Pasta Salad

This recipe can easily be varied according to what vegetables you have at home. You can add smoked salmon or tuna if you eat fish.

Ingredients:

about 50 g pasta per person (I used conchiglie because then bits of veg hid inside the shells)

frozen peas

water

¼ cucumber

1-2 spring onions

6-10 black olives

cream (I used oat cream but dairy cream or soy cream or yogurt would work well too; a touch of mayo could be nice as well)

black pepper

Instructions:

1. Boil the pasta and peas in the water for about 10 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Wash and chop the cucumber and onions. Chop the olives.

3. Mix the chopped veg with the pasta and stir in the cream.

4. Season to taste and serve.

Hearty Barley and Black-Eyed Pea Stew

As the weather gets chillier, my mind (and my stomach) turns to heartier food. Actually, I made this dish at the very end of August, after a cold weekend in which M and I had gotten drenched in a rain-and-hailstorm. But I’ll be making it again now that it’s even colder.

This was not M’s favourite meal, but it was very healthy and filling.

You can vary this with any grain and any legume and any spice combination and any added vegetable/s; be creative.

Ingredients:
about 100 g black-eyed peas
water
about 150 g pearl barley
about 100 g spinach (fresh or frozen)
tomato purée
green curry paste
olives
soy cream or yogurt

Instructions:
1. Soak the black-eyed peas overnight in water.
2. Boil the barley in water, then leave to simmer for about an hour, checking and stirring every so often (check the instructions on the package as well).
3. Drain the black-eyed peas and then bring them to a boil in fresh water. Leave them to simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, tomato purée, and green curry paste to the barley.
5. Slice the olives and add them.
6. Stir the black-eyed peas into the barley, then swirl in some soy cream or yogurt. Serve with another dollop of cream or yogurt.

Dark Chocolate and Coffee Cupcakes

I’ve been on a cupcake roll. Here’s another of my latest creations.

Ingredients:
100 g butter
½ cup cocoa
60 g chocolate
2 tbsp coffee (I used espresso for an extra strong flavour)
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup yogurt

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter, cocoa, chocolate, and water together over low heat, stirring the whole time.
2. Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, and baking soda together, and then mix the dry ingredients in to the chocolate.
3. Whisk the egg and the vanilla together and then mix them and the yogurt in with the rest of the batter. Stir well.
4. Place in muffin cases. Bake at 180 C for about 15 minutes (7 minutes for mini-cupcakes).

Squash Couscous

This was a simple weeknight meal that was healthy and full of flavour. The tomatoes might seem a bit odd, but I had tomatoes to use, so I added them. It worked fine, but you can leave them out too.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash
oil
1 courgette
1 tsp sugar
2 tomatoes
200 g couscous
water
¼ cup raisins
handful of pine nuts (about 30 g)
2 tbsp crème fraiche or yogurt, optional
salt
black pepper

Instructions:
1. Wash the butternut squash and coat it lightly with oil. Roast it in the oven at 200 C for about an hour, until the skin has browned. Leave aside to cool.
2. Wash and dice the courgette. Fry it in oil over low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Add the sugar so it caramelises.
3. Meanwhile, peel and de-seed the squash. Dice it into small pieces and add to the pan.
4. Wash and slice the tomatoes and add them as well. Continue to stir-fry.
5. Put the couscous in a pot. Boil the water and add it to the couscous. Leave it to stand, covered, for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the raisins and pine nuts to the squash.
7. For a more creamy couscous, add the crème fraiche or yogurt to pot and mix in well.
8. Season the squash with salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Serve the squash over the couscous.

Lentils and Vegetables

Ingredients:
1½ cups puy lentils
water
1 carrot
1 bag green beans
½ half cabbage or 1 head spring greens
3 tbsp cream or yogurt
seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, etc – I actually seasoned it with truffle olive oil for a luxurious edge)
rice, if desired

Instructions:
1. Rinse the lentils and cover with water. Boil them over low heat for about 15 minutes.
2. Wash the veg. Peel and chop the carrot. De-string the beans. Chop the cabbage/greens.
3. Add the veg to the pot and add more water if needed. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Mix in the cream/yogurt. Season to taste.
5. Serve over rice if desired.

Olive and Sun-Dried Tomato Bread

Making bread is soothing; you can knead the dough by hand and work out any stresses you have. And it’s nice to watch the bread rise through the oven door – I find it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I served this one with soup.

Ingredients:
½ cup olives (about 75 g)
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (about 75 g)
100 g cheddar cheese
3½ cups flour (I used 1½ cups spelt and 2 cups plain wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp herbs (I used mint, but oregano, chives, rosemary, and other herbs would work fine)
1 tsp nigella (onion seeds)
1¼ cup yogurt
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
butter or oil for the pan

Instructions:
1. Chop the olives, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.
2. Blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda, mustard, salt, herbs, and nigella together.
3. Mix in the yogurt, olive oil, and eggs.
4. Mix in the olives, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.
5. Grease the pan. Pour the batter in.
6. Bake for 40 minutes at 180 C.

Hair Treatment

This is a different sort of recipe – rather than being something to eat, it’s one you can use as a beauty treatment. I have coarse, thick hair and it gets dry easily. So this adds some extra moisture and shine. And it’s kind of fun to do, too.

Ingredients:
1 egg white
½ cup yogurt

Instructions:
1. Mix the egg white and yogurt together.
2. Rub into your hair.
3. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.
4. Wash out thoroughly.

Broccoli, Courgette, and Tofu Tart

This was inspired by a recipe in Vegetarian Living. I made the pastry gluten-free and I added a bit of heat with curry paste.

Ingredients:
75 g butter
¾ cup flour (I used gluten-free)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 dash salt
1 egg
1 onion
oil
1 courgette
½ package tofu
broccoli (I used tender-stem)
1 tbsp red curry paste (or chilli flakes)
½ cup yogurt
2 eggs
75 g blue cheese

Instructions:
1. Cube the butter and blend it with the flour until crumbly. Add the pumpkin seeds and salt and egg.
2. Chill the pastry for about 10 minutes then place it in an oven-safe dish (I just use my fingers to smooth it into all the corners and up the walls – it looks homey, which isn’t a bad thing). Bake it for about 7 minutes at 160 C.
3. Meanwhile, dice the onion and brown it in some oil. Slice the courgette into rounds and add it. Dice the tofu and chop the broccoli and add them as well.
4. Continue stir-frying, then add the curry paste and the yogurt and mix everything together.
5. In a bowl, beat the eggs and add some of the cheese.
6. Put the filling into the pastry and top with the rest of the cheese. Pour the eggs on top.
7. Bake for 20 minutes at 190 C.

Stuffed Aubergine

I’ve never been a great fan of peppers (perhaps because I remember the green peppers my mother used to stuff with rice and ground meat, and which she used to leave for me and my father when she was going out of town for work), but I am trying to use them in recipes more these days. I think it’s important to challenge yourself and expand your tastes, so I frequently try new ingredients or new recipes. In this case, I used a red pepper as part of the stuffing for an aubergine and I was quite pleased with the results.

Ingredients:
1 aubergine
oil
1 red pepper
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp parsley
2 tsp sugar
balsamic vinegar
pumpkin seeds
nigella (onion seeds)
black pepper
2 tbsp yogurt

Instructions:
1. Wash and halve the aubergine, then rub it in oil. Wrap it in aluminium foil and roast it for 30 minutes at 200 C.
2. Meanwhile, slice the pepper, onion, and garlic and fry the pieces in a little oil with the parsley and sugar. After 10 minutes, season with the vinegar, seeds, pepper, and yogurt.
3. Take the aubergine out of the oven and scoop the flesh out, leaving the shell intact. Chop the flesh and add it to the pepper mixture. Stir and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Fill the aubergine skins with the stuffing and bake for another 5-10 minutes, then serve.

Pseudo-falafel

I like crispy falafel with a full taste or chickpeas. The best I ever had was in Israel, but alas I can’t head to the Middle East every time I get a falafel craving, so I came up with this simple recipe, which is call pseudo-falafel. Real falafel has tahini, but that’s not something I usually or often have on hand, so that’s why these are pseudo. I served them over rice and with watercress and garlic cheese, but any combination of greens and yogurt or creamy cheese will work fine. It’s not the Middle East, but it’s as close as I can get here.

Ingredients:
1 carton chickpeas (about 230 g)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
rice
water
watercress
yogurt or garlic cheese

Instructions:
1. Drain the chickpeas. Blend with the spices, baking powder, lemon juice, and oil with a hand blender until smooth, with some chunky bits left.
2. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes at 200 C.
3. Cook the rice in the water and add the watercress when the rice is nearly done.
4. Serve the rice topped with falafels and yogurt or garlic cheese.

Rhubarb Cake

This is a really moist and light cake that is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s not too sweet, which is how I prefer my desserts, but you can easily increase the amount of sugar, if you prefer. M said it was the best cake I ever made, which is high praise indeed. I’m going to make it for a friend’s birthday dinner as well, because he doesn’t like chocolate and really likes rhubarb, so even if rhubarb cake is not traditional for birthdays, there’s no reason to always follow tradition.

Ingredients:

125 g butter, plus extra for the tin
1 cup sugar
2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup yogurt or sour cream
¼ cup milk
1 egg
1 portion rhubarb compote (see previous recipe)
sour cream, yogurt, whipped cream, or ice cream

Instructions:
1. Butter the cake tin. Cube the 125 g of butter and put it into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add the dry ingredients and mix. Add the yogurt, milk, and egg, and mix well.
3. Add about ¾ of the rhubarb compote and mix it into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for about 40 minutes at 180 C.
5. Serve topped with the rest of the compote and sour cream, yogurt, whipped cream, or ice cream.

Rhubarb Compote

Hurray! It’s rhubarb season. I love the long and beautiful blushing pink stalks and I plan to spend the next weeks trying out a variety of recipes that use them. The first thing I made this year was a rhubarb compote. It can be served with yogurt or cream or ice cream, or you can use it in the rhubarb cake recipe I’ll post next.

Ingredients:
400 g rhubarb
1 clementine or orange
1 vanilla pod
5 tbsp sugar

Instructions:
1. Wash and chop the rhubarb. Put it into a pan.
2. Juice the clementine or orange into the pan. Halve the vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds. Add them and the halves to the pan as well.
3. Add the sugar. Stir everything together.
4. Cook over low heat for about 10 or so minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove the vanilla pod and serve the compote.

Lentils and Pine Nuts

We bought a big container of puy lentils, so I’ve been trying to come up with different things to do with them. They are my favourite sort of lentil and I love how they retain a bit of crunch even after you’ve cooked them for awhile, so they don’t become a shapeless mush. This recipe can be served as a salad or a side dish. As a salad, you could place the lentils over rocket/rucola leaves or another type of green or lettuce.

Ingredients:
1 cup puy lentils
water
75 g pine nuts
mint or parsley
yogurt
olive oil
lemon juice

Instructions:
1. Wash the lentils and boil them in the water for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
2. Add the pine nuts, herbs, yogurt, olive oil, and lemon juice to taste.
3. Serve warm or chilled.

Baked Aubergine Casserole

This was inspired by a recipe I saw in the Waitrose grocery store magazine. I adjusted it to our tastes and made it a bit healthier (spelt flour instead of white, for example). Next time, I’d add black olives too, as that would suit the flavours of the aubergine and feta.

Ingredients:
1 aubergine
1 onion
3-5 garlic cloves
oil
1 cauliflower
smoked paprika
black pepper
ground mustard
1 package crushed tomatoes
100 g feta cheese
200 g Greek yogurt
3 tbsp flour
2 eggs

Instructions:
1. Wash the aubergine and dice it. Peel and chop the onion and garlic, too. Fry all of these things in the oil for about 5-8 minutes.
2. Wash the cauliflower and break it into florets. Add it to the pan.
3. Season with the spices according to your taste. Add the tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Crumble the cheese and mix into the yogurt. Blend in the flour and beat in the eggs.
5. Lightly oil a casserole dish. Add the vegetables to it, then top the veg with the feta mxture.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes at 200 C.

Whole-wheat Yogurt Pancakes

Some nights, the comfort of pancakes is all we really want for dinner. But many pancake recipes are heavy on the butter and use plain flour, whereas I keep trying to think of ways for us to get more fibre and less fat in our diets. So in more and more recipes, I am trying to replace white flour with whole-wheat or spelt or other types. And for moistness, I used low-fat yogurt instead of relying on too much butter or milk.

We ate these with poached eggs, but they’d also be good with sliced banana or other fruit.

Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
1 cup flour
½ cup whole-wheat flour (or spelt flour)
2 tbsp sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1½ cups yogurt
¼ cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
oil
agave or honey to serve with it

Instructions:
1. Melt the butter.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
3. Add the yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla to the butter. Mix well.
4. Warm oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
5. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, then pour tablespoonfuls into the pan. Brown the pancakes on both sides.
6. Serve with agave or honey.

Root Vegetable Gratin

This is a hearty dish for a cool winter evening. You can vary this with any other root vegetables, such as turnips or squash.

Ingredients:
4-5 carrots
2 parsnips
5-7 Jerusalem artichokes
oil
50 g butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp parsley
1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
½ cup milk
75 g cheddar

Instructions:
1. Peel and dice the vegetables (if they need to be peeled).
2. Oil or butter the casserole dish and then put the vegetables in it.
3. Melt the butter over low heat and add the flour, parsley, mustard, and yogurt. After a couple minutes, add the milk and cheddar. Continue cooking until the cheese has melted.
4. Pour the cheese sauce over the vegetables and bake at 180 C for 30 minutes.

Lentil Pie

A hearty lentil pie is simple, healthy, and tasty. I like to season it with a bit of cinnamon, which adds an exotic tinge, but it’s easy to vary the spices according to your taste.

Ingredients:
1½ cups lentils (I use puy lentils)
3 cups water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 carrots
1 parsnip
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
oil
cinnamon
black pepper
1 handful cherry tomatoes
1 package puff pastry
Greek yogurt, to serve with

Instructions:
1. Rinse the lentils, then boil them in the water with the stock cube. This will take about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. If you use regular lentils, they may need to be soaked for a couple of hours and/or boiled longer. Check the package.
2. Peel and dice the carrots and parsnip. Dice the shallots and garlic. Lightly fry in oil and season with cinnamon and black pepper.
3. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes.
4. Lightly oil an oven-safe dish and drape the puff pastry in it.
5. Mix the lentils, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Season more if necessary.
6. Bake at 200 C for about 25 minutes. Serve slices with Greek yogurt.

Carrot and Butterbean Soup

I thought a soup of carrots and butterbeans would be a soothing meal, but alas I made it much too spicy for M’s taste, and she ended up eating oatmeal instead. So I ate lots of soup the next day! Without the chilli, however, it works for all tastes.

Ingredients:
1 onion
oil
agave or sugar
6-8 carrots
vegetable stock cube
about 600 ml water
1 container butterbeans
chilli pepper, to taste
Greek yogurt

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and fry it lightly in oil and agave or sugar.
2. Peel and slice the carrots into coins, then add them to the onion. Add the stock cube and water and boil.
3. Add the butterbeans and chilli pepper or other seasonings (coriander, parsley, black pepper) to taste.
4. Puree and serve with dollops of Greek yogurt.

Quinoa and Lentils with Spinach

I love those Merchant Gourmet packages of quinoa and lentils. They’re so easy to make (you boil the bag) and you can vary them in many ways. Quinoa is protein-rich and very tasty, so I love to use it in my cooking. A simple dish I often make is to cook quinoa and lentils and make it with spinach and yogurt. That’s enough for M, but I add plenty of Tabasco to my bowl.

Ingredients:
1 package quinoa
1 package lentils
1 package baby spinach (about 100 g)
1 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt

Instructions:
1. Boil the quinoa and lentils according to the directions.
2. Wilt the spinach with the salt over low heat.
3. Open the packages and pour the contents in with the salt. Add the yogurt and stir.

Courgette with Yogurt and Mint Sauce

This is a really easy side dish. You can also use the yogurt and mint sauce for other vegetables or to cook tofu in.

Ingredients:
2 courgettes or 3 baby ones
oil
sea salt
2 tbsp Greek yogurt
2 tsp dried mint

Instructions:
1. Wash and slice the courgettes. Fry them in oil until they are lightly golden on both sides.
2. Sprinkle with salt and add the yogurt to the pan. Continue to cook over low heat until the yogurt breaks apart and becomes a loose sauce.
3. Sprinkle with mint and serve.