Month: January 2024

3 Minute Tortolini Soup

FeaturedLeave a comment

It’s January and everyone is broke, so we’re all back to bringing lunch from home.

Generally, I find sandwiches pretty boring, and I always try to find different lunch ideas, and love this. It takes 5 minutes to assemble the ingredients at home and when you’re ready to eat just top up your container with freshly boiled water. Just make sure you use a jar or container that can handle boiling water. Mason jars are ideal, but I’ve also repurposed the plastic containers that you buy ready made soups or stews in.

I used spinach and peas but you can swap out the vegetables you use, for things like kale, this might need to be chopped finely as it has a tougher leaf than spinach. I used normal shop bought tortolini and just use the filling you enjoy. I have listed the ingredients for 1 portion, but you can scale up the amounts for this soup and make it in a pot.

Makes enough for 1

Ingredients

4-5 Pieces of tortolini

Small handful of spinach

2-3 Tbsp frozen peas

1-2 Scallions/spring onions (finely chopped)

1 Tsp Pesto (just use the stuff from a jar)

1/2 Stock cube or 1 teaspoon of bullion powder

Method

  • Add all ingredients to a mason jar or heatproof container (this can live in the fridge for 2-3 days
  • When you’re ready for lunch top up the container with freshly boiled water and cover 3 minutes
  • Stir well and transfer to a bowl (the jar or contain will be really hot, so be careful), or you can eat it straight from the jar if no one is around and you don’t want the washing up

Roast Red Pepper, Tomato and Lentil Soup

FeaturedLeave a comment

Cold dark winter days call for warm comforting food.

This delicious bright red soup is super healthy and filling, packed with fibre and flavour.

When I’m using the oven, I always throw in a tray of vegetables to roast so that I get my money’s worth by cooking a couple of things at once. I roasted a red pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes and garlic which give a really intense flavour. I also used a potato which helps give a creamy texture.

Ingredients

1 Red pepper (deseeded and cut into large chunks)

1 Tub Cherry tomatoes

1 onion (peeled and cut into large chunks)

1-2 Cloves of garlic (skin left on)

100 Grams Split red lentils

1 litre Vegetable stock (I used a stock cube)

2 small potatoes (cut into large chunks)

1 Tbsp smoked paprika (add half a teaspoon first then check for taste as some paprika is stronger than others)

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

Salt

Method

  • Add the onion, pepper, tomatoes and garlic to oven proof dish, drizzle with oil and roast at 180 degrees (Celsius) for around 30 minutes or until the edges of the pepper start to char. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly
  • Add the lentils, potatoes, and vegetable stock to a large pot and bring to the boil, before reducing to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes (or until the lentils and potatoes are soft)
  • You can use a blender/food processor or an immersion blender. Add the roast vegetables (remove the skin from the garlic), to lentils and stock.
  • Sprinkle in half the smoked paprika and blend the ingredients together until creamy and smooth. Check the seasoning, add more paprika if you like it spicy and salt if you think it needs it
  • I served this with some fried up tortillas that had gone a bit stale (try this it’s yummy), but fresh crusty bread is also delicious with it

Roast Red Cabbage with Orange Dressing

FeaturedLeave a comment

Side dishes can be a bit meh, and this is a tasty and healthy way of getting more vegetables way into your diet.

I like this served on a bed of humus, and it makes a really good vegan meal. It’s also really good served along side roast meat, and takes very little prep.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

Half a red cabbage divided into 4

Zest and juice of 1 small orange

1 Tbsp Vegetable oil (plus extra to grease the baking tray and drizzle over the cabbage)

1 Tbsp White wine or cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius), lightly grease a baking tray
  • Divide half the cabbage into 4 (remove most of the stalk in the centre). Lightly drizzle with oil and bake for 25-30 minutes (or until tender)
  • To make the dressing, grate the orange zest, and then squeeze the juice into a bowl. Stir in the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper
  • Remove the cabbage from the oven, and drizzle with the dressing before serving

Pork, Apple and Sage Sausage Rolls

FeaturedLeave a comment

After Christmas many of us have pork sausage meat and sage left over from making stuffing, and this recipe is a great way to use it up. I actually didn’t have this so you can also use pork mince instead, it will still taste great.

I made cute little sausage rolls because I was making them for friends calling over over but you can make them bigger and they are great for lunches. I liked the sage with these these but if you don’t have, just use the herbs you have available. I know I have preached before about the buying reduced bread in the supermarket and turning it into breadcrumbs to keep in the freezer for recipes like this (do it, they’re super handy and versatile)

Use shop bought pre-rolled puff pastry to make these super quick to make. (only people with no life make puff pastry from scratch).

Makes 24

Ingredients

(for the filling)

400 Grams Pork mince or sausage meat

1 Small Apple (cored and cut into 1 cm chunks)

1 Clove garlic (finely chopped)

1 Egg

1 Handful of breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp Chopped fresh sage

Salt and Pepper

(for the pastry)

1 Sheet of pre rolled puff pastry

1 Egg yolk

1 Tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)

Method

  • Preheat over to 180 degrees (Celsius) , and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Add all the ingredients for the filling into a large bowl and get your hands in and mix until all the all the ingredients were combined
  • Unfold your sheet of puff pastry, and cut in two lengthways, so you have 2 long strips of pasty
  • Add the filling mixture down the centre of the pastry leaving 2-3cm of pastry at each side
  • Beat the egg yolk lightly and brush some down one of the long edges of the pastry, then bring both side together with side brushed with egg yolk slightly overlapping the other side (it will help glue the 2 side together
  • Turn the roll over, so that the were the 2 edges meet is on the under side. Brush with the egg yolk and sprinkle with the sesame seeds if you are using them. Cut roll in half and then devise each half into three (you can make bigger sausage rolls if you want), before placing on your prepared baking sheet. Repeat the process with the other half of your pastry and the filling)
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown