Posted on

Spiced Chickpea Soup

SERVES: 2–3,

PREP: 10 min,

COOKING TIME: 30 min,

INGREDIENTS:

  • Olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/3 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 400g can chickpeas, drained
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • Natural yoghurt, to serve
  • Handful of coriander leaves, to serve

METHOD:

  1. In a large saucepan over a medium heat add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and let it heat.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 8–10 minutes until soft, translucent and a little caramelised.
  3. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon, and fry gently for another minute or so until the spices are nicely fragrant. Take care not to let it burn.
  4. Add the drained chickpeas, then follow with the stock, and bring everything up to a steady simmer.
  5. Let it bubble away for about 20 minutes or until the chickpeas have softened and absorbed the flavour of the spices.
  6. Season well with salt and pepper, and serve with a good spoonful of natural yoghurt and coriander served on top.
Posted on

Choc Oat Chewies

These are based on a ‘Special Oat Chewies’ recipe I picked up from somewhere many years ago.  So when a friend asked for some chocolate chip cookies with oats this morning, this recipe came quickly to mind.  Because of some new dietary restrictions amongst friends, I was able to modify the recipe accordingly below, and they’re delicious!

This makes a good 24-36 ‘biscuit’ sized treats (as I tend to cook them in baking trays of 12 at a time. Smaller is normally better)

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup     rice bran oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 cup        white sugar
  • 3/4 cup     agave syrup (honey, or golden syrup)
  • 1/2 cup     non-dairy milk (soy, rice, etc.  or regular dairy if you prefer)
  • 2 tsp          vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups buckwheat flour (or wholemeal flour if you’re not worried about the Gluten Free aspect)
  • 1/2 tsp       baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp       salt
  • 3 cups       rolled oats
  • 3/4 tsp       cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup      sultans or raisins
  • 1/3 cup      hazelnuts
  • 1 cup / 125g         large chocolate chunks (such as 1/2 bar of Whitaker’s Dark Ghana, chopped roughly into half the regular sized chocolate squares)

Method

  • Preheat your oven to around 180 degrees.
  • Blend the oil, sugar, syrup/honey, milk and vanilla extract until smooth.
  • Add the powdered ingredients slowly (mixing in well to the liquids as you go along).
  • Finally add the raisins, whole hazelnuts, and chocolate chunks, and mix in well.
  • Place large spoonfuls of the mixture onto baking parchment, around 12 cookies per sheet.
    • They largely keep their shape, so will look pretty rugged even after baking.
  • Bake them for around 11-14 minutes until just going golden on the peaks and base (rotating the baking trays as necessary).
  • Remove from the oven, and leave to cool on the baking tray for a couple of minutes (to help keep their shape).
  • Then remove carefully from the baking parchment, and allow to cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or so.
  • Enjoy slowly!

Storage:

  • You can store them in an airtight tub for up to a few days easily.
  • I haven’t tested them beyond 4 days yet, because they always get eaten up by then!