Homemade Rye Soda Bread with Turkish Inspired Broad Bean, Yoghurt and Dill Dip

This soda bread is super easy, and once you have all the ingredients, you'll be able to make it every week - saving yourself lots of pennies. No kneading or faff...so it takes very little time.

Ingredients for the Soda Bread (roughly 14 slices)

- 8oz rye flour or brown flour

- 4oz white flour or gluten free white flour

- 2oz oatmeal

- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- half a 500ml natural yoghurt pot (250g), the rest filled with milk to the brim

- a handful of mixed seeds (like pumpkin, sunflower and linseeds - mixed inside or sprinkled on top)

- poppy seeds for sprinkling (optional)

1. Start by pre heating the oven to 205°c.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then add the yoghurt and milk. Stir well until fully combined.

3. Pour the mixture into a large-ish greased loaf tin (I use a non-stick rubber one which doesn't need greasing), and cook at 205°c for 10 minutes.

4. After 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 185°c and cook for a further 35 minutes. 

5. To check that the loaf is ready, take it out of the oven and tap it's top. If it's firm, remove it from the tin, and pat its bottom. If the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, its ready to cool down on a wire rack and serve as and when you want it. 

This dip is extremely easy, as well as being super healthy. Frozen broad beans are sold in most supermarkets and taste pretty good too. Great with toasted soda bread!

Broad Bean, Yoghurt and Dill Dip (serves 4)

- 250g thick yoghurt

- a handful of broad beans

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- a few sprigs of dill, chopped

1. Simply cook your broad beans in boiling water until soft, then cool them down with cold water.

2. Put the yoghurt into a bowl and sprinkle with the cold broad beans. Pour over the olive oil, top with chopped dill and finish off with salt and pepper. 

Broad Bean, Coriander and Chilli Houmous Dip

This morning was spent picking runner beans from my mum's vegetable garden, and I thought I ought to make something delicious for lunch. I love it when you get half way through making something, only to realise that you don't have all the ingredients you want, because it calls for a little experimentation. From this slight blip, I concocted a new, exciting, and very healthy dip recipe. This has a kick, so if you're susceptible to spice, add less chilli

 Ingredients (makes two pots)

- 400g tin soft boiled chickpeas (I use TRS Boiled Chick Peas) with 2/3 chickpea water

- 2 handfuls of cooked broad beans (with skins)

- 1/2 a large clove of garlic

- juice of half lemon

- juice of half a lime 

- 1/2 a fresh chilli

- a handful of fresh coriander (stalks included)

- a good glug of olive oil

- pepper

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz for a few minutes.

2. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more olive oil or lemon juice.

3. Sprinkle with flaked almonds, linseeds or poppy seeds to make it look pretty and serve how you wish. I'd like to try this smothered on pumpernickle bread and topped with smoked salmon.

Gherkin, Date and Broad Bean Salad with Goji Berries and Seeds - Vegan and Dairy Free

Picking and podding broad beans is so satisfying. Although it takes a while, and you're left with very little; what you get is so delicious and precious, that you cherish every bite. I love them in salads.

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the salad -

 - 5 handfuls of chopped lettuce

- 3 gherkins, chopped

- 4 dates, pitted and chopped

- 1 handful of broad beans (cooked like peas for a few minutes and left to cool)

- 1 handful of goji berries

- pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds and sesame seeds to sprinkle

for the dressing -

- 170ml olive oil

- 50ml balsamic vinegar 

- 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

- a pinch of sugar

- 1 tsp worcester sauce

- salt and pepper

1. Shake all the ingredients for the dressing in a jam jar until fully mixed and pour it over the scrumptious salad. 

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