Recipe Roundup – Courgettes

by Simone Kelly

Courgette season is in full swing and we are harvesting these dark green beauties both from the tunnels and from the fields. Fantastic in savoury dishes, of course, but did you ever bake a courgette cake?

Click on the bold part to go directly to each recipe

Enjoy x

Date Caramel – 4 Ingredients

by Lou Robbie

This is our ‘guilt free’ caramel sauce. It’s refined sugar free, dairy free, nut free, gluten free, vegan and so creamy … a lovely treat!

Our organic dates are just amazing, they are full of fibre and antioxidants. They are great for your gut and bone health, a natural sweetener and are so easy to store and cook with. I’m never without them. Having a jar of this date caramel in the fridge is just the best when you want a spoon of natural sweetness added to your overnight oats, creamy porridge, yoghurt, toast/ oat crackers, chocolate milkshake, smoothies or banana nice cream. Try it you and you won’t be disappointed.

We have big and small packets of organic dates as well as medjool dates available in the shop all in compostable packaging.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients – makes 1 jar

Method:

Step 1: Put the dates in a bowl, cover with boiling water to help them soften for 10 minutes. Then stain and discard the water.

Step 2: Add the dates to a blender along with the non dairy milk, vanilla and sea salt. Blend until really smooth. I use a smoothie blender for this, it works a treat.

Step 3: Taste the sauce and add more salt if you wish. Scoop the sauce into a clean jar and store in the fridge for 1 week.

Serving suggestions: Add a spoon to your morning oats, eat on crackers or toast with banana, drizzle over pancakes and waffles or with vanilla ice cream….enjoy!

Apple Puff Pastry Turnover

by Lou Robbie

These are a must try with delicious Irish apples. We are so lucky to have sweet organic apples all year round. So good to eat and nice to bake with too.

The puff pastry turnovers are so simple to put together, the sugar and cinnamon caramelise to give a crunchy caramel topping, once turned.

We promise you’ll love this one. Please let us know in the comments if you make it. Check out our sweet organic apples in the shop.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 3 Irish apples
  • 45g white sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry – 375g
  • To serve:
  • toasted pecans
  • 250ml fresh cream – whipped
  • icing sugar

Method:

Step1: Preheat the oven 180ºc. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper – you may need two baking trays.

Step 2: Peel the 3 apples in half and scoop out the core.

Step 3: Mix the sugar and the cinnamon in a bowl.

Step 4: Divide the pastry into 6 equal squares.

Step 5: Spoon the cinnamon sugar onto the tray, you want 6 mounds of sugar. Place the apple flat side down on each of the sugar mounds. Put the pastry over each apple half and use your hands to cup the pastry around the apple half.

Step 6: Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Let the pastries cool for 15 minutes, use a wide spatula to slide under the caramelised apple and lift it off carefully. Serve warm with pecans and cream or ice cream. Dust with icing sugar if you wish.

Fruity Recipe Roundup

by Simone Kelly

It’s summer, and summer is time for all sorts of fruits. Peaches, strawberries, watermelon… Fresh, organic and taste like sunshine.

Here’s a few ideas for new fruity recipes, from breakfast to snacks to tasty salads. Click on the bold below to go directly to the recipe.

Summer Strawberry Pots

by Lou Robbie

Strawberry season is just the best in Ireland. There’s the smell of fresh cut grass in the air and the gentle hum of bumble bees busy and all the kids are out on their bikes making the most of the summer days. On warm days all everyone wants is cool fuss free snacks just like this one. They can be eaten out on the step so there isn’t a minute of fun to be missed!

We are treating these special Irish strawberries simply with sugar and lemon to draw out the delicious vibrant red syrup. Strawberries love vanilla so add a hint to the creamy base.

The window is short for our organic strawberries this year so get them while you can.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 2 pots

  • 10 ripe strawberries
  • 1 heaped teaspoon icing sugar
  • juice 1/2 lemon
  • 150g ricotta cheese
  • 100g greek/plain yoghurt
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  • mint to garnish- baby leaves, finely chop them if they are big

Method:

  • Step 1: Finely slice the strawberries and add them to a bowl, sprinkle over the icing sugar and squeeze the lemon juice, mix with a spoon, leave to macerate for 10 minutes.
  • Macerating means that the sugar draws the juice, to make a syrup, from the strawberries while adding sweetness and flavour from the lemon.
  • Step 2: In a separate mixing bowl add the ricotta, yoghurt, honey and vanilla, mix well. Spoon this into the 2 glasses.
  • Step 3: Top with the macerated strawberries and top with torn or baby mint leaves.

Carrot & Broccoli Salad (4 ingredients)

by Lou Robbie

The summer is a busy time juggling work, child care, holidays and making the most of the long sunny days. It’s great to have a few super quick salad recipes that take minutes to make but are top on taste!

This is my mothers signature salad. She gets requests for it when we have family get togethers. Its perfect for lunch with soda bread or for supper with some boiled eggs.

Next time you have some Irish organic carrots and broccoli in your veg box give this a go.

What’s your favourite raw vegetable in a salad? Let us know if the comments.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 small head of broccoli
  • 3 carrots
  • 3-4 tablespoons mayo (regular or vegan)
  • ⅓ cup salted or roasted peanuts
  • Pinch black pepper

Method:

Step 1: Chop the broccoli florets into bite sized pieces, add them to a mixing bowl. You can chop or grate the stalk too, or keep it to chop for a stir fry.

Step 2: Grate the carrots, add them to the broccoli.

Step 3: Season with a pinch of salt and pepper then mix in the peanuts and mayo. Taste it and then transfer into a serving bowl.

Enjoy with a selection of salads and bread.

Green Cashew Dressing & Cous Cous Salad

by Lou Robbie

This is one of my all time favourite dressings. It is so vibrant and punchy and creamy from the cashews. I ordered a head of Irish red lettuce last week and have been living off it for the last 5 days (it was massive and gorgeous). And I remembered this dressing, I shared a version of it with you last summer. Its just the best and makes enough to last a few days.

Couscous is so quick and handy here but you could add leftover rice, pasta, tinned lentils or beans instead. As well as adding grated carrot, shaved red onion or any leftover cooked veggies that need using up.

Let us know if you try it,

Team GREEN yay!

Lou 🙂

Note: If you love garlic add extra cloves- I usually do.

Ingredients: makes 2 large salads

Method:

Step 1: Begin by making the cous cous. Add the dried cous cous to bowl, add a pinch of salt and top with boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave it for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Put the cashews into a bowl and cover with boiling water, leave to soften for 15 minutes. if your blender is not very powerful, soak for a full hour.

Step 3: Toast a handful of almonds on a dry frying pan on a low heat, toss ever minute until toasted. Once cooled, roughly chop them.

Step 3: Make the dressing, to a blender add the basil, spinach, the softened cashews plus the water, lemon juice, oil, grated garlic and a good pinch salt, pepper. blend until nice and smooth.

Step 4: Dice the tomatoes and cucumber. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork.

Step 5: Build the salad add the cous cous to a plate, top with lettuce, tomato and cucumber, pour over the dressing and scatter the almonds on top.

Mix and enjoy

Cottage Cheese Banana & Choc Ice Cream (4 ingredients)

by Lou Robbie

High in protein cottage cheese banana and chocolate chip ice cream is worth trying!! It tastes tangy but sweet and tasty. We added some optional peanut butter and salted peanuts for extra crunch, saltiness and goodness.

When the weathers hot it’s great to get some goodness from our ice cream. We stock fair trade organic bananas and delicious dark chocolate that are perfect partners in this handy to make ice cream.

Both my kids tucked in.

Let us know if you try it.

Lou 🙂

Ingredient: makes 2 portions

  • 300g cottage cheese
  • 1 ripe banana
  • ¼ cup maple/honey
  • 40g chopped chocolate 
  • optional extras: peanut butter and chopped peanuts

Method:

  • Step 1: Chop the chocolate roughly into shards.
  • Step 2: Add the cottage cheese, banana, maple to a blender. Blend until silky smooth.
  • Step 3: Pour into a container/lunchbox and stir in the chopped chocolate. Cover with a lid and freeze for about 3-4 hours until set.
  • Step 4: Remove from the freezer and let thaw for 15 minutes. Scoop into bowls, top with peanut butter and peanuts if you like, and enjoy.
  • **It will be a bit icy in parts just mix it with a spoon.

3 Ingredient Almond Cookies

by Lou Robbie

Quick, dairy free, vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, kid approved, only 3 ingredients and very tasty! You need to try these cookies.

My kids are alway hungry and I like to have snacks on hand that have a bit of goodness in them. Almonds are a superfood and while my kids wont eat whole almonds they will happy munch on these cookies instead.

They may not look perfect but for a quick bake they hit the spot. They are crispy on the outside soft in the middle. If you’re feeling extra fancy drizzle some melted chocolate on top.

Will you try them?

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 10 small cookies

Method:

  • Step 1: Preheat the oven 170ºC. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Step 2: Melt the coconut oil in the microwave or in a small pot and stir in the maple syrup.
  • Step 3: Mix the coconut and maple into the ground almonds and work into a dough. Use your hands to form 10 small balls put them on the baking tray 1.5 inch apart.
  • Step 4: Use a fork to push the balls down and make a crisscross on the top of each cookie.
  • Step 5: Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Homemade Granola (made in the air fryer)

by Lou Robbie

Toasty, nutty, spiced and fruity granola is a bowl of joy in the mornings. And believe us it tastes nicer when you make it yourself.

I usually make big batches in the oven, 3 times the amount below but I thought I’d try making it in the air fryer for speed and convenience and it did the trick!!

I find that the oats take longer to toast than the seeds and nuts so I recommend doing them separately. Then mix in whatever else you fancy here we went with chia seeds, coconut and mixed dried fruit for a nutrient dense kickstart to the day!

You’ll find all the organic ingredients in our online shop www.greenearthorganics.ie

Of course if you don’t have an air fryer you can make your granola in the oven. I’ll leave more details below.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 200g oats
  • 50g butter, melted (dairy or non dairy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (add more if you like)
  • 40g maple syrup or honey
  • 30g sunflower seeds
  • 30g pumpkin seeds
  • 30g flaked almonds
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 30g desiccated coconut
  • 50g dried fruit

Method:

Step 1: Begin by adding the oat to a mixing bowl and stir in the cinnamon.

Step 2: Melt the butter in the microwave or small pot and stir in the maple syrup. Mix this into the bowl of oats and stir to coat.

Step 3: Remove the air fryer rack and tip the buttery oats into the air fryer basket. Air fry at 170ºc for 15 minutes check and shake them every 5 minutes. Once golden and toasted add to a clean mixing bowl.

Step 4: Measure the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds into the air fryer basket. Air fry 170ºc for 8 minutes checking and shaking every 2 minutes.

Step 5: Once toasted add to the bowl with the oats and leave to cool for an hour or two. Pour in the remaining ingredients, chia seeds, coconut and dried fruit, mix with a spoon. When the granola is completely cool store in a jar or air tight container.

**To cook in the oven: After step 2 put the buttery oats onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Toast in the oven at 170ºc for 30 minutes until golden, stir a couple of times. Put the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and flaked almonds on a separate baking tray and toast for about 8 minutes. Then continue with step 6.