Week 2: Community MasterChef

Ingredients:

• 8 pork sausages
• 500 grams new potatoes, halved
• 500 grams butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 medium onions, cut into wedges
• 2 eating apples, cored and sliced
• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 200 ml apple juice
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Olive oil or low-calorie cooking spray

Instructions:

• If cooking today Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven/air fryer to 200°C (390°F). Lightly grease a large baking tray with olive oil or low-calorie cooking spray.
• Prepare the Vegetables and Sausages: Arrange the halved new potatoes, butternut squash chunks, and onion wedges in a single layer on the baking tray. Scatter the sausages between the vegetables. Drizzle lightly with more olive oil or cooking spray and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and garlic granules. Toss everything gently to ensure even coating.
• Roast the Vegetables and Sausages: Place the tray in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning everything halfway through to ensure even cooking.
• Make the Honey Mustard Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the wholegrain mustard, honey, and apple juice until well combined.
• Add the Apples and Glaze: After the first 20 minutes of roasting, remove the tray from the oven. Add the apple slices to the tray and pour the honey mustard glaze over the sausages and vegetables. Optional Scatter the fresh thyme sprigs over everything.
• Continue Roasting: Return the tray to the oven and roast for an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the sausages are cooked through and the vegetables are golden and tender.
• Serve: Once the sausages are cooked and the potatoes and butternut squash are perfectly roasted, remove the tray from the oven. Serve hot, garnished with a few extra sprigs of fresh thyme if desired.
• If making to freeze: place the sausages and vegetables in your food bag and either place in the fridge or freezer. If cooking from frozen roast in the preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes, turning everything halfway through to ensure even cooking. Ensure the sausages reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F (71°C) to be fully cooked

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• 120 ml BBQ sauce
• 1tsp Garlic powder
• 1tsp Onion powder
• 1tbsp smoked paprika
• 1tsp dried tyyme
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar

Optional sides

1. Salad, flat breads, jacket potatoes

Instructions:

• Marinate the Chicken: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the chicken pieces and coat them well with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Assemble the Kebabs: Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers.
• Cook the Kebabs: Preheat your oven or airfryer to 180 Celsius. Cook the kebabs for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Serve: Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with additional BBQ sauce if desired.

Ingredients:

• 350g Dried penne pasta
• ½ head of Broccoli, cut into small florets
• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1tsp of Onion and garlic powder
• 600ml milk
• 280g Cheddar cheese (grated)
• 1 x 200g tin sweetcorn, drained
• 23g breadcrumbs
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic bread and salad to serve

Instructions:

• Cook the Pasta: put the pasta in a large pan over a medium heat and pour over boiling water to cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and leave to cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli florets to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes, until the pasta and broccoli are almost tender, but still retaining some bite. Drain through a colander and tip into a large baking dish in an even layer, ensuring that the broccoli is evenly distributed throughout the pasta. Set aside.
• Make the Sauce: melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the flour to the pan and stir with the butter to form a thick paste. Keep stirring for around a minute to cook the flour, then gradually add the milk, thickening and whisking between each addition until you have a thick glossy sauce
• Combine: Remove the pan from the heat, then add 210g of the grated cheese along with the onion and garlic powder, once the cheese has melted add the sweetcorn add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pour sauce over the top of the pasta and broccoli and give everything a gentle stir in the dish to ensure the source is covering the pasta and broccoli. Scatter the remaining half a cup of cheese over the top.
• If you are cooking now: Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius then transfer the pasta bake to a hot oven to cook for 35 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Spoon into serving bowls and serve hot with garlic bread and salad leaves alongside, if you like.
• If you’re making ahead to freeze: you can now freeze at this stage. Set the unbaked pasta bake aside until cooled to room temperature, then cover with a lid or wrap in a layer of king cling film followed by a layer of foil, label and freeze flat for up to three months. This can be cooked from frozen. Preheat the oven at 180 Celsius, cover the baking dish with foil on transfer to the oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and cook for a further 30 minutes until golden and bubbling