Wild Garlic Pesto

This recipe is actually pretty tricky for me to write even though I've made it loads. I usually make a big batch to fill up a few jars. I start with a basic recipe and just keep adding extra of everything until the food processor is pretty full. Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts but in the interest of keeping the cost down I usually opt for cashew nuts. Non vegan pesto contains Parmesan, you could sub it for some nutritional yeast if you like but I just miss it out entirely.

Experiment with nuts to give the pesto slightly different flavours, try subbing in some walnuts.

Wild garlic pesto

Ingredients

2 large handfuls of wild garlic leaves

1/2 cup cashew nuts

1/4 cup olive oil

Juice of a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Add everything to the food processor and blend. I usually start with half of the lemon juice, give it a taste and add more if i feel it needs it (which I usually do, I like lemon!). Adjust the quantities to suit your taste.

If you make enough to fill a few jars you can pour a layer of olive oil over the top to 'seal' the pesto and store in the fridge. 

Cashew Milk

Making your own plant milk is often cheaper than buying the store bought counterparts. Plus I think it's more fun. You can experiment with flavours, make it as sweet as you like or not at all. Want chocolate milk? Add some cacao/cocoa powder. The possibilities are virtually endless!

Cashew milk

Ingredients
1 cup cashew nuts
4 cups water
2 dates
Vanilla essence

Method
Soak cashews in water for at least 4 hours. I usually soak overnight so my cashews get around 8-12 hours soaking time. 

Strain off the water and rinse the nuts. Throw the cashews in a blender with 1 cup of water and the dates and blend until smooth. I've found that blending with a small amount of water helps achieve the smoothest blend. What you're left with at this stage is a delicious, thick cashew cream.

Add the rest of the water and a splash of vanilla and blend to combine. 

Adjust quantities or try a different sweetener to suit your taste. 

 
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days. Shake well before each use. 

Foraging Wild Garlic

I thought I better get a post about foraging for wild garlic written whilst it's still wild garlic season and the stuff is growing like crazy all over the place! Wild garlic season is one of my favourite times of year.
Wild garlic, or Ramsons, can usually be found between April-June although I've noticed young shoots in late March this year.
Search in damp woodland areas, next to streams, boggy areas and next to hedgerows. You can smell the garlic way before you see it so you'll know when you've found the right place. Wild garlic can coat a woodland floor and it looks and smells glorious! I live in a valley and the conditions around here are perfect!
The leaves of the plant are long, spear shaped and fairly broad. The flowers are like balls of little white star shaped flowers on tall stems.
The leaves are edible, the flowers are edible, the entire plant is edible! The leaves can be used to make pesto among a whole host of other things. The flowers make pretty additions to salads and the buds can be pickled. Try to leave the plant's roots in the ground and follow these other tips for sustainable foraging to ensure the plant can regrow next year for more people to enjoy!

Veggie Hash

Being honest here, this experiment was pretty much based around what I had in the fridge that needed using up. You'll need a good non stick pan for the potatoes not to stick a bit. 

Veggie hash

Serves 2

Ingredients

3 potatoes, cubed

1 celery stick, sliced

1/2 courgette, sliced

2 small onions, roughly chopped

12-14 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup, finely chopped mushrooms

4 asparagus spears, sliced

good handful wild garlic, roughly chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

2 tbsp oil

Salt and pepper to season.

Method

Heat the oil in a deep sided frying pan over a medium heat, add the onions, potatoes and thyme, stir to coat in oil then cover with a lid and turn down the heat. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes until potatoes soften.

Add all thee other ingredients excluding the wild garlic and asparagus, stir and cover again for a further 5 minutes.

Add the wild garlic and asparagus and season to taste. Stir and cover again for a final 5 minutes

Serve with whatever sauce or other condiments you fancy. I opted for a big dollop of homemade beetroot and chilli ketchup.

Berry, Mint and Maca Smoothie

Berry, mint and maca smoothie

Ingredients
2 bananas
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 tsp matcha powder
1 tsp maca powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
Small bunch mint leaves
1-2 cups coconut water

Method
Throw everything in a blender and whizz until smooth. Adjust quantities to taste.

Smokey Red Lentil Soup

Before I was vegan I used to make bacon and lentil soup fairly regularly. I honestly never missed the bacon but I did miss the smokey flavour that it added. Hence this soup was born, slightly hotter than the non vegan counterpart but that's never a bad thing to me! 

It's quite a thick soup which I like but it could easily handle and extra cup of stock being thrown in if you wanted to thin in out or make it stretch further.

Smokey red lentil soup

Makes 3 good bowls, 4 if made thinner.

Ingredients
2 carrots
1 onion
5 cloves garlic

1 cup red lentils

1 400 tin chopped tomatoes

3 cup veg stock (4 if you prefer it thinner)

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tbsp maple syrup

Optional toppings:

Oatly creme fraiche 

Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Vegan smoked cheese

Method

Rinse the lentils in a sieve and set aside.

Fry the onions and garlic in a saucepan in little oil over a med heat and fry until soft.

Add the paprika and cayenne and stir through.

Add the carrots and and fry gently for a minute or 2.

Stir in the lentils followed by the tinned tomatoes and stock and liquid smoke, bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 mins.

Add the maple syrup, season to taste and blend. 

Toast the sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a frying pan for a couple of minutes and serve on top of the soup along with the creme fraiche and some grated vegan cheese.  

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

This is always a hit in my house.  For breakfast, or dessert or even just an evening snack. It's hard to feel guilty when this is how I get my chocolate fix. Plus it tastes amazing!

Chocolate avocado pudding

Ingredients
1 banana
1 avocado
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
8 dates
2 tbsp cocoa/cacao powder

Method
Throw everything in the food processor and whizz until smooth.

Adjust quantities to taste, add a splash of sweetener if that's your preference.

Eat as is or top with fruit, nuts, granola etc.

Pink Smoothie

Another colour based smoothie request from my son. Pink and green ones seem to be his favourite at the minute!

Pink Smoothie

Ingredients
2 bananas,
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/2 cup frozen pomegranate
1 tsp chia seeds
2 tbsp flax seeds
1 tsp maca powder
2 cup Coconut water

Method
Throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth!

Wild Garlic, Pea, Mint and Lemon Risotto with Asparagus Spears.

I love risotto and I love wild garlic so it was about time the two joined forces. I'm really enjoying the arrival of spring and eating all the green foods I can get my hands on.

Wild garlic, pea, mint and lemon risotto with asparagus spears

Serves 4

Ingredients
1/3 cup per person risotto rice
5 cups hot veg stock
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
8 mint leaves
Bunch wild garlic
1/2 cup frozen petits pois
5 asparagus spears per person
1 lemon
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
Oil of choice
Salt and pepper

Optional:

Sub 1/2 cup stock for vegan white wine.

Method

Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry over a medium heat in a little oil.

Stir in the rice then add 1/2 cup stock (or wine) and simmer, stirring continuously until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.

Keep adding the stock 1/2 cup at a time and stirring until the stock has been used and the rice is soft and creamy (or whichever comes first).

Finely chop the mint leaves and roughly chop the wild garlic. Add these to the pan when you add the last 1/2 cup stock along with the nutritional yeast and peas. 

Stir in the juice of half a lemon and the salt and pepper before serving. 

Fry the asparagus spears in a little oil with salt pepper and a squeeze of lemon and serve with the risotto. 

Sesame Pak Choi And Spicy Soy Buddha Bowl

Pak choi roasted in sesame oil is pretty much the only way I want to eat the leafy green wonder. The sesame pak choi is the foundation that I built this bowl on, that was what I really wanted to eat and the other ingredients just showed up to the party.

Serves 2

Sesame pak choi and spicy soy buddha bowl

Ingredients
1 pak choi
1 red pepper
1/2 block pressed tofu
2 rice noodle nests
Purple sprouting broccoli
Small piece of ginger
1 red chilli
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
Oil of choice
4 spring onions
Sesame seeds
Salt and pepper

Method
Heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.

Chop the pak choi in half length ways, rinse and place on a baking tray with the sprouting broccoli,  drizzle with a little oil (I used coconut), the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.

Cover the rice noodles with boiling water, cover for 3 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Cube the tofu.

Mince the garlic, chilli and ginger and fry in a little oil, add the cubed tofu and a tbsp of the soy sauce. Add the 2nd tbsp once the pan dries and fry your tofu to your desired crispness.

Thinly slice the red pepper and chop the spring onions.

Serve the noodles with all the other components and sprinkle with sesame seeds.