HERBY SWEET POTATO, AUBERGINE & GREEN BEAN MASH WITH DEE'S WHOLEFOODS SAUSAGES AND YELLOW PEPPER RELISH

Helllooo!

Hope everyone's having a great month so far. Mine has been absolutely packed. Between work and trying to write a novel in a month (because life isn't hard enough...), I haven't had much time to play around in my food lab.

Thankfully, I received some products to try out from a company called Dee's Wholefoods, which gave me the opportunity to have a little fun and come up with this recipe.

What I like the most about Dee's products is the fact that everything is made using natural, wholefood ingredients - many of them organic - and each one promises to be low in salt, sugar and fat, high in fibre and protein, and gluten-free. Each bite feels guilt-free, and there's no better feeling than that.

The Quinoa Pot with Thai Spiced Vegetables was my favourite to try. It was warming, tasty, creamy and convenient to prepare (only 4 minutes in the microwave, which, after a long day, is music to my ears). The portion size is wonderfully generous and it made a filling dinner on its own. There are more flavours in the range which I look forward to trying out soon, including Quinoa with Moroccan Spiced Vegetables, and Quinoa with Hot Mexican Peppers. 

I also got to try the Roast Garlic & Mushroom Sausages, which are featured in today's recipe. I lightly fried them in some coconut oil, but found that it stuck to the pan too easily and so I would recommend baking or grilling (which is actually what Dee's recommends for the best results). Rather than go for the typical mashed potato and sausage combo, I decided to make a herby sweet potato, aubergine (a.k.a. garden egg; a.k.a. eggplant), and green bean mash. This, along with the sausages, was topped with a rich yellow pepper relish. Because Dee's sausages are low in salt and are delicately spiced, I feel as though they make a good base for more intense flavours on the plate, which is where the relish comes in. I am keen to try the other sausages in the range, and I would recommend them to anyone who is after a healthy, soy-free alternative to what's already out there!

To find out more about Dee's Wholefoods and where you can get their products, visit their website www.deeswholefoods.com and follow them on social media @deeswholefoods! :)

Recipe time...

Ingredients
- Dee's vegan sausages
--
- 1 sweet potato
- 1/2 aubergine
- handful green beans
- fresh parsley (finely chopped)
- fresh basil (finely chopped)
- fresh dill (finely chopped)
- fresh thyme
- salt to taste
--
- 1 yellow pepper (de-seeded and roughly chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 1/2 red onion (roughly chopped)
- coconut oil
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste

To make the relish, place the yellow pepper, garlic cloves and red onion on a lined baking tray. Coat with a little coconut oil, sprinkle with dried thyme, salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 15-20 mins, gas mark 6, or until all the veg is cooked and soft. Take out of the oven and place all the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until you have a thick purée consistency.

To make the herby mash, place the sweet potatoes, aubergine and green beans in a pot of boiling, lightly salted water and cook until the vegetables are tender. Blend in a food processor until you have a nice mash. Place in a bowl and stir in all the chopped fresh herbs. Season to taste.

To make Dee's sausages, follow the instructions on the pack. As I mentioned earlier, grilling or baking will give you the best results.

Assemble your plate: start with a bed of mash, then place the sausages on top and serve with a generous helping of the yellow pepper relish. Garnish with some fresh parsley.

Enjoy! :)

Note: This review has been organised by the Vegan lifestyle Association. It has not been paid for and the products were sent free of charge. This is my unbiased review of the product.