Tomatoes are a good source of nutrients including vitamin C, lycopene, and dietary fiber. With around 116 grams of water and key electrolytes, tomatoes help keep you hydrated.
Tomatoes provide health benefits thanks to their vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and bioactive compounds like lycopene, quercetin, resveratrol, and luteolin.
Tomatoes can be eaten raw, stewed, roasted or pan cooked.
Your July veg share is likely to include:
Sri Lankan Green Bean Curry – from Great British Chefs website
Ottolenghi’s Spicy Moroccan Carrot Salad
If you have a gas hob, put the aubergine directly onto a lit ring to char completely, turning occasionally with kitchen tongs, until burnt all over. Alternatively, use a barbecue or heat the grill to its highest setting and cook, turning occasionally, until completely blackened (the grill won’t give you the same smoky flavour). Set aside to cool on a plate, then peel off the charred skin and remove the stem. Roughly chop the flesh and set aside.
In a large pan, heat the oil, add the onion and carrots with a pinch of salt, and fry over a low-medium heat for 15-20 mins until the carrots have softened.
Add the aubergine, both types of lentils, the kidney beans with the liquid from the can, soy sauce, tomatoes, chocolate, chilli powder, oregano and the spices. Stir to combine, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to very low. Cover with a lid and cook for 1½ hrs, checking and stirring every 15-20 mins to prevent it from burning.
Remove the lid and let the mixture simmer over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 mins until you get a thick sauce. Stir in the lime juice and taste for seasoning – add more salt if needed. Serve hot over rice with whichever accompaniments you want!
To serve – brown rice, tortilla chips, mashed avocado, yogurt or soured cream, grated cheddar, roughly chopped coriander (optional)
Begin by making the curry leaf oil, as this will take a few hours to strain.
Place the curry leaves and vegetable oil in a blender and blitz at a high speed for several minutes until the oil turns green. Pour the contents of the blender into a muslin cloth hung over a bowl and leave to strain.
Add a dash of vegetable oil to a saucepan and fry the shallots, garlic, chillies, cinnamon and sprig of curry leaves for 5 minutes until soft. Add the diced tomato and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the green beans, chilli flakes, cumin, turmeric and pepper and cook gently for 5 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for a few more minutes. If you’d like a drier curry with a thicker sauce, simply add less coconut milk.
Season to taste, then transfer to a serving bowl. Top with crispy shallots, extra curry leaves (ideally fried in a little oil until crisp) and finish with a drizzle of the curry leaf oil.
Preheat oven to 220C/425F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan/convection).
Cut/break broccoli into florets and pile onto baking tray.
Drizzle all over with extra virgin olive oil, scatter with garlic, salt and pepper. Toss with fingers or tongs, then spread out over tray in a single layer.
Roast for 20 to 25 minutes until the tips of the florets are slightly browned and crispy. The broccoli should be “tender crisp”, meaning just cooked through, not soft and floppy.
Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle over the lemon juice, lemon zest, and parmesan.
Toss quickly, transfer to serving plate and garnish with a bit more parmesan. Serve warm!
Peel the carrots and cut them, depending on their size, into cylinders or semi-circles 1cm thick; all the pieces should end up roughly the same size. Place in a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender but still crunchy. Drain in a colander and leave to dry out.
Heat the oil in a large frypan and saute the onion for 12 minutes on medium heat until soft and slightly brown. Add the cooked carrots to the onions, followed by all the remaining ingredients, apart from the coriander and yoghurt. Remove from the heat and season liberally with salt, stir well and leave to cool.
Before serving, stir in the coriander, taste, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of yoghurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and garnished with extra coriander.
Your June veg share is likely to include:
Swiss chard & kohlrabi with lemon sauce
Cut the white chard stems from green leaves in a V shape, slice diagonally into 5mm strips. Slit the leaves in half, roll 3-4 at a time like a cigar, thinly slice. Put in a bowl and scatter with a little lemon zest. Thinly slice kohlrabi and sprinkle with zest also.
Boil the stock and lemon juice to reduce by half. Pour in a jug and mix in the chopped parsley. Cool, whisk in most of the oil.
Put the rosemary, tarragon and coriander into a steaming pan with the garlic. Cover with water and bring to the boil. Fit basket on top. Sprinkle base with salt and pepper and lay in the kohlrabi. Scatter over white chard and season again. Top with the sprigs of parsley. Drizzle with oil, cover and steam, 5 mins. Remove parsley and scatter over the green chard, lifting up the white vegetables lightly with a large fork. Cover and steam for 3-4 more mins.
Remove to a serving dish and pour over some sauce to serve. This tastes wonderful with grilled salmon or a chicken breast.
Your May veg share is likely to include:
Golden potato and vegetable cakes
Chickpea & chard tamarind curry
Pre heat the oven to 160°C and line a brownie baking tray with baking paper.
Combine beetroot, dates, liquid sweetener, eggs, oil and vanilla in food processor or blender on high speed for one minute, until smooth.
Then add dry ingredients and mix through, either in mixing bowl or using food processor.
Pour mixture into baking tray (or spoon into paper-lined muffin tins).
Bake for 45 minutes or until a fork comes out clean.
Remove from oven and cool completely in tray.
Cook the potatoes with their skins on in a large saucepan of boiling water for 20–25 minutes. When cooked, plunge them immediately into a bowl of cold water to arrest the cooking process. Leave to cool, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Roughly crush – not mash or purée – the potatoes using a fork. Add the spring onions, garlic granules, turmeric, carrot, cabbage or kale, chillies, thyme, nigella seeds and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Season generously with salt and pepper and mix well.
Line a tray with a sheet of baking paper. Divide the potato mixture into 40g portions and form each portion into a disc with a diameter of roughly 5cm and a thickness of 1cm. Lay these on the prepared tray and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm them up before frying.
Spread the remaining flour in a shallow dish. Drizzle a little oil into a large frying pan and heat it over medium heat. Remove the potato cakes from the fridge. When the oil is hot, dust the potato cakes in the flour and fry for 6–8 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Reduce the heat if they colour too quickly or start to blacken. Serve immediately, sprinkled with salt flakes. Date and tamarind sauce or sweet and spicy relishes complement these potato and vegetable cakes very well.
Combine all ingredients and stir well. Serve with your favourite curry or Indian dish.
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry the chard stalks and spring onions for 3 mins until softened. Stir in the garlic and spices and cook for 2-3 mins until fragrant.
Pour in the stock, chickpeas, tamarind and coconut milk. Cover. Simmer for 15 mins, then stir in the chard leaves. Cook until just wilted, then season to taste. Serve with brown rice.
Your April veg share is likely to include:
Preheat the oven to 180C
Put the parsnips and potatoes in a roasting tray and drizzle with one tablespoon oil. Roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
Heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan. When it is hot, add the cumin seeds. Cook for half a minute then add the onion.
Cook gently for 5 minutes then stir in the crushed garlic and other spices.
Cook for another minute then add the roasted parsnips, potatoes and stock.
Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Blend using a stick blender.
Pour boiling water over the onion and leave for 10 mins.
Arrange the tomatoes and cucumber (if using) on a plate, then scatter over the drained onions.
Mix the chilli and garlic with the vinegar and sugar, then season with salt. Drizzle over the salad just before serving.
This can be prepared and chilled up to 1 hr ahead, but dress just before serving.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, tip in the greens and cook for 1 min, then drain and leave in the colander to cool a little.
Melt 1 tbsp butter with the oil in a large pan. Add the leeks and a big pinch of salt, then stir over a medium heat until softened, about 8 mins. Add the garlic and cook for another min, then remove from the heat, tip into a large bowl and leave to cool.
Squeeze as much water out of the greens as you can; if you don’t mind getting a tea towel dirty, the best way to do this is to pile them onto the clean towel, gather the corners and squeeze. Add the greens to the pan with the leeks, then stir in the herbs, nutmeg, cheeses, eggs, zest and seasoning. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
You’ll need a 23cm springform cake tin to assemble the tart in. Melt the remaining butter in a pan or the microwave and use some of it to grease the tin. Now you’re ready to work with the filo.
Have a clean tea towel to hand to keep the sheets covered as you work (it can dry out very quickly). Layer the sheets of filo in the tin, brushing each one really well with butter and leaving plenty of pastry hanging over the edge, to close the top with once filled. Scatter the sesame seeds between each layer of pastry as you go. Save a few sheets for the top.
Once the tin is lined, fill with the greens mixture. Scrunch a few more sheets of buttery pastry on top and fold in the overhanging sheets to close the tart. Scatter any remaining sesame seeds on top and drizzle over the remaining butter.
Bake for 40-45 mins until deep golden brown (cover with foil if it starts to brown too much). Remove from the tin as soon as you can to help keep the pastry crisp. Serve warm or cold.
For the tomato sauce
Cut the stalks off the chard leaves, chop them into small pieces and set aside. Chop the leaves into bite-size pieces and set aside separately.
In a large, deep saucepan, melt the butter, then fry the onion with a pinch of salt over a medium heat. Add the chard stalks and cook for 5-10 minutes until tender, then add the leaves and sauté for 1 minute.
Bring 1.4 litres water to the boil in a large saucepan, then stir in the polenta. Whisk with a balloon whisk until thickened, then stir in the salt and some pepper. Cover and cook over a low heat for 10-20 minutes until the polenta thickens and begins to come away from the side of the pan as you stir. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and smooth with the back of a spoon. Leave to cool, then chill for a few hours to set – it needs to be completely cold before cutting.
To make the tomato sauce, heat the oen to 150°C/130°C fan/gas 2. Toss the tomatoes and onions in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then season with salt and pepper and arrange in a baking tray, cut-side up. Roast for 2-2½ hours.
Rub some oil on the cut sides of the garlic halves, then wrap in foil and roast for 1 hour or until soft.
Scrape the tomatoes and onions into a blender, squeeze out the soft garlic from the skin and blend until smooth. Taste and season; add cayenne pepper if you want spice, honey if you want sweetness.
Turn the oven up to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Cut the polenta into chips about 1.5cm thick and 8cm long. Put on a baking sheet and brush all over with rapeseed oil. Roast for 1 hour or until golden, carefully turning after 30 minutes. Warm the sauce to serve with the chips.
Spinach belongs to the amaranth family and is related to beetroots and quinoa. It’s considered to be very healthy, as it’s loaded with nutrients and antioxidants, and is famed as the food choice of Popeye for it’s amazing strength giving properties!
Spinach is high in insoluble fibre and low in carbohydrates. It is an extremely nutrient-rich vegetable. It contains high amounts of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, butter, milk and spinach in a blender and whizz until you get a smooth, bright green batter.
Heat a little more butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add small dollops to the pan, 2-3 at a time. Cook for 2 mins until the edges are set, and bubbles are rising to the surface, then flip and cook for 1-2 mins more. Keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.
Serve with berries and a drizzle of syrup to serve.
Melt the ghee, whisk in with the turmeric and chilli powder, then add the cubed paneer and toss well. Set aside. If using frozen spinach, microwave for 3-5 mins, then place in a sieve and squeeze out most of the water. If using fresh spinach, place in a colander, pour over boiling water, drain and cool, then put in a tea towel and squeeze out most of the water. Roughly chop.
Blitz the onion with the garlic, ginger and green chilli. Cook the paneer in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat for around 8 mins, tossing the pan so they become golden all over. Remove and set aside on a plate, leaving spices behind in the pan. Tip the onion mix into the pan, add a pinch of salt and turn the heat down. Fry until caramel coloured, around 10 mins, adding a splash of water if it looks a little dry. Add the garam masala, stir to coat the onion mix, fry for 2 mins.
Add the spinach and cook for a further 2-3 mins, adding 100ml water to release all the flavours from the bottom of the pan. Season to taste. Add the paneer and cook for 2-3 mins to heat through. Spoon into bowls and squeeze over a little lemon juice, to serve.
Your March veg share is likely to include:
Southern Hot Honey Cauliflower
Purple sprouting broccoli and kale gratin
Hot Honey Sauce
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C and line your baking sheet with parchment paper. NOTE: Doing this step is a MUST to prevent sticking.
In a medium bowl, add the milk, flour, hot honey, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes, and whisk together until fully combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, add bread crumbs and set aside also.
Now, dip each cauliflower into batter (shaking off any excess) and then toss into bread crumbs. Then lay each cauliflower side by side on the baking sheet (about an inch apart). Repeat until all cauliflower are coated.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and “crunchy” looking. NOTE: If not crispy enough bake for another 5-10 minutes.
TO MAKE THE HOT HONEY SAUCE:
Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and whisk together until it begins to boil. Reduce heat to low-medium and let everything simmer for about 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Once thickened enough to desired consistency, remove from heat and let cool.
Once cauliflowers are crisp, remove from oven and toss them in the sauce until fully coated. Add coated cauliflower back to baking sheet and place them back in the oven (turning oven on broil) for about 5-6 minutes.
To serve, add cauliflower bites to a salad, tacos, atop pasta, as a topping on pizza, with quinoa or rice.
Back to top
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6.
Remove the tough stems from the kale, then boil it in lightly salted water for 3-5 mins. Drain and press out the excess water.
Heat the butter in a frying pan and add the kale and garlic.
Cook over a low-to-medium heat for a few mins. Season well and add some nutmeg.
Trim the broccoli and halve any thick stalks lengthways.
Steam for 3-4 mins or until only just tender. Blot with a tea towel to get rid of the moisture on the surface.
Tip the kale into the base of a gratin or casserole dish and place the broccoli on top.
Season well and grate over some nutmeg.
Pour the cream over, then add both cheeses.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 mins or until golden and bubbling.
Runner beans contain vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals that may help protect the eyes, the cardiovascular system and long term memory function.
They can be steamed, boiled, roasted and eaten raw. If you boil your runners try and use the water in something else, as this will contain a proportion of the veggies goodness.
Runner beans & charred leeks with vinaigrette
Runner bean, tomato and tamarind curry
Trim the ends of the beans and gently pull away any stringy bits on the sides. Cut diagonally into ½cm pieces. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the beans for around 3 mins to soften slightly. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water, leave to cool for 5 mins, then drain and set aside.
Put the pan back on the hob and cook the onions in 350ml of the vinegar over a medium-low heat for 15 mins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and 250ml of the remaining vinegar and cook for 2 mins more.
Combine the turmeric, mustard seeds and powder and nigella seeds with the cornflour, a good pinch of salt and the remaining 100ml vinegar. Mix well, then tip into the onion mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 3 mins to thicken, then add the beans. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 mins, stirring regularly until the beans are tender but have a slight bite and the chutney has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and decant into sterilised jars.
Will keep sealed in a cool, dry place for up to three months. Once open, keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Bring a frying pan of salted boiling water to the boil, reduce to a simmer, add the leeks and cover with a cartouche (a piece of baking parchment with a hole in the middle). Cook for 4-5 mins until tender and a deeper green, then remove from the water with a slotted spoon (keeping the water at a simmer) and dry in a clean tea towel.
Add the runner beans to the water, cook for 2-3 mins until tender, then drain and set aside.
Heat a griddle pan over a high heat and toss the leeks in 1/ 2 tbsp olive oil and some seasoning. Griddle for a couple of mins each side until charred. Transfer to a chopping board and slice into lengths the same size as the runner beans.
To make the vinaigrette, pound the anchovy using a pestle and mortar (or whizz in a blender), add the chilli flakes, Dijon, red wine vinegar and sugar and combine. Whisk in the remaining olive oil, season, then stir in the herbs.
Put the runner beans and leeks in a large bowl. Pour over the vinaigrette, toss in the spring onions, then scatter over the seeds.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the mustard, cumin and coriander seeds. Toast for a minute or two until golden and fragrant, then tip into a pestle and mortar and crush.
Return the pan to the heat and add the oil. Once hot, add the crushed spices, curry leaves and onion with a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium heat for about 8-10 until soft and light golden.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and add these to the pan along with the chilli, garlic, tamarind paste and chilli powder. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have collapsed and reduced into a sticky sauce. Meanwhile, bring a small pan of salted water to the boil. Cut the beans into 3-4cm lengths and boil for 5 minutes until just tender but still with a little bite. Drain the beans, stir into the curry and cook for another 3-5 minutes, then season to taste.
Serve the runner bean curry with rice or chapatis and some extra curry leaves, crisped up in hot oil (if you like).
Your February veg share is likely to include:
Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment and put the cabbage steaks on top.
Mix together the balsamic, oil, fennel seeds and sugar, then season and spoon it over the cabbage.
Cover the cabbage with foil and roast for 20 mins, then remove the foil and cook for a further 10 mins until softened.
Heat the quinoa following pack instructions, then stir through the orange juice, parsley, dill and cherries, and season with black pepper.
Fry the halloumi in a dry pan on a medium heat for 2 mins each side until golden. To serve, place a spoonful of quinoa onto each cabbage steak and top with the halloumi.
Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add pak choi, soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons water. Cover and cook 1 minute, then remove lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until cores are tender and all liquid has evaporated.
Transfer to a serving dish, drizzle with sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
Start by finely chopping the leeks, chilli and ginger then add to a large pot with 1 tbsp of plant based butter or olive oil, fry on a medium heat for around 6 minutes
Mince the garlic then add to the pot, cook for a few minutes before adding the chickpeas and dried spices
Toss together then add in the vegetable stock, precooked lentils* and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the coconut milk
Leave on a low- medium heat (you don’t want the coconut milk to bubble) taste testing along the way, season with salt and pepper
When it’s seasoned to preference, serve up and serve with fresh coriander, chilli flakes, pepper and a tsp of the coconut cream from the tin
Your January veg share is likely to include:
Put the grated vegetables in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can. In a bowl, mix with the thyme, onion, mustard, egg and flour. Season lightly and mix thoroughly.
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, gas mark 6. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. Shape the mixture into 8 patties and fry, in batches, for 4 minutes on each side, until crisp. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
Serve as a side dish with a main meal or with a poached egg for a filling lunch.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan) mark 4. Heat the oil in a hob-proof casserole and fry the onion for 10min until softened. Add vegetables and fry for 5min. Add garlic and cook for 1min.
Stir in the paprika, tomato purée and 1tbsp flour. Cook for 1min, then pour in stock – the vegetables should be just covered. Add the bay leaf. Cover the casserole and cook in the oven for 20min.
Sift the remaining flour, baking powder and ¼tsp salt into a large bowl. Stir in the suet, herbs, horseradish and about 75ml iced water to make a soft dough. Shape into eight balls and place on top of the stew. Cover and return to the oven for 15min. Remove lid and cook for 5min. Serve.
