How Long to Cook a Turkey - great recipe for festive roasted turkey

Work out how long to cook a turkey on the day before you cook.

Plan your timetable around your roasted turkey, working backwards from when you want to serve a meal.

Start your cooking time to allow the cooked turkey to have at least 20 minutes to rest before you carve. This lets the flesh re-absorb the juices, and makes the bird easier to carve.

Remove the roasted turkey from the pan, place it on a board and cover with a clean tea towel. It will stay hot for at least half an hour.

This roast turkey recipe suggests that you rub the turkey with sunflower oil, season and wrap in foil for most of the cooking time.

Cooking begins with a short blast of heat, then there?s a longer period at a lower heat, and then you should tear off the foil over the breast and finish cooking at a higher temperature.

Enjoy your turkey! For more detailed instructions, see How To Cook A Turkey. And when the feasting's over, remember to check out Leftover Turkey Recipes, for delicious turkey soup recipes, turkey sandwiches and salads.

If you use a fan oven your turkey may cook more quickly, so keep a careful check on how it's progressing.

Weight: 8-10lb (3.5-4.5 kg) - serves 6-10 people, with leftovers
Weight: 12-14lb (6-7kg) - serves 10 - 14 people, with leftovers
Start at 425F/220C/gas 7 for 40 min Turn oven down to 325F/170C/gas 3 and cook for 3.5 hrs Remove foil and brown at 400F/200C/gas 6 for 35 min
Weight: 15-20lb (7-9 kg) serves 15 - 20 people, with leftovers
Start at 425F/220C/gas 7 for 45 mins Turn oven down to 325F/170C/gas 3 and cook for 4-5 hours Remove foil and brown at 400F/200C/gas 6 for 40 min

Make this your healthiest Thanksgiving ever, with Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes.

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Healthy Chocolate Cake Recipe - Great Chocolate Birthday Cake or Healthy Dessert

Rich and gooey, this healthy chocolate cake recipe is perfect for special occasions. Try it as a chocolate birthday cake or healthy dessert.
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I first made this cake for a friend who can't eat dairy products.

Running my eye down the list of ingredients, I didn't have very high hopes - with no butter and no eggs, was this really going to be a cake worth eating?

The answer was a resounding 'Yes!' The cake is wonderfully dark, rich and delicious, as well as being very quick and easy to make. To make this into a low fat cake recipe, substitute apple puree for the oil.

You can leave it unadorned, and it makes an excellent healthy dessert or lunchbox cake. For a special occasion such as a birthday, decorate the top with whipped cream and fruit. For Valentine's Day, arrange sliced strawberries in a heart shape on top.

Grease and base-line a 20cm round, loose-based cake tin.

Heat the oven to 350F/180C/gas 4.

Sift together 250g (1 1/2 cups) plain flour, 4 tbsp cocoa powder, 250g (1 cup) caster sugar, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and 1/2 tsp salt.

In a separate bowl, mix together 5 tbsp (1/3 cup) of vegetable oil or apple puree, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 250ml (1 cup) warm water.

Mix these into the dry ingredients until just amalgamated. Do not over mix.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake has risen and springs back when pressed.

Serve the cake just as it is, or to make it extra special, top with Greek yogurt and raspberries.

For more inspiration on the delightful art of healthy cake eating, see Healthy Cake Recipes.

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Stuffed Pepper Recipe - Delicious Healthy Recipe

Quick, easy and healthy stuffed pepper recipe.
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I use this healthy stuffed pepper recipe over and over again because it?s very straightforward and tastes great. Putting a vegetable-based dish at the centre of your main meal goes a good way to making sure you get your portions of fruit and veg every day.

You can serve the peppers hot or cold, so it?s a good one to do in advance if you?re pushed for time. There are plenty of variations, so this a useful recipe when you have a few ingredients that you need to use up.

Choose peppers with a flat base, that will stand up in a dish. Blanch 4 peppers in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes. This softens them, and makes the baking time shorter. Drain, run under the cold tap until cool enough to handle, slice off the stalk ends and remove the seeds and white pith.

Basic stuffing recipe

Put cous cous into a measuring jug up to the 125ml (1/2 cup) line. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to swell and soften for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 350F/180C/gas 4. Finely chop a handful of fresh herbs, using whatever you have available. Mint, thyme, dill, coriander, basil all work well.

Finely chop an onion or a couple of shallots, and soften in olive oil until yellow and soft. Add one or two cloves of garlic, crushed, and cook for a little longer.

Fork through the cous cous to separate the grains, then mix in the herbs, onion and shallot. Place the peppers in an ovenproof dish and fill with the stuffing.

Sprinkle some grated parmesan on top, put the caps on, pour a little water round the bases and drizzle with a little oil. Bake for 25 minutes until browned. You can pour some tomato sauce round the peppers for the last 10-15 minutes if you wish.

For more stuffed vegetable recipes, see Stuffed Green Pepper Recipe and my Stuffed Mushroom recipe.

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