Project Lockdown Part 2: The Kitchen Diaries
Stuck for cooking ideas during lockdown? Here are a couple of mouthwatering recipes straight from the EN staff!
BREAKFAST
Chia Pudding
Chia seeds are high in fiber, Omega 3s, calcium and vitamins, and help you to feel full for longer. They are neutral flavoured which allows for many different breakfast flavour options. Try some ideas below or make up your own combination.
Flavour ideas:
Chocolate pudding - Juliette’s fave: add 2 spoons of cocoa powder or chocolate protein powder, and a dash of sweetener such as honey, plus a handful of your favourite nuts.
Fruity: add blueberries, strawberries, mango, bananas, etc.
Strawberry coconut: use coconut milk and fresh strawberries.
Nut butter: add peanut butter or your favourite nut butter.
Chia Pudding Recipe
Servings: 1-2
1 cup milk of choice - try using chocolate flavoured milk!
¼ c chia seeds
¼ tsp vanilla extract
Flavouring of choice
Whisk everything in a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight. The chia seeds will absorb the liquid and swell up into a delicious pudding. If you don’t like the gel texture you can also blend everything in a blender then it will be smooth and creamy the next morning. Serve with fruit or berries, granola and yogurt.
Mom’s Apple Crumble
My mom used to make this all the time growing up. She wasn’t the biggest baker (I very much took over the baker’s role as I loved getting creative in the kitchen) but she got a couple of things exactly right, and this was one of them. This simple but comforting apple crumble is perfect for breakfast or a sweet-but-not-too-unhealthy treat.
5 green apples, peeled and cut into small chunks
Dash of cinnamon
Mixed spice
1 c oats
¼ c organic coconut flour (optional but nice)
Squeeze of honey
¼ c butter, melted
coconut oil, melted
Optional: nuts and berries, fresh fruit to serve, or cream/yogurt
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
Add the cut up apples to a pot and cover with water. To this, add cinnamon, mixed spice and a squeeze of honey for sweetness. You can also add in a dash of orange or lemon juice if you like. Simmer gently until the apples begin to get tender. Drain off the water (you can drink this actually, it's delicious!) and decant the apples into an oven dish. Melt the butter and add to the oats and coconut flour, if using, in a separate bowl. Add the coconut sugar and mix everything to make sure the oats are completely coated. I like to add more cinnamon and mixed spice to the mixture here because I love the taste. Sprinkle the oat mixture over the top of the apples, then sprinkle a little more sugar on the top and drizzle with coconut oil. This will make a nice crust. Pop in the oven and bake until golden brown, usually about 25 minutes (and I put it on grill for the last few minutes just to really brown the top). Serve with fruit, ice cream, cream or yogurt if desired.
MAIN MEALS
Chickpea Hummus Recipe
This delicious homemade hummus recipe couldn’t be simpler and it takes 5 minutes to whip up. Serve with fresh veggies such as carrot or celery sticks, with salads, in shwarmas, with falafels, or use as a spread.
1 can chickpeas, drained
3 T olive oil
Dash of cumin
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
½ tsp fresh garlic, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
Water as needed
Optional: spoon of tahini
You will need a food processor for this, or if your blender has a processing attachment (mine does) that will also work.
Add everything to your blender/processor, along with a dash of water. I find the water necessary otherwise the mixture is too thick and my blender doesn’t work well. Blend until smooth then decant into a serving bowl and enjoy!
Chunky Split Pea, Lentil and Veg Soup
The perfect comfort food for cold weather! You can scale up this recipe to feed a bigger family, or to store in the freezer. This recipe is wonderfully simple and done in about an hour.
1 c split peas
1 c lentils
⅔ c barley
2 T vegetable stock powder or make up a cup of good strong liquid vegetable stock
Veggies, diced - carrots, leeks, potatoes, butternut, onion, or whatever you have on hand or anything that needs to be used up.
For sauteing:
1-2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1-2 chopped onions or shallots
Pepper
Mixed herbs
Paprika, and/or any other favourite spice
Himalayan pink salt to season
Water - about 6-8 cups.
Rinse the split peas, lentils and barley well then cover with water and veg stock and simmer for about 30 mins. Make sure the water doesn’t run out! While that is simmering, cut up your veggies into chunks and saute your onions, garlic and spices. I like doing this as it adds extra flavour and dimension to your soup. Add the veggies and sauteed mix to the pea and lentil pot and add more water if necessary. You may also want to add in extra vegetable stock - do a taste test and see if you need more. Let simmer for another 30 mins or until the veggies are soft and the barley, lentils and peas are all cooked. Lightly blend with a soup/stick blender until you reach your desired consistency - sometimes I leave some of the veggies unblended to add chunkyness. You can add in a dash of cream or coconut milk if desired.Serve with fresh bread and enjoy.
SNACKS
Roasted Sweet & Salty Trail Mix
This sweet and salty extra crunchy trail mix is the perfect healthy alternative to ‘junk food’ and is packed with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and minerals and vitamins.
½ c sunflower seeds
½ c pumpkin seeds
1 c cashew nuts
1 c almonds
1 c macadamia nuts
Option: 3 cups mixed nuts - you can leave out the almonds and cashews above if using mixed nuts
3 T honey
3 T coconut oil, melted
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
Optionals to add: small handful of cacao nibs, raisins, dried cranberries, coconut flakes, pistachios, chocolate.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line your baking sheet with foil or wax paper.
Mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a bowl then spread out evenly on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes then allow to cool. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
TEATIME
Juliette’s Maca Cinnamon Oat Cookies
These oat cookies have a delicate spice flavour from the maca and cinnamon that blends perfectly with the added nut butter. Try almond or macadamia, or just go with peanut butter. Made with organic ingredients.
¾ c self raising flour
⅔ c organic oats
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of mixed spice
½ tsp baking soda
½ - ⅔ c organic coconut sugar depending on your sweetness preference
½ c butter
½ c peanut butter or nut butter of choice
2 eggs OR make up a flax egg mixture
Optional extras: choc chips
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with foil or wax paper.
Cream the butter and coconut sugar together, then add in the nut butter. Add in the eggs and whisk well. Add in the dry ingredients and mix well to form a dough. Scoop out spoonfuls and place on the baking tray, then flatten slightly with the back of a fork. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Enjoy with a soothing cup of tea!
SHOP THE TOP INGREDIENTS: nut butters, chia seeds, honey, split peas, organic maca powder, pumpkin seeds
