HERE is a dish I created with it being Veganuary and having the New Year in mind.

Most of us are now wanting to eat more healthily, go to the gym and shed any of those excess pounds we gained at Christmas, in the bid to 'expose' more flesh on our summer holidays and generally feel better about ourselves.

I'm a firm believer that low calorie, healthy food doesn't need to be boring and bland, and with the right ingredients you can conjure up a delicious meal that won’t break the bank... or your waistline!

There are lots of fantastic seasonal vegetables about at the moment, so I decided to come up with this dish.

I named it (actually my boyfriend did!) Courg-agne.

It's our take on lasagne, but using the courgette instead of the pasta sheets, which makes it a super healthy tasty dish.

I used cheese for one layer over the courgette ribbons and over the top, but if you are wanting to omit the cheese for an ultra low calorie take on this dish, do so.

I just felt as lasagne goes - or should I say Courg-agne - it needed some extra 'vava voom', and by adding the cheese it gives it that extra bit of taste.

But, saying that, the filling is delicious as it is, so really it's up to you if you want to add it or not.

This recipe feeds four.

Give it a go!

Ingredients:

2 medium courgettes (top and tailed, sliced lengthways into ribbons, approximately 2mm thick and transparent on looking at. I used a potato peeler).

1 large onion, chopped roughly.

1 bulb of fennel, roughly chopped (removing and discarding the stalk like tops).

1 each of red and green pepper, chopped into chunks.

2 cloves of garlic (minced).

1 good handful of frozen sweetcorn.

1 good handful of baby spinach leafs (stalks removed).

1 tin of Italian plum tomatoes.

1 crumbled vegetable stock cube.

150gms of vegan cheese or mature cheddar cheese.

1tsp of olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste

Square casserole dish, approximately 9 inches by 9 inches.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

In a large saucepan, gently heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and gently fry until transparent.

Add the remaining vegetables, the fennel, peppers, sweetcorn and spinach and fry for a further few minutes until soft.

Add the tinned tomatoes the stock cube and stir.

On a gentle heat, simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste.

In your casserole dish, start by laying a bed of the courgette ribbons along the bottom, then top with the vegetable mix.

Repeat the process, but this time (only the once) sprinkle a little of the cheese over the courgette ribbons and top with the vegetables again, keep on repeating the process until the casserole dish is full to the top.

Finish off with the courgette ribbons on top.

Scatter over the remaining cheese, place on a baking tray and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a side salad or grilled chicken.

Delicious!