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Pea Shoot Pesto with Buttery Gnocchi

Posted on July 28, 2021
pea shoot pesto gnocchi

Homemade Pea Shoot Pesto with Butter Fried Gnocchi

A delicious 15 minute meal using a homemade pea shoot pesto which is naturally vegan, paired with butter fried gnocchi. If you want a really simple meal for after work or a picnic, this pesto recipe is great to have up your sleeve. You can pair it with pasta or gnocchi, depending on what you have in your cupboards.

What’s in the recipe?

Pea Shoots- This is the main ingredient, it’s a delicious sweet and fresh tasting salad leaf. If you don’t have pea shoots you could replace it with watercress, rocket or spinach. All have a delicious peppery and fresh flavour.

Pine Nuts- These offer a delicious nutty and rich flavour to work with the greens, but can be swapped out for almonds or walnuts. If you want an even richer flavour, toast the pine nuts until slightly brown.

Gnocchi- I find with gnocchi if you bring it to boil for 2 minutes, drain the water then add to a frying pan with oil or vegan butter it gives the best results.

Butter- I find using vegan flora block is great, be generous with the amount to use with the gnocchi and fry on a medium heat until slightly brown on each side.

Nutritional Yeast- Now if you’re a hardy vegan you’ll have this in your cupboard, but if you’re not, it’s a flake that gives a slightly nutty and cheesy flavour. If you’re not vegan use a hard cheese such as parmesan or a vegan version of the same cheese.

pea shoot pesto

 

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pea shoot pesto gnocchi

Pea Shoot Pesto & Buttered Gnocchi

Vegan buttered gnocchi with a homemade pea shoot pesto which is really simple, easy and quick to make. The flavour of fresh garden peas really comes through this dish which works beautifully with the buttery toasted gnocchi.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

Peat Shoot Pesto

  • 70 g pea shoots
  • 1 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup olive oul
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 lemon squeezed

For the Gnocchi

  • 500 g gnocchi
  • Pine nuts to top
  • 150 g asparagus

Instructions
 

  • Pop the gnocchi in a pot of boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes until the gnocchi floats to the top
  • In the meantime add all of the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blitz
  • Drain the boiling water then add the gnocchi to a frying pan and fry for a few minutes before adding the pesto along with the asparagus and pine nuts and continue to fry until crispy on the bottom
  • Serve in a bowl with a few sprigs of fresh pea shoots and enjoy!

Notes

you can swap pea shoots for watercress or rocket or spinach!
Swap pine nuts for walnut or toasted almonds
Don’t have nutritional yeast? Don’t worry, it just adds a nutty cheesy flavour but isn’t essential
Don’t have gnocchi? Just use some cooked pasta instead!

If you like this recipe why not try my simple Roasted Tomato And Garlic Risotto

vegan vegetable risotto with bulgar wheat

Dinner Recipe

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Posted on April 7, 2021
vegan wild rice and mushroom soup

Vegan Wild Rice & Shiitake and Oyster Mushroom Soup

This vegan friendly wild rice soup is really easy to make, slow cooker friendly and perfect for week nights. I’ve tried to combine simple but delicious flavours to bring you a soup that is comforting, hearty and filling.

What’s in the recipe?

Wild Rice- I’ve used a precooked wild rice to save on time, however if you’re cooking the rice from scratch please refer to the cooking notes.

Mixed Mushrooms- I’m a big fan of mixing mushrooms such as oyster, chanterelle and shiitake however you can use whichever mushrooms you can get your hands on.

Vegan Cream- Using a vegan single cream such as oatly or alpro will work a treat for this. It really works with the mushrooms and the smoked paprika.

Tamari- Using tamari with mushrooms helps give an extra kick of umami, as it has an almost ‘meaty’ flavour to it.

Stock- I’ve just used a Kallo stock cube (the post on Instagram was sponsored by Kallo) and boiling water however you can use home made or shop bought stock if that’s available to you.

vegan wild rice and mushroom soup

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vegan wild rice and mushroom soup

Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup

Vegan wild rice and mushroom soup made using vegan cream, shiitake and oyster mushrooms and a simple stock. This can be made in a slow cooker or left to simmer slowly on a stove top for dinner. Either way, this recipe is utterly delicious, comforting and easy to make.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 21 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 1 white onion
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 200 g mixed mushrooms (I used a mixture of shiitake chanterelle and oyster
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1 Kallo Organic Garlic & Herb stock Cube + 750ml water
  • 250 ml plant based cream

Herbs & seasoning:

  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram sub for chilli flakes
  • 180 g cooked wild rice *refer to notes if cooking in the soup
  • 1 tbsp pine nuts optional to top

Instructions
 

  • Finely chop the carrot, onion, garlic cloves, stalk of celery and fry in the butter for 5 minutes
  • Add the roughly chopped mushrooms and add the tamari, smoked paprika and herbs *note* set aside a handful of the mushrooms to add on top at the end, so they stay crisp
  • Add the water & stock cube and stir together followed by adding the vegan cream and turn right down to a low heat
  • Stir in the cooked wild rice and season generously with salt and pepper

Notes

If cooking the rice within the soup, add an extra 250ml of water to allow the rice to soak up, keep an eye on the levels of water and add a little more if needed
Allow 20 minutes extra cooking time if cooking wild rice from raw

If you like this recipe why not try my Garlic & Tomato Pasta Dish

vegan tomato pasta recipe

Dinner Lunch & Light Bites Recipe

Cumin Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Tray Bake

Posted on March 25, 2021
cumin roasted sweet potato and chickpea tray bake

Slow Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpeas

This tray bake of slow roasted sweet potato and chickpeas and spices is perfect to serve with a salad or as a side. Topped with a creamy avocado and garlic dressing, this is brilliant to accompany your dinner. It’s beautifully tender, full of flavour and a great combination of textures.

What’s in the recipe?

Sweet potato- Chopping the sweet potato into wedges helps keep the centre delicious and fluffy. For this recipe I’ve used a large sweet potato to yield a large portion.

Cumin, smoked paprika and garlic powder-  These three flavours work so well together, so coat the potatoes and chickpeas evenly to get a delicious flavour on each  potato wedge.

Salt- This is Such and important ingredient to help cook the potatoes and give flavour, be generous with the salt for this dish.

Harissa or chilli oil- I am obsessed with this oil as it’s packed with flavour and helps keep the veggies soft, tender and not burnt in the oven Find my home made harissa oil here.

Chickpeas- Remember to drain them and give them a rinse so they don’t carry the flavour of the aquafaba.

slow roasted sweet potato and chickpea tray bake

Cooking Tips:

Perfectly roasted sweet potato –Coating the sweet potatoes in olive oil will help them when roasting. You’ve probably had sweet potato in the oven where it hasn’t been coated very well and turned a sort of pale orange with burnt edges. Coating it with olive oil and salt will help create this delicious fluffy centre and soft skin.

Low and Slow- Roasting the veggies on a lower heat is always best to get this kind of result. You can even roast as low as 165ºC and roast for around 1hr 20.

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cumin roasted sweet potato and chickpea tray bake

Cumin Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Tray Bake

Slow roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas in cumin, paprika, garlic and lots of salt to make the most delicious tray bake. Topped with a creamy avocado and garlic dressing, this is brilliant to accompany your dinner, or to bulk out a salad.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 400 g tin of chickpeas
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 6-7 tenderstem
  • 1 tbsp harissa optional

For the avocado dressing

  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • squeeze lime
  • 1/2 tsp salt & pepper
  • 7-8 black olives

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180ºC (fan)
  • Chop the sweet potato into large wedges then place on the roasting tray along with the chickpeas, cumin, paprika, garlic and olive oil and toss together
  • Pop in the oven for 35 minutes
  • Slice the peppers then add with the tenderstem to the roasting tray after the 40 minutes of baking, toss in the delicious spices and oil and roast for a further 20-25 minutes
  • Option to add the harissa or chilli oil to the tray bake to help keep the potato beautiful and soft
  • Prepare the avocado dressing by mixing the ingredients together, option to add chilli flakes too
  • Serve up with the chopped black olives, fresh herbs and the creamy avocado dressing as a salad, or as a side for a bbq or main dinner

Notes

Cooking tips
  • using olive oil to coat the sweet potatoes and chickpeas will help keep them delicious and soft rather then crisp on the edge
  • I use at LEAST 1 tbsp to mix with the spices and coat, but feel free to add a little more
  • I've also recommended adding 1 tbsp of harissa (find my home made one here) or a chilli oil to the sweet potato tray bake too

If you like this recipe why not try my gnocchi with slow roasted tomatoes 

gnocchi with slow roasted tomatoes & chilli

 

chickpea and sweet potato tray bake