Onion Soup

This soup is a vegan take on a traditional French onion soup. The secret ingredient here is the Marmite, which not only adds flavour, but also B12 vitamins which can be difficult for vegetarians and vegans to get. It isn't over powering though, so don't let it put you off! It takes a while to prepare, but is definitely worth the wait- serve with some French bread and you've got a perfect balanced lunch!

Ingredients

(Serves 4-6)

5 white onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Marmite (to taste depending how strong you like it!)

1 litre of vegetable stock

freshly ground black pepper to taste 

chopped parsley to garnish

Method

1. Gently fry the onions in the olive oil over a low heat, for 20-30 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized

2. Add vegetable stock and Marmite, stir together and simmer gently for a further 20 minutes

3. Serve with black pepper, parsley and optional grated cheese!

Quinoa Burrito Bowl

This dish is super easy, delicious and nutritious. It is inspired by a Mexican style burrito but much healthier, using only whole plant based foods. I use quinoa as an alternative to rice or cous cous as it is higher in protein, and also has a bit more bite to it, but feel free to substitute the quinoa with a different grain. This dish is completely store cupboard (minus the avocado!) as you could use frozen peppers and dried chili rather than the fresh ingredients, which makes this perfect when you're running low on fresh food. The 'guacamole' is just a mashed avocado, so you're getting all the healthy fats and no additives as you would with a store bought version. It is also completely vegan, but for a vegetarian version you could top with a little cheese, and meat eaters could add some chicken to the sauce mixture, though with the kidney beans you really don't need it.

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

2 red onions
2 peppers
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans
1 fresh red chili
1 tsp Fajita seasoning
150g quinoa
1 avocado
bunch of chives for topping

Method

1. Slice the onions and the peppers into strips, and chop the chili, and fry in a pan with a little olive oil until they start to soften
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans to the pan and simmer over a low heat for 10-15 minutes
3. Whilst the sauce is cooking, add the quinoa to a separate pan with water and simmer for about 15 minutes
4. With the sauce and quinoa cooking, prepare the avocado but mashing it in a bowl with a dash of olive oil
5. Drain the quinoa and take the sauce of the heat, and serve. Top each serving with the avocado and some chopped chives for a little extra flavour, and tuck in!

Smashed Avocado Mint Toast

This is so simple I don't think it really counts as a recipe, but it is delicious and nutritious so it has a place on my blog. Avocado toast is one of my go-to meals, and the toasted mozzarella makes this feel like winter comfort food, whilst still being light and healthy. The avocado mixture is prepared using olive oil, chopped cherry tomatoes, a spritz of lemon juice and chopped mint with the avocado. The mixture is then spread on the toast, topped with a little mozzarella, and grilled until the cheese melts.

Carrot, Orange and Ginger Soup

This soup is full of nutrients, perfect for boosting your immune system mid winter. The orange and ginger flavour really comes through, so it adds a little extra to a carrot soup, as well as adding extra vitamins, anti inflammatory properties and aiding digestion.

Ingredients

(Makes 4 servings)

3 carrots, diced

1/2 litre of vegetable stock (I use 2 tsp of Bouillon in 500ml of water)

1 onion, finely chopped

1-2 tsp grated fresh ginger root

juice of 1 orange

Method

1. Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a large saucepan, and add the carrots and onion. Simmer for 20 minutes until soft

2. Blitz the ingredients in a food processor or using a stick blender, depending how smooth you like your soup. This wasn't blitzed for long, so it retained some texture.

3. Stir in the ginger and orange juice, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve!

Cleansing and Healing Green Soup

This soup is inspired by a Persian recipe, from a friend of a friend who is Iranian. The recipe is a variation of a soup from Persia, made by the pilgrims when they were sick to help them heal. The quantity of the herbs makes this soup very fragrant, with the lentils offering a boost of protein and the spinach adding iron. It might not actually cure your illness, but it is delicious and full of goodness to support your body.

Ingredients

(Makes 4 servings)

1 litre of veg stock (I used 4 tsp of Bouillon in 1 litre of water)

2 onions

1 tin of brown lentils

1 leek

1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1 bunch of dill, roughly chopped

a packet of baby spinach

Method

1. Prepare 1 litre of veg stock following instructions on the packet, and bring to the boil in a large saucepan. Whilst the stock is boiling chop the onions and leek, and add to the boiling stock. Let it simmer for forty minutes

2. Drain the lentils and add to the pan, with the coriander, dill and baby spinach. Simmer for a further five minutes

3. Serve with a squeeze of lime and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Pasta

This recipe was the result of craving pasta and having run out of chopped tomatoes, so I was looking for alternative to my go-to tomato pasta sauce. This is a completely clean from scratch recipe, no processed ingredients (minus the pasta!) and takes 15 minutes of prep time (45 minutes if you add in roasting time!), as you can prepare the sauce whilst the pasta is cooking. I use whole wheat pasta as I prefer the taste and it is higher in fibre, but you could substitute for white pasta. You could also substitute the feta for pine nuts for a vegan option or chicken for a meat eaters option!

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

150g whole wheat pasta (I used fusilli)
2 large red peppers
2 red onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic (or 2 if you want it extra garlicy!)
a handful of basil
60g feta cheese (I use the lighter one) cubed
40g brocolli chopped into florets


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. While the oven is heating, roughly chop the peppers, garlic and onions and chuck into a baking dish. Add the olive oil and toss the vegetables in the oil, then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring the veg half way
2. After the veg has been in the oven for about 30 mins you can start cooking the pasta- follow instructions on the packet
3. While the pasta is cooking, take the veg out the oven and add the vegetables plus the olive oil and a few leaves of basil to food processor and blend until smooth
4. About 6 minutes before the pasta is done, add the brocolli florets into the pasta so it can finish cooking together
5. When the pasta is done, drain the pasta and brocolli and place it back into the pan. Add the sauce and the feta cubes and stir it all in
6. Serve with a few leaves of basil on top and enjoy!

Dairy Free Alternative Replace the feta cheese with pine nuts
Gluten Free Alternative Replace wholewheat pasta with gluten free pasta