Beetroot & Black Bean Burgers with root veg chips

by Liz Child

Embrace the new harvests of autumnal vegetables and make this hearty beetroot bean-burger alongside chips made from carrots, parsnips, potatoes, swede, celeriac… We still have our own grown tomatoes and lettuce available too to add some crunch and freshness to your burger. This really is the best time of year for Irish vegetables with an abundance of summer and winter veg available at the same time.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 50g porridge oats
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling over the chips)
  • 250g raw beetroot, finely grated
  • 50g or so of chickpea flour
  • root veg of your liking (eg potato, carrot, swede, parsnip, celeriac) cut into chips and seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil
  • burger buns, salad and sauces of your choice eg mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, cheese slices…

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
  2. In a mixing bowl, squish together the beans, oats, beetroot, seasoning and olive oil. Your clean hand is the best tool for this. The mixture will most likely be quite wet and sticky at this stage. Add chickpea flour (or more oats), a couple of tbsp at a time and keep squishing until you achieve a texture that is reminiscent of minced meat and is able to form into patties. I used around 50g of chickpea flour but depending on the juiciness of your beetroots you may need more or less.
  3. Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into neat patties on one side of your baking dish. Spread the root veg chips on the other side and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until both the chips and the burgers are cooked through.
  4. Assemble the burgers into buns with your favourite toppings and sauces and enjoy with the chips on the side.

Oven Baked Parsnip & Hazelnut Risotto

by Liz Child

Bake your next risotto in the oven to save yourself from standing over the stove and constantly stirring a pot. I promise, the results are just as delicious. We are obsessed with this parsnip and hazelnut version right now as the new season parsnips are just being pulled from the ground. Hazelnuts and parsnips are a match made in heaven and the rosemary in the recipe really rounds off the flavours. Did you know we stock organic risotto rice and hazelnuts (and many more great groceries) in clever compostable bags?

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, diced
  • 400g parsnips, diced
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 250g risotto rice
  • 600ml water, just boiled
  • 200ml white wine
  • 2 stock cubes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp chopped rosemary
  • 100g hazelnuts, chopped

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep baking or casserole dish with a lid. Put the parsnips, onion and celery in the dish along with the oil and butter. Season well with salt and pepper, give it a mix and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the veg is soft.
  2. Meanwhile, in a heat-proof bowl, measure out the rice and top with the just-boiled water, stock cubes, garlic and rosemary. Stir to dissolve the stock cubes and then add the glass of white wine. Let the rice soak while the veg cooks in the oven.
  3. Remove the dish from the oven and pour in the rice and all the liquid it has been soaking in. Stir to combine the rice, stock and vegetables and then put the lid on the dish. Place the dish back into the oven to bake the rice. It should take around 20-30 minutes. Check on it after 20, when the rice has absorbed the liquid, it is done.
  4. Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and stir, add a splash more wine or water to stop it from drying out, then top with the chopped hazelnuts and return to the oven with the lid off for just 5 minutes or so to toast the nuts. Serve in warm bowls and enjoy!

Oat & Raisin Cookies

by Liz Child

Oatmeal cookies make the house smell amazing (cinnamon, vanilla and oats, what a dreamy combo) and the kids adore them after school with a glass of oat milk. Ok, so they are not the healthiest snack, but the oats do make them slightly more wholesome than a regular chocolate chip cookie. We keep them vegan with our Naturli butter blocks and oat milk, but of course you can use your favourite butter (or even an odourless coconut oil at a pinch) and milk. These are a little crisp around the edges and perfectly chewy in the middle. Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients (make 12 large or 16 medium cookies)

  • 150g butter, cubed and at room temperature
  • 150g soft brown sugar
  • 100g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 200g porridge oats
  • 50g raisins

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 180C and find some large baking sheets – line with baking parchment.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk (or give your arm a workout and use a wooden spoon) – it should get light and fluffy.
  3. Then add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking powder and mix well. Stir through the flour until it forms a rough, sticky dough, careful not to over-mix the flour. Lastly, stir in the oats and raisins.
  4. Use an ice-cream scoop or wet hands to form even balls. Space out on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the balls have spread into cookies and are just taking on some colour around the edges. Leave the cookies to cool and set on the trays before moving as they will still be very soft at this stage.
  5. Store in an airtight container and enjoy within a week.

1 Pot – Cauliflower, Coconut & Chickpea Curry

by Liz Child

We love a curry at our house, how about over at yours? This is a simplified, not-very-authentic-but-still-really-delicious *sort of* biryani. In my quest for less washing up, less hands-on time, and more one pot dishes, this is perhaps my favourite. Of course you should feel encouraged to switch up the veg and spices (try pumpkin in the base or romanesco on top – try different curry powder blends – garam masala is gorgeous here), even remove the coconut in exchange for another mug of water of a tin of chopped tomatoes? This curry is simply a case of cooking the base, then layering on the rice and liquid (always add double the volume of liquid to rice, and don’t forget to rinse and drain your rice first), add the cauliflower carefully on top and bake with a lid until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Yum!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 large white onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
  • about 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 heaped tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1 tsp each cumin & brown mustard seeds (optional)
  • 6 tsp curry powder (4 in the base, 2 on top)
  • a mug of basmati rice, rinsed and well drained
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • a mug of water
  • 1/2 a cauliflower, cut into florets
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • herbs eg coriander or mint & mango chutney or lime pickle to serve

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep baking dish with a lid (or use tin foil or a baking sheet as a lid).
  2. Mix the onion, tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut oil, cumin & mustard seeds, 4 tsp of curry powder and salt & pepper to taste in the dish. Place this base curry in the oven to bake for 10/15 minutes or until the onions are soft and fragrant.
  3. Flatten out the base curry then sprinkle over the mug of rice. Stir the coconut milk and spoon it evenly over the rice. Then carefully pour the mug of water over the back of the spoon over the rice so as not to disturb the layers. Season the coconut rice layer with a pinch of salt.
  4. Then carefully place the cauliflower florets on top of the liquid and season them with salt, pepper and the reserved 2 tsp of curry powder. Put the lid on the pan and place it back in the oven for another 20-30minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
  5. Serve in scoops with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a spoon of an Indian chutney or pickle. Enjoy!

Aquafaba Mayonnaise

by Liz Child

Vegan mayonnaise is so easy to make and is a great option if you don’t eat eggs or don’t want to risk raw eggs. The easiest version is made with soy milk (check out that recipe here) but we don’t often have soy milk in our house so we have perfected this aquafaba version which uses up some of the liquid from a tin of chickpeas. Aquafaba is such a handy, magical ingredient, and we love that it’s practically free! Another way we use it is to make this quick and easy cake, give it a try!

Leave your mayonnaise plain or flavour it with garlic, rosemary, saffron, chilli etc to your liking. I added a tiny pinch of saffron this time because I wanted to eat it with this one tray, Spanish inspired supper. I would love to hear about your versions in the comments below!

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp aquafaba (the liquid from a tin of chickpeas)
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • optional extra flavourings eg a pinch of saffron or a small crushed clove of garlic, or some chopped rosemary…
  • a pinch of salt
  • 200ml of neutral oil eg sunflower or rapeseed

Method

  1. Place the aquafaba, mustard, vinegar, salt and optional flavouring in a small mixing jug or jar in which your emersion blender can fit.
  2. Blend with the emersion blender until frothy, then, whilst still blending, drizzle in the oil slowly. Keep blending and adding oil, you may need to move the blender up and down a bit.
  3. You should end up with perfectly thick and glossy mayonnaise. Taste and if it needs more salt add it now and blend again to evenly distribute it.
  4. Store in a clean jar in the fridge and use within a week.

1 Tray – Smokey Potatoes, Peppers & Chickpeas

by Liz Child

We are currently obsessed with putting together quick and easy, one tray suppers. They’re the perfect solution for mid-week suppers when you are knackered from a long day at work. Just turn on the oven and pop some veggies, some beans and some seasoning in a tray and let it cook while you catch up with the rest of the household. I tend to pick a country or dish and go with those flavours and seasonings I know go well, rather than just bunging in random herbs and spices. So for this dish, the theme was Spanish-ish! I was thinking about paella and potatas bravas, that sort of thing. Smokey paprika, garlic and lemon, finished with parsley… goes so well with peppers, potatoes, tomatoes and chickpeas.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 2 large potatoes (or the equivalent in new potatoes)
  • 1 large red pepper
  • 6 cherry tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes)
  • 1 tin of chickpeas
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp garlic granules/powder (or 2 crushed fresh cloves of garlic)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • fresh parsley, salad and mayonnaise to serve (I made this saffron mayonnaise from the aquafaba from the tin of chickpeas)

Method

  1. Heat your oven to 200C. Chop all the vegetables into bite sized pieces and scatter into a baking tray.
  2. Drain the chickpeas (reserve the aquafaba to make mayonnaise or a vegan cake if you like) and add to the tray. Season with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and garlic, drizzle over the oil and mix well.
  3. Add the lemon in the center of the tray and roast for 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and starting to take on some colour.
  4. Remove the tray from the oven and scatter over fresh parsley, use tongs to squeeze the hot roasted lemon over everything (roasted lemon is a revelation! It goes extra sweet and juicy in the oven) and enjoy with some salad leaves and mayonnaise!

Roasted Fennel, Tomato & Bean Pasta Sauce

by Liz Child

Fresh fennel and tomato are made for each other, and for pasta. Fresh fennel is absolutely delicious raw, thinly sliced in salads. Its crunchy and sweet with a aniseed flavour which pairs perfectly with a zingy lemon dressing and lots of black pepper. But when you roast fennel, its a completely different thing. The sweetness caramelises, the aniseed flavour is still there but it’s muted, and the texture is gorgeous, it softens in the best way, a little like roasted onion. Mix with the richness of roasted tomatoes, lots of garlic and olive oil and you’ll be in flavour-heaven! Fennel and tomato pasta is a simple, rustic classic, often served with sausages, but we love it with butterbeans.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 fennel bulb, chopped
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin butterbeans, drained
  • a couple of handfuls of chopped fresh tomatoes
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • extra virgin olive oil – to taste, we recommend at least 6 tbsp
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • cooked pasta to serve

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C. Chop up a fennel bulb and tumble into a wide roasting dish. Drizzle generously with 4 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix well with your hands and place in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or so until softened.
  2. Remove the dish from the oven and add the tin of tomatoes, crushed garlic and the drained tin of butterbeans. Mix well.
  3. Scatter over the fresh chopped tomatoes, drizzle with 2 more tbsp olive oil and season again with salt and pepper. Return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or so until rich and bubbling.
  4. Meanwhile cook your pasta. Then drain the pasta, stir through the sauce and enjoy!

Warm Rainbow Salad

by Liz Child

A warm salad for those chilly last summer days. Any leftovers can be packed up for lunch the next day too. We love adding beans or lentils to as many meals as we can. Pulses are affordable, nutrient-rich powerhouses and the crops are very planet friendly too. A win, win, win! Do you include lots of pulses in your diet?

Get a rainbow of vegetables delivered plastic free to your door here!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2 as a big lunch or 4 as sides)

For the roasted roots:

  • 3 beetroot, scrubbed & chopped into bites
  • 2 carrots, scrubbed and chopped into bites
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds (or use caraway, cumin or any herb/spice you prefer)
  • 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the sautéd chard:

  • 7 or 8 large rainbow chard leaves
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

  • 1 tin green lentils, warmed and drained
  • 1 heaped tbsp wholegrain mustard

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep baking dish.
  2. Tumble your chopped carrots and beetroot into the baking dish. Add the olive oil, vinegar, fennel seeds, honey, salt and pepper and mix well. Place the dish in the oven to roast for 20 minutes or so until just tender.
  3. While the roots are roasting, prepare the chard. Use a knife to separate the stalks from the greens. Cut the colourful stalks into bite sized pieces and place in a frying pan with the chopped garlic, oil, slat and pepper. Sauté for a few minutes until tender. The roughly chop the greens and add to the pan with a small splash of water. Stir for a few minutes to steam-fry and wilt the greens.
  4. When the roasted roots are cooked to your liking, remove the dish from the oven and stir in the mustard, lentils and chard. Serve warm or cold.

Sweet, Sticky, Sesame Tofu with Stir Fried Greens

by Liz Child

The best way to get a whole lot of greens into my family is with a simple stir fry. No one can resist them simply seasoned with a splash of salty soy sauce and piled into a bowl with rice or noodles. And for protein? We are really into tofu right now, its a beautiful blank canvas and we are trying to up our soy consumption as latest studies show how healthy is it (cancer and fibroid prevention, also anti-inflamatory and great for heart health – high in calcium, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus, iron, copper, manganese and zinc). Beans as crops are also a brilliant, Earth-efficient source of protein. We love extra firm tofu with our stir-fries, simmered with a sweet and sticky honey-ginger-sesame sauce.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the stir fried greens:

  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 small courgette, julienned
  • 1/2 a cabbage, shredded
  • a few large kale leaves, shredded
  • a small head of romanesco or broccoli, chopped
  • a few large handfuls of green beans
  • 1-2 tbsp soy sauce (to taste)

For the sticky tofu:

  • 2 packs of extra firm, natural tofu – drained and cut into cubes
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • a splash of soy sauce
  • 50ml honey or maple syrup
  • the zest and juice of half a lime
  • 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • a thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • rice or noodles and chopped scallion to serve

Method

  1. Start by mixing the sticky dressing. Gather the ingredients and mix together in a bowl or jug. Taste and adjust the salt level with a bit more soy sauce if needed. Want it tangier? add the other half of the lime.
  2. Cook your rice or noodles and heat up two pans, a large one for the greens and a smaller one for the tofu. Stir fry the greens with the oil until starting to wilt, then add the soy sauce and stir for a couple more minutes.
  3. In the other pan, fry the tofu with the oil until starting to warm through. Add the small splash of soy sauce and stir fry to season and brown the cubes. Then pour over the sweet, sticky sesame sauce and let it simmer and reduce for a couple of minutes.
  4. Serve with the rice or noodles and greens, top with chopped scallions and enjoy!

Baked Blueberry Blended Oats

by Liz Child

Ok, we’re a little late to this trend, but if you are like me (wanting to eat oats regularly because they are so incredibly healthy, but fed up of porridge) you’ll appreciate this twist on a warm, sweet, oaty breakfast. It couldn’t be simpler really, blend oats with banana, milk, baking powder and a touch of honey and bake while you get ready for the day. You’ll end up with a sort of breakfast pudding that is set on the top and sides and beautifully runny in the middle. I’m sure you can come up with countless variations, but we are REALLY into blueberries right now. Did you know that we have sourced organic blueberries from Banner Berries right here in Ireland, and they come in compostable tubs!? Add some to your next order while they are in season and see what the fuss is about (we order extras and pop them straight into the freezer!).

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 1 small mug of porridge oats
  • 1 small mug of milk (any you like)
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla or other flavouring you like (try cocoa powder for chocolate, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom… a dollop of peanut butter?)
  • a couple of handfuls of blueberries (or any fruit you prefer – all summer berries work well as do sliced stone fruit, figs, apples, pears etc)

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 180C and gather your ingredients, a couple of large ramekins or oven safe bowls and a blender.
  2. Blend the oats, milk, banana, baking powder, honey and vanilla into a smooth batter. Divide it between the ramekins/bowls, sprinkle each with a handful of blueberries and pop it into the oven to bake while you make coffee and get ready for the day.
  3. After around 15-20 minutes, you should have 2 breakfast puddings ready to eat. they should be slightly risen and golden brown. Dig in with a spoon and find the delicious runny middle. Enjoy as it is or top with a dollop of yoghurt, nuts, seeds more fruit etc as you like.