Double chocolate muffins

Preheat oven to 190.
Sift 375g self raising flour, 25g cocoa powder and 1 tsp baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in 100g choc chunks and 175g caster sugar.
Lightly whisk 2 large eggs, 175ml sunflower oil and 175ml milk in a large jug, then pour this in and mix briefly with a metal spoon.
Divide mixture in cake cases, bake for 25 mins, then leave to cool in the tray before removing.

Variation: use 400g flour and 1/2 tsp baking powder, no cocoa, and use white choc chunks and 100g raspberries.
OR use 375g flour and no cocoa, and use 2 mashed bananas and 100g mini fudge chunks
OR Use 250g plain flour, 25g cocoa powder and 4 tsp baking powder with 150g sugar, 175ml milk, 100ml olive oil and 75g choc chunks

Coffee cake

Beat 175g unrefined caster sugar with 175g butter. Add 3 eggs, beating well.
Add 175g self raising flour, and 1 tsp baking powder.
Mix up 4 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water. Add half the mix to the bowl. Fold in.
Divide between two sandwich tins and bake till well risen and golden brown. Turn out and cool on wire rack.
Cream 100g butter with 225g icing sugar and the remaining coffee mixture, and use half this mixture to sandwich the cake together, the other half on the top of the cake.

Variation: Add 75g walnuts to the mixture and press walnuts into the icing on top.

Chocolate cake

Great as a birthday cake! Use a loaf tin or a round cake tin.

Stir 75g cocoa powder with 275ml boiling water until smooth.
Cream 115g butter and 275g sugar.
Beat in 3 eggs.
Stir in 220g plain flour, 1/2 tsp bicarb soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Add cocoa mixture and stir well.
Bake at 180 for 40 mins. Cover with foil and bake for a further 20-25mins.
Cool in tin 10 mins before turning out.

Variation- I had some lovely Hotel Chocolat hot chocolate flakes which were flavoured with orange and spice, so I used 35g cocoa powder and 35g of the hot chocolate flakes. Gave a really good edge!

You can decorate this cake in a number of ways- try melting a bar of chocolate, adding some icing sugar, then pouring it over and garnishing with white chocolate buttons or maltesers. Or you could mix cocoa powder with icing sugar and butter to make a tasty buttercream to spread over the top. In the pictured cake, I made a small amount of icing with a tsp of cocoa powder, spread it over the top of the cake, then pressed in some chocolate buttons. Keep it in the fridge if you think it will last for a few days. It's lovely heated in the microwave and served with vanilla ice cream or custard.

NB Try to mix in the bicarb of soda really well, otherwise you get pockets of white which taste really salty!

Philadelphia spinach lasagne (V)

Serves 4-6 people.

Pre heat oven to 180.
Fry 1 onion, 2 sticks celery, 2 small carrots and 1 garlic clove.
Stir in 1 tbsp tomato puree and cook for 5 more mins, then add 2 tins chopped tomatoes.
Simmer for 20 mins. Allow to cool and blend it.
Cook the spinach (1 kg)
Put 300g Philadelphia light in a bowl and stir until smooth. Add spinach, 1 tbsp parmesan and 2 tbsp mint.
Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in a lasagne dish, then top with a layer of the spinach mixture and a lasagne sheet. Repeat and end with tomato sauce.
Bake for 30 mins, garnished with parmesan. Serve with salad.

Moussaka stacks

Saute 1 onion then transfer to dish.
Add 500g minced lamb, 1 egg, 3 tbsp oregano, 3 tbsp mint, 1 tsp allspice, 50g feta, salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork, then shape into 4 burgers. Chill for 30 mins.
Grill with a slice of aubergine and tomato.
Add mozzarella.
Serve with crusty bread, yoghurt and herbs

Moroccan spiced vegetables with halloumi (V)

Preheat oven to 200.
Mix together 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tbsp tomato puree, juice of 1 lime and olive oil (3 tbsp).
Place 2 red/yellow peppers, 2 small courgettes, 1 aubergine, 1 red onion and garlic into a roasting tin and drizzle with tomato mix.
Put the squeezed lime halves into the tin. Roast for 20-25 mins.
Add 200g thickly sliced halloumi and cook for a further 10 mins, until cheese is golden.

Jambalaya

Lovely mix of spice in this. Could be good for using up leftover chicken from a roast.

(Serves 2) Fry a chopped onion with a diced clove of garlic and one chopped red pepper. Once soft and golden, add in two diced chicken breasts. Once chicken is white on the outside, slice up half of a chorizo ring (roughly 100g) and add into the pan.
Stir in 1 1/2 tsp Cajun spice mix.
Add 150g rice (I used brown easy-cook here) and stir.
Add 3/4 pt chicken stock and a generous helping of passata to your taste. Cook until rice is soft (this takes just over half an hour with brown rice). You can serve with salad, though as in the pic I added green beans instead.