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I have such a back-log of recipes to make! It was my birthday recently and I received a bunch of new cookbooks including Yotam Ottolenghi’s new one ‘Plenty’ which is just gold! But as I had a few random veggies in the fridge and we are waiting for our first delivery of a fruit and veg box, I wanted to try and use up as much as I could.

I made this salad up myself after reading a recipe for a giant couscous and aubergine side salad in an issue of BBC Good Food mag. I made a few amendments and bulked it up a bit to make a main dish for 2 that was the perfect way to kick off National Vegetarian Week (in the UK).

National Vegetarian Week (NVW) is the annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle. Celebrated by the Vegetarian Society since 1992, the Week is now an established event that gets bigger and better every year.

I love how simple vegetarian dishes can be so tasty. This one is definitely one to make again!

Ingredients:

• 1 aubergine, sliced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 150g cherry tomatoes (but you can use more)
• half a red onion, sliced
• 150g quinoa
• juice from 1 lemon
• 150g feta
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• handful basil leaves, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Heat oven to 200C/Gas 6
2. Place the slices of aubergine in a roasting tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, and roast for 15 minutes
3. Season the cherry tomatoes and red onion, and add to the roasting dish for a further 10 minutes
4. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions
5. Combine the lemon juice with 1 tbsp of olive oil for the dressing
6. Place the spinach leaves in a bowl and toss with half the dressing
7. Add the quinoa to the spinach bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.
8. Carefully stir through the roasted veggies, crumbled feta and chopped basil leaves

After the countless acts of indulgence over the silly season, it’s time to go back to my usual healthy eating habits. This year however, I have vowed to make more new dishes and share them with you all. I was lucky enough to receive a few new cookbooks for Christmas and coupled with my BBC Good Food subscription and the endless foodie blogs I explore, there is more then enough to keep me occupied. My fave has to be the 80/20 diet book by Teresa Cutter – otherwise known as The Healthy Chef. Teresa is a qualified chef and fitness trainer and her 80/20 philosophy is based on the notion to eat well 80% of the time, and 20% of the time you can enjoy a little indulgence. Her book contains stacks of tasty looking recipes and I can’t wait to really get into them, but for now I have made this heart-warming chilli based on a recipe from Closet Cooking to help me through the freezing temperatures I am facing on returning to London after a few weeks in the Sydney summer. Enjoy!

This makes a massive batch – enough for 4 generous servings. My pan was only just big enough to fit it all in!

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
2 cups water
A few sprays of olive oil
1 brown onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 jalapeno pepper (chopped) – I used diced dried chile jalapenos from the Cool Chile Co.
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water, as required
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 red pepper/capsicum (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 zucchini/courgette (cut into bite sized pieces)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1  small can corn kernels
1 handful coriander (some chopped, some leaves)

Directions:
1. Simmer the quinoa in the water until the white part separates, about 10 minutes. Then take off the heat and cover while the remaining water is absorbed. 
2. Spray some the oil in a large pan.
3. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and cumin and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, beans, peppers, zucchini, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add some water to help simmer as my mixture was quite thick.
6. Add the quinoa and corn and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander.
8. Plate (or bowl) up and serve with some coriander leaves on top.

I love Quinoa! I like to use it in a number of recipes as it makes a great substitute for rice or couscous. As it’s a seed, not a grain, it is an excellent source of protein and has a satisfying texture. 

I have been reading a lot of recipes on the web in my increasing list of fave foodie blogs, and I recently came across a similar salad on Closet Cooking.

I made this salad for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It was full of fresh zingy flavour from the coriander, and filling with the quinoa and aduki beans. The dressing with lime juice, cumin and chilli sauce as well as the jalapenos gave it a nice kick. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 can aduki beans
• 1 can corn kernels
• 1 red pepper (sliced)
• 1 jalapeno pepper (sliced)
• 1 spring onion (sliced)
• 1/2 avocado, cubed
• 1/4 cup coriander (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• juice of 1 lime
• a few splashes chilli sauce
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Cook the quinoa according to packet directions – about 10 mins until the white part separates, and then cover and leave until all the water is fully absorbed. Make sure you fluff with a fork to separate the grains.
2. Mix the quinoa, beans, corn, red pepper, jalapeno, spring onion, coriander, and avocado in a large bowl.
3. Mix the oil, lime juice, chilli sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Toss the salad in the dressing, plate up, and enjoy!