Pear, Apple, and Raspberry Crumble

Ingredients:

4 pears

1 apple

50 g rapeseed oil, plus extra

1 tsp lemon juice

55 g sugar, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbsp oats

60 g flour

30 g almonds (ground or chopped)

30 g dark chocolate, optional

50-60 g raspberries (frozen is fine)

 

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel, and chop the pears and apple.

2. Lightly oil them and toss them with lemon juice and a little sugar. Bake at 190 C for 10-15 minutes, until softened.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together except the dark chocolate. Grate or chop the chocolate.

4. Top the fruit with the raspberries.

5. Dot the crumble topping over the fruit and sprinkle with chocolate (or mix the chocolate into the crumble topping first).

6. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes.

Beetroot Patties

I randomly took The Nordic Diet by Trina Hahnemann out of the library awhile back. The book annoyed me with the way she constantly bangs on about smaller portions, healthy eating, no dessert (well, few desserts), exercise, etc, as though we didn’t already know all that. But nonetheless, a couple of the recipes struck me as new and interesting.

 

So I made my own version of her beetroot patties (which she serves with barley, which probably tells you all you need to know!). They’re great with mayonnaise, served with watercress and over couscous.

 

It helps to wear gloves when working with beetroot – we keep a stock of disposable plastic gloves, which we use when cooking with beetroot and other vegetables that stain easily.

 

Ingredients:

500 g beetroot

1 shallot

4 tbsp parsley

½ cup oatmeal

3 eggs

1 tsp salt

1 dash sesame oil (or other oil)

 

Instructions:

1. Peel and grate the beetroot.

2. Peel and dice the shallot. Wash and chop the parsley.

3. Mix all the ingredients together. Shape into patties (this recipe makes about 8).

4. Bake for 15 minutes at 180 C. Turn over and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

1¼ cups liquid (I use ½ cup water and the rest rice milk)

1 tbsp quick-action dry yeast

2-2½ cups flour

½ cups oats, plus extra for topping

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey or sugar

1 tsp salt

milk/water/egg for wash, if desired

 

Instructions:

1. Warm the liquid. Put the yeast in it and leave it to foam for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the flour, oats, oil, honey, and salt.

3. Add the yeast and liquid and mix well. Leave to rise for an hour.

4. Knead well and shape into a loaf. Place in an oiled loaf tin if desired.

5. Sprinkle with oats and wash, if desired. Leave to rise again.

6. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes, until golden.

Pear Crumble

I saw Nigel Slater’s recipe for pear crumble, but I changed it quite a bit, to suit our non-dairy diet and to make it even tastier (i.e. I added hazelnuts, but you can always use different nuts or just use more flour and oats instead).

 

Ingredients:

4 pears

50 g rapeseed oil, plus extra

1 tsp lemon juice

55 g sugar, plus extra

1 tsp vanilla extract

5 tbsp oats

60 g flour

30 g hazelnuts

30 g dark chocolate, optional

 

Instructions:

1. Wash, peel, and chop the pears.

2. Lightly oil them and toss them with lemon juice and a little sugar. Bake at 190 C for 10-15 minutes, until softened.

3. Meanwhile, mix all the other ingredients together except the dark chocolate. Grate or chop the chocolate.

4. Dot the crumble topping over the pears and sprinkle with chocolate (or mix the chocolate into the crumble topping first).

5. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes.

Lower Fat Granola

I decided to try to get the fat content of granola way down by replacing much of the oil with apple juice. That also allows you to leave out some of the sweetener.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup nuts

2½ cups oats

½ cup seeds (I used pumpkin seeds, poppy seeds, and sunflower seeds)

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup maple syrup

1 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes, cherries, etc)

 

Instructions:

1. Chop the nuts. Mix them with all the other ingredients except the fruit.

2. Make sure everything gets coated with the oil and maple syrup.

3. Put a piece of parchment paper or baking paper on a baking tray, then spread the oat mixture on it in a thick layer.

4. Bake for 20 minutes at 160 C, then rotate the tray, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

5. Leave to cool, then break up the granola into whatever size pieces you prefer. Add the fruit. Store in Tupperware or similar.

Vegan Fruit Crumble

I made this with blueberries, apples, and pears, but any combination of fruit that you prefer should work.

 

Ingredients:

100 g flour

100 g oats

5 tbsp sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp lemon juice

5 tbsp oil (I used rapeseed for its slightly nutty flavour, but sunflower works too), plus a little to grease the dish

600 g fruit (for example, 2-3 apples and 2-3 pears)

oat or soya cream, to serve with it

 

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour, oats, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, lemon juice, and oil together in a bowl.

2. Peel, wash, and slice the fruit as applicable.

3. Lightly grease an oven-safe dish.

4. Layer the fruit in the dish. Top with the crumble mixture.

5. Bake at 190 C for 15-25 minutes. Serve with cream, if desired.

Granola

I like having granola for breakfast, but most ready-made granolas include honey, which I am allergic to, or other items I don’t want to eat, plus they’re expensive. So I tried making it myself and it turned out quite well.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes, cherries, etc)

water

1 cup nuts (I’ve tried hazelnuts and almonds)

2½ cups oats (or 2 cups oats, ½ cup quinoa flakes)

¼ - ½ cup seeds (I used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds)

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup vegetable oil

¼ cup maple syrup (perhaps agave or honey would work as well)

Instructions:

1. Chop the fruit, then place it in hot water for 10 or so minutes, so it plumps up.

2. Chop the nuts. Mix them with all the other ingredients.

3. Make sure everything gets coated with the oil and maple syrup.

4. Put a piece of parchment paper or baking paper on a baking tray, then spread the oat mixture on it in a thick layer.

5. Bake for 20 minutes at 160 C, then rotate the tray, and bake for another 15-20 minutes.

6. Leave to cool, then break up the granola into whatever size pieces you prefer. Drain the fruit and add it. Store in Tupperware or similar.

7. Serve with milk, as desired.

Laverbread Patties

Yum, laverbread. It’s like spinach from the sea. In Wales some months ago, I bought a tin of it and then made laverbread patties at home. Oh, okay, I admit it – I bought tons of tins, and I regularly make patties, and then eat them all myself, since M isn’t a fan.

Ingredients:

1 tin laverbread (120 g)

30 g oatmeal

olive oil

Instructions:

1. Mix the laverbread and oatmeal.

2. Warm oil in a frying pan.

3. Drop spoonfuls of the laverbread into the pan and fry on both sides.

Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients:

2½ cups strong white bread flour

1½ cups oats

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 package active dry yeast

1¼ cups milk (I used rice milk)

Instructions:

1. Combine all the ingredients except for the milk.

2. Warm the milk until it is lukewarm. Then add it to the rest of the ingredients.

3. Mix everything well. Then turn out onto a lightly oiled surface, cover, and let rise for an hour.

4. Knead, shape into a loaf (or round, whatever you prefer), and put in an oiled loaf pan or on an oiled baking tray. Let rise for another hour.

5. Bake at 200 C for 35-45 minutes.

Oatmeal and Raisin Pancakes

M likes porridge, but I like to make pancakes, so this is a perfect compromise dish.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
¾ cup oatmeal
¾ cup spelt flour (or plain flour)
1½ cups soya or rice milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
water
¾ cup raisins
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
oil
banana to serve with
honey or agave to serve with

Instructions:
1. Mix the oil, oatmeal, flour, soy milk, baking powder, and baking soda together.
2. Boil the water. Put the raisins in a bowl and pour the water over them.
3. Add it, the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to the oatmeal mixture.
4. Lightly beat the egg. Mix it into the mixture. Stir until just blended. Drain the raisins and add them.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in oil until golden on both sides. Serve with slices of banana and honey or agave.

Flapjacks

Flapjacks in the US refer to pancakes, but in the UK, they’re a sort of biscuit or bar made from oats and honey or golden syrup (I dislike golden syrup so I use honey).

Ingredients:
175 g butter
175 g honey (1/2 cup)
¾ cup sugar
spices, as desired (I used a bit of cinnamon and ginger, and also a splash of lemon juice, though that’s not technically a spice)
350 g oats (4 cups)
½ cup raisins, optional (I soaked them in boiling water first to plump them up)

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter and add the honey and sugar. Warm until the sugar dissolves. Mix in spices, if you are using them.
2. Mix in the oats and raisins.
3. Grease an oven-proof dish and put the oat mixture in it.
4. Bake at 180 C for about 15-20 minutes, then slice into squares.

Plum Crumble

This is really easy and fast. You can substitute many other fruits for the plums.

Ingredients:
6-8 plums
50 g butter, plus extra for the dish
¾ cup flour
½ cup oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 cup sugar
1 dash lemon juice
cream or ice cream, as desired

Instructions:
1. Wash, halve and stone the plums.
2. Grease an oven-safe dish. Place the plums cut-side down in the dish.
3. Mix the butter, flour, oats, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice into a crumbly mixture. Put it on top of the plums.
4. Bake at 180 C for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve with cream or ice cream as desired.

Oatmeal Cookies with Raisins and Pumpkin Seeds

Healthy and delicious! When you use brown sugar, they get a more caramel-like flavour, but you can use all regular sugar if you prefer.

Ingredients:
water
½ cup raisins
¾ cup vegetable oil (or you can use butter)
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup cocoa
3 cups oats
1 cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions:
1. Boil the water and put the raisins in it, so they plump up.
2. Mix the oil, sugars, cocoa, oats, flour, baking soda, and salt together.
3. Whisk the egg with the vanilla extract and add it to the mixture.
4. Add the raisins and some of their liquid (about ¼ to 1/3 cup, but you have to judge how moist the batter is).
5. Add the pumpkin seeds. Mix everything together.
6 . Drop by spoonfuls on a baking tray.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 180 C.

Rhubarb Crumble

It’s still rhubarb season, so I’m trying out all sorts of recipes with it. My guinea pig M doesn’t seem to mind!

Ingredients:
400 g rhubarb
1 clementine (or half an orange)
¼ cup sugar
an additional ¼ cup sugar
¾ cup oats
¼ cup flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter
1 egg
cream or ice cream, to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Chop the rhubarb and spread it in a pan. Juice the clementine or orange over it and sprinkle with the first ¼ cup sugar. Bake at 190 C for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mix the other ¼ cup sugar with the oats, flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Crumble the butter in and beat the egg and then add it as well. The mixture should be a bit crumbly.
3. Top the rhubarb with the oat mixture.
4. Bake at 190 C for 30-40 minutes. Serve with cream or ice cream, as desired.

Chickpea Dumplings

This is another one that was inspired by a recipe in Vegetarian Living. It was simple and healthy, but I think next time it needs even more oomph.

Ingredients:
2 onions
oil
1 tbsp coriander
2 tsp mint
2 tins or packages chickpeas
1¼ cups oats
1 egg
1 package tomato passata
50 g soy beans
1 tsp horseradish

Instructions:
1. Dice the onions and fry them in oil with the herbs.
2. Mix them in a food processor with the chickpeas, then mix in the oats and egg.
3. Shape the chickpea mixture into balls and fry in oil.
4. Meanwhile, warm the passata, soy beans, and horseradish together.
5. After frying the dumplings for a few minutes on each side, bake them in the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes at 200 C.
6. Serve the dumplings topped with the tomato sauce.

Gluten-Free Oatmeal Pancakes

Since we’ve been on a gluten-free kick lately (which does seem to have had a positive effect on my seemingly irritated skin), I’ve been trying to re-make some of my old recipes without the gluten. I like to make pancakes on the weekend; something about the act of putting batter together and frying up a stack of hot cakes signals a lazy weekend to me (never mind the fact that after eating the pancakes, I immediately head to work!).

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
¾ cup oatmeal
1½ cups yogurt
¾ cup gluten-free flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cardamom pods (or ½ tsp ground cardamom)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup raisins
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
oil

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix the oatmeal, yogurt, spelt flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
3. Crush the cardamom in a mortar and pestle and add it, the cinnamon, vanilla, sugar, and raisins, to the oatmeal mixture.
4. Lightly beat the egg. Mix it and the melted butter into the mixture. Stir until just blended.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in oil until golden on both sides.

Oatmeal Pancakes

I love to make pancakes on weekend mornings. They’re so hearty and soothing and they’re really easy to vary, too. I like making oatmeal as a fast breakfast (or a comforting dinner), so I decided to turn that dish into pancakes.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
¾ cup oatmeal
1½ cups yogurt (or buttermilk)
¾ cup spelt flour (or plain flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cardamom pods (or ½ tsp ground cardamom)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg (or 2 egg whites)
oil
banana to serve with

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. Mix the oatmeal, yogurt, spelt flour, baking powder, and baking soda together.
3. Crush the cardamom in a mortar and pestle and add it, the cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar to the oatmeal mixture.
4. Lightly beat the egg. Mix it and the melted butter into the mixture. Stir until just blended.
5. Fry spoonfuls of the mixture in oil until golden on both sides. Serve with slices of banana.

Oatmeal or Porridge

A wonderfully healthy and comforting dish is oatmeal (or porridge, as M calls it). It’s so simple to make and it’s great at any time of the day. I like how you feel good about yourself when you eat a bowl of oatmeal while at the same time you get the sneaky feeling that health food shouldn’t taste so good.

It’s also easy to vary it depending on your tastes. You can add raisins, currants, prunes, apricots, or other dried fruit or even slices of fresh apples or bananas or a bit of jam or some apple sauce. You can add nuts or a few tablespoons of peanut butter. You can spice it with cinnamon or cloves or ginger or any other spice (some people like a savoury version with salt and pepper). You can cook it with milk, soy milk, cream, water, or any combination thereof, and you can add extra liquid when you serve it. You can sweeten it with honey, white sugar, brown sugar, or agave. And so on. Once you have the basic recipe down, it’s up to you how you play with it. I think one cup of oatmeal to three cups of liquid is just right for a creamy porridge and do stir it often as it simmers on the stove.

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal
3 cups milk (or a combination of milk and water)
1 cup raisins
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
milk or cream, to serve with as needed
honey or agave, to serve with as needed

Instructions:
1. Simmer the oatmeal, milk, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon over low heat, stirring frequently, for about 5-7 minutes.
2. Serve with milk or cream and honey or agave, to taste.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

As I posted a couple of days ago, I baked two types of cookies for my students. One kind was coconut macaroons and the other type was oatmeal raisin cookies. This recipe can be varied. I often add half a cup of nuts and/or chocolate chunks and/or coconut to it. And sometimes I use different spices, such as cardamom or nutmeg. You can also soak the raisins in rum, for a more adult flavour. Try it out and see what combination appeals to you.

Ingredients:
¾ cup raisins
boiling water
¾ cup butter or other vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup water (I use the water that drains from the raisins after I plump them)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
salt, optional

Instructions:
1. Add the raisins to the boiling water, so they get plumper.
2. Beat together in a large bowl the butter, sugars, egg, water, and vanilla until creamy.
3. Add the oats, flour, baking soda, and salt if you want.
4. Add and mix in the raisins
5. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
6. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown at 180 C.