Celeriac & Carrot Soup

I don't want to make those of you working this week feel jealous, but I used part of my time off yesterday to clean out my fridge. I know.

This recipe proves that even the most dodgy looking (shriveled actually) root vegetable can be turned into soup. I took the celeriac out of the fridge to clean it and didn't want to put it back in. Nice.

There's no chilli in this one, and I think I missed the spice although it was still tasty, so add it in if you like.

Ingredients (serves 6)

4 carrots, sliced
1 peeled, diced celeriac
1 onion (I used red)
1 tin tomatoes (optional)
1 tbsp fenugreek seeds
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
150g red lentils
1 litre water
1 veg stock cube

Method

1. Slice the carrots and dice the onion and celeriac. 
2. Tip the veg into the largest pan you have and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer to soften the veg.
3. Whilst the veg is softening, add the spices to the pan.
4. Tip in the red lentils. I don't bother rinsing them!
5. Stir well, and add the tomatoes if using. They make the soup more orangey and give a slight sweetness. 
6. Add the rest of the water and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until all veg are soft.
7. Blend with a stick blender and add more water if it's too thick.
8. Sprinkle with coriander if you have it growing on the windowsill!

0 smart points on WW

Carrot cake baked oats (no sweetener)

**WW edit**
With 65g sultanas at 11 points and 70g oats at 7, I reckon it's 18 for the whole thing. You could dice an apple instead of using sultanas but you might need to cook it for longer.

Another week, another gain! I really need to do something about this, and despite not having a sweet tooth, I *need* to avoid the leftover biscuits and chocolate at work. In fact, they're not even leftover - they keep appearing at meetings, and there are a few of them.

Every time I've made baked oats with sweetener I've had to bin them, so this is my creation, baked on a weekday morning with one eye half open (they're easy to do).

I only had dried figs in because I ordered them online by accident before Christmas thinking they were fresh figs (to put in a posh gin we had).

Ingredients
1 grated carrot
70g oats
100g fat free natural yoghurt
1 egg
40g dried figs (or replace with other dried fruit)
25g sultanas
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Orange zest

If you want it a little sweeter, add a tbsp of date syrup (2syns I think).

Method
Mix thoroughly and add to a silicone baking dish (makes turning out easier).

I cut mine into 12 pieces, and given the ingredients, I reckon every 4 pieces count as 1 x Hex b. Or, each piece is 1.5 syns. 

0 point Vegetable Curry

I've adapted my pork and aubergine curry to take account of what I had in the fridge, and I've replaced the potatoes in the original recipe with butternut squash (on cheap in Asda).

Both recipes are inspired by Monroe's (or Jonaki's) Baba Gosht.

Ingredients
2 diced onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
350g each of carrot and butternut squash, diced
2 aubergine
1/2 tsp each of ground ginger, cinnamon and tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
a pinch of salt
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Half a tin of water
8 blocks frozen spinach
fresh coriander

Method
Spray a large frying pan with frylight. Add onion, carrot and squash and fry until softened.

Reduce heat and add spices. Add a splash of water, then add the chilli and garlic.

Add the tomatoes and half a tin of water.

Add the spinach. Bring it back to the boil for a minute, add the chunks of aubergine, cover and simmer for 20min or so until tender.

Serve with fresh coriander if you have any in!

Serves 4-6

Pork and Aubergine Curry

I'm not one for food fads, but I am a sucker for a good cookbook.  I read them like novels sometimes, and it's a rare thing indeed for me to regularly cook several recipes from one author's books.

My favourite cookery writer at the moment is Jack Monroe, who essentially writes delicious budget conscious recipes that don't use ridiculous ingredients.

I've got some great ideas from Monroe's books and blog. On a very chilly walk home this afternoon, I found two wrinkly aubergines for 35p each. Instead of pork chops for tea, I thought an adaptation of Monroe's (or Jonaki's) Baba Gosht was in order.

This recipe can easily be made vegan by replacing the pork with mushrooms, and the pork can obviously be replaced with any other meat. It would be good for using up leftover roast!

0 point on WW if using chicken/mushrooms instead of pork and if leaving out the potatoes.

Ingredients
2 diced onions
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
3 pork steaks (about 300g), diced
1 aubergine
1/2 tsp each of ground ginger, cinnamon and tumeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 bay leaves
a pinch of salt
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin new potatoes (optional - 8 points a tin)
200ml water
fresh coriander

Method
Spray a large frying pan with frylight. Add bay leaves and cook until fragrant.

Reduce heat and add spices. Add a splash of water so it looks like curry paste, then add the onion, chilli and garlic. You may need to add a little more water at this point. Cook on a low heat for 5-10 min and stir now and again.

Add the meat (doesn't have to be pork - anything you have to hand: quorn or chunks of mushroom) and the aubergine. Cook on a low heat until meat is sealed, then pour over the tomatoes and half a tin (200ml) water. Bring it back to the boil for a minute, add the tinned potatoes (sliced) then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30min or so.

Serve sprinkled with coriander.

Serves 3