Food | Meat Free Monday #2 {Jamie Oliver's Chunky Squash and Chickpea Soup}

Hands up, who doesn't love Jamie Oliver?

His flavour combinations are simply the best. Fresh, interesting and delicious!

His Instagram provides a lot of daily inspiration and every Monday he posts a Meat Free Monday Recipe. This week I decided to re-create it. Seeing as now we have a (mostly) fully functioning kitchen and all.

So here's his Chunky Squash and Chickpea Soup.

I have a little disclaimer to make before we get started. I was in a bit of a rush when I was making this so couldn't be bothered to do the toasted seeds bit of his recipe - I'm sure if you could though it would be worth the effort.

First up, preheat your oven and roast your Butternut Squash with the Cumin and Chilli.

Whilst that's working it's magic in the oven you need to prep your onion, celery, garlic and parsley stalks.

I also chopped up my lemon zest, mint and parsley leaves and mixed with the reserved red onion for the little fresh and tasty flourish you add at the end.

When your squash is done, you need to heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan and add your veggies.

Let them soften for a few minutes before adding your roasted squash, and then let it all sweat for a few minutes before adding your stock.

The recipe says to bring to the boil and let simmer for 15 minutes but I was hungry so I just bought it to the boil and added the chickpea's!

Did I mention patience is not my forte? Especially when I'm hungry!

Anyway I let that all simmer for a bit, before transferring half my soup to the blender for a whizz. Jamie uses a hand-held but I have no idea where mine is so made do.

I ladled it into a big bowl and added my little herby pop of goodness.

Yum!! This soup is amazing - rich and warming and yet fresh and zingy all at the same time.

A little side-note on this recipe, or any recipe really.

A lot of times I make ingredient "substitutes" e.g. I don't go out and buy every last ingredient because when it comes to Jamie's recipes that can get pretty expensive. If I have something with a similar flavour in the cupboard I will use that.

For example, this recipe calls for cumin seeds and a dried red chilli to roast the squash. I didn't have either, so I used ground cumin and chilli flakes instead. And I also didn't have the harissa paste or the seeds to hand so I decided to leave them out entirely - the soup was still delicious.

When it comes to recipes I love the inspiration, but tweaking and making them your own is half the fun too.

Happy Monday everyone! x

Food | Meat Free Monday #1 {Veggie Frittata}

Does anyone else love a Meat-Free Monday?! I was a former Veggie for quite a while but there's something deeply satisfying about raiding the Fridge for those leftovers and making them into a meal.

Last Monday I whipped up an oldie but a goodie, Veggie Frittata with a Sweet Potato and Halloumi Salad. This recipe fed Dan and I with a good third left, so it makes enough for four if you're feeling good or three if you're super hungry (we were)!


I used the following, but just use whatever Veg you like (or what's lurking in the fridge/cupboard).

- 6 Eggs
- Handful of freshly grated Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Leek (sliced)
- 8 Mushrooms (sliced)
- 5-6 stalks of Long Stem Broccoli (chopped)
- Olive oil

For the Salad:

- Baby Spinach Leaves
- Cherry Tomatoes
- A large Sweet Potato
- 1/2 block of Halloumi
- Small Sweetfire Beetroot (from Tesco)

For the Dressing:

In a jar I shook up, 1 teaspoon of Whole Grain Mustard, a squeeze of Agave Nectar, a good splash of Balsamic Vinegar and an even bigger splash of Extra Virgin Oil to taste (start with a little amount and keep adding until your dressing tastes how you like it). Simples.

And here's how it's done.

Pop the oven on at about 175 degrees.

Put a teaspoon of coconut oil in a baking tray/sheet, and stick in the oven for a minute or two to melt (liquify).

Whilst that's going on, chop your Sweet Potato into wedges.

Toss them in the Coconut Oil and some seasoning and bake them in the oven for about 25 mins.

Next up, prep those Veggies!

Put a teaspoon of olive oil in a small frying pan (20 cm), and on a medium heat cook your Veg for about 5 minutes.

I did mine in two batches.

Action shot...

Whisk up your eggs in a bowl with some seasoning and a handful of (freshly) grated parmesan.

Put all your veggies back in the pan with a splash more olive oil, and still on a medium to low heat, add your egg mixture.

Give it about 4-5 minutes to get some colour on the base and then put it on a low shelf in the oven to cook through the rest of the Frittata.

While that's cooking, grill your Halloumi and chop your Salad Ingredients.

After about 8-10 minutes take your Frittata out of the oven and check it's cooked through. If it's not pop it back in for a couple of minutes.

When it's done, turn it out of the pan, slice it up and chow down!

LOVE Meat-Free Monday! x