Cherry Tomato Pasta (Galway Grown toms)

by Lou Robbie

It is July and there are ripe red cherry tomatoes being harvested on the farm, they are then packed and delivered across the country to your doorstep. My kids and I saw them growing first hand, in the tunnels, at the farm walk last Saturday and it truly made me appreciate how special they really are.

A simple dish like this really celebrates the cherry tomato. This recipe was shared by an Italian Nonna (granny) she said using the best ingredients is what matters most. I think she’s right. Like her I added some bicarbonate of soda to the sauce this balances the acidity in the tomatoes and really elavates the sweetness. Try it and tell us what you think!

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: Serves 2

Method:

  • Step 1: Rinse the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Finely slice the garlic cloves.
  • Step 2: Warm a wide pan on a medium heat. Add a good glug of oil to the pan along with the sliced garlic, cook for a minute.
  • Step 3: Pour in the cherry tomatoes cook for a few minutes. Then add the bicarbonate of soda, chilli flakes, sugar and salt. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften.
  • Step 4: Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salty water. Then add straight to the cooked tomatoes, stir to coat, add the fresh basil leaves and serve up. Bellissimo!

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!

PUNCHY SAMBO (chickpea spread & charred veg)

by Lou Robbie

This is the perfect summer sandwich that will keep you going on busy days! The punchy chickpea spread is exciting, so tasty and a nice change from hummus.

Organic roast veg are perfect sandwich fillers and are just the best when grilled, use the bbq if you like. If you don’t have a grill pan use a frying pan to get a few char marks, or stick them under the oven grill!

There are lots of different varieties of organic lettuce growing nicely in our tunnels right now (June) . Load them into the sandwich to add some fabulous farm freshness! We love Irish red and green lettuce or oak leaf. 

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes enough for 2 sandwiches

  • For the chickpea spread:
  • 1 tin chickpea drained, 200g
  • 1 pickled gherkin
  • 1 spring onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch herbs, dill, chives or parsley, chopped
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp mayo – reg or vegan
  • 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • For the grilled veg:
  • 1 red pepper, chopped into 4 pieces
  • 1/2 courgette – 6 rings
  • oil to coat
  • For the sandwich:
  • 4 slices of organic sourdough
  • a couple of leaves of Irish green lettuce
  • chilli oil or râyu to finish optional

Method:

Step 1: To make the spread, add all the ingredients to a blender, blend to a chunky consistency. Taste and season to your liking.

Step 2: Put a griddle pan on the hob and get it searing hot. Lightly oil the courgette and peppers and put them onto the hot grill. Cook for a few minutes until they get the charred marks then turn over and cook on the other side, until soft. Add a small sprinkle of salt as they cook. (serve warm or at room temperature)

Step 3: Build the sandwich, toast the bread if you wish. Add the chickpea spread to both sides, layer on a couple of butterhead leaves, the roast veg and spoon over the chilli oil if using.

NO BAKE – Caramel Bars

by Lou Robbie

These bars are a real treat made with no refined sugar and made mostly with good stuff! Top with vegan chocolate if you wish them to be dairy free.

The date caramel is so creamy and delicious you wont believe how good it tastes!

These will be a firm favourite in our house from now on. If you try them please let us know in the comments.

As always we supply all the ingredients just head to groceries.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

For the caramel:

  • 200g pitted dates
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon nut butter – peanut/almond/cashew
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 3-4 tablespoons boiling water

For the base :

Top:

Method:

Step 1: Line a loaf tin with parchment paper, or a similar sized lunchbox will work too.

Step 2: Make the caramel: Add all the ingredients to a powerful blender. Blend until smooth. Take out 3/4 of the caramel and put it in a bowl and add in the base ingredients.

Step 3: Make the base: to the blender with 1/4 of the caramel add the oats, cocoa powder, coconut oil and boiling water. Blend until combined.

Step 4: Spoon the base mix into the loaf tin, smooth with a spoon or spatula. Top with the caramel and smooth. Put this in the fridge for 1 hour to set.

Step 5: Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together. Pour over the top and tilt the tin to cover, sprinkle with sea salt. Chill for 30 minutes. Slice into bars and enjoy.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

by Lou Robbie

Tacos are on trend at the moment, you can add just about anything in there but its hard to beat spicy smashed black beans. They’ve got to be crispy so give them a good fry and serve up with your favourite taco sides.

We are big fans of Mexican style food in our house its great family food to share and dip and mix and match. Add fresh salsa, guacamole, cheese and jalapeños.

Find all the orgainc beans and spices you need in our groceries.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried herbs
  • 1 tablespoon tomato puree
  • 1/2 cup water
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tin (400g) black beans, drained
  • 100g grated cheddar cheese
  • 6 small tortilla wraps (wheat or corn)
  • 1 lime, cut into quarters
  • smashed avocado and fresh coriander to serve

Method:

Step 1: Make the spicy smashed beans. Add the oil to a warm frying pan along with the onions and garlic. Gently cook to soften. Add the chilli, cumin, paprika, dried herbs, a pinch of salt and tomato puree. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Step 2: Tip in the beans, stir to coat in the spices pour in the water and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the beans cook down, add a squeeze of lime. Mash with a fork or a potato masher, transfer to a bowl and clean the frying pan.

Step 3: Spoon the mashed beans onto the tortilla wrap, add cheese and fold over. Heat the frying pan, add oil and fry the taco on both sides until golden and crispy. Push down with a weight or small pot to get better contact with the pan, flip and fry on the other side until crispy. Repeat.

Step 4: Serve hot with smashed avocado, fresh coriander and lime.

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.

Hot Cross Cookies

by Lou Robbie

I honesty don’t remember any special Easter baking recipes from my childhood in Tipperary. As kids we were too consumed with the thoughts of getting an easter egg to think about what was being baked. My mother would usually bake her famous apple tart and a giant pavlova to have on Easter Sunday after dinner.

I was much older when I learned about hot cross buns at Easter time. They have been baked for centuries across Europe to symbolise the Christianity and Jesus on the cross.

This is a twist on the cinnamon and yeast bun. It’s a lot quicker to make and like the bun uses spice, dried fruit, orange zest and of course the signature cross too.

Pick up most of what you need in our groceries.

Let us know if you make these.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 10

For the icing:

  • 50g icing sugar
  • 2 teaspoons boiling water

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 180ºc. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. To a mixing bowl add the butter and beat for a minute to soften it, use an electric beater or wooden spoon.
  3. Add in the sugar and beat for a further few minutes and then beat in the eggs.
  4. Pour in the oats next and sieve in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, mixed spice stir in the chopped date and orange zest.
  5. Stir and mix all the ingredients together until a large dough forms.
  6. Scoop or spoon onto the baking tray, push down to form round cookie shapes.
  7. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until nice and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
  8. To make the icing mix the icing sugar with 2 teaspoons of boiling water until you have a thick paste. Transfer to a piping bag or a zip lock bag leave to cool for 5 minutes then snip off the corner and pipe a cross onto the cooled cookies.
  9. Enjoy with big glasses of milk and mugs of tea.

Blood Orange Sponge Cake

by Lou Robbie

Happy Mothers Day! Some of the best moments shared are with tea and cake. Theres nothing nicer than a homemade cake baked for someone special and theres no one more special than a mother (especially on Mothers Day). I couldn’t resist adding some beautiful blood oranges with their stunning crimson colour to a simple sponge recipe to make this delightful cake.

This cake tastes divine and is a real seasonal treat. If blood oranges are no longer in season try with regular oranges or lemon.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients

  • 225g butter – soft
  • 225g sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 225g self raising flour
  • 1 blood orange, zest and fruit chopped
  • For the caramelised blood oranges
  • 2 blood oranges finely sliced
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • ⅓ cup of water 
  • Cremé fraiche to serve 

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 170c. Line and grease a 9inc cake tin.
  2. Add the soft butter to a mixing bowl and, using an electric hand mixer, beat for a couple of minutes.
  3. Gradually add in the sugar and beat well until combined and the mix becomes pale in colour.
  4. Beat in the eggs one at a time and continue to beat to get air into the mix.
  5. Sieve in the flour and carefully fold in with a spatula.
  6. Zest 1 blood orange, then cut off the skin and white pith, remove any seeds and dice up the flesh.
  7. Add the zest and chopped flesh to the bowl and gently fold in.
  8. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes until cooked through.
  9. In the meantime make the caramelised blood orange slices. Slice 2 blood oranges thinly, discard the ends and any pips.
  10. Add the cup of sugar and water to a wide pot and cook on medium until the sugar is dissolved.
  11. Add all the orange slices and simmer for 30 minutes turning half way through.
  12. Take the slices from the pot and put them on a plate to cool, pour the pink syrup into a jug.
  13. Top the cooled cake with the cooled blood orange slices. Cut and serve a slice with creme fraichê and pour the syrup over.

Spinach and Banana Pancakes

by Lou Robbie

St Patricks day is around the corner and we are very excited to cook and bake with all things green to celebrate! Spinach is a super food in so many ways. Great for fibre, vitamins K, C, A, iron and lots lots more. The flavour of baby spinach is subtle enough that it can be used in sweet recipes too and its perfect partner is the dominant flavour of a banana!

Tip: Use a powerful blender to mix the spinach along with the wet ingredients and you’ll get this lovely vibrant green colour through the pancakes.

We stock all the fresh and dry ingredients you need to make these fun green pancakes!

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

Method:

  1. Tip the cup of spinach into a blender along with the banana, egg, plain yoghurt, milk and blend until really smooth and bright green.
  2. Sieve the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and sugar into a mixing bowl. Mix really well with a spoon.
  3. Pour in the green liquid mix and gently stir the batter until no flour remains.
  4. Warm a frying pan on a medium heat and lightly oil.
  5. Add 2 dessert spoons of batter per pancake to the frying pan and use the back of the spoon to make them round. Cook 3-4 pancakes at a time if they fit on the pan.
  6. Cook until little bubbles appear then flip and cook for a further minute or two until cooked through.
  7. Serve warm with your favourite toppings .