Curried pumpkin soup (V)

This used up all the rest of the pumpkin after the lasagne :)
Ingredients
1/2 a large pumpkin, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, chopped
2 onions, chopped
A few cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
Black pepper and salt, to taste
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika

Method
Fry the onion and celery and garlic till softened, then add the spices and curry powder. Add a little water if the pan starts to brown.
Microwave the pumpkin in batches and add it to the pan as you go, adding a little water each time.
Simmer over a low heat, stirring frequently. The pumpkin should break up nicely and be very tender.
Using a hand blender, pulp the soup and add boiling water a little at a time, stirring in well. You don't want too much water but you don't want the soup to be a puree. When you're happy with the texture, add salt and pepper to taste. You could use a veg stock cube if you wanted.

Pumpkin lasagne (V)

Ingredients
1/2 a medium-sized pumpkin
1 onion
1 tsp garlic puree
1 yellow pepper
1 courgette
300g passata
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 packet cheese sauce mix
6 lasagne sheets
100g goats cheese

Method
Start with the pumpkin. Slice off the botton end, creating a hole so you can spoon out the seeds. Then cut from the hole down the natural indents of the pumpkin, to around the halfway point. Snap off the slice of pumpkin, then you can cut any remaining skin off. You should end up with slices of pumpkin that are a crescent shape.
In batches, microwave the pumpkin slices in a dish for 5 mins until soft and tender.
While the pumpkin is being microwaved, fry the onion until soft, then add the garlic puree, yellow pepper and courgette, both cut into large slices. By using a high heat you can get a nicely charred effect on the veg.
Add the passata into the pan with the herbs and heat through (turn the heat right down for this).
Make up the cheese sauce according to packet instructions. You want it to be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, so add more flour if necessary.
Time to assemble the lasagne! I started with a layer of the pumpkin slices, lightly brushed them with cheese sauce, then added 2 lasagne sheets. After coating the sheets with cheese sauce, I poured in all the passata mix, then put 2 more lasagne sheets on top. I then made another layer of pumpkin and crumbled the goats cheese all over before adding the final 2 lasagne sheets. I covered the top with cheese sauce. You might like to grate more cheese on the top, or perhaps add some fresh basil and halved cherry tomatoes.
Bake in the oven - I used a fairly low heat of 160 degrees - for around 30-40 mins.
Serve with salad leaves (I used spinach).

Sweet potato stew (V)

Ingredients
2 small sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 tsp garlic puree
1 red pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of saffron
A pinch of chilli flakes
A few tbsp passata
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tin chickpeas
500ml veg stock

Method
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork then microwave them, whole, for 6-8 minutes, until they feel easy to skewer with a knife. Set them to one side.
Meanwhile, fry the onion and red pepper with the garlic puree in a casserole dish. Add all of the spices and cook gently until the veg are soft.
When cool enough, peel the skin off the sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Add to the pan.
Add the passata, orange juice and veg stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 mins.
Drain the tin of chickpeas and add to the pan. Cook for another 5 mins and season to taste.
Use a hand blender to roughly blend the stew - don't puree it, just thicken the sauce up.
Serve with bread, soup-style.

Chocolate fridge cake

Ingredients
250g biscuits
100g butter
150g dark chocolate (pref 70% cocoa solids)
4 tbsp golden syrup
100g mixed dried fruit
50g rice krispies

Method
Place the biscuits (I used shortbread but digestives work well) in a sandwich bag, seal, then use a rolling pin to crush them. I usually keep some chunks in there so it's only 50% fine crumbs. Pour out into the cake tin. Add the dried fruit and the rice krispies.
Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a small pan, then pour over your biscuit mix inside the tin. Use a metal spoon to stir it in thoroughly and give an even coat.
Place in the fridge to set (probably takes about an hour).

Honey & orange cake

Adapted from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients 100g butter 175g clear honey 3 eggs 75g soft brown sugar 275g plain flour 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp ginger Zest of 1 orange 200ml creme fraiche (Topping - icing sugar and juice of the orange, with some orange slices to garnish). Method Melt the butter and honey into a saucepan. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar, then add half of the flour and mix in. Pour in the butter and honey, then add the rest of the flour and mix well. Then add your bicarb of soda, spices and zest. Finally, stir in the creme fraiche. Bake in a tin at 180 degrees for around 40 mins. Prepare the icing by pouring the icing sugar into a bowl, and gradually squeezing in juice from the orange, a little at a time, until the icing is the right consistency (you will only need to use a small piece of the orange for this). I probably used between 100-150g icing sugar, but I only wanted a glaze, not a thick covering. Garnish with a few slices of the orange.

Korma noodle broth

Inspired by Anjum Anand's recipe which uses her Spice Tailor Keralan coconut curry sauce. I used a Tesco Finest korma sauce instead. Ingredients Mix of fresh veg - I used 3 chestnut mushrooms, a few baby corns, some tenderstem broccoli pieces, and 1 carrot. Straight-to-wok noodles - I used Singapore variety which are a nice yellow colour. Jar of mild korma-style sauce. A few diced chicken mini-fillets. Naan bread to serve - I used Lloyd Grossman's Peshwari naan. Method In a saucepan, cook the chicken until sealed and no longer pink on the outside. Add in your chopped veg and stir-fry for a few mins. Once veg is softened, add your sauce. Cook until bubbling hot, then add your noodles and stir well. Toast your naan bread and serve up as broth in bowls.

Cod with chorizo crumble and mediterranean veg

The cod with chorizo crumble comes from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients (serves 2) 50g diced chorizo 50g breadcrumbs lemon juice 2 skinless and boneless cod loins 1 red pepper 1 red onion A few mushrooms A few cherry tomatoes Cooked baby/new potatoes (mine were leftovers) Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Prepare the vegetables by chopping and placing into an ovenproof dish. Pour over some olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, also adding a pinch each of basil and oregano. Roast them in the oven for 30-45 mins. Meanwhile, prepare the cod loins. Mix the chorizo and breadcrumbs in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon (I just used a lot of lemon juice from the bottle! Too much hassle otherwise). Place the cod loins in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper, then press the crumb mixture over the top of each cod loin. Roast the fish in the oven as well - it will need less time than the veg, probably 20-30 mins, until the fish is cooked through. Serve with salad.