Meat Free Monday Squash & Goat's Cheese Pot Pie

Another recipe to try if you are participating in Meat Free Monday that fits perfectly into the comfort food bracket that is often so needed after that first day back at work after a good weekend.

The filling is a combination of butternut squash, goat's cheese, red pepper, leek and ricotta with a smidge of garlic. In the interest of saving some calories, it's a pot-pie, or one with only a pastry lid rather than casing, the pastry in question - puff, my favourite for any pie.

This is an unctuous, satisfying pie recipe that is gorgeous without any addition of meat. Served with a portion of green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, green beans or kale makes for a gorgeous meal. 

As well as Meat Free Monday, this is a great alternative or vegetarian dish if catering for non meat-eaters.

Meat Free Monday Squash & Goat's Cheese Pot Pie

Here's how:

• 100g soft Goat's Cheese (I used a Lidl version) 
• 1 small butternut squash
• 1 red pepper
• 1 leek
• 1 clove garlic
• 125g ricotta
• Pinch salt & black pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1 sheet puff pastry (I used a Lidl version here) 
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp coconut oil

First pop the oven on to about 190 degrees.

Place the butternut squash in the oven for 25 minutes while you prepare everything else.

Now slice the leek and mince the garlic and add to a pan with the coconut oil on a low heat to soften.

Cut the pepper into small, equal-sized pieces and add to the pan.

After a few minutes, add the ricotta, the salt and pepper and the thyme too. Stir and allow cook for five minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside.

Cut or crumble the goat's cheese and place into the pie filling and mix a little to distribute evenly.

Once the squash has had 25 minutes remove from the oven and cut in half, lengthways. It will be piping hot so, if you're not in a rush leave for ten minutes to cool. Meanwhile turn the oven down to 170.

Remove the bulk of flesh and cut into equal cubes and add to the pan with the pie filling. Don't worry if the squash still needs a little more cooking - it has that to come in the pie. 

Squash & Goat's Cheese Pot Pie filling

Transfer the filling to your choice of pie dish.

Now open the pastry and place over the top of the dish, cutting away the excess. Use your thumb to crimp the edges - my pies always look quite rustic and I think this obvious homemade-ness adds to their charm.

If you wish, use the excess pastry to make a garnish - as I have here cutting the words 'Meat Free Pie' onto the top.

Now beat an egg and brush the pie all over, including the garnish. Finally cut three holes into the topping to allow steam to escape and avoid soggy pastry.

Now place the pie into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is well risen and golden brown.

Serve with your choice of green vegetables. Enjoy!

Winter Vegetable Soup

Here's a lovely meat-free soup recipe perfect for a speedy mid-week supper or lunch in the cold winter weather.

The beauty of this soup, is you can add whatever vegetables you have lurking in the fridge, odds and ends welcome.

This particular version makes enough for two hearty portions of around 370 calories per portion so perfect if like me you are on a healthy eating regime or fat fighting. 

Winter Vegetable Soup

Here's how: 

• 1 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 red chilli (optional) 
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 carrots
• 3 parsnips
• 2 leeks
• 50g peas (I used Birdseye Frozen Peas) 
• 1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot made up with 1 pint water (or other vegetable or chicken stock)
• Black pepper
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Firstly add the coconut oil to a thick bottomed pan and switch onto a low heat.

Now peel and finely dice the onion and garlic and add to the pan. Slice the chilli if you are using and add to the pan.

Allow to soften whilst you prepare the vegetables: peel and dice the carrots and parsnips and slice the leeks.

After a few minutes add the leeks to the pan and allow to gently fry for two minutes before adding the carrot, parsnip and peas. Now top up with the stock, add the bay leaf and a generous pinch of black pepper.

Pop the lid on and cook on a gentle heat for thirty minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for fifteen minutes. Now blitz with a hand blender or pop into a blender.

Return to the pan and re-heat till piping hot. Serve with crusty bread if your calorie count allows. Enjoy!

Honey, Chilli and Coconut Prawns With Ho Fun Noodles

This is a lovely warming dish that feels like the kind of guilty pleasure you'd get from a Chinese takeaway, but in fact, with a few simple tweaks and measuring of all the naughty ingredients, such as the oils and honey, is actually a healthy balanced meal with a good protein:carb:vegetable ratio.

Ho fun are a wide flat noodle and are much better fresh if you can find them - they sell them in most Asian supermarkets and they work really well with this dish. If you can't find them, substitute for another low-calorie rice noodle such as Mama, and if you're on a reduced carb diet, omit from using them at all.

The tiny amount of desiccated coconut adds a fantastic sweetness along with the honey which puts me in mind of a sweet and sour dish, and is balanced well against the sriracha, five spice and shaohsing wine.

The below serves two and comes in at 520 calories per portion with a 100g portion of stir fried hot tun (Chinese greens) - I must stress how important it is to weigh out ingredients if like me you are on a fat fighting/ healthy eating journey as otherwise this could be a seriously calorific dish - by sticking to the below quantities this is a fantastic mid-week meal.

Honey Chilli and Coconut Prawns with Ho Fun

Here's how:

• 200g king prawns
• 200g fresh ho fun noodles
• 1 green pepper
• 2 carrots
• 50g sweetcorn
• 100g broccoli
• 50g fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 1tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp shaohsing wine
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp runny honey
• 1 tsp Chinese five spice
• 20g desiccated coconut

Firstly prepare everything as this takes very little time to cook. Crush the garlic and peel and slice the ginger into matchsticks.

Slice the pepper, chop the broccoli into small florets and peel the carrots then also turn into matchsticks.

De-vein the prawns and set aside for the minute.

Now place the coconut oil, sesame oil ginger, garlic and dried chilli flakes into a wok and place on a medium heat till it begins to soften. Now add the Chinese five spice, shaohsing, soy, sriracha, honey and desiccated coconut, and allow to bubble - this will make the delicious gravy or sauce for the dish.

Now firstly add the carrots and broccoli into the wok and allow to cook for a minute. Now add the pepper and sweetcorn and cook for a further minute.

The prawns go in next and only take about 3-4 minutes to cook - you'll know they are cooked when they become pink in colour.

As soon as the prawns are cooked, add the ho fun; or whichever noodles you are using. These will cook in a couple of minutes. Use a spatula to break up gently and mix all the while to ensure the noodles are well coated in the sauce.

Serve alongside some braised or quick-fried Chinese vegetables such as pak choi, ho tun (as I have) or chinese cabbage. Enjoy!