It's here in all it's glory. The Autumn. The leaves are turning all shades of red, gold and orange.
And we're all instinctively feeling the need to slow down, get cosy and start soothing the nervous system in preparation for the darker part of the year.
Today was the first proper Sunday I've had in ages (I only realised it was free yesterday and it felt so joyful), so I've done what I always like to do on those days and began nesting; cooking some extremely delicious veggie food, giving the bathroom an extra-scrubby scrub so I can relax in a bath later with all the candles etc, and just about now I'm going to snuggle down with my littlies and watch something cute before they go to bed. Aside from the fact that I always want it to be longer, so far it's been a pretty great Sunday.
So here's what I made during my nesting part of the day - a super cosy veggie bake that was a product of leftover lentils, tomatoes and vegetables. And a little bit of thinking about what I felt like eating...
INGREDIENTS - serves 4 people
1 x 400g tin green lentils
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 x red onion finely chopped
1 x large carrot diced quite small
3 x garlic cloves finely chopped
1 x medium courgette chopped into thin slices for the top
2 x frozen spinach discs
1 x veg stock cube or stock pot
salt, pepper and herbs to taste
Optional Topping: herby breadcrumbs and grated cheese. I used GF breadcrumbs because my daughter is coeliac and I used cheddar because I'd run out of parmesan. Any hard, meltable cheese would do.
METHOD -make in advance so you can throw it in the oven when the rest of the roast goes in.
soften the onions in some oil (extra virgin olive oil if poss)
add in carrot and soften for a few mins
add in garlic, lentils, stock, tinned tomatoes, spinach
cook for at least 20 mins on a medium heat
add seasoning
once everything is cooked and tender, add to a baking dish
top with thinly sliced courgette and drizzle or brush on more olive oil
bake with a lid on at around 180degreesC for about 15 mins
take out and take off the lid, adding the optional topping here if you want it
bake for a further 10-15 mins, or until the top looks lovely adn crispy
I had mine with some homemade skin-on potato wedges, a big salad and a simple homemade salad dressing. A little taste of Autumn on this rainy day
As always, I'd love to hear about it if you make it!
Stay cosy, Lynne x
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