Cauliflower Schnitzel Tray Bake

by Liz Child

There is nothing more satisfying and healthy than a big plate of local, seasonal vegetables. This dish is so simple to put together, and it’s faff-free, all being baked on one tray. So perfect for a mid-week meal. The crunchy, breaded cauliflower brings delicious texture to the plate (we recommend doing the same technique with butternut squash slices too) and the creamy garlic and herb dip makes every mouthful delectable! Hope you enjoy it!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the cauliflower schnitzel:

  • 2 large slices from the middle of a cauliflower (pop the rest of the cauliflower back in the fridge to use in another recipe)
  • around 8 tbsp natural yoghurt
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • around 8 tbsp bread crumbs

Vegetables for the tray:

  • 4 medium potatoes
  • 2 parsnips
  • 2 carrots
  • 10 brussels sprouts
  • olive oil, salt & pepper to taste

For the garlic & herb dip:

  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 100ml water
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • a large handful of chopped herbs eg chives, parsley, sage, rosemary
  • salt & pepper to taste

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and get your steamer set up. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Cut your cauliflower into two thick steaks and pop them into the steamer for 8 minutes or until just tender.
  2. Meanwhile prepare two wide bowls, one with the natural yoghurt and one with the breadcumbs. Season the yoghurt with salt and pepper and mix well. When your cauliflower steaks are tender, drench them first in the yoghurt, then in the breadcrumbs, turning over a few times until nicely coated. Place the breaded cauliflower steaks on the baking tray.
  3. Cut your potatoes, parsnips and carrots and arrange on the tray alongside the cauliflower schnitzels. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper then place in the oven to bake for around 30 minutes. You can carefully turn everything after 15 minutes to ensure an even bake.
  4. Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting off the base and slicing them in half. Toss in a small bowl with a little oil and seasoning, these can be added to the tray for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  5. Prepare the garlic and herb dipping sauce. In a strong, small blender, blend the cashews, water, garlic & vinegar until completely smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then stir into a bowl with the chopped herbs.
  6. When the schnitzels and vegetables are cooked through and golden brown, divide between two plates and add a generous side of the dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Veggie Sausage Stuffing

by Lou Robbie

The festive meal at this time of year is all about the added extras!! Bread stuffing is a traditional side and a great one to experiment with. Veggie sausages are packed full of flavour and work perfectly in a bread stuffing. It’s easy to add in some seasonal ingredients like chestnuts and nuts to give it that Christmasy feel.

Tip don’t over mix the ingredients, its nice to have the texture of the nuts and seeds in the stuffing. Bake as a loaf or roll into balls.

Serve with your favourite veggie main meal. Here we have a spiced lentil stuffed squash with feta and pomegranate and a side of cranberry sauce, yum.

We hope you give it a try this festive season.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: makes 10 portions -2 small loaves or make one one big tray

  • 6 good quality veggie sausages– chopped
  • 6 slices of stale bread bread (350g approx)
  • 100ml milk (dairy or non dairy)
  • 2 onions – finely diced
  • 50g butter (dairy or non dairy)
  • 100g cooked chestnuts
  • 50g walnuts
  • 30g pumpkin seeds plus extra to decorate, optional
  • 2 teaspoons dried herbs

Method

  1. Line 2 loaf tins with paper liners. Or bake one big one in an 9in x 9in square tin.
  2. Preheat the oven 180C.
  3. Tear up the bread and place it in a bowl. Pour the milk over it and leave to soak for a few minutes.
  4. Add the butter and finely diced onion to a frying pan. Sauté on low until the onion is soft.
  5. Add the soaked bread, chopped sausages, cooked onion, chestnuts, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and dried herbs to a food processor. Pulse to combine for a few seconds at a time.
  6. Spoon the mix into the loaf tins. Decorate with pumpkin seeds on top. Wrap, label and freeze one for another time if you wish.
  7. Bake the other one for 20 minutes, check that its piping hot all the way through.
  8. Slice and serve with your veggie main course.

Crushed, Roasted Potatoes & Sprouts

by Liz Child

Looking for some fantastic festive nibbles for your next seasonal soirée? These smashed and roasted potatoes and sprouts are incredible! Taking the time to squash, dress and roast your boiled/steamed veg is really worth it. This process creates gorgeous craggy edges which turn into crispy deliciousness in the oven! Perfect with a nutty romesco dipping sauce or any dip you fancy. Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients

For the potatoes and sprouts:

  • 1 kg potatoes, steamed/boiled until fork-tender
  • 500g brussels sprouts, steamed/boiled until tender
  • 5 tbsp oil (I used golden rapeseed oil)
  • the zest of an orange
  • 4 crushed cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp fine salt

For the romesco dipping sauce:

  • 100g almonds, roasted
  • 2 roasted and skinned red peppers (from a jar is perfect)
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp fine salt
  • 1 small garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 tbsp vinegar (apple cider, red wine or sherry vinegars all work well here)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200C and prepare the vegetables. (Boil or steam the potatoes and sprouts until they are fork soft, roast the almonds in the oven for 5 minutes, roast the peppers or use pre-roasted from a jar, prepare the dressing ingredients…)
  2. Spread the sprouts and potatoes onto a large, lined baking tray and squash them gently with the base of a glass.
  3. Mix the dressing ingredients and drizzle/brush over it all over the squished vegetables. Then place the tray in the oven to bake until golden and crispy (around 30 minutes).
  4. Meanwhile blend the romesco dipping sauce ingredients together until smooth. Serve the crisped up vegetables on a large platter with the sauce in a ramekin – fab festive finger food! Any left over sauce makes a great pasta or pizza sauce or can be frozen to use another time.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

by Lou Robbie

The things we do for the people we love! My husband loves a sticky toffee pudding because it is as it claims with the addition of Super Sweet at the beginning!

A dip in the temperature has prompted warm comforting food at home. Serve your sticky pudding warm with cold ice cream on top and drizzle over the warm toffee sauce.

This recipe makes 8 portions so I decided to divide the batter and make 2 puddings. One for November and one for December. Something to look forward to.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients – makes 1 large pudding to serve 8 or 2 smaller puddings serving 4 each

For the toffee sauce

  • 250ml double cream
  • 100g butter
  • 200g light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon black treacle

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 170C. To make one big pudding grease a 1.2 litre ovenproof dish if making 2 puddings grease two 1 litre ovenproof dishes.
  2. Chop the dates and put them into a mixing bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and cover with the boiling water. Set to one side for 15 minutes while you make the batter.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl add the butter and sugar, use an electric mixer or wooden spoon to mix until light and creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the black treacle.
  4. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and gently fold into the batter. Then mix through the milk.
  5. Check on the dates, mash them with a fork then pour the dates and liquid into the cake batter, stir in to combine. Spoon into the prepared dish or dishes.
  6. The big pudding will cook for approximately 45-50 minutes. The smaller puddings will cook in 25-30 minutes.
  7. While the pudding cooks make the toffee sauce. Put the sugar, butter and half the cream in on a low heat in a heavy bottom pot. Stir to dissolve the sugar, this will take about 5 minutes.
  8. When the sugar has dissolved add in the black treacle and turn up the heat to a bubble. Let it bubble for 2-3 minutes.
  9. Take off the heat and stir in the rest of the cream. You should have a nice brown toffee sauce. Transfer into a pouring jug.
  10. When the pudding comes out of the oven, let it cool for 10 minutes then poke it with a skewer and pour over some of the toffee sauce (half the sauce if making a big pudding and quarter each if making 2 smaller puddings)
  11. Serve the pudding warm with ice cream and warm toffee sauce.
  12. You can cover and freeze the second pudding. Just defrost in the fridge overnight, warm through in the oven and serve as above.

Celeriac Soup with Smokey Mushrooms

by Liz Child

Our large, knobbly celeriac are finally back in season, perfect for all your winter soups and stews. If you haven’t tried celeriac before, it is a delicious and versatile vegetable which tastes like a cross between celery, parsnip and potato. As well and soups and stews, it is stunning raw in creamy salads like remoulade. You can also roast it or bake it in a gratin. We love pairing it’s sweet, herby, mild flavour with something strong flavoured like capers or these salty, smokey mushrooms. Give it a try and do share your favourite celeriac recipes in the comments, we are always looking for inspiration.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the soup:

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 white onion, peeled & diced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled & sliced
  • 3 sticks of celery, sliced
  • 1 celeriac, peeled & cubed
  • 1 stock cube or 1 tbsp bouillion powder
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the smokey mushrooms:

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms, thinly sliced

Method

  1. Put a kettle on to boil with 1 liter of water. Then, in a large soup pot, sauté the onion, garlic, celery and celeriac with the oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. After 5 minutes the vegetables should be slightly softened.
  2. Add the thyme, crumble in the stock cube and pour in the freshly boiled water. Give the pot a stir then get the lid on and simmer the soup for 15 minutes or so until the celeriac is soft enough to blend.
  3. Meanwhile, mix together the maple, soy, oil, garlic, pepper and smoked paprika in a bowl. Tumble in the sliced mushrooms and mix well to coat each slice in the marinade. Scrape the mushrooms into a large frying pan and stir fry until hot and beautifully browned.
  4. Blend the soup and taste for seasoning. Add more salt or pepper as needed then serve in bowls topped with the smokey mushrooms. Enjoy.

Carrot Cake with Orange Frosting

by Lou Robbie

Classic carrot cake is hard to beat. Its spiced and moist and works so well with the cream cheese frosting. No one minds that theres a couple of carrots in there. It’s the acceptable vegetable cake.

Set a few carrots aside this week to make this cake the perfect partner with a pot of tea and a good old chat.

Tip: I like to soak the raisins in tea first to plump them up, it really makes a difference to the finished cake.

Lou 🙂

  • 75g raisins and 1 teabag
  • 225g plain flour
  • 125g castor sugar
  • 115g dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice or ground nutmeg/ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 200g grated carrot
  • 1 orange – zest only
  • 3 eggs
  • 100ml light flavoured oil (sunflower or vegetable)
  • (I have chosen not to add walnuts to my cake but add 75g of chopped walnuts if you wish)
  • For the frosting:
  • 225g icing sugar
  • 75g cream cheese – chilled
  • 1 orange- zest and 2 teaspoons of juice
  • 100g walnuts

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 160C.
  2. Prepare a 9inch loose bottomed cake tin with a light coating of oil and line with parchment paper.
  3. Add the raisins to a bowl with the teabag, cover with boiling water and infuse for 30 minutes then strain and discard the teabag.
  4. To a mixing bowl sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, both spices, white sugar.
  5. Mix in the brown sugar, grated carrot, raisins and orange zest (and chopped walnuts if using) give everything a really good mix.
  6. Measure the oil and eggs into a jug, whisk well.
  7. Add the oil and eggs into the mixing bowl, and stir until combined.
  8. Pour the cake mix into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
  9. Cool completely before adding the frosting.
  10. For the frosting: Toast the walnuts in the oven for 10 minutes at 160C, keep a close eye on them, cool completely.
  11. Add the icing sugar and cream cheese to a bowl. Use an electric hand beater to blend until really smooth. Fold in the orange zest and orange juice.
  12. Smooth onto the top of the cake. Scatter walnuts on top and serve with tea.

One Pot Tomato & Chickpea Spaghetti

by Liz Child


This beautiful budget meal saves you time, money, water and washing up! It’s a regular weeknight supper for us and is popular with the whole family. As the pasta cooks with all the ingredients and absorbs most of the water, it releases starch and creates a gorgeous, silky sauce. This recipe is fuss free too, all you need to do is give it stir every few minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick, it’s so simple and honestly, so delicious! We have a really nice delivery of organic tomatoes from Holland in at the moment as our Irish ones are out of season.

You’ll need a wide, deep pan with a lid. A big stock pot would work too or even a wok. Something that your pasta can lay flat in.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 400g spaghetti
  • 4 medium/large tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 liter freshly boiled water
  • optional chilli flakes, cheese or capers to serve

Method

  1. Gather and prepare all your ingredients and put a kettle on to boil with 1 liter of water.
  2. Place all the ingredients into the pan and pour over the freshly boiled water. Give the pan a stir with some tongs, then put the lid on and turn the heat up to high.
  3. As soon as the water comes back to boiling, remove the lid and stir again to loosen any bits of pasta trying to stick to the bottom.
  4. Replace the lid and after 2 minutes, stir again and replace the lid.
  5. Repeat step 4, twice. Now you should have cooked your pasta for around 7 to 8 minutes. Turn the heat off but leave the lid on for 5 minutes to allow it to finish cooking in the residual heat and the sauce to thicken up.
  6. Taste and add more salt or pepper if you need, I also like another drizzle of good olive oil. Serve in bowls with the topping of your choice. A sprinkle of chilli flakes, some salty capers or a generous grating of hard cheese perhaps? Enjoy!

Apple & Oat Crumble

by Lou Robbie

It’s November the clocks have gone back the dark nights are drawing in quickly it’s time for warming comforting sweet puddings. Theres none more satisfying that a warm bowl of apple crumble and custard.

I remember making apple crumble in home economics, a long time ago. It’s a lovely pudding to make because you can make mostly by using your hands, to clean and cut the apples and to rub the butter into the flour and oat topping. There is something very nostalgic and timeless about it. I made it with my daughter this week its a lovely one to teach your kids.

We had a surplus of ruby red Irish eating apples so thats what we used and it turned out perfectly. Serve it with fresh cream, ice cream or our favourite, warm custard. Homemade is best but shop bought custard will also do the trick.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1kg apples – we used eating apples –
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar to sweeten
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 60g porridge oats
  • 100g plain flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 75g butter at room temp
  • 100g brown sugar

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven 200C.
  2. Have a shallow roasting dish at hand.
  3. Wash and dry the apples.
  4. Cut them into quarters and cut out the core.
  5. Cut the quarters in half.
  6. Add the apple pieces to a pot with the 2 tablespoons of water, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  7. Cook on a low heat with the lid on to soften the fruit. This can cake from 15-30 mins, gently stir a couple of times.
  8. Meanwhile make the oat topping.
  9. Add the butter, flour, oats and cinnamon to a mixing bowl and rub the butter in using your finger tips.
  10. When the fruit has softened tip it into the dish and sprinkle on the oat topping.
  11. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. The top should be golden brown and crunchy.
  12. Serve warm with cream, ice cream or custard.

Feta & Lentil Stuffed Beetroot

by Lou Robbie

Growing up we always had baked and filled potatoes or mushrooms but never beetroot. In fact beetroot in our house usually came pickled in a jar. Beetroot usually gets the job as side veg but here it’s the star of the show.

Beetroots are an all year round veg, hearty and filling and full of goodness. If you get nice big beetroots in your box why not give this recipe a go. It’s sweet from the beets and salty from the feta and toasty from the spices. topped with crunchy walnuts its a complete meal.

Enjoy,

Lou 🙂

Serves 4 as a main

  • 4 large raw beetroot– leave the skin on 
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped 
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes 
  • Small pinch salt & pepper
  • 400g tin puy lentils- rinsed and drained 
  • 100g feta cheese crumbled 
  • Zest ½ lemon 
  • 50g chopped walnuts
  1. Wash the whole beetroots and slice in half. 
  2. Roast or steam the beetroot and cook until it pierces easily with a knife. 
  3. Preheat your oven to 180C.
  4. In the meantime make the lentil filling. 
  5. Warm a frying pan on medium heat, add the oil, diced onions and garlic and sauté until soft – 5-10 minutes. 
  6. Add paprika, cumin, chilli, salt and pepper, cook for a few minutes. 
  7. Add the drained and rinsed tinned lentils and cook on a low heat for a further 10 minutes. 
  8. With a spoon scoop out the centre of the beetroot, dice it and add it to the lentil mix. 
  9. Fold through half the crumbled feta and lemon zest. Check the seasoning add more salt or pepper if needed. 
  10. Fill the beetroot shells with the lentil filling, top with more feta and some walnuts- there may be some filling left over.
  11. You can bake, grill or air fry the stuffed beetroot to finish it. Make sure its hot in the middle and the walnuts and feta are toasted on top. 
  12. Serve with your favourite sauce and greens on the side. 
  13. Serve one half as a starter or 2 halves as a main. 

PB Fudge

by Lou Robbie

Sometimes you need that quick fix to get you through the mid morning or afternoon slump!! This peanut butter fudge is the fix you need. No bake, 5 ingredients and flavours that were made for each other.

They keep perfectly in the fridge or freezer. Keep them in bite sized pieces for easy eating. The best part is that all the fabulous ingredients are available in groceries #organicingredients

Let us know if you try them,

Lou 🙂

Ingredients

Method

  1. The method could not be easier. 
  2. Make some space in your freezer- or you can let it set in the fridge.
  3. Line a small square baking tin with parchment paper 8x8inc or similar.
  4. Melt the coconut in the microwave or in a small pot. 
  5. Mix in the peanut butter, desiccated coconut, honey and half the dark chocolate. 
  6. Pour the mix into the tin and shake it lightly to get into the corners. 
  7. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate on top. 
  8. Carefully place in the freezer to set- or the fridge. 
  9. When completely set chop into bite sized pieces.