I just made a lovely pan of soup for lunch and it was so delicious I thought I better blog it fast whilst i remember what I did!

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 shallots, chopped
• 4 fat cloves garlic, chopped roughly
• 4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1.5 pints vegetable stock
• 1 glass white wine
• dollop of cream/soya cream
• salt
• white pepper
• 1.5 oz italian hard cheese/vegan equivalent, finely grated
• chives
• rapeseed oil

1. Slowly soften the onion, shallots and garlic in the oil, in a large saucepan. You don’t want them to colour at this is a pale soup.
2. Add the potatoes, wine and stock. Season with salt and a little white pepper.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
4. Turn out the heat, and blitz until smooth.
5. Add the cream. Taste and adjust seasoning.
6. Add the cheese and stir to dissolve.
7. Serve in your favourite soup bowl with some freshly snipped chives on top.

 

This soup is so delicious you’ll want to eat it all at once. Dairy and gluten free, it tastes too goo to be true, having all the elements of taste to tickle all your taste buds.

2 sweet red peppers
1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
1 onion, sliced finely
4 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2-3/4 litre vegetable stock
juice of half a lime
1-2 tablespoons orange juice
1-2 tablespoons ground almonds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chargrill the peppers over an open flame until black and flaccid. Put into a bowl and cover with cling film until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil until soft and golden.

Rub the black skin off the peppers, and remove the stalk and seeds. Chop and add to the onions and garlic.

Add the sweet potatoes, paprika and chilli and cook for a few minutes to released the spice flavours.

Add the stock, bring to the boil, slow to a simmer and cover. Cook until the sweet potato is soft (about 15 minutes).

When the potatoes are soft, take off the heat and blend until smooth.

Add the lime and orange juice a bit at a time together with sea salt and black pepper to taste. You are looking to be able to taste and differentiate all the elements: sweet, salty, spicy, citrusy and smoky.

Add ground almonds to thicken slightly.

I love salad season.

Here are a couple of my favourites:

Vegan coleslaw

Carrots, grated

White cabbage, shredded

Red cabbage shredded

1/4 finely chopped red onion

Equal quantities of vegan garlic mayonnaise and soya yoghurt

Juice of a lemon

Few splashes of chipotle tabasco

Sea salt, ground black pepper

I use equal quantities of grated carrot and shredded red and white cabbage – do it by eye until the three colours are equally visible. Add onion. I mix mine with my hands in a large bowl.

For the dressing use about 3-4 tablespoons each of garlic vegan mayonnaise and plain soya yoghurt. Enhance with a a few dashes of chipotle tabasco. Add the juice of a lemon, some sea salt and black pepper to taste. Just keep tasting it until it tastes delicious and then toss half into the salad, and mix thoroughly with your hands. Add enough more until the veggies are coated, but not dripping in dressing.

Warm new potato and asparagus salad

1lb jersey royal potatoes

2 spring onions, chopped finely

3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped

5 sunblush tomatoes, shredded

14 fat pitted black olives, quartered

olive oil

sherry vinegar

teaspoon of dijon mustard

teaspoon of caster sugar

sea salt and ground black pepper

15 leaves of fresh basil, torn up

Boil some small jersey royal potatoes in salted water until cooked.

Whilst they are boiling, mix your dressing thoroughly – I like about 3 parts olive oil to 1 part sherry vinegar, spiked with a heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard and tempered with a scant teaspoon of caster sugar, all shaken together in an old cough medicine bottle.

Drain the potatoes and cut to rough bite sized pieces. Toss in the dressing and leave them to soak it all up whilst you mix the other ingredients in a large bowl.

When you have cooked your asparagus, add the potatoes to the tomatoes and olives and spring onions, add the basil and serve warm.

Grilled asparagus

Toss your asparagus spears in olive oil, and cook lightly for a couple of minutes on a hot griddle pan, until you get a few char marks on the spears. Put them on a plate, squeeze over lemon juice, sea salt and pepper, and serve warm with potato salad and coleslaw.

The combination of aubergine, tomato, garlic and basil has me salivating before I’ve even chopped anything.

1 large aubergine, cut into 1cm thick slices and then chunked into bite sized pieces
7 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 16oz tin of chopped tomatoes, drained
3 fl oz olive oil
2 tsp sugar
a large handful of basil leaves, chopped
juice of half a lemon
sea salt and black pepper
6oz orzo pasta

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and when hot but not smoking, add the garlic.

Cook for a few seconds then add the aubergine, stir quickly to coat in oil. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes and sugar, and a good large pinch of sea salt and a good few turns of ground black pepper. Stir.

Cover and turn down the heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the aubergine is soft.

Leave covered, and cool whilst you cook the pasta.

Drain the pasta and add to the aubergine mixture. Toss everything together, adjust seasoning and serve.