Sweet potato stew (V)

Ingredients
2 small sweet potatoes
1 onion
1 tsp garlic puree
1 red pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of saffron
A pinch of chilli flakes
A few tbsp passata
1 tbsp orange juice
1 tin chickpeas
500ml veg stock

Method
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork then microwave them, whole, for 6-8 minutes, until they feel easy to skewer with a knife. Set them to one side.
Meanwhile, fry the onion and red pepper with the garlic puree in a casserole dish. Add all of the spices and cook gently until the veg are soft.
When cool enough, peel the skin off the sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Add to the pan.
Add the passata, orange juice and veg stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 mins.
Drain the tin of chickpeas and add to the pan. Cook for another 5 mins and season to taste.
Use a hand blender to roughly blend the stew - don't puree it, just thicken the sauce up.
Serve with bread, soup-style.

Chocolate fridge cake

Ingredients
250g biscuits
100g butter
150g dark chocolate (pref 70% cocoa solids)
4 tbsp golden syrup
100g mixed dried fruit
50g rice krispies

Method
Place the biscuits (I used shortbread but digestives work well) in a sandwich bag, seal, then use a rolling pin to crush them. I usually keep some chunks in there so it's only 50% fine crumbs. Pour out into the cake tin. Add the dried fruit and the rice krispies.
Melt the butter, chocolate and syrup in a small pan, then pour over your biscuit mix inside the tin. Use a metal spoon to stir it in thoroughly and give an even coat.
Place in the fridge to set (probably takes about an hour).

Honey & orange cake

Adapted from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients 100g butter 175g clear honey 3 eggs 75g soft brown sugar 275g plain flour 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp cinnamon 2 tsp ginger Zest of 1 orange 200ml creme fraiche (Topping - icing sugar and juice of the orange, with some orange slices to garnish). Method Melt the butter and honey into a saucepan. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar, then add half of the flour and mix in. Pour in the butter and honey, then add the rest of the flour and mix well. Then add your bicarb of soda, spices and zest. Finally, stir in the creme fraiche. Bake in a tin at 180 degrees for around 40 mins. Prepare the icing by pouring the icing sugar into a bowl, and gradually squeezing in juice from the orange, a little at a time, until the icing is the right consistency (you will only need to use a small piece of the orange for this). I probably used between 100-150g icing sugar, but I only wanted a glaze, not a thick covering. Garnish with a few slices of the orange.

Korma noodle broth

Inspired by Anjum Anand's recipe which uses her Spice Tailor Keralan coconut curry sauce. I used a Tesco Finest korma sauce instead. Ingredients Mix of fresh veg - I used 3 chestnut mushrooms, a few baby corns, some tenderstem broccoli pieces, and 1 carrot. Straight-to-wok noodles - I used Singapore variety which are a nice yellow colour. Jar of mild korma-style sauce. A few diced chicken mini-fillets. Naan bread to serve - I used Lloyd Grossman's Peshwari naan. Method In a saucepan, cook the chicken until sealed and no longer pink on the outside. Add in your chopped veg and stir-fry for a few mins. Once veg is softened, add your sauce. Cook until bubbling hot, then add your noodles and stir well. Toast your naan bread and serve up as broth in bowls.

Cod with chorizo crumble and mediterranean veg

The cod with chorizo crumble comes from Sainsburys Magazine (Nov 2014). Ingredients (serves 2) 50g diced chorizo 50g breadcrumbs lemon juice 2 skinless and boneless cod loins 1 red pepper 1 red onion A few mushrooms A few cherry tomatoes Cooked baby/new potatoes (mine were leftovers) Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Prepare the vegetables by chopping and placing into an ovenproof dish. Pour over some olive oil and season with salt, black pepper, also adding a pinch each of basil and oregano. Roast them in the oven for 30-45 mins. Meanwhile, prepare the cod loins. Mix the chorizo and breadcrumbs in a bowl with the juice of 1 lemon (I just used a lot of lemon juice from the bottle! Too much hassle otherwise). Place the cod loins in an ovenproof dish and season with salt and pepper, then press the crumb mixture over the top of each cod loin. Roast the fish in the oven as well - it will need less time than the veg, probably 20-30 mins, until the fish is cooked through. Serve with salad.

Honey-glazed ham joint with goats cheese salad

Lush textures and sweet! Ingredients (serves 2-3) Unsmoked gammon joint 2-3 carrots 5 tbsp honey 5 tbsp English mustard Cumin seeds Sesame seeds New potatoes Rocket leaves Goats cheese Optional: Green beans Method Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Glaze the ham joint with a mixture of 5 tablespoons honey and english mustard and roast in the oven. After an hour in the oven add the carrots to the roasting dish and scatter over cumin seeds and sesame seeds. Boil up some new potatoes. Carve the ham after about 1hr30mins of cooking (you can probably reserve some to make lentil and bacon broth). Serve with rocket and goats cheese perhaps runner beans too.

Gnocchi, bacon, cheese and tomato bake

Got the idea for this from a Tesco recipe (originally gnocchi and courgette bake). It's quick and easy. Ingredients (serves 2 adults) Pack of fresh gnocchi 4 rashers bacon, cut into strips 1/2 onion, finely chopped Tomato passata Prepared green beans Goat's cheese Parmesan cheese Method Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Fry the bacon strips, and after a few minutes add in the onion. Once both are turning golden brown, turn off the heat and stir in some tomato passata. Don't use too much, just enough to make a small sauce. Warm the gnocchi for 2 mins in boiling water, then drain off and place into a casserole baking dish. Pour the tomato/bacon/onion mixture over. You should have enough sauce to coat the gnocchi, but you don't want them swimming in it. Add seasoning - I used basil and black pepper. Add some green beans then crumble in some goat's cheese, shaking parmesan over the top of the whole dish. I also added a last minute garnish of halved cherry tomatoes. Bake for 10 mins in the oven, until hot through. Serve with salad.