Pumpkin Brownie

by Lou Robbie

These pumpkin brownies are incredible….I even surprised myself with this one! The bitterness from the chocolate works so well with the earthy sweetness of the pumpkin and the warming spices too. Make sure to have a nice warm drink, tea or coffee or a spiced latte, if thats your preference, and get cosy with this sweet autumn treat!

Liz on a previous post laid the foundations for this recipe and gave instructions on how to make your Autumn Flavour Kit with pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice mix, check it out and come back here to make these brownies. I’m a little bit obsessed with the pumpkin (aka Kuri squash) at the moment, I’ll be cooking them for all things sweet and savoury over the next few months.

Once you have your pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice at hand, there is an endless amount of autumn baking recipes to sift through and experiment with. My first thoughts were cake, cookies, bread and then this brownie. I did extend my research to the US where many bakers have a whole catalogue of spiced pumpkin recipes. I did a bit of tweaking with this recipe and the result was much better that I could have hoped for!

I really hope you make them and enjoy them,

Lou

Ingredients – makes 16 squares

For the brownie batter

For the pumpkin batter

  • 225g granulated sugar
  • 180g pumpkin puree 
  • 170g butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs , at room temperature
  • 200g plain flour
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice** (follow the link Autumn Flavour Kit to make your own or add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon mixed spice)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and butter and line with parchment a 9×13-inch (23×33- cm) baking tray.

For the brownie batter

  1. In a mixing bowl beat (with an electric mixer) or whisk together the melted butter and sugar. 
  2. Then crack in the eggs and beat for a few minutes until pale in colour.
  3. Using a sieve, sift in the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Gently mix with a spatula to combine. 
  4. Finally, fold in the chopped chocolate and spread evenly in the prepared pan.

For the pumpkin batter

  1. In a mixing bowl beat or whisk together the melted butter and sugar. 
  2. Then crack in the eggs and beat for a few minutes until pale in colour. 
  3. Gently stir in the pumpkin puree. 
  4. Using a sieve, sift in the flour, baking powder and pumpkin spice. Gently mix with a spatula to combine. 
  5. Pour the pumpkin batter on top of the brownie batter.
  6. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes. You want the brownie to be a bit gooey so don’t over bake.

Beet Bourguignon

by Liz Child

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt or pepper. Then serve with creamy mashed potatoes and some seasonal greens. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pancakes

by Liz Child

If you’ve made my autumn flavour kit from the blog and now you are wondering what to do with it, make these pumpkin spiced pancakes. They are fluffy, warmly spiced, sweet and so delicious! Even my pumpkin-hating kids like them! The trick with cooking really thick, soft, fluffy pancakes it to cook them low and slow, otherwise they’ll burn on the outside and be raw in the middle. Patience is key here! The other trick is to make the batter shortly before frying, you want the raising agent to work in the pan, not in the mixing bowl. Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients (makes around 9 pancakes)

  • 150g flour
  • 150g pumpkin puree (from a roasted pumpkin or butternut squash)
  • 150ml milk (any milk you prefer, I use oat milk)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (plus extra for serving)
  • 1 heaped tsp of pumpkin spice mix (plus extra for serving) – check out the blog for our formula
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • butter for frying and serving (we use the vegan naturli butter blocks, they are delicious, made from great ingredients and palm oil free)

Method

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk to evenly spread the raising agents and spices. Then add the maple syrup, pumpkin purée and milk and mix to just combine. Careful not to over-mix!
  2. Warm a pancake pan over a medium-low heat and melt a tsp of butter. Fry spoons of the batter in small batches. The batter will grow quite a lot so space the pancakes out. I like to cook just 3 at a time.
  3. Fry on low until risen and golden brown underneath then carefully flip and fry the other side. You may wish to turn them a few times to ensure they are evenly cooked and no longer raw in the middle.
  4. Serve warm with a smear of butter, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a dusting of pumpkin spice mix. Enjoy!

Curried Parsnip, Leek and Lentil Soup

by Lou Robbie

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.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 700g parsnips
  • 2 small leeks (or one large)
  • 3-4 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon of turmeric
  • good pinch salt and pepper
  • 1.5 litres water or stock
  • 400g tin lentils
  • 1 tablespoon oil

Method

  1. Grab a wide pot with a lid.
  2. Scrub and dice the parsnips. Theres no need to peel them when they are organic, just wash them well.
  3. Wash the leeks, cut the root off and most of the hard green tops. (These can be used for veg stock #zerofoodwaste
  4. Slice the leeks finely.
  5. Warm the pot on the hob, low to medium heat and add a tablespoon of light oil.
  6. Tip in the sliced leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and cook down for a few minutes.
  7. 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)
  8. Next toss in the diced parsnips and stir them through the leeks.
  9. Pour in the water and pop the lid on if you have one.
  10. 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.
  11. While it’s cooking away. Open the tin of lentils and drain and rinse them.
  12. 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.
  13. Check the seasoning and serve with crusty organic sourdough if you have some.

Beetroot & Black Bean Burgers with root veg chips

by Liz Child

Embrace the new harvests of autumnal vegetables and make this hearty beetroot bean-burger alongside chips made from carrots, parsnips, potatoes, swede, celeriac… We still have our own grown tomatoes and lettuce available too to add some crunch and freshness to your burger. This really is the best time of year for Irish vegetables with an abundance of summer and winter veg available at the same time.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 50g porridge oats
  • 2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for drizzling over the chips)
  • 250g raw beetroot, finely grated
  • 50g or so of chickpea flour
  • root veg of your liking (eg potato, carrot, swede, parsnip, celeriac) cut into chips and seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil
  • burger buns, salad and sauces of your choice eg mayonnaise, ketchup, lettuce, pickles, tomato, onion, cheese slices…

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
  2. In a mixing bowl, squish together the beans, oats, beetroot, seasoning and olive oil. Your clean hand is the best tool for this. The mixture will most likely be quite wet and sticky at this stage. Add chickpea flour (or more oats), a couple of tbsp at a time and keep squishing until you achieve a texture that is reminiscent of minced meat and is able to form into patties. I used around 50g of chickpea flour but depending on the juiciness of your beetroots you may need more or less.
  3. Divide the mixture into 4 and shape into neat patties on one side of your baking dish. Spread the root veg chips on the other side and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes or until both the chips and the burgers are cooked through.
  4. Assemble the burgers into buns with your favourite toppings and sauces and enjoy with the chips on the side.

Oven Baked Parsnip & Hazelnut Risotto

by Liz Child

Bake your next risotto in the oven to save yourself from standing over the stove and constantly stirring a pot. I promise, the results are just as delicious. We are obsessed with this parsnip and hazelnut version right now as the new season parsnips are just being pulled from the ground. Hazelnuts and parsnips are a match made in heaven and the rosemary in the recipe really rounds off the flavours. Did you know we stock organic risotto rice and hazelnuts (and many more great groceries) in clever compostable bags?

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 sticks of celery, diced
  • 400g parsnips, diced
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 250g risotto rice
  • 600ml water, just boiled
  • 200ml white wine
  • 2 stock cubes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp chopped rosemary
  • 100g hazelnuts, chopped

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep baking or casserole dish with a lid. Put the parsnips, onion and celery in the dish along with the oil and butter. Season well with salt and pepper, give it a mix and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the veg is soft.
  2. Meanwhile, in a heat-proof bowl, measure out the rice and top with the just-boiled water, stock cubes, garlic and rosemary. Stir to dissolve the stock cubes and then add the glass of white wine. Let the rice soak while the veg cooks in the oven.
  3. Remove the dish from the oven and pour in the rice and all the liquid it has been soaking in. Stir to combine the rice, stock and vegetables and then put the lid on the dish. Place the dish back into the oven to bake the rice. It should take around 20-30 minutes. Check on it after 20, when the rice has absorbed the liquid, it is done.
  4. Once the rice is cooked, remove the lid and stir, add a splash more wine or water to stop it from drying out, then top with the chopped hazelnuts and return to the oven with the lid off for just 5 minutes or so to toast the nuts. Serve in warm bowls and enjoy!

Slow Cooker – 3 Bean Chilli

by Lou Robbie

This chilli is like a big hug…it’s warm and spicy and tingly, filling and comforting. Most of the ingredients came off the shelf of the Green Earth Organic store room. Tins of beans and tomatoes, spices and brown rice that comes in compostable packaging and some Galway grown squash and onions, to make it an organic bowl of tastiness! 

Using a slow cooker is very convenient for time-poor/busy people. Stick it on in the morning and head out the door and when you get home in the evening dinner is ready! 

Slow cooking brings out the best in some foods. It allows the flavours to mingle for hours and to permeate the ingredients, like the beans in this recipe. Any extra chilli can be used in a burrito the next day or frozen for dinner next week. 

Lovely for the cooler weather.

Lou 🙂

**If you don’t have a slow cooker you can of course make this in a casserole pot on the hob or on the oven, cooking time approximately an hour on a medium heat on the hob or 180C in the oven.

Ingredients: Serves 6

Method:

This recipe is suitable for a 3.5 litre slow cooker.

To get more flavour from the base flavours, I recommend cooking the onions, garlic and spices on the hob first. 

  1. Finely dice the onions and chop the garlic. 
  2. Put a frying pan on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and add the onions. 
  3. Cook gently to soften for 5-10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, chilli, brown sugar, salt and pepper and cook out on low for another 5 minutes. Take them off the heat when they are soft and cooked.
  4. While the onions are cooking prepare the butternut squash. You can peel it if you wish, but you can also cook the diced squash skin and all, it makes it quicker to prepare and more nutritious, especially because it’s organic.  It’s also less wasteful.
  5. Wash it and chop it into two. Scoop out the seeds. (You can roast the seeds in the oven with salt and pepper later)
  6. Take one half of the squash and slice and dice it small. 
  7. Open all the tins, the black, kidney, cannellini beans add them all together to a colander to drain and rinse under cold water. 
  8. Set up your slow cooker, add the cooked onions, the squash, all the beans, then add the chopped tomatoes, fill the tomato tins with water and add both to the pot. 
  9. Toss in the bay leaves, add another pinch of salt and pepper and pop the lid on. 
  10. Cook it on low for 8 hours. 
  11. Serving suggestion: Cook up some brown rice and serve with sour cream and fresh coriander.

Oat & Raisin Cookies

by Liz Child

Oatmeal cookies make the house smell amazing (cinnamon, vanilla and oats, what a dreamy combo) and the kids adore them after school with a glass of oat milk. Ok, so they are not the healthiest snack, but the oats do make them slightly more wholesome than a regular chocolate chip cookie. We keep them vegan with our Naturli butter blocks and oat milk, but of course you can use your favourite butter (or even an odourless coconut oil at a pinch) and milk. These are a little crisp around the edges and perfectly chewy in the middle. Enjoy!

Liz x

Ingredients (make 12 large or 16 medium cookies)

  • 150g butter, cubed and at room temperature
  • 150g soft brown sugar
  • 100g plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 200g porridge oats
  • 50g raisins

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 180C and find some large baking sheets – line with baking parchment.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with an electric whisk (or give your arm a workout and use a wooden spoon) – it should get light and fluffy.
  3. Then add the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking powder and mix well. Stir through the flour until it forms a rough, sticky dough, careful not to over-mix the flour. Lastly, stir in the oats and raisins.
  4. Use an ice-cream scoop or wet hands to form even balls. Space out on a lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the balls have spread into cookies and are just taking on some colour around the edges. Leave the cookies to cool and set on the trays before moving as they will still be very soft at this stage.
  5. Store in an airtight container and enjoy within a week.

1 Pot – Cauliflower, Coconut & Chickpea Curry

by Liz Child

We love a curry at our house, how about over at yours? This is a simplified, not-very-authentic-but-still-really-delicious *sort of* biryani. In my quest for less washing up, less hands-on time, and more one pot dishes, this is perhaps my favourite. Of course you should feel encouraged to switch up the veg and spices (try pumpkin in the base or romanesco on top – try different curry powder blends – garam masala is gorgeous here), even remove the coconut in exchange for another mug of water of a tin of chopped tomatoes? This curry is simply a case of cooking the base, then layering on the rice and liquid (always add double the volume of liquid to rice, and don’t forget to rinse and drain your rice first), add the cauliflower carefully on top and bake with a lid until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Yum!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 1 large white onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tin of chickpeas, drained
  • about 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 heaped tbsp of coconut oil
  • 1 tsp each cumin & brown mustard seeds (optional)
  • 6 tsp curry powder (4 in the base, 2 on top)
  • a mug of basmati rice, rinsed and well drained
  • 1 tin coconut milk
  • a mug of water
  • 1/2 a cauliflower, cut into florets
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • herbs eg coriander or mint & mango chutney or lime pickle to serve

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 200C and find a deep baking dish with a lid (or use tin foil or a baking sheet as a lid).
  2. Mix the onion, tomatoes, chickpeas, coconut oil, cumin & mustard seeds, 4 tsp of curry powder and salt & pepper to taste in the dish. Place this base curry in the oven to bake for 10/15 minutes or until the onions are soft and fragrant.
  3. Flatten out the base curry then sprinkle over the mug of rice. Stir the coconut milk and spoon it evenly over the rice. Then carefully pour the mug of water over the back of the spoon over the rice so as not to disturb the layers. Season the coconut rice layer with a pinch of salt.
  4. Then carefully place the cauliflower florets on top of the liquid and season them with salt, pepper and the reserved 2 tsp of curry powder. Put the lid on the pan and place it back in the oven for another 20-30minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
  5. Serve in scoops with a sprinkle of fresh herbs and a spoon of an Indian chutney or pickle. Enjoy!

Beetroot Hummus w/ Toasted Tortilla Chips

by Lou Robbie

Big beautiful earthy beetroots full of flavour, sweetness and goodness! If you’re not familiar with cooking them from raw then cook them like a potato. Steam, boil or roast and you won’t go too far wrong.

Steaming beetroots is a great way to lock in the nutrients and a gentle way to cook your beetroots. When they pierce easily with a knife they are ready. Cool and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make this hummus.

The colour of this hummus was gorgeously pink and vibrant!

Serve as a dip with tortilla chips, as a side on a mezze plate, as a dressing with a lentil and goat cheese salad or a topping on an open sandwich with roasted veg.

Enjoy,

Lou 🙂

  • 300g raw beetroot
  • 1 tin of cooked chickpeas drained – (400g)
  • 1 clove garlic grated
  • 1/2 lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon light tahini
  • 2 tablespoon light oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 large tortilla wraps
  • light oil
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds – optional

To make the hummus

  1. Begin by cooking the raw beetroots. Wash the beetroot and cut the tops off, keep the skin on if you wish. Quarter and steam in a pot for 40 mins, or until they piece easily with a knife. (I have a powerful blender so I keep the skins on for this recipe, peel if you wish)
  2. Cool the beets and store in the fridge until you are ready to make the hummus.
  3. Once cooled add the beetroot to a blender along with the drained chickpeas, grated garlic clove, lemon juice, tahini, oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
  4. Blend the hummus until it’s smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

To make the tortilla chips and toasted sesame seeds.

  1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Have a couple of large baking trays at hand.
  2. Simply cut the tortilla wraps into triangles. Do this by cutting the wraps in half. Then quarters then eights.
  3. Lay the triangles on the trays, space them out so they don’t overlap.
  4. Spray or drizzle with oil and sprinkle with paprika.
  5. Toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes, keep a close eye on them. When they are lightly toasted they are ready.
  6. To toast the sesame seeds put them on a tray and toast for 5-10 minutes until golden.

To serve:

Add the beetroot hummus to a bowl, top with toasted sesame seeds, if you wish and the toasted tortilla chips.