Kirsty’s Kitchen Cooking Workshop – The Recipes!

Trial introductory cooking workshops to inspire new customers, with 10 lovely recipes below!

Last night Bridget and I hosted one of two trial introductory cooking workshops, we have our second next Thursday 25th.

The ‘introductory’ cooking workshops are designed for customers that are new to getting a vegetable box, and would like some inspiration and top tips on getting the most from their box. They are mainly demonstration based, with some very helpful audience participation – which keeps it fun!

A big thank you to all the lovely guests from last night, that did a wonderful job assisting in the busy kitchen!

We managed to whip up 10 delicious vegetarian recipes in just over 2 hours! The kitchen was pretty busy at the mid-way point – but we got there in the end! ;0)

The recipes included ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks and even dessert too. There were lots of tips for saving on time and energy. We talked about the health benefits of many of the recipes and the importance of organic food for health.

We tried lots of Riverford yummy extras, like Godminster Cheddar, the rich organic eggs, and lovely unwaxed, organic lemons transformed several of the dishes.

Hopefully everyone left with a happy belly and an inspired mind.

We will be assessing the success of the two workshops, making necessary adjustments and hope to offer them more regularly to new customers, or anyone needing a little inspiration later in the year.

In the meantime here are the recipes:

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks & pud!

1. Gorgeous green smoothie
2. Healthy carrot muffins
3. Gluten free pumpkin bread
4. Raw mushroom pate & crudities
5. Squash & goat cheese puy lentils
6. Baby spinach salad
7. Leek, pepper & Godminster chedder frittata
8. Moroccan carrot salad
9. Fennel & tomato risotto
10. Secret chocolate orange mousse

1. Gorgeous Green Smoothie

Ingredients

• Large handful of spinach leaves
• 1 banana
• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• 1 orange
• ½ inch fresh ginger
• squeeze of lemon / lime
• 1 tsp hemp powder (optional)
• 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
• Water to cover
• Couple of ice cubes

Serves 2

Put all ingredients into your blender and blitz!

Enjoy the beautiful hydration, the vitamin and mineral hit, and the sweet creamy sensation.

Delicious.

2. Healthy Carrot Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 200ml Riverford natural yogurt
• 1 orange, juice and zest
• 250g gluten free self raising flour (or regular if you prefer)
• A pinch of sea salt
• 5 tbsp of honey, plus a drizzle for the tops
• 1 large or 2 small carrot, coarsely grated
• 3 tsp mixed spice
• A handful of dried fruit (raisins/chopped dates/apricots)
• A handful of nuts and/or seeds (walnuts/pumpkin seeds)
• Olive oil to grease muffin tin OR greaseproof silicon cupcake cases
• A pinch of oats and nuts/seeds for the top

Makes 12 cupcakes or 9 muffins

Whisk the yogurt, orange juice and zest and honey in a jug, then whisk in 1 egg and set aside.

(N.B this makes a delicious, healthy orange flavoured yoghurt without the egg, and with a little less honey).

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl, fold in the mixed spice, grated carrot, dried fruit and nuts. Pour the egg-yog mix over the top. Then gently fold it through with a metal spoon, just until everything’s combined. Be careful not to over mix it – so fold, don’t stir or whip.

Divide between 9 holes of a lightly oiled or lined muffin tin, or 12 cupcake cases. Top each unbaked muffin with a pinch of oats and/or seeds and a drizzle of honey.

Bake at 180°C/Gas 4 for approx. 20 mins, or till a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Perfect for breakfast, or a healthy snack anytime of day! ;0)

3. Gluten-free Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

• 450 g grated raw pumpkin / squash
• 4 whole organic free-range eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 60 ml olive oil or cold pressed coconut oil
• 300g self raising gluten free flour
• pinch nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• pumpkin seeds to sprinkle on top  (optional)

Preheat your oven to 150 – 160 C. fan forced or 180 C if your oven has no fan.
Combine the grated pumpkin, eggs, salt, nutmeg and oil into a bowl.
Fold in the flour.

Grease a small metal loaf tin (approx. 15cmx10cm, by 8cm deep).
Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds.
Bake for approximately 1 – 1 ½ hours – check after 1 hour and test as times may vary depending on your oven and temperature. Check with knife – it should come out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the tin… or if you can’t resist serve whilst warm with Riverford Brue Valley butter – delicious!
When cool, enjoy slices with avocado or topped with nut butter.  Great for breakfast toasted or anytime of day!

It only lasts a couple of days – so keep in an air-tight container, in the fridge. Freeze half of it if you won’t use it within 2 days.

Options:

• Try varying the flour you use. For a richer, denser loaf that is higher in protein, replace the flour with ground almonds and 2 tsp baking powder. Or use a mixture of ground almonds and flour. Try other flours such as buckwheat or wholemeal if you’re happy with gluten.
• Replace the eggs with half a 400g can of coconut milk for a vegan alternative.
• Replace the honey and nutmeg with other herbs such as chopped rosemary or thyme for a more savoury bread.
• Replace the pumpkin with other root veg, beetroot works very well with thyme. Experiment!

4. Raw Mushroom Pate & Crudites

Ingredients

• 4 large Portabello mushrooms
• Small handful of Cashews
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsps Tamari (to taste)
• 2 tbsps Olive oil, plus extra to loosen
• Pinch of good quality salt
• Crudities – cucumber, celery, carrot

Serves 4

Chop the mushrooms and cover with tamari, olive oil, crushed garlic and salt and leave for about ½ hour to marinade.

In a food processor blitz cashews until fine, (this is easier if you pre-soak them for ½ hour). Add in mushrooms. Blitz and add additional olive oil to desired consistency.

Serve with crudités or fresh bread.

Keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Intensely mushroomy! Great snack, starter, or side dish to take for lunch.

5. Squash and Soft Sheep Cheese Puy Lentils

Ingredients

• ½ butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 1tsp Garam Masala spice
• ½ pack (50g) of Riverford Sussex Slipcote sheep cheese, crumbled
• 70g puy lentils
• 1 bayleaf
• handful of parsley, chopped
• handful of toasted pumpkin seeds

Dressing

• 3tbsp olive oil
• 1tbsp cider vinegar
• 1tsp honey

Serves 2

Roast the diced squash with olive oil, S&P and Garam Masala spice for about 20 minutes, or until nicely roasted.

Meanwhile rinse the puy lentils, then bring to the boil in a pan of water with a bay leaf, reduce to simmer for about 20minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove bayleaf, and drain excess water.

Combine the squash and lentils. Make up the dressing and stir through whilst warm. Season well with S&P. Crumble over the sheep cheese, then scatter with pumpkin seeds and parsley. To bulk this salad out, add in some additional baby spinach or mixed salad leaves.

6. Baby Spinach Salad

Ingredients

• 1 bag of washed baby spinach leaves
• ½ pack (50g) of Riverford Sussex Slipcote sheep cheese, crumbled
• toasted pistachios / walnuts
• 1 finely sliced small red onion / shallot

Dressing:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ½  tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

Serves 2

In a large bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients

Stir in the other salad ingredients and allow to stand for 5 mins to infuse.

A simple spinach salad can be easily whipped up from any combination of ingredients, with a variety of dressings.

As a guide the ratio of oil to vinegar in most dressings is 3:1. (3 parts oil, 1 part vinegar)

7. Leek, Pepper and Godminster Cheddar Frittata

Ingredients

• 4 sliced leeks
• 2 finely sliced red peppers
• olive oil
• S&P
• 6 eggs
• equal quantity of milk or water to eggs
• left over roast potatoes
• 100g Godminster chedder, grated, or cheese of choice.
• Small handful wild garlic, chopped / fresh thyme

Serves 4- 6 with a salad

Thoroughly grease a 30cm x 25cm, by 3cm high roasting tin. Add sliced leeks and peppers with a good drizzle of olive oil and seasoning and roast in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes until nicely roasted.

Scatter roasted potatoes evenly into roasting tin with roasted leek and peppers. Sprinkle over wild garlic / fresh thyme and grated cheddar.

Whisk eggs with an equal quantity of milk / water, season well, then carefully pour over roast vegetables, making sure everything is evenly distributed.

Bake in oven at 180 for approx. 20 – 25 minutes, until set and golden.

Slice into squares with a plastic spatula, and serve with a fresh green salad.

NB This can be made with any selection of seasonal vegetables – raw, roasted or sautéed, with or without the potatoes. Experiment! Make sure you soak the empty roasting tin straight away in hot water – for easy washing.

Delicious hot or cold – makes the perfect packed lunch the next day.

8. Moroccan Carrot Salad

Ingredients

• About 8 carrots, coarsely grated
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed, and lightly toasted in a pan with oil, salt and ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 handful golden raisins
• 1 handful roasted, unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 1 handful coarsely chopped coriander, plus leaves for garnish
• 1 handful chopped fresh mint

Dressing:

• 1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp Ras el Hanout
• 1 tsp honey
• pinch sea salt
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil

Serves 4

In a large bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients
Stir in the carrots, toasted chickpeas, raisins, cashews, chopped cilantro and mint; toss to coat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Top with the cilantro leaves.

9. Fennel and Tomato Risotto

Ingredients

• knob of butter (about 50g), plus a little extra to finish
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bulb fennel, trimmed + finely sliced
• 300g risotto rice
• 6 whole tomatoes, cut into eighths, seeds removed
• splash white wine (optional)
• 1.2 litres veg stock
• a few leaves fresh tarragon, chopped, or use the fronds from your fennel bulb
• grated parmesan to serve

Serves 4

In a large heavy-based saucepan, heat the butter and oil. Add the fennel, reduce the heat and cook gently for about 8-10 mins, until the fennel has softened and is turning a golden colour.

Add the risotto rice and stir for 2-3 mins. Add the tomatoes, the white wine if using, then gradually add a ladle of stock at a time, until all the liquid is absorbed and the risotto is tender but still has some bite (about 20-25 mins). Season well with salt and pepper and stir in the fennel fronds or tarragon.

Add another knob of butter and stir into the risotto to melt. Serve sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

Super easy, super tasty.

Taken from the Riverford recipe page.

10. Secret Chocolate Orange Mousse!

Ingredients

• 1 avocado
• zest of 2 oranges, and juice of 1
• 3 tbsp cocoa / raw cacao powder (raw cacao is not heated to such high temperatures and retains more of the beneficial nutrients – it’s now available in most health food stores)
• 1 tbsp honey
• optional: 1 tbsp of organic coconut oil – this adds beneficial nutritional properties and extra creaminess – (not essential)
• extra zest and grated dark chocolate for garnish

Serves 2

Simply blend until super smooth, and enjoy!!

Add additional honey for a sweeter taste.

That’s the 10 recipes!

Try using these recipes with different seasonal ingredients. Let us know what you come up with. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention!’

Enjoy cooking!

Kirsty x