It's quite usual for our windowsill to be used as a seed nursery (Nik literally dreams of greenhouses but we've not got one yet) to give various veggies a good head start before throwing them on the mercy of the slugs and the Welsh weather but there's one crop that never makes it that far in our house; bean sprouts! I used to have a specially designed sprouting jar that had a clever lid, which drained away excess water whilst keep the jar upside down at an angle. I've also used a huge three tier sprouting tower that takes up half a window sill but is great if you're sprouting for a community of ten. I've recently discovered with joy that it can be even simpler than that and you can sprout all sorts very happily in no more than a basic jam jar.

As I understand it, sprouts are unique in being one of the only foods that actually increases in nutrients the longer you have it and they're certainly a great way of adding vitality and protein depending on what you're using, to a variety of meals. ​We especially like them in salads, sandwiches and stirfries but that's certainly not the limit of their application! ​

* Sorrel can also have the same effect on your tummy as cabbage... you have been warned! ;-) xx

There are few things more wholesome than cooking a genuinely delicious meal from vegetables you've grown, from seed perhaps, in your own garden. But I have to say that cooking a delicious meal from food you've weeded out of your garden to make way for said veggies is possibly even better. My 'to do' list yesterday morning included 'weed herb bed' and 'make packed lunch'... That I managed to do both of those things  in (sort of) one go was incredibly satisfying!

Ground Elder is an absolute scourge here, despite Nik's attempts to smother it into submission with acres of cardboard. It would be a losing battle before I even started to think I could make a dent in it across the whole garden but at the moment I've got a particular interest in keeping the herb bed free of the things that would threaten the optimum development of my poor little newly rooted cuttings. They're already at such a disadvantage thanks to the unseasonably dull, wet weather we seem to have been receiving across the country of late, so it's a good place to start!

​Give the leaves a good wash, pick out any bits of grass (or just decide it probably won't do you any harm) and set aside to drain. If you're organised (I wasn't) you'll have soaked some almonds overnight but you can speed things up by using boiling water to blanch them. They pop out of their skins in a surprisingly pleasing way, once they've cooled down a little. Chuck a really good glug of olive oil in the container you're using to blend, then add two or three large handfuls of ground elder along with your nuts (I used the aforementioned blanched almonds as well as some hemp seeds), some salt and a bit of pepper. Blend away!

With my quantities and blender, I found it needed just a tiny more liquid but I didn't want to add more oil so I used the juice of half a lime, which I thought also added some serendipitous flavour! Finally, I chucked in a little nutritional yeast as a nod to the traditional parmesan; and that was that!

​Use as you would any pesto, in pasta or maybe with bruschetta. I stirred mine into some wholemeal penne (with some chickpeas for extra protein, which made an excellent pasta salad for my packed lunch yesterday and left enough for us to have today as well, though I added some green peas to that for a flavoursome boost and stirred in a little unsweetened soya milk to stop it sticking.

I normally use about equal parts split red lentils to brown rice. If you really do need something that's very easy to digest, you're probably better off with white rice but if you've got an essentially healthy gut, brown rice contains more benefits in terms of fibre and nutrients. Red lentils are some of the easiest pulses to digest so you may well get away with chucking them straight in but to maximise digestibility you'll need to soak them for a few hours, drain and then boil them, skimming off the frothy scum that accumulates on the surface. What you're actually doing is removing the lectins, which are the proteins that many plants produce to deter things (including you and me) from eating them. It's these lectins that often cause digestive difficulties and can hinder bioavailability of some of the nutritional content so probably good to avoid them if possible! In this case, I gave them a good soak but I didn't boil them as I was a little short on time. Quite a bit of froth came off with a thorough wash and neither of us are struggling with digestion at the moment!
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With the rice measured and washed and the lentils ready to go, I then like to chop some carrot and celery very finely and peel, then grate some root ginger and turmeric. I'll also remove the stems from a handful of fresh coriander leaves and chop them finely too. With all those bits pre-prepped, it then comes together very quickly; melt some coconut oil (traditionally this would be ghee but coconut is a good vegan substitute and additionally cooling for us fiery pitta dosha types) and fry equal amounts of cumin, coriander and fennel seed. I usually use a teaspoon of each. When they're frothing away nicely, stir in the grated roots and add some freshly ground black pepper and a bit of salt (either sea salt or a mineral salt like the Himalayan pink stuff is best). I'll stir in a bit of ground turmeric too at this point.

Now’s a good time to prep the sprinkles! I like to serve it with toasted cashews and coconut as well as the chopped leaves of coriander from the stems I’ve already used. I’ve discovered that it’s extremely easy to burn desiccated coconut so I’ve got a little technique for this. First, dry roast the cashews gently until they’re looking nicely browned in all the right places and then turn off the heat. Add the coconut straight away and keep it moving. The pan will still be hot enough to toast it gently; but not hot enough to burn. This is also a good time to juice a lime or two (depends how much you’re cooking and how limey you like it!), which you’ll also want to set aside. 

So, I should like to correct my earlier statement, I’m not going to be sharing seasonal recipes in the formal, traditional sense. I shall be sharing visual guides to the (mostly) seasonal, vegan food I’m preparing for us to eat. Think of them as starting points and, should you feel you need it, feel free to then search out a more formal guide to quantities and cooking times! I do believe cooking should be an intuitive art, a creative act, a magical incantation, an alchemical method for transforming matter via the hopefully joyful activity of eating and I do hope you’ll find some inspiration and permission to begin flinging things about your own kitchen! These recipes will be plant based and will avoid processed food; that’s not to say I don’t occasionally indulge in a bit of vegan ‘cheese’ or a random veggie sausage but I do think preparing meals with minimally processed ingredients is by far the most healthful for person and planet. Fortunately, I also live with an experienced organic grower, which means that a lot of what I use will be home grown or foraged. Of course, if you want to try cooking something I’ve shared, you may need to make some adjustments!

Carefully wash a basketful of nettles (yes, we’re in an organic garden and there’s not much local traffic but there’s probably some agricultural runoff from the local fields and I know the dog’s not the only one to take a leak in random places). Please don’t ask me how big the basket was. Here’s a picture. Sting yourself a bit as you cut the leaves off the stems and then remember the gloves. Look in the ‘fridge and fish out some veg that looks like it would be happier in a stock than where it’s currently languishing. Roughly that sort thing, vague amounts will do, potatoes are a really good addition. I’ve recently discovered that potatoes are a much nicer addition to soup if you peel and boil them separately first. Apparently this helps stop them overpowering the other flavours and improves the texture. I’ve only tried it this once but I’m convinced. Having said that, if you’re short on time you could happily chuck them in with all the other veg, I doubt anyone would really notice. Chop the other veg and sauté it in some tasty fat (I used sunflower oil because it’s cheaper but I’d have liked to use rapeseed or olive) to get all the flavours going. Fat carries flavour, so for sure you can cook things in water if you need to have a very low fat diet for some reason... but I’m sorry to say it almost certainly won’t be as fully flavoured as it’s fatty cousin. 

This is a good time also to add black pepper, salt if you want it, herbs, culinary seeds, that sort of thing. All their flavours get in on the party too. Add some vegetable stock and let it do its thing for a bit whilst you blanch the nettles. That’s a posh word for ‘pour boiling water on them’. Depending on what you’re cooking, you might want to do that in a sieve but I kept them in their water this time so as to not lose any of their flavour or goodness down the sink! Hooray! No need to remember the gloves any longer, your nettles are now not stingy! Add them to the mix, complete with their lovely dark greeny-blue water and then have a mild panic about the lack of protein. Resort to the freezer and chuck in a handful (maybe a cupful?) of frozen peas with a sigh of relief. Cook it a little until they are defrosted and move on to the fun bit; time to release the stick blender! Up to you how smooth you like it. I tend to take this one pretty smooth but no reason not to keep it a bit chunky for character. It’ll hang out there for a little while but avoid letting it boil if you can. Flavours (and probably nutrients) tend to do better below 100 degrees in my experience. ​