Butternut, Spinach and Peanut Curry.

Seeing as how it is National Curry Week, which of course I was completely aware of at the start of the week...I decided to make this delicious Butternut, Spinach and Peanut Curry. Truthfully, I didn't have the foggiest idea that it was National Curry Week until I stumbled upon the hashtag on twitter but, rather conveniently I had already whipped up this mighty fine recipe after stumbling upon it on the delicious. website and having the slightly worrying peanut butter addiction that I do, I instantly thought my doesn't that sound autumnal and scrumptious and rest assured, it really is! 

For my Food Technology GCSE which, was over and done with a full 5 years ago now (boohoo what an old lady I am), I developed a peanut satay dish which my lovely mum and I fell madly in love with at the time but, I have since grown to feel that it can often be a little on the heavier, richer side which isn't necessarily a bad thing but, it really must be eaten in moderation even by this peanut butter addict right here. This Butternut, Spinach and Peanut curry on the other hand, is much lighter and yet the sauce still remains utterly moreish and creamy and the Thai flavours of the dish really come through and taste devilishly divine (little Halloween pun for you there). Unlike the delicious magazine recipe, I added butternut squash to my curry instead of pumpkin as, shock horror, I couldn't locate a pumpkin despite Halloween being virtually upon our doorstep. I know, how utterly ridiculous right? Nonetheless, the butternut squash was delicious in this dish and my own addition of red pepper and spinach was also a most excellent choice if I do say so myself. Pair this curry with some basmati or Thai Jasmine rice, scatter with fresh coriander leaves and you really have treated yourself to quite a phenomenal little autumnal dish to warm you up on a cold October night.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 tsp. tomato purée
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. light soy sauce 
1 tsp. light brown sugar
Small handful fresh coriander
2 red chillies, halved and deseeded
4 garlic cloves
1cm piece fresh ginger
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
300g butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks (not too big!)
200g red pepper, core and seeds removed
100g frozen spinach
400ml tin coconut milk

Method

1. Stir the peanut butter into a jug containing 200ml hot water, until it dissolves, then stir in the tomato purée, lime zest and juice, soy sauce and brown sugar and set aside.

2. Remove the leaves from the coriander and set aside as well. Chop the stalks as finely as you can and chop up the chilli, garlic and ginger nice and small too.

3. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or good-sized pan and fry the onions quite briskly for a few minutes, so that they catch slightly. As soon as this starts to happen, add the butternut squash and red pepper and stir-fry for a few minutes. 

4. Stir in the chilli, garlic, coriander stalk, garlic and ginger mixture for 1-2 minutes, then add in the lovely creamy coconut milk. Stir once more, then add the peanut butter mix and cook at a brisk simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding the frozen spinach half way through, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the spinach is cooked and the butternut squash is tender. (Just a pre-warning, I almost keeled over with starvation as the clock struck 8pm waiting for my butternut squash to soften so make sure you give yourself plenty of time for cooking and preparing the dish, about 45-60 minutes I'd say before tea as the pesky squash likes to take it's time but, it does make up for it at the end when you finally get to take a mouthful and realise the wait was most definitely worth it!)

5. Finally, garnish with the reserved coriander leaves and serve with cooked rice. Basmati rice or Thai Jasmine would be perfect! All done and dusted, now enjoy!

Veggie Sausage Casserole with Feta, Chive and Red Onion Scones.

As much as I would love to cling on to the warm, sunny days of summer for at least a little while longer, the dark nights are beginning to roll in earlier and the breeze in the air is becoming all the more chilly so, it is almost impossible to deny that Autumn is now well and truly arriving. Luckily, despite the wind and rain that Autumn will surely bring with it, it will also bring a whole array of delicious, warming, hearty dishes to tuck into on any cold September, October or November evening and I for one, cannot wait to munch on every stew, hot pot, cobbler and crumble Autumn has to offer. 

For me, this gorgeous veggie sausage casserole has just become my go to meal for Autumn and I can't quite believe just how delicious it turned out. The casserole is full of rich, earthy flavors and vibrant, colorful vegetables and the feta, chive and red onion scones, oh these scones, are utterly unbelievable! Soft, light and fluffy and the perfect accompaniment to the tomato base of the casserole as it creates a really wonderful Mediterranean feel to the dish with the combination of tomatoes, red onion, feta and basil. It was honestly delicious and looking back on the pictures now, I could just munch on it all over again and next week I probably will!

Recipe

Serves 2-4

For the Veggie Sausage Casserole-

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped into small chunks

1/2 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

1 fat clove of garlic

2 Quorn sausages

2 Quorn Chorizo sausages (you can get these from Sainsbury's or just use whichever vegetarian sausages you like. I think Linda McCartney's Italian sausages would be delicious in this dish if you can get them)

3/4 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

65ml vegetable stock

1x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

200g mixed beans (I used a tin of mixed beans in a chilli sauce and they added lots of flavour!)

fresh basil

fresh chives

For the Feta, Chive and Red Onion Scones-

195g plain flour

1/2 tbsp. caster sugar

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

pinch of pepper

85g unsalted butter

1/2 egg, beaten

95ml whole milk

110g feta, crumbled

chopped chives

1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1/2 an egg, beaten for glazing

smoked paprika for topping

Method

1. Start by preparing the scone mixture. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and black pepper. Stir in the sugar. Add the butter and rub in to the flour mixture until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

2. In another bowl, combine the egg and whole milk and beat lightly with a fork. (Start, by beating a whole egg and reserve half of the egg for glazing the scones when finished and use the remaining half an egg to whisk with the milk and add to the scone dough). Add the egg and milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir to make a soft, shaggy dough. Meanwhile, fry the red onion in 1 tsp. olive oil until softened.

3. Add the snipped chives, crumbled feta and fried red onion to the scone dough, tip out onto the work-surface and knead together. 

4. Roll or pat out the scone dough and cut out 8 or so small scones using a small round biscuit cutter. Set aside.

5. Next, prepare the sausage casserole. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the celery and peppers and cook for 5 minutes more.

6. Chop the sausages into fairly chunky pieces and add to the pan. Fry for another 5 minutes and then add in the garlic and spices, cooking for 1-2 minutes until the aromas are released. 

7. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and mixed beans. Add the vegetable stock and stir, bringing to a simmer. Stir through some snipped chives and torn fresh basil.

8. Pour the sausage, bean and vegetable mixture into a casserole dish and arrange the scones on top in whatever pattern you like. You could just do a border like me or cover the top completely with mini scones. Brush the top of each scone with the reserved beaten egg from earlier and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.

9. Pop in the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the scones are bronze, fluffy and risen. Take out and enjoy!

Spiced Roast Carrot, Puy Lentil and Feta Salad.

This recipe post comes with the news that I have just burned 626 calories zumba-ing on the Wii so, for someone reading my blog for the first time right now they might assume that I am actually a really healthy person which, of course unfortunately wouldn't be entirely true... okay so it's not really at all true but, we're not here to talk about the little bit of extra padding I carry around my waistline right now, are we? I do try my best to be relatively healthy but, I do love a good cupcake every now and then as I am sure you are all aware and there are also so many recipes out there that are just begging to be tried which, don't exactly go easy on the old calories. I have actually just finished writing out my shopping list for the next meal I am planning to make which is a peanut satay with coconut and pineapple rice and as you can imagine; several hefty dollops of peanut butter, a good glug of rich, creamy coconut milk and a rather generous portion of sweet, sugary caramelised pineapples doesn't exactly make for the healthiest of combinations but, it sure makes for a delicious one. Needless to say, I definitely can't say no to the calories all the time!

Not all great recipes have to make you pile on the pounds though, as this delicious salad recipe proves. This spiced roast carrot salad is fresh, vibrant and summery and has a delicious combination of flavours; from the lightly spiced and caramelised roast carrots to the creamy, crumbly feta and from the earthy puy lentils to the refreshing, tantalizing addition of the fresh mint and lemon juice. A bowl of this is just so much more gorgeous, exciting  and scrumptious than your average bowl of lettuce leaves and I really hope you love it too! Simple to make, quick to produce and extremely yummy; what more could you ask for? Food that doesn't expand the old waistline? Well, it's good for that too. There's no expansion here. Just enjoy!

Recipe

2 tbsp. olive oil                                                                   

1 tbsp. cumin powder and 1/2 tbsp. cumin seeds  

500g carrots, peeled, halved and cut into batons

1 tbsp. clear honey or maple syrup
250g pouch cooked Puy lentils (or canned, drained and rinsed) 
1 red onion, finely sliced 
½ lemon, juiced 
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped 
100g lamb's lettuces 
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together half the oil, the cumin, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 25 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Drizzle over the honey or maple syrup, stir and roast for 5-10 mins more.

2. Meanwhile, gently heat the lentils with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking. 

3. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce. Lay warm spiced carrots on top and scatter with crumbled feta.