Tag: vegetarian

This is a great sweet potato soup full of goodness to warm your body and soul. Sweet potatoes are a brilliant, filling and yummy vegetable. They contain a lot less carbohydrate than standard potatoes, meaning that less is converted to sugar during digestion. Sweet potatoes are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and antioxidants and minerals. Sweet potatoes are a really good base for soups as they are starchy enough to really thicken the soup up but still really tasty and full of goodness.

Start by chopping 4 medium sized sweet potatoes, I actually leave the skin on for this recipe as it is full of extra nutrients and as I’m going to whizz the soup up with a blender it will all blend up too. Add to a large pan and then roughly chop 2 large vine tomatoes, 1 orange pepper and 1 red pepper and add to the pan. The main flavour in this soup is the sweet potato which is yummy and creamy but the added vegetables add a great amount of depth to the flavour.

I am a little bit in love with rosemary, it is one of my favourite herbs and I think it makes everything taste better but it does go really well with this soup and make an aromatic autumnal flavour. I grow rosemary in my garden and add a sprig straight in at this point. Cover with approximately 2 pints of boiling stock, either homemade or to make sure it is suitable for coeliacs and veggies double check all the ingredients on ready made stock cubes; Kallo do a great range.

Cook on a medium heat for about an hour or until the sweet potatoes are breaking apart and then blend with a handheld blender and serve hot. It’s delicious.

In the Autumn I love to eat nice, warming soups full of flavour and veggies. I know it’s not technically Autumn yet but with a slight chill in the wind I’m going to tuck in and enjoy a nice September-ey soup.

Essentially this recipe is for an amazing and tasty carrot and coriander soup but packed full of protein with some tasty lentils.

Finely chop 2 sticks of celery and 4 medium carrots and place in a pan with a handful of chopped coriander and about a pint and a half of boiling water. Bring to the boil on a high heat and when boiling switch down to a medium heat and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Although it is easy to cook the carrot and celery much quicker on a high heat the length of time simmering allows the coriander to break down and the flavour to really take hold.

Once soft and well cooked add lentils to the soup. The great thing with this recipe is you can use any lentils of your choice, I’m using red lentils as I really love the way the break down whilst cooking and make the texture of the soup really thick and creamy. Continue to cook, I use a medium heat and cook for approximately 45 minutes. Another great way to bulk this up for winter and autumn evening meals is to add rice, add rice at the same time as the lentils and cook on a higher heat to ensure the rice is cooked through, you may need to add more boiling water as it cooks on a higher heat.

One more perfect, tasty, vegan and coeliac soup.

I love oriental flavours and since being diagnosed coeliac and lactose intolerant it is far too big a risk to try and have a sneaky take-away, fortunately I have found a much better substitute low in msg and fats and guaranteed vegetarian, gluten free and lactose free.

To kick off with pop approximately 150g white rice on to cook in a pan. Rice is a great stable for coeliacs as it provides filling carbohydrates without having to resort to free from alternative foods. Although I would often use brown rice and brown rice is a lot healthier I am sticking with the ‘treat night’ theme here and making this as indulgent as I like. Cook the rice for 20 – 25 minutes until fluffy or as instructed.

Whilst the rice is cooking I begin getting the other yummy ingredients ready. Start by chopping the tofu, I use Cauldron Tofu in a block as it is organic and really readily available. I chop the block lengthways and then into small pieces about 1cm cubed. Pop into a large pan with a little oil. I use sesame oil as I am allergic to peanuts and it tastes yummy. Cook for approximately 15 minutes stirring frequently and turning the pieces of tofu so they brown evenly. Tofu is an excellent addition to vegan and vegetarian diets as it is rich in protein and even contains all 8 essential amino acids meaning it contains more amino acids than meat! Low in fat and really versatile tofu is a real wonder food and takes on the flavour of the dish. Yummy.

Fresh chopped pineapple tastes delicious, after approximately 15 minutes add about a quarter of a chopped pineapple to the pan with the tofu so this can start browning and cooking. Unfortunately I have to cheat on the next ingredients as I never find fresh bamboo shoots or water chestnuts so I use the caned variety in water, I chop these much smaller and then add them to the tofu and pineapple.

This dish is so yummy and the pineapple adds so much flavour it only needs a small amount to taste. I add gluten free soy sauce and I love the Clearspring Organic Tamari Soya Sauce as it is guaranteed gluten free, organic to boot and tastes delicious. I also use the Sweet Mandarin Sweet Chilli Sauce as it is again gluten free, lactose free and yummy. Add about a tablespoon of each to the vegetable and tofu and continue to cook and stir through until it all absorbed.

When the rice and the tofu and pineapple mix is all cooked the dish is ready to eat. Although still a treat dish this meal is so much better than a takeaway I feel totally justified in accompanying it with a glass of wine. Mmmmm for treat night.

Having gotten into my groove with the lentils last week I’m on a roll now and going to share a recipe I love that is full of flavour and chickpeas. Fashioned on one of my favourite Indian lentil dishes this stew is full of garlic and yummy as anything.

Lentils are a great nutritional source for coeliacs and vegans alike; full of protein, minerals and fibre and also really filling without being full of sugar like some coeliac alternative foods. Much healthier than carbohydrates!

Start by creating a great base for the soup, sauté one large white onion and 2 finely chopped carrots. Once soften add chopped garlic, red chilli and coriander. Stir a few times so the vegetables are coated in the herbs and garlic and tasty all the way through. Then add about one and a half pints of boiling water and a stock cube. Allow the soup base to cook on a medium to high heat. It will look like you have far too much water at this point but this is because the lentils will absorb loads of the water and leave you with a chunky veggie delight.

Once the stock and vegetables have been left to cook add approximately 100g of red lentils and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. You will know the lentils have started to cook when they begin to break down and lose their shape as they soften and fill the stew. Chickpeas add a huge amount of extra protein to this dish and taste fantastic with the other vegetables. They add to the texture as well as the flavour by cutting through the thickness of the stew and providing a crunch. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 15 minutes before serving and enjoying with a smile.

When the weather gets hot (very infrequently here in Sheffield) I love nothing more than a summery salad to get my veggie fix and enjoy some delicious tasting vegan food. This is one of my favourite salads and is really simple and perfect for summer as it is light, tasty and full of foods a coeliac vegan needs!

Chickpeas make an excellent base for a gluten free vegan salad as they are full of protein, low in fat and rich in minerals including iron, magnesium and others vital for a healthy and balanced diet. For a perfect lunchtime portion I use half a can of ready cooked chickpeas and pop into a large bowl. I then slice approximately 5 -7 black olives finely and add these to the chickpeas. Black olives are not the healthiest of foods but they do give this salad a great bite of Mediterranean summer flavour.

I really enjoy finely chopped salad vegetables so next I finely chop a third of a cucumber into squares and finely chop about a quarter of a round lettuce. Cucumber and lettuce add some healthy leafy greens but don’t distract from the flavours of the chickpeas and olives, or in fact the artichokes which we will add next! Artichoke antipasti in olive oil are a real treat for me and I have to use all my willpower not to eat the entire jar. I add 3 – 4 slices of artichoke antipasti to the salad and use the oil already coating the artichokes as the dressing for the salad. Mix through to disperse through the rest of the vegetables. A small twist of black pepper finishes the flavour off and leaves you with a really simple and yummy vegan and gluten free lunch. Perfect to brighten up even the English summer.

This beautiful soup requires a bit of time and investment as you need to make in two stages but trust me – the result is really worth it. You will have the heathiest, vegan, gluten free soup which taste like a walk in a summer vegetable garden (I can but dream my garden is that big!)

Start by chopping courgette, red pepper and carrot quite finely and popping into a baking tray with a little olive oil and roasting on 200® for just over an hour. For this soup I would say 1 courgette, 1 red pepper and 2 medium carrots should be the right amount but to save energy whilst I have the oven on I will often cook more vegetables at once and save and store for future meals.

Once the vegetables are all ready you are set to start the soup. Lentils are one of the worlds real super foods, extremely high in dietary fibre, rich in protein and full of minerals and B vitamins which are essential to maintaining a healthy digestive system and are also widely considered to contribute to a real reduction in the risk of heart disease. All in all lentils are ace.

At this point cooking the soup becomes really easy, add about 150g red lentils to a large pan and I mean large as they will expand, all the cooked vegetables, 4 chopped vine tomatoes, 2 vegetable stock cubes and approximately 6 cups of boiling water. Really simple. Cook on a medium heat with the lid on for approximately 30 minutes and stir occasionally. Red lentils do have difficulty retaining their shape as they cook but please don’t worry; nothing is going wrong. After 30 minutes you will have a delicious, hearty lentil and garden vegetable soup which will make your day and provide the nutrition needed to make a healthy, happy coeliac vegan.

I love roasted vegetables and the tastes of rosemary and garlic goes fantastically with beautiful, colourful Mediterranean vegetables.

Roasting vegetables can be fairly time intensive so sometimes I have a weekend session of vegetable roasting, one of the great things about ready roasted vegetables is that they are incredibly versatile and can make many meals and options really quickly. Today I’m roasting some vegetables ready for a polenta dish and making soup from one big roasting dish of yummy veg.

Start by popping olive oil, rosemary and garlic in a large roasting dish and warming it slightly whilst you prepare the vegetables. Then chop courgette, vine tomatoes, aubergine, red and yellow pepper and onion. I like to chop quite large pieces in a rough and rustic manner. This is because I love the taste of the vegetables and the bigger the pieces the better the flavour. This mix of vegetables is high in minerals, vitamins and dietary fibre, aubergine is an excellent source of dietary fibre and high many B vitamins. Vine tomatoes contain about twice the amount of vitamin C as other tomatoes which makes any meals with these vegetables a plate full of healthy delightfulness.

Add all the vegetable into the roasting dish with the oil and herb mixture and roast for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes on about 200®.

These vegetables go really well together and create a beautiful tasty combo. Once cooked they can be used in so many different ways. I’m going to serve the vegetables in two ways – as they with a lovely warm polenta and balsamic for dinner and also by making the vegetables into a lovely soup to make a healthy packed lunch.

To make the soup pop the vegetables into a pan and add boiling stock. I use Kallo reduced salt organic stock cubes as they are suitable for coeliacs and vegans. Simmer the ready cooked vegetables in the stock for approximately 20 minutes and then blend. The inclusion of the aubergine and the courgette makes the soup really thick and creamy and tomato is not over powering. It’s also really easy to store the vegetables in a container and then make the soup after work.

Another tasty, gluten free, lactose free vegan dish which is low on allergens and popular with everyone. Especially me. Yum.

This is a lovely warm and super curry full of super greens and loads of vegan goodness. I am a huge fan of coconut and this meal has loads of coconut yumminess in it. I love it!

Start with a big pan and start cooking one medium finely chopped onion in a little oil with a some chopped red chilli, 3 cloves of chipped garlic and a teaspoon of grated ginger. I love making my own curries from scratch instead of using gloopy sauces, especially since lots of the ready made sauces can be a nightmare for coeliacs, lactose intolerant folks and anyone else with allergies. Making things from scratch is a winner. Onions are a great base for so many meals as they provide loads of flavour and at the same time are completely free from fat, cholesterol and sodium, the best way to flavour your dish without any added health issues. Cook the onion in the oil with the chilli, garlic and ginger for 4 -5 minutes.

Add one finely chopped green peppers as the onions have started to soften and turn yellow. One of the great things about this meal is that green peppers and green beans have a high level of vitamins and minerals. Green peppers are a great source of potassium which helps to maintain the health of vital organs like your heart and kidneys. Cook for a further 5 minutes and add one large chopped tomato. At this point I also add a stock cube. I use Kallo stock cubes as they are a ok for coeliacs and have a reduced salt option. Rather than making the stock up with boiling water I add the stock cube as it is. In the heat the stock cube will dissolve with the liquid from the tomato. Reduce the heat to a medium level and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes.

Following the 10 minutes you will notice the delicious smell of all the cooking vegetables, add a can of chickpeas and a can of coconut milk. Although coconut milk isn’t the healthiest thing in the world it is a natural source of fat and along with the protein packed chickpeas this means this meal ticks all the food groups. Once these final ingredients are added turn the heat down to a low level and continue to simmer for a further 40 minutes – 1 hour.

Shortly before serving add plenty of fresh spinach. Spinach is well known as a real superfood, it is full of folic acid, iron and really high levels of vitamins and minerals. The spinach will wilt in the heat of the curry and tastes delicious.

I personally serve this lovely super green vegan curry with rice but you can serve with a gluten free naan bread or even just eat it as it comes! The spices I’ve used make it quite a mild heat and very aromatic but do feel free to increase the heat as hot as you like it.