winter warmer – littlefruitbat.com

Woodbridge Inn, Coalport

I enjoyed spending new year’s eve in Ironbridge Gorge with friends. It was a great opportunity to start 2020 discovering a new place to eat with coeliac and vegan friendly options – both for me and for friends undertaking Veganuary.

Woodbridge Inn in Coalport has a wide range of dishes available and a specific gluten free menu making it easy to narrow down options and eat safely.

I had the Malaysian curry. The curry contained aubergine, red pepper and sweet potato in a coconut sauce and is served with brown rice and pak choi.

The service and support for allergies is fantastic. I was able to explain my allergies to mushrooms and nuts and feel supported and understood.

Highly recommend the Woodbridge Inn for gluten free and vegan foods as well as a cosy, warm environment and open fires.

Roasted Vegetable Tart

I love a nice easy meal, nice easy pastry which is gluten free and vegan makes nice and easy meals an easy thing to achieve.

After being diagnosed coeliac I started looking for food which would suit my dietary requirements and came across Jus Rol Gluten Free Puff pastry which is both gluten and animal product free.

This delicious tart is made with pre- roasted vegetables; courgette, aubergine, peppers and red onion. As well as a mix of herbs including basil and rosemary.

Unroll the pastry, cut to size and top with pesto. I use the Sacla Red Pesto which is so tasty and made with tofu and tomato.

Add the vegetables and cook for approximately 30 minutes before serving. Tasty, simple and comforting food as the nights draw in and darken.

Vegan Moussaka

This dish has been reimagined hundreds of times. I can see why. It is tasty, nutritional and warming in the cold weather. My gluten free, vegan interpretation has made me look forward to dinner time already.

Aubergine is key to any moussaka dish. Start by chopping 2 aubergines into slices approximately 1cm thick and cooking the slices on a griddle. I use a little Fry light olive oil, sea salt and chopped coriander to season the aubergine whilst it cooks.

I am going to substitute potato with sweet potato! Lower on carbohydrates and much higher in vitamins and fibre I really enjoy sweet potato and this moussaka is no exception. Peel and then slice 2 sweet potatoes similarly to the aubergine. Place in a saucepan, cover with water and then bring to the boil before simmering for 20 minutes. When the sweet potato slices are soft enough you could break them apart but firm enough to retain their shape you are all set.

Drain and leave to cool with the aubergine slices.

When cooled the fun begins – with layering. In addition to your sliced aubergine and sweet potato you will need tinned chopped tomatoes, chopped garlic and vegan cheese.

Start by pressing a layer of the griddled aubergine at the bottom of a baking dish. Cover with chopped tomatoes, then add chopped garlic followed by a layer of sweet potato and a topping of vegan cheese. I repeat this 3 times and then bake for approximately 30 minutes.

My moussaka is ideal winter comfort food. High in vitamins, vegan and gluten free. This makes a tasty meal anytime.

Spiced Kalette Soup

I love kale and was delighted to discover kalettes whilst shopping. Kalettes are a hybrid of kale and sprouts. They are high in vitamins C and K. In addition like all cruciferous vegetables they have high levels of folic acid and fibre. Perfect for a healthy diet.

Start this recipe with a roasting pan and a warm oven. Add 2 chopped red peppers and a chopped courgette to the roasting dish and spray with cooking oil. I’ve used Fry light sunflower as it reduces the fat content in the dish. Stir through paprika and cayenne pepper and pop into the oven to roast for about 45 minutes.

Whilst the vegetables roast chop white onion, and garlic and prepare stock. I’m a coeliac so I find Kallo reduced salt vegetable stock cubes are an ideal stock cheat as they are gluten free and vegan. At only 6 calories as well they are perfect for a healthy meal.

When the vegetables have roasted combine in a saucepan with the garlic, onion and kalettes. Cover with stock and bring to the boil.

Once the soup mix is boiling turn the heat down and simmer for about 30 mins. It is so hard to wait for this soup to cook because it smells beautiful. Use a hand blender to whizz the soup up and stir. My husband has topped his with a little parmesan but I don’t need it so I’m happy as it it. The paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic are so light it makes for a perfect lunch.

Parsnip and Coconut Curry

The festive period is an excellent time to tuck into a winter veg favourite. Rather than roasting, mashing or souping this recipe uses the warmth and versatility of the parsnip to set off some excellent flavours.

Start by warming a little coconut oil in a large pan. I use a Le Creuset casserole dish as it gives me the consistent heat and even cook I’m looking for.

Add chopped red chilli, chopped garlic, minced ginger and a little chopped coriander the coconut oil and start to stir through. Then add parsnips diced to approx 1cm cubes.

Saute off the parnsip a little to give it a softer texture then add drained, cooked chickpeas and sliced spring onions.

Stir so the vegetables saute evenly in the coconut oil and spices. Then add fresh plum tomatoes, tomato puree and coconut milk. Turn the heat down to a medium setting and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When cooked this dish is ideal served with rice to keep it gluten free!

Lentil and Vegetable Soup

Good morning! I’m not sure where February has got to but it’s definitely time for a healthy, vegetable Sunday. I’m off out on a nice walk so I’m using my slow cooker to make a healthy, lentiley, chunky soup that will be ready for lunch by the time I get back.

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Start by chopping the veggies. Peel and chop a large sweet potato and large carrot. I chop them into small squares approx 5ml x 5ml as this is a no blend soup and the vegetables give a great tasty crunch. Add these into the slow cooker. Chop one large white onion finely and add this in too.

I then add a couple of tablespoons of red lentils and brown lentils into the mix. Lentils are fantastic foods and absolutely packed full of fibre. They are really great not only for coeliac and vegan diets but for everyone. High fibre diets help to manage blood sugar levels as they burn energy slowly and steadily. They are high in protein reducing the need for meat or meat substitutes and help promote heart health with a strong combination of minerals.

All in all lentils are full on super heroes.

I then pour on a pint and a half of stock. As a coeliac I use Kallo vegetable stock as it is fully gluten free, tasty and vegan!

I’m going to pop on high and then get out in the fresh winter sunshine, knowing that my lunch will be waiting for me when I get back.

Hearty Split Pea Stew

Today I’m facing a real culinary challenge; cooking lunch for myself and my friend. Between my lactose intolerance, coeliacs disease, vegetarianism and allergies and my friend’s type 1 diabetes it could be interesting finding a meal we can both eat.

My solution for today lies in one of the world’s simplest foods – split peas.

I’m going to make a really hearty, tasty and simple stew. I’m going to use my slow cooker so I can spend as much of the day chatting as possible and just look forward to a tasty treat. Split peas are a really brilliant food. Split peas contain really high levels of dietary fibre which are great for anyone suffering with digestive intolerance’s and condition as it helps to keep the digestive system working effectively. The fibre in split peas helps to reduce cholesterol in binding it and processing it out of the body which is great for cardiac health as well. Containing very little fat and 65% fibre with a good protein kick too split peas are great for coeliacs.

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I start by chopping a large white onion really finely, then I chop 4 cloves of garlic finely too. Pop into the slow cooker with 200g of yellow and 200g green split peas. Pour over 2 pints of boiling stock and pop the slow cooker on to do all the cooking for you.

I can’t wait to tuck in to my delicious lunch today, knowing all the time those super peas will be looking after me and my friend and working hard to keep us healthy all day.

Creamy Roast Vegetable Soup

Happy new year! My resolution for 2016 is to keep finding new recipes and idea to try to keep my year tasty and exciting.

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I’m going to kick off the new year with an indulgent, veggie filled soup which will make you never miss dairy again. It combines great tasting roast vegetables with soya cream for a gluten free, lactose free vegan lunch time.

First I prepare all my vegetables ready for roasting. I start by chopping 3 courgettes into slices and then quartering, chop 2 red and 2 yellow peppers into small squares and quarter 3 large vine tomatoes. I pop all of these into a large roasting tin and add 3 cloves of garlic, I peel the cloves but leave them whole so that they can roast and imbue the flavour through the vegetables. Pour on a tablespoon of olive oil and finely chopped basil.

Roast all the vegetables on a 200 degree heat for about an hour. This will give the vegetables time to crisp and to cook right through.

Today I’m actually going to take the slow cooker approach and combine the roasted vegetables with 100ml soya cream and 400ml vegetable stock. I use Kallo low salt vegetable stock cubes for an easy gluten free vegetable stock. Cook in the slow cooker for a few hours (or in my case until I’m home from a bracing January walk) and blitz with a blender for a smooth and creamy taste. I’ve found my family and friends can’t even tell it’s dairy substitute! Viva la Veganism.