30days Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Tags

30days, Batch Cook, Easily Doubled, easily halved, Vegetarian

Day 26 – Summer Stunner
Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

I’ve played around lots with this recipe, what’s listed below is only a guideline, if you’ve got it in the fridge and fancy flinging it in at the roasting stage then do! I’ve had leeks, butternut squash, mushrooms and courgettes in at different times. I usually use cherry tomatoes and lots of them rather than the plum tomatoes, ‘cause usually they’re easier to get hold of. Oh, and I usually add lots of Italian seasoning before roasting.

You can make this with fresh lasagne sheets, and cut the cooking time down to around 25-30 minutes. This is roughly 6 servings, but it’s SO easily expanded to more.
3 tbsp oil
2 onions, wedged into 1/8ths
8 cloves of garlic , halved.
2 small aubergine , cut into chunks
1 courgette 3 peppers cut in large chunks
12 baby plum tomatoes , halved
700ml passata
lasagne sheets
450ml crème fraîche (low fat is fine)
40g grated parmesan
60g grated cheddar
90g mozzarella, shredded.

Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Toss oil and vegetables together and roast in a large, shallow oven dish for 35 mins until lightly charred. (you can do this stage a day ahead by allowing the veg to cool and putting them in the fridge overnight)

Spoon a layer of roasted veg over the bottom of a medium-size baking dish. Pour over some of the passata and cover with a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat layers to use up all the roasted veg and passata, finishing with a layer of lasagne.

Use a spoon to dollop over the crème fraîche, then sprinkle with the mixed grated cheeses. Place the dish into the oven for 45-60 mins, until the lasagne is heated through and the top is golden and bubbling.

30days Meatloaf

Tags

30days, Batch Cook, easily halved, feeds 8, make ahead, microplane, mince, Stainless Mixing Bowls

Day 1 – A Recipe From My Childhood
Mum’s Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those recipes that has as many variations as there are families who make it!  This is the way that we made it at home when I was growing up. Depending on the choice of sausages this can be a great choice for someone who’s gluten free.

How long this takes to cook will depend on the thickness of the meatloaf. I find it easiest to make 4 smaller meatloaves roughly 3″ wide. It’s fantastic for left overs and slices beautifully when cold to make a cracking sandwich filling the for the next few days!

Ingredients
500g Lean Beef Mince.
1 Pack (400g) Good Quality Sausages or Sausagemeat (skins removed)
1 Large / 2 Small Onions, finely diced
2 Medium Carrots, grated
1/2 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tbsp tomato ketchup

Preheat oven to 180c / Gas 6 Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and mix thoroughly until evenly combined.

Shape into long sausages and roast in the oven until firm and cooked through. Simples!

National Carrot Day – Carrot, Lentil and Coriander Soup

Tags

Batch Cook, Carrots, happy food, make ahead

Who knew that the humble Carrot had it’s very own special day? I love carrots, they’re nearly my favourite vegetable, and when mashed with their cousin the swede with a little bit of butter it’s just fab. Anyway, I’m getting distracted.
This is a lovely thick filling soup, with a real hint of warm sweetness from the carrots and the coriander, gorgeous with a swirl of single cream , or a “smile” of cream as LittleMissPbK asked for (and got)!

10g Butter
1/2 tbsp Sunflower Oil
150g leek, thinly sliced (about half a leek)
130g onion, finely diced (a medium one)
600g Carrots, diced
250g red lentils
1 litre vegetable stock (I love Marigold Vegetable Bouillion powder)

Melt the butter and heat the oil in a large saucepan, then add the onion and leek, and fry very gently until they go translucent.
Add the carrot and fry for another minute. Then add the lentils, and continue to fry until the edges start to change colour (yes, really!)
Add the stock, and the coriander powder and simmer for 20 mins until the carrots are soft.
Then blitz until as smooth as you wish
Serve with a smile of cream!

(serves 6-8)

National Breakfast Week – Granola

Tags

Bar Pan, Batch Cook, Measure All Cup, National Breakfast Week, Vegetarian

In the PamperedbyKirsty household, nothing makes Mr Kirsty happier than a bowl of crunchy grainy nutty fruity granolas or muesli for breakfast. As part of National Breakfast Week I made up a batch of Granola loosely based on this Good Food Magazine recipe from February 2002.

175g mixed nuts
450g rolled oats
50g sesame seeds
50g sunflower seeds
Pinch of salt (optional)
125ml sunflower oil
100ml honey (can use runny, or if using set honey. microwave for 20- 30 seconds to soften)
3 Tbsp dessicated coconut
75g dried fruit to taste (I used sultanas and cranberries)
70g dried cherries and berries

Preheat the oven to 190C/Gas 5/fan oven 170C.
Lightly chop nuts to taste, you can leave some whole if you like.
Add the oats and seeds to a bowl with a pinch of salt if using.
Add the oil and honey (if you measure the oil first it helps the honey not stick to the measuring cup!)
Stir together, breaking up any large clumps.

This mix will make 2 medium bar pans worth if you’re using stoneware, or a large lipped tray. Spread out in a thin layer and then place in the pre-heated oven.

The granola will need around 20-25 minutes cooking time and will need to be mixed twice during that time, bringing the toasted edges into the middle.  After 10-15 minutes add the dessicated coconut and allow to toast in the mixture until all is golden.

Mix in the dried fruit, cherries and berries and place in airtight container, can be stored for up to 1 month

Original recipe that was my inspiration can be found at http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1315/crunchy-granola-with-berries-and-cherries

Chunky Pea Soup

Tags

Batch Cook, Celebration, Soup, Starters, Vegetarian

A beautiful light spring or summer soup

Our fantastic Easter Sunday starter was adapted from the Chunky Pea Soup recipe you can find in Soup Glorious Soup by Annie Bell We used extra celery and had no luck in finding the fresh basil or fresh peas the recipe calls for but the result was delicious. We also added a grating of fresh parmesan at the table. The recipe says it serves 4, but we easily got 8 portions from it, we needed more stock than the original suggested too. Maybe the leeks and shallots were bigger than average!

5 tablespoons of light olive oil
5 shallots, peeled and sliced into “half moons”
2 celery hearts, finely sliced
3 sliced garlic cloves
5 leeks, trimmed, sliced into “half moons”
salt and pepper to taste
300g frozen peas
1.5l chicken stock
75g pea shoots, chopped
1 tbsp dried basil

Place the olive oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over a medium heat. Once hot add the shallots, celery and garlic and soften for 5 mins or so. Once softened, add the leeks, and keep stirring for a further 5 minutes until the leeks are soft and starting to go translucent. Add the stock, and the peas, and a little seasoning and the basil, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped pea shoots and give 1 more minute simmering.
Remove half the soup and blitz with a stick blender before returning to the pan with the unblitzed soup. check for seasoning, then serve into bowls with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a generous grating of parmesan.
Enjoy!