Recipes: Full of flavour
Go-with-the-grain Feta & Sweet Potato Supper
Gorgeously good for you – and ridiculously tasty!Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2tbsp Pura Coconut Oil
300g prepared sweet potatoes or butternut squash, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 red onion, sliced
100g red and white quinoa
100g giant couscous
2tsp vegetable stock powder
400g can green lentils, rinsed and drained
2tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, plus sprigs to garnish
100g feta cheese
Lime or lemon wedges, to serve
Dressing:
3tbsp Pura Coconut Oil
2tbsp lime or lemon juice
2tsp wholegrain mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas Mark 6.
2 Pour the Pura Coconut Oil into a large roasting tin and add the sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Roast for 10 minutes, then add the pepper and onion. Stir together, then roast for a further 20 minutes, until tender.
3 Meanwhile, cook the quinoa and giant couscous in simmering water with the stock powder for 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain well.
4 Combine the hot roast vegetables with the quinoa, couscous, lentils and chopped parsley.
5 For the dressing, mix together the Pura Coconut Oil with the lime or lemon juice and mustard. Season, then stir half through the mixture. Share between 4 bowls or plates and crumble the feta cheese on top. Sprinkle with parsley sprigs and serve with lime or lemon wedges and the rest of the dressing.
Cook's tip:
Use regular couscous if you prefer.
Almond and Blueberry Polenta Cake
Gluten free and gorgeous – this cake is perfect for an afternoon tea treat.Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 55 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients
150g TREX
150g caster sugar
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2tsp almond essence
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
200g ground almonds
200g instant polenta
Pinch salt
2tsp baking powder
120g blueberries
To decorate:
200g cream cheese
Few drops of vanilla extract
A few toasted flaked almonds
Edible flowers – we used violas (optional)
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, Gas Mark 4. Grease a 20cm round cake tin with a little TREX, then line with baking paper.
2 Beat the TREX and caster sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light in texture, then gradually beat in the eggs. Stir in the almond essence, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the ground almonds, polenta, salt and baking powder, mixing thoroughly. Reserve a few blueberries for decoration, then stir the rest into the cake mixture.
3 Transfer to the prepared tin and level the surface. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until a fine skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Remove the lining paper.
4 To decorate, mix the cream cheese and vanilla extract together and spread it onto the cake. Scatter with toasted flaked almonds and the reserved blueberries. Finish off with edible flowers, if using.
Cook's tips:
Check the label on the baking powder to make sure that it's gluten-free – most varieties are.
To make the cake dairy-free, serve it without the frosting.
21st Century Salad
This up-to-the-minute salad is full of fantastic flavours and good-for-you ingredients, helping to take you towards your 10-a-day total for fruit and veg. It's great for vegans and vegetarians too!Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2tbsp Pura Coconut Oil
2 courgettes, sliced diagonally
2 yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into large chunks
100g bulgur wheat
100g green beans, sliced
20 cherry tomatoes, halved
100g baby kale or young spinach leaves
20g whole almonds
20g pumpkin seeds
Dressing:
3tbsp Pura Coconut Oil
2tbsp cider vinegar
1tsp wholegrain mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat a char-grill pan or the grill. Brush Pura Coconut Oil lightly over the slices of courgette and pieces of pepper. Char-grill or grill the vegetables, in batches if necessary, until just tender.
2 At the same time cook the bulgur wheat in lightly salted boiling water for about 12 minutes, until tender, according to pack instructions. Lightly cook the green beans in simmering water for 3-4 minutes. Rinse both with cold water and drain thoroughly.
3 Mix together the courgettes, peppers, bulgur wheat, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Share the baby kale or young spinach leaves between 4 serving bowls and spoon in the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle the almonds and pumpkin seeds on top.
4 Make the dressing by mixing together the Pura Coconut Oil with the cider vinegar, mustard and seasoning. Serve sprinkled over the salads.
Cook's tips:
For extra flavour, toast the almonds and pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a high heat for 1-2 minutes, shaking the pan so that they toast evenly.
Try adding char-grilled asparagus to this recipe when it's in season – just brush the spears with Pura Coconut Oil as before, and cook for 3-4 minutes until tender.
Golden Cornbread with Smashed Avocado and Crispy Bacon
Ideal for breakfast or brunch, this simple cornbread is served topped with smashed avocado and crispy bacon rashers.Preparation 30 minutes
Cooking 40-45 minutes
Makes approx. 20 pieces
Ingredients
100g TREX
375g plain flour
200g fine polenta
1tsp salt
4tsp baking powder
110g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
4tbsp natural yogurt
400ml milk
198g can sweetcorn, drained
To serve:
Ripe avocados
Crispy bacon rashers
Finely sliced red chilli (optional)
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan oven 180°C, Gas Mark 6. Lightly grease a 25 x 30cm baking tin or roasting tin with TREX and line with baking paper.
2 In a large mixing bowl, beat together the TREX, flour, polenta, salt, sugar, eggs, yogurt and milk to give a smooth batter. Stir in the sweetcorn.
3 Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and springy to the touch. Cool in the tin.
4 Serve each portion with mashed avocado and crispy bacon rashers, with a little fresh red chilli, if you like.
Cook's tips:
Measure the TREX into your mixing bowl and allow it to come to room temperature for a few minutes so that mixing is easier.
Wrap the cornbread in greaseproof paper or foil and keep it in an airtight tin in a cool place for up to 5 days. If you wish, freeze some of the cornbread for up to 3 months.