Ingredients (makes 8 nests)
3 egg whites
150g golden caster sugar
Greek yoghurt, berries and honey for topping
Method
Preheat your oven to 140 degrees. Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they become stiff peaks. Then 1 tablespoon at a time, add in the sugar and whisk. The mixture will become thick and glossy. Once all the sugar is used, spoon onto baking paper over a baking tray and bake for around an hour. The edges should be crispy and lift away from the baking paper easily. Leave in the oven with the oven door ajar and allow to cool. Then top with Greek yoghurt, berries and a drizzle of honey. The meringues will keep in an airtight container if you don’t use them all on the day.
Ingredients (makes 6 fully loaded tacos)
1 avocado, smashed with a squeeze of lime
1 cauliflower
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 courgette
1 tsp paprika
1 tap cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1 lime
6 mini tortilla wraps (you can use hard shell tacos if you prefer)
Optional- pickled red cabbage, jalapenos
Method
Cut the cauliflower into florets and place on a baking tray with a drizzle of oil. Sprinkle over the dry spices and mix until coated. Pop in the oven at 180 degrees for around 35-40 minutes. While that is cooking, slice your courgette & peppers and smash your avocado. About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time for the cauliflower, fry off your peppers and courgettes in a pan until golden. Set aside. In the same pan, warm through your tortillas and allow the edges to crisp slightly. This won’t take long but it will mean your tacos hold together well. Spread over your avocado, load up on veggies & serve with some pickled red cabbage and chopped jalapenos for an extra kick.
Ingredients
2 peppers
2 tbsp peri seasoning
100g cooked rice
30g grated cheese
1 courgette, diced
1 carrot, diced
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Slice your peppers in half and place on a baking tray. Pop in the oven for 10 minutes to start cooking. Meanwhile, fry off your carrot and courgette adding the rice as they soften. Sprinkle in some peri seasoning to your taste. Once piping hot, remove from the heat and add in your grated cheese. Remove your peppers from the oven and fill with the mixture. Pop back in the oven and bake until golden.
Ingredients
Serves 2
2 carrots
1 courgette
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 broccoli
50g Thai curry paste of choice
1 tin of coconut milk
Rice of choice (we used white long grain)
Method
Start by getting your rice cooking. Chop your veggies and set aside. Fry off your Thai curry paste in some olive oil, add in 120ml of water and 1/3 of your coconut milk. Once combined, add in your veg and allow to simmer. Once the veg starts to cook and releases some water, add in another 1/3 of your coconut milk. Continue to simmer on a low heat. Add your final 1/3 of coconut milk, allow to combine and warm through. Serve with your cooked rice and a wedge of lime.
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Ingredients
200g sprouts
50g dried cranberries
30g pine nuts
Method
Chop the ends of your sprouts off and take the first shell layer off. Slice in half. Once all the sprouts are prepped, pop them in a wok or frying pan with a little oil. Once hot, add a drizzle of water which will help the sprouts steam through and cook. After five minutes, add in your dried cranberries and pine nuts. The pine nuts and sprouts will begin to brown. Serve as a side dish along side your Christmas dinner!
Ingredients
Half a red cabbage
400g cranberry sauce
2 bramley apples
Boiling water
Method
Chop up your red cabbage and place in a pan. Don’t worry too much about size and shape. Peel, core & chop your apples & add to the pan. Next up, add your cranberry sauce. Pour in the water to about half way to 3/4 up the ingredients. There really is no set amount to this, sorry! Boil the pan & allow to cook. After around 15 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer. Stir regularly. The ingredients in the pan will reduce by about half. After around 45 minutes, the ingredients will start to turn syrupy and most of the water will be reduced. Once it is cooked to the consistency you like, you can serve immediately, or portion into freezer safe pots. Allow to cool fully before freezing.
Ingredients
250g fresh cranberries
100g demerara sugar
100ml fresh orange juice (1-2 oranges)
Method
Roll your oranges on a hard surface, this will help release the juice. Slice in half and squeeze. Add the sugar and orange juice to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add in your cranberries. Stir regularly and keep the heat low. The will cook down and all combine. Don’t worry if the sauce seems runny, the process of cooling will allow it to set. Pot and allow to cool. Keep in the fridge and this will last for a few weeks.
Ingredients
Method
Trim the ends of your beans if they aren’t already. Lay in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle over your parmesan. Pop in the oven at 180 degrees for around 15-20 minutes. Super simple!
Ingredients
5 sheets of filo pastry
Half a broccoli
Half a cauliflower
1 leek
2 carrots
200g cream cheese
500ml vegetable stock
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp thyme
1 egg (optional)
Method
Chop and prepare all the veg for your pie. Place in a pan with the garlic and let it begin to sweat. As moisture is released, add your rosemary and thyme and allow to cook through. After a few minutes, add in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Allow the stock to reduce by 1/4. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for a couple of minutes. Add in your cream cheese and mix through. The heat of the pan and ingredients will melt the cheese and make the dish creamy. Scrunch and place your filo on top and egg wash. Pop in the oven until golden brown.
Ingredients
500g lean beef mince
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots
1 stick celery
2 peppers
1 carton passata
1 beef stock cube
1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin
1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 can kidney beans
3 white potatoes
40g cheese
Method
Fry off your mince in some oil adding the garlic half way. Once cooked, add in your dry spices and crumbled stock cube and combine, cook off for a few minutes. If you need to, you can add in a splash of water which will help it all combine. Add in all your veg and allow to soften. Next up, add in your drained kidney beans and your passata. Allow the chilli to simmer away for 15-20 minutes. At this point, if you’re batch cooking, you can portion, allow to cool and freeze.
While your chilli is simmering, chop your potatoes in to wedges and par boil for 5 minutes. Drain and place in an oiled oven tray. Cook in the oven at 200C for 25-30 minutes until almost cooked. Remove from the oven and place in an ovenproof dish. Top with your chilli and grate over your cheese of choice. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the chilli is bubbling. Serve with your favourite sides. We went for fresh salad and avocado.
Ingredients
Filling:
3 bramley apples
300g blackberries
100g demerara sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping:
110g of unsalted butter
110g demerara sugar
180g plain flour
50g oats
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Peel and core the apples and chop into chunks. You can chop into different sizes. Place in a pan with 50g of the sugar, the cinnamon & cover with water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for around 5 minutes until the apple is cooked. Drain and pour into your ovenproof dish. Top the apple with your blackberries and make sure everywhere has an even spread. Sprinkle over the remaining 50g of sugar.
Next up, put your flour, sugar and cubed butter in a mixing bowl. With clean hands, rub the mixture together until it becomes a breadcrumb consistency. Place over the top of your filling and bake for around 20-25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Once cooked, allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.
]]>Serve on top of your choice of porridge.
]]>Ingredients
1 carton passata
1 aubergine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Fresh basil leaves (to your taste, we like 3-4)
2 tsp mixed herbs
1 pinch of sugar
A good shaving of parmesan
Method
Slice your aubergine lengthways into steaks. Lightly oil your frying pan and fry off the aubergine until it has some colour on each side. Set aside. Next, take your garlic and fry in some oil for a couple of minutes, add in your passata and mixed herbs and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in your sugar half way. This will take away any bitterness of the passata and aubergine. Once warmed through, pour into an ovenproof dish, lay on your aubergine steaks and sprinkle over your parmesan and fresh basil. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 180 degrees. Remove from the oven and serve.
We had ours with some sweet potato fries, roasted mini peppers and salad. You could serve it topped on spaghetti, the Italian way or even roasted potatoes.
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