Pumpkin and Cavolo Nero Brown Rice Risotto

Halloween may be over, but my obsession with pumpkins lives on..

As does my obsession with Marty Morrissey. (I'm kidding)

Not so much these carving pumpkins as the smaller, tastier varieties of squash that are used more frequently in cooking or baking. This autumn I've had pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin energy balls - I even have one roasting in the oven right this moment, destined for a soup bowl later on. 
My favourite squash-based recipe of the season, however, has to be this delicious risotto I made a couple of weeks ago. It's so flavoursome and creamy, but because it's made with brown rice, it's a bit less stodgy than your normal risotto. It is quite time-consuming to make, but it's definitely worth it!
Cavolo nero, a cousin of kale, is black cabbage and has a delicious, slightly sweet flavour that works really well in this dish. 
I bought the squash, cavolo nero, rice and thyme at Temple Bar Food Market, which runs every Saturday morning in Meeting House Square and is well worth taking a visit to some weekend (buy some of the Irish-grown apples - they are amazing)!

An autumnal haul (minus the bananas!)

Ingredients

- 1 squash

- 300g short grain brown rice 

- 1 tray of mushrooms, sliced

- 6 stalks of cavolo nero, 

- 2 shallots, finely chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 1.5 L vegetable stock

- 150ml white wine (optional)

- Juice of half a lemon

- 50g vegetarian Gran Moravia, grated (you can leave this out for a vegan risotto!)

- 1 handful chopped fresh thyme 

- A handful of toasted, chopped pecans (optional)

- Salt and pepper

- Olive oil

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. Slice your squash in half and drizzle in olive oil. Roast for around 15-20 mins until soft (depends on size of your squash!). Chop into bite sized pieces.

2. While the squash is roasting, bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil. Add the brown rice and cook for 15 minutes (it won't be fully cooked).

3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat. Turn the heat down and add the onions and garlic. Fry for 2-3 mins, until softened.

4. Add the mushrooms and cavolo nero and fry for another 3-4 minutes.

5. Add in the rice and stir to coat it. If using the white wine, add it now and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has been absorbed. 

6. Add half a cup of stock and simmer, stirring again, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock this way until the rice is plump and tender - you may not need to use all of the stock. This will take around 30 minutes.

7. Once the rice is done, add the grated cheese, squash, chopped thyme and lemon juice and stir through. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Before serving, sprinkle some pecans on top. Enjoy! 

Aubergine, Carrot and Butter Bean Stew

Sometime during my teenage years, I decided that I didn't like potatoes ("OMG no white carbs please"). The odd roastie would make its way on to my plate on Sundays, but any other variety was met with disdain. Unless it was the sweet kind, of course.

Treacherous tubers

But last year, having gradually eased up on the old carb-bashing and living with a true Kerryman (he taught me the way of mashing potatoes with the skins still on. Superb) - potatoes made their way back onto the agenda. And I am thoroughly enjoying this fluffy rediscovery. 

Bringing it right back to Irish childhood dinners with this serving of stew and potatoes, only with a vegetarian twist - less beef, more bean. I followed the method from a similar stew in the Happy Pear cookbook and just made a few adjustments here and there. 

Also delish served with spiced fried potatoes! 

Ingredients
2 aubergines
1 large onion 
3 cloves of garlic
1 sweet potato
400g carrots
4 ripe tomatoes
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can butter beans
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp honey/agave syrup
Salt and pepper

Method
1. Get all the veg ready! Finely chop the garlic and onion. Chop the aubergines into bite sized chunks. Peel and chop the carrots and sweet potato into bite-sized chunks. Chop your fresh tomatoes.

2. Place 2 tbsp olive oil into a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry gently for 5 minutes over a low to medium heat. 

3. Add the garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and ground ginger. Stir to combine, fry for another 5 mins. You can add a dash of water if things are sticking.

4. Add the carrots, aubergine and sweet potatoes to the pot, along with the smoked paprika. Cover and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly.

5. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes, can of tomatoes, tomato purée, butter beans and honey to the pan. Sitr to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. 5 minutes before serving, add the basil.

7. Serve with boiled potatoes, brown rice or wholewheat couscous :) 

Cinnamon Buckwheat Pecan Granola

Granola is one of life's simple pleasures. From the smell that fills the kitchen when it's cooking, to the cacophony of crunches as you eat it, to the heavenly taste of toasted titbits, it's a treat to every sense in the body - and it's so simple to make too. 
Of course, it's a danger to have around my house, seeing as my father appears to be a descendant of this little guy:

Unfortunately, ordinary almonds are not as evasive as Scrat's adored acorn, and the nut count of my granola tends to diminish at a disproportionate rate. Leaving it to cool is the most treacherous part of the process. No nut is safe. I'm even considering calling in Rodent Control to help me contain this problem. 

This is my favourite recipe at the moment - I love the texture added by the buckwheat and I'm a tad obsessed with wrinkly ole pecans. Feel free to use whatever nuts you like though - cashews and walnuts also taste great in this recipe!

Ingredients
300g oats (use gluten-free ones if you wish)
150g buckwheat groats
50g desiccated coconut
100g pecans
100g whole almonds
100g flaked almonds
100g pumpkin and sunflower seeds
2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp honey/maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g cranberries or sultanas
50g goji berries

Method
1. Put the oats, buckwheat, coconut, nuts, seeds and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and mix together.

2. Melt the coconut oil and honey together in the microwave. Add to the mixing bowl along with the vanilla extract and mix well.

3. Spread the granola on a baking tray and bake at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes, turning regularly to ensure it toasts evenly.

4. Remove from oven and add the cranberries and goji berries. Allow to cool (under a watchful eye, if you too have a Scrat infestation in your house ;) )

Enjoy for breakfast with banana and almond milk, as a mid-day snack or even as dessert with some fruit, cacao nibs and coconut yogurt :) 

fal-Awfully Good Falafels

Adored by vegetarians and meat-eaters alike, falafels are tasty, cheap and relatively healthy - and surprisingly quick and easy to make! I've been wanting to make my own for a long time, and finally got around to it last weekend. I decided to try baked falafels for a healthier take on the traditional fried version, and the results were just as delicious. 

Ironically, the first time I tasted falafel was in Thailand of all places, and I ended up with a nasty vomiting bug on a 4 hour bus journey later that day. Delightful. However, I was not deterred. And neither should you be. Go on - ditch the chicken and make these cheeky chickpea nuggets tonight instead ;)

Baked Falafels

Makes 8-10 falafels, depending on how large you make them!
Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Dairy free and easily adaptable to be gluten free.

Ingredients
1 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp plain flour/ground almonds for gluten free option
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 bunch of fresh coriander, washed and chopped
a good pinch each of salt and pepper
sesame seeds 
oil of your choice (I use rapeseed)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

2. Place 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. When the oil has warmed, add the chopped onion and garlic, 1 tsp of the cumin and the chilli powder. Fry for 3-4 minutes until the onions have softened.

3. Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, coriander, salt, pepper and remaining cumin into a food processor. Add the fried onion and garlic. 

4. Mix to combine. Taste the mixture and add more seasoning if you wish. 

5. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the flour/ground almonds. Combine with your hand to form a dough. 

6. Use your hands to form small balls of the mixture. 

7. Pour some sesame seeds on to a plate. Roll your falafel balls in the seeds to coat.

8. Place the falafels on a foil-lined baking tray and place into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up. 

9. Remove from fridge and drizzle with 1 tbsp of oil. Bake for 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

Wasn't that (Leban)easy?! :P

To serve:
Cous cous salad - cous cous is really versatile and you can add so many things to it to liven it up. I like to cook the cous cous in vegetable stock and mix through some pomegranate seeds, chopped toasted almonds/pine nuts, feta and fresh coriander. 
Hummus (lashings of it)
Warm wholemeal pitta breads
Lettuce
Tomatoes

Pear and Almond Buckwheat Scones

If you think this sounds familiar, you're right - the first recipe I posted to this blog was one for pear scones. It's a favourite scone flavour of mine (then again, every scone flavour is my favourite. #sconelife) 

Here, I've adapted the recipe to make a gluten-free version with buckwheat flour, simply because I felt like experimenting and I'm always interested in trying different varieties of scones. Buckwheat flour is really fine, so be careful when adding the liquid - don't add it all in one go or things will get very sticky very quickly (ahem).

Pear and Almond Buckwheat Scones

Ingredients

2 and 1/2 cups buckwheat flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

50g caster sugar

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

100g butter (I use Flora)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg 

100ml buttermilk

2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and chopped

flaked almonds to top

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees (200 degrees fan oven). Allow the oven to heat up fully - this helps the scones to rise. Sprinkle some flour on a baking tray. 

2. Mix the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. 

3. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, rub it into the flour mixture until it resembles dry breadcrumbs. Try not to handle it too much. 

4. Crack the egg into a mixing jug and beat with a fork. Add the buttermilk up to the 120 ml mark.

5. Pour about 2/3s of this into your dry ingredients. Add the vanilla extract and the chopped pears.

6. Bring the mix together with your hand. You can add more of the liquid as you need it, but keep a little bit to use as a glaze at the end. 

7. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and roll it out to a 4-5cm thickness. Using a scone cutter, cut out your scones and place them on to the baking tray.

8. Brush the tops of the scones with your left-over egg mix and sprinkle some flaked almonds on top. 

9. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden-brown. 

10. Smother with jam and pair with tea. Amen. 

Wholemeal Oat Banana Bread

If the thought of a warm slice of banana bread and a cup of tea doesn't summon saliva to your mouth or make your stomach dance with desire, then you should probably get that checked out. :P

Banana bread is a much-loved tea time treat, and is often viewed as a healthy opinion (eh, it's got fruit in it like, so obviously it's not bad for you? Obviously.). This can be the case, but some recipes do contain a lot of sugar and butter - so this is my version of a healthier banana bread, which is sugar and butter-free. If you want to make it vegan, omit the egg and reduce the flour to one cup, and substitute the honey for agave syrup. 
It won't rise as much as a regular loaf of banana bread, but it's got a really nice texture due to the oats and dessicated coconut (which I am currently having trouble leaving out of any recipe I make. Scones? Chuck it in. Cookies? Chuck it in. Thai curry? Sprinkle a bit on top. Shepherd's pie? Must..not..reach for coconut...)

So quit monkeying about, and whip up a loaf of this pure joy :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour - I use wholemeal or spelt
1 cup oats
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/3 cup honey (or agave)
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, mashed
Pumpkin or sunflower seeds to sprinkle on top
Optional - walnuts, dark chocolate chips, raisins


Method

1. Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Preheat your oven to 150 degree C. 

2. Place flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, dessicated coconut and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and mix together.

3. Place the coconut oil in a bowl with the honey and vanilla extract and melt in the microwave on a low heat, stirring regularly.

4. Add this, along with the mashed bananas and egg, to the dry ingredients and stir together until fully combined. If using any of the optional ingredients, stir them in once the mix is combined.

5. Pour into your loaf tin. Smooth the top with the back of a tablespoon and sprinkle some your seeds on top, pressing them in lightly to make sure they stick.

6. Bake for 50-55 mins or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

7. Enjoy! :) This tastes delicious with almond butter on top, or serve with some yogurt and berries as a healthy after-dinner treat. If you are worried about it going stale, slice half the loaf and freeze it. You can just take slices out as you want them and pop them in the toaster!

cinnamon and chia seed pancakes :)

...also known as oatmeal banana pancakes. But cinnamon and chia sounds much more exotic ;)

These are really easy to whip up and they taste deeelicious. I honestly prefer them to normal pancakes. They are pretty healthy too - flourless and sugar-free - which means of course that you can eat twice as much as usual. That's my logic at least.. ;)

As Soulja Boy would say, stacks on stacks on stacks..   

Ingredients

Serves 2

 - 2 bananas
 - 2 eggs
 - 1/2 cup oats 
 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
 - 1 tsp chia seeds (you can use 1 tsp ground linseed if you don't have chia)
 - pinch of salt

Method

1. Place all of the ingredients in a blender. 
2. Blend to combine. You can choose how smooth you want the mix to be - I like to keep a little bit of bite to the oats.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Fold a piece of kitchen towel in half and moisten with oil (I use coconut). Carefully rub the pan with oiled towel.
4. Using a tablespoon, place 2-3 spoonfuls of the batter on the pan, depending on the size of your pan. Make sure to only put one spoonful per pancake.
5. Fry until golden-brown on both sides.
6. Serve with your choice of topping - maple syrup, fresh fruit, yogurt, coconut, almond butter.. The choices are endless! 
I like mine served with low fat vanilla yogurt, blueberries, banana, toasted coconut, a dollop of almond butter and a drizzle of honey. Mmmmm...
To make a really quick berry coulis (as seen in the picture below), place a handful of mixed berries in a bowl and sprinkle a little sugar on top. Heat in a microwave on high for two minutes, stirring after one minute. 

Top with some toasted almonds and low-fat greek yogurt. If you're not drooling yet, you need your taste buds checked. 

caramel without the cavities ;-)

I'm on a Psychiatry rotation at the moment, and though I'm really enjoying it, Tuesdays are a day that all my group used to dread. We have lectures from 9-5 in a stuffy little room in St Pat's on some pretty heavy-going topics. Come 5pm (come 3pm even), brains are fried and at least half the class is asleep/playing on their phones/AWOL. 

One of the girls in our group was more astute. Anna observed our battles to stay awake, watched our incessant scrolling through Facebook, took note of all those tactical toilet breaks. She recognised the need to make Tuesdays a little less heinous and a little more delicious. And so Treat Tuesday was born! 

Each week, 3 or 4 people from the group bake something and bring it in to share at our 11 o'clock break. Offering have included brownies, cookies, fifteen's (a delicious Northern Irish treat), malteser squares and a very impressive Pavlova and Yule Log (although maternal involvement was suspected in this case). The ensuing sugar high is enough to keep you going till, well, at least 3.30pm. 

When my turn to bake for Treat Tuesday came around, I decided to experiment. I had wanted to try out date caramel for awhile and happened to have a bag of dates in my cupboard at the time (pilfered from home, of course :P), so I thought I'd try a healthy version of the delicious classic millionaire shortbread. 
I was a bit worried about how they would go down amongst my classmates - not everyone is a bit of an 'eat-clean' hun like myself - but the empty lunchbox by 11.15 told me that they were a success! Nobody seemed to notice the difference - even my housemate Rachel, caramel shortbread fanatic and simultaneous raisinphobe, ate one and thought it was delicious ;) 

These squares are no-bake. The base is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan and the caramel is dairy-free and refined sugar free and can easily be made vegan by substituting honey for agave. I used normal chocolate on top but this also could be easily substituted for a vegan alternative :)
Use a square brownie tray to make these. 

Healthy Caramel Squares

caramelly heaven..

Ingredients

Base

180g ground almonds

100g oats

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

2 tbsp honey

Optional: 50g desiccated coconut

Caramel

250g pitted dates

2 tbsp honey/agave

1 tbsp smooth almond butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Dash of water

Topping

150g milk or dark chocolate

Method

1. Place the oats, ground almonds, sugar and coconut if using into a food processor and blitz briefly. Sitr in the coconut oil until combined. (If using honey, omit the sugar and melt the honey with the coconut oil.)

2. Press the mix firmly into the base of a tin lined with parchment paper - I had to use a large lunchbox and cling film due to lack of resources :P Place this in the freezer for 20mins until firm.

3. In the meantime, make the caramel. Place the dates into the food processor and blend until they have broken up and are starting to look like caramel. Add in the honey, almond butter and vanilla extract and blend to combine. Add a small amount of water - just enough that is necessary to loosen the mix. 

4. Take your biscuit base from the freezer and spread the caramel evenly on top. Return to the freezer for 1-1.5 hours until the caramel has set.

5. Once the caramel has set, remove the tin from the freezer. Melt the chocolate and spread on top. Allow to harden. 

6. When it comes to cutting the squares, take a cup of boiled water and a knife. Heat the knife in the water for a few minutes, wipe dry and then use to cut the chocolate. This should stop the chocolate breaking in large chunks and give you a clean cut. 

7. Store the squares in the fridge overnight or until you're ready for some guilt-free indulgence! :)

spelt for choice :-)

I headed down to Athlone this weekend to visit my parents and avail of some lovely home comforts - the fireplace, the fridge, the fully-functioning shower.. One of my favourite things to do at home though is to take advantage of my mother's well-stocked cupboards and proper kitchen equipment - things our student house is definitely lacking - to bake and cook!

I'd planned on making coconut scones this weekend, after tasting a delicious one in Le Petit Parisien during the week. When I opened the press to get out my ingredients, an unfamiliar bag caught my eye. Wholewheat spelt flour. Hmm. I'd heard of spelt flour but had never used it in baking before. So I decided to experiment!

This is the flour I used - available in Holland and Barrett for €3.99!

I didn't have a recipe for these, so I was a bit nervy about how they'd turn out - but they got a warm reception from my trusted tasters :) Using frozen fruit does means they don't rise as much as other scones, so just have your oven really hot and don't have your mix too wet. 

Wholewheat spelt coconut and raspberry scones

Slurp.

Ingredients
- 200g wholewheat spelt flour
- 140g self-raising flour (***originally I said white flour and 1 tsp baking powder, but after further experimenting, I decided self-raising is the way to go!)
- pinch of salt
- 50g caster sugar
- 50g dessicated coconut
- 150g butter (I use Flora)
- a handful of frozen raspberries (or fresh blueberries)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 120ml buttermilk

Method
1. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Sift your flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the coconut.
2. Stir in the sugar.
3. Add in the butter and using your fingertips, rub it into the flour until the mix resembles dry breadcrumbs. As always, handle as little as possible!
4. Add the raspberries
5. Pour in the buttermilk and egg, retaining a little bit of the mix for a glaze. 
6. Bring everything together with your hand.
7. Flour a work surface. Turn the mixture out onto your surface and roll it out to a 4-5cm thickness. Using a scone cutter, cut out your scones and place on a floured baking tray. Brush the tops with your remaining egg-mix.
8. Bake for 15-20mins, until golden-brown.  

a turkey's not just for christmas..

I've always been a huge fan of meatballs, even in my highchair days.

Who needs a fork when you've got hands? Now, pas-ta garlic bread..

During my school years, one of the best answers I could receive to the question of "What's for dinner today?" was "Mamma mia, it'sa meatball day!". (The Dolmios of Athlone, we were known as. ;) )   

One day I came home to find meatballs already on the table, nestled in a steaming swirl of spaghetti and doused in a rich, glistening tomato sauce, with a dusting of fresh parmesan on top. I was salivating before my schoolbag had slipped from my shoulders.

I approached the dinner table with the gusto of a hungry heifer hurtling her way to the trough - but then I stopped. Something was awry. These were not normal meatballs. They smelt different. They were pale. And when I finally worked up the courage to sever a small morsel away with my fork and eat it, they tasted nothing like the succulent beef I had expected. 

I was confused. Disorientated. I almost felt betrayed. But I kept eating, and soon I began to enjoy this alien alimentary affair. Really enjoy it. Before I knew it, my plate was as clean as it is in the above picture, and I was asking for seconds.

This was my first introduction to turkey mince, and I've been a fan ever since. It's a great source of protein and is lower in fat, cholesterol and calories than beef mince. Plus it tastes delicious! I use it in burgers, chillis, stir frys, meatballs and, most recently, I experimented with a turkey lasange.

Let me put modesty aside for a minute. IT WAS UNREAL.

I wasn't thinking ahead as I was cooking, so I'm afraid this Insta-hun pic is the only photo I have. I think it captures the tastiness pretty well though :D
It's a really simple recipe, so no excuses - get going!

Tur-rific Turkey Lasange

Ingredients

 - 450g turkey mince

 - 1 onion, finely chopped

 - 2-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (depending on how much of a garlic fiend you are)

 - 1 courgette, diced

 - 1 pepper, diced

 - 1 can of chopped tomatoes

 - 1 tbsp tomato purée

 - 1 bay leaf

 - A handful of fresh basil, chopped

 - A sprinkle of each of cumin seeds, paprika, chilli flakes

 - 200g feta cheese

 - 1 egg

 - 50-100ml of milk

 - 150g spinach, washed

 - grated cheese of your choice for topping
 - wholewheat/gluten-free pe-cooked lasange sheets

 - oil for frying

 - salt and pepper

Method

1. Place 1 tbsp oil in pan and fry your onion and garlic over a medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until the onions have softened. Add a sprinkle of cumin seeds - around half a tsp.

2. Add your turkey mince and fry until it is fully cooked. Make sure there are no sneaky pink bits - break it up as necessary. Once cooked through, remove this mix from the pan and set aside.

3. Fry your courgette and pepper until softened. You made need to add a little more oil.

4. Add the turkey, onion and garlic mix back into the pan and stir everything together. Pour in your can of chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp tomate purée. Then fill the empty tomato can one-third of the way with water and add this into your pan. Add in your bay leaf, basil, some paprika (I do it by sight, so I'd guess around 1 tsp) and a quarter tsp chilli flakes and season with salt and pepper. Mix this all together and bring to a simmer. Leave it simmering for around 10-15 minutes until reduced.

5. Meanwhile, make your white sauce. Break up the feta into a medium size bowl and soften with a fork. Crack in the egg and mix it in with the fork. Then add enough milk to bring it together like a sauce - you want it quite thick, not runny. 

6. Put the spinach in a frying pan over a high heat and stir until wilted down. Add this into your feta mix and stir together.

7. Time to assemble! I used a square dish that was roughly 10" x 10", and only used two pasta layers to make it lighter. First place a layer of meat in and spread it out well. Top with your lasanga sheets, making sure all the meat is covered and none of the sheets overlap. You may need to break a couple of sheets to do this. Next, spoon in enough of the feta-spinach sauce to cover all of the lasange sheets, making sure all the pasta is coated. 
Repeat - meat, then lasange sheets, then feta-spinach sauce. Top with your grated cheese and some black pepper. 

8. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan) for 35-45 mins, until the top is golden-brown. If you feel it's cooking too quickly on the top, cover it with a layer of tin foil so it doesn't burn. 

So there you go - proof that there are other ways to eat turkey than a dried-up roast on Christmas Day. Enjoy ;)