Aubergine 'Meat' Balls

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great April. I went to London this week to see Matilda the Musical (which was AMAZING), and while we were there I dragged my mum and sister to a restaurant moments away from Oxford Circus called 'Ethos', which I had heard a lot about, and it did not disappoint. It was a vegan and vegetarian buffet restaurant where you pay for your food by its weight, which I think is a fab idea. It was full of super healthy amazing salads, Moroccan veg stews, courgette and feta cakes, their famous veggie scotch egg AND aubergine 'meat' balls, which were incredible. So I thought I would give them a try!

With aubergines being about 75p, this is a perfect recipe for if you're looking after your pennies. Just one medium sized aubergine made 12 balls! They didn't come out exactly like the ones in Ethos, but they were good enough for me! I am thinking next time I make them I will add some quinoa for some added texture and protein.

DISCLAIMER: This recipe does require a food processor. Annoying I know. I suppose if you cooked it a little longer you could mash the mixture with a potato masher? 

Anyway here it is, let me know what you think!

Takes about 30 minutes. Makes 12 balls.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized aubergine
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• dash of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil
• 100g ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 dried oregano
• 50g plain flour
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Start by finely chopping your onion, garlic and roughly chop the aubergine.
• Fry these in some extra virgin olive oil until browned. 
• Add the oregano, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for a further 5 minutes. If the mixture starts to look dry, add a splash of water.
• Turn off the heat, mix in the fresh basil, then blitz in a food processor for 1 minute, or until the lumps are reduced significantly.
• Then add the ground almonds bit by bit, until the mixture is thick enough to make into balls.
• Form the 12 balls with your hands, then roll them in the plain flour.
• Finally, fry the formed balls in a shallow pan in some olive oil until browned.
• I served mine with a simple tomato sauce, wholewheat pasta and fresh basil!

Lemon and Poppy Seed Cupcakes

The sun is finally out, and there's nothing better than a light and zesty cupcake to celebrate! The smell of fresh lemons can't be beaten, and the poppy seeds give the cakes a gorgeous crunch.

Like I said with my last baking post, I rarely measure things when I bake, which I probably wouldn't recommend because I never know how they are going to turn out! But that does make it more fun - as long as your end mixture has a 'soft dropping consistency', they should taste wonderful. All this means is that the mixture is thick enough so that it takes about 2 seconds to fall off the spoon on its own (ie. you shouldn't have to scrape it off with another spoon!).

I also used to get a bit scared when recipes told me to 'zest' lemons - having a proper zester does make life a bit easier and helps you get the most out of your lemon, but all you need to do is grate the outside of the lemon until you can see the pith - you don't want this white part because it can be very bitter. Or, if you don't have a grater (why don't you have a grater?), you can literally scrape down the outside of the lemon with a fork!

So here is the recipe, enjoy!

Makes about 15 cupcakes, takes about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 280g self raising flour
• 200g caster sugar
• 180g butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 1/2 lemons
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

For the topping:

• 200g icing sugar
• 50g butter
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp poppy seeds

Method

• Firstly, preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius (fan oven).
• Then, cut the 180g of butter into chunks and melt for 30 seconds in the microwave.
• Mix this together with the sugar, then beat in the eggs until the mixture is lump free and slightly bubbly.
• Next, zest the 1 1/2 lemons, and add this along with the juice to the mixture.
• Add the natural yoghurt and poppy seeds and mix in slowly.
• Then sift in the flour and fold, so that you keep in the bubbles.
• Check that the mixture is a soft dropping consistency - if it is too runny, add more flour. If it is too thick, add a touch of milk.
• You are now ready to spoon the mixture into cupcake cases, and then pop them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the knife comes out clean.
• While they are baking, put the remainder of the butter into the microwave for 30 seconds, then beat in the icing sugar and the juice of the 1/2 a lemon, to make the icing.
• Zest the rest of the lemon, and leave to one side. 
• When your cupcakes are out of the oven and cool, top with a blob of the icing, a pinch of lemon zest and a few poppy seeds!

Vegan Stroganoff

Happy Spring! Although Stroganoff is generally seen as a hearty winter dish, this take on the meal gives it loads of flavour and using coconut cream instead of cow's cream makes it much lighter.

I attempted veganism throughout February and March. I found that if you are organised and know the right places to go, then it's super easy - most of the meals that I make at home are vegan anyway! But I came to the conclusion that I won't be going that strict with my diet, I'm just going to avoid dairy where I can; I love almond milk and vegan chocolate anyway!

So this recipe is totally vegan - enjoy!

Serves 2, Takes about 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 500g any kind of mushrooms
• 1 courgette
• 1 onion
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 handful of baby spinach (if you are using frozen, allow longer to cook)
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley
• 1 tsp vegetable bouillon/powdered stock
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 100ml coconut cream
• 1 cup wholegrain rice to serve

Method

• Firstly, bring the rice up to the boil, as this takes about 25 minutes to cook through.
• Next, finely chop the onion and garlic, and fry in a pan for a couple of minutes in a drop of olive oil.
• Thinly slice the courgette, and roughly chop the mushrooms, and add to the pan.
• Once all the vegetables begin to brown, add the wholegrain mustard, bouillon and a splash of water. If the ingredients start to look dry, mix in a bit more water.
• Next, add the coconut milk, spinach and parsley, and stir.
• When the spinach had wilted, turn off the heat.
• Serve on top of brown rice and top with a pinch of parsley to garnish.

Creme Egg Brownies

It's nearly Easter and this is literally my favourite thing about the holiday! I love baking and I do it far too much; I made so many of these last year I had to start giving them to people because I would have just eaten them all myself! I want to start putting more baking posts on here, but my problem is I hardly ever measure anything properly - I believe baking (and cooking!) should be about trial and error and enjoying yourself. So feel free to just use this as a basis and do your own thing!

Funnily enough I'm not actually a fan of the insides of creme eggs when they aren't baked, but when they have been in the oven for a while, the sugar caramelises and it's gorgeous!

So this is the recipe; you could really substitute the creme eggs with anything to make them seasonal, making them the perfect little gift for someone, or treat for yourself!

Makes 10 brownies.

Takes roughly 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 5 Creme Eggs
• 200g salted butter
• 280g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 80g plain flour
• 80g cocoa powder

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan oven).
• Then start by cutting up the butter into small chunks, and heat up for 30 seconds in the microwave until slightly melted.
• Next in a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and partly melted butter. 
• Then beat in the 3 large eggs until you can see little air bubbles forming.
• Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the bowl and fold into the mixture.
• Pour the mixture into a baking tin lined with greaseproof paper.
• Next is the messy part! On a chopping board, carefully half the creme eggs with a sharp knife - I've found that it helps if you find the natural split in the chocolate first - then lay them gently onto the mixture.
• Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture doesn't wobble when you shake the tin - and you're done!

Lentil and Spinach Burgers

These burgers are another one of my fave meals. The combination of lentils and spinach are perfect, as they make a complete protein, they go with pretty much anything and of course they are super tasty!

I have tried to do a healthy take on the classic burger - spinach is full of vitamin C, as well as anti-cancer carotenoids, while lentils help to lower cholesterol and contain high levels of magnesium which is amazing for your heart. Better than the 29g fat Big Mac Burger don't you think?!

I have served my Lentil and Spinach Burger with kale, tomato, avocado, and mixed sweet potato and white potato wedges, but you can put it with whatever you like!

Makes around 6 burgers.

Takes just over 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• olive oil, to fry
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 handfuls baby spinach
• 500ml veggie stock
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method

• Start by finely chopping the onion and garlic, and frying in a saucepan until soft.
• Add the lentils, followed by the veggie stock, and bring to the boil.
• Next add the cumin and coriander, and once stirred, leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the lentils begin to go soft and translucent around the edges. Add more hot water if the mixture begins to stick to the pan.
• Mix in the baby spinach, and stir until it wilts.
• Turn off the heat, and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Once cooled slightly, add the plain flour bit by bit, until the mixture starts to firm and stick together.
• Form this mixture into patties, and fry in a shallow pan for about 3 minutes on each side, and you're ready to serve the burgers as you please!

Carrot, Kale and Coriander Soup

I love soups! They are so simple, full of goodness, and you can pretty much put anything in them and they work!

This is obviously my take on a very classic soup; I love kale - it's full of iron, calcium and vitamin C, and I find that it goes well with everything, including this fab soup. 

I have a hand blender which is so useful for soups, as well as hummus and pesto, but I used to hate it as a student when I read great recipes that required ridiculous equipment! So this magical mix could be eaten as a broth too.

So here is the recipe! It serves 2, and I topped mine with fresh coriander and chia seeds and had it with my fave avocado on toast.

Ingredients

• 1.5 large carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 large garlic clove
• 500ml veggie stock
• 2 large handfuls of kale
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 handful fresh coriander
• splash extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• pinch chia seeds (optional)

Method

• So start by finely chopping the onion, carrots and garlic.
• Then lightly fry them in a hot pan with the oil for about 5 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown.
• Next add the stock and ground coriander, and bring to the boil.
• Add the kale, then leave to simmer for around 10 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
• Turn off the heat, add the fresh coriander, salt and pepper, then whiz up with the hand blender until smooth.
• Spoon into a bowl, add a sprig of fresh coriander and the chia seeds, and you're done!

Beetroot, Black Eyed Bean and Feta Burgers

Hey! This is my first post, I just made these burgers for tea and they were beautiful. Being a vegetarian myself, I'm often left disappointed and pretty annoyed at the lack of effort that restaurants put into their veggie burgers. I got a mushroom burger from a place in Sheffield the other day, and it was literally just a portobello mushroom in a bun - not okay! 

So I've started doing a lot of veggie burgers really, partly because it's summer but also to prove how easy and tasty they are!

Beetroot and feta has always been a fave of mine, especially at the moment because it's super summery, and of course because they're pink! They went really well with this lemon and coriander couscous, but they would obviously also be delicious just in a bun with some salad or chips.

So here is the recipe, let me know what you think!

 Ingredients 

• 400g tin of black eyed beans
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 cooked beetroot, chopped
• a handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• 50g feta cheese, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 80g plain flour

Method

• Fry the onion and garlic on a high heat in the vegetable oil until golden brown.
• Add the beetroot and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Roughly mash up the black eyed beans so there are still some whole ones, and add these to the pan.

• Turn off the heat, and mix in the coriander, balsamic vinegar, and feta cheese. Season to taste.
• Add the plain flour bit by bit, until the mixture begins to stick together. You may need to add a bit of water or a bit more flour to get the right consistency. 
• When the mixture is fairly stiff but sticky, form into patties - you may need to wait for it to cool down a bit to handling heat!

• Finally, fry the formed burgers for a couple of minutes on each side in some oil until golden brown. Enjoy!