Starting off #MeatFreeWeek with Aubergine, Sweet Potato and Spinach Coconut Curry

Curries are my favourite things to cook as you can pretty much whack anything in and they're bound to taste good! They're also very simple and cost effective when you have all the spices and bits stocked up in the cupboard, as well as being much healthier than buying pre-made sauces. My essential spices for curries are coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cardamon pods, turmeric, paprika and curry powder. I tend to keep chillies in the freezer so that they're available when I needed and don't bother to defrost them. The sweet potato can always be swapped for butternut squash, and the aubergine can be changed to courgette - and the good thing about curries is it doesn't matter what vegetables you use. Don't be afraid to experiment.

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

- 1 aubergine, sliced into similar sized chunks

- 3 sweet potatoes, washed and cut into pieces (a little smaller than the aubergine) with their skins on 

- 2 handfuls of spinach

- 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

- 1/2 thumb of grated fresh ginger (optional)

- a big dash of white wine * Probably very unusual in a curry, but I like using it. Red and rose is also fine *

- 400g tin of coconut milk

- 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

- 1 red chilli, thinly sliced with or without seeds depending on taste

- 2 tsp mango chutney

- 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

- 4 cardamon pods, seeds removed and shells discarded

- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

- 1/2 coriander powder

- 1/2 tsp turmeric

- 1/2 tsp coriander powder

- 1/2 tsp curry powder

- 1/2 tsp paprika

- 1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)

- a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

1. Start by cooking the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a pan with a little vegetable oil or coconut oil. 

2. Once the onion starts to brown, pour in the dash of wine - which should sizzle. Then add the sweet potato and aubergine. Stir frequently for a few minutes and don't let the vegetables burn.

3. Once the wine has evaporated away (after a few minutes - no need to count though), add the tin of coconut milk and chopped tomatoes and stir to combine. 

4. Boil the kettle and fill the empty coconut tin with 1/2 water and the stock cube. Put aside for a few minutes. 

5. Let the vegetables cook on a medium heat for around 5 minutes, and then add the stock from the tin. * Don't worry if the stock cube hasn't completely dissolved, it should continue to dissolve in the pan * Continue to cook your curry for a further 5 minutes.

6. Whilst the veg is cooking, in a saucepan, add a little vegetable/sunflower oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds which should spit a little and start to crack. In a pestle and mortar, grind the cardamon and coriander seeds together until crushed. Add these in with the mustard seeds for 20 seconds or so. Then pour the seeds into your curry, along with all the other curry spices and the mango chutney. * I don't usually measure my spices, I just dash a bit in - so don't be afraid to do the same! *

7. Let the curry cook for a further 10-15 minutes without a lid, to let the juices boil down, until the sweet potato is ready. Taste is and see if it needs more of anything. If it isn't spicy enough for you, add some chilli flakes, if something is missing, maybe add some chopped coriander, more mango chutney or curry powder. 

8. Finally, put in the spinach and finish the dish off for a few minutes, stirring frequently. 

* Serve with rice, yoghurt, or flat bread. If you're feeling adventurous, you could poach some white fish in turmeric and cardamon pod water for around 4 minutes...works a treat! *

Green Kitchen Travels 'Sopa de Legumes Portuguese' with a Bacon and Chilli Flair

I was a happy sister when I received the Green Kitchen Travels cookbook for Christmas. What a beautiful book, full of wonderful traveling pictures and exciting simple recipes from around the world. For someone who rarely uses recipe books, it was very inspirational, and it's lovely to see a book with character and charm. This certainly doesn't mean I'm becoming GF, DF, Vegan or Vegetarian, but I'll stick to my motto of everything in moderation. I substituted a few things in the original recipe...beans for lentils, sage leaves for bay leaves, water for fresh turkey stock and cabbage for a chilli and bacon topping. 

Ingredients (serves 5-6 as a main)

for the soup -

- 3 potatoes (450g), peeled and chopped

- 1 small/medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped

- 2 leeks, chopped

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- 2 bay leaves (or 10 fresh sage leaves as the original recipe requests)

- turkey stock (chicken or vegetable as a substitute)

- boiling water

- juice of 1 lemon

for the topping -

- 100g lentils

- 250g chopped bacon bits (I buy them already chopped from Lidl as they're cheap and easy)

- 1 chilli, deseeded and chopped

1. In a large saucepan start by frying the onion, garlic and leek in a little oil for a few minutes. Then add the chopped potatoes, carrot, and sweet potato. Stir for a few minutes and then cover the vegetables with 3/4 fresh stock and 1/4 boiling water (roughly 2 inches above the veggies); and finally add the bay leaves. 

2. Bring the soup to the boil with a lid on, then turn down the heat and simmer until the vegetables are soft (about 20/25 minutes). 

3. While the soup is cooking, boil the lentils in a saucepan according to the pack instructions. It doesn't matter if they're overcooked, as they'll get mixed into the soup anyway.

4. The lentils should cook quicker than the soup. When they are ready, drain and leave them to one side. Rinse the saucepan briefly and then use it to cook the bacon and chopped chilli. No oil is needed as the bacon will give off it's own. 

5. By this time, the vegetables should be soft and ready to be blitzed. Whack the soup mixture into a food processor (be careful as it'll be hot and might explode! Better to do it little by little) and blitz to form a smooth creamy consistency. Pour in the lemon juice and set aside. 

6. When the bacon is cooked (about 4 minutes), you can start to serve up. Simply spoon a little lentils and chilli bacon on top of the soup and finish off with chopped fresh parsley or coriander. 

Broad Bean, Coriander and Chilli Houmous Dip

This morning was spent picking runner beans from my mum's vegetable garden, and I thought I ought to make something delicious for lunch. I love it when you get half way through making something, only to realise that you don't have all the ingredients you want, because it calls for a little experimentation. From this slight blip, I concocted a new, exciting, and very healthy dip recipe. This has a kick, so if you're susceptible to spice, add less chilli

 Ingredients (makes two pots)

- 400g tin soft boiled chickpeas (I use TRS Boiled Chick Peas) with 2/3 chickpea water

- 2 handfuls of cooked broad beans (with skins)

- 1/2 a large clove of garlic

- juice of half lemon

- juice of half a lime 

- 1/2 a fresh chilli

- a handful of fresh coriander (stalks included)

- a good glug of olive oil

- pepper

1. Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz for a few minutes.

2. If the mixture is too thick, add a little more olive oil or lemon juice.

3. Sprinkle with flaked almonds, linseeds or poppy seeds to make it look pretty and serve how you wish. I'd like to try this smothered on pumpernickle bread and topped with smoked salmon.

Homegrown Roasted Beetroot with Runner Beans, Almonds and Chilli

Winter doesn't scare me when it comes to salads, I eat them all year round. This is a very late post as I actually concocted it up in September, before I went to India. There's something very therapeutic and rewarding about picking your own vegetables. Last year, we had masses of runner beans - I think I picked them at least 6 times. 

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

- 4 baby beetroot, chopped into quarters

- 10 runner beans, chopped

- a handful of almonds

- a sprinkle of chilli flakes (I used a grinder and ground a pinch in)

- 1 tbsp good quality olive oil

- juice of 1/4 lemon

1. Start by heating the oven to 200c. Once the oven is hot, put the chopped beetroot quarters into an oven tray and coat with vegetable oil. Cook them for 40-45 minutes, until soft and tender. (N.B. I cooked my beetroot the day before, thus giving me leeway to experiment).

2. Boil some water for the runner beans, and cook them for 3-5 minutes until tender and light green in colour.

3. Add the beans, beetroot, lemon juice, oil and chilli flakes to a bowl, and toss a few times. Finally, sprinkle over the almonds and season with salt and pepper. 

Serve this salad on it's own, with cheese and biscuits, or with a selection of other salads.

Tuna, Chilli and Ginger Filler

Ingredients (serves 2)

160g tinned tuna, drained

a few slices of chilli, chopped

1cm piece of ginger, grated

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp lemon juice

1-1/2 tsp worcester sauce

pepper

sesame seeds

1. Mix all the ingredients together and serve with salad, pitta, or in a sandwich. Add some sun-dried tomatoes for extra yumminess. 

A Delicious Homemade Chicken Curry with Courgette, Fennel and Coriander...or with Courgette, Spinach and Cashew Nuts

I made this paste from of all sorts of larder loving ingredients, and the good thing about curry is that you can chop and change what goes into the paste as it will always taste delicious. This is easy peasy and scrumptious.

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the curry sauce -

1 tsp groundnut oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp vegetable oil

2 heaped tsp mango chutney

1 tsp curry paste (I use Patak's Korma paste)

3 cloves of garlic

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, grated

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground ginger

a few slices of chilli

a few kaffir lime leaves or curry leaves

10 whole coriander seeds

seeds from 2 cardamon pods

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 handful of fresh coriander, stalks included

salt and pepper

200g yoghurt

300ml chicken/vegetable stock (make 600g as you will need it for the rice)

for the rest of the curry -

4 chicken thighs, bones and skin removed, chopped - or - 4 chicken breasts, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

1 courgette, chopped

half a fennel bulb, sliced (optional)

for the rice - 

1 cup basmati rice

1 red onion, sliced

half a chilli, to taste

3 tsp turmeric

3 tsp curry powder

6 whole cardamon pods

10 whole coriander seeds

2 cm piece of ginger, grated

enough chicken or vegetable stock to just about cover the rice (roughly 200-300g)

1. Place all the ingredients for the curry paste/sauce, except the yoghurt and stock, in a mixing bowl and grind up using a hand blender or food processor. Once it resembles a smooth paste, mix in the yoghurt to form a yellow sauce and add the cut up chicken. You can either marinade the chicken in the sauce for a while in the fridge, or cook it straight away.

2. Fry the onions in a little vegetable oil, then add the saucy chicken. Gradually add the stock so that the mixture doesn't stick and stays juicy. Cook the chicken for about 8 minutes before adding the chopped courgette and fennel. 

3. Now start making the rice. Add the onion, chilli and ginger to a frying pan with a little vegetable oil and fry for a minute or so. Then add all the remaining ingredients for the rice. Cover the pan with a lid, bring to the boil and then turn the heat down to very low. The rice should take roughly 10-12 minutes, by which time the chicken curry should be cooked.