WITH winter well and truly on the way, it is time to hunker down with some deliciously warming dishes.
To keep the family healthy and ward off winter chills, pack in a rainbow of tasty fruit and veg, to bulk out hearty meals.
Here are three easy-to-make family favourites to get you started. Each one takes under an hour.
Breakfast: Tumeric and pepper porridge
£1.85 per serving
Serves two
Preparation time: Five minutes.
Cooking time: Ten minutes.
You need:
- 150g oats
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 350ml of the milk of your choice, or half milk and half water
- 2tsp honey, optional, for sweetness
- 40g Morrisons toasted seed breakfast topper
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 2 handfuls mixed fresh berries
Method:
- In a pan, add the oats, turmeric, black pepper, milk of choice and optional honey.
- Stir to combine, then put on a medium heat on the hob. Stir continuously to stop it from sticking.
- Just before it has reached your desired consistency, remove the pan from the heat and pour into a bowl (by removing it just before. This allows the residual heat to finish the cooking for you, making your perfect bowl of porridge).
- Top your porridge with the toasted seed medley and fresh berries then sprinkle over the cinnamon.
Lunch: Carrot and coconut soup
£1.43 per serving
Serves four
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 30 minutes.
You need:
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 700g carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 litre vegetable stock, made from cubes
- 400ml light coconut milk
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted
Method:
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the carrots, onion, garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring, for five minutes. Pour stock over, bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Blend the mixture with a hand-held blender (or liquidiser) and return to the pan. Stir in the coconut milk then heat through.
- To serve, ladle soup into four warmed bowls, then scatter each with the coriander and coconut.
Dinner: Chicken traybake
98p per seving
Serves four
Preparation time: Ten minutes.
Cooking time: 40 minutes.
You need:
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs
- four chicken legs
- 500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 400g parsnips, peeled and sliced
- 400g carrots peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 onion, peeled and sliced
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6. Mix 1 tbsp of the oil with the herbs, season, then rub over the chicken legs and transfer them to a deep ovenproof dish.
- Toss the vegetables in the remaining oil and scatter all around the chicken.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the chicken legs are cooked through and no pink meat remains.
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