Bo's Kitchen

Plant based recipes made with love

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Chunky almond granola clusters

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chunky almond granola clusters with maca

Granola is just one of those things I wish I’d started making years ago. It can be so expensive to buy and they are often laden with as much sugar and salt as regular cereals. I set about making my own after trying several recipes and I’m now sharing the result with you. Making your own granola means you can make it just how you like it, it’s fairly hard to go wrong! This recipe is super flexible, so if you don’t have any of the ingredients just stick with the same rough proportion of wet to dry ingredients and you can be sure to whip up your own exclusive batch of breakfast heaven. The most important thing to remember is not to break it up on the baking tray while cooking and to let it cool completely before smashing to pieces (I enjoy this bit). Granola is amazing with yoghurt, on top of oatmeal or just on its own! The perfect nutritious snack.

Chunky almond granola clusters

  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans
  • 1 cup dried fruit (I used cherries)
  • 2 tbsp Organic Burst chia seeds (optional)
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup or agave
  • Pinch of himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp Organic Burst maca powder (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 140°C and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.
  2. Blend almonds in a food processor into a rough crumb, leave chunkier for a crunchier granola. Add the almonds and oats to a large mixing bowl.
  3. Briefly pulse walnuts /pecans, just to break them up a little. Add to the mixing bowl.
  4. Add all other ingredients to mixing bowl, stirring really well until everything is coated evenly.
  5. Press the mixture down into a large flat piece of granola (almost like a flapjack) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the granola around in the oven, don’t break it up (this is the key to clusters).
  6. Check again after 15 minutes and if it’s starting to brown around the edges, take it out. It should take no longer than another 20 minutes until it’s ready.
  7. Take out the oven and leave to cool completely before breaking into chunky clusters. Stores in an airtight jar for two weeks.

Chia and fennel green pizza

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chia and fennel seed pizza crust

I’ve just realised that this is my third pizza recipe. I must really love pizza! I think what entices me the most is how adaptable it is, you don’t really need to have much in the cupboards to whip up a pizza. I always end  up chopping up more veggies than I need for toppings.

I had a craving for a green pizza this week, a herby, summery, savoury affair but with a crisp base that tastes like the real deal. This is honestly so delicious I will be making more houmous at the weekend just so I can have it again next week for lunch. The fennel seeds work really well with the garlic infused pesto. Pesto houmous is also my new favourite thing- SO GOOD.  I thoroughly recommend using marinated artichokes on top, because they are just the most delicious vegetable in the world and every pizza tastes better with more artichokes. A good thing about being vegan and asking for a pizza with no cheese when I eat out is that I get to ask for more artichokes instead. I’m all about the artichokes.

Recipe

Chia and fennel seed pizza crust

  • 1 cup gram(chickpea) flour
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 5 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
  • Salt and pepper

Kale pesto

  • 5 large handfuls of kale
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 1 bunch of basil (large handful)
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 cup of walnuts
  • 2 tsp Organic Burst wheatgrass (optional)
  • 1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt

Houmous

  • 1 tin of organic chickpeas
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 cup of water/liquid from the can of chickpeas

Kale pesto –

  1. Start by blending your garlic cloves in a food processor until finely minced.
  2. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth.
  3. Store your kale pesto in a jar for up to four weeks in the fridge, covering with a thin layer of olive oil to keep it fresh.

Houmous –

  1. Blend garlic in a food processor until fine.
  2. Add all other ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy, adding more water/chickpea liquid a little at a time if you need to.
  3. If you want to make kale pesto houmous, simply mix equal parts houmous and kale pesto.

Chia and fennel seed crust-

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°c and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. To make the pizza crust, mix the chia seeds with 4tbsp of water and leave to form a gel. This should take around 5 minutes.
  3. Add all dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir to incorporate. Now add the cup of water and the chia seed gel. Mix until it’s smooth but still quite thick, you want it to slowly drop of the spoon, like a thick paste.
  4. Spread the base over your prepared baking tray and cook for 20 minutes, until firm.
  5. Allow to cool and then top with kale pesto houmous, courgette ribbons, red onion, fresh oregano, fresh basil, marinated artichokes and sesame seeds.

Raspberry choc chip muffins

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raspberry chocolate chip vegan chia muffins

This week it was sunny almost every day, I managed to get a tan! Sadly, the sunshine didn’t last all week. As soon as Friday came, so did the rain, which only meant one thing- baking! Although I really enjoy sunning myself in the garden, I love nothing more than a day snuggled up in the house, with time to myself to try some new recipes, experiment with different flavours and indulge my culinary desires (usually in the form of lots of cooking shows and my favourite newspaper for inspiration). I set to work on these muffins as soon as I woke up on Saturday morning. The result is a soft, moist muffin that is light, tangy with raspberries and gorgeously chocolatey. Just perfect with a large Americano.

A lot of vegan muffin or cupcake recipes can be dry or dense, so I tried to make these as moist as possible with more than one type of egg replacer, which seemed to do the trick. I’ve been hibernating by myself all weekend and have almost finished the whole batch to myself. They are still as soft today as they were yesterday, so this recipe is definitely a keeper! They’re also vegan, refined sugar free and can easily be adapted to be gluten free.

Raspberry choc chip muffins (makes 10)

  • 2 chia eggs (mix 2bsp chia with 6tbsp water) (I use Organic Burst’s ethically sourced, organic chia)
  • 2 medium ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup plant based mylk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (sub gluten free if you wish)
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (can sub gluten free oats)
  • 1/2 cup choc chips
  • 1 cup raspberries
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease your muffin tin.
  2. Prepare your chia eggs in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes. Mix really well with a fork until no big lumps of chia remain.
  3. Mix plant based mylk and cider vinegar in a small bowl.  This will curdle in a minute or two to form vegan buttermilk.
  4. To your chia egg, add bananas and coconut sugar. Mash together with a fork until a few lumps remain, you don’t want it totally smooth. Now add the buttermilk. Stir briefly to incorporate.
  5. Add vanilla and coconut oil and stir again.
  6. Add baking soda, sea salt, flour and oats to the wet mix and stir until just combined. Fold through choc chips and 3/4 cup raspberries.
  7. Divide batter between your prepared muffin tin, I fill them to the top which makes 10 but you can make 12 smaller muffins if you prefer- just fill them 3/4 of the way to the top.
  8. Sprinkle a few choc chips and your remaining 1/4 cup of raspberries on top and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden.  Let cool for a few minutes and then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. These will store well in a covered container at room temperature for several days.

raspberry vegan muffins with chocolate chip

Beet cucumber and avo maki

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beet cucumber and avocado maki

Sushi is the perfect light summer meal. I love making a batch and snacking on it through the day, it never leaves me too full. It’s actually really easy to make, all you need is a sushi rolling mat, which you can pick up at your local supermarket. The beautiful vibrant pink comes from a little beetroot juice, but you can of course leave it out, or use other natural colourings, turmeric for yellow, red cabbage for purple or spinach for green. I love the earthiness of beetroot mixed with rice wine vinegar though, it really works well with the creamy avocado and refreshing cucumber.

I’ve tried to make the instructions on rolling sushi as simple as possible, but if like me, you prefer to look at pictures, there’s a great diagram here. Next time I will take more pictures I promise!

I was kindly gifted these gorgeous knives by Edge of Belgravia recently (best gift ever, thank you lovely knife people) and they have quickly become my new favourite kitchen toys. Super sharp and incredibly slick, they make slicing, chopping and dicing a sheer pleasure. You really do need a sharp knife to cut sushi, so I definitely recommend checking out these knife sets if you’re in need of one, they’re very reasonably priced for the quality.

Beet, cucumber and avo maki (makes 3 rolls, at least 18 pieces of sushi)

  • 1 cup sushi rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar (or any other sugar you have)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3-5 tbsp pure beetroot juice
  • 3 nori sheets
  • 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin, even strips
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced as above
  • Black sesame seeds (optional)
  1. Rinse sushi rice well under cool, running water until most of the starch is removed (the water should run fairly clear when it’s ready).
  2. Mix rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a little bowl.
  3. Add sushi rice and water to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and put the lid on. Leave to cook for 8 minutes. Check to see if all the water has been absorbed, if not, cook for a few more minutes.
  4. When your rice is ready, immediately stir through your vinegar, sugar and salt mix and add 3 tbsp of beetroot juice. If you want it pinker, add some more beetroot juice. Allow to cool to room temperature before using.
  5. Lay out your nori sheet according to the packet instructions (usually shiny side down) on a sushi mat. Spread a third of the rice on 2/3 of the nori sheet, working from the edge closest to you. Be sure to spread the rice right to the sides. Take your time here.
  6. Layer your sliced veggies lengthways across the rice, about a third of the way in from the edge closest to you. Sprinkle the veggies with black sesame seeds, if using.
  7. Lift the edge closest to you and begin to tightly wrap the rolls all the way to the end, pushing down lightly on the sushi mat with each turn to help it stick together.
  8. Using the sharpest knife you have, chop each roll into inch rounds. Serve with wasabi and tamari soy sauce.

Aquafaba waffles with cashew cream

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peaches and cashew cream aquafaba wafflesAquafaba experiments have led me to these waffles. There’s a fair few aquafaba pancake recipes around online but I haven’t quite mastered them yet. I tried to switch up my trusty waffle recipe with aquafaba instead. Just save the liquid from a drained can of chickpeas (or kidney beans). You don’t even need to whip it, yet it still makes for the crispiest, lightest vegan waffles I have ever tried. I made a cashew cream to accompany the waffles, as I had a serious craving for peaches and cream! Oh and blueberries. Maybe a little maple syrup crept in there too…

The recipe below will make an extra big pot of cashew cream which you can keep in the fridge and add to overnight oats, pancakes, cookies, toast etc.

Cashew cream

  • 1 1/2 cup soaked, drained cashews, (soak overnight)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • Juice of lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 vanilla pod, deseeded
  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and process on high until smooth. Add a little more water if you need to, blending for a good 5-7 minutes until you have a smooth, glossy cashew cream. Store in the fridge for up to four days.

Waffles

 

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup plant based milk
  • 3 tbsp aquafaba
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  1. Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in bowl.
  2. Add milk, aquafaba and oil and whisk until smooth and runny.
  3. Brush your waffle iron with a little oil. Fill iron with batter and cook until crisp.
  4. Top with fresh fruit, maple syrup and cashew cream.

Blueberry buckwheat parfait

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blueberry buckwheat parfaitCreamy, sweet, filling and nutritious. These little blueberry beauties are sure to get your day off to a good start! If you don’t have any black currants, just sub them for more blueberries. These take less than five minutes to prepare, just remember to soak your cashews and buckwheat the night before. You do need some frozen bananas too, so don’t forget to pop a couple in the freezer! I always have a tonne pre frozen, I think I presume most people are as banana obsessed as I am.

Buckwheat is naturally gluten free (it’s actually from the rhubarb family) and full of fibre and B vitamins, meaning it’s a great addition to breakfast. It also contains tryptophan which is a natural anti depressant! Just one cup of buckwheat provides 25% of your RDA of tryptophan. It’s pretty awesome stuff.

Blueberries and blackcurrants are from a powerful family of blue fruits and veggies. Anything blessed with this beautiful colour helps fight inflammation in the body, boosts your immune system and contains anti cancer compounds. I’d love to know if you try this simple breakfast parfait!

Blueberry buckwheat parfait (makes 2 parfaits)

  • 3/4 cup buckwheat (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
  • 1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup black currants
  • 1 tsp acai powder (optional)

Extra berries and mint for decorating (I used leftover brownie crumble too)

  1. Rinse your soaked buckwheat well, until the water runs clear and the sticky residue is removed. Rinse your cashews too.
  2. Add rinsed buckwheat, cashews, frozen bananas, vanilla extract and coconut milk to your blender and blend until smooth. You want it to be thick but pourable, so add a little water if you need to.
  3. Pour the mixture into your glasses until 3/4 full. To the remaining mix in the blender, add blueberries, black currants and acai powder and blend until smooth.
  4. Top up your jars with the purple mix and decorate with more berries, brownie crumble and mint.