CARROT & CORIANDER SOUP (VEGAN)

My version of carrot and coriander soup is low fat, vegan friendly, full of flavour and quick to make.

It’s Ideal for when you want something that’s quick, yet filling and full of flavour.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 an oinion

5 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped.

5 cups of vegetable stock

bunch of fresh coriander

Salt and pepper

Instructions

Add all the ingredients together in a saucepan and boil for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Place the tender vegetables in the blender and mix until smooth.

Reheat in pan, add salt, Peter and fresh coriander and serve.

Mixed leaf salad with beetroot, avocado and sprouted Lentils.

A super quick and filling colourful vegan salad, packed with vitamins and protein. It’s ideal for a light dinner or a quick snack.

My personal favourite and go to lunch, when I’m on the go and super busy.

Only takes 10 minutes to prepare and so tasty.

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of mixed leaf salad.

Hand full of beetroot

1 small avocado

4 tbsp of sprouted lentils

Lemon juice

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Add lemon juice, salt and Pepper.

Vegan Potato curry

Ingredients

3 medium size potatoes

½ cup tomato puree

2 tsb oil

½ cup Chopped coriander leaves.

1 bay leaf

Spices

½ tsp red chili powder

½ tsp cumin (or jeera)

¼ tsp mustard (or rai)

¼ tsp turmeric (or haldi)

Method:

Heat pan and add oil.

Then add bay leave, cumin and mustard.

Sizzle until the seeds begin to crackle.

Add chopped or purée tomato and spices. Stir well and let it cook for 3 minutes. 

Now Add in the potatoes and mix well for 2 mins.

Add water to the curry water to partially cover potatoes.

Cover the pan and let it cook until the potatoes are fully cooked. This should take around 20mins.

Taste and Check salt and spice. Add more if needed.

Once cooked, Garnish with coriander leaves.

Tacos with a Mexican-style corn salad filling

This is a really yummy salad that I use as a filling in Tacos or a topping on potato skins; you could add it as a side salad to a meal too.

Ingredients:

1 large red pepper chopped (2 cups)

1 medium tomato finely chopped

1/2 red onion finely chopped

1 cup sweetcorn (tinned)

1 cup Black Beans

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon Paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

Method:

Roast the mixed peppers in a preheated oven for approx 10 mins – season with salt and pepper as desired.

Put the sweetcorn and black beans in a microwavable bowl and heat for 1 min on a high setting. In a separate bowl make the dressing: mix lime juice, maple syrup, paprika, cumin and salt and mix well.

Pour the dressing over the corn and black beans and mix well. Add the peppers and toss to coat all the ingredients evenly.

Now mix in the tomatoes and red onions. You could also add some chopped coriander and roughly copped avocado chunks, if you prefer. Now it is ready to serve. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Paella

I love the beautiful colours of a Paella dish so here is my version which is vegetarian and free of fish and meat! Also I might mention I cook mine in a Paellera which is a special Paella pan made of steel. You can get one from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Jh0TSG

You can of course you any normal pan for this too so don’t worry too much! 🙂

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons virgin olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

1/2 onion finely chopped

1/2 of each of a green, red and yellow pepper

2 medium size tomatoes

1/2 cup of frozen peas

1/2 cup of frozen green beans

1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice (this is my preferred rice)

1 litre of homemade veg stock

2 teaspoons of Turmeric

1 teaspoon Paprika

Salt to taste

Method:

Heat the oil in a paellera or a pan over medium heat and when it’s hot, add the garlic, onion, red, yellow and green peppers (chopped). Cook until brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the frozen peas and beans to cook a further 5 minutes.

Add in the rice and cook until rice begins to look translucent. Pour the vegetable stock in (water will do if you do not have stock), add the turmeric powder, paprika, also add salt to taste.

Stir the paella until all the ingredients are mixed and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add more vegetable stock / water if the rice is still uncooked.

Let stand the paella (covered) for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Kitchari – pronounced “ kitch -uh-ree”

Kitchari is a made up of a mix of Basmati rice and split green mung beans. It is a delicious, healing recipe usually a favourite during an Ayurveda cleanse. It originates from the Asian subcontinent and dates back thousands of years. It is such a versatile dish that everyone almost certainly has their own way of making it, adding vegetables and spices of their choice.

Here is my version which is simple and quick to make and wonderfully healing; I eat this when I am recovering from a winter illness, the day after I have had an indulgent meal and my digestive system needs a break; or just because I love it so much and it tastes great! I hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Basmati rice

1 cup mung beans (split green)

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to your taste)

1 teaspoon Turmeric

a pinch of asafoetida (found in a Indian grocery store)

Method:

Mix the rice and lentils together and wash well in warm water; at least twice. Then put in a steel pan and add 6 cups of water, salt, turmeric and rich of asafoetida and bring to a boil. As it come to a boil lower the heat and simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes. You can half cover the pan with a lid. The consistency and texture is similar to porridge. Once cooked mix and serve. I eat this with plain yoghurt and sometimes add a sprinkle of chopped coriander on top for taste.

Chia Seed Breakfast

This is a vegan recipe and very simple to prepare. I usually have it for breakfast but you could eat it any time of the day.

Ingredients: (servings 3-5)

2 cups of coconut milk (you can you any dairy alternative)

1/2 cup of chia seeds

Pomegrante seeds

Coconut flakes

Method:

In a large mixing bowl add the coconut milk and chia seeds and mix. Use a fork or a whisk to mix and stir the mixture so that the seeds don’t lump together, too much.

Let it sit for approx 10-15 mins, then give it another whisk, cover and put in a the fridge. I usually do this overnight to have it for breakfast the next day.

Give it a good mix before you serve. Sometimes the consistency is too thin in which case you add some more chia seeds to thicken it. Alternatively if it is too thick, just add some more milk to bring it to a consistency you like.

Scoop out a desired portion and add your favourite toppings. This can be fruit, nuts, seeds, honey – whatever you like. My favourite toppings are pomegranate seeds and coconut flakes!

Quick Lunchbox idea

Preparing quick and easy meals for lunch is not only healthy but will stop you from snacking on bad foods and save you money in the process. Follow this quick recipe which can be made even quicker if you use Tilda’s ready made rice pouch! Rice is filling, gluten free and paired with peas & cumin adds flavour and nutrition to your lunch!

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice

2 cups water

1/2 cup frozen green peas (I use Bird’s Eye Petit Pois)

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

season with rock salt

Method:

Boil the rice in water until cooked. Wash the frozen peas in water to remove the ice.

In a frying pan heat oil and cumin seeds until they colour and crackle slightly.

Add the peas and cook for approximately 2 mins; add turmeric, season with salt to taste and mix well. Remove from the heat.

Once your rice is cooked and the water is drained – I use a steel colander for this – then add the peas to your rice and using a fork mix it well through the rice. The rice will get infused with the yellow colour from the turmeric. Enjoy with a blob of low fat Greek style or homemade yoghurt and a nice green salad.

Summer Strawberries

I love local produce and I love strawberries in the summer! I know, I know we get strawberries pretty much all year round, but there is something very summery about strawberries!

So no surprise, I had fresh, English strawberries with a bowl of kefir for breakfast this morning. Another way I like to team these two is by blending the berries with some kefir to make a strawberry smoothie! If you want you could add 50ml of water to make it a more drinkable consistency. Try it and let me know in the comments.

Curly Kale Crisps

I am always finding new ways I can include kale in my diet to increase my iron intake! And these curly kale crisps are delicious and so simple to make…

Ingredients:

Sainsbury’s sliced curly kale

Virgin olive oil

Sea Salt

Method:

Wash the kale and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Leave to for 1/2 hour uncovered.

Preheat the oven on gas mark 200C.

Take the kale and make sure it is dry.

Line a baking tray with foil and speak the kale out evenly on the tray.

Drizzle with a olive oil and sea salt and place in the warm oven for approx 20-25 mins

The time will vary on the type of oven you have so I would start checking after 15mins. Once it is cooked take out of the oven and leave to cool down and crisp up before serving!