Hellllloooooo.... it's been a while!

Forgive me...

I have recipes....

I can explain....

I have been back in Lanzarote and I can finally share with you the details as to why! I am creating a retreat holiday... yes an actual real life retreat experience!

An immersion of total wellness for spiritual, mental and physical development.

The energy and excitement is coursing through me..... ahhhh I can't wait.

Ok, time to calm down a little. More details to come in the next few days as I pull everything together but for now you can join the Facebook event so you don't miss anything. There are only 10 spaces!

For now, here's a little round up of my short trip. I made a lot of meals for everyone- my chickpea-cauli quiche was an absolute winner with and I experimented with a few new ones too. Namely a roasted veg ratatouille and tofu chard scramble (a twist on the classic) I've added the recipes below.

Note: Everything in this post is shot with my iPhone as with the hand baggage allowance I couldn't fit my DSLR this time. :-(

Oooh and I tweaked the chocolate banana brownie bread since it went down so well last time. I added walnut to the mixture and slightly undercooked it (to make it more dense and dessert like) then baked it in a round cake pan to slice up as wedges, then I served it hot topped it with a berry/prune sauce and some fresh mulberries and extra walnuts.

Winner!

Mulberries are incredible!

I'd never eaten them before and I think they are now my new favourite fruit! Pity we don't have them fresh in England. Though I made the mistake of picking some fresh ones from a bush on the way back to the airport, but they stained my hands so badly I rocked up to the airport looking like i'd massacred someone… not the best look to get through security! Luckily I spied a washroom near the entrance. :-)

Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille (based on this recipe by 86Lemons.com)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

3 fist sizes aubergines (these were quite small home grown ones)
4 tomatoes (or 1 can chopped tomatoes)
3 courgettes
1 red onion
2 red peppers
5 cloves garlic- chopped roughly
1 scant tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2-3 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup fresh parsley- chopped (or basil)
NOTE: I had intended to add two cans of chickpeas but at the last moment realised we didn't have any to hand!

Method:

Chop the veg into bite sizes chunks and coat with the oil and salt. Place in an even layer in a large roasting pan (or two) along wit the garlic pieces.

Roast for approx 20 mins at 180C until golden.

Meanwhile blitz the tomatoes in a food processor until just a little chunky. (I had planned to roast them first but had no room in the pan). Add to a large sauce pan, if you are using chickpeas you;d add them now and heat through for 5 minutes or so. Add the roasted veg and cook for a couple of minutes until everything is piping hot. Serve with a generous sprinkle of fresh parsley or basil.

I served this with a side of garlic and onion dressed pasta, but it would also work well with rice, potatoes or quinoa.

Alongside the tofu scramble I also served my sweet potato cakes (though I used carrot as well as sweet potato) and also avocado toasts dressed with lemon juice and salt.

Recipe: Tofu Chard Scramble

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

500g block firm tofu (no need to press unless there is a lot of liquid)
approx 3 packed cups chard (or other greens)
4 crushed garlic cloves
1 small white onion
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp smoked paprika (you could use any spices of choice)
1 tbs tamari soy sauce
1 tbs tahini
1/4 cup hot water
generous shake of nutritional yeast (optional)
salt to taste (if needed)

Method:

In a large frying pan or wok, saute the garlic and onion in a little oil for approx 5 minutes until softening. Add the chard (if using spinach add it a little later) and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the stems are softening.

Meanwhile mix all the spices with the tahini and water to form a paste. Using your hands, crumble the tofu in rough chunks into the pan and add the seasoned paste. Toss well to ensure an even coating. Add a little extra oil or water if necessary and cook for 5-6 minutes until the tofu is fully cooked through.

Serve immediately.

...mulberries on my breakfast too! Simply couldn't resist!

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