Warm hands, warm heart, happy tummy

The season of goodwill and goose-fat roasted potatoes is over and we are all feeling a little overweight and unhealthy (or is that just me?).  

But, with the short hours of daylight and wintery weather, we really just want to curl up with some easy to prepare comfort food rather than being all healthy, don’t we?  

Well, I reckon it is possible to do both so here are some suggestions for healthy comfort food to get you through early January.  

I use stuff from my veg box for these when I can and aim for organic from the supermarkets when I can’t.  There’s a couple of flavoursome meat free options to for the flexitarians and vegetarians amongst us.

Take your pulse
Try a simple lentil and tomato curry made with red lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes, some water and curry powder to taste. Top it off with some sliced onions and garlic fried in a little oil slowly until they go all sticky and caramelised. I know it sounds too simple to be delicious and warming but trust me – give it a go.  

Spill some beans
I use haricots, chick peas and red kidney beans to make a healthy chilli but you can use any beans you like. Purists may want to soak dried beans overnight but tinned ones will work too. Soften some onions and garlic in a little oil, pop in the beans, a tin of tomatoes and a dash of chilli powder and cook for around 20 minutes.  

Serve with brown rice, a splodge of natural yoghurt and maybe some homemade guacamole (make a very basic version just by skinning and finely chopping up a tomato and mashing it together with the flesh of an avocado a clove of garlic and squeeze of lime juice).  

Slow down
If you have the time (and red meat is a bit of an indulgence) then I have the perfect Beef in Ale recipe. Just fry off some lean braising steak and quartered onions in a dash of hot oil. Add a tablespoon of plain flour, some sprigs of thyme and a bottle of your favourite (or favourite named) local beer. The secret then is long slow cooking at Gas mark 2 for 2 ½ -3 hours. Delicious.  

Get your roots done
It’s a great time to sample the many delights of root vegetables. Parsnips and swedes are both great boiled then mashed up with a little butter and black pepper, as is the knobbly celeriac which has a fantastic flavour (don’t be put off by its passing resemblance to a Doctor Who monster).  

Alternatively, chop up a selection of roots (make sure you include the unfashionable turnips and beetroots) into similar sized chunks and toss in UK-grown rapeseed oil, some herbs (oregano and thyme work particularly well) and a grinding of salt and pepper.  

Then roast in a hot oven for 40 minutes. These are good enough to eat on their own or with a piece of poached, sustainably sourced fish.  

If you have any fab tasty seasonal recipes, share them with us in the ‘leave a reply’ box below.