Quinoa Winter Bowl with Roasted Vegetables, Cranberries and Balsamic Glaze

In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a delicious quinoa bowl that’s just perfect for serving this time of year. It features roasted veggies, dried cranberries and crunchy pumpkin seeds, topped with a sweet balsamic glaze. We’ve been enjoying it as a light evening meal, with leftovers served for lunches later in the week. It can even be served cold, and Lucien’s been taking it to school in his lunchbox.

I must admit that I never used to be a fan of quinoa. I found the texture and flavour of plain quinoa quite strange and not particularly appealing. However, I discovered a couple of key steps that make it much more palatable…

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Indian-Spiced Cauliflower Soup with Onion Bhaji Sprinkles

For me, soups are one of the best cold-weather comfort foods. They’re warming, satisfying and leave me feeling amazing on the inside. They’re also simple to prepare. Only basic chopping skills are required to create a delicious soup!

The recipe I’m sharing today is a recent creation which has quickly become a family favourite. With its golden hues, warming spices and creamy texture, this soup is just perfect for the Autumn/Winter seasons. It’s very filling, so can easily be served as a main meal. It’s super cheap too. The ingredients cost a total of £3.06, which equates to just 77p per portion. Bargain!

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Family-Friendly Vegan Ranchero

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for a family-friendly vegan version of the Mexican classic ‘Huevos Rancheros’. The eggs have been replaced with golden cubes of pan-fried tofu which sit on a bed of rich, flavourful tomato sauce. I’ve toned down the chilli to make the dish kid-friendly (and ‘Sharon-friendly’ as I’m a complete heat wimp) but of course, feel free to crank up the chilli heat as high as you wish.

The inspiration for this recipe was the cover photo on the September issue of Vegan Life magazine. At first glance, Lucien and I were instantly attracted to this dish but, when we read that the recipe contained half a cup of green chillies plus three tablespoons of chilli powder, we knew it was going to be way too spicy for us. It didn’t deter me from giving it a try though, and I simply omitted the chillies to make it less spicy. Since the tomatoes, onions and garlic are roasted, they make the sauce rich and flavourful, so we really didn’t miss the chilli.

I first experimented with this recipe a few weeks ago and it was an instant hit with the family. We rarely eat the same meal twice in the same month, but we’ve made this one three times already! It’s quickly become a family favourite.

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Naturally Nourished and Kid-Approved Broccoli Basil Broth with Noodles

Today on the blog, I’m sharing a review of Sarah Britton’s new release Naturally Nourished and one of my family’s current favourite recipes from the book – Broccoli Basil Broth with Noodles.

I’m sure a lot of my blog readers will already have heard of Sarah Britton. She is the creative force behind the hugely popular vegetarian blog My New Roots and launched her debut cookbook, under the same name, in 2015. Responding to her readers’ requests, her follow-up cookbook is filled with recipes and inspiration for weeknight cooking, using easy-to-source ingredients.

Though Naturally Nourished is a vegetarian cookbook, by far the greatest majority of the recipes are vegan (I counted 89), plus most of the non-vegan recipes can be easily “veganized” by switching the dairy cheese or yogurt for their vegan counterparts.

Sarah’s style of cooking really appeals to me as it focuses on using natural, whole food ingredients. This is the kind of food that my family loves to eat and we thrive on it. After eating meals like this, I always feel highly energised and great ‘on the inside’. I tend to make all our meals from scratch, so I’m always on the look out for simple, whole food recipes that are easy to throw together.

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Pulled Jackfruit BBQ Sandwiches

Today I’m sharing a recipe that caught my eye in the June edition of Vegan Life magazine. The recipe is for Pulled Jackfruit BBQ sandwiches. Don’t they look delicious?

I don’t know who started the pulled jackfruit craze, but it sure has taken the plant-based world by storm. I first tried it at a vegan fair last year, where it was served as part of a Tex Mex dish with nachos. I absolutely loved it and it’s been on my ‘to try at home’ list ever since.

So when I spotted this recipe in the Vegan Life mag, which had just a handful of ingredients and simple instructions, I was excited to give it a try.

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Royal Quinoa Vegan Sushi Rolls and Beginners Guide to Rolling Sushi

In today’s post I’m sharing a recipe for delicious sushi rolls filled with royal quinoa and fresh veggies. They make a wonderful lunch or light dinner option and a tasty addition to school and work lunchboxes. They’d also be great for serving at buffets and summer picnics. They’re easy to make and, just in case you’re new to sushi-rolling, I’ve included some step-by-step images to help you along.

I absolutely love sushi but rarely buy it from the shops as it’s quite expensive, plus it normally comes with lots of packaging, including black plastic trays which are currently unrecyclable here in Bath. I’d been wanting to try my hand at making my own sushi for a long time. I’d even bought the nori sheets in preparation. But it took me a while to get round to doing it as I’d convinced myself that it would be tricky. When I finally took the plunge and tried it, I couldn’t believe how easy it was! I’m not a neat or delicate person when it comes to food preparation so, if I can do it, you definitely can!

Royal Quinoa Vegan Sushi Rolls

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