Lunches

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion - peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic - peeled and crushed
  • 1 tsp hot curry powder
  • 300g (11oz) sweet potato - peeled weight and diced
  • 250g (9 oz) butternut squash - peeled weight and diced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp basil leaves - torn
  • 500ml (1¼pts) vegetable stock (2 stock cubes)
  • 500ml (9fl oz) Alpro Light soya milk

Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add onion and garlic, cook until soft, add curry powder and cook for a further minute. Add sweet potato and butternut squash, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add salt, basil leaves, stock and soya milk, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked. Blend or process vegetable mixture until smooth. Serve soup hot or cold with chopped basil or chives and or a swirl of yogurt.
Serves 4 - You can make up a batch and use over a few days, or freeze a few portions and use later.

Broccoli Soup
Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 1 large leek, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 450g broccoli, chopped
  • 300ml (1 pint) vegetable stock
  • 300ml Alpro Light soya milk
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • pepper
  • 3 tbsp soya cream

Method
Gently fry the leek, garlic and bay leaf in the oil for a few minutes until the leek is soft. Add the broccoli and the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, place the lid on the pan and simmer for about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, remove the lid and leave the soup to cool for a short while. Remove the bay leaf and blend the soup in a liquidiser or with a hand blender until smooth.
Pour the soup back in to the pan and return to the heat. (If a slightly thinner soup is preferred add a touch more stock, water or soya milk.)
Add the pepper, lemon juice, soya cream and serve. Serve with wholemeal crusty bread.
Serves 4 - Make up a batch and use over a few days, or freeze some and have on other days.

Wild Rice Nutty Apricot Salad
Ingredients

  • 175g brown rice
  • 250g cooked turkey
  • 125g dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • 60g toasted flaked almonds
  • 75g raisins
  • 150g soya plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • salt & pepper

Method
Cook the rice according to instructions. Rinse and refresh in cold water. Add the turkey, apricots, almonds and raisins. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt and parsley together and add seasoning to taste. Add the yogurt to the rice and toss gently before serving.
Serves 2 - You can take this salad to work in a container or enjoy at home. if you make the night before, add the almonds and yoghurt just before serving.

Smoked Mackerel and Avocado Salad
Ingredients

  • 75ml (3 fl oz) soya plain yogurt
  • lime - rind and juice
  • 1 tsp horseradish sauce
  • cracked black pepper
  • 125g (4 ½ oz ) watercress and rocket (mixed) - washed
  • 1ripe avocado - peeled and stoned
  • 200g smoked peppered mackerel

Method
To make the dressing - place the yogurt in a small bowl, add the lime rind and juice followed by the horseradish sauce, combine together and then add a couple of twists from the pepper mill and stir again. Divide the watercress and rocket between two plates. Cube the avocado and place on the plates. Skin the mackerel and place chunky flakes onto the salad leaves. Drizzle over the dressing and serve.
Serves 2