The clock’s have gone back, the evenings are drawing in, and the air is fresh and crisp. I love the beauty of the Autumn season; the changing colours of nature’s palate and crunching my way through piles of golden horse chestnut leaves. The cold and extra layers of clothing… I love less so; but I’m working on it. What makes the foray into the cold that much sweeter however, is the return home to a hearty, warming dinner.
In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for an Italian bean casserole that’s just perfect for the cold weather seasons. It’s hearty, warming and filling. It’s also packed with lots of immune-boosting nutrients to keep those pesky cold germs at bay.
Today, I’m finally publishing my recipe for vegan carrot cake. It contains no dairy or eggs, yet tastes just as good (if not better!) than its traditional counterpart. This was the cake that I chose to bake for my mum’s and father-in-law’s birthdays this year and I’m pleased to say, it went down a treat!
I must admit, this recipe has been a long time coming (the culmination of about two years’ worth of experimenting!) Carrot cake is one of my all-time favourites so I was determined to keep experimenting until I’d created a vegan version that replicated the one of my childhood memories. I had set the bar high!
My family were very willing cake testers and gave positive feedback on all the various versions I created but, for me, they were never quite right. The main issue that I needed to nail was the texture. If you’re a carrot cake connoisseur, you’ll know that it has a very specific texture. It isn’t like a traditional ‘light and fluffy’ sponge cake. It’s a lot more dense and moist; almost fudge-like.
It had been at least 20 years since I’d eaten a traditional carrot cake so my reference point was pretty old (and with questionable reliability!) but this Easter I finally got to indulge in carrot cake once more; and at the most unexpected of places… the vegan fast food joint ‘Vurger’ in Valencia, Spain.
After we’d ordered our burgers and were making our way to the seating area, I caught sight of a glass cabinet filled with the most incredible-looking cakes. Each one was at least three layers tall and covered in the most beautiful frosting. There were a selection of flavours on offer, including double chocolate, chocolate cherry, and carrot cake. Much to our delight, we discovered that another vegan fast food joint called ‘Aloha’ also stocked these beautiful cakes. My family ended up going to Vurger and Aloha three times, just so we could try out all the cakes!
Filled with fresh memories of how carrot cake should taste, as soon as I returned home I dusted off my scribbled experiments and enthusiastically set to work on ‘perfecting’ my recipe. I experimented with different ratios of wet/dry ingredients, varying ratios of carrots and nuts, different shape tins and baking times, and finally came up with a recipe that I’m 100% happy with. It might not be to everyone’s taste but, for me, this cake is just spot on flavour and texture-wise. It’s dense and moist, with plenty of carrot and walnuts for added layers of texture. It’s not sugary sweet, but instead flavoured with beautiful, warming spices.
Cream cheese frosting is the perfect topping for this cake. A few years ago, it was difficult to find vegan cream cheese here in the UK (let alone a great-tasting one!); however lately there’s been an explosion of dairy-free ‘cheeses’ entering our shops. When it comes to vegan cheese, everyone’s tastes differ so it’s worth trying a few and seeing which one most appeals to your taste buds. Two of my personal favourites are Violife Creamy Original and Tofutti Creamy Smooth Original. These have a very subtle cheese flavour, with a lovely creamy texture, making it perfect for cake frosting. I’ve also used Sheese Creamy Original and Tesco Free From Soft Cheese for topping carrot cake. These two have a stronger cheese flavour so need a touch more icing sugar to balance the flavours.
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Vegan Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
For me, this recipe epitomises everything that I love about carrot cake. It’s dense and moist, with a generous amount of carrots and walnuts. It's not sugary-sweet, but beautifully flavoured with warming spices. It’s had great feedback from my friends and family. I hope you enjoy it too!
80ml/ ¼ cup syrup of choice(I use maple syrup or coconut blossom syrup)
100ml/ ½ cup neutral-flavoured oil(I use rapeseed (canola) oil, grapeseed oil or sunflower oil
240g/ 2 cups carrotgrated
140g/ 1 cup plain (all purpose) flour
140g/ 1 cup fine wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or chapatti flour
1½tspbaking powder
½tspbicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
½tspsalt
2tspmixed spice or pumpkin spice
1tspground cinnamon
50g/ ½ cup walnutschopped
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
1tub vegan cream cheese (around 200g / 7 oz)
2½ – 5TBSPicing (confectioners) sugar
Maple-Glazed Walnuts
9walnut halves
1TBSPmaple syrup
Instructions
Grease a 21 cm x 21 cm / 8” x 8” square baking pan and line with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan) / 350F.
Grate the carrots either using a box grater or mini chopper. Roughly chop the walnuts.
Whisk together the soya milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl using a hand whisk or fork. Add the sugar, syrup and oil. Continue whisking until fully combined.
In a separate bowl, add the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, mixed spice and cinnamon. Stir through to combine.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add the grated carrot and chopped walnuts and stir through until evenly distributed.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin. Using a spatula, distribute the mixture evenly in the tin and smooth the top. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted through the middle comes out clean and the top of the cake is springy to the touch.
Leave the cake in the tin for at least an hour, or until completely cool (it will continue to firm up as it cools), then peel off the baking paper and transfer to a chopping board. Using a bread knife, trim the four edges of the cake to neaten them up.
Meanwhile, place the cream cheese in a bowl. Sieve in the icing sugar, then beat using electric beaters until just combined (do not over-beat, otherwise the cheese may become runny). Taste test and add more sieved sugar, if desired. Beat once more to combine. Store the cream cheese in the fridge until needed.
Preheat a frying pan (skillet) on a medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and dry fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the maple syrup and continue stirring for about 3 minutes, until the nuts are fully coated and the syrup has caramelised and become very sticky. Space out the nuts on a piece of non-stick baking paper. As they cool, the nuts will firm up and become shiny. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
Once the cake is completely cooled, distribute the cream cheese over the top of the cake using a knife. Slice the cake into squares, add the maple-glazed walnuts, then chill the cake in the fridge until ready to serve.
This cake will keep for up to five days in the fridge. It is also freezable (without the frosting). The cream cheese frosting is best added on the day that it is to be served as the lighter coloured cheeses (like Violife, Tofutti) can discolour over time.
This recipe is being submitted to the Suma Blogger’s Network. Big shout out to the lovely people at Suma who supplied the ingredients I used to create this recipe.
Ingredients from Suma (available from independent health food shops in the UK):
If you make this Carrot Cake, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
Today I’m sharing my veganized version of the Turkish doner kebab. This kebab is one of my family’s favourite ‘easy weekend’ meals and we love tucking into them while we’re watching a movie, or sitting in the garden on a warm summer’s evening. The kebabs are highly versatile, so feel free to switch the filling components to suit your own personal tastes.
Doner kebabs are a popular fast food here in the UK. Traditionally, they are made with processed lamb meat, heavily seasoned with spices. Apparently it’s hard to tell what kind of meat is actually in the doner kebab, and tests by UK Trading Standards have revealed that doner meats sometimes contain a mix of animals, such as chicken, beef and pork.
Since the key thing with the doner meats is the seasoning and texture, they’re easy to replicate using plant-based meat alternatives. I like to use home-made seitan (my current favourite recipes are this Easy Seitan ‘Chicken’ and Basic Home-Made Seitan) as it tends to work out a lot cheaper, plus it gives me the flexibility to flavour it exactly how I wish. However there are also a range of store-bought alternatives now available, including these…
The Dutch company Vivera‘s Veggie Shawarma Kebab is now widely available in the major UK supermarkets – Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. You’ll find it on the veggie/vegan chiller aisle.
The Swedish brand Oumph has recently made its way into UK health food shops and Tesco. As its name suggests, the Oumph ‘Kebab Spiced’ is just perfect for kebabs. You’ll find it in the veggie/vegan freezer cabinet.
The South African family business Fry’s also sells Thick Cut Chunky Strips that work well in kebabs. (In the UK, these are available in health food shops, Morrison’s and Ocado in the freezer section).
Doner kebabs can be served in large flatbreads (such as flour tortillas) or pittas. Lately, my family has been making home-made flour tortillas as they taste so much nicer than the shop-bought ones (plus they literally cost a few pence to make).
Alongside the doner meat, the kebab contains a variety of salad vegetables. We tend to use romaine lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and sometimes red pepper and pickles, all of which adds beautiful colours and textures to the kebab.
The final, important step is to add some kind of dressing or sauce. Our current favourite condiment for these kebabs is the home-made sweet chilli mayonnaise, which I posted earlier this week. It takes less than five minutes to make, is super cheap and tastes delicious (just as good, if not better than store-bought mayonnaise).
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Vegan Doner Kebabs
These kebabs are quick and easy to prepare, making them perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends. They also make a great take-away lunch option, wrapped in foil or parchment paper to keep the filling neatly packed inside. They are highly versatile, so feel free to switch up the filling depending on what you desire or what needs using up in your fridge.
350g/ 12 oz home-made basic seitan** or shop-bought kebab meat alternative e.g. Oumph! Kebab Spiced or Fry’s Thick Cut Chunky Strips
1romaine lettuce headthinly sliced into ribbons
1packed cup red cabbagefinely sliced
1large carrotpeeled and grated
home-made chilli mayonnaise*** or shop-bought e.g. Vegenaise
Instructions
Pan fry the strips of seitan (or other meat-free alternative) in a little olive oil. Add seasonings, to taste. For kebabs, I like to flavour the home-made seitan with smoked paprika and ground cumin. I sprinkle 1 tsp of each spice over the seitan, a little at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until evenly coated. If using shop-bought meat-free strips, cook according to the instructions on the packet.
Pre-heat a hot frying pan (skillet) and add one tortilla at a time, flipping onto both sides until warmed through and pliable.
Coat the tortilla in a thin layer of mayonnaise.
Arrange the lettuce, red cabbage, carrot and vegan kebab 'meat' along the centre of the tortilla. Leave a border on one side (about 2 inches) which you can tuck in to form the bottom of the kebab (to prevent the filling falling out). Add a touch more mayonnaise on top of the filling.
Fold in the tortilla along the border, then roll the tortilla as tightly as possible, holding in the filling with your fingers as you do so. Press down the edge seam of the tortilla to seal it. If you wish, you can wrap the end of the kebab in foil to keep it securely wrapped.
Big thank you to Suma for supplying me with their vital wheat gluten, spices and oils which I used to create my vegan doner ‘meat’!
If you make these Vegan Kebabs, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations.Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations!You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
Seitan is one of my favourite meat-free alternatives. Cooked right, it has the most succulent, chewy texture which makes it perfect for adding to any kind of meal where meat typically takes centre stage, like kebabs and steak. Store-bought seitan can be expensive and not so easy to come by here in the UK, so I choose to make my own. In this post, I’m sharing my favourite basic seitan recipe. It’s really easy to prepare and takes only 15 minutes hands on time.
Seitan (also known as ‘wheat meat’) is made with vital wheat gluten, which is the protein part of the wheat seed, milled into flour. Per 100g, vital wheat gluten flour contains a whopping 75g protein. It’s also low in fat and contains zero cholesterol, making it a healthier alternative to animal products.
Here in the West, seitan’s had somewhat of a resurgence in the past couple of years (thanks to the explosion of plant-based lifestyles), but it’s been popular for centuries in Asian countries such as China and Vietnam. You may have seen ‘Mock Duck’, ‘Mock Beef’ and similar on the menu in your local Chinese restaurants and take-aways, or the canned varieties in Chinese supermarkets. These products are typically made with wheat gluten.
There are a variety of ways to prepare seitan. You can boil, steam, bake and pan fry it. Each method produces a different texture. How you choose to prepare your seitan comes down to personal preference, so I highly recommend trying a few recipes and seeing what works best for you. A couple of years ago, I first tried my hand at making seitan, but I wasn’t keen on the flavour. The recipe included a fair amount of chickpea (gram) flour and this is what I could detect in the final product. Since then, I’ve chosen to omit the flour and I find the seitan tastes much more palatable.
While steaming is probably the most popular cooking method, I personally prefer to simmer it in a pan of broth. I don’t even wrap it in any foil. Boiling it direct in the broth, I find the seitan takes on a lovely flavour and soaks up the broth, leaving it succulent. When I’ve steamed it or wrapped the seitan before simmering, it does stay a neater shape, but it’s a bit drier and chewier. For me, the taste and texture is the most important features of seitan so I don’t mind it looking a bit ugly and bumpy on the outside. It doesn’t stay whole for long anyhow as I slice it into strips for kebabs or sandwiches
You can flavour seitan in myriad ways using different combinations of herbs and spices. The basic seitan I’m sharing today can be eaten as it is, without any additional flavouring, however pan-frying it in a little olive oil will enhance its flavour.
When making my vegan version of doner kebabs, I like to spice up the seitan strips with smoked paprika and ground cumin, which I sprinkle in as I’m pan-frying it. I’ll be sharing my doner kebab recipe very soon, so I’ll link to it here once it’s ready… here it is
If it’s your first time making seitan, I would recommend making a half batch of the recipe below (no need to split the dough into two pieces; keep it as one) and see how you get on. (This is what I did for the first handful of times I made it, then I started to double the quantities). I tend to make one batch of seitan each week, which I store in the fridge in an airtight container. I have heard that seitan is freezable but I’ve yet to try it as ours never hangs around for very long!
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Basic Home-Made Seitan
This recipe produces a seitan that is succulent and versatile. It can be eaten as it is, or pan-fried in a little olive oil to enhance the flavour. For doner kebabs, I like to fry strips of seitan with 1 tsp each of smoked paprika and ground cumin. I sprinkle a little spice at a time – stir frying as I do so – to ensure the strips are evenly coated.
Fill a large saucepan or stockpot with the broth ingredients, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer.
Place the dry seitan ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir through to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to a jug and whisk with a fork to combine. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and stir with a spoon until the mixture starts to come together. Use your hands to knead the mixture into a dough ball. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Knead each piece for 3 minutes, then shape into a rectangle. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Carefully lower the seitan into the broth. Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Make sure that the water stays at a very gentle simmer. You should only see a bubble surface now and then. (If the water boils, the seitan will become very bubbly and holey on the inside).
After 45 minutes, turn the heat off, remove the lid and leave the seitan to rest in the broth for 15 minutes.
Place the seitan in a strainer to drain off the excess liquid. Once completely cool, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge, where it will keep for a week.
Before serving, pan fry the strips of seitan in a little olive oil. Add seasonings, to taste. For kebabs and curries, I like to flavour the home-made seitan with 1 tsp each of smoked paprika and ground cumin.
Notes
Recipe adapted from ‘Simple Seitan’ by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero in Veganomicon
Big thank you to Suma for supplying me with their lovely products which I used to create this recipe!
And if you try this recipe, please do come back and leave a review. It’s so helpful to me (and other readers) to hear your experiences and ideas for variations! Thank you! ❤️
In today’s post, I’m sharing a recipe for a pasta dish that features colourful roasted veggies and chunks of sausage, coated in a delicious red pepper sauce. It’s easy to prepare and makes a great weeknight meal.
The mojo sauce really is the star of this dish, and takes it to a whole new level of deliciousness. I first discovered this sauce in a supermarket in La Palma, and it was just perfect for brightening up our simple home-cooked veggie meals. Back home, I’d been dreaming about this sauce and finally, nearly a year later, I set to re-creating it.
The main ingredient in mojo sauce is pepper. In La Palma, it is traditionally made with small red peppers called pimienta picona, which gives it a beautiful orangey-red colour and spicy flavour. According to Wikipedia, every Canarian family has its own recipe for mojo though, so it can vary greatly in flavour, spiciness and texture.
I love that the sauce is so adaptable, and I really enjoyed creating my own rendition. I can’t claim that it’s in any way authentic, but it’s very similar to the colour, flavour and texture of the sauce we enjoyed last year.
While it’s packed full of flavour, I’ve kept the chilli heat to a minimum so that it’s suitable for all members of the family, including kids and spice wimps (like me!) Of course, you’re very welcome to crank up the heat by adding some fresh chillies into the mix.
To prepare this pasta dish, I first roast a tray of colourful veggies. My favourite mix is bell peppers, courgette and red onion. Into the oven, I also add four or five vegan-friendly sausages.
While the veggies are roasting, I cook the pasta and prepare the mojo sauce. To make the sauce, it’s simply a case of throwing all the ingredients in a high speed blender, whizzing smooth, then gently heating through.
Once the veggies, sausages and pasta are ready, I stir them through to combine…
… transfer to warm bowls…
… and invite the family to drizzle on the mojo sauce, before tucking in.
So good!
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Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Dish with Mojo Sauce
This recipe was inspired by a visit to La Palma. It was on this beautiful Canary Island that I discovered mojo sauce. It’s a delicious, flavour-packed sauce, which you can use in myriad ways. I love drizzling it on pasta, rice and couscous dishes and stirring it through beans and veggies for burrito-style wraps. I also use it as a dressing for salads, dip for bread and topping for jacket potatoes.
1large courgette (zucchini) (about 325g) sliced into bite-size chunks
2sweet romano or bell peppersdeseeded and sliced
1TBSPolive oil
1tspdried oregano
pinchof salt
6vegan-friendly sausagesI used Linda McCartney Chorizo & Red Pepper sausages which are vegan & gluten free
350g/ 12.5 oz penne pasta(Use GF pasta, if needed)
Mojo sauce
400g/ 14 oz can chopped tomatoes with chilli*
2tspminced garlic(raw or pan-fried – see Note **)
1sweet romano or red bell pepperchopped
½tspsalt
½-1tspground cumin
1tspunrefined sugar
2TBSPextra virgin olive oil
2slicesof breadbroken into pieces [see Note *** for a GF option]
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180C fan) / 400F.
Arrange the onions, courgette and pepper pieces in a large roasting tin. Drizzle in the olive oil and stir through to combine. Sprinkle on the oregano and a pinch of salt. Roast for about 16-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir half way through the cooking time.
Cook the sausages as per the instructions on the packet (I pop them in the oven at the same time as the veggies). When cooked, slice into bite-size pieces.
Prepare a large pan of salted boiling water and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, then return the pasta to the pan. Drizzle in a drop of olive oil and stir through to prevent the pasta sticking together.
Prepare the mojo sauce: Add all the ingredients to a jug blender. Initially begin with ½ tsp cumin and sugar, and 1 slice of bread. Blend from low to high speed, until smooth. Taste test and add more cumin and sweetener, if desired. Pour the sauce into a pan and gently heat through before serving.
Once the vegetables, sausages and pasta are cooked, combine them and transfer to warm pasta bowls. Drizzle the mojo sauce on top, and serve.
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. Gently heat through before serving.
Notes
* If serving to children, use a can of plain chopped tomatoes or chopped tomatoes with basil.** If, like me, you’re not a fan of raw garlic, pan-fry it in a splash of olive oil until it just starts to brown.*** For a gluten-free mojo sauce, use 150g / ¾ cup butter beans to thicken the sauce instead of bread.
Big thank you to Suma for supplying the following ingredients that I used in the recipe:
– Suma Organic Chopped Tomatoes with Chilli – Suma Organic Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Suma Organic Corn Rice Penne Pasta – Aspall Red Wine Vinegar
If you make this Roasted Summer Vegetable Pasta Dish, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
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…
Ensure the quinoa is thoroughly rinsed before cooking to remove the bitter saponin coating.
Flavour the quinoa using seasoning or a dressing.
One of my favourite ways to flavour quinoa is using a combination of toasted sesame oil and sweet white miso. These seasonings not only add a delicious savoury flavour but they also enhance the texture of the grain.
Quinoa has lots of health benefits, so I’m happy that I found a way to really enjoy the grain, rather than just eating it because ‘it’s good for me’!
For this Winter quinoa bowl, I use a combination of roasted sweet potato and brussels sprouts. This dish has been a great way to entice Lucien to eat more sprouts. He won’t touch the boiled or steamed varieties, but he’ll happily eat pan-fried or roasted sprouts. One of his favourite sprout recipes is the Brussels Sprout Hash with Balsamic Red Onions & Pecans but I think this one is a close second. Of course, if you’re not a fan of brussels sprouts in any shape or form, feel free to leave them out or substitute with another roasted vegetable.
This bowl is super easy to prepare. While the veggies are roasting, I cook the quinoa and prepare the Balsamic glaze (if using a home-made one rather than shop-bought). Once everything is cooked through, it’s simply a case of mixing the quinoa, veggies, cranberries and pumpkin seeds together.
I recently discovered that pumpkin seeds can vary enormously in flavour, size and colour. For this recipe, I used Suma’s organic pumpkin seeds which are smaller, lighter in colour and far tastier than the ones I’d previously bought from a big supermarket. I didn’t need to toast the Suma seeds to improve the flavour as they were tasty raw.
Just before serving, the bowl is dressed with a drizzle of balsamic glaze, which adds a beautifully rich, sweet and tangy flavour. Balsamic glaze is widely available in UK food shops, however if you can’t get your hands on some, it’s easy to make your own. Check out the tips in the recipe below to see how I do it.
This bowl is not only tasty, but it’s packed full of nutrient-rich ingredients, which help to keep us in good health. In particular, this dish is a good source of… – Protein, Complex Carbohydrates and Fibre – Vitamins A, B, C & K – Minerals Zinc, Magnesium, Copper, Manganese, Potassium and Iron – Antioxidant Phytonutrients, including Glucosinolates, which help boost the immune system and protect against disease
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Quinoa Winter Bowl with Roasted Vegetables, Cranberries and Balsamic Glaze
This Quinoa Winter Bowl is simple to prepare and is perfect for serving as a light evening meal or lunch. I find it makes a great ‘make ahead’ option and can be warmed through in a frying pan before serving. It can also be served cold and any leftovers make a great addition to lunchboxes.
500g/ 3 cups sweet potatopeeled and diced into small pieces (about 2cm x 2cm x 1.5cm / ¾” x ¾” x ½”))
2TBSPolive oildivided
16-20brussels sproutstrimmed and halved lengthways
300g/ 1½ cups quinoa
720ml/ 3 cups water
1TBSPtoasted sesame oil
1-2TBSPsweet white miso(I used Clearspring Sweet White Miso)
55g/ ⅓ cup dried cranberries
38g/ ¼ cup pumpkin seedsraw or toasted
Balsamic glazefor drizzling (See Note 2)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 210C (190C fan) / 410F. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.
Place the diced sweet potato in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle in 1 TBSP olive oil and stir until thoroughly coated. Transfer the potato to a prepared baking tray and distribute in a single layer. Season with salt. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Tip the brussels sprouts into the mixing bowl. Drizzle in 1 TBSP olive oil and stir through. Transfer the sprouts to the second baking tray. Arrange the sprouts cut side facing down. Season with salt (and black pepper, if desired).
When the sweet potatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, add the sprouts to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes, then flip them over and roast for a further 5 minutes, or until browned on both sides.
While the veggies are roasting, prepare the quinoa. First, rinse the quinoa (see Tip 1 below), then thoroughly drain and transfer to a saucepan. Add 3 cups water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Remove from the heat and leave to rest, covered with a lid, for 5 minutes. Drizzle in 2 tsp toasted sesame oil and stir through with a fork. Add 1-2 TBSP white miso and stir through until the quinoa is coated. Taste test and add more sesame oil/white miso if desired.
Tip the quinoa into the mixing bowl. Add the roasted veggies, cranberries and pumpkin seeds, and stir through. Transfer to bowls. Just before serving, add a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
This dish will keep for up to five days in the refrigerator.
Notes
Tip 1: To rinse quinoa, place it in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water, agitating it with your fingers for a couple of minutes.Tip 2: If there is no shop-bought balsamic glaze on hand, I make my own by simmering ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar and 1 TBSP coconut sugar in a small pan, stirring from time to time. As soon as it starts to thicken, I remove it from the heat (it continues to thicken as it cools). I find this home-made version is best used immediately.
If you make this Quinoa Winter Bowl, I’d love to hear your feedback and any suggestions for adaptations! Tag your photos with #bitofthegoodstuff on social media – I always love to see your creations! You can also connect with me on my social media channels here: Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest.
