10 bean & chestnut stew

Ingredients 500g beans (I used black eyed beans, black turtle beans, butter beans, haricot beans, lima beans, pinto beans, red kidney beans, rose cocoa beans, alubia beans & mung beans), 415g chestnut puree, 200ml vegetable stock, pumpkin oil, white onion, garlic, olive oil.

Serves: 5 Preparation: 3 hours (plus 12 hours soaking)

If you are a vegan or a vegetarian, creating a hearty stew that can rival one containing meat is not an easy task. Nothing good ever came easy though, and hoo boy this stew is good. The richness of the chestnut forms a great thick gravy, and the pumpkin oil and garlic packs this with flavour, Plus... the protein from the beans will rival any cut of meat. This is comfort food at its best and super low maintenance to make.

1) Soak the beans overnight, ensuring that they are well covered in water otherwise as they rehydrate there won't be any liquid left to soak them in!

2) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in a glug of olive oil until the onions are soft. Drain any liquid left from the beans and add the beans to the onions, along with the vegetable stock.

3) Put a bulb of garlic in the oven, whole, and roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees. Squeeze out the pureed garlic from the skin and add to the beans and onions along with a can of chestnut puree.

4) Allow to simmer for 2 1/2 hours, stirring frequently until the beans are cooked. Season to taste and serve with a drizzle of pumpkin oil. 

Feta & bean salad with cucumber & mint dressing

Ingredients  100g Turtle beans, 100g mung beans, 1/2 cucumber, mint, 100g feta

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes (plus overnight soaking in preparation)

Being a vegetarian I need to make sure that I get enough protein and beans are a healthy and delicious way of doing so. This salad is almost completely fat free thanks to using cucumber for the dressing - usually oil is necessary for a dressing of that lovely silky consistency but you will find this coats the beans beautifully and has a really fresh summery flavour.

1) Soak the mung beans and turtle beans overnight in cold water, then strain in a colander and boil for 10-20 minutes in fresh water. 


2) Strain in a colander and run under the cold tap to rinse the beans and cool them back to room temperature.


3) To make the dressing; peel the half cucumber and blitz in a food processor with a handful of chopped mint. Season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper


4) Stir the dressing through the beans and add the chopped/crumbled feta.