I think I’m on some kind of curry marathon at the moment. I can’t get enough of the stuff. And beef curry is something I adore, especially when combined with my all time favourite carbohydrate, sweet potato. Together we have a delicious beef and sweet potato curry that’s perfect for a week night supper or for a special having friends over kind of occasion. READ MORE
January is almost drawing to a close and it feels colder by the day to me. The heating is cranked up, Christmas is long gone, the winter woollies are well and truly on and gloves are de rigueur upon setting foot outside. It’s what my late grandmother would have called ‘bracing’. Weather to clear the cobwebs away, weather to demand wellingtons and of course, weather to demand roasted meats and veg. READ MORE
Merry back to normal! We’re here, we made it! December is done. The tree’s down, the cards recycled and the kitchen raided of all sprouts, stilton and stollen. I love Christmas; love, love, love it, but, I do like getting back to normal just as much. A little like swapping exotic cocktails for a cup of tea when home from a holiday, it’s just plain comforting to put something familiar into your body. READ MORE
It’s Lawrence here again (17 months old now, and yes ‘it seems like only yesterday I was a baby’, but actually it was over a year ago; you adults come out with some crazily factually incorrect stuff). You may have seen my last takeover of Mummy’s blog, anyway, I’m back. She’s busy on her phone pretending to work when really I know she’s on facebook, looking up people she used to know but didn’t like well enough to stay proper friends with. Mothers are funny like that. If I don’t like someone I just throw a plastic brick at them. Or bite them. I like to be clear. READ MORE
Every so often I make a recipe and pop a pic up on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram and despite me thinking it looks a bit of a mess, people seem to like the sound of it. READ MORE
Location is everything. Phil and Kirsty know what they’re talking about. When we booked our mini break in Madrid (sorry, but I can never write ‘mini break’ without thinking of Bridget Jones) we were wowed by the star rating, roof top bar, architect designed rooms and the possibility of free chocolates. And where did such a vanity booking get us? In the arse end of town. READ MORE
This is one of those surprise recipe experiments that’s both delicious and also quick. I love quick. Quick and I are the best of friends.
It’s also meat free, probably contains more than your requisite 5 a day, especially if served with yet more veggies, like, perhaps a carrot, apple and beetroot slaw. And it gives you that illusion of having eaten lasagne when really you’ve eaten a low carb version. I tend to start my week quite low carb and then work up to an all out snout in the bread basket moment by Saturday evening. Add more cheese to the top for a more decadent Monday dinner than the version pictured.
Lots of great recipes like this in my book, Recipes from a Normal Mum, out now… on Amazon, The Works, at Waterstones, WHSmith, The Book Depository and many smaller outlets.
One year ago: Florentine quiche and Flourless chocolate cake and Cadbury Creme Mini Egg chocolate flapjackand School fair rocky road
Two year ago: White chocolate & cranberry hot cross buns and Cadbury creme egg mess and Banoffee pecan mini pavs
Three years ago: Easter Apostles scone loaf and Carrot cake in a cup for Mother’s Day and Cranberry oaty biscuits
Four years ago: Mini chocolate birds nests and Puff pastry and Walnut bread
Spinach, ricotta and sweet potato lasagne
Please note that all quantities are approximate. If your lasagne dish is huge then you will need more potato slices and more lasagne sheets.
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Place the spinach in a microwave proof bowl and cover. Defrost in the microwave according to instructions. Carefully squeeze any excess water from the spinach using your hands or by pushing it against a sieve with the back of a spoon. Melt the butter in a frying pan on a low heat. Add the garlic clove and fry for 1 minute. Do not allow it to go brown. Add the spinach and stir. Then add the ricotta cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn the heat up and stir well whilst it warms through for 2 minutes. Tip into a lasagne dish/roasting tray.
Slice the sweet potatoes lengthways and lay over the spinach and ricotta mixture in one layer. Then add the lasagne sheets, again in just one layer. Stir together the yoghurt and parmesan and cover the lasagne sheets with it until they are entirely covered. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until a knife passes through the lasagne easily. Top with more cheese if you wish.
NB: You can use fresh spinach instead of frozen. Simply place freshly washed spinach in a frying pan over a low heat with a drizzle of olive oil until it wilts, then set aside to cool. Be sure to squeeze any excess water from it after it cools. You may need to do it in batches as fresh spinach starts off looking like a lot of leaves, but cooks down to almost nothing.
Holly Bell 