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!

Tofu, Sweet Potato, Chick Pea, Apricot and Spinach Tagine served with Lemon and Coriander Cous cous.

So with Autumn now howling at our doors with the nippiest air and chilliest breezes; I have decided that I definitely need some warming up and as such, last week saw the addition of a fluffy blanket to my bed; the donning of a hat, gloves and scarf set every time I ventured outside my front door and ofcourse the creation of a whole host of amazing Autumnal  dishes to fill my belly. Consequently, I have whipped up a weeks worth of hearty, warming Autumnal meals using all kinds of scrumptious seasonal ingredients to warm you up on the coldest of October nights which, I will be posting the recipes for throughout the coming week. 

We kick off the week celebrating meat free Monday although, as a vegetarian myself everyday of the week becomes a celebration of meat free! Nonetheless, hopefully even the most carnivorous of readers would enjoy this flavoursome dish although, if you are a devout meat eater and absolutely must have meat in your dish then my Mum and Dad do assure me that lamb is delicious in this tagine so, if you've got any left over from your Sunday roast, feel free to pop it in!

I must admit I am not a humungous fan of tofu myself and although I gladly golloped down this tagine with a smile on my face, I would probably make it with Quorn pieces next time just because I prefer their flavour and their ability to absorb all the yummy tastes of whatever dish they are added to. I also can't help thinking that some chunks of veggie or regular sausages in this recipe with a big ol' pile of buttery mash would make a bloomin' beautiful casserole. If you are a tofu fan though then this tagine will be right up your street, no changes needed; it is magnificent; full of flavour and healthy and the lemon and coriander cous cous is wonderfully refreshing, lemony and light and a fabulous contrasting accompaniment to the hearty, rich tagine. Sprinkle on the toasted almonds and you're good to go!

Recipe

Makes 4 portions of scrummy tagine!

For the Tofu Tagine:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

400g sweet potato

2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. runny honey

2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

575ml vegetable stock

400g tin of chickpeas in water, drained and rinsed

100g dried apricots, cut into quarters

300g Tofu, cut into medium chunks (I used Cauldron Marinated Tofu Pieces, available from Sainsbury's) Note. alternatively use Lamb chunks, sausage pieces or Quorn pieces

200g spinach, fresh or frozen

pinch of salt and pepper to season

For the Lemon and Coriander Cous Cous:

300g cous cous

375ml hot vegetable stock

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp. chopped fresh coriander

Extra chopped coriander and toasted flaked almonds to garnish

Method

1. Start by preparing the tagine. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, sweet potato, ginger, cumin, coriander and cinnamon and cook for a further 5 minutes.  

2. Pour over the chopped tomatoes, runny honey and vegetable stock. Add the chick peas and apricot and season well. Cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes, adding the frozen spinach and tofu for the last 10 minutes. 

3. Whilst the tagine finishes cooking, prepare the cous cous. Into a bowl, add the cous cous and pour over the vegetable stock. Leave for 5 minutes and fluff up with a fork. Stir through the lemon zest, juice and chopped coriander. 

4. Finally, serve a big dollop of tagine with a mountain of lemon coriander and coriander cous cous and scatter with toasted flaked almonds and chopped coriander. Tuck in!

Thank you for reading!

Machos.

With the weather outside getting in a bit of a muddle at the moment; where the sun shines high in the sky one minute only to disappear into the gloomy grey as it buckets down with rain another; I figured Mac 'n' Cheese nachos were sort of a best of both worlds- Summer meets Autumn mash up dish complete with the fresh summery flavours of salsa and guacamole and the hearty decadence of macaroni cheese to warm up the insides on the chilliest of Autumn days. 

Now this recipe is very much intended to be one of those; use as much or as little from it as you like; whether you buy your tortilla chips and tex mex toppings from the supermarket and just make your own macaroni to adorn the top; or go all out making every single component although, please be warned it does take many an hour to whip up however, the finished product is utterly delicious and worth the long slog in the kitchen! I have simply included my favourite recipes for the most terrific crunchy tortilla chips, gorgeous guac; superb salsa and a bloomin' marvelous mac 'n' cheese which if you only take one thing away from this recipe; then PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make this incredible macaroni cheese, pop it in a baking dish, coat with some herby breadcrumbs for a crispy top or grated mozzarella for a gooey, molten mozarella top and just bake. Serve with garlic bread. Indulge. Enjoy!

Recipe

Makes one big ol' plate of machos to get troffing into!

For the Tortilla Chips:
8 Flour or Corn tortillas
1L bottle of vegetable oil

For the Salsa:
6 medium ripe tomatoes
1/2 medium red onion
1 small garlic clove
small splash of white wine vinegar
juice of 1/2-1 lime
handful of fresh coriander, chopped roughly
salt and pepper to taste

For the Guacamole:
1 large ripe tomato
2 large avocados, very ripe
juice of 1 lime
handful of fresh coriander, chopped roughly
1 small red chilli
1 small red onion
salt to taste

Sour Cream and Chive Dip (I prefer the supermarket versions but please feel free to buy soured cream and stir in some finely chopped chives)

For the Refried Beans (optional):
1 medium onion
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. tomato puree
2 tsp. each of chipotle chilli paste, light brown sugar and red wine vinegar
380g carton of black beans, drained and rinsed (I used Sainsbury's SO organic black beans)
400g tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

For the Mac 'n' Cheese:
600g whole milk
50g plain flour
50g unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
200g mature or extra mature cheddar cheese
100g gruyere cheese
50g parmesan (if not veggie) or Italian style hard cheese (if veggie, available in value form at Tesco or Basics at Sainsbury's)
1/2 tsp. english mustard
400g macaroni

Top with some finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

Method

1. Start by preparing the tortilla chips. Cut your flour or corn tortillas into triangles and fry either in a deep fat fryer or large saucepan filled with hot vegetable oil. Ensure that the oil is piping hot so that when the tortilla triangle is dropped in the oil fizzes/bubbles. Cook until crisp and bronze, remove from oil and place onto a kitchen roll lined tray to drain off excess oil.

2. Make the salsa. Finely chop the tomatoes, red onion and garlic clove and place in a bowl. Add the white wine vinegar, lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper and stir together. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Next prepare the guacamole. Pulverise the tomato to a pulp, chopping on a chopping board and add to a bowl. Halve the avocados and remove the stone before scooping out the flesh into the bowl with the tomato. Finely chop the red onion and deseeded chilli and add to the tomato and avocado with the lime juice and coriander. Use a potato masher to mash everything together until smooth. Sit an avocado stone into the centre of the guacamole to help prevent it going brown and refrigerate until needed.

4. Then make the refried beans if using. Soften the onion in the oil in a frying pan. Once softened, stir in the spices for 2 mins, followed by the tomato puree, chipotle paste, sugar and vinegar. Pour in all the beans and half a can of water. Season with salt and pepper. Bubble gently until the water is almost evaporated.

5. For the 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.

6. Whilst the pasta cooks; prepare the cheese sauce. Heat the milk in a small saucepan or a jug in the microwave until hot but not boiling. In a medium pan, 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.

7.  Add all of the cheese until melted and the sauce is smooth. Stir through the mustard and mix in the macaroni.

8. Scatter all of the tortilla chips onto a large serving plate/bowl. Pour over the hot mac 'n' cheese, top with a large dollop of guacamole, salsa, sour cream and refried beans and sprinkle with chopped coriander.

9. Chow down with friends and family! It's the perfect sharing dish to tuck into on a cold night curled up on the sofa with a cider in hand and a movie on the telly.

Thank you for reading!