Chilli Mint and Cashew Nut Noodles

Sweet, spicy and fragrant. This is a fresh noodle dish bursting with flavour. 

To make the noodles: serves 1

1 nest of rice noodles

1/2 a cup of plain cashew nuts 

1 spring onion finely sliced

1 carrot sliced finely 

1/4 cup of sweetcorn

1/4 of an iceberg lettuce finely sliced

1 whole deseeded chilli finely sliced

1 handful of roughly chopped fresh mint 

2 tblsp of soy sauce

1/2 tblsp of sesame oil 

Cover the noodles with boiling water in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes to soften. Drain and set aside. 

Toast the cashew nuts until golden in a dry pan and set aside. 

Fry the onion and carrots in a little oil until soft the add the sweetcorn and lettuce. Add all the other ingredients including the noodles and cashew nuts. Stir for a few minutes until throughly combined and top with some more fresh mint. 

Pea and Mint Soup

A fresh spring soup. Naturally sweet and delicious. 

To makes the soup: serves 3-4

1 cooked potatoe 

2 cups of frozen peas

1 cup of broad beans 

1 large bunch of fresh mint roughly chopped

1 vegetable stock cube 

Put the peas, broad beans, mint and stock cube in a large pan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil for a few minutes until cooked through. Add the potatoe and blend until smooth. Season to taste. 

Flapjack Crumbles

These flapjacks have a lovely moist and crumbly texture from the ground almonds. Unfortunately they went too quickly to take a photo of the whole batch! Very yummy.

To make the flapjacks: makes 16 flapjacks 

225g of coconut oil or butter 

100g of set honey 

350g of jumbo rolled oats 

50g of ground almonds 

100g of dried fruit (i used cranberries, currents and apricots)

6 whole dates

Melt the butter/ coconut oil and honey together in a pan until completely melted. Take off the heat and add all the other ingredients. Meanwhile line a dish with greaseproof paper. Poor the mixture into the lined dish and bake at 180oc for 20 minutes of until golden brown. Let the flapjacks cool completely and ideally refrigerate before cutting. They are very crumbly so this is quite hard. 

Weatabix Banana Breakfast Loaf

A great breakfast if you need something quick and easy. Alternatively this makes a great nutritious snack. Delicious served with peanut butter. 

To make the loaf: makes 5 slices 

6 weatabix 

1 cup of water 

1/2 cup of milk

1 mashed ripe banana 

50g dark chocolate chips 

1 tsp of baking powder 

1 egg or (1 tbsp of chia seeds soaked in 3 tblsp of hot water until thick) 

1 tblsp of honey 

Blend the weatabix until a flour consistency. Add the baking powder, mashed banana, egg, water, milk and honey. Blend until smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips and pour into a greased loaf tin. Top with banana slices for decoration and bake at 180oc for 30 minutes. It is important to let the cake cool completely before eating.

Green Spinach and Chicken Curry

A dark vibrant green curry full of iron and vitamins. A lovely change from using tomatoes. 

To make the curry: serves 2 

1 chicken breast diced 

1/2 a finely chopped onion 

1 tsp of fennel seeds 

1/2 a cup of broccoli 

1 heaped tblsp of Indian curry paste

6 frozen cubes of spinach 

1-2 cups of water

Fry the onion, broccoli and chicken in a little coconut oil until golden and cooked through. Add the curry paste and fennel seeds. Fry for a few minutes. Meanwhile defrost the spinach and blend with the water until smooth. Add to the frying pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes. 

Serve with wild basmati rice and homemade red onion chutney. 

Pea and Prosciutto Ham Soup

A delicious spring soup made with prosciutto ham for more flavour. Serve with fresh bread and butter. 

To make the soup: serves 1-2 

2-3 slices of prosciutto ham 

1 small tin of marrow fat peas (mushy peas) 

1/2 a vegetable stock cube

1 cup of water 

Roughly chop the ham and fry in a dry nonstick pan to release the flavours. Add the peas, water and stock cube. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir, season with just black pepper and add more water if needed. 

Moroccan Chilli Tagine

A warming, filling and fragrant tagine. Served with a homemade tomatoe chutney, chopped almonds and cous cous. 

To make the tagine: serves 2-3 

1/2 a finely chopped onion 

2 cloves of crushed garlic

A handful of finely chopped coriander 

1 drained tin of chickpeas

1 drained tin of kidney beans

2 tblsp of raisins

1/2 a sliced red chilli

1 tblsp of honey

1 tblsp of chopped almonds 

2 tblsp of tomatoe paste 

2 tsp of cinnamon 

2 tsp of curry powder 

1-2 cups of water 

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, chilli, raisins,  honey, garlic and spices. Fry for a few minutes. Add the water and tomatoe paste. Add the coriander, almonds and season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until a rich consistency is achieved.