Macaroni Cheese

This is the most delicious macaroni cheese i have ever tasted.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Slice of wholemeal bread, cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons Butter, plus 1 Tablespoon melted
350g Macaroni or Penne pasta
1 Teaspoon garlic paste
1 Teaspoon thai spices paste (available from most supermarkets)
3 Tablespoons Plain flour
500ml Milk
300g Cheddar cheese

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade. Spread the chunks of bread over a small baking tray, drizzle with the melted butter and season to taste. Bake for 6 minutes until crisp, then set aside.
2. Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than stated on the pack. Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a saucepan. Add the garlic paste and thai paste, then cook for 1 minute. Pour in the milk and whisk it into the butter. Gradually whisk in the flour and a pinch of salt until you bet a lump free sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking constantly until thickened. Take off the heat, then stir in the cheddar, leaving a handful for later.
3. Rinse the pasta, then pour into a large ovenproof dish. Stir the cheesy sauce into the pasta. Scatter over the bread, remaining cheddar and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Emily's Tasty Daal Curry

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Onion
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon ginger powder
1 Teaspoon chilli powder
1 Red pepper, deseeded
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Rapeseed oil
1 Teaspoon curry powder
1 Teaspoon turmeric
½ Teaspoon ground fenugreek
1 Teaspoon mustard seeds
650g Precooked puy lentils (I suggest 1x400g tin and 1x250g ready-to-eat packet)
1x400ml Tin coconut milk
50g Baby spinach, plus extra to serve
1 Large mug of rice
Poppadoms or Naan bread, to serve

Method

1. Halve the onion and the red pepper and place in a food processor, along with the garlic powder, ginger powder, chilli powder and ground coriander. Blitz until roughly chopped, and leave to the side.
2. Pour the rice into a large pan with the two times the amount of water as rice (in a ratio of 2:1, water to rice) and bring to a low boil.
3. Heat the rapeseed oil on a high heat. Add the curry powder then wait 30-45 seconds becore adding the turmeric, the repeat the process with the fenugreek and mustard seeds. Wait until you can hear the mustard seeds popping in the pan, and then pour in the pepper and onion mixture from the blender and fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Place the puy lentils in the pan and mix into the mixture. Pour the coconut milk into the pan and stir everything together, ensure that the curry has been brought up to the boil, then take down to the simmer until pretty much all of the water in the rice has boiled down. Then take the curry off the heat.
5. Rinse the rice in a colainder to get rid of all of the sticky starch. Then stir in the spinach to the Daal curry, ensuring it is thoroughly mixed in.
6. Serve the rice with the curry with a pinch of spinach on the top, serve with the naan or poppadoms.

Quinoa Salad with Grilled Halloumi

Serves 4, with a vegetable side dish
Ingredients
1 Red onion
1 Jar of sliced roast peppers in oil
200g Quinoa
500ml Vegetable stock
Handful curly leaved parsley, roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Zest and juice of a lemon
250g Pack halloumi cheese, chopped into 12 slices

Method

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil from the roast peppers in a medium saucepanon a medium-high heat. Cook the onion and a handful of the peppers for a few minutes, then add the quinoa. Add the stock, cover and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, mix the lemon zest and juice with the parsley and oil. This will be the dressing.
3. Heat a griddle pan on a medium-high heat, cook the halloumi on both sides until the slices are golden and crisp.
4. Serve the quinoa salad with the halloumi and the dressing poured all over it.

Cranberry and Raspberry Smoothie

Serves 4
Ingredients
200ml Cranberry juice
175g Frozen rasperries
100ml Milk
100ml Natural yoghurt

Method

1. Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Serve in a jug with ice.

Bratkartoffeln (German fries)

Bratkartoffeln (or German Fries) is a traditional German dish which is served up in restaurants all over Germany. It is roughly chopped fried potatoes. It is unknown when and where Bratkartoffeln originated but it is thought that it has been around since we (humans) started cooking potatoes!
Serves 4 (side dish) or 2 (main meal)
Ingredients
1 Kilogram new potatoes
1 x 150g Pack of Quorn bacon, diced
1 Onion, diced
Half a teaspoon of ground pepper
Half a teaspoon of salt
Vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in their skin until tender, but still firm (do not overcook). Let them cool then dice them.
2. Fry the bacon and the onion in a large frying pan on medium-high heat (with a drizzle of vegetable oil) until the bacon is brown and crispy. Put this in a bowl and set aside.
3. Add some more vegetable oil to the pan. Add the cubed potatoes to the pan, add the salt and pepper, and saute (Fry quickly over  high heat) the potatoes until they begin to gain a golden crust.
4. Return the bacon and onion to the pan with the potatoes, then saute for another 5 minutes.
5. Serve on individual plates and serve with parsley, if desired.

10 Minute Pea Soup

Serves 1
Ingredients
200g frozen peas
200ml Vegetable stock
30g Mix of pine nuts and cashew nuts
Vegetable oil
A handful of fresh mint leaves
Salt and Pepper

Method

1. Place the peas and stock in a sauce pan. Bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 3 minutes.
2. Grind the pine nuts and cashew nuts and a drizzle of oil in a blender or with a hand blender.
3. Place the peas, nut mix and mint in a blender, or use a hand blender.  Whizz to a puree, it will be slightly lumpy. Season to taste and serve.

Adapted from: Less Meat, More Veg by Rachel de Thample

Vegetable Stir-fry

This is a really quick weekday dinner.
Serves 4
Ingredients
396g Pack tofu, drained
570g Mixed stir-fry vegetables (available from most supermarkets)
180ml Pouch sweet chilli and ginger stir fry sauce (available from most supermarkets)
315g Dry noodles
2 Teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

1. Prepare the tofu. Remove the excess moisture by wrapping the tofu in a few layers of kitchen towel. Sandwich the tofu between 2 chopping boards, then weigh down the top board with a few tins. Leave for 5-10 minutes. Remove the boards and unwrap. Cut the tofu horizontally (so its thinner), then cut the tofu into 8 triangles.
2. Heat half of the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok, then add the tofu. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Bring some water to a simmer in a large pan, then add the noodles. Cook until they are almost cooked.
4. Heat the remaining vegetable oil and half of the sesame oil in the pan/wok.Add the mixed veg, sauce and cooked noodles and stir fry for about 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. In a seperate pan, reheat the tofu WITHOUT OIL because otherwise it will go greasy.
6. Divide between 4 plates, top with the tofu and drizzle with the remaining sesame oil.