Lentil & Blackbean curry with a nutty butternut squash mash

This weird and wonderful concoction occurred earlier this week when James and I had come home from a long weekend away and there was "nothing in the cupboards" (apart from 9782 tins of beans and tomatoes). I couldn't be bothered to go out so decided to get frugal and creative and voila, this little beauty was born!

It's definitely comfort food at its finest. And 100% not traditional, as I wouldn't usually put the two together, so you could just make the curry on its own...

It's a good job it tastes so nice because it's really hard to make what's essentially a plate of brown vegetables look nice, even with a filter (I took these pics at about 9.30 when this was ready and wasn't expecting to do a blog post from it, so excuse the shoddy photos).

It really is delicious though, so give it a go.

Serves 4:

For the curry you'll need:

• 1 tin green lentils
• 1 tin black beans 
• 100g chesnut mushrooms (any mushrooms will do)
• 1 tin chopped tinned tomatoes 
• 1 good squeeze of tomato puree (I love it so always use about half a tube)
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons garam masala 
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt to season

Chop your onion and fry in a pan with the garlic. Add the garam masala and stir, coating the onion. After a few minutes, add your mushrooms and do the same. Then, add your lentils and black beans and stir again. Add the paprika and chilli powder and mix. If things are looking a bit dry, add some water (I think I added about a cup of water). Then add your chopped toms and puree, and let things simmer for about 20 mins. Add a sprinkle of salt and you're done!

For the butternut squash mash you'll need:

• Around 300g butternut squash (I used pre-diced frozen stuff)
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon paprika (or a teaspoon if you don't like spice)
• Pinch of salt

Boil or steam the butternut squash until it's soft and mashable. Drain and give it a mash in the pan, adding in the tahini and paprika and salt. Mix it up well (tahini has a tendency to stick together). 

Serve :)

So there you go. A really quick and easy recipe to make when you've got next to nothing in the cupboards. 

Butternut Squash Squares

Oh my gosh, this recipe was a complete accident. One of those total accidental foods that you don't expect to amount to anything but the way it turned out means this will be a weekly thing for me now.

I had a butternut squash to use up (does anyone else hate cutting them?! The skin is so tough..), and decided to roast it so I could chuck it in the oven and forget about it, and have it with something for tea that evening.

Now, I'm trying to go more plant based / veggie 80% of the time (more on this later, I'm sure), so I knew I wanted to try and spice this up a bit more to make it more of a 'main event' in a meal.

The flavours, the texture - this is a winner, and I think you'll love it.

You'll need:

• 1 large butternut squash, de-skinned and chopped into cubes
• 3 or 4 tablespoons of tahini (I used Meridian)
• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Sea salt 

This makes about four portions, so alter if you want to make more.

Chop your butternut squash into cubes, removing all of the skin. It's a bit of a chore to chop, and be careful as it can be a bit slippy sometimes with a knife (or you could buy the pre-chopped stuff). I really hate the stringy bits (they literally freak me out so much), but don't let me stop you adding these if you want to.

Place on a baking tray, and drizzle with olive oil, mixing the cubes until they're covered. Then add your paprika - I love a bit of spice so went for three generous tablespoons but you can adapt to your preferences... also I used smoked paprika because I like the taste but normal paprika is fine.

Next, sprinkle sea salt over the cubes and mix everything so that all your cubes are covered. Then, drizzle 3 or 4 tablespoons of tahini over and mix again, ensuring all of the squares are coated.

Roast in the oven for 40/45 mins at 180 degrees until they're crisp, golden and fluffy inside.

Enjoy!!

Creamy, Smokey Vegan Chilli

This smokey little number is perfect for BBQ season + would make a great side dish at a summer event. It's also a main attraction by its own right though, and, given our typically muddled summer season, is also ideal on its own on a cloudy day. Which is exactly what tonight is all about.

I've shared vegan chilli recipes before; the main difference here is the oaky, barbeque flavour from the chipotle paste.

To make this, you'll need:

Serves 4

1 tin kidney beans (drained)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin butter beans (drained)
1 tin black beans (drained)
1 heaped tablespoon tahini
1 table spoon chipotle paste
1 large red onion
1 red pepper
2 gloves garlic
Squeeze of tomato puree
Salt & pepper to season

One serving of this dish provides 17g protein, so perfect if you're looking for plant based protein sources. 

Finely chop your onion + garlic + fry off in some coconut oil until brown. Then add your red pepper and the beans, stirring so that nothing burns. Add in your chipotle paste and coat the beans. Next, pour over the tomatoes and puree, and turn the heat down low. Stir in your tahini and mix thoroughly. Let the chilli simmer for about 10 minutes (until the edges of the pan have started to go crispy (best bits!!)), and serve...

Tonight, I had mine with jalapenos and crumbled feta (not vegan I know), and I've also got it for lunch tomorrow with some chicken I barbequed (again, not vegan..). It would work well with a fresh spinach salad or quinoa, or a thick slice of bread to mop up all the sauce.

If you want any more vegan chilli recipes, I highly recommend Deliciously Ella's cannellini bean stew or her black and kidney bean chilli.

Pea & Pomegrante Quinoa

This summer inspired quinoa dish is a lunchtime favourite of mine at the moment - it goes with pretty much everything. So far either avocado, feta, smoked salmon or a basa fillet are my favourite pairing. It feels 'light' and tastes nice and fresh so it doesn't leave you feeling lethargic, but is also filling too.

To make 3 - 4 servings you'll need:

100g white quinoa
100g black quinoa
70g frozen peas
1 lemon
The seeds from one pomegranate

(You can use any sort of quinoa here, red would work too, as would white quinoa on its own.. I'm using black and white because not only does it make the dish look more interesting, I like how crunchy black quinoa is.)

Cook your quinoa as you would rice for about 12-15 mins. Squeeze half the juice of your lemon into the water into the pan for flavour. After the 15 minutes is up, add in your peas and continue to cook for a few minutes.

Then chop your pomegranate in half or quarters, pick out all the seeds and add to the pan of cooked quinoa. This is where it gets a tad messy, don't where white here kids - picking out pomegranate seeds is messy as, the juice gets everrrywhere.

Mix it all round and either serve immediately (drizzling the last half of your lemon juice on top) or transfer into tupperware and store it in the fridge.

Spicy Vegan Chilli

 

Chilli con carne has always been, and remains, an absolute favourite dish of mine - I get cravings for its spiciness and loove how hearty it is. I'm having it tonight, as it happens. Rather ironically, I'm also posting a recipe for a vegan chilli as we speak...

I've become a lot more meat conscious in recent weeks, I haven't cut it out of my diet (clearly) but am making an effort to opt for vegetarian choices when I can and want to, especially for weekday lunches. Meat has become something I now don't feel I 'need' as a staple in a meal every day, and I've found it's made me a lot more adventurous in the kitchen!

This recipe is incredibly flavoursome, and the mixture of beans and peppers gives it a variety of texture.

To make around 3 - 5 servings (depending on if you're having this on its own or with a decent helping of sides) you'll need:

1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin black eye beans
(any beans work here really, butter beans are an especially good addition as they're big and chewy, but I didn't have any. As long as you've got kidney beans in there somewhere you're good!)
1 tub passata
Squeeze of tomato puree
Hot chilli powder to season (or mild if you prefer!), I used about 3 tablespoons to make it really hot
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon tahini
Pinch of salt
Black pepper to season

(I don't think you can make chilli look too pretty, so apologies for this pic!)

Fry off your onion and garlic before adding in the peppers. Once the onion is browned, add in your passata. Stir so that nothing sticks to the pan and add in your beans, chilli powder, paprika and salt. Keep mixing to ensure the seasoning is distributed evenly. After ten minutes, add in your tahini and stir this in very well (it has a tendency to stick together in a big lump).

Simmer for 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy or freeze for lunches / dinner throughout the week.

Sweet potato is an obvious choice as a side with these, as is brown rice and veg, and last week I had it for lunch with mixed quinoa and peas, spinach and avocado - it was d-liiish.

Three T Rice

This little beauty is ultimate comfort food packed with plant based, whole food goodness to refuel after a gruelling gym session or a much needed hearty lunch.

It's so easy to cook and you can make it with pretty much any veg you've got hanging around.

Ideal hot or cold, it makes a lovely warming dinner or winning lunch box eaten cold the day after.

I've called this recipe 'Three T Rice' because three of the most essential ingredients begin with that letter (genius, aren't I). They are...

Turmeric. Tahini. Tamari.

Turmeric has looong been known for its amazing anti-inflammatory and medicinal properties and boasts a load of manganese and iron in just a 4g serving (17% and 10% respectively).

Health foodie queen Deliciously Ella introduced me to Tahini and now I always have a jar of it in the cupboards to mix into sauces, chilli dishes and to make marinades with. It's got a nutty flavour, and is essentially just ground sesame seeds. It's a great source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron, as well as vitamin E and a whole handful of B-vitamins. It's nutritional profile also offers 20% complete protein, so it's a good veggie protein source.

Tamari is basically a wheat-free soy sauce and instantly gives any dish an a-miso-ing kick (sorry). It works perfectly in this dish to cut through the tahini and give the rice an abundance of flavour.

You will need:

100g brown rice (when cooked)
1 heaped tablespoon tahini
2 teaspoons tamari
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
Half a courgette, sliced
Half a red pepper, sliced
Small handful chopped mushrooms
Half a head of broccoli
...Or any other combination of veg you have in the house

Method:

Cook your rice according to packet instructions. Whilst this is cooking, chop your veg and lightly sauté (I used a tablespoon coconut oil to fry my veg in), mixing in your turmeric.

Once the veg has been cooking for five - ten minutes, mix in a tablespoon of tahini and stir in well so that all the veg is coated equally. Tahini can be quite dense and sticky so you might have to mix it around for a minute or so.

Once the rice has cooked, drain any excess water and add the tamari, mixing around so all the rice is covered.

Then, mix the rice in with your veg and serve, or leave to cool and store in an air tight container.

Baked Eggs in Pepper

This recipe is soo easy to make and offers an ideal solution for a quick brunch or light lunch.

You just need two eggs and either one large pepper, or two smaller ones.

Chop across the pepper in half, not down from top to bottom, but around the pepper, so that you have two bowl shapes. Deseed and get rid of the stalk.

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Crack an egg into each pepper bowl, and pop back in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked.

I served mine with some watercress and tomato dressed in apple cider vinegar with feta, but it would work well on its own, or paired with a chicken breast too.

Smoked Shakshouka with Feta

I whipped this little baby up for lunch today and my god it is so so moreish. The smoked paprika gives it a hearty kick and the creamy feta and egg yolk work perfectly to blend in with the fresh sauce and crunchy veg.

To make one serving, you'll need:

• 2 free range eggs
• 1/2 courgette
• 1 small onion (or 1/2 a large one)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1/3 tub passata
• 2 tblspn smoked paprika
• 1 tblspn Moroccan spice
• 30g Feta 
• Black pepper to season

Chop your onion and garlic and begin to sautee in a pan. Add your chopped courgette and pepper along with your passata and let it simmer for five. Throw in your smoked paprika and Moroccan spice and cover for ten minutes on a medium heat. 

Then, make a dint in your sauce with a wooden spoon and drop your egg in. Do the same for the other egg. Let your eggs cook for about three to five minutes, until the clear substance is white. 

Use a spatula to lift your eggs out into a dish, and pour the remaining sauce in. Crumble your feta on top, sprinkle with black pepper and devour. 

Apparently Shakshouka is amazing at helping to cure a hangover - to all those not partaking in dry January, join me next Saturday in attempting to banish a red wine headache..!

Comfort Food: Spicy Carrot, Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Ginger Soup

I'm not one for big claims...(!) But I think this is one of the most delicious soups I've tried in my life.

It's spicy but creamy, thick, warming and just a little bit sweet. If I said it reminded me a little bit of a Korma sauce, would that put you off?! Don't worry, it's got next to none of the calories found in a curry, and will definitely warm you up after a long, cold day.

It's brimming with nutrients and if you make a big enough batch, it's a really cost-effective way to eat well during the winter.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potatoes, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, chopped
• 5 carrots, chopped
• 1 red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 big cups boiling water
• 1 tea spoon cinnamon
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, grated
• Black pepper to season
• 1 table spoon cumin

First, chop and sautee your red onion and garlic in a big pan for about 5 minutes on a high heat. Then add the ginger, cinnamon and cumin, coating the onion and garlic. Lower the heat so it doesn't burn. 

Whilst this is cooking, chop your butternut squash, carrots and sweet potato (is it just me that hates chopping butternut squash? It's so clumsy and I always end up wasting loads!), and add the pan along with your cups of boiling water.

Let the mix bubble on a medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables become soft and breakable. Don't forget to give it a stir every now and then. 

Pour your soup into a food processor, and blend until you have the desired consistency. If you don't have a blender or processor, have a go at mashing your veg in the pan.

Serve!

Courgette Noodles

There's been so much hype about these recently. Intrigued, I bought a Julienne peeler from Amazon (for a bargainous £3.29) to see what all the fuss was about.

Obviously, these carb-free noodles are packed with nutrients but I've always been a little sceptical about the taste when reading other 'zucchini' noodle recipes, but I can assure you, these really don't feel like a cheap swap. They go all squishy and soft and taste really, really good. Here's how to make them:

These ingredients are for one, so just multiply as needed.

For the noodles:

• 2 courgettes, spiralized (I used one courgette for myself here but I'd definitely use two next time - the noodles shrink quite a bit when they're cooking.)
• Tomato puree
• 1/4 avocado

I like my 'pasta' really tomatoey so added double the amount of puree to avocado.

For the veg:

• Half a red onion
• Half a pepper
• Handful of plum tomatoes
• 1 portobello mushroom
• Paprika
• Black pepper
• Wedge of lime

Obviously, you can swap around your accompanying veg, I was just chopping and cooking whatever I had in the fridge, and luckily it tasted alright!

Peel your courgettes and pop them in a pan with some olive oil. Sprinkle with paprika and black pepper. Cook for five minutes. 

In a separate pan toss in all your remaining vegetables and cook for ten minutes. 

Mash the avocado and spoon into the courgette mix. Add a generous dollop of tomato puree and stir in.

Pop your noodles on a warm plate, arrange your veg medley around it, and give the lime a tough squeeze... and that's it!

Genuinely one of the easiest, tastiest healthy dishes I've tried.

*** UPDATE! ***

Ok, ok, I think I'm officially in love with these; I can't stop making them - currently my favourite variation is with paprika prawns. It's so easy.

1) Cook your noodles. You can either saute them as above, or steam them (I steamed them for this dish and think I prefer it this way). After they've been steamed for ten minutes, add your mashed avocado and tomato puree.

2) In a separate pan, fry off half a red onion and a clove of garlic. Add your prawns and douse in paprika. Cook for five minutes.

3) Mix the prawns and noodles together, and serve.