Warm Aubergine Salad

by Lou Robbie

Fancy an exciting zingy extra tasty salad this summer? This is it!

Spongy aubergines love to be bathed in spice and charred until soft and caramelised. Chopped warm and added to the fresh cherry tomatoes and garlic they liven up to give a delicious tongue tingling flavour.

We used the air fryer to cook the aubergine quickly, but you can roast it in the oven at 180ºC for 30 mins or even char it on the BBQ.

Save this recipe and enjoy it on the warm summer evenings with great company. Head to our groceries for most of the ingredients.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: serves 2

  • 1 aubergine
  • 150g cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tsp cajun spice (or a mix of cumin, chilli, paprika)
  • 3 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil (divided)
  • 150g greek style yoghurt
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice and zest 1/2 lime
  • 8 torn mint leaves
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Preheat the air fryer or oven 180ºC.
  • Step 1: Slice the green top off the aubergine, then cut in half and chop into long pieces, about 8.
  • Step 2: Mix together 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 teaspoons of cajun spice, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Brush this onto the aubergine pieces.
  • Step 3: Line the basket with parchment paper and air fry for 18 minutes at 180ºC and check and turn half way through. (If using the oven it may take 30 minutes)
  • Step 4: Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters and add them to a mixing bowl. Finely grate the garlic clove and add this to the bowl, add the zest and juice of half a lime, 2 tablespoons of olive oil a small pinch of salt and pepper. Tear in the mint leaves. Chop the warm aubergine into 1 inch pieces and add this to the bowl, mix.
  • Step 5: Spoon half the greek yoghurt onto each plate and top with the warm aubergine salad sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
  • Enjoy.

Asian Noodle Bowl w/ soy roasted parsnips

by Lou Robbie

This dish makes for and tasty quick supper. Noodle bowls are a great way to use up leftover veggies. They work well for cooked veg and grated or thinly sliced raw veg too as well as using soft herbs to finish it off.

It’s a great dish too if you’re fighting winter colds, just amp up the ginger and garlic to ward off the sniffles!

Any noodles will do, Chinese thin ones, rice noodles or even spaghetti, if you are stuck.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients: serves 2

  • 2 parsnips, chopped
  • 2 tablespoon soya sauce
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 carrot, peeled into ribbons
  • 2 spring onion, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
  • 200g noodles – cook as per packet
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 6 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons sweet chilli
  • 2 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated (about 1/2 inch)
  • 1-2 fat clove garlic, grated
  • salt and pepper to toaste

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven 180c.
  2. Prepare the parsnips first. Clean them and chop into chunks add to a bowl.
  3. Add 2 tablespoon of soy sauce, a teaspoon of oil and 2 tablespoon of maple syrup to the parsnips, toss to coat and roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cooked. (Alternatively air fry at 170c for 12 minutes approx) Toast the sesame seeds in the over at the same time for 5 or so minutes.
  4. In the meantime cook noodles as per the packet- usually 8 minutes in boiling salted water.
  5. Clean the carrot and peel it into ribbons, set aside.
  6. Chop the spring onions into long fine sliced, and roughly chop the coriander.
  7. To make the sauce add the soy sauce, oil, sweet chilli sauce, honey to a bowl. Add in the grated ginger and garlic, add salt and pepper if needed. Whisk well.
  8. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat, add in the sauce stir and cook for 1 minute, if it catches add a dash of water.
  9. Add the cooked noodles, toss to coat, add the roasted parsnips. Toss to mix.
  10. Divide between 2 serving bowls.
  11. Top with carrot ribbons, chopped spring onion and coriander and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Parsnip and Mushroom Wellington

by Lou Robbie

Every feast needs a centre piece and this bronzed pastry parcel looks the part on a festive table. Stuffed with delicious veggies, nuts and cheese its a real crowd pleaser.

The best part is that this can be made ahead of time, make and wrap the filling and keep it in the fridge until the day of the dinner, then add its pastry coat and bake. Serve with your favourite potatoes, side veg and a delicious gravy.

I hope you enjoy this one.

Lou 🙂

Ingredients- serves 6

  • 500g parsnip, washed and diced
  • 200g mushrooms, diced small
  • 2 onion, finely dice
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 x tin of cooked puy lentils, drained 260g approx
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped 
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or sage chopped
  • 100g chopped walnuts
  • 100g cheddar cheese – diced – we love Mossfield
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 ready rolled puff pastry, 380g
  • 1 egg and splash of milk whisked for egg wash 

Method

  1. Cook the parsnips, it’s best to steam them, but boiling or roasting will work too. When they’ve cooked, set them aside too cool. 
  2. Cook the onions and garlic together on a low heat, until completely soft and translucent. Add a small pinch of salt and pepper and add the chopped rosemary and thyme. Set aside to cool. 
  3. Warm a frying pan on a medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and cook the mushrooms on low for 10 minutes, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper half way through. 
  4. To a mixing bowl add the cooked parsnip, cooked onions and garlic, cooked mushrooms, chopped walnuts, drained lentils, cheddar cheese and salt and pepper to taste. 
  5. Gently mix to combine, taste the mix, add more salt or pepper if needed.
  6. Lay two pieces of clingfilm on a worktop, slightly overlapping on the horizontal. 
  7. Make a mound like a sausage shape with the mix in the middle of the clingfilm. Fold the clingfilm over and wrap it tightly so there are no pockets of air. 
  8. Place in the fridge or freezer for at least 2 hours to set. Leave in the fridge overnight if you can.
  9. Preheat the oven to 180℃.
  10. Take the puff pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using, so it’s not too cold to work with. 
  11. Measure the wrapped mix against the pastry rectangle if it’s a bit short use a rolling pin to make it wider. 
  12. Egg wash around the edge of the pastry.
  13. Carefully take the clingfilm off the mix and wrap it neatly in the pastry. Seal the seam using a fork, keep the seal underneath the wellington. 
  14. Using a knife make diamond criss cross shapes on the top of the pastry. Brush all over with egg wash. 
  15. Bake for 50 mins to 1 hour in the oven, until bronzed and golden all over. Cut into nice large slices and serve with your favourite veg and sides.

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. 

3 Ingredient Frittata

by Lou Robbie

Less is more with this frittata, gently season each ingredient as you work through the recipe and you’ll end up with a delicious dish that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

The Italians got it right with this one, its simplicity is what makes it. Served with some local leaves and ripe cherry tomatoes all it needs is some September sun to make it perfect! 

If there’s any left over, use it to make a sourdough sandwich. Slice it cold, add mayo, leaves and tomato to the sandwich – it’s delicious for the lunch box.

Lou 🙂

**You will need an oven safe non-stick frying pan to make this frittata – most frying pans are oven safe. If you wish you can use a deep baking tray 8in x 8in approximately. 

  1. Scrub and steam or boil the potatoes first. Allow to cool. 
  2. Slice the courgettes into rounds and fry on a frying pan with a pinch of salt until charred and golden sprinkle, set a slice to cool. 
  3. Once cooled, dice the potatoes into cubes, keep the skins on if you wish, that’s where the nutrients are.  
  4. Preheat the oven to 180℃.
  5. Warm a (oven safe) non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and add a tablespoon of oil. 
  6. Fry the potatoes until golden and crispy and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. While the potatoes are frying, crack 6 eggs into a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk well. 
  8. Pour the eggs over the fried potatoes. Top with the slices of courgette. 
  9. Cook on the hob for 3-4 minutes then carefully transfer into the oven. 
  10. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the egg has set. 
  11. Use a dry tea towel to lift the frying pan out of the oven. 
  12. Set the frypan aside to cool for 10 minutes then loosen the edges with a rubber spatula and slice onto a serving plate. 
  13. Serve with salad – I chose Galway grown leaves and heaps of cherry tomatoes! 

Lunch box – Courgette & Carrot Muffins

by Lou Robbie

Its the end of the summer holidays and back to school and work routines for most! If you are looking for ways to get a bit more veg into yours and/or your child’s lunch box then give these muffins a go. They are lightly sweetened and alongside a sandwich, some fruit and raw veggie sticks they are the perfect lunch. #backtoschool

They freeze really well so why not pop some in the freezer that are handy to defrost overnight, making filling the lunch box a little bit easier. #freezerstash

If you have kids get them to help make them, let them grate the courgette and carrot. Let them get used to cooking and baking with seasonal Irish vegetables and have a chat about where they are grown too. Cooking together creates great opportunities for learning about where our food comes from and why it’s important that we support our local farmers. 

Lou 🙂

Makes 18 regular muffins – approx

  1. Preheat the oven to 180℃.
  2. Prepare your muffin tins with paper cases if needed. I use silicone moulds that don’t need paper cases. 
  3. To make the muffins begin by gathering all the ingredients. 
  4. Grate the carrot and courgette. 
  5. Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and cinnamon and mix. 
  6. Add the grated carrot and courgette and mix well again with a wooden spoon. 
  7. Measure the oil into a jug and crack in the eggs, whisk well. 
  8. Pour the oil and egg mix into the bowl and gently mix until there is no visible flour.
  9. Scoop into the muffin tray. 
  10. Bake for 20 mins or until, when checked, a skewer comes out clean.  
  11. Allow to cool completely then bag up to stash in the freezer for the future lunch box. 
  12. To defrost, take one from the freezer bag and pop in the lunch box the night before. 

Stuffed Mushrooms w/ Roast Veggies & Sauté Kale

by Lou Robbie

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

For the stuffed mushrooms:  

For the roast veg: 

For the sauté kale: 

  • 100g kale 
  • Small knob of butter
  • salt and pepper

For the sauté kale: 

  • 100g kale 
  • Small knob of butter 
  • salt and pepper

To make the stuffed mushrooms: 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. 
  2. Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a piece of kitchen paper. 
  3. Remove the stalks and keep them to roast with the veggies. 
  4. 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. 
  5. 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.)

  1. Add all the stuffed mushrooms to the tray. 
  2. Cover in tinfoil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until fully cooked. 
  3. 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:

  1. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. While the mushrooms are roasting- chop the red pepper, yellow pepper and onion into chunks add the cherry tomatoes whole. 
  3. 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. 
  4. Pour the chopped veg onto the baking tray and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes at 180℃.

To make the saute Kale: 

  1. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
  2. Pick the kale from its stalks, and chop into bite sized pieces, add to a bowl. 
  3. Finely slice the stalks too and add to the bowl with the kale leaves. 
  4. When the water is boiling add all the kale and stalks, if it doesn’t all fit do it in batches. 
  5. Blanche for 2-3 minutes to soften. 
  6. 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. 
  7. When ready to sauté, warm a frying pan on a medium heat. 
  8. 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!!! 

Beetroot and Carrot Fritters w/ Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing

by Lou Robbie

Beetroots grow very happily in Irish soil. They are earthy and sweet and juicy and full of flavour. You can boil, steam or roast them to eat as a wholesome side veg, to make into a puree or beautiful pink hummus. I love to grate them to use raw in a salad or they go perfectly in these tasty fritters accompanied by the grated carrot.

You can whip these fritters up in about 20 minutes. I recommend using the fine side of your box grater, they cook quicker that way. Eat them solo or add some crunchy chickpeas, local leaves and a tahini dressing to make it a meal.

By seasoning with salt and pepper you get the real taste of the vegetables. When you use quality ingredients the natural flavours shine through.

I’ve made a tahini yoghurt dressing or try Liz’s Vegan Garlic Mayo.

Lou 🙂

For the fritters: (Makes 8-10 approx – serves 4 as a starter)

  • 2 raw beetroot, peeled
  • 2 raw carrots, peeled
  • 4 scallions (green onions), cleaned
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons self raising flour, more if needed. (Rice or gram flour work here too, just add ½ tsp of baking powder) 
  • Oil to fry

For the roasted chickpeas: 

For the tahini dressing: 

  • 1 cup of yoghurt (use dairy or non dairy alternative)
  • 2 tablespoons light tahini
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: 

  • Green leaves, washed
  • Cucumber ribbons (made using a vegetable peeler)

For the chickpeas:

  1. Preheat the oven 180℃.
  2. Open the can of chickpea and drain really well. Tip: You can reserve the aqua faba (chickpea juice) to make a sweet dessert like pavlova.
  3. Pour the chickpeas onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Using kitchen paper dry the chickpeas really well. 
  4. Make up the spice mix by adding the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon. Then sprinkle over the chickpeas. You can add more salt later if needed. 
  5. Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Check and shake the tray every 10 minutes. 
  6. The chickpeas will be crunchy when you’ve roasted them. They are best eaten on the day they are roasted but if using the next day pop in the oven again for 10 minutes so they are warm and crunchy. Keep them in an air tight jar in your cupboard. 

For the fritters: 

  1. Begin by peeling and grating the beetroot and carrot, use the fine side of the box grater. Tip: Hold the raw beetroot with kitchen paper so your hands don’t turn pink. Add to a mixing bowl. 
  2. Finely chop the scallions and add this to the bowl. Crack in the egg, add salt and pepper, sprinkle in the flour. Fold all the ingredients together.
  3. Warm a non stick frying pan on a medium heat, lightly oil. Add a spoon of the beetroot mix and flatten with the back of the spoon, cook 3 fritters at a time. Fry for a couple of minutes and flip and cook for a few minutes more. Remove with a spatula onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the mix. 

For the tahini dressing: 

  1. Simply add the yoghurt, tahini, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup or honey, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well with a spoon. 

To serve: 

Add some washed green leaves to a serving bowl, add 2-3 fritters per portion. Scatter on the chickpeas, dollop over the tahini dressing, peel some cucumber ribbons and bundle on tip and add a swirl of olive oil.