Black Bean Brownies

Another recipe that uses black beans (others include Black Almond Fudge and Red Velvet Brownies) to make chocolaty brownies. They are egg-free low in fat, using applesauce as a butter/egg/oil substitute. The original recipe from the Veggie Inspired website calls them Fudgy Mocha Brownie Hearts. I added in oats and reduced the liquid sweetener to they're a bit more substantial and not as fudgy as the ones from the original website. I didn't have a heart-shaped cookie cutter so mine are just plain squares! The instant coffee gives the brownies a subtle mocha taste.

Black Bean Brownies
Makes 8

Ingredients:
- 420g / 15oz / 1 can black beans (no salt added), drained
- 80g / 3oz oat flour
- 13g / 2tbsp flaxseed meal
- 20g / 4tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1tbsp instant coffee (optional)
- 2tsp baking powder
- 1/8tsp salt
- 60g / 3tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 112g / 4oz applesauce, unsweetened
- 2tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, flaxseed meal, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and instant coffee.
• Using a food processor, blend the drained black beans, agave nectar, applesauce and vanilla  into a smooth purée.
• Add the wet ingredients into the bowl and stir to combine.
• Pour the batter into an 8x8 baking pan or loaf tin, lined with parchment paper, and bake at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the pan for 10-15 minutes as the batter will still be quite soft. 
• Transfer on to a wire rack and cool for another 20 minutes before slicing into squares. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Multi-Grain Multi-Seed Bread

Continuing with the use of my bread flour, after the success of my Courgette and Mushroom Bread, and my desire to use a few tablespoons of the sunflower seeds and pumpkins seeds I recently bought (a total of 4 bags each!), I found an ideal recipe for a multi-grain, multi-seed bread loaf.

I adapted the original recipe slightly, taken from the All Recipes website, halving the amount of liquid sweetener and using bread flour instead of regular all-purpose flour. I couldn't wait to incorporate sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds in with a mixture of flours and oats. There's a good serving of healthy fats and protein from the seeds, together with fibre from the whole wheat flour, giving the bread lots of flavour and texture!

Roasting / toasting raw seeds and nuts really enhances the flavour. I usually do large batches of nuts (esp. almonds and cashews), as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds in the oven - simply laid out on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes at 175C / 350F, turning occasionally to ensure they don't burn. If I don't have any dry roasted nuts and seeds to hand, I throw some in a pan and gently toast them on the stove top.

The calorie content for this bread and the courgette bread is very similar, as is the protein and carbs. However, there's more fibre in the loaf below as I used whole wheat flour, and more fats due to the mixture of seeds. I also added a tablespoon of agave nectar whereas the courgette bread has less than a gram of sugar per slice.

This bread is great toasted or eaten plain. Before a run in the moring, I usually eat a slice with almond butter and sliced banana. Great fuel to start the day!

Multi-Grain Multi-Seed Bread
Makes 12

Ingredients:
- 30g / 3tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 23g / 3tbsp sunflower seeds
- 18g / 2tbsp sesame seeds
- 26g / 5tbsp oats
- 180g / 6.5oz whole wheat flour (150g/5.5oz for bread and 30g/1oz for kneading)
- 120g / 4.5oz bread flour
- 7g / 0.25oz active dry yeast
- 1/2tsp salt
- 240ml / 8floz warm water
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 1 egg white
- 15ml / 1tbsp water OR milk

Method:

• If preferred, toast the seeds in a pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a bowl and stir in the oats.
• In a large bowl, combine 150g/5.5oz whole wheat flour, bread flour, active dry yeast and salt.
• Add the agave nectar or honey into the warm water and stir to combine.
• Pour the liquid and the egg white into the bowl of flours and mix together to form a sticky dough
• Using the remaining 30g/1oz flour, knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
• Place back in the bowl and cover loosely with oiled cling film.
• Let the dough rise for 60-120 minutes, at room temperature, so it doubles in size.
• When the dough has risen, punch the dough with fists and add most of the seed mixture, leaving about 2 tablespoons for the top.
• Roll the dough into a loaf shape rectangle, about 12x8 inches and then roll up its shortest end.
• Pinch the ends together and tuck underneath, then place the dough into a loaf pan with the seam underneath.
• Cover the dough with the oiled cling film again and let the loaf rise for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.
• Brush the top of the loaf with a tablespoon of water or milk and sprinkle the remaining seed mixture.
• Bake in the oven at 175C / 350F for 30-35 minutes.
• Remove the bread from loaf the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Courgette and Mushroom Bread

I recently bought some bread flour and was keen to get baking. I found a recipe for courgette bread from the BBC Good Food Magazine. Most US 'zucchini' breads are sweetened with honey and sugar. This version is savoury and has great taste, thanks to the onion and garlic.

As I don't have a bread machine, I kneaded the dough by hand. This requires additional flour which I included in the ingredients list and nutritional information. As the dough was quite sticky, I needed extra flour, which the dough 'absorbed' so that it wouldn't stick to the work surface and my hands.

I was really impressed with how the bread turned out - a traditional loaf and really tasty! I often had a slice each morning with poached eggs, a spreading of nut butter, or simply plain.

Courgette and Mushroom Bread
Makes 12 slices

Ingredients:
- 420g / 15oz courgette, grated
- 140g / 5oz onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 100g / 3.5oz mushrooms
- 400g / 14oz bread flour (350g for bread and 50g for kneading)
- 7g / 0.25oz active dry yeast
- 1tsp salt
- 15ml / 1tbsp olive oil
- 2tbsp basil, fresh and chopped OR 1/2tsp dried
- 120ml / 4floz warm water

Method:

• Using a paper towel or clean tea towel, squeeze out as much water from the grated courgette as possible.
• In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic and mushrooms into small pieces.
• Then cook in a pan for 5 minutes, straining any liquid.
• Set aside and allow to cool
• In a large bowl, mix together 350g flour, yeast, salt, olive oil, basil and courgette mixture.
• Make a well in center and pour 60ml warm water - stirring to combine and adding another 60ml warm water to form a sticky dough.
• Using the remaining 50g flour, knead the dough on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
• Place back in the bowl and cover loosely with oilied cling film.
• Let the dough rise for 30 minutes, at room temperature, so it doubles in size.
• Press the dough into a loaf tin, lined with parchement, and brush with a tablespoon water or milk.
• Bake in the oven 220C / 425F for 40 mins.
• Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
• Eat plain, top with a poached egg or spread on nut butter and ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies

I love cinnamon; it's one of my favourite spices. I often use it in baking, cooking and sprinkled into my morning porridge.

I've never made blondies before - didn't really know what they were until recently - but as I've been using aquafaba (bean liquid) as an egg replacement for many recent posts, I am also discovering lots of new recipes that use chickpeas. This recipe below is from a vegan website - Veggie Inspired Journey.

Blondies are just like traditional chocolate brownies but substitute vanilla for the cocoa used in brownies - hence the 'blonde' in their name! I adapted it slightly, replacing the sugar with flaxseed meal and reducing the amount of liquid sweetener, and not bothering with the walnuts, adding a few more oats instead. The recipe is really simple; just blend everything in a food processor.

They don't contain any oil or dairy and make a nice alternative sweet treat to chocolate.

Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies
Makes 9

Ingredients:
- 420g / 15oz / 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 128g / 8tbsp cashew butter
- 40g / 1.4oz oats
- 40g / 6tbsp flaxseed meal
- 80g / 4tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 1.5tbsp cinnamon
- 1tsp vanilla
- 1/2tsp baking powder
- 1/4tsp baking soda

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and purée until smooth.
• Pour the batter into an 8x8 baking dish, lined with parchment.
• Bake in the oven at 175C / 350F for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven; the blondies will continue to firm up while cooling.
• Cool on a wire rack and slice into squares. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Lentil Jalapeño Tofu Stew

A quick and easy stew using lentils, tofu and vegetables. The jalapeño sauce used in this recipe is easy to make - just boil up a load of whole jalapeños with a quarter of onion. Once softened, drain the water, remove the seeds and stems from the cooked jalapeños and blend in a food processor. Store the sauce in an air-tight container in the fridge. It's great to stir into a stew or a stir fry, or blend into a hummus/dip. I also like to add a spoonful on top of scrambled eggs for an extra spicy kick!

Lentil Jalapeño Tofu Stew
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 170g / 6oz lentils, dry
- 110g / 4oz onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 85g / 3oz celery, chopped
- 85g / 3 oz green pepper, chopped
- 800g / 29oz / 2 cans chopped tomatoes, petite diced
- 33g / 2tbsp tomato paste
- 50g / 2oz jalapeño sauce (boiled and blended jalapeños)
- 450g / 16oz tofu, firm, chopped

Method:

• Boil the lentils in water until soft, about 30 minutes, then drain.
• In a pan, sprayed with cooking spray, cook the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, additing a splash of water if necessary.
• Add the celery, pepper, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the jalapeño sauce, tofu and cooked lentils and simmer gently for 10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed.
• Serve with brown rice, quinoa or courgette noodles. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Orange Chicken Noodles

After making my very tasty, tangy, chocolaty sweet treats last week - Chocolate Orange Squares - I had a spare orange in the fridge that needed using. Therefore, I decided to use it to make a quick stir fry. The tangy orange zest, when combined with the sweet orange juice and a little agave nectar or honey, gives the chicken and vegetables delicious flavour and taste.

I used loads of nutritious and low calorie vegetables (onion, celery, green peppers, mushrooms, broccoli) as well as courgette which I spiralized. This meant I only used 2 servings of brown rice noodles (4oz) instead of 4 which also resulted in the dish not being just a load of noodles (carbs) with a little bit of veg mixed in. The brown rice noodles are fibrous and very filling - check out my recent Curried Ginger Chicken Noodles dish for another fast and flavourful recipe.

It helps if the chicken breast is already cooked and shredded as it reduces the amount of prep and cooking time significantly. For a lighter lunch, just omit the noodles and add more sprialized courgette.

This dish is packed with vitamin C, not only from the orange but the broccoli and green peppers. I read more about this on the U,S. National Library of Medicine website. As it's a water soluble vitamin, and our bodies can't make vitamin C on its own, we need an ongoing supply in our diet. Vitamin C is needed for growth and repair, as well as the absorption of iron.

Lots of people associate vitamin C, particularly from citrus fruits, as a remedy for preventing colds. However, research doesn't really support this. It might slightly shorten the length of time people feel sick.

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for adult men is 90mg/day, and for adult women it's 75mg/day. Therefore it's best to eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits, paying close attention to the Top 10 Foods with the Highest Amounts of Vitamin C.

This dish contains three of the top 10:
100g broccoli - 89.2mg
100g green peppers - 80.4mg
100g orange - 53.2mg

Orange Chicken Noodles
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 112g / 4oz brown rice noodles
- 1 orange, zest and juiced
- 140g / 5oz onion, chopped
- 140g / 5oz mushroom, chopped
- 140g / 5oz pepper, chopped
- 56g / 2oz celery chopped
- 170g / 60z broccoli, chopped
- 8g / 1tbsp corn starch
- 30ml / 2tbsp water
- 170g / 6oz chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 280g / 10oz courgette, spiralized, julienne or grated

Method:

• Soak the noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften, then rinse and drain. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, zest and juice the orange.
• In a wok, sprayed with cooking spray, cook the online, mushroom, pepper, celery and broccoli for 5 minutes, stirring to spread the heat evenly around the wok and adding a splash of water if the veg begins to stick.
• Whisk the 2tbsp water into the corn starch and then add it to the wok, along with the shredded chicken, orange zest, juice and agave nectar (or honey).
• Stir for 2-3 minutes and then add in the courgette noodles.
• Cook for another couple of minutes and then serve on top of the rice noodles. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Chocolate Orange Squares

These raw chocolate orange squares are super tasty.  I couldn't help taking photos of this dessert as I enjoyed every mouthful! That being said, they are very high in sugar - something which I try to avoid. It's hard to keep sugar levels low when cooking/baking with fruit (dates and oranges) and then adding in extra sugars (agave nectar or honey). If I make these squares again, I may reduce the amount of liquid sweetener to by 1-2 tablespoons to see if there's a big difference in taste.

These squares really remind me of Terry's Chocolate Orange. I haven't eaten a chocolate orange in years. I think my recipe below is darker and richer than the milk chocolate oranges first made in 1932 by Terry's of York.

Chocolate Orange Squares
Makes 9

Ingredients:
Base:
- 120g / 4.5oz oats
- 120g / 4.5oz flour (I use whole wheat)
- 40g / 8tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1/8tsp salt
- 120g / 4.5oz dates, pitted, soaked and drained (reserving 60ml)
- 80g / 4tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 1-2 orange zested and juiced
- 60ml / 4tbsp squeezed orange juice
- 60ml / 4tbsp date water

Frosting:
- 96g / 6tbsp almond butter, warmed
- 5g / 1tbsp cocoa powder
- 20g / 1tbsp agave nectar
- 90ml / 3floz - squeezed orange juice

Method:

• For the chocolate orange base, mix all the ingredients in a food processor, adding the oats, flour, cocoa powder and salt first, then adding in the dates, agave nectar, orange zest, juice and date liquid.
• Spread the mixture into a brownie tin and press down to compact.
• Place in the fridge and then make the frosting by stirring all the ingredients together.
• Spread the frosting over the base mixture and leave it to set in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. 
• Cut into 9 squares. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Aubergine Lentil Bake

A filling dish packed with nutrients and surprisingly low in calories. Similar to my Ratatouille with Poached Eggs, which also uses aubergine (aka eggplant), I thought I'd make a bake with lentils and vegetables. It's very low in fat but has a good serving of fibre and protein.

Aubergine Lentil Bake
Makes 6

Ingredients:
- 170g / 6oz lentils
- 1200g / 42oz diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 160g / 6oz onion, chopped
- 4 clove garlic, chopped
- 170g / 6oz mushroom, chopped
- 1tsp oregano, dried
- 1tsp thyme, dried
- 1/4tsp red pepper flakes
- 85g /3oz celery
- 140g / 5oz green pepper, chopped
- 45g / 1.5oz jalapeno, chopped
- 730g / 26oz aubergine, cubbed
- 8g / 1tbsp corn starch
- 30ml / 2tbsp water
- 16g / 2tbsp nutritional yeast

Method:

• Cook the lentils in water for 30 minutes, until soft and then rinse and drain.
• Blend half of the onion and garlic with the tomatoes.
• Cook the remaining half of onion, garlic and mushrooms in a pan, sprayed with cooking spray, with the herbs and spices for 5 minutes.
• Add the green pepper, jalapeño, celery, aubergine and blended tomatoes.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Whisk the water into the corn starch and add to the pan, along with the lentils and nutritional yeast.
• Cook for a further 10 minutes and then pour into a baking dish.
• Bake in the oven at 200C / 400F for 10 minutes.
• Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. ENJOY!

Nutritional Yeast:

Tofu Burgers

Another vegetarian burger, using tofu as a great source of protein (16.5g per burger), with healthy fats coming from walnuts. The tofu absorbs all the great flavours - soy sauce, mustard, hot chili sauce and basil.

A little prep work and time is required to drain the moisture from the tofu, but this is well worth the effort as the tofu crumbles easily and forms perfect patties when mixed with all of the other ingredients. The burgers are baked in the oven instead of fried, but brown really nicely and actually look like meat burgers!

To press the water from the tofu, I used paper towels for absorption and added a bit of weight using a saucepan.

Tofu Burgers
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 450g / 16oz tofu, firm
- 30g / 1oz walnuts
- 110g / 4oz onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 85g / 3oz carrot, grated
- 30ml / 2tbsp soy sauce, light
- 20g / 4tsp mustard (I use Dijon)
- 5g / 1tsp hot chili pepper sauce (e.g. sriracha sauce)
- 1/2tbsp basil, dried

Method:

• First, drain the tofu and squeeze out excess water by wrapping it in paper towels or a clean tea towel.
• Add a bit of weight and let the towels absorb as much tofu liquid as possible - leave for 1-2 hours.
• In a food processor, chop the walnuts into fine crumbs and then set aside.
• Using the food processor, chop the onion and garlic.
• In a frying pan, sprayed with cooking spray, cook the onion, garlic and grated carrot for 5 minutes, until softened.
• In a large bowl, add the soy sauce, mustard, hot chili pepper sauce, dried basil, walnuts and cooked onion carrot mixture.
• Stir to combine.
• Crumble the tofu in a food processor and then add to the bowl, mixing everything together.
• Form four patties and place on a baking tray.
• Bake at 200C / 400F for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden brown.
• Serve on whole wheat buns or with green vegetables. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Honey Almond Popcorn Balls

These delicious treats taste just like a bag of toffee/caramel popcorn: sweet and crunchy. I consider them to be a lighter and healthier version to the bags of store-bought toffee popcorn, which is usually sweetened with corn syrup and cooked in butter/oil. These balls are also the perfect snack-size and there's no need to worry about polishing off an entire bag of popcorn!

I adapted this recipe from the Thrive Market website. As mentioned in the original post, these  treats are perfect for Halloween!

Simple air popped popcorn is a great snack by itself - sprinkled with a little cinnamon or nutritional yeast. A 50g / 1/4cup serving yields about 5 cups of popped popcorn. I simply heat the kernels in a pan, with the lid on, over a medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally throughout popping so nothing burns.

Honey Almond Popcorn Balls
Makes 12

Ingredients:
- 50g / 1.8oz popcorn, unpopped
- 28g / 1oz almonds, chopped
- 64g / 4tbsp almond butter
- 80g / 4tbsp agave nectar OR honey
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2tsp cinnamon

Method:

• In a saucepan with a lid, pop the popcorn, shaking occasionally so the kernels don't burn.
• In a large bowl, combine the popcorn and chopped almonds.
• In a small saucepan, stir the agave nectar OR honey and almond butter together and let it bubble for a minute.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.
• Pour the sweet nutty mixture over the popcorn mixture and mix thoroughly.
• Whilst the mixture is still warm, spray hands with a nonstick spray and form popcorn into balls, squeezing gently to compact all the ingredients together. 
• Store in an air tight container for up to a week. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Autumn Fruit Punch

This fruity punch can be enjoyed warmed or chilled - depending on the weather and the mood. It's refreshing as a chilled sangria but also comforting as a warm mulled wine.

In the past I've made traditional Mulled Wine and several Infused Spirits.

The nutritional information below is just for the liquid - i.e. alcohol and juice. If the boozy fruit is also eaten, add a few more calories and grams of sugar!

Autumn Fruit Punch
Makes 8 (150ml / 5floz servings)

Ingredients:
- 1 apple, sliced
- 1 pear, sliced
- 1 orange, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 8 cloves, whole
- 750ml / 1 bottle red wine
- 480ml / 16floz pomegranate juice
- 240ml / 8floz vodka OR bourbon
- 240ml / 8floz water

Method:

• Warm all ingredients gently over low heat for 15 minutes to combine and infuse the liquids and flavours. 
• Strain before serving in glasses, removing the cloves and cinnamon stick.
• If drinking chilled, allow to cool before straining and refrigerating. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Butternut Squash Hummus

Further to my Butternut Squash Risotto dish posted earlier this month, this is another recipe that uses roasted, then blended squash. Why not make the two recipes together whilst the oven is hot and the food processor has squash mixture in it?

As an autumnal version to my classic hummus, which also contains chickpeas, tahini and lemon juice, this has the added tastiness of butternut squash.

I have been on a roll with butternut squash, sneaking it into all kinds of things. My favourite recipes so far include this hummus, the risotto, muffins and soup.

Butternut Squash Hummus
Makes 8 (80g serving)

Ingredients:
- 420g / 15oz butternut squash, skin on, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1tsp ground black pepper
- 1tsp onion powder
- 1/4tsp garlic powder
- 1tsp cumin
- 1tsp coriander
- 420g / 15oz / 1 can chickpeas, drained with liquid reserved
- 30ml / 2tbsp lemon juice
- 30g / 2tbsp tahini
- 120ml / 4floz aquafaba (chickpea liquid)

Method:

• In a bowl, coat the squash with black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and coriander.
• Roast squash in the oven at 210C / 410F for 30 minutes, until soft.
• Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until creamy.
• Serve with chopped veg or spread on rice cakes. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

Curried Ginger Chicken Noodles

A super fast and delicious meal. The great thing about brown rice noodles is that they only take a few minutes to cook and are a great source of fibre, offering plenty of carbs and satiety. The combination of curry and ginger powder gives great natural flavour to the chicken and rice noodles - much healthier and just as quick as some of those packets of instant ramen noodles with very salty seasoning and artificial flavours.

I added some celery and frozen peas to the chicken and noodles but mushrooms would taste great too. Prawns would also be a tasty alternative to chicken.

Curried Ginger Chicken Noodles
Makes 2

Ingredients:
- 112g / 4oz rice noodles
- 110g / 4oz onion, chopped
- 110g / 4oz / 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 85g / 3oz peas,
- 1tbsp curry powder
- 1tsp ground ginger
- 240ml / 8floz chicken broth, reduced sodium
- 170g / 6oz chicken, cooked and shredded (I use canned chicken breast)
- 15ml / 1tbsp soy sauce, light
- 8g / 1tbsp corn starch
- 30ml / 2tbsp water

Method:

• Soak the noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften, then rinse and drain. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a pan sprayed with cooking spray, cook the onion, celery and peas for a couple of minutes.
• Stir in the curry powder and ginger and cook for another couple of minutes.
• Add the broth, cooked chicken and soy sauce.
• Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the cornstarch and water and then pour into the pan.
• Add the cooked noodles and stir to combine all ingredients. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Butternut Squash Risotto

Apparently September was national rice month. I must've missed the memo about this. Nevertheless, I've been meaning to use some more home-grown butternut squash and I also wanted to try this risotto recipe from the Deliciously Ella cookbook/blog. I adapted the recipe slightly but I love the combination of squash, nutritional yeast and tahini.

Butternut Squash Risotto
Makes 4

Ingredients:
- 840g / 30oz butternut squash, skin on, deseeded and cubed
- 2tsp paprika
- 1tsp cumin
- 170g / 6oz brown rice
- 16g / 2tbsp nutritional yeast
- 15g / 1tbsp tahini
- 30ml / 2tbsp lemon juice
- 30ml / 2tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2tsp mixed herbs
- 120ml / 4floz water, if necessary
- ground black pepper

Method:

• In a bowl, coat the butternut squash with paprika and cumin, then place on a baking tray, lined with foil.
• Roast the butternut squash in the oven at 210C / 410F for 30 minutes, until cubes are soft.
• Meanwhile, boil the rice for about 30 minutes, rinse and drain.
• Place 3/4 of the roasted squash in a food processor, along with the nutritional yeast, tahini, lemon juice apple cider vinegar and mixed herbs.
• Blend until a smooth creamy consistency forms.
• Stir the blended squash mixture into the rice, adding the remaining cubes of squash and up to 1/2cup (120ml) water if necessary.
• HeatSeason with ground black pepper. 
• Serve with steamed broccoli, asparagus, or peas. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information:

Ice Cream Parfait

As an extra special treat, particularly if I fancy a little more sweetness and crunch, I sometimes make these ice cream parfaits. The base is frozen blended bananas, topped with chopped dried fruit and nuts. The recipe below uses dates and almonds but at combination of raisins, cranberries, apricots, walnuts, pecans, cashews etc. can be used.

There's quite a lot of sugar in each parfait - even though it's natural sugar from fruit - so I do only eat these occasionally.

Ice Cream Parfait
Makes 2

Ingredients:
- 2 bananas, chopped and frozen
- 5ml / 1tsp vanilla extract
- 28g / 1oz almonds, chopped
- 20g / 0.7oz dates, chopped
- 5g / 1tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1/2tsp cinnamon

Method:

• In a small bowl, combine the chopped nuts, dates, cocoa powder and cinnamon.
• In a food processor, blend the frozen bananas with the vanilla, until smooth and creamy.
• Serve in bowls or glasses and top with chocolate nut, date mixture. ENJOY!

Nutritional Information: