Cheesy veggie bake and sausages

Mmm. Autumn. Nasty drizzle, fluffy coats, gorgeous orange and red leaves tumbling everywhere, wind-chapped lips... my favourite time to turn to comforting food :).

The ultimate advantage of this dish it its flexibility. You can mix it up to use up whatever veg you've got lying around or whatever was cheap at the supermarket this week.

My leftovers made 2 more meals. Confession: I made it a few weeks back and I can't remember what I did exactly... here's an approximation :)

Cheesy veggie bake

Time: probably about an hour in total. Leave it and come back.
Pans: 2 (saucepan and baking dish)
Ingredients:

• Selection of root veg (I used sweet potato, parsnip and carrot)
• Other veg (optional) - I used up some elderly green beans
• Onion
• Small tin of chickpeas
• Small tin of tomatoes
• Stock cube/bouillon powder
• Slice of bread (good for using up ends)
• Cheese and nuts (optional)

1. Start by greasing a baking dish with a bit of butter or oil. Preheat your oven - I'm guessing about 200c but I can't remember.

2. Chop up your onion and cook it gently in the saucepan with some oil for a while.

3. Chop up all your root veg and add to saucepan. Let it cook a bit.

4. Add your chickpeas and tomatoes, and enough stock to make everything into a stew.

5. Leave to bubble away in the saucepan (stir occasionally) until your root veg starts to soften and some of the liquid has evaporated.

6. When a suitable consistency, pour everything into the baking dish. Grate the bread into crumbs over the top with some cheese and nuts if you like.

7. Bake in the oven until the breadcrumbs and cheese turn crunchy.

8. Enjoy! I had mine with sausages... good comfort food ;)

Well hello. (And a pretty cracking pasta recipe too)

I'll be honest, the main point of this blog is so that I can look back at it on days when I'm stuck for something to cook, kind of like a recipe diary. But if you're out there reading this too, then welcome! Hopefully you can find something good to eat on here too :)

Chicken and pepper pasta
I'm making no claims to authenticity. All I know is that it's quick and tastes good, perfect for a busy night when you need something warm and comforting to sustain you. Leftovers = lunchbox.

Time: 20 mins, although the slower you cook the peppers the better.
Pans: 2 (saucepan and frying pan)
Ingredients:

• Any kind of pasta (I like wholemeal and it's good for you)
• Quorn chicken
• 1/2 yellow pepper
• 1/2 onion
• Frozen peas
• Cream cheese
• Seasonings (I used salt, pepper and some dried 'Herbs de Provence' out of a jar)
• Oil/butter

1. Chop up your onion and add to the frying pan with a bit of oil. Don't let them burn - keep the heat down and stir often.

2. Chop up the pepper and add that when the onions have been cooking for a while. Add seasonings.

3. Start cooking your pasta in the saucepan (boil the water in a kettle to save time and energy)

4. After the pepper and onion have started to soften, add the quorn chicken.

5. Wait for everything to cook. Start washing up if you're bored, but keep stirring stuff occasionally. (The slower you cook the onions and peppers, the sweeter and tastier the end result. Try to keep on a low heat and cook for about 15-20 mins if you can.)

6. When everything is cooked enough, stir some cream cheese into your onion and pepper mix. Drain your pasta and mix everything together. Season again if needed.
7. Enjoy!