Butternut Bake

Ingredients:

Medium sized butternut squash
Handful of green beans

Topping ingredients:

250ml (1cup or 8 fl oz) oatmeal
165ml (2/3 cup or 5 fl oz) roughly ground sunflower (and/or pumpkin seeds) seeds
4 table spoons (60ml) sunflower oil
1 generous table spoon finely chopped herbs (rosemary, lemon thyme, sage)
Spring water

Sauce ingredients:

100g (3 1/2 oz) creamed coconut block
1 heaped tablespoon corn flour
360ml (12 fl oz) spring water
1 tablespoon (15ml) tamari or shoyu

How to prepare:

1. Topping

Roughly grind the seeds in a nut mill.

Mix seeds, oatmeal, herbs and sea salt together in a mixing bowl.

Make a 'well' in the middle and add the oil.

Mix together evenly with a spoon until the topping is moist yet, still crumbly (use your hands if you prefer). If a little more moisture is needed then add a small amount of water (try adding a teaspoon at a time to ensure that you don't over do it).

2. Main body of the dish

Remove skin from butternut squash and dice remaining flesh (approximately 1.5cm or half inch cubes cubes).

Chop green beans.

Steam together for roughly 15 minutes on medium heat.

3. Sauce

Mix the corn flour with water in a saucepan adding the tamari.

Gently heat up whilst frequently stirring. The mixture will begin to rapidly thicken as it comes to boiling point. At this point stir continuously to avoid lumps forming. Add the creamed coconut (roughly chopped if it is still solid) and stir until it has thoroughly melted in. You should have a thick creamy sauce.

Mix sauce and steamed items together and place in a baking dish (approximately 25cm x 20cm)

Add topping and gently firm down by hand.

Place in a preheated oven for roughly 25 minutes (or until the topping begins to tan) at gas mark 7 (425F/220C).

With Love
Trin

The brilliant thing about this dish is that it can be served raw or baked. Vegan, tasty and very wholesome. Enjoy!
With Love
Trin

Stuffed summer pepper

3 bell peppers
250 g (1 cup) ground sunflower seeds ( a great way to do this is to use a nut mill attachment on a regular blender if you have one)
2 medium sized carrots grated (volume should be roughly the same as the seeds)
1 clove garlic
1 table spoon finely chopped parsley
1 table spoon finely chopped rosemary
3 table spoons sunflower oil
1 table spoon tamari (or a sprinkle of sea salt)

How to prepare:

1. Cut the bell peppers in half to make two 'boats'.

2. Mix in a large bowl the rest of the ingredients until they are all thoroughly combined. The consistency will be similar to a 'pate'.

3. Stuff peppers

4. Bake in a preheated oven at gas mark 7 for about 25 minutes (or until they begin to brown).

We regularly enjoy this incredibly delicious mild curry with wholgrain basmati rice. It takes its name from its beautiful radiant sunset colour.

Sunset Curry

400g chickpeas (cooked)
3 large sweet potatoes (chopped into cubes (2 cm squared)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped or crushed)
200g coconut block
500 ml spring water
3 fresh tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1 Tbl mild curry powder
1 tsp sea salt
1 very large handful fresh coriander (roughly chopped)
1 handful fresh basil (roughly chopped)

How to prepare:

Place water in large cooking pot and bring to the boil. Roughly chop coconut block and allow to melt into the water to form ‘coconut milk’.

Add chickpeas, sweet potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, curry powder, sea salt and half of the coriander to the coconut milk. Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer on a low heat for approximately 25 minutes stirring occasionally.

Toward the latter part of the cooking period the potatoes will begin to fall apart, allowing the milk to thicken and form a rich creamy sauce. At this stage add the remaining coriander and basil.

Variations:

1. Try replacing half of the sweet potatoes with regular potatoes.
2. Use butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes

Here is a delicious dairy free/meat free alternative to shepherds pie. It received a big thumbs up at our dining table the other day and has been eagerly requested again since (always a good sign)... I've used 'mugfuls' as a measurement, which would be an average sized coffee mug, since I don't have any kitchen scales.
With Love
Trin

“Conscious Cottage Pie”

(Vegan, very tasty - made with love!)

Ingredients:

Main ingredients:

1 mug Puy Lentils
2 1/2 veg stock (made with spring/filtered water)
1 medium sized leek
1 large clove garlic
1 tin tomatoes
1 small handful sun dried tomatoes (soaked and chopped)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp all spice
1 tsp (heaped) onion granules
2 dessertspoons date syrup (or maple/agave syrup)
1 handful chopped fresh parsley (or table spoon dried)
1 large bell pepper
Two handfuls mushrooms
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Topping ingredients:

750g potatoes (peeled)
50g creamed coconut (grated or finely chopped)
1 mug rice milk
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle dried parsley

Preparation:
Chop leek into strands (approximately 2 cm x 1 cm) and finely chop the garlic. Chop the pepper and mushrooms (however you want to).

Heat olive oil in a pan and gently sauté the leek and garlic. Add the pepper and mushroom and sauté for a couple of minutes.

Add the puy lentil along with the stock, tin of tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and bring to the boil.

Add the salt , herbs, spices and remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for about 45 - 60 minutes, stirring frequently. All of the water should be absorbed. The puy lentils should hold their shape, yet have a softer bite.

Whilst the pot is simmering peel and cook the potatoes. Once cooked, drain off the water and sprinkle the coconut in. Replace the lid and allow the coconut to melt for a few minutes into the potato. Then add the salt and rice milk. Mash with a potato masher until it is lump free and has a creamy consistency.

When the lentil mixture is cooked, place into a casserole dish. Spoon the potato on top evenly, covering the lentil mixture. Use a fork to spread out the potato and leave ‘ridges’ in the potato topping. Sprinkle dried parsley on top.

Bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes to allow the topping to crisp.

Serve with steamed veg.