We have made a conscious effort to reduce our meat consumption recently. And for us that has meant a boost in our bean intake … Good thing we love beans!

This recipe hits all the right marks for us. It is delicious, nutritious, budget friendly, fast and easy to make, fits all of our allergies and it is very filling and satisfying… Even for the biggest carnivore 😉

It is even one of those meals, made from regular pantry staples, that you can throw together in the morning and the flavors get even better when you reheat it in the evening. Wins all ’round!

• 2 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 350-400g gold sweet potato, small dice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• medium brown onion, diced
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced chilli
• 1 rounded tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 2 cups (500g) pasata
• 1 cup hot veggie stock

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy based pan.

Add in onion and fry until golden.

Add in the garlic and chilli and fry for a further minutes before adding in dry spices.

Fry for about 2 mins, mixing well, before adding in the sweet potato. Mix well to cover in spice mix and fry for a couple of minutes.

Add black beans, pasata and stock, mix well and bring to a simmer.

Simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

We serve this one over either brown rice or roasted cauliflower and top it with slices of ripe avocado, drizzled with a squeeze of lime juice. Yum!

For a number of years I have been making a version of my Vegan Sister in-laws “butter chicken” – I know …. butter chicken without the butter and without the chicken!!

Butter chicken would have to be one of my favourite curries, so I was delighted to try out her recipe.

You can check out her version here 

I have adapted her recipe to avoid the things we are are unable use – sometimes I also add in the meat that my husband and daughter so love (you can find that addition below the main recipe). I love being able to use lots of our garden produce in this – home grown onion, garlic, chillies and broad beans! It makes a large batch – enough for 2 meals for all 6 of us. It freezes and thaws well so we have an easy ‘take away’ meal on hand for crazy nights!

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 medium brown onion, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1 heaped tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/3 tsp ground cloves
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 3 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp very finely diced red chilli
• 500g tomato pasata
• 150g sliced button  mushrooms
• 2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 270ml coconut cream (plus the tin filled up again with hot water)
• 150g sunflower seed butter

In a large, heavy based frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add in the onion. Fry until the onion beings to turn translucent.

Add in all of the dry spices and fry for a further minute.

Add in the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry, stirring well, until all combined and fragrant.

Add in the pasatta, deglaze the pan and stir well to combine.

Add in the mushroom and beans, stir well.

Add in the coconut cream, water and seed butter and stir until the mixture is well combined and smooth.

Bring to a simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve over rice.

If you would like a meatier version of this meal you will need:

• 1 tbsp garlic infused oil
• 4 skinless chicken thighs, diced
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• pinch of salt and pepper.

Before the above steps, heat the oil in the pan and add in the chicken. Season and fry until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.

Return the chicken to the pan in the last minute or 2 of the simmering time.

Enjoy 🙂

Each month when I sit down to write out our menu I ask the kids for input.

Invariably Ellie says ‘Calamari’, George yells ‘Pizza’, Harry yells ‘Everything Mexican’ and Will suggests Fried Rice and lots of veggies.

But this time Will surprised me.

He asked for ‘those long, fat, hollow noddles that you put stuff in and have sauce on top’ 🙂 So here … with the more fancy name of Cannelloni…. was my interpretation of his request!!

• 800g butternut pumpkin
• 400g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed
• cannelloni tubes (we used the San Remo GF ones)
• 2 tbsp garlic olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary
• 1/2 tsp pink salt flakes
• 1/3tsp ground nutmeg
• 400ml tomato passata
• 1/2 cup warm veggie stock
• 2 large handfuls spinach
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Peel and dice the pumpkin and place in a large baking pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, nutmeg and rosemary.

Bake in a pre-heated 200C oven for about 40 minutes.

Remove tray from oven and add in the chick peas, toss them with the pumpkin and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn oven down to 180C. Mash the pumpkin and chick peas and then place into a piping bag.

Fill the cannelloni tubes with the pumpkin mix an then lay in a baking dish.

In a blender/processor/bullet/thermal cooker, place the passata, spinach, nutritional yeast, stock and coconut cream and process until smooth.

Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the filled cannelloni and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and return to the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

Slice and serve hot.

Enjoy 🙂