sprouts
1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon sambar powder/South Indian curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons chopped coriander, plus a few sprigs (optional) to garnish
Salt to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat and saute the onion and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and continue to cook until the onions have softened. Add the sambhar powder, garam masala and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Immediately add the tofu and sprouts and mix to coat well with the spices. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup/60 ml of water, increase to medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water is absorbed and the sprouts are tender. Add the cooked rice, mix well and cook until the rice is hot. Stir in chopped coriander, add salt to taste and serve garnished with more coriander if desired.

Quinoa, sweet potato and broccoli with creamy pepper dressing

Another quinoa recipe that is very simple to make. It is inspired by the idea of a 'bowl', which generally comprises a few different components served together with a sauce poured on top. Usually there is something in the lines of a grain, a vegetable and a protein. In this recipe there is broccoli, starchy sweet potato and high protein quinoa with a nutty sauce.

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
1 broccoli, broken into small florets and with the stems thinly sliced or chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oil

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons nut or seed butter (I used coconut-cashew nut butter, other good choices would be plain cashew nut butter, sunflower seed butter, almond butter and tahini - I would not recommend peanut butter in this dish as its flavour would be too strong)
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar but use any of your choice that is not too strongly flavoured like balsamic vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground or crushed black pepper
2-4 tablespoons of water

Method

Cook the quinoa according to package directions and drain if necessary. Cook the sweet potatoes by any method of your choice (I microwaved them), peeled and cut into 2 cm/ 3/4 in chunks. Prepare the dressing by mixing the pepper and lemon juice with the nut or seed butter until creamy. Add the vinegar and mix well. Dilute to a desired consistency, adding a little water at a time. It should be pourable with a spoon but not too thin as it would sink to bottom of the bowl. Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and stir-fry the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the broccoli and stir-fry for about 5 minutes, until the broccoli is tender crisp. Reheat the components if necessary and divide the quinoa, sweet potato and broccoli between the bowls for each serving. Serve drizzled generously with the dressing.

Quinostrone

2013 has been declared the International Year of Quinoa so here is a quinoa based recipe for the New Year. The first time I made this version of the traditional Italian soup minestrone. The vegetables did not cook properly, the broth lacked flavour, the greens were bitter and the quinoa gave it an unpleasant texture. The next time I did not have all the vegetables needed for the common version of minestrone. I substituted some parsnip for the celery and used a larger amount of onion since I only had little garlic. I also cooked the quinoa separately and added it afterwards to the soup and also added the greens towards the end to avoid a bitter taste. The result was a tasty and satisfying stew, which is a meal in itself.

Ingredients
1/3 cup quinoa
400 g tomatoes, finely chopped (it is better to use canned tomatoes or add 3-4 tablespoons of tomato puree if you cannot find sweet, juicy tomatoes since tomatoes are an integral part of the soup)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 parsnip, finely chopped (if you prefer substitute two sticks of celery)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Two handfuls of green leaves of your choice, finely shredded (I used half each of kale and spinach)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 crushed dried red chilli (or a pinch of dried chilli flakes)
1 teaspoon each:
Dried mixed italian herbs
Dried rosemary
Dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Cook the quinoa according to directions on the packaging. Drain if necessary when cooked and keep aside. Usually you need to add the quinoa to twice its volume (here 2/3 cup) of boiling water in a pan, allow it to return to the boil, lower the heat and cover and simmer for about 15 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the onion, garlic, parsnip carrot, dried chilli and half of the dried herbs. Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions soften. Add the tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes are soft and juicy. Add about 750ml/3 cups of water, bring to the boil and simmer, covered for about 10 mins. Add the quinoa and the rest of the dried herbs and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the  vegetables, particularly the carrot and parsnip, are soft. If you are using any tough greens like kale, chard, collards or cabbage, add them now and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the greens are tender. Then stir in tender greens like spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes, until they have wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Gingery kale smoothie

You  can barely taste the kale in this smoothie but it provides nutritional value and a bright green colour to the drink. It is is also a good way to get your fruit intake on a cold day, thanks to the warmth of the ginger.

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

a handful of kale, chopped or shredded into small pieces (you do not have to chop it very finely but if the pieces are too large they might not blend properly) 

a handful of green grapes

1 medium apple, unpeeled, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

Method

Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor along with 1  - 1 1/2 cups water and blend until smooth. If it is too thick, dilute with some water. Serve freshly made.

Breakfast potatoes

A filling breakfast made in minutes. Try it when you want to eat something savoury in the morning.

Servings: 1

Ingredients
2 medium or 5 baby potatoes (about 200 - 250g/7-9 oz)
3 tablespoons chopped or thinly slice onion
1 teaspoon chopped or sliced green chilli
1 tablespoon tahini, or other nut or seed butter (I have successfully tried almond, cashew nut and hemp seed butter; in the above photo I used whole almond butter)
1-1/2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
Olive oil to drizzle
Pepper to taste (optional)

Method
Prick the potatoes but do not peel. Microwave all of them together on High for 5 minutes, checking every minute after 3 minutes. Stop when they are soft when pricked with a fork or knife or squeezed between your fingers. If they are not soft after 5 minutes, continue to cook for 30 seconds at a time until they are cooked. Allow the potatoes to cool until you can handle them comfortably. Meanwhile drizzle the olive oil in medium sized microwaveable bowl or small casserole dish. Toss the onion and chilli in the oil and cook on High for 1-1/2 minutes.

Slice the potatoes or chop them into small chunks. Layer the potato slices or chunks over the onions, carefully pressing them down. Place the tahini or nut butter and lime or lemon juice in a small bowl and mix well until both are fully blended and it has a creamy consistency. Spread or dab this mixture evenly on top of the potatoes. Microwave on High for 2 minutes. Serve hot seasoned with freshly ground pepper if desired.