BACK TO SCHOOL: 5 QUICK RECIPES

Courgetti with Tomato and Butter Bean Pesto

We just love this quick and easy alternative to pasta from the Hemsley sisters.

Ingredients:
For the Pesto

• 400g tin butter beans, drained
• 2 fat garlic cloves
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes
• 75g fresh basil, reserve a few leaves to garnish
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• Pinch chilli flakes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Courgetti

• 6 courgettes
• 2 large ripe avocados, chopped
• Red chilli, chopped, for garnish
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. For the pesto, blend all of the ingredients and 9 tablespoons water to a rough paste in a food processor. Add extra water to loosen the mixture if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. For the courgetti spaghetti, peel spaghetti-like strands from the courgettes using a julienne peeler, collecting them in a large mixing bowl.
3. Pour the pesto on top of the courgette strands and carefully stir until the courgette is evenly coated.
4. To serve, pile the courgetti spaghetti and pesto onto serving plates and top with the chopped avocado, reserved basil leaves, chopped chilli and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Turkey Schnitzel with parsnip chips

Madeleine Shaw provides us with the perfect dish for date night, once the kids are in bed!

Ingredients:

• 250g parsnips, peeled
• 4 tbsp coconut oil or butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp of thyme
• 50g buckwheat flour, rice flour or ground almonds
• 70g porridge oats
• juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 turkey steaks
• salt and pepper
• 100g of rocket

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Cut the parsnips into thin frîtes. Melt 3 tablespoons coconut oil or butter in a roasting tin, and toss the parsnips in this with a good grind of salt and pepper. roast them in the oven until golden brown, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time. they will cook in 15–20 minutes, depending on your chip size.
3. Put the flour or ground almonds in a bowl. Whisk the egg in another bowl. Put the oats, lemon zest, thyme, smoked paprika, garlic and parsley in the food processor with a big pinch of salt and some pepper. Blitz for 3–4 minutes, or until broken down in to breadcrumb size. Pour this mixture into a bowl and set aside.
4. Grab the turkey breasts bash with a rolling pin until they are just under 1cm thick. Season with salt and pepper, coat in the flour, then dip them into the egg mix, and finally dip them into the oat crumbs.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, and cook the turkey schnitzels for 4 minutes on each side until golden- brown and cooked through. repeat with the other turkey schnitzels and serve with the parsnip fries and some rocket.

Snack: Tasty energy balls

Another great recipe for energy balls from Joe Wicks. These are definitely a treat so make a batch and spread them out over a few days or share them with your family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 8 pitted medjool dates
• 100g ground almonds
• 2 tbsp flaxseeds
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp cacao nibs
• 4 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Bring a kettle of water to the boil and then pour enough water over the dates to fully immerse them. Leave to sit and soften for 5 minutes.
2. When the 5 minutes is up, thoroughly drain them in a sieve and blitz them in a small food processor with 2 tablespoons of warm water (use the soaking water if you want). Tip the pureed dates into a bowl and pour in the remaining ingredients, apart from the coconut.
3. Mix the ingredients until they become a stiff gloop. Using wet hands, roll the mixture into 12 golf ball-sized rounds.
4. Finally roll the balls in the desiccated coconut and store in a container in a cool place for up to 4 days.

Snack: Gluten-free brownies
Go gluten-free with these brownies from the lovely Lorraine Pascale.

Ingredients:

• rapeseed oil, for greasing
• 75g (3oz) oats (gluten free)
• 200g (7oz) Medjool dates, pitted
• 125g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, melted
• 75g (3oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
• 2 free-range eggs medium size
• 1 tsp baking powder
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (fan 160C), 350F, Gas Mark 4. Grease and line an 18cm (7in) square baking tin with baking parchment and set aside.
2. Put the oats in a food processor and blitz until they become like a powder or fine flour. Add the dates, butter, cocoa powder, almond milk, eggs, baking powder and vanilla seeds and process until the mixture is smooth and fudgy.
3. Spoon the brownie mixture into the baking tin, smoothing the top evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until firm on top but a little soft in the centre. That should mean that the centre of the brownies should still be the tiniest bit gooey.
4. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little. Then, cut into nine squares and serve.