Month: July 2017

Ingredients

• 4 small acorn squash, tops sliced off (you could also use marrow, peppers or scooped out courgette halves but adjust cooking times appropriately)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tsp. ground cumin
• 1 Tsp. ground coriander
• 2 green chillies, chopped and deseeded
• 185g cooked quinoa
• 1 can black eyed beans, drained and rinsed
• Bunch of spring onions, chopped
• Tbsp. cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• 2 avocados, diced (after preparing, squeeze a little lime juice over to prevent discolouring)
• a few squeezes of lime
• salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200oC/180oC fan/Gas 4
2. Cut top off the acorn squash and scoop out the insides. Reserve the lids for serving
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
4. Roast cut side up for for about 35-50 minutes or until your squash is tender in the middle and browned around the edges. (The timing will depend on your squash size - keep an eye on them and maybe turn them over if taking a while?)
5. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat
6. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and pepper
7. Cook the onion until translucent
8. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and stir.
9. Add the green chillies and stir again, then add the quinoa, black beans, spring onions, pumpkin seeds, a squeeze of lime and a more salt and pepper to taste.
10. Remove pan from the heat, then stir in the diced avocado
11. Taste and adjust seasonings
12. Scoop the filling into the acorn squashes halve

Notes

http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/07/31/recipe-avocado-stuffed-acorn-squash/

Ingredients

• For the caramel…
• 8 medjool dates deseeded
• 60ml almond milk 60ml
• 1 Tbsp. almond or peanut butter
• 95g salted peanuts
• For the nougat…
• 115g almond or peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp. coconut flour
• 4 Tbsp. agave or golden syrup
• 150g dark chocolate (suitable for vegans)

Instructions

1. To make the caramel, combine the medjool dates, almond milk and nut butter in a blender until smooth
2. Add the salted peanuts to the caramel and mix together with a spoon (if you prefer a smoother caramel - blend all four ingredients together)
3. To make the nougat, combine the coconut flour, syrup and the remaining nut butter in a small bowl until the mixture reaches an even consistency
4. Line a small tin with baking/greasproof paper and add the caramel mix. Level the caramel with the back of a metal spoon until smooth
5. Use the nougat mixture to top the caramel and level
6. Place tin in freezer for two hours
7. Take out the tin from the freezer and remove filling by pulling the baking/greasproof paper
8. Slice the filling evenly into bars. the mixture is quite soft so I recommend Milky Way size bars
9. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of water
10. Once the chocolate has melted, use a metal fork and spoon to coat the bars, using the sides of the paper to catch drips and then lift to coat the sides with the excess chocolate
11. Leave to cool on a cooling rack until the chocolate is firm before eating

Notes

http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/07/29/recipe-vegan-snickers-bars/

Ingredients

• 2 raw beetroot, I used a red and a golden fresh from the garden!, peeled and chopped into thin batons (think chunky matchsticks)
• 1 Tbsp.. cold-pressed rapeseed oil
• 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
• 2 Tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 Tsp. mustard seeds
• 300g basmati rice
• 500ml vegetable bouillon
• 400ml tin of coconut milk
• 100g fresh spinach, shredded (plus more to serve if wished)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lime wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and saute for 8 minutes
2. Add the seeds and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring now and then
3. Add the rice and coat in the oil, cook for 2 minutes
4. Add the stock and milk, bring to the boil
5. Reduce heat and add the beetroot, simmer for 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender,
6. Add the shredded spinach, stir through for about a minute until wilted
7. Check the seasoning, serve with spinach garnish and pepper as required

http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/07/29/recipe-barbie-beetroot-rice/

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. rapeseed oil
• 4 small onions, peeled and chopped
• Sea salt
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1.5ml vegetable bouillon
• 75g green lentils (or any other sort you have handy)
• A colander full of Summer kale (I used a beautiful purple tipped variety), tough stem removed and leaves shredded in a food processor

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan
2. Add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until softened, add salt to taste
3. Add the carrots, vinegar, bouillon and lentils, simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are soft
4. Use a stick blender to half blend the soup leaving a bit of texture
5. Add the shredded kale and heat through.
6. You can blend again for a smoother texture or leave chunkier

Notes

http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/07/26/recipe-summer-kale-soup/

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. Harissa paste
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. Olive or cold pressed rapeseed oil
• 2 aubergines, diced
• 1 red, yellow and orange pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 400g chickpeas
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 350ml vegetable bouillon
• 275g quinoa
• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• To Garnish:
• Hoummous (Or Greek yoghurt)
• Flat leaf parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220oC/400oF/Gas 6
2. Mix the harissa paste, 2 Tbsp. of the oil and the vinegar together
3. Spread the chopped aubergine and peppers over two baking trays, drizzle with the harissa mixture and use your hands to coat
4. Place into oven for 40 minutes or until well browned
5. Meanwhile, heat the chickpeas in their liquid in a pan
6. Tip into a bowl and set aside
7. Heat the remaining Tbsp. of oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until soft
8. Drain the chickpeas and add to the pan with the onion
9. Pour over the bouillon and bring to the boil
10. Add the quinoa (adjust the stock quantity if necessary according the the quinoa packet instructions)
11. It should take around 15 mins to cook and absorb most of the liquid
12. Once cooked, remove from the heat, add the spinach and stir to wilt
13. To serve, pile the quinoa mixture onto the plate, top with the spicy roasted vegetables and hoummus (Greek yoghurt if preferred for non vegans) and sprinkle over the parsley

http://www.thisisnotadiet.uk/2017/07/09/recipe-harissa-roasted-vegetables-with-spinach-and-chickpea-quinoa/