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Beatrice Caffrey
food envy

'It's a hug in a bowl': 5 plant-based recipes from a keen cook in Wicklow

Beatrice Caffrey aims to eat 30 different plant foods every week.

EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late. The kind of food you don’t need a recipe for, from quick snacks to empty-the-fridge dinners.

This week, Beatrice Caffrey (@thenourishedbowl) shared five plant-based recipes that she can’t get enough of.

“My husband and I adopted a plant-based diet two years ago and my main aim is to incorporate as many different plant-based foods into our diet,” says Beatrice, who grew up in Germany before travelling around the world and moving to Greystones in 2011.

“It’s said that you should aim to eat 30 different plant varieties every week and I think we get pretty close to that most times.”

From lasagne soup to an avocado platter, below are five of Beatrice’s favourite dishes to make.

1. Chocolate orange overnight oats: Porridge is a regular staple in our house but when I am out of the house early, I will often bring breakfast with me in the form of overnight oats. These are so easy to prepare the night before and in the morning you can just grab the jar from the fridge and go. For this recipe, I soak the oats in orange juice and add a teaspoon of raw cacao powder to give them the chocolate flavour. In the morning, top with a bit of maple syrup, maybe some nut butter and cacao nibs or fruit and you’re ready to go.

unnamed (4) Beatrice Caffrey Beatrice Caffrey

2. Mushroom tofu pan: This big mushroom tofu pan is made nearly every weekend for a late breakfast or early lunch. Fry up some onions and garlic, then add a variety of sliced mushrooms.

Let the mushrooms soften, then add a block of firm tofu that has been cut into small cubes. Add some soya sauce, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar and let it simmer for a few more minutes. At the last minute, add in some chopped kale and let it wilt.

unnamed (6) Beatrice Caffrey Beatrice Caffrey

3. Green goddess platter: This avocado platter is so easy to prepare, yet so effective especially if you have people coming over to your house. Just add green lettuce (any variety) to a large platter, cut open the avocados, remove from their skin and distribute over the leaves.

Sprinkle with some sprouted seeds and have a nice dressing for guests to help themselves. My favourite dressing is a combination of rapeseed oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, tahini, maple syrup, salt and pepper.

unnamed (1) Beatrice Caffrey Beatrice Caffrey

4. Lasagne soup: This is a great winter warmer and allows you to use up all of the vegetables in your fridge and those lasagne sheets in your pantry that you have been meaning to use for ages. Prepare your base like a stew with a variety of vegetables such as leek, peppers, courgettes, sweet corn. Add bold flavourings like miso paste and mushroom powder – you want this to be powerful, but not necessarily spicy.

Top with chopped tomatoes from a can and vegetable broth, then break in your lasagne sheets. Simmer until the pasta is cooked. This is a hug in a bowl!

unnamed (2) Beatrice Caffrey Beatrice Caffrey

5. Raw lemon cashew cakes: These zingy little cakes are a great treat to have in your fridge or freezer and with that zesty lemon flavour, they hardly feel like dessert at all. The base is a mix of cashews, oats and dates which is pressed into silicone muffin shapes.

Whilst these go in the freezer for an hour to set, prepare the top: blend soaked cashews, coconut oil, maple syrup, lemon zest and lemon juice. Add to the base, then store in the freezer for 2-3 hours until they are firm. Keep in the fridge.

unnamed Beatrice Caffrey Beatrice Caffrey

More: ‘This salad is one of my favourites’: 5 creative dishes from a Leitrim foodie

More: ‘It’s my take on a childhood classic’: 5 all-time favourites from a keen Tipperary home cook

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