Simple & Sustainable Healthy Recipes For Home

Starter - Spring Minestrone Soup

I am a great soup maker. My grandparents always had a bowl to start every lunch, made with whatever they had growing in their garden and supplies from the pantry. This philosophy has stuck with me. Soups are a great way to combine any of the tins in your cupboard with whatever is in your veg drawer to make a delicious hearty meal or starter. This is my version of an old Italian favourite  – a very simple, soothing recipe. You can double the quantities to make a big batch – enough for today and then lunches or a simple supper some time later in the week; it’s delicious after a day or two.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 red onion, finely diced

1 celery stalk, diced 

1 leek, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 large carrot, diced 

1 potato, diced 

2 or 3 plum  tomatoes (fresh, ripe the better or tinned)

1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly (optional – for more robust soup)

1 litre of of vegetable stock cube of veggy one 

Juice of 1 lemon

Herbs – dried or fresh if you have – focus on parsley / basil / mint / thyme perfect but just use whatever you have in your cupboard) or you can pick up, don’t stress 

Sea salt and black pepper

For a more heart version – throw in a can of beans like Chickpeas or some rice around 100g  (after veggies cooked)

Method:

Put the onion into a large saucepan with a good splash of olive oil over a medium heat. Leave to fry gently, then after a minute or so add the celery, leek and garlic and leave them to soften  –  allow 5 minutes, season well . Then add the carrot, potato, tomatoes and chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes adding good sprinkle of dried or fresh herbs, then pouring hot stock over once all veggies become all natural soft and golden.

Bring soup to simmering, then leave to cook gently for around 30 minutes, leaving the lid off to allow the soup to reduce, this allows your cooking space to fill with glorious smell slow-cooking veggies.

Once all the veggies are tender, add the lemon juice and season to taste (I like a good twist of black pepper and a hearty pinch of sea salt) and add herbs the parsley.  Serve with some hard cheese (if you have any like parmesan or pecorino in the fridge grate finely and sprinkle on the top – delicious).

Main - Three Bean Salad with Crushed Walnuts and Herby Dressing

Always a firm favourite of mine. You can dress this salad up or down, depending on the number of people and occasion. It’s a star of the home supper and regularly makes an appearance on my dining bench for friends and family. This will make plenty for the main dish and then an extra portion or two for lunch the following day so it’s a great one to know!

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Dressing ingredients:

65 mls of good quality olive oil 

Juice of 1 lemon 

Chopped up fresh herbs if you have otherwise some dried works just as well

Seasoning

Salad ingredients: 

1 tin or jar borlotti beans

1 tin or jar cannellini beans

1 tin or jar butter beans or chickpeas (a mix of whatever is in your cupboard and easy to hand)

25g walnuts or other like almond or hazelnuts 

Healthy handful of raisins (I happened to have a pomegranate still in the fruit bowl – so used this) 

Juice of 1 lemon

2 healthy splashes of olive oil 

Leaves from 2 thyme sprigs (or any fresh herbs like parsley)

Handful of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds (lovely but optional)

Sea salt and black pepper

Method:

The secret to this one is warming through the beans gently, giving them a good soak in near boiling water and then the mariate in the simple Italian dressing of lemon, sea salt, thyme (which dried herbs you have to hand) and a generous splash of good olive oil. 

Wash and then soak (hot water) for 5 mins the beans then take a large bowl and Layer the beans up the one bean after beans (borlotti, cannelli or butter bean), then sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and roughly chopped  walnuts and handfuls of raisins or similar and then lots of closely chopped mint or a sprinkle of dried herbs, then pour over the dressing. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, ideally longer and then serve with some warmed bread.

Dessert - Coconut or Greek Yoghurt with a Drizzle of Honey and Almonds

Yummy but so easy. Just using what’s to hand, it’s an absolute go to, that I learnt when I was tasked with feeding the young babies of friends of mine years ago. 

Any yogurt you have in the fridge will do, plant based or from the cow, don’t fret. 

Ingredients:

Large pot of Yoghurt 

Almonds (2 or 3 per person, halved) 

Honey 

Any fruit you have to hand in the fruit bowl or in the store cupboard – diced up tinned peach works wonders too

Method:

Spoon into little dishes or teacups – probably two to three scoops (2 generous table spoonfuls) will do nicely. 

Chop almonds to taste – I like halves – these can be natural or you can warm them in a hot pan for a few weeks.

 Pop the almonds (any fruit you have on the fruit bowl or cupboard to taste) onto the yoghurt and then drizzle with a teaspoon the honey generously, this is home pudding – simple but delicious.

Bon Appétit