Pasta only comes around once in a blue moon in my diet (maybe once every other month) I cut it out for health reasons a good few months ago. Over the past month we've had a butternut squash lying around the house and the last few days I've found myself dreaming of all the possible dinner options. Pasta in a creamy vegan butternut squash sauce was the first thing I had to try out. It was sooo tasty, I am even going to go as far as saying it gives mac & cheese a run for its money!
Ingredients
- 60g pasta
- 1 1/2 cups chopped butternut squash
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- salt & pepper
Method
- Place the chopped butternut squash, onion, garlic, coconut oil, salt and pepper in a roasting dish and roast at 170C until browning at the edges.
- In a small bowl mix together half a stock cube and the boiling water until the stock cube had dissolved.
- Bring pasta to the boil
- Once the butternut squash, onion and garlic is done, take out of the oven and place in a blender along with the dissolved stock cube and fresh rosemary and blend. Add the almond milk.
- When the pasta is cooked. Drain and place back into the pot along with the butternut squash sauce and mix until the pasta is well coated and the sauce is piping hot.
- Plate up and serve with the optional grated cheese, sea salt or pepper on top.
Are you tired of left overs, fast food and sandwiches for lunch? Look no more! Here are 6 Lunch ideas you are going to love! From simple a 'chuck it together' fruit plate to a hearty 'make the night before' sriracha rice.
Ramen On-The-Go: Fo' sure my favourite lunch at the moment. Place shredded carrot, sweetcorn, chopped coriander, chopped spring onions and glass noodles, with 1 tsp sriracha and soy sauce in a jar. Add a cup of boiling dissolved chicken stock cube, shake and leave for covered for 5 minutes. Bobs your uncle.
Fruit Bowl: A simple but goodie, a selection of fresh fruit laid out on a plate for you to dig into! Shop in season for super sweet and delicious fruit and add a little zing to the afternoon.
Rainbow Wraps: Spinach wraps filled with colourful goodness of shredded carrot and red cabbage, sweetcorn, tomato, coriander and hummus. Simply place all ingredients in the wraps and fold. The great thing about this lunch is you can use petty much whatever vegetable is in the fridge, why not try a bell pepper?
Sriracha Rice: Get a bit spicy at lunch with sriracha rice. Cook the rice and add in shredded carrot, 1 fried red onion and peas with a splash of sriracha and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Place in a frying pan to keep it warm and mix well.
Super Sushi: Just roll with lunch with this super easy and healthy sushi. Cook yourself up some rice, place it on a roasted seaweed sheet along with spinach, cucumber and avocado and roll it all up. If you don't have a sushi roller you a non fluffy tea towel - tutorials can be found on YouTube.
Quac on Toast with a Poached Egg: Avocado mashed with salt, pepper, garlic and lemon juice placed on wholemeal seeded bread with a poached egg. This lunch just screams 'I am healthier than you'.
Lentil Burger With Sweet Potato Fries: Time to get mashing again with this lentil burger, mix the the mashed lentils with a range of spices such as cumin, curry powder and paprika, throw in a chopped cooked red onion and fresh coriander, fry and serve with home made sweet potato fries with a side of sriracha mayo.
I hope you enjoy these lunches. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen for more food inspiration.
Until next time,
Holly
x
Snacking is a great way to give your body a little boost of energy. Reach for a healthy homemade snack and you'll be happy as Larry between meals. Here are some or my favourite healthy noms.
Sweet Potato Crisps (<--Click me for recipe)
I hope you enjoy!
Don't forget to show your results @gingerandthekitchen
Until next time,
Holly
x
By now it's no secret that I am a lover of oriental inspired food. Just the smell of it has me weak at the knees. I was so happy with this Sriracha Prawn Ramen Noodles that keeping the recipe for myself would just be selfish. It was so delicious I made the extra effort of bringing out my chopsticks all the way from South Korea (those lovely red ones on the left).
Ingredients
- 12 prawns
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp siriacha sauce (or less depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 tsp powder garlic
- 1 tsp powder ginger
- Chicken stock cube, follow packet guidelines
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 75g noodles (I used fine rice noodles, but any kind will do)
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/4 cup sweetcorn
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh coriander, chopped - plus extra for sprinkling
- Sprinkle of sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- In a pot place the prawns, dried basil, salt and pepper along with 1 tsp of sesame seed oil and cook the prawns until the are pink on both sides and tender. Once they are cooked remove from the pot.
- In the same pot, place the other half of sesame seed oil along with the chopped onion and siriacha sauce. Cook the onions until they are transparent (aprox 5 mins). Add in both the garlic and ginger powder and stir a few times.
- Following the pack guidelines, add the chicken stock cube with the said about water and bring to the boil. Add the soy sauce and noodles and leave to simmer until the noodles are cooked.
- Once the noodles are cooked, add the spring onion, grated carrot, sweetcorn and chopped fresh coriander and give it a couple of stirs.
- Place in a bowl, add a squeeze of lemon and sprinkle with sesame seeds and fresh coriander.
- Enjoy
If you try out this recipe for Siriacha Prawn Ramen Noodles, I would love to hear how it turned out. Either comment below or tag me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Health, Happiness & Positivity!
Until next time,
Holly
x
It's date night!... *insert tumbleweed here*
So I couldn't find a SIMPLE nut free recipe for date balls anywhere (I searched for hours!) Which led me to brainstorm and devise a no fuss recipe of my own.
The next quest...to incorporate peanut butter!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup oats
- 2 tbsp unsweetened coco powder
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
- desiccated coconut
Method
- In a blender place the dates, oats, coco powder and coconut milk and blend together until there are no lumps.
- Once lump free and and the mixture is well combined start rolling into small bite size balls and covering them with desiccated coconut.
- It's as simple as that :)
If you give these date balls a go I would love to hear about the results, either comment below or tag me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Until next time,
Holly
x
I've been a lover of pad thai ever since a tip to Thailand. Anywhere Thai I dine I don't even bother to look at the menu because pad thai is all that's on the mind. This may be because I never make it at home. Recipes alway require the most elusive ingredients that probably haven't even set foot in my local TESCO. With little funds in my pockets and a strong craving for the said dish it came time to devise a recipe with sauces that were already at hand in the cupboards.
Ingredients
- 12 prawns
- 200g thin rice noodles
- 5 red cabbage leaves, cut into thin shreds
- 2 medium carrots, peeled into ribbon (using a vegetable peeler)
- handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 lime (optional)
For the sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha sause
- 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (smooth is fine also)
- 1 1/2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp ground ginger
Method
- In a frying pan cook the shredded cabbage for about 5 minutes. Whilst the cabbage is cooking make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing together. Boil water for the noodles
- Once the cabbage is cooked add in the prawns and pour over the sauce
- In a pot add the boiling water and noodles following the packet guidelines for times
- Once the noodles are ready and the prawns are cooked throughout, add the noodles to the frying pan containing the cabbage, sauce and prawns and mix
- Once mixed, bring off the heat and add the carrot ribbons and the chopped coriander giving a quick stir
- Plate up, and enjoy with the optional squeeze of lime on the side
If you try out this recipe I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear how it turned out, either comment below or tag you photos on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Until next time,
Holly
x
A twist on the classic carrot cake that will make a great easter lunch treat or a on-the-go, bite-size breakfast. Oh and did I mention they are dairy and refined sugar free?! So there is no need to feel guilty. Winner winner chicken dinner!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup carrot
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup porridge oats
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vinilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil /butter
- pinch of salt (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160C. In a medium bowl mix together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a bigger bowl mix together the wet ingredients, the coconut oil, egg, vanilla extract and honey. Once well mixed add the flour mixture and fold until well incorporated
- Add in the carrots and fold
- Place the mixture in the fridge for 30 minute to allow to chill and for the oats to soak up the mixture
- Once chilled, take out of the fridge and place on a grease lined baking tray in around 1tbsp and a half round scoops. Bake for 12-15minutes
- Once cooked, allow the cookies to cool for 15 minutes before taking them off the baking tray
- Serve and enjoy!
If you give this recipe a go I would love to hear the results! Either comment below or tag me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Until next time,
Holly x
Sometimes the lighting isn't always a-okay for photos (darn you English weather) but it was then or never as I was sure this cake wouldn't be around for long.
Ingredients
- 175g brown sugar
- 175ml oil of your choice (I recommend coconut oil but sunflower or vegetable will do)
- 3 eggs
- 140g grated carrot
- 100g mixed dried fruits (raisins, sultanas, orange zest)
- zest of 1 medium apple
- 175g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
For the icing
- 175g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp apple juice
- 2 tbsp orange juice
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- In a large bowl add the brown sugar, oil of your choice and eggs and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed
- Add in the grated carrot, mixed dried fruits and zest of the apple, mix will
- Fold in the self raising flour, baking powder and ground cinnamon with the wooden spoon to get some air in there.
- Line an oven proof tin with grease proof paper, be it round, square or rectangle. Pour in the mixture and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean
- Leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing the cake from the tin and place it on a cooling rack
- Whilst cooling start making the icing by mixing together the icing sugar, orange and apple juice. It should have the consistency of single cream.
- Wait to cool, serve and enjoy!
If you give this carrot cake a go I love to hear the results, comment below or tag me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Until next time,
Holly
x
The one thing I miss most since turning dairy free is pizza, "just have it without the cheese" most people say, but still there is no comparison. That stringy cheese that just melts in your mouth (i'm salivating just at the thought of it!) vs that dry pizza with just a few pieces of pepperoni chucked on top, na ah, not for me. So I decided to go away from the whole idea of a 'typical pizza' and experiment with a few other ingredients you wouldn't usually find on a Dominos menu. Oh and I almost forgot, the best thing about this pizza is it's super quick to make using a simple flatbread recipe that is ready within 4 minutes.
Makes: 2 pizzas
Ingredients
For the base
- 200g flour
- 300ml warm water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp dried coriander
- pinch of salt
For the toppings
- half a carton of tomato passata
- 1/2 tsp grounded garlic
- 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
- pinch of salt & pepper
- half a yellow bell pepper, finely sliced
- half a can of lentils
- two handfuls of rocket
- jalapeños (optional)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 175C
- For the base, find the recipe and directions HERE
- Once the base is made it's time to start adding the tomato sauce and toppings
- In a small bowl prepare the tomato sauce adding in the tomato passata, ground garlic, mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Spread this on top of the bases equally
- Add the bell pepper and lentils and place in the oven for 10 minutes
- When the pizza is ready, take it out of the oven and sprinkle the rocket and jalapeños
- Slice up and enjoy
If you make this vegan flatbread pizza I would love to hear how it turned out, either leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @gingerandthekitchen.
Until next time,
Holly
x
I love not only the smell but also the taste of freshly homemade bread, but I'm not going to lie, I rarely have the patients when it comes to yeast - I'm all about convenient and delicious food. These flatbreads are just that, convenient and delicious and also incredibly versatile. They can be served as fajita wraps, pizza bases, indian chapstis, or simply served with falafel, dips, soups or stew.
Makes: 3 large/6 small
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour
- 150ml warm water
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1/2 tsp dried coriander
- pinch of salt
Directions
- In a bowl add together all of the ingredients and knee together for a couple of minutes
- Split the dough into equal size balls, be it 3 large ones or 6 small ones and roll out into equal circles
- Grease a frying pan by dabbing cooking oil onto a kitchen towel and wiping the pan
- Add the dough cooking for roughly 2 minutes on each side
If you try out this flatbread recipe let me know by tagging me on Instagram at @gingerandthekitchen or committing below.
Until next time,
Holly
