Salmon & soba noodle salad

ingredients

Serves 4-6 as a main

• 4 salmon fillets

• 250g buckwheat & wholewheat soba noodles

• 120g frozen shelled edamame beans

• ¼ small Chinese leaf, chopped finely

• 1 lg carrot, grated

• 150g sweetheart cabbage, chopped finely

• 2-3 spring onions, chopped finely

• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

Dressing

• 4 tbsp sesame oil

• 6 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

• 1 tbsp mirin

• 1 small garlic clove, grated

• Juice 1 lime

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C

• Mix all the dressing ingredients together by shaking vigorously in a jar or whisking with a fork in a bowl.

• Line a baking tray with parchment and place the salmon fillets on it leaving a few cm space in between each one. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season.

• Roast in the oven for 12-14 minutes until just cooked through. Set aside to cool.

• While the salmon is in the oven, boil a kettle full of water and add to a large saucepan. Put in the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes, or as per packet instructions.

• Steam the edamame over the noodles for 3-5 minutes, or until just defrosted.

• Chop and grate all the veggies.

• Drain the noodles and then cool quickly by running under the cold tap, drain thoroughly. Do the same with the edamame so they stop cooking, or put them straight in a bowl of iced water, but drain thoroughly afterwards.

• Once the noodles are drained well, put them back in the dry pan and add about half the dressing, mix well.

• Remove the skin from the salmon and break up gently into large flakes with a fork.

• Get a large serving plate and layer the salad: start with a layer of noodles, then veggies and salmon, drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of dressing, repeat.

• Sprinkle with spring onion and red chilli, if using, to serve.

Grilled mackerel with cumin & lemon

This makes a lovely quick, healthy dinner or even weekend lunch. Packed with Omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D, mackerel is one of the best fish that you can eat. I paired mine with a potato salad with chives and some dressed salad greens.

Ingredients

Serves 1-2

• 2 mackerel fillets

• olive oil

• 1/2 garlic clove, mashed, or chopped very finely

• 1/2 teaspoon cumin, or a pinch for each fillet

• 1 lemon

• 1/4 red chilli (optional)

• salt & pepper

  Method

• Place the mackerel fillets on some tin foil ready to go under the grill. Brush with olive oil and then a little bit of the crushed garlic, sprinkle with a pinch of cumin and squeeze over half the lemon (save the other half for after the fish is cooked).

• Cook for about 5-8 minutes depending on your grill, you might want to turn it down if the fish has already browned on top but not cooked underneath. 

• Finish with salt and pepper, plus a sprinkle of red chilli if you like it hot.

• Serve with potato salad and rocket with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Coconut & cacao squares

A healthy alternative to flapjack that will give you a nutritious energy boost!

ingredients

• 100g coconut oil

• 2 tbsp maple / honey

• 3 ripe bananas (300g peeled)

• 3 tbsp raw cacao

• 250g porridge oats

• 100g desiccated coconut

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Line a 20 x 20cm tin with baking parchment.

• Melt the coconut and honey gently in a small saucepan.

• Mash the bananas in large bowl with a fork and add the rest of the ingredients.

• Pour in the coconut oil and honey, mixing well until all the ingredients are combined.

• Scrape the mix into the baking tray and press down firmly.

• Bake for 25 minutes. Leave to cool completely before slicing.

  Tip

• This recipe freezes well, so you can wrap some up in tin foil and save for later.

• You could add 1 tbsp more of maple and/or cacao if you want extra sweetness / chocolateyness.

• I made these squares for my daughter to take for her school snack as they’re nut-free. I wanted her to have something slightly more healthy than sugary cereal bars - it’s also quite hard to find them without nuts!

Purple broccoli & potatoes with celeriac, quinoa & green tahini

Bit of a different one from me today as I don’t often cook with blue anneliese potatoes or celeriac, but wow, I need to pick them up more often! This salad was so tasty and even won over my celeriac-hating other half! I think the way forward is roasting the celeriac to get the sweetness and a softer flavour.

The veggies all arrived in my Able & Cole box (as did the celeriac); I’ve been trying them for the past few weeks and I’m really enjoying cooking with different ingredients and creating dishes to include them in.

This salad was so tasty and amazingly healthy, here are a few nutrition facts you might find interesting:

purple potatoes have more potassium (fluid balance, muscle contractions and nerve signals) than bananas surprisingly and contain lots of antioxidant polyphenols, which mop up the free radicals in your body that cause cell damage.

Celeriac is also packed with antioxidants plus Vit C (immunity), K (blood clotting and bone health) and B6 (supports neurotransmitters that regulate mood, such as serotonin, dopamine and GABA).

Purple sprouting broccoli is another great source of antioxidants (like anything purple!) , Vit K, C, folate (mental health, cardiovascular and immune system health, cell division and DNA creation) .

And last but not least quinoa, a complete source of protein as it contains all 9 essential amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and protein forms the basis of all tissues in your body. It is also packed full of: manganese (metabolism, growth, development), phosphorus (tissue health), copper (heart), folate, iron (energy), magnesium (muscles, energy), zinc (immunity, growth and around 100 essential enzyme reactions).

Note: if you can’t get blue anneliese then switch for sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

• Serves 4-6, or 8-10 as part of a mezze

• 3 blue anneliese potatoes, 1cm slices, halved

• ½ large celeriac, 2 cm rough cubes

• Pinch of dried thyme

• 150g tri-colour quinoa

• 100g purple spouting broccoli

• Dressing

• 100g tahini

• 20g fresh parsley

• 1 small garlic clove

• Juice 1 ½ lemons (approx 3 tbsp)

• 3 tbsp water

• ¼ tsp sea salt

  Method

• Pre heat the oven to 180ºc.

• Spread the potatoes and celeriac on 2 large trays with a pinch of thyme and drizzle with 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, roast for 20-25 minutes until soft and browned.

• Rinse the quinoa really well and cook as per the packet instructions, rinse and drain well. Toss in a good pinch of salt and set aside in a pan with the lid on to keep warm.

• Blitz the dressing ingredients in a mini chopper or use a stick blender in a deep jug.

• While everything is still warm layer the quinoa, veggies and dressing, serve immediately if you can, but if you have to make ahead then this salad is lovely at room temperature too.

Spanish style hake with lemon courgette & wholewheat cous cous

Although we eat a lot of veggies in our house, we do also eat fish about once a week. We have a great local fishmonger or we sometimes get organic deliveries from Able & Cole. I’ve also introduced some organic chicken back into my diet, which I probably eat once a week or every two. The idea is to eat meat that is as high quality as possible, but far less often (than I used to a year or so ago) and the same goes for the rest of the fam.

Anyway, back to tonight! This is a great mid-week dish as it’s super quick and easy to prepare, even quicker if you make the tomato sauce in advance (up to 3 days). Then you would only need to add the fish and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. Likewise, this would be a great meal to make for friends at the weekend as it’s very hands off, leaving you more time to drink and chat!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 medium onion, small dice

• 1 red pepper, small dice

• 1 large garlic clove, chopped finely

• 1 tsp pimentón (paprika) or sweet smoked paprika

• 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes, or chopped plum

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 4 fillets of hake

• 1 courgette, 1 cm round slices

• 1 lemon, cut in wedges

• A small handful of chopped parsley

• 200g wholewheat cous cous

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 fan / 200ºc.

2. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide shallow oven-proof saucepan. Add the onions, cook for 5 minutes, then add the red pepper, cooking for a further 10 minutes on low.

3. Next mix in the garlic and cook for a minute or so and then add the pimento and stir well.

4. Pour in the cherry tomatoes; rinse out the cans with an inch of water and add to the sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes and then stir in the sea salt.

5. Cook the basmati as per the packet instructions – usually 20-25 minutes simmering in boiling water.

6. Once the tomato sauce is cooked, place the hake into the tomato sauce, so it is half submerged and slide the pan into the oven for 15 minutes until the fish is just cooked through. You can also simmer on the hob if you don’t have an oven proof pan.

1. While the hake cooks, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium sized frying pan. Fry the courgette slices on a med-high heat for 3-4 minutes a side or until browned. Set aside on a warm plate and dress with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt. Cover loosely with a piece of foil to keep warm.

2. As the courgette cooks put the cous cous in a small saucepan or heatproof bowl with a good pinch of salt, pour over 300ml boiling water. Cover and stand for 8-10 minutes until soft.

3. When the fish is ready, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with the remaining lemon wedges.

Lemon drizzle

Show me a person who doesn’t like lemon drizzle? It’s one of the best classics IMO and is certainly a fave in our household. It’s lovely with a cuppa, but equally you can serve as a pud with fresh raspberries, fruit coulis - any combination of berry would be lovely - and whipped cream

Ingredients

• 240g butter, room temp

• 240g golden caster sugar

• 3 unwaxed lemons

• 4 eggs

• 240g self-raising flour, sifted

• 100ml milk

• 140g demerara sugar

  Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 180Cºc.

• Grease a 23cm cake tin with butter and line with greaseproof paper.

• Beat together the butter, caster sugar and zest of 2 lemons until light and fluffy. This will take about 5 minutes on med/high.

• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well combined before adding the next.

• Gently fold in the flour, or add a spoon at a time with the mixer on low. Turn off the beater as soon as the flour is combined to prevent knocking too much air out.

• Slowly add the milk, the batter should a dropping consistency so it falls off the spoon.

• Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 50-55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.

• Zest the other two lemons and tap the zest on to a plate to dry a little before you use it as decoration.

• Juice all 4 lemons and stir in the demerara sugar, set aside until the cake is cooked.

• As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes all over the top, especially near the edge and slowly pour over the drizzle using a spoon to distribute evenly. Sprinkle over the dried lemon zest.

baked brown basmati with red pepper & cherry tomatoes

I thought I would try baking brown rice instead of white and turns out it’s pretty much the same, but takes a little longer in the oven. This is a really good way to do a hands off rice dish that can be your main course with the addition of baked feta, halloumi, crispy chickpeas or toasted hazelnuts, or you could also have it as a side with roast chicken or grilled fish.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 200g cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, half moon slices

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 500ml boiling water, ½ veggie stock cube

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 200g brown basmati rice

• 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

• 1 lemon, juiced

• salt and pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Put the cherry tomatoes and red peppers in the medium oven proof dish that you’re going to use for the rice and mix in 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper. Put in the oven for 20 minutes, until cooked and starting to brown.

• While the tomatoes and peppers are cooking, get a small frying pan add a little olive oil and fry the onions gently for around 15 minutes until browned.

• Boil 500ml of water, mix with the ½ stock cube and 1tsp sea salt in a jug.

• When the tomatoes and peppers are ready, squeeze out the garlic and mash. Distribute it as evenly as possible over the vegetables. Do the same with the cooked onions, don’t mix them in.

• Next scatter the rice evenly over the top of the vegetables (no mixing), drizzle 2 tbsp olive oil evenly over the top and then pour over the hot stock.

• Put tinfoil over the top of the dish as tightly as possible, you may need to double layer. This is easier if you have a dish with a lip around the top edge. Put in the oven for 45 minutes, until the rice is soft and all the water as absorbed.

• Serve with a scattering of parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Red pepper, white bean and lentil stew

Is it a stew, or is it a soup?! Who knows! But it’s tasty, chunky and total veggie comfort food 🌱

I love this stew/soup (stoup?!) in a big bowl on its own, or equally with a chunk of buttered sourdough, or with brown rice and steamed greens - it’ll go further if you have it this way too. A blob of Greek or vegan coconut yoghurt is lovely on top.

I always try to add lots of gut-friendly fibre (not just for bulking, but to feed your good microbes!) in my cooking, plus I eat a lot of veggie food, so I like to make sure that there is also plenty of protein too - in this soup the lentils and beans will give you loads of both!

Delicious as a comforting dinner, or perfect for lunch - you decide!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 red peppers, quartered and sliced 

• 3 small cloves garlic, chopped finely 

• 1 tsp cumin seeds 

• 1 tsp smoked paprika or pimentón

• 200g red lentils, rinsed well  

• 1 x 400g tinned tomatoes

• 200ml coconut milk (freeze the rest for next time)

• ½ veg stock cube (I used Kallo low salt)

• 1 tbsp rose harissa  

• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans

• 1 tsp sea salt 

• Juice of ½ lemon

• A small handful of chopped parsley

Method

• Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 8 minutes.

• Next add the red pepper for a further 5 minutes and then the garlic, stirring well. Cook for another minutes or so.

• Now put in the smoked paprika and cumin seeds and stir well to warm through and release their flavours.

• Next add the rinsed lentils, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, 1 ½ tins of water and the rose harissa.

• Simmer for 15 minutes with a little gap in the lid (add a little extra water if needed to loosen) then add the drained cannellini beans. Cook for about 5 minutes.

• Next stir in the salt, lemon juice and parsley

• Serve with a blob of yoghurt - coconut for vegan option

Roasted squash & cauliflower soup with rose harissa yoghurt

This soup is packed with a huge amount of flavour, especially considering it’s made with only 5 ingredients! The vegetables are all roasted so the caramelisation really adds depth to this simple soup. It’s really easy to make and is very ‘hands off’ as everything goes in the oven basically and then you just blitz them altogether at the end.

Ralph said this was his favourite ever soup - let me know what you think!! I love the yoghurt dressing, but it is totally optional as there is already so much flavour in the soup itself.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 small squash

• 1 small cauliflower

• 3 large cloves garlic

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 800-1L boiling water

• 1 lime wedge

Yoghurt topping

• 120ml Greek yoghurt (or vegan option: coconut)

• 1 tbsp rose harissa

• 1 tbsp tahini

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc and put all the chopped veggies in one big tray; coat with 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and then sprinkle over the cumin and a good pinch of salt. Mix well.

• Separate the cauliflower and onion on to one tray and put the squash on another. 

• Put the squash in the oven for 20 minutes then check and turn. 

• When the squash goes back in, put in the cauliflower and onions as well for 15 minutes. 

• Check and turn the cauliflower and onions, then put back in for 8 minutes. All the vegetables should be done together, but if not, just roast whichever one hasn’t browned for another 5-10 minutes.

• While the vegetables are cooking, make the yoghurt by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl.

• Boil at least 1 litre of water in the kettle.

• Scrape the vegetables into a large saucepan and then deglaze each tray with 150ml of boiling water. Pour the flavour rich water into the pan, scraping all the residue off using a silicone spatula.

• Squeeze out the roasted garlic from their skins into the pan and add a further 600ml of boiling water.

• Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, simmer for 5 minutes and then blitz with a hand blender until smooth. You might need to add an extra 100-200ml of water depending on thickness. 

• Add the sea salt, but adjust according to how much extra water you’ve added and finish with a squeeze of lime (about 1 tsp).

• Serve with a blob of the harissa yoghurt on top.

Tip

• When roasting vegetables:

  I tend not to mix types as they can cook at different rates, so I might need to take one out earlier.

  Always let the excess steam out by opening the oven a tiny bit about every 15 minutes - this helps them brown/crisp up.

Fluffy spelt pancakes

Love these for brunch at the weekend with berries, fruit compote, Greek yoghurt and maple syrup! It is really worth the extra step of whisking the eggs, so they’re lighter and fluffier like American pancakes.

Ingredients

Makes 4-6 x 12cm pancakes

• 130g spelt flour

• 170ml oat milk, or cow’s

• 1 large egg

• Pinch of salt

Method

• Get two medium sized bowls and an electric hand whisk (if not - elbow grease!)

• Weigh the flour in one of the bowls, make a well in the middle and pour in the milk.

• Separate the egg - white in one bowl, yolk in with the flour.

• Whisk the egg white until it forms soft semi-stiff peaks.

• Use the same whisk to mix the flour, milk and yolk, then scrape in the egg white and gently fold in with a spatula. Try to avoid mixing too much as you’ll knock the air out.

• Heat a little olive or coconut oil in a frying pan and then add a small ladle of the mixture.

• Cook until you see bubbles appearing on the edges and towards the centre of the uncooked surface - approx 2-3 minutes (see pic). Flip and cook for about another minute.

Tip

• If you have some mixture left over, keep refrigerated in an air-tight container and it will be fine to use the next day.

Strawberry & blueberry compote

I always have a tub of compote in my fridge as I have it with breakfast almost everyday. It works so well with overnight oats, porridge, granola and yoghurt or pancakes adding flavour and sweetness in a nutritious way - head to the ‘Breakfast’ section for recipes.

My blueberry-hating children will also eat this, so it’s a good way of getting them to eat a wider variety of fruit!

Ingredients

• 400g frozen blueberries & strawberries

• 1-2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (optional)

Method

• Warm the fruit in a lidded saucepan and once it has fully defrosted, take the lid off and simmer for 5 minutes.

• Use a potato masher to break up the larger pieces of fruit or blitz with a hand blender if you prefer a smoother texture.

• Stir in the honey or maple if you’re using. This compote is naturally quite sweet so you might like it without.

Coconut & walnut overnight oats

Overnight oats is still one of my go-to breakfasts; it takes minutes to prep in the evening and then you have a delish breakfast ready in the morning. You just need to add the toppings.

I’ve never been a fan of whole walnuts, but I really like them in a butter. They are actually incredibly good for you with the highest polyphenol (antioxidant) and Omega 3 content out of all nuts, helping to increase gut microbiota diversity and health, reduce inflammation and support your cardiovascular and immune systems. So I figured I should start liking them! They’re also really good with cheese, crackers and sliced apple too.

The other ingredient added here is kefir. It’s a cultured, fermented milk drink, which is a great source of calcium and rich in good probiotic bacteria for your gut. I’ve used Biotiful that you can find in Sainsburys.

The best toppings IMO are Greek yoghurt (also boosting good gut bacteria), fruit compote, toasted nuts and seeds plus extra nut butter, but you can have any combination you like.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 80g oats

• 40g white chia seeds

• 40g raisins

• 25g desiccated coconut

• 10g flaxseed

• 1-2 tbsp nut butter

• 400ml nut milk or organic whole 

• 150ml kefir

Method

• Mix all the ingredients together in a medium sized tub with an air-tight lid.

• Serve with homemade compote

Tip

• If you can’t get hold of walnut butter, you can always use a different kind - almond or cashew are both really nice - and top with a few whole walnuts instead to get their benefit.

Crunchy rainbow slaw with toasted seeds

So simple, so tasty and so good for you! Love this slaw; it’s a great side dish to eat with winter casseroles or chilli as a nice crunchy fresh element on the plate or with BBQed veggies, fish or meat in the summer.
There’s a little bit of chopping if you’re using a knife, but if you have a spiraliser, or a food processor then we’re talking seconds!
I’ve measured the veggies in terms of peeled/prepped weight, so you can pick and choose the ones you prefer. I would always use a much smaller proportion of red onion though as it’s obviously a bit pokey!

I think this combination works really well though as there’s a nice colour and flavour range, but feel free to remix!

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 60g sunflower / pumpkin seeds

• 480g white/red cabbage, carrots, spinach, red onion

• 60ml extra virgin olive oil

• 30ml red wine vinegar

• 1½ tsp honey or maple

• Pinch of salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180c. Spread the seeds on a baking tray and toast for 6 minutes.

• Peel/prep and weigh the veggies, then shred using a food processor or spiraliser (I used the straight shredder and the 5mm for the carrots).

• Mix the oil, vinegar, honey and salt, giving them a good shake in a dressing shaker or lidded jar.

• Put the veggies in a bowl and pour over the dressing gradually, mixing and adding the seeds as you go along. Save a few seeds to sprinkle over the top.

• If you’re making ahead then store the veggies, dressing and seeds separately. The veggies keep best in an airtight bag and will last 2-3 days.
  

Vegan banana, pecan & tahini bites

Looking for a healthy snack recipe? Well, stop right here as these bites are super tasty and so full of good stuff: protein (growth development, muscle building, bone mass), fibre (healthy gut microbiome), zinc (immunity), B1 thiamine (energy production), manganese & phosphorus (bone health)!

They’re really quick to prep and will keep in an airtight container for up to a week, although they will go a little crumbly after a few days, (if they last that long), but they’re great on top of natural yoghurt! If you’re making them for kids to take to school then leave out the pecans or switch for pumpkin, sunflower or flaxseeds, but do check your school’s policy on allergens first.

Ingredients

• 60g pecan nuts

• 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

• 1 large banana 150g

• 6 tbsp tahini

• 4 tbsp maple syrup 

• 250g oats

• Pinch of sea salt

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc and line a 20x20cm tin with baking parchment. Scrunch it up into a ball and then it will mould into the tin more easily.  

• Spread the pecans out on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Set aside to cool. 

• Melt the coconut oil in a pan on the hob or a bowl in the microwave for a minute. 

• Mash the banana in a large bowl, then mix in the tahini, maple syrup and coconut oil. Stir well and then weigh the oats in the same bowl. Mix together well. 

• Break up the pecans with your fingers or chop roughly and stir into the mix. 

• Scrape into the lined tin and bake for 20-25 minutes until starting to brown on top. 

• Cool completely before cutting up. 

Leek, potato & white bean stew

Is it a stew, or is it a soup?! Well, I’ve gone with stew, but either way, here’s a nice hearty dish to try out now it’s getting a bit colder. I mean, cheese and potatoes - what’s not to like!? I can even get the kids to eat this with lots of cheddar or parmesan on top. It goes without saying that they pick the kale out though! Eating plenty of potatoes is a great way to feed your gut with prebiotics to encourage diversity in your microbiome. So what you waiting for? Get cooking!

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 25g butter

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1.2kg potatoes, peeled 2cm cubes

• 2 sticks celery, chopped finely

• 2 large leek, halved 1cm slices

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• ½ stock cube (I use Kallo veggie low salt) + 1l boiling water

• 1 parmesan rind, optional

• 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans (or any you prefer)

• 2 handfuls of chopped kale (tough stalks removed)

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 tsp sea salt

• A good grind of black pepper

• A handful of grated extra mature cheddar or parmesan and parsley to serve

Method

• Melt the butter and then add the oil, warming for a minute.

• Fry the potatoes gently for 15 minutes and then add the leeks and celery, cooking for a further 15 minutes.

• Add the garlic, stir well and cook for a further few minutes.

• Add the stock, parmesan rind and cannellini beans, simmering with the lid on for 25 minutes.

• Add the kale and cook for 5 minutes or until soft.

• Next add the mustard , vinegar, salt and black pepper, stirring well.

• Serve in bowls with a big handful of cheddar or parmesan, plus herbs if you’re using them.

• A wedge of warm sourdough and salted butter is also divine with this stew.

tip

• A note about stock - if I’m using a cube then I always increase the recommended amount of water (usually I double it), otherwise you end up tasting the stock cube rather than it being a savoury back note. In this recipe I have kept the stock ratio very low as it would dominate the delicate flavour of the leeks.

Red pepper chickpeas with rose harissa

I like to make a big pan of these chickpeas as I love to eat the leftovers for lunch with feta and sourdough or a green salad. They’re a great way to up your plant-based protein if you’re cutting back on meat and I even managed to get my pescatarian legume-hating daughter to eat them on a baked potato with lots of cheddar on top. So I’m classifying them a child-friendly too!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, grated

• 1 red pepper, sliced

• 1 tsp of ground cumin

• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas

• 1 tin of cherry tomatoes

• 1 tbsp rose harissa

• 1 tsp sea salt

Method

• Heat 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan then add the onion and fry gently for five minutes.

• Next add the red pepper and cook gently for a further 10 minutes

• Add the garlic, cooking for one minute, then the cumin, stirring well for 30 seconds. 

• Pour in the chickpeas, tomatoes and rose harissa simmering gently for 20 minutes.

• Finish by adding 1 teaspoon of salt and serve with crumbled feta, crusty sourdough and a green salad. 

Tip

• If you want to use up the rose harissa, just type it in as a search term on my site and more recipes will come up!

• Serve with any of the following: chicken, white fish, baked potato, brown rice, cheddar cheese, coconut or Greek yoghurt.

Tomato & coconut red lentils with roasted cumin cauliflower

I love lentils, they’re so satisfying and really versatile; they can be flavoured with lots of different spices and herbs, plus they’re a really cheap and tasty way to add more planted-based protein to your diet.

Here’s my take on a dal, made with coconut milk and tomatoes this time. I’ve added roasted cauliflower to bring another texture and flavour to the bowl, but if you want to simplify then the lentils are still great on their own with yoghurt.

Ingredients

Serves 6

Cauliflower

• 1 whole cauliflower, chopped into small florets

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1 tsp sea salt

Onions

• 2 small onions, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, grated

• A thumb fresh ginger, peeled & grated

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp coriander seeds

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1 tsp sea salt

Lentils

• 350g red lentils

• 500ml water

• 1 × 400 ml tin coconut milk

• 1 × 400g tin cherry tomatoes

• 1 tsp turmeric 

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºc.

• First prep the cauliflower: tip onto a large tray and gather up at one end.

• Mix the oil, cumin and salt in a small bowl and drizzle over the cauliflower, coating well. Now spread out the florets evenly with small gaps in between them. Set aside.

• Heat 1 tbsp cold pressed rapeseed oil in a large pan and then add the onions, cooking gently for 15 minutes on a low heat so they start to caramelise.

• Now put the cauliflower in the oven for 12 minutes, turn (one side should be browned before you do this) and put back in the oven for 5 minutes.

• While the onions and cauliflower are cooking, rinse the red lentils thoroughly with cold water - I usually do this by putting them into a saucepan adding cold water, swishing them around, then tipping out the majority of the water. Repeat until the water runs almost clear then drain throughly.

• Put the lentils in a large saucepan and add 500ml of cold water plus the coconut milk, cherry tomatoes and turmeric, simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

• Next add the ginger and garlic to the onions, cooking for 2-3 minutes, before adding the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds. Warm for a minute to release their flavours.

• Add the onion mix to the lentils, plus sea salt, stir well and cook for a further 10 minutes.

• Serve with Brown Basmati rice, natural yoghurt and fresh coriander leaves

Chocolate flapjack

Chocolate flapjack is the ultimate indulgence right? Combining two of my favourite things: a totally lethal mix of chewy sweet oats and melted chocolate!

I have used milk here, but you could switch for dark or white if you prefer, or all 3 if you like!

Ingredients

Makes a large 21 x 32cm tray, but you could halve the ingredients to fit 20x20cm

• 400g unsalted butter

• 400g demerara sugar

• 400g golden syrup

• 800g porridge oats

• 200g milk chocolate

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 °c and line the tray with baking parchment.

• Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a large pan, stirring to mix well.

• Add the oats and stir well to combine.

• Scrape the ingredients into the tray and press down with a cake slice or palette knife.

• Bake for 18-20 minutes; you’re looking for a golden colour with slightly browned edges. The flapjack will be bubbling and quite soft when it comes out of the oven, but it’ll set as it cools.

• Once the flapjack has cooled completely, melt the chocolate - I usually do this in the microwave: put the chocolate in a glass bowl and heat on 600w for 1 minute, then stir and put back in for 30 seconds. Or use the same bowl and place over a pan with 3 cm boiling water and melt gently.

• Use a spoon to drizzle the melted chocolate over the flapjack in any pattern you like.

• Cool before slicing and eating - if you can wait that long!

  tip

• If you scrunch the baking parchment into a ball first and then open up it’s much easier to line you tray with it.

• I’ve used Demerara sugar to give the flapjacks a little crunch, but you can always switch to normal caster if you don’t have it.

Vanilla & orange roasted apricots

I find that apricots are often a bit tasteless and floury textured in the UK, but this is a way of bringing even the most flavourless to life. I love to eat these for breakfast with yoghurt and granola, porridge or they’re great for pud in the evening with ice cream.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Approx 8 apricots

• 2 tbsp fresh orange juice

• 1 tbsp demerara sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 vanilla pod

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180ºc.

• Cut the apricots in half and take the stones out. Place in a medium sized oven proof dish, so they fit snugly.

• Spoon over the orange juice, sugar and vanilla paste. If you’re using a fresh pod then I would mix up the juice, sugar and seeds in a bowl before pouring over the apricots.

• Put the apricots in the oven for 40—45 minutes, until fully softened. They shouldn’t be dried out at all - you can always cover with foil if you think they are.

Tip

• I’ve used vanilla bean paste as it is cheaper than using a pod and I think the apricots still taste really good.

• Add a little squeeze of honey or fruit syrup once cooked if you want a slightly sweater taste. You could also sub the demerara sugar and cook with these too.

• Try with my granola - recipe here

Broad bean pea & feta salad

This is a lovely fresh salad taking advantage of the super fresh tasting ingredients around at the moment. I have added a little zing of wood sorrel as we happened to find some on a walk at the weekend, but the salad is lovely without this addition anyway, so it’s by no means essential!

*Please don’t forage unless you know what you’re looking for or you’re with someone who does. And never take too much!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 500g podded broad beans in pods

• 500g peas in pods

• A couple of handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped roughly

• 2-3 tbsp crumbled feta

• A small handful of fresh mint, chopped

• Optional: small handful of wood sorrel, washed, dried and tough red parts of stalk removed.

  Dressing

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• ¼ tsp sea salt

• A good grind of black pepper

method

• Blanch the broad beans in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, Remove with a slotted spoon and put in a bowl of iced water. Remove the light green outer skin which is tough and put the green beans in a bowl with the chopped spinach.

• Blanch the peas for 2 minutes, drain and cool under a cold tap for a few seconds. When dry add to the broad beans and spinach.

• Mix the dressing ingredients.

• Add all the vegetables to a large bowl, mix in the dressing and the mint, then top with feta and wood sorrel.