Roasted cauliflower, red pepper & dukkah yoghurt

This is a quick and easy salad to make any day of the week, especially if you prepare the dukkah spice mix a day ahead. I used this Ottolenghi recipe, which makes enough to fill a small jar, so you have some ready to go next time.

I love this salad just on it’s own for lunch, but if you want to make it more substantial or as part of a main meal then you could add quinoa, rice, toasted seeds or feta or eat with veggie fritters (recipe for those coming soon!

Ingredients

Serves 4 - 6 depending on what else is on the plate!

• 1 cauliflower, chopped into medium florets, including the inner leaves

• 1 red pepper, whole

• 5 tbsp greek yoghurt

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• Salt

Dukkah 

• 70g hazelnuts, with their skins

• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp dry green peppercorns (or white, as an alternative)

• 3 tbsp coriander seeds

• 1½ tbsp sesame seeds

• ½ tsp nigella seeds  

• ½ tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp paprika

Method

First make your dukkah. These instructions are from the Ottolenghi website where he has made it to go with a delicious sounding butter bean purée:

• Put a frying pan on a medium heat and leave for a couple of minutes to heat up well. Roast the following spices for 30 seconds each and then put to one side in a small bowl: fennel, cumin, peppercorns.

• Next add the coriander seeds for 1 minute, then set aside with the other spices.

• Reduce the heat to low and cook the sesame and nigella seeds together, stirring occasionally, until the sesame turns pale brown, then remove from the pan.

• Rub the hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to discard some of the skin if necessary. Use a pestle and mortar or bash gently in a teacloth with a rolling pin to chop them coarsely, then transfer to a medium bowl.

• Lightly crush the cumin and fennel seeds, and add to the hazelnuts. Repeat with the coriander seeds, followed by the peppercorns and then the sunflower seeds. Add these to the nut bowl, along with the sesame and nigella seeds, add salt and paprika, and mix well.

• I actually put all the seeds and nuts into a spice grinder and pulsed a couple of times. This probably gave a finer grind than Ottolenghi’s, but laziness is key here. I left the nuts and seeds out so they stayed crunchy. That’s the fiddly bit done.

• Next put the oven on at 180°c and the cauliflower florets on a tray, drizzle over 1-2 tbsp of rapeseed or olive oil and roast for 10 minutes, before turning and browning for a further 5 minutes.

• At the same time, put the whole red pepper on some tin foil under a high grill and blacken each side. Then wrap in tin foil and allow to cool so you can peel off the skin, deseed and chop in lengths.

• Plate the cauliflower and red pepper then drizzle with yoghurt and sprinkle about 1 tbsp of dukkah on top. Serve immediately so it’s still warm, or allow to cool to room temperature. Try not to serve cold and this will mask the sweet flavours of the vegetables.

Banana & pecan bread

I know this isn’t my recipe, but it’s shared quite widely online so I hope Mr Ottolenghi won’t mind me posting this, especially as I can say nothing but good things about it! This is literally the most delicious banana bread ever and it's so easy to make. I made it one Friday evening (yeah my life is that exciting these days), so we could eat it for breakfast the next day. It's absolutely amazing with honey and tahini as suggested in the recipe which you can find in Plenty More.

Ingredients

• 150g Pecans

• 300g mashed banana

• 275g soft light brown sugar

• 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten

• 140ml milk

• 70ml sunflower oil

• 275g plain flour

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

To serve:

• Tahini

• Honey

Method

• Preheat the oven to 170ºc. Grease and line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking paper.

• Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and put in the oven for 6 minutes. When they’re done, take them out and roughly chop.

• In a bowl, sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, then set aside. In a jug, combine the milk, oil and salt and also set aside.

• Put the whole bananas in a mixing bowl and if you have a stand mixer set on medium speed and this will mash them - easier than by hand. Add the sugar, egg and combine. Slowly add the milk and oil whilst continuing to mix, making sure all the ingredients are well combined. Then, add the flour mixture, continuing to blend on a medium speed for a couple of minutes. Finally, stir through the pecans before pouring the mixture into your prepared tin.

• Place the tin on the middle shelf of your oven and cook for 1 hour 10 minutes.

• When cooked, remove and leave in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.Once cooled, slice the banana bread, spread the butter on one side and put it under the grill until lightly toasted.

• Spread with tahini, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with salt.

• Note - this bread is lovely without doing anything to it, so if you want it plain then go for it.

Tip

Remove the top shelf in your oven as this cake rises a lot.

Mushroom, pepper & brown basmati stir fry

Before I made this I decided to do some research online as according to my harshest critics - the kids - my stir fry skills have been going a bit downhill recently. Yes, you heard that right....  I know, I can't believe it either! Anyway, after a bit of investigating and a bit more effort, I think I pulled off a pretty decent one tonight, so here are the main tips I learnt and a recipe for you to try. Let me know what you think!

• Choose: one protein - tofu / quorn / meat; either rice or noodles; and only 3 types of veggies so you don’t end up with too much in the pan and a soggy mess.

• Cook the in batches and set to one side while you fry the veggies - in small batches as well.

• If you’re using meat then try to make sure it is only just cooked through so it doesn't go over once you add it back to the pan at the end to warm through.

• Marinate the tofu / quorn / meat; make enough to heat through and use as a sauce at the end.

• Get the wok hot before adding the oil and then again before adding the ingredients - you don’t want to cook any them for very long, only just enough time to brown.

• 4. Use a high smoke point oil like ground nut, rapeseed or sunflower.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 2-3 tbsp ground nut oil, or sunflower if you are allergic

• 250g tofu / 3 quorn or chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 1 green pepper, sliced

• 1 yellow pepper, sliced

• 4 large mushrooms, sliced

• 360g brown basmati (or white if you prefer)

Marinade

• 1 clove garlic, minced, or finely chopped

• 2cm ginger, minced

• 4 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp honey or maple

• Juice of 1 lime, and extra to serve

Method

• Start by mixing all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and add which ever protein you’re using; set to one side while you chop the veggies.

• Cook the rice as per the packet instructions; drain well and set to once side in a covered pan to keep it warm.

• Heat the wok so it is really hot and add the oil; next drain off the marinade from the protein cooking in two batches. If you put it all in at once it will just steam rather than brown as too much liquid will be released when it cooks.

• Fry the protein on a high heat to brown and cook through, this will take about 5 minutes, but double heck a piece to make sure if you’re using chicken. Once the first batch is cooked, put to one side on a warm plate. Fry the second batch and add the the plate while you cook the veggies.

• Next add the onions and peppers, frying on a high heat for around 3 minutes, or until browned and softened a bit. Keep stirring or they'll burn.

• Then add the mushrooms for 2 minutes before turning down the heat and pouring in the remaining marinade heating it through thoroughly especially if it has had raw chicken in it.

• Next put in the protein and cooked rice mixing thoroughly.

• Serve with a good squeeze of fresh lime.

Giant cous cous, chickpea, courgette, red pepper & feta salad

Summer is all about this kind of healthy salad for me. I love putting this type of dish together as I know I'll have enough for a few lunches and I can also turn it into a dinner in the evening by adding a green salad, fresh bread, roast chicken, or fish. 

This was literally a store cupboard recipe the other day as I needed to go shopping, but hadn't quite got around to it. Anyway, it just so happened that I had a random selection of ingredients which came together to make this rather nice salad :-)

Hope you like it too!

Ingredients

• 200g giant wholemeal cous cous

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas

• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped

• 1 roasted red pepper ( I like to use one from a Cooks & Co jar when I'm short of time)

• 1 courgette, sliced and griddled or fried

Dressing

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

• Handful of chopped coriander

• Handful of crumbled feta

Method

• Cook the cous cous as per the instructions on the packet, I would add a veggie stock cube to give it a bit of extra flavour as well.

• Once the cous cous has cooled, put all the ingredients in a large bowl and pour on the dressing.

• Add the toppings for extra flavour.

Courgette & chickpea curry

Another courgette delivery from my green fingered allotment owning friends means a tasty vegan curry tonight. This is a store cupboard recipe that I quickly put together and it turned out to be a good ‘un. I wish I could say the kids loved it too, but I'd be lying, they had fish fingers (sigh). Anyway, the good news is that this recipe is really quick to prepare and serves 6 so you'll have plenty of leftovers for another night, even if the kids think it looks like the devil’s work.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 15 curry leaves

• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 onion, chopped finely

• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp chopped dried chilli flakes, or more if you like it hotter!

• 1 tsp tumeric

• 1 tbsp tomato puree

• 4 large courgettes, chopped in slices and then in half

• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk ( I like Sainsburys own brand, it's not as gloopy as others)

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained

• Fresh coriander

• Lime

Method

• Heat the oil in a large pan and then add the mustard seeds; warm until they being to pop and then add the curry leaves and warm through for a minute.

• Put the onion in the pan and cook gently on low for 15 minutes until soft.

• Next add the spices and stir for a minute to warm through and release their flavour.

• Put the courgettes in the pan and mix, cook for around 10 minutes until softened and then add the tomato purée followed by the coconut milk and chickpeas; simmer for a further 10 minutes.

• Serve with a sprinkle of coriander, a squeeze of fresh lime and a cold beer.

Cashew nut butter

Once you've made your own, you'll never go back! I'm a complete convert to making my own nut butters, they're so much smoother, cheaper and tastier. Try them stirred into overnight oats (recipe here), smoothies or even quinoa. Next I'm going to try adding some coconut oil and dates as suggested by Deliciously Ella - sounds utterly amazing!! 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cashew nuts

• 1 serious food processor

Method

• You'll need a 'proper' food processor like a Magimix, or Heston Sage to make any kind of nut butter as the small ones aren’t powerful enough unfortunately.

• Put all the nuts in the processor and blend for around 4-5 minutes, or until smooth. Cashews don't take very long.

• Store in an air-tight container.

Cashew butter overnight oats with coconut yoghurt & almonds

I discovered a whole new world of breakfast recently when I cut out dairy, wheat & refined sugar. Instead of staggering bleary-eyed to the Alpen every morning, it make me think about alternatives and I ended up discovering loads of new options that I now really enjoy. I love making overnight oats, especially now its summer as porridge is way too hot.

Ingredients

Serves 3-4

• 120g oats

• 375ml almond milk

• 2 tbsp of cashew butter

• 2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey

• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

• Handful of raisins, about 40g

• Pinch of salt

To serve:

• A dollop of natural yogurt, or coconut yogurt)

• Handful of chopped nuts

• Another drizzle of nut butter

Method

• Place the almond milk, nut butter, oats, chia seeds, raisins, maple syrup and salt in a tub that has a lid and mix together well.

• Place the container in the fridge and leave to thicken overnight.

Lemon, chill & garlic courgettes

How good is seasonal veg? It's the courgette's turn to be ready for picking at the moment and these beauties from my friend's allotment tasted amazing. I griddled them and made a simple dressing as they really don't need many additions when they're this good. Below is a very straightforward recipe that you can either eat as a side dish, or add to pasta to make a main.

Ingredients

• 4 large courgettes, cut in half and slice reasonably thinly

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 1 small ish clove garlic

• 1 fresh red chilli or 1/2-1 tsp dried depending on how you like your heat levels

• seasoning

Method

• Brush one side of each courgette with olive oil and season.

• Get the griddle very hot.

• Place the courgettes on rows along the pan and sizzle for a few minutes until they have griddle lines and are partially softened. You'll need to do a few batches as they wont all fit in the pan.

• Brush the side facing up with olive oil and turn to cook.

• Place in a warmed dish while you cook the rest.

• Meanwhile make the dressing by putting all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing together. couldn't be easier. Once all the courgettes are cooked, dress and serve.

Tip

• We had this dish with BBQ roast chicken and minted new potatoes, which was delicious on a hot Sunday evening. Great alternative roast dinner!

• Another great alternative would be to cook some tagliatelle, make a bit more dressing, mix with the courgettes and a big handful of parmesan.

Quick fish curry

This is a great healthy mid-week recipe that you can knock up in 30 minutes and hopefully you'll have most of the ingredients in your cupboard. Now I appreciate that not everyone will be totally stocked up, but if you like making curries then you probably have most of them below.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 2 tsp mustard seeds

• 20 curry leaves

• 1 large onion, or 2 medium, finely sliced

• 1 clove garlic, chopped finely or minced

• 1 tsp dried chill flakes, or less if you don't like it hot

• 2 tins 400g tomatoes

• 3-4 tbsp coconut cream, or 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

• 800g cod, or firm white fish

• 320g brown basmati

Method

• First heat up the oil in a large pan, add the mustard seeds and heat until they start to pop.

• Then add the curry leaves and warm through for 1-2 minutes.

• Next put in the onion and fry gently for about 10 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and chilli flakes, cook for 2 minutes.

• Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes before adding the coconut cream and 200ml of water, or just the tin of coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes.

• Add the fish and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until it has heated right through.

• Serve with basmati rice, a squeeze of lime and yoghurt

BBQ salmon with lemon & dill yoghurt dressing

We all love a BBQ don't we? There's nothing better than eating outside on the sunny day, drinking a few beers. One fine day last week I bought a side of salmon, Greek yoghurt, dill, some salad and set about making one of the tastiest and best looking BBQ dinners ever! Nothing too complicated, but it was just a really nice combo.

Salmon works really well on the grill as it's quite a firm, oily fish, so it stays together rather than flaking like cod. Make sure you get a piece with the skin still on. We had it with a yoghurt, dill, lemon and cucumber dressing; caprese salad and some fresh green leaves.

Serves 4

BBQ Salmon

Ingredients

• 500g half side salmon
• Bunch parsley
• 2 lemons / zest one of them

Cucumber & lemon yoghurt

• 5 tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• Olive oil

Method

• Turn the salmon skin side up and make about 3 or 4 diagonal slashes across it.
• Push in a mixture of chopped parsley, lemon zest and some small thin slices of lemon; rub lightly with olive oil on both sides and set to one side while the BBQ coals go white and ready for cooking.
• Peel the cucumber; chop in half and take the watery seeds out of the middle. Grate the rest of the cucumber and put in a sieve for the water to drain out for around 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle with a little salt to help this process along, give it a squeeze with your hands from time to time. Dehydrating the cucumber in this way will make the dressing less watery and more flavoursome.  
• Place the fish on the grill skin side down and cook for around 4/5 minutes depending on how hot your grill is. It is a little hard to be precise with timings as BBQs are a bit of a law unto themselves! They're all so different. 
• Gently turn over the fish with a metal spatula and allow to cook for a further 4/5 minutes. Lift the skin and take a peak inside the flesh to check it is cooked. 

Lemon & cucumber dressing

• Mix together the yoghurt, fully squeezed out cucumber, juice of one lemon, plus zest to taste and season.
• Spinkle in some chopped dill, again, to taste and there you have a super fresh dressing for the salmon which lifts the whole dish. 

Hummus

I think making houmous is a bit like homemade pesto. It's all a bit imprecise and down to personal taste. You can tweak both recipes to suit your tastes and there is no right, or wrong end result (within reason!), but here is my version.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8 as part of a mezze

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas

• 1/2 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp fine sea salt

• 5 tbsp tahini

• juice of 2 lemons

• To finish: parsley, sprinkle of paprika, coriander, olive oil

Method

• This could not be more straightforward: place all the ingredients into a blender and whizz up until a smooth paste!

• Decorate to look pretty once the hummus is in a bowl.

• Serve with homemade pittas, crudités, or as part of a Moroccan feast.

Plum & almond tart

This is our house favourite for a grown-up birthday cake. We can't resist a frangipane, which is basically what this tart is; lovely shortcrust pasty filled with squishy almond filling and slightly sharp plums. Really delicious at any time of the day. I'm not kidding this tart is great for breakfast with fresh coffee - think of it as a French-style patisserie type of affair. 

Ingredients

Serves 8-10

• 6-7 plums , halved and destoned

• 3 tablespoons vanilla, or plain caster sugar

• 300 g unsalted butter

• 300 g caster sugar

• 3 whole free-range eggs

• 350 g ground almonds

• 1 handful whole pistachio nuts , shelled (optional)

• Shortcrust pastry (see below)

Method

• Line a 28cm/11 inch loose-bottomed flan tin with the pastry and bake it blind (see instructions below).

• Toss the plums in the vanilla sugar, let them macerate for while you make the filling.

• Beat the butter and sugar in a mixer until light and creamy.

• Add the almonds and then the lightly beaten eggs and fold in until completely combined. Stir in the pistachio nuts, then place in the fridge to firm up slightly.

• Once the mixture has chilled, spoon it into your tart case making sure it is about three-quarters full. Don’t overfill otherwise it will spill over the edge in the oven.

• Push the plums into the mixture.

• Bake on a tray at 170°C/350°F/gas 4 for 1 hour, or until the almond mix has become firm and golden on the outside, but is still soft in the middle.

• Allow to cool for about ½ an hour and serve with ice cream, or crème fraîche.

  Sweet shortcrust pastry

I have found that this Jamie Oliver recipe that works best for me. Others have ended in various versions of grey lumps. I use a food processor to start the pastry off as it saves time and is much easier, but probably not purist. If you don't have one, grate the butter into the flour and use cold hands!

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter, 2cm cubes

• 250 g organic plain flour , plus extra for dusting

• 50 g icing sugar , sifted

• 1 large free-range eggs, beaten

• ½ - 1tbsp milk

Method

• Put the butter, flour and icing sugar into the food processor.

• Using the cutting blade, turn the food processor on in 2 second bursts to chop up the butter until you have a crumb-like texture.

• Continue until all the butter is combined with the flour, a few small lumps is fine though.

• Slowly add the eggs to the blender and again set the mixer going in very short bursts until you see the mixture coming together.

• Once you have added all the egg the pastry should be beginning to form.

• Carefully scrape the mixture out and onto a clean worktop and gently bring together with your (cold) hands, you may need to add a little milk at this stage.

• As soon as the pastry is just about sticking together, but still looks quite flaky and not blended that well, shape into a large donut, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

• Take the pastry out once it has had time to rest and leave on the side to warm up to room temperature, so it is easier to roll out.

• Roll out fairly thin for your tart base. As the pastry has not been kneaded and worked too much you will notice small pieces of butter in it and it will have a fairly uneven colour and texture overall. This is fine; you will end up with a lovely flaky pastry that will be really light.

• Use the rolling pin to lift the pasty into the tart case and place in the freezer for 15 minutes so there is less shrinkage when baked.

• Remove the tart from the freezer and place baking parchment right over the pastry (including the edges) and fill the case with baking beads. Bake on 200°c for 20 minutes, remove the paper and beads before putting back in the oven for about 10 minutes on 170°c, or until the pastry begins to colour slightly.

Tip

Instructions for using a 23cm tart case:

• 3-4 plums , halved and de-stoned

• 1-2 tablespoons vanilla sugar, or plain caster

• 200 g unsalted butter

• 200 g caster sugar

• 2 large free-range eggs

• 200g ground almonds

• 1 small handful whole pistachio nuts , shelled (optional)

  Shortcrust pastry:

• 100g unsalted butter, 2cm cubes

• 200 g organic plain flour , plus extra for dusting

• 40 g icing sugar , sifted

• 1 large free-range eggs, beaten

  Bake pastry blind as above and reduce tart cooking time to 170°C/350°F/gas 4 50 minutes.

Cous cous & chickpeas in ras el hanut

Cous cous can be a bit boring unless you really work on the flavourings and this recipe certainly does that. Usually consigned to side dish status, here the long suffering cous cous gets a chance to shine. Great with any kind of tagine, but also it works really well for lunch the day after topped with a poached egg.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 small onion

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon ras el hanut spice

• 200g cooked chickpeas

• 1 tomato

• 120g cous cous

• 360ml boiling water

• Handful chopped coriander, to taste

Method

• Fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften and colour. I use a large skillet for this dish and serve the cous cous in the pan on the table.

• Add the salt and ras el hanut, mixing well to release the flavours.

• Next add the chickpeas and chopped tomato and cook for a minute or so. Tip in the cous cous followed by the boiling water, bring to the boil and then turn off the heat and cover.

• Leave to stand for about 10 minutes while the cous cous absorbs all the water. When ready break up with a fork and serve with chopped coriander.

Courgette & spinach soup

I actually had no recipe plan today, just a need for an energy boost, so finding several courgettes and a bag of spinach that needed eating I decided to make a soup. I also had some homemade chicken bone broth ready and waiting in the fridge too, which makes my version of the recipe non-veggie, but you could easily substitute with vegetable stock.

Ingredients

Makes about 1.4L, or 4-5 servings)

• 4 courgettes, sliced

• 1/2 clove garlic, grated

• 1.5L Chicken, or vegetable stock

• Handful of parsley, extra to garnish

• 100g spinach

• Seasoning

Method

• Get a large saucepan and add a couple of big glugs of olive oil. Add the sliced courgettes and fry gently for around 15 minutes, or until soft. Some might be slightly browned, but that's fine, it'll add extra flavour.

• Once the courgettes are cooked, add the grated garlic and stir, cook for a couple of minutes.

• Next pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the spinach.

• Cook for 5 minutes, then add a handful of parsley, including the stalks.

• Blend using a food processor, or a hand-held.

• Sprinkled on some thinly sliced chilli, plus some extra parsley leaves to finish if you have some. Season.

Squash and cumin soup with croutons, pumpkin & cumin seeds

This is one of my all time favourite soups as I love roasted squash; it’s lightly spiced and finished with fresh herbs and crunchy seeds.

Ingredients

Makes about 2.5L

• 1 butternut squash, chopped into large chunks

• 1 medium sweet potato, whole unpeeled

• 2 onions, chopped roughly

• 3 tsp ground cumin

• 1.5 tsp salt

• 1.6L vegetable, or chicken stock

• Pumpkin seeds & cumin seeds, toasted gently in a frying pan - a small sprinkle on each bowl

• Handful of fresh coriander leaves

Method

• Firstly buy yourself a decent peeler as it will make the job of peeling the squash so much easier!

• Heat the oven to 190ºC

• Place the squash on a roasting tray (you may need to use two to avoid overcrowding the squash which will make it steam, not roast) and drizzle with olive oil, season.

• Sprinkle over a teaspoon of cumin and rub into the squash. Put the sweet potato on the tray as well.

• Place the tray/s into the oven and roast for 45 minutes, or until the squash is soft and has browned a bit at the edges.

• In a large pan heat a couple of glugs of olive oil and fry the onions gently for about 10 minutes.

• Add the rest of the cumin and grated garlic and fry for a couple of minutes to cook through.

• When the squash is ready, add to the pan with the onions and pour over the stock. Heat it through.

• Peel the sweet potato using your fingers and add to the pan.

• Either blend using a hand-held, or transfer to a food processor for a smoother texture.

• Toast a few pumpkin seeds and cumin seeds in a pan for 2-3 minutes and sprinkle over the soup with some coriander.

Croutons

• Keep the ends of sourdough loaves as they make brilliant croutons. Just chop into bite sized pieces, place on a tray and drizzle with enough olive oil to coat fairly evenly, but don't drown them!

• Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes at 180ºC, turning half way through.

Camargue red rice, quinoa, apricot & pistachio

I've had a packet of red rice in the cupboard which has been sitting looking at me for a while, so I thought I'd try find a recipe to use it up. After a quick search I found one by Yotam Ottlenghi, which sounded really interesting, with ingredients I wouldn't have put together myself. That's the nice thing about other people's recipes, right? This salad looks quite unassuming when made up, but it has a lovely delicate flavour which is quite different from any other I've tried.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 60g shelled pistachio nuts

• 200g quinoa

• 200g camargue red rice

• 1 medium onion, sliced

• 150ml olive oil

• grated zest and juice of 1 orange

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

• 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped

• 40g rocket

• salt and black pepper

Method

• Boil two medium sized pans of salted water.

• Add the quinoa to one and the red rice to the other. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes for the quinoa and 35 minutes for the rice, then drain the grains and spread them out on baking sheets to cool.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and gently fry the onion (I actually used red onion as I didn’t have any spring). Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown - about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

• Get a large bowl, mix the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice, garlic and the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil; season.

• Add the quinoa, rice, onion, apricots, pistachios and spring onions and mix together. Serve with rocket on top.

Tip

If you want to prep this salad the day before then just keep the dressing and nuts separate. Toss the salad together when you're ready to eat it.

Spiced sweet potato, red lentil & tomato soup

I do love a chunky, spicy soup and this vegan recipe ticks both those boxes. It's gently spiced and thoroughly warming on a cold day, of which we seem to have many in Leeds! I love anything with lentils in and I've put in some red ones to add extra protein, flavour and to make the soup nice n hearty. It's straightforward to make and you can whip up a large batch and freeze a few portions. 

Ingredients

Makes about 6 servings, depending on how big your bowl is ;-)

• 1 medium sweet potato, roasted in it's skin

• 2 medium onions, chopped roughly

• 1 large clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes, or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes

• 1 low salt vegetable stock cube (I like Kallo's) dissolved in 1L of boiling water

• 100g dried red lentils

• 3/4 tsp fine ground sea salt, or 1 tsp sea salt flakes

• Big handful of kale, spinach cavolo nero and/or coriander

Method

• Put the oven on 180℃ and roast the sweet potatoes until nice and soft.

• While the potatoes are cooking, gently fry the onions in a large pan for 10-15 minutes until they're soft.

• Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the spices and warm through for a couple of minutes.

• Put the tin of tomatoes and the dissolved stock in the pan with the onions and heat through.

• Use a hand blender to turn the mix into a smooth sauce.

• Add the lentils and simmer for 20 minutes.

• Season and add a big handful of greens and coriander.

Blueberry, coconut & maca smoothie

I love this smoothie. Super quick and easy to prepare too, but I appreciate not everyone has raw maca powder in their cupboard, but it’s pretty easy to find these days, even Aldi stocks it! You could always leave it out though, the smoothie would still taste great.

Maca is an ancient Peruvian root crop from the radish family, which has a malty, slightly caramel-like taste. It's a great supplement to add to your smoothies or porridge as it won't change the original flavour too much. Maca is well worth having in stock as it's high in antioxidants, nutrients such as Vitamins B1 & 2, calcium and iron, and energy-boosting compounds called macamides and macaenes. It is called Peruvian 'ginseng' as it is said to improve energy levels and help to restore hormone imbalances.

Ingredients

Serves 1

• ½ frozen banana

• 1 handful frozen blueberries

• 250ml coconut milk drink

• 1 tsp maca powder

Method

• Just put the ingredients in a blender and blitz!

Tip

• I keep a stock of frozen fruit in my freezer for smoothies as it's so much better than adding ice, which waters the flavour down. When I find bananas in the fruit bowl that are going a bit too brown, I peel them and add to my freezer bag.

• The coconut milk drink I prefer is made by Rude Health - it doesn't contain any additives or thickeners, unlike other brands, just coconut milk, rice and water.

Spicy red cabbage slaw

I made this the other night to go with some homemade fish fingers and minted new potatoes. The slaw brought a chilli kick to the plate and breathed new life into this classic combo. 
This is a very simple way to make red cabbage incredibly tasty and also if you double the quantity, you can use it in lunchtime sandwiches and salads for a week! 
One of our favourites was grilled halloumi, roasted red pepper, a thin spread of hummus and slaw on fresh, warmed ciabatta bread – really delicious. 
I would also pair this slaw with roast, or grilled chicken, or fish to make a summer-style roast dinner with other salads.
Using a food processor will save a lot of time making this dish if you have one, but if not you can finely chop the cabbage and onion by hand, then grate the carrot. 

Ingredients

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

• 1 red cabbage

• 3 carrots

• 1 white, or red onion

• 2cm of fresh ginger, finely grated

• Fresh green chilli

• 5 tbsp mayonnaise (homemade or a good quality brand)

• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

• Handful of coriander

• Salt & pepper

Method

• First blitz the red cabbage, carrot and onion in the blender. 

• Grate the ginger using a micro plane/ parmesan grater, if you don’t have one you can always chop very finely along with the chilli.

• Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix in the white wine vinegar, then add the ginger, chilli, seasoning  and mix.

• Finally mix the mayonnaise into the cabbage and there you have your amazing zingy side dish that will liven up any plate.

Roasted beetroot, brown rice & pistachio salad

This is my protein packed super food salad that is so good for you and very quick to make.  Basically you just throw all the ingredients together, except the beetroot. Dress the salad first and then add the beetroot last, or the whole salad will turn pink before everyone has tucked in. I placed mine strategically through the rice and on top at the end, so it still looked pretty. In this photo you might notice that I have added cannellini beans to the dish - these are totally optional, they’ll add a little creaminess, plus a protein and fibre boost if you do though.

Ingredients

Serves 8 as a side dish

• 3 large beetroot, approx 300g, chopped into 8 pieces

• 300g runner beans, cut into 2cm slices

• 200g brown basmati rice

• 100g wild rice

• Handful of toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

• Handful of coriander, leaves picked

• Salt & pepper

Dressing

• Olive oil

• Cider vinegar

• Honey

• Juice from ½ lemon

Method

• Put the oven on at 180℃ degrees.

• Cut the top and root off each beetroot and wrap individually in foil. Don’t peel before roasting as it is much easier to do once they’re cooked.

• Roast for about an hour, or until soft and the skin just falls off as you rub them gently. Allow to cool and chop into large chunks.

• While the beetroot is cooking, put a handful of pistachios in a roasting tray and place in the same oven for around 5-6 minutes, but don’t forget them as they’ll easily burn. I’m notorious for burning whole batches of nuts, so I always have to set a loud timer.

• Put the wild rice on to boil for around 20 minutes and then add the brown rice to the pan for a further 25 minutes so they’re both finished at the same time. Drain and cool.

• Blanch the runner beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and cool by running under the cold tap so they don’t continue cooking and lose their colour and crunch.

Dressing

• Find a dressing shaker (best one linked!) and mix the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey and lemon.

• Put the rice and runner beans in a bowl, then add a few tablespoons of the dressing and mix. Then place the beetroot carefully throughout the salad, sprinkle with nuts and coriander.