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Brussel Sprouts 3 Ways #1 Barley Risotto

In the run up to Christmas we have been experimenting with the humble green sprout. Gone are the days where sprouts are served up boiled, and soggy with your turkey and the kids all pull faces! We love them at Feed and find them so very versatile, whether slicing them finely on a mandolin and tossing into salads or roasting them in the oven with lemon juice and olive oil. They are full of valuable nutrients and so they should be brought to centre stage. Try this lovely risotto with hearty, filling, whole grain barley instead of the traditional white rice.

Ingredients

400g brussels sprouts, quartered
1 apple, peeled and diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp of olive oil
1.5 pints (aprox) homemade or good quality vegetable stock
1 medium onion, diced small
200g barley
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1/4 preserved lemon, finely chopped
100g kale, washed and chopped
30g finely grated Parmesan cheese
Small handful of toasted hazelnuts, crushed
Chopped parsley to garnish
Salt and black pepper, to taste

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Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
  2. Wash, trim and quarter the sprouts
  3. Peel, core and cube the apple
  4. Mix the sprouts with the apple, lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika and season
  5. Roast in the oven for 20 mins or until they start to turn golden brown, remove and cool
  6. Warm a pan with the stock and keep on a simmer
  7. Heat a medium heavy bottomed frying pan, add the remaining olive oil, and then gently fry the onions for about 10 mins until they go translucent
  8. Add the pearl barley, and cook for a further 3 mins
  9. Now add a ladle of the stock, and cook stirring constantly until all the liquid has evaporated
  10. Keep adding the stock, a ladle at a time, until the barley has almost cooked (it should be soft on the outside with a slight bite on the inside)
  11. Add the preserved lemon, wholegrain mustard and kale and cook until the kale has wilted
  12. Stir through the Parmesan and season with lots of freshly ground pepper, and salt to taste
  13. Ladle out the risotto into a warmed dish, and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts, and chopped parsley and serve

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Nutty Nutritious Loaf for Christmas

We are almost into December, Christmas lights are up in our cities, set menus are on display in our restaurants, adverts are playing on our tellies and festive ingredients are in prime spots at our farmers markets. We are all getting into the spirit so this has inspired us at Feed to produce a plant based dish which could be center stage on the 25th December.

Lentil loafs have been around for years but we decided to create one with a risotto base to give it a creamier texture. You could use leftover risotto to make this or double the quantities of risotto so you can make two meals for the same amount of effort! We would also recommend making a double batch as the loaf will freeze well once cooked and cooled. With the festive addition of cranberries these give the loaf a lovely tangy flavour and add moisture to the finished dish.

Risotto and Nut Cranberry Loaf – Serves 8

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Ingredients

1 small handful of dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of celery peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
150g of risotto rice or pearl barley
100ml dry white wine
500ml of good quality hot vegetable stock (keep on the stove while you make the risotto)
200g of mixed wild mushrooms, chopped into even small chunks
100g of pistachios, toasted
100g of almonds toasted
50g walnuts
Handful of breadcrumbs
125g of good mature cheddar cheese
1 red chilli, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
2 free range organic eggs, whisked
2 tbsp of  chopped fresh or dried thyme and rosemary
200g of fresh or frozen cranberries
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp of coconut sugar

Method

  1. Soak the porcini mushrooms in some boiling water
  2. Prepare the risotto by heating a large heavy bottom frying pan and add the olive oil
  3. When the oil is hot add the onions, celery, a pinch or two of salt, and cook for about 10 mins until they go translucent, you might need to turn the heat down a bit
  4. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes
  5. Turn the heat up a bit and add the rice, stirring for about 2 mins until you see the outer shell start to go translucent
  6. Add the white wine and cook for about 2 mins or until its been absorbed by the rice
  7. Now add the warm stock a ladle at a time to the rice and each time it becomes absorbed by the rice, add another ladle – this should take about 25 minutes
  8. Once cooked, check the seasoning, then set the risotto to the side to cool
  9. Heat the oven to 180C
  10. Pan fry the mushrooms in some olive oil until they start to go light brown, set aside
  11. Toast the almonds and pistachios for about 4 mins in a frying pan over a medium heat and pulse in a food processor to crumble them up a bit
  12. Warm the cranberries in a small saucepan with the coconut sugar
  13. Line the loaf tin with baking paper then add the cranberries in an even layer on the bottom
  14. Mix the ristotto base with all the nuts, mushrooms, breadcrumbs, grated cheddar, lemon zest, chopped chilli, chopped herbs and eggs
  15. Press the mixture down on top of the cranberries and then cover in foil and place in the middle shelf in the over for 45 mins
  16. After 45 mins remove the foil and put in the oven for a further 15 mins
  17. Removed from the oven, stand for 5 mins and then place a serving plate on top and turn upside down onto the plate
  18. Serve hot or cold

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Firm, Orange and ‘Lights Up!’

In keeping with Autumn and our recent post on orange we had to speak about the pumpkin! Beautifully shaped, bright orange, yellow flesh, with a firm skin and most famously associated with carving to create Halloween lanterns – yes pumpkin season has most definitely arrived!  This winter vegetable is seemingly growing in popularity and it’s not just for pies!

Here at Feed we like to keep things simple. Cut, season and bake. Introducing  Baked Pumpkin with Cinnamon served with a chili parsley sauce and garlic yoghurt. Its warming, rich, naturally sweet but with a little kick!

Before the ‘how’ this firm beauty has a few wonderful qualities:

  • Loaded with beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A inside the body
  • Vitamin A helps us in the following ways:
    • Enhances immunity
    • Protects against colds and flu
    • It’s an anti-oxidant
    • Vital for skin health and eye health
    • Slows the aging process!

Let’s eat!

Preheat the oven to 200. Wash the pumpkin, chop into wedges (you can leave the skin on!) and remove the seeds. Toss with a good amount of olive oil (or coconut oil), sprinkle with 2 x tsp of cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 40-60 mins (time depends on the size of the wedges).

Meanwhile to make the parsley sauce; blitz in a blender a bunch of washed and dried fresh parsley, 1 x green chili, 1 x garlic clove, 1/2 a lemon and a good large glug of olive oil (the amount depends on how thick you want the sauce), season with salt and pepper.

Lastly using a good quality probiotic yoghurt (or coconut yoghurt) about 100-150g add 1 x crushed garlic clove and a tad of olive oil.

Once the pumpkin is cooked you’re ready to go. Sprinkle with lightly toasted pumpkin seeds. Enjoy and feel great.

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Be Bold, Be Bright, Choose Orange

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Let’s talk sweet potato. Those that attended our first Feed event will know we are big fans of this bright orange root vegetable, its so versatile, sweet yet savory with far more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than the unrelated ordinary white potato.

If you make one change this autumn switch the ordinary for the extraordinary, you won’t regret it! Not only being nutrient dense we believe its versatility and taste rivals that of the ordinary variety. We love it thrown into curries, stirred into slow cooked stews, added to frittatas, topped on warm winter salads, baked into quiches, blitzed into soups, as well as on its own baked in its jacket in the oven topped with a simple tahini, garlic and lemon dressing.

To save time cook in advance. Simply cut up into 1″ cubes (or any size you want but make sure the pieces are even), dress lightly in olive oil and season and bake in the oven on a baking tray lined with parchment at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes turning half way through.  Once evenly golden on all sides, remove from the oven and cool. Then store in an air-tight container in the fridge and add to dishes throughout the week adding colour and flavour to a variety of dishes.

Today’s delight is a quick sweet potato frittata with curly kale, cumin, turmeric, garlic and chilli. A selection of this autumn’s vital immune boosting ingredients. Plus super easy and totally yummy.

Firstly, a few nutritional facts about this amazing root veg:

  • Rich in vitamin E an antioxidant essential for life, prevents cell damage and great for your skin health
  • Rich in vitamin C. E & C together is a match made in heaven, they reinforce and extend each other’s antioxidant activities!
  • Sweet potato is said to have anti-inflammatory properties
  • Good source of iron. Great for vegetarians and vegans. And if you are low in iron this will lower your resistance to infection

Feed’s Frittata, simple and tasty:

Chop and roast 1 x sweet potato in the oven for about 20 mins. In a separate bowl whisk 6 x eggs, add 1 x chopped red chili, 1 x garlic clove, 1 x tsp ground turmeric and 1/2 a tsp ground cumin.  Stir in raw curly kale and the roasted sweet potato. Transfer into a hot pan on the stove for about 6 mins and then pop into the fan oven for 10-15 mins. Finish off under the grill for a minute. Enjoy with a dressed salad.

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Autumnal Butternut Squash Salad

The nights are closing in, a chill is in the air, but we are also having some bright blue sky days which makes us happy! Autumn is here and for us at Feed, this means warming immune boosting salads using seasonal vegetables to take us through from summer into winter. We love root vegetables during these months, they have a warming cozy feeling about them and a total joy to eat. Today’s ingredient is the root vegetable Butternut Squash. The bright orange/yellow flesh is the main source of its health benefits, containing high levels of antioxidants vitamin C and E, essential for life and enhancing immunity. In fact when together they reinforce and extend each other’s antioxidant activity – a winner!!

We roasted the squash with a little rosemary oil and Himalayan salt for 30-40 mins. Then we served with some pre-prepared black quinoa (we like to cook up a stash for the week to throw into salads anytime), raw cabbage, red onion and dressed with a turmeric, raw cider vinegar and olive oil dressing – delicious!  Turmeric is packed with anti-inflammatory properties, garlic is natures antibiotic and raw apple cider vinegar helps with digestion.

All in all a great dish packed with antioxidants, properties to help combat colds and dressing to support digestion. And it looks pretty fabulous too!

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Warming Golden Soup to fend off Colds

We love this bright golden soup on a crisp cold day which is full of tasty warming ingredients which will keep the flu and cold bugs at bay. It includes shiitake mushrooms, but these could be switched out for any mushrooms, porcini, wild or even just local varieties will be just as nutritious.

Here are a few facts on some of the key ingredients.

  • Ginger:
    • Believed it can help break down the accumulation of toxins.
    • Anti-inflammatory properties
    • Help relieve congestion
    • Helps relieve nausea too
  • Turmeric:
    • Anti-inflammatory
    • Contains a chemical called curcuminoids are known to reduce inflammation by blocking enzyme involved that trigger inflammation
    • Very powerful and some studies have compared the effectiveness with pharmaceutical drugs
  • Sweet potato:
    • One of the most nutritious root vegetables
    • Said to have anti-inflammatory properties

The soup is super quick to make and will store in the fridge for 4 days. It will also freeze well, meaning its worth making up a big batch and portioning up and storing in the freezer for a rainy day.

Combat Colds Winter Soup – Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Red Onion
1 Green Chili
4 Garlic Cloves
5cm Root Ginger
2 Sweet Potatoes
125g Shiitake Mushrooms
Vegetable Stock
2 tbsp Olive Oil
Sea Salt and Pepper
6 Crushed walnuts (to serve)
Goji berries (to serve)

Method

  1. Finely chop the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger
  2. Dice the sweet potatoes leaving the skin on
  3. Slice the shiitake mushrooms
  4. Place the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger in a large heavy based saucepan with the olive oil and cook for 5-10 mins on a medium heat until the onion softens
  5. Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms, stir well
  6. Add enough vegetable stock to cover all the ingredients
  7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potato is soft
  8. Season to taste with salt and pepper and blitz using a food processor or hand blender
  9. Serve with a sprinkling of crushed walnuts and goji berries

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We Love Them Raw – Brussel Sprout Salad

Brussel Sprouts, Apple, Pecans & Hard Goat’s Cheese Salad – Serves 2-4

This is a delicious alternative to the over boiled brussels we all have memories of as a child. By eating them raw you will get the maximum amount of nutrients from them, and also discover their natural crisp flavour which is set off by the lemon juice and compliments the apple and goats cheese.

Ingredients

50g Shelled Hazelnuts, Pecans or Almonds
150g fresh, small Brussel Sprouts, trimmed, outer leaves removed
1 Lemon, juiced
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sprigs of Thyme, leaves removed
1 Crisp Apple i.e. Cox
35g Hard Goats Cheese
Sea Salt and Pepper

Method

  1. Wash, dry and thinly slice the brussel sprouts on a mandolin or using a sharpened knife
  2. Place in a bowl and squeeze over the lemon juice and olive oil and marinade for around 1-2 hours
  3. Grate the goats cheese
  4. Toast the nuts in a pan over a medium heat until they start to brown
  5. Once you’re ready to serve, mix the brussel sprouts with the goats cheese, add the thyme leaves and grate in the apple
  6. Season to taste

Brussel Sprout Nutritional facts: 

  • Very high in many nutrients
  • A good all-around nutritional booster
  • Rich in folate and iron – great for energy production and a good option for vegetarians

 

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Tasty Protein Rich Chicken Liver Pate

DSC_5034 (1)We love liver. It’s cheap, tasty and high in protein and a rich source of folate. We served it up at our Feed event in September and everyone loved it.

Chicken Liver Pate – Serves 8 as a starter

Ingredients

500g Organic Chicken Livers (ask your butcher to remove any stringy bits)
75g Organic Unsalted Butter
100g Smoked Streaky Bacon (cut into strips) or lardons
1 Garlic Clove
1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme Leaves
5 Tbsp Dry Sherry
Sprig of Fresh Thyme, to garnish
Whole Wheat Crackers to serve

Method

    1. Rinse the chicken livers and pat dry, and chop roughly
    2. Heat 25g of butter in a heavy bottomed frying pan over a medium heat
    3. Fry the lardons until they start to go brown
    4. Add the chicken livers, garlic and thyme and fry briskly for 5 minutes or until evenly browned (they can be slightly pink on the inside and should feel squishy when pressed)
    5. Add the sherry and seasoning and pan fry until the liquid bubbles and the alcohol evaporates
    6. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes
    7. Melt the remaining butter
    8. Blitz the livers in a food processor adding a spoon or so of the melted butter until you get a smooth consistency
    9. Spoon into a dish and press down, top with a sprig of thyme, and finish with more melted butter to cover the top of the pate
    10. Cool, then cover and refrigerate

 

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Comforting Deconstructed Stewed Apple Crumble

DSC_4938We love this simple and versatile apple recipe that can be enjoyed as a healthy dessert or a breakfast alternative. You can adapt the topping using whatever you have in your cupboards, nuts, Chia seed, buckwheat flakes or even just dried fruit. For those mums reading this too a great dessert option for the little ones – yummy, nutritious and good for the gut! You can also remove the honey to lower the sugar content as the apricots add sweetness.

Apple, Apricot Crumble Bowls with Probiotic Yoghurt – Serves 8

Ingredients

8 Granny Smith Apples
6 Ripe Apricots
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Cup of Water
100g Rolled Oats
2 Tbsp Ground Almonds
2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
8 Walnuts, Chopped
1 Tsp Coconut Sugar
2 Tbsp Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees
  2. Chop the apple with skin on into 1cm cubes and put into a large heavy based saucepan with the water onto a medium heat
  3. Add the cinnamon and honey to the apple and cook for 10 mins or until the apple has softened
  4. Halve the apricots, remove the stone, quarter and add to the softened apple
  5. Cook for a further 5 mins
  6. In a mixing bowl mix together the oats, ground almonds, flaxseed, chopped walnuts, and coconut sugar
  7. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil gently then stir into the oats mixture
  8. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
  9. Spread the oat mixture out onto the baking tray and cook in the oven for about 10 mins until it turns slightly golden brown
  10. Serve the apple mixture in bowls, with oats sprinkled on the top with probiotic yoghurt organic or greek yoghurt

 

Apples are great for the gut too: 

  • They contain a type of fibre called pectin which helps feed the gut with friendly bacteria to help produce anti-inflammatory substances to fight off the bad microbes
  • And when apples are stewed they more easily release their pectin
  • And looking after your gut helps with digesting nutrients to boost detoxification of your colon and support your immune system
  • Other gut-friendly foods include
    • Fermented foods e.g. sauerkraut, kefir milk
    • Full-fat probiotic yogurt
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Protein-packed Salmon & Spinach Quiche

This recipe uses whole wheat flour which will give you a healthier but also tastier pastry. It will have a nuttier flavour and the texture will be crumblier. This method is really simple to make and you can actually make it in a food processor, so don’t be scared to try and make your own pastry, and don’t worry if it crumbles, it will make it look more rustic and appetizing! If you want gluten free, we swapped out the whole wheat for buckwheat flour which also worked very well.

Salmon, Spinach Whole Wheat Quiche – Serves 8

Pasty Ingredients

150g Whole Wheat Flour
7.5ml Baking Powder
75g Organic Butter, chilled and cut into cubes
2 Tbsp Chilled Water

Method by hand

  1. Mix the flour and the baking powder in a medium mixing bowl
  2. Rub in the butter until it forms breadcrumbs
  3. Sprinkle over the water a bit at a time and bring the dough together into a ball
  4. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 mins

Method by mixer

  1. Pulse the flour and baking powder for a few seconds in a food processor
  2. Add the butter and pulse a couple more times until it forms breadcrumbs
  3. Pour the water into the mixer whilst on a low speed setting until the pastry comes together in a ball
  4. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 mins

Filling Ingredients

120g Spinach (steamed and drained well)
1 Onion
225g Smoked Salmon (torn into strips)
2 Large Eggs plus 1 Egg Yolk
100ml Crème Fraîche
1 Tbsp Parmesan Finely Grated
1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper

Method

  1. Chop the onion and pan fry over a medium heat until soft, allow to cool
  2. Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out on a floured surface to about 2mm thickness and line your quiche tin. Don’t worry if the pastry starts to crumble (whole wheat pastry has a tendency to do this), just press together and fill in any gaps
  3. Prick the pastry with a fork all over
  4. Sprinkle the onions over the base of the pasty
  5. Arrange the steamed and drained spinach over the onions followed by the smoked salmon
  6. Whisk the eggs and crème fraîche together, and add the parmesan and cayenne pepper
  7. Pour the mixture into the quiche dish to cover the ingredients

From a nutritional perspective, this recipe is a fantastic all-rounder for immune support:

  • Spinach – good source of vitamin, minerals and rich in antioxidants C, and E, iron, folate and ample potassium
  • Salmon – packed with omega 3, all important good fat that has anti-inflammatory effects
  • Eggs – the best source of usable protein

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