Photos: Marconia Schembri, George Aquilina, Illumina Media

Use dried beans for this recipe, as they give an excellent texture to the curry. Soak the black-eyed beans overnight and cook them by placing them in a saucepan and immersing them in cold water over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat and add ¼ tspn of bicarbonate of soda to speed up the cooking process. Drain when cooked and allow to cool before adding them to this recipe.

You will need:
200 black-eyed beans, soaked
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn coriander seeds
1 tspn fennel seeds
1/4 tspn fenugreek
1/2 cinnamon stick
a pinch of chili flakes
2 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
1/2 tspn mild curry powder
3 cloves of crushed garlic
1 finely chopped onion
1 tspn fresh grated ginger
500ml water
2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
juice of one lime
150ml coconut milk

Melt the coconut oil on very low gentle heat and add all the spices. Stir continuously for a few minutes so that the flavours are released. The mustard seeds will start to pop and then add the onion, garlic and fresh ginger. Stir and add the black-eyed beans. Add the water, bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes again on very low heat. Add the lime juice and the coconut milk. Heat through and leave to rest covered for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and some more coconut milk.  Serve  with roasted vegetable balls and perfect basmati rice.

This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free.

Scottish Lentil Soup

250g orange lentils
1 large potato
1 sweet potato
4 medium carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 vegetable natural stock cubes
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 litres water, topped up if necessary while it cooks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
To garnish: tulbaghia

Rinse the lentils. Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. There is no need to soak the lentils overnight and place them in a large pot together with the peeled potato, sweet potato and carrots roughly chopped in large chunks. Add the garlic cloves, tinned tomatoes, stock cube and water. The vegetables need to be fully immersed and add more water if necessary.

Bring the pot to a boil and lower the heat.  Stir and keep doing this from time to time to make sure the contents do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Add more water while it cooks to keep the contents moist and make sure they do not dry up.

Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are fully cooked. Test one of the potatoes with a knife. When the vegetables are cooked, use a masher and mash all the contents thoroughly. You should end up with a creamy and textured thick consistency. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. If the soup is too thick, add more water and reheat. This soup is even more delicious the next day. Garnish with tulbaghia and serve.

This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free.

Herby Spelt Rolls

You will need:
250g self-raising flour
6 tbsp spelt flour
100ml olive oil
75g grated mature vegan cheddar
120ml dairy-free yoghurt or unsweetened rice milk
1 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley and basil or herbs of your choice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
To garnish: 2 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tbsp olive oil

Measure the self-raising flour and sift it twice into a large bowl. Remove 6 tbsp of self-raising flour and add 6 tbsp of spelt flour. Add the olive oil, vegan cheddar, tomato purée, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper without mixing and just pile them up on top of the flour mix.

Then, use a large metal spoon to gently, but firmly, mix the ingredients together.  Add the dairy-free yoghurt or rice milk, a little at a time. Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough. Do not knead it. Cut it up into equal pieces (8 or 16) and form them into individual rolls. Work quickly and do not over knead as this will result in tough bread rolls. Use a sharp knife to cut a cross in the middle of each roll. Sprinkle the top of each roll with sesame seeds.

Bake at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated oven.  While they are still hot, brush lightly with olive oil.

This recipe is vegan and dairy-free with no added, refined sugars.

No-Bake Coconut Chocolate Slice

You will need:
2 cups coconut
2 tbsp agave
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp cold pressed coconut oil
400g sugar-free, dairy-free chocolate
To garnish: 10 cherries and 50g sugar-free and dairy- free chocolate
A 23cm tart dish with a loose bottom
Cling film

Place the coconut, agave, seeds from the vanilla pod and cold pressed coconut oil in a blender and process until it forms a consistent paste.

Cover the bottom part of the tart dish with cling film.

Place the coconut mixture in the tart dish and press down by using a spatula. Then tap lightly all over with your fingers

Place in the freezer for at least an hour to set.

Melt the chocolate by placing in a microwave or bain marie.

Pour the chocolate over the coconut. Place in the fridge overnight.  If you intend on serving it on the same day, freeze it for a few hours. Before serving take out of the tart dish and peel off the cling film.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave or bain maire, then dip the cherries in the melted chocolate and place on top of the tart. Slice and serve.

This is a vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free recipe with no added refined sugar.

Lea’s Good Food Everyday airs on Smash TV every day at 10am, 4.10pm and 9pm. Follow Lea’s blog on www.goodfoodeveryday.wordpress.com and find more of her recipes on www.timesofmalta.com.