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.
Chocolate and Beetroot Cake
Serves 8
Ingredients
250g plain cooked (vacuum packed) beetroot drained
200g quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
200g plain flour
200g unsalted butter*, melted
100g dark brown sugar
100g caster sugar
3 large eggs
2tbsp cocoa powder
2tsp baking powder
1tsp vanilla extract
Icing sugar for dusting
Method
- Pre heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease and line a 23cm loose bottomed cake tin.
- Chop the beetroot into quarters and puree in a food processor.
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and put to one side – some larger pieces will give the cake a great texture.
- Add the remaining ingredients, including the broken chocolate, to the processor and whizz until well mixed. Pour into the prepared cake tin and lightly level out the surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. The surface of the cake may have cracked a little. Allow the cake to cool for a few minutes in the tin before removing to a cooling rack.
- Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve in wedges.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Ingredients
1 apple
1 kiwi
1 handful frozen spinach
1 slice melon
5cm chunk of cucumber
1 pear
2cm chunk of ginger
1 cup water
Method
Put all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour over ice to serve.
Green Smoothie
Ingredients
2 cups fresh spinach
2 cups water or dairy free ‘milk’
1/4 medium pineapple
1 mango
1 frozen banana (chopped into chunks)
Method
Blend the spinach and water/ milk until smooth. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
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/
Coconut Ice Smoothie
Serves 2
1 frozen banana
1 handful frozen raspberries
1 dessert spoon coconut oil
500ml milk
Pop all the ingredients in a blender, and whizz until smooth. This tastes like summer holidays at the seaside; delicious!
This is also delicious with almond milk.
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.
Date, Walnut, Coconut and Apple Traybake
Ingredients
150g dark brown sugar
150g butter
75g dessicated coconut
100g self-raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
100g dates, finely chopped
50g walnuts, chopped
2tbsp Greek natural yogurt
2 apples
Method
Preheat oven to Gas 4. Grease and line a baking tray (suitable for brownies)
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, flour, coconut, baking powder. Add dates, walnuts, yogurt.
Pour into greased, lined tray. Top with finely sliced apples.
Bake for 45 mins, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
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.
