L E N T I L S

Autumn is here and it definitely arrived in my kitchen too! I've been craving warming, filling foods rich in colour and flavour. Autumn brings cooler weather, but also a chance to slow down and take time to look after our own wellbeing. Adding warming foods, full of fragrant spices on your menu will keep your appetite satisfied, helping boost the immune system, preparing you for colder months.
Stews, soups and dhals are prefect meals to warm the body. Adding a variety of veg to them will get your daily intake sorted.
Try this super easy and yummy red lentil dhal, packed with flavour and goodness.

Here's what you need:
1 cup of red lentils, rinsed  - no need for soaking
2 small onions
3 garlic cloves
coconut oil or ghee for frying - 1-2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons of turmeric
1 teaspoon of black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
chilli flakes to taste
1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger - or even more if you like the taste
500ml of stock - home made or from a cube, I really like using KALLO cubes as they are organic, low in salt and without any artificial additives
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 small tin of coconut milk - 200ml
veg - here you can be as creative as you wish - you can add some chopped carrots, cauliflower or sweet potato, cavolo nero, chard, kale or spinach leaves
salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste

Here's how to do it:
In a deep, large frying pan heat up the oil. Add mustard seeds wait for them to start popping, then add chopped onions. Fry for 1 minute then add cumin, coriander and garlic. Fry for another minute mixing everything together. Add lentils, turmeric, chilli flakes, tomatoes, coconut milk and stock. Add grated ginger and bring everything to boil. Add chopped root veg  - (keep leaves till the end). Simmer everything for 20-25 minutes, then adding shredded kale, chard, spinach or any other leaves you're using, cooking for another 5 minutes, folding them gently into the pot. Take off heat, add salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot and enjoy the warm feeling inside out!
This dish is so versatile you can swap veg each time and experiment with pulses using green, red, yellow lentils or mung dal instead. Enjoy.

Watercress Soup

It really feels that spring is finally on its way!! Recently I've been reaching for a lot of green coloured food produce - I think I must be aligning myself with mother nature ;-)
This recipe is just like spring on the plate, but will still give you that warmth and comfort as a good bowl of soup does!

It looks fresh and vibrant and it's very easy to make. I found this recipe on the back of the watercress packet, but modified it slightly to add even more greens.

Here's how to cook it.

You will need:
1 onion chopped
25g of butter
250g of chopped and peeled potatoes
500ml of chicken or vegetable stock (I often use organic Kallo stock cubes for lower salt content)
2 bags of watercress, or one bag of watercress and the same amount of spinach, or one bag of watercress and one bag of green leafy pea shoots
cream either just to drizzle or if you want more creamy taste add 50ml
salt and black pepper to taste

This is how to make it:
In a large pot melt the butter and add chopped onion. Keep stirring until the onion gets soft, but not browned. Next add chopped potatoes and all the stock. Cover the pot with a lid and cook on a low heat for about 20mins. When potatoes are almost cooked add the watercress/spinach/pea shoots and cook for another 5 minutes, no longer. Take off heat blend in a mixer, then add a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste and cream if using.

Enjoy with a nice slice of bread with butter and feel the spring coming!

Homemade pasta bake with broccoli

Creamy cheesy pasta bake with some hidden veg is a must dish this winter. Filling, quick to make and enjoyed by the whole family. Who after all doesn't like cheese? 

You can of course swap broccoli for other seasonal veg like carrots, cauliflower or even Brussels sprouts!

Prep time 10 mins, cooking 20 mins

Here's what you need:

approx. 300g of pasta ideally big tubes but all shapes go :-)

handful of washed broccoli florets

150g of grated cheese, cheddar works very well

25g of butter

25g of plain or spelt flour

300ml of milk

sea salt and black pepper to taste

Here's how to do it:

In a large pot boil water and add a pinch of salt. When boiling add pasta and cook according to packet instructions. In the last 5 minutes of cooking add the vegetables that you are using. 

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees and set it on grill option.

In a separate pan melt the butter and slowly add flour, keep the pan on low heat and slowly start whisking the milk. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Keep the pan on low heat, stirring the sauce continuously until it starts getting thicker. Once it does add half of the grated cheese and stir it until it melts. Take off heat. Once your pasta is cooked drain it and put it back in the pot. Add the sauce, coating the pasta and veg completely. Transfer to an oven proof dish and sprinkle with left over cheese. Place in the oven on the top shelf and grill for 3-5 mins until the cheese starts getting golden and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and dish it out. Enjoy, told you it was easy :-)

Festive gingerbread cookies

It's this time of the year again!! What better way to start the culinary festive season than with home made gingerbread cookies? There are delicious, easy to make and kids love decorating them. Gingerbread cookies look pretty on the Christmas tree or would make a perfect gift.

This recipe is very simple and will fill your kitchen with a wonderful smell of Christmas happiness.

Prep time 10-15 mins, baking 8-10 mins

Here's what you need:
350g of plain flour
1tsp of baking soda
1tsp of ground ginger
1tsp of cinnamon 125g of butter
1 egg
175g of soft brown sugar or coconut sugar
4tbsp of golden syrup or if you want a healthier option use date syrup or maple syrup
toppings to decorate - raisins, nuts, chocolate buttons, pumpkin seeds... the choice is yours.

Here's how to do it:
In a large bowl mix flour, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon then add butter. When adding butter cut it in small cubes and mix with the flour to create a breadcrumb texture - the best way would be to mix by hand.
Add sugar. In a separate bowl whisk the egg with the date/golden syrup then add to the flour mix. Combine all, shaping a large sticky ball. Then place the dough in the fridge for around 10-15 mins.
Preheat the over to 160 degrees and prepare a large baking tray with baking paper on top.
Get the dough out of the fridge and on a large flat surface sprinkle a bit of flour and start rolling out the mixture, but using a bit at a time. When rolling out the dough you want it to be around 5 mm thickness. Using cookie cutters, start cutting out shapes, then decorate. If you're planning on hanging the gingerbread cookies on your tree, make a hole before baking, using a straw works great!
Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for around 8-10 mins.

Take the gingerbread cookies out of the oven and cool on the cooling rack then repeat with the rest of the dough. They will keep fresh for around 10 days in an air tight container. Enjoy.

Banana and chia seed pancakes

Lovely, scrumptious banana and chia seed pancakes are a perfect dish for a family breakfast. The banana adds extra sweetness and chia seeds create nice crunch and are a great source of omega 3. This is a nice and easy recipe and will make you around 7 medium sized pancakes.

Here's what to do.

You will need:
1 banana
1 egg
125g of plain flour, you can also use wholemeal
300ml of milk, plant milk works nice too, I really like almond milk
1 table spoon of chia seeds
coconut oil for frying
for toppings use maple or date syrup, natural yogurt, fresh fruit or chocolate spread


In a large mixing bowl first sieve in the flour, then add egg, lightly combine. Pour the milk slowly and start whisking. Mash the banana with a fork and add to the pancake batter. As a last ingredient add chia seeds. Prepare a medium sized pan and melt a bit of coconut oil, just so the pancake doesn't stick. Pour enough mixture to cover around the edges of the frying pan, but do not make it too thick. Lightly brown on one side then flip the pancake to the other side.
Make sure it's cooked throughout, take off heat then repeat this process to make more pancakes.

You can top your pancakes with anything really, but my favourite option is a dollop of natural yogurt, fresh fruit and a nice coat of maple syrup. Yum!!

BEETROOT CRISPS

Easy, delicious and healthy - those beetroot crisps are a must try!

I got this weirdly shaped beetroot from my local organic veg bag scheme and they inspired me to experiment with veggie crisps.

This is such a simple recipe, but still full of lovely flavour. Beetroot is a great source of iron, folic acid, fibre and potassium.

Here's how to do it.
Prep time 5 mins, baking 15 mins

You will need:
2 or more beetroots, depending on how many crisps you would like to make - I used this cylindra shaped beets, but you can use the standard type
olive oil to sprinkle
sea salt
fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Peel and cut the beets in round, fairly thin disc shapes. Place all in a bowl, sprinkle with sea salt, drizzle olive oil and add fresh rosemary. You can also add ground black pepper if you want to add a bit of heat to the crisps.

Once all mixed up, lay the beetroot discs on a baking tray, using greaseproof paper so they don't stick. Make sure you scoop out all the oil and rosemary too.
Place in the oven on the middle tray. Bake for around 10 mins then turn the crisps over and bake for another 5 mins till they get crispy.
And here you are, beetroot crisps ready.

Pumpkin and kale soup

It's pumpkin time of the year again! What a glorious vegetable, so versatile and pretty looking. I absolutely love its vibrant orange colour and often use pumpkins in my house as decorations during Autumn months, but you can do SO much more with this amazing vegetable... Roast it, bake a cake or make nutritious, warming soup.

Pumpkins are rich in vitamin A, which is great for our eyesight. Eating pumpkins can boost immune system - they are a solid source of vitamin C. It's one of the best-known sources of beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant.

Pumpkins are amazing - next time you're carving one, don't throw away the flesh, instead use it to make some delicious meals. Or even better use the whole pumpkin :-)

If you buy the right variety you can even eat the skin!

Kale adds interesting flavour and lots of amazing health benefits too.

Prep time 10 minutes, cooking around 30 minutes

Here's what you need:

1 small sized pumpkin

a handful of kale

2 garlic cloves

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stock cube - to make 500ml of stock (I recommend Kallo for lower salt content)

half a tsp of turmeric

half a tsp of cinnamon

half a tsp of ground ginger

pinch of chilli flakes

salt and black pepper to taste

nigella seeds to decorate and for added crunch

a drizzle of olive oil

a dollop of coconut oil for frying

Here's how to do it:

Pre-heat the oven to around 200 degrees. Wash and chop the pumpkin - the variety I bought didn't even require peeling the skin. Place in an oven dish, drizzle with olive oil and crush two garlic cloves and scatter over the pumpkin. Place in the oven for around 20 minutes (until the pumpkin in nice and soft).

In the meantime chop the onion, heat the coconut oil in a large pan, then fry until soft. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, chilli and ginger. Fry for a couple minutes. Add washed kale, stirring it continuously so it doesn't burn. Fry for few minutes. If the pumpkin is ready, add it to the frying pan, then pour the stock.

Wait until it starts boiling, then cover and simmer for around 10 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Take off heat. Blend it all to create a smooth consistency adding more water depending on how creamy/watery you want it to be. 

Sprinkle with some nigella seeds for added flavour. Enjoy, what a treat!! Long may continue the pumpkin season.