Recipes: Colourful cooking from Bo's Kitchen

We all know we should aim to ‘eat the rainbow’. And now, thanks to plant-based chef Harriet Porterfield of Bo’s Kitchen fame, we can do just that. Containing bright and beautiful recipes for every meal of the day, from breakfast and brunch to dinner and dessert, her new cookbook Eat the Rainbow is out this month - and we’re sharing a trio of dishes to celebrate

Calming Grain-free Porridge

Makes: 2 large bowls

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

When I’m bored of oats, I always come back to this grain-free porridge. This soothing, creamy buckwheat porridge is served at room temperature and made extra creamy with soaked cashews. It’s topped with spiced caramelised pears and toasted hazelnuts for a tantalising mix of textures and warming flavours. Pears are low in acid and easy to digest, making them an ideal choice of topping for this calming breakfast.

Ingredients:

For the caramelised pear:

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons maple or agave syrup, plus extra to serve

1 teaspoon coconut sugar

½ teaspoon ground mixed spice

1 pear, halved

For the porridge:

130g cashews, soaked in cold water overnight

100g buckwheat, soaked in cold water overnight

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 stoned dates

2 tablespoons maple or agave syrup

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

300ml almond milk

For the topping:

50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:

First, bake the pear. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Mix the vegetable oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and mixed spice together in a small bowl. Add the pear halves to the lined baking tray and brush with the maple syrup mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, until the pears are starting to soften and caramelise.

After 20 minutes, add the hazelnuts for the topping to a small baking tray and pop in the oven to toast for the remaining time.

Drain the soaked cashews and buckwheat and rinse well in cold water.

Add to a blender with the vanilla extract, dates, maple syrup, ginger and cinnamon. Process for 3–4 minutes until smooth and creamy.

Pour into bowls and top with the spiced pears, a sprinkle of cinnamon, toasted hazelnuts and an extra drizzle of maple syrup if desired.

Smoky Sweet Potato Pizza

Serves: 2

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

This gluten-free pizza crust is sweet and smoky thanks to sweet potato and smoked paprika. Topped with colourful cherry tomatoes and peppers, vegan parmesan and fresh rocket, it’s bursting with flavour. It’s a little softer than a regular pizza crust, but can still be sliced and picked up like a regular pizza. It’s a deliciously healthy alternative to a carb-heavy pizza, making it a

great option for a light lunch with a fresh green salad.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 tablespoon olive oil

300g sweet potatoes (about two sweet potatoes), peeled, boiled/steamed, then mashed and cooled

100g rice flour

1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water to form a gel

1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornflour

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon sea salt

For the topping:

3 tablespoons tomato purée

2 teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons vegan parmesan

5 or 6 cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ red pepper, finely chopped

¼ orange pepper, finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves

Small handful fresh rocket

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Brush the olive oil over the paper.

Mix all the remaining crust ingredients together in a bowl until a dough is formed. Turn onto the baking tray and press down evenly until you have a circle that is about 1.5 cm (½in) thick.

Bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes until the edges are starting to brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the tomato purée with 3 tablespoons water. Stir through the oregano, salt and pepper. Spread on top of the pizza. Top with vegan parmesan, cherry tomatoes, peppers, basil leaves and rocket and return to the oven for 10 minutes to heat through.

No-bake Berry Chocolate Tart

Makes: 1 tart (serves 8–10)

Prep: 20 minutes

Chilling time: 1½ hours

This secretly healthy tart is packed with wholefoods, fresh berries and good-for-your-bod ingredients. Berries and chocolate are a match made in heaven and this tart combines the fruity flavours of blackberries and blueberries with a scrumptious cocoa hazelnut tart shell. It’s no-bake, gluten-free and really easy to make.

Ingredients:

For the tart shell:

150g (5½oz) gluten-free oats

50g (1¾oz) raw buckwheat

100g (3½oz) hazelnuts

4 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder

150g (5½oz) Medjool dates, stoned

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted, plus 1 tablespoon for greasing

For the filling:

360g (12¾oz) fresh blueberries and/or blackberries

60g (2oz) caster or granulated sugar

2 teaspoons agar agar

1 tablespoon cornflour

Juice of ½ lemon

350ml (12fl oz) full-fat coconut milk

For the topping:

100g (3½oz) fresh blueberries and/or blackberries

2 tablespoons raw buckwheat

50g (1¾oz) dark chocolate

Equipment needed:

23cm (9in) tart tin

Method:

First, prepare the tart shell by putting the oats, buckwheat, hazelnuts and cocoa in a food processor or blender and blending until the mixture resembles fine sand.

Add the dates, 1 tablespoon water and the 2 tablespoons coconut oil and blend again until combined. The mixture should press together easily in your fingers: if it’s too dry, add another tablespoon of water and blend again.

Grease the tart tin with the coconut oil and press in the mixture to form the tart shell. Set aside in the freezer to firm up for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the filling.

Put the blueberries and/or blackberries, half the sugar, the agar agar, cornflour and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until bubbling. Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend for a few seconds just to combine everything (don’t blend it completely smooth).

Sieve the berries over the pan, pressing the mashed berries with the back of a spoon to capture the juice (should be around 240ml/8fl oz). Save the leftover pulp for spreading on toast or as a topping for oatmeal.

Add the coconut milk and remaining sugar to the pan and heat gently for about 10 minutes, stirring often with a whisk. Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir well again to ensure everything is smooth.

Pour into the chilled tart shell and set aside in the fridge to firm up for at least 1 hour. Top with more fresh berries, raw buckwheat and dark chocolate.

Eat the Rainbow: Vegan recipes made with love from Bo’s Kitchen by Harriet Porterfield is out now in hardback, published by Leaping Hare Press and priced £20