Chickpea & Paneer Curry

This is a family-friendly vegetarian curry with a mild flavour; it's an easy store-cupboard dish that can be thrown together in under 30 minutes.

If you are following Slimming World and use your 40g Paneer as part of your Healthy Option A then this is also completely syn-free, even when served as I have here with some boiled basmati rice, a spoonful of fat free yoghurt (which when stirred through gives a creamy consistency to the curry) and some coriander leaves.

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

The below serves four; here's how:

• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3cm piece of ginger root
• 1.5 tbsp Mild Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 courgette
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 3 tomatoes (or 1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes)
• 1 Vegetable Stock Pot
• 150ml water
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 160g paneer cheese
• 150g spinach leaves
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Fry Light

To garnish:

• Fat free yoghurt
• Coriander leaves

Firstly in a large pan or wok, add a few sprays of Fry Light and place onto a low heat.

Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the pan.

Once beginning to soften add the curry powder and all of the dried spices and continue to cook for a minute or so.

In the meantime, roughly chop the tomatoes and add to the pan.

Cut the courgette into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan. Drain the chickpeas of any liquid and add to the curry along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. 

Add 150ml water, the tomato puree and the vegetable stock pot, give a good stir and allow to cook for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are beginning to soften and the sauce to thicken.

In the meantime, wash the spinach leaves and set aside and cut the paneer cheese into small bite-sized pieces.

Add the paneer cheese and again stir through so the cheese is immersed in the curry sauce and allow to cook for a further five minutes. Add the spinach at the very last minute before serving and simply stir through, the heat of the curry will immediately cook and wilt the spinach. 

Chickpea & Paneer Curry

Garnish with fat free yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves and serve with rice for a syn-free meal. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Peanut Noodles

This is an utterly delicious vegetarian friendly family meal and you can use absolutely any vegetables you have to hand for it - and especially your family's favourites. 

If you like a satay style dish, this is for you and it is super versatile so use whatever you have to hand to make it work.

We are in worrying times right now, and a lot of ingredients are either not available or have become like gold dust but the heart of this dish is in just x4 store cupboard ingredients; peanut butter, coconut milk, soy sauce and noodles or long, thin pasta as I have used here. You can honestly use any vegetables you like and if you're a fan of spicy food, add a red chilli (chilli oil, or a chilli flakes) to crank up the heat, but this is very much kid-friendly for my household. 

This dish could also be improved with a few coriander leaves or even snipped chives - but in my haste to eat today, I forgot to add these. 

We have to be adaptable to what we have and so I will try to share a few store cupboard recipes in the hope it might help someone that is fridge foraging and wondering what to make with the contents on their cupboards. Where you see an ingredient that you don't have and you're not sure what you could replace it with, please contact me and I'll make a suggestion.

Vegetarian Peanut Noodles

Here's how:

• 300g egg noodles (spaghetti, linguine or tagliatelle would also work!)
• 1 garlic clove (Very Easy Garlic, Garlic Infused Oil or a pinch of Garlic Salt)
• 2cm piece of fresh ginger (use ground if you can't get fresh)
• 1 large carrot
• 1 courgette
• Half a head of broccoli
• 1 pepper 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (if you don't stock this as a last resort you could use Worcestershire sauce, just reduce slightly)
• 1 tsp Chinese Five Spice (you could use a pinch each of Cayenne Pepper, cinnamon, ground cloves if you don't stock Five Spice)
• 1 tsp sesame oil (any vegetable or nut oil would suffice)
• 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 tin of coconut milk (you could use a cream, creme fraiche or an almond milk)
• 1 tsp Sriracha 
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 lime (use a lemon if you can't get a lime, or even a drop of a Jif Lemon)

Firstly put a pot of salted water on to boil. Once brought up to boil, cook the noodles.

In the meantime, place the sesame oil into a wok on a medium heat.

Mince the garlic and finely chop the ginger and add to the wok with the soy sauce. 

Cut or break the broccoli into florets and add to the wok.

Peel and then cut the carrot into thin matchsticks, slice the pepper and add both to the wok.

Cut the courgette in half, and then cut into small slices and add to the pan. 

Once all of the vegetables have cooked for a moment, add the peanut butter and a drop of sriracha and use a wooden spatula to move around and break down a little. 

Now add the coconut milk and give a good stir.

Once the noodles or pasta are cooked, use tongs or a spaghetti server to lift into the peanutty vegetables and give a good stir to ensure the noodles get a good coating. 

Dish up onto a big bowl or a platter, squeeze over the juice of a lime and scatter over the sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Homemade mushroom soup is one of my absolute favourites, and when you can make it with wild mushrooms there is nothing better.  There's currently a green grocer stall in the outside section of Borough Market selling about 300g of woodland wild mushrooms for £3.50 so this week I took full advantage and have enjoyed this glorious soup for three days solid.

You can make it with any mushrooms though and it'll still be tasty so if you can't get the wild mushrooms, just use a mixture of what you can get hold of locally.

This is a completely vegetarian meal and if you wanted to adapt it to make it vegan, you could just omit from using the cream, or use a plant-based variety such as Elmlea Plant Double.

The below makes enough for x4 full portions.

Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Here's how:

• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 400g wild or mixed mushrooms
• x1 leek
• x1 red onion
• x1 clove of garlic
• x3 celery sticks
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Pinch black pepper
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp single cream

Firstly drizzle the oil into a heavy bottomed saucepan and place on a low heat. 

Now peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, slice the leek finely and the celery and place into the pan to gently soften - this is your soup base. 

Now roughly chop the mushrooms and once everything is softened in the pan, add the mushrooms and allow them to get a good coating of the olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper now.

Add the dried thyme, which really complements mushrooms, and pour over the stock and bring to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.

Now blitz the soup - I use my Nutribullet so I always allow the soup to cool a little first to avoid any explosions! 

Once blended, return to the heat and once warmed through remove from the heat and stir through the single cream. Add a tiny drizzle to each bowl once dished up as a pretty garnish.Enjoy!

If you're also making the most of soup season; here are a few other soup recipes you might like:
Restorative Green Soup
Alphabet and Hidden Veg Soup
Winter Vegetable Soup
Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Vegetarian Chilli - Meat Free Monday

This vegetarian chilli is a delicious family meal taking its' substance from sweet potatoes, red kidney beans and red split lentils. 

It's packed with goodness, flavour and sustenance and is a great Meat Free Monday meal - that is also vegan (so long as you omit from serving with any cheese or yoghurt). 

I made this at the weekend for a lovely Saturday lunch with my two daughters, and a few packed lunches for this week to keep the cold at dawn - it is mostly made from store cupboard essentials, so I didn't even need to leave the house. 

I served with some wholegrain rice, avocado, a cucumber and carrot ribbon salad, a little fat free natural yoghurt and a grating of cheese and it was very well received. 

You could add other vegetables to the mix or different beans; black beans, chickpeas or butter beans would all work here too.

Vegetarian Chilli

Here's how:

• 1 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red jalapeno chilli
• 300g sweet potato (peeled)
• 1 orange pepper
• x2 roasted red peppers (I used jarred, but you could char your own and remove the skin)
• 1x tin red kidney beans
• 1x tin of chopped tomatoes
• Vegetable stock
• 100g red split lentils
• 100g sultanas 
• 1 tbsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 2 tsp chipotle paste
• Drizzle olive oil

Firstly drizzle the olive oil into a large pan or wok and place on a low heat.

Now peel and finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the chilli and add to the pan to saute.

Whilst this is softening in the pan, peel and roughly chop the sweet potato to about 1cm pieces and add to the pan. 

Chop the orange pepper into small pieces and add to the pan. 

Now add all of the spices - the cumin, cinnamon, caynenne pepper, paprika and season with a little salt and pepper too.

Mix around with a wooden spatula to ensure all of the sweet potato gets a good spice coating and allow to cook out for a minute or so and then add the drained red kidney beans and the chopped tomatoes.

Rinse the lentils and add to the pan with the chopped roasted peppers, the sultanas, the chipotle, oregano and thyme.

Using one of the empty tins, make up a vegetable stock cube in one of these - fill it up and add to the chilli and give a good stir.

Allow to cook on a low heat for 30-40 minutes, stirring every so often. Serve with your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

If you're looking for further Meat Free Monday inspiration here are a few other recipes I've posted on the matter:

• Squash and Goat's Cheese Pot Pie
• Spinach, Ricotta and Courgette Pasta Lasagne
• Mexican Veggie Burgers
• Greek Stuffed Tomatoes
• Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
• Squash Mac and Cheese
• Creamy Mushroom and Danish Blue Cheese Risotto

Roasted Celeriac Soup

As it's January and we are enjoying plenty of lighter dishes; including soups.  I made this as an experiment for the first time today and it was absolutely delicious and I'll 100% be making it again soon.

It's completely vegetarian and vegan; so ideal if you are doing Veganuary or generally following a plant-based diet; but it's equally good for those who still enjoy a bit of everything too.

Celeriacs' can be a bit of a faff to prepare, but this recipe is well worth the initial effort and the rest of it is completely low maintenance too. The end result is a thick and creamy tasting soup - really hearty but super healthy too.

The below serves x4 portions with each portion approximately 200 calories.

Roasted Celeriac Soup

Here's how:

• x1 celeriac (approx 600g)
• x2 large garlic cloves
• x1 large white onion
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• Pinch of salt and black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Firstly whack the oven onto 180 degrees. 

Now to prepare the celeriac, firstly use a vegetable peeler to remove the outside, dark, gnarly bits of skin. There may be a slightly green tinge underneath, as a posed to the white and creamy depths of the celeriac - it's fine to leave these green bits so you don't lose too much of the celeriac.

Once peeled, carefully slice into 3-4 large slices, and then chop into about 2cm pieces and place into a roasting tin.

Now peel the onion and remove the ends then roughly chop, again into about 2cm sized pieces.

Peel the garlic cloves and throw into the roasting tin with the onion.

Drizzle with the vegetable oil and then season and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

When you remove from the oven, the onion should be charred and have a lovely, smokey flavour which will add to the soup, and the celeriac should have bits that are slightly browning.

Now remove everything and place into a large saucepan and pour over the vegetable stock. 

Use a blender to blitz till thick, smooth and creamy. 

Now gently heat on the hob until warmed through. Enjoy!

Curried Lentil Soup

This warming, comforting soup is the perfect pick-me-up when returning from work on a cold day.

It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly too so good if you are practising Meat Free Monday.

It relies on things you would mostly find in the stock cupboard too - so can be made at the last minute at very little cost, win, win.

The gentle spicing makes this almost a liquid curry soup and it’s great for warming you right through.

Curried Lentil Soup

The below serves four.

Here's how:
200g red split lentils
1 onion
2cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 large garlic clove
2 carrots
1.5 pints vegetable stock
1 drizzle olive oil or a Fry Light Spray
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

Firstly drizzle the oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Peel and roughly chop the onion and place in the pan.

Peel and mince or roughly chop the garlic and do the same with the ginger add to the pan.

Now allow these to soften a little before going in with the curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric and garam masala.

While these soften a little, rinse the lentils through with a sieve until the waters run clear.

Now place these into the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move around a little and get a good coating of the spiced garlic, onion and ginger base.

Now pour over the soup and allow to slowly simmer for around 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

Remove from the heat and once cooled a little, blitz. I use a Nutribullet so I allow the soup to cool right down.

Once blended return to the pan and bring back to the heat and once warmed through dish up. Enjoy with crusty bread or naan.

Here are a few other vegetarian friendly soup recipes you might like:

Restorative Green Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Red Pepper Soup

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes

These ‘gemistes’ are an updated version of my previously posted Stuffed Tomatoes from way back in 2015.

This version is a closer substitute to those you might enjoy whilst holidaying in various Greek Isles. But I’ve added a bit of a cheat to make it slightly more accessible and quicker to get to the table, an ideal midweek meal when work, school and extra-curricular commitments can make cooking a bit of a last priority.

These ones are enriched with a quick Greek tomato sauce - but unlike the original recipe (or 100’s of recipes I found) I have used ready-cooked Microwave rice, to speed things up. So instead of the sauce cooking the rice from scratch, it merely enriches and flavours.

The result is stunning. This is a fabulous vegetarian and vegan option and we have enjoyed as a Meatfree Monday meal a few times recently. If you’re making a meze of different dishes you can also make with smaller tomatoes so they’re not quite as filling.

I’ve just used mint as that’s the closest flavouring to those from my beloved Kerkyra (Corfu) and I think it adds a lovely freshness, but you can try dill or parsley too. Also for the sauce, this is a very basic one but if you want to play around and add any further flavourings that would work too - adding celery, olives or dried chilli to the base for example, or a glug of balsamic or red wine vinegar.

I like to serve with just salad.

The below serves 4 adults but if there are just the two, believe me they make a great lunchbox for the following day - hot or cold.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Here’s how;

• X4 beef tomatoes
• 1 packet microwave rice
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 courgette
• 1 red pepper 
• 1 yellow pepper
• Handful mint leaves
• Olive oil 

For the sauce;

• 1/2 onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
• Pinch dried oregano
• Pinch salt
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato puree 
• Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Now slice off the top off each of the beef tomatoes carefully, as you want this to act as the ‘lid’.

Now carefully use a knife to cut free the internal flesh of the tomato, then use a tablespoon to carefully scoop it all out and set aside in a bowl. Once you are left with four tomato ‘shells’. Add a little salt to help remove some of the retained moisture and turn upside down to drain further while you prepare everything else.

Firstly dice the two onions and add to two separate pans on a medium heat with generous glugs of olive oil.

Mince the garlic cloves and divide between the two pans.

For the tomato sauce, add to one of the pans the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, pinch of salt and sugar, oregano and some black pepper to taste. Allow to cook away for ten minutes then take off of the heat.

In the meantime, dice the courgette and chop the peppers and add to the other pan. Now roughly chop the leftover tomato flesh and also add to the pan. Don’t let this combination dry out - if needed add a little extra olive oil to keep the contents moist - the rice will soak up any oil so don’t worry about it being too wet. Season well at this point.

Give a good stir and then add the microwave rice direct from the packet. Give it a good stir to ensure the rice gets a good coating. Add 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce too and stir well.

Now remove from the heat and turn the tomatoes back up the right way and place into an oven-proof dish.

Load the rice and vegetable mixture into each of the tomatoes until they are quite full.

Now add a generously heaped tablespoon full of the sauce to the top of each of the tomatoes and then place the ‘lid’ on top.

Drizzle each of the tomatoes with a little olive oil on the outside and then finally place a large sheet of foil loosely over the tomatoes and place into the oven for 35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and if you require the tomatoes to be slightly more well done, remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes.

Stuffed Tomatoes

Otherwise allow to stand for a couple of minutes and then serve with your choice of salad. Enjoy!

Patatas Bravas - Roast Potato with Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is a tapas staple and relies on a fiery heat in the sauce and I can guarantee once you try it, you'll want to make it again. 

I've experimented with a few variations but this is the best received and is mostly based on the recipe from Rick Stein's Spain book but with the addition of roasted red peppers which also gives a sweetness to balance out the heat. It's incredibly moreish.

As part of a group of tapas dishes, the below will serve 4-6 people. The sauce freezes well so make a big batch and keep it as a stand by dish.

After our recent trip to Madrid, we have a hankering for Spanish food so expect a few more Spanish inspired recipes coming up. This is a completely vegetarian recipe and just omit the aioli or garlic mayonnaise to keep it vegan. 

Patatas Bravas

Here's how:

For the roast potatoes

• 1/2kg white potatoes
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1/2 tsp Tabasco
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 white onion
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 2 roasted red peppers (from a jar)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp water

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees and peel and wash the potatoes. Cut them into approximately 1.5-2 cm cubes and ensure you dry them off. 

Now pour the olive oil into a baking tin or dish and throw into the oven to heat through for a few minutes. 

Now pour in the potatoes, scatter about to cover in the oil, season generously and throw in the garlic cloves and cook for 25-30 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.

While the potatoes roast, this is plenty of time to make the sauce.

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and add the dried chilli and paprika first.

Now finely dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to the pan to gently saute. 

Roughly chop the pepper and add to the pan with the tomatoes, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, water and bay leaf. 

Stir well and season to taste, with a pinch of sugar too. 

Allow to cook for at least fifteen minutes, until it's bubbling away. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before blitzing it with whatever tool you have (I use a Nutribullet so always have to cool a bit). 

Now once the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce is blended, return the sauce to the pan to gently back through and arrange the potatoes in a ceramic tapas dish, or your choice of serving dish. Then spoon over the sauce - this doesn't need to look precise, it's a very rustic dish. Finish with a spoonful of aioli and serve. 

Tip: If you haven't time to make aioli and are unable to buy any; simply mince a garlic clove and stir through 3 tbsp of mayonnaise with 1/3 tsp paprika instead.

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

This is a great weekend breakfast or brunch recipe with some buttered bread or toast and makes a nice change from a greasier fry up, pancakes or whatever your usual fodder is.

I've experimented with this recipe and here I have used Heck Chicken Chipolatas which are 99 calories for two, but have also used with ordinary pork chipolatas (delicious) and if you're vegetarian or even vegan you could make this with some Quorn or other veggie sausages too - a great all rounder.

A portion of the below comes in at 416 calories and the below serves three adult portions (or in our case two adults and two small people).

I use chipotle paste to inject a lovely smoky flavour here as well as a fresh green chilli for some heat - omit the chilli if you're not keen on spice.

Smoky Sausage and Bean One Pot

Here's how:

• 12 Heck Chicken Chipolatas
• 1/2 tin baked beans (I use Heinz)
• 1 tin red kidney beans
• 1 carrot
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 shallots
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 green chilli
• Spray of fry light spray

You can grill the sausages if you prefer - but I throw them into the pan, skillet or wok I'm using first to cook through, then remove from the pan.

Whilst the sausages are cooking I prepare everything else. Firstly mince the garlic, finely dice the onion and slice the chilli. Peel and grate the carrot (this is to give the sauce an extra veggie goodness without small people realising!). 

Once the sausages are out of the pan; add the shallots, chilli and garlic and saute until soft. 

Now add the tomatoes and carrot and season. Allow to cook out for five minutes.

Now add all of the beans, and the chipotle paste and cook for a further few minutes. 

Return the sausages to the pan and cook for a further ten minutes until the sauce is bubbling away and smells beautifully smoky.

Serve with sliced bread and butter. Enjoy!

Moroccan Fish Stew

As part of my 2019 resolve, I'm trying to step away from the same old meals and recipes that I cook time after time and instead focus on building up a more varied repertoire to stop us from feeling we are stuck in a food rut. 

I cooked this Moroccan inspired Fish Stew as a New Year's Day dinner for the four of us and just had to share. Whilst I leant on my Mum Vicky's Special Seafood Stew for technique in terms of the almonds and brandy which we know work so well together, this is a far more modest dish making the most of cod and flavoured quite heavily with saffron - a favourite for us. It's a really lovely, fragrant but light dish - perfect for January. You could also make with vegetable stock and a few veggies in place of the fish for a vegetarian or vegan meal if you're doing Veganuary. 

I served with toasted pitta, lemony couscous dotted with pomegranate seeds and a little garlic yoghurt dip - simple but tasty.

The below serves a family of 4-5. 

Moroccan Fish Stew

Here's how:

• Four fillets of cod or about 650g in smaller pieces
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1 white onion
• 1 green chilli
• 1 large clove garlic
• Thumb sized piece of ginger
• Generous pinch of saffron
• 12-14 Cherry tomatoes, halved
• 600ml fish stock
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp runny honey
• 3 tbsp almonds
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 tsp dried cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• Natural yoghurt and fresh coriander to serve

Firstly finely dice the onion, mince the garlic and finely chop or grate the ginger and slice the chilli. Add to an oven-proof and stove-proof dish to gently saute in the olive oil and once softened add the spices (cumin, coriander, paprika) and the tomato puree, stir and allow to cook for a few minutes.

In the meanwhile make up the fish stock or gently heat it then add the saffron to the warm stock and allow to stand.

Now to the pot of onions, garlic, chilli and ginger add the tomatoes, ground almond, brandy, honey, cinnamon stick, orange juice, the cooked chickpeas and finally the stock - give a good stir and allow to gently cook for ten minutes or until the liquid has started to slowly thicken up a little.

Now add the cod fillets in all around the dish, pres down so they are immersed in the stew and cook for three to four minutes. Now very gently turn over each piece of cod, and cook for a further three minutes or until the cod is cooked through. 

Serve at the table with a few blobs of natural yoghurt and handfuls of coriander leaves alongside your choice of accompaniments. Enjoy!

Simple and Skinny Butternut Squash Soup

This soup recipe is so easy, but yields such a delicious couple of bowl fulls, and is very low calorie, if you're watching your calorific intake - the below comes in at 276 calories, and is enough for two portions.

It's completely devoid of any meat or meat products, so counts if you're adopting a vegetarian or even vegan diet, and is surprisingly satisfying.

Simple and Skinny Butternut Squash Soup

Here's how:

• 260g butternut squash, roasted
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1 white onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• Fresh ginger root (about two cm)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot made up with 600ml water

Firstly take a small butternut squash and roast whole for 30 minutes. Then cut straight down the middle and remove all the flesh, and set aside for the moment.

Drizzle the olive oil into a pan and place on a low heat.

Peel and dice the onion and crush the garlic and add to the pan to saute.

In the meantime, peel and slice the ginger and make up the stock.

Once the onion and garlic has softened, add the butternut squash, the ginger and the cayenne pepper and pour over the stock.

You can salt here, but the stock should provide that for you.

Cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, and then blitz. (If using a Nutribullet like I do to blitz the soup, make sure you allow the soup to cool a little first).

Return to the heat to warm up then serve. Enjoy!

Here are some other vegetarian soup options:

Winter Vegetable
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup
Creamy Mushroom Soup without Cream
Restorative Green Soup
Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Mexican Mushroom Soup

Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers

It's been a while since I've shared a Meat Free Monday post - family life dictates that this doesn't always happen on a Monday, but we do try to eat meat-free or vegetarian at least one day a week.

I've experimented countless times with varying degrees of success, a range of vegetarian burgers, but these are my best yet - the beans are the main base, but with the addition of cooked sweet potato and grated carrot, there's no denying there's lots of goodness to be found inside these. To avoid a bland mass of mushed beans, my favourite version of these is to add some typically Mexican flavours to the mix, cumin, paprika, lime, lots of coriander, mint and of course some chilli.

This is 100% a family dish here, and I even served them to my 7 month old this week, mini versions at least, and she fully enjoyed these as part of her baby led weaning. She had the same version as us, but if your baby isn't used to spice you could of course omit from throwing in as much chilli, paprika etc. 

I served with brioche buns, a quick chipotle yoghurt dip and some salad for me, with chips for Bridget and Glen - definite crowd pleaser; everyone loves burgers in my house.

Mexican Veggie Burgers

If serving as a weaning finger food as I have, serve alongside some other finger food such as cucumber sticks, some cheese and tomato.

Weaning Mexican Veggie Burger Bites

The below makes four good sized burgers.

Here's how:

• 1 tin red kidney beans
• 1 tin butter beans
• Bunch spring onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 lime
• 1 egg
• Olive oil
• Big handful coriander leaves and stalks
• Handful mint leaves
• 2 slices of bread
• 1 carrot
• 2 tbsp cooked sweet potato

• x4 brioche burger buns
• 2 tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 heaped tsp chipotle paste
• Optional:
• Grated cheddar
• jalopeno chillies
• salsa

Salad of your choice

To assemble the burgers, first use your blender to make breadcrumbs out of the slices of bread. Remove from the blender and set aside. 

Now open the cans of beans and drain, retaining a little of the water in each. Place both cans into a blender. 

Finely slice the spring onions, chilli and garlic and add to the blender. Throw in the herbs and spices. 

Grate the carrot and add to the blender along with the juice of the full lime, the cooked sweet potato and the egg. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and then blitz until combined. 

You should be left with a rather wet concoction, and may wonder how this is going to turn into burgers - be patient. Now add a little of the breadcrumbs at a time, and mix in thoroughly. When you're satisfied that you can mould burgers out of the mixture stop adding the breadcrumbs - you may need all of them, or a little less.

Now drizzle in a little olive oil or rapeseed oil into a non-stick pan and place on a medium heat. 

Mould the burgers into pattys and place directly into the hot pan. 

Meat Free Monday Mexican Veggie Burgers

Use an egg slice to move the burgers around a little to avoid sticking to the bottom, and use this with a spoon for guidance, to turn the burgers over after about five minutes of cooking - they should be golden brown. Now cook on the other side for five-six minutes until that is golden brown too. 

In the meantime assemble your salad and create your Mexican burger sauce from the natural yoghurt and chipotle and spread over the bottom layer of the burger buns. 

Once the burgers are cooked through serve immediately and top with your choice of cheese, jalopenos and salsa. Enjoy!

If you're looking for further vegetarian meal ideas a few are included below:
Squash and Goat's Cheese Pie
Bean and Pepper Chilli
Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne
Feta and Roasted Vegetable Tarts
Mushroom Risotto with Cauliflower Rice
Tomato and Vegetable Pasta Bake
Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
Spinach, Ricotta and Courgette Pasta Lasagne

Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne

Having a bit of a haul from our Pumpkin Picking on Sunday, I created this vegetarian Pumpkin and Spinach Lasagne on Monday – another Meat Free Monday option added to the repertoire.

I must admit, usually I would make my own béchamel or white sauce for lasagne, but as I had a sick boyfriend at home and our toddler to run around after and was batch cooking for the week, I took a cheat here and used the Dolmio Lasagne Sauce – which actually is pretty decent and I wouldn’t hesitate to use again as a shortcut. I’m not one for processed sauces, but sometimes the need for speed overtakes and the pressures of family and working life intervene.

This was a family dinner favourite – anything involving pasta always is with my daughter and Glen; Glen’s slightly harder to please with our meat-free options, but this went down well and we all agreed we’d have it again.

I thought I’d share this in honour of Pumpkin Day this Saturday in the lead up to Halloween.

Here’s how:

1 small roasted pumpkin (can use butternut squash)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion
1 clove garlic
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp paprika
1 pack washed spinach
Lasagne sheets
1 jar Dolmio Lasagne White Sauce
50g grated Cheddar cheese
1 whole nutmeg
Salt & Pepper

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Roast the pumpkin until slightly softened. Allow the pumpkin to cool, then peel, and chop the flesh into long slice, discarding the pith and seeds inside (unless you’re using the pumpkin seeds for roasting and snacking on). Set aside.

To make the tomato sauce, add the olive oil to a pan on a low heat. Peel and dice the onion and mince the garlic and add to sauté slowly in the olive oil on a gentle heat.

Once slightly softened, add the tomatoes (could use passata), tomato puree, oregano, paprika and a pinch each of sea salt and black pepper to season. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and allow to cook for at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have it.

Once you’re happy with the sauce, remove from the heat and you’re ready to assemble the lasagne.

Firstly lay a layer of pumpkin at the bottom of an oven proof dish. Then spoon over a generous amount of the tomato sauce (you’ll need two layers so use about half). 

Next place the lasagne sheets over the top – don’t layer these on top of each other or they become a bit yucky in cooking.

Now pour over the Dolmio White Sauce to cover the sheets sufficiently. Now grate the nutmeg over really generously – this gives a really lovely warming flavour and really complements the dish, so be super generous.

Scatter over a really generous amount of spinach leaves – only one layer is spinach and it wilts quickly so add more, rather than less. 

Now repeat the process of adding the pumpkin, topped with tomato sauce then the lasagne sheets and white sauce.

Once again, grate over a really generous amount of nutmeg over the top with salt and black pepper and finish with the Cheddar before placing into the oven.

Cook for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and bubbling away. Serve with a handful of green salad leaves, such as watercress or rocket. Enjoy! 

Truffled Mushroom & Leek Tagliatelle

This is a really quick and simple vegetarian pasta dish perfect for mid-week as it can be made in 20 minutes, is loved by all the family, tastes great and is a good option for Meat Free Monday too.

I used a black truffle oil I purchased in Rome recently, but you can pick this up easily in the supermarket, and whilst it's a slightly expensive, indulgent ingredient; you only need a tiny bit to give a fantastically earthy, rich flavour.

We all enjoyed this - including my 18-month old, Bridget who is living up to my pen-name for her of Toddler Foodie. 

Truffled Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle

Here's how:

• 250g fresh tagliatelle (can use spaghetti, linguini or any other long pasta)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 leeks
• 200g mushrooms (a mix is great - I used ordinary and chestnut) 
• 125ml single cream
• 50g Pecorino Romano (other hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Cheddar or )
• Pinch black pepper
• Salt
• 1 tbsp truffle oil

Firstly fill the kettle and place on to boil. Now add the olive oil to a pan and place on a gentle heat.

Peel and crush the garlic and slice the leeks and add to the warming oil to gently sauté.

Slice the mushrooms and set aside for a moment. Grate the cheese and also set aside.

Once the leeks have softened; the oil will be beautifully flavoured too. Now add the mushrooms to the pan and at the same time add the boiled water to a saucepan with a pinch of salt and place the pasta in to cook. TIP: Cook for one minute less than the packet instructs and drain.

While the pasta is cooking add to the leeks and mushrooms, the cream and the Pecorino Romano and season generously.

Once the pasta has been drained, add to the pan with the mushrooms and toss to ensure all strands of tagliatelle are nicely coated in the sauce.

Now finally add the final flourish - the truffle oil - drizzle over the whole thing then mix through to ensure an even distribution. Taste to ensure you're satisfied with the flavour - if too subtle add a tiny drop more until you're happy. 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!