Luis Luna – the healthy chef
In celebration of Black History Month (BHM), chef Luis Luna gives you some quick, easy and nutritional recipes.
He is available to hire for private functions through Lou y Luis. For more information, contact loubeegan@gmail.com.
Onion 1 medium
Cumin 1 tbls
Red Pepper 1 medium
Leek 1 medium
Potato 1 medium
Garlic – finely chopped 2 cloves
Chives - finely chopped 1 bunch
Alfalfa Sprouts 20g
Sesame Oil / Cream 10ml
Coriander Seeds or Powder 1 tbls
Vegetable Bouillon or Stock 1 litre
Method
Wash the beans thoroughly and soak them overnight.
Simmer the beans for around 40 minutes in the vegetable bouillon, then drain, keeping the liquid.
Chop the onion, leek and pepper into medium sized pieces. Slice the potato and crush the garlic.
Heat a pot until very hot, then add a drizzle of oil. First sweat off the onion and leek for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the potato slices, cumin and coriander seeds, mixing together with the beans and liquid. Gently simmer until the potato is cooked. Ensure there’s enough liquid covering the ingredients.
Blend all the ingredients until you obtain a creamy texture. Garnish with sprouts and chives, and a drizzle of cream or sesame oil.
Fresh or frozen peas 500 g
Oatcakes 150 g
Pumpkin Seeds 250 g
Mint 25 g
Coriander 25 g
Sesame Seeds 200 g
Hemp Seeds 200 g
Egg 1
Cloves of garlic 2
Chilli peppers 2
Cumin Tbls. 2
Method
Using a food processor, process the hemp seed, making sure that 90% of the seeds are crushed.
Process the pumpkin seeds with the sesame seeds and the chopped herbs. Process the peas until completely pulped. Mix all these ingredients together, then add the egg, crushed garlic, the chillies and the spices.
Put all the ingredients in a food processor, then mix with crushed oatcakes until you have a bright green paste.
The mixture should be easy to handle. Prepare little balls of 1.5cm diameter. If it’s too sticky, oil your hands before rolling the mixture.
The mixture should produce 120 falafels. Once all the balls are ready, you can sprinkle sesame seeds on the top and, using your fingers, put a little pressure on the top of each ball to make them flat into falafel shapes.
Shallow fry in about 2cm depth of quality oil until they are golden green.
Serve in mini pittas, with hoummous or tzatsiki.
Remaining falafels can be frozen. To reheat, put on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 200 degrees.
Sweet Potatoes 1 kg
Olive Oil 10 ml
Cinnamon Sticks 50 g
Cinnamon Powder 50 g
Mixed Seeds 20 g
Honey 200 g
Lime or orange 1
Method
Wash the sweet potatoes, cut both ends and discard, then cut each into halves and then divide into 4 even-sized pieces.
Cover the sweet potatoes with just a bit of olive oil until all of them are shiny. Then cook on baking paper in a roasting tin for around 20 minutes until golden brown.
In a pan, put 50 ml of water plus the juice of an orange or lime. Add a few cinnamon sticks and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes until it reaches a syrupy consistency.
Then add the honey and remove from the heat.
Display the sweet potatoes as a little tower, cover with the honey sauce and top with your choice of sesame, hemp or sunflower seeds, etc.
