If you have a recipe you would like to share using veg or fruit from your garden, email it to Jackie (address on the Contact page) and she will put it up on the website (in the fullness of time!)
VEGETABLE SOUP
Ingredients
2 medium potatoes
2 onions
1 or 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
1/2 a cup of red lentils
1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock (use stock cube or powder if you wish)
Serves 4
Method
Grate the vegetables. The fastest way to do this is by using the
grating disc in a food processor, but if you've plenty of time you can
shred the vegetables quite satisfactorily using a handheld grater.
Heat the oil in a large pot, add the vegetables, stir to coat and
leave to sweat for 5-10 minutes over a low heat. You can add 1-2
crushed cloves of garlic at this stage if you wish. You can also omit
this stage if you prefer a no-fat soup. The flavour may be a little
less intense, but it'll still be good.
Add the lentils. Pour on the hot stock, stir well, bring to the boil
and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. You can
serve the soup at this stage or blend it if you prefer.
Variations
Try adding a few leaves of shredded cabbage or a handful of finely
chopped spinach.
Use a different pulse instead of lentils. If you want to use dried
beans, you'll need to soak them in cold water overnight then cook them
thoroughly according to pack instructions before adding them to the
soup. Alternatively, use drained and rinsed canned pulses such as
beans, chick peas or lentils.
Add a can of chopped tomatoes.
Add fresh chopped herbs of the season.
COURGETTE LEMON CAKE
This recipe is for one large cake in a loaf tin. If you wish to make cupcakes instead of one large cake, place paper cases into bun/small muffin tins and fill right to the top of each case with cake mixture. Bake in a hotter oven, Gas Mark 5 for 15-20 mins.
Ingredients
200g (7 oz) grated courgette
150g (5 oz) caster sugar
1 egg
125ml (4 fl oz) vegetable oil
200g (7 oz) plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon zest
Method
Preheat oven to 160 C/325 F/Gas mark 3. Grease a loaf tin.
In a bowl, beat together the courgette, sugar, egg and oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder; stir in the cinnamon and lemon zest. Stir the flour mixture into the courgette mixture just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate and Beetroot Cake
Ingredients
8oz SR Flour
1oz cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
4oz caster sugar
Pinch of salt
3oz dark chocolate melted
3oz butter melted
4oz raw grated beetroot peeled weight
2 eggs beaten
How to make it
Heat the oven to GM4/180’C/350’F. Grease and line a 2lb-loaf tin or cake tin.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder.
Stir in the sugar, beetroot, melted chocolate and butter and the eggs.
Turn into the tin and bake for 50 minutes or until firm on top and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
CARROT CAKE
Ingredients
8 oz Self Raising Flour
4 oz caster sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 level teaspoon baking powder
4 oz butter or soft margarine at room temperature
2 eggs, beaten
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 tablespoon honey
2 oz walnuts, chopped (optional)
walnut halves to decorate (optional)
Method
Heat the oven to 350 F/180C/Gas Mark 4.
Grease a 1 lb loaf tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.
Sift the flour, mixed spice and baking powder together, add all the other ingredients and mix together until well combined (do not overbeat, otherwise the resulting cake will fall apart).
Note: You can use oil instead of butter or margarine in any of these recipes.
cream cheese Frosting
This frosting recipe can be used for all three cakes:
Ingredients
One and a half oz butter softened
One and a half oz creamed cheese
3 oz icing sugar
Half teaspoon of vanilla extract/essence or to taste
Method
Beat the butter until smooth and creamy, add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Gently mix in the creamed cheese and vanilla extract/essence. Chill for half an hour before spreading on the cake.
Beetroot Curry
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
250 g Beetroot, chopped
250 g butternut squash, chopped
100g green tomatoes (or red ones if you don’t have green)
4 tsp mild curry powder
1 tsp fenugreek (ground)
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
2 large mild green chillies (use hot ones if you like more heat) chopped
Tomato passata/tinned tomatoes to taste
1” piece fresh ginger, grated
4-6 cloves garlic (to taste)
1 large tin coconut milk ( I used organic)
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
Handful of coriander or parsley (I used parsley as I didn’t have coriander)
Carrots, french or runner beans, or any other vegetables you have to hand like cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
Method
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and saute the onion, beetroot and squash and chilli for about 5 minutes on a gentle heat. Add the spices, sauté for another minute. Add the tomatoes, tomato passata/tinned tomatoes and grated ginger. Simmer gently for about an hour until the beetroot is soft.
In the meantime, steam or lightly boil the extra vegetables and put aside.
10 minutes from the end of cooking time, add the coconut milk, garlic and parsley. Either leave chunky or blend to a smooth sauce.
Add the steamed vegetables, heat for 1 minute and serve with rice.
Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
1 large onion
1 large tablespoon curry powder
2 potatoes
1 celery
1 carrot
1 large pumpkin 1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp bouillion
salt to taste
1 large shot liquid aminos (health shop) or soy sauce
Method
Chop onion and heat some oil in a pan, add onion and fry 2 mins, add curry powder and fry making sure not to burn, add drop water if sticking, Add all other chopped veg and cover with boiling water, and stock.
Cook for 15mins or until vegetables are soft, add coconut oil and soy sauce,/aminos. Blend to a very smooth consistency. taste and add salt if required.