Almond-Currant Granola

2 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup currants

3 tablespoons coconut oil (liquefied)

4 tablespoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

2 tablespoons golden whole flax seed

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the rolled oats, almonds, coconut, currants, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until well-combined.

2. On a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, place granola in a single, even layer. Bake for 10 minutes, then give the granola a good toss.

3. Bake for 5-10 more minutes or until granola is golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, then add the flax seeds (heat destroys their omegas). Stir to combine.

4. Let cool completely before storing the granola in a covered container. It will crisp as it cools.

Makes: 3 cups, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes

Labneh, The Middle Eastern Yoghurt Spread

Make your own cheese spread, Labneh. Easy and delicious!

Breakfast in the Middle East. There’s black coffee. Pita. Chopped cucumbers and tomatoes. Olive oil to drizzle at will. And labaneh, a thick, yoghurt-based cheese whose sour taste perfectly complements vegetables,bread and olive oil. All you need is plain yoghurt and salt. Fancy equipment? Well, how about a clean kitchen towel and a colander, and a bowl? Because that’s all you need to make this versatile white spread.

Labneh

Ingredients:

3 cups plain white yogurt

1 teaspoon salt

Mix the yogurt and the salt well.

Place a wide, thin kitchen towel or several layers of cheesecloth in a colander (or sieve), and pour the salted yoghurt into it.

Gather up the corners of the cloth and tie them into a knot. Place a bowl under the colander to catch the dripping whey or hang the bag over the sink. 

Let the labaneh release whey and become thick over 24 hours. It will have a texture like rough cream cheese. If you let it dry out two days, it will become quite firm.

Don’t throw the whey out! It’s full of protein. Use it in baking.

Open the bag and remove the cheese, using a spatula or the edge of a spoon.  Store your labaneh in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

How To Serve Labneh:

Spread it evenly over a medium-sized plate. Sprinkle with fresh seasonal herbs like mint, za’atar, or dill – or place a few olives around the center of the plate. Drizzle a thread of olive oil over all. Serve with pita or other fresh bread.

Labneh may also be used as a substitute for sour cream in many recipes; for example, cheescake.

If you allow your labneh to drain for 2 full days or more, obtaining a soft cheese, you can roll pieces up into balls the size of small eggs and marinate these balls in olive oil to cover, 2 peeled garlic cloves, and a tiny chili pepper. Labneh preserved this way will stay good for two months. It does become more sour as time passes, so taste it once in a while to see when you want to finish it up.

Spiced Lentil Carrot Veggie Burgers

Spiced Lentil Carrot Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

    1 cup uncooked lentils
    3 carrots, grated
    1 onion, diced
    3/4 cup whole grain flour, approximately
    water (optional)
    pinch sea salt
    1 teaspoon coriander
    1 teaspoon cumin
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    pinch salt
    pinch black pepper
    1 to 2 teaspoon(s) olive oil

Directions:

1. Before you begin, the lentils must be fully cooked. Gently boil them in enough water to cover them by 2 inches, with NO salt. Lentils will take about 30 minutes to cook. Drain lentils and place in bowl.

2. Add carrots and onion. Mash them a bit, but not too much. Add enough flour to get them to the point where they will stick together. You may also need to add a bit of water.

3. Season the mix with the spices (coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper); stir them through well. With your hands, form the lentil mix into burger shapes.

4. Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a heated pan and lay the burgers in. Leave them for about 10 minutes on the first side, flip, and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Put the burgers in an oven on low heat to keep them warm while you cook the second batch.

Savory Split Pea Soup

Savory Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

    2 cloves garlic
    1 yellow onion
    1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves
    3 stalks celery
    1 tablespoon dried parsley
     Pinch rosemary
    1 tablespoon olive oil
     Water   
    1 tablespoon vegan bouillon mix
    2 cups dry green split peas
    1 bay leaf
    Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Fresh basil makes this split pea soup an absolutely to die for dish.

1. Thinly slice the garlic, onion, basil, celery. In a deep and large pot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry the chopped vegetables on medium-high heat until softened and the onions are translucent and starting to brown.

2. Add water to your pot, filling to the top. Set the heat to high, dissolve bouillon and add the split peas, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium, cover, and wait, stirring occasionally. It will take about 1 hour or more to cook down, but patience is a virtue...especially since this soup is so good and simple. Give it a good stir with a whisk once the peas are mushy; this will make the soup creamy without making a mess with the blender.

If you like a thicker soup, let it boil down longer until the desired consistency is reached. If you like a thinner soup, feel free to add water when you notice it becoming too thick.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

These sound delish, will have to give them a try. I just love sweet potato.

Spicy Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

Ingredients
    1 large sweet potato
    1/4 cup chili powder
    1 teaspoon garlic powder
    1 tablespoon cumin
    Dash cayenne
    1 teaspoon oregano
    1/4 cup diced red onion
    1 cup cooked black beans
    1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
    1/2 cup cooked brown rice
    1/4 cup frozen corn kernels   
    3/4 cup tomato sauce
    1/4 cup canned diced green chilies
    3 cups roughly chopped kale
    6 corn tortillas
    1/4 cup diced tomato
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1) Wash sweet potato and peel, if desired. Bring large pot of water to boil. Add sweet potato, cut in large chunks, and boil until tender, about 30 minutes. When easily pierced with a fork, it's done.

2) Meanwhile, combine the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, and oregano.

3) Saute the red onion on medium-low heat in a small amount of water until soft and slightly translucent, roughly 5 to 10 minutes. Add half of the mixed spices, black beans, bell pepper, rice, corn, tomato sauce and green chilies. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Lastly, stir in the kale and heat until bright green and just wilted. Remove from heat.

4) When sweet potato is cooked, mash until smooth with the remaining half of spice mixture. Heat corn tortillas between two damp paper towels in microwave for 30 seconds.

5) Spread mashed sweet potato down the center of each tortilla. Top with the black bean and veggie mix. Roll and serve topped with diced tomato and fresh parsley.

Sticky pear & ginger cake

This is a cross between a sticky toffee pudding and a ginger cake. Serve warm with ice cream or cream as a dessert.

Ingredients

For the cake

250g stone dates , finely chopped 

300ml milk 

100g butter , plus extra for the tin 

140g ginger preserve (you'll find this with the jams) 

140g dark muscovado sugar 

3 large ripe pears

175g self-raising flour 

50g pecans nuts, reserve 10 and chop the rest 

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

2 tsp ground ginger 

½ tsp mixed spice 

2 eggs , beaten

FOR THE BRANDY SYRUP

85g light muscovado sugar 

150ml brandy

 Method

Put the chopped dates in a pan with the milk, butter, ginger preserve and dark muscovado. Heat gently until the butter has melted and the mixture starts to bubble round the edges of the pan. Stir well and set aside for 1 hr to cool.


Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the base of a buttered 23cm springform tin with baking parchment. Peel and chop the pears into large chunks. Mix the flour, chopped pecans and bicarb with the spices, then stir into the cooled date mixture with the eggs. Pour into the tin and scatter over the pears. Roughly break the reserved pecans and drop on top. Bake for 40 mins, then cover the top loosely with foil and return to the oven for 25-30 mins more until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out with just sticky crumbs - the cake may still look a little wet around the pears.


While the cake is baking, make the brandy syrup. Tip the light muscovado sugar into a pan with 50ml water and dissolve over a low heat until syrupy. Stir in the brandy and set aside. When the cake is ready, spoon over half the syrup, then leave the cake to cool before serving with extra syrup on the side.

To freeze, cool the cake in its tin, then wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost and warm through in a low oven. The syrup can be frozen separately, warmed, then drizzled over as before.

Lentil and nut roast

Ingredients

115g/ 4oz/ 1/2 cup red lentils

115g/ 4oz/ 1 cup hazelnuts

115g/ 4oz/ 1 cup walnuts

1 large carrot

2 celery sticks

1 large onion/ sliced

115g/ 4oz/ mushrooms

50g/ 2oz/ 4tbsp butter

 2tsp mild curry powder

2 tsp tomato ketchup

 2 tsp soy sauce

1 egg beaten

 2 tsp salt

4 tbsp fresh parsley/ chopped

150ml/ 1/4 pint/ 2/3 cup water

Preheat the oven to 190C/ 375F/ gas 5

Method

1 Soak the lentils for 1 hour in cold water then drain well. Grind the nuts in a food processor until quite fine but not too smooth. Set the nuts aside.

2 Chop the carrot, celery, onion, and mushrooms into small chunks, then pass them through a food processor or blender until they are quite finely chopped.

3 Fry the vegetables gently in the butter for 5 mins then stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 min.

4 Mix the lentils with the nuts, vegetables and remaining ingredients.

Grease and line the base and sides of a long 1kg/ 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper or a sheet of foil. Press the mixture into the tin.

6 Bake for about 1-1 1/4 hours until just firm, covering the top with a piece of foil if it starts to burn. Allow to stand for 15 mins before turning out onto a serving plate. It will be fairly soft when cut as it is a moist loaf.