Butternut Squash and Peanut Butter Soup

This spicy Malaysian inspired soup should help to keep those winter chills at bay. The classic combination of chilli, ginger and lime with peanut butter makes for a tasty treat and usually will mean none goes to waste!

You will need,

1 Butternut squash (peeled and diced)
1 onion (chopped)
Fresh garlic (3 cloves, peeled and chopped)
Fresh ginger (4cm cube, peeled and chopped)
1 fresh chilli (de-seeded and chopped)
A few curry leaves
Fresh coriander (chopped)
1 stock cube (veggie or chicken)
Salt/pepper to taste
2/3 teaspoons unsweetened peanut butter

To serve, fresh coriander and lime if desired.

In a large saucepan on a low setting, heat a tablespoon of oil and add the chopped onion. Continue to cook for approximately 5 minutes. Now add the garlic, ginger, chilli, curry leaves and the cubed butternut squash. Mix together and add enough boiling water to cover the vegetables. Add the stock cube and chopped coriander and simmer for approximately 20 minutes until the squash is tender. Now mash with a potato masher or use a hand blender to give a smooth consistency. Return to the heat and stir in the peanut butter and season to taste. Before serving garnish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Yoghurt also works very well swirled through.

Veggie Lasagne

Lasagne, comforting and delicious! What could be better to come home to than tasty, robust Italian flavours baked to perfection. This is an easy, nutritious vegetarian version that can make use of just about any veggies left in the fridge at the end of the week.
To serve 2 generously I used,

160g lasagne sheets (7/8 sheets)
1 red pepper (sliced)
160g frozen spinach (defrosted)

400g tomato sauce (either ready made or see below)

•  tin of tomatoes
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 2/3 cloves of garlic (crushed and chopped)
• Dried basil
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Teaspoon of brown sugar

400g cheese sauce, see below

• 200g ricotta cheese
• 150ml milk
• Nob of butter
• Approximately 10g of plain flour
• Black pepper and nutmeg to taste

Tomato Sauce

Start my softening the chopped onion in some oil in a pan on a low heat, add the chopped garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and sugar and cook through on a low heat.

Cheese Sauce

Now in another pan again on a very low heat melt the butter, when fluid sprinkle enough flour to absorb the butter. Keep mixing continuously with a whisk (or a fork will do the job almost as well). When the butter has all been taken up pour the smallest amount of milk in and work into a paste (or a roux) now add a little more milk at a time and keep working it into the sauce. Once the milk is all in, add the ricotta cheese and black pepper and nutmeg (optional) to taste. Mix together and set aside.

Construction

In a lasagne dish, or any oven proof dish, start by adding some tomato sauce, then pasta sheets, then some veggies (red pepper in this case), then more pasta sheets, then spinach. Top off by covering with the cheese sauce and a final twist of black pepper and a grate of nutmeg.

Cook

Cover with foil and cook on 180 degrees C for approximately 30 minutes. After this time check the pasta is cooked and if so remove the foil and finish for 10 minutes to brown the top.

Serve

With a green salad, garlic bread or very good just as it is!

Apple Polenta Slice

This is an excellent sweet cake slice in its own right but if you happen to be wheat sensitive or coeliac then this is a brilliant treat for you. Its a little bit more expensive than my other recipe ideas mainly due to the ground almonds but well worth the extra expense.

100g polenta (free flowing, not the ready made block kind)
100g castor sugar
2 baking apples (stewed and puréed with as little water as possible)
50g ground almonds
75g butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten free if required)
A few flaked almonds for decoration


Its important to have everything at room temperature before you begin in order to gain the maximum lift and for a good texture. Its a good idea to also have the apple cooled to room temperature too, this will prevent the eggs from starting to cook before the cake goes in the oven.
Mix together in a bowl the polenta, ground almonds, sugar and baking powder. Then add the softened butter and the eggs. Mix well until all ingredients are combined, now add the apple purée and mix again.
Prepare a baking tin, victoria sandwich or square tin approximately 20cm/8" square by greasing well and lining the base with greaseproof paper/baking parchment.
Pour the cake batter into the tin  and scatter the flaked almonds across the surface. Place in the centre of a preheated oven (180 degrees C) for approximately 30 minutes.
When browned and springy when gently pressed, its done. Leave to cool in the tin for 10/15 minutes then turn onto a wire rack. When cooled thoroughly cut into rectangular slices.

Delicious with a cup of tea and feet up!

Feelgood Choc Orange Brownie

By combining All Bran cereal with this delicious recipe means it contains plenty of fibre and B vitamins, the milk provides calcium and the almonds iron. Dark chocolate has been shown to improve mood and tastes divine.
So no need to have any qualms with this one!

100g All Bran
200g Castor Sugar
200g Self Raising Flour
50g Cocoa Powder
350ml Milk (I used semi skimmed/2% fat)
50g Chopped Almonds (optional)
Dark chocolate pieces
Zest of one orange + few drops of orange essence (optional)

Place the All Bran into a bowl with the milk and cocoa powder and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
Then add the sugar, orange zest plus the orange essence and chopped almonds and give it a good mix. Next sieve the flour into the mixture and fold in with a metal spoon, be gentle at this point.
Well grease a square baking tray, a lasagne dish works well, or use individual muffin cases. Pour in half the mixture and then dot with the chocolate pieces, now top up with the remaining mixture. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degree C for approximately 20/25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and then cut into squares and place on a wire rack. To serve, dust with icing sugar and/or drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Tutti Fruity Rice Pud

This is a low fat version of the all time classic which takes a bit of effort but is well worth it. This makes 4 to 5 servings which can be eaten plain or with whatever fruit you like.

For the rice pudding
100g pudding rice (this is a short grain rice which gives a creamy consistency)
1 litre skimmed milk or
100g skimmed milk powder + 1 litre boiling water (from kettle!)
50g sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a oven proof dish and cook in the oven on 150 degree C for approximately 2 hours, it is possible to cook on the hob in a 'bain marie' or steamer, however care should be taken to not allow the milk to boil over or the rice to stick and burn. This means a low heat and occasional stirring.

For the fruit compote,
Use whatever fruit you like however soft fruit are easiest and give a good visual effect,
strawberry, blackberry, mixed berries, mango, mandarin orange all work well,
Approximately 50g per person or 250g for the above rice pudding.

Some suggestions of what to avoid -
kiwi if blending (the seeds taste of pepper)
banana tends to discolour so mix with a strong coloured fruit such as strawberry
anything too watery like melon although delicious will not produce a good contrast of colour/taste.

If the fruit is raw, quickly blanch beforehand, although canned in natural juice is an excellent  and economical alternative as is frozen.
Blend the fruit to a smooth consistency, if you don't have a blender then the fruit can be mashed with a potato masher and/or passed through a sieve.
Pour into individual servings and put in the freezer. The idea is for it to be a solid mass but not a block of ice. This can of course be combined with alcohol, it is the season to be jolly after all!!!
Good combinations are Cointreau with anything orange or peach schnapps with erm...peach!, sherry for a trifle type of theme good with strawberry or how about vodka and blackcurrant?

When the rice pudding is cooked it should be creamy and viscous, allow to cool. This can be speeded up by placing the bowl into cold water and when the temperature has reduced place the bowl in the fridge. For a good separation of colour everything needs to be well chilled.

When cold, spoon onto the fruit and decorate with fresh fruit, biscuit or whatever takes your fancy!!
The photo shows it with grated nutmeg, one of my all time favourite spices.

Hot Mama Minestrone!

Of all soups minestrone has to be one of the most thrifty possible. It makes use of any leftover vegetables lurking in the back of the fridge and all the bits of broken spaghetti or any pasta left in the bottom of the bag.
The backbone of the soup remains the same with tomatoes, white beans (usually haricot) and pasta, to this you can add whatever you have available but generally it's a good idea to try and stick to the Mediterranean theme.
I've added kidney beans and fresh chilli to my version, dried flaked chilli works well too, to give a bit of a kick!

 With this version I've used the following,
Serves 6

2 fresh beef tomatoes (a can of plum tomatoes works brilliantly instead)
1 can of haricot beans, drained (or 100g dry weight of soaked dry beans)
1 can of red kidney beans, drained
Broken spaghetti (about 100g)
1 onion, sliced
1 orange + 1 yellow pepper, sliced
3/4 sliced cabbage leaves
1 chopped fresh chilli
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 stock cube (optional)
Dried basil + fresh basil for garnish
Oil

Start by frying the sliced onion  in a little oil on a low heat until it starts to soften, then add the garlic, chilli and  cabbage and continue to cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the beans, (if dried add enough water to cover and turn up the heat, simmer for approximately 20 minutes) if from a can then carry straight on with the next step. Now add the tomatoes plus a little boiling water and season with salt, pepper, stock cube if using and dried basil and continue to simmer on a low heat. Once the beans have become slightly soft (but not mush!) add the pasta and cook until 'al dente' (retains a bite, not sloppy) about 15/20 minutes. That's all there is to it, if you want to intensify the chilli flavour make the soup the day before but leave out the pasta until you reheat. Great for clearing the sinus's and keeping head cold's at bay!!

Elena's Borscht

Whilst in Kiev I was lucky enough to be shown by my good friend of the time Elena, how to make the traditional soup of the Ukraine known as Borscht. This consists of predominantly beetroot (beets) and cabbage and is very hearty winter food. I loved the jewel colours and fragrant stock of the soup, however I've since revised the recipe to cut down on the fat and salt. This version is virtually fat free and high in antioxidants and folate, perfect for fending off winter sniffles and generally good for your immune system.
Also one of the most economical meals possible!

To make 4 hearty servings,
4/5 large green cabbage leaves (savoy is perfect), sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
2/3 cooked beetroot (not pickled!!)
1 stock cube/ 1litre stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Warm the oil in a large deep pan and gently fry the sliced onion on a low heat until translucent.
Then add the sliced cabbage leaves along with enough water or stock to just wet the base of the pan. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes then add the carrot, red pepper, stock cube and season to taste. Add enough boiling water or stock if using to about half cover the vegetables. Cook on low for approximately 15 minutes or until the carrot and cabbage start to wilt. This can be done ahead of time and left if needed.
When ready to serve slice and add the cooked beetroot and warm through. Its important to not overcook the beetroot as the colour will leech out! This does not look good and you will feel all your hard work has gone to waste
Serve with crusty bread, traditionally rye bread and sour cream if desired.