Carrot, squash & lentil soup

This is a gorgeous warming soup with lots of fresh ginger and roasted garlic to support your immune system, detoxification, and blood sugar regulation.

Red lentils are full of fibre to keep your gut microbes happy, plus they’re a great source of vitamins B9 or folate (tissue and cell growth and function), copper (red blood cells, nervous system support), manganese (immune system regulation and bone formation), and iron (red blood cells, oxygen transport, energy) amongst others. You’re getting some more fibre from the squash and carrots (happy gut bugs!) plus antioxidants (cell damage/cancer-prevention), vitamin C, beta-carotene (converts to Vit A for eye health), and B6 (supports mood), so there’s all the good stuff in this recipe! Perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients

Serves 6

·      4 large garlic cloves (unpeeled)

·      1 large onion, chopped in thick half-moons

·      1 medium butternut squash (approx. 600-700g), 2cm dice

·      3 large carrots (300g), 2cm dice

·      1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated (I use a microplane)

·      1.5L chicken or veggie stock, warmed

·      100g red lentils, rinsed well

·      1 tsp sea salt

·      Lots of black pepper

Method

·      Heat the oven to 180 c, add the veggies to a large roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and mix with a pinch of salt.

·      Put in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn and put back in for approx. another 20 minutes until completely softened.

·      Take the veggies out and remove the garlic, chop the root ends off and squeeze out the cooked cloves into a large stock pot, then scrape in the onions, squash and carrots.

·      Deglaze the roasting tray with a ladle or two of stock and add to the pan along with the ginger and the rest of the stock.

·      Bring to the boil and then blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

·      Add the lentils and simmer with the lid on for another 25 minutes.

·      Finish by adding the salt and lots of pepper for extra heat.

Red pepper, white bean and lentil stew

Is it a stew, or is it a soup?! Who knows! But it’s tasty, chunky and total veggie comfort food 🌱

I love this stew/soup (stoup?!) in a big bowl on its own, or equally with a chunk of buttered sourdough, or with brown rice and steamed greens - it’ll go further if you have it this way too. A blob of Greek or vegan coconut yoghurt is lovely on top.

I always try to add lots of gut-friendly fibre (not just for bulking, but to feed your good microbes!) in my cooking, plus I eat a lot of veggie food, so I like to make sure that there is also plenty of protein too - in this soup the lentils and beans will give you loads of both!

Delicious as a comforting dinner, or perfect for lunch - you decide!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 red peppers, quartered and sliced 

• 3 small cloves garlic, chopped finely 

• 1 tsp cumin seeds 

• 1 tsp smoked paprika or pimentón

• 200g red lentils, rinsed well  

• 1 x 400g tinned tomatoes

• 200ml coconut milk (freeze the rest for next time)

• ½ veg stock cube (I used Kallo low salt)

• 1 tbsp rose harissa  

• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans

• 1 tsp sea salt 

• Juice of ½ lemon

• A small handful of chopped parsley

Method

• Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 8 minutes.

• Next add the red pepper for a further 5 minutes and then the garlic, stirring well. Cook for another minutes or so.

• Now put in the smoked paprika and cumin seeds and stir well to warm through and release their flavours.

• Next add the rinsed lentils, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, 1 ½ tins of water and the rose harissa.

• Simmer for 15 minutes with a little gap in the lid (add a little extra water if needed to loosen) then add the drained cannellini beans. Cook for about 5 minutes.

• Next stir in the salt, lemon juice and parsley

• Serve with a blob of yoghurt - coconut for vegan option

Tomato & coconut red lentils with roasted cumin cauliflower

I love lentils, they’re so satisfying and really versatile; they can be flavoured with lots of different spices and herbs, plus they’re a really cheap and tasty way to add more planted-based protein to your diet.

Here’s my take on a dal, made with coconut milk and tomatoes this time. I’ve added roasted cauliflower to bring another texture and flavour to the bowl, but if you want to simplify then the lentils are still great on their own with yoghurt.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Cauliflower

• 1 whole cauliflower, chopped into small florets

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp sea salt

Onions

• 2 small onions, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, grated

• A thumb fresh ginger, peeled & grated

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp coriander seeds

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp sea salt

Lentils

• 350g red lentils

• 500ml water

• 1 × 400 ml tin coconut milk

• 1 × 400g tin cherry tomatoes

• 1 tsp turmeric 

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºc.

• First prep the cauliflower: tip onto a large tray and gather up at one end.

• Mix the oil, cumin and salt in a small bowl and drizzle over the cauliflower, coating well. Now spread out the florets evenly with small gaps in between them. Set aside.

• Heat 1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil in a large pan and then add the onions, cooking gently for 15 minutes on a low heat so they start to caramelise.

• Now put the cauliflower in the oven for 12 minutes, turn (one side should be browned before you do this) and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.

• While the onions and cauliflower are cooking, rinse the red lentils thoroughly with cold water - I usually do this by putting them into a saucepan adding cold water, swishing them around, then tipping out the majority of the water. Repeat until the water runs almost clear then drain throughly.

• Put the lentils in a large saucepan and add 500ml of cold water plus the coconut milk, cherry tomatoes and turmeric, simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

• Next add the ginger and garlic to the onions, cooking for 2-3 minutes, before adding the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Warm for a minute to release their flavours.

• Add the onion mix to the lentils, plus sea salt, stir well and cook for a further 10 minutes.

• Serve with Brown Basmati rice, natural yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves

Sweet potato, lentil & chickpea curry with raita

Here’s my take on a traditional Indian dish called chana masala. I realise I’m being totally inauthentic adding sweet potato and lentils, as this should be made only with chickpeas, but I wanted a slightly different texture and taste this time.

The curry works really well with a side of raita as you have a nice fresh crunch from the cucumber and cooling creaminess from the yoghurt to counteract the spicy heat.

I served ours up with a combination of brown basmati, raita and chapatis (recipe here).

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

• 1 large onions, half moon slices

• 2 large garlic cloves, grated

• 1 tsp garam masala

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp dried red chilli flakes

• ¼ tsp turmeric

• 2 x 400g tins tomatoes

• 1 tbsp tomato purée

• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas

• 1 sweet potato, cubed

• 150g red lentils, rinsed well

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 20-30g fresh coriander, optional

  Raita

• 250ml Greek or plain yoghurt

• 2 spring onions, sliced finely

• 15cm cucumber, small cubes

• Juice of ½ - 1 lime

• ½ tsp sea salt

• ¼ tsp ground cumin

Method

• Heat 1 tbsp rapeseed oil in a large pan and then add the onions, frying on low for 10 minutes.

• Next add the garlic for 1 minute and then the spices, warming through for 30 seconds.

• Pour in the tomatoes, plus 1 ½ tins of water, tomato purée, chickpeas, sweet potato and lentils.

• Simmer for 25 minutes.

• Mix all the raita ingredients together.

• Add the salt and a handful of coriander and stir well.

• Serve with basmati rice and or chapatis and extra coriander leaves.

Tip

• If you’re making chapatis then get the dough ready before you start on the curry. That way the dough can rest and then you’ll be ready to roll them out and cook while the curry bubbles away.

• I’ve listed the coriander as optional as I know a lot of people don’t like it. Personally I think the curry tastes more interesting with it in, but it will still be tasty if left out.

Moroccan lentil & chickpea stew with tahini yoghurt

Is it a soup, or is it a stew?! I’m going with stew today as it ended up so nice and chunky, but you can call it a soup if you prefer! I like to have a big tub of something tasty in the fridge, so there’s an instant lunch or dinner ready for me when either I can’t be bothered to cook, or I’m starving and need to eat immediately! In the winter it’s a stew or soup and in the summer a salad with roasted veggies and grains. So this is what’s in my fridge at the moment and I’ve been loving it. It’s really warming and quick to make, apart from chopping a few veggies, you just basically chuck everything in the pan and leave it for half an hour.

To make this recipe vegan, all you need to do is switch the plain yoghurt for a plant based variety or just whip up the tahini with water, it’ll still make a nice creamy dressing.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

• 2 red onions, chopped

• 2 sticks celery

• 2 large garlic cloves, grated

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp ground coriander

• 4 carrots, cubed

• 1 tbsp rose harissa

• 300g small green or puy lentils

• 2 x 400g chopped tinned tomatoes

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, or 125g dried

• 150g cavolo nero, stalks removed, chopped roughly

• 1 ½ tsp sea salt

• A handful of fresh coriander leaves

  Tahini yoghurt

• 240ml (12 tbsp) plain yoghurt

• 6 tbsp tahini

• 6 tbsp water

• 1 ½ tsp sea salt

Method

• If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight and then cook in boiling water for about

  45-60 minutes.

• Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions and celery for 10 minutes.

• Next add the garlic and ground spices, let them warm through for about a minute.

• Add the carrots, rose harissa, lentils and tinned tomatoes, plus 3 tins of water.

• Simmer with the lid half on for 30 minutes.

• Mix the tahini, yoghurt, water and 1 ½ tsp sea salt in a medium sized tub or bowl.

• Serve with a drizzle of tahini yoghurt, coriander and a chunk of sourdough or brown rice.

Tip

• You could use red lentils instead of green, but they absorb more water so you would need to keep an eye on the stew getting too thick.

• If you’re looking for another recipe to use up some rose harissa, then try this Butternut squash & spelt salad, it’s really good and another one you can store in the fridge for tasty lunches, dinners or as a side.

• If you don’t have tahini, you can just use plain or coconut yoghurt instead.

New Year tabbouleh salad

Happy New year everyone! Not the start we all wanted for 2021, but at least there is light at the end of a very long tunnel with the vaccine roll out.

Anyway, here’s the first salad I made this year as I really needed a break from winter comfort food. I made a big bowl to last us for a few days and I’ve been enjoying my lunches so much. I’ve used pomegranate molasses in the dressing because I happened to have a big bottle and I’m trying to use my store cupboard up, but you can replace with red or white wine vinegar and a squirt of runny honey. I know it’s not easy getting quirky ingredients at the moment, but everything else is pretty straight forward.

The salad is vegan if you just top with a sprinkle of toasted sunflower seeds, but veggie with the addition of crumbled feta. It’s up to you!

Ingredients

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

• 150g Puy or small green lentils

• 150g bulgur wheat

• 1/2 red onion, chopped finely

• 1 handful cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 3 sticks celery, thinly sliced

• 1 red pepper, chopped

• 1/2 cucumber, seeded centre removed & chopped

• 1 handful chopped parsley

• 1 handful chopped coriander

• Generous pinch sea salt

• Approx 50g sunflower seeds

• 150g feta, crumbled

  Dressing

• 50ml olive oil

• Juice 1/2 lemon

• 20ml pomegranate molasses

Method

• Cook the lentils as per the packet instructions, usually simmer for 20 minutes, but add a spoon of vegetable bouillon to the water.

• Cook the bulgur according to th packet instructions (about 12 minutes). Drain both well and allow to cool completely.

• Toast the sunflower seeds in a frying pan (no oil) on a medium heat, but watch them like a hawk as they’ll suddenly burn. Set aside to cool on a plate.

• Next put all the chopped vegetables and herbs in a large bowl. Stir in the cooled lentils and bulgur.

• Mix the dressing ingredients together and give them a good shake.

• Pour over the dressing, and top with seeds and feta

Tip

• If, like me, you’re making this salad to eat for lunch or dinner over a few days then keep all the elements separate and mix a portion at a time as you eat it. This way the salad should last about 4 days.

• The main thing to keep separate is the dressing as adding liquid will make the veggies go soggy.

Leek & sweet potato soup

My original plan to was to make classic leek and potato soup, but seeing some sweet potatoes in the veg rack I ended up taking a left turn and I’m really glad I did as I love this recipe! It makes a hearty nutritious soup with lots of flavour that’s quick and easy to make. I think I’ve decided I’m more of a chunky soup person in general as I really like my food to have different textures and this soup definitely ticks that box. I’ve been eating it for lunch all week and I haven’t even needed any bread as it’s really filling. I’ve used spicy paprika for flavour and to give a kick with some additional chilli to bring the heat level up a notch. But if you prefer it milder, just leave out the chill flakes.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 large sweet potatoes

• 2 large leeks, slices

• 1 large knob of butter

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 ½ tsp hot paprika

• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes

• 120g red lentils

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• 1.1L water

• 50g kale, chopped

• ¾ tsp sea salt

• Juice of ½ lemon

• Fresh parsley to serve, optional

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200ºc.

• Put the sweet potatoes on a tray and bake for approx 45 minutes. Check that they are completely cooked through before removing from the oven. Set aside to cool a little so you can peel off the skin and mash.

• Heat the olive oil and butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks, cooking on low with the lid on for 20 minutes until softened.

• Next add the garlic and stir in well before mixing in the paprika and chilli. Allow the spices to warm for a minute so they release their flavour and then add the lentils, sweet potato, crumbled stock cube and water.

• Simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on stirring occasionally.

• Stir in the kale and cook for a further 5 minutes.

• Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the salt.

• Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Tip

• The spiced paprika I used is blended with cayenne pepper.

Green lentil dal with crispy red onion

This was a cupboard and fridge raid dinner as we didn’t have much in, but it turned out to be really tasty. Lentils are a great source of protein and fibre and the combination with brown rice and roasted veggies makes this dish low fat and packed with nutrients.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8 portions

• 600g green lentils

• 5 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

• Thumb of fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1-2 tsp dried chillies

• 2 tbsp groundnut oil

• 2 red onions, finely sliced

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• Fresh coriander, chopped to serve if you have it. I didn’t and it was still tasty without

• 1 cauliflower, chopped into florets

• 4 red onions sliced into half moons

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°c.

• Rinse the lentils well and then add to a large pan with 3L of water, boil and then reduce to a simmer. For the first 15 mins make sure you take off the scum as it can make the dal bitter.

• Once the scum has stopped forming add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and dried chilli. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have completely broken down and there isn’t much liquid left. Season with 1-1 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste.

• While the lentils cook add the mustard seeds to another pan with a little oil and heat until they start to pop.

• Next put in the onions and fry gently until they’re browning and starting to crisp. This will take a while, 20-30 mins. Add the cumin seeds for the last 5 mins.

• While the dal is cooking, place the florets on a baking tray (well spaced out) and drizzle with rapeseed or olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cumin seeds. Roast for 15 minutes and then turn, put back in the oven for 5-8 minutes - or until the other side is browned.

• Serve with basmati (I added wild rice too) and the cauliflower and red onions ( the photos shows some slices of white sweet potato too, you don’t need these, I just wanted to use some up).

Camargue red rice, quinoa, apricot & pistachio

I've had a packet of red rice in the cupboard which has been sitting looking at me for a while, so I thought I'd try find a recipe to use it up. After a quick search I found one by Yotam Ottlenghi, which sounded really interesting, with ingredients I wouldn't have put together myself. That's the nice thing about other people's recipes, right? This salad looks quite unassuming when made up, but it has a lovely delicate flavour which is quite different from any other I've tried.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 60g shelled pistachio nuts

• 200g quinoa

• 200g camargue red rice

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 150ml olive oil

• grated zest and juice of 1 orange

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

• 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped

• 40g rocket

• salt and black pepper

Method

• Boil two medium sized pans of salted water.

• Add the quinoa to one and the red rice to the other. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice, then drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and gently fry the onion (I actually used red onion as I didn’t have any spring). Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown - about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

• Get a large bowl, mix the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season.

• Add the quinoa, rice, onion, apricots, pistachios and spring onions and mix together. Serve with rocket on top.

Tip

If you want to prep this salad the day before then just keep the dressing and nuts separate. Toss the salad together when you're ready to eat it.