Harissa prawns and cauliflower cous cous. (serves 2, prep 25 mins, cooking 1 hour)

This is my new favourite thing. It takes a while to prepare and is a bit of a faff in lots of pans, but is unbelievably tasty and well worth the effort. Dinner guests will be in awe :)

Harissa Prawns
10-12 big prawns
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp harissa paste
3 garlic cloves, crushed
juice of 1 lemon

Roast veg
1 small pumpkin or squash (I use 1 or 2 Gem Squash)
1 courgette, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks

Cauliflower cous cous
1 small cauliflower (approx 250g)
100ml chicken stock
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
15g mint leaves, roughly chopped

Yoghurt sauce
150g natural yoghurt
1tbsp harissa paste

Start by marinating the prawns. Pop them in a bowl and cover them with a well-mixed oil, harissa, cumin, ground coriander and garlic. (everything except the lemon juice which is for later). Set aside in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C, place the chopped veg into a roasting tin, cover with oil and roast for 35-40 minutes.

Whilst the vegetables are roasting,  make the cauliflower cous cous.  Cut the cauliflower into chunks, place in a food processor and blitz until it resembles cous cous.
Fry the cauliflower cous cous for one minute in a frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. Then add the chicken stock and cook for 5 minutes. 
Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, the coriander and mint and the roasted vegetables.

Now it's time to add it altogether.  
In a large frying pan over a high heat, add the prawns and lemon juice for one minute.   Then pop this on top of the cous cous and roast veg mixture.

To server, make the yoghurt sauce by mixing together the yoghurt and harissa.

Mexican courgette and mushroom (serves 4, prep time 10 mins, cook time 10 mins)

This is a Mexican Twist on a Deliciously Ella recipe.

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 4 small courgettes, sliced finely
• 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced finely
• 120g brazil nuts
• 4 ripe avocados
• juice of 4 small limes
• 25g fresh mint leaves, diced finely
• 25g fresh coriander, diced finely

First, blitz the brazil nuts in a food processor until they resemble breadcrumbs.

Next, start to gently fry the courgettes and mushrooms in olive oil for 5 minutes. 

Whilst these are cooking, scoop out the flesh of the avocados and add to the food processor, along with the lime juice. Blend well.

Now, mix together the avocado paste with the courgettes and mushrooms and add in the mint and coriander leaves. 

quick, healthy and tasty!

Spanakopitta variation [serves 4; prep 5 mins; cooking 40mins]

I've accidentally created a great take on a spanakopitta. I had some ingredients in the fridge and it all worked out rather well. I prefer this version to the previous version.

600g frozen spinach
8 broccoli florets
300g cottage cheese
230g jar of red peppers, drained and chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 small white onions, diced
2 sprigs of mint leaves, chopped
150g filo pastry

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Simmer the spinach and broccoli until soft and drain throughly. Squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as possible.
Meanwhile, fry the onion over a low heat until soft and a bit see through.

Add all the ingredients together (except the pastry) and blast with a hand blender until relatively smooth.

Put the green paste into a pyrex dish, top with the pastry and bake for 25-30 minutes. 

Thai Quinoa Fishcakes (Serves 4; prep 20 mins; cooking 20 mins)

These thai fish cakes are absolutely divine! The use of quinoa instead of potato makes them crunchier, less stodgy and low GI!!

100g quinoa
1 salmon fillet, skinless and boneless
250g cooked prawns
28g coriander, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbspn sticky plum sauce
1 tbspn soy sauce
1 tbspn fish sauce
5 spring onions, sliced finely
2 eggs, beaten

Pre-heat the oven to 180.

Firstly, cook the quinoa by simmering in water for about 10 minutes until soft. When cooked, drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, poach the salmon in milk. This will take about 6 -10 minutes. When cooked, drain and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the salmon, prawns, coriander, garlic, lime, plum sauce, soy, fish sauce and spring onions and blend with a hand blender until it's mostly a smooth paste with some chunks remaining.

Add the quinoa and beaten egg and mix well.

Divide the mixture into approximately 14 small patties and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. I use a muffin baking tray to keep the fishcakes intact.

Spanakopitta (Serves 4; prep 15 mins; cooking 35 mins)

A wonderful lunch or snack, this is delicious.

1kg spinach (frozen or fresh)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 small onion, diced
3 mushrooms, diced
juice of 1 lemon
125g filo pastry (shop bought)
50g toasted cashew nuts, ground
300g cottage cheese or soft goats cheese, depending on the strength of flavour you prefer

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.

Whilst the oven is heating up, wilt the spinach in a pan and drain thoroughly to remove as much water as possible.

Whist the spinach is cooking, prepare the onion and mushrooms. Gently fry them for about 5 minutes in a little olive oil and scatter with the cumin.  Stir until fully coated. 

When the spinach is drained, use a hand blender to mix it together with the cottage cheese and lemon juice. 

To the spinach/cheese mixture, add the cumin-flavoured onions and mushrooms and the cashew nuts.

Put in the bottom of a baking dish and cover with the layers of filo pastry.

Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 25 minutes. 

Cajun chicken and lentils [serves 5; preparation 15 mins; cooking 30 mins]

This recipe requires a few pans, but it's worth it! Recommended by my friend Jade, with a few adaptions.

·      750g chicken, diced into small pieces

·      2 tablespoons of Cajun spice

·      150g quinoa

·      200g puy lentils

·      450ml chicken stock

·      2 onions, diced

·      2 small courgettes, sliced in rounds

·      1 red pepper, diced or sliced

·      1 small bunch of coriander, chopped

       Sour cream to serve

First, dice and slice everything and make the chicken stock so you are ready to roll.

Cut the chicken into small pieces, cover with Cajun spice and spread in a roasting tin in a single layer. Bake for 20 mins at 180 degrees. When cooked, turn off the oven and set the chicken aside.

Whilst the chicken is in the oven, cook the lentils for 20 minutes in water until tender. When cooked, drain in a sieve or colander and set aside.

At the same time, cook the quinoa for 10-15 minutes in chicken stock until tender. When cooked, set aside (if there is still some stock that’s fine)

Fry the courgettes, onion and red pepper in an almost dry pan, coated with just a little olive oil until they are looking a bit chargrilled.

Finally, mix together all the ingredients in the chicken pan, including the coriander.

Serve with a generous blob of sour cream. 

Coconut cauliflower curry (prep time: 25 mins. cooking time: 10 mins. serves 4)

The coconut in this curry is delicate and subtle, not overpowering. It underscores the flavour of the vegetables whilst the coriander provides the top note. 

(Warning: Some like it hot! This recipe uses Scotch Bonnet chillies which are super hot, although you should be fine with just half of one. If you prefer it less hot, switch for green or red chillis.)

Contents:
1 small cauliflower, diced
250g broccoli, diced
3 x medium sized carrots, cut into batons
500g spinach (I use frozen)


Sauce:
1 onion, diced finely
1 stick celery, diced finely
3 x garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 scotch bonnet chilli, diced finely
20 cardomom pods
2 x tsp ground cumin
1 tsp pimenton or paprika
250ml stock
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
160ml tin of coconut cream


Garnish:
A good handful of chopped, fresh coriander

First, steam or boil the vegetable contents so everything is al dente.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onion, celery, garlic and chilli in a drop of olive oil. After 4 or 5 minutes, add the dry spices and continue to stir and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.Then add the stock and tomatoes and coconut cream. Bring to a simmer before removing from the heat. Pick out the cardomom pods before using a hand blender to mix it into a smooth sauce.
Add the sauce to the vegetable contents, and heat to a simmer. Add the coriander and allow all the flavours to meld together for a further 5 minutes or so. 
Eat with brown rice or a chapati. You can also add more stock and eat it as a soup / dahl.