Protein-Rich Veggie-Loaded Pizza

by Nessa Robins

This delicious pizza is packed full of flavour and nutrients. The base is simply some self raising flour with yogurt and a little salt, which comes together with ease, and pairs so perfectly with the veggie-loaded topping. I’m using mushrooms, pepper, and courgette, but any soft vegetables could be used in their place. 

These pizzas are best enjoyed straight from the oven but can be saved in an airtight container in the fridge to enjoy the next day, either cold or heated through.

Enjoy!

Nessa x 

Protein-Rich Veggie-Loaded Pizza

Serves 2

Ingredients

  • 150g mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 1 pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 1 courgette, diced
  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & freshly ground pepper
  • 350g self raising flour, sieved
  • ½ tsp salt 
  • 350ml full fat Greek yogurt
  • 4tbsp pizza sauce or passata
  • 1 ball Mozzarella

To serve

  • Hot honey
  • Basil leaves 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
  2. To a medium-sized ovenproof dish, add the mushrooms, pepper and courgette. Drizzle over the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the flour with the salt and add the yogurt. With your hand or a fork, bring the mixture together to form a ball of dough. Cut into two halves.
  4. Transfer to a floured board and roll each ball out to make the pizza bases.
  5. Gently make a border for each pizza by gently folding the edges over. Divide the pizza sauce between the two pizzas. Top with the roasted vegetables and dot over the mozzarella. 
  6. Place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until it is cooked through, golden and bubbling. 
  7. Serve straightaway with a drizzle of honey and a scattering of basil leaves. 

Caramel Apple Galette 

by Nessa Robins

If you are looking to treat yourself or loved ones to a delicious, autumnal, easy-to-make bake, this Caramel Apple Galette is the dessert for you. The star ingredient is our in-season Irish apple, and few other ingredients are needed to make this impressive dish. 

This galette is best served straight from the oven with a good dollop of ice cream and an extra drizzle of caramel.

Enjoy!

Nessa 

Caramel Apple Galette 

Serves 6

Ingredients 

  • 1 roll puff pastry
  • 2 large or 4 small eating apples, thinly sliced 
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1tsp cinnamon 
  • Squeeze lemon
  • 75g butter
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1tsp cinnamon

To serve

  • Icing sugar
  • 2tbsp caramel sauce
  • Ice cream

Method

  1. Take the puff pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  3. To a large bowl, add the apple slices, caster sugar and cinnamon. Mix to combine.
  4. In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon.
  5. Unroll the pastry onto the tray. Spread an even layer of the butter mixture, leaving a border around the butter mixture. Top with an even layer of the apple slices. Bring the edges of the dough up and overlap a little over the filling to create a border. 
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. 
  7. When hot from the oven, dust with icing sugar and drizzle over the caramel sauce. 

Noodle Soup

by Nessa Robins

This vibrant noodle soup is packed with fresh, nutrient-rich, seasonal vegetables such as mushrooms, courgette, and purple sprouting broccoli, all simmered in a light, flavourful stock. Once all the vegetables are prepared, this dish comes together in minutes, making it the perfect meal for busy weeknights or cosy weekends. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Noodle Soup

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

  • 1tbsp sesame oil
  • 200g mixed mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • ½ courgette, diced
  • Pinch chilli flakes
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1lt hot vegetable stock
  • 1tbsp ketjap manis or soy sauce
  • 150g fine egg noodles
  • 150g purple sprouting broccoli
  • 2 scallions, finely chopped

To Serve

  • ½ red chilli, finely diced
  • 1 scallion, finely diced
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and courgette. Add the chilli flakes and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables are beginning to soften.  
  2. Stir through the garlic. Add the stock, ketjap manis, noodles and broccoli. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  3. Take from the heat and stir through the scallions. Serve straight away, topped with fresh chilli, scallion, and some sesame seeds. 

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

by Nessa Robins

At last week’s farm walk, I set-up a beautiful display in the middle of the farm shop, using the best of fresh produce. Tucked in-between the prepared fruit and vegetables, I included a tray of mini energy balls, and some scrumptious dips. This sun-dried tomato pesto was by far the most requested recipe, and for good reason. It’s rich and flavoursome, and makes for the perfect accompaniment to crudites, but it can also be served with pasta, roasted vegetables, or as a delicious sandwich filler. 

To ensure this dish is as tasty as possible, use a good quality jar of sun-dried tomatoes. Some tend to be quite salty and will ruin the overall taste of the pesto. Also, organic garlic will always taste superior too, so seek it out when you can.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

Method

  1. Whizz the tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, and basil for a few seconds in a food processor. 
  2. Add the oil and blitz again.
  3. Add the parmesan, and pulse for a few seconds.
  4. Store in a covered sterilised jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Tomato Bruschetta

by Nessa Robins

This Tomato Bruschetta makes for a delicious lunch or tea. It is packed with fresh flavours and plenty of nutrients too. Irish-grown tomatoes are now in-season and they really are a taste sensation. When making this dish, make sure to choose a really good quality bread. When it comes to the salad leaves, dress them lightly just before serving. This keeps the greens fresh and vibrant, preserving their texture and letting the pure flavours shine without turning limp or soggy. Enjoy the iconic taste of Ireland’s finest tomatoes in every bite!

Enjoy! 

Nessa x

Tomato Bruschetta

Ingredients

Serves 2

For the tomatoes

  • 200g cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • Handful fresh basil, torn
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Sprinkle sea salt 

For the toast

  • 4 slices good-quality ciabatta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and cut in half 

For the salad

To serve

  • Fresh basil, chives, and thyme leaves

Method

  1. Add the chopped tomatoes to a bowl with the basil. Drizzle over the olive oil and vinegar. Add a sprinkle of sea salt. Stir to combine and leave to one side.  
  2. Place a griddle pan over a high heat. Add a little drizzle of olive oil to both sides of the slices of bread. Add to the hot pan and toast until nicely browned. Take from the pan and rub each piece with the clove of garlic. 
  3. When ready to serve, add the lettuce leaves to a bowl, drizzle over the oil and honey, and add a squeeze of lemon. Toss to combine.
  4. Place the bread on two plates and divide the tomato mixture, with the juices, to the top of each slice. Evenly top with the dressed salad leaves. Sprinkle over the fresh herbs and enjoy straightaway.

Multi-Seed Flapjacks

by Nessa Robins

These multi-seed flapjacks make for a delicious addition to any lunchbox. They keep well in an airtight container for up to five days, and they also freeze well too. Once cooled, add to a freezer-proof container, and freeze for up to three months. To defrost, simply take what’s needed from the freezer and defrost overnight at room temperature in an airtight container. I’ve added a mix of pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, which add extra nutrients, flavour, and texture to the flapjacks. 

Enjoy,

Nessa x

Multi-Seed Flapjacks

Ingredients

Makes 16

  • 150g butter
  • 100g light brown sugar
  • 4tbsp golden syrup
  • 2tsp vanilla extract
  • 350g oats
  • 100g mix of seeds-pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6. Line a 20cmx20cm baking tin with greaseproof paper
  2. In a small saucepan, over a low heat, melt together the butter, sugar, golden syrup, and vanilla. 
  3. Once melted, take from the heat, stir through the oats and seeds, and stir to combine.
  4. Transfer into the lined tin and press down well. Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes.
  5. Take from the oven and place the tin on a wire rack. Carefully score 16 squares. Leave to cool completely in the tin before cutting fully and transferring to an air-tight container for up to five days. 

Blueberry Breakfast Bowl 

by Nessa Robins

Start your morning with a burst of wholesome goodness in this vibrant breakfast blueberry bowl. This delicious breakfast is built around juicy Irish-grown blueberries, which are bursting with flavour right now. I’ve paired them with a mix of fresh fruit from my Green Earth Organics box; whatever’s ripe and ready goes in! To add a bit of crunch and a touch of indulgence, I’ve whipped up a quick homemade granola that’s as simple as it is tasty. It’s fresh, nourishing, and a great start to the day!

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Coconut Granola

Ingredients

  • 150g oats
  • 50g mixed seeds
  • 1tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 2tbsp honey
  • 2tbsp coconut oil, melted

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C / gas mark 4.
  2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and carefully add an even layer of the mixture, pressing it into place with the back of a spoon. 
  3. Bake for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times while it bakes. Remove and allow to fully cool before using or storing in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. 

Blueberry Breakfast Bowl 

Serves 1

Ingredients

  • 100g blueberries, frozen
  • 1 small banana, sliced and frozen
  • 100ml water
  • 1tbsp honey
  • Topping options –granola, blueberries, sliced banana, raw nuts, chia seeds, nut butter

Method

  1. Add the frozen blueberries into a high-powdered blender, along with the banana, water, and honey. 
  2. Blitz until smooth, stopping at intervals to scrape the mixture from the side, adding a few more drops of water to help it blend smoothly. 
  3. Transfer to a bowl, smooth out the top, and add toppings of choice. Enjoy straight away.  

Garlic & Herb Smashed Potatoes 

by Nessa Robins

When new potatoes are in season, it’s time to let their natural sweetness and creamy texture shine. These Garlic & Herb Smashed Potatoes are golden, crispy, and full of flavour; finished with fragrant herbs and a sprinkle of cheese for that extra indulgence.

By choosing local, in-season produce, you’re not just tasting the best of summer, you’re supporting Irish farmers and making a more sustainable choice. Simple, delicious, and made to share, this is comfort food at its best.

Garlic & Herb Smashed Potatoes 

Ingredients 

  • 750g small new potatoes, scrubbed & washed
  • 75g butter 
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed 
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 4-5 sprigs chives 
  • Salt and pepper
  • 50g Parmesan, or any hard cheese 

Method 

  1. Par-steam the potatoes for 20 minutes. 
  2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/ fan 200°C / gas mark 7. 
  3. Remove the potatoes from the steamer and add to a colander. Allow to cool and dry for a few minutes.
  4. Melt the butter in a saucepan with the garlic, thyme and chives. Once it starts to bubble remove from the heat and add a little salt and black pepper. 
  5. Place the potatoes in a large bowl, add the melted butter mixture and coat the potatoes evenly. 
  6. Tip the potatoes onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Smash them with a flat surface, such as the base of a glass. Drizzle over any remaining butter from the bowl. Place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove, grate over an even layer of cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. 
  7. Serve straight away with a dip of choice. 

Do chemical cocktails give you a health hangover?

by Kenneth Keavey

Now I am going to go out on a limb here, but if you have ever consumed alcohol, you may know that mixing your drinks does not produce a great feeling the next day, the hangover that can ensue can be quite horrendous, (so I have been told….). Truthfully, having experienced a few in my day, it has often been said if you forgot you were drinking the night before and work up feeling like you can feel after mixing your drinks, you might actually think you were dying!

So it is with chemicals, and this is something that cannot be measured and is not very well understood, but picture consuming small amounts of pesticides regularly in our food, nobody actually knows what impact this may have. Some research suggests overtime the results may be quite detrimental to our health.

Certainly, over the last 20 years, the application of chemicals on our food here in the EU has reduced, with many of the more toxic chemicals being banned. This is a great thing, and we can be thankful to the EU for this control, despite chemical company lobbyists issuing misleading information that we could not produce enough food without these chemicals.

The spraying of our food with synthetic chemicals is just not good for us. All the studies in the world, even if they demonstrate that the chemicals are safe, are not going to convince me that it is ok. Filling a giant tractor sprayer and going out into a field on a scale that has never been seen before and spraying everything in sight, is like taking a sledge hammer to put in a pin in a wall. This is what is happening, there is no selective application, it is blanket application of chemicals and everything gets a  coating, plants and biodiversity alike.

Now maybe these chemicals are safe in certain doses under certain lab tests, and that may well be the case, and I am not disputing that, I have spent long enough working in a lab to understand that. I also know I wore gloves, and used extraction hoods, and took great care when handling any of these lab-based chemicals.  But a field and our food is not a lab.

There have been some studies done on the cocktail effect of chemicals in our food. A 2012 EU-funded project called ACROPOLIS studied cumulative pesticide exposure and concluded that current risk assessment systems may underestimate real-life risks.

A 2021 review in Environmental Research noted that low-dose pesticide mixtures may contribute to hormonal disruption, cancer, and neurodevelopmental issues — particularly in children.

It is hard to know for sure, and probably close to impossible to prove, but if you wish to minimise your exposure the best way is to know your ingredients, to cook from scratch, know who produces your food and know that they are not using chemicals, organic produce is the best way to keep chemicals out of our food chain.

As always thank you for your support.

Kenneth

PS Your support over the summer has meant so much, we have so much great produce and your help makes all the difference to our farm, so if you can continue to support us, it makes a real difference, thank you.

Pan-Fried Mixed Veg Wraps

by Nessa Robins

We’ve asked by many for advice on what to do when you’re faced with an abundance of seasonal vegetables. Pickling is a great way to preserve a harvest, or you could turn a bounty into a stash of jams or chutneys. Cake or muffin recipes, using carrot, beetroot, or courgette, such as the recipe we shared last week, can be baked, cooled, and popped in the freezer to enjoy at a later stage. While a tray of roasted vegetables can be enjoyed fresh or added to stock to make a soup, which could then be cooled and refrigerated or saved in the freezer for another time.

This mixed vegetable stir-fry can be enjoyed with rice or pasta but is particularly tasty when served in a wrap with the addition of pesto and cheese. Either assemble on the cold pan, before turning on the heat under, or assemble on a plate and transfer to the hot pan. Serve alongside a green salad for a delicious seasonal lunch.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Pan-Fried Mixed Veg Wraps

For the stir-fry

  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • 2 courgettes, thinly sliced
  • 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 150g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed 
  • Salt and pepper
  • Handful baby spinach
  • Basil leaves

For the wraps

  • 4 wholemeal wraps
  • 4tsp basil pesto
  • Hard cheese, of choice, grated
  • ½ tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Start by preparing all the vegetables. Add the olive oil to a large frying pan or wok and stir fry the courgette, pepper, and onion for about 5-7 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine and continue to cook for another few minutes, until the tomatoes have started to break down. Add the spinach and the roughly torn basil leaves. Stir through and after about a minute take from the heat. 
  3. To make the wrap, add a teaspoon of pesto evenly to a wrap, top with a layer of grated cheese and a good serving of the stir-fried vegetables. Fold in the side of the wrap over the filling and roll, tucking in the edges.
  4. Add a little olive oil to a clean pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the wrap and cook on each side for about 3 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy immediately.