This salad is SO delicious and a brilliant way to make the most of seasonal courgettes. It’s fresh and crunchy, with different colours, textures and flavours all drenched in the most moreish nutty sauce. Eat it as it is topped with salted peanuts, herbs and chillies for the best summer lunch. It makes a great packed lunch too.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 courgette, spiralised
1 carrot, grated
1/2 a red pepper, thinly sliced
1/8 of a red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, thinly sliced
a handful of fresh herbs (coriander and mint go well here)
a couple of handfuls of salted peanuts
For the dressing:
3 heaped tbsp of peanut butter
1 lime, juiced
1 thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
a few splashes of cold water
Method
Start by preparing the vegetables and pilling them up in a large salad bowl or in serving bowls or lunch boxes.
Make the dressing by mixing the ingredients together in a bowl or jug, loosen the dressing with small splashes of cold water and keep mixing until you get a smooth, pourable sauce.
Drizzle the sauce over the vegetables and top with chilli slices, fresh herb and salted peanuts. Enjoy right away. If you want to serve it later, keep the vegetables and dressing separate in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
When the Zero Waste Veg Box was delivered to my door I was so excited to think what I could make with all the fabulous ingredients. The chestnut mushrooms grabbed my attention first and I thought how could I make them the star of the show!! My recipe thought path went something like this: mushrooms and walnuts, walnuts and cheese, cheese and bread… stuffed mushrooms it had to be!!
When you open your veg box and take a vegetable out and touch it and smell it and imagine what works well with it, the ideas will come flooding in.
These are gorgeous chestnut mushrooms, when they roast slowly they release the juice into the bread stuffing, making them extra tasty.
While you’re roasting the stuffed mushrooms in the oven, roast the veg at the same time, its more efficient to use your oven this way.
Enjoy,
Lou 🙂
Most ingredients are from the seasonal Zero Waste Box
Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper.
Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a piece of kitchen paper.
Remove the stalks and keep them to roast with the veggies.
Make the stuffing by adding the bread, grated garlic, grated cheddar, walnuts, chopped rosemary and salt and pepper to a blender. Blend briefly until you have breadcrumbs.
Spoon the breadcrumb mix into the mushrooms.
(Tip: If there are extra breadcrumbs you can toasted it in the oven for 10 minutes and use it to sprinkle over the roast veggies.)
Add all the stuffed mushrooms to the tray.
Cover in tinfoil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.
After 30 minutes take the foil off and bake for a further 10-20 minutes to crisp up the top of the mushrooms. Alternatively put them under the grill for a few minutes.
To make the roast veggies:
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
While the mushrooms are roasting- chop the red pepper, yellow pepper and onion into chunks add the cherry tomatoes whole.
Add all to a mixing bowl along with a pinch of salt and pepper, a couple of sprigs of rosemary (or a pinch of dried herbs) and a drizzle of oil.
Pour the chopped veg onto the baking tray and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180℃.
To make the saute Kale:
Put a large pot of water on to boil.
Pick the kale from its stalks, and chop into bite sized pieces, add to a bowl.
Finely slice the stalks too and add to the bowl with the kale leaves.
When the water is boiling add all the kale and stalks, if it doesn’t all fit do it in batches.
Blanche for 2-3 minutes to soften.
Drain through a colander and keep in a bowl until needed. This will keep in the fridge in a closed container for a couple of days.
When ready to sauté, warm a frying pan on a medium heat.
Add a knob of butter and a handful of kale, add a small pinch of salt and pepper and heat through.
To serve:
Add the warm stuffed mushrooms, roasted veg and sauté kale to a plate. And enjoy!!!
One of our favourite summer dishes, we love this with pasta or bread and a big bowl of salad. For the filling, use any soft cheese you prefer, mixed with fresh herbs or a big scoop of pesto. We usually use our homemade tofu ricotta (here’s the recipe) but a mix of cream cheese and feta is delicious too. Make your own tomato sauce or use a jar of ready made.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 courgette
1 batch of tomato sauce (from a jar or sauté a diced onion and 4 crushed garlic cloves in 3 tbsp olive oil until soft, add a tin of chopped tomatoes and half a tin of water, season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes)
400g soft cheese (use any you prefer, a mix of feta and cream cheese or vegan versions, we like to use our homemade garlic and herb ricotta)
a large handful of chopped herbs or a couple of tbsp of pesto
olive oil, salt & pepper to taste
Method
Make the tomato sauce and pour it into an oven proof dish. Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Make a batch of garlic and herb tofu ricotta or mix any soft cheese you prefer with chopped herbs or pesto.
Use a potato peeler or a cheese slicer to cut the courgette into long, thin strips.
Place a heaped tsp of the herby cheese mixture on the end of a courgette slice. Then roll it up and place it, seam down, into the tomato sauce. Repeat until you have filled the dish or used up all the courgette slices.
Drizzle the rolls with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until bubbling and golden – around 15 to 20 minutes.
One pot pasta dishes are our favourites! Not just because of less washing up, but also because when you create a sauce in the pasta’s starchy cooking water, it is so luscious, silky and rich.
We have loads of amazing broccoli here on the farm now, we love it so much that we use half a head per person in this recipe (based on the traditional Italian broccoli orecchiette). The broccoli is deliberately cooked for longer than we would usually cook it, until it collapses into the sauce. We use a big dollop of miso (in place of anchovies) for complex depth of flavour and loads of gorgeous garlic and lemon to make this simple dish sing. Give this recipe a try for your next pasta night.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling on the bowls)
6 fat garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
2 heads of broccoli, finely chopped – stalks included
1 tbsp miso paste
the zest and 1/2 the juice of a lemon
400g pasta (any small shape you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste
chilli flakes and grated cheese to serve
Method
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the garlic and finely chopped broccoli stalks in the oil until very fragrant and starting to soften – about 5 minutes or so.
Season with salt, pepper, miso and lemon zest and then add the dried pasta and broccoli florets.
Just cover with water, give the pasta a stir and put the lid on the pot to help the water come quickly to a boil.
Once boiling, remove the lid and stir to ensure no pasta is sticking to the bottom. Cook until the pasta is soft. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with more salt and pepper and the lemon juice.
Let the pasta sit off the heat and rest a few minutes before serving. This will allow the sauce to thicken into the perfect texture. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of cheese and chilli flakes. Enjoy!
This cake has wholesome organic oats, eggs, fruit, yoghurt topped with more oats, seeds and coconut – there’s a bit of sugar for good measure but perfect for a breakfast treat!
Its an easy one to put together, no fancy equipment needed just a mixing bowl, a jug and a couple of baking trays. You could bake the streusel on top of the cake but we prefer it separate and sprinkled on top of the yoghurt.
You can pick up most of the gorgeous organic ingredients in eco packaging in our online shop, see links below.
It makes 9 generous portions, make cake for breakfast.
Optional – topping 2 medium bananas sliced lengthways (Warning they will go brown in time, if you’re not keen on brown bananas leave them off.)
Method:
-Preheat your oven to 180°C.
For the granola streusel:
Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and work the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers. Make sure there are no big lumps of butter.
Layer onto the baking tray and bake for 15 minutes. The streusel will look like a giant cookie, let it cool and then break up into pieces and put it into a bowl for later.
For the cake:
Line a 9×9 inch square tin with parchment paper.
Measure all the dry ingredients.
Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
Add in the oats and give everything a good mix.
Add a small bit of flour to the blueberries and toss to coat.
Add the blueberries to the mixing bowl and gently fold in.
Add all the wet ingredients to a jug, the oil, yoghurt and eggs, mix well with a fork.
Pour the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix until the flour is worked in, don’t over mix, some lumps are ok.
Pour into the square baking tray, top with sliced banana if using.
Bake for 25-30 mins. Check it’s cooked with a cocktail stick, if it comes out clean it’s done.
Allow to cool completely, then slice into 9 squares.
To seve:
Top a nice square slice of cake with organic yoghurt and top with a generous sprinkle of granola streusel.
Saag aloo is one of our favourite Indian side dishes. Make it a meal and serve it with rice, dal and a chickpea curry. Maybe a raita too using our Galway grown cucumbers and some natural yoghurt? Irish new potatoes are the best and in season now. Combined with our farm chard and/or kale in place of the traditional spinach, this recipe is a great way to make the most of our local, seasonal produce. The method is simple and the results are so delicious!
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
500g new potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely sliced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
1 thumb of fresh ginger, diced
1 tbsp brown mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
a large bunch of kale or chard (or a combination), stalks separated and finely chopped, leaves finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Turn the oven on to 200C. Place the potatoes in a roasting dish and drizzle with 2 tbsp oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the curry powder. Stir to evenly coat the potatoes in the oil and seasoning and roast until the potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile wash and prepare the greens. Separate the tougher (but perfectly edible) stalks from your chard/kale. Finely slice the stalks and put in a bowl. Finely slice the tender greens and put in another bowl.
Slice the onion and sauté with the remaining tbsp of oil in a large pot with the whole spices, salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is golden and soft and the whole spices are fragrant and toasted.
Then add the sliced stalks, garlic and ginger and sauté for 3 minutes or until softened. Then add the tender greens and wilt down stirring constantly until dark green and soft. You may need to add a small splash of water to help wilt the greens.
When the potatoes are cooked through, stir through the wilted greens and serve.
If you like gazpacho, you’ll love this simpler version of chilled tomato soup. It is so quick and easy to make and perfectly balanced with a creamy texture and refreshing sweet and tangy tomato flavour. Traditionally it is served topped with chopped boiled egg and jamón slices but we love it with cumin and smoked paprika chickpeas. This soup is only as good as the quality of the ingredients, so use ripe tomatoes, really good olive oil and for the best flavour, sourdough bread.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the soup:
500g tomatoes (any fresh, ripe tomatoes)
1 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
1 clove of garlic
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 slices of stale sourdough bread
salt and pepper to taste
For the chickpeas:
1/2 a tin of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
salt & pepper to taste
Method
Put the soup ingredients into a strong blender and blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt, pepper or vinegar.
Pour into a jar or jug and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
Meanwhile fry the chickpeas in a hot frying pan with the oil and spices until they start to pop. Tumble into a bowl and keep in the fridge to serve with the soup later.
Divide into 4 bowls and top with the spiced chickpeas. The soup will keep fresh in the fridge for 3 days.
Phew it’s been hot! Anyone else overdosing on ice cream? We have started making our own, healthier ice lollies as we are getting through so many and we are trying to avoid the packaging and intense sugar levels of shop bought ones. Here are our two currant favourite flavours. We would love you to share your favourite flavours in the comments please. Always looking for inspiration. Apart from simply freezing our favourite smoothies, we are thinking of doing some more ’grown up’ ones too involving coffee… and maybe a gin, tonic, cucumber & mint one?
We invested in a silicon ice lolly mould this year, but in the past have used saved yoghurt tubs and water cups. You can buy lolly sticks in craft shops or use wooden takeaway cutlery. Any other ice lolly hacks are very welcome! Don’t forget to stock up on our wide range of organic fruits, they’re the perfect healthy sweet and refreshing treat.
Liz x
Watermelon Ice Lollies
watermelon
kiwi
Method:
Slice a mini watermelon and remove the pips and rind. Blend then pour into ice lolly moulds leaving a couple of cm space. Freeze for 30 minutes then insert a stick.
Halve kiwis and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Blend then carefully top the watermelon moulds to imitate the green part of the watermelon and freeze until solid (at least 4 hours).
Remove the lollies from their moulds and store in the freezer in a large plastic box. For best flavour, eat within a couple of weeks.
Yoghurt, Maple & Blueberry Ice Lollies
natural yoghurt, any one you like
maple syrup to taste
blueberries – fresh or frozen
Method:
Mix maple syrup into yoghurt to sweeten to your taste. Then pour into ice lolly moulds halfway up.
Add a tbsp or so of blueberries then top up with more sweetened yoghurt.
Insert the lolly sticks and freeze until solid. Enjoy!
Thank you so much to everybody who responded last week to our plea it made a tremendous difference and whilst we won’t ask again, every order you make during the summer makes a massive difference and keeps us going!
I will never forget when myself Jenny and my dad put up our first polytunnel back in 2005. It was a milestone and like a dream come though, I will never forget it.
We were so proud of ourselves, that was our first season growing food and we tried it all. We were so enthusiastic, we wanted all the plants in that little tunnel, aubergines, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. If truth be known there was very little harvest from that tunnel in the first year. We had plants but little enough of the fruits of our labour! Nevertheless, this did not discourage us in any way.
We were on a journey we had closed the door on a different chapter of our lives, lives lived far from the land and with little connection with our food. Certainly, there was always a burning deep desire to do the right thing by the environment and this our mad chance to embrace that vision.
It was two years later in 2007 that our first child was born and that was a momentous occasion. I do remember many things from that day, but one that I am sure most people do not experience on the birth of their first child was the doorbell ringing (We had a home birth) and a guy that was fixing a fridge on our van wondering if he could talk to me about a problem he was having. I think the noise in the back round ended that conversation swiftly.
Then we watched Hannah grow and at the age of two she was able to go and pick her own tomatoes and cucumbers from the polytunnel. When Ella came along it was clear she was going to be our earth child and she spent more time in those polytunnels than anybody else, I am surprised we had any tomatoes left to harvest for you, our customers.
In hindsight remembering those moments and appreciating them seems like it was a perfect and ideal life. There was of course plenty of smiles but there was all the other stuff too. We were guilty of having no time, no money, and no energy, it was truly exhausting, starting a farm, a business and a family at the same time. I would recommend that if you are embarking on this journey that you spread those events out a little!
But we got through. The days when we have had schools on our farm, and you see the amazed face of a child when they pull a carrot from the ground it makes you remember what is important
The journey has certainly left its scars, but it has also allowed a deeper appreciation of what we have, how lucky we are. If nothing else seeing the respect Ella, Joe and Hannah have for the environment is something that I am proud of. If we achieve nothing else on this journey, we will have achieved something positive.
Our job here is to spread a message that nature and our land are beautiful and precious, and all living things are to be respected. We as a business, a farm and individuals really do have an obligation to take care with our actions.
It is on us all, of course we can all point the finger but what good does that do? We need to take responsibility for our actions and do the right thing, is that easy? Absolutely not. Is it necessary? Completely. Therein I believe lies our greatest hope for our children and all that we share this land with.
Have a fantastic and amazing week and thank you for your continued support.
This is our new favourite way to serve barbecued vegetables right now. It’s quick and simple but so so delicious! Serve as a meal in it’s own right or as a side to your usual barbecued things and salads.
Did you know that we stock organic cous cous (and many more dry goods) in clever compostable bags? When you empty your cous cous into a storage jar, pop the bag into your home compost or your council compost bin and it will break down in 12 weeks. We have loads more than just fruit and vegetables on our website for you, and we deliver to every address in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and find shade over this heatwave lovely people!
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 6)
For the cous cous:
1 mug of cous cous
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tsp each: salt, pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic granules (or season to your own taste)
the juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 & 1/4 mugs boiling water
For the barbecued vegetables:
1 courgette
2 red peppers
2 onions
1 fresh chilli
10 cherry tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Light the barbecue and prepare the vegetables for grilling. Cut the courgette into large chunks and the peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. Cut the onions in half and remove the skin. Keep the tomatoes and chilli whole. Place the vegetables in a bowl, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Keep aside in the bowl until the barbecue coals are ready.
Meanwhile prepare the cous cous. Measure the cous cous into a large, heat proof salad bowl. Add the chickpeas, seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil. Add the just-boiled water and stir to combine then place a large plate over the bowl and let the cous cous absorb the water for 5 minutes.
Remove the plate and fluff up the cous cous with a fork. The barbecue coals should be ready to get grilling now.
Cook the vegetables on the barbecue until they are beautifully blackened and soft. As they become ready, use tongs and place them back into the bowl. When they are all cooked through, smokey and delicious, tip onto a large chopping board and chop into bite sized pieces. Scrape the barbecued vegetables, along with all their juices into the bowl of cous cous and stir.
Serve with salad and sauces or with your other usual barbecue items. Enjoy!
