A Late-Summer Retreat Lunch: Vegetarian and Coeliac-Friendly Recipes

Food is an important part of the retreats I hold. Sitting together around a table allows conversation to unfold differently. It is another form of nourishment and another opportunity to feel cared for. It is also one of my favourite aspects of retreat: planning, preparing, and serving delicious food to my lovely clients.

For my Gathering in Gratitude day retreat, I wanted to create a generous late-summer lunch that reflected the season. The menu needed to be vegetarian, entirely coeliac-friendly, easy to prepare and, most importantly, delicious.

We ate roasted vegetables and chickpeas with balsamic cherry tomatoes, lemon and herb quinoa, new potato salad, and a nectarine, mozzarella and rocket salad. There were also sweet potato and chickpea bites, followed by British berries with Greek yoghurt, honey and gluten-free granola. Later in the afternoon, I served fudgy kidney bean brownies.

We even wandered out to gather blackberries from the hedgerows, which felt like the simplest and most natural expression of the day’s theme.

The quantities below serve approximately nine people as part of a shared lunch.

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Roasted late-summer vegetables and chickpeas

Ingredients

- 4 courgettes

- 3 peppers

- 2 large red onions

- 4 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- Olive oil

- Ground cumin

- Smoked paprika

- Dried oregano

- Salt and black pepper

- 500g feta

- A large handful of fresh basil

- 150g pumpkin seeds

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C fan.

Cut the courgettes, peppers and red onions into generous pieces. Divide them between lined roasting trays and add the chickpeas.

Drizzle everything with olive oil and season with cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper. Toss well and roast for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway through, until the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelised.

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a clean, dry frying pan over a medium-low heat for 4–6 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove them from the pan as soon as they begin to smell nutty and turn golden.

Serve the vegetables warm or at room temperature, finished with crumbled feta, fresh basil and the toasted pumpkin seeds.

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Balsamic cherry tomatoes

Ingredients

- 750g–1kg cherry tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar

- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

- 1 garlic clove, finely grated

- Salt and black pepper

- Fresh basil

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C fan.

Leave most of the tomatoes whole and halve around a quarter of them. Place them in a lined roasting tray and toss with the olive oil, garlic, salt and black pepper.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Mix the balsamic vinegar with the maple syrup or honey. Pour it over the tomatoes and toss gently, then return them to the oven for another 10 minutes.

They should be softened and glossy but still holding their shape. Finish with fresh basil and serve at room temperature.

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Lemon and herb quinoa

Ingredients

- 500g quinoa

- Approximately 1 litre water

- 1 gluten-free vegetable stock cube, optional

- 1 large or 2 small cucumbers

- A large handful of fresh parsley

- A small handful of fresh mint

- Juice and zest of 2 lemons

- 6 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 tablespoon maple syrup

- Salt and black pepper

Method

Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve.

Place it in a saucepan with the water and gluten-free stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for approximately 15 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.

Turn off the heat and leave the quinoa covered for another 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork, spread it across a large tray and allow it to cool.

Mix the lemon juice and zest with the olive oil, maple syrup, salt and black pepper.

Once the quinoa is cool, add the finely diced cucumber, chopped parsley and mint. Pour over the dressing and mix thoroughly.

Taste before serving. Quinoa often needs a little more lemon and seasoning than you might expect.

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Lemon and herb potatoes

Ingredients

- 1.5kg baby or new potatoes

- 6 tablespoons olive oil

- Juice and zest of 2 lemons

- 2 tablespoons capers, optional

- 4 spring onions, finely sliced

- A large handful of fresh parsley

- A small handful of fresh mint

- Salt and black pepper

Method

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15–20 minutes, until tender.

Drain them well and leave them to steam-dry for a few minutes. Halve the larger potatoes while they are still warm.

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, salt and black pepper. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes and toss gently. Dressing them while warm allows them to absorb more of the flavour.

Once cool, add the spring onions and capers. Mix through the chopped parsley and mint shortly before serving so the herbs remain fresh and green.

Serve at room temperature with an extra squeeze of lemon if needed.

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Nectarine, mozzarella and rocket salad

Ingredients

- 6 nectarines

- 4 x 125g balls mozzarella

- 200g rocket

- A large handful of fresh basil

- Balsamic dressing

- Black pepper

I added a few fresh blackberries as we had an abundance of them.

Method

Spread the rocket across a large serving platter.

Halve the nectarines, remove the stones and cut the fruit into thin wedges. Drain the mozzarella thoroughly and tear it into bite-sized pieces.

Arrange the nectarines and mozzarella over the rocket. Scatter with torn basil and finish with a little black pepper.

Drizzle lightly with balsamic dressing immediately before serving so the rocket remains fresh. I used Mellow Yellow Balsamic Vinegar Dressing, which is gluten-free and has a lovely fruity apple balsamic flavour.

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Coeliac-friendly kidney bean brownies

These were served later in the afternoon rather than as part of lunch. The kidney beans create a surprisingly rich and fudgy brownie without the need for flour. Makes approximately 16 small squares.

Ingredients

- 2 x 400g tins kidney beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

- 4 eggs

- 200g light brown sugar

- 80g cocoa powder

- 100ml neutral oil or 100g melted butter

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 1½ teaspoons gluten-free baking powder

- A pinch of salt

- 150g dark or milk chocolate, roughly chopped

Method

Heat the oven to 160°C fan. Line a 20 x 30cm tin with fresh baking parchment.

Blend the kidney beans, eggs, sugar, cocoa, oil, vanilla, baking powder and salt until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the blender several times to make sure no pieces of bean remain.

Stir through approximately two-thirds of the chopped chocolate.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and scatter the remaining chocolate over the top.

Bake for 25–30 minutes. The edges should be set while the centre remains slightly soft.

Allow the brownies to cool completely before cutting. They become firmer and fudgier as they cool.

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Catering safely for someone with coeliac disease

Although much of this menu is naturally gluten-free, preparing food for someone with coeliac disease requires more than simply leaving out bread or flour.

I checked every packaged ingredient, including the stock, spices, baking powder, cocoa, chocolate, dressings and granola. I also cleaned the preparation areas and equipment thoroughly, used fresh baking parchment and kept everything away from ordinary bread, flour and potentially contaminated utensils.

Always check labels each time you buy an ingredient, as recipes and manufacturing processes can change. A product labelled gluten-free must contain no more than 20 parts per million of gluten.

Creating an entirely coeliac-friendly table meant that everyone could help themselves without anxiety or the need for one person to have a separate meal. That mattered to me. Retreat food should feel abundant, welcoming and safe for everyone gathered around the table. Sharing this colourful late-summer food became part of the practice itself: a chance to pause, enjoy what the season was offering and receive nourishment in good company.

I hope these recipes bring a little of that same warmth and abundance to your own table.

Vicki x