Sesame Peanut Noodles

I always make a large vat of these since they're lovely to pick at in the fridge. Plus, although they're easy to make, you do need quite a few ingredients - and this holds true whether you're making a small or big batch, so you may as well go all out.
I buy ready-cooked egg noodles from the supermarket, which make these even faster to fix.

Ingredients 

for the dressing

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic infused olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 100 grams smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons lime juice

for the salad

• 125 grams mangetout
• 150 grams beansprouts (rinsed)
• 1 red pepper (deseeded and cut into small strips)
• 2 spring onions (finely sliced)
• 550 grams egg noodles (ready prepared)
• 20 grams sesame seeds
• 4 tablespoons chopped coriander  

Method

1. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl or jug.
2. Put the mangetout, beansprouts, red pepper strips, sliced spring onions and the noodles into a bowl.
3. Pour the dressing over them and mix thoroughly to coat everything well.
4. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and chopped coriander and pack up as needed.

 

 

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Glitzy Chocolate Puddings..

If you've got an electric whisk - either a hand one or a freestanding mixer - this is very low effort indeed, but it is a real showstopper. There's something quite extraordinary about the greedy silence that falls over the table as you put these out. The glitz is provided by their utter fantabulousness and the scattering of honeycomb over the top. If you don't want to use a Crunchie bar, of course buy some honeycomb or make Hokey Pokey, or else scatter with finely chopped pistachios. You will lose the sugary-glitter look, but you will still have brought to life an elegantly voluptuous creation.

Ingredients

for the chocolate puddings

• 100 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 100 grams soft butter
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 50 grams plain flour
• ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch of salt

for the glaze

• 150 grams dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 45 grams butter
• 80 grams Crunchie bar (2 bars)  

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF.
2. Break up the chocolate and melt it with the butter in a bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler. Once it's melted, sit the bowl on a cold surface so that the chocolate cools.
3. Preferably in a freestanding mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until thick and pale and moussy, then gently fold in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt.
4. Fold in the slightly cooled chocolate and butter mixture and then divide between eight ramekins, put in the oven to bake for 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, get on with the glaze by melting the chocolate and butter in a microwave (or double boiler), then whisk to form a smooth glossy mixture, and spoon this over the cooked puddings.
6. Decorate with Crunchie bar rubble: I just put the bars in a freezer bag, set to with a rolling pin and strew over the top.

 

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Spinach, mushroom and ricotta quiche with sautéed spinach

Cook this gorgeous vegetarian quiche for a special occasion.

Ingredients

For the quiche

• butter, for greasing
• 400g/14oz ready-made shortcrust pastry
• 350g/12oz flat mushrooms
• 3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 400g/14oz baby spinach leaves
• freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250g/9oz ricotta cheese
• 1 tbsp grainy mustard
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 300ml/11fl oz double cream
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the spinach

• 25g/1oz butter
• 1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
• 500g/1lb 2oz baby spinach leaves
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/465F/Gas 4.
2. Grease a 25cm/10in loose-bottomed tart tin with butter.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to line the tart tin. Cover with cling film and place into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the pastry tart case from the fridge, cover with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Transfer to the oven and bake blind for 10-15 minutes.
5. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and return the tart case to the oven to bake for a further 3-5 minutes, until golden and just cooked.
6. Turn the oven temperature up to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
7. Meanwhile, place the mushrooms onto a baking tray, sprinkle over the thyme, drizzle over one tablespoon of the olive oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place into the oven to bake for 5-6 minutes, or until the mushrooms are beginning to soften. Remove and set aside.
8. Heat a large frying pan until hot and add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil and the spinach and cover with a lid. Cook until the spinach has just wilted, then remove from the pan and drain.
9. Season the spinach well with freshly grated nutmeg and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. Place the ricotta into a bowl. Add the grainy mustard, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
11. Spoon the mustard and ricotta mixture into the bottom of the tart case, top with the wilted spinach, and carefully place the roasted mushrooms on top.
12. Place the egg yolks and cream into a bowl, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and whisk together. Pour the egg mixture into the tart case.
13. Transfer to the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling. Remove and cool slightly before serving.
14. For the sautéed spinach, heat a frying pan until hot. Add the butter and swirl the garlic clove around to flavour the oil.
15. Remove the garlic clove, add the spinach and sauté until wilted down. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
16. To serve, cut slices of quiche and place onto plates with a spoonful of sautéed spinach alongside.

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Vegetable pad Thai

Feel free to omit the fish sauce and replace it with light soy sauce for a vegetarian pad Thai.

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz flat dried rice noodles
• 100g/4oz onions
• 4 spring onions
• 3 fresh red chillies (or green ones if you want a hotter dish)
• 2 tbsp groundnut (peanut) oil
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
• 3 tbsp fish sauce or light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
• 225g/8oz fresh bean sprouts
• handful fresh coriander
• 3 tbsp coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish

Method

1. Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water for 25 minutes.
2. While the noodles are soaking, prepare the vegetables. Peel and thinly slice the shallots and onion. Slice the spring onions at a slight angle into 2.5cm/1in lengths. Seed and finely chop the chillies.
3. When the noodles have soaked for 25 minutes, drain well in a colander or sieve. Discard the water.
4. Heat a wok over high heat. When it is hot, add the oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the shallots, onion, spring onions, chillies and garlic, and stir-fry for one minute.
5. Add the rice noodles, fish sauce or soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, lime juice, soy sauce, pepper, sugar and vegetarian oyster sauce, and continue to stir-fry for two minutes, mixing well.
6. Add the bean sprouts and continue to stir-fry for four minutes.
7. Finally, add the coriander and stir-fry briskly for 30 seconds.
8. Turn onto a warm platter, sprinkle with the peanuts and serve at once.

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Saag aloo with roasted gobi curry

This take on an Indian potato and cauliflower curry is a brilliant meal to make on the cheap.

Each serving provides 342kcal, 11g protein, 41g carbohydrate (of which 11g sugars), 13g fat (of which 4g saturates), 9g fibre and 0.7g salt.

Ingredients

For the roasted cauliflower

• ½ head white cauliflower
• ½ head romanesco cauliflower
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vegetable curry

• 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2cm/1in piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
• 5 fresh or dried curry leaves
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp ground fenugreek
• 2 green chillies
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm/1in cubes
• 450g/1lb baby spinach leaves, washed
• 250g/8oz tomatoes, chopped
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp sugar
• squeeze lemon juice

To serve

• steamed basmati rice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the cauliflower, break the two cauliflowers into bite-sized florets and place into a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, mixing until well combined. Roast for 20 minutes, or until golden-brown and tender.
3. For the vegetable curry, heat the ghee, or oil, in a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry the onion for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.
4. Add the ginger, mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric, fenugreek, whole green chillies and chilli powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mustard seeds pop and become aromatic. Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the spices.
5. Add the tomatoes, spinach leaves, sugar and 55ml/2fl oz water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Stir the roasted cauliflower florets into the curry and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.
7. To serve, remove and discard the whole green chillies. Serve the curry alongside steamed basmati rice.

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Quinoa and halloumi burger

These tasty vegetarian burgers use quinoa and halloumi for a healthier alternative to meat or takeaways.

Each burger provides 122 kcal, 6.5g protein, 11g carbohydrate (of which 1.3g sugars), 6g fat (of which 3.5g saturates), 0.5g fibre and 0.5g salt.

Ingredients

• 250g/9oz quinoa
• 250ml/9fl oz vegetable stock or water
• 2 free-range eggs, beaten
• 3 tbsp chickpea flour
• 3 tsp dried oregano or thyme
• ½ tsp chilli flakes (or chopped fresh chilli, to taste)
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 225g/8oz halloumi, diced
• 1 tbsp ghee, for frying
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Recipe tips

Method

1. Put the quinoa in a bowl and cover with approximately 500ml/18fl oz cold water. Add a pinch of salt. Set aside to soak overnight (or for at least 8 hours). Drain well.
2. Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan. Add the quinoa, stir once, then simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until tender. Remove from the heat and drain well. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, chickpea flour, herbs, chilli, and garlic until smooth and well combined. Stir in the spring onions, halloumi and quinoa. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little more chickpea flour or water if needed.
5. Shape the burger mixture into 16 equal-shaped patties in your hands.
6. Heat the ghee in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the fat is smoking, add the burger patties, shape with a spoon in the pan. You may need to do this in batches. Fry for 3-4 minutes, or until a golden-brown crust forms, then gently flip with a spatula and fry the other side.
7. Transfer the fried burgers to a roasting tray. When all of the burgers have been fried, cook them in the oven for a further 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
8. Serve with a green salad with red onion and avocado.

Recipe Tips

Tip 1: If you don’t have time to soak the quinoa, wash it thoroughly under cold running water, then cook according to the packet instructions.

Tip 2: Instead of frying the burgers, you can arrange them onto a lightly greased baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and golden-brown.

Tip 3: To check the seasoning of the burgers, fry a tablespoonful of the mixture before shaping it into patties, then season the main mixture accordingly.

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Courgetti spaghetti with tomato and butter bean pesto

This super-quick, no-cook, no-fuss vegan dish is a delicious and healthy alternative to traditional spaghetti pesto.
Equipment and preparation: For this recipe, you will need a julienne peeler.
This meal provides 378 kcal, 10g protein, 14g carbohydrate (of which 5g sugars), 31g fat (of which 6g saturates), 11g fibre and 0.9g salt per portion.

Ingredients

For the pesto

• 400g tin butter beans, drained
• 2 fat garlic cloves
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes
• 75g/2½oz fresh basil, reserve a few leaves to garnish
• 4 tbsp lemon juice
• pinch chilli flakes
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the courgetti spaghetti

• 6 courgettes, trimmed
• 2 large ripe avocados, skin and seeds removed, chopped
• red chilli, chopped, for garnish
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Recipe tips

Method

1. For the pesto, blend all of the ingredients and 9 tablespoons water to a rough paste in a food processor. Add extra water to loosen the mixture if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. For the courgetti spaghetti, peel spaghetti-like strands from the courgettes using a julienne peeler, collecting them in a large mixing bowl.
3. Scrape the pesto on top of the courgette strands and carefully stir until the courgette is evenly coated.
4. To serve, pile the courgetti spaghetti and pesto onto serving plates and top with the chopped avocado, reserved basil leaves, chopped chilli and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe Tips

Tip 1: Cover any leftover pesto with oil, then store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Tip 2: Add an extra 1 tbsp of water to the pesto mixture if using sun-dried tomatoes that are not in oil.

Tip 3: If you don’t have a julienne peeler, use a normal vegetable peeler to slice the courgette lengthways into very wide ribbons, then julienne these using a knife.

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