Basic recipes

Black bean & tomato risotto with cashew ‘parmesan’ and homemade no-yeast focaccia Serves 4 We seem to have bought a LOT of black beans in the weeks leading up to the lockdown… which is no bad thing, as they’re fantastic and really versatile, we eat them blitzed in burgers, straight from the tin in salads, in casseroles and chillis, and also in risottos like this one.  Still no yeast, so I made a very basic yeast-free focaccia. We've run out of fresh garlic, so I'm using garlic powder in recipes instead. Risotto: 250g Arborio rice 400g tin chopped tomatoes 400g tin black beans 1 tblsp olive oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, chopped into 1cm pieces 1 stick celery, chopped into 1cm pieces 1 tblsp dried basil 1 vegetable stock cube, mixed with 1 litre of boiling water 1 tsp chilli flakes 50g finely chopped kale   zest of 1 lemon ‘Parmesan’: 50g cashews (ideally unsalted but, at this point, we’re using bags of...

Vegetable and black bean pot pie Feeds 4 I wanted to make a pie using a puff pastry crust, but I’m out of ready made puff pastry, and I’m not about to make it from scratch. As a slightly different topping, I’ve used an American-style biscuit crust, it’s a bit like having a solid layer of dumpling on the top of your pie, which can only be a good thing. I didn’t manage to get a good picture of the pie, because we were so desperate to eat it that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the whole thing, before we’d demolished it! Ingredients: 1 large sweet potato, cut into 2cm pieces 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 large carrot, cut into 1 cm pieces 1 large courgette, cut into 1 cm pieces 1 large red pepper, cut into 1cm pieces 1 tin of black beans 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp chilli flakes 1 tsp ground cumin Large pinch of salt 1 tblsp olive oil Crust: 210g plain flour 4 tblsp coconut oil – cold/solid 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp sa...

Whipped coffee Makes 2 large glasses Whipped coffee/Dalgona coffee/Korean coffee/Frappe coffee…. whatever it’s called, it’s really easy to make, and only really has three ingredients…. my top tip is that the actual whipped coffee itself may look impressive but it tastes disgusting until you actually stir it into the milk, then it’s delicious! Ingredients: 2 tblsp instant coffee 2 tblsp granulated sugar 1 tblsp maple syrup 2 tblsp boiling water Oat milk Ice cubes Method: Add coffee, sugar and boiling water to a LARGE bowl (you need to give yourself enough room to let the air in while you’re beating), and beat - ideally with a hand mixer – until the mixture thickens. It took me around 3 minutes to get a really thick mixture, I think if you’re beating by hand it’d probably take around 8-10 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened, beat in the maple syrup. Fill two large glasses with plenty of ice cubes, then add milk to around ¾ full, and spoon the whippe...

Anzac biscuits Makes around 20 Although I am an Australian passport holder, I have no idea if Anzac biscuits are still Anzac biscuits if they contain dried fruit? Anyway, mine always do, and they are without doubt the best biscuits I’ve ever made! If the thought of a non-chocolate biscuit horrifies you, feel free to dip them in melted chocolate. I’ve a feeling these variations on the theme may get my passport revoked, so I’ll say no more. Ingredients: 100g porridge oats 50g dried mixed fruit 85g desiccated coconut 110g plain flour 50g caster sugar 50g soft light brown sugar ½ tsp baking powder 100ml coconut oil 1 tblsp golden syrup Splash of oat milk Method: Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees celsius and line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Mix porridge oats, dried fruit, desiccated coconut, flour, sugars and baking powder into a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil and add golden syrup.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix, adding a littl...

Peanut butter & jam cookies Makes around 20 This is literally the contents of my baking cupboard poured into a bowl….  we used two different jams – apricot, and black cherry – you can use whatever you’ve got. Likewise, you can use any kinds of dried fruit, and nuts. The cookies would actually be better with dried cranberries, cherries and blueberries, but I don’t have them! Ingredients: 300g self raising flour 100g soft light brown sugar Large pinch of salt 50g mixed, roasted nuts – we used walnuts and cashews 90g mixed dried fruit  150g smooth peanut butter 50ml coconut oil, melted 90ml soya milk (or any plant based milk) 1 tsp vanilla essence Jam – we used black cherry, and apricot jams Flaked almonds Method: Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees celsius and line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Mix flour, sugar, salt, mixed fruit and nuts into a large bowl. Mix milk, coconut oil, peanut butter and vanilla e...

Dhal and homemade naan  Serves 3-4 The dhal recipe is stolen from Delicious magazine, but as our store cupboards and fresh herbs and vegetables run a bit low, I’ve adapted it to a more basic version. Also, we tried to buy yeast in the supermarket a couple of weeks ago, with no success so we made a yeast-free naan which still tastes pretty good. Dhal: 300g red lentils 400ml tin of coconut milk 400g tin chopped tomatoes vegetable oil 2 tsp curry powder 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds 1 tsp chilli flakes 100g chopped kale  1 tsp chilli flakes Naan: 210g plain flour 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp salt ½ tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1tsp crushed coriander seeds 1 tblsp olive oil 120ml oat milk (or any plant based milk) vegetable oil Method: Put the lentils in a large, heavy based, pan with a pinch of salt, the tin of coconut milk and 600ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tin of tomatoes and sim...