My go-to cottage pie

This recipe is quick, easy and fills you full of veggies! It is also really tasty to say it has nothing but vegetables and mince in it. I used to use beef mince but I decided to give up eating red meat at the beginning of this year (6 months and counting!); I have therefore adapted it and used turkey mince in this recipe instead. It is equally as yummy. Turkey mince has also got a lot more to offer over beef mince, such as higher protein and less fat. I’d say its a no-brainer to make the swap!

A mix of vegetables and mince… no naughties or nasties here!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 Small onion (chopped)
  • 2 Carrots (chopped)
  • 2 Sweet potatoes (chopped)
  • 50g Chestnut mushrooms (sliced)
  • 1 Tin of sweetcorn
  • 90g Frozen peas
  • 500g Turkey mince
  • Salt and pepper (1 tsp of each)

METHOD

  1. Heat the oven to Gas Mark 5.
  2. Grate the carrots and sweet potatoes and cut into chunks.
  3. Place into a pan of boiling water and boil on high for around 10 minutes (or until they fall off a knife when stabbed). Whilst the carrots and potatoes are cooking, chop the onion and the mushrooms.
  4. Spray a couple sprays of fry light into a frying pan and add the onion. Cook for around 3 minutes.
  5. Add the turkey mince and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 8 minutes until it is brown.
  6. Add the sliced mushrooms, peas and sweetcorn. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Whilst this is cooking, mash the carrots and sweet potatoes to form a mash. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Add the turkey mixture to a ceramic or glass dish. Spread out evenly to line the bottom.
  8. Add the mash on top and use a spatula to spread the mash so that it covers the turkey mixture.
  9. Cook in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the mash has browned slightly.
  10. Serve while it is still hot!
3 portions left for me to take to work or have as a quick dinner.

This can be cooled, covered in foil and chilled so that it can be eaten at a later date. Eat within two days or freeze for future dinners.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Sophie x

6-nut roast

This recipe is adapted from a couple of recipes I have found online. I have substituted certain ingredients as well as adding my own so that this meal contains healthy yet delicious flavours. It stands out from your average nut roast because it contains 6 different types of nut! Just think of all the protein, fibre and vitamins you will receive from just one slice.

Full of flavour yet nutritional… why wouldn’t you want to try it?

There are quite a few ingredients required for this recipe so it is not one of my cheapest or easiest meal ideas. Overall, it took me around 1 hour 45 minutes to make this (it will take longer if you don’t use precooked lentils), but I would argue that it is worth it. It also provided me with lunch for the next 2 days.

INGREDIENTS

  • 200g mixed nuts (I used walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios and almonds)
  • 2 Eggs (beaten)
  • 20g Sunflower seeds
  • 1 Onion (diced)
  • 1 Leek (diced)
  • 50g Cranberries
  • 3 Garlic cloves (diced)
  • 1 Red chilli (diced)
  • 1 Large carrot or 2 small carrots (grated)
  • 100g Red lentils (I used Aldi’s pre-made lentils to save time)
  • 50g Breadcrumbs
  • 150g Mushrooms (diced)
  • 2 tbsp. Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp. Parsley (chopped)
  • 1 tsp. Paprika
  • 1 tsp. Moroccan seasoning
  • 1 tsp. Mixed herbs
  • 1/2 tsp. Chilli flakes
A mixture of ingredients equals a whole lot of flavour!

METHOD

  1. Heat the oven to Gas mark 4 and line the base and sides of a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Spray a few sprays of fry light into a large frying pan and cook the diced onion and leek for around 5 minutes to soften.
  3. Add the chopped garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further 8 minutes.
  4. Stir in the diced chilli and grated carrot and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the mixed herbs, paprika and Moroccan seasoning and cook for a minute.
  5. Add half the packets of lentils and the tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes. Take off the heat to cool.
  6. Weigh out around 35g of each nut. Place into a food processor and whiz them on high until they are finely chopped. If you don’t own a food processor, the nuts need to be hand-chopped. This may take some time but they need to be small to give the nut roast the right consistency.
  7. Add the nuts, along with the breadcrumbs, eggs and parsley, into the lentil mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and press down the surface.
  9. Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins, then remove the foil and bake for a further 30 mins until firm when pressed gently.
  10. Take it out of the oven and leave to cool in its tin for around 10 minutes. Turn out onto a serving board or plate and cut into slices.

The best thing about this recipe is that it can be cooked in advance and then chilled, sliced and reheated. I reheated mine in the microwave for about 2.5 minutes. Don’t overheat it otherwise it will burn and will go extremely dry.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you have any ideas on how to improve it, please leave a comment.

Have a great day!

Sophie x

Banana berry smoothie

This might be just the thing you need to brighten up your day, especially seeing as the weather in England is so dreary at the moment!

It requires little ingredients but is full of vitamins, antioxidants and energy. Perfect for a morning wake up or afternoon pick-me-up. This recipe makes around 2 glasses based on the size I have used below.

I recommend having a glass this size as bananas contain a high amount of sugar.

INGREDIENTS AND EQUIPMENT

  • 2 Bananas
  • 1 Nectarine
  • 50g Blueberries (or more- 80g of blueberries are one of your 5-a-day)
  • 200ml Milk of your choice (I used almond but soya, coconut or semi-skimmed would work too)
  • A handful of mint leaves
  • Food processor

METHOD

  1. Peel and roughly chop the bananas and add to a food processor.
  2. Peel the nectarine and slice off chunks, avoiding the pit in the middle. Add this to the food processor.
  3. Add the blueberries, mint and milk and blend on high until it is smooth and lump-free.
  4. You may have to sieve the mixture if you do not want bits of blueberry skin and mint leaves in your teeth!
  5. Keep the smoothie in the fridge and drink within 2 days.
Alpro is my favourite brand for coconut and almond milk. It has a lot less sugar than supermarket own brands!

I hope you like this recipe!

Sophie x

Gluten free peanut butter cookies

Moist and crumbly, these cookies are the perfect afternoon treat!

So, this is the first recipe I shall upload onto my new food blog. This recipe made around 10 cookies so if you want more, just double the recipe. Equally, you can mould the dough to your desired size which may mean there are more/less cookies then I made.

Firstly, let me thank you for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you find some recipes that you think will tickle your taste buds!

INGREDIENTS

  • 112g Peanut Butter
  • 50 ml Runny Honey
  • 1 tbsp. Coconut Oil
  • 32g Coconut Flour
  • 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Essence
  • 1 Egg

METHOD

  1. Heat oven to gas mark 4. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
  2. Combine coconut oil, peanut butter, and honey in a microwaveable bowl or glass jug. Heat on high for 1 minute until melted. If melted, stir and cool.
  3. Mix coconut flour and baking powder together in a separate bowl and leave to one side.
  4. Stir the peanut butter mixture until smooth and add the vanilla essence. Then add the egg and mix till combined.
  5. Pour into the flour mixture and mix to form a sticky dough (it shouldn’t have formed a stiff ball).
  6. Using a table spoon, scoop out some dough (around the size of the spoon) and roll into balls. The mixture should be mouldable without putting flour or water on your hands. Space them out about 2″ away from each and flatten with a fork.
  7. Bake for around 12 minutes or until the edges are noticeably brown.
  8. Remove and cool on a wire rack. Keep in a Tupperware box and eat within 5 days.

Even though coconut flour seems a random ingredient it is really useful to have in. It can be used as a flour substitute in baking (the rule is usually for every 100g of normal flour, use around 25-30g coconut flour (taken from http://www.groovyfood.co.uk)) and works for thickening up currys! I have included a photo of the ingredients I used if you need some inspiration.

These are available at the supermarket and are not too expensive!

If you give this recipe a try, please let me know by writing a comment or liking this post.

Have a good day!

Sophie x