Roasted vegetable pasta sauce

If you haven’t yet heard me harp on about how we should be eating more vegetables then here it is: we should be eating more vegetables, at least 10 portions of veg a day in fact.
It’s totally doable but I recognise some of you may be slightly fussier eaters or at least have to cook for fussy eaters.
So here is your solution: lots of roasted vegetables disguised in a delicious pasta sauce.
This recipe is also great to use up veggies that are past their best, or those half peppers that are lurking in the back of the fridge.

Please note: whilst super high in nutrients, this recipe does lack protein, so either use a protein pasta or top with protein such as some cheese or a cooked chicken breast.

Ingredients to feed 4:
1/2 aubergine, cut into chunks
1 small courgette, thickly sliced
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, roughly chopped
1/2 - 1 pepper of any colour, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
200g of passata (or chopped tomato)
100g sundried tomato
Sea salt and black pepper to season
Rapeseed oil for roasting
Pasta to serve
A handful of fresh basil (optional)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Pop all of the veggies, apart from the passata & sundried tomatoes, on a roasting tray.
Drizzle with rapeseed oil, season with a pinch of sea salt and scatter over the thyme.
Stir to combine and roast for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and drain, reserving a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water.
To make the sauce, transfer the roasted veggies to a blender whilst still hot, add the passata and sundried tomatoes, around 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and lots of black pepper.
Blend until it is completely smooth.
Check the seasoning and add more if needed.
Combine the pasta, sauce and pasta water, stir well then divide between plates.
Serve with a few fresh basil leaves scattered over the top.

The sauce freezes well, just freeze it before adding the pasta.

Mexican bean salad

The inspiration for this recipe came after observing a nutritional therapy consultation.
During this consultation, the nutritionist in question suggested replacing carbohydrates sources such as potatoes, rice and pasta with beans in order to reduce total carbohydrate intake.
In a world of cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner, this recommendation is an ingenious one.
Beans contain 7x more protein and fibre than potatoes or pasta. When it comes to keeping fuller for longer, fibre and protein are definitely your friends.
Protein, in particular, helps to reduce cravings, meaning you are less likely to give in to that afternoon slice of cake.
What's even more appealing is that beans are cheap, accessible and super quick to prepare.
Give this Mexican style bean salad a go. It is satisfying and full of amazing flavour.

Ingredients for 1:
1 tin of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
large handful of coriander, leaves only
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 small avocado, peeled and sliced
1/2 red chilli, sliced (remove the seeds if you want less heat)
juice of half a lime
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
In a bowl, combine the beans, olive oil, lime juice, cumin seeds and chilli. Season with a pinch of sea salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stir until well combined.
Add the remaining ingredients and voila, your nourishing dish is ready.