Roasted pumpkin with puy lentils

As the season of pumpkins descends upon us, so do the many variations of pumpkin soup.
This super versatile vegetable needn't be relegated to soup alone.
In this nourishing recipe roasted pumpkin is combined with puy lentils, rocket and parsley and topped with a tahini yogurt dressing.
It's a filling vegetarian dish that makes a great pack up lunch or supper.

Ingredients (serves 2)
80g dried puy or green lentils, cooked according to packet instructions
350g pumpkin (1/2 small pumpkin approximately)
A handful of flatleaf parsley, leaves only
Two large handfuls of rocket
Sea salt and black pepper to season

For the dressing:
100g organic natural yogurt
1 teaspoon of tahini (sesame paste, available from most supermarkets)
Juice of half a lemon
A pinch of sea salt
A couple of tablespoons of water

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Cut your pumpkin in half, scrape out the seeds from the half you are using and slice the flesh into thick slices. There is no need to peel the pumpkin as this is easier to do so once it is roasted.
Put the sliced pumpkin onto a roasting tray, drizzle with some oil, season well with sea salt and black pepper and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. A fork should go through the flesh of the pumpkin with ease when it is fully cooked.
Set aside to cool once the pumpkin is fully cooked.
Cook the lentils according to packet instructions.
To make the dressing, whisk together all of the ingredients. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin the dressing which will make it easier to drizzle.
Peel the pumpkin once it is cool enough to handle. 
To assemble, add the pumpkin, lentils, parsley leaves and rocket to a large bowl. Mix & season with black pepper.
Divide the salad between two plates and drizzle over a generous amount of tahini dressing.

Bone broth

Bone broth is fast becoming the latest superfood thanks to its healing properties.
This golden liquid, made from boiling bones for up to 24 hours, is a good source of collagen, as well as important minerals such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus.
Nutritional therapists, myself included, may recommend bone broth consumption in digestive disorders, thanks to the presence of glutamine. 
Glutamine is required in the synthesis of structural proteins, for example, the structures that line your gut, so it plays an important role in improving digestive disorders. Joints also benefit from glutamine.
Collagen, another structural protein component, is advantageous to skin, joint and bone health.
Glutathione, is a further structural protein, that is useful for repair, muscle synthesis and for improving bone mineral density.
Who knew a cup of chicken stock could be so good for you?

Here is the recipe for chicken broth. This recipe also works with other bones, just make sure they are organic.

Ingredients:
Bones from 1 organic chicken (leftovers from a Sunday roast would work perfectly)
2 carrots
1 stick of celery
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar
Filtered water
 

Method:
Put all of the ingredients in a large pan and top with enough water to cover by an inch.
Bring to the boil.
Boil rapidly for a minute or so and skim off any foam that may collect on the top.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, put a lid on the pan and cook for as long as possible. A minimum of 6 hours is ideal.
When you are finished cooking it, strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solid ingredients.
Use the broth in soups and stews as a substitute for stock or add a few slices of ginger, a teaspoon of miso and vegetables of your choice to a cup of broth for a tasty miso soup.
The broth will keep for 5-6 days in an airtight container in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer.

No time to make bone broth?
Here are a few UK companies that will make it for you:
Ossa  - 24-hour organic chicken, beef and fish bone broth. Available from Ocado.
Coombe Farm Organic - organic bone broth by Borough Broth Co and organic bones for broth from Somerset
Borough Broth Co - cups of organic broth available to buy for lunch at Selfridges and various markets in London

Autumn salad

This combination of garlic roasted butternut squash, blanched broccoli, avocado & kale is the kind of salad that makes you wonder why you ever bothered with salad leaves.
It is filling, tasty and brimming with the right kind of nutrients, including vitamins K, A, C, E, potassium, magnesium, folate and niacin.
The miso used for the kale is one of the only reliable vegan sources of B vitamins. It comes in paste form in a small jar and can be purchased from most supermarkets.
Miso is made from fermented soya beans and rice, giving it a tangy, salty flavour. It is a pleasant condiment that also complements soups rather well.

Ingredients for 1:
Torn leaves from a stem of kale (a large handful of kale)
Juice of a 1/3 of a lemon
1 teaspoon of miso paste (I used Clearspring Brown Rice Miso)
1/2 small butternut squash
2 small cloves of garlic
5 sprouting broccoli florets
1/2 avocado, peeled
A tablespoon of toasted seeds (optional - I used Munchy Seeds sesame sprinkles)
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Rapeseed or coconut oil for cooking

Method:
To roast the butternut squash, preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Peel the halved butternut squash, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and chop the flesh into bite-sized chunks. Put them on a roasting tray, season well with sea salt and black pepper and drizzle with a small amount of rapeseed oil.
Press down on the unpeeled garlic cloves with the back of a knife until they crack slightly. Nestle them under the butternut squash pieces and put the roasting tray in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the squash is fully cooked. Remove the garlic and set the butternut squash aside to cool.
To make the blanched broccoli, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Add the broccoli, simmer gently for a minute, drain and run under a cold tap. Allow the broccoli to drain off for a minute.
To make the kale, put the torn kale leaves in a bowl, season with some black pepper, squeeze over a small amount of lemon juice and give it a massage to break down the kale. You should end up with half of the volume of kale that you originally started with. Add in a teaspoon of miso and mix well with your hands.
To assemble, put the butternut squash, kale and broccoli on a plate. Top with half an avocado and sprinkle with toasted seeds.

Kale, crispy bacon and borlotti bean salad

September is such a fantastic month for fresh produce.
Salad crops are slowly going out of season, making way for hardy greens, beans and squashes. 
As with any fruit and vegetables, they are the most nutritious when eaten in season and at their peak freshness. Farmers markets and local farms shops are bursting with fresh, seasonal goods this time of the year so make sure you pay one a visit.
The beans and kale for this recipe came from a Derbyshire based farmer and were both picked just a day ago.
Such fresh ingredients are best prepared simply, emphasising their natural flavour and wholesomeness.  

Ingredients (Serves 1)
100g borlotti beans
1 bay leaf
5 black peppercorns
2 rashers of smoked bacon
a large handful of torn kale leaves, approximately 40g
1/2 lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Pop the beans in a small pan with the bay leaf and black peppercorns. Cover with just enough water to cover and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat, put a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
To cook the bacon, heat a frying pan on a medium heat, add a teaspoon of coconut oil or butter and fry the bacon until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and set aside to cool completely.
Put the torn kale leaves into a large bowl, squeeze over some lemon juice and rub the leaves until they break down to roughly half the original volume. This makes the kale more palatable and digestible.
To plate, put the beans and kale in the same bowl, drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and stir well. Crumble the bacon over the top. Enjoy!