Cornbread

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt, 1/2 cup butter,1 cup polenta, 3/4 cup self-raising flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 2 eggs

2 bell peppers, 100g sweetcorn, 1 small red chilli or 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Serves: 5 Preparation: 30 minutes

Cornbread is a fabulous example of mixing the best of both worlds in one dish. Savoury with sweet nuggets of corn and pepper, a little spicy if you like that sort of thing with a fluffy yet grainy texture on the inside and a fabulous toasty crust on the outside. I like this with my Mexican mole soup, or part of a fried breakfast but it can be eaten cool just as a snack on its own. 

1) Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6 and grease a baking tray.

2) Melt the butter in a pan and whisk in the eggs and Greek Yoghurt.

3) Add the polenta, flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients from the pan into the dry ingredients and mix together until a smooth batter is formed.

4) Dice the bell pepper and add, along with the sweetcorn (frozen is fine) to the batter and transfer to the baking tray.

5) Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top begins to turn golden and a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cornbread can be eaten when cool, but is best toasted on a griddle.

Roast beetroot & carrot curry

Ingredients 1 can coconut milk, 1 can chickpeas, olive oil, 1 white onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 beetroot, 2 carrots, 1 tbs cumin, 1 tbs turmeric, 1 tbs coriander, chilli powder to taste.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Autumn to me means a glut of roasted vegetables and beetroot with its luscious silky purple juices is never far from my mind. Using roasted vegetables in curry is somewhat unusual, I know, but that magical alchemy gives a better flavour and texture and they look so beautiful without all the colour leaching away. I like to roast a job lot at the beginning of the week to put in the fridge for salads, pasties, and to make stews and soups. They're incredibly cost-effective and this curry is utterly delicious.

1) Peel the carrots and beetroot, drizzle with a little oil and roast in a covered dish for 40 minutes.

2) Peel and dice the onion and sautee in the oil until soft. Add the garlic, spices and chickpeas and stir through.

3) Spoon the thick cream which will have risen to the top of your can of coconut milk (discarding the water below) into the pan and stir through. Allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes (or until the chickpeas are soft) then add the carrot and beetroot and garnish with coriander. Serve with rice or naan.

Tofu & aubergine soba noodles

Ingredients 6 baby aubergines, 150g tofu, 3 tbs pomegranate molasses, 1 red chilli, 3 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 175g soba noodles.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes (plus overnight for marinating)

Being allergic to soya, tofu is something that never makes its way into my vegetarian cooking. When I was asked recently to come up with a recipe, I asked my guinea pigs to describe the texture for me and as a result decided to treat them like the aubergines - melt-in-the-mouth sponges to soak up delicious flavours. The marinade is sweet and spicy from the pomegranate molasses and chilli combination, but with a smoky umami undercurrent from the soy sauce.

1) Slice the tops from the aubergines and slice in half lengthways. Sprinkle the inside half with salt to draw out the bitter juices, then wipe them with some kitchen towel after 5 minutes. Slice each piece in half widthways.

2) Slice the top from the chilli and slit it lengthways. Scrape out the seeds with your knife and discard. Cut the flesh into pieces and add along with the chunks of aubergine and tofu to a freezer bag.

3) Add the pomegranate molasses, oil and soy sauce to the freezer bag, seal and shake well. Leave in the fridge overnight.

4) Pour the contents of the freezer bag into an ovenproof dish and roast for 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

5) Add the noodles to boiling water and stir until soft (about 5 minutes), drain and pour in with the aubergines. Season with a little salt and serve hot or cold.

Tequila, lime & avocado risotto

Ingredients 1 cup risotto rice, 1 pint vegetable stock, 1 lime, 1 avocado, 1 leek, 1/2 cup tequila, 30g cheddar, butter. dried chilli flakes to garnish

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time. This risotto is one of my favourite new summer recipes. The sharp tang of lime and tequila, the creamy texture of melting cheddar in combination with soft avocado... it's scrumptious and so different.

1) Zest the lime and cut in half. Squeeze the juice and stir into the tequila.

2) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into chunks, and cut the cheddar into chunks roughly the same size.

3) Slice the leek and sautee the discs in a little butter until soft strands remain. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in the tequila and lime juice. Once the alcohol cooks off, add the first ladle of stock, the lime zest and stir through.

4) Continue adding the stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time, adding the avocado with the second to last ladle of stock.

5) When the rice has fluffed up and has become soft, stir through the chunks of cheddar, sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve. Remember, risotto should be soupy, not solid.

Quorn corn chowder with noodles

Ingredients 1/2 litre vegetable stock, 200g sweetcorn, 1 cup Quorn, 100g noodles, 1 red and 1 green chilli pepper.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

Corn chowder is a thing of beauty - sweet, spicy, light and cheap but nutritionally it really doesn't contain anything that makes a meal. I like to give it a protein kick with some Quorn "chicken" pieces and some noodles to 

1) Finely dice the chilli peppers and add to a pan

2) Add the vegetable stock and sweetcorn and stir through.

3) Simmer for about 5 minutes until the sweetcorn has cooked, strain the sweetcorn from the liquid before blending thoroughly and parsing through a sieve to separate the sweetcorn flesh from the skin.

4) Add the pureed sweetcorn back to the vegetable stock along with some more sweetcorn, the Quorn pieces and the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes.

Spicy polenta chips

Ingredients 1 cup polenta, vegetable stock, jalepenos, chilli flakes, coriander, butter, cheddar

Serves: 4 preparation: 1 hour 30

Polenta is a marvellous alternative to potato, for those who cannot eat them - or just fancy a change! I have posted a recipe previously for polenta French fries, which I think are absolutely heavenly - but these chunky, spicy chips are  equally gorgeous. Polenta doesn't fluff up exactly like a potato, but it does remain soft in the centre and crispy on the outside which is all one can ask for!

1) Measure out the polenta into a milk pan, and slowly add the vegetable stock until you achieve a porridge like consistency.

2) Finely dice the jalapeños and add to the polenta. Grate in a little cheddar, then add chilli flakes and finely chopped coriander. Make it as spicy as you like - personally if my mouth isn't smoking, it's not hot enough for me but you should cook according to your own taste.

3) Spoon the polenta mixture onto a baking tray or into a square baking dish and smooth with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4) Turn out the solid polenta block and slice into sections to make your chips.

5) Shallow fry in a tablespoon of butter, turning regularly until a golden crust is formed, then serve hot.

Spicy peanut & butternut squash soup

Ingredients 1 butternut squash, 1 tablespoon peanut butter (I like Whole Earth Foods), 1/2 pint vegetable stock, chilli flakes

Serves: 2 preparation: 35 minutes

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house comforting, and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This soup is velvet smooth, voluptuously thick and has a fabulous kick of chilli and savoury peanut butter to match the clean sweetness of the butternut squash.

1) Peel and the butternut squash, discard the seeds and cut into chunks. Roast in the oven in a covered dish at 200 degrees for 25 minutes.

2) Strain the butternut squash (do not discard the juice) and pulse thoroughly in a blender. Add the pureed butternut squash and juice into the vegetable stock along with the peanut butter and summer for 5 minutes.

3) Season with salt, black pepper and chilli flakes before serving.

Melon gazpacho with feta

Ingredients     2 cantaloupe melons, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1/2 leek, 1 chilli pepper, butter, feta

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

Traditionally gazpacho is made from raw ingredients, "salsa soup" I used to call it when I was little and because I'm an onion-wuss, only able to stomach them when they're chopped small and cooked so that I barely know they're there I was never much of a fan. My gazpacho uses the oniony flavour of cooked leek, and the sweetness of canteloupe to make a truly refreshing yet spicy summer soup.

1) Halve and de-seed the canteloupe, then excise the flesh from the tough skin.

2) Fry off 1/2 a leek and the chilli pepper in butter, then rinse them both clean of butter. Add to a blender with the canteloupe flesh and puree. I like to add a little vegetable stock to make this more savoury, but this is entirely to taste.

3) Parse through a blender to remove any remaining chunks, then serve chilled with crumbled chunks of feta.

Tomato, chilli & coconut soup

Ingredients 2 lbs tomatoes, 1/2 onion, 1 pint vegetable stock, 2 chillis, butter, Rachel's Organic coconut yoghurt

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I love the fiery heat of gazpacho, but nothing beats the comforting warmth of hot soup so I think this thick, tangy soup is the best of both worlds!

1) Roast the whole tomatoes and chillis for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, then carefully slice the top from the chilli and scoop out the seeds from the soft chilli flesh. Add the chillis and tomatoes to a blender and puree.

2) Peel and finely dice half an onion and sautee in a little butter. Pass the tomato and chilli flesh through a sieve, into the pan of onions, then add the vegetable stock.

3) Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally then pass through a sieve a second time to separate the onions. Season if required with salt and a little black pepper.

4) Serve hot with a dollop of coconut yoghurt stirred through it.

Harissa yoghurt

Ingredients Smoked chillis, garlic salt, paprika, mint, rose petals, cumin, caraway seeds, basil oil, Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt, bell pepper.

Preparation: 20 minutes

Harissa is a spice mix which hails from North African countries like Tunisia and Morocco and is used as a base for everything from dry meat rubs to a paste which can be spread on bread or added to sauces.
As you might expect there are thousands of recipes out there, from sharp and spicy to mellow smokey flavours, but my version - with a rose base - is universally gorgeous in my humble opinion. I like to mix it with yoghurt to make a dip (as pictured) or add to fajitas.

1) Remove the core and seeds from the bell pepper, then roast until the skin is almost completely blackened. Allow it to cool, then peel off the charred skin carefully.

2) Blitz the dried, smoked chilli in a blender, then add to a mortar and pestle and grind into a relatively fine dry paste. The ratio of spices is relatively simple for my recipe, though of course you can adjust for taste. Add 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp caraway seeds and grind into the chilli. Add a teaspoon of basil oil.

3) Add the bell pepper, 2 or 3 mint leaves and the rose petals (about half the petals from a single red rose) into a blender and pulse.

4) Stir the rose, mint and pepper mixture into the spice and oil paste - now you have harissa!

5) Stir 1 teaspoon of Harissa per 200g of yoghurt.

Pomegranate & chilli jelly

Ingredients 200ml pomegranate juice, 2 sheets gelatine, 1 chili pepper

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes (plus setting time)


This flavour combination was inspired by a gin cocktail that The Maven in Leeds made for me last night and I could quite easily become horribly addicted to. It reminded me of combining a spicy lamb tagine with chilled pomegranate jewels to cut the spice.


1) Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for a few minutes until they are pliable.


2) Slice the chili pepper and remove the seeds. Crush the pepper in the bottom of the pan to release the juice and add the pomegranate juice.


3) Stir through and bring to the boil, then whisk in the gelatine until it has become completely incorporated.


4) Pour into moulds and allow to set in the fridge. These are perfect served as a garnish to lamb, or just eaten on their own!

Spinach & aubergine curry

Ingredients  8 baby aubergines, 2 tbsp garam    marsala, 1 tbsp cumin, 1 tsp mustard    seeds, 2 tbsps ghee or vegetable oil, 200g spinach, 1 white onion, 1 bulb garlic, passata, salt, olive oil, 1 red chilli pepper.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 45 minutes


I love curry, the scent of toasting spices, the gentle bubbling inside my enormous cast iron wok and that delicious high one gets from the exotic heat of the chillies. This dish is rich with flavour and has the most amazing buttery soft textured aubergines. Give it a try - perfect with my peshwari naan - this is the ultimate winter warming comfort food.


1) Slice the tops from the baby aubergines and slice in half lengthways, then horizontally. Arrange in an ovenproof dish with the skins down and sprinkle with salt to draw out the bitter juices. Drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.


2) At the same time, put an entire bulb of garlic into an ovenproof dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.


3) Put the mustard seeds and spices in the wok and toast for about 2 minutes - once the mustard seeds begin to pop, it's time to add the ghee (about 2 tablespoons) and stir through.


4) Peel and dice the onion and finely chop the chillies, then add to the spiced ghee and stir through until the onion has softened completely (5-10 minutes).


5) Once the aubergines and garlic are cooked, add the aubergines to the pan along with just enough passata to bring the ingredients together.


6) Peel the garlic and mince through the press until you are left with the puree. Stir into the curry and add the spinach leaves.


7) Once the spinach has wilted it's ready to serve.

Honeyed pork curry

Ingredients   Pork, cumin, garam marsala, cinnamon, coriander, chopped tomatoes, Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt with honey, white onion, ghee/butter, red chillis.

1) Peel and chop 2 small white onions into chunks, deseed and finely dice 2 red chillis and then fry in ghee or butter for 2 minutes.


2) Add the pork and sizzle with the onions, chillis and butter for a few seconds before adding a teaspoon of cumin, a teaspoon of garam marsala, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Stir well.


3) As the meat begins to brown, add a tin of peeled, chopped tomatoes and a handful of chopped coriander.


4) Leave to simmer for 20 minutes, then stir in 3 tablespoons of Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt with honey.


5) Serve with extra yoghurt to cut the heat if you're not great with spicy food - personally I'd be more likely to make this with 4 chillis!

Salmon en papillote

Ingredients    Salmon fillet,curly kale, lemon, butter, thyme, garlic, chilli, ginger

1) halve and de-seed a chilli, peel and slice a knob of ginger and add into a pan with a generous knob of butter. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and add some thyme. 


2) Remove the chilli and ginger, then add in 3 crushed garlic cloves. Once the garlic has sizzled, remove from the heat and sieve out the thyme and garlic.


3) Tear off a sheet of tin foil big enough to completely enclose your fish. Add a generous handful of curly kale and rest the fish on top of the kale. Spoon on some of the flavoured butter and draw the foil closed like a cornish pasty.


4) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes and serve - I served with boiled exquisa potatoes with a knob of butter.

Spinach & goji berry broth

Ingredients 400g spinach leaves, 1 cup goji berries, 1 carrot, vegetable stock, 3 cloves garlic, chilli flakes, butter.

When I'm sick I always go to this as a little pick me up - goji berries are chock full of antioxidants, iron, zinc and masses of vitamin c. A true superfruit!

1) Peel and finely dice the carrots and add to a pan with a little knob of butter and 3 cloves of minced garlic. As the garlic begins to sizzle, add 200ml vegetable stock and stir through.

2) After 5 minutes, add a handful of goji berries and the spinach and stir through.

3) Serve with a sprinkle of chilli flakes.

Butternut squash & beetroot kebabs

Ingredients    Butternut squash, halloumi, beetroot,   1lb plums, 50g sugar, 3 cloves garlic, 4 scotch bonnet chillis, ginger root, lime juice

Following on from my soba noodles with plum sauce recipe - if you have any leftover plum sauce it makes a fabulously sticky kebab marinade!


1) Slice the butternut squash in half, remove the seeds and slice out the flesh. Cut into chunks and roast in the oven for 10 minutes, drizzled with plum sauce.


2) Once the squash has part cooked, slide onto kebab skewers along with chunks of beetroot and halloumi. Drizzle with a generous proportion of the plum sauce and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Soba noodles with plum sauce

Ingredients 1lb plums, 50g sugar, 3 cloves garlic, 4 scotch bonnet chillis, ginger root, lime juice, yoghurt, soba noodles, spinach, red bell pepper, courgette, Quorn chicken/chicken

1) To make the plum sauce, cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Add into a saucepan with 50g of sugar and a cup of water. Stir through until the sugar has dissolved.

2) As the plums begin to soften, peel and slice a root of ginger and add into the pan along with 3 crushed garlic cloves and a squeeze of lime.

3) Remove the seeds and stalks from 4 scotch bonnet chillis, slice in half and add into the pan. Stirring frequently, allow the mixture to reduce and the sauce to thicken, then pass through a sieve - leaving the ginger and the chilli and fruit skins seperate from the liquid.

This sweet, fiery sauce is best served in a stir fry but would also go wonderfully with duck, or as a marinade for kebabs like my butternut squash and beetroot kebabs.

4) Add the Quorn chicken pieces to a pan along with a generous helping of the plum sauce and some julienne slices of courgette and bell pepper.

5) Cook the soba noodles in hot salted water for 5 minutes, then add to the pan along with a few generous handfuls of spinach.

6) Stir through until the sauce has coated everything and the spinach has just begun to wilt, then serve topped with yoghurt. Personally I think Rachel's Organic Greek style coconut yoghurt is absolutely PERFECT for this dish.

Sweet chilli soba noodles

Ingredients Soba noodles, broccoli, goji berries, sweetcorn, rice vinegar, garlic, salt, lime, lemon, honey, 2 serrano chillis, 2 birds eye chillis.

1) To make the sweet chilli sauce: deseed and finely dice the chillis then add into a pan with a good splash of rice vinegar, 3 cloves of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring frequently and then turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
Squeeze in some lemon and lime juice to taste.


2) Steam some broccoli florets


3) Drop the soba noodles into into hot water and add a handful of goji berries and sweetcorn. Goji berries taste repulsive when dried, but once they have rehydrated they become sweet and delicious. After 7 minutes strain the water from the noodles and stir in the sweet chilli sauce and broccoli.


Serve!

Dirty rice balls

Ingredients Wild rice, cherry tomatoes, red onion, tomato puree, jalepenos, lime juice, tequila, green chilli pepper, cream cheese, cheddar, buttermilk, bread, 1 egg, sesame seeds, groundnut oil.

This recipe was created using leftovers from the dirty rice balls with tequila and chilli con queso.

1) To make breadcrumbs, pulse the crust slice of slightly stale bread in a blender and mix with a handful of sesame seeds.

2) Form small balls with the cold, leftover rice and roll them first in a whisked egg and then in the breadcrumbs mixture.

3) Drop the ball carefully into hot oil (a deep fat fryer will enable them to keep their spherical shape) and sizzle until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown.

4) Using a slotted spoon, remove the rice ball from the oil and drop back into the breadcrumbs and roll around until they are covered with a second layer of crumbs.

5) Repeat until you have a number of rice balls and bake them in the oven for 10 -15 minutes until the outer layer is also crisp. Ideal served with leftover Chilli Con Queso.

Chilli Con Queso

Ingredients Green chilli pepper, cream cheese, cheddar, buttermilk.

1) Deseed and finely dice the chilli pepper and drop into a milk pan on a low heat with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese. Stir until the cheese begins to soften and grate 15g of cheddar into the pan.

2) Continue to stir, adding buttermilk (or double cream if you want to be really indulgent!) until the cheese is melted.

3) Traditionally served warm with tortilla chips - I tried these with Fudge's cheese and black pepper flatbreads, and also with the cheddar biscuits which were fabulous.