Leek and spinach polenta slice (vegan and gluten free)
In spring make it with wild garlic and freshly picked nettles.
- 1 large leek
- 1 large handful of cooked chopped spinach, chard or nettle leaves
- 1 handful of chopped wild garlic if in season
- 200g fine polenta flour
- 700ml water
- 50–70g of crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- salt and black pepper to taste
Chop a leek (r wild garlic, or both) and sauté in olive oil, add the chopped fresh spinach, chard or nettle and cook for a further 10 mins adding a little water to cook it through.
Boil in a non-stick pan 700ml water and whisk in 200g of fine polenta flour. Add half tsp of Himalayan Pink salt and lots of ground black pepper and some stock powder if desired. Keep stirring as it thickens, add a little olive oil or butter to prevent it from sticking. Continue to stir for 5–10 minutes (this is hard work as it’s very stiff). Turn off the heat and add the cooked veg to the polenta. If you want something richer then add some crumbled feta cheese or grated parmesan.
Spread the polenta in a baking tin and smooth it with a silicone spatula. This can be either cut into squares when it’s cooled and fried in a pan with a tiny amount of olive oil or it can be baked for 20 mins at 180°C. Best eaten warm and can be crisped up in a pan at any time for a tasty snack.
Note for gut health: All grains are best soaked overnight, if you want to do this here, soak the polenta flour in the correct amount of water then bring it together in a pan to boiling point but stirring all the time. The corn will now be easily digested.
Courgette and dill fritters
(makes around 12)
- 1 large courgette
- 2 large eggs
- 2–4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons (15–20g) chopped fresh dill or parsley
- 50–70g of crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp/20g flour, this can be gluten free
- salt
Grate the courgette – this will be quicker with a food processor.
Transfer it to a fine mesh strainer and set over a bowl. Toss with half a tsp Himalayan pink salt and let it sit for 20 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the courgettes with both hands.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the courgette, onions, dill/parsley, feta (if using), and black pepper. Sprinkle the flour over mixture and stir until uniformly incorporated.
Brush a non-stick pan with a little olive oil or use a skillet and place over a medium heat. Drop heaped tablespoon sized portions into the pan, then use the back of a spoon to gently press the batter into 6cm wide fritters and 1cm high. Pan-fry until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Brush a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm.
Variations
Instead of dill you can use fresh parsley or seaweed flakes.
They can be baked in a lined baking tray instead of fried, then cut into squares.
Mung flour pancakes (vegan and gluten free)
(makes around 12)
- 100g green mung bean flour
- 40g mixed ground seeds (golden linseed and pumpkin)
- 150ml water
- 2–4 spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 frozen cube of chopped spinach or a handful of blanched chopped nettles
- 4 tablespoons (15–20g) chopped fresh dill and/or parsley
- 50–70g of crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- black pepper to taste
Combine the flour and seeds then stir in the water gradually. This mixture is best left for 2 hours or overnight so the seeds have chance to swell and thicken: this will give an egg-like consistency.
Mix in the thawed spinach, onions, dill or parsley, feta (if using), and black pepper.
Brush a non-stick pan with a little olive oil or use a skillet and place over a medium heat. Drop heaped tablespoon-sized portions into the pan, then use the back of a spoon to gently press the batter into 6cm wide fritters and 0.5 cm high. Pan-fry until golden brown on both sides, 2–3 minutes per side. Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Brush a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm.
Variations
You can add freshly grated and squeezed courgette and any herbs you like
You can make onion bhajis with cumin, garlic and chopped onion
You can make a sweet version with blended pear and cardamon with sultanas
Rosemary and mung bean bread (vegan and gluten free)
- 250g whole mung beans, soaked overnight
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and to serve
- 1–2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp sea salt, plus extra to serve
- 120ml lukewarm water
- freshly ground black pepper
Drain the soaked mung beans and divide them into two equal portions. Blend one portion to a soft purée with a dropping consistency. Blend the second portion for a few seconds so that you get a rough texture with no whole mung beans remaining.
Mix the two portions together in a large bowl. If you can, ferment this paste in a warm spot overnight before continuing to the next step (this makes it better for digestion).
Grease a 20cm (8in) cake tin. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C/gas mark 4).
In another bowl, add the oil, garlic, rosemary, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper to the lukewarm water. Mix well, then immediately add it to the mung bean batter and transfer to the tin.
Bake the bread in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown on top and springy to the touch.
Vegan haggis loaf
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- half a stick of celery, finely chopped
- 5–6 mushrooms, finely diced
- 400g cooked lentils (if using a can drain them); or 100–150g dried lentils, boiled (see note below) – black, brown, green, or Puy
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 level teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 level teaspoon ground coriander
- 250g pinhead oatmeal (it’s important to use pinhead oats as they give it the haggis texture and are easily digestible)
- 1 tbsp yeast extract (for a yeast-free diet use coconut aminos)
- 400ml veg stock or bouillon powder in water (plus more water if needed)
- 30g sunflower seeds, roughly chopped
- 50g vegetarian suet (optional – the haggis is perfectly good without added fat, but the suet creates the texture of haggis). Vegetarian suet can be found in a non-hydrogenated and gluten-free form)
Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and cook for 5–6 minutes. Add in the finely diced mushrooms and cook for another 3–4 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and seasoning and stir through for a couple of minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
To the pan, add the pinhead oats, yeast extract, and veg stock. Cook for 15 minutes on a low heat, stirring regularly. The mix should become quite thick, but add a splash more water if it seems too thick.
After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and stir through the chopped sunflower seeds and suet if you want a richer texture.
Spoon the mixture into a greased loaf tin and bake in the oven for approx. 30 minutes. To make the outside extra crispy, turn up the heat slightly towards the end.
Notes
Traditional haggis would be boiled so if you want to…
Spread the cooled mixture out on a large piece of baking parchment. Roughly shape it into a log then roll the paper up and twist the ends so it is completely sealed. Wrap up in muslin and tie the ends securely with string. Or use aluminium foil wrapped tightly instead of the muslin.
Heat a large pan of boiling water then slowly lower the haggis into it. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for an hour.
For gut health…
I use dried lentils and soak them overnight, this releases much of the gas that lentils produce. I then drain them and boil them in fresh water until they fall apart. I drain them again before adding to the recipe. The oatmeal can also be soaked overnight and drained before adding to the recipe, if you do this then you won’t need to add hardly any vegetable stock. It can be added as the mixture cooks through to prevent it from sticking or drying out. Soaked oatmeal can be easier on the digestive system, however this recipe contains a lot of water anyway which means the loaf is moist and highly digestible.
Simple wholemeal quiche
For the pastry:
- 250g wholemeal spelt flour (or a brown gluten-free mix)
- 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 120ml cold water
Stir together with a large fork. Add the water to bind the mixture into a soft but not sticky ball. If using gluten-free flour you can use some egg white or the jelly water left over from boiling chick peas.
Gather up the pastry with your hands and gently form it into a ball. It can be easier to roll out pastry if it rests for 15–30 mins. Roll out the pastry to cover a flan tin, if using gluten-free flour it’s best to roll between 2 pieces of greaseproof paper or silicone liner.
For the filling:
- 5 eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp organic natural yoghurt made up to 300ml with water (or 300ml oat milk)
- vegetables of your choice
- some organic hard cheese if desired
Beat the eggs, yoghurt and water, add Himalayan pink salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Gently fry an onion or leek and add dried or fresh herbs like thyme and oregano.
Finely chop or slice vegetables like peppers, courgettes, broccoli and mushrooms.
I often use homegrown chard in this recipe but spinach is also good, steam it then chop it finely before adding to the egg mixture.
Layer the prepared vegetables on top of the pastry and add the egg mixture. Crumble over the cheese if using.
Bake at 190°C or 170°C fan until the pastry is crumbly and the egg is set in the middle (about 40 minutes).