Courgette & cheese pie

So... It's been nearly 6 months from my last post and I really don't have any excuses for that. When I was still studying I used to think that the reason working people end up eating take-aways, deliveries and ready made meals was because they were lazy and were not trying hard enough, but now, having worked for the past year my outlook has totally changed. Although I still managed to cook at home most days, to eat relatively healthy took a lot of planning and dedication. And batch cooking was my biggest friend - I prepared few dishes over the weekend and all my lunches and dinners for the week were sorted. Admittedly it all wasn't very exciting, because I ended up making the same soups and stews over and over again, but still it was better than throwing a ready made meal into an oven. 

In addition to working, and summer being a relatively busy period, I moved to Dubai end of last month. So, another way of life to get used to and I have to admit that my meals during my first week here consisted mostly of oven grilled cheese sandwiches and ice-cream (very grown up, or what?). Now, after having settled in a bit, figuring out where to get the good groceries (good old Waitrose to the rescue) and getting my act together I've finally started to pay a bit more attention to my food. 

I don't know whether I've mentioned it on this blog before, but although I love eating out, I am a big fan of brining my own lunch to work. Not only does it work out cheaper than buying something out every day, it also means that I have a lot better idea of what I'm actually putting into my body. If I was in London around this time of the year (let's just pretend it's a normal autumn and the city is not suffering from a heatwave), I'd probably start preparing some lovely stews and soups. Easy to prepare in batch, transport, warm up and relatively healthy to top it off. However, over here I've struggled a bit because it's still over +35C outside and I just can't imagine warming up something warm and filling for lunch. As I went a bit overboard when ordering some groceries online and have half a fridge full of courgettes I was looking for something easy to make out of those that I could take with me to work. 

I came across this lovely recipe and just knew I had to give it a shot. I love courgettes and absolutely adore cheese. Add a bit of puff pastry and I knew I had found a winner. This one is super easy to make, makes a lovely packed lunch or even a great something to put together when having friends over. The topping is to die for and completed with a crispy puff pastry base. What else could you wish for? 

Ingredients

Makes approx. 12 slices

- 500g courgette

- Olive oil

- Salt

- Pepper

- 1 clove of garlic, crushed

- 150g Philadelphia cream cheese

- 100g grated cheese (I used 60g parmesan and 40g mature cheddar)

- 500g puff pastry

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200C. 

To prepare the filling, cut the courgettes into thin slices either using a kitchen mandolin, spiralizer, vegetable peeler, cheese knife or a normal knife. Place the courgette slices into a bowl, pour over some olive oil and   add the crushed garlic clove and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes or so. 

Roll out the puff pastry so it would cover the whole baking tray and then place it on the baking tray which has been lined with baking parchment. Cut a line with a knife 1-1,5 cm from the edge of the pastry. Now, to prepare the cheese filling, mix together the cream cheese and 50g of the grated cheese. Spread it evenly on the puff pastry, keeping inside the line you've made with the knife. Then, place the courgette slices on top and bake for 15 minutes. Take out the tray, sprinkle with rest of the 50g cheese and bake for another 15 minutes. Enjoy hot or cold! 

Recipe from nami-nami.ee http://www.nami-nami.ee/retsept/11408/parmesani_suvikorvitsapirukas

Kale crisps

I know I'm a bit late with my kale chips - they have been around for quite some time. But they do say, better late than never! To be totally honest with you I'm not a huge fan of kale. So far I've tried to include it in juices and have tried to steam it a couple of times, but so far no luck - I'm still not convinced that I actually like it. I have never had kale crisps before so I had no idea what to expect and, frankly, I was half expecting that they would turn out not so good. But oh boy was I proven wrong - they came out absolutely divine!

I decided to try out two different flavours. I made one batch with sea salt and the other one with a wasabi sesame spice mix I have and they both came out really nice. I love the spicy kick the wasabi ones have, but out of those two I prefer the classic sea salted one. I really don't know whether that's because the crisps are bigger (I made that batch first) or is it really just because I love the taste. But either way both are really-really nice. It's lovely to have something to nibble on that is not too high in calories and too unhealthy. Only word of advice though - as they have quite a bit of salt don't overindulge.

The only downside I can think of is that as they're so thin and crispy you end up with kale crumbs everywhere. But then again, the same happens when you eat normal crisps so I really should't be complaining.

I will definitely make them again - I have already decided to try one out with chilli flakes, then one batch with Ras el-Hanout, cajun ones could be quite nice and I would love to know how they would taste plain, no salt or anything ... So by the looks of it, I'll be making kale crisps in every couple of days as I really want to try them all!

Ingredients
- 90 kale (after the stalks have been removed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Sea salt
- other spices/herbs/seasoning

Directions
Wash and dry the kale completely (I left it out for half a day to dry out properly). Preheat the oven to 130C fan. Place it in a big bowl and add the olive oil. Mix the olive oil in (I used my hands) to make sure that the kale is evenly coated. Cover the baking tray with baking paper and place half the kale on it, spreading it out and making sure that it is not piled up. Then season it with either salt or other spices and place it in the oven and cook for 20-23 minutes until nice and crispy. After it's cooked, take it out and leave to rest for 5 minutes, this ensures that they really crisp up. Place in a bowl and enjoy!

Butternut squash & sage soup

My recent inactivity regarding posting is not because I have forgotten about my blog and my dear readers, but more to do with the fact that as the winter has arrived I resort to making a huge batch of soup, then freezing it and defrosting it as and when needed. Needless to say that it takes me quite some time to get though a whole batch of soup and, maybe more embarrassingly, I have treated myself to my all time favourite soups: tomato & basil soup and butternut squash soup. So I finally managed to rid myself of all the soup and when it came to preparing something to eat for the rest of this week I decided to give another soup a chance.

I have to confess that I still haven't gotten over my fascination with butternut squash and therefore when I set out to find a new recipe I knew what the main ingredient was going to be. Apart from the fact that butternut squash soups are so lovely in colour, pureed squash is nice and creamy - I can almost go as far to say that butternut squash soups (in various different forms) are a real comfort food for me. Nothing gets rid of the cold and damp feeling better than a hot bowl of soup served with a toasted bread. And the fact that vegetable soups in general are good for the waistline is just an added bonus!

While I was making this huge (this one is 8 servings) batch of soup on a cold Sunday afternoon, the aromas the filled the flat were absolutely amazing. Firstly the long frying of onions and chopped sage and then when the soup was simmering... I takes relatively little time to make this soup and that can be halved if you buy ready prepared butternut squash. It makes a lovely starter as it is not too rich to have, but at the same time it's a lovely warming and filling soup on its own and makes a perfect lunch or dinner, especially during wintertime. I've frozen most of it and will defrost during the week just by taking out the portion in the morning and leaving it on the counter and it will be nicely defrosted by dinnertime. All in all, it's a lovely dish and a nice change from my "usuals", easy to make, and most importantly warm and filling enough to get you through the dark winter evenings.

Ingredients

(Serves 8)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 onions, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped sage
- 1.4kg peeled and deseeded butternut squash
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 1 1/2 vegetable stock
- Salt, to season
- Pepper, to season

Directions
Firstly melt the oil and butter in a large saucepan and add the onions and sage and cook on a low heat until they're really soft for around 15 minutes. Then add the squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the honey and stock and bring to simmer. Cook until the squash is tender (approximately 15minutes).

Blend the soup into a smooth puree using a handheld mixer and season to taste. Place the soup in a bowl, decorate with a sage leaf (I used deep fried crispy sage leaves) and enjoy!

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Courgette & Feta penne

Dear friends, first of all I'd like to apologise (again) for disappearing from my blog for a bit. But believe it or not, this time I have a decent excuse - I've been very busy moving from one continent to another and in addition to all the errands I've had to run I started the last bit of my legal education last Monday so my days have been full of trying to get everything ready. Also, I won't have internet at home until late October so it's quite tricky to get the posts up in the library without getting evil looks for not studying, so I finally found out where the closest public library is and signed up for that. But enough of the excuses and on to the food.

Last week I had a very dear friend of mine over from Estonia with her boyfriend so eating together took priority over making them wait until I take the photos for my blog, with the exception of our last dinner together. To finish the week off we decided it would be a great idea to have pasta, especially as we'd had chicken, fish and beef during the previous days. And as the autumn has arrived properly we opted for a very hearty dish - the moment I opened my pasta cookbook and found a pasta recipe with courgette in it that I had bookmarked ages ago we had to look no further, especially as courgettes are in season at the moment. 

One of the big perks of cooking from scratch at home is that the house (or flat in my case) is filled with divine aromas. Most of the stuff that I've made, especially the cakes, leave the flat smelling nice but I have to admit that this dish probably created the best smell I've ever had whilst cooking something savoury. Firstly the sizzling courgettes in olive oil, then the aromas of garlic (you either love it or hate it) and to top it all of some lovely white wine (I used Pinot Grigio). After it was done simmering for 10 minutes of so the whole flat smelled so lovely - very hearty and autumn like. Now add to that slightly salty Feta, aged parmesan and some wholemeal pasta and what you get is an amazing (and quick!) dinner to help you get through those cold and dark autumn nights. Serve with a glass of crispy white wine and you're all set for a lovely evening at home.

Ingredients
(Serves 3-4)
- 300g wholewheat pasta (I used Penne)
- 2 smallish courgettes
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 100ml white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
- 200g Feta
- Fresh basil, to serve
- Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
- Garlic bread, to serve

Directions
Firstly wash and slice the courgettes. Then heat the oil in the pan and fry the courgette on both sides until golden brown. Add crushed garlic and fry for another couple of minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer for 10 minutes. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted water, strain it and place back in the pot. Chop up the Feta and basil and add to the pasta. When the courgettes are done add them in as well, then mix well and serve with a generous amount of Parmesan.

Recipe inspired by the Penne suvekōrvitsa ja Ricottaga in "Pastaraamat"

Red lentil, chickpea and chilli soup

I have to confess that I really thought that I could escape the autumn feeling by spending my last two weeks of summer holiday in Singapore. But I was so wrong - for the past couple of days the weather has been horrible. It literally has been pouring down rain all the time (not to mention the occasional thunder in the mornings) and I haven't seen the sun in days. I guess my plan to get a nice and glowing tan before heading back to the UK has failed miserably. The reason that I'm talking about the weather is that for some weird reason plays a huge part in what I decide to make for dinner. Salads just don't seem to fit the bill for those grey and rainy days and I think that stews are a bit too wintery so that's left me with lovely soups. They warm you up, they're not too heavy and they're so-so tasty.

After having my usual tomato soup and butternut squash soup I really felt that it was time to try out something new for a change. I flicked through some of my Good Food magazines and found this soup. I obviously couldn't locate the right magazine when I wanted to make it again but thankfully it was up on their website. As I said, I've made it twice already as it was a huge hit with my other half - he loves that it is really filling and slightly spicy (the second batch came out a bit too spicy for me but the Greek yogurt helped to balance it out for me). For me this soup was a nice change from the usual smooth puree soups as I left it a bit chunky and the chickpeas really went well with the rest of the soup.

A lovely Middle-Eastern flavoured soup that is guaranteed to keep you full and tingle your tastebuds. And as I've discovered, nothing goes nicer with soups than some lovely toasted bread!

Ingredients
(Serves 4)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- Large pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 140g red split lentils
- 850ml vegetable stock
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 a can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- Small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped (plus some for serving)
- 4 tbsp Greek yogurt, to serve

Directions
First dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes until fragrant. Then add the oil and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils, stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil. Simmer it for 15 minutes.

Blend the soup into a rough puree, pour back into the pot and add the chickpeas. Heat gently, season well and stir in the coriander. Serve with a generous dollop of Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Pepper & Feta parcels

I made those filled peppers for a BBQ we had yesterday. This was the first time I tried something different from a fresh salad to accompany the meat and I have to say that although the prepping to a bit longer than the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce salad the result was really worth the extra effort. Although I know BBQs tend to always be about meat (and lots of it) I think it is equally important to offer something nice to go with all the meat that tastes nice both with meat and without it (this is really important if you have vegetarian friends).

After flicking through all the recipes I have under side dishes I came down to either this one or a more simple feta and tomato parcels. I know this will sound a bit too simplistic but I picked this one because it looked a lot more colourful than the other one - and they say that it is important to keep you vegetables colourful in order to get all the necessary vitamins. And to be fair, something nice and colourful looks really nice next to some BBQ meat.

All in all, these take around 15 minutes to prepare, but they are so worth the effort. I received compliments for those parcels from both my vegetarian friend as well as the meat eaters, so they must be good. So next time when you have a BBQ (or for the very first BBQ of the season which I know are coming up as soon as the snow melts and temperature becomes bearable) instead of serving a fresh green salad surprise your guests with those delicious vitamin filled parcels - trust me, they'll be a big hit with all the guests and you might even have to share the recipe afterwards :)

Ingredients
(Serves 8 - approximately 142 cal per serving)
- 1/2 red onion
- 4 baby courgettes, halved and sliced
- 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 16 black olives
- 2 tbsp shredded basil
- Olive oil
- 4 red peppers, halved and seeds removed
- Salt
- Pepper

Directions
In a bowl, mix the chopped onion, courgette, tomatoes and olives. Crumble over the feta and add the basil. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the filling up between pepper halves. Cook them on a barbecue or in a hot oven until the vegetables are tender.

Recipe from BBC Goodfood

Tomato & basil soup

I've lived away from the UK for nearly two months and I've started noticing some wired cravings. The other day I would have done anything for a chicken shawarma from Maroush. And weirdly enough today I realised that I have wanted to have the simple ready made (I know it's a sin, but sometimes I just don't have time to cook at home) tomato and basil soup that I could just heat up and eat for quite a few days now. I honestly never thought I could be so 'food-homesick'. And as the cravings usually don't go away I decided to take the matter into my own hands and, as I know I won't be able to match the chicken wrap from Maroush (I'll have that for my first dinner back in the UK), I was pretty sure that making a home made tomato soup wouldn't be something that I couldn't handle. And I was absolutely right. This soup is easy to make, healthy and really warms you up from the inside (great for those cold autumn and winter days)... and honestly, nothing is better for a rainy evening that a hearty soup to make you feel nice and cosy.

After looking through the internet for various different variations I decided to just improvise - really didn't feel like having double cream or mascarpone in my soup today. It took me just 20 minutes to make the soup (from the moment I started preparing to the moment I put it in the bowl) and although it might be a bit more than the 6 minutes a ready made soup takes to heat up, there is no way I'm ever going back to the shop stuff, especially after trying out how quick and easy it is to make it at home. I served my soup with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and decorated with a basil leaf, but it could also be served with croutons, dollop of creme fraiche, toast or other warm bread - what ever you like with your tomato soup.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 400g canned plum tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable stock
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan, croutons, toast, grissini etc to serve

Directions
Firstly, make the stock and then set it aside. Grate the carrot and chop the onion. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, then add the carrot, onion and the crushed garlic. Sauté for few minutes and then add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Add some salt and pepper and few fresh basil leaves and then simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup either using a handheld mixer or a blender and serve with Parmesan cheese / croutons / ...

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Honeyed carrot soup

After making this soup to two of my best friends and getting them hooked, I decided that I should share this fabulous recipe with a lot more people. It is incredibly easy to make - I sometimes cheat a bit and get ready cubed carrots to reduce the preparation time - and the result is gorgeous. The ingredients go together very well and the hint of chilli is what gives the final touch to the soup. I usually make a big batch, divide it up and freeze it, so whenever I am short of time or want to have soup for dinner I have some stacked away in the freezer. Also, carrots are high in vitamin A (amongst other good things), which is good for your eyes and therefore having a bowl of carrot soup every now and then makes me feel that I make up for all the time spent looking at the computer screen - an inevitable part of being a student.

This time I served the soup with a sprinkle of grated parmesan and Italian grissini, but it could also be served with croutons, toast or a drizzle of sour cream or yogurt. To be honest, most of the times I've had the soup I have just had it on its own - it is just sooo good that it actually does not need anything on its side.

Ingredients
(Serves 6)
- 800g carrots, chopped
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 bay leaf
- 2.5l vegetable stock
- sprinkle of chilli powder / flakes

Directions
Heat the butter in a big saucepan. Add the leeks to the pan and cook for around 3 minutes. Then add the carrots, bay leaf, chilli (do not over do it) and stir in the honey and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pour in the stock and bring to boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for around 30 minutes. Blend the soup either in blender (or use a handheld blender and do it in the saucepan), return the soup to the saucepan and bring back to simmer.

Divide the soup up between bowls. Garnish with grissini and sprinkle over with parmesan and serve immediately.

When you want to freeze the soup for later, let it cool in the pot, divide it up between storage boxes / bags and let it cool completely before putting it into freezer.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Cool cucumber salad

As the summer is approaching (and as I am currently in hot and humid Singapore), I decided to have a light and refreshing salad for lunch. This would go well as a side dish at a BBQ and because of the soothing effect of the cucumber it would be perfect companion for (very) spicy dishes.

Ingredients
(Serves 1 - 22 cal)
- 125g cucumber, sliced thinly
- fresh coriander leaves, shopped
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 red pepper, sliced
- fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Directions
Slice the cucumber thinly and place in a bowl or a plate and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour or until serving.

To make the dressing, mix together the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves, salt and sugar.

When ready to serve, take out the cucumber, pour over the dressing just before serving and garnish with stripes of red pepper and mint leaves.

Butternut squash risotto

I have wanted to try out this recipe for a while now, but never got around doing it. So today, when I had to decide what to have for dinner on a grey Saturday evening I decided to finally give it a go as I wanted something quite light, which this risotto is, but at the same time something warming and comforting. I could not have made a better choice as it was absolutely divine - creamy, warming and so easy to make!

Ingredients
(Serves 1 - 250cal)
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- olive oil
- 1/2 spring of thyme, chopped
- 65g butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 50g risotto rice
- 150ml hot vegetable stock (fresh or cube)
- butter
- grated parmesan


Directions
Fry the onions in oil until soft, but not browned. Add the thyme, squash and rice and stir for few seconds to coat with oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of stock and bring to a simmer.

Cook, stirring until almost all the stock is absorbed and then add rest of the stock. Cook until the squash is soft and rice is al dente and creamy. Season and add a bit of butter and stir until it has melted and risotto has a creamy consistency.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and decorate with a spring of thyme.

Recipe from BBC Good Food