Happy New Year my friends! I am filled with joy and positivity at the beginning of this new year. It feels amazing to look back over the past twelve months and reflect on what I experienced and achieved. And to think carefully about what I hope 2015 will bring and how best to work towards that. I have lots of plans!
Cramming my diet with healthy food is one of those things. Fresh, minimally processed ingredients, everything made from scratch. Lots of vegetables, unrefined grains and healthy proteins. Some lovely artisan cheese. The odd dessert here and there.
So today I bring you a selection of the best healthy vegetarian recipes from the past year on Delicious from scratch - happy, colourful recipes that make eating wholesome food an unbridled joy.
Nutritious nom!
What are your favourite healthy vegetarian recipes? I'd love to hear your recommendations...
Greek feta dip with yoghurt
One of my favourite healthy snacks! Creamy Greek yoghurt, blended with fresh, salty feta cheese, then seasoned with crushed garlic, lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and Dijon mustard.
Great for avocados, salads, crackers and more - can be spooned, dolloped and drizzled over a multitude of nibbles.
Gluten-free.
Oyster mushroom tempura with buckwheat
A healthy twist on Japanese tempura, made with a mixture of buckwheat and brown rice flour. Still crispy and light, but also whole grain, gluten-free and vegan!
The oyster mushrooms stay pleasingly chewy, almost meaty, after frying and hold their shape beautifully. You can even see the wonderful patterns of the mushrooms etched in the thin batter.
Vegan and gluten-free.
Avocado salad with strawberries, basil and chilli
A vibrant, healthy avocado salad, flavoured with lime, chilli, basil and plenty of seasoning. The cherry tomatoes and fragrant strawberries offer a lovely sweet-tart contrast to the buttery avocado.
Great as a summery, life-affirming snack, starter or side.
Vegan and gluten-free.
Vegan Thai Green Curry
A step-by-step guide on how to make your own Thai green curry paste and why it's worth the effort! Freezing the paste ahead means super easy, beautifully flavoured, healthy Thai green curry can make a regular appearance on your dinner table. It does on mine!
The spicy coconut broth is the star of this dish, and it goes wonderfully with crispy soy sauce tofu and all manner of lightly steamed or sautéed veggies.
Vegan and gluten-free.
Vegetable pie with ricotta and spelt
Made with a revolutionary pastry recipe – 100% whole grain spelt flour blended with ripe avocado instead of oil or butter - which bakes into flaky layers of iron-rich, whole grain goodness.
This pie contains more than 1.5kg of fresh, healthy, anti-oxidant laden vegetables, meaning that each whole grain slice contains nearly two and a half whole portions of vegetables.
Wonderful for dinner, but as it can happily be eaten hot or cold, it works extremely well as a packed lunch, as part of an envy-inducing picnic or as a healthy snack. Beautifully textured, with layer upon layer of fantastic flavour, while still packed with nourishing nutrition.
Easily vegan-isable.
Chana dal lentil curry with shallots
One of my go-to breakfasts that is also pretty great for dinner. Nothing more than a pot of long-simmered lentils, but so, so much more. Made with chana dal legume, which has one of the lowest ratings of any food on the glycemic index.
Warming and comforting, hot and spicy with remarkable flavour which awakens the taste buds. All that and low-GI protein in a bowl. Did I mention that it freezes and reheats superbly?
Vegan without the egg and gluten-free.
Miso ramen with pak choy and mushrooms
A Japanese-style, vegetarian noodle broth made with the traditional flavourings of dried shiitake mushrooms and miso paste, with a few of my own umami additions – sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
Served with buckwheat noodles, pak choy, oyster mushrooms and a spicy oil drizzle made with black and pink peppercorns, dried coriander and hot chilli flakes, just to liven things up a bit.
Vegan and gluten-free.
Greek courgette pie with whole wheat pastry
Another super healthy, super delicious vegetable pie - this time with tons of grated courgette/zucchini, wilted spinach, olives and basil.
It is very hard to stop eating this pie and absolutely no reason whatsoever that you should – two portions of vegetables in every slice! Moist, savoury, garlicky, lemony… Addictive and incredibly nutritious.
Easily vegan-isable.
Healthy falafel
One of my favourite breakfasts - an unconventional choice perhaps, but incredibly enjoyable, satisfying and healthy nonetheless. Falafels are usually bound with flour, but this recipe uses ground flax seed instead – both more nutritious (extra omega-3s) and gluten-free to boot.
Cooked using an alternative cooking method – very, very shallow steam frying. All it takes is a frying pan, a film of oil and a lid and you’ve got yourself delicious, piping hot falafel with a lovely brown crust. No need for deep-frying!
These tasty, protein-rich morsels are filling and feel indulgent, while actually being fantastically good for you.
Vegan and gluten-free.
Courgette burgers with feta and herbs
Courgettes, lemon, fresh herbs, garlic, feta. Without tasting them, you will never believe that this combination of ingredients can taste THIS good. These bright, lemony, cheesy, baked ‘fritters’ can be shaped large like the burgers above or into mini balls for unparallelled tasty snacking.
These versatile patties not only taste amazing, they are light and chockful of fantastically healthy ingredients. And consisting almost entirely of vegetables, they are truly a veggie burger. Delicious hot, warm or cold.
Easily vegan-isable.
