Cool Recipes for Autumn

To celebrate World Menopause Day on 18^th October, my nutritionist co-author, Jenny Tschiesche has created some delicious Autumn recipes that are particularly nutritious for Hot Women.

Even better, I have filmed Jenny cooking them and talking to me about the benefits of these dishes.  You can view them and other recipes at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYX7rjmzluVt-BlMyjtPIQw

Enjoy!

Roasted Globe Courgettes and Pumpkin Slices

“This is a quick and easy dish to make for lunch.  Jenny and I had it with a roasted avocado with egg on the first day and with some charcuterie on the second day”. Pat

Ingredients

(Serves 2 as a side dish)

1 globe courgette

½ a small pumpkin

1 clove of garlic, crushed

A handful of sunflower seeds

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method

Heat oven to 180° C

Slice courgettes and pumpkin into wedges

Place on a baking tray, smear with crushed garlic

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Drizzle olive oil over slices and place tray in the oven

After 15 minutes, turn the slices over and sprinkle the pumpkin with sunflower seeds

Cook for a further 15 minutes or until the vegetable slices are soft and slightly browned

Serve

 Warming Vegetable Soup with Rosemary Walnuts

“This is a simple soup to make.  The yoghurt and walnuts makes it a dinner party option.  You could add a pinch of spices such as turmeric, ginger and cumin if you want to make it a bit more exotic.” Pat

Ingredients

(Serves 6)

1 medium onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and roughly sliced

2 parsnips, peeled and roughly sliced

1 small or ½ large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 litre vegetable stock (or 1 litre of water and 2 vegetable stock cubes)

Salt and pepper

50g walnut halves

Sprig of rosemary spikes, chopped

1 tbsp of olive oil

100ml of natural yoghurt (ideally sheep or goat yogurt)

Method:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.

Add the onion and fry gently for about 5-10 minutes until softened but not browned

Add the carrot, parsnip and butternut squash and coat with butter. If adding any spices do so at this point.

Pour in the hot water and add the stock cubes or simply add the vegetable stock.  Bring to the boil

Add the potato

Simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft

Remove from the heat and liquidise.

Pour back into the saucepan and keep warm

Put a little olive oil in a frying pan and heat on a medium temperature

Add the rosemary and fry for a minute

Add the walnut halves and fry for 5 minutes, turning the walnuts halfway through

Pour the soup into serving bowls.  Place a spoonful of yoghurt on the top and add three or four walnut halves

Serve

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

“This was a very popular dish with all the guests at our French dinner party” Pat

Ingredients:

(serves 6 )

1 small or half a large butternut squash

1 clove of garlic

1 tbsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper

A sprig of fresh sage, chopped

2x500g fresh gnocchi

150g hard goats cheese chopped into 1 cm cubes or grated as you prefer

30g butter

Method

Heat the oven to 180 °C

Peel and cut the butternut squash into 2.5cm cubes

Put into a small roasting pan.

Smear with the crushed garlic

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Add the sage

Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until softened

Cook the gnocchi in a large saucepan as per the instructions on the packet

Drain the gnocchi and combine with the roasted butternut squash, sage, cheese, butter and salt and pepper

Serve

 Crouton with Goat’s Cheese

“This is a tasty accompaniment for soup or as part of a supper buffet.  Use good quality bread cut in medium slices”. Pat

Ingredients

(Makes 10 crouton)

10 goats’ soft cheese rounds or 120g moulded cylindrical block

5 slices of walnut bread (or other nut or brown bread)

A glug of olive oil

A sprig of thyme

Method

Heat the grill to 180°C

Cut each slice of bread in half

Place under the grill and lightly toast

Remove from the grill, turn each slice over

Place a slice of goat’s cheese on each crouton

Drizzle with olive oil and place back under the grill for about 3 minutes until the cheese is melting

Decorate with a small sprig of thyme

Serve

 Creamy Mushroom and Ewe’s Cheese Risotto

“Stir, stir and stir again for a creamy treat.” Pat

(serves 6)

50g of dried ceps or other dried mushrooms

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

300g Arborio rice

1 tbsp of olive oil

150ml white wine

100g of hard ewe’s cheese, grated

1 organic vegetable stock cube

500ml hot water

Method

Soak the mushrooms for 3 hours to rehydrate

Drain and chop the mushrooms.  Retain the soaking liquid

Heat the oil in a large saucepan

Fry the onion gently until softened

Add the garlic and the mushrooms and fry for 1 minute

Add the rice and coat with the oil, mushrooms, onions and garlic

Pour in the wine and stir until the wine absorbed

Pour in about 125ml of the mushroom soaking liquid.  Stir and cook until absorbed.  Repeat with the remaining soaking liquid until it is all absorbed

Add the stock cube and 125ml of hot water.  Stir and cook until absorbed.  Repeat adding hot water until the rice is creamy and tender.

Stir in the grated cheese and cook gently until the cheese has melted

Serve immediately

 Refreshing Tomato, Avocado and Basil Salad

“The slightly salty flavour of the preserved lemon added an extra dimension to this delicious salad.” Pat

(Serves 4 as a side dish)

1 ripe beef tomato, sliced

1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced

Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1 preserved lemon, thinly sliced and the pulp removed

1 tbsp of virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Arrange the tomato slices in a serving dish.  Sprinkle with basil leaves

Add the avocado and preserved lemon

Drizzle with olive oil and seasoning

Serve

 Zingy Mustard Vinaigrette

“Add this vinaigrette to a salad of mixed leaves.” Pat

Ingredients

(Makes 90ml of dressing)

60ml Virgin olive oil

20ml Cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard

1 clove of garlic

Salt and pepper

Method

Peel the clove of garlic and wipe it around the inside of a small bowl

Mix the olive oil with the cider vinegar in the bowl

Add the mustard and salt and pepper

Whisk with a fork until well combined and emulsified

 Mushroom and cheese omelette

“Jenny made this omelette without milk as the goats’ cheese provided sufficient fat to the mix.  I normally try to flip omelettes to cook on both sides but putting it under the grill is much easier.” Pat

Ingredients

(serves 1 as a main meal)

3 eggs

20 g dried mushrooms, soaked in hot water for 2 hours

25g soft goat’s cheese

Knob of butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

 Method

Heat the grill to 180 degrees C

Whisk the eggs.  Add salt and pepper to taste

Drain and chop the mushrooms

Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium frying pan

Add the cheese and heat for about 3 minutes until it starts to melt

Add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes

Add the eggs making sure the cheese and mushrooms are distributed through the mix

When the base of the omelette is set, put the pan under the grill

Grill the omelette until set

Turn out on to a plate and fold in half

 Pat’s Omelette aux Fines Herbes

“Watch the video on YouTube if you want to know why this is my omelette!” Pat

Ingredients

(serves 1 as a main meal)

3 eggs

A clove of garlic, crushed

A dessert spoon of mixed, fresh herbs (for example chives, rosemary, thyme and basil or parsley and coriander)

Knob of butter

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

 Method

Whisk the eggs

Chop the herbs finely

Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium frying pan

Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute

Add the herbs and fry for 30 seconds

Add the eggs making sure the garlic and herbs are distributed through the mix

When the base of the omelette is set, put the pan under the grill

Grill the omelette until set

Turn out on to a plate and fold in half