Recipes

Makes 4 large portions

This one has been around for years but I have just never actually written it down. So finally, it’s here, it’s chunky and it’s packed with colour and goodness. I mostly use standard lasagne sheets, although sometimes opt for the green spinach ones just to mix it up a little. For the mash layer, use any root veg you fancy too! It’s also better if you make it the day before, and even nicer cold.

INGREDIENTS
Lasagne sheets
150g spinach
200g ricotta cheese
1 medium carrot
1 small sweet potato
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 200g tin of sweetcorn
2 teaspoons paprika
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons veggie Worcestershire sauce (Biona do a good one, you can use Lea & Perrins if you are not vegetarian it just contains fish)
Rapeseed oil
Olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
50g/ 1/3 cup plain flour
150ml milk
100g cheddar cheese (grated)
1 medium tomato
Dried oregano
L22mm x W17mm x D6mm sized dish

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180C

Layer 1
Roughly chop the carrot and sweet potato, leaving the skins on for extra fibre.
Boil both together until soft (around 15-20mins). Drain.
Season with salt and pepper and 2 tsp of olive oil, then roughly mash.

Layer 2
Add 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil to a large frying pan with the heat on medium.
Add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the paprika and continue to cook for 10 mins, turn the heat down if it starts to stick.
Add the sweetcorn, tinned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce and mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
Add 100ml of water and simmer for 15 minutes

Layer 3
Place the spinach in a saucepan on a low heat and add 1 tbsp of water.
Once wilted, drain any excess liquid and add the ricotta. Mix together. Season with pepper.

Cheese sauce
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat.
Once melted add the flour and mix until it forms a paste. It may go into lumps which is fine, these will dissolve when the milk is added.
Whisk in the milk and keep whisking until all the lumps have dissolved and it starts to thicken. You may need to add a little bit more milk if its gets very thick.
Add half the grated cheese and stir until melted.

Assembly
Place a tiny amount of the tomato mix on the very bottom of the dish, this is so the bottom layer of the lasagne cooks. It shouldn’t even cover the bottom of the dish.
Then place a single layer of lasagne sheets on the bottom, break them with your hand if you need to, it’s always a bit like a jigsaw!
Place a layer of the carrot and sweet potato mix on top, use all the mixture. Top with cheese sauce.
Cover with lasagne sheets and press down firmly.
Use half the tomato mix and spread evenly on top. Top with cheese sauce.
Cover with lasagne sheets and press down firmly.
Place a layer of the spinach and ricotta mix on top and press down, use all the mixture.
Cover with lasagne sheets and press down firmly.
Use the remaining half of the tomato mix and spread evenly on top.
Cover with the cheese sauce and grated cheese. Top with sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with dried oregano.
Baked for 30 mins or until golden.

Serve with a delicious green salad.

Makes 20-24 cookies depending on size

This is quite possibly one of the easiest recipes out there, especially for someone who isn’t that sh*t hot at baking….me. Passed down from my fiancée’s grandmother, to his mum and over the weekend to me, just five ingredients is all you’ll need. My eyes lit up when the little box of recipes was brought out of the cupboard, it reminded me of the similar book my own nan kept. Remember food is there for enjoyment as well as nourishment, so make these to share with friends, wrap them and give them for presents or take them to work, they are simply perfect!

INGREDIENTS
140g self-raising flour
110g butter
110g salted peanuts
110g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 190C
Line a large flat baking tray with greaseproof paper
Mix all the ingredients together
Note: This can be done in a food processor or by hand, if by hand, the peanuts will still be whole so the biscuits will turn out extra crunchy!
Roll into small sized balls, about the size of an avocado stone
Place onto baking tray and press lightly with your finger to make an indentation. You’ll need to do two batches or have two baking trays ready to ensure when they cook there is enough room for them to grow.
Bake for around 15 mins, until golden

Makes 2 portions

Overnight oats are one of those foods that are always in our social media feeds (well mine anyway), the ones the everyone takes photos of and claims they are revolutionary. To be honest, they are simple, cheap and convenient which I why I have created this recipe. So many of us are time poor and this takes less than 3 minutes to make and put in the fridge. And if you don’t like cold oats, just warm them up the next morning.

INGREDIENTS
100g oats
20g desiccated coconut
300ml oat milk (you can use any milk)
30g raisins/sultanas

METHOD
Add everything into a container
Mix and seal with a lid
Store in the fridge overnight
The next day eat them all up – also top with any fruit of your choice or eat as they are

They’ll keep in your fridge for 2 days

Serves 4 as a main

Soup never gets old, it can be as plain or as fancy as you like but it’s a firm favourite for the colder months. This one will warm your soul on those chilly autumn evenings and with a slice of toasted sourdough or two will make the perfect lunch or dinner. It will also keep in the fridge for around 5 days or portion it out and keep in the freezer for one of those nights you get stuck with what to have for dinner.

INGREDIENTS
1 butternut squash
3 sprigs of rosemary
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon rapeseed oil
1 teaspoon of dried chilli flakes or 1 red chilli
1 brown onion
1 veg stock cube
Salt and black pepper

METHOD
Peel and roughly chop the onion
Remove the leaves from the rosemary stalks and roughly chop
Cut the butter squash in half across the middle and then into rings. Remove as much skin as you can and cut the flesh into chunks
Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat with the rapeseed oil
Add the onion, rosemary, dried chilli and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes
Then add the butternut squash, season with salt & pepper and stir until combined
Add the stock cube and fill the saucepan with water until all the ingredients are just covered
Simmer for 40 minutes
Leave to cool, then blitz with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth

Top with crunch of your choice – anything from dried corn, crushed nuts, desiccated coconut, toasted seeds or my favourite – crushed up tortilla chips

Makes 12

I’m a lover of simple snacks which everyone can enjoy, so I’ve adapted muma oz’s recipe to be a veggie one. Feta and spinach are a well known combo, throw in some chives for added tang and you’ve got the perfect bite! For breakfast or as a snack, around 60 calories each and high in protein, enjoy these ones!

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil for greasing
40g feta
1 tablespoon chopped chives
8 eggs
150ml of semi skimmed milk
40g spinach, roughly chopped
Salt & pepper
1 individual muffin tin

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C
Grease the muffin tins with olive oil using a pastry brush
Put all ingredient into a mixing bowl and whisk with a fork
Ladle evenly into muffin tins
Bake for around 20 minutes until golden brown

Makes enough for 1 as a main or 2 as an accompaniment

I took inspiration from a BBQ we were at over the weekend where this salad was on the table. It was simple and delicious so I’ve nabbed it for my collection but I added some peas in for extra greenery and protein. As all the veg are raw, they are crunchy and packed with nutrients, it also means it takes about 10 minutes in total. I would literally eat a whole bowl of this but equally if you are cooking for two it’s delicious with a piece of grilled fish.

INGREDIENTS
130g broccoli (half a small bunch)
80g fresh peas
40g peanuts
80g crème fraiche (reduced fat)
40g grated carrot, (1 small)
Zest of half a lemon
Salt & pepper

METHOD
Roughly chop the broccoli into bite sized pieces
Place a small pan on the hob on low and toast the peanuts. Ensure you keep an eye on them and shake every 30 seconds or they’ll burn. To toast it should only take around 3 minutes in total
Pod the peas (or defrost frozen if you prefer)
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper
Lastly stir through the crème fraiche

Serves 2

This is the perfect accompaniment for a main meal. Chickpeas are extremely versatile, cheap and nutritious. Just half a tin contains around 150 calories and 9 grams of protein. By comparison a medium chicken breast contains roughly 30 grams, so for a plant source of protein this is pretty good! And fibre – you’ll find over 7 grams, we are supposed to be getting 30 grams per day, that’s over 20% just from half a tin. This recipe has just 4 ingredients (excluding salt and pepper) and can be an easy store cupboard staple! I often enjoy this with some pan-fried chicken, alternatively grilled halloumi would also be delicious. Just be careful with oil and ensure you only add one teaspoon to the pan, its so easy to go a little overboard and with something like oil that can mean excess fat and calories for really no reason at all!

INGREDIENTS
1 red onion
1 tin of drained and washed chickpeas
Rapeseed oil
3 teaspoons harissa paste
Salt and black pepper

METHOD
Peel and roughly chop the onion
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a large frying pan
Add onion and cook over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes
Drain chickpeas and rinse under cold water
Add them to the pan with a pinch of salt and pepper
Stir
Add in harissa and a dash of water, then mix together, turn heat to low and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. If the mix becomes really dry just add a little more water.
Store in the fridge for up to 4 days

Makes 10

Muma Oz is a bit of a legend when it comes to old school classics, I’ll be sure to post some more of her favourites over the coming months. She actually used to make this one as one big savoury quiche but I’ve broken them down into bit sized pieces which makes storage easier and perfect for snacking. They can easily be made veggie by just removing the ham. And if you are looking for a bit of spice, a drop of Tabasco would e my recommendation!

INGREDIENTS
Knob of butter
10 slices of ham
3 cups of grated carrot & courgette
6 eggs
1 cup of milk
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Salt & pepper
1 quiche dish or individual muffin tin

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 170C
Grease the muffin tins with butter
Lay the ham slices in each of the muffin tins, 1 slice per tin
Whisk together the eggs, milk, chilli flakes and veg. Season with salt and pepper
Bake for around half an hour until golden brown
Re heat and have warm for breakfast or eat cold as a snack

Makes 1 loaf/10 muffins

Not your standard banana loaf this is a great way to get added extras into you and your families diet. The banana flavour comes through and the added sweetness of the sultanas is just enough. Enjoy warm with some Greek yoghurt for breakfast or as a snack.

INGREDIENTS
220g flour (plain, wholemeal, spelt, rye, buckwheat)
1 grated carrot
handful of sultanas
2 ripe bananas
130g unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
150g sugar (white or raw)
1 teaspoon bicarb soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
100g buttermilk
1 loaf tin or muffin mould

METHOD
Preheat your oven to 180C

Line your loaf tin with baking paper or grease muffin moulds. I find using the rubber ones are best and easiest to get the muffins out once cooked.

Blitz the bananas in a blender until smooth.

Add the butter and sugar. Blitz again.

Add the eggs. Blitz again.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarb and buttermilk. Blitz again.

Stir through the carrot and sultanas.

Pour into prepared loaf tine or muffin moulds and bake for around 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. For muffins you will need slightly less cooking time, between 35-45 minutes. Leave in the tin/moulds to cool for around half an hour.