Spiced Aubergine Daal

Creamy, softly spiced red lentil and coconut daal with squash and spinach, topped with chili roasted baby aubergines. The perfect autumn meal - warm, comforting and super nourishing too!

The daal is delicately balanced with a base of shallots, garlic and ginger, layered with a few toasted spices, the warmth of cinnamon and the addition of lemongrass, lime juice and tamarind to add a little freshness and tanginess to the dish. The baby aubergines are coated in a little chili-garlic paste, roasted until just a little charred and then tossed in oil, they're melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the ultimate accompaniment for this delicious daal.

Vegan Spinach & Tofu Ricotta Cannelloni

Cannelloni was one of my favourites pre-vegan (as was almost every other pasta dish!) and it's something I was yet to try and veganize. It may take a little patience, but it's completely worth it! A creamy spinach and tofu ricotta filling, encased in pasta tubes, smothered in rich tomato sauce, sprinkled with cheese and baked to perfection!

I've gotten into a habit recently of batch cooking on a Sunday afternoon, it means you have food prepped for the first few days of the week and something to look forward to on a Monday lunchtime or after a long day's work. This dish also freezes really well, so can be enjoyed at another time when you're super busy - simply divide into portions, freeze and reheat straight from frozen in the oven or microwave!

Baba Ganoush & Za'atar Pitta Chips

The best way to describe baba ganoush is like hummus' cousin; it has similar flavours and is super creamy, but it's made from smoky aubergines instead of chickpeas. It's super fun and quick to make thanks to a few method hacks and is perfect for picnics, BBQs, snacks and lunches too! 

The aubergines are roasted straight on a gas hob flame, creating a wonderful smoky charred flavour with works perfectly with the flavours of lemon, garlic, cumin and tahini in the dip. The pitta chips are roasted with a little olive oil and sprinkled with Za'atar before being roasted to crispy perfection. 

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

Juicy, chewy mixed mushrooms in a rich and creamy sauce, served up with a mix of long grain and wild rice. I used 4 types of mushrooms; chestnut, oyster, enoki and dried porcini but you can use whichever you prefer or that are available to you - I find that Chinese supermarkets have a great variety of different mushrooms!

The creamy base of this stroganoff is made from cashews, they're the perfect medium for a sauce like this, delivering rich flavour and plenty of nutrition too. Nuts are super healthy, they're a great source of protein fibre and micronutrients too. Cashews contain vitamin K and magnesium, essential for our blood health and muscles, respectively, they're also rich in copper and iron, two nutrients needed for red blood cell formation, iron absorption and our subsequent energy levels.

Ultimate Charred Garlic Greens

Using the word ultimate isn't a small claim, but it's one that's completely substantiated for this next recipe - crispy charred garlic and lemon broccoli and kale, perfectly seasoned and oh so moreish, topped with sweet and salty caramelised almonds.

These are the type of greens that you just can't stop eating, the recipe gives 4, pretty generously sized portions as a side to a main, but I still stand by it being 4 portions; you'll want seconds and even thirds of these delicious greens.