Easy Entertaining – FeastforFamine

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

Dairy Free, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Healthy Food!, Quick, Recipes, Starters, Vegan

*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!

Salada Tres De Legumes

BBQ, buffet, Cheap, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, plastic free, Quick, Recipes, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian

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!

The Easiest Gluten Free Brownies

Baking, Cake, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, Quick, Recipes, Snacks, Sweets, Treats

Have a go at making the easiest gluten free brownies, using only three ingredients, good for lunch box treats, after school of with a coffee for grown ups.

Ingredients: 400g of Hazlenut chocolate spread, 100g of desiccated coconut, 2 eggs.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160F
Mix the coconut and chocolate spread together until all combined
Add the eggs and mix well
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and tip your wet mixture in
Pop in the oven for 20mins
Allow to cool and then cut into squares and store in an airtight container until ready to eat
Enjoy!

Check out my other lunch box sweet treat ideas below:

The Lockdown Larder – Chocolate Flapjacks

Easy Oaty, (with a little bit of dark chocolate), and Dried Apple Cookies

Inspired by Madagascar – Vanilla, Banana and Tumeric Muffins with Sea Salt and Vanilla Glaze

Super Easy Gluten Free Nutella Cookies

Easy Baba Ganoush

buffet, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, Recipes, Snacks, Summer Recipes, Vegan

Possibly my favourite dip ever…after hummus of course! Have a go at recreating this recipe at home and let me know what you think.

Serves: 4 as a side dip or more as part of a bigger Mezze Platter, (check out the links below for more ideas).

Cook: 40 mins
Prep: 10 mins

Ingredients: 1 large aubergine, 4 tbsps. of olive oil, juice of one lemon, 2 tbsp. of tahini, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp. of powdered cumin, 1/2 tsp. of salt, your choice of nuts and a little more olive oil to serve.

Method:

Preheat your grill to high
Prick the aubergine all over and place under the hot grill for 15 minutes each side, until the aubergine skin becomes sunken
Allow to cool slightly and scoop out all the flesh and add to a blender or a bowl if using a hand blender
Chop the garlic and add to a pestle and mortar with the cumin and salt and pepper, mix to a smooth paste then add the olive oil
Add this mix to the aubergine and add the lemon juice and tahini and mix until smooth
Add a little more olive oil if the mixture needs loosening
Serve in a bowl with your choice of nuts for a garnish, (I used linseeds, walnuts, pine nuts and black sesame seeds), drizzle over some olive oil and serve with crudités or pitta or both!
Enjoy!

Click on the links below to see my other Aubergine, Dips and Mezze Ideas x

Store Cupboard Vegan Green Lentil Hummus…

Hummus…we have a problem!

Inspired by Iraq – Cucumber, Dill and Yogurt Soup

Vegan Oven Roasted Spicy Aubergines with Spicy Green Lentils

Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Inspired by Syria – Garlicky Roasted Courgette and Carrot, Honey, Cumin and Pine Nut Dips

Inspired by Egypt – Courgette and Chickpea Salad with Dukkah Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Inspired by the Lebanon – Whole Roast Lebanese Chicken with A Cauliflower, Bulgar Wheat Tabbouleh

Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Easy Entertaining, Food, Healthy Food!, Nourishing, Recipes, Salads, Summer Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Looking for a healthy vegan BBQ side this weekend? Then try this…

Serves: 6

Prep: 20mins
Cook: 15 – 20

Ingredients: 4 small of 2 large aubergines cut into thin slices, 4 small or 2 large courgettes cut into thin slices, a jar of red peppers cut into thin strips, large handful of mixed herbs, (basil, mint and parsley all work well), 1 tbsp. of tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of pine nuts, 1 tsp. of paprika and a little more olive oil for grilling the aubergine and courgette.

Method:

Brush the aubergine and courgettes with a little oil and grill on each side for around 6 – 8 minutes until they start to brown but not burn
Allow to cool
To make the dressing mix the tahini, oil and lemon juice together
Brown the pine nuts in a pan to bring out their flavour
Now construct your salad by placing layers of the aubergine, courgette and red peppers on a large plate, pour your dressing over the top and scatter the pine nuts and herbs over the salad and sprinkle over the paprika
Enjoy.

How do you Dahl? With my Chickpea, Lentil and Coconut Dahl…

Cheap, Comforting, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Gluten Free, Lunch, Main Course, Nourishing, One Pot, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

I absolutely love dahl, it is one of my favourite comfort foods and I like to mix it up sometimes so please see recipe below for my latest version, using chickpeas, bay leaf and fennel seeds.

Serves: 4 with rice or Indian style bread

Cook: 1 hour

Prep: 10mins

Ingredients: 1 can of drained chickpeas, 400ml of coconut milk, 2 small cans of cooked lentils, (I used green), 1 onion finely chopped, 2 cloves of garlic finely sliced, 1 thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and finely sliced, 1 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp. of tomato puree, 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of tumeric, 1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 cardamon pod, 4 dried chillies crushed, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1 bay leaf, salt to taste.

Method:

Start by frying your spices in the oil until they start to pop
Add your onion, ginger and garlic and allow to soften for a few minutes
Add your chickpeas and lentils to the pan and coat well in the mixture
Add your coconut milk, bay leaf and cardamon pod, bring to the boil
Allow to simmer for at least an hour, using a potato masher to break down the chickpeas, top up with a little water if it’s getting too sticky
Season with salt to your liking and serve with rice or indian style bread
Enjoy!

If you are looking for some further inspiration then, check out my other spicy dishes below…

Inspired by Bangladesh: Carrot Bhajis with Raita (also included extra recipes for homemade Lime Pickle and Spicy Tomato Chutney)

Spicy Oven Cooked Aubergines with my Bangladeshi Inspired Spicy Tomato Chutney!

Inspired by Yemen – Scrambled Eggs with Green Beans and Hot Spiced Yogurt, Served with Clove and Cardamon Black Tea

Inspired by Indonesia: Slow Cooked Beef Noodles, with Spinach, Fried Egg and Peanut Sambal

Inspired by Vietnam – Aubergine Buns with Veggie Pickles and Spiced Mayo

Inspired by India – Potato and Sweetcorn Samosas with Pea Raita

Inspired by Sri Lanka – Prawn and Yellow Lentil Curry with Cheats Pol Sambola

Thanks x

Japanese Style Slow Cooked Turkey Leg with Red Wine and Miso

Asian Flavours, Cheap, Cheap Meat Cuts, Comforting, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Gluten Free, Main Course, Nourishing, One Pot, Recipes, Slow Cook, Winter Food, World

Looking for something different this week? Remember turkey isn’t just Christmas with this Japanese style, slow cooked turkey leg with umami flavours!

Prep: 5mins
Cook: 3 hours

Ingredients: 1 large turkey leg, (male if you can get it, as it’s even bigger), 1/2 a bottle of red wine, 1 heaped tbsp. of white miso paste, 2 tsps. Sesame seeds 4 peeled garlic cloves, 2 star anaise, 2 cinnamon sticks.

Method:

Preheat oven to 130F
Make some slits in the skin of the turkey
Pop the turkey leg into a deep lidded, oven proof pan
Add to the pan the rest of the ingredients, making sure to pour some over the top of the turkey
Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 1.5 hours
Take the turkey out and baste
Pop back in the oven for a further 1.5 hours
Allow the turkey to rest and serve with juices from the pan, which makes a great gravy
Enjoy!

Goes well with your choice of veg, rice, noodles and even roast potatoes.

Celebrate Chinese New Year with Five Spiced Whole Roast Chicken

Asian Flavours, Chicken Dishes, Chinese Food, Chinese New Year, Comforting, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Gluten Free, Nourishing, One Pot, Recipes, Rice Dishes, World

Celebrate Chinese New Year with a comforting, nourishing bowl of chicken, broth, veggies and rice, all gently spiced in authentic Chinese flavours.

Serves: 4 – 6 maybe with some leftovers too!

Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, 2 cinnamon sticks, 4 cloves, 2 star anise, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. fennel seeds, 1 tsp. peppercorns (green/black or szechuan pepper if you can get it), 1 large carrot or two smaller ones, cut into chunky batons, 2 celery sticks cut into batons and 1/2 tsp. of sea salt.

Method:

Pop all your ingredients into a large lidded pan (big enough to fit a whole chicken!), pop the chicken on top, breast side up
Top up with water, until you the covering the chicken
Bring to a rolling boil and then simmer with the lid on for 1 hour
Turn the chicken over and cook for a further 20mins
Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan and cook on a high heat for 10minutes to reduce the stock down and intensify the flavour
Cook your rice or noodles if serving with the chicken
Carve your chicken and serve on a bowl or rice or noodles with the veg and pour the stock over
Can season with sesame oil and soy sauce if you wish
Enjoy!

Cheats Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts

Baking, Cake, Cheap, Dessert, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Party Food, Picnic Food, Quick, Recipes, Sweets, Treats

These are so easy to make and great as part of a little dessert tray or just with a cuppa!

Makes: 14 Mini Tarts

Ingredients: 100g salted or unsalted butter, 200g self raising flour, 1 egg, 1 jar of Lemon Curd, 8 mini meringues

Prep: 15 – 20 mins
Cook: 30mins chill time/14 mins in the oven

Method:

Mix the butter and flour into a breadcrumb like consistency, then add one egg to combine the mixture, make into a ball and leave in the fridge for 30mins
Pre-heat your oven to 180F
Roll out your pastry to the thickness of a pound coin
Cut out 14 disc, using cake cutter or top of a cup
Press these down into a muffin/cupcake tray prepared with cases
Add cases on top of the pastry and add your blind baking beans, (I actually just used out of date lentils for this)
Cook in the oven for 10-12 mins
Take off the blind baking beans and cases and prick the pastry all over with a fork and pop back into the oven for 2 mins
Take out of the oven and allow to cool
Fill each pastry case with 2 tsp. of lemon curd and top with crumbled mini meringues
Eat hot or cold, served with custard, ice cream or just a nice cuppa
Enjoy!

This recipes uses the pastry from my previous recipe: Nan’s Jam Tart which can be found by clicking the link.