No Dough Halloumi Pizzas with Spiced Carrot, Puy Lentil and Feta Salad.

So, it's Wednesday - hump day - but we've certainly not hit a bump in the road here. No slump in eating a week full of tasty autumn dishes will be had! Who said that all hearty, warming Autumn meals have to be unhealthy? Well not this one, no siree. Here we have a very flavoursome; very delicious and nutritious dish comprising of a scrumptious salad and a very different and very delightful no dough pizza. No dough? I hear you say with a touch of horror in your voice but, I must assure you that these little pizzas are really quite addictive and you honestly would not have a clue that the base was made from a combination of ground cashews, oats and grated parsnip - it is unbelievably moist and doughy! Topped with a scrummy tomato and sage sauce; slices of salty halloumi; wedges of sweet caramelised red onion and a sprinkling of crunchy pecan nuts and you have yourself  a lovely little snack or the perfect partner to this tasty salad; complete with its earthy puy lentils; refreshing flavours of lemon and mint; creamy crumbling of feta and the gleaming star of the dish; the luscious lightly spiced roast carrot batons. Yum.

I decided to try these no dough pizzas after watching Jason Vale whip them up on Lorraine a couple of weeks ago. You can find the original recipe here however, I have made a few tweaks to make it more autumnal; with the replacement of basil with sage in the tomato sauce and the use of caramelised red onion and pecans to top the pizzas rather than cherry tomatoes and pine nuts.

Recipe

Makes 4 servings... or 2. It's healthy afterall, why not help yourself to an extra portion? Nobody will ever know!

For the Halloumi Pizzas:
Base:
100g oats
120g cashew nuts
A pinch of salt and pepper
2 large parsnips, peeled and grated
Sauce:
2 cloves of garlic
14 cherry tomatoes
A large handful of fresh sage leaves
160g sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to season
Topping:
250g halloumi
1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium red onion, sliced
1/2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
20g pecan nuts, chopped

For the Spiced Carrot, Puy Lentil and Feta Salad:

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 
1 red onion, finely sliced 
½ lemon, juiced 
large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped 
100g lamb's lettuce
100g feta cheese, crumbled

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C and start by preparing the pizza base. Place the oats, cashews, salt and pepper in a blender and whizz for 10 seconds to form a 'flour'. Now, pour the flour into a mixing bowl with the grated parsnip and mix, scrunching until the mixture comes together and forms a dough. 

2. Next line a large baking tray/ sheet with baking paper. Divide the base dough into 4 and flatten each one with your hands onto the baking tray, forming a round. Place the baking tray into the oven and cook the pizza bases for 15 minutes. Set aside.

3. Now move on to preparing the spiced roast carrots. In a shallow roasting tin, toss together the oil, the ground cumin and cumin seeds, carrots and some seasoning. Roast for 30-35 mins, turning halfway through cooking. Once softened drizzle over the honey or maple syrup, stir and roast for 5 mins more.

4. Whilst the carrots are cooking, prepare the tomato sauce. Into a blender, add the garlic, cherry tomatoes, sage, sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. 

5. Caramelise the red onion. Into a small saucepan, heat the red onion in oil until softened. Add the brown sugar and stir until dissolved and the red onion sticky- stir through the balsamic vinegar. 

6. Spoon the sauce onto the cooked pizza bases and spread evenly leaving a small gap around the edge. Arrange the slices of halloumi on top and finish with the caramelised red onion and a sprinkling of chopped pecan nuts. 

7. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finish the salad. Gently heat the lentils in a frying pan with the onion, lemon juice, remaining oil and some salt and pepper. Allow to cool slightly while the carrots finish cooking. Toss the dressed lentils with mint and lamb's lettuce and lay the warm spiced carrots on top before scattering with the crumbled feta. Serve a pizza alongside a big pile of salad and enjoy!

Thank you for reading!

Smoked Cheddar Mac 'n' Cheese.

Onto the second autumn warmer dish of the week: Smoked Cheddar Mac 'n' Cheese choc full of Roast Parsnip, Butternut Squash and Leeks and topped with a Hazelnut, Mature Cheddar and Chive Crumb. Wow... this is possibly the most indulgent Macaroni Cheese I have ever made. A gloriously rich smoked cheddar sauce envelopes the soft macaroni and lovely autumnal veg whilst, a crunchy hazelnut breadcrumb blanket sweeps the top. Decadent, hearty and divine. I can't help but also want to add a BBQ hit the next time I make this dish as I feel that a BBQ flavour would perfectly compliment the smokiness of the cheese sauce. How I will do this though I am not yet sure. If you are a meat eater I feel like going all out with a mountain of BBQ pulled pork to adorn the top would be nothing short of a brilliant idea whilst for the veggies out there like myself; I am really rather tempted to create some kind of tear and share bread oozing with fruity BBQ sauce, gooey mozzarella and garlic butter - a bit like this mouthwatering recipe here, as you can really never go wrong with a big ol' wedge of garlic bread - add in molten mozzarella and BBQ sauce and oh my, we mean business!

Recipe

Makes enough moreish mac to fill four hungry beliies!

For the Smoked Cheddar Sauce:
600ml whole milk
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
A pinch of salt
200g mature cheddar, grated 
150g smoked cheddar, grated
1/2 tsp. English mustard

For the Mac 'n' Cheese filling:
300g macaroni
1 tbsp. each of unsalted butter and olive oil
1 large leek, cut into chunks
1 large parsnip, cut into chunks
100g butternut squash, cut into chunks

For the Crumb Topping:
50g chopped hazelnuts
50g breadcrumbs
50g mature cheddar, grated
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives
1 large tomato, sliced

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C, fan 180°C and start by cooking the vegetables. Into a roasting tray add your parsnip and butternut squash chunks and drizzle over 1 tbsp. olive oil or how ever much you need to coat the pieces lightly. Roast for around 25-30 minutes until tender, bronzed and caramelized and at the same time cook the leeks. Into a medium saucepan melt the unsalted butter and sweat the leeks until softened for around 10 minutes. Once cooked pour the leeks into a bowl and set aside. Also set aside your roast parsnips and butternut squash.

2. Now prepare your mac 'n' cheese. bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the macaroni for approximately 10 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain completely.

3. Whilst the pasta cooks; prepare the cheese sauce using the same saucepan you used to cook the leeks as some of the lovely flavour will be left behind in the saucepan and will add extra yummy flavour to your cheese sauce. Heat the milk in a small saucepan or a jug in the microwave until hot but not boiling. Into your medium pan used to cook the leeks, melt the butter, stir in the flour to form a paste and cook over a low heat, stirring for a couple of minutes until the roux (flour and butter paste) is golden in colour and remove from the heat. Add the hot milk a little at a time, stirring vigorously until all the milk is added and the mix is fully combined. Return to the heat and heat on a medium heat, stirring continuously for 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt.

4. Stir in all of the cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the mustard and mix in the macaroni, leeks, butternut squash and parsnip. 

5. Combine the breadcrumbs, chopped hazelnuts, grated cheddar and chives in a bowl and scatter over the mac 'n' cheese before arranging the slices of tomato decoratively on top. Pop in the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the mac is bubbling and the crumb topping is crisp and lightly bronzed. Dig in!

Thank you for reading!