The brightest hummus ever!

Packed lunches can be a bind, but buying food at school or work can be a challenge when you're eating a free-from diet. Choice is limited, expensive and often just junk, which is OK from time to time, but not on a daily basis. So hummus is a permanent feature in our fridge, but even that can get a little dull after time - variety is the key.

This beetroot hummus can never be described as dull; the vibrant, almost neon bright pink of the hummus can brighten up any packed lunch, lighting up the senses with colour and taste.
Beetroot is a fabulous vegetable to munch on in the winter months. Sweet and juicy, it's packed full of nutrients that help get you through the short, wet days and fight off those winter bugs. And if you manage to find some with the leaves still attached, then even better, as this deep green foliage contains even more nutritional goodies that will boost your immunity.
Beetroot is great for your liver, helping it to detoxify, perfect at this time of year when the body is still recovering from excesses over the festive season! Its high fibre content is good for gut health, helping to relieve constipation - it also contains good amounts of the amino acid glutamine, essential for the health of your gut lining. As well as the fibre, beetroot also has good amounts of folic acid, manganese and potassium; the leaves zing with calcium, iron and vitamins A and C.
Beetroot and chickpeas combined make a super-nutrient packed dish. Chickpeas are one of my favourite beans, with it's strong earthy flavour and high fibre content, they're good for your taste buds and your body, and an essential ingredient of a whole food, plant based diet. Although they're not a complete protein, chickpeas are still a good source of protein and packed full of fibre, manganese, folate, iron and zinc as well as other phytonutrients that are beneficial to gut and heart health. And for those with blood sugar problems or looking to lose weight, research shows that chickpeas help regulate blood sugar levels as well as keep you feeling full for longer, so reducing the need to binge on other sugary foods.  Phew!
So if you're not too worn out thinking about how amazing these ingredients are, give this beetroot hummus a go and taste their amazingness! It's easy to make, and definitely easy to eat!  A perfect snack or lunch companion, dairy free and super healthy.
Beetroot hummus.
400g cooked chickpeas (rinsed if from a tin or soaked and cooked)

2 medium sized cooked beetroot (not in vinegar)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1 small clove of garlic crushed and chopped
1 - 2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt
up to 100ml olive oil
Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a food processor and blitz until combined. Keep the processor on, add the olive oil gradually until you reach a good texture and 'dippy' consistency. Serve garnished with parsley and a little sprinkling of cumin.

* If you cooked the chickpeas rather than use tinned, retain some of the cooking fluid and use this to replace some of the oil. This reduces the fat content, plus adds in some of the nutrients lost in the cooking fluid. Never do this with tinned chickpeas, as the fluid often contains added salt and sugar.

Dairy free panna cotta? Don't mind if I do!!

The last couple of months has been so busy, there's been no time to blog. Luckily I've still managed to find time to potter and experiment in the kitchen, so lots more postings to come soon (if I get more organised!).

When I get talking to friends and acquaintances about my diet choice, I usually get exclamations of horror or sympathy, and the same recurring question - "whatever do you eat?". For me, eating a dairy free, mainly plant based diet is exciting and liberating, one big adventure in the kitchen. It's not limiting, but expanding (my repertoire not my waistline!) and with a little imagination and creativity, it's not too hard to produce delicious, satisfying dishes, that some how become choices rather than alternatives.

Anyone who has read any of my other posts should be able to recognise by now that I have a sweet tooth. I love puddings, but traditionally they do not like me as most are packed full of butter, cream or dairy of some sort. Eating out, puddings are usually off the menu, unless we are in a specialist restaurant like the amazing Terre a Terre in Brighton, when I can gorge until my hearts content. But at home, my kitchen can become like a mad scientists laboratory, with some pretty interesting (and hopefully tasty) results!
A while back, I had a craving for panna cotta, that gorgeously creamy, wobbly Italian dessert that just melts in your mouth. I really didn't think that a pudding packed with cream, sugar and gelatin could be made dairy free, vegetarian and still beautifully tasty - but it can! In fact, it's so delicate and light, that I think it's actually better than the original (or maybe I'm just a bit biased!).  And when it comes to food sensitivities or healthy diets, panna cotta (the alternative) is the ultimate in free-from dessert - dairy, egg, gluten and even sugar free, suitable for vegans too.

Panna cotta is often on restaurant menus, so I’d always believed it was a tricky number – actually it’s really quick and simple. I’ve made this a number of times now, including for a dinner party, and it’s never let me down.

I’ve just included the necessities for a simple vanilla panna cotta. I usually serve this with a raspberry coulis, basically because I love the contrast of sharp, bitty raspberries with the sweet, smooth cream. To make it uber healthy, the sugar can be replaced by a fruit puree, like mango or strawberry, but stir it in at the end before pouring it into the moulds.

Vanilla panna cotta

375mls almond milk *

60g caster sugar

250 mls dairy free cream (I use Oatly)

1 1/2 tablespoons agar**

vanilla essence/paste/seeds

Place the almond milk and sugar in a saucepan and sprinkle the agar over the top. Gently heat the mixture but do not stir until it's boiling (this is hard to resist!!). Reduce the heat, simmer and stir gently until all the agar and sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes but may take longer). Take off the heat, stir in the dairy free cream and vanilla then pour into moulds. This fills 4 good sized round moulds, or small ramekin dishes. Leave to cool slightly for a few minutes, then place in the fridge to set. The panna cotta will be set in a couple of hours, but the longer you leave them, the firmer they will be. Serve as it is, or with a fruit coulis of your choice. 

It really is that easy - give it a go and see what flavours you can create.

* you can use any dairy free milk, but I prefer almond for this as it has a good texture and is already slightly sweet. Soya milk is too pungent for a delicate pud.

** agar is a traditional Japanese gelling agent made from seaweed. It sets really well but operates differently to gelatin. It's really important to follow the instructions very carefully. Of course, if you wish to use gelatin, then do so - sprinkle 2 1/4 teaspoons over the milk and leave it to 'bloom' for a few minutes. Stir in the sugar and warm gently for a minute until the sugar and gelatin has dissolved. Do not boil. Turn off the heat, add the other ingredients and continue as per the main recipe.