The first day of the rest of our lives recipe

Following on from my interlude with Peter Gabriel, i've decided to dice with good intentions and create a sure fire winner of a recipe that will make sure i'm healthy but full in the Winter months. Especially in all this snow, it must be 4 inches at least outside my front door...

This recipe is a firm favourite in the Hard-sworth Household for it's meaty taste
(with or without the sausage - leave it out if your'e veggie you won't miss it), and filling texture. It's cheap, not particularly time consuming and packed full of goodness. It keeps well for up to a week or so and it's good to transport to work for lunch. If you struggle to get your 5 fruit and veg in , then this soup is a pit stop check box...





Sausage & Lentil Casserole Soup

Serves 4; Approx 7 WW Points (+ 4 for bread roll)
Prep: 10 Mins Cooking Time: 1hr approx


Ingredients:


1x tablespoon Olive Oil
2x Crushed Garlic Cloves
1x Large onion diced
1x celery stick sliced
6x carrots cubed
half swede - cubed
half 500g pack of red split lentils pre soaked if required , read pack
4x medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
800ml Knorr vegetable stock
4x pork sausages
Flat leaf parsley
Salt & Pepper
1x tablespoon mild chilli powder
1x tablespoon cumin seeds
lemon juice to taste

Method

Place the sausages on a baking tray in a prelit oven, Gas Mark 6 for 30-35 minutes untill cooked through.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan and add the garlic, onions and celery, saute for 2 mins

Next, add the potatoes, swede and carrots and the chilli powder, saute for 10 mins, adding a little water if required to prevent mixture burning/ sticking. Add Cumin seeds and Salt & Pepper.

Saute for another 5 mins then add 800ml of your chosen vegetable stock, bring to the boil and keep it bubbling for approx 20 minutes.

Next, add the lentils and simmer for a further 5 minutes

Remove the sausages from the oven and cut into slices, the thickness of a £1 coin, add to the broth and simmer for a further 5-10 mins untill thickened and the veg is cooked and the mixture takes on some flavour from the sausages.

Taste and season as required, a squeeze of lemon juice adds bite.

Serve in large bowls with warm, crusty bread and a scattering of flat leaf parsley.

THE ULTIMATE WINTER COMFORT FOOD!!


If you have any other warming soup recipes, you'd like to share on the page, then feel free to leave a comment. They'd be most appreciated.

I wanna be a sledgehammer

As human beings, we find inspiration in the most unusual of places, and today i take comfort in the words of Peter Gabriel. Please stick with me on this one...

As i lay in my bed feeling very much under the weather and wondering how i managed to put on more weight whilst following the weight watchers plan, the lyrics to 'I wanna be your sledgehammer' turn vivaciously around my skull..

'You could have a steam train if you'd just lay down your tracks...'

My Eureka moment had finally arrived aged 26 and a half years old on a snowy Tuesday afternoon in late November.

Yes, i just discovered that the reason for this rollercoaster effect that has often featured in many aspects of my life, not just my up and down weight, was that maybe my framework was a little off and maybe, just maybe i haven't quite 'lay down my tracks', i haven't even given myself a chance really, I just seem to expect results straight away.

Well with a clearer mind and a worn out ipod, i set about looking at my meal planner to start. I try and do a meal plan every week that will cater for Rob and I with our differing tastes and wants, and i decided that this week's will be different.

It's difficult to live a dual existence. One half of my personality ( I call this my heart), is very much an accomplished foodie, a soul that is never happier than when sampling some home cooked goodness, cooking for a crowd, or dining out in the newest restaurant to celebrate or to hunt for that certain je ne sais quoi...

However this calling, this certain disposition most common in Taureans similar to mysef, does not come without it's antagonisms.

The other half of my personality, the Jekyll to my Hyde, and often referred to as my Brain, often tells me that food isn't the be all and end all of life, that there are other activities to find enjoyment in such s para-gliding, wind surfing, skydiving, mountain climbing, sailing and walking. I've often believed that were i to give this side of my personality a running chance, no pun intended, i could be a dedicated outdoors type, grazing on organic produce, taking in fresh mountain air and holiday bliss would consist of the Swiss Alps and French Ski slopes with spur of the moment purchases more likely to be salopettes than a double chocolate chip cookie.

If i lay down the tracks less haphazardly and if i include a switch so the train can change direction every so often, i think i'll find a more balanced life before me. Taking everything in moderation rather than burning myself out before crossing the finish line is key. I just never expected Mr. Gabriel to be the catalyst in this experiment.

First stop - the meal planner, 'one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind' etc...