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

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! :)