We Love Cooking!:
lentils

September is always one of those months like January where the slate is wiped clean and it's time to start all over again. The kids are back at school and students back to college, and professional nomads like myself are back to reality! Between all our moving around over the summer months, things were a little chaotic especially when it came to food. Normal routine went out the window, replaced by irregular eating times and extra helpings of desserts - a good dollop of cream with everything. You could definitely say I indulged over the last few months and unfortunately, I'm not exactly feeling the better of it!

Since we arrived back in Ireland however, things are back on track, the kitchen is stocked with fruit and veggies and all my essential storecupboard ingredients have been replenished. As amazing as it is to travel, there really is nothing like being back home in your own kitchen.

With the winter months fast approaching, the inclination to stay inside and out of the cold becomes all the more tempting, so instead of dodging the weather and waiting until the New Year, I'm heading outdoors and getting active! All this new healthy living will take it's toll, mind you, so luckily I have a few healthy, filling recipes up my sleeve to stave off starvation and make sure I'm getting all the good stuff. This recipe comes from my book Good Mood Food: Simple, Healthy, Homecooking, it's the perfect little pick me up for those cold winter days - packed with nutrients from start to finish and full of flavour!

Boot Camp Soup
This a surprisingly tasty soup, which is wonderfully cleansing. Used originally as part of a weight-loss diet, I make it regularly as a really substantial lunch. This recipe makes a generous amount – I freeze half the soup and keep the rest in the fridge.

Serves 8
3 onions, chopped into chunks
2 green peppers, chopped into chunks
1 bunch of celery, chopped into chunks
1 iceberg lettuce, chopped into chunks
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
800ml/1½ pints vegetable stock
300g/10½oz lentils or soup mix
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Add all the ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat
and simmer for 20–30 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Blend the soup to a smooth consistency with a hand blender; you may
need to add a little extra stock if the soup is too thick. Season with salt and
pepper, and serve.

I've been packing a fair bit of travel in this summer and I'm fairly sure with the amount of airmiles that have wracked up, I'm doing the environment no favours! This week is no different I'm back in Sweden for a bit of work and to fully soak up all the best a Swedish summer has to offer! One of my favourite things about Sweden in the summer is the beautiful still lakes with their picturesque jetties. This week I finally got my first swim of the summer in and despite always being slightly worried about what lurks at the bottom of those murky waters, I can report that the water was beautiful. All that swimming in lakes can make a cook like myself hungry, so we decided to sample what the Swedes do best, the Smorgasbord!

One of my favourite places to eat in Gothenburg is the Gunnebo Coffee House and Restaurant which is situated on the grounds of one of Sweden's most beautiful neoclassical estates, just south of the city. The buffet style lunch is made with all organic ingredients and always has something interesting and healthy to offer. During the summer months the kitchen uses fruit and vegetables from the huge gardens outside, which I find very exciting to walk through! The day we were there amongst the fantastic choice of dishes there was a cabbage salad, cucumber and fennel lentil salad, herbed pork fillet, boiled cumin potatoes, roast salmon with a creamy sauce, and Roast tomatoes with Goats cheese and red onion. We assembled our plates with fairly hefty portions, a handful of the chunky homemade bread and headed outdoors to pick our way through it. There is something fairly special about eating fresh and healthy food outdoors on a warm summer day that just makes everything taste all the better! For now, as the Swedes say "hej då"!

Roast Tomatoes with Goats cheese and Red Onion
This is a super way to make the most of the last of the summer tomatoes! This method brings out the fantastic natural sweetness and is perfection in every bite. You can prepare these ahead of time and serve them at room temperature.

Serves 4
4 tomatoes, cut in half
1 goats cheese log, cut in slices
1 red onion, sliced in half moons
A good glug of olive oil
A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6.
Arrange the tomato halves on a baking tray and top each on with a few slices of red onion and then place a slice of cheese on top.
Drizzle each tomato with a little olive oil and season with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Place in the oven to cook for 35 minutes or until the the tomatoes are soft and tender. Serve warm or cold.

Cucumber and Fennel, Lentil Salad
I think lentils are by far one of the most underused pulses. They are like the black sheep of the legume family, with many people having never even cooked them before. However that all has to change, they are full of health benefits, and just as quick as pasta to cook so no excuses! They go great with lots of different dishes but they go great here as a tasty little salad!

Serves 4
1 cucumber, cut in chunky diagonal slices
150g of green lentils
A good handful of fennel fronds, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tablespoons of olive oil
A generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper

Rinse the lentils in cold water drain and place in a pot. Cover them with plenty of water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl whisk together the lemon juice and olive oil. Add in the fennel fronds, cucumber slices, and cooled lentils.
Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and serve!