Barbie Cake

Yes, it is a in a Barbie birthday cake, as per many a little princess's early memories.

One such little princess is a wonderful friend of mine, so when she put in her request, I was on a mission.

Definitely one that has to be planned ahead, but SO much fun to make.

I won't go into all the ingredients etc on this one, but basically it consists of 2 cakes, one made in a pudding bowl (I used a glass Pyrex one) and copious amounts of buttercream icing.

You bake both cakes, when they are cool punch a circle out the middle, then merrily ice your way into Barbie land, inserting the doll and icing her in at the end. Her bodice is made from fondant icing.

This had a pink layer under the yellow to make it all the more dynamic when slicing in.

The whole thing is dairy free, but I'm sorry to say there's no way it could pass as healthy.

NB: Due to its height it's a wee bit of a mission to transport!

Sweet Potato, Chickpea and Spinach Curry

A tasty veggie curry with lots of aromatic, earthy flavours. The sweetness of the potato really compliments the rest of the flavours. You could easily use butternut squash if you wanted to.

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (cook for 3 min on high in the microwave to speed up cooking time)

1 Tbs tahini

2 Tbs tomato paste

2 tsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp curry powder (use whichever heat you prefer, I used medium)

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp brown sugar

6 Tbs hot water

50g green beans, trimmed and chopped

6 mushrooms, chopped

1 cup water

150g fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 tin chickpeas, drained

2 Tbs fresh coriander, chopped

1 tsp Nigella seeds

To serve...

Rice

Pita or naan bread

Chutney

Plain soy yoghurt

To make:

1) Spray a large saucepan with low fat cooking spray and put over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add the sweet potato and cover, cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

2) In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, tomato paste, lemon juice, curry powder, garam masala, salt, ginger, cinnamon, paprika, and brown sugar. Gradually add the hot water, stirring.

3) Add the mix to the sweet potato and onion mix, recover and cook for another 10 minutes, checking every few minutes and stirring in the water gradually as the sauce reduces.

4) Add the beans and mushrooms and cover again, cooking for 3 minutes. Then add the chickpeas and spinach and cook for 3 minutes, until the spinach is well wilted.

5) Mix in the coriander and turn off the heat. Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the Nigella seeds. Serve with rice, breads, yoghurt and chutney.

Serves 4.

Blueberry and Lemon Muffins

This is a brilliantly easy and delicious muffin recipe, taken from the Silver Spoon sugar website - www.silverspoon.co.uk. I've added a walnut and sugar topping which adds tasty crunch. To make chopping the nuts super easy, I crushed them in my mortar and pestle.

Ingredients:

350g self-raising flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

40g soft brown sugar

35g caster sugar

grated zest of 1 lemon

150g washed, drained fresh blueberries

75g dairy free margarine, melted

2 large eggs, beaten

300ml rice milk

25g walnuts, finely chopped

1 Tbs demuera sugar

To make:

1) Turn the oven to gas mark 6, 200 °c and line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper cases.

2) Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugars and zest, stir then mix in the blueberries.

3) Mix the walnuts and sugar and set aside.

4) Beat the eggs lightly in a medium bowl. Add the milk and margarine.

5) Make a well in the flour mix and pour in the wet ingredients.

6) Gently fold the wet and dry ingredients together so they are combined - but there will still be lumps that will cook out.

7) Divide the mix out between the muffin cases and top each with a good sprinkling of the walnuts and sugar. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden and well risen.

8) Leave them to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12

Smoked Salmon Pasta for One

I feel a bit wrong calling this a recipe - it's more a mixture of flavours that work deliciously together - but I guess that's a recipe, isn't it?

This is my ultimate dinner for one indulgence. It's something that the boy wouldn't be fussed on, so when I'm home alone and want to treat myself, this is it. Plus it takes almost no time to make.

My mum has always loved the pasta and smoked salmon combo, and would probably eat it every night if she had her way, so this is really inspired by her. Right down to the angel hair pasta which she favours with salmon.

Ingredients:

8 spears of asparagus

80g angel hair pasta

80g cold smoked salmon flakes

2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped

1/4 red onion, very finely diced

1 tsp capers

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Freshly ground salt and black pepper

Lemon wedge to serve

1) Trim the thicker ends from the asparagus and place in a small pot. Pour over about 2cm of boiling water and cook for about 3-4 minutes until tender.

2) While the asparagus is cooking, bring another pot of water to the boil, add salt and the pasta. Cook according to the packet (normally only 2-4 minutes - be careful not to overcook).

3) Use this time to prepare the rest of the ingredients.

4) Drain the pasta and toss a little olive oil through to stop it sticking. Add the smoked salmon flakes and gently mix them through the pasta with a spaghetti server to get the flavour throughout. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well - make especially sure that the dill is mixed throughout.

5) Squeeze lemon juice over the asparagus spears and season generously with salt and pepper.

6) Serve the pasta with asparagus on the side and a lemon wedge.

Serves 1 blissfully.

Tofu, Quinoa and Mango salad

This dish takes its inspiration from a Marks and Spencer crayfish salad that really isn't similar in any way, except for the use of mango. I used to think that mixing fruit with savoury dishes was an abomination, but done with the right flavours, it can be a match made in heaven.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an exceptionally nutritious grain and contains all 9 amino acids to make it a complete protein. The tofu adds an extra proteinous boost.

This would be great as a summer meal; there are lots of flavours and textures working together here, and they do get on rather nicely.

Ingredients:

For the tofu...

400g block tofu, diced

soy sauce

juice of 1/4 lemon

heaped teaspoon of crushed garlic

1cm grated ginger

For the dressing...

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 tsp crushed hot chili

1/2 tsp tamari soy sauce

1/2 Tbs rice vinegar

1 Tbs sweet chili sauce

1/2 Tbs water

2 Tbs fresh, chopped coriander

1/8 tsp brown sugar

And the rest...

1/2 c quinoa

50g mangetout, cut in half

1/2 small head of broccoli, cut into small florets

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 small iceberg lettuce, shredded

1/2 mango, cut into small pieces

1/2 avocado, diced

1/4 bunch fresh coriander

To serve:

Fresh coriander, chopped

Lemon wedges

To make:

1) Put all the tofu into a shallow bowl and drizzle with soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and ginger. Cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight or for at least an hour.

2) Turn the oven to gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Put it into the oven to heat up for a couple of minutes, then lay the tofu evenly out on it. Put in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, turning once.

3) Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and set aside.

4) Put the quinoa in a small pot with 1 and a half cups of water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the quinoa is cooked and the water absorbed.

5) Put the hot quinoa into a large bowl and mix in half the dressing. Leave it to sit while you blanch the broccoli for 3 minutes and the the mangetout for 1 minute.

6) To the quinoa, add the red onion, lettuce and coriander. Mix well. Next add the mango and slightly cooled broccoli and mangetout. Add the avocado last, gently stirring through with the remaining dressing.

7) Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve with lemon wedges if desired.

Serves 2.

Moroccan Chickpea Bites

This is so simple to put together, it takes almost no time and makes a great starter. You could make the patties large and serve as a main course. If you are having people over, make the mix the night before and simply shape them and put in the oven before your guests arrive.

Ingredients:

400g can chickpeas, drained

1 small courgette, finely grated

1/8 of a red onion, finely chopped

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp dried mint

1/2 tsp Moroccan seasoning (or 1/4 tsp each of ground cumin and coriander)

juice of 1/4 lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Chopped fresh coriander

Good quality fresh tomato salsa

To Make:

1)Heat the oven to 190°c or gas mark 5.

2)Put the chickpeas in a food processor and blend until smooth and paste like.

3)Turn the chickpeas into a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients, then mix well and season to taste.

4)Refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.

5)Shape into small patties and bake for 20 minutes, turning the patties half way through.

Serve sprinkled with the coriander and the fresh salsa on the side.

Black Forest Tofu Cheesecake

Before I adopted a dairy free diet, I'd never given even the slightest thought to vegan desserts, why would I? So when I said no to milk, I got curious about the illusive tofu cheesecake. After tasting a few VERY bland examples, I have come up with a recipe that is delicious, SO easy to make, and produced a product that has been licked from the plate by unsuspecting tasters, always shocked when I tell them it's tofu. Now I am not saying this is healthy, but without the presence of cream, cream cheese etc, it is a healthier alternative and exceptionally indulgent.

One thing I would point out, is that you need to beat the tofu really well to get a smooth consistency and get rid of any white flecks.

It's best made the the day before you want to serve it.

Ingredients:

For the base

200g dairy free ginger nuts, broken

2 Tbs dairy free margarine, melted

For the cheesecake

1 400g pkt of silken tofu (hard variety)

1/4 c soft brown sugar

1/4 c caster sugar

1/4 cup cocoa, sifted

1 tsp vanilla essence

100g dark, dairy free chocolate. Set aside about 20g to serve, then grate half of the remaining chocolate and finely chop the other half

200g fresh cherries, halved and stoned. Finely chop half, and reserve half for serving

Icing sugar to dust

To make:

1) Lightly grease a lose based 20cm cake tin, line the bottom with some baking parchment and turn the oven to 180°c or gas mark 4.

2) Put the biscuits in a food processor and whizz until they are fine crumbs. Add the softened margarine and pulse again so the crumbs bond together when pressed. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of the tin and cook for 5 minutes. Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely.

3) Discard any excess liquid from the tofu and put it into a large bowl. Beat well with an electric whisk.

4) Add in both sugars and cocoa and blend until smooth with the whisk. Add the vanilla essence and mix.

5) With a wooden spoon, stir in the grated and chopped chocolate and the chopped cherries. Mix together well, pour over the cold base and use a spatula to smooth the surface.

6) Bake for 25 -30 minutes, take out of the oven and cool in the tin. The top will crack a little and should be coming away from the edges. Refrigerate (still in the tin) for at least 2 hours until thoroughly set.

7) Remove from the tin and serve topped with the remaining cherry halves and the rest of the chocolate, grated, then dust with icing sugar.

It tastes best if you take it out of the fridge and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Delicious with plain soy (or dairy) yogurt.