You can have your Pumpkin and Eat it!! Pumpkins are not just for decoration around Halloween they are sweet, earthy and delicious to eat. The skin is edible too, just wash them well and slice into thin wedges. You can make this salad with butternut squash too if you wish, it will be equally delicious.
Salads are not exclusive to the warmer months. We like to serve the pumpkin and roast red onions warm from the oven with shredded kale and crumbled feta. Pomegranate is recommended for colour and pops of sweet and sourness.
Organic ingredients are “Better for you and Better for our Planet”.
Lou 🙂
Ingredients: serves 4
1 small pumpkin, chopped deseeded, sliced into wedges
Step 1: Preheat the oven 180ºC. Prepare the garlic bulb, chop off the top of the bulb to expose the cloves. Put the pumpkin wedges, red onion wedges and garlic bulb on a baking tray. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and a bit of paprika drizzle with oil, rub the veg to coat in the oil and seasoning. Roast veggies for 30 minutes. the garlic may take 10 minutes longer.
Step 2: Add the finely chopped kale to a mixing bowl, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and massage with your hands to tenderise.
Step 3: To make the dressing add the soft roasted garlic to a small blender along with the tahini, oil, cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust if needed.
Step 4: Build the salad. Add the kale to a big serving plate, top with the chickpeas, layer on the roast pumpkin, red onion, break over the feta. Roll the pomegranate to loosen the seeds, with a wooden spoon to dislodge the seeds and scatter over the salad. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and top with the roast garlic dressing.
November already! Get those carved pumpkins washed and in the oven to roast before they go mouldy. You can scoop out the flesh and freeze it in portions to add to soups, curries, stews, pies etc. Here’s a delicious snack you can make with some, all you need is a sheet of ready rolled puff pastry, a tin of chickpeas (or any bean/lentil you like) and some seasoning. We went for Moroccan flavours this time which are very similar to our sweet, warming pumpkin spice mix (which also needs using up – find the recipe for that here). Will you put your own twist on this recipe? Let us know what worked well in the comments.
Liz x
Ingredients (makes 12 small rolls)
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1 salt & pepper to taste
1/2 a medium kuri squash, roasted and completely chilled (or any pumpkin or winter squash like butternut)
1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
oat milk for brushing and sealing
sesame seeds to sprinkle
Method
Mash the chickpeas with the spices, salt and pepper. If you don’t have pumpkin spice mix, just sprinkle in some cinnamon, ginger, chilli, cloves etc. Leave some chickpeas whole, they bring nice body and texture to the filling.
Add cold roasted pumpkin flesh and mix it in. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt.
Cut your sheet of pastry into 3 even pieces. Share out the filling between the 3 pieces and use a spoon to shape the filling into a sausage along the middle of each piece. Roll up the filling in the pastry, seal the edges with oat milk. Flip the sealed side over to the bottom and brush the tops with more milk. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and cut each long sausage into 4.
Space them out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake at 200C for 10-15 minutes or until golden and hot through. Enjoy!
This autumnal treat is creamy, delicious and totally plant based. We use wobbly silken tofu in place of cream cheese and eggs for a healthy, protein-rich, planet-friendly dessert with that perfect ‘baked cheesecake’ texture. If you haven’t tried silken tofu yet, it’s such a useful ingredient to have in your kitchen. Use it cubed up in traditional miso soups, scramble it like an egg for breakfast or blend it into creamy desserts like this one. To ensure this cheesecake sets while it bakes, we also add corn starch, (we now stock a great organic cornstarch which you can add to your next veg box order). Happy baking!
Liz x
Ingredients
For the base:
150g porridge oats
50g butter (we use Naturli)
50ml maple syrup
a pinch of salt
1 tsp pumpkin spice blend
For the vanilla swirl:
350g silken tofu
200ml oat milk
3 tbsp corn starch
50g sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla essence
For the pumpkin swirl:
350g silken tofu
200g roasted pumpkin purée
3 tbsp corn starch
50g sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp pumpkin spice blend
Method
Turn your oven to 175C. Line a loose bottomed cake tin with baking parchment (I use a 23cm one).
In a food processor, pulse together the base ingredients until they resemble a sticky crumb texture. Press evenly into the base of the lined cake tin with the back of a spoon.
Wipe the blender clean then blend the vanilla swirl ingredients together until smooth, pour into a jug. Then blend the pumpkin swirl ingredients until smooth and pour into a separate jug. The pumpkin swirl will seem thicker at this stage, but it all even out in the oven don’t worry.
Pour the vanillia and pumpkin swirl in turns into your cake dish. Swirl together with a spoon to create a marbled effect. Then bake for 50 minutes or until just set and starting to crack on top.
Loosen the sides of the cheesecake from the tine with a knife and allow to completely cool. Carefully remove the cake onto a plate and store in the fridge. Enjoy in thick slices with whipped coconut cream dusted with more pumpkin spice.
Lots of you have told us that you don’t like kale but wish you did so you could enjoy the many health benefits of this mighty, Irish green. Here’s how we get our kids to eat loads of it, in pesto! If we have fresh herbs in the house we mix those in too for extra flavour. Doesn’t have to be basil either, you could make kale/parsley pesto or kale/dill pesto etc to go with whatever you are making for dinner. Here’s our basic pesto recipe which you can tweak to your liking. Pesto pasta is a quick, mid-week staple in our house and we love to top it with seasonal vegetables and chickpeas – this week’s pumpkin with chilli and fennel seeds was particularly delicious, find the recipe below.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the pesto:
100g nuts/seeds (toasted for extra flavour)
1 clove of garlic
a big pinch of salt
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (for cheesy flavour – you could sub with hard cheese or leave it out if you like)
100g greens (kale/spinach/fresh herbs) – washed and shaken dry
100ml olive oil (plus extra for topping off the jar)
the zest & juice of 1/2 a lemon
Pumpkin & Chickpea topping:
1/2 a kuri squash or butternut squash (seeds scooped out and flesh cut into bite sized chunks – you can leave the skin on)
1 tin of chickpeas, drained
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tsp fennel seeds
cooked pasta and an extra drizzle of olive oil to serve
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Toss the chickpeas and pumpkin in a baking dish with the olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli flakes and fennel seeds, mix well. Place the dish in the oven to roast while you boil pasta and make the pesto – around 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
In a food processor, pulse the nuts/seeds (we used toasted sunflower seeds here) with the garlic, salt and nutritional yeast until crumbly.
Tear in half of the kale (stalks and all) and pulse again to roughly chop. Repeat with the other half of the kale.
Then add the oil and lemon and blend into a pesto consistency. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.
Drain your pasta and while it’s still hot, stir through a generous amount of the pesto, we usually go for a couple of heaped tbsp per person. Drizzle with extra olive oil if you like for more healthy fats and flavour. Serve the pasta in bowls topped with the spicy roasted pumpkin and chickpeas and enjoy!
If you are not using all the pesto right away, spoon it into a clean jar and protect the top from air with a little layer of olive oil. Lid on and store in the fridge. Enjoy within a week – stirred through pasta, spread into sandwiches, tossed through boiled potatoes or steamed greens…
Variations of this cozy Autumn dish are always popular in our house. Grab a warm bowl and a spoon and curl up on the sofa for dinner tonight. A warm bowl of orzo is just gorgeous, one of our ultimate comfort foods. Tell us about your variations in the comments, we love to get inspired.
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 4 or 5)
1/2 a small kuri squash pumpkin, chopped into chunks
3 or 4 portobello mushrooms, halved or quartered
a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
a large knob of butter (we use dairy free Naturli)
1 leek, rinsed and finely chopped
3 sticks of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, finely diced
400g orzo pasta
1 liter of vegetable stock
a small handful of fresh herbs eg rosemary and thyme
salt and pepper to taste
your favourite cheese to serve (we stock an amazing vegan blue cheese that you have to try!)
Method
Turn your oven on to 200C. Spread the chopped mushrooms and pumpkin out into a tray and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss the tray to evenly coat the veg in the seasoning. Place in the oven to roast while you prepare the orzo.
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, sauté the leek, celery and garlic with the knob of butter and a little more olive oil. Season the vegetables with a little salt and pepper and cook on a medium-high temperature for 5 minutes or so until they are softened.
Add the orzo, herbs and vegetable stock to the pan and turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir, then add a lid and gently cook until the pasta has absorbed all the stock and is soft. Stir every few minutes to ensure the pasta doesn’t stick. You may also need to add a splash more water. Taste a little pasta every now and then to see if it is done or if it is drying out and needs mor liquid.
After around 20-30 minutes, both the pasta and the roasted vegetables should be ready. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary then serve in warm bowls topped with the roasted vegetables and some cheese.
It’s definitely soup weather now isn’t it? A few humble ingredients come together to make this stunning soup. If you are turning on your oven, it’s not a bad idea to chop up and roast as many of your vegetables as you can in different trays to use in dishes throughout the week and save on your energy bill. Pre-roasted veg can be blended into soups like this one, simmered into stews or packed into wraps or salads for lunch.
One of our favourite budget ingredients are lentils. They are always affordable and bring so many nutrients to your meals. Red lentils are especially useful for adding great texture to soups, if you’ve not tried this handy store-cupboard ingredient yet, we sell it in compostable bags. We always have a few tins of creamy coconut milk in the press too, these are so useful for soups and curries. Get your organic tinned essentials delivered to your door along with your seasonal vegetables from us. We deliver nationwide for just €4.50!
Liz x
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
1/2 a large, kuri squash pumpkin (cubed and roasted until soft with a little olive oil and salt)
250g split red lentils, rinsed well
500ml vegetable stock
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 whole red chillies (or to taste)
1 heaped tsp of turmeric
1 heaped tsp of ginger
1 tin of coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
a small bunch of fresh coriander
Method
Over a medium-low heat, simmer the lentils, garlic, chilli, turmeric and ginger with the vegetable stock and some black pepper for 10-15 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Keep an eye on it giving the pot the occasional stir and adding more water if needed.
Then turn the heat up and add the tin of coconut milk and the roasted pumpkin. Heat through then blend with the fresh coriander.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and thin out to your desired texture with a splash of water or more vegetable stock. Enjoy!
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
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!
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.
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.
Serve warm with a smear of butter, a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a dusting of pumpkin spice mix. Enjoy!
October is here and it’s time to really embrace autumn. One of our most popular autumn crops are our sweet little kuri squash pumpkins. Have you tried one yet? Grown right here on the farm in Galway, they taste like concentrated summer sunshine. Miles away in terms of flavour from watery carving pumpkins, these are bred for flavour. Think butternut squash dialled up to 11.
I like to have a jar of roasted pumpkin puree in the fridge at this time of year to add instant autumn vibes to any dish or drink, sweet or savoury. And speaking of autumn vibes, a little jar of pumpkin spice mix goes a long way to bring a cosy autumn atmosphere to your home. Add to your bakes, dust hot drinks, even simmer into an autumn tagine. These two jars of distilled autumn will be so useful in your kitchen.
Liz x
Pumpkin Purée
To make a jar of pumpkin purée, simple cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and roast, cut side down, until soft. Roast at 200C and check it after 30 minutes. Then scoop out the soft flesh and blend with a stick blender. Spoon into a clean jar and keep in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 6 months.
Pumpkin Spice Mix
Our recipe for the perfect pumpkin spice mix that is warming, sweet and so useful is easy. Just mix together:
10 tsp cinnamon
5 tsp ginger
3 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Store in a clean, dry jar and use up within 6 months. Not just useful for sweet dishes and drinks, you can also use this spice blend to make a gorgeous Moroccan style stew with winter veggies, dried apricots and chickpeas. Serve with cous cous.
