This dish is stunning and tastes absolutely delicious!! It would make an fabulous centrepiece for any meal.
It all begins with lovingly grown sustainable ingredients like this beautiful organic cauliflower as well as the carrots, garlic and leeks. Add some earthy umami flavours finish with mint for freshness and lime for zing – magic!
White miso and tahini paste rub 2 tbsp white miso paste 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil 3 tbsp light tahini 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey 2 tbsp light soy sauce
For the lentils 2 leeks chopped 2 carrots finely chopped 2 tbsp olive oil 4 cloves garlic sliced 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tin puy lentils, 240g drained
500ml litre veg stock 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/2 tbsp soy sauce a hand full chopped baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Toppings– highly recommended to finish the dish. Fresh mint, chopped Fresh lime wedges
Method: Bake the cauliflower in the oven or the air fryer.
Step 1: If using the oven preheat to 180ºC. To cook the cauliflower; remove the leaves – use them for a chopped salad. Make a cross in the stalk. Boil in a pot of lightly salted water for 7 minutes until just soft. Remove from the water, pat dry with a towel and place on a baking tray. Mix all the miso paste ingredients together and coat the cauliflower. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. or Air fry @ 160ºC for 10-15 minutes. Ready when its nice and brown all over.
Step 2: To make the lentils; warm a wide pan on a medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil and the leeks and cook for a few minutes, add the carrots, garlic, paprika, small pinch of salt. Pour in the stock and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the drained lentils, simmer
To serve; Top the lentils with the whole cauliflower, chopped mint and squeeze over the fresh lime.
This one-pot dish is sure to be your next family favourite. Fragrant with sweet and warm Persian spices, each bite is nourishing, cosy and so delicious! We hope you love this new way of eating our parsnips as much as we do. A mixture of rice and lentils makes this dish hearty and filling, and the parsnips, raisins, onions, parsley and pumpkin seeds all work together to make sure every bite is heaven with the different flavours and textures. It is gorgeous as it is or with yogurt and salad.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4-6 depending on sides)
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
500g parsnips, scrubbed, trimmed and cut into bites
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
salt and pepper to taste
250g rice, rinsed
250g red/green lentils, rinsed
a handful of raisins (or any dried fruit you like)
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom seeds
the zest of a large lemon
1250ml vegetable stock
chopped parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds to finish
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200C and find a large casserole dish with a lid.
Tumble in the chopped onion and parsnips, drizzle over the oil and season with salt, pepper and the cumin seeds. Mix well and bake until the parsnips are soft – around 15 minutes.
Meanwhile rinse the rice and lentils thoroughly, make vegetable stock (we stirred 2 tbsp bouillon powder into 1250ml just-boiled water) and gather the rest of the ingredients.
Stir the rice, lentils, spices, lemon zest and raisins through the roasted parsnips and onion. Then pour in the vegetable stock and stir carefully once more.
Place the lid on the dish and return it to the oven to bake for 30 minutes or until the rice and lentils are cooked through and have absorbed the liquid.
Stir the chopped parsley and toasted pumpkin seeds through the dish and serve. Any leftovers are also delicious cold so pack them up into lunchboxes in the fridge. Enjoy!
What’s the meal that you have on repeat every week? In our house it’s dal. This creamy lentil curry is so good in so many ways. Firstly, it’s always delicious no matter how we tweak it. Sometimes with a tin of creamy coconut milk, sometimes with a tin of tangy tomatoes, sometimes neither. But always with some seasonal curried vegetables! Secondly, lentils are a very affordable ingredient which satisfies the whole family for a few cents. Thirdly, lentils are incredibly nutritious, full of healthy plant-protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals. I could go on but I’ll finish with the fact that they are quick and easy to cook. Add to soups and stews for body, texture and extra nutrients, or make them the centerpiece in an Indian curry like this one.
Have I inspired you to try lentils? Let me know in the comments. Top your dal with roasted veg, pickled veg, fermented veg, raw veg…anything you like to add colour and texture and taste. We went for curried, roasted swede and cauliflower as they really soak up those spices beautifully!
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
For the roasted veg:
1/2 a swede
1/2 a cauliflower
1 onion
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp whole mustard seeds
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
For the dal:
1 mug of red split lentils, rinsed
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 thumb of fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp turmeric
1 mild fresh chilli, chopped (or to your taste)
1 tsp salt & a generous grinding of black pepper
1 tin of coconut milk
2 tins of water
100g fresh spinach, rinsed
Method
Turn your oven on to 200C. Chop the swede into small cubes, peel and roughly slice the onion and break the cauliflower into florets. Toss in a large baking dish with the oil, spices and seasoning and place in the oven to bake.
Meanwhile put all the dal ingredients (except the spinach) in a pot and simmer until the lentils are cooked through and creamy. This should take around 15 minutes. Stir regularly to ensure the lentils don’t stick and burn. Turn the heat off and add the spinach to the dal. Place the lid on the pot and allow the residual heat to wilt the spinach while you take the roasted veg out of the oven and get bowls and spoons ready.
Serve the dal in bowls topped with roasted vegetables. You can also serve with brown rice or breads to make it a heartier meal. Fresh coriander, sliced chillies, Indian chutneys, toasted nuts etc make great toppings too. Get creative and add extra nutrients and interest to your bowl.
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.
This stew is so hearty and delicious. The depth of flavour from the combination of sweet beetroots, earthy mushrooms, nutty lentils, red wine, garlic and herbs makes a really memorable dish which you’ll be making over and over again. This meat-free version of beef bourguignon packs just as much punch in the flavour department, as well as many more nutrients. Lentils are cheap and nutritious, bringing lots of fibre, protein, B vitamins and iron to your plate. Our Irish beetroots are rich in antioxidants, folate and nitrates. Mushrooms contain many important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants too. All in all, you can be assured that this plant based version of the classic French stew is doing you good.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 large red onion, roughly diced (shallots or white onions work fine here too)
1 whole bulb of garlic, cloves separated & peeled
250g mushrooms, halved or quartered
300g beetroot, scrubbed & roughly diced
a generous drizzle of olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
200g green lentils, rinsed
3 bay leaves
5 sprigs of thyme
250ml red wine
500ml vegetable stock
1 tbsp capers
mashed potatoes to serve
Method
In a large pot, mix the onion, garlic, beetroot and mushroom, then oil and season with salt and pepper. Now, if you have the oven on, you can roast these ingredients for around 20 minutes until they are just soft and starting to take on some delicious caramelisation. If you’d rather not put the oven on, you can sauté these ingredients on a medium heat on the stove top instead.
Now place the pot over a high heat and add the lentils, wine, bay leaves, thyme sprigs and capers. Stir for a few minutes to cook out the wine and then add the vegetable stock. Cover the pot and turn down to simmer for 20 or 30 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through. Stir occasionally to ensure the lentils don’t catch and add a splash more water if needed.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt or pepper. Then serve with creamy mashed potatoes and some seasonal greens. Enjoy!
This is a real hearty seasonal soup. My organic veg box was delivered this morning (Fri) and seeing the earthy parsnips just made me smile because I only live 15km from where they were pulled from the ground! #buylocalproduce Parsnips and leeks are at their very best in autumn.
Leeks and parsnips are two of my favourite vegetables. I usually keep the flavours simple but couldn’t resist adding lentils and curry to make this soup a substantial meal.
The best part of this soup is that it only has a handful of ingredients, make it as spicy as you like and serve it with big generous chunks of organic sourdough bread.
Scrub and dice the parsnips. Theres no need to peel them when they are organic, just wash them well.
Wash the leeks, cut the root off and most of the hard green tops. (These can be used for veg stock #zerofoodwaste
Slice the leeks finely.
Warm the pot on the hob, low to medium heat and add a tablespoon of light oil.
Tip in the sliced leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook down for a few minutes.
Add in the curry powder and turmeric and cook to toast and awaken the spices for a minute or two. (Add a splash of water if its catching on the bottom of the pot)
Next toss in the diced parsnips and stir them through the leeks.
Pour in the water and pop the lid on if you have one.
Let the soup simmer on the hob for about 40 minutes, the soup is ready when the parsnips are soft when squished with the back of a wooden spoon.
While it’s cooking away. Open the tin of lentils and drain and rinse them.
If you like chunky soup just add in the lentils now, but if you like a smoother soup blend first and then add the lentils.
Check the seasoning and serve with crusty organic sourdough if you have some.
You’ll find countless iterations of this recipe on repeat in our house this time of year. Always hearty and wholesome, stuffed full of gorgeous autumnal vegetables and various pulses and grains. A pot of chilli is so versatile. Stick it in a bowl with rice or roasted potato wedges, scoop up with nachos, serve in wraps burrito style or make a batch for a messy-fun taco night. How do you serve your chilli non-carne?
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 8)
4 tbsp olive oil
1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and diced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced
750g diced root veg (I used swede, carrot and beetroot this time)
1 tsp chilli flakes (or to taste)
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp each, ground cumin and coriander
3 bay leaves
100g each, dried lentils and quinoa
2 tins of black/kidney beans, drained
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
500ml water or veg stock
salt and pepper to taste
*optional extra few tbsps of a ‘flavour bomb’ eg: soy sauce/coffee/cocoa
Method
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and starting to colour.
Then add the root vegetables and spices. Stir for a few minutes to release the flavours.
Add the lentils, quinoa, tin of tomatoes and water/stock. Season well with salt and pepper then simmer until the lentils are soft. This should take around 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure nothing is sticking and burning on the base of the pot.
Then add the beans, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. I usually add about 3 tbsp of soy sauce or a tbsp or two of cocoa powder to enrich the chilli.
Serve with rice or wedges, in tacos or burritos or however you like! It’s even better the next day so make a big batch and get some in the freezer for a rainy day?
This lentil ragu is a firm family favourite. It’s quick and easy to make, full of flavour and nutrition (lentils are a powerhouse of fibre, protein, potassium, iron and folate) and it can be frozen in portions to use on busy days. I use this as a ‘base’ recipe but often add or switch the vegetables with the seasons. For example, the carrots can be swapped with swede, beetroot or squash, the mushrooms could be replaced with aubergine or crumbled walnuts. We usually stir it through pasta or layer it up in a lasagne but it also makes a great cottage pie when topped with mash and baked.
You can also tweak the seasoning and turn this Italian-style ragu into a Tex-Mex-style chilli non-carne! Just use chilli, cumin, coriander, bay, oregano and smoked paprika in place of the herbs, and add a drained tin of kidney beans and peppers to the mix too. This adaptable lentil ragu recipe is just thing to add to your repertoire for hearty family meals.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, diced
2 carrots, diced
3 sticks of celery, diced
approx 10 chestnut mushrooms, diced
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1x 400g tin of green lentils, drained
2 bay leaves
1 tsp each: fennel seeds, thyme and oregano
optional splash of red wine…
salt and pepper to taste (roughly a tsp of each)
pasta to serve (100g dried weight per person) we stock a range of organic wheat, wholegrain and gluten free varieties
Method
Gather and prepare your ingredients and find a large pan to cook your ragu in. Get a big pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
Sauté the onion with the olive oil for roughly 6 minutes over a medium-high heat until softening and starting to take on some colour.
Then add the salt, pepper, fennel, oregano, thyme and garlic and stir for a minute to release and wake up the flavours.
4. Add the diced vegetables and sauté for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften and cook in their own juices. Then add the chopped tomatoes and bay leaves.
5. Swirl the juices out of the tin into the pan by filling the tin with water. Then add the drained lentils and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the sauce is rich and delicious. You may need to add a splash of water (or red wine) to loosen the sauce if it is starting to look a bit dry. (This is a good time to get your pasta into the now-boiling water).
6. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt or pepper. Then stir through the cooked and drained pasta and enjoy! Serve with fresh basil leaves and an extra drizzle of good olive oil.
The stunning rainbow chard coming out of the farm at the moment is absolutely fantastic! It’s one of our favourite crops, so vibrant and so tasty. Here’s a recipe to make the most out of its beauty. Don’t forget to browse our farm products and add them to your next order, we’d hate for you to miss out on the seasonal harvest.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 bag of rainbow chard (250g)
4 tbsp olive oil (1 for sautéing, 2 for the mash, 1 for drizzling)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
a handful of torn basil leaves
3 large potatoes
1 tin of lentils, drained
2 scallions, sliced
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
optional cheese to taste – I like to use my tofeta
salt and pepper to taste
Method
Scrub the potatoes, chop into bites and get them on to boil.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C and find an oven and hob safe pan with a lid.
Sauté the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 10 minutes or until soft and starting to caramelise.
Add the tins of tomatoes and the torn basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Half fill the tins with water and swirl the tomatoey juices out of the tins, into the pan. Then bring the sauce up to simmer and bubble away while you make the chard parcels.
Remove the long chard stems, slice them into bites and add them to the tomato sauce.
Mash the potatoes with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Then stir in the drained lentils, sliced scallions, chilli flakes and optional cheese.
Lay the chard leaves out, upside down on a chopping board with the top of the leaf closest to you and the colourful stalks pointing away from you.
Add a spoon of the mashed potato and lentil filling to a leaf near the top closest to you, roll the leaf over the filling away from you, then fold over the sides and keep rolling until you make a neat parcel.
Take the sauce off the heat and pour it into medium baking dish, then tuck the chard parcel, seam side down, into the sauce. Repeat until you have used up all the chard leaves or filling. Then drizzle the last tbsp of olive oil over the parcels.
Then put a lid or sheet of foil or parchment on the dish and pop it in the oven to steam/roast for just 10 minutes or so. The sauce should be bubbling hot and the leaves should be tender.
Buddha bowls are all about balance. A vibrant bowl brimming with a diverse selection of grains, pulses, greens, vegetables, nuts or seeds and delicious dressings. They are a brilliant way to build a balanced lunch or dinner from some easily prepped boxes and jars of ingredients in your fridge. To me, they are the ultimate quick-but-satisfying working lunch, and a delicious way to pack in your 30 recommended ‘plant points’ per week. Buddha bowls are basically salads dialled up to 11 and in my old life running a cafe they were always the best sellers.
Here’s my flexible ‘recipe’ of what I happened to include in this week’s buddha bowl prep. But please just use it as a basic framework, the joy of Buddha bowls is making them your own using what you have and getting creative in the kitchen. Share your amazing Buddha bowl pictures with us over on our community facebook group. We love to see what you’ve made with our wonderful organic produce (and we all need a bit of inspiration sometimes).
Liz x
Ingredients
VEGETABLES for roasting (eg sweet potato, cauliflower, squash, beetroot, swede, parsnips, onion, carrots, peppers, aubergine, courgettes, tomatoes… whatever comes in your box)
DRESSINGS (eg lemon juice and olive oil, vinaigrette, tahini sauce, pesto, harissa, soy-lime-sesame, mayonaise… try and match your dressing to the other ingredients in your bowl)
optional extra PROTEINS (eg hummus, tofu, tempeh, falafel, cheeses…)
extra TOPPINGS for flavour and texture (eg ferments, pickles, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, chopped fresh cucumber/tomato/radish/scallions, herbs, sprouts, microgreens…)
Method
***Be realistic about how much food to prepare. Bear in mind that prepared food will stay fresh in airtight boxes in the fridge for 3 days so only make 3 days worth of food at a time.***
Start with roasting VEGETABLES. I like to divide mine into two trays – harder, slower cooking vegetables like roots and winter squashes in one and softer, faster cooking ‘med veg’ like peppers, tomatoes, courgettes in another.
Scrub and chop your chosen vegetables and put them into roasting trays with a little olive oil and seasoning (I like to keep the seasoning neutral with just salt and pepper at this stage so I can play with flavours when I plate up).
Roast in a hot oven until the vegetables are soft. Allow them to cool completely them pack them into boxes in the fridge.
Meanwhile cook some GRAINS/PULSES. I often cook a batch of orzo pasta (once your pasta is cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and toss with some olive oil to keep it fresh) and a batch of quinoa to get us through a few working lunches. You could skip this bit of prep and cook your grains on the day though if you’ll have time? Some warm rice with ready roasted veg and dressings is a brilliant lunch.
Or just use ready cooked tins of beans or lentils – I do this often, simply open, drain and rinse a tin of chickpeas/beans/lentils and serve with the prepped veg and dressings for the speediest lunch. We sell a range of organic tinned pulses which you can add to your veg order here.
Quinoa is very easy to cook, just like rice. Measure out a small mug into a fine sieve, give it a rinse then pop it into a small pot with two scant mugs of water. Bring to the boil with the lid on, then immediately turn to the lowest setting and let it simmer until it has absorbed all the water and released its little tails. Let the quinoa cool down before storing in an airtight container in the fridge.
Cook a big batch of GREENS. Purple sprouting broccoli and kale are my favourite at the moment and I just steam fry them in a pot with a little seasoning until they are tender. If I get salad leaves in my weekly veg box I’ll make sure I use those first as they don’t last more than 2 or 3 days.
Make a couple of DRESSINGS to keep things interesting. I love a simple vinaigrette (mix 1 tbsp of vinegar or lemon juice with 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and add other seasonings like 1 tsp of mustard, a tiny bit of maple syrup, a pinch of salt and pepper…) or a creamy tahini sauce (mix 3 tbsp of tahini with the juice of half a lemon, a splash of water and seasoning like a pinch of salt and garlic powder). I also like to make harissa, pesto, chilli jam, aioli etc so whatever sauces/dressings I have to hand will get used in my buddha bowls.
Prepare NUTS/SEEDS, PROTEINS and extra TOPPINGS. Have a look at my tamari toasted seeds recipe here. Or simply use mixed nuts or seeds to add crunch and extra nutrition to your bowl. Keep a selection of ferments (sauerkraut, kimchi, fermented onions…), olives, pickles, sun-dried tomatoes etc to add another layer of flavour and texture to your bowls. There is already loads of protein going on in all the ingredients above, but if you like you can add even more protein to your bowls by adding a dollop of hummus, some slices of cheese, avocado, tempeh, tofu and so on.
Once you have filled your fridge with a selection of ready cooked delicious ingredients, then it’s a simple matter of building your bowl when you are hungry. I like to try and keep the flavours in a way that vaguely makes geographical or cultural sense. So I’ll have pasta, pesto, roasted med veg, olives, greens.. one day, then roasted roots, tahini dressing, chickpeas, harissa, hummus… another day. Rice, kimchi, greens, furikaki and tempeh another day. It doesn’t always work out like that with perfectly matching flavours, there have been some ‘interesting’ fusions happening, but certainly never a dull bowl!
