Add the chopped chocolate to a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with barely simmering water to melt. Stir every now-and-then until completely melted. Take from the heat. Line a small-hole muffin tin with paper cups. Spoon about half a teaspoon chocolate into each cup and give it a swirl so that the chocolate covers the base of the paper cup. Add about three blueberries and two pistachio nuts to the cups and then drizzle with another half teaspoonful of melted chocolate. Place some more blueberries and nuts on each cluster and give each a final drizzle of chocolate. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes. Gently remove the clusters from the paper cups and serve. Do not keep the clusters in the refrigerator.
This hummus takes some effort but keeps well in the fridge and makes a delicious sandwich or dip!
125ml beetroot, cooked and chopped 1 400g tin of chickpeas 60ml tahini 2 cloves of garlic, minced the juice of one lemon/15ml fresh lemon juice (preserved lemon juice leaves a bitter aftertaste) 5ml salt 15ml olive oil
Add all the ingredients to a liquidiser and blitz until it is smooth and emulsified. Store in a glass jar in your refrigerator.
This is such a simple dish but it truly delivers on taste!! Delicious as a light meal or as a side to meat.
1 aubergine per person 2 pears 250ml of fresh soft herbs like parsley, basil, thyme, chives and sage 2 cloves of garlic, minced 83ml pine kernels, toasted 1 lemon 60ml olive oil
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Slice the aubergine lengthwise into 1,5cm thick sliced, but DO NOT cut the slices loose. Place the aubergine flat onto a surface, cover with you hand and gently push down on it so that the “slices” fan out. Place onto the baking sheet. Drizzle the aubergine with olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and place in the oven for about 40 minutes until beautifully soft and slightly charred. Make the pesto by adding the herbs, garlic, pine kernels, juice of one lemon and 60ml olive oil to a blender (you may use a hand blender) and blitz until it comes together. Put aside. Peel the pears and slice it into sticks. Spoon the pesto onto the baked aubergine as soon as you take it from the oven and pile the pear sticks on top. Serve with a fresh bread or as a side dish to meat.
This is a delicious and healthy meal based on Jamie Oliver’s avocado pastry recipe. The quick pickle elevates this plant-based dish from good to absolutely fabulous!
2 medium avocado pears 400g self-raising flour ice water 6 eggs 5ml salt 400g frozen peas, defrosted 140g cheddar cheese, grated 200g sugarsnaps, halved
Quick Pickle: 500ml vinegar 500ml water 83ml sugar 30ml salt 10ml mustard seeds 10ml whole black peppercorns 4 cloves of garlic, cracked 2 bay leaves 12 zucchini
Start by making the pickle: Slice the zucchini into coins/strips and place it in a glass bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients for the pickle to a saucepan. Place over high heat until tiny bubbles appear at the edges. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the pickle onto the prepared zucchini. Set aside until cold. (The pickle may be bottled at this stage and stored in the refrigerator).
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray a 38cm X 25cm oven tray with cooking spray. Scoop the flesh from the avocados into a food processor and add the flour. Pulse at high speed until the mixture resembles coarse, wet sand. Add a very small amount of ice cold water to the mixture while the engine is running. The mixture should come together into a ball. Line the prepared baking tray with the avocado-pastry by pushing it about 2cm up the sides of the tray as well as covering the bottom as evenly as you can. The pastry is too wet to roll – be patient in pushing/spreading it out as evenly as you can. Set aside. Add the eggs, salt, defrosted peas and cheddar cheese to the bowl of your food processor and blitz on high speed. Pour this mixture onto the avocado-pastry and scatter the fresh sugarsnaps on top. Bake the flan for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately cut into portions. Serve a portion of the flan with a generous amount of zucchini pickles on top.
Soybean is a complete protein and really delicious when mixed in a salad with crunchy vegetables. I have used black soybeans in this salad but any soybean can be used.
250ml soybeans, cooked according to packet instructions baby spinach, finely chopped purple cabbage, finely shredded pomegranate seeds feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing: 30ml lemon juice 15ml red wine vinegar 5ml mustard 5ml garlic, minced 15ml honey 60ml olive oil
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Add the salad ingredients to a platter or bowl and drizzle the dressing over.
Build this salad as large or as an individual portion and keep the dressing in the refrigerator for the next day – it is delicious with anything fresh and crunchy!
mixed lettuce red cabbage, cut into chunks apple, sliced or cubed walnuts black sesame seeds
Dressing: 45ml mayonnaise 45ml Greek yoghurt 5ml lemon juice 2,5ml salt Whisk the ingredients together until emulsified. Spoon on to the salad before serving. The dressing can be kept refrigerated for 5 days.
1 cauliflower head 100ml Harissa paste (make your own Harissa with Fresh Chillies – recipe on this blog)
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Line a baking sheet/baking tin with aluminium foil. Trim the outer leaves from the cauliflower and cut down the stalk so that the head can stand on its own. Flip the head upside down and brush the bottom (and between the florets) liberally with the harissa paste. Brush the rest of the paste onto the sides and top of the head so that the entire veg is covered in paste. Cover the cauliflower with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil covering and roast uncovered for another 30 minutes. Cut the cauliflower into steaks or wedges to serve.
Whenever I eat this sweet potato dish with honey and orange, I am reminded of the city of Casablanca with its sweet smells and the aroma of cinnamon drifting in the air after another very warm day!!
4 – 6 large sweet potatoes 50g butter 62ml brown sugar 62ml honey 62ml orange juice the zest of one orange 2,5ml salt 2,5ml ground cinnamon
Preheat your oven to 190℃. Scrub the sweet potato, cut into chunks and add them to an ovenproof dish. Add the butter, brown sugar, honey, orange juice, zest, salt and cinnamon to a small saucepan and melt together. Pour the mixture over the sweet potato chunks and stir through so that all of the potato is covered in the sauce. Bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes or until cooked and slightly charred and the sauce is syrupy. Serve warm.
This cauliflower mash is silky smooth and makes the perfect base for a curry dish or stew. Add some steamed or roasted veg for a complete vegetarian meal.
about 700g cauliflower (one average head) 125ml milk 125ml cream 2,5ml salt 30ml butter
Cut the cauliflower into chunks, including the stalks, and place in a saucepan. Add the milk, cream and salt and bring to a boil – DO NOT LET IT BOIL OVER! Turn the heat down so that the liquid simmers lightly, put the lid on and allow to simmer until the cauliflower is soft enough to insert a toothpick into it easily. Pour the cauliflower-milk mixture into a blender and add the butter. Process until the mixture is smooth and silky. Season with salt, pepper and some more butter. Serve warm with your favourite casserole or as a delicious side.
This banana bread is delicious and chocolatey without being sweet and has incredible depth of flavour. I have included the substitutes for ingredients in brackets, to make it vegan. Enjoy this tea-time bread with a spread of salted butter.
220g banana, mashed (about three bananas) 5ml apple cider vinegar 35g butter, melted (nut butter) 300ml milk (soy milk) 100g sugar (Erythritol/any other sweetener) a pinch of salt 200g flour 2,5ml bicarbonate of soda 10ml baking powder 50g cacao powder 40g + 40g dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a small bread tin (22cm X 11cm) with baking paper. Mash the banana with a fork in a mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, melted butter and milk and mix through with a spatula. Add the sugar to this mixture and stir through. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cacao powder into the bowl and mix well. Stir in 40g of the chopped chocolate. Spoon the batter into the prepared bread tin and sprinkle the other 40g of chopped chocolate on top. Bake the bread for 1 hour 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread, comes out clean. Take the banana bread from the oven and lift the bread from the tin by holding the ends of the baking paper. Cool the bread completely on a cooling rack before cutting. Serve with a spreading of salted butter.
My Whisk and I 