Dhal and rice

 

Still skint after Christmas and a never ending January?  I know the feeling.  This, however, is cheap, filling and nutritious.  And has used up stuff from the bottom of the fridge.

Vegetable oil

Onion

Tomatoes

Plum

Red lentils

Turmeric

Chilli flakes

Garam Massala

Water

Spinach

Rice - Brown Basmati today

1.  Sautee chopped onion in oil, gently.

2.  Put rice on to cook - I use a heavy bottomed pan, add cold water to one inch above the surface of the rice, and a pinch of salt.  Bring to the boil, slam the lid on and turn down to the absolute lowest possible.

3.  Add chopped tomato and chopped plum (both optional, use what you have) to the onions.

4.  Add red lentils and water, then add spices, simmer for a while.

5.  Check that its not going too dry, and continue to simmer until lentils are soft.

6.  Add a handful of spinach leaves to wilt through.

7.  Serve, scoff, count spare pennies...

Root vegetable and butter bean hot pot

The veg box was full of root vegetables, and there was a nip in the air after a beautiful autumnal walk - so a lovely, slightly spicy veggie hot pot with chapatis fitted the bill for us.  I also had some kale left over, so shredded it quite finely, so that it was soft and not challenging - that's a bonus veg, and no complaints.

Onion

Olive oil

Garlic

Piri piri spices

Swede

Carrot

Parsnip

Sweet potato

Kale

Dijon mustard

Italian herbs

Tin of tomatoes

Tin of butter beans

Salt and pepper

Flatbreads or crusty bread to serve - we happened to have chapatis.

1.  Chop onion and sweat down in olive oil.

2.  Add peeled and diced root vegetables, stir into the onion mixture.

3.  Add minced garlic and a good pinch of piri piri spice.

4.  Finely shred kale and add to the mixture, stir in.

5.  Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin full of water, a teaspoon of mustard and a pinch of herbs,  simmer for at least 30 minutes.

6.  Drain the butter beans and stir in, simmer again.

7.  When the veg are tooth soft it's ready to eat.

8.  Serve, scoff, be soothed.

 

Tofu veg stir fry

 

The veg dodger is away this week - so the veggie and I are indulging in veggie fare.  Infact, we are going towards entirely plant based - though reserving the right to go off piste if we fancy.

This veggie stir fry was chock full of veggies and tofu, with soba noodles.

Vegetable oil

Leek

Garlic

Ginger

Chilli flakes

Carrot

Red pepper

Green beans

Broccoli

Tofu

Chinese 5 spice

Vegetarian mushroom sauce

Soashing rice wine

Soy sauce

Spinach

Soba noodles

Sesame seeds

1.  Chop all vegetables into quite small pieces - particularly leeks, as these are tougher than the sping onions which I would normally use for stir fries.

2.  Cut tofu into cubes and fry gently in sunflower oil, flipping so that each side are golden brown.  Turn off heat.

3.  In a wok heat sunflower oil - add leek and fry for a few minutes.  Add crushed garlic, ginger and chilli flakes.  Stir.

4.  Add remaining hard veg and stir fry.  Add a little water to steam fry.

5.  Add spices, sauce, rice wine and stir in.  Cook for a minute or two.

6.  Boil noodles in salted water.

7.  Add drained noodles, fried tofu and spinach - toss together.

8.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and scoff.

Vegan moussaka

 

I have got a glut of aubergine from the veg box - and I don't really like aubergine - so they have to be enhanced!

This was delicious, though the photo is a bit scruffy.  There are four layers - a spiced lentil ragu, griddled aubergine slices, a white sauce and potatoes - possibly not an authentic moussaka, but my take on it today.

It is jam packed full of vegetables - use what you have.

Ragu sauce

Olive oil

Leek

Garlic - crushed

Carrot

Aubergine

Red pepper

Kale

Green lentils (tinned)

Tomatoes

Italian herbs

Harissa

Dried mint

Cinnamon

Yeast extract

White sauce

Soya milk

Bay leaf

Nutmeg

corn flour

Potatoes

Aubergine

Olive oil

1.  Finely chop leek and sautee in olive oil.

2.  Add peeled and chopped carrot, chopped red pepper, aubergine and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.

3.  Finely chop kale, and stir in, cook for a few minutes

4.  Slice aubergine, and griddle in olive oil for a few minutes on each side.

5.  Add drained green lentils, chopped tomatoes (I used fresh, but a tin would be fine) to the vegetables.

6.  Add a teaspoon of yeast extract, a good pinch of italian herbs, a small pinch of mint, a teaspoon of harissa and a pinch of cinnamon to the veg mix - with salt and pepper - taste and adjust if necessary.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, add water if it's getting dry.

7.  Make white sauce by simmering soya (or other) milk with bay leaf and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  When it boils remove bay leaf and thicken with slaked cornflour (cornflour dissolved in water) - keep stirring as it thickens.

8.  Chop and boil potatoes in salted water.

9.  Layer an oven proof dish - lentil mixture, aubergine slices, white sauce - then tumble the potato on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes.

10.  Serve, scoff - have seconds.

Filo pies - Turkey and pepper, chick pea and pepper. National Pie week: day 7, pie #4

 Once again a veg dodger and a vegan version were required - so I made one fil pie with turkey mince, and the other with chickpeas.  Served with patatas (not very) bravas, and a lovely salad with avocado.  Delicious.

The trick with these meals is to make the bulk of it to be shared between the two versions, and then add the meaty / protein alternatives to the appropriate dish.

For this meal start with the pepper filling, the spinach and the turkey (or other) mince filling - then move on to the potatoes.  Return to complete the fillings, build the pies - bake, then construct the salad.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Celery
Peppers (red, orange and/or yellow)
Paprika
Spinach
White wine

Mince (turkey, … or … )

Potatoes
Tinned tomatoes
Chilli

Filo pastry

Salad leaves
Tomatoes
Spring onions
Avocado
Mixed seeds
Garlic
lime juice

1.  Chop onions.   Gently fry about half in olive oil for the pepper mixture, about a quarter in olive oil for the turkey mix, and a quarter in olive oil for the (not very) bravas sauce.
2.  Add crushed garlic to all three pans, stir and continue to fry gently.
3.  Chop potatoes into 1cm cubes, toss in olive oil and a little salt, roast for 45 minutes or so.
4.  Add chopped celery and peppers to the pepper mix, with a pinch of paprika and salt.  Continue to fry until soft, adding white wine and water to allow to simmer gently.
5.  In a fourth pan wilt spinach in a little water.  Turn the heat off as soon as the spinach is wilted.
6.  Add the mince to the second pan of onions and fry until slightly browned,  keep moving in the pan.
7.  Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, salt and chilli flakes, and half a tin of water to the final batch of tomatoes and simmer to create the sauce for the potatoes.
8.  Build the pies - grease pie plates with a little olive oil - layer on three layers of filo, brushing with olive oil each layer - build the veggie one first.  On the bottom - half of the spinach, then peppers, then drained rinsed chickpeas.  Top with three layers of filo, each brushed with olive oil.  Tuck in the edges and drizzle the edge with olive oil.  Repeat with the meaty one - pastry, spinach, peppers, mince, pastry.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.
9.  Salad - add leaves, chopped tomatoes, chopped spring onions, scooped out sliced avocado and seeds.  Spritz with lime juice to prevent avocado oxidising.  Drizzle with a little olive oil.  Serve with a little extra dressing made from lime juice, crushed garlic and olive oil.
10.  Serve, scoff …. it was good.

Haggis Pie: (and a vegan version): National Pie Week, day 4, pie #3

National Pie week - and a haggis in the freezer - natural result "Haggis Pie".  Basically neeps and tatties as the pie top for a haggis/lentil filling - with cabbage and whisky cream sauce.

To cope with the various dietary requirements in this house we actually had two versions - one with haggis and one entirely vegan.

The one with the haggis also had a healthy layer of the lentil mixture underneath the haggis (don't tell the veg dodger - they happily scoffed thirds!)

The haggis needs to be cooked before adding to the pie, so I started with this - 45 minutes simply boiling in its bag, as per package instructions.

Haggis
Olive oil
Leeks
Celery
Courgette
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Lentils
Wholegrain mustard
Marmite
Chilli flakes
Oregano

Carrots
Swede
Potatoes
Dairy free spread

Cabbage

Sour cream
Whisky

1.  Cook the haggis as per package instructions.
2.  Sautee chopped leeks and celery in olive oil until a bit soft, then add crushed garlic, chopped courgette, red pepper and mushrooms.  Stir In.  Add a handful of lentils (I used brown, red/puy would also be fine).  Pour in about a pint of water and simmer.  After a couple of minutes add mustard, marmite, chilli flakes and oregano.  Simmer.  It takes about 30 minutes - check it doesn't go too dry, for taste and that lentils are cooked.
3.  Meanwhile peel and chop root veg and boil.  When cooked, drain and mash with plant based spread and plenty of seasoning.
4.  Assemble the pie(s).  For the vegan one - 2 layers - lentils and mash.  For the haggis pie - lentils, haggis, mash.  Spread the mash around and bake for about 25 minutes - until the top starts to brown.
5,  Steam cabbage.
6.  Whisky sauce - simmer a little water, add a spoonful of sour cream and a splash of whisky.
7.  Serve, scoff - watch veg dodger have thirds, and vegan/vegetarian types have seconds.

Stew and dumplings - vegan stylee

Rain, rain, rain, rain … and cold - and injuries, so we are almost housebound at the mo.  Today demanded serious comfort food - so, vegan butter bean autumnal casserole with DUMPLINGS!!! yay.. and gluten free dumplings at that.  This was a triumph - served with red cabbage braised in apple juice (and flash fried steak for the veg dodger).  This plant based rib sticker stew was a total winner.

For the stew:

Olive oil
onions
garlic
swede
carrots
potatoes
mushrooms
butternut squash
vegetable stock
mustard
tinned tomatoes
butter beans
red cabbage
apple juice
red wine


Dumplings

Self raising flour (gluten free for us)
salt and pepper
olive oil
plant based veg spread (soya margarine for us)
soya milk
parsley

1.  Slowly fry chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Prep veg - peel, chop into more or less even sized pieces - all of the veg.  Chucnk into the pan with the onions.  Stir around and then add some stock.  Simmer.
3.  Add a spoonful of mustard and season to taste.
4.  Drain a tin of butter beans.    Add a tin of chopped tomatoes to the pan, follow with a tinful of water - turn it down and simmer for 20 minutes or so … until the veg yield to the tip of a knife.
5.  Make the braised cabbage (optional, obvs … but it goes really nicely)  sweat off chopped onion and crushed garlic, add a splash of apple juice and a splash of red wine - then shredded red cabbage - simmer gently - add more water if needed .. keep simmering and checking water level until done.
6.  Mix self raising flour with a little salt and a grind of pepper, add chopped parsley - drizzle in some olive oil and a knob  of plant based marg - cut the fat through the flour, then add soya milk and mix to a firm dough.
7.  Add the drained butter beans to the stew.
8.  Make the dumplings by mixing the mixture until you can form small balls in your hand - add more "milk" if too dry or more flour if too wet/sticky.
9.  Drop dumplings onto stew … cover … steam,/simmer for 20 minutes
10.  Serve, scoff (fry minute steaks in a hot pan for 5 minutes before serving if necessary!  the veg dodger was happy with good stew, dumplings, cabbage and MEAT)

Vegan lasagne (also gluten free)

Cutting down on dairy, but still want some comforting classics?  I thought I would have a go at a vegan lasagne - it was pretty good - though we did miss the cheese a bit #cheesefiends.

Onion
Garlic
Celery
Olive oil
Oregano
Red pepper
Courgette
Mushrooms
Tomato puree
Red lentils
Red wine
Water
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Almond milk
spring onions
bay leaf
Rolled oats
Marmite
English mustard
Lasagne sheets (gluten free today)
Fried onions

1.  Sautee chopped onion and celery with crushed garlic in olive oil, until a little softened.
2.  Add the rest of the chopped vegetables, a good pinch of oregano, red wine and tomato puree and stir in.
3.  Add red lentils and quite a lot of water, simmer until lentils are soft and then add a tin of chopped tomatoes, continue to simmer gently for 5 or so minutes.
4.  Make the "white" sauce - simmer the almond milk with chopped spring onions and a bay leaf.  Add a small handful of oats, this will help thicken the sauce.
5.  Stir a couple of teaspoons of marmite and a teaspoon of mustard into the sauce, to give it some savoury oomph.
6.  When the oats are soft, remove the bay leaf and zizz the mixture up with a hand blender until smooth, drizzle in a little olive oil - this seems to make it more creamy and less "claggy".
7.  Layer the lentils, white sauce and pasta - repeat - finish with lentils and white sauce - bake for 20 minutes.
8.  Top the lasagne with fried onions and pop back into the oven for a few minutes.
9.  Serve, scoff … seconds …

Rhubarb, apple and pear nutty crumble

This was the pudding for our Proper roast Sunday dinner.

All the fruit is bang in season - and you can make it with gluten free flour and olive oil (or other plant based) spread to make it gluten free and vegan.  Obviously omit nuts if anyone has a nut allergy.

This is a three stage process - I have indicated in the roast dinner recipe how you can fit the prep in to make your dinner arrive on time.




Rhubarb
Apples
Pear
Brown sugar
Orange juice
Flour
Butter (or plant based spread)
Oats
Brown sugar
Nuts - chopped hazelnuts, pistachios and walnuts
Cinnamon

1.  Wash and chop fruit, taking the cores out of the apples and pears.  Place into an oven dish and sprinkle with brown sugar (to taste, but I think it needs some as the rhubarb can be quite tart).  Squeeze on orange juice (or pour from a carton).  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until fruit is slightly yielding.  Remove from the oven, stir and allow to cool.
2.  Rub together flour and fat until it resembles bread crumbs.  Add oats, brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon and nuts.  Stir together.
3.  Top the fruit with the crumble mixture, bake for about 30 minutes.
4.  Serve, scoff - some people might want cream, custard or icecream … or a combination.

Beetroot and carrot burgers

Meat free Monday - today we had beetroot and carrot burgers - and the veg dodger had seconds!

This could be made vegan by omitting the cheese - but the melting saltiness is really nice in the middle of the burger.  It could be replaced by a few cashew nuts for a bit of crunch and flavour.

Onion
Beetroots
Carrots
Porridge oats
Olive oil
Cheddar
Garlic
Courgettes
New potatoes

1.  Grate the onion, beetroot and carrots - mix well together.  Add a big handful of porridge oats, plenty of salt and pepper and a good splosh of olive oil.  Mix together again.
2.  Cut cheddar into small cubes.
3.  Put potatoes on to boil.
4.  Finely chop garlic, chop courgettes into cubes.
5.  Make the burgers, packing cheese into the middle - I used rings to pack them onto the pan, but you can shape them by hand by moulding around the cheese, fry them at a medium heat, in olive oil for about 5 minutes on each side.
6.  Fry the courgette and garlic in olive oil in another pan - keep tossing around so that all sides get cooked.
7.  Serve, scoff … have seconds - you'll be surprised how tasty they are.

A tale of two curries

Sunday, a confirmed meat eater, a vegetarian and assorted random veg in the fridge ... so - Sunday night curries.

Start the curries off at the same time, and follow the steps.  Takes about a hour start to finish.

I had some curry mixes, so based the spicing on those ... could have used individual spices obviously.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Celery
Malaysian fish curry mix
Tikka masala mix
Chilli
Mushrooms
Red pepper
Butternut squash
Pork loin steaks
Water
Pork stock
Apples
Apple juice
Pilou spice mix
Basmati rice

1.  Chop onions and start 2 decent sized sautée pans going with the onions in olive oil.
2.  Add crushed garlic.
3.  Chop celery and add some to both pans.
4.  Stir in spice mixes - Malaysian for the veg and tikka masala for the pork.
5.  Chop mushrooms and add to both pans.
6. Chop red pepper and add to veggie curry.
7.  Chop pork into bite sized pieces and add to meat curry.
8.  Prep butternut squash and add to veggie curry, and stir in.  Add veg stock.
9.  Keep turning posh until lightly browned, then add cored and chopped apples.  Then add pork stock and a cup of apple juice.
10.  Simmer both curries, if they are going dry add more water - taste to check seasoning.
11.  Add pilou spices to a little olive oil and cook them for a minute or two.  Add basmati rice and water to an inch above the surface of the rice.  Stir once and bring to the boil.
12.  When rice boils turn right down and slam on the lid - it will be ready in about 15 minutes.
13.  Add a drained, rinsed, tin of chickpeas to the veggie curry.
14.  Add half a cup of coconut milk to each curry, stir in and simmer.
15. Serve, scoff ... obviously taking which option you prefer.  I had some of each ... yum

Cauliflower, hazelnut and gorgonzola bake, roasted squash and tomatoes. Potatoes with onions and mushrooms

Bring on the autumnal flavours with all of these vegetables bang in season.  Cauliflower and hazelnuts go really well together, and this time I added some gorgonzola for extra smoothness and a slightly sharp flavour.  Roasted squash and tomatoes added an earthy sweetness - and you can't go wrong with sautéed potatoes, onion and mushrooms.  (Leave out the gorgonzola and the butter and it's vegan too).

Olive oil

Butter

Cauliflower

Squash

Cherry tomatoes

Gorgonzola

Red onion

Mushrooms

Cooked new potatoes

1.  Prep the squash, splosh over olive oil and roast at 180 … for about 45 minutes.

2.  Toss the tomatoes in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, roast alongside the squash.

3.  Cut the cauliflower into "steaks" .. ie. slices top to core, about 2cm thick - there will be some larger florets which "fall" off - I cooked these in the same way as the steaks.  

4.  Fry the cauliflower in olive oil and butter for a few minutes each side - panne the steaks to keep them succulent (with a spoon, keep lifting the fats from the pan and pour them over the cauliflower).

5.  When the cauliflower is about half cooked - ie. still a little resistant to a sharp knife, but a bit golden brown around the edges - transfer to an oven dish.

6.  Add bite sized chunks of gorgonzola and roughly chopped hazelnuts to the cauliflower.  Put it in the oven with the squash and tomatoes.

7.  In the same pan, using the same oil, sautee chopped red onion, chopped mushrooms and sliced (precooked) potatoes.

8.  Serve, scoff … seconds

Carrot and pea curry and tarka dhal

Cheap, nutritious and delicious.  Sourced from Todmorden market - The Mediterranean Pantry spices, coconut oil, rice and lentils.  Kevin outside for the vegetables.

Coconut oil
Onion
Garlic
Basmati rice
Fennel seed
Cumin seed
Coriander seed
Mustard seeds
Chilli flakes
Turmeric
Red lentils
Carrots
Potatoes
Peas
Curry leaves
Garam masala

1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in coconut oil.
2.  Put rice on to cook - I bring to the boil in a pan covered in 1 inch of water, slam the lid on and turn it right down for 15 minutes.
3.  Boil lentils in water, keep an eye on them, stir occasionally to stop them sticking and add more water if it goes too dry.
4.  Add fennel, cumin, coriander, chilli and turmeric to the softened onion.  Stir in and cook for a couple of minutes.
5.  Add peel diced carrot and potato to the onion spice mixture, stir in.  Add a cup of water, put the lid on a simmer gently for about 15 minutes - check the water level occasionally.  Add a teaspoon of garam masala and stir in.
6.  When the vegetables are nearly done chuck in a handful of frozen peas and put the lid back on for a few minutes.
7.  Make the tarka by heating coconut oil in a small pan - add mustard, cumin, fennel and coriander seeds and a few curry leaves.  Fry for a minute or so, and then pour over the lentils.
8.  Serve, scoff, save!

Vegan burritos, or something similar

I have soaked and cooked a batch of borlotti beans, so they will feature for a few recipes this week.  We start with this one .. a vegan burrito ... or basically yummy things in a wrap.  You could make it un-vegan by adding grated cheese or sour cream etc.  I just stuck to the bean, red pepper sauce and salad version.  If you are a hungry sort you might like to add cooked rice as a filler.

I soaked the beans overnight, and then boiled them for 20 minutes.  Once cool they become the ingredient ... you could also drain a tin!

Onions
garlic
Olive oil
cumin seeds
chili flakes
cooked borlotti beans

Roasted red pepper, in a jar in olive oil

Wraps

Salad leaves
Radishes

1.  Sautee chopped onion and crushed garlic in olive oil until soft.
2.  Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds and about half a teaspoon (to taste) chilli flakes, cook briefly.  Add in the beans.  Add a little water at this point and allow to simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
3.  Make the red pepper sauce by chopping a couple of the peppers up and sauteeing gently in some oil from the jar, with a clove of crushed garlic for a few minutes - whizz in a blender - done.
4.  Throw together a simple salad.
5.  Heat the wraps - sprinkle with a few drops of water and either microwave for about 15 seconds, or heat in a warm oven for a minute or two.
6. Serve, put on your own mix ... could also add avocado, cheese, sweetcorn ... etc as you wish

Roasted cauliflower with "romesco" sauce, with farfalle and beans

It may not be your traditional pasta dish, but together the flavours were lovely.  All ingredients (except the wine) found inside and outside Todmorden's market.  Oil, garlic, pasta, nuts, roast peppers, herbs and spices from The Mediterranean Pantry - vegetables from the two stalls outside.  Roasting the cauliflower brings out a lovely nutty flavour, but don't leave it in too long, you still want a little crunch left in it.

Olive oil
Cauliflower
Roast red peppers (from a jar)
Garlic
Ground almonds
White wine (optional)
Pasta (farfalle today)
Green beans
Edamame beans (can be bought frozen if you can't find fresh, or omit)
Salad leaves
Radishes

1.  Break the cauliflower into decent sized florets, toss in olive oil and roast at 180 for about 20 minutes.
2.  Meanwhile make the "romesco" sauce.  It might normally be a bit hotter than this one, but I didn't fancy chilli so didn't add any.  Soften crushed garlic gently in olive oil, add chopped red peppers (from the jar) and allow to cook gently.  Add a cup of white wine (or water) and a big handful of ground almonds, simmer for 5 minutes.
3.  Start the pasta cooking in boiling salted water, steam the beans on top.
4.  Remove the sauce from the heat - add it to the cauliflower, toss about in it and put it back in the oven to finish off.
5.  Make a simple salad.
6.  Serve, scoff .... it was very summery and very delicious.

Nut roast with rich tomato and pepper sauce

 Sometimes you want a proper roast dinner, but based purely on plant products - or vegan, even.

So, pulling together some nuts and vegetables I came up with this delicious nut roast dinner.  The sauce is gloriously rich, and there is quite a lot left which I am looking forward to slathered onto some toast.

Nut roast
Leek
Mushrooms
Olive oil
Garlic
Tuscan seasoning
Mustard
Hazelnuts
Pistachio
Walnuts
Roasted red pepper

Red pepper and tomato sauce
Olive oil
onion
garlic
roasted red pepper
cherry tomatoes
sundried tomatoes
white wine

... and also ...
Potatoes
olive oil
broccoli
green beans
carrots

1.  Cut washed potatoes into chunks, roast in olive oil in a roasting tray.
2.  Sautee chopped leeks, crushed garlic and mushrooms until soft, with a teaspoon of Tuscan seasoning and a teaspoon of grainy mustard.
3.  Blend the nuts.  Don't blend them until they are dust, but so that there are some bigger bits and some smaller bits, to give an interesting texture.  I used a handful each of hazelnuts, pistachio and walnuts, but these could be substituted with almost any nut.
4.  Mix the nuts with the leeks and mushrooms.
5.  Into a greased loaf tin, press in half the nut mixture.  Cut roasted red pepper (from a jar) into strips and cover the layer of nuts.  Cover the pepper with the rest of the nuts and press down gently.  Bake for about 30 minutes.
6.  Finely chop an onion and sautee with crushed garlic in olive oil.  Add a few chopped red peppers (from the jar), a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes and a big spoonful of sundried tomatoes.  Simmer in a little white wine until it all goes soft.  Whizz into a sauce.
7.  Steam the prepared vegetables for 10-12 minutes.
8.  Serve, scoff .... proper Sunday dinner time.

Veggie curry

This was very tasty, and very cheap (about 50p per portion I think), and with the current slightly challenging kitchen set up I really was quite pleased with it.

Olive oil
Leek
Mushrooms
Curry paste
Red lentils
Water
Baby spinach
Microwavable basmati rice
Natural yogurt

1.  Sautee chopped leek in olive oil, add chopped muchrooms.
2.  Stir in a spoonful of curry paste, and briefly fry.
3.  Add a big handful of red lentils, water and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally - take the lid off if it is too wet when the lentils are nearly done, or add more water if it is getting too dry and in danger of sticking.
4.  When the lentils are done turn off the heat and stir in 2 big handfuls of baby spinach, stir in to wilt.
5.  Microwave rice following packet instructions.
6.  Serve, scoff ... add yogurt if you wish.

Butter bean and root vegetable hotpot

Easy, warm, wintery stew ... just what we needed on a cold night.  Cheap too!

Olive oil
Onion
Tuscan mix
Potatoes
Tomato puree
Swede
Carrots
Parsnip
Mushrooms
Marmite
Grainy mustard
Butter beans (tinned, drained)


1.  Sautee chopped onions is olive oil.
2.  Add a teaspoon of tuscan mix (herbs, garlic and chilli) and continue to fry.
3.  Add diced root vegetables, and chopped mushrooms - I didn't peel the potatoes, but did peel the others before dicing.
4.  Squueze in a spoonful of tomato puree and add some water.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
5.  Add a teaspoon of marmite, and a a big one of mustard.  Simmer with the lid on.
6.  Drain a tin of butter beans and add to the mixture.  Simmer until beans are heated through.
7.  Serve, scoff.

Chick peas on toast

Like beans on toast, but a bit crunchier.  Very filling, very delicious, and probably cheaper than chips.

The sourdough bread is from the very lovely Cragg bakers who are here on the outside Todmorden market on a Saturday - their bread is outstanding.

All other ingredients can be found on the market, inside and outside.  Chickpeas, olive oil, garlic, passata, tomato puree and spices from The Mediterranean Pantry.  Butter from The Crumbly Cheese.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Red pepper
Tomato puree
chilli flakes
mixed herbs
Dijon mustard
Chickpeas (tinned, jarred or soaked overnight and boiled for an hour)
Passata
Water/stock
Sourdough bread
Butter (Olive oil spread to make it vegan)

1.  Sautee chopped oniion and crushed garlic in olive oil.
2.  Add chopped red pepper, fry a little longer, then add tomato puree, a pinch of chilli flakes, a pinch of mixed herbs and a teaspoon of dijon mustard, stir in.
3.  Add drained chick peas and a tinful of water/ veg stock, simmer briefly.
4.  Add passata and simmer gently until it looks like the right consistency for you.  (if it goes too think just add a little water.
5.  Toast bread, butter ...
6.  Serve, scoff, smile

Roast cauliflower, with hazelnuts, baby roast potatoes and a mushroom gravy.

I love cauliflower, but I didn't fancy cauliflower cheese (to be honest, I am trying to cut down on lactose containing, as I've been suffering with headaches recently - and cheese is a trigger) ... anyway, to avoid disappointment of it not being cauliflower cheese, I wanted to do something tasty ... so, with some baby roasties and a flavoursome mushroom gravy this hazelnut loaded, herby spicy roast cauliflower was invented - and very tasty it was too.

Baby potatoes
Olive oil
Cauliflower
Moussaka seasoning
Onions
Garlic
Mushrooms
Tomato puree
Veg stock cube
Mustard
Hazelnuts

1.  Cut baby potatoes into pieces, toss in olive oil and roast for about a hour.
2.  Break cauliflower into florets, toss in olive oil, sprinkle with moussaka seasoning and roast for about 45 minutes.
3.  Make gravy by sauteeing onions and garlic in olive oil, add chopped mushrooms, tomato puree and stock cube with water, simmer ... after it has simmered for a few minutes stir in a spoonfulof mustard .. keep an eye on it, if it's getting a bit dry add more water, if it's too watery turn up the heat and reduce it down.
4.  Strew the cauliflower with roughly chopped hazelnuts and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.
5.  Serve, scoff, congratulate yourself.