Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

Cottage pie is the perfect way to feed all the family - it contains 5 different vegetables, and is delicious and very filling - it will go a long way so is great value for money. You can prepare it in advance, and is a great way to get in some veggies without really noticing. Also perfect as a meal for one or two as you will be left with portions for the rest of the week or to freeze and re-heat at a later date.

Just look at that cheesy goodness making it the ultimate 'healthy' comfort food!

Sweet potato is a great alternative to normal potatoes as not only do they have a great flavour, but they are also higher in vitamins and have a lower GI, so they transform the traditional cottage pie to a more tasty and healthy meal for the family!

Serves 4

- 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped

- olive oil

- 500g pack of extra lean beef mince

- 2 onions, chopped

- 2 carrots, chopped

- 4 cloves of garlic, crushed

- 5 large mushrooms, sliced

- few generous glugs of Worcester sauce

- tomato ketchup (or tomato purée, if you have it)

- dried mixed herbs

- small handful of plain flour

- 500ml beef stock

- 200g frozen peas

- dash of milk

- knob of butter

- salt & pepper

- 75g extra strong cheddar cheese

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the sweet potato until soft (about 20 minutes), and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil into a large saucepan and brown the mince. Add in the onion and carrot and cook for a few more minutes.

3. When softened, add the cloves of garlic, mushrooms, Worcester sauce, tomato ketchup, dried herbs and flour, and mix together until combined.

4. Pour in the prepared beef stock and bring to the boil, then add the frozen peas. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until reduced and thickened.

5. Drain the sweet potato when cooked and return to the pan. Pour in some milk, butter and season, then mash until smooth.

6. Pour the mince mixture into a large oven-proof dish, then smooth the sweet potato mash on top using a spoon. Grate the cheddar on top and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, or until piping hot in the middle and golden on top.

7. Serve hot from the oven with green veg of your choice (I had long-stemmed broccoli!)

Enjoy :)

Tagliatelle with pesto and green beans

As I've said maybe a million times, I love pasta and I love pesto so I'm always throwing them together; it is my ultimate comfort food. I usually love it with bits of bacon and lots of red onion and maybe a dash of cream too, but this seems to be a new favourite and healthier (although I wouldn't say no to the bacon or cream...) This is so simple to make but tastes delicious. I got the idea from the Zizzi's menu a while back - although I just checked and I don't think they do it anymore ahh! Think it was pasta twists with green beans and a very creamy pesto sauce which was scrummy but rich, so I adapted it slightly with what I had in the fridge. This is a really good way to boost getting your 5-a-day for those of you who don't like eating green veg on its own, or who are just bored of doing so. If I have spinach in the fridge I will nearly always put a big handful on my plate and then put whatever I'm eating on top (nearly everything goes with spinach aha) because although I don't like to eat spinach raw, I don't like it when it's all wet and slimey, so this way it wilts perfectly from the heat of the pasta mm mm. Adding bacon and lots of parmesan would make this dish perfecto.

Serves 2

- 200g tagliatelle

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 red onion, chopped

- 150g button mushrooms, sliced

- 1/2 pack of fine green beans, trimmed and cut in half

- 1/2 - 3/4 a jar of green pesto (size of the Sacla or Napolina ones)

- handful of fresh spinach leaves (optional)

- handful of parmesan, grated (optional)

1. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in salted water (around 10 mins)

2. Fry the onions in the olive oil until softened and add the mushrooms

3. Add the green beans to the pasta water after about half the cooking time (so after 5 minutes)

4. Once cooked, drain the pasta and beans and return to the pan, adding the onions and mushrooms as well

5. Return to the heat, and stir in the pesto (this is where you would also add cream)

6. Serve on a bed of spinach leaves and top with some freshly grated parmesan (and even some fresh basil!)

Don't forget you can add anything to this like chicken or bacon or both, and cream or creme fraiche if you like more of a sauce rather than just a coating! I'm sure other vegetables would be nice in this too, not just green beans, like sugar snap peas, asparagus, brocolli, or peas!

I loved this meal so much that I made it again a week later, but this time with smoked salmon in as well, and wholewheat penne instead of tagliatelle, mm I want everyone else to share the deliciousness!!

Enjoy :)

Chicken legs wrapped in pancetta

This chicken had loads of flavour, was really moist, and went perfectly with the crisp, smoky pancetta. I roasted onions with the legs for extra flavour, and served it with pesto mash (see next post), and green vegetables. I do prefer using chicken breasts and stuffing them with ingredients such as spinach and feta, or gorgonzola and cranberry, and then wrapping in bacon - but this is a good alternative - and less fiddly!

Serves 2

- 2 large chicken legs

- olive oil

- paprika

- garlic granules

- salt

- 1 large red onion, cut into chunks

- 6 rashers of pancetta

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4/180 degrees.

2. In a roasting dish, drizzle olive oil and rub the chicken legs until coated. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and garlic granules.

3. Place the onion chunks in the dish around the chicken, and brush with olive oil.

4. Wrap each chicken leg with 3 rashers of pancetta.

5. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the pancetta is crisp

Enjoy :)