Turkey burgers with herbed cannellini beans

On a cold, drizzly, autumn night I might think I want stodgy carbohydrates and there is nothing wrong with an occasional plate of pasta or sausage and mashed potato. However, when the nights close in I try and keep it fresh and healthy and this dish, inspired by those I've had all over rural France, is hearty and warming...but more importantly it's super healthy too! 

Ingredients (2 people)

250g minced Turkey, 3 carrots, 1/4 small head of Savoy cabbage, 1 pint chicken stock, 1 can cooked cannellili beans, 1 cup Frozen petit pois (peas), 1/4tsp each ground cumin, ginger and smoked sweet paprika, 1tsp mixed herbs Provence, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the cumin, ginger, paprika and pinch of salt and pepper to the Turkey. Squish to mix thoroughly and divide in to two parties, squeezing gently to a rounded shape. Set aside until later. 

Cut the carrots in to very small cubes, heat a drop of oil in a large pan and gently fry the carrots until softened, don't worry if they begin to brown it all adds to the flavour, just ensure they don't burn by stirring regularly. Next chop the cabbage in to a fine shread and add to the pan along with the carrots, then add the peas. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the chicken stock, drained beans, herbs and a pinch of pepper. Turn to a medium heat and simmer gently. You may not need salt as the stock is salty, however taste before you serve and season if required. 

Whilst the cabbage and beans are cooking heat a drop of oil in a frying pan on a medium/high heat and cook the Turkey parties for around 4 minutes each side, the trick is not to flip them until a good crust has formed. Check the patties are cooked by inserting a knife and checking the juices run clear and hot. 

Spoon the beans and their lovely gravy on to plates, top with a Turkey patty and serve, there is no need for bread or other carbohydrates here, the beans are full of fibre and along with the Turkey will keep you fuller for longer, as well as providing 3 of your 5 a day with all that lovely veg! 

Mixed beans with smoked mackerel

Ingredients (2 people)

1 tin 3 mixed beans in water, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 large white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 fillets smoked mackerel, 1tbsp olive oil, 2tsp herbs Provence, 1tsp salt, 1tsp ground black pepper, 1/2tsp White sugar, 1tbsp tomato purée. 

Chop the onion lengthways from root to tip, remove the skin and root and thinly slice crossways in to strips. Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes until softened. Crush the garlic, remove the papery skin, finely chop and add to the pan with the onions and cook for 2 more minutes. Drain the mixed beans and add to the onions along with the tinned tomatoes. Add the tomato purée, herbs, salt, pepper and sugar and and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the skin from the mackerel fillets by simply pulling it gently, cut the fillets in to chunks and add to the pan, simmer for a couple of minutes to heat through however be careful not to over stir as you don't want to break them up too much. 

Serve piled on to plates with crusty bread  or a crisp green salad.  

Baked eggs

Last night was my beautiful friend Kellys birthday dinner at Roka restaurant in London's Charlotte street, we had an amazing 10 course tasting menu and LOTS of wine and cocktails, so this morning we were all feeling a bit worse for wear! 

There's no better hangover cure than delicious baked eggs served with crunchy crostini to dip in to the creamy loveliness! 

Ingredients (4 people)

8 fresh eggs, 284 ml pot double cream, 1/2 fresh grated nutmeg, salt and pepper, handful of grated strong cheddar cheese, 1/2 french baguette.

Preheat the oven to 180 celcius. Arrange 4 oven proof ramekins on a baking tray and add a big tablespoon of cream in to the bottom of each. Add 2 eggs to each ramekin on top of the cream, a little grated nutmeg, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 15/20 minutes until it bubbles up and the top is golden. You need to ensure the egg whites are cooked but the yokes are still runny. 

Tip: whilst the eggs are cooking I slice the baguette in to thin disks and arrange on a baking tray. Put then in to the oven  for the last 10 minutes of the eggs baking so it's all ready at the same time. 

Easy crunchy oat bars

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, 100g dark brown sugar, 2tsp good vanilla extract, 200g rolled oats, 2tbsp ground almonds, 2tbsp mixed seeds (I used pumpkin, sunflower & flaxseed), 1tbsp white sugar.

Melt the butter, vanilla and brown sugar in a pan over a low flame, once melted pour directly on to the oats, almonds and seeds, then press in to a baking tray so that it is around 2cm deep. Sprinkle the top with the white sugar. 

Preheat  the oven to 180 celcius and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Cool and then cut in to bar shapes. 

Low carb low fat lasagne

I LOVE lasagne, it's one of my favourite italian dishes, what could be more delicious than creamy white sauce, layered with rich bolognaise and sheets of pasta, when I need a cold comfort dish nothing in this world can beat lasagne! However, it's not so healthy, it's full of fat from the minced beef and the cheese, so I made this a lower carb and lower fat version which contains no pasta at all, it still has the rich sauces however keeps the cheese to the minimum and is utterly delicious! 

Ingredients

8 leaves of Savoy cabbage, 1 pack lean beef mince, 1 orange bell pepper, 1 red onion, handfull button mushrooms, 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp dried tarragon, 1 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp plain flour, 1 pint milk, small sprinkling grated strong cheddar cheese. 

Using a sharp knife cut the tough stem out of the centre of the cabbage leaves and blanch in plenty of boiling salted water for 6 minutes until tender, then rinse under cold water to keep the colour green and drain very well, set aside for later. 

In a large pan add the beef mince and begin to cook, it will start to brown and release some of its natural fat. Cube the bell pepper, onion and mushrooms and add to the pan with the mince to gently cook, for 10 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, tarragon, chilli, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook on a low heat for 15 minutes whilst you make the white sauce, don't worry if the mince bolognaise reduces, you want to keep the sauces fairly thick. 

In a large pan add the butter and melt over a medium heat.  Once the butter has melted add the flour and mix, cook gently for one minute. Then very gradually add the milk a little at a time until the flour forms a paste and is thoroughly combined in between each addition. The paste will slowly become a thick white sauce. Once all the milk is used up cook the White sauce gently for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Preheat the oven to 200 celcius. Now to build the lasagne, in a large baking dish layer the meat and tomato sauce, with the layers of cabbage and white sauce (essentially using the blanched cabbage instead of pasta), making sure you end with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the top is golden and bubbly. 

Vegetarian dinner

The My friend Giles is a veggie and he came for dinner yesterday evening. There is so much gorgeous veggie food out there there's no need to cook the usual "veggie pasta" when your friends come for dinner. Mix it up a bit and make it interesting! 

For starter I served wholemeal pita breads with houmous, olives, smoky roasted red peppers and sundried tomatoes. A delicious and simple meze that guests can nibble on whilst the main in cooking. 

For the main I cooked delicious puff pastry parcels filled with butternut squash  flavoured with autumnal spices. This was served with a kale and feta gratin and a bright fresh green salad with lemon and a sprinkling of mixed seeds to freshen it all up. 

Ingredients (3 pastries)

1 sheet shop bought butter puff pastry, 1 egg, 1 small butternut squash, 1 tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp garam Marsala, salt and pepper to taste, grated rind of 1 lemon, 1 spring onion. 

Preheat the oven to 180 celcius. Peel the squash using a potato peeler, cut in half and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds. Dice, then boil in a large pan of salted water until very soft and tender. Drain the squash and mash with the butter, spices, lemon rind and seasoning. Finely slice the spring onion and stir in to the squash, set aside to cool. 

Once cool take the puff pastry sheet and using a rolling pin roll out slightly so it's around 3mm thick. Cut in to 6 square pieces, they don't have to be perfect squares so no need to use a ruler as you gather the edges up anyway! Divide the butternut squash mash between 3 of the pieces, use a little water to dampen the edges and then cover with another piece of pastry and press around the edges to seal. I like to scrunch the edges up a little to make them look rustic. Brush with a little beaten egg, place on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and puffed. 

I served the pasties with a kale gratin, to be honest I prefer this made with spinach as its softer and silky, however kale was a nice change. If you use spinach just sub the kale for the same volume of defrosted frozen spinach squeezed of any liquid. 

Ingredients

200g kale, 200g crumbled feta cheese, 1 pot creme fraiche, salt and pepper, 1/2 grated nutmeg, 50g cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180 celcius. Blanch the kale in plenty of boiling salted water until just cooked. Drain very well. Mix the kale with the rest of the ingredients (excluding the cheddar), tip in to an ovenproof dish, scatter with the grated cheddar cheese and bake for 30 minutes until bubbling and golden. 

Don't forget a large mixed green salad, I used watercress, spinach and rocket dressed very simply with lemon juice, olive oil, seasoning and a sprinkling of mixed seeds. 

Buttered cannellini beans and lamb stew

In France and Italy they often use beans as a side dish instead of potatoes or rice. Inspired by the backstreet bistros in Paris this dish is rich, warming and delicious, great with fish and meat alike. I use a small amount of butter to emulsify the bean juices in to a rich sauce and add kale to balance the richness because of its dark mineral flavour. I cooked it last night to accompany a rich lamb stew and it was delicious! 

Ingredients

3 cans white cannellili beans, 1chicken bouillon cube,3 handfuls of chopped green kale, 50g butter, salt and pepper, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary finely chopped.

Drain 2 of the cans of beans and add to a large pan along with the remaining can of beans and it's juice. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Add the bullion, rosemary, seasoning and butter and stir until well combined and creamy. 

Add the kale, mix in to the beans, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes until the kale is cooked through. You may need to add a drop of water to loosen the sauce. 

I cooked the lamb stew in my slow cooker, simply add 1 pack smoked pork lardons, 1kg diced lamb, 2 roughly chopped red onions, a handful of quartered button mushrooms, 2 whole springs Rosemary and 2 tins of chopped tomatoes to a slow cooker. Add enough water to just cover and slow cook for 8 hours. 

Once cooked transfer to a large pan and on a medium heat gently reduce the stew until the sauce thickens. Remove the Rosemary stems, add salt, ground black pepper, some smoked paprika, and chopped tarragon to taste. 

This stew is super rich and smoky and went beautifully with the cannellini beans and kale.