Cheap, simple, nutritious. Use this to make a spag bol, lasagne, a base for chilli or cottage pie.
Serves 6 – it’s worth making in this quantity to freeze if not needed in one sitting.
Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
500g bag dried red lentils
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tsp each dried oregano and thyme
3 bay leaves
1l vegetable stock
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook gently for 15-20 mins until everything is softened. Stir in the lentils, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs and stock. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 40-50 mins until the lentils are tender and saucy – splash in water if you need. Season.
Serve immediately. Alternatively, cool the sauce and chill for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Simply defrost portions overnight at room temperature, then reheat gently to serve.
Rock cakes
Makes 10
Ingredients
200g self raising flour
75g caster sugar
100g butter
1 egg
1 tsp. mixed spice
100g dried fruit
1 tbsp. milk
Method
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Mix the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the cubed butter until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, then mix in the dried fruit.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg and milk together with the vanilla extract.
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until the mixture just comes together as a thick, lumpy dough. Add a teaspoon more milk if you really need it to make the mixture stick together.
- Place golfball-sized spoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking tray. Leave space between them as they will flatten and spread out to double their size during baking.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden-brown. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool.
Quick-Pickled Cucumbers with Rice Vinegar
Ingredients
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
4 cups thinly sliced Japanese or English cucumbers (about 3 Japanese or 1 English)
Method
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat. Add cucumber slices and stir. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or a double layer of heavy duty paper towels, pressing down until towel is saturated with liquid and in direct contact with the cucumbers. Let rest 10 minutes, then transfer cucumbers to a sealable container. Top up with liquid and discard the rest. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
From http://www.seriouseats.com/
Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew
Ingredients (serves 6)
2 tbsp oil (sunflower, olive or rapeseed all work well)
2 large onions (diced)
3 fat cloves garlic (crushed)
1 celery stalk (finely sliced)
1 tsp. black pepper
1tsp. turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
100g red lentils
1 large can chickpeas (400g) drained and rinsed well
1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g) (or chop your own – it’s easy)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes (about 1”)
1.2 litres veg stock
50g small pasta
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan (medium heat). Add onions and fry until just turning golden. Turn heat down to low and add garlic, celery, pepper, turmeric and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes.
Add lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes.
Add butternut squash and stock. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Add pasta and simmer until cooked. Keep an eye on this, small pasta shapes cook quickly.
Season with salt and pepper.
Carrot and Beetroot Salad
Ingredients
2 medium carrots
1 medium beetroot
30g salted nuts
30g raisins
Method
Grate the carrot and beetroot. Mix together with the nuts and raisins.
Lentil and Pearl Barley Winter Salad
Ingredients
100g brown lentils
100g pearl barley
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp. medium curry paste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 green chilli (de-seeded)
Splash of lemon juice
Splash of oil
Method
Finely chop the onion, chilli, garlic.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Add the chopped vegetables, curry powder, cumin – cook for a couple of minutes.
Add enough lemon juice to make a thin paste.
Add the lentils and barley and toss in the paste to cover.
Add enough water to cover the lentils and barley.
Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Keep an eye on the pan, you may need to top the water up as it cooks to stop the lentils from sticking.
Cook for around 30 mins, or until the water has evaporated and the lentils are cooked but not soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with finely sliced celery, grated cheese (optional) and carrot, chopped beetroot and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Vegetable Layer Bake (serves 6)
Thinly sliced potatoes (2 large)
2 onions (sliced)
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
4 mushrooms (sliced)
1 400g tin butter beans (rinsed)
100g frozen sweetcorn
100g brown lentils
Enough gluten free vegetable stock to cover
A knob of butter
Mixed herbs
Black pepper
Preheat the oven to Gas 3
Prepare all the vegetables.
Layer up the ingredients in a large casserole in this order:
1/3 of the potatoes
½ of the onion
½ the mushrooms
½ tin butter beans
½ the sweetcorn
½ the lentils
Mixed herbs and black pepper
Repeat, and finish with a final layer of potato.
Add enough stock to cover, pop on a lid and place in a preheated oven (gas 3 ) for 1 hour.
Take off lid and bake for a further ½ hr.
*You can make this dish vegan by leaving out the butter*
Make room for the mushrooms
Bean and Mushroom Paté
Serves 6
Ingredients
150g mushrooms finely chopped
2 fat cloves garlic
50g butter
1 x 400g tin of rosecco beans (or butter beans) drained and rinsed
1 tsp mixed herbs
Splash of balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
This couldn’t be easier. Finely chop the mushrooms. Add to a large pan with the butter (medium heat). Try to resist the urge to stir for a couple of minutes. Then add the garlic, cook for a couple more minutes (you can stir now!). Finally, add the herbs, balsamic and beans and mash thoroughly until the ingredients form a paste. Season to taste and pop in individual ramekins. Allow to cool before putting in the fridge. Eat with gluten-free toast or oatcakes.
These are great to make on a chilly winter’s day. They are light, yet comforting and the smell of yeasted buns and spices fills the house with a warm, Christmassy smell.
Ingredients
450g plain flour
7g dried yeast
1 teaspoon salt
50g caster sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
50g melted Trex (vegetable lard)
150ml tepid milk
175g mixed fruit
1 teaspoon mixed spices
To finish
1 egg to glaze
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1/2/ teaspoon cinnamon
Method
Measure the flour, yeast, salt, spices and caster sugar into a large bowl (the bigger, the better) and mix well. Make a well in the middle and pour in the melted Trex, eggs and milk, adding the mixed fruit last. Mix to a smooth, soft dough.
Turn the mixture out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (approx 5 minutes). Place in an oiled bowl and cover with oiled cling film and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hr). My house is quite chilly, so I put a doubled over clean tea towel on top of the cling film for some extra insulation!
Lightly grease a deep 12 hole muffin tin.
Turn the risen dough out of the bowl and knead well until it is smooth and elastic – this won’t take long at all. Divide into 12 equal pieces and place in the greased muffin tin. Cover again with the oiled cling film (and tea towel, if using) and leave until doubled in size again (about 30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to Gas5/ 190C/ 375F.
Mix the beaten egg, caster sugar and cinnamon together and brush over the buns. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.
These are delicious served with butter and a nice cup of tea.
cheap, healthy, delicious.
Date and Walnut Cake
Ingredients
6oz self-raising flour
6oz sugar
6oz butter
3 eggs
Handful of finely chopped walnuts
Handful of finely chopped dates
Splash of strong, black coffee
Method
Preheat the oven to Gas 4
Grease and line a 9″ round cake tin (I use cake tin liners, they are cheap and guarantee you can remove your cake from the tin successfully!)
Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until thoroughly mixed
OR… Cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly (don’t worry if it curdles). Fold in the flour, dates and walnuts. Finally, stir in the coffee
Spoon into the lined cake tin and bake for around 50 minutes. Keep an eye on it, if it is going brown too quickly, pop a double layer of tin foil over it.
It’s easiest to remove from the tin after it has cooled.
