This is what you get with several leftovers put together … you get a feast!  We had this meal quite literally on the shores of the mediterranean.  I had made a chunky tomato vegetable sauce the night before for pasta - a ragu.   Along with that was a chickpea salad from the day before. I threw in a few nice dark calamata olives and it was served with some nice baguette smothered in Hungry Soul. Yes, a true feast.
 
You do not need to heat this up, just have it at room temperature, so good!
 
Will make 4 plates
 
 
INGREDIENTS 

• Ragu – a tin of whole tomatoes, one onion, one garlic clove, a small courgette, ½ an aubergine, olive oil, salt and fresh basil
• Chickpeas salad – a tin of chickpeas, ¼ of red onion, 2 or 3 fresh tomatoes, olive oil, salt
• Calamata olives, with the pits, a big hundful
• Baguette – sourdough, if you can get it ( pain au levain )
• Hungry Soul – they are all very good, I used the Cracked Black because I had it on hand.

  
 
METHOD

• Ragu – a ragu is really just a chunky sauce. Soften the onion and garlic, add aubergine cubed and cook a few minutes, then add the courgette also cubed and when they are a little cooked, toss in the tin of tomatoes, the basil, a pinch of salt and a good drizzle of olive oil. Let it simmer 20 minutes, then allow to cool completely … even better the next day.

 

• Chickpeas salad – drain your chickpeas, finely chop the onion, cube the tomatoes then mix it all together with a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

 

• Calamata olives, with the pits, a big handful

 

• Baguette – 4 slices each should do nicely …or more if hungry

 

• Hungry Soul – Spread a nice layer onto each slice of sourdough.

 
 
PLATING IT ALL 
By looking at the photo you get a good idea of how it was presented… but just in case you need a little help; 

• Ladle a nice amount of the ragu onto you plate, over it or on the side, add the chickpea salad and add the olives and ring the plate with the slices of baguette and Hungry Soul …

 
So tasty, really a perfect dish for hot weather – a complete meal, yes, 100% vegan and delicious!
 
 
Bon appetit!

Jacques Brennan ​Hungry Soul Vegan

I recently tried the Hemp Hearts and Milled Hemp from Fox Covert Farm and they have quickly become part of my daily routine. It is always lovely to discover products that are not only nutritious and versatile, but also grown locally with real care and attention.

Fox Covert Farm is a family farm in Co. Offaly producing award-winning hemp products in a completely natural environment, free from pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. You can really feel the quality behind the products.

The Hemp Hearts have a soft texture and gentle nutty flavour that works brilliantly sprinkled over porridge, yoghurt, salads or fruit bowls. I have also been adding them to smoothies and homemade granola for an extra boost of protein and healthy fats.

The Milled Hemp is just as easy to use. I stir it into porridge, soups and baking, and it is a simple way to add more fibre into the day. Knowing it supports gut health, energy and overall wellbeing is an added bonus.

What I like most is how effortless these products are to include in everyday meals. Simple, wholesome food grown here in Ireland and produced with care for both people and the planet. Review by Carla

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

When people think about reducing waste, it can feel like everything needs to change at once. In reality, the easiest way to begin is to focus on one small area. This month, we’re looking at the bathroom.

Bathrooms are often full of single use plastic. Bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and hand wash all add up over time. The good news is you don’t need to replace everything overnight. Start with just one product.

You might choose to switch your hand wash to a refill option. Bring back your empty bottle, top it up, and keep using it again and again. It’s a simple habit, but one that quickly becomes part of your routine.

Or you might try a shampoo bar or a bar of soap instead of liquid products. They last longer than you might expect, take up less space and remove the need for plastic packaging altogether. It can feel like a small change, but it’s often the one that surprises people the most.

Not every swap will suit everyone, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s finding what works for you and building from there. Once one change feels easy, the next one will too.

Making the switch to a more natural and low waste lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. It can start with one bottle, one bar, one small decision. And when it’s easy to refill or pick up alternatives as part of your usual shop, those small changes tend to stick.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

I make a lot of yoghurt at home and often use it as a marinade. I find it so useful to revive frozen meat I have located in the freezer. Not one to waste there are recipes that help to keep things going!
 
Here is a recipe I am very fond of, not only because it is easy but because it is delicious.
 
While of course you can amplify flavours with a multitude of spices, this is the simple version that works every time.
 
This is how I make it.

• 1 pack of diced lamb
• 1 500g tub natural yoghurt
• 1 tblsp sweet curry spice sonnentor
• 2 onions peeled and sliced.
• 3 blubs garlic grated
• A piece of ginger grated
• Ghee
• Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

 
To serve

• Boiled rice
• Low Carb version: Boiled cauliflower rice.

 
Marinate the lamb in yoghurt overnight. Melt the ghee and sauté the ginger and garlic for a few minutes. Add the onion and sauté until soft and perhaps a little browned. Add in the curry spice and cook for a few minutes. Add in the lamb. Usually, I slow cook for about 4 hours here, but 1.5 hours can do it. Serve with chopped coriander and rice. 

Anne Maher

This book has resurfaced for me again and I am referring to it regularly. It has inspired me no end!  So it's on the list again as a recommendation as we make it available again.
 
Somehow, it is a profound realisation that food can change the world. From a town-planning point of view, how food is distributed shapes how a city operates. Get the food right and people will gravitate to it. This is a fundamental point, I believe we need to get to grips with as we redesign how we think about our food systems.
 
As we move forward with the Mid West Bio district concept, which aims to replicate The Urban Co-op in Galway, I believe this book is required reading… 

Anne Maher

Anxiety was the topic of conversation with a customer the other day. He reckoned we are so anxious now because of all the coffee we drink. I think he may have a point.
 
No coffee no workee is a fridge magnet I have at home and hey it is familiar! I do like a cup of coffee with raw cream..!
 
While I rage at the proliferation of Monster in recent years perhaps I should pay more attention to the coffee? Have you noticed how the coffee cup is the ultimate accessory?
 
The habit of walking and drinking may be amplifying the stress in our lives. Today the coffee has become more like confectionary. Syrups and UPFs. Diabetes in a cup anyone?
 
Walking purposefully with the cup on the way to work in the morning. A familiar scene of modernity.
 
I remember when this concept was novel. Living in London in 2000 for a year of study I was not only living very frugally, the sight of all those corporate types rushing about carrying those cups of steaming coffee was so tempting and unobtainable due to the cost for me. The scene was so trendy… queues for the coffee before a busy day of corporateness. Oh how I longed to have one! Instead I would budget a pot of coffee into my flask and walk past on my way to college. Certainly not cool to walk and drink with a flask cup en route then.
 
Looking back I ask now what was the rush? Where are those corporate types now? Burned out? Frazzled? Anxious? Was it all worth it?
 
Coffee is an incredible product that has shaped how we live. We often quote how the mediterranean diet includes this food. Images of elderly men drinking from tiny cups in  social context come to mind. This is very different from our giant confectionary mugs on the go.  Maybe its time to go real again… 

Anne Maher

Here I go again delving into the imagination of what can happen if the food system breaks down. With the uncertainty of world events, energy costs etc. I am even hearing about food rationing. Imagine if this became a thing again… where would  you get your food? Who would cope better?
 
Shortening the supply chain for organic food is an issue we work around a lot at The Urban Co-op. Is there enough supply and demand for organic? We see ourselves in the middle a lot talking to both sides…. How do you connect both?
 
Recently we have worked with Digital Futures Lab at the Kemmy Business School to explore digital solutions to improve the aspect of short supply chains. With a room full of students sitting at the tables in the hotel I did notice the cans of monster sitting in front of some students. (One could argue it is a student accessory..!). While the task was put before the students to come up with digital solutions for this problem I wondered did they actually know what the problem was? How did they understand short supply chains? I asked the question how many ordered their food from Just Eat, Deliveroo etc.. Half put up their hands. Here is the thing. It doesn’t take long to disconnect from your food supply if you become very used to ordering it in. Do the younger generation, growing up on a convenient digital platform of support understand the background of how it all works? What if the digital support stops..? Where to next?
 
We asked the group to organize a meal using food they sourced locally themselves. Where you have to think about where to get the food. As I type I wonder what the outcome will be. Will there be a moment of clarity that this is not as straightforward as they think. Deprivation can be a great teacher. Like fasting, the mind clears. Maybe we need the challenge of food rationing to reorganize ourselves again. The spirit of co-operation will be very welcome then! 

​Anne Maher