At Home with Dr Christian Jessen - 195

| EAT SMART|

Butternut squash and
spinach tagine
This is a great dish to serve at a dinner party; what's more,
it's simple to make and you can do all the prep and cooking
the night before, leaving you more time with your guests.
Serves 6
You will need:
▼ 1tbsp

sunflower oil
large red onion, finely chopped
▼ 4 cardamom pods
▼ ¼tsp ground nutmeg
▼ ½tsp ground cumin
▼ 1tsp ground coriander
▼ ½tsp ground cinnamon
▼ 1tsp chopped red chilli
▼ 1tsp chopped root ginger
▼ 1tsp raw honey or agave syrup
▼ 700g butternut squash, cut
into 2cm cubes
▼ 1tsp bouillon powder
▼ 400ml boiling water
▼1

▼ 150g

dried apricots, chopped
grated zest of ½ lemon
▼ 140g almonds (optional)
▼ 200g spinach
▼ 4tbsp roughly chopped
coriander leaves
▼ Finely

For the millet couscous:
▼ 200g

millet
onion, sliced
▼ 1tsp sunflower oil
▼ 1 garlic clove, chopped
▼ 1tsp ground cumin
▼ 2tbsp mint leaves
▼ 2tbsp parsley
▼ 2tbsp coriander
▼ Juice of ½ lemon
▼1

1

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion for 2 minutes
until starting to soften. Add all the spices, chilli, ginger and raw
honey/agave, stir well and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes.

2
3

Add the butternut squash and continue to sauté for a further 5
minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if the pan gets too hot.

Add the bouillon powder to the boiling water to make a
vegetable stock and stir until the powder has dissolved.
Set aside. Preheat the oven to 170°C/325ºF/Gas Mark 3.

4

Stir in the apricots, lemon zest and the bouillon powder to the
squash mix and simmer on a medium heat until the squash is
soft but not quite mashable.

5

If using the almonds toast them on a baking sheet in the oven
for around 5 minutes until they start to release a delicious smell.
Remove them from the oven, chop them finely and set aside.

6

To make the millet couscous - if serving it with the tagine
- cook the millet as per packet instructions. While the millet
is cooking, caramelise the onions in a pan with the sunflower oil.
Once they begin to develop a good colour, add the cumin and
garlic and continue to sauté for a further 2 minutes. Remove from
the heat and set aside.

7

Roughly chop the herbs. Add the onions to the cooked millet
and stir through with the chopped herbs and salt. If the
mixture is looking thick and stodgy, stir through some water to
loosen it. Finally, stir through the lemon juice, check the seasoning
(and add if necessary) and set aside until the tagine is ready.

8

You could
add some smoked
tofu on the top if you
want to give yourself
an extra protein kick
before or after a
work-out session

The sauce will have reduced a little during cooking. Five
minutes before serving, add the spinach and stir until it has all
wilted. Finally, stir through the chopped coriander and sprinkle
over the almonds (if using) before serving.

Polenta with roasted
root vegetables
Perfect food for a cosy night in. Polenta is quick to make, it
just needs a little love in the flavour department - which is
hopefully achieved in this recipe thanks to tasty vegetables.
▼½

Serves 2-3
You will need:
▼ 140g

swede, cut into 2cm cubes
beetroot, sliced into
half-moons about 5mm thick
▼ 2 carrots (about 200g total),
cut into matchsticks
▼ 1tbsp sunflower oil
▼ ¼tsp black mustard seeds
▼ 4g thyme leaves, plus extra
to garnish
▼ 2tbsp vegan butter or coconut oil
▼ 145g

red onion, finely sliced
fresh turmeric, grated
▼ 1 clove garlic, finely grated
▼ ¼tsp fennel seeds
▼ 6tbsp water, for cooling the pan
▼ 1 stick celery, sliced at an angle
▼ Finely grated zest and juice
of ½ lemon
▼ 560ml hot water
▼ 70g polenta
▼ ½tsp umeboshi plum purée
▼ 2tbsp (heaped) nutritional yeast
▼ 200g mixed field mushrooms
▼ 4g

1

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350ºF/Gas Mark 4. Put the
swede, beetroot and carrots into the baking tray along with
the sunflower oil, mustard seeds and fresh thyme. Mix together so
all are well coated and roast for 40 minutes in a preheated oven.

2

Meanwhile, put half the vegan butter or coconut oil in a frying
pan and sauté the red onion, turmeric, garlic and fennel
seeds on a medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2tbsp of cold water to
cool the pan and add moisture, then add the celery and lemon
zest. Sauté again and add another 4tbsp cold water.

3

Next, add 230ml of the hot water along with the polenta and
stir constantly, for about a minute until it starts to thicken. Add the
remaining hot water, still stirring, and turn the heat down. Then add
the lemon juice and umeboshi plum purée. Stir in the yeast.

4

Once the roasted vegetables are nearly done, put the remaining
butter or oil in a clean frying pan and sauté the mushrooms. To
serve, scoop the polenta into a bowl, top with the veg and thyme. >
www.athomemagazine.co.uk MARCH 2015 | 195
http://www.athomemagazine.co.uk
At Home with Dr Christian Jessen

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