Ingredients:

• 1kg pumpkin (could work with other veg)
• 500g onion
• 1 tin tomato
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Half teaspoon fenugreek
• 1 teaspoon corriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Quarter teaspoon cinnamon powder
• 3-4 cloves 
• 1 teaspoon garamasala
• Salt to taste

Method

Peel pumpkin and cut into chunks

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil then 250g of onions, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, corriander power and garlic

Once light brown add tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, cinnamon powder and cook for 4-5 minutes stirring until light brown. 

Add pumpkin to sauce and rest of onions (option to add half teaspoon of cumin)

Keep stirring until cooked out then finish with garamasala and fresh Coriander.

Ready to serve with your choice of bread like warm Chapattis .

By Shaminder Kaur

Save the Pumpkin burger 

Ingredients: 

• 3 x cups of cooked pumpkin (chopped, and cooked with chopped onions and garlic with olive oil and salt and pepper) I added a tsp turmeric and 1 tsp cumin. 

• 1 x cup of cooked rice (any rice) 

• 1 x cup of oats (whizzed on the blender) 

• ¼ cup of gram flour 

• ½ cup of emmer flour (but you can use wholemeal flour or spelt flour) 

• ¼ cup of chia seeds 

• ¼ cup of flax seeds 

• 1/3 cup of olive oil 

• Salt and pepper to taste 

• Some dry herbs to season 

• 1 bowl of white flour 

• Slices of cheese of your choice (dairy free, cheddar) 

• Buns 

• Slices of tomatoes 

• Spread (pesto, cream cheese, butter, margarine anything you fancy) 

Method: 

Preheat the oven 180 degrees. Mix all the flours, seeds, olive oil, herbs, salt pepper in a big bowl. Then mix the cooked rice and the cooked pumpkin. 

Take one big table spoon worth of the mixture and coat with white flour and shape a burger 

Repeat 

This recipe makes about 20 mini burgers, ideal for children. 

On a pan with hot oil, seal the burger (on both sides) and place them on a baking tray with a slice of cheese, in the oven 180 degrees for 10min max. 

If you wish to serve like a burger, then prepare the bun  and add a burger and garnish as you please. 

Please enjoy your pumpkin burger!  

By Vivian Maeda

Halloween is a great time for children, they can get dressed up and have fun with friends. It is also a great time for home baking. My son is 3 and he was able to mould the witches fingers, so this is really an accessible recipe for children of almost all ages.

This recipe uses no artificial colouring.

Ingredients

· 150g dairy free butter (or normal unsalted butter)

· 100g caster sugar

· 1 free range egg

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 150g all-purpose flour

· 100g gram flour

· 100g oats (blitzed) or 100g spelt flour

· 1 heaped tsp baking powder

· 1 tsp salt

· 40-45 whole almonds

· 2 cups of fresh spinach. (Then wilted and then blitzed)

· 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves

· 1 heaped tsp spirulina powder

· 1 tbsp hemp seeds

· 1 tbsp chia seeds

· Wet Icing sugar (icing sugar with a tiny bit of water, used to glue the ‘nails’)

PS: If you don’t have spirulina or fresh mint leaves, just use the spinach. The additional ingredients including hemp seeds and chia seeds help with flavour and nutritional value of the biscuit but the biscuit will still work without them.

Method

Oven 175 degrees pre-heat

In a bowl beat sugar and butter first till smooth

Then add egg, vanilla and keep mixing, then spinach, greens and seeds.

Finally add flour, salt and baking powder.

Wrap the dough in clingfilm and rest in the fridge for 30min.

By Vivian Maeda

Fruit Gazpacho

By Vivian Maeda

In summer times, you need to think of ways to cool yourself, and fruit gazpacho is a yummy thing to try and it does not take long to prepare it.

Ingredients

Layer 1

• 1/3 melon
• 1 x cucumber
• 1 x tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of salt
• 3 x mint leaves

Whizz them in the blender and pour in 4 x glasses and leave them in the freezer for 30-40min

Layer 2

• 1 ½ cup of Scottish strawberries
• 1 x tsp of Scottish Heather Honey

Whizz them in the blender and with a spoon add on top of the first layer

Add edible flowers (nasturtium, impatiens, daisies, roses, viola, pansies)

Enjoy it! Delicious!

Serve 4

Time: 40min total prep time

Squash and Carrot cake By Sebastian Kobelt www.sebastiankobelt.com

We are approaching another Halloween! Time to carve that pumpkin and decorate the house and children have so much fun!

Well, don’t throw the flesh of the pumpkin, you can make soup with it, so delicious! The skin and seeds can be eaten too. I normally wash the seeds and skin and drizzle some olive oil and salt and in the oven 180 degrees for 10min and have them as snacks or salad toppings.

Pumpkin has a mild flavour so perfect for sweet dishes too. I baked this delicious Squash and Carrot cake and it tastes so yummy!

Here is the recipe (courtesy from Sebastian Kobelt – chocolatier and pâtissier based in Linlithgow):

Ingredients

· 200g flour or gluten free flour

· 150ml of vegetable oil

· 2 medium eggs (free range)

· 340g of grated carrots and squash (50/50)

· 170g of brown sugar

· 1 tbsp Scottish honey

· 1 ½ tsp baking powder

· 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

· 1 tsp cinnamon

· 75g sultanas (chopped)

· 55g mixed nuts (chopped)

· 1 tbsp desiccated coconut

Method:

Pre heat the oven 175 degrees.

Mix sugar, eggs, oil together. Add bicarbonate of soda and baking powder to flour. Then add all the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix slowly with the wet ingredients.

Add sultanas and nuts in the end.

I bought a Halloween themed silicone mould, but you can pour the mixture into any cake tin. Just remember if you use moulds like mine, then the cake will need about 15min to bake, and a medium cake tin will require about 40 min to bake completely.

Decoration since it is Halloween. I bought edible eyes, jam and desiccated coconut to decorate the ghost. For all other ones, you can use fondant and have fun with it or just eat as it is.

Happy Halloween!

Green Smoothie 

By Vivian Maeda

Spinach is a great one to plant in September / October and harvest them through winter. Spinach is so good for us, packed with iron to give us energy as we need iron to spread oxygen in our body. Vitamin A makes spinach good for our skin and Vitamin K makes it good for our bones. Spinach is filled with lutein which is supportive of eye health and cognitive function. 

Enough of nutrition here, let’s talk about how to get the goodness of spinach into a toddler’s diet. 

My son is 2 years old and he has been particular with food choices. As a mum, it is my role to ensure he is eating nutritious food because he is growing and developing every day and he needs every help from good food. This is where my green smoothie comes from, but I promise it tastes nice and refreshing! We drink it together as a family. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup of spinach (or 2 x leaves of kale) 
• 2 x slices of pineapple (chopped) (or orange juice of one large orange and 1 x medium grated carrot) 
• 1 x medium banana
• ¼ cup oats milk 
• ¼ cup of water
• Tat of fresh ginger or 2 x mint leaves
• Honey to taste (in case pineapple is not too sweet) 

In the blender add all the ingredients and serve them in glasses. 

Brambles for breakfast 

By Vivian Maeda

This little black beauty is coming to the end of the season, but I hope you enjoyed it with family and relatives! Great fun picking them and then eating them of course, so juicy and full of vitamin C and amazing antioxidants! 

Everybody loves brambles, so much so that brambles were found inside a Neolithic man, who lived on earth 10,000BC, how cool is that? 

You can find brambles across the UK from about June to October. How do we eat them? Well, some eat raw, some make wine or whisky and others just cook and use it for yoghurts and porridge and even cake and muffins and jams! 

This little berry is so versatile. Here is a simple recipe you can make and leave it in the fridge to enjoy. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 x cup of brambles – washed 
• 2 x slices of orange with the peel and cut into quarters 
• 1 x tsp cinnamon 
• 1 – 2 tbsp of honey (I used Scottish Heather Honey but use any you fancy. PS Did you know that Glasgow University found that antibacterial properties in Scottish Heather Honey is just as good as Manukas?) 
• 1 x tsp of lemon juice
• Pinch of salt 
• 100ml of water 

Use a small pot and add the brambles and water and let it simmer for 5min, then add cinnamon, honey, lemon, salt and finally the orange slices. Simmer it for another 20min. Your kitchen will smell like warm cinnamon, ideal for this time of the year!

Transfer into a container and let it cool and keep it in the fridge and use within the following few days. 

Perfect for breakfast: have it with yoghurt, porridge, cereals. 

Enjoy! 

By Vivian Maeda

Simple to make and refreshing dip great for adding it into pasta, salads, crackers, or any finger food.

Ingredients:

• · 2 x cups of carrot green
• · 1 x cup of radish greens
• · ¼ cup of olive oil
• · 1 fresh lemon juice
• · ¾ cup of nuts (cashew, pine nuts)
• · 2 x cloves of garlic
• · Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Wash well the greens and leave it for an hour in a bowl with water and vinegar

Chop them and add them into a good blender with all other ingredients.

Boom done, enjoy!

(suitable for freezing, this is dairy free recipe, if you wish, feel free to add parmesan cheese)

By Vivian Maeda

Originally from Sicily, arancini are delicious rice balls typically filled with peas, cheese or ham and deep fried. They normally use arborio rice, however my version is baked which is healthier and I used leftover basmati rice (because we just had a curry at home).

Ingredients 

• · 5 generous tablespoons of leftover rice
• · 4 tbsp oats (blitzed with hand blender)
• · 1 head of broccoli, finely chopped (no stalks, keep them aside for soup)
• · Vegetable stock to taste (I used dairy free one)
• · 1 tbsp olive oil
• · 1 beaten egg
• · Breadcrumbs
• · White flour
• · Cheese (I used dairy free cheese)

Method:

Mix the vegetable stock to the rice and mix the chopped broccoli and oats and let it cook slightly, till broccoli is bright green.

Use a bowl of water to wet the hands. Take a tablespoon of the mixture of rice and vegetables and make a ball in your hands. Use one finger to make a hole and add a bit of cheese of your choice in the middle. Close it and roll it to mould it into a ball. Repeat the procedure till the end of the mixture. Roll them into white flour, then coat them with egg and breadcrumbs. Place them on a baking tray and bake them at 180 degrees (pre-heated oven) for about 20min.

Serve them cold or hot with hummus, tomato sauce or any other sauce of your preference.

Enjoy!

By Vivian Maeda

Many of us are growing potatoes in the back garden, whether on the ground, planters or in bags, so here is an idea of what you could do with little helpers! This mini potato pizza is easy to make, it is very tasty, and the children will love it!

Ingredients:

• 1kg potato (any for mash)
• 90g of white flour
• 40g cornflour
• Salt and pepper to taste and a bit of nutmeg (optional)
• Toppings, well here is where the fun starts, let the children pick and choose from what you are growing in the garden. This is just a suggestion:

Some tomato sauce for the base

• 1 x onion
• 1 x red pepper
• 2 x small cougettes
• 1 x tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cube vegetable stock
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• Dairy free cheese or cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top
• Olives and fresh herbs (ie. fresh basil leaves) or dried oregano

Method:

Cook the potato (with the skin), leave it to cool, peel the skin and mash them.

Make the topping by adding the onions, chopped peppers, courgettes in the pan with olive oil, salt and pepper, turmeric, and the vegetable stock. Once it cooked, let it cool.

Back to making the potato dough by mixing all the ingredients: mashed potatoes, flour, cornflour, seasoning. Make a generous ball of the dough in your hands (coated in flour). Move the dough from one palm to another until it is a thick flat round shape, like a mini pizza. Lay it on the baking tray (coated with olive oil or use baking paper). Add the topping and sprinkle cheese and olives and dried herbs (if fresh herbs add them once the pizza is baked and ready to eat). Repeat until all dough is used. This recipe makes about 10 mini pizza.

By Vivian Maeda

Risotto scares some people, but it is actually really simple to make and the advantage is that is so versatile that although I am writing this recipe for Nettle or Spinach, feel free to replace it with whatever you are growing in your garden.

Ingredients: (4 x people)

• 4 x handful of spinach or stinging nettle
• 1 x medium onion
• 3 x medium chestnut mushroom
• 1 x garlic
• 200g rice (arborio rice)
• 1.3 l of veg stock
• 1 tbsp coconut milk (cooking creamy one)
• 1 tbsp margarine (or butter)
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup of pomegranate (optional)
• 4 slices of smoked salmon (optional)
• 2 tbsp dairy free cheese (or grated parmesan cheese)

Method:

Wash nettles (wear gloves), blanch them for 30 seconds and add them to food processor.

In one pan add 1.3 l of veg stock, bring to boil and reduce the heat.

In the pan, where the risotto rice goes, add the chopped garlic, chopped onions and olive oil, salt and pepper. Once caramelised, add chopped mushrooms and 1 tbsp margarine (or butter), 1 tbsp coconut milk. Add the risotto rice and add 2 laddleful of veg stock. Every time the veg stock starts evaporating, add another ladleful of stock. Keep cooking for about 10-12 min. Add the nettles (or spinach) and keep cooking till rice grains are al dente and then add some cheese (dairy free or the parmesan) and once it melts, it is ready.

Serve hot to enjoy! In the picture I used a metal ring to plate the risotto nicely and garnished with pomegranate and added smoked salmon. Be creative and make your own version, by adding edible flowers or herbs or just as it is, it is your food to be enjoyed!

By Vivian Maeda

This one was baked using leftovers from the fridge and it tasted delicious! A recipe to remember once the vegetables start coming up in your Grow for Health garden!

Ingredients:

• 1 x medium carrot
• 1 x parsnip or ½ celeriac or 
• 1 x small sweet potato or 2 x small beetroots
• 1 x small onion or shallot
• Herbs from the garden
• 1 x tbsp margarine (dairy free) or butter
• Olive oil, salt and pepper
• Plain flour
• 1 tbsp wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 x pack of ready-made puff pastry (dairy free for dairy free recipe or normal puff pastry)

Method:

Cut the vegetables in thick slices and cover in water, add salt and let it simmer for about 5min in a cooking pot. Remove from the water and let them cool on a plate.

(If chosen vegetables are not round, use a cutter and keep the trims for making soup later)

Pre-heat the oven 200 degrees

Add flour on to surface and flatten it a bit, measure the puff pastry round the chosen pan for the tarte. Set it aside.

Add the margarine or butter to the pan (must be suitable to go into the oven), then the vinegar, sugar and stir it. Once it caramelises, add the sliced onion and let it soften a little. Now place all the sliced vegetables on the sauce. Add the puff pastry over the vegetables and tuck them in gently.

Add the frying pan to the pre-heated oven for about 20min. After that, reduce the heat a little and keep it in the oven for another 15min or until the pastry has risen a bit and is golden.

Take a flat plate bigger than the pan, bring it to the pan, put your hands on the plate and flip over, the tarte tatin should come down to the plate. Serve with fresh herbs on top and enjoy!

By Vivian Maeda

First without yeast, let's make a potato starter...

Ingredients:

• Boil 2 medium potatoes and use 1 cup of the potato water (cooled) for the starter. 
• Add 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup flour (normal flour).

Leave it somewhere warm (not hot). The following day, feed it again with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup of water and 1 1/2 cup of flour. Leave it somewhere warm. 

The following day bubbles should appear. 

Third day add 3/4 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of water and store it in the fridge. Keep feeding the same amount every day and store it in the fridge.

To test this potato starter you can make potato bread...

Ingredients:

(1 large loaf)

• 150g of the home made potato starter
• 200g of mashed potatoes (cooled)
• 200ml of the potato water (cooled)
• 6g salt
• 450g strong flour (I used 300g white flour and 150g of wholemeal flour)

Method:

2 hours before you start making the bread take the starter out of the fridge.

Mix all the ingredients and you will notice it is a wet sticky dough.

Knead it for 2-4min - then set it aside for 1/2hour

Leave it at room temperature inside a bowl (coated in oil) and covered with damp tea towel for 16 hours (yep plan well when to bake this bread

Shape the dough into a large desired loaf and place it on a pre-coated in oil and flour baking tray. Leave it for 30min somewhere warm. Pre-heat the oven 240 degrees.

Slash the loaf and place it into the oven for 14min with a bowl with water inside.

Reduce the heat to 200 degrees and leave it for another 10min. Once the top has a nice golden crust, turn it up side down and bake it for 3min.

Cool it in a wire rack and serve it with soup, eat it with jam, or egg and avocado or anything you like. Enjoy!

By Vivian Maeda

So, you cooked brussels sprouts for Christmas and …not everyone went for it…please don’t throw the leftovers, here is an idea which might give them a second chance. Great little dish for Boxing Day.

Ingredients:

(Here is what I used, which was what I had spare in the fridge and pantry shelf. I made my recipe completely dairy free, but you can add meat and butter to your dish. If you have leftover cooked brussels sprouts and have some spare vegetables in the fridge, put them in a pan and cook what you have)

1 x bowl of brussels sprouts (peeled and chopped)

1 x medium courgette (chopped)

¼ of broccoli (chopped)

½ medium size onion (chopped)

¼ butternut squash - chopped

3 x table spoon of quinoa or mince or leftover pigs in blankets (chopped)

Dairy free grated ‘cheese’ (coconut-based cheese) or cheddar cheese

Olive oil or butter

Salt and vegetable stock (vegan) or any stock you have

Filo pastry sheets (ready to use)

Asian Dip sauce or any sauce you prefer

Method:

Pre-heat oven 180 degrees.

Add chopped onions in a pot with olive oil and let them sweat first. Add the leftover brussels sprouts, and other vegetables and the quinoa or your leftover pigs in blankets. Add some water and the vegetable stock and cook in medium heat. Once cooked, let the water evaporate and leave it to cool.

Open the filo pastry sheets and on the chopping board, cut them into squares. I cut mine to about 10x10cm.

Take one of the filo squares and with a cooking brush add a thin layer of olive oil. Take a second square sheet and with the cooking brush add a layer of olive oil only around the edges. Place the second sheet on top of the first square sheet. With a tea spoon add the vegetable leftovers right in the centre. Sprinkle some dairy free cheese or cheddar cheese.

Close the filo parcel by twisting the top and place it on a baking tray. Repeat the process and keep adding the parcels on the baking tray.

Bake in the oven for about 8 min.

Serve hot with the Asian sauce or any sauce of your preference.

Delicious finger food to use leftovers from the Christmas meal and reduce food waste.

Hope you enjoy!

By Vivian Maeda

Originally from Belgium these little mini cabbages have been dividing the nation during the festive period. The sprouts deserve to be on the spotlight for their nutritious values. That’s right, these little vegetables are great for digestion, for your eyes, skin, heart and much more. So c’mon, give a chance to the sprouts and save a space for them on the dining table. Lots of ways to cook them, but this time with mushrooms, chestnuts and broccoli. This recipe is dairy free and gluten free.

Ingredients:

1 x bowl of peeled brussels sprouts (from our Winchburgh planters) – save the crown and use them for making soup

1 x bowl of chopped mixed mushrooms (chestnuts and shitake, but use any mushrooms you prefer)

1 x handful of chopped chestnuts (used the pre-cooked and peeled pack available in any major grocery store)

1 x handful of broccoli (chopped into small florets)

Seasoning:

1 x teaspoon of Scottish honey

Pinch of salt

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

1 x table spoon of dried Parsley or fresh thyme (from our Winchburgh planters)

2 x table spoons of Olive oil

2 x teaspoon of Vegan green pesto (home-made or from any major grocery store, alternative – normal pesto)

1 x teaspoon of raisins

1 or 2 x teaspoon of coconut oil or 1 or 2 x teaspoon of butter

Preparation:

On a hot pan add a splash of olive oil and brussels sprouts (cut in halves) and let them caramelise for 3 min, then add the mixed mushrooms and add a sprinkle of salt and cayenne pepper and honey.

Once mushrooms are cooked, add a splash of water and the chestnuts and raisins. After about 3 min add the broccoli, the coconut oil and vegan pesto and leave it for another 4 min. Broccoli should be still firm ‘al dente’ style. Sprinkle the parsley to garnish.

PS if you decide to add bacon to your version of this dish, then no need to add butter.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab some brussels sprouts and cook your own version and serve the dish along with the other festive dishes. Enjoy! Merry Christmas everyone!