Coconut cauliflower curry (prep time: 25 mins. cooking time: 10 mins. serves 4)

The coconut in this curry is delicate and subtle, not overpowering. It underscores the flavour of the vegetables whilst the coriander provides the top note. 

(Warning: Some like it hot! This recipe uses Scotch Bonnet chillies which are super hot, although you should be fine with just half of one. If you prefer it less hot, switch for green or red chillis.)

Contents:
1 small cauliflower, diced
250g broccoli, diced
3 x medium sized carrots, cut into batons
500g spinach (I use frozen)


Sauce:
1 onion, diced finely
1 stick celery, diced finely
3 x garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, diced finely
20 cardomom pods
2 x tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pimenton or paprika
250ml stock
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
160ml tin of coconut cream


Garnish:
A good handful of chopped, fresh coriander

First, steam or boil the vegetable contents so everything is al dente.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onion, celery, garlic and chilli in a drop of olive oil. After 4 or 5 minutes, add the dry spices and continue to stir and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.Then add the stock and tomatoes and coconut cream. Bring to a simmer before removing from the heat. Pick out the cardomom pods before using a hand blender to mix it into a smooth sauce.
Add the sauce to the vegetable contents, and heat to a simmer. Add the coriander and allow all the flavours to meld together for a further 5 minutes or so. 
Eat with brown rice or a chapati. You can also add more stock and eat it as a soup / dahl.

Turkey and spinach lasagne (20 mins prep; 35 mins cooking; serves 6)

The addition of turkey to this recipe means my son wolfs it down, whereas he wasn't keen when it was purely vegetarian.  I love it, too, especially when my nanny cooks it for us on a Friday :)  See what you think....

Mince layer

500g minced turkey

2 onions, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

Tomato sauce for mince layer

1 red pepper, diced

1 carrot, grated

1 courgette, grated

2 tins chopped tomatoes (with Italian herbs from Waitrose Organic)

2tbsp tomato puree

Creamed Spinach layer

500g frozen spinach

300g cottage cheese (you can use ones with chives if you like)

Build

6 x wholewheat lasagne sheets

250g cheddar cheese, grated

Worcester sauce

Brown the turkey mince in a pan with a little olive oil.  Add the onions and garlic for 5 mins on a low heat.

In a separate pan, gently fry the red pepper, carrot and courgette on a low heat until soft. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree and simmer for a couple of minutes.

Blend the sauce with a hand blender until smooth.

Mix together the mince and sauce and stir well.  Set to one side.

Meanwhile, wilt the frozen spinach by putting it in a sieve or colander over a pan of boiling water. Once wilted, squeeze out any excess liquid before transferring it into the white plastic jug.  Add the cottage cheese and a dash of salt and black pepper. Use the hand blender to blend the spinach and cottage cheese into a green paste.

In a shallow rectangular dish, approx 1.5 inches tall, start with a layer half the mince and tomato sauce mixture. Put one layer of lasagne sheets on top. Then put half the creamy spinach paste on top of the lasagne. Add a second layer of mince/ tomato mixture using the remainder of the mixture. Add one more layer of lasagne sheets, with the rest of the spinach mixture on top. Finish off with the grated cheese and splash with worcestershire sauce.

Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Secret Veg-filled Spaghetti Bolognese (20 mins prep; 35 mins cooking; serves 4)

Continuing my current theme of cooking healthy meals that my five year old son will eat, this week I created a delicious Spaghetti Bolognese. Everyone knows how to cook spaghetti bolognese, but this one is filled with loads of hidden, secret vegetables. Result!

1 tbsp olive oil 

1 large onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced very finely            

1 large carrot, grated    

2 courgettes, grated

250g mushrooms, diced finely

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g minced beef

1 beef stock cube, dissolved in 300ml hot water

1x 400g can chopped tomatoes with Italian herbs

½ jar green olives, sliced

2 tbsp tomato purée

Splash of Worcester sauce

Wholemeal spaghetti to serve

In a large saucepan add the olive oil and brown the mince.

Add the onions and gently fry over a low heat, stirring fairly frequently for about 5 minutes until the onions are a bit see through.

Throw in everything else, bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then turn down the heat and simmer with the lid on for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, cook the wholemeal spaghetti and remember to end up with 25% spaghetti and 75% bolognese mixture on your plate.

Bon appetit!