Autumn Recipes

Spiced Parsnip and Mixed Leaf Salad

This delicious warm salad can be served as an appetiser, part of a buffet or simply as an accompaniment to other vegetarian salads.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 heaped teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 heaped teaspoons ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon organic ground turmeric
• Sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper
• 200ml/¾ cup coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and a little extra for drizzling
• 1kg/2lb 4oz medium-sized parsnips, trimmed, peeled, halved horizontally and cut into even-sized lengths
• 135g/4½ oz packer or 6 handfuls mixed prepared rocket, baby spinach or other salad leaves

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

In a bowl, mix all the spices and seasoning with the coconut cream and oil. Cook the parsnips in boiling water until softened. Drain, refresh them under cold running water and leave them for 5 minutes in the colander. Put the parsnips into a large roasting dish so that they lie in a single layer. Pour the spice mixture over the parsnips and toss until they are well coated. Roast the parsnips for about 50 minutes to an hour, depending on size. They should be golden and crispy on both sides. Place the parsnips on top of the salad leaves, drizzle with a little extra oil and serve immediately.

Roast Vegetable Salad with Melted Goat’s Cheese

Mediterranean vegetables taste sweeter when roasted with olive oil and a little seasoning. Throughout the seasons, you can experiment with different goat’s cheeses and use different herbs.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 large courgettes
• 2 large or 3 very small bulbs of organic fennel, trimmed and cut into fairly large wedges
• 170g/6oz trimmed asparagus, any tough ends removed or about 8 baby leeks, trimmed enough to fit onto your serving plates
• 1 large red onion, trimmed and cut into eight wedges
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• Sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 thick slices of any kind of firm round goat’s cheese with rind, approximately 55g/2oz each
• 2 tablespoons Verjuice
• Fresh basil leaves, shredded

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7

Mix all the vegetables together in a large non-stick roasting tin with the oil, garlic, plenty of salt (optional) and pepper and roast them for about 25 minutes until softened and golden brown. Turn all the vegetables over and roast for another 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Place the slices of cheese on top of the vegetables, ensuring they are spaced well enough apart so that you can easily transfer them, with a portion of vegetables, onto four warmed serving plates.

Roast the cheese and vegetables for about 5 minutes until just melted then quickly transfer onto the plates and serve sprinkled with the Verjuice and basil leaves.

Smooth Carrot and Rice Soup Choi

This soup is a healthy comfort food for cold days or days when you're feeling delicate and need something warm and gentle on the stomach.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 750g/1Ib 10oz peeled organic carrots, finely chopped
• 1 large organic onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• 1.25 litres/5 cups allergy-free vegetable stock (bouillon)
• 1 teaspoon fresh organic tarragon leaves or ½ teaspoon dried
• 3 heaped tablespoons organic short-grain white rice
• Sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 heaped tablespoons freshly chopped organic parsley

Gently cook the onion and carrots together in the oil until softened but not browned. Add the stock (bouillon), tarragon and rice, bring to the boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer the soup for about 30 minutes or until the rice and vegetables are cooked through. When the soup is cool, process in a blender until smooth. Reheat the soup, season according to taste and serve hot, sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Olives and Roast Squash Pasta

Roasting squash intensifies its sweet flavour but if you don’t have time for this you can gently sauté it in a pan.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Casserole

• 1 organic butternut squash, halved, seeded, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 6 tablespoons organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt (optional) and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 heaped teaspoon finely chopped organic rosemary
• 340g/ 12oz allergy-free rigatoni or other similar-shaped pasta
• 10 large organic sage leaves, finely chopped
• About 24 large, stoned (pitted) black olives in oil not vinegar
• 1 large organic garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons finely shopped fresh organic parsley

Optional

• Plenty of freshly grated hard organic goat’s cheese

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7

Toss the pieces of squash in half the oil, place on a non-stick baking tray and sprinkle with salt (optional), pepper and rosemary. Roast the squash in the oven until tender, which will be about 40 minutes depending on size.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted (optional) water to the boil, add the pasta and cook until slightly softened. Drain and rinse the pasta, refill the pan with boiling water, return the pasta to the pan and cook until al dente. This method prevents it becoming too sticky. Drain the pasta and transfer it to a warm serving bowl.

Briefly heat the remaining oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the sage, olives and garlic and toss together for about a minute. Mix the sage oil and the squash into the pasta and adjust the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Symbols

The symbols shown below are used throughout the recipes to enable you to judge their suitability. All the recipes are gluten free and therefore wheat free, so a wheatfree symbol is not included. Goat's products feature in a number of recipes but for most of these you can easily substitute rice or other suitable milks, cheeses or yogurts if you wish.

GF = Gluten free (which is wheat free)

LF = Lactose free (which is dairy free)

GO = Contains goat's products

V = Vegetarian (suitable for vegetarians but not vegans)

SF = Sugar free

SOF = Soya free

YF = Yeast free

NF = Nightshade free - i.e. no potatoes, tomatoes, aubergine (eggplant),sweet peppers (bell           peppers),chillies, blackcurrants

EF = Egg free

The best way to identify if you have any intolerance to certain foods is to keep a diary for a number of weeks to record the different foods you eat and monitor the effect of these foods on your symptoms. Your diet can then be modified to help keep your symptoms under control. It is advisable that you seek advice from a healthcare professional before making significant changes to your diet.

Other Seasonal Recipes

Summer Recipes

Spring Recipes

Winter Recipes