Sweet potato & butternut squash soup with garlic and lemon toast:
Be aware as this soup is more filling than it looks; perfect for breakfast and lunch and warming to the stomach.

sweet-potato-butternut-squash-soup-with-lemon-garlic-toast

Serves 4 – suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients Method
Soup:

  • 250g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • ½ butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
  • 1 tsp clear honey
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, drizzle some of it
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 500ml vegetable stock
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp grated nutmeg
  • 50ml double cream

Toast:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 50g butter, at room temperature
  • Zest ½ a lemon
  • 1 tbsp snipped chives
  • 1 tsp chopped thyme
  • 1 ciabatta loaf, cut into slices
  1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put sweet potato and butternut squash on baking tray and add honey and a drizzle of olive oil. Roast for 40-45 mins until soft and starting to caramelise at the edges, stirring occasionally.
  2. Meanwhile, fry the onions in 1 tsp olive oil until soft, then add the garlic, vegetable stock, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to the boil, and simmer for 5 mins.
  3. Remove sweet potatoes and butternut squash from oven and add to the pan with the stock. Blend everything until smooth using a stick blender. Stir in most of the cream and bring back to a gentle simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. To make lemon & garlic toasts, gently warm the olive oil and garlic in a pan over a low heat for a few mins; the garlic should be softened but not browned. Remove from the heat and mix in butter and lemon zest until smooth. Leave to cool, then stir in chives and thyme.
  5. Toast ciabatta slices, and top each with a spoonful of garlic butter. Serve with soup, drizzled with remaining cream, add some black pepper.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
435kcal, 11g protein, 51g carbohydrates (16g sugars), 19g fat (9g saturated fats), 7g fibre

 

Wine and tomato braised chicken:
Reasonably quick to put together for a dinner if you feel rushed off your feet when home from work and an ideal post-run dish.

MP7511

Serves 5

Ingredients Method
  • 2 slices bacon
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 small cup dry white wine
  • 1 small tin chopped tomatoes, with juice, coarsely chopped
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 chicken thighs (on the bone), remove skin
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  1. Cook bacon in frying pan over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to kitchen roll to drain. Crumble when cool.
  2. Drain off all but 1 tbsp olive oil from the pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, pepper and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add tomatoes and their juice and salt; stir well.
  3. Place chicken thighs in slow cooker. Sprinkle the bacon over the chicken. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 3 hours on High or 6 hours on Low. Remove bay leaf. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
260kcal, 25g protein, 6g carbohydrates (0g sugars), 13g fat (4g saturated fats), 1g fibre

 

Beetroot Shepherd’s pie:
A different concept from your traditional Shepherd’s pie, this dish offers a healthy alternative and is bound to have you wanting seconds.

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Serves 6

Ingredients Method
  • 150g split red lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp dried red chilli flakes
  • 500g minced lamb
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 100ml white wine
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 250g carrots, grated
  • 2 Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 800g parsnips, peeled and chopped
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 tbsp grated nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
  • 2 beetroot, peeled and grated
  1. Place lentils in saucepan and fill with 3x as much cold water as the lentils. Bring to boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until fluffy. Drain and set aside.
    2. Meanwhile, in separate large pan, heat half of the oil and sauté the garlic for 30 seconds. Stir in onions and sugar and fry, stirring for 2-3 minutes until softened. Sprinkle in chilli flakes and add mince, stir to break up clumps of meat constantly until mince is browned all over. This should take 4-5 minutes. Stir in tomato purée, and pour in white wine. Bring the heat to high and hold on high simmer for 2 minutes until liquid has reduced by half. Add Worcestershire sauce, carrots and 100ml water, mix to combine, then season.
    3. Simmer lamb mixture on low heat, covered, for 15-20 minutes, checking throughout the cooking time and adding more water if mixture becomes dry. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
    4. Place parsnips and potatoes in separate pan of cold water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Drain parsnip mixture and mash with remaining tbsp of oil and butter. Stir in nutmeg and parsley and season well. Roughly mix in the grated beetroot and set aside.
    5. Add drained lentils to the mince mixture then pour it into large ovenproof casserole dish and top with the mash. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until topping is golden and the pie piping hot. Sprinkle a little more parsley over top and serve.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
545kcal, 27.3g protein, 52.3g carbs (14.3g sugars), 24g fat (9g saturated fats), 12g fibre

 

Celery Root with Apples, Walnuts and Blue Cheese:
This salad is perfect for any time of the day, especially when you feel like snacking, make enough and you can save some for the whole day as it offers a diverse range of flavours.

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Serves 8 – suitable for vegetarians

Ingredients Method
  • ½ cup walnut halves
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp minced shallot
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 2 celery roots, peeled and diced
  • 3 large Granny Smith apples – peeled, cored and diced
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast walnuts for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts.
  2. In large bowl, whisk the vinegar with the shallot, mustard and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper; let stand for 10 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and ¼ cup of blue cheese. Just before serving, add the celery root and apples to the dressing, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Add the chopped nuts and the remaining ¾ cup of blue cheese and serve.

 

Nutritional Info (per serving):
261kcal, 6g protein, 16g carbohydrates (9.7g sugars), 21g fat (5g saturated fats), 3g fibre

 

Cinnamon crepes with nut butter, sliced banana & raspberries:
This sweet dish is ideal for breakfast and is quick and easy to put together, as well as being very tasty, and it’s gluten free!

crepes

Serves 2 – suitable for vegetarians – gluten-free

Ingredients Method
  • 75g gluten-free brown bread flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • 225ml semi-skimmed milk
  • 1 tsp rapeseed oil for frying
  • 2 tbsp almond nut butter
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • 140g raspberries
  • lemon wedges
  1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl with cinnamon. Add egg and milk, whisk vigorously until you have smooth pouring consistency.
  2. Place non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a little of the oil. When oil starts to heat, wipe most of it away with kitchen paper. Once pan is hot, pour small amount of the batter into the centre of the pan and swirl it to the sides of the pan in a thin layer. Leave to cook, untouched, for about 2 mins. When it is brown underneath, turn over and cook for 1 min more.
  3. Transfer to a warm plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter. Divide the warm pancakes between 2 plates and serve with the nut butter, banana, raspberries and lemon to assemble at the table.

Nutritional Info (per serving):
376kcal, 14g protein, 46g carbohydrates (17g sugars), 16g fat (3g saturated fats), 5g fibre