Roast tomato & red pepper risotto with garlic ciabatta

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 300g cherry tomatoes

• 1 red pepper

• 1 onion, chopped finely

• 1 stick celery, chopped finely

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 15g fresh basil, stalks finely chopped / leaves torn

• 1 glass of white wine

• 350g risotto rice

• 900ml vegetable stock

• 40g parmesan, finely grated

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter

• ¾ tsp sea salt

  Garlic ciabatta

• ½ ciabatta loaf, cut into about 6 slices slices

• 20g unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 small clove garlic, grated

• pinch sea salt

• chopped chives, optional

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C

• Chop the cherry tomatoes in half and spread out on a baking tray, drizzle with olive or rapeseed oil. Bake for 20 minutes until starting to brown on the tray. After you take them out make sure you scrape the tray to loosen all the brown caramelisation to use later.

• Put the whole red pepper on some tin foil and place under a hot grill and blacken on all sides - this should take about 12-15 minutes, turning every 2-3. Wrap in the foil once cooked and leave to cool for 5 minutes, then peel, deseed and chop or tear into ½ cm wide strips.

• While the tomatoes and pepper are cooking, chop the onion, celery and basil stalks then add a glug of olive oil to a wide low sided pan and cook gently for around 10 minutes or until soft, but not browned.

• Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

• Warm the stock on the hob or microwave.

• Next add the risotto rice to the onion mix and stir well to coat, turn the heat up a little and pour in the wine. Let the rice sizzle until the alcohol has burnt off - about 2/3 minutes.

• Now turn the heat down and start to add the stock one ladle at a time, stirring well to combine. The rice will need to cook for 20 minutes, but after 12 minutes add the roasted tomatoes (don’t forget the tasty tray scrapings!) and red pepper strips.

• Get the garlic bread prepped while the risotto is cooking. Mix the garlic into the butter with a fork and spread on once side of each slice. Place on a baking tray and put in a 180°C oven for 6-8 minutes, or place under a hot grill (non buttered side first) for a couple of minutes a side.

• Keep adding the rest of the stock and then finish by stirring in the butter, basil leaves and 2/3 of the parmesan, reserving the last bit to sprinkle on top to serve. You could artfully place a few pretty basil leaves on top too if you’re feeling flash :-)

• Serve with a green salad, garlic bread and a glass of chilled Albariño.

Tip

• A note about stock - if I’m using a cube then I will double the amount of water recommended on the pack, so for this recipe I just used one cube for one litre of water. Otherwise you’ll end up tasting the stock cube rather than it being a savoury back note.

• I don’t always want to open a bottle of wine just for cooking, so I keep a bottle of Sherry or Vermouth in the cupboard to use for risotto. It doesn’t go off like wine, so you can just use a glass as and when you need it.

• To make the risotto vegan, you could use non-dairy butter and add a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and or a little oat cream instead of cheese. Top with toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds.

• I use a Microplane or fine grater for the cheese and garlic.

Vegan slaw

I love this vegan mayo as it tastes so much lighter than regular. You can use any combination of veggies, these are just the ones I happened to have in my fridge. The mayo is simple to make, but you’ll need to get some silken tofu, hopefully you’ll have the rest in your cupboard, but if not everything else is pretty easy to pick up. If you’d prefer to go classic you could mix regular mayo with a bit of mustard, grated garlic and vinegar (any kind you have) or lemon juice to let it down a bit.

As you’ll see from the pictures below we had our slaw with Spanish chickpea stew (recipe coming soon) and home made tortilla chips, t’was a nice summer plate.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 red cabbage

• 1/4 cauliflower

• 1/2 red pepper

• 1/4 green pepper

• 1/4 red onion

• 1/4 white cabbage)

• A couple of handfuls of peas and edamame

Method

• Chop the cabbage, peppers and red onion finely using a food processor, mandolin or knife.

Vegan mayo

Ingredients

• 350g silken tofu 

• 140ml olive oil

• 1 small clove garlic 

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• 3 tbsp cider or white wine vinegar

• 3 tbsp lemon juice 

• 1/2 tsp table salt

Method

Add to a small processor and blitz. Makes about 550ml and lasts for for 7 days in the fridge.

Cheesy baked potatoes

The humble baked potato: not usually worthy of a blog post, but these are one of our family faves so I thought I’d share as they’re a sure fire hit. If you’re stuck with what to cook and only have basic ingredients this is a super simple way of turning an ordinary baked pot into something special! (well almost)

Ingredients

• 1 baked potato per person and a couple extra for lunch tomorrow

• The same amount of butter and cheddar cheese that you would normally use for the number of potatoes you’e cooking

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.

• Bake your potatoes as usual; once they’re done, cut in half, scoop out the insides and put in a big bowl ready to mash.

• Put in a teaspoon of butter and a small handful of cheddar for each potato. I didn’t have quite enough cheddar so I used some parmesan as well, but save some cheddar for topping if you can and mash.

• Add any of the following: diced fried onion, roasted red peppers (jarred for ease), sun dried tomatoes, bacon, tuna mayo (think tuna melt), ham or mozzarella, feta - anything you like really, but make sure it’s chopped fairly small.

• Mix up the lot and put it back in the skins, top with grated cheese and put back in the oven for 5-10 mins or until browned on top. If they won’t brown then just flash under the grill for 2 mins.

• Great for lunch with salad or a simple dinner. We ate ours for lunch with a combination of veggie sausages, salad and beans (for the kids).

  Tip

  For a more ‘sophisticated’ option could also try the same method with sweet potato - it’s lovely with mozzarella, basil & roasted red peppers.

Green lentil dal with crispy red onion

This was a cupboard and fridge raid dinner as we didn’t have much in, but it turned out to be really tasty. Lentils are a great source of protein and fibre and the combination with brown rice and roasted veggies makes this dish low fat and packed with nutrients.

Ingredients

Serves 6-8 portions

• 600g green lentils

• 5 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

• Thumb of fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tbsp turmeric

• 1-2 tsp dried chillies

• 2 tbsp groundnut oil

• 2 red onions, finely sliced

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• Fresh coriander, chopped to serve if you have it. I didn’t and it was still tasty without

• 1 cauliflower, chopped into florets

• 4 red onions sliced into half moons

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°c.

• Rinse the lentils well and then add to a large pan with 3L of water, boil and then reduce to a simmer. For the first 15 mins make sure you take off the scum as it can make the dal bitter.

• Once the scum has stopped forming add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and dried chilli. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have completely broken down and there isn’t much liquid left. Season with 1-1 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste.

• While the lentils cook add the mustard seeds to another pan with a little oil and heat until they start to pop.

• Next put in the onions and fry gently until they’re browning and starting to crisp. This will take a while, 20-30 mins. Add the cumin seeds for the last 5 mins.

• While the dal is cooking, place the florets on a baking tray (well spaced out) and drizzle with rapeseed or olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cumin seeds. Roast for 15 minutes and then turn, put back in the oven for 5-8 minutes - or until the other side is browned.

• Serve with basmati (I added wild rice too) and the cauliflower and red onions ( the photos shows some slices of white sweet potato too, you don’t need these, I just wanted to use some up).

Super seed coconut energy balls

In the interests of healthy snacking I decided to make these today. I’ve noted how you can switch the ingredients to work with what you have in the cupboard, so you can make your own version.

Ingredients

Makes 24 falafel sized balls

• 400g dates (or 350g dates / 150g apricots as I needed to use them up)

• 50g sunflower seeds (or any other nut)

• 50g pumpkin seeds (ditto)

• 100g desiccated coconut (or nuts)

• 4 tbsp cacao (or coco powder - I think - never tried it but can’t see why not!)

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 2 tbsp peanut butter (or any nut butter, smooth or crunchy)

Method

• Put the seeds into the food processor and blitz, before adding all the other ingredients, except the dates.

• Turn on the processor and add the dates one at a time - I’ve found this is the best way of avoiding clogging up the blades. Mix until you have a smooth thick paste.

• Use a mini ice cream scoop to measure out if you have one, and shape the balls as you press them into desiccated coconut.

Broccoli, tomato, avocado & orzo with wild garlic pesto

This is a quick and easy salad for a healthy lunch or dinner. You could crumble a little feta on top or add a few slices of mozzarella and some basil leaves to add some extra protein if you’re eating it on its own.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 head broccoli

• 400g cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 avocado (optional)

• 350g orzo 

• 20g toasted almond flakes

• 2 tbsp any kind of pesto - I made some myself, but you can use jarred or fresh ready made from the supermarket. 

  Method

• Turn your oven on to 180°c and put the veggies on a large tray so they have plenty of space. Drizzle with rapeseed or olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for about 15 mins, turning the broccoli midway.

• Cook the orzo as per the packet instructions - usually boil for 10 mins.

• Drain the orzo and stir in the pesto.

• Spoon the orzo and veggies on to a serving plate, add the avocado if you’re using, season and sprinkle with toasted almonds.

• A drizzle of posh balsamic or balsamic glaze (same sweet tangy flavour as the posh, but way cheaper!) would also be good.

• Add feta, mozzarella or goats cheese if you like and serve with a leafy salad and sweet potato wedges.

• For non-veggies this salad would be great with grilled chicken or fish

Pesto

Makes 7-8 decent portions, so plenty to freeze. 

• 100g wild garlic, basil or parsley

• 1/2 large clove garlic (but don’t add if you’re using wild garlic!)

• 2 tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)

• 5 tbsp olive oil

• 100g pine nuts or sunflower/pumpkin seeds, toasted almonds, walnuts

• 15g parmesan (or extra nuts for a vegan option) 
  1/4 tsp table salt
  
  

Vegan noodle bowl

I’m rapidly becoming obsessed with making noodle bowls! They’re the perfect balance of flavour, texture, nutrients and they look bloody amazing too. This is my latest combo that we ate for lunch today, but it would have been equally good as a main course - it might only serve 3 for dinner though, so make a bit more if you have big appetites!

Ingredients

• 220g packet brown vermicelli noodles

• 130g mangetout or sugar snap peas, whole 

• 150g carrots, as finely julienned as possible 

• 2 spring onions - I used 3cm of the green end of leek as I didn’t have any onions, red would also be fine too

• 100g radishes, chopped into thin slices

• 100g cucumber, julienned

• Juice of 1 lime 

• 200g firm tofu - optional

  Dressing 

• 7 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 3 tbsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (white wine if not)

• 4 tbsp smooth peanut butter, crunchy is fine too though

Method

• First cook the noodles as per the packet instructions, rinse well in cold water and set aside. 

• Chop the veggies and set aside, but don’t mix them.

• Put all the dressing ingredients into a shaker (this Oxo Good Grips one is great - no more leaky jars!) or jar and mix really well as the peanut butter will take longer to dissolve.

• Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the noodles and mix well. If the dressing is a little thick then add a tbsp or two of water. 

• Divide the noodles into 4 bowls and add the veggies in little groups. 

• If you’re using tofu then chop into small cubes and fry on a medium heat for about 5 minutes in a little sesame oil. Once browned on at least two sides add a splash of soy for flavour. 

• Add the tofu to the bowls and serve with a lime wedge and the rest of the dressing drizzled over the veggies.

Courgette, tomato & orzo salad with feta & pumpkin seeds

This is a tasty summer salad, which can be eaten on it’s own for lunch or as part of a spread of sides. Personally I love it just as it is, but it would be great with roasted chicken, or any kind of fish.

Ingredients

Serves 4 or 6 as a side

• 350g orzo, cooked as per packet instructions

• 1 large courgette, sliced diagnonally

• 200g baby plum or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 100g feta, crumbled

• 2-3 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon, increase if you like it tangy

• Small handful of basil leaves

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 180°c, arrange the tomatoes on a tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil. 

• Put the tray in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, allow to cool once cooked.

• Put a griddle pan on the job to heat and brush the courgette lightly on one side with rapeseed oil. 

• Place the courgette, oiled side down, into the pan in neat rows, don’t overlap.

• Griddle on a med/high heat until you have nice dark lines. Don’t move the slices before you have a line or they won’t be as distinct. You might need to press each slice of the courgette into the pan to help get the lines. 

• Turn the courgettes and repeat. You might need to do this in batches if there isn’t enough room in the pan. 

• Put the cooked orzo into a large bowl and mix in the tomatoes and courgettes.

• Pour in the oil and lemon juice, plus a sprinkle of salt and grind of pepper, mix well and then add the basil.

• Crumble over the feta and add the pumpkin seeds, taste and add a little more lemon juice if needed.

Clean green smoothie

I’ll admit it - I’ve never been a fan of hardcore green smoothies. I’d much rather eat my vegetables than drink them! But I wanted to create something light, fresh, and genuinely enjoyable - not something you sip just for the health benefits. This one hits the mark: it’s crisp, cooling, and packed with nutrients, with mint, lime, and ginger giving it a bright, refreshing lift.

Lower in protein but perfect as a refreshing nutrient boost when you fancy something light and revitalising.

Ingredients

Protein: ~3–4 g
Fibre: ~3–4 g

Serves 1

• 30g spinach

• 70g banana

• 20g avocado

• 3-4 mint leaves

• 5g fresh ginger

• 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice

• 210ml cold water

Simple ways to boost protein:

• Add 1 tbsp unflavoured collagen or whey isolate → +8–10 g protein, dissolves easily, no flavour.

• Add 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt → +5–6 g protein, adds light creaminess but still fresh.

• Use ½ nut milk + ½ soy milk → +3–4 g protein, minimal flavour change.

Ways to increase fibre:

• Add 1 tsp chia or ground flaxseed → +1–2 g fibre, still smooth when well blended.

• Add ½ kiwi or cucumber → light, hydrating, and subtle in flavour.

Method

• Add all the ingredients to your blender and blitz throughly

Basil pesto

This is my go-to basil pesto recipe that I’ve made countless times. This will make a big batch so you can freeze half of it to use another time. Half is enough to serve 4-5 with pasta. I also like to use pesto on any kind of roasted veggies, grilled fish, risotto - loads of things as it’s so versatile and adds a spike of flavour to make a dish more interesting.

Ingredients

• 90g fresh basil

• 1 small clove garlic

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• 60g pine nuts

• 15g grated parmesan

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Method

• Put the parmesan in the food processor and blitz for a few seconds until crumbled, then add the pine nuts and repeat.

• Put in the rest of the ingredients and pulse until you have a rough paste-like texture.

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), porridge, smoothies or on toast.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cashew nuts

• Pinch of sea salt

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 and salt into the processor and blend for around 4-5 minutes, or until smooth.

• Store in an air-tight jar.

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 made 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

• 1 tbsp of chia seeds

• Handful of raisins, about 40g

• Pinch of salt

To serve:

• A dollop of natural yoghurt, or coconut yoghurt)

• 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.