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Greek Salad
A delicious and fresh dish made with cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, feta, olives, herbs and olive oil.
Zoe’s Healthy Chocolate Truffles
A delicious and healthy snack made from dates and coconut
Mandy’s Easy Carrot, Tomato and Lentil Soup
A cheap and nutritious meal to make for the whole family.
Carrot Hummus
A very easy way to add a portion of vegetables to a tub of hummus.
Easy and Healthy Homemade Hummus
A dip made from chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and tahini
Mala’s Full of Beans Soup
A healthy soup is packed full of brightly coloured vegetables and beans
Onley’s Soda Water Bread Rolls
Bread rolls made with spelt flour, pumpkin seeds and soda water
Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable Christmas Trees
Christmas food doesn’t have to be unhealthy to be fun. These little vegetable Christmas trees are made from sugar snap peas and yellow peppers. They take just a few minutes to assemble and are a great way to tempt children to try some new veggies. Ingredients 10 sugar snap peas (mange tout or green beans also work well) 1/4 yellow pepper Instructions Wash your sugar snap peas. They can be eaten raw but if you’re serving to a baby or toddler you may wish to lightly boil or steam them first. Cut a star shape and a rectangle shape out...
Baked Sweet Potatoes with Greek Beans in Tomato Sauce
Packed full of nutrients and healthy protein
Eliza’s Homemade Chinese Dumplings
These delicious vegetarian Chinese dumplings are made with cabbage, mushrooms, onion and carrots. They are ideal for serving with Chinese dumpling soup. We made these dumplings and the soup with Eliza from the Little Cat Cafe at the Mulberry Centre in January 2019. This was to celebrate Chinese New Year. Ingredients For the wrappers 2 cups (280g) unbleached all-purpose flour pinch of salt ¾ cup (180ml) boiling water For the filling drizzle of cooking oil 1 tablespoon minced ginger 1 peeled and minced garlic clove 3 cups (185g) shredded nappa (Chinese) cabbage 2 cups (165g) chopped portobello or shiitake mushrooms...
Zoe’s Kale and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
This pesto is delicious stirred through pasta but can also be served with vegetables, salads or as a pizza topping.
Eliza’s Ecuadorian Stew with Pulses and Carrots
Ecuadorian stew is a traditional recipe and is very popular at the local school.
Zoe’s Vegetable Hot Pot with Herby Couscous
This vegetable hot pot is a good recipe to make on a cold winter’s day. You can use whatever vegetables you have at home – winter root vegetables work very well. It’s served with herby couscous to make it even more filling. We came up with this stew based on the surplus vegetables we had during one of our sessions. You can use any vegetables. It also doesn’t matter too much about the order you cook them in. I start with gently cooking the onion first, while I chop the other vegetables, and add them to the pot as I...
Michelle’s Spicy Vegetable Soup
This soup contains some vegetables found in Jamaican cuisine such as cho cho and hot peppers
Iraqi Vermicelli Rice and Chickpea Broth
This delicious Iraqi Vermicelli Rice and Chickpea Broth dish was made by one of our members at our Myatts Field North session. This delicious dish was very popular and is lovely served with a big helping of salad. Ingredients 400g rice 1 onion, diced 200g vermicelli noodles Sunflower oil 100g raisins 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp curry powder Instructions Measure out the rice into cups, you will need 2 parts rice to 1 part water (so if you have 2 cups of rice you will need 4 cups of water). Soak the rice for...
Risotto with Cavolo Nero and Peas
Sadie is one of our regular cooks at our Max Roach sessions. A few weeks ago she made a delicious risotto with cavolo nero for lunch. Sadie also made a juice from lemons and kiwi to serve alongside her cavolo nero risotto. Delicious! We have added peas to Sadie’s risotto recipe. We are cooking along with Veg Power, a national campaign to encourage children to eat more vegetables. Peas is vegetable of the week next week and we hope that this delicious risotto will encourage you to eat some peas. Ingredients 100g risotto rice 1 tbsp oil 500-600 ml hot vegetable...
Kadecia’s Cranberry and Carrot Mug Cake
Kadecia made this healthy cranberry and carrot mug cake at one of our sessions at St Stephen’s in Stockwell. Cranberry and carrot mug cake (Picture by Kadecia). Mug cakes are a popular way to get a sweet treat quickly and Kadecia’s version is packed full of healthy ingredients. Ingredients 1 tbsp coconut oil/vegetable oil 3 tbsp unsweetened milk (I used almond milk) 1 tbsp maple syrup (or any sweetener) 2 tbsp grated carrot Pinch of cinnamon and grated nutmeg A sprinkle of dried cranberries 1 tsp desiccated coconut 4 tbsp self-raising flour Instructions Mix together the coconut oil, milk, maple...
Vegetarian Polish Cabbage Soup
This vegetarian Polish cabbage soup was inspired by a conversation with one of our members Joanna. She told us that cabbage soup is one of her favourite recipes to make at home. Cabbage soup is a very popular Polish recipe. A traditional soup usually contains meat – often ham or pork. We have made a vegetarian version. It’s extremely cheap to make and very filling and nutritious. Some cabbage soup recipes use sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is a fermented cabbage that you can buy in a jar in a Polish shop or the Polish section of a supermarket. You can use sauerkraut...
Red Pepper and Kidney Bean Stew
This red pepper stew is made with tomatoes, kidney beans and paprika and is a delicious, nutritious and cheap vegetarian meal. Red pepper stews are common in many countries’ cuisine. Peperonata is a well known Italian stew made with red peppers and onions. It also features in Hungarian cooking where it is called lecsó. And in Nigeria pepper stew is also popular. The Nigerian version is usually made with meat, red palm oil and lots of chillies. This version resembles most closely the Hungarian lecsó as we have included paprika. However we’ve made it our own by adding kidney beans for some...
Kadecia’s Tahini and Sweet Potato Buttercream
A much healthier alternative to traditional buttercream.
Ethiopian spiced lentils
This spicy lentil dish is eaten all over Ethiopia and Eritrea and goes well with salad, rice and some plain yogurt or yogurt with chopped mint and cucumber. You can add other vegetables into the dish to up your intake, such as chopped cauliflower or sweet potatoes. The lentils are cooked in a spice called Berbere which can be found in some of the larger supermarkets and some of the ethnic shops in Brixton market and Stockwell. Ingredients 300g of red lentils 1 large finely chopped onion 1 thumb size piece of ginger, grated 2 tablespoons of vegetable/sunflower...
Zoe’s sweet potato and black bean chilli
This chilli has been a big hit at some of our recent events, enjoyed by both adults and children. Adding the couscous to the chilli towards the end of cooking time makes this a great one pot dish and saves you having to cook it separately. You can also use bulgur wheat instead of couscous or leave it out altogether. Try switching sweet potato with butternut squash. Ingredients 1 tin of black beans 1 tin of kidney beans 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 1 medium sweet potato 200 grams of sweetcorn – fresh, frozen or tinned are...
Easy apple chutney
At this time of year there are lots of apples on streets and in back gardens that do not get picked. Making chutney is a great way of using food that would otherwise be wasted, and a jar of something home-made makes a great Christmas present. Ingredients 1.5kg chopped apples 500g sugar 500g raisins or other dried fruit 2 teaspoons raisins 2 teaspoons mustard seeds 700ml vinegar (cider vinegar is best) Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir regularly to ensure it does not stick on the bottom. Heat...
Pumpkin sticky toffee pudding
This dish is always a hit with customers at the Bonnington cafe, where Zoe, our community food worker, is a regular chef. Over time, she has adapted the recipe to make it healthier, without compromising on the flavour. It is sweetened with the natural sugars from the dates and the pumpkin. You can use other fruit or vegetables to sweeten it, such as pureed apples or pears. If you don’t want the full shebang, you can skip the sauce and have it as a cake. Ingredients 200g of ground oats/oat flour (can be made by grinding oats in a...
Pumpkin crumble
This savoury pumpkin crumble is a lovely way of cooking the whole of the pumpkin without wasting any of it. It also works with any other root veg. The inspiration for this dish came from the brilliant ‘Leith’s Vegetarian Bible’ who have a recipe for pumpkin and tarragon cobbler. We switched the tarragon for rosemary and thyme and to save time went for a crumble topping instead. Ingredients 600g piece of pumpkin 1 tin of butterbeans or chickpeas, drained 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 1 large onion, sliced 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks 2 tablespoons of tamari...
Apple, plum and coconut muffins
This week we had an abundance of plums and apples donated to us by city harvest, so we got the children cooking healthy cakes at our Friday Family fun project. The recipe we kind of made up as we went along, so we can’t guarantee exact quantities, but it turned out pretty darn tasty and was devoured by both the children and adults. The muffins are sweetened naturally by the fruit and coconut and we used wholemeal flour making them even more nourishing and keeping you fuller for longer. Ingredients 200g of wholemeal self-raising flour 100g of fine...
Celeriac Mash this Xmas
Baffled by Celeriac? Everyone seems to be so. What a cosy and comforting veg. dish. It can be delicious in stews and soups or roasted and thinly sliced added to salads. When roasted, it goes sweet and when mashed it’s moreish. Ingredients 2 celeriac’s ½ handful of fresh parsley, sage, rosemary or thyme Salt and pepper to taste Fresh milk or alternative milks (soya, oat or almond milk) Olive oil (optional) 3 Tablespoons of low-fat yoghurt (optional) Method 1.Peel and wash the celeriac and cut into small chunks. 2.Add to a pot of boiling water and simmer on...
Mala’s Slow Cooker Lentil & Cauliflower Stew
Ingredients 2 cups of dried lentils or 1 tin of lentils 1 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups of onion) 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 lb cauliflower, chopped into very small florets 2 leeks, white and green parts only, halved, washed carefully, and chopped) 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp cumin 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme 1/2 tsp cayenne (very spicy– add 1/4 tsp or less for a milder flavour) 8 cups low sodium vegetable broth 32 oz diced tomatoes with juice (1 large can) 2 cups chopped kale or Swiss chard Method 1. Remove any stones or impurities in the lentils and rinse the lentils...
Vegetarian Sausage Goulash
Perfect Winter Warming Evening Meal. This will make you feel Comfy and Cosy. Ingredients 250g Pack of Quorn or Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages Sliced 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil 1 Bunch of Shallots 3 Stalks of Celery 1 Courgette 5 Potatoes Boiled and Mashed 3 Carrots X1 400g Tinned Tomatoes 2 Vegetable Stock Cubes 1 Tablespoon of Paprika Salt Pepper 3 Sprigs of Rosemary 2 Tablespoons Fat Free Natural Fromage Frais Method 1. Heat a large frying pan and add olive oil. 2. Add the slices of sausage, diced shallots, celery, courgettes and carrots. 3. Fry over a high heat for 5-6...
Mala’s Ruby Salad
Add gems to your salad, be creative and experiment with colours and flavours, using various fruit and vegetables together to make a fun loving salad. Ingredients 1 head of lettuce of your choice chopped Dash of olive oil 250g spinach or any green leafy vegetables 1 head of broccoli chopped 1 cucumber sliced 250g cherry tomatoes halved 1 pomegranate deseeded Method Wash all ingredients and put into a large bowl. Add the arils from the pomegranate with juices. Toss with olive oil. Add salt and pepper if preferred. The juices from the pomegranate should be used as the dressing...
Diane’s Joloff Rice
Diane has cooked her Joloff rice at many of our settings, and it has always gone down well. Joloff rice is a West African rice dish, with various spices, vegetables and tomatoes. Diane explained that Joloff rice is one of those many dishes that each country claims as their own. Diane is Ghanian and her husband is Nigerian British. Many a heated debate at home revolves around which country does the best rice, which she explained is funny because her father thinks it is actually from Senegambia. Over time she explained many West African countries have adopted the dish. Diane...
Mushroom and chestnut stew with herby dumplings
Yes, it looks like beef, and the mushrooms give it a meaty flavour and texture, but we promise you this dish is 100% plant-based! If you can find a range of different mushrooms, this will really add to the flavour of the dish. The chestnuts add a nice sweetness and festiveness, but if you can’t find them you can switch with 100 grams more mushrooms. You can skip out the dumplings if you don’t have the time (although they are much quicker and easier than you might think). For a heartier meal, serve with your favourite mash (see our celeriac...
Spiced Roasted Vegetables, Chickpeas and Couscous
We made this simple yet delicious dish at our Healthy Pregnancy session. We served it with a butterbean, mint and lemon dip- also in our recipes on this website. Ingredients 1 medium sweet potato (unpeeled), cut into 1cm cubes 1 medium courgette, cut into 1cm cubes 1 red onion, sliced 2 teaspoons of ras el hanout (you can find this in Asian supermarkets) 3 tablespoons of olive oil 3 handfuls of chopped fresh herbs (we used coriander, dill and mint but parsley is also great) 1 tin of chickpeas (water drained) 250g of wholegrain couscous (found in health food...
Butterbean, lemon and mint dip
A nice alternative to chickpea hummus which can be whipped up in minutes. Goes well with our roasted vegetable and couscous dish Ingredients 1 tin of white beans (such as cannellini or butter beans), water drained juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons of tahini (optional) 1 tablespoon of olive oil 2 large handfuls of chopped mint leaves (thick stalks removed) pinch of salt Instructions Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Vegetable tagine
Some of our Food Ambassadors cooked this delicious tagine for a LEAP training lunch for 60 staff members. It’s a great one because you can basically throw in whatever veg you have, and change it to what is in season. We served it with a giant couscous salad and healthy coleslaw. Would also go well with this: http://healthylivingplatform.org/project/butterbean-lemon-and-mint-dip Ingredients 700 grams of 3 or 4 different vegetables such as carrots, squash, sweet potatoes or parsnips 100 grams of greens such as kale or spinach, chopped 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil 1 large onion 1 celery stalk,...
Root vegetable and wild garlic soup
We love soup! It is one of the best ways of using whatever vegetables you have available. Our community food worker, Zoe made this dish with the old root vegetables that had been lying around for a few weeks in her fridge. Wild garlic is in season at the moment, normally found growing in woods, or near rivers or streams – if you get a chance on your daily walk, this could be a fun one to try and hunt for. Wild garlic is in the form of thick green leaves – as displayed in the soup on this photo....
Anda mattar ka salan (peas and egg curry)
This matter (peas) and anday (egg) curry is a traditional Indian dish – simple, delicious and pure comfort food. It comes from Zeenat, one of our members who is delivering our online Indian cooking, laughter yoga and mindfulness sessions. The key to the dish she says is making a good shorba – a gravy/sauce made from spices, blended onion, garlic and ginger. The shorba should be smooth with no visible large chunks of tomato and onion, and is usually a shade of brown-red. You can also add cooked cubes of potatoes instead of the eggs for a vegan version. Turmeric...
Chickpea rice (chana ka pillou)
This recipe comes from Zeenat, who is running our online Indian cooking, laughter yoga and mindfulness sessions. It goes well with yogurt and a curry sauce, or with just a salad or some roasted vegetables. Ingredients 2 teaspoons of olive oil 1 tin of chickpeas 1 and a half mugs of white basmati rice (can also use brown rice but will need to increase cooking time by 20 minutes and add half a mug more of water) 1 small cinnamon stick 1 medium onion 2 red dried chillis 10 peppercorns Half a teaspoon of salt (or to taste) 1...
Allo (potato) and jeera (cumin)
Zeenat tells the story of this dish: When my four children were growing up. I always cooked food every day and often cooked with whatever was available. As a one parent family, I had to make the money go as far as I could and at the same time feed ourselves healthy meals. This recipe was invented by me one day when I had just these ingredients and the kids loved it. Its been one of our favourites. I often experiment with different ingredients and use what I have at home if I cant get to the shops and have cooked many dishes. Some...
Zeenat’s Tried and Tested Roti
Zeenat cooked up these delicious chapatis (roti) in her online Indian Cooking session last week. They are great fun to make with your children as they love kneading and rolling out the chapati dough. Zeenat says: “children’s fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination are developed by chopping, mixing, squeezing and spreading so this is the perfect thing to do at home together.” Ingredients 1 Small Mug of chappati flour. (Pillsbury Atta. Or Elephant Atta is best but any available at the moment is fine too.) Available at most Indian shops, Amazon, Tesco and most other supermarkets. Water Instructions Wash hands thoroughly...
Banana Energy Balls
These energy balls are really easy to make and don’t need a food processor. Simply mix oats, mashed banana, peanut butter and raisins together and form into balls. A great recipe to make with the kids while staying well at home. Ingredients: 150g oats (1 small mug oats) 100g raisins (1/2 mug oats) 3 tbsp peanut butter (or nut free alternative eg sunflower butter or tahini) 1 ripe banana Instructions: 1. Mash your banana with a fork until really smooth. 2. Pour 150g oats, 100g raisins, 3 tbsp peanut butter and a mashed banana into a mixing bowl. 3. Lightly oil...
Adelaide’s Spinach Lasagne
Adelaide recently completed her training to become a Food Ambassador with us. She shares a tried and trusted recipe for spinach lasagne. Adelaide says: “My New Year’s resolution for 2020 was to look after my health and wellbeing. So when I applied for the Food Ambassadors Training I was really inspired to make healthier choices when it comes to cooking. I have gained a lot of knowledge in cooking healthier meals, such as vegetable based dishes. It’s really helped to encourage myself and my 3 boys to eat more vegetables.” “I am originally from Angola, which is on the West...
Spiced Carrot Soda Bread
It seems like everyone is baking bread at the moment and spiced carrot soda bread might sound fancy but it’s really simple to make. Best served warm as a snack or a side dish, but it also keeps for several days. If you’re storing it overnight then allow the bake to cool before putting it into an airtight container and taste it before serving. Ingredients: 300ml dairy free milk (e.g. oat, soya, or almond milk) 1 tbsp lemon juice, cider vinegar or white wine vinegar 350g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2–1...
Naan Bread
Another tried and trusted recipe from Zeenat’s Indian Cooking and Laughter Yoga sessions. Naan Bread is a fun activity to make with kids and adults alike! It’s a fun way for everyone to experience rolling and pressing the dough together, and naan bread goes with many healthy meals. We made these naans at one of Zeenat’s online sessions. Lots of children rolling and pressing the naan dough and having lots of fun. Ingredients: 2 cups self-raising flour 1 cup natural yoghurt 1 pack of dried yeast (optional — to make the dough fluffier. If you’re working with yeast, leave the dough for...
Kesra- a traditional Algerian Dish
This delicious dish was cooked for us live at our Zoom session- Stories of our Food. Thank you Mawa for showing us how to make this delicious meal. Ingredients: For the filling: 1 small white onion and 1 small red onion 2 cloves of garlic 1 good tablespoon of tomato puree 1 teaspoon of hot red curry paste (if desired) 1/2 bunch of fresh coriander A few sprigs of fresh mint For the dough: 500 grams of extra fine semolina or can mix with plain flour 75 ml of oil (mixture of olive oil and vegetable oil) 9 grams of...
Vegetable chilli
Vegetable chilli has been one of our favourite dishes to cook in our healthy living kitchen, because we can adapt it to the veg we have available, which is useful when we are cooking with surplus, and we can’t often predict what we will get. This one was made with root veg and served with beetroot salsa and broccoli slaw. Ingredients 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 onion Mixed root vegetables, peeled (optional) and chopped (eg 1 small swede, 2 parsnips and 2 big carrots). Other veg that are good are butternut squash, sweet potato, aubergine, courgette. 3 cloves...
