With October just hours away, it’s really time to start embracing autumn.
And what better way than to start cooking and baking some warm and hearty meals and sweet treats?
‘Our choices with food often reflect our environment, and with the temperatures dropping, we’re moving towards recipes that are warming and help us to feel nourished and cosy,’ baker, cook and recipe creator Lucy Lord told Metro.co.uk.
We have some quick, easy-to-prepare and low-cost dishes put together by Lucy to help you get settled into the colder months.
Total time to make: 6 – 8 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
Oats base:
260g steel cut oats
750ml coconut milk
750ml water
6 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Toppings:
These quantities are for one portion, multiply as necessary and amend to your own tastes and preferences.
1 banana
1 tsp butter
1 tsp brown sugar
Small handful macadamias
Small handful coconut flakes
Drizzle of maple syrup
Method:
Top tips:
- Stash a warm portion to take with you in a thermos flask, it should stay warm and steamy for a few hours making it a perfect breakfast-to-go too.
- Great to batch cook, individually portion any extra oats and once cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply add a splash of coconut milk and reheat on a hob or in the microwave.
- You can swap bananas for other seasonal fruits.
Total time to make: 1 hour
Time to prepare: 10 minutes
Time to cook: 50 – 60 minutes
Servings: 3
Ingredients:
500g pumpkin (or butternut squash), sliced into wedges
2 onions (red, yellow or a mix of both), sliced into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
375g good quality sausages (6 large or 12 chipolata)
Handful of sage, torn
3 – 4 tbsp marmalade
Salt and pepper, to season
Method:
Top tips:
- Cooking time for sausages can vary depending on what type you buy, cook to packet instructions.
- Chop the vegetables to similar sized wedges to ensure even cooking time.
Total time to make: 45 minutes
Servings: 6 – 8
Ingredients:
600g macaroni pasta
120g butter, plus 2 tbsp
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
90g plain flour
1 litre whole milk
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
400g strong Cheddar cheese,grated
200g Gruyère cheese, grated
120g Parmesan cheese, grated
120g panko breadcrumbs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley, to garnish
Method:
Time to make: 20 minutes (+ 45 min if roasting pumpkin)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
For the roast pumpkin:
1 tbsp olive oil
~ 2kg whole pumpkin
Salt
The rest:
1 tbsp olive oil
120g chorizo, cubed* (see Top Tips to use paprika instead)
1 onion, roughly diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves plucked (or use 1 tsp dried)
4 garlic cloves, roughly diced
700ml stock
1 x tin Cannellini beans (240g drained), drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper, to season
50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped
3 tbsp butter
2 sprigs of sage, leaves plucked
Method:
Top Tips:
- Instead of chorizo, swap out with 1 tsp smoked paprika. Skip step 2, add 1 tbsp oil in the saucepan before starting step 5 and add the paprika in with the garlic.
- Use butternut squash or sweet potato if pumpkin isn’t in season.
Total time to make: 40 – 45 minutes
Time to prep: 15 minutes
Time to bake: 25 – 30 minutes
Servings: 10 slices
Ingredients:
250g (about 3 medium) ripe bananas, mashed
2 bananas, to top
155g plain flour
65g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
240g soft brown sugar
125g butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
1 tsp salt
100g chocolate chips
Method:
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