Coconut grain salad

Ingredients 1 can chickpeas, 1 cup pearl cous-cous, 150ml coconut cream, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 can puy lentils.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

It is a truth universally acknowledged that coconut is one of the best things ever. In a world where I do not give my family refined sugar and limit dairy products; coconut palm sugar, coconut blossom syrup and coconut oil, water and milk are constantly on our grocery list. When I was pregnant I consumed so much coconut water that I am not remotely surprised that my son is hopelessly addicted to it. That and it tastes like breastmilk.  
ANYWAY! This salad is subtle and lovely, an extremely lazy nod to rice and peas (one of my favourite dishes at Soul Kitchen - my review here) and super quick to make. Do excuse the slight grey tone of the picture, it was a VERY gloomy day!

1) Add the pearl cous-cous to a pan along with the coconut milk, cumin and thyme.

2) Bring to the boil and after about 8 minutes, turn off the heat, stir through and add the drained puy lentils and chickpeas.

3) The liquid should have cooked off, leaving just a gloss of coconut but if not, drain through a sieve before serving. I like to add a little black pepper and salt 

Quinoa, chickpea, pomegranate & artichoke cream salad

Ingredients Quinoa, jar of marinated artichokes, pomegranate, can of chickpeas.

Serves: X Preparation: X

Once upon a time, I was completely obsessed with artichoke cream. From slathering it on bread to swirling linguine into it, it could do no wrong as far as I was concerned. This creation was born of "oh no, lunch is in 15 minutes and all I have is a pomegranate until the market delivers my fresh produce!" panic. I always have cans of chickpeas in the cupboard (there is no emergency that cannot be fixed with hummus. It is the new cup of tea) and jars full of different grains and with this satisfying salad, I'm very glad that I do!

1) Soak the quinoa for 5 minutes and rinse well in a sieve. Depending on where you buy it, it naturally has an acrid coating called saponin which you don't want flavouring your food!

2) Cover the quinoa in slightly salted water or stock if you wish and bring to the boil for about 15 minutes, stir continually as it soaks up the water and fluffs up, then remove from the heat. Drain the chickpeas and add to the mix. 

3) Pour the jar of artichoke into a blender. Personally I prefer to drain away the oil it's marinated in first and just add a little of it, but you can in fact use all of the oil if you wish. Blitz thoroughly until a smooth, emulsified cream forms.

4) Stir some of the cream into the quinoa - just enough to dress it rather than turn it into soup! 

5) Slice your pomegranate in half, hold it over a bowl (cut side down...) and them smack it repeatedly with a wooden spoon or ladle until all of the beautiful jewels have dropped out. Sprinkle onto your salad and serve, hot or cold.

Chestnut hummus

Ingredients 400g chickpeas (dried or canned), 1 bulb garlic, olive oil, 1/2 can chestnut puree plus lemon juice, sesame seeds/tahini and paprika to taste.

Preparation: 30 minutes (canned) 1hr 45 plus overnight soaking (dried)

I love Merchant Gourmet's chestnut puree. I use it to thicken my vegetarian gravy, soups and stews but it wasn't until recently that I ever had leftovers to decide what to do with. And lo, yet another variation on hummus! This also works beautifully as a vegetarian pate if you pack down into a container and allow to chill in the fridge.

1) Roast the entire bulb of garlic at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Squeeze the garlic puree gently from the cloves and add to your food processor.

2) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

3) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer the texture with them shelled and find the process (pinching gently then shucking) very soothing! To avoid shelling them you can add a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to the water and boil them for 5 minutes - the shells will be so soft that you won't even notice them when pureed.

4) Place the chickpeas and the chestnut puree into your blender and pulse thoroughly, drizzling olive oil through until the desired texture has been reached.

5) Flavour to taste with lemon juice, tahini/sesame oil/sesame seeds and season with salt and a pinch of smoked paprika. Stir through and serve or store in the fridge.

Carrot hummus

Ingredients 400g chickpeas (dried or canned), 1 bulb garlic, olive oil/Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, sesame seeds, 2 carrots (you can use sesame oil or tahini but personally I find them too bitter and prefer the texture of sesame seeds).

Hummus, ah hummus. One of the great wonders of the food world.
So delicious and versatile that I have not the words to describe my love for it. I have created several versions of hummus for this blog, from classic to broad bean (AGH!), beetroot to ginger and basil to salted caramel apple (yes really!) but this is my 9 month old son's favourite lunch so it's been on the menu regularly for the last 3 months.

1) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

2) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer the texture with them shelled and find the process (pinching gently then shucking) very soothing! 

3) Peel and slice the carrots into chunks. Roast along with the entire bulb of garlic at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Squeeze the garlic puree gently from the cloves into a food processor and add the carrots. Pulse until combined.

4) Place your chickpeas into your blender and pulse thoroughly, drizzling olive oil through until the desired texture has been reached. If you would prefer to make this lower in fat, you can use Greek yoghurt in place of olive oil.

5) Flavour to taste with lemon juice, tahini/sesame oil/sesame seeds and season with salt and a pinch of smoked paprika. Stir through and serve or store in the fridge.

Roast beetroot & carrot curry

Ingredients 1 can coconut milk, 1 can chickpeas, olive oil, 1 white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 beetroot, 2 carrots, 1 tbs cumin, 1 tbs turmeric, 1 tbs coriander, chilli powder to taste.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Autumn to me means a glut of roasted vegetables and beetroot with its luscious silky purple juices is never far from my mind. Using roasted vegetables in curry is somewhat unusual, I know, but that magical alchemy gives a better flavour and texture and they look so beautiful without all the colour leaching away. I like to roast a job lot at the beginning of the week to put in the fridge for salads, pasties, and to make stews and soups. They're incredibly cost-effective and this curry is utterly delicious.

1) Peel the carrots and beetroot, drizzle with a little oil and roast in a covered dish for 40 minutes.

2) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, spices and chickpeas and stir through.

3) Spoon the thick cream which will have risen to the top of your can of coconut milk (discarding the water below) into the pan and stir through. Allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes (or until the chickpeas are soft) then add the carrot and beetroot and garnish with coriander. Serve with rice or naan.

Salted caramel apple hummus

Ingredients 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup caster sugar, 1/4 cup muscovado sugar, 3 tbsp butter, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup double cream, 1 apple, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt.

Preparation: 20 minutes

My dear friend @Gazpachodragon's husband recently wondered whether sweet hummus would work. My immediate reaction was "it would be like porridge" and actually it kind of is. But a posh porridge and it's actually nice to dunk biscuits or fruit crudites into. Even better - this is perfect with a ham sandwich or with roast pork. It's a bit of a mind fuck but it works!

1) Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Peel, core and dice an apple and add to the pan. Stir through and add the cinnamon. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

2) In the second pan, melt 2 tbsp butter and add the sugars. Stir through on a high heat as the sugar boils and begins to caramelise. Add the cream and turn down the heat. Add the apples and salt to taste, but I think 1 tsp is enough.

3) In a third pan, simmer the chickpeas in water for 5 minutes, then strain and set aside. You can shell the chickpeas by hand which I find very satisfying, but to save some time, shake them roughly in a bowl for a few minutes, fill the bowl with water and the shells will float to the top - scoop them off, strain the chickpeas again and you're done!

4) Pulse the chickpeas in a blender with the Greek yoghurt until they have reached a grainy, breadcrumb like consistency. Stir through the caramel sauce and apples.

Beetroot hummus

Ingredients 1 beetroot, 1 can chickpeas, 1 clove garlic, orange juice, orange zest, Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt.

Preparation: 35 minutes (plus soaking time if using dried chickpeas)

I adore hummus, Adam Sandler's Zohan has NOTHING on me! I had thought until recently that my ginger hummus was the best adaptation, but this beetroot hummus is absolutely marvellous and really does have the most fabulously exotic colour. 

1) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

2) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well with cold water. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer a bit of texture - but to shell them - Pour over boiling water and let them sit for 1 minute before straining, then pinching them gently to slide the chickpea from the shell.

3) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife.

4) Roast one clove of garlic in the oven for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the pureed garlic from the skin.

5) Place your chickpeas into a blender along with 1 tablespoon of greek yoghurt, a tablespoon of orange juice, salt and black pepper, the beetroot and the garlic and pulse thoroughly.

6) After blending thoroughly, stir through a little orange zest.

Carrot, feta & spiced apple salad

Ingredients  1 Carrot, 1 apple, allspice, cinnamon, cumin, muscovado sugar, feta cheese, watercress, pea shoots, ginger hummus

Serves: 1 Preparation: 10 minutes

I never understand why people think that salads are boring, or somehow something to be endured. For me they're one of the only types of food that one can put just about any other type of food into. Bread, potato, pasta, cheese, fruit, vegetables, nuts, herbs, eggs, flowers... you name it!
This is a rather new concoction of mine to showcase the spiced apple slices and ginger hummus that I have quickly become very fond of.

1) Core the apple and slice into crescents. Sprinkle the crescents with a dusting of brown sugar, cumin, allspice and cinnamon and toast under the grill for 5 minutes, turning half way through.

2) Peel the skin from the carrot, then peel the carrot into ribbons. Toss with the watercress and peashoots, and crumble over the feta.

3) Add the apples and drizzle with ginger hummus before serving.

Ginger hummus

Ingredients   400g Chickpeas (dried or canned), garlic, sesame seeds, salt, Rachel's Organic Ginger Yoghurt

Preparation: 10 minutes (plus 12 if using dried)

I adore hummus. Whether dolloped onto a salad or a sandwich, scooped up with a crudite or cracker it's so versatile and a relatively healthy source of protein to a vegetarian such as myself. I've shared many flavours of hummus on this blog so far but this has been a triumph of epic proportions.

1) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

2) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well with cold water. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer a bit of texture!

3) Place your cooked / canned chickpeas into a blender or mortar and pestle along with two tablespoons of yoghurt and pulse thoroughly

4) Flavour with sesame seeds or tahini, crushed garlic, and salt to taste. Blend thoroughly and serve.

Roast aubergine, tomato & halloumi burrito

Ingredients   Baby aubergine, plum tomato,     halloumi, Hummus: Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 1 preparation: 30 minutes


As well as my ode to roast pepper today, I am waxing lyrical about roast aubergine. It is The Sex and this makes a gorgeous snack.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe. Spread the hummus on the centre of a tortilla.


2) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and rest them skin side down in a roasting dish. Sprinkle with a little salt to draw out the bitter juices, drizzle with basil oil and roast in the oven for 20 minutes along with the tomatoes.


3) Add the halloumi slices to the oven during the last 5 minutes, then layer the tomato, aubergine and halloumi over the hummus.


4) To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Roast pepper & goats cheese burrito

Ingredients   Tortilla, 1 bell pepper, cucumber, goats cheese cheese, Hummus:   Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 1 preparation: 15 minutes


I love the combination of roast pepper and goats cheese - in soup, in dip, even on a baked potato! it's a wonderful pairing of flavours, rich and sweet and this makes the most meltingly perfect lunch.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe.


2) Slice the top from the pepper and scoop out the seeds. Slice the pepper between the membranes and discard these. Drizzle the pepper with olive oil and grill on each side for 5 minutes, allowing the skin to just blacken.


3) Spread the hummus onto the centre of the tortilla and dot with goats cheese and cubed cucumber before adding the roasted pepper. To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top.

Sweet potato & feta burrito

Ingredients 1 sweet potato, 100g feta, 1/4 cucumber, tortilla, cumin, paprika, chilli powder, onion powder, dried coriander, Hummus: Chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds

Serves: 2 preparation: 30 minutes

Now that the summer months are approaching, I'm looking forward to sitting outdoors to eat a refreshing, light lunch instead of huddled in the warmth of the office eating leftovers from the night before. This combination of soft, spicy sweet potato, crunchy cucumber, tangy feta and smooth savoury hummus is the perfect filling for a soft tortilla.


1) To make your own hummus, see previous recipe.


2) Slice the sweet potato into chunks and drizzle with olive oil before tossing in a bowl with the dry spices so that the potato is coated evenly.


3) Roast in the oven, skin side down for 20 minutes then set aside to cool.


4) Slice the feta and cucumber into chunks of similar size and along with the  sweet potato spoon on the centre of the tortilla in a straight line. I think this works best by pressing it onto a layer of hummus, though you could dollop hummus over it instead of course.


5) To fold the burrito, take the left and right side and lift to ensure the contents are dead centre, then first fold the bottom over the contents, then the left and right sides and tuck in the top. This will keep it all intact in your lunchbox. Serve cold.

Roast aubergine & chickpea salad

Ingredients 5 baby aubergines, 1 can chickpeas, 5 baby plum tomatoes, cumin, Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt, parsley, coriander, salt, basil oil, 1 onion.

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour


1) Cut the stems from the aubergines and slice them in half. Sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices then drizzle with basil oil and bake for 30 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees.


2) Pour the can of chickpeas into a pan and boil for 5 minutes. Strain into a colander and remove the shells.


3) Peel and finely dice one white onion and sautee in butter for 5 minutes. Add a handful of finely chopped parsley and coriander. 

4) Add the chickpeas back to the pan along with 2 tablespoons of Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt and 5 baby plum tomatoes cut into quarters.

5) Simmer, stirring frequently until the chickpeas are soft, then serve with the aubergine and more yoghurt.

Broad bean hummus

Ingredients Chickpeas (dried or canned), garlic,  olive oil, lemon juice, sesame seeds, salt, broad beans (dried or fresh).

Confession, I hate broadbeans. I can remember eating them at school - these big, hard grey THINGS from a tin that were mixed in with soggy carrot, peas and sweetcorn. I realised yesterday that I have avoided them my entire adult life and this is an ideal opportunity to prove my own philosophy that if you don't like something, it just hasn't been made properly!
Do you know what? I still don't like broad beans, but at least here they are somewhat diluted. *shudder*


1) If you are using dried chickpeas and beans leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours it hot salted water, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.


2) If using fresh beans, cook for 4 minutes in hot salted water. For canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well with cold water. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first, but do shell the broad beans!


3) Place your beans and chickpeas into a blender or mortar and pestle along with two tablespoons of water and pulse thoroughly.


4) Roast 2 cloves of garlic in the skin for 25 minutes and squeeze the pureed garlic into the chickpea and broad bean mixture.


5) Flavour with sesame seeds or tahini, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt to taste. After blending thoroughly, serve.

Basil Hummus

Ingredients Chickpeas (dried or canned), garlic, sesame seeds, salt, basil leaves, basil oil, pine nuts

1) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

2) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well with cold water. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer a bit of texture!

3) Place your cooked / canned chickpeas into a blender or mortar and pestle along with two tablespoons of water and pulse. Add two tablespoons of water and pulse thoroughly

4) Finely slice a good handful of fresh basil leaves and add to a mortar bowl. Sautee 1 clove of garlic in basil oil and add to the mortar bowl along with a pinch of salt and a handful of pine nuts.
Grind thoroughly and stir into the hummus.

I served this with marinated olives (for the love of Bowie don't buy pitted olives, especially not soaked in brine, they're the flavour and texture of rubber! Buy whole ones and pit them right before eating them) and Fudge's cheese straws with black pepper and mature cheddar.

Hummus

Ingredients 400g chickpeas (dried or canned), 1 bulb garlic, olive oil/Greek yoghurt, lemon juice, sesame seeds (you can use sesame oil or tahini but personally I find them too bitter and prefer the texture of sesame seeds).

Hummus, ah hummus. One of the great wonders of the food world.
So delicious and versatile that I have not the words to describe my love for it.
1) If you are using dried chickpeas leave them to soak in cold water for a minimum of 6 hours (ideally 10-12) and cook them for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water frequently to avoid a bitter aftertaste.

2) If using canned chickpeas drain them and rinse well. It's entirely your choice whether you shell the chickpeas first - personally I prefer the texture with them shelled and find the process (pinching gently then shucking) very soothing! 

3) Roast the entire bulb of garlic in the oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Squeeze the garlic puree gently from the cloves into a mortar and pestle/food processor.

4) Place your chickpeas into your blender or mortar and pestle and pulse thoroughly, drizzling olive oil through until the desired texture has been reached. If you would prefer to make this lower in fat, you can use Greek yoghurt in place of olive oil.

5) Flavour to taste with lemon juice, tahini/sesame oil/sesame seeds and season with salt and a pinch of smoked paprika. Stir through and serve or store in the fridge.