We know eating with the seasons can take a little bit to get used to, so we teamed up with Elaine from Bond Street Eats to give you a whole slew of new ideas for getting the most out of your seasonal produce boxes.
Elaine is one of our wholesale customers, using Food Connect produce to create incredible plant-based, pre-cooked meals. She's passionate about educating her busy, health-conscious customers on the importance (and deliciousness) of local and sustainable ingredients.
In this guide, you'll get tips on which veggies to use first to reduce waste, which can easily be cooked together to save time, a number of simple-but-tasty recipes and a suggested time-saving meal plan for the week. Elaine has written all the key details down, but we really encourage you to watch the videos too for extra wisdom!
If Elaine has used an ingredient that's not in your box this week, why not give her a follow on Instagram and ask for substitution ideas?
Carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, eschallots, lettuce, asparagus, tomatoes, baby spinach, sprouts, cucumber, lettuce
Parsley, coriander, lemons, sweet miso, tamari, chickpeas, quinoa, tempeh, ginger kefir, almond butter, almonds, fresh ginger, spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, asafoetida, curry leaves), coconut cream/yoghurt
This is how I grouped some of the ingredients for the meal plan below. I chose what worked well both in terms of flavours and their ability to be cooked together to save time!
(recipes further down page)
Day 1: Tamari ginger sautéed beans, asparagus, tempeh and garlic, served with quinoa and broccoli rice, and almond butter sauce (make extra sauce, quinoa/broccoli rice and soaked chickpeas to use later in the week)
Day 2: Gado Gado style salad bowl w fried tempeh and almond butter sauce
Day 3: Roasted cauliflower, potato and tomato curry
Make simple tomato curry (recipe below) in pan, while roasting cauliflower & potatoes (roast carrots at same time for use later in the week). Add cauliflower and potatoes to curry, and serve with broccoli tabouleh and coconut/yoghurt cucumber sauce (recipes below)
Day 4: Probably leftover curry!
Day 5: Carrot falafels and carrot hummus w leftover tabbouleh & yoghurt sauce.
Day 6: Cauliflower fried rice with any leftover veg, almond sauce, tofu/tempeh/egg.
Day 7: Fridge is empty - order a meal pack from Bond Street Eats!
Tamari Ginger Asparagus, Beans & Tempeh w Quinoa Broccoli Rice & Almond Sauce
Cook 1 cup quinoa - rinse well. Add 1.25 cups water, pinch salt & dash oil. Bring to boil then reduce heat & let water absorb. Should take 10-12mins. Remove lid & fluff with fork.
Blitz 1/2 broccoli in food processor (or chop/grate) until resembles rice. Sauté in a large frying pan with dash of oil and salt for 3-4mins until it doesn't smell so raw. Stir in half of the cooked quinoa. Remove from heat & squeeze in juice of 1/2 lemon.
Blend or mix 2 cloves garlic, small chunk of grated ginger, 3-4 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, 3-4 tbsp peanut/sesame oil, white part of the spring onions and a little water to help blend.
Add trimmed asparagus & tempeh to a hot pan, add a little of the ginger sauce, cover with lid for a minute. Remove lid, add remainder of sauce and the beans, cook until just tender and sauce has reduced (about 5-7mins).
Serve on the quinoa broccoli with chopped spring onions (remaining green parts), fresh coriander, almond sauce (see below) and chopped roasted almonds.
Cook along here:
Video: Imogen Doyle/@negomi
Almond Sauce (double, triple or quadruple the recipe using a blender)
Combine:
Then stir in some ginger kefir to reach desired consistency & taste (you can substitute this for water & fresh lime/vinegar). Add salt to taste if there's no added salt in your tamari/soy sauce.
Store in jar in fridge for 4-5 days.
Broccoli Tabbouleh
Blitz as much broccoli as you would like to use in food processor, or chop finely. Sauté in pan then mix with cooked quinoa, finely chopped parsley and diced cucumber. Squeeze over lots of lemon juice and add a little sea salt. You can also add chopped spring onion to taste.
Basic tomato curry, with roasted cauliflower and potato
Roast 1/2 head cauliflower (chopped into florets) including some of the leaves (sprinkled w turmeric, salt & oil) at 180c for 25-30mins or until slightly brown.
Place a baking tray of water down the bottom of the oven to keep it soft on the inside as it crisps up on the outside. Wash & slice potatoes into chunks & roast on a separate tray (I like to parboil for 5mins, but it’s not necessary).
To make the curry sauce:
Sauté 1 onion, finely sliced, on low heat with a little oil for 5-10mins in deep frying pan until really soft. If you have black mustard seeds & fresh curry leaves, push onions to one side, add a little oil then add 1 tbsp mustard seeds. Once they start to pop add 2-3 stems curry leaves & a sprinkle of asafoetida (you can omit these if not available).
Blend 2 tbsp cumin seeds, 2 tbsp coriander seeds (use ground if not available), 1-2 fresh/dried chilli, the roots of a coriander bunch (washed well), 2-3 cloves garlic, 3-4cm piece ginger & 2-3 chopped tomatoes. Stir into the pan, simmer for 2-3mins. Roughly chop another 2-3 tomatoes & add to pan with 1/2 tin coconut cream. (save the creamy part of the coconut cream for cucumber sauce). Add 1 tbsp turmeric, a big pinch of salt & let simmer on low heat until sauce is thick (10-15mins).
Once cauliflower & potatoes are cooked, stir them in with some baby spinach. Squeeze over a little lemon juice & check salt. Serve w broccoli tabbouleh, cucumber sauce.
Cucumber sauce
Grate 1/2 cucumber & squeeze out excess liquid. Stir into 1 cup of yoghurt or else a little coconut cream mixed w lemon juice. Add some chopped fresh mint/fennel fronds if available.
Roasted carrot hummus
Soak 2 cups dried chickpeas overnight/8 hours w a little bicarb soda.
Drain water then either boil for 45mins-1 hour (or use a pressure cooker if available, allowing it to gently hiss for 20mins). Reserve cooking liquid.
Roast roughly chopped carrots for 45mins-1 hour (this can be done ahead of time).
In a food processor/blender - or mash using a lot of elbow grease - blitz approx 2 cups cooked chickpeas, 2-3 cups cooked carrots w 1 tbsp cumin, salt & pepper, juice of 1 lemon & enough cooking liquid to achieve desired consistency.
This recipe is quite nice slightly chunky.
Carrot falafels
Mix as you you would the hummus, but without the cooking liquid and with 1/2 bunch fresh parsley. Keep processing until mixture becomes quite soft & holds together when you squeeze it.
Form little balls & bake with a drizzle of oil for 15-20mins until a thin crust forms.
Gado Gado style salad
This is a really easy Indonesian-style salad. Grate or chop any raw or cooked veg you like. Add some fried tempeh and cover with the almond/peanut sauce!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Process/grate cauliflower, sauté in deep frying pan w a little garlic, ginger, chilli, tamari, grated/roasted carrot, any other veg like beans, spinach, spring onions, can add extra pre-cooked rice or quinoa. Add fried tempeh/tofu/egg. Top with almond/peanut sauce, fresh coriander.
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