Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chilli

This is a really delicious meat-free alternative to a chilli con carne, absolutely packed with flavour and texture, and really versatile too!

With a fortnightly (wonky) veg box having become a regular occurence in our lives, I'm finding myself coming up with lots of new things to cook to use up the vegetables that we're sent (which are pretty much a surprise on the day we receive them), which is a great way to stop yourself from falling into a culinary rut!

I'd really got into roasting sweet potatoes with cumin seeds for a bit of crunch, and had sweet potato and butternut squash to use up, and thought it would be nice to stick them in the oven to roast while prepping the rest of dinner, and thought they would be really nice to add into a bean chilli, along with some peppers (which I quite like to add into my ordinary chilli con carne from time to time, to give it a bit of a twist).

So this was the end result, cooked with my usual blend of spices for a chilli, and one that's definitely going onto the meat free regulars - it's so tasty and filling!

Served with my spicy cornbread, rice, grated cheese, sour cream and coriander

You can decide whether to use squash or sweet potato or a mixture, depending on what you've got in, and also use your favourite beans - you'll get a tasty result at the end whatever you use!

Served in tortillas with sour cream, fresh tomato, avocado, lightly pickled onions
and some sour cream mixed with lime juice, topped with coriander and chillies

Serves 10-12 portions (recipe easily halved) from 155-187 calories a portion using butternut squash (depending on whether a tenth or a twelfth) to 190-229 calories a portion using sweet potato. Why not have a wedge of homemade spicy cornbread on the side - it's quite easy to make, and also very filling! My recipe is here, from 116 calories for a wedge.

Squash, Sweet Potato and Spinach Dhansak

A delicious and healthy way to get your authentic curry fix using vegetables which just happen to be packed full of nutrients!

I always think there's nothing better than when you can eat a really tasty dinner, that you really enjoy, and BONUS - it's actually full of wonderfully healthy ingredients and good for you!

Even better if your children love it too and it's getting loads of healthy fresh vegetables down them and there are no complaints!

Well, what more can you ask? Well, I suppose you could want it to be vegetarian or vegan, gluten, dairy and nut free... well, it just so happens to be those things too - and good for a fast day as well, if you're looking for something low calorie...

,,,so what are you waiting for? Get in!!!

Serves four at 259 calories a portion. You could split into six more modest portions (e.g. as a side dish, or a lighter lunch, for 173 calories a portion). For a delicious fresh twist, why not serve with a helping of cachumber (Indian tomato, cucumber and onion salad with lime, spices and fresh coriander) for only 43 calories a portion - see here for my recipe. Serve with your choice of rice and/or flatbreads, or for a low calorie, low carb alternative, cauliflower 'rice'.

Murgh Saagwala - Punjabi Chicken Curry with Spinach

Let's have another one!

Dare I say it, I think this dish ticks all the boxes if you like a chicken (and spinach) curry - it's healthy, it's easy to cook, it can get children (and grown-ups) to eat spinach who don't like it, AND if you've got a reasonable storecupboard, the chicken, spinach, onions and tomatoes will come to under £1 a head! (If you see chicken drumsticks half price, about £2 a pack, for about ten GRAB THEM -they're perfect for a family dinner, or freeze the leftovers).

Murgh Saagwala - Punjabi Chicken with Spinach 

Serves a generous four. Calories per serving between four: 338 if using drumsticks/thighs and frozen spinach, 350 if fresh spinach. (If using chicken breasts, deduct 78 calories per portion so 260/272 calories per portion). [Calories shown in square brackets next to ingredients]

Speedy Spiced Sweet Potato and Tomato Soup

Here is a working example of that saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention"...

You know, when you get in, everyone's hungry, you haven't got much time and you throw together the nearest things with a vague idea of what it's going to taste like at the end?

And then it turns out... DELICIOUS, so you have to quickly jot it down so you can make it again?

Well, this comes from one of those times - and you can make it one of two ways - by blitzing the veg in your food processor, cooking in a pan, then blending with a stick blender, or in a food blender (you can even chop by hand, if you have more time), or if you're lucky enough to own a wonderful gadget which will do all three for you (yes, I'm talking Thermomix! Or I'm guessing one of those new-fangled soup-maker machines will do the same job, but I can't really comment on those), then you can do it that way, with less pots. Happy times!

When I posted it in a popular recipe group I run, I was delighted with the response to it so that's why I've chosen to share it here - it's also the first recipe where I've specifically written up instructions to make in a Thermomix, as although I'm always using mine, the majority of people in my group don't own one (they haven't caught on in the UK as much as in some other countries yet). 

Serves four, 141 calories per person – a deliciously warming spicy soup ideal for colder weather!
Ready in under 20 minutes [Calories in square brackets].